A week after they had joined up with the armies of the Southern nobles, they finished their preparations and began a new advance.

与从南方贵族带来的军队汇合的一周后，做好了准备，新一轮的进军开始了。

Their next target was the city of Prart, to the west of Kalinsha.

下一个目标是卡林夏西边的大都市普拉托。

Neia could not hide her unease as she wobbled on the back of a horse.

在马上摇晃着的宁亚无法隐藏心中的不满。

While it was perfectly logical not to let go of this chance to exterminate the demihumans while Jaldabaoth’s wounds had not yet healed, it did not sit well with her feelings. She wanted to increase the number of supporters and put her efforts into finalizing the preparations for the rescue effort that would be sent out in search of the Sorcerer King.

雖然理性上也同意不想放过——趁亚达巴沃负伤还没有恢复的时候——这个机会，去歼灭亚人的這個方针，但是情感却不允许。想要增加更多的理解者，把力气花在准备完美的魔导王搜索救出队上。

That said, Neia knew from first-hand experience with Remedios that a commander’s irritation would agitate the people under them. She could not take her frustrations out on her subordinates.

话虽如此，指挥官烦躁不爽使得神经激昂与部队的士气是有密切关系的，这点宁亚已经从蕾梅迪奥丝那里见识过了。对部下泄愤是最糟糕的。

She took several deep breaths to calm down, and her lungs filled with cool air. While spring was close, one could still feel winter in the air.

为了平静下来而大口吸气，稍稍冰冷清凉的空气流入了肺部。虽说快要到春天了，但冬天的寒冷仍在空气中留下一点存在感。

After regaining her composure, Neia surveyed the army which was going forth.

取回了冷静的宁亚望着前进的大军。

There were about 95’000 people here, so many of them that she had to move her head to take them all in. Their forces were composed of roughly 30’000 men from the Southern nobles and 65’000 men from the Liberation Army. Incidentally, of the remaining 20’000 men from the South, 10’000 were assigned to secure an axis of retreat and the other 10’000 were resting in Kalinsha.

差不多有九万五千人的兵团一眼望不到尽头。兵团由南方贵族军约三万，解放军约六万五千人构成。顺便南方贵族军剩下的两万，一万在确保退路，一万在卡林夏休息。

Among them were 2’000 archers led by Neia, all of whom belonged to the Rescue Corps.

在这其中，有宁亚率领的弓兵队两千。全部人员都是属于支援团体的人。

The remnants of the demihuman army which they faced were estimated at around 30’000 strong, so they had an overwhelming advantage in numbers.

与此相对，亚人军残存兵力推定为三万，所以有着压倒性的兵力差。

However, each individual demihuman was stronger than a human being, and more importantly, they had to be on guard against Jaldabaoth, so they could not be careless even with this disparity in numbers.

不过，以单个来说亚人比人类更强，而且最主要的还有亚达巴沃需要警戒，就算是有这点兵力差也不能大意。

They had embarked on this operation under the assumption that Jaldabaoth was still wounded and unable to take action. If Jaldabaoth had fully recovered, then they would be marching to their deaths.

这次的作战，是以亚达巴沃负伤无法行动为前提的。如果亚达巴沃的伤痊愈了，那这立刻就会变成朝着死亡前进了。

Her heart beat like an alarm clock.

心脏像敲警钟一般直跳个不停。

Should I have prioritized the Sorcerer King’s rescue over everything else, Neia wondered. Her thoughts began to go around in circles.

果然还是应该把魔导王的救援作为最优先吗，宁亚的思考开始兜圈子了。

“--Baraja-sama. Do you require information from the corps members in other units?”

「——巴拉哈大人。是否需要其它团员所在的部队的情报呢？」

Beldran had walked his horse beside her before asking his question, and Neia blinked in response. She had no idea what he was talking about.

对于令马匹走到自己身侧的贝伦托兰的提问，宁亚眨了眨眼。无法理解这句话指的是什么。

After some thought, Neia finally got it, and she hurriedly waved the hand which was not holding the reins of her horse.

稍作思考后，终于理解了的宁亚慌忙用没有握着缰绳的那只手在面前摇了摇。

“No, no, we don’t need to do spy-like stuff like that. After all, we’re comrades marching towards the same goal.”

「不、不用做那种像间谍一样的事也没关系的。因为我们大家都是有着同一个目的的同志啊」

“Ohhh! I expected nothing less of you, Baraja-sama. As the spokesman for His Majesty, your words are most kind.”

