Ochitekita Ryuuou to Horobiyuku Majo no Kuni: Volume 4 Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Eye that Reads the Flow

1

The one to lead the Cassandra Kingdom’s army against the witches in order to retake Fort Ein was Rigaya, who was Guiscard’s right-hand man.

Guiscard’s career had mainly focused on accounting and management of their army’s funds, hence, he had no real battle experience. Besides, if their opponent were the witches, Guiscard thought it would be more reasonable to entrust the skillful Rigaya with that task rather than have himself butt in. Guiscard had also decided he would support Rigaya.

“Excellent, we shall set off for a sortie.”

At Rigaya’s order, the vanguard of their troops began to march. The 1st wave consisted of 300 soldiers. The 2nd wave, which fell under Rigaya’s direct command, had 300 soldiers as well. Whereas the 3rd, and last wave, consisted of 200 people. The aforementioned 200 people, which comprised of messengers, transport soldiers and guards, acted as Rigaya’s rear that supported his main forces. Rigaya held no criticism against Guiscard’s seemingly cowardly tactics, as it was of tge utmost importance to assure the safety of Guiscard, who was the general of Cassandra’s army. A platoon will fall into commotion upon its leader’s death. The same goes for a captain’s company and a commander’s battalion, as well as for the general of the whole army. Since this was how troops functioned in this era, Rigaya thought it was just natural for Guiscard to stay behind.

(Rather, I should be thankful to the General for not expressing his willingness to carry out the attack by himself. The only ones troubled, would be the soldiers on the frontline.)

There were times when even Rigaya, who possessed plenty of battle experience on the frontline, had to deal with irrational orders from his superiors. Because of that, he warned himself while drawing a conclusion. Despite that, their enemy this time were the witches. As this was Rigaya’s first battle involving the witches, he too felt a bit nervous. The 2nd wave proceeded to its departure after leaving a moment open while the 3rd wave followed soon after. Rigaya’s plan was to make the 3rd wave a reserve troop, with the 1st and 2nd wave being offensive troops. According to those soldiers that escaped from Fort Ein, there were less than 50 witches in total. Because of that, having 600 soldiers on their side, Rigaya should be able to cope with their enemy somehow……. rather, they had to manage it at all costs.

(I really wish there are no more than 50 of them. However, for the witches to be able to capture a fort guarded by 300 soldiers, I wonder if their number is truly less than 50. Naturally, I haven’t heard the witches who have been living inside the black forest to band together against their enemy, but, while I can believe there are around 50 of them, I can’t agree with this amount being actually able to bring down such a guarded fort. No…..)

Rigaya recalled their last battle against the witches at the Schwein River. He wasn’t there back then, but he heard from others who happened to be present it had seemingly been a wretched defeat.

(For our army of 2000 solduers to suffer an utter defeat like that against a mere 20-30 witches. There’s no room for negligence. That’s why, we’ve brought siege engines with us.)

This time, Cassandra Kingdom’s plan was to utilize catapults and a battering ram in order to capture the fort. For that reason, their plan for retaking it took slightly more time due to preparations involving heavy weaponry. Rigaya felt they were going a little bit overboard with their attack on such a small fort, but the enemy were the witches. He thought they had to do as much as possible.

Rigaya, who saddled his horse and took command, ran his eyes over the surroundings. There were no villages to the south of the royal capital, and the amount of arable land was scarce. Instead, where Rigaya was standing, nothing but wastelands and a forest could be seen appearing on both sides of the main road that stretched from Cassandra to Fort Ein. In front of them, there was a hilly area which in comparison to a plain, obstructed their long-distance view.

(Perhaps, we should expect an attack from the witches soon.)

It was unclear for Rigaya when, what kind of magic, as well as under what conditions the witches would launch their attack against them, which made him feel anxious. Even after listening to those who survived from previous battles Rigaya still had no clue. He learned more or less about the enemy’s effects and types of magic, such as water, wind, and fire magic, but he couldn’t grasp why their troops came under the enemy’s attack.

(Could it be that the witches have become able to manipulate and toy with our army? It’s the first time for me to hear about this, but….)

There were many things that Rigaya had no idea about, such as what the witches’ attitude before and after a battle was, as well as their strategy. Despite saying so, they had to fight and win.

(With this fragmentary knowledge that we’ve obtained, what’s left is to entrust our luck to the heavens.)

Rigaya could only become serious.

(Besides, from the witches’ unconventional fighting methods, there’s a chance they will launch a preemptive attack on us.)

Therefore, Rigaya dispatched numerous scouting units from the 2nd and 3rd wave, which assumed the vanguard position, to look out for any unexpected attacks coming from the witches.

2

“I guess the enemy will be entering our range soon.”

