Dragon Knight Chronicles ~ From a mere mercenary, rise to success through tactics! A small harem with the princess and the lord's daughter!? I'll also develop my territory! ~ - Chapter 123

Chapter 123   The End of Viceroy Domel

As the sun began to set, the Levin army launched an all-out assault, pushing the Cade forces back across the entire battlefield.

“Tell the leader to flee while he still can! I, Domel, will cover the rear!” Viceroy Domel shouted at the messenger.

His unit was elite. The dragon riders atop their dragonets were well-equipped, and even the infantry had fine gear. Yet, despite their strength, they were not enough to withstand the relentless attacks of the monsters from the Levin region.

“Domel-sama, you must flee as well! The enemy is almost upon us!”

“I will not! I’ll hold my ground until my sworn brother reaches safety!”

In truth, Viceroy Domel and Don had been childhood friends. Both born into noble Cade families, they had formed a strong bond in their youth and had even sworn a brotherhood oath.

Though Domel could sometimes be greedy and cunning, he was unusually loyal and obedient when it came to Don.

Domel was also known for his prowess in battle, particularly in defensive strategies. Among Cade’s commanders, his defensive skills were unmatched. But even his expert leadership was unable to hold back the ferocious assault from the Levin army.

The monsters of Levin were simply too powerful.

◇◇◇◇◇

“Leader! You must flee!”

“…”

Seeing the worsening situation, Don’s aides urged him to retreat. He hesitated for a moment, but soon made up his mind.

“Alright, we’ll pull back! Inform Domel that he will oversee the retreat. All units, follow the frontline commanders!”

“Understood!”

The final messenger from the main camp hurried toward the frontline commanders. Don, the leader, then had the family’s treasured banner packed away by his aides and prepared to retreat—essentially, to flee.

“Lord Reister! You too, flee with me!”

“Yes, my lord!”

With Don calling out to me, I had no choice but to flee with him. Don mounted his dragonet, and I mounted Comet. Since Don’s guards and aides also rode dragonets, our retreat proceeded smoothly.

◇◇◇◇◇

As the sun began to set, the disadvantage of the Cade Alliance forces became evident. Amid the full retreat of the Cade army, Domel’s unit continued to fight valiantly to assist their comrades’ withdrawal.

“The leader has successfully retreated!”

“Indeed!”

Upon hearing the messenger’s report, Viceroy Domel nodded deeply. However, many of his subordinates had been injured or killed, and enemies were closing in around him.

“Gauuu! Garuru!”

A sturdy ogre knocked aside the guards with brute strength and charged at Domel. But Domel swiftly struck the ogre’s leg, gaining the upper hand.

“Monster, die!”

With his beloved sword, Domel decapitated the ogre, becoming drenched in its blood. Without pause, an orc armed with a long, thick spear lunged at him.

“You little brat!”

The seasoned warrior Domel cut down the approaching monsters one after another, but fatigue steadily piled up, making his movements slower and more sluggish.

“Gyakaa!”

Just as he flinched from a goblin’s arrow, Domel barely dodged a slash from the ogre. Yet, his final moment had come.

Having taken several arrows to his knees, he could no longer stand. Surrounded by a group of orcs brandishing spears, six spear tips plunged into his abdomen.

“Never did I think my head would be taken by a monster… guh.”

Domel, the famed general of the Cade Alliance, feared by the Fletcher Republic, helped facilitate Don’s retreat before being devoured by the monsters at the young age of 42.

◇◇◇◇◇

As the sun set and darkness took over the sky, I was resting by a small stream with Don’s guards.

“Here, take this.”

“Thank you.”

We shared the preserved food we had, filling our stomachs. But our moment of respite was short-lived. The pursuers appeared from an unexpected direction.

The ground and bushes around us began to swell with ominous, dull sounds. Crawling out of the earth were skeletal swordsmen and rotting zombies.

“Protect the lord!”

“Form a defensive circle!”

Encountering monsters at night was not uncommon. However, the number of undead we faced now exceeded a hundred.

No, in this darkness, there were likely more lurking beyond our line of sight. This number was clearly connected to our battle with the monsters of Levin.

We were fourteen in total, including Don. It was a decidedly unfavorable fight.

“Fight here as if it were your final stand!”

“Everyone, don’t falter!”

Though few in number, Don’s guards were all seasoned warriors. They were well-equipped, and some even wielded magic. We engaged in a fierce battle against the monsters.

“Gauu!”

“…Geu!”

However, the monsters’ targets were not solely us. In the darkness, they also attacked the dragonets we had ridden in on. As a result, the dragonets went into a frenzy and fled in every direction.

“Damn it! Was that their goal all along?”

We fought valiantly, successfully driving the monsters back. We sustained many injuries, with some even wounded, but it was a victory nonetheless. However, in the end, we had lost our means of quick escape.

“Don’t let your guard down!”

“Understood!”

We were exhausted from the fierce battle, but we took turns keeping watch. With dawn breaking, we resumed our retreat southward.