The Girl Who Ate The Death God - Upper Bound Volume, Episode 07

Under persistent chase, the desperate Royal Army continued their retreat to Antigua Castle. Every one of them had sustained at least some sort of injury, all their equipment were damaged; the soldiers were nearing the peak of their exhaustion. Those left behind by the retreating main force, one after another, threw down their swords and surrendered.

"Huff... huff... I will not resign myself to retreat! If I have to live with shame on my name, I would rather fight and die a glorious death! Get back in formation and fight--!!"

Yaldar shouted at all he could reach, his breath uneven and hoarse, his face ablaze with fury.

This man had always walked the highway to success; it was his first taste of utter failure in the fifty years he had lived.

The officers leading the Heavy Divisions were now nowhere to be seen. During the engagement on the plain up ahead, they had found themselves caught in the explosions and the ensuing chaos, and had been killed in action.

The Liberation Force had assigned Princess Altura in the vanguard as bait and had succeeded in luring not only the Heavy Divisions, but also the rest of the Third Army, to their doom.

Although Sidamo had seen through the trap on the way, he had not the means to stop the glory-hungry military officers. His protests had fallen to deaf ears.

When the Divisions' vanguards had approached as close to the enemy camp as they could, the earth had erupted, accompanied by the sounds of explosions. In a chain reaction, the fissure had engulfed the soldiers, claiming innumerable lives.

Yaldar's prided Steel Division had been dealt a fatal blow; in the confusion that followed, they had been struck down, one after another.

With the Royal Army in pandemonium, the Liberation Force under Altura's command had gotten into an arrow-shaped formation and commenced their decisive assault.

At the same time on slightly higher ground, a separate faction flourished countless Empire flags and shattered the sky with the striking of war drums.

In a perfectly bad timing, the unexpected participation of the Imperial Army.

The moment the Imperial Army Cavalry had commenced their charge, the Royal Army had been robbed of what little spirit they had left. Half of the Royal Army had been a miscellany of small fries. Not many of them were the kind willing to throw their lives into the fight.

And even though they had held the advantage in numbers, they had been unable to resist the Liberation Force's peak morale, and had been subjected to a disgraceful routing of their ranks.

The Heavy Divisions' Commanders had found themselves isolated and under attack from the Lion Banner Elite Unit, led by none other than the Finn, and had all lost their heads.



This would be realised much later after the fact, but the Imperial Army that had appeared in this engagement were mere dummies; the Kirrane Empire had not actually joined in on the war at this time. The ones flourishing Empire flags had been militiamen, and the cavalry donning Imperial armour had been mercenaries. Use of disguise flags and equipment was a common deception tactic, but the Royal Army, occupied with the confusion from the landmines, had thoroughly bought into the act.

With composure lost, people were bound to make errors in judgement.

"Your Honour. Let us reorganise ourselves at Antigua Castle and wait for our chance to make right of this dishonour. If we were to attempt a decisive battle under current circumstances, defeat is almost certain. We don't have the strength remaining to fight immediately."

To Sidamo's admonition, Yaldar stopped to observe the soldiers around him, and found himself in for a rude awakening.

"This... this is what the glorious Third Army has been reduced to? Why? How? I don't understand. I've never even heard of the Empire joining the war--! What have our Kingdom's Intelligence Units even been doing--!?"

"Regarding that, Your Honour--"

Interrupting the exchange was a messenger, rushing to the General as he clenched his fists in disgrace.

"Lord Yaldar!"

"What now!? Has the International Union finally joined the war!? Damn those ungrateful bastards!"

In the Mundo Novo Continent, Yuuz Kingdom ruled over the north-eastern territory. The Kirrane Empire was on a campaign to spread its sphere of influence from the west. And the south-east was settled in by various nations of the D'holbachs International Union.

Originally, the south-east had also been the Kingdom's territory, but all the feudal lords had taken advantage of the chaos ensuing from the emergence of Demons from the Labyrinth City Arto, declaring independence. This had resulted in them forming their own nations in a Union.