Naga muttered after looking down at the Cassandra army from a high elevation. He was able to make an almost exact estimation of the number and battle formation of their enemy based on the information from Yuuki’s reconnaissance and Selena’s Heaven’s Eyes.

“Everything is going according to the plan.”

Naga believed in the success of his strategy. The aim of his plan was to defend Fort Ein, still, Naga thought he wanted to carry it out without causing much damage to both sides. He expressed that intention as it was one of his principles of war, but according to Yuuki,

“The more of the enemy we kill, the more benefit we gain.”

She said so while being very displeased. Not just her, many other witches wore the same, or rather, wondering expressions. Still, Naga faced them down.

“Following your method, there will be no profit at all.”

Right now, Naga was awaiting the right moment for the 2nd and 3rd group, lead by Raibaha, to make their appearances. Whether their plan of establishing a peaceful world would succeed or not, Naga believed it would greatly depend on how many human allies they could gain. They couldn’t rely just on their own strength.

“Only that way, can we benefit.” – Still, because the witches weren’t satisfied, Naga had his own way by emphasizing his words. In order to make this plan successful, they had to treat Raibaha, who was in charge of the 3rd group, well.

Raibaha probably wouldn’t be pleased, were he to learn they achieved victory simply because they slaughtered Cassandra’s soldiers, as many of them were his former comrades. Therefore, Naga wanted to avoid that. But, because the witches wouldn’t be content with that, Naga thought it was better not to state his true intentions.

(I guess you should always start with the first step, or rather not, but, there’s no telling, some of the witches might consider Raibaha a nuisance if they see me appointing him to a post of responsibility, even though he was just recently a prisoner……. Hm? Always start with the first….. Whose quote was that again?)

A fragment of his memory from his principles of war resurfaced in the back of his mind, but, Naga decided not to dig any deeper into it. Anyways, like that, Naga formulated a plan to repel the enemy’s troops while bearing in mind his fundamental policy. With that, Naga and the witches proceeded with their operation.

3

A certain mantle was placed inside a shallow, dug hole located close to the main road. As the mantle began to float, the one to appear from it was Eliushune.

So as not to be discovered and caught by the enemy, Eliushune lowered her back and adopted a crouching position. Because the main road stretched between hilly areas and a mountainous zone, it was natural for the Caesandra army to reach Fort Ein in columns. Naga predicted such a thing would happen, and therefore, considered it in his plans.

“Mother, just a bit more.”

Eliushune called out to Vita, who was inside the mantle.

“I’m ready at any time.”

“….4, 3, 2, 1, now!”

'Zun' – Being unable to endure, Eliushune crawled on all fours once she received a shock reaching her stomach.

“*Kuuuu*”

Despite Eliushune being used to Vita’s magic and preparing herself mentally, she still couldn’t bear its effect, as she was unable to put any strength into her limbs while falling flat. Even if one was to try to muster a bit of strength, it didn’t seem they would be able to move an inch. It was no exception for Eliushune and so, the vanguard from Cassandra’s 1st wave, which was taken by surprise, immediately bent their knees, leaned forward and fell on the ground. The range of Vita’s magic was more than 300 meters. 20-30 soldiers, who walked in front of the 1st wave’s column, fell onto the ground and struggled upon entering Vita’s range of magic.

“W, What’s going on?!”

“Is the enemy attacking?!”

Among the soldiers, there were also a few of those who had been involved in the previous battle at Fort Ein.

“This is just like that time!” – Despite those few thinking so, they had no countermeasures nor any idea about how to deal with the situation.

“It’s an attack, from the witches….”

The mentioned soldiers could do nothing but groan with those words. They could not even send instructions to their allies. The soldiers in the rear readied their spears and bows hurriedly while bracing themselves for the attack. Still, the enemy was nowhere to be found. Nobody seemed to have noticed Eliushune and Vita hiding themselves in a crouching position, inside a dug hole located hundreds of meters ahead of them.

Thinking it was an attack commenced by the witches, those who had directly witnessed the abnormal situation were seized with fear. Despite only 20-30 people in front of the 1st wave collapsing, it was enough to stop the soldiers who followed behind.

“What happened?!”

“Why did the front suddenly stop?!”

Not being affected by Vita’s magic and in addition, not seeing their enemy, those from behind didn't have the slightest idea why the soldiers in front had stopped. Had it been a pillar made of fire blowing up, they would’ve been able to grasp the situation even from far away, but, those unaffected by Vita’s magic had yet to experience it in order to realize the gravity of the situation. Nevertheless, it was clear to them something was occurring, hence, the commanding officers of the other following troops dispatched messengers to check the situation in front.

Just then, something flew through the air while cutting it.

