Chapter 86

It's GW, isn't it?

For about two hours, I spent some of the best times, to put it modestly. The cold night breeze caressing my skin feels so good.

However, it's not a situation where I can be too relaxed.

"The big job is to scare thousands of soldiers. Can you do it?"

"Did they show any disrespect to you, my lord? If so, I will show you a splendid massacre."

It doesn't seem like a joke... It's really scary because she might actually do it.

"No, just scare them. But scare them thoroughly."

"As you wish. They will be filled with terror to the depths of their hearts and drown in it while still alive. Hehehe... Oh, finally, I can be of service to you, my lord..."

She says such encouraging words.

But, the rather pitiful position is that I'm lying down with my head on her lap. She says her legs are so weak she can't stand. Even a wolf can be so weak in the knees.

"Can you stand now?"

When I ask, her skin, which is as white as porcelain and doesn't seem to fit her name "Darkness," turns red.

"I, I'm sorry for the trouble. I'm fine now. Next time, I will strive to please you, my lord."

She stands up reluctantly and says this. I wonder how she plans to strive. If she asks Yurari for advice, I'll do my best to stop her. I can't handle another monster like her.

I comfort her with "Don't worry about it" and walk over to Seven Stay Oh.

Then, Anko suddenly looks annoyed.

"My lord, instead of that horse, please ride me."

"Can I ride you?"

"Yes!"

I'm surprised. I couldn't ride her in Mevion.

If I can ride her in her "wolf form," the speed of movement will increase significantly. Honestly, it's all good. But...

"What about this one?"

Seven Stay Oh, who I've taken care of so far. I've grown quite attached to her. Maybe I should leave her at some town.

While I'm thinking about this, Anko approaches Seven Stay Oh and touches her skin. What is she planning to do?

"My lord, don't worry. I will send this mare home."

What is she talking about?

The moment I'm filled with question marks—Anko uses "Dark Transfer."

Then, immediately after, Seven Stay Oh... "disappears."

"...Huh?"

I can't understand.

What did you do? Did you kill her instantly? Did you transfer her? Did you tame the horse and send her back? No, that's impossible. Horses aren't monsters, so they can't be tamed. So what is this?

In the dark forest, I'm left alone, completely confused.

Then, Anko returns with "Dark Transfer."

"I left her in the garden."

"Huh!?!?"

"How can I help you!?"

Left in the garden? The garden of the Firstest mansion? Seven Stay Oh? In just a minute or so?

...!?

...Wait. Wait, wait, wait. I realize a terrifying possibility. I realize it.

"Hey, can you... use Dark Transfer over any distance?"

"Yes, as you say. As long as I remember the 'shadow,' I can go anywhere."

"...Could it be that you used Dark Summon to transfer Seven Stay Oh to the destination?"

"Yes."

"Whaaat!!"

"Ah! I'm sorry!"

When I shout in shock, Anko lets out a moan of ecstasy and reflexively apologizes.

No, this is crazy. Really? I hurriedly check Anko's skill list again.

"Dark Transfer": Instantly transfer yourself to a recorded location. However, the destination must be a shadow.

"Dark Summon": Human form only. Instantly transfer something other than yourself to a recorded location. However, the destination must be a shadow.

"......It's true..."

Really... There's nothing written about distance. "Dark Summon" says "something other than yourself"... So, it means "whether it's a horse or a person, it doesn't matter," right?

I see, that's right... I should have realized this when Anko could use "Dark Magic" in Mevion. "Dark Transfer" isn't just a skill for maneuvering in battle. "Dark Summon" isn't just a skill for summoning weapons.

A pleasant surprise... No, a pleasantly surprising discovery. I truly feel that the four months of hard work to tame her were worth it. I wish I had realized it a little earlier, though...

"...You're already the strongest. You'll have no enemies wherever you go."

I say this to Anko, who is kneeling and bowing, thinking she did something wrong.

When she realizes I'm not angry, she looks puzzled.

How can I convey this emotion? I speak from the heart, still excited.

"If you're my tool, I'll stay with you until I die. I've decided never to let you go."

"~~~!! Ah, my lord!"

Anko, overwhelmed with emotion, pushes me down... As a result, we end up staying in the forest for another hour.

"Let's move before dawn. Do you remember the port town of Kula?"

