Hero without Blood or Tear - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Chapter 11 - Lady Templar Walpurgis (2)

Translator: GollemtheRock

Editor: Perditor, Deus Ex Machina

 Phillip drove his horse on like a madman . His brain was already filled to the brim with fear .  
 

Damn it, I can’t use my mana .

He couldn’t use his mana as if it was an aftereffect of his defeat . He felt extreme anxiety at the fact .

“Hyah! Faster!”

Walpurgis headed the group at first but after being overcome with survival instincts, Phillip surged forward .

“Your highness!”

Her, the retinues and guards struggled to keep up with Phillip who was racing like a madman . The renown Iron Prince-Elector was abandoning his army to save his own self .

“Your highness! It’s dangerous to recklessly charge ahead!”

“They’re coming to get me! They’re coming for me!”

There really were pursuers from the demon lord’s forces .

“Your highness! Your cavalrymen are still intact! If you face the situation calmly, everything will be fine!”

The retinues lent their support to Walpurgis’ words .

“Your highness! Please heed her!”

“The column is being stretched too thin!”

The demon lord’s pursuers were scary in their own right but everyone present were people strong enough to be in Phillip’s retinue . Furthermore, since the Demon Lord Pejamut himself had to withdraw after Walpurgis’ attack, an orderly retreat was the best chance for as many people to make it back alive .

However, Philip was overtaken with fear and chose the worst option despite their advice . Once the Moselle river blocked his path, he frantically looked around for a bridge . When he couldn’t find one, he felt an even deeper sense of panic .

“Your royal highness, there is a bridge roughly a kilometer from here…”

“We cross here!”

“Your royal highness?”

The retinue was flabbergasted at the sudden order .

“Your royal highness, crossing a river on horse is normally possible but they are wearing heavy barding right now . Furthermore, the current is quite strong! Please think of your safety first!”

“Silence! The fifth head of my house managed to cross the Danube on horse . Do you believe I cannot do the same?”

However, the Danube river Philip’s ancestor crossed did not have strong currents and his horse was not exhausted either . Walpurgis hurriedly pointed out these facts .

“Your horse is exhausted from sprinting away from the battlefield! Entering the water will be dangerous!”

As expected, the horses were breathing rapidly with little plumes of steam emerging every time they breathed out . Jumping into a cold river in this state was dangerous . However, Philip jumped in without reply .

Splash!

Philip’s horse, which submerged under water for just a second, re-emerged with a loud splash . It was drifting down diagonally as it swam forward .

“Your royal highness!”

The retinues and guards followed after Philip who was drifting downstream .

“Damn it! If it’s come to this . . . !”

“Follow his royal highness!”

Nobles were a breed of people who put their reputation and appearance on the line more than anything . But a high ranking officer in the demon lord’s army was close on their heels and Philip’s horse was crossing the river unexpectedly well .

Splash! Puwussh!

Gaggles of heavily armoured cavalrymen dived forward into the river . However, there was one thing they severely miscalculated . Philip’s horse, which was barely crossing the river, was not just an ordinary horse, but one of few peerless horses in the entire world . That was why it was fine even in the worst of situations . On the other hand, the others were being swept downstream .

“Uuuhp! Help!”

“Gurgle!”

The cavalrymen who were being swept downstream along with their horses grabbed at their comrades to try to survive, but it was no use . They would all be swallowed by the river .

It was a watery hell where warriors of high stature drowned by the dozens . Only a tiny number managed to reach the other side . They were either lightly armoured, skilled at horsemanship, or simply lucky .

Walpurgis also managed to reach the other side as her steed was a mythological creature, a unicorn . She shivered as she was completely soaked in the still chilly April weather water . The armour was still draining water every time it moved .

“Where do you plan to head next, your royal highness?”

Walpurgis asked in exhausted voice . Including her, there were only ten others left beside Philip . Their original commanding appearance was nowhere to be seen and what remained was a pitiful looking group . Soaked to the bone was an apt phrase for the situation .

