Part 3

There were large movements in the demihuman camp -- upon receiving that report, Neia knew that the time had come.

亚人的阵地有了大的动静——得到这个报告的宁亚知道了这一时刻终于要来了。

There was no doubt about it; this was a prelude to an attack.

不会错的，这是敌人要进攻的前兆。

Neia ran through the city, clad in the gear she had borrowed from the Sorcerer King.

身着从魔导王那里借授来的武装，宁亚在都市中奔跑着。

She knew that the people she was running past were staring at her with eyes wide.

明白那些擦身而过的民众们正睁大眼睛凝视着自己。

Their line of sight was drawn to the beauty of the bow she had borrowed from the Sorcerer King, and then they looked at the armor previously worn by the ex-ruler of the city, the Grand King Buser, and they were filled with shock. Neia’s acute hearing picked out people asking a question through the noise of the crowd: “Who is that warrior?” It was answered by “It’s the Sorcerer King’s squire” or “The woman from the Sorcerous Kingdom.”

民众们被从魔导王那借来的弓的精美夺去了视线，然后因看到了穿着曾经支配了这个都市的豪王巴塞的铠甲而惊愕。宁亚敏锐的听觉捕捉到了嘈杂中有人问「那个战士是谁啊」。回答则是「是那个魔导王的侍从啊」或是「是从魔导国过来的女人啦」。

I’m not from the Sorcerous Kingdom...

(我并不是从魔导国来的啦……)

It bothered her every time she heard false rumours like that. Part of her wanted to know, yet did not want to know how the rumors had wrongly depicted her. However, she would need to clearly and firmly deny any rumors which might inconvenience the Sorcerer King.

就这样每当听到各种不正确的传闻，就会很在意、有点想知道、又不太想知道自己到底被传说成了什么样子。但是，如果有会对魔导王造成困扰的传言的话，就必须明确地否定吧。

Still, the Sorcerer King’s squire...

(不过魔导王陛下的侍从吗……)

Just as a brief surge of joy filled Neia and she was about to smile, a quiet groan came from one of the people she passed.

而正当宁亚稍稍有些高兴着，不禁快要笑出来的时候，路过的一群民众中传来了小声的悲鸣。

Even if he does resemble Father...

(就算再怎么和父亲像也……)

That thought passed through Neia’s mind as she arrived at the wall adjoining the west gate, where she had been assigned. That was also where practically all the demihuman forces were gathered.

这样想着的宁亚前往的是作为配置场所邻接西门的城墙。也是聚集了亚人几乎所有兵力的地方。

Close to 80% of all the paladins, priests, soldiers and able-bodied men in the city had been stationed at the west gate or in its vicinity. The remaining 20% were assigned to the east gate, while the women, children, old folks and other non-combatants were keeping watch from the north and south city walls.

在这座都市中近乎八成的圣骑士、神官、士兵、和健壮的男性，都被配置在了西门或附近的城墙上。剩下的两成配置在东门，女人小孩和老人等非战斗人员则安排在南北的城墙上负责守卫。

Remedios Custodio commanded the west gate. Gustav Montagnes commanded the east gate. Caspond Bessarez was the nominal supreme commander. Of course, the supreme commander stayed within the headquarters in the center of the city and did not venture out.

西门的指挥官是蕾梅迪奥丝·卡斯托迪奥。东门是古斯塔沃·蒙塔涅斯。名义上的总指挥官是卡斯邦登·贝萨雷斯。当然，总指挥官会呆在都市内的指挥官室不会到外面来。

She could see the west gate at last.

终于能见到西门了。

The Sorcerer King had demolished the east gate’s portcullis, but the west gate’s portcullis was still intact. However, many demihumans were stronger than human beings. They could probably wreck it easily with logs.

被魔导王粉碎了栅栏门的是东边的那个，这边的格子栅栏门是完好的。但是许多亚人都有着凌驾于人类的力量。如果那些人拿着圆木突进的话这门很容易就会被破坏掉的吧。

Neia clenched her hand into a fist before it could tremble.

宁亚握紧了就快要颤抖起来的手。

If they broke through this point and made their way inside, it would be very difficult to deal with the demihumans once they began spreading through the city. In other words, the city would be lost.

一旦这里被突破，被入侵进来，亚人在都市内散开的话应对立刻就会变得困难，变成都市陷落的完全败北了。

Given the circumstances, Neia could not run. She would probably fight and die in combat against a vast swarm of demihumans.

那种情况下宁亚根本就没有逃走的方法，会在大量的亚人面前战斗致死的吧。

Neia brought her trembling hands to her mouth, and then bit down.

宁亚将颤抖的双手靠近嘴边，然后咬了下去。

Don’t be afraid! If you’re scared, you’ll miss a target you could have hit!

(不要害怕！害怕的话本来能射中的目标也会射不中的！)

The magic item she borrowed from the Sorcerer King could defend against magical mental attacks, but it could not suppress the fear born of her own heart. Even so, she would probably have been even more frightened if she had not worn it.

从魔导王那里借来的魔法道具能防御精神系的魔法攻击，但却没有抑制从自己内心诞生的恐惧心的效果。即使如此不穿戴着的话可能会感到更加害怕的吧。

As she felt the pain spreading from her fingers, Neia entered a tower on what seemed to be the left side of the city and ran up the stairs to the top of the wall. Neia had been assigned to the Sorcerer King’s side, and so she was apparently the last to show up -- of course, her superior officers had granted her special dispensation so she would not be censured for being late -- and the other people who were supposed to be here were already present.

伴随着手指传来的痛感，宁亚进入了从都市这边来看是左侧的侧塔，沿着通往城墙的阶梯飞奔而上。

在魔导王身边的宁亚似乎是最后一个到的——当然，因为得到了上层的许可不会因为迟到被指责——城墙上为了守卫这里而聚集起来的民众多数已经在了。

As Neia prepared to rush off to her station, the paladin commanding the left flank of the western wall stopped her.

在宁亚正着急准备前往自己被安排的场所时，作为西门城墙左侧部队的指挥官的圣骑士挡住了她。

“The Sorcerer King -- His Majesty seems to be missing.”

