The NTR Knight Commander has Decided to Desert

Chapter 8

The man clearly visible before her eyes... Cromwell.

Even from a fair distance, through that uniquely overwhelming divine energy, Lea Richard recognized him at once.

'The fact that he's waiting here... does that mean this really is a trap?'

She couldn't determine exactly what his aim was or what he was thinking.

But since the opponent was Cromwell, she was certain he wouldn't have shown himself without a plan.

From the start, the reason Richard had mobilized all the forces she could muster was to prepare for such a "trap," and so, despite the heavy fear, she began doing her utmost to maintain her composure.

'Currently, I have 700 troops. If Cromwell is here with the entire rebel army, then their numbers would slightly exceed ours.'

In terms of sheer numbers, the two sides were nearly even,

and considering the soldiers' level of training, the Imperial Army actually held the advantage.

However, with the enemy holding the high ground and, more importantly, Cromwell being there, Richard judged that this alone was far from enough.

'If we attack recklessly, we might end up being countered instead. At this point, our only option is to request reinforcements.'

Once the news that the traitor Cromwell is here spreads accurately, William would surely join the battle willingly, and even the indifferent General Neto would lend his support.

From their perspective, Cromwell was a thorn they'd rather remove as soon as possible—so it was only natural.

With that, Richard immediately summoned her adjutant and gave her orders.

For now, she chose to enter a standoff with Cromwell, who stood before her.

'Once time passes and reinforcements arrive, the advantage will be ours. There's no need to rush and risk disaster. Besides, if we wipe out the rebels here, it'll be even easier to take over the now-vacant Stanwick fortress.'

Thus, Richard came to the conclusion to turn the enemy's scheme against them and sweep the board.

Meanwhile,

watching her from afar, the man...

Cromwell began to quietly smile.

*

Lea Richard, the Imperial Army officer who had arrived leading her troops.

The moment I confirmed her appearance, I couldn't help but smile inwardly.

For ten years, they had been Imperial officers I'd encountered in the game—as subordinates, superiors, or comrades.

And among them, Lea Richard had been by my side from the very beginning of the game.

She had come here with her entire army, exactly as I had predicted based on that knowledge.

Today's patrol was supposed to be William's unit, but even so, I had predicted that Richard would be the one to rush here first.

Among the Imperial officers present, she was the one who feared my betrayal the most.

Given that, it was only natural that if anything suspicious occurred, she would be the first to arrive.

Following that,

the moment she spotted me, radiating my aura,

Richard held her troops back instead of launching a hasty attack.

Watching her behavior, the rebel adjutant beside me looked intrigued and whispered,

"Ohh... She really isn't attacking. Just like Commander Cromwell said. They're just holding position."

"She's always been cautious. She served under me for a long time, so she won't act rashly. She'll probably wait until reinforcements arrive."

"Then... does that mean the plan worked?"

"It seems so. But we can't let our guard down. Until the signal goes up, we must hold this position at all costs."

"Understood, Commander Cromwell."

Nodding slightly at my words, the adjutant resumed checking on the soldiers and maintaining the lines.

Watching him, I began slowly expanding the range of divine energy flowing through my entire body.

Soon, the Imperial troops Richard had summoned would swarm in like ants.

To hold them off even briefly with the forces currently gathered here, I would inevitably need to go all out.

Fortunately, with the 200% divine energy recovery buff, there shouldn't be any major issues—but I still couldn't afford to be careless.

Just as I finished preparing to unleash my full power for the coming battle—

"They're here..."

Numerous lights glowing in the darkness.

From that, I could tell William's forces had arrived faster than expected.

-Doom! Doom! Doom!

-Bwoooooong!!

At the same time, horns and drums sounded, announcing the enemy's advance.

As if they couldn't wait even a moment longer, they began charging toward us, torches blazing.

Savoring the thrill of everything proceeding according to plan,

I turned to the adjutant beside me and spoke.

"The enemy is coming. Prepare yourself."

"Understood. All troops, defensive formation!"

At the adjutant's command, the soldiers tightened their ranks and pointed their bayonets forward, forming a somewhat crude defensive line.

Though the dense forest likely obscured them from the enemy's view, the gathered friendly forces still looked hopelessly outnumbered compared to the approaching enemy.

Our side had 200 troops, mostly composed of militia.

In contrast, the enemy had over 2,000 elite soldiers.

Even with the advantage of terrain, this was truly a case of throwing eggs at a rock.

Normally, anyone would call this madness.

But... not for me.

For Holy Knight Cromwell, there existed a factor that allowed him to achieve his "goal" even in such a dire situation.

