Chapter 31

"Thank you for helping us!"

A man who seemed to be the leader of the soldiers who had fled said to us.

"My name is Rihilt Strum!"

He was a tall young man, probably younger than me. He must have been around twenty. He had a kind face.

Rihilt was relatively lightly injured among the soldiers. His subordinates were giving him first aid with medical kits as he spoke.

"Those are the Lizardmen this time, right?"

Philbus nodded toward the fallen Lizardman.

"Yes."

"That's strange... The main force isn't deployed here, is it? Why are you here?"

"We are a separate unit."

"Separate unit?"

"A small unit prepared separately from the main force. We were ordered to launch a surprise attack before the main force advanced."

"With that number? ...I see."

Philbus said, as if he had figured something out.

"That must have been tough."

"Indeed, we provoked the Lizardmen as ordered, but they were too strong—so we decided to retreat. We ran as hard as we could and ended up in this place far from the main battlefield. We ended up involving you all."

"Well, we're all safe, and you're safe too. Isn't that good enough?"

"I'm relieved to hear that!"

Once the first aid was finished, Rihilt spoke up.

"Then we have a mission to complete! We will return to the battlefield!"

"No, you don't. Follow us."

Philbus said.

"Wh-What? But—"

"There's no point in heading to the battlefield now."

Then, Philbus tapped Rihilt's chest.

"You're young, so your sense of duty overcomes you—look around. Your subordinates are exhausted and at their limit. You've accomplished the initial disruption. Your job is done."

Rihilt's face was filled with anguish as he looked at his subordinates. They nodded in encouragement, as if to support their captain.

He must be well-liked by his subordinates.

A guard soldier cleared his throat.

"Lord Philbus, I have a position to maintain—"

"I understand, I'm sorry. Then, add these people to our escort. We know this isn't a safe area. Two of us won't be enough. These are monsters that can withstand a Fireball from a college teacher—do you want to die?"

The guard soldiers fell silent at that.

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We reached the main camp at dusk.

After seeing us off, the guard soldiers left for the administration office.

Rihilt and his men also parted ways with us to report to the army.

"Thank you for your concern. I will strive to be more aware of my surroundings as a captain!"

With that, the young Rihilt left with his subordinates.

"We're going to greet the important people in the mage corps. Follow me."

Philbus started walking, and I followed.

All around us, we could hear cheerful voices. The soldiers were drinking and singing merrily.

It seemed to be a great victory.

"What a remarkable commander, despite his youth!"

"I really want to follow that person for the rest of my life!"

They were praising him enthusiastically.

I wondered who he was.

After a chuckle, Philbus continued.

"He's quite something. But—what a heartless person."

"What do you mean?"

Lora asked.

"The Rihilt we just met, they are expendable pawns."

"---!?"

Lora's eyes widened in shock.

"Rihilt and his men are used as expendable pawns to disrupt the Lizardmen's formation, and then the main force moves in. It's a simple strategy, but it works because Lizardmen are stupid."

"But—sacrifices should be minimized—!"

"The main force includes the children of high-ranking nobles and people favored by the kingdom's key figures. They can't be allowed to die. They also need to be given the credit. So, the danger is pushed onto people who don't matter."

"But—Lord Rihilt has a family name and is a noble, right?"

At Lora's words, Philbus smiled mischievously.

"Strum... I've never heard of that name. He's probably just a poor baron at best. Those kinds of people are easier to use than commoners. They have loyalty to the country and work like horses for their poor families."

Lora fell silent, looking sad.

I spoke up instead.

"Mr. Philbus, you see a lot, don't you?"

I was impressed by what I heard.

I, who have no other skills besides Magic Arrow, had never even considered such things.

Philbus smiled faintly.

"Maybe it's because I've known Carail for a long time. He's a twisted guy who only reads between the lines. I've picked up some of his habits."

Then, Philbus smiled at me.

"You might end up spending a lot of time with Carail. You might start to miss your old, more straightforward self."

Spending a lot of time with that court mage—

What did that mean?

While we were talking, we arrived at the mage corps' camp that Philbus was heading to.

"I have arrived today. I am Philbus, a teacher from the academy, and my two students, Albert and Lora. We will now join your command."

In the back of a makeshift building, Philbus greeted an elderly mage who seemed to be the leader of the mage corps.

"I'm looking forward to it."

The elderly mage nodded slightly.

That was all the greeting. It seemed that the practical matters would be handled by someone else, and Philbus began talking to that person.

"I'll explain everything to you later. Go back to the barracks for now."

So, Lora and I were left alone in the camp—

"Hey, isn't that you, Albert? We meet again."

There stood Rihilt, whom we had just parted ways with.