「魔导王——陛下看起来好像不在啊」

For a moment, Neia looked at the paladin in surprise. She had already reported to her superiors that the Sorcerer King had no intention of taking part in this battle.

一瞬间，宁亚惊讶地看着圣骑士。已经向上层部门报告过，魔导王没有参加此次战斗的意向了。

Yet, they were still asking her this question -- did that mean they had not informed them about it?

即使如此他还会这么问的话，是说明那个情报没有让他们知道吗？

However, Neia immediately sensed that this was different. This man held onto a sliver of hope, and he must have been wondering if the Sorcerer King would change his mind and show up.

不过宁亚马上就察觉到了并不是那样。他是怀抱着一丝希望，想着魔导王会不会改变想法过来的吧。

Neia looked upon the demihuman army that was sprawled outside the city. There were well over 30’000 demihumans there, but the pressure of looking directly at them made them feel more numerous than they actually were.

宁亚望向展开在都市外的亚人军队。有足足三万以上的亚人在那里，但直接看过去感受到的压力会让人觉得数量比实际更多。

Neia could understand why anyone would wish for the aid of the overwhelmingly powerful Sorcerer King in the face of such odds. That was because Neia had once felt the same way too. However--

站在那样的阵势前，会想要让拥有压倒性力量的魔导王来帮忙的心情宁亚也十分理解。因为宁亚也有着完全相同的感受。但是——

“Yes. The Sorcerer King is not here. That’s because this is our -- the Holy Kingdom’s battle.”

「是的。陛下没有来。因为这是我们的、是圣王国的战斗」

The paladin could not answer her.

圣骑士一时无言以对。

Neia slipped past him and ran to her post--

宁亚从他身边走过，向着自己的岗位跑去——

“--Hold on! Squire Neia Baraja!”

「——等等！侍从宁亚·巴拉哈！」

“Yes!”

「是！」

Neia stopped and stood at attention.

宁亚停下身子、立正。

“Stand by here for the time being.”

「妳暂时就在这里待机」

“Eh!?”

「哎！？」

Neia looked around. This place was close to the exit of the tower which led to the top of the city wall. The flow of human traffic here was vast. Would she not be inconveniencing people by standing here? In addition, this place was far from Neia’s assigned position, which was close to the center.

宁亚瞥了一眼周围。这里是从侧塔前往城墙的出入口附近。是人流量非常大的地方。在这里呆着不会很碍事吗。而且这里离宁亚本来在中央附近的岗位非常远。

“May, may I ask the reason for this? Is there something you need me to do?”

「请、请问这是为什么呢？是有什么需要我来做的事吗？」

“No, no, it’s not like we need you to do anything, it’s actually a little troublesome. ...Squire Baraja. Just stay put here. Do you understand!?”

「不、不、虽然也不是有什么要妳做的，是稍稍有点麻烦。……侍从巴拉哈。总之在这里待机。明白了吗！」

“Ah, yes…”

「啊，是……」

She had no idea what was going on, but there must have been some reason for it. There was no reason to keep a trained soldier here for no reason when the fighting might break out at any moment.

虽然不明白为什么但一定是有理由的吧。明明在战斗何时开始都不会奇怪的时候，没有可能会让受过正式训练的士兵在这里毫无意义地待机的。

Was my assignment changed? Is it so that I can focus on sniping the enemy commanders? ...The bow I borrowed from the Sorcerer King looks amazing even at a glance, so does that mean they’re using me as a trump card?”

(或许是配置改动？是为了让我能专心狙击敌人的指挥官吗？……从魔导王那里借来的弓光看就能明白是很优秀的东西，所以被当成了底牌了？)

“I understand. How long will I be waiting? Where shall I wait?”

「明白了。那么要待机到什么时候呢？还有要在哪个位置待机好呢？」

“Ah, um, well, just until the enemy moves in. As for where, anywhere is fine.”

「啊，唔姆，差不多、就到敌人开始进攻的时候吧。位置啊，哪里好呢」

“Huh? I need to wait until a busy time like that?”

「哎？要等到那种仓促的时机吗？」

It was indeed weird. Just as a sense of wrongness began to fill Neia, several men who looked like they came from the militia carried a huge pot up the stairs. This was probably a meal for the defenders standing by on the walls. They were sweating far more than the cold weather warranted, and it was clear that these men had come back and forth many times. It was only to be expected, given that they were feeding several hundred men.

果然很奇怪啊。就在宁亚感到诧异的时候，好几个像是民兵样子的男人们运着很大的锅子从楼梯上上来了。这是要给已经在城墙上待机的士兵们做饭吧。从他们身上出汗的量不符合这寒冷的天气来看，很明显这些男人已经往返过很多次了。要负责数百名士兵的粮食这也是当然的。

Neia leaned against the wall to give them room to pass, and the men walked unhurriedly past her. However, one of them lifted their head a little and noticed Neia’s face.

为了给他们让道宁亚靠向了墙边，男人们不紧不慢地从她身边走过。但是，其中一人稍稍抬头看到了宁亚的脸。

“Huh? Aren’t you the Sorcerer King’s squire -- ah, no, would that be you, ma’am?”

「哎？妳是在魔导王身边的侍从——啊，不、您是吧？」

“Ah, no need to be so formal… er, forgive me. Yes. I have been assigned the duty of serving as the Sorcerer King’s squire.”

「啊，不用敬语也……。啊，失礼了。是的。我正是担任魔导王陛下侍从的人」

Perhaps they had heard Neia speak with the man, but the other pot-bearers stopped and looked at Neia in surprise. It was probably for the same reason as the man from just now.

不知道是不是听见了宁亚和男人的对话，运送锅子的其他民兵也停了下来，用惊讶的表情看着宁亚。他们的理由也和刚才那个男人一样吧。

She was slightly embarrassed to be known as the Sorcerer King’s squire, but at the same time she felt very proud of herself.

想到被以魔导王的侍从而人尽皆知，有点害羞的同时，也感到十分自豪。

The men did not know how Neia felt, and they worriedly asked:

不知道宁亚内心那些感情的男人，有点顾虑地问道。

“I say, ah, actually, there’s something I’d like to ask the Sorcerer King--”

「我是说，那个，其实有点事情想向魔导王询问——」

“--Hold on! No, could I please ask you to wait? She’s very busy. Would you mind carrying on with your work?”