The International Union's territories covered a great deal of the continent's fertile land and mines rich in resources, granting them economic strength. They had been enriching their nations in the following years, in turn rapidly expanding their relevance and influence.

This plentiful loss of such territories had been one of the causes of the Kingdom's decline. Naturally, they had carried out numerous military campaigns in a bid to reclaim their land.

In response, the International Union had offered funds and resources to the Empire, and had formed a military alliance. This had resulted in the Kingdom facing opposition from two directions at once.

Some time had passed with lengthy conflict; eventually, the Union had found themselves under too much pressure from the Kingdom, so they had spoken up offering indemnities for a ceasefire. The Nonaggression Pact, albeit in name only, had been signed among each of the nations.

This chain of events was from two-hundred years prior, as part of the lead-up to the Mundo Novo Great War.



"--Messenger, continue your report!"

Before things went off-topic, Sidamo preemptively urged for elaboration.

"Yes, sir -- Our Detached Force succeeded in their attack on the Supply Storehouse! In addition, they have confiscated one of the enemy's new weapons! The commander has been killed in action, but Vice-captain Shera has taken over without difficulty! She has overpowered the enemy garrison with the valour of a fierce god!"

Yaldar raised his voice in celebration of the unexpected good news.

"Is that true!? We-Well done! We may have a chance in this fight, after all! Isn't that right, Sidamo!?"

"Yes, Shera has beautifully exceeded my expectations."

"I'll definitely promote that Shera lass once we get back! Now, let us turn around and prepare for another offensive!"

Though they had faced defeat once, it might just be possible to make another attempt by deriving forces from the Antigua Guards. Since the Supply Storehouse had been raided successfully, they still had a chance at a counterattack. The Military Staff seemed to have regained their composure somewhat. The battle was not yet lost, they thought. Even Sidamo was reassured, nodding in firm agreement.

--Yes, there may be some chance of recovery, a reversal of offence. So long as Antigua Castle still stood firm.

But then another messenger arrived at their side; this was the last one, and a bearer of sad news. Both man and horse had visibly expended all their strength, ready to collapse at any moment.

The messenger's mouth released news so absurd that everyone present could not help but doubt their ears.

"Th-this is bad! Antigua Castle is now under the Rebel Force banner! The-the castle has fallen!"

For a moment, it was as if time had stopped.

"What--what are you saying? Do you realise how absurd that is? We had ten-thousand soldiers left back there. It never could have fallen that easily!"

Yaldar grabbed the reluctant messenger by his chest plate. Even Sidamo could not hide his discomposure upon hearing such unexpected news.

The messenger, true to his duty, elaborated on his report. He himself did not want to believe it either, but the truth was the truth. He had to report what was what, and nothing else.

"Ah-according to the soldiers who had escaped from the castle, a great number of betrayers had revealed themselves and opened the gates for the enemy. The garrison has also been destroyed in the ensuing battle! A-Antigua is now completely under enemy control!"

The enemy had lured out the Royal Army main force to the plain, then exploited the gap, sending a detached force to attack Antigua Castle. The castle gates were then opened by the soldiers they had colluded with beforehand.

In the end, the Third Army had been caught in the enemy's deception, losing both a great deal of their main force and one of their most important bases of operations.

The Antigua Castle, a vital defensive location, would now serve as a bridgehead for not only the Liberation Force, but also the Imperial Army reinforcements.

"...O-Ohh..."

The most Yaldar could do was wring out an almost soundless moan.

But this was no time to drown in regrets of failure. Sidamo offered his counsel, so as to prevent the worst of worst-case scenarios.

"Your Honour. With how things are, we can no longer head toward the Antigua region. Instead, I propose that we immediately retreat west, to Belta Castle. They do have plenty of provisions stored there, but are currently lacking in war potential. The Rebel Force will pin us down if we do not hurry."

The Belta Region was located to the east of Antigua. Since the military force had been concentrated in Antigua, security over there was relatively low. If they did not hurry, they also ran the risk of losing everything in the Centre Border Zone. They had to think and act swiftly.

