The Bernadia army camp was also sensing that change.
Bernadia's general was looking down at a map inside a makeshift command post behind the beach.
His face was stiff.
The Talamand forces occupying the hill were more formidable than expected, and despite pushing forward for three days, no decisive breakthrough was achieved. With the arrival of Imperial reinforcements, the tide of battle was turning against them.
"That woman is the center of Talamand. If she falls, the formation will collapse."
The general's judgment was simple. He calculated that it would be faster to cut off the center first rather than break the formation on the hill head-on.
And that calculation soon began to reveal itself on the battlefield.
As dawn broke completely and sunlight began to spread up the hill, Bernadian's army moved again. Accompanied by the sound of drums, the soldiers began to run up the hill in unison, but this attack was slightly different from the previous one.
The formation was strangely skewed.
Instead of pushing up the entire hill, the Bernadia soldiers were concentrated in one direction as if aiming for a single point.
Odelia was at that spot.
"It's the Lord's way!"
One of the Talamand soldiers shouted.
Bernadia's soldiers were swarming toward Odelia with their shields raised. Flashing like spears, they concentrated in unison toward her, and even musket fire began to pour in that direction.
It was intentional pressure.
Odelia immediately realized that fact.
"Maintain the defensive line!"
She pulled the reins and shouted.
"Don't worry about me, just protect the formation!"
However, the situation unfolded faster than expected. Bernadia soldiers deliberately created a gap and rushed toward Odelia, and Talamand soldiers naturally gravitated toward that direction to block them.
The attention of the battlefield was briefly focused on that point.
And at that very moment.
A person stood up behind a small rock at the bottom of the hill.
He was Bernadia's general.
He had been waiting until now without revealing himself throughout the battle. He already had a bow in his hand.
The general said nothing.
He simply pulled the bowstring quietly.
The gaze was directed at exactly one person.
Amidst the noise of the battle, no one noticed the movement.
Beneath the hill, hiding amidst the smoke and dust, Bernadia's general was drawing his bowstring with a serene expression, as if he were completely detached from the battle. While muskets were exploding and cannonballs were shaking the ground below the hill, his gaze was fixed on a single spot.
Odelia is looking down at the battlefield from atop a hill while riding a black horse.
Bernadia's soldiers were deliberately swarming into the spot where Talamand's soldiers were blocking the attacks while surrounding her, creating a chaotic melee. Amidst the clash of spears and the flash of swords, the eyes of the battlefield were naturally drawn to that spot.
It was aimed at that very moment.
The general's finger pulled the bowstring all the way back.
The arrowhead flashed briefly in the sunlight. It was a poisoned arrow.
The general narrowed his eyes as he aimed at the target, and soon the bowstring was released. A fierce arrow sliced through the noise of the battlefield. It happened in an instant, so neither the Talamand soldiers fighting on the hill nor even Philip, who was standing right next to them, saw the arrow in time.
Odelia was the same.
She had just pulled on her horse's reins and blocked an attack by a Bernadian soldier charging from the left. The warhorse twisted sharply and kicked up the ground, its hooves chopping through the air as it kicked up dirt.
At that moment, an arrow was flying toward her.
Directly towards the chest.
Just as she was about to think it was already too late by the time she realized it,
Clang! The flying arrow split in two in mid-air and bounced up.
The bow broke, and the arrowhead flew sideways and got stuck in the dirt.
Bernadia's general, who had been watching the scene from below the hill, scowled and looked up at the hill.
A man wearing armor engraved with the imperial crest stood with his sword lowered.
It was the Emperor.
A twisted smile crossed the corners of the general's lips.
"To think the Emperor has traveled all the way here... it is too much for a mere mistress. He is putting quite a bit of effort into it. To think it looks like I’m walking right into a trap."
He sneered and hesitated for a moment, but his hesitation did not last long. The general soon pulled the reins, mounted his horse, raised his sword high, and shouted toward the battlefield.
“Kill them!”
At the sound of the shout, the Bernadia soldiers moved in unison toward the hill. Spears and shields were raised from below and ascended, while the Talamand soldiers also swarmed forward, rapidly narrowing their formation around the Emperor. The eyes of the battlefield instantly turned toward Calix.
It was immediately after that that the general's movements changed.
He spurred his horse toward the hill. Lowering himself from the saddle, he pulled up the rifle hanging at his waist. It was already loaded.
The distance was far. It was not an easy distance to hit Odelia accurately, but it was a different story at the distance of the Emperor. The muzzle was aimed straight at Calix without hesitation.
It was the moment the general's finger applied force to the trigger.
Flash—the sword light flashed briefly.
With the sound of sharp metal scraping, the general's body froze for a moment.
A thin line was drawn across his neck, as if he had frozen in place while sitting on the horse. The next moment, the general's body tilted helplessly from the saddle and tumbled off beside the horse.
A low cloud of dust rose. A figure emerged behind him. It was Odelia.
Blood was slowly dripping from the tip of the sword. Odelia took a deep breath. Her ragged breathing gradually subsided. She slowly lowered the sword and raised her head.
"...Calix."
His name flowed softly from her lips.
Calix was also looking at her while on horseback.
With the noise of the battlefield not yet completely subsided, the two people's eyes met for a moment.
For that moment, the surrounding sounds seemed to fade away for a moment.
With Bernadia's general killed in action, the troops, having lost their commander, could no longer continue a proper attack. The Talamand and Imperial forces simultaneously pushed back the soldiers who had begun to scatter below the hill, and before long, the Bernadia army began to lay down their weapons.
The battle ended like that.
All the Bernadia soldiers were disarmed and bound as prisoners.
Although the port of Talamand and the hills still bore the scars of the three-day battle, the estate began to move swiftly again. The work of rebuilding collapsed palisades, moving wounded soldiers, and gathering equipment scattered along the beach was carried out simultaneously.
And that evening, Talamand Castle.
The office door burst open.
Odelia had not yet completely removed her battle suit. The cloak draped over her armor had slipped slightly down her shoulders, and her gait was a little faster and rougher than usual.
Then, the door opened again right behind her, and Calix entered. The expressions on their faces were far from those of people celebrating victory.
Odelia turned around halfway to face Calix. As soon as Calix saw Odelia's expression, he knew immediately. That she was not happy at all.
"...Your expression isn't very good.'
It was a calm voice.
"Is it that you don't like me coming?"
“It’s not like that.”
"Then are you angry?"
“Not even that.”
She denied it once again, but Calix's gaze still lingered on her. A brief silence followed. Then he spoke again.
"...Then why aren't you making a happier face?"
Odelia's eyes wavered slightly. Calix continued speaking slowly.
"You have no idea how relieved I was to see you safe. I thought you would welcome me warmly, too."
His gaze dropped for a moment and then came back up.
"As always, you say nothing."
Calix let out a low sigh.
"...You don’t want to lean on me."
His voice was still calm, but it was permeated with disappointment.
"You dislike receiving help, and even when there is something I can do for you, you always draw a line first, saying you are fine."
He paused for a moment, then added.
"It would be nice if you told me."
His gaze turned toward her.
"You know I want to help if it is something I can do."
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