「——等下！不，能不能请你等等。她很忙的。能请你们去继续自己的工作吗？」

Suddenly, the paladin stepped between Neia and the men, as though to hide her.

突然，就好像是要把宁亚藏起来似的，圣骑士插入了宁亚于男人之间。

That was a strange stance to take. It looked as though he did not want her to speak with those men--

这态度实在是太奇怪了。怎么看都是不希望自己和那些男人有交流的样子——

Was that the reason for the order just now? He doesn’t want me to talk to them… why is that? Is it because they were going to ask a question about the Sorcerer King?

(刚才的命令也是这个原因？不想我和他们说话……。为什么呢？难道是因为要问与魔导王陛下有关的问题？)

She did not know why he was doing this, but gaining answers would be simple enough.

虽然不明白理由是什么，不过要得到答案则很简单。

“I don’t mind. Could you let me through?”

「我没有关系。能让一下吗？」

Since the paladin did not want her to speak, then she would just have to address them directly.

既然圣骑士不想让自己说话的话，那直接说就好。

“Squire Baraja!

「侍从巴拉哈！」

“Are you trying to keep people from asking about the Sorcerer King!?”

「你是要妨碍与魔导王陛下有关的问询么！」

Neia answered as loudly as the shout which had been directed at her.

宁亚用被怒吼相同的音量怼了回去。

In truth, it was quite shameless to keep borrowing the Sorcerer King’s reputation like this, but she had to make sure the Holy Kingdom was not doing anything which might negatively impact the Sorcerer King. She did not want her home country to disgrace itself.

说实话虽然总是重复假借魔导王来狐假虎威挺不知羞耻的，但是必须要确认圣王国这边有没有做出对魔导王不利的举动吧。不想让自己的祖国变成那么不要脸的国家。

Neia gently addressed the man who had asked her the question earlier. Of course, she knew that it was probably going to frighten him, even if she felt her tone was gentle.

宁亚温柔地向之前的那个男人搭话。当然，虽然她也明白就算自己觉得是温柔的也只会吓到别人。

“I will answer to the best of my ability if your question is related to the great Sorcerer King. That said, I am not of the Sorcerous Kingdom, so I regret to say there are many things I do not know either.”

「如果是那位伟大的魔导王陛下的事的话，只要是我知道的我都会回答。说是这么说，毕竟我也不是魔导国的人，很遗憾也有很多不知道的事情」

“Eh!? But you -- aren’t you from the Sorcerous Kingdom, ma’am?”

「哎！？不过妳——不，大人您不是从魔导国来的吗？」

“Eh!? No, no, it’s not like that. I’m a paladin squire from this country.”

「哎！？不、不、不是的哦。我是这个国家圣骑士的侍从」

“Eh? Really?”

「哎？是这样吗？」

“Well, yes? So you don’t need to be all formal with me…”

「是这样的哦？所以不用敬语也没关系的……」

The crowd burst into a commotion. Perhaps it was because the paladin had shouted at her just now, but at some point the militiamen on the walls had started looking her way.

人群一下子就嘈杂起来了。不知是不是因为刚才圣骑士怒吼的关系，不知何时开始城墙上的民兵们也在观察着这边。

While matters had taken quite an embarrassing turn, she could not look bad now that she had invoked the name of the Sorcerer King. Neia puffed up her chest proudly, determined to let all the soldiers present hear her. It would seem the paladin had resigned himself to the fact that he could not keep this a secret, and so he stood aside to glare angrily at Neia.

虽然变成非常令人害羞的状况了，不过既然已经拿出了魔导王陛下的名号，就不能在这里露出丑态。宁亚怀着索性让所有的士兵都能听见的心情堂堂正正地挺起了胸膛。圣骑士看起来已经做好了事已至此无法再隐瞒的觉悟，只是在一边怨恨地盯着宁亚。

“Then, first off… That armor of yours looked like something that the boss of those goat-headed monsters wore. Were you the one who defeated it?”

「那个，那么首先……妳这个铠甲我觉得像是那个山羊怪物的头头穿的东西，难道是妳打倒它的吗？」

“No, not at all. The one who wore this armor was the Grand King Buser, and the Sorcerer King put him into the grave with a single spell.”

「不，不是的。穿着这身铠甲的豪王巴塞，被魔导王仅用一击魔法就葬送掉了」

Ohhh, the crowd enthused.

哦哦，人群中传出了这样的感叹。

She could hear snatches of conversation from the crowd: “He actually beat that--!” “I can’t believe he used only one spell” “Did he really take down a whole city by himself… he actually defeated so many demihumans…” “He’s super strong... I think I’m falling for him…” “He’s not like the undead I know at all…” and so on.

还能听见中间还夹杂着「居然把那个怪物！」「只用一个魔法什么的难以置信……」「真的只靠一个人就把都市打下来了啊……竟然打倒了那么多的亚人……」「超强啊……要被迷住了啊……」「和我所知的不死者完全不同啊……」等等话语。

Even though they were whispering into each others’ ears or muttering to themselves, Neia’s keen ears could clearly hear them.

虽然他们只是想说悄悄话或者在自言自语吧，但是对耳朵敏锐的宁亚来说已经足够听清了。

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.

果然、如果他人也对自己所尊敬的大人怀抱着相同的感情的话，非常令人开心。特别是在已经知道对方是不死者的情况下，也依然如此这点。

His Majesty’s efforts were not in vain, there are people out there who get it...

(陛下所做的事不是没用的呢，明白的人果然还是能理解的啊)

“Then, then, ah, will His Majesty be lending us a helping hand this time round?”

「那、那么，那个、魔导王陛下这次也会对我们伸出援手吗？」

The ruckus fell silent in an instant, and that reaction told Neia that this question was a critical one.

嘈杂声转瞬间安静了下来。这样的反应让宁亚瞬间明白了这个问题才是关键。

“...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.”

