Surviving a Harsh Fantasy with Cheat Items (WN)

The relentless charge of the elite Rastore composite battalion, consisting of four thousand seasoned warriors, finally halted the momentum of Louise’s two thousand seven hundred riders.

On the battlefield, a collective gasp echoed through the air.

The crimson war goddess, whose movements had sown calamity across the battlefield, came to a standstill. With that alone, the faltering morale of the Fist Slave Imperial Army regained its footing.

Yet, the cost was great.

The proud Rastore knights, their bodies engaged in brutal combat, held Louise at bay.

These knights were mere mortals facing an overwhelmingly powerful force—creatures akin to dragons. When confronted with such odds, what did the Rastore knights do?

They shielded themselves with their own bodies.

It wasn’t just the courage of a lone warrior; it was a collective effort, as each knight rushed in from all directions to protect their comrades.

This was no mindless horde of brainwashed suicide soldiers, akin to the long-lost Immortal Legion of the Empire. Their lives were precious, but the safety of their companions and the honor of their clan took precedence. They embraced the physical combat, resolute in their sacrifice.

As Louise swung her blade, attempting to strike down or provoke her relentless adversary, the unyielding knights became a living barrier—a wall of flesh and blood, infused with unwavering determination. Against the demonic might of fiends and creatures from the abyss, the Rastore knights fought with a resolve born of desperation. They were biologically weaker than the savage barbarians and demons, yet they endured and prevailed, fueled by an unshakable belief in self-sacrifice for the greater good.

The Rastore clans, accustomed to the harsh frontier, understood this truth better than anyone.

「Haa! So this is the determination of the Rastore knights, whispered even in the winds of the borderlands. Admirable, even from an enemy!」

Louise chuckled, her breath labored.

She had cut through the twenty-thousand-strong Fist Slave Imperial Army. Now, facing the combined forces of the Rastore composite battalion—four thousand strong—was no small feat.

The battle might now favor their side, but for Louise, it was a mere footnote.

The life of her lord, Takeru, hung in the balance, threatened by the Fist Slave Emperor, Dyson. He must be slain.

「Where are you, Dyson?」

Seeking formidable adversaries, Louise continued to wield her heavy sword, her arms fatigued and burdened by the relentless Rastore clan knights who had become her foes.

At that moment, the battlefield’s atmosphere shifted.

Before Louise stood a valiant knight wielding a large, barbarian blade—a blade that exuded the spirit of a monarch.

For an instant, she thought it might be Dyson, but it was someone else.

「I am General Rai Rakan of the Rastore.」

「You’re the Rastore’s General Rai? I am ‘Ten Thousand Swords’ Louise. Let us start.」

Silently, the knight emanated an icy aura, standing resolute. Rai Rakan embodied both strength and valor—a formidable Rastore commander.

Though not Dyson, the adversary Louise sought, this warrior, too, must be defeated.

Collecting herself, Louise swung her lethal blade toward General Rai.

「Deflected.」

He had deflected Louise’s Orichalcum greatsword with a mere barbarian’s blade.

Indeed, it was a remarkable feat.

「This sword is rather unique.」

「Interesting…」

Knights typically wielded swords designed for mounted combat, slashing from horseback with the momentum of a galloping steed. However, Rai Rakan’s weapon differed.

His barbarian blade was a special alloy, combining hardened steel with resilient wrought iron—a nodachi crafted for specific purposes.

The Rastore knights, facing creatures far stronger and tougher than themselves, had adapted their weaponry and armor accordingly.

While Orichalcum could chip or bend upon impact, Rai Rakan’s unwavering swordsmanship defied such odds.

His lamellar armor, if merely grazed, would shed layers, deflecting blows while safeguarding his life.

General Rai Rakan’s swordsmanship combines not only valor but also flexibility and composure.

His blade is no ordinary barbarian blade; it has been honed to shatter the strong and protect the weak.

「Take this!」

「What?!」

Rai Rakan’s barbarian blade danced unpredictably, deflecting Louise’s fierce strike. But that wasn’t all—he swiftly swung back, severing a horse’s neck with precision.

Louise’s steed let out a pained cry and collapsed, catapulting Louise herself to the ground. Finally, a knight had unseated her. The camps of friend and foe alike erupted in murmurs.

Yet Louise was no ordinary adversary.

Twisting mid-air to mitigate the impact of her fall, she landed without releasing her massive sword. Once more, she faced General Rai on horseback.

Undeterred by the onslaught of Rai’s barbarian blade, Louise’s Orichalcum armor held firm. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed.

Ironically, this time it was Rai who found himself pressed. His barbarian blade couldn’t breach Louise’s Orichalcum defenses.