「哦哦！不愧是巴拉哈大人。魔导王陛下的代言者。真是温柔的话语呢」

“...Although her face is scary.”

「…………虽然脸很吓人」

After Beldran praised her, CZ spoke up from behind Neia. Since CZ could not ride, the two of them shared a saddle.

贝伦托兰的称赞之后，宁亚背后同骑一匹马的希丝也轻声说道。她因为不会骑马，所以就像这样两人一起骑。

Even if CZ was her senior, and one who was worthy of her respect, it was still a little annoying to hear her keep harping on that over and over again.

宁亚每次每次都被希丝这样说，哪怕对方是值得尊敬的前辈，也免不了让人产生一丝不悦。

Should I just have her walk...

（让她下来走路吗……）

CZ’s stride and stamina exceeded those of a regular human being. She was riding only because it would be rude to let one of the Sorcerer King’s subordinates walk.

当然希丝比一般人更有体力，脚程也更快。骑马只是因为觉得让作为魔导王下属的她步行有失礼数。

Beldran heard this, but he did not help her at all. He neither supported nor rejected that statement. He probably could not deny those words because they had been spoken by a subordinate of the Sorcerer King and because they were true.

一边听着的贝伦托兰完全没有伸出援手的意思。既不否定也不肯定。与其说因为这是魔导王的下属的话语，更因为这确实是明确的事实，所以才无法否定吧。

Well, I guess he can’t just say no… after all, I wouldn’t have to wear the visor if I weren’t like that...

（那确实是没法否定呢……。毕竟，如果不是那样的话就不用戴护目镜了啊……）

That said, Neia was a girl. Even if it was true, and even if people had said it enough that she had become used to it, having people say her face was scary still hurt.

然而宁亚毕竟也是个女孩子。一直被说脸很吓人很吓人的话，就算那是事实，而且也已经被说习惯了，还是会受一点伤的。

“Now then, Baraja-sama. A messenger came from headquarters. Our pioneers have sighted the demihuman army. Their numbers are estimated at 30’000. Therefore, we will be taking formation here. The messenger returned to headquarters after telling us that. What do you make of this?”

「那么巴拉哈大人。从中心部队来了传令官。先行部队发现了亚人的大军。推测就是总兵力的那三万，因此，暂且会先在此地布阵的样子。传令官只告知了我这些就回中心部队去了，您意下如何？」

“That’s fine. If you feel it needs to be done, then it should be alright.”

「没关系。你这么认为的话就没有问题」

Beldran was doing very well as her executive officer.

贝伦托兰作为副官正在大活跃中。

“Still, do the demihumans really want to fight a field battle…”

「不过话说回来，亚人们是希望进行野战吗……」

The demihumans had a mere third of the Holy Kingdom’s numbers. While each of them was a superior individual combatant, surely they would have no chance if they fought on an open field. If they defended a city instead, they would be able to make full use of the city’s defenses and make up for the shortfall in fighting strength.

亚人联合军仅有圣王国军三分之一程度的兵力。虽说个体的勇武更胜，但如果在平原上布阵进行会战的话应该是没有希望吧。反过来进行守城战的话，应该就能有效活用都市的防卫机能以挽回兵力差。

In any event, the situation would be dire once Jaldabaoth recovered. The demihumans’ best strategy ought to be buying time.

无论如何，一旦亚达巴沃恢复，这边想要胜利就变得极为困难了。亚人们的最佳手段应该就是全力争取时间。

Either that, or setting up areas inaccessible to cavalry and fighting limited battles.

或者就是准备在骑兵无法进入的地方进行局部战。

“So we’re set to fight in an open field, then?”

「推定战场是在平地对吧？」

“Yes. Just so. There are no woods nearby where the enemy could hide ambushers. Rather, there aren’t even any hills, so surely they would be squabbling over where to form up.

「是的。就是那样。周围没有可以设置伏兵的森林。反倒是因为连山丘也没有，会为了在哪里布阵而起争执吧」

“...Why in a place like that?”

「…………为什么在这种地方？」

Beldran prefaced his response to CZ’s question with “It might be”

对于希丝的问题，贝伦托兰以「恐怕是」为前置回答道。

“They’re preparing to run away, I think?”

「准备逃跑，也许是这样吧？」

“Running away?”

「逃跑、吗？」

“That’s right, Baraja-sama. Just like how the Zerns betrayed him, not all the demihumans are devoted to Jaldabaoth. If they want to flee even if it means betraying Jaldabaoth, then the people who want to live would not hole up inside a city but choose to fight on open ground. That’s because disengaging will be difficult if they’re defending a city.”

