Volume 1 Chapter 9: Are you happy to see me, beautiful?

The battle of Aude

*Boom*! *Boom*! The battle on the right side raged.

From the moment the battle began, cannonfire had never ceased. Along with the thunderous charge of cavalry up front and the sounds of slaughter all over the battlefield, tremors permeated Aude.

The commanding officers on both sides were getting impatient. Saint-Cyr had gathered all the remaining cavalry and was ready to do a final charge to the death as he got on another warhorse. As reckless as he was, he had gone through so many horses that he had long since lost count.

Thousands of armoured and unarmoured cavalry soon joined the desperate and chaotic battle.

“Charge! For the Empire!” Dawn led her light cavalry as the Austro-Hungarian royal army’s attacks intensified as they soon realised it had become a battle to the death.

Because the majority of Dawn’s troops were light cavalry, she had been placed in the rearguard and only charged forth when things were exceedingly dire, which was now!

Her rapier danced about as she rode through the battlefield, her long golden hair swaying in the wind, as she slaughtered her enemies left and right.

Be it her elegant figure on the horse, or her dazzling display of swordsmanship, both were impressive enough to make one stop short and sigh in admiration.

Though her forces had ruined the enemy’s formation and broken through the first few defensive lines, it had come at the cost of most of her light cavalry.

Dawn was increasingly anxious as it seemed as though no matter how many enemies she cut down, the Austro-Hungarian army that had the numerical advantage was being brought to its knees.

Just then, she saw a single flag flying on the highlands, which was probably the fountain of bravery for the Frenchies.

— An eagle with a dragon motif…!

— The enemy’s king is on the highlands!

“Follow me! Capture the enemy’s king alive!” Dawn immediately steered her horse in that direction and led her remaining cavalry as she broke through the remaining defensive lines and swept past the deserting and scattered Austro-Hungarian northern troops.

I will be the one to decide how this battle ends!

The battle on the highlands had already concluded. The enemy’s morale was utterly gone as only the most ardent warriors were still fighting. They could not change the course of the battle, and things had gone almost exactly as Tu had planned. Just as when he was leading Prussia, he knew that the morale and loyalty of the Austro-Hungarian northern troops was nothing much to write home about.

— How could an army have high morale if it does not have conviction?

After the enemy on the left was destroyed, Tu ordered the majority of his Guard to charge down toward the right while he kept watch on the highlands with a small portion of his troops. This was out of Tu’s usual prudence as he was wary of any ‘what-ifs.’

— Have we won…?

— All I need to is wait…

— Is that really the case…?

Just then, Tu saw a cavalry battalion charging in his direction with a girl who had a head of dazzling golden hair leading at the front.

— These cavalry, they are Austro-Hungarian forces, how did they get all the way up here?!

“Capture the enemy king!”

“Get into formation, fire!”

The few troops left on the highlands had begun to stop the advance of the enemy. Tu had run out of arrows and he shouldered his bow before putting his hand on his shortsword at his waist. It was his sabre, and the symbol of the king of France.

The short sword shone with an unusually radiant white light that was exceptionally eye-catching in the pitch black night.

Along with the roar of cannons and muskets, the cavalry led by the girl diminished in number but their pace quickened further and before the troops at hand could form up a proper defensive line, the cavalry had charged into the heart of Tu’s forces.

— The ones who made it before me numbered a dozen or so, and wielded bright swords as they yelled. All my nearby platoons are engaged in battle and can’t be counted for assistance.

— What do I do? Does god insist on having me play this game like Dynasty Warriors?

Though my swordsmanship is not as good as my marksmanship, it should still be sufficient to face the girl and her cavalry. Though that said, the risk is far too great. Even though this is a game, it’s so realistic.

I have to commend this girl though, she is truly excellent, be it with her swordsmanship or judgement on the battlefield. Indeed, if she can capture France’s king, the scales would once again tip in the favour of the Austro-Hungarian side. If I were on their side, that’s what I would do as well.

Well then, I must definitely have this excellent female general. I will definitely receive Francis’s ‘newbie grab bag’ with gratitude!

— Young lady, your thinking is right, unfortunately…

“Surrender, King of France.” The girl commanded as she pointed her rapier at Tu slightly hesitantly as she had no intention of slicing his neck.

— Unfortunately you don’t know I still have Lannes.