'Boom!'

The thing sank into the ground and created dust while producing the loud sound of an impact at the same time.

“A, A cobble?”

Other cobbles followed after, creating more dust each time they hit the ground with a loud sound of an impact. Unlike before, everyone had realized it was an attack this time. They could experience it on their skin. Still, they became petrified upon learning they were targeted.

Ais was throwing and aiming from the side. Her target was those who were outside the scope of Vita’s magic. The distance between her and the enemy was long, making it difficult for Ais to aim precisely. But, because the soldiers were too scared to move, there was no real need for her to aim whatsoever. It was fine as long the cobbles could reach near the soldiers. Those who were unlucky would be hit by one of the rebounding cobbles. They would lose consciousness once they got hit on their helmets. Conversely, the cobbles would bounce off if they hit their armor depending on the degree of the impact but if the soldiers got hit numerous times, it was quite likely their armor would break and their body, pierced. In case of their legs and arms, they would become fractured. Were the situation to continue like that, the troops from Cassandra would sustain nothing but heavy injuries due to Ais’ tremendous strength. In the worst case scenario, the soldiers would die. Thinking that way, perhaps their bodies felt heavy, but, they couldn’t afford to lie down there. Trying to stand up, many of them began to fight against heavy odds. Soon after, their bodies turned rapidly light. Those who had noticed that jumped up one after another. As one would expect, they ran away at full speed amidst the clouds of dust behind the other troops. The soldiers crossed with those trying to advance forward and as a result, created a commotion among other troops.

“Oi, what the heck?!”

“Return b to your position!”

“Did something happen?!

A certain leader together with his men at the back tried to hold back those escaping but the latter wouldn’t stop to move.

“The witches are attacking!”

“If you go ahead now, you won’t be able to move!"

“Once you’re immobilized, you will be targeted with cobbles!”

Actually, Cassandra’s troops weren’t the target of the shots. Not even the accuracy of those shots was precise. Nonetheless, watching cobbles falling closely near them while being immobilized was what overwhelmed their feelings with fear. They were convinced that the cobbles would surely hit them if they stayed down. For that reason also, nobody tried to move. The very same terror spread among the others who stood behind. Many of the present soldiers had already gone through a bitter experience at the Schwein river, and even those that fought against the witches back then at Fort Ein. At that time, they were immobilized in the same way and lost consciousness from being electrocuted by lightning. The soldiers who were part of the garrison at Fort Ein turned around and fled as if trying to catch up with their other comrades, upon recalling the previous event.

“Hey, where are you going?!”

“Stop! Return to your post!”

The leaders of various platoons were shouting desperately, but, far from the commotion settling down, it further escalated to the back of the end of the 1st wave.

'Bang!' – Again, a strong impact could be felt reverberating in one’s stomach, however, this time it was the leaders and their subordinates turn to fall, or perhaps, better to say, tumble clumsily.

“Uwaaah, it’s here again!”

Having their paths blocked by their leaders, the soldiers who had pushed and shoved each other collapsed onto the ground while screaming. Eliushune, who had seen the 1st wave’s front crumbling and being unable to fight back, moved to the next mantle and again repeated the same action using Vita’s ‘Song of Gravity’.

Just as planned, Ais changed her position and again commenced her throwing. Following that, Yuuki, who was watching the commotion from above, landed on her air board while one of Sraymeyer’s members, Lily, rode it with her. Having a desperate expression, the petite Lily clung to Yuuki’s body as they soared into the sky. She cast her fearsome magic and caused a storm with lightning. Dozens of lightning bolts rained down from the sky while aiming at the soldiers that moved in confusion. For Lily as well, there was no particular need to specify her aim. Since the soldiers had been wearing armor and holding swords and spears, they were struck by lightning one after another. The commotion among Cassandra Kingdom’s troops continued to escalate more and more.

Just then, a crowd of wooden dolls that followed Kay was approaching. To the soldiers, the witch who was half naked with her skin radiating in silver appeared as though she was leading the crowd of dolls. The dolls made from short logs and thin limbs carried bows with them while swinging their body left and right soundlessly. It was a somewhat bizarre sight. Not to mention, in addition to the incessantly thrown cobbles, there were also lightning bolts showering the enemy’s heads. The vanguard from the 1st wave of soldiers was just one step away from falling into a complete state of panic.

“Uwaaaaaaaaah!”

“Mommyyyyyyy!”

“Please save me!”

The platoon leaders had finally come to realize their own mistakes by trying to stop those fleeing. However, it was already too late, as their bodies turned many times heavier, making them unable to move with ease. Soon, the surrounding ground was buried with soldiers who struggled desperately while tumbling.

“It’s the witches!”