「没错。巴拉哈大人。就像蓝蛆背叛了一样，并不是所有亚人都醉心于亚达巴沃。哪怕背叛亚达巴沃也想要逃跑、想要活下去的人们，不会进行守城战，而会选择野战吧。因为如果进行守城战的话就难以逃脱了」

A dark emotion flashed through Beldran’s eyes, and it made her shiver.

巴尔托兰的眼中闪过令人寒颤般的阴暗感情。

Just as Neia wondered if she ought to use the ability she had recently developed, the darkness gradually ebbed away, and his eyes regained their usual shine. Since the fighting was about to start, maybe it might be good to quell the hatred inside him.

正当宁亚观察着要是不发动最近得到的新能力就不妙了吧的时候，那黑暗开始渐渐散去，恢复到了平常的光辉。即将开战的状况，让他将憎恶一时压抑下去了吧。

“...I see.”

「…………原来如此」

CZ nodded in approval, and Beldran simply replied, “That is probably the case.”

希丝赞成地点头，贝伦托兰则以「诚惶诚恐」回答。

Beldran’s words made a lot of sense.

确实贝伦托兰说的话很有道理。

Not even Jaldabaoth could know for sure if they were planning to die in a field battle or run away. If that was the case, it might be better to wait until nightfall before probing them. That way, they might be able to gain a chance to flee, and thus reduce the amount of people who would die for nothing.

是在野战中战死的，还是逃跑的，即使是亚达巴沃也难以分辨吧。这样的话等到晚上再试探一下，他们也能获得逃出去的机会，也能让白白战死的人减少吧。

Neia knew this, but she did not say it.

宁亚虽然心里这样想，却没法说出口。

The demihumans had caused too much woe to the people of this nation.

亚人给这个国家的人民带来的悲剧实在是太大了。

While the demihumans under His Majesty could probably be forgiven, they’re going to kill all the other demihumans besides them...

（虽然魔导王陛下的下属的亚人似乎还勉强可以原谅，但除此之外的亚人就全杀光……）

There had even been rumors that people who advocated coexistence with demihumans or who supported demihumans had been secretly killed or openly lynched.

甚至传出了提倡与亚人和谐共存或者支持亚人的人都被秘密地处以私刑乃至杀害的流言。

In truth, there were certain prison camps which the Sorcerer King had liberated where she had witnessed several human corpses who looked like they had been the victims of mob justice. They had apparently been people who had tried to suck up to the demihumans.

实际上，被魔导王带去解放收容所的时候，就目击过疑似因私刑而死的人类尸体。那似乎是曾向亚人摇尾乞怜之人的尸体。

“Baraja-sama. While I do not know how headquarters intends to deploy us, shall we gather all the unit commanders first?”

「巴拉哈大人。虽然不清楚上层会以何种考量来配置我们，是否需要预先把各班的指挥官集中一下？」

“No, I just need a rough idea of where they’ve been allocated. No matter where they’ve been assigned, I believe everyone will know what to do.”

「不，只要知道详细的配置位置就可以了。不管被配置到什么地方，我认为如果是大家的话就一定知道该如何行动的」

The position of Neia and the others would be determined by how the Holy Kingdom’s leadership wanted to deploy CZ, who was hugging Neia around the waist.

圣王国上层打算如何使用正抓着宁亚的腰的希丝，将会决定宁亚她们的配置位置吧。

If there were strong foes among the demihumans, then CZ would be sent to the frontlines. If she was to be used as nothing more than an archer, then she would be positioned in the middle of the formation, or perhaps she would be stationed with the other archers. If they did not want to let CZ -- a subordinate of the Sorcerer King -- achieve too much, then they would place her all the way in the rear.

如果亚人之中存在强者，那么为了使用希丝就会配置到最前线吧。如果只打算当作弓兵使用的话就会是正中央、或者跟其他弓兵们一起配置在同一个地方。如果不想让作为魔导王的下属的希丝活跃的话就会配置到最末尾。

Neia predicted that they would remain into the rear until the army had finished probing.

宁亚的预想是完成试探前都会保持后续配置。

Three hours later, she realised that this was the right answer.

三小时后，明白了这就是正确答案。

***

In contrast to the demihumans’ fish-scale formation, the humans had chosen to divide into two columns. The left flank was composed of 30’000 men from the South and 10’000 men from the Liberation Army, for a total of 40’000. The remaining 55’000 members of the Liberation Army made up the right flank, and together they formed something like a crane-wing formation.