"...Nay, I shall reclaim Antigua Castle. I must reclaim the castle. His Majesty personally appointed me with its defence, I'll have you know. Besides, as battered the Third Army is now, we still have thirty-thousand able to fight. Day or night, if we keep on our offence..."

"No, Your Honour, we will not! We are under attack from the Rebel Force behind us, and potentially from Antigua up ahead! We must immediately change our destination! We have absolutely no means to attack Antigua Castle now! For the love of gods -- I beg of you, please, order us to go east!"

Soulless and incoherent as Yaldar was, Sidamo did his best to shake an answer out of his superior.

The idea of being surrounded here was no jest. They would be annihilated, and worse yet, Belta would also be taken. As Chief Advisor, Sidamo was obligated to prevent it from coming to pass, even if that were to be his last duty. Even if it cost Yaldar's trust in him, he must have the remaining army go east.

"--Kuh...! Ahhhh--!"

Yaldar raged, seemingly struck on all the wrong spots. A conflict among pride, willpower, and reason. He had the option to be brave, to stand his ground and accept impending death. Or would that eternally brand his name as an irresponsible commander?

"Your Honour--!"

Yaldar, exorcised by Sidamo's ceaseless rebukes, now issued the command through his teeth.

"...I understand. We will follow your proposal. The Third Army shall head east and join in the defence of Belta. We must ready ourselves for the second decisive battle. Death is the easy way out, but I will not stand to die here. I shall put my pride on the line, for one day, we will have our revenge."

"--Yes, sir. It will be done. All units, our destination has changed to Belta! Change course and advance!"

Afterwards, the Liberation Force suddenly ceased their persistent chase. The Third Army eventually succeeded in their retreat to Belta, preserving most of what military force they had left, deserters notwithstanding.

The Liberation Force would have ridden their momentum and immediately push for control over the whole Centre Border Zone, but they hypothesised that the reinforcement of Belta's defence will prove to be too much. For now, they settled with resupplying and waiting for reinforcements at the newly occupied Antigua Castle.

One factor rendered the Liberation Force unable to commit to their pursuit, in turn unable to immediately seize control of Belta.

That was the burning down of their Supply Storehouse, courtesy of the Royal Army's strategy. Without food, soldiers could not fight. It was by the unexpected merit of Shera and her squad that the Third Army's life was extended.

The Liberation Force may have won the engagement, but they were nonetheless damaged by the loss of a storehouse and the resources within. They were still a relatively small force of weak foundations, without much room for error, after all.



Under Shera's command, the cavalry unit of two-thousand and five-hundred boldly traversed the territory of the enemy stronghold, Salvador Fortress. They intended to cross the Althia River, then head east for Belta Region.

How in the world had Shera, of all people, been so successful in navigating through enemy territory, one might ask.

The answer laid in how the whole cavalry unit was dressed at this moment. The flag she flourished was now one of the Royal Capital Liberation Force, and so was the armour the whole unit now had on. All these things had been found stored within the Supply Storehouse.

Shera had recalled the time when her village had been raided. The Liberation Force had disguised themselves as the Royal Army and attacked. It was a natural course of revenge for her to employ the same methods.

"I-I'd never thought it would go along this well."

"You know how the Rebel Force is a mishmash of deserters, the Empire, and mercenaries, yeah? I just thought there's no way they're going to remember everyone's faces. We'd be far less suspicious like this than sneaking around."

Shera heaved a sigh as she glared up at the Liberation Force flag. To her, having to dress up as those she considered scum was the same as torture.

"You're too brave, Vice-captain Shera. I don't think we'll ever be able to match you. Being so calm in the face of the enemy, it's unbelievable. I get all messed up just thinking about how I could be cut down at any moment."

"The enemy boss being a simpleton did help me out a lot back there. But of course, it's not that I don't understand being on edge. I do get all messed up when hungry, after all."

Having said that, Shera remembered how hungry she was, and reached for the bag on her waist.

"Vice-captain, you might want to try this."