“We’re being attacked by the witches!”

“Save mee!”

Those soldiers that escaped first to the back cut through the 1st wave and ran til the middle of the 2nd wave. The 2nd wave also started to lose its composure upon hearing from the fleeing soldiers that they were under attack by the witches. Despite company captains giving out orders to advance in order to support their allies and repel the witches, almost half of the present soldiers watched the turn of events without moving. In the end, there were those trying to follow the orders, those hesitating to move and those running away from the 1st wave. The last ones mixed up with the 2nd wave, making another commotion. Finally, the commotion kept spreading til the middle of the 2nd wave.

(Damn. What the hell is going on?!)

Rigaya hadn't the slightest idea about what was going on. The only thing he could grasp was that his troops had already started to crumble after the first clash with their enemy.

(Is this how the witches fight? It’s as though we’re being toyed with by them. I don’t get it. For the witches who had been passive til now, how are they able to fight like this?! Doesn’t it feel like there’s some sort of eminent leader guiding a troop of elites?)

It was an excellent preemptive attack, which far exceeded even Rigaya’s expectations. He felt like nodding and agreeing with the reason why General Geobalk, who had served so long in military service, had stained his reputation with a single loss.

(No good! This isn’t the time to think about that. If I don’t rearrange the formation, we’ll lose at this rate.)

Rigaya, who was at the rear of the 2nd wave which he led, became desperate and moved forward. He shouted at other commanding officers and continued to spur the soldiers on in order to suppress the turmoil.

4

Seeing how the turmoil escalated among the 1st wave, Vita released her magic. As she did so, those who were groveling regained their mobility. At the same time, feeling how their bodies lightened, the soldiers jumped up hurriedly and turned away.

The cobbles which had been incessantly coming from the side wouldn’t stop. Every time they crashed into the ground, clouds of dust would continue to rise. Nobody from Cassandra Kingdom’s troops could afford to lie down on the ground forever as they would have their bodies pierced through if they did. Since the only one to throw the cobbles was Ais, there wasn’t a large number of them like when it was an all out barrage, still, it was the case for lightning striking from the sky. The individual lightning strikes weren’t that strong, and even being hit by one of them directly wouldn’t be life threatening, however, the target would lose consciousness, were it to be serious.

On one side, there were soldiers groaning and tumbling on the ground from being hit by cobbles while on the other side, there were those suffering spasms from getting struck by lightning. The field was mostly dominated by those scenes. Still, it didn’t end with just them. Arrows were flying through the air from the direction of the wooden dolls that had approached the enemy. The density of the arrows corresponded to the number of dolls, which exceeded more than 60 and was similar to the number of items thrown out during an explosive barrage. Since the attack was conducted by the dolls, their shots weren’t a big deal but Cassandra’s troops wouldn’t know about that. They would consider the dolls’ strike to be on par with those terrifically strong throws carried out by Ais.

Feeling they were risking their lives, nobody from among the soldiers would try to advance or fight back against the witches. It was just a natural course of action for the soldiers to turn away and flee. The commotion spread throughout the entire 1st wave and it was no longer possible for the soldiers to settle down and refrain from escaping. The number of deserters was about to increase even further once the previous ones screamed about the terror of the witches’ magic, such as the one that made your body turn heavy. Many of them that had yet to experience Vita’s magic began to think they would become her magic’s prey were they to stay there any longer. Nonetheless, among unaffected soldiers, there were also those brave enough to put up resistance against the witches. They directed their bows toward the crowd of wooden dolls and shot. Still, the dolls wouldn’t cease to move with just 1 or 2 hits.

“It’s their front! Aim at the witch in front! If you take her down, those dolls will stop moving!”

At a leader’s order, several people focused their arrows on Kay. Nevertheless, no matter how many times the arrows hit her, they would just bounce back. The enemy would still be able to comprehend if she wore thick armor but the witch was half naked no matter how much they looked at her. Even if they aimed at her bare skin, the arrows wouldn’t pierce through.

*kin kin* – metallic sounds were produced together with the arrows bouncing back.

If the arrows proved to be useless, the only thing soldiers could do was to slice their enemy, yet not even those who happened to be brave enough had the courage to approach the dolls and Kay amidst the rain of arrows and flying cobbles.

Having witnessed the might of Vita’s magic, the terror of Ais’ throws and Lily’s lightning attacks, everyone from the 1st wave got cold feet and began to withdraw one by one. However, what waited for them ahead of their path was a new assault, which one could say was intended to stop the enemy.

