Chapter 51
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51.
Crash—!
"You can't afford to underestimate an easy opponent."
It was Cassian Artez, as expected.
It wasn't my first time watching him wield a sword, yet I found myself marveling anew.
'Truly, the author-approved strongest in this world....'
While the knights handled one magical beast each, Cassian alone dispatched three or four with effortless grace.
And his movements showed consideration—allowing the newly recruited knights he'd brought along to gain experience.
As for me, I remained respectfully distant from the fray.
"Fifth Squad. At your current position, the eleven o'clock direction is exposed. Watch yourselves."
More precisely, I hovered in the air.
The moment word came that a Flare Dragon had appeared, I immediately pressed the Magicians to action.
'Of course, Cassian will protect and fight just as he does in the original work!'
I'd anticipated how magnificent it would look. But I refused to simply stand by and watch him shine alone.
Since I'd already stepped forward, I wanted to be a genuine asset, and with every resource at my disposal, why would I sit idle?
I recalled the original work, but I'd never treated this place as anything but my reality.
Rather, precisely because I considered it real, I refused all the more to become some protagonist in a flashy fictional narrative.
For that reason, I needed to free Cassian's hands.
The lives of knights who would fall on this battlefield were not so trivial as to be reduced to a single line of text.
'They're my comrades, after all...!'
To the knights who'd shared the grueling work of the Winter Palace Administration with me, I wanted to offer whatever aid I could.
So I requested that the Magicians craft a floating magical artifact imbued with both defensive and concealment functions.
'What on earth goes through your mind daily that you can conceive of such an outrageous idea, Advisor Roselita Salice?'
I'd acquired it from raids I ran in my past life to relieve stress—that's why.
'They call her a witch, a witch, and now she's become an actual witch.'
'At this rate, we'll be drained of mana for three months and unable to work. The magical stones are bleeding us dry too!'
Though their complaints were abundant.
The matter of magical stones, however....
'If Roselita oversees the battlefield, considerable combat strength will be preserved—it's worth the investment.'
I resolved it by using some of the magic stones Cassian Artez had accumulated on the battlefield.
So I intended to do my part proportional to what I'd invested.
And for good reason....
'Why does he look so worried when he talks about investing?'
My heart grew troubled.
I wished he would simply treat me as a subordinate, but lately, strange emotions had been mixing into Cassian Artez's gaze.
Whether it was merely an obsession with not wanting to lose my aide, or perhaps the childhood connection influencing him unconsciously.
'Or perhaps he was hiding something....'
I could only speculate, but one thing was certain—he worried about me just as much as I worried about him.
Well....
"Roselita, why won't you check on me?"
Despite becoming serious for a moment, Cassian Artez moved his body far too lightly, as if I'd suffered a loss.
I casually ignored his words and shouted.
"First squad, watch the nine o'clock direction!"
*
With a crackling sound, shallow flames lightly consumed the wood.
'About a week has passed now.'
Through Cassian Artez's vigilant training and the Knight Order's coordinated efforts that trusted my guidance, we'd reached the midpoint of Snow Mountain with only minor injuries and no significant losses.
As we ventured deeper into Snow Mountain, magical beasts appeared more frequently, yet morale remained unshaken—an encouraging sign.
"At this rate, the Holy Maiden's follow-up contingent should be able to ascend quite easily, shouldn't they?"
Night had grown deep. After clearing the surrounding magical beasts, Cassian Artez and I stood watch together at the campsite.
The other knights, prioritizing efficiency, had hurried to sleep right after the meal, leaving the surroundings quiet.
As I brought my cold hands close to the dying campfire, Cassian Artez naturally wrapped an arm around my shoulders and drew me against him.
"If the main force has already arrived, they could catch up in about three days."
"That's why I cleared a wide perimeter of magical beasts."
"The Emperor wouldn't cut corners even here—he knows how precious the knights' lives are."
Cassian Artez draped a blanket over both our shoulders and handed me a warm cup of tea.
"It's a shame I can't serve you your favorite coffee here."
"It's fine. Even if you say it's comfortable having you here, this is a battlefield—I'm not so ignorant as to wish for such luxuries."
At my words, he let out a soft laugh.
"If Roselita were ignorant of worldly matters, there'd be hardly anyone left among the Capital City nobility."
"Perhaps not?"
At my answer, which showed clear self-awareness, Cassian Artez's eyes softened.
Whenever I gave such responses, he would inexplicably show his good mood.
Perhaps because standing watch was no different from usual, even though this was a place where magical beasts could suddenly emerge, I felt strangely unafraid.
In fact,
"It's starting to look like it's reaching its limit."
Despite the barrier the Priests had erected visibly wavering before my eyes.
