Chapter 325: Battalion Commander, Lightning Sword Lapar 1 (side Lapar)
325 – Battalion Commander, Lightning Sword Lapar 1 (side Lapar)
“Sixth battalion commander, Lapar… As expected, we can’t find any other soldiers. They must have all fled already,” reports my subordinate, Paige, as she kneels towards me.
“Hmm, I see. Well, I wasn’t expecting much. Thanks for your hard work, Paige. So then, let us begin our final attack on the Lithovars by ourselves as planned.”
“Hah!”
The 『Starved Hunters』 are in a state of destruction. I heard from my subordinate that Tolman has already fled. Most of units have withdrawn with him, and Azalea has taken just a few soldiers in an attempt to slay the dragon.
The normal course of action here would be to go assist Azalea, or to meekly retreat with the others. But it is unforgivable for us to flee before mere forest-dwelling barbarians.
Azalea plans on taking back the spoils of that dragon, but I can’t imagine his chances are very good. I only saw it briefly, but it is definitely not something that can be defeated. Tolman-sama can often be obstinate, and even though Azalea is usually composed, he holds Tolman-sama’s wishes over his own judgement. Among the many hot-blooded, rash personalities of the 『Starved Hunters』, Azalea was the only one who I considered to be my equal as a strategist, but perhaps I evaluated him too highly.
No matter how you look at it, he’s acting recklessly. He has a chance of winning, so is forced to try, but it’s far more likely that he’ll die in vain. When that happens, Tolman-sama will become a laughingstock who failed to achieve anything, and it’s clear he’d be removed as a candidate for the throne. As a result, even though he will be disgraced in front of the royalty, reacting based on emotions is no good.
When I heard that Azalea would be attempting to subjugate the dragon, I came to the idea of striking the village while he has it distracted. We may have failed in collecting the carbuncle or slaying the dragon, but if at least the village is hit, Tolman-sama can save some face. We will also be able to bring back information about the dragon. If that happens, there will still be a slim chance that Tolman-sama can become king. I could become a royal knight. As a bonus, once Azalea is dead, should I successfully raise my reputation here, I could succeed him as the next commander of the entire 『Starved Hunters』. Tolman must be facing quite the dilemma, but for me this is a opportunity.