A herd of wolves plunged into Cassandra Kingdom’s 1st wave. The wolves, which gave out threatening growling sounds, ran freely between the enemy’s legs, making them become filled with fear. Even though the animals were controlled by Arurukan, she didn’t tell them to bite the enemy to death. The girl only ordered the wolves to run between soldiers’ legs, but that alone had an immediate effect. The enemy’s horses acted violently upon sensing the smell of the wolves, which they feared the most. The horses left the battlefield one after another, either shaking off their owners or with them in tow. There was no end to the commotion.

Finally, not being able to maintain its formation, Cassandra’s 1st wave began to retreat. Because the 1st wave turned back, the 2nd wave fell into an even bigger commotion. There were also soldiers who got the wrong idea about their comrades taking flight due to the latter’s 1st wave being obliterated. As a result, they would imagine the witches closing in immediately after that. The soldiers abandoned their posts and began to escape in quick succession from fear.

“Stop! Calm down! The witches still haven’t made their appearance! Maintain your formation!”

Rigaya tried to hold back the staff officers together with their soldiers and advance forward with the 2nd wave. Nonetheless, the situation only worsened.

“Our bodies turn heavy and we can’t move!”

“There are cobbles flying at us!”

“Not to mention, even human-sized rocks!”

“There’s that witch in the sky who sends lightning bolts at us!”

“A crowd of dolls is coming this way!”

“A witch in front of that crowd is made of metal!”

“Rather than a witch, isn’t it a magic-created doll too?"

“A big herd of man-eating wolves has attacked us. Our comrades are being eaten alive!”

Such words were shouted from the mouths of the soldiers who tried to escape. However, alongside the fragmentary information, there were groundless rumors mixed in as well, making the whole situation hard to grasp. At this rate, it would mean those running away crossing swords with the side that tried to hold them back. Rigaya, who feared that, could only continue with their tallcurrent vourse of action. He had to avoid increasing the casualty count any more at all costs otherwise the Cassandra Kingdom would become unable to keep their military structure. And once their army ceased to function, the kingdom’s very existence would be in danger.

“For now, we will retreat to General Guiscard, who is waiting on standby at the main camp. Rearrange the formation and bring back the deserters by grabbing their attention!”

The staff officers, who stood near Rigaya, conveyed his order to other troops with a loud voice.

(We're saved!)

Both the soldiers who were trying to flee and those trying to stay felt relief upon hearing the order. They ran towards the main camp while striving to be first. Once Rigaya had dispatched a messenger to Guiscard, he and his confidants remained at their spots and continued to scream out the order while watching their troops running toward the main camp.

5

Guiscard became shocked upon hearing the content of Rigaya’s report, which he had received from his messenger. The general immediately recalled Cassandra Kingdom’s first major loss, the one it had suffered from the previous battle at the Schwein River, and shuddered.

“What’s the number of casualties? Is Rigaya safe?!”

“The extent of the damage isn’t thought to be that serious. Rigaya-sama decided to stay on the battlefield and lead the retreat of the troops.”

“Is that so?”

Guiscard sighed with relief, however, he remembered it wasn’t the right time to rest assured.

“Gather all the soldiers who have withdrawn!”

Guiscard passed such an order to the other staff officers. Watching how the staff officers came alive in a hurry, the general smacked his lips and ground his teeth while cursing inwardly.

(Still, I didn’t know the witches would be this strong! Just what the hell is going on?! Haven’t they been doing nothing but protecting the black forest till now?)

‘That’s not what was promised!’ – Guiscard wanted to complain, but because he didn’t know to whom he should direct his words, he gave up on that idea.

If someone like Rigaya, with his firm tactics, was unable to win, then one could only think the witches had won. [TN: you don’t say…]

(Will the witches who are on a roll charge at us? Should we also withdraw from the main camp while it’s not too late? No, that won’t do. At least, we’ll have to wait til all the deserters are gathered. There’s a fear the deserters will scatter somewhere and never return if they don’t find our main camp.)

The general had some sense left telling his troops not to retreat from the main camp. Guiscard’s senior aide returned to the main camp.

“General, it’s been confirmed that there was no major loss to our troops. What should we do?”

In other words, the aide asked Guiscard whether or not they should fight again once they had managed to gather all their troops.

“Gather the soldiers and check them for any wounds. Once you finish, wait here on a standby til Rigaya comes back."

“Yes. We will confirm the soldiers’ condition and await Rigaya-sama’s return.”

“When Rigaya comes back,”

Guiscard took a glimpse in front of him. What he saw was that there soldiers still running back in succession. The senior aide waited for Guiscard’s next words.

“We shall retreat to the royal capital.”

(I think this is the most reasonable choice.)

The aide stroked his chest in relief after hearing they wouldn’t have to advance on the witches once more.

(It’s good to have a sensible General, like Guiscard-sama.)