One of the cavalrymen by Shera's side took out a green fruit and handed it to her. Bugs had bitten parts of it off, but it was not rotten. In fact, it had a faint fragrance to its skin.

"And what might this be?"

"A green apple, ma'am. I've picked it up back at the Storehouse. It's uncommon around these parts, so I've helped myself to a few. The ripe ones are especially good."

"Aha, just when I want something to clear my throat with. Thank you. Really, I appreciate it."

For once, Shera smiled a smile appropriate for a girl her age. Being such a genuine expression, the cavalrymen could not help but find her breathtaking.

"O-oh, you're welcome, ma'am. There's no need to thank me so much for just one apple, though..."

"No, don't be that way. I don't get food from others so often, you see. I'm very happy about this."

"Th-then, next time I'll prepare a heap of apples for all of us! Please do look forward to it!"

Restless, the cavalryman's voice went up a pitch as he saluted.

"I'll consider that a promise, yeah?" Shera said, smiling ear-to-ear. "Still, a green apple, eh? It's the first time I've seen one."

"Ah -- It is quite unusual in the Kingdom, yes. People like us usually would think red when it comes to apples."

"The red ones do look more appetizing, after all. Anyway, lemme chow this down..."

Juice trickled from Shera's mouth as she sunk her teeth in. With her so engrossed in crunching, the cavalryman looked on, happy for her.

Ever since Shera had taken up temporary command, all of her fellow cavalrymen had come to fully acknowledge her abilities. In the battles up to now, they had felt the extent her sheer might firsthand.

She might even be stronger than every one of the Royal Army's officers, they thought. Seeing that their new boss had been swinging a giant scythe without so much as breaking a sweat, the image of her strength stuck in their mind. Follow the strong, and they might survive. Being soldiers, they knew that all too well. Needless to say, their hearts had been fully spellbound by the most recent incident. Battling under Shera's command had proven to dampen their fear. So much so that they had temporarily forgotten to fear death.

All things said and done, more and more of the cavalrymen had started to pledge their loyalty to Shera.

Earlier, they had an encounter with the enemy force, which had just departed from the Liberation Force Stronghold. The cavalrymen, posing as mercenary survivors, had felt a chill through their innards.

Shera, calm and collected all the while, had offered the head of her former superior, the late Cavalry Captain, to the enemy officer. Then she told them that she had struck the Royal Army commander down, but the remnants had escaped into the woodland.

Since mercenary equipment was different from the regulars' in that they were more worn-out, disguising as them had been easy enough. Take some new pieces from the storage, take some old pieces from the fallen enemies, and they had the suitable wardrobe for mercenaries fresh out of a battle.

At first the enemy officer had been suspicious, but them being hungry for merit as they had been, they had rushed their troops into the woods, so as to not let the remnants escape their grasp. But of course, there would be nothing for them there. The only thing beyond that point was Antigua Castle, already fallen into Liberation Force control.

Having passed the first encounter with flying colours, Shera and the unit had since discarded the mercenary armour and had replaced them with Liberation Force armour. That was the story so far.



"...Vice-captain Shera. This isn't looking good. Enemy soldiers are patrolling the river's vicinity. They appear to have noticed us, too."

The sharp-sighted cavalryman delivered his report, to which Shera nonchalantly replied.

"My, my. How bothersome."

"What will we do? Given their numbers, I reckon we can eliminate them."

Another member of the unit asked Shera. Units totalling approximately a hundred infantrymen were eyeing them. Elimination would be easy, but it would be an issue if the enemy were to call for reinforcements.

"We'll do so if we have to. But let's go greet them for now. Kill if and when I give the signal. Would be better if we actually can fool them, though. There's no good reason for us to stand out around here."

"Affirmative."

The cavalry turned their horses around and approached the Liberation Force platoon.

The one in command of the enemy, the only one astride a horse, glared at Shera. The enemy platoon soldiers poised with their spears, ready for battle.

Shera suspected that the enemy here had caught wind of foul play. Perhaps they had already been seen through. Shera decided to make the first move, speaking up.

