Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 163 - Initial Engagement

Medrauta's chest heaved, her body soaked in sweat. She clutched her blade tightly, watching as its gleaming steel cleaved through her pitch-black enemies. Her eyes burned not with fury or determination, but displeasure. It had only been hours ago when she had stood by Viviane's side, but now she was surrounded only by monsters, and she found herself missing the noblewoman's presence greatly.

Behind her, the ground was soaked in liquid as black as night, its slippery surface soon dissipating back into the air as mana. Bodies lay strewn across the length of the treeline, but for each dead soldier, ten more witchspawn fell before Eris' blades. Taking full advantage of her agility and Scarlet's Crest, Eris moved at speeds faster than possible even for the quickest knight, allowing her to cover the entirety of the troops' defensive formation while Medrauta focused on driving forward through the seemingly incessant swarm of monsters.

Silver arrows streaked through the sky, their arcs drawing gleaming trails in the air before driving themselves into their targets. Countless witchspawn fell under the rapid storm of arrows, each of them like rays of moonlight heralding the coming of night.

"Just a little more...!" Viviane muttered as she emptied her latest quiver. She lowered her bow, receiving yet another set of arrows from a nearby soldier. She had spent the past hour firing arrow after arrow into the mass of witchspawn, cutting them down from afar while Medrauta drove deep into the enemy formation. Though the battle seemed bleak at the moment, the setting sun dipped lower by the second. Once the witchspawn fell dormant, they would be able to push the front line forward.

Viviane took solace in that thought as she nocked an arrow to her bow, raising it once more. She winced slightly as the string dug into her fingertips, a sliver of blood running down the calloused skin. But she knew the pain was fleeting. Once she released her arrow, it too would be gone.

"Lady Viviane..." Scarlet murmured beside her. While nobles traditionally stayed far in the rear lines and away from the battlefield, Scarlet had chosen to stand beside Viviane instead of retreating to a place of safety. Though capable of maintaining her Crest on Eris even across vast distances, Scarlet's pride simply would not allow her to wait safely while Viviane risked her life on the front lines.

Despite that, Scarlet simply couldn't help but feel useless. Skilled in a vast array of subjects, Scarlet was used to being the most accomplished person wherever she went, but here on the battlefield where soldiers were being torn apart by witch-made beasts, she felt sorely out of place. A talented tactician but sorely lacking in any sort of combat ability, Scarlet could do nothing but watch as her friend's fingers bled with each arrow shot.

Even during the civil war, she had been able to contribute on the front lines by combining her abilities with Rosaline's to create incredible effects that wiped out vast swathes of witchspawn, but here, even that option was lost to her. She scanned the battlefield with an almost desperate gaze, unaccustomed to doing nothing.

Though the soldiers had barely advanced past the treeline as incessant waves of witchspawn crashed into their position, neither had they lost many men. There were only about a dozen dead, and though any losses were regrettable, Avimorne duchy's civil war had only just concluded and Scarlet was no stranger to death. Meanwhile, Eris continued dashing across the length of the shield wall, cutting down all the witchspawn intercepted by the brave soldiers at the front.

...Is there truly nothing for me to do? Scarlet bit her lip, her violet eyes trembling as if tears might fall from them at any second. No matter where she looked, there was simply nothing for her to do. Even if she tried to help, her presence would be nothing more than an obstruction. Of course, she had known this even before coming. She thought she had been prepared for this feeling of uselessness, but now that she was experiencing it firsthand, she simply couldn't stand the hollow feeling in her chest.