If Rai Rakan had any chance of victory, it lay in exploiting gaps in her resilient armor. Louise, aware of this, held her Orichalcum greatsword high, leaving no openings.

Amidst the intense battle, the generals engaged in a duel—a moment when both sides paused to witness their clash. Though Rai had superior mobility due to his living mount, Louise’s flawless swordsmanship left no room for error.

Suddenly, with a resounding cry that shook the air, Rai leaped from his horse.

He had committed to the fight.

After facing twenty thousand enemies and enduring relentless combat against the Rastore knights, Louise was fatigued.

Here, forsaking the advantage of mounted combat, Rai General presses forward.

His target: Louise’s composure.

Even if he gets wounded, if he can disrupt Louise’s swordsmanship even slightly, he’ll strike her throat while she’s preoccupied with the flesh. Perhaps it’s a gamble, but he’s willing to risk it—even if it means a mutual blow.

For Louise’s defeat would render the mere two thousand seven hundred riders surrounded by twenty thousand and four thousand forces utterly impossible. Rai Rakan’s life is far from expendable, yet…

It’s a moment worth staking one’s life on.

With all his might, Rai launches a fierce thrust. But Louise, the recipient of this formidable blow, remains unfazed.

As if catching a falling giant mid-air, she gently absorbs the impact with her massive sword, even smiling. Then, with a soft release of energy, she propels herself back to the ground.

「What?!」

Did Rai anticipate her soft technique?

Louise, who had consistently fought with a rigid blade against Rai’s flexible one, now surprises him with a gentle parry. His barbarian blade, despite its strength, shatters upon impact.

The battle is decided. Alongside the blade, fate crumbles.

「…I underestimated you.」

Rai mutters, bowing his head as if offering his neck. Whether he resigned himself or still harbored intentions with the broken sword remains unclear.

But Louise, without hesitation, beheads General Rai.

In this anticlimactic end to their intense duel, the battlefield falls eerily silent.

Amidst the battlefield, where time seemed to stand still, Louise, alone, seized General Rai’s horse and charged toward the Rastore knights.

Struck by Louise’s Orichalcum greatsword, stained with her own commander’s blood, the Rastore knights finally realized their leader’s defeat. They had no choice but to acknowledge it.

Louise swung her massive sword effortlessly, blood spraying through the air.

「Aaargh!」

From both friend and foe, a chorus of anguished and enraged screams echoed. It was unclear who had cried out first, but their collective grief spread like wildfire.

As if signaled by this, the knights surged forward, launching their assault, and the slaughter resumed.

An army without its leader becomes profoundly vulnerable. The movements of the Rastore composite battalion lost their luster.

The outcome of the Siege of Lanct had been decided—the moment when General Rai Rakan fell in single combat against Louise.

Buoyed by Louise’s victory, all the gates of Lanct’s city swung open, and the Lanct Duchy forces within poured forth, converging upon the Fist Slave Imperial Army.

The balance had shifted.

※※※

General Da Jeshka, Trania’s ethnic hero, had lost his sight.

Yet, his other senses were sharpened. Somehow, he sensed that General Rai had fallen in the previous skirmish.

The loss of a skilled commander reverberated through the troops—their panic and murmurs palpable, transmitted through the air like a tangible touch.

Even the usually composed Da Jeshka tightened his grip on his staff. Seeking confirmation, he turned to General Sandor Nefsky, who stood beside him.

「Is General Rai… gone?」

「Yeah… seems that way. We’ve been comrades for a long time, but perhaps this is the end of his martial fortune.」

Sandor responded. His voice carried a somber weight. General Rai Rakan had been a longstanding companion. For a moment, Sandor, too, closed his eyes, silently praying for his fallen comrade.

「That man is in his haste to meet death. Having secured our homeland’s independence, he should have been content….」

Murmured the blind general, who had been a long-time companion.

Among the three generals of the Three Great Sovereign States, General Rai, at forty-two years old, was the youngest. He was still in his prime. It was regrettable to think that he could have continued to serve on the battlefield.

Inverting the order of death, General Da Jeshka, a fifty-seven-year-old elder, couldn’t help but grumble. But sometimes it was the younger ones who rushed toward death. Excessive ambition, like a poison that parches the throat the more you drink, lures the youth toward their demise. Rai Lakan had succumbed to that temptation, misjudging our forces and losing his chance to withdraw.

It was a pitiable lapse for a seasoned commander.

On the battlefield, sentimentality had no place. General Da shifted his focus.