相对于亚人军那聚在一起近似鱼鳞阵的阵形，人类这边则是大致分为两部分。南部贵族军的三万加上解放军的一万，合计四万人为左翼，剩下的五万五千解放军为右翼，共同组成了近似鹤翼阵的阵形。

Since the humans wanted to exterminate the demihumans in this battle, they had chosen to encircle the enemy and slowly draw the noose closed.

人类这方也有想在这一战中歼灭亚人们的考虑，所以采取包围的形式缓缓行动着。

The demihumans, on the other hand, had chosen a formation that emphasized penetrating power, though whether it was in order to break out of the encirclement or to slaughter as many humans as possible in a melee remained to be seen.

而亚人这方则不知是为了突破重围逃亡呢，还是准备卷入乱战杀死大量人类呢，采取了注重突破力的阵形。

Finally, Neia and the others were a detached unit that were some distance away from the battlefield, and they were placed in charge of protecting the engineers who were setting up camp for them.

最终宁亚她们作为稍微离战场有一些距离的独立部队，负责护卫正在营设阵地的工兵。

This was less an order from Caspond than a request, which meant that they had practically been allowed the run of the place. They could even neglect their duty to protect the engineers with no consequences, which meant that the leadership of the Holy Kingdom had essentially relinquished all command authority over them.

这与其说是来自卡斯邦登的敕命更像是委托，获得了几乎是自由行动的许可。护卫工兵的任务无视也没关系，现正位于圣王国顶点的人物做出了近乎放弃指挥权的指示。

Surely enough, the reason for that was because of CZ’s presence.

那个理由果然还是因为希丝的存在。

While Neia was nominally in command, the fact that she travelled with CZ -- who was practically a citizen of the Sorcerous Kingdom -- meant they could not order her around as they wished. A member of the Holy Kingdom’s royalty issuing a command to a minion of the Sorcerer King might end up becoming a casus belli.

虽然是宁亚拥有指挥权的部队，但与其同行的希丝——类似魔导国的居民一样的人——没办法随意使用吧。圣王国的王族对魔导国的臣下发出命令这件事有可能会成为将来的祸根。

Neia very much wanted to ask why they were doing things differently after CZ had done so much during the attack on Kalinsha. However, the arrival of the Southern nobles had changed the reception she had gotten. This was because they could not simply consider the present, but future events in mind as well.

虽然很想说希丝已经在卡林夏攻略时都那样卖力行动了，事到如今才改变作法是想怎样。但因为南面的贵族的到来，似乎稍微改变了对待的方式。这是因为不能单单考虑现在，而必须要考虑未来吧。

As Neia and the others formed up, she kept her eyes on the distant battlefield.

宁亚她们一边整队，一边注视着远处的战场。

That said, she was far enough away that she did not feel the tension of being on the battlefield, because the bloodlust from there could not reach this place. The sound of the engineers pounding stakes with their mauls sounded very leisurely.

虽说如此，因为隔着相当的距离，所以并没有自己身处战场的紧张感。因为战场的杀气无法传到这里。队伍后方的工兵们挥舞木槌敲打桩子的声音是那么的悠闲。

“...Are they still looking at each other? When will it start?”

「…………还在对望？什么时候开始？」

“Our advantage wanes with each passing moment. While I feel we ought to make the first move…”

「时间过得越久对我们越不利。虽然认为应该会由我方取得先手开始行动……」

Beldran had answered CZ’s question.

回答希丝的问题的是贝伦托兰。

The darkness of night was the demihumans’ ally. While one could see clearly on a plain as long as there was moonlight, the sky was clouded over. There was no doubt that the demihumans would be a very tricky opponent if they attacked under these circumstances. That was because the camp they were building now was not very sturdy.

夜晚的黑暗是亚人的伙伴。虽然在这种平原上只要有月光就能看清，但天空是阴天。如果亚人们趁着夜半袭击过来毫无疑问会变得很棘手。因为现在所做的阵地并不是那么牢固的东西。

Therefore, the humans should have made their move before nightfall.

因此在夜晚到来前人类这边会先出手吧。

Besides, they had a massive advantage in numbers, so if they could achieve a complete victory here, they might be able to ruin Jaldabaoth’s scheme. In other words, the Holy Kingdom would be freed from this long torment. There was no reason not to advance.

再说有着压倒性的兵力差，如果能在这里取得完胜——打倒敌人的大半，说不定就能破坏亚达巴沃的计划。也就是说，圣王国能从这长久的苦痛中被解救出来。没有在此束手不前的理由。

Neia also hoped that the fighting would end here. That way, nothing else would bind Neia. She could throw her full strength into searching for the Sorcerer King.