"You have done well in fulfilling your duties, people -- We are the Royal Capital Liberation Force Cavalry, currently on march to sweep up the defeated Royal Army remnants! We ask that you let us pass!"

Shera greeted them, releasing her biggest, most self-indulgent pack of lies thus far.

Her being more formal than expected, the enemy leader was taken by surprise. Perhaps his first impression on the lass had led him to take her lightly.

"Ahem -- Please state your full name and affiliation. We also have our duties to fulfil, so pardon the inconvenience!"

The enemy leader, regaining his grip, raised his voice, so as not to lose his interrogating position.

Not one to be dealt with by the books, Shera felt. He seemed to be on a whole nother level compared to the simpleton from earlier.

"Second Lieutenant Shera, Special Duty Cavalry, Royal Capital Liberation Force First Division. We ask that you state your affiliation as well."

"Affirmative. I am Second Lieutenant Charon, Patrol, Royal Capital Liberation Force First Division. We are a unit organised temporarily."

"Acknowledged. Now, we need to hurry onward, so I ask that you excuse us. Dawdle around here and the enemy will escape unharmed."

"...We haven't received any contact about a cavalry being in pursuit, though."

"Just miscommunication, I assure you. This is a battlefield; such things happen all the time."

"Up until very recently, we have been on patrol the whole time. Our current duty is to search for the cavalry that had raided the storehouse. We caught wind that they're lurking around here, you see. Their numbers, well... two-thousand, was it?"

Charon rested his hand on the handle of his sword.

Shera calmly observed the situation. Her scythe was kept hanging on her back.

"I see, I see. And how does that concern us, exactly? You wouldn't suspect us as that cavalry you're looking for, would you now?"

Shera crooked her lips, and poised to brandish the scythe on her back.

"...We would like to confirm just one more account -- your identification papers. Every officer and man of the Liberation Force, even the newest arrivals, have been issued a set each, as you should be aware. We ask that you present yours immediately. And I repeat, immediately!"

Charon made a signal with his hand, and the Liberation Force soldiers poised with their spears.

In reaction, the Royal Army cavalrymen dispersed, crowding around their opposition. Shera's side held an overwhelming advantage in numbers.

"...Ahh, that thing. Spare me a few seconds, yes? I'm sure I tucked it away in here--"

Shera secretly gestured while she feigned reaching for the bag on her horse, then reached for the scythe on her back and slashed at Charon.

The enemy leader, having been cautious so far, dodged by a paper-thin margin.

"Bastards! I knew you were the cavalry that started the fire! How dastardly of you to disguise yourselves as one of us!"

"How perceptive... for a simpleton. You think you can stop us with your numbers? Do you have a death wish?"

Shera asked, flashing a cruel smile. But whatever the man's answer was, his end had already been decided.

"Shut up, you! Dismount and surrender your weapons at once! Reinforcements will be here soon! You bastards are now as good as rats in a bag!"

Charon was indignant in his demands; having been informed by a messenger beforehand, he was unfazed by the disadvantage his side had at the moment.

Him being quite confident in his swordplay, in the worst-case scenario, he banked on his enemies surrendering upon the defeat of their commander. Surely, a unit stranded in enemy territory was as good as dead upon the loss of their commander.

"We refuse. Either way, you will die before anything is done."

Shera heaved a sigh, as if to write her adversary off as an eyesore.

"--!"

The giant scythe swung.

Having given up on evading such a swift blow, Charon instead caught it head-on with his shamshir. He would have parried it off and countered the attack, but the blow was far too heavy; he could not shift his momentum onto offence.

"C'mon, c'mon! Take it well! Don't go and lose your head, now!"

Shera aimed specifically at the shamshir as she repeated her strikes.

Charon took them well enough for a desperate fighter, but his hands grew numb; he eventually found himself overwhelmed. Each attack felt heavier than the last.

"Th-this lass... she's a beast!"

Charon, breath heavy, attempted to regain his posture. Shera did not overlook that opening.

"Die!"

