A group of people were making their way through the moonlit desert. Needless to say, it was the Agartha army led by Linos. They continue to march silently through the desert.
"...... Will the enemy move?"
Knogen speaks to me, not bothering to hide his sobbing expression.
"I think he's going to move. The enemy general seems to be a very good man. I have no doubt that he will realize that we will make a move tonight.
While we were having this conversation, Sadakichi appeared in front of me and perched on my shoulder.
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I think of the map in my head.
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With that, Sadakichi disappeared. I look at Knogen and Princess Rufana, who are standing by their horses.
"I hear the enemy is on the move."
"It's on the move!"
"Knogen looks happy."
"Yes. At last we can say goodbye to the situation of wasting our lives. I'm sure you can understand this feeling.
His words make me chuckle.
"But," he says, "it's good to be out of the swamp, but they're headed south."
"South? Are they not coming up behind us? That's why I made a big hole in the formation. ....... Did you realize it was a trap?"
"No, I don't think so."
Princess Rufana speaks to us in a clear voice. She says excuse me and slides her horse between me and Knogen.
"The enemy is probably going to bypass Lord Vieille's camp. They are going to try to hit us in the flank.
I see. I see.
I put my hand under my chin and think for a minute.
"King Agartha!"
I looked in the direction of the voice, and saw a man walking with a gag on Ilimo. He is a man named Neo, sent by King Sandanji, who knows the deserts of this country very well. He talks to me with a smile on his face.
"There's a nest of sandworms just up ahead. If you want, you can lure them there and round them up.
No, I don't think so. No, I don't think so. We should assume that the enemy knows about that too. If we are not careful, we may be driven into the nest. As I asked you to do at the beginning, please pick a safe place and lead us there."
Neo smiled, said awe, and started walking north.
After two hours of walking, Sadakichi reported that Thana's army was approaching. Apparently, the enemy had organized their army around cavalry units and were using their mobility to track us.
Neo smiles at that. I halt the march and order all troops to rest. Then I gather the main leaders, including Knogen, and hold a council of war.
"The decisive battle will take place here. The strategy is as I have told you. Knogen, please!
He bowed reverently at my words.
"And in support, Commander Almond. I'm asking you to take command."
Almond stared at me without losing his expression, and then slowly bowed his head.
"First, let the men eat. As you can see, it's freezing cold in the desert at night. I want everyone to put on their pitons. And make them some hot soup to keep them warm. That's all."
I give orders to everyone and take out the pitons I have in my pocket. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary little bag, but inside it is a small stone that emits heat. Just by holding this bag, you can keep out a lot of cold.
"Siddee and the dwarves have amazing technology. They can make something like this in a very short time.
I mutter to myself as I watch the moon appear in the sky. Immediately after I decided to fight in the desert, I asked Sidi if there was anything that could keep me warm at night, considering the extreme temperature differences in the desert environment. As for me, I was satisfied if she could make me something like a pocket warmer, but as usual, she put her index finger under her chin in a pose of thinking about something, and then began to explain something in a jargon-laden language. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I knew that I could do it soon. The next night, she and a dwarf came to the site with a large quantity of stones. To my surprise, she told me that if I sprinkled water on the stones, they would generate heat and that each soldier should have one of them.
She put the stone on my palm and poured water on it. ...... It was so hot that I felt as if I was being given moxibustion. I screamed and threw the stone out of my hand. Doesn't this armor protect against such heat? I had assumed that the heat would be cut off at some appropriate point, but apparently there is no such function. And my warding doesn't help either. What in the world is this?
I wrapped the stone in a cloth and put it in my pocket. I wondered if it emitted far-infrared rays, but I was not sure of the details.
I thanked Sidi politely, received the stone, and immediately ordered him to share it with the soldiers. The stones themselves were small and each man could easily hold several of them, so they would not only keep him warm, but if he collected several of them he would soon have a stove. In fact, the soldiers gathered stones to boil water and make soup. The water boils in just a few dozen seconds, making it as hot as a teakettle.
After an hour of warming up and resting, Sadakichi reported that Thana's army was close at hand. I give the order to all the troops.
"All right, rest time is over. All troops, get ready now!
With these words, I put on my helmet and mounted Ilimo.
I put on my helmet and stepped over Ilimo.
At the same time, Ville received a report from the scouts that they had captured an Agarthan army. He immediately calls Honsch and Lumine to his side and gives them an order.
"If we go over that hill, we should be able to catch sight of the Lord of Agartha's army. If you see the enemy, begin the assault immediately. Lumine, take the lead.
At Ville's words, Lumine bowed reverently. Nodding his head in satisfaction, he gives an order to Honsch, who is standing next to Lumine.
"Needless to say, I will not allow you to retreat without an order from the main camp. I will not tolerate any misbehavior like the other day ever again.
"Awe, sir. I have made it very clear to the soldiers that they are not to be ordered to retreat by mistake. You can rest assured."
Ville nodded in satisfaction.
"All right! Take Lumine's lead and begin the assault on Agartha's army! Seize the head of Linos, King of Agartha!"
As soon as the order was given, the army of Tana formed up and began to assault the Agarthans.
The army of Thana was in full formation and began its assault on Agartha's army.
"I see it: ......"
Lumine, who had been assigned to lead the advance, muttered to himself through his thick armor. In the moonlight, he saw a group of men moving up the hill. It was indeed the retreating army of Agartha. With nostrils flaring, he signals to the soldiers around him to charge.
I will not make that mistake again. I don't know what I did, but that time my head suddenly started to hurt and I couldn't fight. Perhaps it was the unpleasant sound in my ears. Thinking of this, he had filled his helmet with a soft cotton-like material so that the armor would not resonate. This would make it difficult to hear the sounds around him, but would not cause him to lose his ability to fight. The command of the battle could be done by signal alone. In fact, it is more convenient for us to concentrate on the battle. ....... With these thoughts in mind, he mounted his horse and was about to close in on Agartha's army when his entire body was shocked.
"Gah!"
With a cry, he fell from his horse, his entire body hitting the sand. What in the world had happened? Feeling pain all over his body, he slowly gets up. Just as he stood up to check the situation, he felt another shock.
"Gah!
With a cry, he falls again, this time in a heap on the sand. His body is immobile,...... his breath is labored,...... what in the world is going on,....... In his confused mind, he struggles to grasp what is happening. But against his will, his consciousness is slowly slipping away.
"Beautiful ...... month ......"
Just before he lost consciousness, he saw the full moon shining in the sky. The moon, seen through the gap in his helmet, was beautiful and cold. .......