NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 127: Prisoner of War
"Form up, squad! Shield-bearers, charge with your shields! Seize the initiative from the enemy!"
Romeo's squad leader, who had miraculously survived, barked the order for a desperate charge into the fray, following the directives from higher command. Given that the squad leader was joining them in this suicide mission, Romeo couldn’t even muster the energy to complain. There was no time for such luxuries.
The enemy fortress loomed on the opposite hill, with their own position on a similar incline. Though the terrain was uneven, it was far from flat, ensuring that if both sides charged simultaneously, they would clash in the valley below.
However, reality was less forgiving. The beastmen had already crossed the valley and were storming up their hill. The delay caused by regrouping their forces after the chaotic 'exploding ground' incident had given the enemy a head start. Yet, this delay turned out to be advantageous.
It was a basic military principle: attacking from higher ground was favorable. Still, such tactical advantages offered little solace when faced with a roaring horde of beastmen charging uphill. Leading the charge was a boar-like beastman, its massive form easily twice the size of an average human. Defending against such a force with a shield? Certain death.
Yet, Romeo's instincts screamed at him.
"Go. Run. Now."
"But don’t confront them head-on."
Before he could even process his own thoughts, he found himself letting out an inexplicable yell, raising his shield, and stepping forward. One step, then another, then a third. The descent, though slight, accelerated his charge rapidly. The beastmen were closing in. No, he was closing in on them. His comrades, spurred by his charge, followed suit, but without the same inexplicable intuition driving them, they were likely running to their deaths.
As these thoughts flitted through his mind, something whizzed overhead. Much like noticing the shadow of a bird in flight, he instinctively sensed something above.
A loud crash and screams erupted.
"Catapults! They're using catapults!"
Someone shouted. Romeo couldn't see the stones; they had landed behind him. The size of the stones, their nature, the extent of the damage—they were all mysteries to him.
What he did know was that the massive boar beastman was now within arm’s reach, swinging a spear-like weapon at him.
'No, no, no!'
'This is it. I'm dead. I'm really dead.'
Accepting his fate, he tried to halt his momentum and poured all his strength into his shield. Abandoning the notion of holding it with one hand, he leaned into it, bracing for the boar beastman's strike. He managed to block the blow. He shouldn't have tried.
The impact was catastrophic.
A sudden, floating sensation followed.
Then, darkness.
Consciousness returned slowly. Romeo realized he had blacked out. Attempting to rise, searing pain shot through his right arm, causing him to collapse back to the ground.
The pain in his upper arm was no joke. It was clearly broken.
Pushing aside the agony and the reality of his injury, Romeo surveyed his surroundings. He had been flung quite a distance from the main battle, which now raged along the ridge of the hill. Loud explosions and flashes of magic—less dramatic than the colossal spell cast by the silver-haired mage, but still formidable—illuminated the battlefield. Yet, such magic would likely do little to stop the beastmen.
This is... bad.
Despite narrowly escaping death, his odds of returning to camp unscathed were slim.
"What the hell am I supposed to do...?"
He muttered, knowing that for now, lying low was his best option until the battle’s outcome was clear. In his current state, making it back to camp wouldn’t earn him any favors or care from the higher-ups. If he tried to flee with a broken arm through the wilderness to reach Tiant territory, he’d be doomed. Without funds to hire a healer, his prospects were bleak.
"Damn it... what am I supposed to do...?"
His complaints, whispered through gritted teeth against the pain in his right arm, vanished into the air.
Even Romeo himself quickly forgot his grievances.
--BOOOM!
A sharp, piercing sound cut through the air as something struck the ground a short distance from where Romeo lay. For a moment, he thought it might be a ballista, but the trajectory came from their own ridge. It was an archer with a powerful bow.
The shot hadn’t aimed at the fortress or the beastmen horde but had landed lower on the hill. This could only mean one thing.
“Hahaha! So, you're the famous aelv maiden!”
A beastwoman with lion-like hair laughed loudly as she sprinted up the hill.
The aelv maiden... Romeo realized she must be the dark-skinned woman with silver hair hastening towards them. Her solo dash made her an easy target. The aelv maiden drew another arrow and fired.
A metallic clang, not the sound of an arrow hitting the ground, echoed. Looking closely, Romeo saw that the lioness woman was equipped with impressive armor on her arms and legs, yet wore only practical, flexible clothing over her chest, shoulders, and thighs.
Another arrow flew.
The lioness woman deflected it with her gauntlet, not merely blocking it but striking the arrow off course with a fierce swipe. It was a surreal sight. For Romeo, dodging even a single arrow would be impossible, as it would be for most people.
Yet another arrow flew, and the lioness woman swatted it away again. She charged towards the direction of the shots with astonishing speed, her tail streaming behind her like a lion on the hunt. She closed the gap to the aelv maiden in an instant.
“Stay back, filthy beast!”
The aelv maiden shouted in a voice full of disdain as she leaped into the air, a jump so high Romeo had to crane his neck to follow her. Mid-air, she nocked three arrows, and while flipping backward, fired them downward.
The arrows, infused with magic, trailed light and curved unpredictably toward the lioness woman.
“Annoying!”
The lioness woman swung her arms as if swatting away flies, and where her claws slashed, the air itself seemed to tear, obliterating the arrows. It was akin to a master swordsman sending out sword beams, only these were claw attacks.
In the blink of an eye, she moved again, lunging at the aelv maiden as she landed, with the ferocity of a lion pouncing on its prey.
A continuous flurry of claw strikes ensued.
The aelv maiden evaded them with an almost dance-like grace, her movements far beyond Romeo’s comprehension.
“Too slow, you lying bitch!”
The lioness woman suddenly kicked through the gaps in her own claw barrage. The aelv maiden, amidst her evasive maneuvers, couldn’t avoid the blow. She was struck in the side and sent flying, though she managed to use her longbow as a shield to absorb some of the impact. Miraculously, the wooden bow didn't break.
“Hahaha! What’s the matter? Are you underestimating me? Oh, wait, you're just a fraud. A servant of the humans, good at nothing but shooting birds. I expected too much.”
Though her words were mocking, there was no condescension in the lioness woman's tone. It was as if her words held no more meaning than their literal sense.
The aelv maiden glared furiously at the lioness woman but did not retaliate. Instead, she turned and fled.
The lioness woman didn’t pursue.
Shrugging her shoulders in disappointment, she watched the aelv maiden’s retreat for a moment before turning her attention to Romeo, a smirk forming on her lips as she walked toward him.
“Hahaha! Playing dead, are we? That won’t work on me, human brat. You’re the one Zonda sent flying, aren’t you? You’re lucky to be alive. I’ll make you a prisoner. You should be honored; you’ll be the first spoil of war for Lapis Kruger!”
With a disturbingly cheerful tone, the lioness woman, who called herself Lapis, effortlessly lifted the fallen Romeo and slung him over her shoulder. She showed no regard for his broken arm, eliciting a scream from him.
“Oh, you’re hurt. My bad. But tough it out.”
Lapis apologized casually but made no effort to be gentle. Carrying Romeo with the roughness one would treat a sack of supplies, she marched on, ignoring his continued cries of pain.
Where to?
Of course—to the beastmen’s fortress.