"Yes, I do. It's the first town we visited together."

"Then transfer there and summon me. Try to do it in a place where no one will see."

"As you wish."

The border with the Kingdom of Camael is further north from the port town of Kula. It's the border after going up a small river that flows into the sea and bypassing the mountains.

Initially, I planned to move non-stop day and night to arrive by the next night, but now that Anko's special ability is revealed, we can expect to arrive while it's still early in the day.

"...Oh..."

The scenery changes smoothly. It seems I've been summoned. It's 2 AM, and the location is the pier. There's not a soul around. It's exactly as I requested.

But why am I being held in Anko's arms? Maybe when she uses "Dark Summon" to summon shadow staff or the Black Flame Spear, they appear in her hands, and I was summoned to her hands and she caught me. That's very considerate.

"Let's go as far as we can before dawn. When the sun comes up, send Seven Stay Oh back."

"...As you wish."

When I mention Seven Stay Oh's name, Anko pouts slightly. Could she be jealous of the horse? Wolves, you know, it's not impossible.

"Transform"

"Yes!"

"Mount"

"!"

I give the orders in a stronger tone than usual. As expected, Anko responds very happily. Even when she transforms into a wolf with "Dark Transformation," her expression still looks happy. I can tell she's in a good mood. Actually, her tail is wagging so much it makes a sound, which is funny. Her tail is much bigger in wolf form than in human form, so it's hard not to notice.

"Go"

"!"

When I mount and give the command, Anko suddenly starts running at full speed.

...Fast.

It's as fast as a large motorcycle. To be honest, I can barely hold on to avoid being thrown off. There's no way I can have a conversation.

"Stop! Stop!"

I shout desperately because we're taking the wrong path. It's not because I'm scared. Not at all.

"Head north along the coast, and when you reach the third river, follow it upstream."

"!"

Anko lets out a "wafu" sound. If I translate it, it would be "Leave it to me!" I hope she doesn't get too hyped up—

There it is!

She starts at twice the speed from just a moment ago!

Oh no!

Ughhhhhhh...

...

...Is this going to last until dawn?

...

I had a terrible experience.

Especially the cornering. It's a miracle I wasn't thrown off by the unnecessary V-turns. But as the master, I have to maintain my dignity. I can't show any weakness, and I definitely can't vomit. I endured it. I endured for three hours. Or rather, I'm amazed that she can maintain top speed for three hours. Isn't endurance a human trait?

"Compared to you, I'm cute, aren't I?"

I stroke Seven Stay Oh to heal the wounds from the three-hour endurance jet coaster and slowly move along the river. If Anko heard me, it would be a big problem, but she's "sent back" now, so it should be fine... probably.

Still, thanks to that Formula Anko, we can arrive much earlier than planned. I have to thank her for that. Thanks, Anko. I won't ride you except in emergencies.

"Phew. Finally."

After a while, we reach a mountain. This is the border marker. Beyond this mountain, in the valley, the border lord and the Kingdom of Camael are probably staring each other down.

I run Seven Stay Oh along the right side of the mountain. This is the final sprint.

After about an hour, I see the border lord's fort in the basin between the mountains. Far ahead, I can see the ranks of soldiers, presumably from the Kingdom of Camael. Just as expected, Winfield.

First, I need to greet the border lord. What was his name... Oh well, just a greeting.

I run Seven Stay Oh to the back of the fort and ask a soldier.

"Is the border lord in there?"

"...Huh? Yes, I guess. Yes?"

"Okay. Then take care of this."

"Huh? Yes. Huh!?"

I leave Seven Stay Oh with the confused soldier and enter the fort through the back entrance for soldiers.

Maybe because I entered so boldly, no one says anything. What a joke.

"Hey. Where is the border lord?"

"Ah! This way, please!"

The soldier's polite guidance makes me realize something. I'm wearing that pretty rare outfit. Looking around, everyone is dressed like soldiers. Maybe they think I'm a guest or something.

"---Ah, you're here. You're early, Second."

No, it seems the border lord was prepared in advance.

When I enter the room I'm led to, a handsome man in his early 30s with glasses greets me. This must be the border lord. But how did he know about me?

"Oops, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Steam Bittervalley, the border lord of the Kingdom of Castar. You must be Second Firstest, right?"

