Iron Wall (2)
The first day of battle had ended.
Although there were casualties on the human side, thanks to Enfer's involvement from the start, the number was relatively small compared to the scale of the monsters.
From a defensive standpoint, it was close to a complete victory, but the faces of the knights were grim.
"I'm glad everyone is safe."
As the knights, except for the guards, returned to the barracks, Frondier was waiting inside.
He was handing out water and towels to the returning knights. The meal was already prepared, and Frondier skillfully carried the food trays with the servants.
It was a sight unbecoming of a nobleman, especially the son of a lord, but no one stopped him.
Occasionally, someone tried to stop Frondier, but he would reply with something like, "Unless Father tells me to stop, I will continue."
And of course, Enfer said nothing about it. Judging by his expression, it wasn't exactly approval, but Frondier didn't seem to care about Enfer's expression as he helped the knights rest.
"Lord Frondier."
At that moment, Sylvain approached Frondier. Frondier smiled and said,
"Please treat me as you did during training. Honorifics are awkward."
"...Right."
Sylvain coughed awkwardly, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Then he spoke again.
"Frondier, I have something to ask."
"What is it?"
"By any chance, about the crow..."
"Yes?"
Sylvain trailed off.
No matter how much he thought about it after the battle, that crow was definitely an ally.
If it were an enemy trap, there would have been no need to awaken Sylvain when he was off guard. Even now, looking back, returning at that point was the best decision.
Then who was the ally who controlled the crow?
With everyone busy at the barrier, the only person who came to mind was Frondier.
"Did you, by any chance, leave the lodging?"
"No."
Frondier shook his head. It felt like he didn't even need to think about it.
"Due to Father's concern, I'm under heavy surveillance. The servants there will know that I haven't moved an inch from the lodging."
"...Hmm, I see."
Sylvain nodded.
Even if he tamed a crow, he would need to be nearby to handle it properly. More importantly, he needed to see what was happening to offer any help.
It was impossible to send a crow to Sylvain's location while staying inside the lodging.
'I've heard of such bloodline abilities, but...'
A piece of information suddenly came to mind, but at least that ability wasn't Roach's.
"We will begin the meeting immediately after the meal."
Enfer said. There was a meeting room inside the barracks, and the knights would naturally head there after dinner.
At that moment, Enfer's eyes turned towards Frondier. Strangely, Frondier was also looking at Enfer at the same time, so their eyes naturally met.
Enfer looked somewhat displeased, but what he said with his sharp eyes was unexpected.
"You come too, Frondier. It'll be good for you to get used to it. However, don't say a single word."
"...Yes."
Frondier nodded. Everyone looked at Enfer with somewhat surprised expressions.
Didn't Enfer initially tell Frondier to take care of 'miscellaneous tasks'? That's what their gazes implied.
Of course, neither Frondier nor Enfer offered any further explanation and simply went about their business.
***
Frondier's eyes sparkled as he looked at the map prepared in the meeting room.
The terrain was recorded in much greater detail than what he had seen at the Tyburn.
'It's almost identical to the map Gregory drew based on what he saw. Amazing.'
Even knights wouldn't have been able to easily go beyond the barrier, so how could such a detailed map be created?
"Then first, a report on today's battle-"
The meeting began, and the knights listened to the reports and steadily exchanged opinions.
Meanwhile, as Enfer had instructed, Frondier didn't move a muscle or utter a word, simply observing the meeting.
In fact, Frondier didn't think there would be a turn for him to speak. Enfer wouldn't allow it.
As the meeting progressed, someone spoke in a grave voice.
"As expected, the winged ones didn't move."
One of the knights said while checking the map.
During today's battle, while fighting at the barrier, the human casualties were minimal.
Of course, Enfer's participation played a significant role, but there was another factor.
"While a considerable number of monsters were dying, the winged ones just stayed still behind the front lines. Even after the archers, unable to bear it any longer, turned their attention to the ground, they still didn't move."
In the battle between humans and monsters, there are two major variables. One is the type of monster, and the other is the quality of the monster.
The most noticeable among the types of monsters are the 'winged ones,' that is, those that fly through the air.
The barrier is meant to stop enemies on the ground. Humans must deal with those that fly over on their own.
Of course, the Empire has a barrier that covers the entire sky, but it's unreasonable to expect such facilities in this remote area.
"We still don't know their intentions. Should we be relieved that our casualties are low for now, or should we be suspicious of the flying monsters' non-participation and increase our vigilance?"
"For now, it's best to observe. The winged ones are inevitably weaker than ground troops. Even if they are covered in that unknown black substance, let's hope the archers' arrows can pierce their enemies."
Sylvain, who had been quietly listening to the knights' discussion, suddenly spoke as if something had come to mind.
"Speaking of not moving, what happened to the black monsters? Not the ones that were covered, but the ones that were black from the beginning."
"...That is, they disappeared at some point after the battle started."
"Those guys didn't participate in this battle either. Did they just cover the other monsters in black and retreat?"
Because of those black monsters, even ordinary monsters gained increased durability and ferocity, making the fight more difficult than usual.
But the black monsters themselves, along with the winged ones, didn't participate in the battle. This made the knights uneasy.
"..."
"..."
About an hour after the meeting began, silence fell over the room. Each person was contemplating the monsters' behavior.
If the next battle was like today, if they fought like they did today, there wouldn't be a big problem.
So they needed to prepare for when the battle dynamics changed, but they still weren't sure of the enemy's intentions.
'...Frondier is.'
At that moment, Sylvain looked at Frondier unconsciously. He himself wasn't sure why he did it.
Was it because he remembered Frondier's advice to try holding the sword with his left hand, or did he intuitively sense some connection between the crow and Frondier?
But Frondier, whom he had glanced at unconsciously, seemed to have been looking at Sylvain from the very beginning.
As Sylvain's gaze turned towards him, Frondier opened his mouth.
As Enfer had instructed, he didn't say a single word, but
- Beware of ambush.
He mouthed those words.
"...!"
Sylvain hadn't learned lip-reading, but he could clearly understand those mouthed words.
Sylvain averted his gaze and focused on the meeting again.
That mouthed message was enough. He understood what Frondier wanted.
This wasn't the place to hear his story.
Sylvain quietly waited for the meeting to end.
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Thanks for the chapter
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