"--Bwah--"

Manipulating the flow with a few feint lunges, she dashed her favourite blade right at the nape of her enemy's neck, cutting cleanly in the side.

Charon, played like a fiddle all the while, finally took a direct hit and tumbled down from his horse.

"Cavalry, leave none alive! Don't let any of them escape!"

[YES, MA'AM!]

"Death to the Rebel Force!"

In the first place, the cavalry outnumbered the enemy. It only took a few minutes for absolutely every one of them to be killed. Shera had also taken initiative, slaughtering the enemy infantry without restraint.

The cavalry suffered a few casualties. As of now, the enemy's approaching reinforcements have yet to locate them. If they intended to cross the river, it was now or never. Shera proceeded to issue her orders.

"--Alright, now is the time to start crossing. After that, we're making a break for Belta. You folks fine with that?"

"Yes, sir! We'll follow you to the very end, Captain Shera!"

Now the cavalrymen referred to Shera not as Vice-captain, but just Captain. At this point, they could not think of anyone else to lead their ranks.

"When we get back, let's have a meal together. I'll treat you all big time. So in exchange, you folks just point me at the delicious stuff, yeah?"

Immediately after saying so, a question mark popped up in Shera's mind. Why had she invited others to eat together with her?

It was just eating; she should have no issues with being by herself. Being so vague of a question, she decided to cast it aside for now.

"Yes, ma'am! We won't disappoint you!"

One of the soldiers replied, seeming delighted. Shera, judging that this might not be so bad after all, proceeded to issue her next orders.

"Since our cover's already been blown, there's no need for disguise anymore. This armour is now all bloody as well, anyway."

She wiped sweat off her forehead, then pointed at the bloody armour on her. It was obvious that they had just been in a battle.

"Yes. I agree that we've played the Rebel Force part enough now."

"So let's go back to the glorious ol' Royal Army, eh?"

One cavalryman cracked up a joke, and Shera shouted out in good humour.

"Alright, put up the Royal Army flag and destroy the Rebel Force's! It's an eyesore, so trample it down nicely!"

"Yes, sir!"

"--Shera Cavalry, change course and advance!"

[OHHHH!!]



Upon the repatriation of the cavalry unit to Belta Castle, the guards were elated; they had been thought as annihilated, so their return restored the others' fighting spirits, if only so slightly.

The one most pleased was the defeated man, General Yaldar.

Upon receiving the news, Yaldar let out an indistinguishable cry and flew up from his chair, his body trembling with genuine gratitude.

He came running down to the cavalry, with tears streaming down his face, and took each of them by hand. A man of short temper yet compassionate heart, Yaldar was moved by Shera, whose refusal to surrender to the very end had pulled her unit through.

Up until the Shera Unit's repatriation, they had also routed forces in pursuit, racking up an additional four-thousand kill count. A terrific achievement one would never expect from a retreating force.

Shera, treated as the hero of the Third Army, was granted a myriad of rewards, perhaps excessively so. Flatly disregarding any and all voice of concern, she accepted them with open arms.

At Yaldar's discretion, she immediately received a double promotion, officially becoming Captain. Having struck down Voleur and burned down an enemy Supply Storehouse, her merits proved her worthy of such treatment.

Three months later, Shera was further promoted to Major, and the paperwork was finally completed to officially grant her full command over the cavalry. An exceedingly fast progression in the military career of a sixteen-year-old field officer.

On the other hand, Yaldar intended to resign from his seat, taking responsibility for the Third Army's defeat. However, a bombardment of duties, and a particular order passed down to him, prevented him from doing so.

By a reprimanding letter direct from His Majesty the King, he was to train the soldiers for the next wave of conflicts, and to clear the dishonour to his name.

Unfortunately, this was in truth not an opportunity for redemption, but merely the result of not having any replacement available at hand.

Yaldar was set to be replaced immediately upon the appointment of new command. Until then, he was meant to defend Belta Castle, nothing more or less.

The man himself oblivious to all the internal affairs, he gave his all to train the soldiers, and waited in hot anticipation of the upcoming warfare.

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