宁亚也希望战斗能在此全部结束。这样的话就再也没有束缚宁亚的东西了。就可以全力投入到魔导王的搜索中去了。

Neia looked up.

宁亚抬起了脸。

Her keen hearing had picked up an explosive shout and the thunder of many people running. Beldran seemed to have heard it a moment later, because he quietly said, “It’s begun.”

敏锐的听力捕捉到了爆发出的呐喊声、大量的人奔跑发出的地鸣声。贝伦托兰稍迟后似乎也听到了，轻声说道「开始了呢」。

Nobody knew how these two armies which numbered over 100’000 strong together would move, and then they had clashed furiously.

谁也不清楚接下去这两军合计远超十万的军队会怎样行动、然后剧烈冲突。

The plains where the demihumans waited was flat, with no high ground from which they could overlook the battlefield.

亚人们严阵以待的平原实在是太过平坦，并没有可以一览战场的高地。

While this would be the time to set up a prefabricated watchtower, they did not have such a structure in their camp.

虽然这正是组装式瞭望台出场的时候，但那个现在正在阵地内建造中。

“...What now?”

「…………怎么做？」

“Our mission is to stay here and protect them. Let’s focus on completing it.”

「我们的任务是在这里保护他们。好好完成这个任务吧」

It was practically impossible for the tremendously outnumbered demihuman army to break through the human forces and reach this place. Keeping CZ -- their strongest fighting force -- here was a good political move, but it was a poor military move.

压倒性少数的亚人军突破人类军的大军而到达这里几乎就是不可能的。把希丝这个最强战力放在这里，从政治上看也许是个良策吧，但从军事上来看却可以说是下策。

If they placed her on the frontlines, it would greatly diminish the losses to the Holy Kingdom’s forces.

只要把她投入前线，圣王国军的损耗就能显着减少。

Everyone understood that, but nobody could actually act on it. That was because they wanted to avoid building CZ’s reputation.

谁都明白这个道理，但谁都没法这样做。这是在避免希丝的名声继续增大。

What a senseless waste of lives, Neia thought, but wild horses could not have torn the words from her.

真是白白送死，宁亚虽然这么想，但就算撕裂这张嘴也不会说出来。

30 minutes later, there were cheers from the right flank. It was not just Neia and her keen ears which picked it up -- the cries of joy were loud enough that they reached the ears of everybody in Neia’s squad. They must have scored quite the victory if they could be heard over such a great distance.

三十分钟过去后，听到了从右翼传来的欢声。不仅是拥有敏锐听觉的宁亚听到了，那是能传到宁亚的小队所有人的耳朵里的巨大的欢声。离开这么远都能够听到。一定是取得了相当厉害的战果不会错的。

10 minutes after that, a messenger from the battlefield loudly announced what had happened.

从战场那边骑马奔来的传令官大声告知了发生的事情，是在那之后的十分钟后。

“Captain Remedios Custodios of the Paladin Corps has just defeated the enemy commander, one of Jaldabaoth’s henchman demons, the Scale Demon!”

「蕾梅迪奥丝·卡斯托迪奥圣骑士团团长阁下。讨伐了敌军指挥官，亚达巴沃的亲信恶魔，鳞片恶魔[Scale Demon]！」

The messenger left after relaying that message.

仅仅告知了这些，传令官就离开了。

Neia began to wonder if it was actually true.

宁亚对这是否为真相感到怀疑。

No, it was probably true that Remedios had defeated a demon. But was that demon really one of Jaldabaoth’s henchmen?

不，蕾梅迪奥丝打倒了恶魔是事实吧。但那真的是亚达巴沃亲信的大恶魔吗。

Neia knew very well the power of the demon she and CZ had fought in Kalinsha.

宁亚深知在卡林夏与希丝一同战斗过的那个亲信的大恶魔的强大。

She did not think that Remedios could have beaten it.

实在不觉得蕾梅迪奥丝能打赢那个。

Is the Captain strong enough to beat something like that? Or… could it be some kind of double? If I don’t ask Sempai...

（团长已经变强到能打倒那个了吗？还是说……难道是替身？不问问前辈的话）

“CZ-sempai, I have a question. How strong is that Scale Demon?”

「希丝前辈，我有一个问题，所谓的鳞片恶魔[Scale Demon]有多强呢？」

“...Enough that the Captain could beat it.”

「……那位团长的话可以打赢的程度」

“But the Circlet was stronger, right?”