The reason why Guiscard wasn’t stubborn and haughty about forcing his troops was perhaps due to him previously walking the path of a career accountant, which made his decisions rational. The senior aide was thankful to Guiscard for not launching a suicidal attack. Most likely, the general himself thought that way.

(Still, by just making this reasonable decision, we won’t be able to overcome our crisis, probably.)

The aide had also made such a prediction. Despite that, there was little else he could do. He, who was Rigaya’s subordinate, would occasionally, like this time, serve as Guiscard’s aide, but not as someone who would be able to come up with a plan to break the deadlock. Even if the aide was able to carry out his orders devotedly and effectively, he couldn’t afford to pull his superior’s leg with his ideas. That’s why, it was fine for him to just fulfil his duty as a soldier. And then looking at the general, Guiscard had his weak points too. While he most likely had the ability to manage a country during peace, it was quite uncertain whether or not he could get through hectic times.

(I wonder what’s going to happen next. Well, I guess only time will tell, but…)

Suppressing the feeling of hopelessness that gushed inside of him, the aide paid his respects to Guiscard.

“Yes. We shall await Rigaya-sama’s return and then head back toward the royal capital."

“Anyways, bring the soldiers back together. If any of them tries to desert, you may execute them.”

“Yes. We will hold the soldiers back even if it means executing them!”

“Excellent, now go!”

Turning around and moving his sight away from the aide, Guiscard looked again towards the southern direction. Guiscard was a bit surprised at himself for being able to calmly watch how the soldiers continued to disperse.

(So the real problem is we don’t know what the witches are going to do…. next?)

The messenger sent by Rigaya claimed that 1 or 2 of the witches had shown themselves. Despite there being just 1 or 2 of them, as many as 600 soldiers were quickly repelled and made to flee.

(I see. So it wasn’t impossible for General Geobalk, who had served long in military service, to be defeated as well.)

Guiscard also shared a similar feeling with Rigaya but it was only til they faced the witches for the first time that they understood that the rumor about Geobalk was true.

(Despite that, why did the witches suddenly become this strong? I don’t understand it at all. Could it be, that someone powerful enough to govern the witches has made their appearance? Like the rumored King of the Witches? If that’s true….)

'It’s useless to fight the witches any further.' – Is what Guiscard thought about absentmindedly.

6

“They’re running away!”

Kay, who stood in front of the dolls, jumped up and down.

“Yahooo, we did it! We forced back the enemy! We were able to ward them off without even letting them approach the fort!”

As she was doing so, Ais ran down a hill from the right side. Behind Ais, there were Ikushina riding on her horse and Nonoeru clinging to her following after. If the enemy soldiers had responded with their bows, Nonoeru would have had to protect Ais using her water-made shields. In the end, not receiving any attack from the enemy, Ais didn’t even have the chance to flourish.

“Oh, Ais, thank you for your hard work!”

“Kay-chan, you did a great job too!”

“Ah no, I was just standing all the time, you see.”

Kay put a wry smile on her face and looked down at her body.

“The enemy thought it was creepy, since they couldn’t pierce through Kay with their arrows. That’s why, I would wonder if the creepy Kay-chan didn’t play a big part in our plan.”

“Ehh? Ais, it doesn’t feel like you’re praising me.”

Kay puffed her cheeks out in unhappiness. Just then, Yuuki descended on her air board. The petite Lily jumped off the board upon landing.

“Lily! You did well too!”

As soon as Kay waved with her hand, Lily responded back by waving.

“Ah… I’m really beat. I’ve never cast my magic from an air board before so it was very difficult for me to concentrate.”

“The same goes for me. I rarely give a ride to anyone for this long, so it’s not just you who’s tired, you know?”

“Ah, that’s right. Well, aren’t you fine anyway, Yuuki?”

“Why am I the one to be fine?! I had to pay twice as much attention in order not to get hit by arrows. Seriously, don’t consider me as an exception!”

“Ah… I got it, I got it. Thanks for your hard work!”

Kay bowed down in an apologetic way, but, Yuuki wouldn’t stop getting cocky.

“It’s okay, as long as you can understand.”

Lily chuckled. At that moment, Eliushune and Vita joined up with their group, and then finally, Harrigan, Naga, Raibaha, and the rest arrived together.

“Is it fine for us….. to consider this repulsion successful?

At Harrigan’s question, Naga folded his arms and looked in front of him.

“I guess that’s okay. We managed to win against Caesandra’s army three times.”

“Yahoooo!”

The witches raised voices of joy, pressed their hands together and sprung up.

“Still, I was surprised to learn it went better than what we had anticipated.”

Once Vita said so with an admiring face, Ais agreed with her and carried on.

“I thought we would have to hole up inside the fort at the very least, but, we were able to ward the enemy off far away from the fort.”

