Even though they were whispering into each others’ ears or muttering to themselves, Neia’s keen ears could clearly hear them.
Of course, it made her very happy to know that others felt the same way about the great man she so admired. This was particularly true for those people who maintained that opinion despite knowing that he was undead.
His Majesty’s efforts were not in vain, there are people out there who get it…
“Then, then, ah, will His Majesty be lending us a helping hand this time round?”
The ruckus fell silent in an instant, and that reaction told Neia that this question was a critical one.
“…His Majesty will not be taking part in this battle. This is because it is a battle that we, as citizens of the Holy Kingdom, are fighting to save our nation, and not another country’s war. In addition, His Majesty needs to conserve mana for when he faces Jaldabaoth.”
The men’s faces fell as they heard her reply. Neia prepared herself for a rebuke―
“Well, that makes sense… normally, the king of another country wouldn’t come over by himself. Heaven will punish us if we’re not grateful to him despite all he’s done for us.”
“Yeah. Also, she said that he’s saving up his mana to defeat Jaldabaoth.”
“…That king is very cool-headed, but even so he’s a man who’ll choose a method that saves more people… no, he’s undead. In that case, there must be a reason why he won’t take part in this battle. I mean, I saw it back then.”
“Ahh, I saw it too. It’s true that we’re the ones who value this country the most. ―I’ll protect my wife!”
“What are you talking about?”
“We came from the prison camps before this city was liberated―”
She could hear voices of goodwill from all around her.
Of course, there were some who were unhappy that the Sorcerer King was not coming to help. However, they were outnumbered by the people who could understand the Sorcerer King’s considerations, and it warmed her heart.
“May I return to my post now?”
Neia addressed her question to the paladin. She now understood why he did not want her to go to her post earlier. In that case, there ought to be no problems in letting her head there now.
The paladin did not hide how he felt as he told Neia to “Go,” with a bitter look on his face.
Neia walked past the soldiers who were loudly discussing the Sorcerer King and arrived at the place she had been assigned to. She then intently studied the enemy encampment.
It was a vast army. It boasted enough manpower to devour everyone here in one gulp. It was the enemy which would be attacking them.
She felt like she was going to throw up again.
How many times had her father felt like this when he was manning the fortress line?
Neia looked up at the sky, which was as overcast as her heart.
The demihuman army made their move during the day.
Neia hurried to finish up her porridge.
Said porridge was made of oat grains boiled with milk and served in a wooden bowl. Thanks to the winter air outside, it was cold by the time it reached Neia’s hands and, frankly speaking, it was awful. However, if she did not eat her body would not be able to endure the extended exertion it would have to go through afterwards, and there would be no more food waiting for her. In addition, while there was supposed to be a relief shift for her, Neia had the feeling that she would not be successfully relieved, and that she would be too busy for a proper meal later on. That was why they had been given such a large portion for lunch
She forced the spoon into her mouth, forcing herself to swallow the thick, white clumps of oatmeal that were swollen with milk.
The sheer amount she had to swallow bloated her belly, and the knowledge that this horrible stuff might be her last meal filled her with despair.
At the battlements overlooking the demihuman army, Neia curled herself up on a cotton mat. Her grey-colored coat would be her only defense against the winter cold from now on. The militiamen had started eating at the same time as her but they had not yet finished.
Everyone was frowning. Clearly nobody was happy with the taste. That could not be helped.
However, their tense expressions were not due to the oatmeal porridge. Their eyes were not looking at the food in their hands, but the demihumans making their advance.
There was no way anyone could be happy ― or hopeful ― when looking upon those overwhelming numbers.
Then there were those who had once been prisoners. Their taste of demihuman rule had engraved an intense fear into them. They were under so much stress that they were unable to eat.
What would the Sorcerer King do under these circumstances?
Would he give a grand, spirited speech to heighten their will to fight? Or would he laugh it off?
Neia had no idea what heroic actions he would take. Still, even if she knew, she could not emulate him. After all, she was completely different from the Sorcerer King, who was both a hero and a king.
Also, it would probably cause problems if Neia said something like “relax and don’t worry” to them. After all, appropriate tension was what drove things forward.
Their faces might have been downcast, but there was no sign that they had given in to despair, nor were there any signs that they wanted to flee. There was something about them, something that one could only find in soldiers who had prepared themselves to meet their fate.
The reason for that was apparently due to something that one of the militiamen ― who had been one of the first to be freed from the prison camps ― had said about the Sorcerer King. It spread through the soldiers stationed at the walls like wildfire.
Lives were not equally important.
They were unhappy when they heard he had killed a hostage whom the demihumans were holding. It was a ruthless act that was very characteristic of the undead. However, the people who had been there strenuously insisted that it was not the case. They spoke of how that incomparably powerful Sorcerer King had said, “Even I would become the victim in the face of someone stronger than me.”
Neia remembered those words too. Back then, he had seemed extremely human, even radiating a tragic stoicism which felt like determination and resolve personified. It was a powerful promise to protect those things which were important to him and it had a persuasive power to it which could not be put into words.
And then, they thought about what would happen to the people dear to them if they were defeated here.
Their fighting spirit was strengthened by a powerful sense of purpose, which said “I don’t want to let my loved ones go through hell again.”
Had His Majesty considered that things might end up like this all that time ago?
If he had not said those words to stiffen the people’s resolve, their forces might have lost their morale in the face of the overwhelming army before them, and they might even have dissolved into a rout.
Neia had only seen the Holy Queen once. She had almost no idea of her abilities or her character. Still, she was certain the Sorcerer King was superior to her as a ruler in both aspects. Or rather, the Sorcerer King was probably the sort of sovereign who was known as the King of Kings, the highest order of monarch, even among other kings.
“And here I used to feel that the people of the Sorcerous Kingdom were pitiful because they were ruled by the undead…”
However, they might have been very lucky now that she thought about it. Those words caught in Neia’s throat, did a loop and refused to leave her mouth. After all, it would not be good if the people around her heard them. Just then―