“Gu, gu~uh…… that, that dragon scum……! He dares to injure my glorious shoulder…… guuh”

Right now, I am currently riding on a wyvern that Azalea summoned and flying away from the battlefield.
How cowardly of that monstrosity to attack me from a distance……
Despite having such a large figure, to think it would attack in such an underhanded way.
If the barbarians are just uncultured monkeys, then their guardian deity is just a monster they claim who protects them.

“Azalea! Hurry and use〖High Rest〗on my shoulder already!”

“I understand your impatience, your honor, but it will be difficult to focus while we’re in constant motion. Please wait until we regroup with the 4th division. I humbly apologize that I had to delay your recovery due to my uselessness.”

“Wha-…… w-, we’re retreating that far back?! If you’d just heal my shoulder, I can still fight! So, why……”

I became worried.
Why did Azalea summon his wyvern and force us to retreat?
To me, Azalea is someone who always thinks one or two steps ahead, so what made him want to retreat……

This means that we’ll have to leave the barbarians’ extermination to Alan.
I was selecting the perfect weapon to use for this day, but now it’s wasted.
My feeling of excitement is lost now.

Alan is a descendant of the endangered species, the giant clan, and he was given the nickname “Alan the Titan”.
He’s strong enough to wrestle a middle-class dragon barehanded, and he always comes out on top whenever the men from “Hungry Hunters” take a break and waste their time on arm-wrestling.

“…… Your lordship, please excuse me for the rude things I’m about to say”

“What was that?”

“There is nothing we can do for Alan now. He simply has no value for you, my lord. We should see him as a mere pebble on the road. That is why I continue to fly away like this and haven’t landed yet. The 1st division, 2nd division, and 3rd division that came with us to attack the village…… we must assume the worse and think of them as already eliminated. We also don’t know how many divisions are still safe……”

“Hah……?”

I don’t understand what he’s saying.
The 3rd division lacks application skills, but out of all of us, they’re still the best in terms of breaking through obstacles.
As for the 1st division, every member is skilled in all domains, with Azalea as the top.
For them to be eliminated is…… what is he saying?

“That speed, range, and force…… I fear to say it’s even more powerful than any monster I’ve ever encountered. Back when I used to serve under Baron Govia, he sent me to exterminate several Living Mounds before, but that dragon is far superior compared to them. I pride myself for my vast knowledge of monsters, but…… I can’t even tell what monster that dragon was. There are too many uncertainties……”

Living Mounds…… monsters that are often called “tiny living mountains”, they’re made of dirt and they cover themselves in vines and shrubs.
They’re often feared for their high rank, rank B, but…… since they seclude themselves in mountains, they’re not particularly high in terms of subjugation priority.
Baron Govia’s family owns the mine as part of family heritage, but he was unable to mine properly due to several Living Mounds moving in their domain.

“D-, Don’t spout such stupid thoughts! A monster that’s higher than a rank B Living Mound is, is…… w-why is such a thing even supporting the barbarians of the Lithuvar Tribe?!”

“Your Eminence, just this time…… let’s withdraw. This is a serious problem that needs to be reported back to the country”

“That’s…… that’s a ridiculous suggestion! If word gets out of this failure, then the reputation of the ‘Hungry Hunters’ being the country’s strongest military force will be at risk…… and, I’ll be removed as a candidate of becoming king! Are you saying I should waste this one opportunity I have?!”

“Of course not! But as long as you’re still alive, you will still have many opportunities! I will continue to support you with everything I have, so please, make a wise decision. This is not a place for someone as great as you to perish!”

“Gu, guh…… gu, guh……”

Even after being said all that, an opportunity like this will never come again.
And, even if that dragon is superior than a Living Mound, with Azalea, all of my men, and me especially, it should still be inferior to us.

Baron Govia used to treat Azalea under chains, torturing him so he wouldn’t go against him, all because he fears Azalea’s true power.
Azalea was originally a survivor from Baron Govia’s church, when a priest from an evil religion performed dubious arts on an orphan.
Eventually, the royal soldiers captured the priest, and they found Azalea and the orphan’s corpse lying in the basement.
Such background may be related to Azalea’s high physical ability and his signature Flare magic that no other humans can handle.

That is why Baron Govia fears Azalea.
1st-rate swords cannot be handled by 3rd-rate swordsmen.
Azalea’s high-grade skills only befits someone as worthy as I.

If Azalea gets serious, wouldn’t he be able to take on that dragon……?
Could it be that Azalea is scared of dying and the only reason he’s shoving threats about that dragon is so we could retreat to safety?
Why he…… he’s taking my kind treatment for granted……!

Looking below us, I spot several of my cavalrymen running together.
That red-dyed hair…… is that the 21st division squad commander, Grodell?
He’s accompanied together with 10 other men from different squads.
What happened to his squad then?

How dare he…… a squad commander running away is just miserable.
With how everything’s going…… I’ll have to agree with Azalea that the ones we left behind in the village have been eliminated.
But, maybe if we join up with Grodell, we can think of something to turn this situation around.