“I will go to the forest . ”

It seemed Philip planned to hide in the “Deep Forest” ahead of him . Everyone felt uncertain but no one objected . They wanted to hide in the forest to lose their pursuers . Everyone rushed into the forest .

However, there was a problem . The sun was setting and inside the forest was dark . They couldn’t find their bearing . Furthermore, this was not a forest humans frequented .

“We seem to be going in circles, your royal highness . ”

“Damn it!”

While Philip’s men were disoriented, the demon lord’s pursuers rapidly caught up to them .

“Zombie hounds! Your royal highness! They’re close by!”

That was the start . Having managed to find Philip thanks to the zombie hound, the pursuers began attacking immediately .

“Uaaagh!”

“Aggh!”

After being taken by surprise, Philip’s cavalrymen took off in all directions . Their morale was already broken . There were none who tried to fight . The zombie hound bit savagely at the horses’ rear legs . Once again, Philip attempted to escape while his men were under attack . For that, Walpurgis scorned him .

“Why do you keep running away despite being their lord! Do you not hear their screams?”

“My life is worth more than theirs! Who else has the power to avenge them at later date other than me?”

It was a reasonable sounding excuse .

No, it was only words .

Soon, only Walpurgis remained by Philip’s side . The demon lord’s army’s pursuit continued and every time they managed to catch up Philip dashed away in another direction leading them into a wild goose chase around the forest .

He ran like a baby boar bit in the rear by a hunting hound . Walpurgis finally suffered a wound trying to protect a man like him .

“Kukukuh, the most dangerous one is hurt . Now, this hunt will be as easy as twisting a child’s hand . Kuhahah!”

The leader of the pursuers was a high ranking officer in Pejamut’s army, Hessax . He roared out in laughter which shook the entire forest . He was an evil-looking demon with a large body, bat wings, and horns .

“This will be my opportunity for a promotion . ”

He leisurely walked forward while stroking his beard . Considering the amount of noise ahead, it seemed his subordinates had managed to corner the target once again .

“Hiding in a place like this?”

Hessax arrived at a large clearing no one could have imagined would be in a forest like this . His quarry was standing in that clearing .

***

The time was now . After finishing all the preparations, I hid in the ruined cabin and saw Philip and Walpurgis make it into the clearing . I squeezed my fist tight .

It was just as expected . They were locked in a melee with the pursuers . I didn’t jump in prematurely and instead watched for now .

Now, Philip, what will you choose?

If he showed even a little hint of grace, I would let go of all the grudges against him . I would even wish him luck from here . But if he abandoned Walpurgis to run away, I would be greatly disappointed .

“There is a place like this?”

That was when a great evil strode in with hefty footsteps . His devilish appearance and opulent armour confirmed that he was a high ranking officer in the demon lord’s army .

What was his name again? Ah, it’s Hessax .

I faced him several times while fighting Pejamut . He wasn’t very impressionable considering he was nothing more than a mini-boss that worked as a speed bump but he did drop some pretty good loots .

I kept my attention fixed ahead and prepared the necessary tools . I took out a pair of flints and lighted the fuse wrapped around my wrist .

“Foo-- foo--”

I softly blew at the fuse to make sure it was lighted and looked ahead . But Philip was someone who exceeded even my anticipation . Originally, there were two choices here .

Fight with Walpurgis

Ask Walpurgis to cover his back

However, he took the third option .

Bam!

A gunshot rang out . The bullet Philip fired pierced Walpurgis’ thigh .

“Your . . . highness . . . !”

Walpurgis let out a sound that was closer to a scream . Instead of a reply, Philip fired once again .

Bam!

This time, he fired at the unicorn Walpurgis was riding .

“You bastard!”

I stood up in utter surprise . Philip was an even bigger madman than I initially thought . I regretted thinking there was even a trace of hope left for him . When Walpurgis fell from her steed due to the injury, monsters swarmed around as if possessing her . Philip took the opportunity to ride away by himself .

“W, what the hell…”

I couldn’t speak in shock . Even though Philip was an arrogant son of a bitch, he was still a Guardian . One of the defenders of humanity, who would shoulder the Empire’s future, just shot the lady templar who was guarding him . He left her injured so she would stall for time against the monsters . Then he disappeared like the wind .

