"General! A retreat order has come through!"
"What? Retreat?!"
Knight Commander Charles Richthofen, who had been swinging his greatsword against Imperial cavalry moments ago, shouted back. The Republican cavalry was, if only slightly, overwhelming the enemy. Charles was confident that with twenty more minutes—no, even just ten—he could drive them off completely.
"Are you out of your mind? The Consul personally ordered me to secure the right flank!"
"B-But the retreat signal has truly been raised!"
Charles turned his head irritably. The visibility was terrible due to the dust clouds kicked up by hooves. He fumbled inside his coat with his left hand, pulled out a portable telescope, and roughly brought it to his eye. A black flag. It was unmistakably the flag signaling a full retreat……
"That's impossible. There's no way the Consul would pull back this easily……"
"General! Our forces in the center are retreating! If we delay any longer, we'll be encircled!"
"Guh…… Fall back!"
Charles gritted his teeth.
Just a little more. Just a little more pressure, and he could have rolled up the Helvetian cavalry. After chasing off their cavalry, he would have struck the enemy center from the rear. Then the Habsburg Republic would have claimed victory. The Consul surely knew that, so why……
"Did the Consul not want victory more than anyone else……!"
"General!"
His aide shouted at Charles, who was still staring regretfully at the front. The horn signaling retreat was already wailing strangely through the dust clouds. Their own cavalry, though somewhat flustered, began to turn their mounts around in orderly fashion.
"I know. Damn it!"
Charles forcibly wheeled his horse around. The warhorse spun and galloped away.
The center, left flank, right flank. The Republic was in full-scale retreat from every direction. Laura de Farnese, though Supreme Commander, had been positioned almost at the very front. Thanks to that, she noticed the shift on the battlefield immediately.
"Pursue!"
The enemy was retreating. The possibility of a feigned retreat was nonexistent. There was no benefit to a feigned retreat now. There were no wooded areas to hide ambush forces. The Republic, sensing defeat, was withdrawing to minimize losses.
"All forces — there's no need to maintain formation! Pursue! Pursue! Pursue without hesitation!"
Laura rode forward on her warhorse herself. Her adjutants flanked her as protectors, raising their bugle horns high.
"Charge!"
"Tear them apart!"
Soldiers roared and surged forward in Laura's wake. These were Helvetica mercenaries renowned for their impeccable discipline, but once the chase began, formation and order vanished without a trace. Eyes red with greed for the spoils they would seize from killing enemy soldiers, the mercenaries charged forward like wild beasts.
It was an extreme transformation. The mercenary force that had held firm until now like an impenetrable wall had turned into a raging pack. The mercenaries first tore into the enemy center. Then came the right flank. As the center and right flank began to crumble, the Republican forces launched a full-scale retreat.
"Their cavalry is sorely lacking, isn't it."
Laura reined in her horse. An arrow flew in from somewhere and embedded itself in the ground right beside her. Had its trajectory been off by even the slightest margin, it would have struck Laura dead on. But Laura didn't even scoff and issued orders to her adjutants.
"Relay this to every mercenary captain. The entire army is permitted to loot, but do not pursue as far as Munich. In our current state, launching a siege is impossible. Focus solely on expanding our gains."
"Yes. Does Your Grace have somewhere else to go?"
"I need to check on my lord's condition."
Laura planted her command flag in the ground. Then she rode her horse toward the rear at an unhurried pace.
Every unit Laura passed raised both arms and cheered thunderously. The great Duchess had claimed yet another victory. Moreover, she had generously granted them permission to loot. The mercenaries shouted in jubilation.
"Long live Duchess de Farnese!"
"May the Goddess Athena bless you!"
From atop her horse, Laura gave a rough approximation of a dignified wave.
No matter how enthusiastically the soldiers celebrated, she felt nothing. For Laura, war was most fascinating just before it began, somewhat enjoyable while it was unfolding — but once everything was over, it held no interest and no fun whatsoever.
'Is my lord safe?'
Laura thought to herself as she surveyed the soldiers with indifference.
'He was so confident, declaring I should just trust him and leave everything to him, so there probably won't be any issues — but I worry he'll go and throw his body around again like last time. As always, my lord doesn't seem to know the value of his own life.'
How shocked she had been when her lord lay bedridden for ten days after the fake assassination in Batavia. How horrified she had been when she heard he had recently sawed off his own left foot. Laura shuddered at the memory.
'It's all that slash-and-burn tramp's fault. At least the one consolation is that I won't have to see that brat's face anymore. If only my lord hadn't picked that wench up in Frank in the first place... No, it's not my lord's fault. It's that ungrateful girl's fault.'
Laura let out a heavy sigh.
As the excitement of battle subsided, exhaustion washed over her. Laura's body wasn't what it used to be.
Since last year, when she had turned twenty-two, fatigue had begun clinging to the corners of her eyes. Even after a full night's sleep, the tiredness never fully lifted.
She really needed to start exercising.
'Once this war is over and we return to the Demon Lord's Castle, I'll rope my lord into starting a workout routine together.'
Laura steeled herself with firm resolve.
Originally, Laura had been a healthy girl who enjoyed horseback riding and even dabbled in swordplay — but after becoming Dantalion's vassal, she seemed to have caught her lord's habits, falling deeply into the philosophy that "the greatest invention in history is the bed."
"Your Excellency."
Laura arrived at the field camp. The elves on guard duty snapped off a military salute.
They rushed over to hold her warhorse steady.