“Azalea, take us to Grodell down there! Hurry up! We must discuss with him!”

“But…… we’re almost to where the 4th division is, please wait until then……”

He usually replies with open-mindedness, but now his reaction infuriates me.
Even though I’m already infuriated as it is!

I thought he’d just be an obedient puppy who’d do whatever I say, but now with my life at stake, this is how he treats me?!

“Listen here! My wound is severely deep! If it weren’t for your bad job at pushing me aside, I wouldn’t have received a wound this deep! At this rate, I’m going to be feeling numb every time I swing a sword and I won’t be considered a swordsman anymore! Now get us down! This is an order!”

“…… Yes, as you say”

The wyvern lowers altitude and heads towards Grodell’s group.
As we approach them, I noticed that some of Grodell’s men were carrying Lithuvar brats with them.

“Heh heh…… Lord Tallmann! We captured several children! And, I have wonderful news! These kid know about the Carbuncle!”

Grodell shouts happily at me with a grin on his face.
That good news doesn’t excuse you with running away, but that is indeed good news.

Thanks to this idiot who retreated without my consent, my loss in the battle with the Lithuvar village is set in stone.
…… But, let’s leave that aside for now.
Information about the Carbuncle is very valuable.
Just bringing it back with me is already considered a feat.
Although barely…… but, if I manage to present the Carbuncle to the princess, then there’s still a chance for me to be king.

“Tch…… to think that I’d have to settle for second best! Perhaps I’ll take my frustration out on those little rascals”

“That sounds brilliant, Lord Tallmann! If you remove the eyeballs and twist the limbs, you can show it off their tribe and lower their morale, not to mention you’ll be relieved of all your stress too!”

Hmph…… as always, he has a twisted personality.
But, still…… I don’t really dislike tormenting a helpless child from a tribe of barbarians who forced me to retreat.

“…………”

Azalea remained silent and was staring at Grodell as if lost in thought.

“Something on your mind, Azalea?”

“…… This can work”

“What?”

“After you extract the information…… can you hand over one of the barbarian children to me? With it…… we can make a trap for the dragon and render it immobile. But, that is only if the dragon really is the Lithuvar Tribe’s guardian deity”

“Hoh, is that true?! Well said! I never doubted you for a second, Azalea!”

He’s finally back to his usual self.

“I’ll need to ask for more men from the 4th division, or any other division will do…… We’ll have Nell fight against that monster. I know you despise him, your honor, but if he gets serious, he can even defeat our powerhouse, Alan, on his own”

“…… Well, if you must. I’ll leave it all to you, Azalea”

I’m a bit dissatisfied…… but, it’s rare for Azalea to suggest such things.
That dragon must be more dangerous than I thought.
I’ll have to trust Azalea for now and await for results as my wounds get treated in the rearguard.

“Waah! St-, stop!”

Grodell suddenly screams while pulling the reins of his horse.
The horse slows down and stops, but the way it stopped was like it hit something.
And, not just Grodell, but the others too.
After each horse stops, their bodies are still moving like they’re being tied by some unseen rope.

“W-…… what happened?!”

Azalea says as the wyvern hovers down to land, but before we hit the ground, Azalea jumps off the wyvern.
He lands near Grodell, unsheathes his sword and swings it in the air.
Immediately afterwards, Grodell’s horse begins rampaging and Grodell gets forcefully shoved off his mount.

Azalea’s wyvern finally lands on the ground.
It seems like what Azalea hit with his sword earlier was a thin yet sturdy thread……
Clearly the handiwork of a spider monster.

They must’ve stumbled upon a nearby spider’s nest…… mistakes happen, but low-leveled monsters shouldn’t be much of a threat to us.
However, when I jumped off the wyvern, an extremely thick fog surrounds us.

“W-What is it now……?”

Not long after I say that, I hear a scream not far from me.

“A monster! It’s a monster! Someone help, help mee~e!”

Why are you making such a big deal over low-leveled monsters…… or so I thought, but then a squeezing, crushing sound was heard as if something was being squashed.
Turning towards the sound, I see a silhouette of a little girl in the midst of the fog.
But…… that one hand of hers is abnormally oversized.
It’s a very ominous-looking silhouette.

“Wha, what in the…… what……”

I unintentionally drop the sword in my hand.
Azalea’s expression then turns inhumanely pale and screams.

“It’s an undead! I apologize for not figuring it out sooner. Grodell! Take Lord Tallmann and ride the wyvern back to the 4th division! The rest of you abandon your horses, take the children, get out of this fog, and follow after Lord Tallmann! Don’t let those children out of your grasp! Keep in mind what will happen if you return empty-handed! Hans and Jade, both of you stay with me and we’ll fend off the undead and the spider! I’ll tell you this in advance, but I won’t be able to use magic until later! We’ll be fighting under those conditions, so prepare yourselves and get in position! If our battle ends up taking too long, then once you regroup with the 4th division, tell them to bring us reinforcements!”

One problem after another…… seriously, what is going on in this forest?!