“Good grief. Naga, just how skillful are you in battles?”

"No no "– Naga shook his hand in front of everyone.

“Honestly, it’s not like I’m particularly good in battles. The reason why we won was because the flow of the battle had already been decided, and it was fine for us to simply follow it.”

“You mean it?”

Vita was still unconvinced, but, Naga continued speaking in a casual manner.

“For example, if among Cassandra’s troops there were those who had gone through a painful experience during the last 2 battles, just a single attack from you would be enough to scare them off. These people would be ready to run away immediately. Any troop that consist of many of them would become fragile. That’s why, if we carried out an attack similar to before, no, or rather, it’s because our attack was exactly the same as the ones before, that we yielded a great result. Even though the extent of the damage suffered by the enemy wasn’t big, it was enough to make them lose their composure. As long we continue to press them, their troops will crumble and fall into chaos. ”

“I think I can see your point in that explanation of yours, but, the whole plan wasn’t something you could easily pull off. To begin with, it’s impossible for us to see through that flow of the battle that you mentioned. It may be natural for you who excels in battles but not for us who are still inexperienced, you know?”

Bending her neck, Vita looked at Raibaha.

“What’s your opinion on that, Raibaha?”

“Ah, no. I also think that Naga-sama’s highly experienced. The fact he can see the previously mentioned ‘flow of battle’ would also prove that, or perhaps, you should call it the ability to grasp a chance? Being able to exact such precise instructions, not even generals from Cassandra Kingdom would be a match for Naga-sama, even if they were to form a group.”

“Vita, Raibaha even if you praise me, there will be no gains. We should be focusing on the present, you see.”

“‘On the present’? What do you mean?”

Harrigan threw a question from aside.

“Sooner or later, we ought to reward everyone properly, is what I mean. Obviously, if the number of our members will increase from now on, I’ll have to add conditions, but….”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Well, let’s leave that aside. What we should do now is—-”

“We already know that, Naga-san!”

Kay suddenly put up her thumb at Naga and replied.

“Of course, you mean holding a banquet, right?!”

“That’s wrong!”

“Eh? That’s not it? So we aren’t going to hold another banquet this time?"

“No, we will but you see, it’s still too early for that. Did the enemy really withdraw? Can we already cease thinking they might attack us again? First we need to confirm that and then we hold a banquet.”

“Ah…. you mean it? I guess you’re right.”

Kay scratched her head shyly. Once she did so, Ais interjected.

“It can’t be helped, since Kay-chan thinks about nothing but banquets all year round.”

“Ais, that’s mean!”

Laughter burst out among the other witches. Filled with optimism and relief about the fact they had managed to protect Fort Ein, everyone’s faces were radiating.

“Well then, Yuuki, you’ve done a great job, but I’d like for you to scout once again. I believe the enemy has already fallen into too much disorder to attack us again, but still, please continue to keep an eye on them.”

“You don’t have to tell me that. Then, I shall be going now.”

As soon as Yuuki finished chanting and jumped on her air board, the board gently lifted up in the air together with a wind vortex surrounding it. The air board soared quickly into the sky and stopped momentarily there; however, it then immediately started to glide through the air. Within the blink of an eye, Yuuki’s appearance vanished from everyone’s sight.

“Selena.”

A single young witch stepped forward from the rest.

“Can you walk around and check the current situation using your Heaven’s Eyes?”

“Understood.”

“Kay, Nonoeru, and Cu will assist Selena as her bodyguards.”

“Understood”

“Yes.”

“Will do.”

“Excellent. The rest of you will go and check on the soldiers who fell behind. If any of them got injured, provide them with first aid. In case there are those with bone fractures, it should be fine if you use a wooden support to attach to their limbs. That’s because their troops will come to retrieve them later.”

“Understood.”

Naga called out to the witches who were about to get going.

“Ah, by the way, if there are people who had lost consciousness, apply treatment to them after waking them up. We need to let them know that the witches are the ones who helped them. This is an important thing.”

The witches responded back affirmatively, divided into groups and scattered to check for any casualties.

“Thank you very much, Naga-sama.”

Raibaha, who stood next to him, expressed his gratitude with a small voice.

“Don’t fret. I did so in order to change the bad image of the witches and increase their reputation. It’s not like I would care about your former allies."

Despite Naga saying so, Raibaha still bowed down lightly toward him.

“It may be true, but still, allow me to express my gratitude.”

“I won’t stop you in doing so, but well….”

Naga laughed and shifted his sight toward Harrigan and Vita, who remained there.

“The problem is, we still don’t what Cassandra plans to do next.”

“Will they attempt to capture this fort once more?”

Harrigan asked.