"Indeed, I do hope the Holy Maiden arrives without delay."
"Mm."
He answered lightly, resting his head atop mine as he spoke with playful ease.
"Even if we can't synchronize our timing perfectly, don't worry too much. I'll make it work one way or another."
Despite the utter lack of gravity in his tone, I found myself laughing without a shred of doubt.
Grrrrrowwwl—
It was deep into the night, and the sound of Flare the dragon raging echoed through the darkness.
*
Fortunately, the very next day after we spoke of the Holy Maiden, a carrier pigeon arrived from the rear forces, announcing that the Temple's reinforcements had reached us.
Thanks to this, it seemed we could continue our advance without slowing our pace.
However, the contents of the carrier pigeon sent by the Administrative Officials left me deeply uneasy.
Of course, given the Temple's conduct thus far, it was certainly plausible enough, but....
'The Holy Maiden I know isn't the type to behave that way.'
Well, Cassian Artez's actions also unfolded differently than I predicted, so perhaps the same could be true for her.
'But there's a Flare dragon here.'
Was the Holy Maiden really going to obediently follow the Temple's orders while a dragon—the highest-ranking species among magical beasts—was present?
Even as I committed the Administrative Officials' warning to memory, I didn't take it seriously.
"You have the look of someone who's already prepared contingencies in case the Holy Maiden doesn't arrive."
"That would be Your Majesty."
At my casual response, Cassian Artez laughed softly.
"I should make sure to live up to that trust."
"Please trust us as well, Advisor!"
"That's right! This morning, we haven't heard a single instruction from you about our defenses being breached!"
Following suit, playful remarks poured in from the knights who had grown close to me throughout the expedition.
I had informed the squad leaders of the carrier pigeon's contents just in case, yet morale remained unshaken—truly a relief.
After all, momentum matters greatly in battle.
Thus passed four days.
We continued to clear vast swaths of territory as we pressed toward the summit.
The barrier held firm, though precariously, until we drew nearly to the peak.
However, perhaps because this was an era when the Priests' power was not of the highest purity....
"The barrier is about to collapse! The temperature will spike instantly, and flame beasts will pour forth—everyone, prepare yourselves!"
"Yes, Advisor!"
Now, on the eleventh day of our ascent up Snow Mountain.
Boom, boom-boom-boom—!
The barrier shattered before the Holy Maiden could even arrive.
I hurled forward the defensive magical tools I had procured by deploying the Magicians, speaking as I did so.
"Major repositioning! The front lines will be reorganized into squads composed of knights capable of using aura!"
As I ascended with Cassian Artez, I quickly relayed the repositioned defensive formations against barrier destruction, while also taking care to increase my altitude slightly so as not to draw attention to myself.
"Cassian Artez at the very front, and Squad One covering the rear!"
The knights followed every command I shouted in preparation for the relentless onslaught of magical beasts without missing a single instruction.
After holding the line for roughly thirty minutes, I climbed higher still.
Having ascended nearly to the mountain's peak, even this slight increase in altitude caused the temperature to plummet and my breathing to falter, inducing a faint cough.
"Roselita, stop!"
My superior sensed my condition with uncanny perception and cried out.
But if I didn't hurry, the knights Cassian Artez had so carefully cultivated would be sacrificed.
Though I understood that some casualties were inevitable in such a battlefield, I wanted to do everything in my power to prevent it.
When I raised my arm and made a large circle to signal that I was fine, I could feel Cassian Artez's expression darkening even from that distance.
And truthfully, I was far from fine.
'Still, I have to find her.'
I scanned the battlefield while periodically turning my head.
Though the Snow Mountain limited my field of vision.
I suppressed my quickening breath and blinked.
And in the next moment, I found her.
Pink hair visible beneath a deeply pulled hood.
Simultaneously, I prayed she was the Holy Maiden.
'Cassian Artez and the aura-wielding knights should be fine.'
But at this rate, there would be casualties.
Crunch—I bit down on a voice amplification candy and, tensing my abdomen, cried out.
"Your Majesty! Please raise the barrier!"
At my shout, the Holy Maiden drew out a long spear, breaking through the Priests' strange attempt to block her path.
'...A spear?'
The Holy Maiden?
And in the next instant, she cast aside even the Priests' physical obstruction and, without hesitation, hurled the spear toward the peak.
'This is impossible—at that distance, it couldn't possibly—'
reach it.
"The barrier—the barrier is forming!"
The thrown spear easily reached the peak, shattered, and swiftly restored the barrier.
And in the next moment, when I looked toward the Holy Maiden, I couldn't help but rub my eyes.
'The Holy Maiden is... flexing her biceps...?'
And striking quite the proper pose while doing so.
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