「……魔导王陛下不会参加此次的战斗。因为这是我们圣王国的人民为了拯救自己祖国的战斗，而不是他国国王的战斗。何况魔导王陛下必须为了与亚达巴沃作战而保存魔力」

The men’s faces turned downcast as they heard her reply. Neia prepared herself for a rebuke--

听到回答的男人们的表情染上了阴霾。宁亚在心中做好了迎接他们责骂的准备——

“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.”

「说的也是啊……一般，其他国家的国王也不会一个人过来的呐。都为我们做了那么多了，还不感谢的话会遭天谴的啊」

“Yeah. Also, she said that he’s saving up his mana to defeat Jaldabaoth.”

「是啊。而且保留魔力说的也是为了要打倒亚达巴沃呢」

“...That king is very calm and perceptive, 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.”

「……那位国王虽然十分冷静透彻，即便如此也是会选择拯救更多民众的方法的人……不，是不死者。这么看来，不参加这场战斗也是这个原因吧。毕竟我那个时候看见了呐」

“Ahh, I saw it too. After all, we’re the ones who value this country the most. --Then I’ll be the one to protect my wife!”

「啊啊，我也看到了。确实将这个国家放在最有价值地位的是我们自己呐。——妻子就由我来守护！」

“What are you talking about?”

「这说的是什么啊？」

“We came from the prison camps before this city was liberated--”

「我们是解放这座都市之前的收容所的——」

She could hear voices of goodwill from all around her.

到处都能听到带着好意的声音。

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 gave Neia quite the underwear crisis.

对不来帮忙的魔导王抱有不满的人也是有的吧。但更多的是能够理解魔导王考量的人，这让宁亚的胸口热了起来。

“May I return to my post now?”

「我也可以回自己的岗位了吗？」

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.

宁亚向圣骑士询问。他不希望自己去到岗位的理由已经充分理解了。那么现在去也没有问题了吧。

The paladin did not hide how he felt as he told Neia to “Go” with a bitter look on his face.

圣骑士苦着一张脸一点也没有隐藏的意思，只对宁亚说了句去吧。

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.

从谈论着魔导王的话题嘈杂着的民兵面前通过，来到了自己原定的岗位，宁亚紧盯着敌人的阵地。

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.

那是大军。是只要一口就能把这边吞没的兵力。这就是会攻过来的敌人。

She felt like she was going to throw up again.

好像又开始反胃了。

How many times had her father felt like this when he was manning the fortress line?

在要塞线驻防的父亲不知道有过多少次相同的感想呢。

Neia looked up at the sky, which was as overcast as her heart.

宁亚仰望着如同她心情般阴沉的天空。

***

The demihuman army made their move during the day.

Neia picked up the pace as she ate her oatmeal 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 not have the chance to have a proper meal later on. That was her assumption from the large portion they had been given for lunch.

She rammed the thick rod into her mouth, fighting the urge to gag as she gulped down the clumpy white stuff.

The sheer amount she had to swallow bloated her belly, but 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 they held, but the demihumans making their advance.

There was no way anyone could be happy -- or hopeful -- when looking upon those overwhelming number.

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?

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 a heroic monarch.

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 hearts might be gloomy, but there was no sign that they had given in to despair, nor were there any signs that they wanted to flee. They had something about them, something that soldiers who had prepared themselves to meet their fate would possess.

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 share my own hellish experience”.

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 and Lord of Lords, the highest grade of monarch, even among other kings.

“And here I used to feel that the people of the Sorcerous Kingdom… well, being ruled by the undead was a sad thing…”

However, they might be 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--

“Confirmed enemy advance! All hands prepare for battle!”

A great shout came from afar.

Everyone gulped down their oatmeal porridge and went to their fighting stations.

If an army which was over 10’000 strong made its move, the air would shudder, to the point where it might even shake the walls of the city. It felt like the oncoming pressure would squash them flat.

In truth, Neia’s acute hearing had picked up the earthshaking clamor of an advancing army, and despondent wails rose up from the militiamen.

Morale was falling fast.

Still, there was nothing Neia could do, and she was not in a position to do anything either. Neia’s sole job was to fill everyone who entered her range with arrows.

Ever since this city had been taken back, she had spent every waking moment practicing her archery when she had not been performing her duties as a squire. She mused that it was thanks to that practice that she had mastered the special characteristics of Ultimate Shootingstar Super, and she was now able to use it properly.

Still, why are the demihumans attacking now? Attacking at night would be better for them… do they have something in mind? If the Sorcerer King were here, I could ask him about this…

The absence of the magic caster who had walked beside or in front of her for the past month made her feel like there was something important missing from her heart.

No. I need to stand on my own two feet. I can’t rely on His Majesty for everything… Although I’m not sure exactly what the demihumans are planning, there ought to be a reason for launching their attack in broad daylight. In that case, it would be best not to be careless.

As Neia observed the demihumans from the battlements, the frontline of demihumans drew her attention.

...Hey, that’s…

There was an Ogre standing three meters tall in the front rank. That demihuman carried a massive weapon.

It was some kind of ranged weapon that was protected by a wooden shield. It was a ballista. Although it seemed just right for the demihuman due to the latter’s massive size, the fact was that they could be used as siege weapons.

Many Ogres carried these weapons, which ought to have been fixed in position before use, and they stood in a row.

Had they scavenged them from a city and remodelled them for upright shooting?

The drums thundered, and the ballistas were prepared to fire.

And then--

--The city walls began to shake. In some places, the battlements even began to collapse. They would be lucky not to take any casualties given the circumstances, and luck was with them for now.

A massive bolt shattered the battlements. It was not so much a bolt as a javelin. A thick javelin that was easily as tall as Neia raced through the air and embedded itself in the walls. At this point, the only word for it was “siege weapon”. Surely nobody could take a hit from it and survive.

The Ogres looked like they were preparing for a second volley.

“You bastards!”

Neia stared at them.

The Ogres were far, far away.

It was probably possible for a bow of this draw to hit them at that range. However, its penetrating power would drop drastically, and the fact was that she could not practice long-range shooting like this within the city limits. She did not know the range to them, and she was not confident that she could shoot through the ballistas’ shields and kill their wielders.

