The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

70 – EP5. Memories of the Wind

Angel woke up just as the battle had ended.

Angel clenched his head. No matter how much he thought, a winning strategy didn’t come to mind.

Creating a guerrilla layout against the Titan was a failure. When he gave up on obsessively trying to break through the rear by charging the Titan, it became difficult to attack the entire enemy force because of the Titan.

Among the allies, there was no one who could disrupt the formation as effectively as the Titan.

If he went with the guerrilla layout, it would be difficult to stop the Titan, and Angel began to think about how to stop the Titan.

And Angel requested,

“Can you tell me a little about the geography of this place?”

Ricardo raised an eyebrow and said, “Geography? I can tell you, but… only for the hero. I can’t provide a map to anyone else.”

“Oh, that’s more than enough.”

“But why do you ask about the geography?”

“I’m a bit uneasy.”

“What do you mean?”

“Right now, if the Titan charges, the mages tie down the Titan’s feet and others handle it. But what if the Titan doesn’t isolate itself and chooses to collide head-on with its subordinates? Is there a way to stop the Titan?”

“…There isn’t.”

“The reason the Titan charged and made the rear troops tremble was to minimize sacrifices. But the Titan has already suffered two defeats. Now, they might be willing to accept the sacrifice of their subordinates and choose a different method. Even if it means a large loss in tactical terms, it might be better than defeat.”

“…In that case, what do you suggest?”

“I’m requesting the geography to find that out. There will be another battle tomorrow, won’t there?”

“Well, to minimize civilian casualties, we are thinking about enduring it as much as possible.”

“…Doesn’t that mean that, if we’re willing to wait a little longer, we might not have a battle tomorrow?”

“Yes, that’s true. But it might also put civilians at risk.”

After agreeing, Angel examined the map several times.

Then, Angel gathered the high-ranking officials of Tyrentus and requested a meeting, saying that he had something to say.

“It’s curious that the hero has something to say to us.”

Magnus Tyrentus sat at the head of the table and spoke.

“Well, I’m curious to see if I can witness the remarkable tactics of a hero I’ve only heard about in words.”

The general of Tyrentus gave a curious look and replied.

“I’m looking forward to the tactics you bring, Hero. Given how extraordinary your improvisation was during the last battle, any plan you propose naturally piques my curiosity.”

Ricardo Tyrentus, the captain of the royal guard, chimed in, and Angel took a deep breath.

He had to persuade them all now, including himself, who was still uncertain.

“Yes, Hero, why have you called us? What is it that you request of us?”

Angel began.

“I request that we do not engage in battle tomorrow.”

“What?”

Magnus raised an eyebrow.

“Do you understand what that means exactly?”

“Yes, I understand it very well. There are many villages nearby, and the enemy can reach them within a day. So, to delay the enemy’s advance, I propose not to fight.”

“…You say that with full knowledge of what it means. It must not be a frivolous matter. Say it once more.”

Magnus spoke with a hint of annoyance, but Angel was not about to be swayed by such pressure.

“Do you believe that the current situation can be sustained?”

“What do you mean by the current situation?”

The general inquired.

“I mean the balance of the battle as it stands. When the Titans charge first, the magicians block them, and during that brief opening, the troops sweep away the monsters from the rear. Do you believe this can continue indefinitely?”

“…That’s…”

The general couldn’t speak or, rather, didn’t want to. Despite the recent taste of victory, the fact that they were treading on thin ice remained unchanged.

“We’ve gained a lot from this arrangement up until now. However, that means the Titans have suffered just as much. Are you willing to believe that the one who can turn beasts into an army will ignore those losses and continue as before? Frankly, even with the current strategy, is there any assurance that we can stop him?”

“…You’re right, but if you’re saying that, Hero, then you must have some plan in mind, right?”

Ricardo asked with a smile. Angel replied.

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“Yes, of course.”

“In that case, can you tell us what it is?”

“For now, we won’t engage in battle tomorrow, and we won’t engage in battle in the future either. We will keep retreating as it is.”

“…What’s the deadline?”

“Right up to the villages.”

“Are you joking? Are you suggesting a siege in the villages? Unfortunately, our fairies don’t have the same fertility as humans, so we can’t do that.”

The general spoke with a deeply angered expression. In the general’s eyes, it seemed as if the angels regarded the lives of civilians lightly.

“No, staging a siege in the village is just as risky as engaging in an all-out battle, and it would only complicate matters by involving civilians. What I mean is, we should lure the Titan with a sweet bait.”

“A bait, you say?”

The general inquired, and Angel nodded.

“Yes, a bait. Titans may value their subordinates’ lives, but I’ve heard they are willing to make sacrifices beyond that if it means killing more people.”

“That’s true, but go on.”

“Using that, we’ll have mages or the like hold the Titan near the village. Then the Titan will probably send its subordinates to the village. If they can kill that many civilians, it would be advantageous for them. And if the key personnel are gone, they might even be able to push forward with their own subordinates.”

“So, you intend to make them calculate that way and…”

“Block their remaining regular forces.”

“So, you were planning to use this strategy to overwhelm the Titan’s subordinates! That’s quite…”

“Yes?”

Angel looked at the general with a bewildered expression.

“Why target the underlings when the head is the one you should aim for? There’s no need to annihilate the Titan’s subordinates; you just need to block them.”

“What do you mean…”

“Our target is the Titan who sends its subordinates to the village.”

Angel said with a determined expression.

The next day arrived. Angel and Tyrentus’s forces continued to retreat repeatedly, endlessly.

The Titan wondered, why were the enemies only retreating?

They had already dealt with many of their precious direct subordinates. In such a situation, they should have had no reason to fall back, right?

While pondering this, the Titan found the reason. They realized that they would no longer be isolated.

The Titan felt a twinge of regret. The enemy was not underestimating them and was thoroughly prepared.

They were probably retreating to buy time for reorganizing. The Titan thought so.

As the situation repeated itself for the second day and then the third day, when they were only half a day’s distance from the village, the Titan felt confusion.

What? Is the village’s retreat already over?

However, just as the Titan began to think this way, the enemies blocked their path.

Yes, that’s right. They must have retreated as far as possible and reached their limit.

Regular soldiers weren’t visible, but the elite forces had already gathered.

And they began to charge at the Titan, blocking their path.

At first, the Titan considered mobilizing their subordinates to deal with them. However, after a moment’s thought, they realized it was more advantageous not to.

What if they just blocked these elite forces themselves and sent their subordinates to the village?

The discipline wavered as direct subordinates disappeared, and the cohesion weakened, but that’s only a story when it came to strategizing. In a full-scale battle, Titan’s numerous subordinates still had the power to exert themselves.

Titan began to verify what he needed to confirm to send his subordinates to the village.

Perhaps the enemy’s regular troops realized they were of no help against him and sent them to protect the village. However, due to the tactical situation, his subordinates could easily trample over them.

Also, he confirmed the presence of a human woman with white hair. He knew that if that woman had a protective barrier, his subordinates might not be able to do anything.

The leader of the fairies and the fire elemental summoned by the fairies were also confirmed to be here. His subordinates could easily sweep them away.

Titan checked everything and reached out to where countless civilians, the sweet prey, were visible.

“Crwaaah!”

As Titan roared, his subordinates began to rush towards the village.

The enemies seemed to be trying to stop his subordinates, but Titan himself had tied them up. It wasn’t a bad position to be in, tying up the enemy’s elite from the standpoint of being tied up.