General Gunes pointed with trembling fingers to the flag lying on the ground, covered in dirt.
It was the flag of the Royal Guard of the Lionel Kingdom, a crimson cloth embroidered with a lion.
“Order them to rally to that flag. Then the Royal Guard will move. You… must win this battle… Raise the flag.”
General Gunes used the last of his strength to give this order and then breathed his last.
Commanded to secure victory, I looked around. The battlefield was already in utter chaos.
Not only had our main camp collapsed, but our formation was also in shambles. More than five hundred soldiers of the Demon King’s army were pouring through the large breach opened by Garios, turning the battlefield into a brawl.
To counter the powerful warriors of the Demon King’s army, we needed to regroup and reconstruct our defensive lines. But all I had was Meril and two others.
“Lady Romelia, this is impossible…”
Rett asked me with a pale face. Meril and Shloh also looked grim. They couldn’t see any way out of this situation.
“What are you dawdling for? We will rebuild the defensive line.”
I stood up and urged the three of them.
The situation looked dire, but there was a sliver of hope.
The right flank was under pressure but hadn’t collapsed. The left flank was holding firm thanks to Gran and Lagon. Glen and Hans were bravely fighting with their reserve force of two hundred infantrymen against a hundred giant soldiers.
Even in the chaotic center, soldiers were still fighting despite being at a disadvantage.
Nearby, a platoon of forty infantry was desperately trying to push back the Demon King’s soldiers with their comrades. In the distance, a cavalry unit of about thirty was maintaining their command structure.
If we could gather their strength, rebuilding the defensive line wasn’t impossible.
“First, as General Gunes said, we’ll raise the flag. Shloh, take those two soldiers over there and raise the fallen flag. Meril, find a trumpeter. Rett, gather those three soldiers and bring those five soldiers over there. Oh, and pick up those two horses on the way back.”
I quickly gave orders to Shloh and the others, clapping my hands to signal them. The three of them dashed off.
It was a race against time. If we didn’t act quickly, the Royal Guard would be wiped out.
As I walked alone across the battlefield, I decided on the best spot to raise the flag.
It was slightly off-center but visible to the soldiers and out of the way of the battle between Elizabeth and Garios. It was the perfect place to raise the flag and rebuild the defensive line.
Having decided the spot, I looked up at the sky. It was already dominated by winged dragons, circling in large arcs.
Earlier, signal arrows had flown down from the sky, directing the Demon King’s army. I could see a tiny demon figure on the back of a giant dragon.
The tactics of the Demon King’s army this time were different from before.
Their strategy, using mobility to attack weak points like flowing water, was unprecedented. The use of winged dragons added a new dimension to the war, transforming it from a ground-only battle to one involving the sky. This was revolutionary, marking a turning point in warfare.
If that tiny demon had devised this strategy, they were a rare genius. Honestly, I didn’t think I could outwit them.
However, on this battlefield, I had the upper hand.
If that tiny demon were commanding on the ground with even a hundred freely moving troops, I wouldn’t be able to rebuild the defensive line.
But the sharpest mind of the Demon King’s army was high up in the sky.
Their only method of giving orders was signal arrows. They couldn’t issue detailed commands.
“Lady Romelia, I’m back!”
Shloh was the first to return. The two soldiers behind him were carrying the crimson flag.
“Royal Guardsmen. I am Romelia of the Cashew Defense Force. Regrettably, General Gunes has passed away. His final order was to raise the flag. Please, raise the Royal Guard’s flag here.”
“Us?”
The two soldiers exchanged glances, bewildered by the responsibility of carrying the flag. But they had to do it.
“Yes, if the Royal Guard sees this crimson flag, they will surely rally. As long as this flag stands, their spirits won’t break. And you are the only ones who can support this flag.”
I stirred their sense of duty, moving the hearts of the two Royal Guardsmen.
“Understood!”
“We will raise the Royal Guard’s flag, even if it costs our lives.”
The two soldiers nodded in unison, pledging to keep the flag aloft.
“Then I leave it to you.”
“Yes, leave it to us!”
The two soldiers raised the flag, and the crimson lion roared over the battlefield.
“Lady Romelia, I’m back!”
Meril returned just after the crimson flag was raised. Three figures followed behind.