「Well… perhaps, if we are to safeguard our independence going forward, we should maintain goodwill with the Kingdom of Silesie. Castilia seems to be doing the same, but that Silesien hero’s army remains formidable.」

「Facing ten times our forces with just one knight, we commanders find ourselves outmatched. While I know little of distant wars, it boils down to whether the naval power or the land power will seize the next world’s dominion…」

Though it threatened to become a convoluted discussion, now was not the time for such consultations.

「Oddly enough, I should have been the one to suggest retreat.」

「Ah, yes, indeed.」

「Hahaha, then let us both ingloriously flee.」

「May we both escape unscathed.」

Even so, there was ample opportunity for withdrawal. The preparations for retreat were already complete.

General Da Jeshka boarded an armored carriage, guided by his attendant knight, while General Sandor mounted his horse. All that remained was to make a swift escape to the rear.

Originally, this operation was led by seasoned strategists—the two of them.

Therefore, the siege of Lanct City also served as a strategic formation for the Trania-Gartland Kingdom’s army to retreat skillfully.

Anticipating the possibility of defeat, he had advised the inexperienced officers of the New Germania Empire’s army on how to attack. Thanks to that, even during their retreat, they effectively acted as a barrier against the enemy.

When launching an offensive, one must always consider the possibility of withdrawal. Minimizing their own casualties is a matter of course for a seasoned commander.

The combined forces of the Trania-Gartland armies, totaling ten thousand, smoothly withdrew while the disorganized Fist Slave Imperial Army floundered and was picked off. Just as the astute generals had predicted, after both sides pulled back, the disarrayed Fist Slave Imperial Army was encircled and annihilated.

Following Louise’s victory in her one-on-one duel with General Rai, the troops stationed in Lanct City opened the gates and surged toward the scattered Fist Slave Imperial forces. The subsequent battle was a one-sided massacre. Dozens of senior officers who had led squads, including those wearing mohawk helmets, were wiped out, and over twenty thousand troops were systematically crushed within the encirclement.

The defeated Fist Slave Imperial Army lost all its commanding officers who had gone into battle, resulting in over ten thousand casualties. Remarkably, the sacrifices made by the Lanct Duchy forces numbered less than a hundred.

And thus, the ‘Battle of Lanct’ concluded with an overwhelming victory for the Lanct Duchy.

※※※

「In the end, was Dyson not among the enemy forces?」

Louise, having achieved a resounding victory, felt a sense of dissatisfaction.

Certainly, she had triumphed in battle and defeated the formidable adversary, General Rai Lakan. However, the elusive Dyson she had targeted was nowhere to be found.

「’Ten Thousand Swords’ Louise-dono. Well done.」

「This, General Mainz… You, too, deserve our gratitude.」

The seasoned General Mainz, who swiftly defeated the combined force of twenty thousand enemy troops and the four-thousand-strong Rastore hybrid battalion using skillful encirclement tactics, hobbled over to Louise with his cane to offer his commendations.

Despite numerous field battles, the veteran commander stood resolute and sharp. His iron armor, as always, appeared quite weighty.

「Hohoho, General, it’s a bit embarrassing. Especially when spoken by a great brave like ’Ten Thousand Swords’ Louise.」

「My lord instructed me to follow General Mainz’s orders. I had hoped to defeat Dyson on this occasion, but where might he be?」

Rubbing his white beard thoughtfully, General Mainz considered the question.

From beside Mainz, a knight wearing a blue mohawk helmet popped up and interjected, ‘If we’re talking about the rebel Dyson, he’s probably holed up in the imperial capital.’ In response, Louise instinctively drew her sword.

「Whoa! Wait! I’m not your enemy! I’m General Gemon-sama of the legitimate Germania Empire!」

「Apologies, I mistook you for an enemy.」

According to the conciliatory General Mainz, some of the defeated Fist Slave Imperial soldiers had defected to their side, disillusioned by Dyson’s string of losses. Once again, Gemon was rallying the remnants of the defeated troops, aiming to bolster their ranks.

Surprisingly, even when siding with the legitimate Germania Empire army, Gemon Balzac, a high-ranking officer, served as an advocate for defection. After all, Germania was vast, and Louise’s straightforward mindset—kill every enemy she faced—would perpetuate the war indefinitely.

Being a high-ranking general meant considering various factors. The idea of converting a Mohawk-helmeted knight to their side was beyond Louise’s simple-minded thinking as a knight devoted to Takeru. But for now, she needed to be cautious—assuming that all Mohawk helmets were enemies might lead to accidentally striking allies.

Gemon, trembling and cowering behind General Mainz’s cloak due to Louise’s intense aura, had a point. His words were quite reasonable.

Considering that Dyson wasn’t present on the battlefield, it was natural to assume he was in the imperial capital, Northmark.