That being the case, all they could do was open the gates and fight a pitched battle to kill the ballista team, but that would be an extremely foolish move.

In other words, all they could do was keep taking this one-sided assault.

We have to pull back… but if we do, we can’t stop the enemy advance. What kind of plan does the brass have?

Although the enemy was only shooting so far, the enemy would move to take the walls if the men retreated. And if the enemy seized the walls, then the city was all but lost.

They would take control of the stairs leading down from the walls and force the soldiers around it back to open the gates in order to let the main body of their forces into the city. All they needed to do was force that sequence of events through by dint of sheer power. There was nothing they could do about it. Even Remedios would not be able to handle being surrounded and pounded in a melee.

In that case, all they could do was sacrifice the temple and flee the city from the east. However, that would probably lead to the situation they had discussed in a previous strategy meeting -- they would be harried along the plains, or they would be mauled by the army arrayed against their southern forces.

What would the paladin commanding the west gate decide?

Would he fall back, or would he fight to the end?

As Neia contemplated the matter, a second volley came from the enemy.

The walls shook again as the lance-sized projectiles struck it. The trembling felt more intense than the last time, and at the same time she heard an unrecognizable sound.

“Abbbahhhhh!”

Anyone who glanced at its source would witness a horrific sight.

One of the ballista bolts had shot clean through a wall and impaled a militiaman hiding behind it. Blood bubbled out of his mouth. Several seconds later, the man collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut. The bolt had nailed him to the wall like an insect specimen, and his arms and legs dangled limply downwards.

Screams broke out from around her as the men saw the hideous corpse which had suddenly appeared among them.

Neia grabbed the necklace which the Sorcerer King had lent her, and bit her lip.

That was a fatal wound. No amount of healing magic could cure that.

The death of one soldier did not greatly affect their fighting strength. However, the fear generated by his gruesome death infected the surroundings. The thought that they might be next and that there was nowhere safe for them triggered the survival instincts of the men, and their bodies trembled.

“「Under Divine Flag」!”

Someone cast a spell.

The terror coursing through the militiamen was suppressed in a moment. This was the result of using magic to improve their resistance to fear. While the divine spell 「Lion’s Heart」provided complete immunity to fear, it was only effective on a single target. In contrast, 「Under Divine Flag」affected everyone in a sphere around the caster.

That was why the paladins stood among the militiamen.

“Don’t be afraid!” The paladin who had cast the spell shouted, “Take up your weapons to free those who have gone through the same pain as you!”

Spells or certain special abilities could briefly panic people, but the fear they felt now came from their own hearts. Under the effects of the fear-suppressing spell, the fire blazed anew in the militiamen’s eyes.

Still, that was simply covering up the actual problem. The important thing was whether they could do anything about the present situation, where they were subjected to a one-sided attack from the enemy. Otherwise, the only thing that would come of it would be more dead and wounded. However, Neia could not come up with any good ideas.

“Take cover! The enemy doesn’t have unlimited ammunition! They couldn’t have brought so much with them!”

I see, Neia thought. Most of their resources ought to be going to the south in order to provision the army standing off against the southern forces, so was that why they thought that they would not have brought enough ammunition for their weapons here? Still, even a captive craftsman could make a lot of those bolts in a short time, although the crossbows were a different matter. This was a gamble.

--The third wave came.

The ogres were not used to archery, and many of them missed their shots. Even so, many of the battlements crumbled under the third volley, and there were many casualties among the militiamen.

The massive, lance-like bolts could pierce a man and the man behind him as well.

「Under Divine Flag」was a spell that was centered on the paladin who had cast it, which meant that its effect were strongest when many people were bunched up within its effective radius. However, that only led to more casualties.

The sound of flapping came through the air before the enemy could fire a fourth time. Winged angels flew through the sky and passed over the heads of Neia and the others.

While they were angels of the lowest order, they headed straight for the demihumans. They had burning brands in their right hands and they held pitchers with cloth sticking out of their mouths in their left hands. Those pitchers clearly contained oil or powerful spirits.

In other words, they were carrying explosive throwing weapons -- firebombs.

Of course, the flames produced by those weapons would not harm fire-resistant opponents in the slightest, or demihumans with thick hides and trained, brawny bodies. They might not even have an effect at all.

On the other hand, there were also those demihumans who could not deal with fire, and damaging the ballistas would also stop the enemy attack.

The angels filled the sky above the ballista-wielding Ogres and lit their pitchers. However, they did not even have the time to cast them down.

There was a flapping sound as demihumans took to the sky. They were Pteropuses. Their hands were shaped into leathery wings, and their arms remained still as they rose straight into the air like they were riding the wind. That was probably the effect of some kind of magical power.

A white weblike substance flew out at the same time, entangling the angels. It had probably been produced by a special ability of the Spidans.

The angels looked like butterflies caught in a spiderweb, and they plunged to the ground since they were unable to move freely. They were swallowed up by the demihuman hordes, and it was needless to say what happened to them after that.

However, the angels had not sacrificed themselves in vain.

然而天使们的牺牲并非白白的浪费。

Several firebombs hit the ground, and roaring flames spread all around.

有好几个火炎壶砸向了地面，飞散出熊熊的火炎

Neia judged that this was the best chance she would get, and drew her bow.

宁亚判断这就是最好的机会，拉紧了弓弦。

Until now, it had been impossible to aim directly at the Ogres due to the shields mounted on their ballistas. Even if she took aim at their unshielded legs instead, it would be nearly impossible to kill them in one hit.

至今为止都是因为有防护盾架在了弩炮的前面造成的阻碍使得无法对其瞄准。即使瞄准了没有防护的脚部，想造成一击致命的效果也是无比困难的。

Her father would have been able to shoot out an Ogre’s eye with just a slight gap. However, Neia’s skills were not as honed as his. Perhaps it was because they feared the flames or they were afraid for their ballistas, but the Ogres raised their ballistas and pointed their shields upwards. Their attention was focused on the fire, and they did not pay any attention to her.