-"Uwoaaaaah!!!"

"Crush the enemy!"

"Charge, warriors!!"

The Imperial Army charged from the darkness, shouting as they came.

Seeing their ranks filled with both native warriors and Imperial soldiers, I silently stretched out my hand toward the front.

At the same time, a pale green aura burst from my body.

Though this was my first time using it on an actual battlefield,

after adapting to this body through basic training, my mind had aligned with the flow my body remembered, allowing me to fight just like Cromwell from the game.

Not only the basic swordsmanship of a Holy Knight, but also the vital divine energy and holy magic.

And now, in this moment,

within this strange yet familiar sensation, I began commanding the aura that flowed from my body and enshrouded the area like mist.

*

"All troops, advance! Wipe out the enemy!"

William swung his staff and gave the order to charge without hesitation.

With the attack commencing without even consulting her, Richard was struck with confusion.

"! W-Wait, Willi... I mean, General William! What in the world...?"

"What are you hesitating for? General Neto said there's a big reward for Cromwell's head! If you miss your chance and regret it later, don't blame me!"

"Hey, Willi! Stop right now! If you charge like this—"

Ignoring her, William charged forward like a native warrior gone wild.

Watching him, utterly fixated on the target before him with his usual impulsive nature on full display,

Richard furrowed her brow, and the likely outcome of what would happen next began to form clearly in her mind.

'Damn it, if I'd known this would happen, I would've forced the issue and talked to him...'

Due to the lack of time while preparing for battle, and because William had shown no interest in hearing about Cromwell's danger, she hadn't been able to tell him the truth.

A power that maximized the nature of divine energy—a force meant to correct and heal the distortions of the world.

Thinking back to that ability, which only those who had fought alongside Cromwell could vaguely understand,

Richard decided it was better to focus on her own task rather than recklessly diving into that bloodbath.

'Well... it's William's troops who'll take the brunt of the damage anyway... I might as well use them as a shield while I move...'

*

Before her eyes stood Commander of the knights Cromwell, radiating a green aura, surrounded by the rebels.

Though the distance made it hard to gauge their exact numbers, it was clear they were fewer than half the size of her own forces, and yet the Imperial Army began advancing quickly.

"Kill all the rebels!"

"Wipe out those fools who dared oppose the Empire!"

With native warriors at the front, the Imperial Army began ascending the slope in an instant.

Leading the charge was the Mok tribe warrior Muraka, itching from the night patrol and now rushing forward with twin axes.

An unexpected, glorious opportunity for battle had come swiftly.

Caught up in the thrill of combat as a warrior, he began charging toward the enemy lines faster than anyone else.

And then—

- Everyone, take aim!

The rebels loaded up their magic and firearms, aiming at the native warriors.

It was a powerful barrage, yet Muraka and the other warriors charged forward without the slightest hesitation.

- Fire!

At the command, the mages' staves and the soldiers' gun barrels began to blaze.

For ordinary soldiers, a direct hit from such an attack could mean severe injury or instant death.

However, that only applied to regular soldiers lacking magical talent.

Muraka and his comrades had trained in basic defensive magic as warriors.

While they might not come out completely unscathed, blocking attacks of that level posed no serious threat.

Even if they were wounded, as long as they broke through the enemy lines, their time would come.

Activating his protective magic, Muraka moved to counter the assault head-on.

"Not a chance! This much won't stop me!..."

But then...

"!?  Gah!!!!"

In the next instant, an overwhelming sense of wrongness struck him, followed by a wave of excruciating pain.

Muraka collapsed to the ground, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

'Wh... What is this? I... I definitely used magic... So... why?'

A magical barrier that, when combined with Muraka's steel-like muscles, could even deflect bullets—

Yet the moment he neared the enemy lines and was struck by their attack, that defense vanished like a dream.

Like a complex magic circle drawn in the sand, wiped clean by the wind.

He had no understanding of the cause behind this bizarre and shocking phenomenon.

And so, Muraka's body, burning with the thrill of battle...

No—along with the sturdy bodies of the brave warriors charging beside him,

All fell lifeless to the ground, struck down one by one by enemy bullets.

"Wha... What the hell? Wh... What is this?"

William was seized by deep confusion at the unexpected turn of events.

Seeing the warriors, who were supposed to lead the charge and break through the enemy, collapse in droves, left him in shock—and the same went for the other Imperial Army soldiers rushing forward.

In that single moment of horror and confusion, William's forces came to a halt.

And then,

Watching them,

A deep smile began to spread across Cromwell's lips.

'Just as planned...'