“I found a trumpeter and brought two healers along.”
Meril reported, looking back. Indeed, there was a trumpeter and two healers in priestly robes. This was fortunate.
“Trumpeter, please blow the trumpet to signal everyone to gather at this flag.”
At my command, the trumpeter raised his brass instrument high and blew vigorously.
“Healers, please stay here. I will bring the wounded to you. Treat them.”
“Treat on the battlefield?”
The Royal Guard healers were surprised by my instruction. Typically, treatment was done after the battle, but we needed all the fighting power we could get. Even the injured had to be mobilized.
“It’s much easier than doing nothing.”
I said this to the healers and looked at the battlefield. Just then, Rett returned with two horses and eight soldiers.
“Royal Guardsmen, we are reconstructing the defensive line under this flag. Form ranks here. Shloh, join the front line.”
At my command, Shloh nodded, but the eight Royal Guardsmen seemed hesitant to take orders from a woman.
“Left flank, Demon King’s soldiers! Shloh!”
I pointed to the left. Four soldiers from the Demon King’s army were charging toward us. Shloh rushed out and clashed with one of them, spear in hand. The Royal Guardsmen also fought as the enemy closed in.
“Meril, Rett. Ride the horses and announce that everyone should gather at the kingdom’s flag. Bring any isolated allies here.”
At my command, Meril galloped off on horseback, and Rett followed suit, charging into the battlefield.
Soldiers gradually began to gather, drawn by the raised flag.
“Do not let this flag fall. Fight to protect the flag. We must build our defensive line.”
I called out to the soldiers gathering around the flag, ordering them to form ranks.
“Who is in command here? Where is General Gunes?”
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As I was giving orders, a group of about thirty infantry gathered around the flag. The knight at the front, equipped with a thick shield and sword, was clad in expensive full-body armor, likely a captain of the Royal Guard.
“Perfect timing. Are you the captain of the Royal Guard?”
“No, I am Barns, vice-captain of the Ledre Regiment. And you are?”
“I am Romelia of the Cashew Defense Force. General Gunes has passed away. We are currently rebuilding the defensive line here.”
I answered Vice-Captain Barns’s question briefly. His brow furrowed.
“Wait, are you in command? With all due respect, what authority do you have?”
“Absolutely none.”
I told the truth. Although General Gunes had entrusted me with command before he died, without a neutral witness, it meant nothing.
“Then you have no authority to command.”
“Indeed. So, I ask you to take command here. Go ahead, take charge.”
I threw the command at the increasingly agitated Vice-Captain Barns.
“Wha—wait a moment.”
“We don’t have time to wait. Look, the enemy is coming. At eleven o’clock, Demon King’s spear soldiers. About twenty!”
Pointing in the direction, I showed him a group of the Demon King’s soldiers advancing toward us.
“Hurry, take command. The Royal Guard is here, and there is no one with a higher rank than you. You are the only one who can lead.”
“M-Mmph, it can’t be helped. Everyone, prepare to face the Demon King’s army!”
Deputy Captain Burns groans but ultimately follows my orders, raising his sword to lead the soldiers against the Demon King’s forces.
“Merill! Help the five soldiers on your left. Rhett! You take the right. There are two healers there, bring them back! Shloh! Leave the front lines and procure two horses. They are at the far left of the battlefield.”
I leave the frontline command to Deputy Captain Burns and give orders to Merill, Rhett, and Shloh. Then, I turn to a soldier from the royal guard nearby.
“Deputy Captain Burns, I’m borrowing this soldier.”
“Huh? What did you say?!”
Burns, engaged in battle with the demons, shouts angrily while fending off a spear.
“I’ll use him to rescue the injured soldiers!”
“Fine, do whatever you want!”
Reluctantly, Deputy Captain Burns shouts while cutting down an enemy, unable to refuse a request to help his comrades.
I have the royal guard soldier rescue those who have fallen on the battlefield, managing to save a few more soldiers. But then, I realize something troubling.
“Deputy Captain Burns!”
“What now?!”
I call out to Deputy Captain Burns, who is holding the defensive line, and he responds with an exasperated yell.
“The enemy is coming. From the two o’clock direction, fifty of them!”
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