如果是父亲的话，想必仅靠一丝的缝隙便能将食人魔的眼睛给射穿吧。然而，宁亚的技艺却仍未达到如此精湛。不知道是不是厌恶着火炎壶抑或是害怕弩炮被烧到了。食人魔们纷纷将弩炮拾起，将盾向着上面举着。被从天而降的火炎吸引了注意力，完全没有顾及到这一边。

If she missed this chance, she would probably not get another.

恐怕要是错过这次机会就很难想象再有下次了。

She drew her bow to its limit, and then loosed her arrow.

松开拉至极限的弓弦将箭矢射出。

The magic item she had borrowed from the Sorcerer King aided Neia in bringing forth a result that approached what her father could do.

凭借从魔导王那里借来的魔法道具的补正让宁亚能发挥出接近父亲的实力。

The arrow flew on a startlingly straight path, and struck an Ogre’s head.

箭矢以让人惊讶的射程保持着一直线的飞行，命中了食人魔的头部。

Neia did not aim for the sturdy skull, but a squishy eyeball. While some monsters’ eyeballs were protected by a protective membrane, she judged that it would be easier to strike a fatal blow there than by targeting the skull.

避开了坚硬的头盖骨，瞄准的地方是柔软的眼球。虽说有一部分魔物的眼球是有防护膜覆盖的，但还是作出了至少会比头盖骨更容易造成致命一击的判断。

However -- things did not go as smoothly as planned.

然而——实际上并不会有如此一帆风顺的。

Her arrow sank into the vicinity of the Ogre’s jaw.

命中部位是下颚的附近。

The stricken Ogre howled loudly, shuddering from the pain.

被击中的食人魔嗷嗷大叫，看得出因为疼痛而不停地在颤抖。

The Ogre dropped its ballista, and it clutched its face -- the part where it had been shot. Then, it shakily turned its back on Neia before falling back. While she had not dealt it a mortal blow, she had at least broken its will to fight.

弩炮从那只食人魔手中掉落，只见它将手按着脸上——被箭矢命中的部位。接着便摇摇晃晃地转过身背对着宁亚，开始往后撤退了。虽然并没有给予致命一击，但至少也让它丧失了战意。

If the demihuman army had healing units, it would probably be able to return to the frontlines soon.

要是亚人军队中有治愈伤痛的单位的话，恐怕很快就能重新回到前线吧。

“Tch!”

「切！」

This was all Neia could accomplish, even with the aid of the powerful magic items the Sorcerer King had lent her.

即便使用了从魔导王那里借来的强力魔法道具，宁亚也只能做到这种程度而已。

Neia clicked her tongue and immediately took cover, and then she pressed herself to the city side of the wall and began to move. The militiamen looked at her in surprise for suddenly leaving her post, and she addressed them in harsh tones.

宁亚咂了一下舌后便立刻隐藏在城墙壁下，然后贴着都市那一边的城墙壁开始移动了起来。向着因为她的突然离开岗位而惊讶的民兵们用强硬的口吻说到道。

“--Get out of here! They’re going to counterattack this location!”

「——赶紧逃！这里快要受到反击了！」

It was not because they had heard Neia’s shout, but several of the ballistas discharged their projectiles in her direction. Even if most of the bolts had gone awry, some of them had landed in Neia’s vicinity, and they had wrecked the nearby wall.

虽然并不是因为听到了宁亚的怒吼声，但反击的弩炮有好几发打向了这边。即使多数的弩矢都是打偏的，还是有几根射在宁亚的附近，连同城墙壁的一部分也被削去了。

If Neia’s luck had been any worse, she might well have been impaled by those bolts.

要是宁亚的运气再差点的话，被弩矢贯穿的可能性也是极大的。

She peeked at the demihumans again. The chaos from the angel and fire attack was being steadily contained, and the Ogres raised their ballistas again. It would seem news of being hit by an arrow had spread throughout the enemy army. In that case, they would probably not make the mistake of lowering their shields again. Therefore -- would she gamble on being able to emulate her father’s skill by a stroke of luck, hitting them even if she could only strike their bodies? Or would she shrink up like a turtle and wait for the time to deal a fatal blow?

再次窥向亚人一方，由天使和火攻带来的混乱已经被逐步控制，食人魔们又重新架起了弩炮。

看来是被箭矢射中的情报在军队里传开了。那样的话，看来就不会再犯放下盾的的失误了。那么——现在是要赌着自己能幸运地发挥出父亲那样的实力，哪怕只能命中身体也要射击呢。还是说要像乌龟那样蜷缩着，等待着必杀的时机呢。

Amidst her confusion, the bow she had borrowed from the Sorcerer King caught the sun’s light and gleamed with an eyecatching radiance.

正当陷入迷茫时，从魔导王那里借来的弓正反射着太阳的光，闪耀着夺目的光辉。

（鲁莽无谋是不会受到赞许的）

Yes. She had managed to borrow such incredibly potent items, and she had to return them no matter the cost. Therefore, she ought not to take risks.

没错。自己借到的是如此强大的极品装备，是无论如何都是要交还的东西。因此是不该去冒险才对的。

They can’t have that many special bolts!

（如此特别的弩矢也不可能大量存在！）

It would seem the demihumans were volleying an endless hail of lance-sized bolts at them. However, their crude manufacture meant that very often, they flew towards places with nothing to hit, and some of them even fell into the city streets without striking anything.

看起来亚人们好像就是为了打破城墙壁而不断地射出如长枪般的弩矢。然而，由于太过粗糙的射击导致很多情况下都是向着什么都没有的地方飞去，甚至有的更是在什么也打不中的情况下掉进城内的街道中。

She could not return fire, so all she could do was hunker down and wait for the enemy attack to stop.

在毫无还手余力的情况下，只能俯着身子静静等待敌方攻势停止。

Neia’s body was spattered with fragments of the destroyed city walls. Some unlucky militiamen were hit and died on the spot, but most of the others simply prayed in silence for the enemy attack to stop, since they could not do anything else.

被打碎的城墙碎屑飞散在宁亚的身上。即便是有不走运的民兵被射中而当场死亡，大伙却什么也做不了只能默默的祈祷着敌人的攻击赶快停下。

Soon, she heard a mighty doom, the beat of a massive drum. The same sound repeated itself four times. In the distance, the same sound came from what should have been the left wing of the enemy’s formation.

