Torn Asunder by War, A Sword Saint for Tomorrow X The Knight Wizards!! – Chapter 124

Chapter 124: City Dyed in the Sunset
  With no more giant golems standing independently nearby, only enemy Clawsolas, including the “Mechanical Magi” abandoned during the teleport withdrawal, were left stranded. I sheathed the military sword, part of the Clawsolas’ armament, into the scabbard at Belphegor’s waist.
  
  Taking a deep breath, I turned my Clawsolas around. Looking ahead, I saw the collapsed Svel S-type Unit 2 and a captured Clawsolas kneeling with its leg blown off below the knee, all through the pseudo-eyeballs shared with Revia.
  
  『It’s sad, all of this…』
  『Yeah, it is.』
  
  From a quick glance, the Knight Kingdom’s losses in this accidental battle were three Clawsolas with moderate damage and three with severe damage. As for the two pilots whose cockpits were destroyed, their survival is unlikely.
  
  Among them were the bow knight Darvi and the ice mage Adelina, whom I first met during the development of the domestically produced Clawsolas and fought alongside during the Principality expedition. While I don’t intend to weigh lives differently based on the amount of time spent together, the level of melancholy inevitably increases.
  
  ‘I can’t get used to the feeling of loss… But not now, I can grieve later.’
  
  Facing the South Gate once again, I confirmed that there were no large Aberrations remaining inside or outside the city and assessed the damage to our forces. The Clawsolas units that had been doing the same turned towards me, and the allied Clawsolas units descended to surround the airship, so I quickly switched my focus.
  
  『Let’s form a circle with the damaged Clawsolas in the center. You don’t mind, do you, Aynst-dono?』
  
  『I have no objections. I’ll send a few Clawsolas ahead into the city.』
  『For now, the rest of us will maintain the current position until the regular infantry units arrive.』
  
  The Zephyrus Knight Captain, whose substitute Clawsolas nodded in agreement, responded with a silent affirmation to the accompanying mage Eliza’s words. He then issued instructions, sending four skilled Clawsolas units chosen from his subordinates through the South Gate to encourage the Rigsia soldiers still fighting the smaller Aberrations.
  
  Although they could only walk along the few main streets connecting the four cardinal directions and couldn’t even swing their weapons properly with buildings lining the roadsides, displaying the majestic presence of the giant knights to demonstrate the subjugation of the city’s outskirts would boost the morale of our allies.
  
  『…Just a few days ago, we were at each other’s throats.』
  
  『Hmm, I think the strength of humans lies in their ability to join hands at the critical moment, even if it’s out of self-interest.』
  『It’s better for your mental health to think that way, Your Majesty.』
  
  Following my red-haired childhood friend, who never loses her positive thinking despite seeing various realistic aspects, Fine, the mage of the Captain’s Clawsolas, approached and expressed her agreement, hinting at another meaning. She then whispered advice in her usual clear voice.
  
  Although they are like cats and dogs, both Zephyrus and Rigsia are merely territories within the Empire. It’s only natural that they would cooperate in the face of a common enemy of humanity.
  
  『It would be putting the cart before the horse for us, who are merely cooperating with Lady White Fox, to maintain a hardline stance. It’s natural for the cooperative system between each faction to be formed through tacit understanding.』
  
  『Ugh, I can’t stand all this logic. It’s just a matter of those who were enemies joining hands in the face of people’s suffering. Isn’t it superfluous to add clumsy justifications to such a simple act?』
  
  Perhaps he had something on his mind, Xenos interjected his own opinion in response to his adopted daughter’s statement… But a report of death came from Kotono’s Unit 1, which was heading towards the wrecked Svel S-type Unit 2, and silence fell as she fought back sobs.
  
  While I was hesitant about how to offer my condolences, several knights and mages offered words of comfort, and I missed my chance.
  
  『Ah, I was too late…』
  『Claude is from the same country, so it’s natural for him to be lost in thought.』
  
  Letting out a somewhat heavy sigh, I nodded to the familiar scout I saw at the edge of my vision. A green signal flare, calling for the rear forces, ascended into the sky.
  
  However, the first to arrive were the 200 dragoons, the pride of Zephyrus. Some of them took up positions at the airship’s entrance and escorted the Lord’s daughter out.
  
  『Are you alright, Nina-dono?』
  “Yes, my whole body aches, and I think I might have some hairline fractures, but…”
  
  Slightly frowning, she looked up at Belphegor and noticed the damage, becoming even more displeased. After receiving Aynst’s report, she whispered something to the cavalry captain and then returned to the airship with an unsteady gait, accompanied by her maid.
  
  A military officer I had never met before, who had been gazing at her slender back and beautiful dark brown hair, turned around and bowed deeply to me.
  
  “Following the Lord’s orders, we will enter the city of Leipzig. Please excuse me.”
  『The Rigsia forces have the upper hand inside the walls. Don’t push yourselves with just a company-sized force.』
  
  “Understood, Knight King. Our Lady may seem like that, but she’s kind at heart. She wouldn’t want to sadden her soldiers by letting them die. How about it, want her as your Queen?”
  
  The allied cavalry captain, with a mischievous grin, mounted his horse and began loudly commanding his troops. He then rode off without waiting for my reply.
  
  I was a bit dumbfounded when I heard Revia’s soft murmur from behind me.
  
  “Why doesn’t he deny it?… Izana-sama… no, this is a Sariel-san matter.”
  
  Exasperated, I told her to stop arbitrarily turning things into “matters.” After seeing off the dragoons, equipped with double-barreled shotguns and other weapons, about an hour passed… The infantry units that had been marching along the highway also joined us, and a mixed force from Zephyrus, aimed at eliminating remaining enemies and rescuing survivors, was deployed into the city.
  
  Naturally, the dozen or so Rigsia Clawsolas pilots who had surrendered in the previous battle also pleaded to join, so I gave them standard military swords and muskets.
  
  『I thought there would be more opposition…』
  “Protecting innocent people is the way of a knight. I can’t easily stop them.”
  
  Raizes, the Vice-Captain of the Knight Order, who said this with a grin, took command of the transport soldiers, who also doubled as maintenance crew, and nonchalantly set up a camp around the wrecked winged Clawsolas.
  
  Apparently, this was the twin elves’ idea, as they were gleefully swarming around it. Their intention was likely to secure the remains of the rare, winged “Mechanical Magi” in a roundabout way.
  
  Slightly exasperated, I turned the pseudo-eyeballs of my Clawsolas towards the city. The cityscape, turned into a mountain of corpses and a river of blood by the monstrous Aberrations, was bathed in the setting sun, dyed a particularly deep crimson.