What kind of outrageous conduct was this?

It was by far the kind of scummy act which did not befit someone who occupied the position of Prince-Elector . I swore to not let Philip get away with it .

I already knew where that scum would head to once he gets out of the forest . An unanticipated scene unfolded in front of me but the destination was obvious . The priority now was to save Walpurgis .

“Tayat!”

Walpurgis’ shouts echoed . She swung her twin swords, but she was already exhausted . She was barely putting up a fight against the demons and monsters that were swarming her . At their current rate, it wouldn’t take very long for them to tear her into pieces .

“Kuhahah!”

Hessax, who had been watching from the back, looked delighted . There was no time to waste anymore . Walpurgis’ life was already at stake .

I took the fuse to light the bottle bombs’ wicks . The bottle bombs were now ready to go . I rushed forward without hesitation . Fortunately, the demonic army was fixated on Walpurgis and didn’t even notice me .

“Hmm?”

By the time Hessax spotted me, I was already close enough with the bottle bombs .

“What? Who?”

I threw the bottle bombs without any thought .

Clang!

Flames spurted up along with sound of glass breaking . For now, this was the only apparent effect . Several demons broke out in laughter . Even Hessax smirked at me .

“A remnant? Kukuku, but just what were you hoping to achieve with something so insignificant?”

Kkuaaaanngg!

An enormous explosion erupted . A pillar of flame swirled amidst the dark sky as an entire barrel of gunpowder exploded . This was more than enough gunpowder to fire a heavy cannon and the immediate vicinity was covered in smoke and heat .

“Lady Walpurgis!”

I took the moment to hurry over to her . I helped her up after swinging my sword to decapitate anyone standing near by .

“Hurry!”

“You’re . . !”

Walpurgis collapsed from the shock wave of the explosion but still looked surprised at my appearance .

“Valler! How did you?”

“We can talk about it after getting out of here!”

I supported her and hurried along . That was when a zombie hound leaped at me while making a strange noise . I took out a pistol from my waist and fired .

Bang

The shot penetrated its forehead and it slumped down on the spot .

“Just a little bit more!”

“No, save yourself! Both of us cannot escape this situation . ”

Walpurgis was sincerely worried that I would die as well . It was difficult to support her since she was pushing at me to save myself .

“Go! I cannot see a brave man like you die in a place like this . ”

Right now, it would seem things would go that way . But, that’s why I prepared a bunch of contingencies for a situation like this . I sat Walpurgis down after helping her to the ruined cabin I was hiding in earlier .

“Pant-- pant--”

Walpurgis was breathing painfully . She was also bleeding heavily and the place at which she sat down immediately turned into a puddle of blood . I would need to take care of the demonic army quickly .

It seemed Hessax had fallen down after taking a severe wound . Countless other dead were on the ground . However, the lucky ones who survived were standing up . Walpurgis shouted again after taking a look at the situation .

“Go, now! I will hold them down!”

She tried standing despite the pain but I pushed her shoulder to sit her back down . Instead of running, I took a line of fuse from my waist belt and tied it around her wrist after lighting it .

“Just what . . ?”

I kicked over a wooden board instead of answering . The contents spilled out .

They were muskets . There were ten of them . Walpurgis’ eyes went round at the sudden appearance of the muskets . I could tell she was surprised even through that helmet of hers .

Fufu, that expression alone makes all this preparation worth it .

To be fair, just burying the gunpowder barrel alone seemed a little lacking . So I dropped by the army camp once again . It was quite exhausting to borrow them without permission . In short, I stole them all .

“They’re all loaded, so just grab one and shoot . I’ll leave five with you . ”

I stuck the prepared musket stand on the ground .

Plop

I leaned on the stand and aimed forward while controlling my breathing .

“We have ten shots total . Let’s make it count . ”

The demons and monsters in the demon lord’s army were already charging towards us .

“Kieeeghh!~”

When a demon’s monstrous howl sounded, the first round fired .

Bang!