不久后终于——咚，的传来了一声巨大的鼓响。然后同样的声音再接连响了四次。在远处，大概应该是从敌方左翼阵型中也传来了同样的声响。

...They’re communicating battle information with the number of drumbeats. It looks like the right and left wings are using that to coordinate their operations. If I could enter the enemy camp and steal one of those drums, then beat wildly on it, that ought to disrupt the enemy’s cohesion -- that said, it would be impossible.

（……是利用击打大鼓的次数来传达作战的内容吗。看来右翼与左翼之间就是靠着这个来进行作战联络的。要是能切入敌方的阵地，将一边的大鼓抢夺过来再随便的击响，如此一来便能打断敌人的连携——虽然根本做不到就是了）

The enemy ought to know the importance of their drums. Therefore, they would be heavily guarded. In that case, who could charge into their camp?

当然，大鼓的重要性敌方肯定也是心知肚明的。所以必然是有重兵把守的。这样的地方又有谁能闯进去呢？

Perhaps an adventurer could use 「Invisibility」or 「Silence」and other spells to cause chaos among the enemy and then sneak in.

如果是冒险者的话，或许是可以使用<透明化>或者<静寂>等魔法来扰乱敌方混入其中的。

There’s no point hoping for the impossible...

（期待着根本不存在的东西也无济于事啊……）

Still, there was no doubt that the enemy was changing tack. Neia -- and many militiamen -- nervously rose up to peek at the enemy’s movements.

不过无论如何敌方即将采取新的动向是毋庸置疑的。从已经是破壁残垣的城墙缝隙间，宁亚——以及其他众多的民兵们也是——战战兢兢地抬起身子，窥探着敌军的动向。

After that, their hearts were profoundly shaken.

然后他们的心中同时涌现出了难以言喻的动摇。

It was a feeling which combined shock, fear, and furious anger.

这其中夹杂着惊愕、恐怖、以及强烈的愤怒。

The army arrayed on the other side of the wall was advancing at last. The left and right wings of the Demihuman Alliance forces advanced in parallel. The center detachment approached the city gate in a layered formation.

城壁对面伫立着的大军终于是开始进军了。亚人联合军的右翼、左翼继续以横阵的姿态进军。在中央部分的部队则是以鱼鳞阵的阵势兵临城门之下。

The demihumans advanced with earthshaking steps, as though they wanted to hunt down and kill Neia and the others.

仿佛是要对宁亚她们赶尽杀绝那样，亚人们以地动山摇般的脚步声行进着。

And then there was another unit -- a very small one -- which seemed to be flanking the city. Were they planning to scale the walls, or was this a feint?

另外还有一支——虽然只是很小数目的——军队正像似迂回一般向都市这边行进着。想在不同的地方跨越都市的城墙吗，又或者说是佯攻吗？

In any case, the enemy had already launched the second wave of their attack. From now on, it would not be a one-sided struggle, but a mutual struggle of savage bloodshed.

总之敌方的第二波攻势已经开展起来了。从现在开始就不再是单方面，而是双方都要进入浴血奋战的阶段了。

However, that was not where the problem lay. After all, they had been waiting a long time for this, though they could not take joy in the fact that the time had come at last.

然而问题并不在这里，毕竟这确实是期待已久的展开来的，只是一点也高兴不起来罢了。

What angered the militiamen was the advance of the left and right wings. Their foremost units were composed of many different species. While they lacked a sense of unity, they had two things in common.

民兵们所愤怒的是看到从左右展开的横阵、其最前列的是由各种各样的种族集结而成的部队。在缺失了统一感的同时，这个部队却有着两个共同点。

One was that they were all carrying siege ladders.

一个是都带着可以挂在都市墙壁上的梯子。

In other words, their unit was meant to scale the walls and break into the city. That also implied that this was Neia’s objective.

也就是说这是通过攀登城墙壁切入城内的部队了。同时也意味着这就是宁亚她们的作战目标了。

The other thing was that they had human children bound to their bodies.

另一个则是，它们身上都捆绑着人类的小孩。

Some of them were crying and wailing, while others hung limp. All of them were naked, and all of them were alive.

其中有在嚎啕大哭的，也有四肢瘫软的。所有人都没有穿上衣服，并且全都还活着的。

Neia bit her lip hard.

宁亚紧紧地咬着嘴唇。

But at the same time, Neia’s heart was surprisingly calm.

但宁亚的心中却令人惊讶的的冷静。

She watched the demihuman tide pressing down on them from a darkened nook in the walls. Neia then slid an arrow out of her quiver and began to draw her bow.

从墙壁的暗处窥视着亚人们犹如汹涌的波涛压向这里，像是滑出箭筒般将箭矢抽出，宁亚开始拉弓搭箭。

Even if the enemy pioneers had entered her shooting range, she had to hold on.

即使敌人的先头部队已经进入了射程范围，也继续忍耐。

It was still to early.

还太早。

She took several deep breaths, focused herself, then turned as fast as she could and drew her bowstring taut.

多次深呼吸后，凝神屏气，以最快的速度翻过身子并拉紧了弓弦。

She had only a moment to aim, and there was only one point where she could aim.

瞄准只有一瞬间。目标只有一个点。

--There it is!

（——就是这里！）

She released her arrow.

箭矢射出。

Without any hesitation, the arrow pierced the human shield -- the chest of a child -- and the demihuman behind it in a single shot.

由于不再迷茫地行动，箭矢分毫不差地将以人身作的盾——小孩的胸口——以及后面的亚人给一并射穿了。

Perhaps even that powerful shot would have been hard-pressed to bring down an Ogre and its ridiculous stamina. However, the demihuman she had just hit did not seem to possess such unreasonable vitality.

要是食人魔的话，以它们那超常理的体格韧性，恐怕即使受到如此强烈的一击也难以倒下吧。然而刚刚射中的亚人看上去倒是没有如此不讲理的生命力。

Neia paid no heed to the demihuman she had downed and drew another arrow.

再没去注意那个倒下去的亚人，宁亚再次抽出箭矢。

She had killed a person, the child bound in front of the demihuman.

