Elven Village Defense Battle ⑤

【Philimes】

I was alone at the front line.

Shun and Katia were assigned to the rear unit.

Shun is too kind.

Put negatively, he is overly gentle.

He will certainly defeat monsters, but he cannot take a life.

That is why I had him reassigned to the rear unit.

I left persuasion to Hyarins.

He understood Shun’s gentleness and accepted my proposal.

I am grateful to Shun.

Alone, I could not have crossed the Elro Great Labyrinth and returned to the Elven Village.

But from here, it is the teacher’s responsibility.

I cannot rely on Shun’s group.

The barrier has broken.

I was half-believing, but it truly broke.

Yet, the shock experienced by the other elves was greater than mine.

A barrier that had never been breached since its creation—absolute, by any measure—had been broken.

The threat of monsters beyond the barrier, combined with the loss of their psychological anchor, must have caused a shock beyond measurement.

I had anticipated such a scenario, but they could not have imagined the barrier’s breach was possible.

"Everyone, remain calm."

I speak to the panicked elves.

"The barrier has been breached. But the device that generated it remains intact. We need only endure until it is restored."

I am the daughter of the clan leader.

Additionally, a reincarnated being with high abilities, I hold significant influence among the elves.

To the long-lived elves, I am still a child, even if I am older in accumulated years than they are. Yet, regardless of inner feelings, they follow my words.

They are still listening to my words, gradually regaining composure.

"Moreover, this is the forest. A domain akin to our elven sanctuary. Human forces cannot prevail against us here. Let us teach them the folly of challenging an elf within the forest."

I utter a sharp statement to stir their resolve.

In truth, the situation is not favorable.

The terrain grants us advantage, but their numbers are overwhelmingly superior.

Furthermore, the enemy consists of seasoned soldiers from the Longstanding War against the Demon Clan—the elite of the Rhengazand Empire.

A brutal engagement was clearly inevitable.

Elves, though thoughtful, understand this well. Yet atmosphere matters.

The elves nod in silent agreement, then advance.

We move through the forest quietly—less like warriors, more like assassins.

Not entirely inaccurate.

Leaping from tree to tree, we finally locate the advancing army within the woods.

The terrain, ill-suited for marching, has disrupted their formation.

The front is blocked, congestion sets in, and attempts to resolve it only stretch the line sideways.

Announce attack via mental command.

Magic and arrows descend upon the struggling force.

They are helpless—ravaged from above.

This unit was clearly not prepared for combat in such terrain.

Frontline knights with shields manage minimal defense. Rearline ranged units and midline assault troops fall without response to our strikes.

The density was too great to move freely.

Even when positioned for movement, the forest itself—a natural obstacle—denied freedom of action.

Had this been open ground, the outcome would have been entirely different.

Our attack would have been blocked by the front-line shield units, worn down by rear-line ranged units, and finally halted by mid-line assault troops closing in for a decisive strike.

But that is only true if the terrain is open ground.

The forest is our field.

An environment where movement is restricted, against which we are unaccustomed to fight from above.

Counterattacks cannot reach us—our trees serve as shields.

Some soldiers attempted to climb trees, but were shot down before reaching the top.

Even if they succeeded, every elven warrior possesses three-dimensional mobility.

Few elves possess spatial mobility, but within this forest, that alone grants unrestricted movement in all directions.

An elf could not lose to a human on such an unstable wooden platform.

Yet the opponent was a seasoned, hardened warrior.

Not forever being on the receiving end.

Abandoning efforts to maintain formation, the shieldbearer reorganizes into a two-man cell with the long-range attacker.

She fires back while remaining hidden behind her shield.

Other soldiers unable to withstand the shield's defense also deflect the attack while aiming for the tree above.

The volume of attacks is high, but they are being overwhelmed by sheer numbers, forcing them into increasingly more positions where combat on tree branches becomes unavoidable.

I observed the battlefield conditions and ordered a retreat from unfavorable positions without undue effort.

My personal objective is to take the head of my former pupil. The collective objective of the elves is merely to buy time until the barrier is restored.

Considering the number of opponents and terrain advantages, the most effective strategy would be a gradual retreat while inflicting maximum damage on the enemy.

A report arrives from the auxiliary force: they are being pressured by an anomaly-class mage.

Some units have lost contact entirely.

My unit is performing well. Overall, we are the ones pressing forward. Yet, in certain sectors, we are being pushed back.

Still, I am fully occupied with my own unit.

I will leave that matter to Potimas, who remains at the main camp.

Though he is my father, that man is unpredictable.

He undoubtedly has one or two hidden reserves prepared.

Maintaining command in this way, I finally locate the figure.

Yugo van Rengzand.

Once known as Kengo Natsume, my former student.

A disciple who strayed from the path. No— one I led astray.

I cannot speak of Shun-kun now.

Even now, I have not made my decision.

Perhaps if I were to kill him, I would definitively become unfit to be a teacher.

I may already be unfit, but crossing that final line is certain.

Yet I must do it.

This is the last thing a teacher can do for Natsume.

It may be ego.

I do not ask for forgiveness.

Still, I will kill you.