Chapter Twenty-Six: The Knight's Final Battle

Maple gazed at the man standing at the center of the battlefield, his eyes burning with fervor. In his mind, as long as that man remained, victory would always be theirs.

“We’ve won!”—no one knew who shouted it first, but soon the entire battlefield resounded with cries of triumph. The surrounding soldiers even tossed every enemy belonging to the Scorpion squad into the air. Though Scorpion had not slain the most enemies, they had become a pillar of spiritual support. The members of Scorpion, who usually wore grim faces as the executioners lurking in the shadows, now broke into smiles. Feared by both commoners and nobles alike, most of them were ardent followers of Blue, and longed for the cheers other knights received. But after every mission of pursuit and slaughter, all they ever saw in others’ eyes was terror, never applause—except when they stepped onto the battlefield. Here, at last, they were met with cheers.

Lancer, as commander, was soon let down, followed by the newcomers Maple and the one called Pence.

“Watch and remember this. You may not yet understand the reason for their joy, but as long as you remain in this unit—or even if you only once served it—you will one day come to understand.” With that, he turned and left; he still needed to exchange intelligence with the commander.

The battle was over, but this was nothing more than a minor border outpost. Though Lancer was pleased, he knew now was not the time for celebration. Only when Toria ascended the true throne could he finally rest.

As they discussed Rome’s intentions, Lancer’s familiar, White Night, suddenly flew in.

“Urgent aid!—Gawain.”

It was only a few terse words, but Lancer immediately realized the gravity of the situation. This was likely a trap: the young knights scattered, to be picked off one by one.

“Gratte, when my men return, allow them to head back on their own. I must depart at once.” With that, he tossed over a token and vanished from the tent. This was an order token that could mobilize a Scorpion squad—except for King Arthur and Lancer, even Merlin required such a token to command them. As for trusting this officer he’d only recently met, it was because Lancer himself had conducted the investigation for his promotion and knew the man’s principles.

Gratte stared dumbfounded at the iron token, at a loss for words.

“Carson, am I dreaming? Even Gaheris has scarcely handled this thing a few times—it’s all but legendary, and only a handful have seen the real thing.”

“Enough daydreaming. Since the commander gave it to you, it means he trusts you. Let’s get on with the task he assigned us.” Carson sighed helplessly at the sight of the stunned middle-aged man.

“Oh, right, let’s go.” The two men then exited the tent.

----- Marching On -----

Once at the glider dock, Lancer took off immediately. While others might have to wait for favorable winds, he had alternatives. Muttering a barely mastered spell, a whirlwind lifted him into the sky.

White Night led the way ahead, while Lancer received an unexpected mission.

“Final message: The Roman Empire, upon learning of the rebirth of the King of Britain a year ago, secretly dispatched troops into Britain. Now, four thousand Roman soldiers have gathered inside the border. The Sun Knight, Gawain, while searching for dark creatures, accidentally discovered Romans collaborating with the darkness. He was found, and now flees. King Arthur has received his call for help. Support Gawain.

Mission prompt—Protect Gawain, even at the cost of your life; as long as he survives, the mission is complete. Reinforcements will arrive within half an hour of the mission’s start.

Previous rewards changed: now you are eligible to compete in the Fourth Holy Grail War; the weapons you gain may be taken with you; you will receive an S-class noble phantasm—‘Servant’s Contract.’ Experience will vary according to mission completion.”

“Is it time to go back? Ha, it seems I won’t live to see her ascend the throne.” He could only sigh in resignation. He knew he would see Toria again someday, but the others might not. Shaking these thoughts away, his eyes grew resolute once more.

“Even if I must leave this time, no one will ever harm my friends!” As his resolve strengthened, the wind itself seemed to sense it, and the glider surged forward with renewed speed.

----- Flight and Pursuit -----

“Huff... huff... Today, I’ve truly been outplayed.” Leaning against a great tree, Gawain gasped for breath. Blessed by the goddess, he could triple his strength at certain times, but now, even tenfold power would do little good—the moment he revealed himself, he’d be cut down by a hail of arrows.

He remembered the grateful looks of his men as they covered his escape; it made him want to dash out and fight to the end. But he knew that his chance at survival had been bought with their lives—he had no right to squander it.

“Damn it,” he cursed under his breath.

But even that quiet sound carried in the silent woods. “There! Shoot! He’s over there!”

----- Forced March -----

Lancelot led a thousand elite knights in a rapid advance, while Gaheris, upon leaving headquarters, mustered all the infantry at once. “Forward!” The once-naive youth now stood at their head, clad in armor blazing like fire.

Seated upon the throne, Toria was seized by a sense of unease she could not explain. She felt that if she did not go now, she would lose something forever. She immediately ordered Bedivere to ready her steed and set out at once.

-----

From the sky, Lancer too noticed the torches flickering through the forest below as he and White Night searched for Gawain’s whereabouts. They quickly located Gawain, who was fleeing through the woods.

Without a parachute, Lancer leapt down, swinging from the branches to cushion his fall, and landed at Gawain’s side.

“Who’s there!” Gawain instantly slashed sideways, but Lancer, anticipating this, blocked with his sword.

“Damn it, I come to save you and this is the welcome I get?” Lancer joked, undisturbed by their dire straits. But Gawain was in no mood for humor; grabbing Lancer, he dragged him forward, knowing the commotion had already given away his position.

“How are you here first? Weren’t you at the border just two hours ago?” To Gawain, Lancer should have arrived later than the kingdom’s reinforcements.

“Tch, you can’t imagine White Night’s speed, and moving alone is far faster than an army.” After a brief explanation, Lancer checked the timer on his ring; he knew that help would soon arrive.

“Gawain, if we keep running like this, we’ll be exhausted in no time. I think we’d be better off giving them a ‘surprise’ while we still have some fight left in us.” Lancer spoke with confidence—he only needed to hold out for half an hour until reinforcements arrived, so he felt no anxiety.

“Surprise? Don’t tell me you mean…” Gawain, who had known Lancer for nearly two years, understood well his penchant for recklessness. He had no choice—not with the mission at stake. He had already guessed Lancer’s plan.

“Exactly. My Scorpions are masters of assassination and decapitation.” Lancer grinned wickedly. “They’ll never suspect we’d double back. Let’s go!”

Both men were decisive, never ones for hesitation. Without delay, they sprinted toward the enemy command post.