Standing beside Saito and Louise, who brought the whole lot here, a young knight with a shy expression said in a loud, clear voice,
“Actually, even I find it hard to believe myself… even the wounds on our bodies were healed completely!”
A knight took a closer look at the survivors, and exclaimed,
“You're right!”
“Was it the enemy who treated you guys?”
“I... don't know. Regardless, I shall first narrate my personal experience of the battle.”
As the leader, the young knight began narrating his report to those in the tent.
The 2nd Dragon Knight Squadron was surrounded by more than a hundred enemy riders... One by one, the riders fell to the enemy's magic attacks.
Almost every knight and dragon mount was severely wounded, and lost consciousness as they plummeted to the ground.
“So, what happened after you guys regained consciousness?”
“At the time, I was already riding on the dragon's back, along with the rest, all the way to Rosais. It's only upon reaching here did I realise that a week had already passed.”
“You're saying that you guys have no memory of what happened from the moment you guys were shot down till today?”
The knights looked at each other sheepishly.
“Yes, sir. Absolutely nothing.”
“Hey... Don't tell me you guys lost an entire week's memories?”
“That's exactly what happened.”
The knights nodded in shame.
“That one remaining dragon mount... Who did it belong to?” Enquired one of the officers.
A knight raised his hand, saying, “It's my Beyael.” He was one of the twins. Kirnumel focused his attention on the youth.
“What was the situation like at the time?”
“When we got surrounded, I was injured before my mount; my shoulder was hit by a magic missile. Beyael probably wanted to help me escape. So, it pretended to be hit, and flew to a lower altitude.”
There is a tinge of shame in his voice, due to the fact that the other knights continued to fight on despite the injuries they and their dragon mounts suffered.
“Since you could no longer fight, it's only logical to leave the battlefield. There's nothing to be ashamed of.”
Upon hearing those words from his commander, the lad brightened up immediately.
“Thank you.”
Kirnumel touched his moustache. Of course, it's a joyous thing to have the knights back safe and sound... But, there were too many anomalies, and they were bound to raise suspicions.
Who was it that saved these gravely-wounded dragon knights, healed them, and allowed them to ride on the sole surviving wind dragon to Rosais?
The enemy would surely carry out a search to identify the riders who had been shot down. But, they escaped the search, and returned in one piece.
It could very well be a trap.
Kirnumel ordered the knights to stand in a line, and allowed his subordinates to use magic for a detailed check on these young survivors. He felt that the enemy could be using magic to manipulate them.
But, there were no problems with the results. The youths showed no traces of manipulation on them, and since there was nothing else to ask of them, Kirnumel urged them to retire.
“Since your dragon survived, you shall go under the command of the 1st Group. As for the rest, since you all are without dragons; that cannot be helped.”
Kirnumel focused his attention on Louise, whom until now stood by the side blankly, as if she was an outsider. Although her true identity was unknown, his superiors had mentioned that this female officer was sent by the Princess, and knows how to use some unknown but special magic.
Treat her with all due respect - that decree had already been sent from the highest HQ to the rest of the forces.
“Until the replacement dragons arrive, you all shall be Miss Vallière's guards. Dismissed!”
After leaving the Battalion HQ tent, the plump captain of the 2nd Dragon Knight Squadron immediatly bowed to Saito.
“Now that we are under your command, please guide us along the way.”
Saito used his hand to wipe his eyelids, as he hugged the captain.
“I thought you guys were dead.”
“No... Come to think about it, I forgot something, so I can't possibly die that easily.”
“Forgot something?”
Saito asked, a stunned expression on his face.
The plump knight smiled,
“I haven't introduced myself. I'm Rene Vonke, a dragon knight of Tristain. Nice to meet you.”
Saito also introduced himself.
“I'm Hiraga Saito.”
“That's a strange name you have there,” Rene said, while laughing.
Saito, who looked as if he was about to cry, laughed and said, “Then, let us drink our fill tonight, to celebrate all of you returning safely!”
Saito and company went into Louise's tent, and the party began in there. Perhaps, the survivors were just glad to be alive, and drank and drank. And before long, they were drunk.
Before anyone knew it, the only two sober souls around were Saito and Rene.
Due to the wind dragon blowing against the tent a while back, the top had a gash on it. From the crack, one could see the stars and the moon. The cool night wind entered the tent. Saito shivered.
“But, I didn't expect you to get so depressed. No... sorry for letting you worry…” said Rene gravely.
“It's because of you guys that my familiar was feeling down the entire day. It was really, really bad!”
A while back, Louise chided them. Upon hearing Louise's words, they said, “What a strange fellow!” Then, everyone roared with laughter. Saito couldn't understand at all why they laughed.
Louise, after hollering for a good while, was now sleeping on Saito's knee, probably tired out from her shouting.
“Is it so weird for me to be depressed?”
Hearing Saito's words, Rene grinned,
“Wouldn't there be no end to it?”
“No end to it? What do you mean?”
Saito retorted with his own question. Rene drank a mouthful of grape wine straight from the bottle, his plump cheeks now red from the wine. He said solemnly,
“Are we not at war now? If you're going to grieve over every single stranger, wouldn't there be no end to it?”
“We're not strangers; I talked with you guys before. If someone died while protecting you, you will definitely feel sad! You guys are the ones with strange ideas!”
Saito downed a mouthful of wine. Rene, with a somewhat serious look, said,
“We didn't serve as bait in order to protect you two. We're protecting the battle plan, and our own honor.”
“What do you mean?”
“Back then, the orders we received were to escort you guys to Dartanes at all cost. Ensuring the success of this battle will mean the protection of the entire royal army, equivalent to a blood oath of loyalty to Her Highness. As long as our loyalty to Her Highness is recognized, the prestige of our clans will increase. Even if I die, the glory will continue on.”
“This is crazy.”
“Hey, don't spout nonsense like that! Maybe you're a commoner. That's why you're not aware of this, but to nobility, the so-called ‘honor’ is something which is more important than life itself.”
“Geez. Thankfully, I'm not some nobleman.”
“Exactly. Compared to being born into petty nobility, it's much more comfortable being a commoner!”
“Petty nobility?”
“That's right. Unlike those counts and earls, for each generation we have to survive on a pitifully small salary. No wealth means no fancy decor, and no pride. If we want to escape that, the only way is to work hard in the battlefield, and gain the recognition of our superiors. If one's achievements in the war are recognized, he'll be granted a fiefdom as a reward. So, everyone rabidly puts his life on the line. They have no time to worry about the danger of death. Huu...”