Laura hopped lightly down from the stirrups.
"Mm. Good work. Where is my lord?"
"He is lying inside. The Demon Lord's maid is attending to him at the moment."
When Laura spread her arms wide, an elven soldier deftly removed her breastplate as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Another soldier hurried over with a damp towel and carefully wiped Laura's face, the nape of her neck, and the backs of her hands.
Laura furrowed her brow.
"Maid?"
"Yes, the blonde maid who normally attends to Your Excellency. The one with the violet eyes, you know."
Laura did not regard anything as her identity. She was merely a soldier and a vassal — nothing more.
Laura of Dantalion.
Nothing else was needed beyond that.
'Thinking back on it now.'
Laura mused while tidying her hair.
'That wench aspired to become her lord's own, far beyond her station. But she never succeeded. She simply lacked the qualification. A person must prove their own worth. By themselves, and by themselves alone. But what exactly did that wench ever prove?'
Laura gazed into the mirror once more, scrutinizing it carefully. It was a beauty she had polished over a long period for the sake of one man alone.
'She can fight reasonably well, sure. Impressive, no doubt. But is a brawler like her indispensable to her lord? Is she someone her lord cannot do without?'
Laura smiled with satisfaction.
'No. Absolutely not. Even without her, her lord can achieve hegemony just fine. But what about Lapis? Without Lapis, her lord cannot succeed. And what about me? Without me, it would be impossible for her lord to dominate the continent.'
The reverse was equally true.
'Without her lord, I cannot exist as myself. Without her lord, it would be difficult for Lapis to unleash her full ability. Yes. We are bound together in a relationship where each is indispensable to the other. For her lord to remain her lord — for us to remain ourselves.'
That girl Daisy, on the other hand, had failed.
Whether Daisy was there or not, her lord walked her own path. She could walk it regardless.
Daisy was an unnecessary element on the path of conquest that Demon Lord Dantalion had to pursue.
She was closer to being a cumbersome obstacle, in fact. Daisy herself must have known that very well. That was precisely why she had tried so hard — desperately studying academics, mastering swordsmanship. But no matter how much effort she put in, she could never rise to the same position as Lapis or herself……
Laura believed that was why Daisy had resorted to such an extreme measure. A person who could not prove their worth through ability resorted to extravagant gestures instead — by threatening, in effect, 'I can pose just as much of a danger to you as anyone.'
The reason she had poisoned her lord's medicine stemmed from the same logic. 'I can threaten your life at any time. I am that dangerous a person. Do not look down on me.' That was the psychology at work. Laura put the mirror away and thought.
'Low-class trash.'
Laura despised such people above all else.
"I am Laura of Dantalion, and my lord is Dantalion's Laura. Do you think anyone can hold such a position, such a relationship? I slaughtered four hundred thousand lives. For my lord!"
Laura waved her hand, dismissing the soldiers. They backed away, clutching their cuirasses and towels, retreating to the perimeter. Laura tilted her head slightly, then stepped inside the tent.
"And for me."
As Laura entered the tent, the blonde handmaid turned around. It was Ivar.
Ivar was dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. When she stood to bow, Laura quietly shook her head. The lord was lying on the bed. He seemed to be in a deep sleep. No need to wake him by raising voices unnecessarily.
Laura lowered her voice as much as possible.
"How is the lord's condition?"
"He is stable. He merely lost consciousness temporarily due to the poison's effects."
"Mm."
Laura furrowed her brow.
She had suspected as much, and her suspicion was confirmed. How the lord had ingested the poison—she didn't even want to bother asking. He must have concocted some scheme to kill that girl. It wouldn't have mattered if she complained anyway; the lord wouldn't have budged an inch, so she planned to leave all the nagging to Sister Lapis.
"Sigh. The lord's problem is always pushing himself too far."
Laura managed a bitter smile as she approached the bed. The lord lay with his eyes closed, his expression blank. But his breathing was remarkably steady, and that alone put Laura's mind at considerable ease. Thank goodness. He didn't look too badly hurt…
Laura gently stroked Dantalion's forehead. His forehead and face were clean—whether Ivar had wiped them with a towel or not. Ivar watched the scene with a pained expression.
"Minister of Military Affairs. I have something urgent to discuss with you."
"Hm? What is it?"
"I would like you to step outside for a moment."
There were no listening ears in this tent. Yet the fact that Ivar proposed going outside meant it was a topic she did not wish to bring up in Dantalion's presence. Laura stepped out of the tent with Ivar.
"Minister of Military Affairs. First, I must inform you that this matter is strictly confidential."
"Go ahead. My lips are very heavy, provided the other party isn't my lord."
"You must not inform even my lord for the time being."
Laura's gaze turned serious.
"Is that the path best for my lord?"
"Yes. I swear it upon my very life."
When Laura had resolved to deal with Daisy, Ivar was the companion who had backed her up. Laura trusted Ivar quite a bit. Her loyalty and devotion to their lord were genuine.
"Very well. I swear to keep this secret."
"It appears the Habsburg Republic seized the opportunity created by the war to dispatch a special forces unit. As things stand, we have lost all contact with the Demon Lord's Castle."
"What did you say...!"
Laura's eyes went wide.
Ivar whispered in her ear.
"The Demon Lord's Castle may be in danger, Minister of Military Affairs. With His Excellency the Demon Lord unconscious, you must be the one to make the decision. Please keep in mind that Minister of State Rajuli is at the Demon Lord's Castle."