一个人，将一个被困住的孩子杀害了。

Her hands would not stop shaking. All she could see was blackness, and her heart was trembling.

手在不停颤抖。眼前一片漆黑，心更是一直在哆嗦。

Even if she knew this would happen and had prepared herself for it, this was ho she had reacted.

即使是知道会这样的，也已经做好了觉悟的情况下还是如此的反应。

Her old habit led her to reach for the scabbard of her sword, but her fingers touched the bowstring instead.

因为一直以来的习惯使得不由自主地将手伸向爱剑的剑柄，结果手指却碰到了弓弦。

It was as though her bow was chiding her, telling her that now was not the time for that sort of thing.

简直就像是在被弓告诫的，知道现在已经不是在做这些事的时候了一般。

A faint lamp lighted up in Neia’s frozen heart. It spread like wildfire, and dispersed the chill winds blowing through her soul.

宁亚冰冷的心中亮起了一丝微弱的灯光，很快便像野火一般扩散，将心中狂啸的寒风给驱散了。

She stopped shaking, and her vision was no longer narrowed. What filled her heart was a sense of justice that could not be put into words.

停下了颤抖，视野也不再感到狭窄。心中有的，是拥有无法撼动的正义感的人的言辞。

Ahh, to think it would have such a great effect.

（啊啊，效果果然是如此强大的啊）

Neia reconfirmed that what the Sorcerer King said had been correct.

宁亚再次确认到魔导王所说的话是如此的正确。

The demihuman pioneers that Neia had attacked was visibly slowing down. That was because they had been shaken to discover that their human shields were not effective.

宁亚攻击的那一带的亚人们的行军速度很明显地迟钝了起来。那是因为它们发现以人身作盾的效果并没有发挥出作用而产生了动摇。

Therefore, she had to shout.

因此更要叫起来。

Neia opened her eyes, and shouted at the staring militiamen.

宁亚睁开双眼，向凝视着她的民兵叫到。

“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and throw your stones down! We can’t save those hostages!”

「还在愣着干什么！快扔下石头啊！凭我们是救不了人质的！」

Yes. Neia and the others could not save the hostages. And then, they had already seen what the enemy would do to hostages that had lost their value. Therefore, what she needed to do was...

是的。宁亚他们是绝不可能救出人质的。然后，对于已经失去作用的人质到底会有什么样的下场，都已经能看在眼里了。所以要做的事……

She fired another arrow to speed the demihumans on their way to the afterlife.

那就是再来一箭送亚人们一程而已了。

Neia used her practiced vision and saw that her shot had pierced a boy through his forehead. She did not know if it was because she had been aiming for an Armatt or because the boy’s skull had lessened the impact, but this arrow had not been immediately fatal. However, the enemy’s front line was in chaos. That was only to be expected. Both humans and demihumans would slow their pace when things did not proceed as planned.

宁亚用她久经锻炼的清澈视力，捕捉到箭矢贯穿少年额头的光景。不知道是不是因为对方是铁鼠人，还是因为少年的头盖骨减弱了箭矢的威力，这一箭并没有造成一击毙命。不过敌方先头部队的阵脚是确确实实的乱了。这是理所当然的。事情没有朝着预定的方向发展，无论是人类还是亚人，脚步都会自不然地迟缓起来的。

However, all she could see of the enemy lines stretched from one edge of her vision to the other.

不过，敌方的战列也只有视角的这边到那边而已。

Neia had only had an effect on the region where she had shot. Everywhere else, things were continuing as though nothing had happened.

宁亚所造成的影响到的也就只有她射击的那一块地方一带，除此之外的都是像没事发生似的继续着行军。

It looked like a small dent in a long, long line.

现在就像一条长长的线之中有一处轻微凹下去的程度而已。

“Hurry up and throw the stones!”

「快点把石头扔下去！」

Neia shouted at them once more.

再次，宁亚怒吼道。

If they did not throw their stones, everything Neia had done would have been for nothing.

要是他们再不扔下石头的话，那么宁亚所做的一切也就白费了。

That was something even more unforgivable than taking the lives of children who had futures ahead of them.

那可是是要比——夺取还有未来的孩子们的性命更加不可饶恕的事情。

The enemy was attacking on the left, right and center at the same time. A head-on clash with an enemy that outnumbered them several times to one result in them being crushed under the sheer weight of numbers. However, if even one of the enemy elements slowed down, it would relieve the pressure on them.

敌人是通过左翼右翼以及中央联合同时进攻的。和数倍于自家军队数量的兵力进行正面冲突的话就会因为数量上的差距被压垮。但是，哪怕是只有一处的行动迟钝了起来也能让压力有所减缓。

If the enemy reached the walls, they would climb up while using the children as shields. If they managed to make it up the walls, the militiamen would not be able to resist the demihumans. What she had to do now was see how much fighting strength she could shave off the enemy before they came into contact.

敌人若是到达了城壁的话，就会一直让孩子们作为肉盾而爬上来吧。要是让它们成功登上城壁的话，想必民兵是无法与亚人们抗衡的。要看的，就是在敌人到达之前，能减少掉多少的战力吧。

It’s very difficult for militiamen to kill children. Therefore, there has to be someone who’s willing to set an example, even if they get their hands dirty!

（让民众去杀害孩子确实是非常难。所以才必须要有人不惜弄脏双手也要身先士卒才行！）

Neia fixed her eyes on a paladin in the distance.

宁亚瞪向远处的一位圣骑士。

You should have realized that when you took the prison camps and this city! You ought to have known that the Sorcerer King did the right thing! And you ought to know that nobody else could do this! And you certainly should have known that it’s pointless to agonize over lives you can’t save! What you should be doing is devoting all your strength to save the lives which can be saved!

（在攻陷收容所和这个都市时，应该就已经明白了才是！明知道魔导王所采取的行动是最正确的！也知道除此之外的行动是谁都做不到的！更明白拘泥于救不了的性命是无意义的！全力救助还能拯救的生命才是最正确的！）

Neia fired another arrow.

宁亚再次射出了箭矢。

Just like before, her shot killed a girl and the demihuman that she had been tied to.