Demihuman Country
“What a huge disgrace, Commander Cecilia”
“……My apologies”
I was lowering my head in the feudal lord’s mansion that’s in a territory that we snatched from the Demihuman Country. Inside the room, generals who were chosen for the war this time are sitting in their seats.
These people can’t forgive me who, despite being a commoner, rose all the way up to the same Unit Commander as themselves. Originally, the Unit Commander was an appointment for nobles’ sons to become.
It seems they can’t forgive that I who’s a commoner and furthermore a woman, is in the same position as themselves. They really are small-minded men.
“I wonder if, as I thought, the position of the Unit Commander is too heavy for you who’s a woman? Well, I hope you’d forgive me. I never would’ve thought that the reinforcement would be defeated just by adding two people to it”
A general who says that and laughs aloud. He’s the man who’s being entrusted the command of the war this time, a man who believes in aristocracy the most amongst these people. He happily talks about my disgrace.
It really pisses me off. These fellows who can’t even dodge my arrows. You guys should go and fight with that as well. No matter how many arrows I shoot, he blocks all of it with some magic that I’ve never seen before and cuts up my precious subordinates one after another with a large scythe. It’s an opponent who even Cel was pushed back. I can clearly see that you guys will lose unsightly.
“As for your treatment, we shall leave it to after this war ended. Well, if you have anything to discuss during this period of time, you can come to my room at night”
The men who laugh aloud vulgarly. Who the hell is going to be the night partner of something like you! I ignore the general’s words and leave the room. Hah, it really pisses me off.
“Are you alright, Cecilia-sama”
“……I’m alright, Cel. Still, as I thought, I’m not used to that speaking style of yours”
“It cannot be helped. There are the eyes of other people here”
Cel who says that and smiles. He’s probably also smiling under the mask huh. He and I are the so-called ‘childhood friends’. I’m a year older and our houses are next to each other, I remember that we were together since the past.
In the past, he naturally didn’t wear something like a mask and his face was also cool. He’s called out by a girl and confessed to once every few days, I felt anger welling up in me whenever I saw that and when Cel saw that, he rejected the confessions and stayed with me. We had a mutual love ever since.
As such was how we were but, a certain incident happened. It was an incident where robbers entered my house. My parents were killed, I was tied up and on the brink of being violated. At such a time, he saved me.
Because he had received Swordsman from the oracle, he defeated two out of the three people but, the remaining one is a fellow who can use magic and he cast Fire Magic.
Maybe because the robber was panicking, he cast the magic without a care for the surroundings and caused the inside of the house to burst into flames, so much so that there is nowhere to escape to. I thought, ‘Aah, I’m gonna die here’.
However, the one who saved me there was, of course, Cel. He defeated the last robber and pulled my hand. In return for that, Cel has large burns all over his body. Almost half of his cool face was burned as well. After that, Cel was on the line of life and death for almost a week. I didn’t feel like I was alive. When I think, ‘If, even Cel dies as well’…….
He did the opposite of my worries and recovered all well though. In exchange for that, nobody approached Cel who’s wrapped up in bandage anymore. All the women who were fawning on Cel as well. I felt happy but on the other hand, I couldn’t forgive the women who saw Cel only for his face though.
I think it was sad for Cel as well. Because it wouldn’t have ended up like this had he not saved me. So I’ll always be by his side from now on. It’s for that sake that I trained the archery that I was skilled at and entered the Empire army.
“Cecilia-sama?”
As I was recalling the past memories, Cel peeks into me from below. It doesn’t matter even if he’s wearing a mask, the light in his eyes doesn’t change huh.
“It’s nothing. More importantly, how is Cel’s injury? Are you alright?”
“Yes. My injury was healed with the medicine. And as for what we will do from now on”
“……We’ll temporarily be on standby. It appears that pretty much all of the places other than us won so I want to try to attack from there.”
“Is that so. However, that person was amazing huh. He thought nothing of our soldiers. Even I was being pushed back”
“Eeh. In the end, not even one of my arrows landed. But I’ll shoot through him for sure next time”
“Eeh, if it’s Cecilia-sama then it will be fin……ouch!”
Cel who suddenly holds down on his right arm when he’s talking to me. I rolled up his sleeves thinking what’s the matter and over there, the wound inflicted by that Dark Magician had remained. Furthermore, it’s swelling in bluish black. Why? It should’ve been healed by the medicine, right? I looked at Cel and he was also making a disturbed expression.
Although we don’t know the cause, we head to the place where the healer is at. It’d be great if it’s nothing though.
◇◇◇
“……That’s the Divinity Tree huh”
“Yes. Can you tell that there is a large cluster of magic power at the base of the mountain? It is a barrier to restrain the Divine Beast. Each race’s representative takes turns putting up the barrier”
Indeed, a considerable amount of magic power was gathering at where Melda is pointing. I can tell that there is indeed something that is unthinkable to be of this world existing inside there.
The Wyvern that Melda controls, it heads towards the Demihuman Country’s capital without heading towards the location of our objective. It appears that I’ll first meet the Queen.
The surrounding of the Demihuman Country is a land with an abundance of nature that is covered by forests and lakes. The Wyvern that alights in the capital which is at the centre of that. She wanted to speak with us at once so we were led inside the Royal Palace without resting.
“Please inform Her Majesty that I have brought them”
It appears we were led to an office and it seems the Queen is there. A female elf soldier who was standing in front of the office validates it and the permission was immediately granted.
As Melda took the lead and entered the room
“Ufufu, I’ve been waiting, sonny”
An elf lady with golden hair so long that it’s almost about to reach the ground was sitting there.