「However, that’s not the case.」

「What do you mean?」

Suddenly serious, General Mainz stroked his white beard and replied.

「We’re considering this as a diversion.」

「So, Dyson isn’t in the imperial capital?」

Referring to the combined forces of the Fist Slave Imperial Army and the three kingdoms as a ‘diversion’ showcased General Mainz’s broad perspective. Yet, if Dyson wasn’t part of the decisive invasion operation that should determine Germania’s fate, then this grand offensive itself could only be seen as a diversion.

「As someone who wants to storm Germania’s capital with this momentum, I’d appreciate Louise’s assistance. But it seems that won’t be possible.」

「Could it be that Dyson has headed for Takeru?」

That was Louise’s greatest concern.

Dyson, individually, was stronger than even the hero Takeru. Louise hoped that Takeru, as the hero, could defeat even a formidable opponent like Dyson. However, she was averse to risking her life needlessly. If the knight sworn to protect the monarch wasn’t by their side during a crisis, what purpose did she serve?

Louise’s unwavering commitment to being Takeru’s knight shaped her thinking. She regretted her impulsive charge; perhaps it had been a mistake.

「Your thought process is similar to Dyson’s—namely, that victory lies in taking down the enemy commander. There’s no reason Dyson’s side wouldn’t think the same.」

「I cannot remain here. I shall return to the royal capital!」

General Mainz had anticipated this outcome.

Perhaps leaving behind such a gaze was part of the diversion strategy, or maybe it was an attempt to hinder their advance.

Perhaps returning Louise, the knight capable of single-handedly defeating thousands, to the kingdom was part of the enemy’s trap. However, if, by any chance, the capital fell and King General was slain, everything would crumble to dust.

General Mainz is also worried about Emperor Conrad and Princess Elizabeth, who resided in the capital. Even though he expected Louise to return upon hearing this, he couldn’t refrain from voicing his concern.

「Knight Herman!」

「Yes.」

Herman, the unfalling knight who always stood by Mainz’s side, stepped forward quietly.

He, too, was undefeated, armed with the ‘Orichalcum Shield’.

While it was regrettable to divert precious forces from their ranks during wartime, it couldn’t be helped. Protecting the monarch’s life was paramount. If they could skillfully defeat Dyson, the victory would be theirs, so focusing on defense was crucial.

With a swift wave of his command baton, General Mainz issued an order.

「You, too, shall accompany Louise-dono to the capital of Silesie. While I worry about King General, safeguarding His Majesty the emperor is of utmost importance.」

「Understood!」

And thus, the mightiest sword and the strongest shield set off for the Silesie capital.

Was Dyson truly planning an assault on the capital? Would Louise and her reinforcements arrive in time? It was a race against time.

「I’m going with Louise-sama!」

「Princess, please exercise restraint!」

Despite being burned by Eleanor’s blazing ‘Flame Armor’, the elderly butler knight Kato clung to the waist of the determined knight, trying to prevent her departure.

This master-servant duo was quite the spectacle.

Sighing at the scene, even the astute General Mainz found it perplexing.

Perhaps allowing this departure would avoid interfering with Lyle-kun…

General Mainz decided to counsel them for now.

「Princess Eleanora, what about Lanct Duchy in your absence?」

「But General Mainz, Takeru is in danger!」

‘Good grief’, sighed Mainz, running his fingers through his silver hair as he calculated their forces.

Princess Knight Eleonora, the very emblem of the Lanct Duchy’s army, possessed an irreplaceable agility in leading the Lanct Knights. Her absence would undoubtedly leave them short of vital pieces on the chessboard.

「Princess Eleonora, you remain to safeguard the Lanct Duchy. Until the safety of our territories is assured, it would be unwise for you to act.」

「Hmph! Even I am a wife!」

He had to continually quell Eleonora’s outbursts. Now, the question lingered: Was Fist Slave Emperor Dyson truly absent from the imperial capital, and did the assault on the royal city indeed await them? The answers would significantly shape their future strategy.

「Ho ho, both paths are treacherous, indeed.」

Fate had thrust upon Mainz the weighty mantle of Grand General, and he found himself pondering many things. As a seasoned commander, he knew hesitation was forbidden. Thus, he resolved to focus solely on his duty.

For now, that duty was defense. He would gather strength, preparing for the inevitable counteroffensive.

And so, Mainz, casting a wry smile at the bickering duo of Princess Knight Eleonora and the butler knight Kato sitting on the ground. Their cries of 「I’ll go!」 and 「Please reconsider!」 faded into the background as Mainz spread out the strategic map before him, stroking his white chin beard, lost in contemplation of what lay ahead.