Chapter 412: The Battle Outside the City Gates

Outside the walls of the royal capital. Neymar Gloria, who was accompanied by Gharast soldiers, felt pain in her throat as if it had been slit.

She couldn’t even make a normal voice. She didn’t seem to be able to speak like a well-trained noble. All she could do was scream. Her long-braided hair swayed violently in the air.

「…Kick them all out and kill them! If there’s a place to throw away your life, then that time is now! That place is here! 」

She screamed to the soldiers around her while she herself stood on horseback and held a bow. The glove on her right hand looked ragged and the strings dug into the flesh of her fingers. She must had been hit with a piece of iron somewhere before. Her hair flipped up and blood fell from her forehead, covering her field of vision.

However, Neymar, wondering what was going on, squeezed her bow as hard as she could and released it. A sharp sound rang out. It was the sound of an object flying at an extremely high-speed cutting through the air.

From a distance, Neymar saw that it pierced the demonic face of a magical beast. At the same time, she drew her second arrow. Then, she made her voice resonate.

In front of her eyes, the demonic beast soldiers were once again preparing an attack.

「…All soldiers stand ready. I will not allow you to close your eyes even for a moment. Remember your parents and siblings who were killed by them, remember your comrades, and your lovers. Is there anything else in this world really worth dying for? 」

Her voice was already hoarse. But Neymar was unstoppable. In front of a swarm of demonic beasts, she went to the front line and supported her soldiers.

After all, she was their commander. She usually commanded her soldiers in an authoritative manner, ate good food, and had the privilege of lying on a cozy bed.

That’s why she couldn’t retreat here.

Neymar. Her parents gave her a male name that symbolized bravery. Only she knew how to live in the military, and only she knew what choice she made on the battlefield, whether to live or die. She let out a hoarse voice again as she released her arrow.

The next moment, the demonic beasts began to march forward without any concern for their lives. The smell of sand and smoke hit her nostrils. The soldiers did not take a step back, holding their spears as if to protect their commander, the tips of which were shining in the sunlight.

Blood, and blood, and more blood kept spilling.

It was no longer clear whether it belonged to a human or a magical beast. If there was a dividing line between the world after death and the world of life, then it was here.

Some people rose to prominence in such a place, while others died while trying to retain power. It was a wonderfully egalitarian place.

At this point, Neymar gritted her teeth as she glared at her opponents. Then she turned her thoughts around as hard as she could.

The pride of nobility and sense of morality that had been clinging to her head had disappeared.

There was only one thing she could think of. All she could think about was why she was so inferior.

The Battalion Commander Richard would be able to better use his soldiers to corner the demonic beasts. If it were General Valerie Brightness, she would crush them in one breath with her outstanding military might.

Neymar didn’t have either of those things. She just mediocrely advanced her soldiers and engaged her weapon. What a useless commander she was.

In that case, it would’ve been nice if there was at least a way to drive the soldiers like that evil enemy, but she couldn’t hope for that either.

So what could she do?

Neymar looked at the threatening charge of the enemy demonic soldiers, and immediately opened her eyes and shouted.

「…Soldiers from the assault squad, come forward! 」

There was no decency anymore. Her voice sounded both violent and demonstrative. She seemed like a really common commander.

In response to those words, soldiers known as the assault squad advanced from behind the main unit with defiant expressions on their faces.

Even though she called them soldiers from the assault squad, in essence they were just reserve soldiers. Their number was less than a hundred. They were supposed to help them when retreating. Since they had such role, they were lightly armored and didn’t carry any shields. Therefore, their rate of death and replacement was high, and there were not many people who would choose such job.

The good points were that the pay was high and was given them unlimited ale. If anything, they were closer to mercenaries than to soldiers.

「Hey, hey. Are you calling me, young lady? If you’re going to move your ass and run away, you’d better do it quickly. 」

It was a drunken voice. The leader of the assault squad did not feel any sense of urgency despite being on the front line of the battlefield. It was said that he survived even when his skull was shattered in the past, so perhaps that explained why he lost his sense of reason.

If it were a normal Neymar, she would’ve been angry with his words. However, she had to abandon all her emotions for now given the current circumstances.

「Captain. I order you to charge. Charge at the enemy from the center right with all the soldiers of your assault squad. 」

In a voice devoid of emotion, Neymar told the assault soldiers to sacrifice their lives. Her eyes looked beyond the battlefield without looking at these soldiers.

The captain answered.

「Is that okay? Half of them will die. 」

「It doesn’t matter. Die for victory. We have to take back the royal capital. 」

After a moment’s pause, Neymar nodded and said she could see the victory with her eyes.

The demonic soldiers charged as if they were always under perfect control. It was an unmistakable threat. They hardly collapsed and showcased their individual abilities that surpassed those of humans. All Neymar was able to do was maintain the front line.

However, the current attack was different. The demonic soldiers looked slightly unsteady and distressed. Without any context, their control was starting to crumble.

Neymar’s troops could tear them apart now. They could beat them.

Their standstill had reached its limit. They had to counterattack now.

「…Hey. If so, then I want a special reward! Commander, the only thing I demand is a lot of gold and money. 」

The man said so while holding two war hammers on his shoulders, which were used to crush the enemy’s skull. He no longer showed the proper courtesy to his commander.

Neymar didn’t give him a second glance and said she would pay whatever price he asked for. The man nodded with a strong smile on his cheeks and snorted.

Then Neymar opened her mouth.

「Don’t be afraid of death. All the other soldiers will follow you…charge! 」

At Neymar’s command, the assault soldiers rushed forward. Relatively lightly armored, they were much faster than normal soldiers.

But death was always nearby. Suddenly, several people were caught in demon claws, and blood gushed from their bellies and heads.

The assault soldiers’ feet were soaked in blood and their cheeks were dirty. But no one stopped.

It was not because it was their role or something foolish like that. It wasn’t about hatred towards demonic beasts either.

For the assault soldiers it was whether this danger was meaningful or not. Was this fight going to gain them profit? For them, better it was, the better.

Therefore, the best thing was to run for victory in order to bathe in wealth.

The battle had been going on for a while now. These soldiers had suffered many painful defeats over and over again against demonic beasts. Sometimes they had to abandon villages that were under attack. In the end, even the royal capital was abandoned.

But this time, Neymar, their commander, said.

Become the foundation for victory. The captain took a deep breath and laughed afterwards. He was a hot-blooded man.

「You demonic beasts were so damn intimidating! You killed so many people in the land of humans! 」

The war hammers were swung around by centrifugal force. The skull of the dog-faced magical beast burst open with a violent sound.

Neymar clenched her teeth as she watched the assault soldier’s attack. Now, for the first time, it felt like that soldier’s eyes were finally showing color.

The commander of the Heraldic religion also began to push the front line along with them, albeit with a slight delay. A portion of the nobles’ private armies supporting them was also visible.

Apparently, those who took the reins in the Heraldic religion also had a good nose for things. It was a blessing that they were here to give them a hand, but at the same time, Neymar’s eyes distorted in disgust.

From Neymar’s point of view, the intentions of the Heraldic religion were transparent. The idea was probably to gain support in the royal capital by defeating the demonic beasts and being the first to pass through the city gates.

If they accomplished it, the people of the capital would support the Heraldic religion to some extent. It could become really troublesome.

“…But it’s already too late. We hold all the victories.”

Neymar roared again. A voice that echoed in everybody’s ears. All of the Gharast soldiers reacted and charged at the demonic beasts.

The battle outside the city gates was about to conclude.

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