「但是头冠恶魔[Circlet]更强对吧？」

“...The existence of strong demons implies that there are weak demons. The Scale Demon is one of the weaker ones.”

「……有强大的恶魔存在的话也就有弱小的恶魔。鳞片恶魔[Scale Demon]是弱的那一边」

“I see…”

「是这样啊……」

Neia was relieved. Two of the henchman demons which had entered this country had already been defeated. While that left the great demon in the hills, there was no point thinking about that one.

宁亚安心了。进入这个国家的亲信大恶魔已经被打倒两只了。虽然还剩在丘陵地带的亲信大恶魔，但暂时考虑那件事也没有什么用吧。

“The country’s saved now… Since the enemy commander’s dead, the demihuman army ought to break up. According to the Prince’s plan, everything should be over.”

「这样一来这个国家就得救了呢。……敌人的司令官已经死了。那些亚人们的军队会就这样瓦解吧。按照王兄殿下的计算，这样就应该结束了。」

There was a wistful look on Beldran’s face, because he had lost the chance to avenge himself with his own hands.

贝伦托兰一脸可惜的样子，这是因为失去了亲手报仇雪恨的机会。

“...Still need to hunt down the stragglers.”

「…………还有狩猎残兵败将的工作」

“That’s right! I expected nothing less of you, CZ-sama!

「没错呢！不愧是希丝大人！」

The left wing -- right in the middle of the noble forces, in fact -- suddenly sprouted a pillar of flame. The roaring inferno was high enough that they could see it clearly even from this distance, and it looked like it would scorch the sky.

左翼——差不多是贵族军的正中间的位置升起了一道火柱。升到就算离了那么远都能看得一清二楚的高度的业火，就像要烧尽天空一般。

Everyone looked worriedly to CZ.

慌忙看向希丝。

They could think of only one being which could do such a thing. Right after that, CZ confirmed their suspicions.

可以做到那种事的存在只能想到一个。接着希丝肯定了那个想象。

“...Oh no… it’s Jaldabaoth.”

「…………糟了。……亚达巴沃」

***

“Captain Remedios Custodios of the Paladin Corps has just defeated an enemy commander, one of Jaldabaoth’s henchman demons, the Scale Demon!”

「蕾梅迪奥絲·卡斯托迪奥圣骑士团团长阁下。讨伐了敌军指挥官，亚达巴沃的亲信恶魔，鳞片恶魔！」

The right wing exploded into cheers as they heard what Caspond’s messenger had told them. Marquis Bodipo’s face lit up with a smile.

右翼在听到卡斯邦登派来的传令官的话后爆发出了欢声。博蒂泊侯爵脸上也笑开了花。

“Hahaha! She did it! She took down the enemy general! Whatever that woman’s brains might be like, her swordsmanship is first rate. That ought to weaken the enemy’s momentum. I order everyone to conduct a sweeping advance. Kill every last one of those demihumans! In the Prince’s name, let none survive!”

「哈哈哈。做到了啊！讨伐了敌人的大将！那个女人，不论头脑如何，只有剑术是一流啊。这样一来敌人的势头就会减弱吧。传令下去就这样趁胜追击，把那些亚人们都杀光。一只都不要放过！」

“Sir!”

「是！」

The soldiers spread out immediately upon receiving the Marquis’ orders.

士兵们按照侯爵的命令，立刻分散开去。

“Truly splendid, Marquis-sama. We are truly fortunate that the commander of the unit facing us in this battle -- in the same battle as us -- has been eliminated.

「太好了呢侯爵大人。把跟我们对峙的部队的指挥官在这场战斗中——我们参加了的这场战斗中讨伐掉，真是太幸运了」

Count Cohen, a man who was held in quite high regard in his own faction, was all smiles as he said so.

在自己的派阀中相当受到瞩目的这个男人，克恩伯爵满脸笑容地说道。

“Indeed it is, Count. Now we’re a step ahead of them.”

「没错就是这样，伯爵。这样就领先了那些家伙们一步了」

Eliminating the commander of the unit that had skirmished repeatedly with the forces of the Southern Noble Alliance during their long confrontation was a massive coup. It was undoubtedly a significant card they could play when negotiating with the other Southern nobles.

讨伐了与南部贵族联合长时间对峙、反复发生小冲突的军队的指挥官。这项功绩是巨大的，毫无疑问会成为与其他南部贵族交涉时有效的手牌。

Compared to Remedios Custodio, her sister Kelart Custodio had left far more bitter memories in their minds. However, this was an achievement that could wipe those grudges away.