Steam Bittervalley, the border lord. He's calm and composed, but also someone you can't let your guard down around. In the short time of this introduction, he tried to establish who is superior. My answer is this.

"You're right, but from the way you're standing, it seems you don't think so."

"My apologies. Welcome to my fort, guest."

The border lord bows smoothly. But calling me a guest is a subtle resistance, I think. He seems like a man I can get along with.

"I'll show you this just in case. It's a letter from Mine."

"...You're a bad person. Does that mean you're the special envoy of the next king?"

We laugh together. Hahaha, hehehe! I won. Take that. Rock-paper-scissors after the fact? Borrowing the tiger's might? I don't know such things.

I drink the tea offered and say, "The greeting is over."

"How did you get my information?"

"I have my own network. The information arrived a little earlier than you, Second."

"I see. What do you think of this war?"

"There won't be any problems as long as we don't make the first move. However, there are situations where we can't avoid it."

"It seems we arrived in time."

"Yes, just in time. And... if it can be done, I'd like to see it happen. That's my honest opinion."

"Haha! Hahaha!"

This guy is really interesting.

"Look closely. And be grateful to me for being in the Kingdom of Castar."

"I'll look closely. Please, if you can drive them away, I'll thank you as much as I can, whether to the God of Camael or to you."

"The situation is as you see. We are facing each other across the border, maintaining a distance."

"It seems nothing will happen if this continues, doesn't it?"

"Yes, if it continues. But... they plan to execute a public execution tomorrow."

"Someone was captured?"

"Yes, one scout."

"You idiot... How could you?"

"I know. As expected, they will frame the scout as an assassin, fabricate a crime, and execute him to provoke us. The execution is not today because he is not giving up information easily. They will torture him day and night. Or maybe they are just trying to make us anxious. Ha... I know all of this."

When he says "situations where we can't avoid it," he means cleaning up the mess from a stupid mistake like a scout being captured. Come on...

"You don't have to look so disappointed... I also struggled with this. But I can't abandon him. He is one of my important subordinates. If we let the execution happen, the morale will drop drastically."

"Will the kingdom be in danger because of one person?"

"What? No, it won't be in danger."

"Huh?"

"I decided to stop the execution because you are here, Second. If you weren't here, I would have shed tears and abandoned him."

"...You're full of yourself, aren't you?"

"I'm often told that."

I see. I hear he's 33 years old. It's no wonder he became a border lord at such a young age. His personality is quite twisted.

"Anyway, let's confirm the plan. The main force will be divided into left and right wings, ready to ambush if they attack the fort. The rest will be ready to charge at any time in front of the fort. Leave the rest to me."

"Will that really work?"

"Yes. I don't think you'll even get a chance to act. And..."

"What is it?"

"Please don't tell anyone about what happened tonight."

* * *

...I thought his words meant "for his own convenience."

Everyone keeps their trump cards hidden. I thought he was the same. So, he's just a normal person, I thought. I felt a little disappointed, having expected more from a man who could change the situation of the Kingdom of Castar all by himself.

Then, night falls.

It was an unusually quiet night before the decisive battle.

"Everyone, take your positions."

This time, I will command the battle myself. I said I would leave it to him, but I also didn't want to lose the scout. I probably would have taken action even if he hadn't come.

The estimated number of ambushers is at most eight thousand. With the four thousand in the center, it's twelve thousand. My troops are seven thousand. It's not an impossible number to fight against. It's a bit of a gamble, but if we crush the center and retreat to the fort, we can fight on favorable terms. If we maintain the border line and defend, we won't be forced into unreasonable terms in the peace talks. We are well-prepared for that, so there was no need to rely on him.

But, I was curious.

I wanted to see what this rumored man was really like.

By creating a debt and passing the credit to him, I could also avoid putting my subordinates in danger. That was my calculated decision. So, I accepted his support.

But, what a mess. What kind of plan is this? I'm getting more and more anxious. When I met him, I thought he was an interesting man, but since then, it's been one disappointment after another. My evaluation of his command was falling until just before the battle.

His carefree attitude, as if he's going on a picnic, while the lives of my subordinates are at stake. I wanted to yell at him. I wanted to hit him on the back of the head with a hammer and tell him, "This is war, not a game."

...But.

I was the