“I don’t think they have any spare power left but they might go through the trouble of borrowing men from other countries. What’s your opinion on that?”

Naga looked in turn at Raibaha, Harrigan and Vita’s faces.

“I wonder. I think it’s unlikely for that to happen.”

Harrigan, who replied that way, directed her sight toward Raibaha.

“Indeed. Thinking back, Cassandra Kingdom had rarely asked for any reinforcements from other countries, so it’s hard to imagine.”

Saying so, Vita and Naga moved their eyes towards Raibaha. Feeling a pressure coming from their gazes, Raibaha drew back unintentionally.

(That’s some incredible pressure coming from those three when being stared at by them)

“What do you mean, Raibaha?”

“T, That’s right. I…..I believe Cassandra Kingdom would like to avoid borrowing any power from other countries.”

“Is that so? If that’s true, then, that will buy us some time. Shall we move forward with the preparations for establishing the new country at once and check Cassandra Kingdom’s internal condition?”

“Are you talking about the infiltration and surveillance of Cassandra Kingdom you mentioned before?”

Once Harrigan questioned on that, Naga nodded and said, ‘That’s right.’

“As one would expect, it’s necessary for us to grasp the current state of the kingdom. If we can manage to do that, it will be easier for us to read their movements by the next time. Nonetheless, perhaps it’s better for us to increase the size of the group designated for that surveillance a little.”

“What are you thinking about?”

“This is just in case, you see. Well, we have yet to talk about that, so for now, there’s something else we ought to do.”

“Hm? What could it be?”

“Oi oi, didn’t Kay just mention it? We went through the trouble of pushing back the army of Cassandra. You don’t mean to say we aren’t going to hold a victory banquet, do you?"

“Is that so? I guess, you’re right. Still, I’ve got the feeling we’ve been doing nothing but victory banquets recently.”

“Don’t be like that, Harrigan. The banquets are the proof of our consecutive victories, so shouldn’t you be glad?”

“It’s…. just as you have said Vita, but, should you say I’m perplexed, since I’m not used to winning, or so.”

“You’re pathetic, Harrigan. You should follow Kay’s example.”

“No, if I were to do so, our clan wouldn’t last that long.”

“I think you’ve just said something rude there.”

“Then, shouldn’t you listen to what Eliushune has to offer?”

“I shall decline that idea without even considering it first.”

Harrigan became dumbfounded.

“I wonder which of us is being more rude.”

“Well, isn’t it okay? Today, let’s celebrate the victory to our heart’s content.”

At Naga, who was laughing while saying so, both heads of their clans nodded deeply.

“I’ve no objections.”

“Same here.”

7

Finally, the witches who were in charge of treating the wounded soldiers finished their work and gathered back to where Naga and the rest were waiting for Yuuki and Selena to return. According to Ais, there were several men who were heavily wounded. Were they to be left like that, they would probably die before their allies could even arrive.

“It can’t be helped. Should we put them on the cart and treat them when we return to Fort Ein? After that, we shall release those people, I guess.”

“Understood. I’ll arrange for that to be carried out immediately.”

Just then, Selena, Kay, Nonoeru and Cu returned as if changing their place with Ais.

“There was no sign of the enemy to be found in the surroundings.”

“Selena, you did quite well there, didn’t you?”

At Naga’s praise, Selena shook her head from side to side intensely and answered,

“Ah, no, I haven’t done anything in particular. It’s okay.”

'Praise me too, praise me too!' – Kay pointed at herself as if asking for that.

“That’s right. Kay and Nonoeru worked hard too.”

“For some reason, it sounded half-hearted.”

“I think it was half-hearted.”

“Naga-san’s words were quite shallow.”

Being criticized by those 3 girls, Naga made a wry smile.

“That’s not true. I’m thankful for what you did from the bottom of my heart.”

“I wonder about that.”

Kay looked at Naga with her scornful eyes, and then pulled her head back.

“More importantly, now that the enemy has retreated, it’ll soon be time for what you’ve been waiting for, the victory banquet.”

“Umm, no? Everyone’s been waiting and not just me?” “Well then, shall go with that?”

“Naga-san, you’re mean!”

Kay bent backward while Nonoeru and Selena chuckled. In the end, Yuuki returned. Based on her information, the enemy retreated back to the royal capital, leaving only a few scouts behind for surveillance. Upon learning that, voices of joy rose up among the witches.

“Excellent! With this, Kay’s long awaited banquet can begin. Everyone, let’s head back to the fort!”

“Ohhhhhhhh!”

All the witches made an ardent shout of victory, except for Kay.

“That~is~why don’t say it like I’m the only one who’s waiting…….”

Kay didn’t try to hide her discontented expression.

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