比起蕾梅迪奥斯·卡斯托迪奥，她的妹妹葵拉特·卡斯托迪奥讓他留下了多次苦不堪言的回忆，然而这是能让人忘掉这一切怨恨的功绩。

In addition, this was also a feather in the cap for Caspond. Simply put, if he managed to survive all this, the position of the next Holy King was practically his. Even the remaining Southern nobles with any power would not be able to complain about it, and with his own undivided support, there would be no problems at all.

并且这对于卡斯邦登来说也是很好的镀了层金。直说了吧，只要能这样活到最后，下一任圣王的位子基本就稳了。就算是仍然留有力量的南部贵族也没法抱怨什么，再加上自己全面支持的话就不会有什么问题了。

If there were any uncertain elements in this scenario, that would be the other members of the royal family. There would be no problems if all of them were dead. However, he was not yet prepared to stain his hands, so all he could do was pray.

说起不安要素的话，虽然还得看继承了圣王家血统的其他人怎么样了，如果死掉了那就没有任何问题了。并没有弄脏自己的手的觉悟，所以这就只能祈祷了。

The Marquis joyously imagined the future balance of power in noble society.

侯爵愉快地思考着今后的贵族社会势力图。

If he wanted his family to become the most influential one in the Holy Kingdom, he could not afford any mistakes in the clean-up operation that would follow this. Everything until now had been perfect. All they had to do was keep on going like this.

为了成为圣王国最有权力的贵族家族，接下去的收尾可不能有任何差池。到现在为止都是完美的。接下去就只要保持这样继续就行了。

“Count. Do you think we can drive the demihumans to the south?”

「伯爵。你觉得把亚人们赶到南方去可能吗？」

“Marquis-sama, why would you do that?”

「侯爵大人，这到底是为何？」

The Count looked surprised, and he sounded confused as he asked his question. The Marquis mocked him in his heart.

伯爵露出吃惊的表情，并以充满困惑的声调问道。侯爵在心中嘲笑那样的他。

There was no way he could not understand. The Marquis would not give his favor to anyone who was that incompetent. The Count was pretending surprise even though he knew what the Marquis had in mind.

他不可能不明白。侯爵当然没有重用这样无能的人的打算。他是明知侯爵的心思还表现出惊讶给自己看的。

He must have been trying to give the impression that the great and mighty Marquis-dono was planning something that he could not fathom. It was truly a boring attempt at sucking up to him.

伟大的侯爵阁下正在计划着自己根本无从想象的事情，是想装作这样吧。实属无聊的取悦方式。

The Marquis decided to go with the flow. If he made the Count believe he could be that easily manipulated, it would be easier to use him.

侯爵也顺水推舟。如果能让伯爵认为自己是那种会简单地被玩弄于鼓掌的对手的话，就更好使用他了。

“Are you listening? The demihumans are an excellent tool to weaken the nobles who aren’t of our faction.”

「听好了？为了削弱除了我们派阀以外的南部的贵族们，亚人是极佳的道具」

He raised a finger, adopting the air of an old man who could not resist the urge to explain himself.

竖起一根手指，扮演一个忍不住解说起来的老人。

“Now that the Northern nobles have been weakened, the balance of power between the North and South has been shattered. Things being what they are now, it is unavoidable that the Southern nobles will end up having a greater say in matters.. However, that would be problematic for the royal family. In other words, this is what the royal family we are helping will face.

「在北部贵族的力量被削弱了的现在，南北的平衡已经严重崩坏了。这样下去的话今后圣王国内就无法避免南部贵族的话语权变大。然而这对今后的圣王家来说會是件棘手的事，這是指对我们所协助的圣王家來說的情況」

“I expected nothing less of you, Marquis-sama. To think your considerations stretched that far!”

「不愧是侯爵大人。竟然能想到那么远！」

The flattery was blatant at this point, but the Count still delivered it with a joyful tone and a loud voice.

虽然是显而易见的谄媚，但伯爵还是用愉悦的态度稍微大声说道。

“Indeed. Nothing would be better than if they would ravage the lands of the nobles who did us no good.”

「没错。如果能糟蹋掉那些对我们无益的贵族们的领土，就没有比这更好的事了」

As he watched the Count look around hurriedly, the Marquis stroked his beard and thought, this man really is a good actor.

看到伯爵慌忙环顾四周的样子，侯爵摸了摸胡须。一边想着，这真是个精于演技的男人。

“Relax, Count. We are surrounded by trustworthy people. Word will not get out. Besides, who would believe it?”