“Haa!” Along with a shout to distract the Austro-Hungarians, Tu drew the shortsword forcefully and pointed it at the heavens so that Lannes who was at the lower ground could notice it. All around Tu were mountains of corpses, mostly belonging to the northern Austro-Hungarians who had died in the chaos created by Tu.

— The thick smell of blood reminded the young man.

He had assigned Lannes to the artillery not on a whim, but because Lannes’s judgement on the battlefield was top notch amongst all the officers under his command. Moreover, the cannons Lannes had could fire at oblique angles.

— I’ll let you taste what a real cannon is like!

*Boom*! *Boom*! The projectiles that flew out accurately landed at the back of the cavalry and blasted them apart.

Without any hesitation at all, Tu had dove into a mountain of corpses nearby to shield himself from the blast.

After this wave of cannonfire, the battle should end shortly after. France’s victory was already set in stone and after all that has happened, the Austro-Hungarian army has all but collapsed…

Tu crawled out of the mountain of corpses and brushed his epaulets. Just as he was about to descend the highlands, he saw the girl from before.

She seemed to be shell-shocked and lay on the ground. Her eyes were slightly closed and her pupils that were slightly dyed in red seemed to be slowly returning to their original pure ocean blue.

— To think she wasn’t knocked out from a point blank blast. This should be protection from the game for players. Something like they won’t die as long as it’s not a direct hit…

— This was perfect, if only she wasn’t an enemy…

Tu pointed the shortsword at her, but then sheathed it back after a moment’s pause.

He then reached out his hand which the girl quickly took with her small tender hands after some hesitation.

“Welcome to France, my fair lady…”

I managed to charge through. Though the French troops had tried to stop me, they could only fall one by one to my blade.

These people weren’t my opponent. Of those who tried to stop me back home, none of them were worthy opponents either. They were far too shallow and thought of myself as a mere vase, a decorative vase to accompany the glory of the Empire.

Perhaps those officials and generals became spiteful after being rejected by me…

The only reward I’ve been able to receive is an empty title and nothing else.

— Those generals who only want a beautiful woman for themselves know nothing! I’m clearly better than them many times over! All they know is to throw away their weapons and armour and run away while I’m the only one who can break through the enemy lines!

— But why was it like this in this rotten Empire? Why could these useless people soar solely on the back of their family’s prestige? Why were those generals who knew naught but how to send their soldiers to death wastefully winning promotions time after time?

— On this point, that fearless king does seem to be a worthy opponent.

“How could that be…”

“Get into formation, fire!”

Dawn caught a clear glimpse of the king who was leading the troops from the cannonfire which lit up the night sky, and saw that he was a young man about her age with short, black hair and held a pitch black longbow in his hands.

Dawn did not dare believe what she saw and looked once more to confirm it.

It was still the young man with short, black hair, only now he had shouldered his black longbow.

— Why does the enmy king look exactly like the man from my dreams!

Though she was very surprised, Dawn did not believe that he was actually the one from her dreams. As yet another round of musket fire swept through her ranks, more cavalry fell to the ground as they let out death throes. Dawn’s warhorse did not shrink at all when met with this and continued its charge.

“Charge!”

Leaving behind the infantry which tried to stop her, Dawn still had a dozen or so cavalry while the king only had his sabre…

— That king is now alone, he won’t be able to defeat me!

“Surrender, King of France.”

The rapier was pointed right at the king, from which fresh blood which glistened on the blade. But the young man’s countenance did not waver at all.

— What was he thinking?!

“Haa!” The young man drew his sabre at his waist and pointed it at the heavens.

A radiance white as snow came forth from the blade which lit up the pitch black night!

He said nothing more but Dawn felt a chill run down her spine. Even though there was only one enemy left, her ocean blue eyes were slowly being dyed blood red.

This was the signal for danger but Dawn did not know from where it would come from.

“Jump off your horses quick!”

*Boom*! *Boom*!

Cannonfire blasted through and shredded through the air. Immediately, the blast engulfed all cavalry troops around her.

Dawn was able to jump off in time but she was still shell-shocked from the blast and by the time she regained her senses, she saw that hand before her.

— The same hand as she saw in her dreams.

“Welcome to France, my fair lady…”

— Hadn’t she been waiting for this man? The man who could defeat her?