In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 295

Chapter 295: The Kukkoro Male Knight and the After Battle

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It had been a terrible battlefield. Truly a terrible battlefield. We had tried to form ranks and oppose the Vanka faction, but after about an hour, we had completely fallen apart. Well, that was only natural. Fighting in tightly organized formations was something meant for open plains with clear visibility. It wasn’t something you did in a burning forest.

On top of that, Lady Vanka’s command had been brilliant, even as an enemy. Just as the chaos on the battlefield reached its peak, she began a phased withdrawal of her forces. However, since the battlefield was a forest with poor visibility, we couldn’t notice what was happening. While we kept fighting in confusion, friendly fire broke out everywhere, just as expected.

While we were busy fighting among ourselves, Lady Vanka steadily withdrew her troops. Before we knew it, we had been putting on a grand one-sided show, fighting ourselves. If we hadn’t noticed something was off midway through, we would have kept attacking each other until dawn.

“…How humiliating.”

Leaning my back against a moss-covered tree, I downed the water in my cup in one go.

…It was lukewarm. I would have preferred ice-cold water to cool my body, but this was an untamed jungle. If I drank untreated water, I could end up with stomach trouble in no time. Boiling it first was essential. It was already morning, and the sun shone brightly in the eastern sky. We had somehow finished processing the aftermath of the battle and were resting on the outskirts of Runga City. Everyone was at their physical limit, barely able to move another step.

Of course, I was no different. I was so exhausted that even holding a small cup felt like a chore.

“As expected from her reputation, Vanka is no ordinary tactician. Among all the commanders I have fought, she ranks within the top three in difficulty.”

Sonia, sitting beside me, said that with a sigh. I completely agreed. We should have had the advantage in numbers… yet we had been thoroughly toyed with. We had more troops, but we were a coalition of three different factions, which created major issues with coordination. She had exploited that perfectly.

We had shown a truly disgraceful performance. How many elf soldiers had fallen to friendly fire, I wondered. Fortunately, the Liseben forces, who had different races and equipment systems, were not targets of friendly fire and suffered minimal losses. But the Vanka faction and the “Legitimate” army were in a terrible state.

Thinking of them made it hard to stop sighing.

“…”

Couldn’t something have been done?

I kept asking myself that over and over in my mind. I wanted to make excuses, like how we had been unprepared, or how the battle had started suddenly without a proper plan. But when I thought of the soldiers who had died, I couldn’t bring myself to justify anything. A commander must take responsibility for all outcomes resulting from their decisions. That was the duty and pride of an officer. Anyone who tried to escape that responsibility had no right to send subordinates into a battlefield.

“What should we do now?”

Sonia must have noticed I was stuck in a loop of thought. She asked in a worried tone.

…She was right. This wasn’t the time for reflection. The enemy had retreated, and we had successfully protected the civilians. We needed to move on to the next phase.

“Let’s see… for now, we have no choice but to head for Carrera City. I never want to fight in a place like this again.”

The enemy had withdrawn, but it was hard to say we had dealt them sufficient damage. They could likely continue fighting. If we lingered here, we might face a second or third attack.

…Seriously, no thanks. Fighting elves in a forest was something I never wanted to do again. There was also the issue of supplies. Our mothership, the Michael Collins, wasn’t a large vessel. The amount of food we had brought wasn’t that much. If we wasted time, we would run out quickly.

…And the wildfire still hadn’t been completely put out. Fortunately, it had rained before dawn, which had calmed things down for now… but it hadn’t been fully extinguished. It could flare up again and spread to Runga City’s food stores. If that happened, it would be over.

Ideally, we would have fully extinguished it, but the burned area was too large. With our current manpower and resources, it was impossible. We had no choice but to wait for it to die out naturally.

Good grief… What a mess…

“However, the problem is…”

“Albert-don.”

Just as I was about to continue, someone called out to me.

When I looked over, I saw Lady Orphan standing there. She seemed somewhat downcast. After the battle, I had scolded her quite harshly. The Dalaiya faction soldiers had been furious about the massive fire right next to their stronghold, and the coalition had nearly collapsed. I had barely managed to calm them down, but my stomach still felt like it was on the verge of exploding from stress.

Honestly, give me a break.

Well, the near-burning of Runga City wasn’t entirely bad for us Liseben. This might be a good opportunity to relocate them to a place easier to manage. You couldn’t leave people like them deep in the forest forever. Who knew what they might do if left unattended?

“S-so… um… I was told to let you know that breakfast is ready… and that you should come.”

Fidgeting with her index fingers, Lady Orphan spoke while glancing at me repeatedly.

…What was with that attitude? Was she still hung up on the scolding from earlier? Normally, a message like that would be delivered by a subordinate. No one would ask someone like her, a faction leader and descendant of Elfenia royalty, to do such a thing. Which meant she had come under the pretense of delivering a message just to check on me.

…If only she showed that kind of sensitivity in battle command! Firing a flamethrower without any report or consultation went beyond bold, it was downright reckless!

…That was what I thought, but seeing her anxious expression, I couldn’t bring myself to complain further. I wished she wouldn’t act so meek right after pulling something so outrageous. The emotional whiplash was exhausting.

“Alright, got it.”

I answered as normally as I could and stood up. I almost staggered from exhaustion, but forced myself to stay steady. A commander must never appear weak in front of their subordinates.

“I’ve been waiting for that report. I’m starving, and I was about at my limit.”

When I said that with a smile, Lady Orphan visibly relaxed and smiled shyly, rubbing her stomach with a slightly flushed face. Why was she acting so cute now? It was hard to believe she had just burned a large portion of the forest not long ago.

“Let’s discuss our next steps over breakfast. I feel bad asking you, Princess, but could you also call for Lady Dalaiya and the others?”

“Leave it to me, Albert-don. I am already your subordinate. I will follow any order you give.”

Nodding enthusiastically, Lady Orphan ran off. Sonia watched her leave and let out an exaggerated sigh, then shot me a somewhat resentful look. What had I even done?

…Well, that didn’t matter right now. There were too many tasks ahead.

First, we needed to persuade Lady Dalaiya and the others about the future of the evacuees. Ideally, I wanted to bring them back to Carrera City. After all the trouble we went through to secure them, we deserved at least that much benefit. That said, to the “New” faction led by Lady Dalaiya, those men were extremely valuable. They wouldn’t give them up easily… in fact, they probably wouldn’t give them up at all. We would have to negotiate carefully and find a compromise that both the Liseben people and the elves could accept.

…Sigh. Why did I have to handle such a difficult negotiation right after fighting all night without sleep? This was exhausting. I hadn’t slept at all last night.

…But Sonia, Lady Orphan, and Lady Dalaiya were all just as exhausted. I couldn’t be the only one complaining. Man, this sucked… I was getting way too good at pretending I was fine.

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