「放心吧，伯爵。这周围都是可以信赖的自己人。这些话绝对不会传出去。再说谁会相信这些话呢」

“Is, is that so? But, there are too many uncertain elements if we just let the demihumans flee to the South. In that case, why not press them to their wits’ end, and then forge a secret pact with the demihumans…?”

「这、这样吗。但是，仅仅让亚人逃到南方的话不确定要素太多了。这样的话，不如只把他们逼到现在这一步，然后和亚人们定下秘密协定如何……」

“Employing demihumans, then? A good idea.”

「雇佣亚人们吗，不错的点子呢」

Although the Count sounded like he was disgusted by the idea of using demihumans, that was probably acting too. He was the sort of man who would use everything he could until there was nothing left.

虽然伯爵对使用亚人这件事表现出带有厌恶感的声音和态度，但这也是演技吧。他是会把能用的东西全都一点不剩的用上的那类人。

Getting such an excellent man in his own faction was also to keep an eye on him.

把如此优秀的他放在自己的派阀里其实也有监视的意义。

In truth, he had already embedded several people in the Count’s family. He had also used people from other factions so he would not be found out even if one used charm spells.

实际上已命几人潜伏在伯爵家中。为了即使中了魅惑魔法也不被发现，还好好的利用了其他派阀之类的。

“Count, would you go as well if there was a chance to make a deal with the demihumans?”

「伯爵。如果得到了与亚人交易的机会，你也一起去吗？」

The Marquis was keenly aware that the Count was plotting all sorts of things behind those eyes of his.

侯爵很清楚伯爵眼睛深处正在进行各种各样的计算。

“I, I don’t really want to go, but if you intend to go, then I would certainly accompany you, Marquis-sama.”

「我、我虽然不是很想去，但若是侯爵大人要去的话我自当陪同」

He was probably doing this so he could say “the Marquis said so-and-so” and thus obtain a trump card to use against the Marquis. However, just going there with him would tar him with the same brush. It was too feeble to be used as a trump card.

这是为了得到「侯爵说了这样的话」的情报，以获得针对侯爵的王牌吗。不，只要一起去了就是一丘之貉。拿来当作底牌还是太弱了。

“...Is that so? Then should we not tell His Highness to stop attacking the demihumans? There’s no need to sacrifice more people in fighting. After this, we shall achieve victory at the negotiation table.”

「……是这样吗？那么赶紧向殿下进言，停止对亚人的攻击比较好吧？已经没必要在战斗中增加更多的牺牲者了吧。接下来只要在谈判桌上获得胜利就好」

“It is as you say, Marquis-sama. However, the other Counts seem to be mounting an all-out attack, so we ought to stop them as soon as possible for a better effect.”

「正如您所说，侯爵大人。但是其他伯爵正在全力进攻的样子，尽早阻止他们，效果才会更大吧」

“Indeed.”

「没错」

While stopping them as they were trying to make a name for themselves would be doing them a disservice, it would be better to keep things as they were when one considered the future. The Marquis was delighted that he would soon be able to influence the future of the Holy Kingdom. Of course, he would never let that show on his face.

虽然阻止想要获得足够战果的他们有点对不住，但如果考虑到今后，就保留这种程度可能会更好。

对于自己逐渐涉足能够考虑圣王国的将来的立场，侯爵感到满心喜悦。当然，这绝不会表露出来。

“Contact the Counts--”

「跟伯爵们联络——」

The pillar of fire that erupted cut the Marquis off halfway.

突然升起的炎柱打断了侯爵的话语。

The Marquis was not completely clueless about magic. He might not be able to use it himself, but knowledge about divine magic was commonplace among the Holy Kingdom’s nobility. However, that was of secondary important, and it was not linked to knowledge of magic from other traditions.

关于魔法，侯爵也并非无知。虽然自己无法使用，但信仰系魔法的知识是圣王国贵族社会的一般常识。不過那頂多就是第二位阶的程度，也没有其他系统的魔法相關知识。

Even so, he understood that the pillar of flame before his eyes was incredibly powerful magic.

但哪怕是那样的他，也能明白眼前的火柱是何等厉害的魔法。

“What, could that be magic of the so-called fourth tier? The kind that Kelart Custodio and Her Majesty could use?”

「什么，那莫非是所谓第四位阶的领域的魔法吗？就是那个葵拉特·卡斯托迪奥和圣王女陛下可以使用的」

“I, I don’t know. What, what should we do, Marquis-sama?”

「不、不知道啊。怎、怎么办，侯爵大人」

“Er, hm. I’m not too sure, but let’s just back up a little and move to a safer place.”