In the mountainous region of southwest Arcadia, there’s a border where Arcadia meets the small country of Tyar. No matter how much they are called the Seven Kingdoms, or rather, because they are the Seven Kingdoms, they’re a great power and have many such border lines. They cannot be fully prepared in all directions, even if there’s a difference in national power.
Tyar's priority isn’t high for Arcadia. Therefore, the skirmishes are balanced. No, they were balanced. Until now—
"Well, let's go. Two of you will guard Lord Carl, and the rest will go with me."
A group wrapped in a green cloak covered with dirt. From the side, it looked like the scenery that blended with the soil started to move. They threw away their cloaks and descended the slope in one breath.
"What?!"
A surprise attack from a high place. When they noticed, it was already too late. They caught the side of the vertical line.
"Huh?"
There wasn’t a way for the enemy to do anything. In addition―
"Oraa!"
Except for the one who pierced the enemy at the head, everyone was equipped with long spears. The advantage of height and equipment; the advantage of tactics that targeted the enemy's weakness. A perfect, invincible posture. In short, the battle is—
"White mask?!"
"It's over."
It was over before it started.
Ten more corpses on the border battlefield. Ten lives were crushed in an instant.
"William! Are you okay?!"
A blond young man, Carl von Taylor, ran up to him. The man in the white mask turned to him.
"Did I look like I wasn't okay?"
The man in the white mask, William Livius, smiled brightly and sarcastically. Carl looked relieved, perhaps comforted by that.
"Okay, let's move to the next place. It's a rare mountain battle. We have to make some more money."
"Compared to field battles, mountain battles have a wider range of tactics, right? The terrain has a big effect, so even the position affects the outcome. You can't see well either, so you can do ambushes and surprises."
"You've studied well, haven't you?"
"Ehehe. I've done all of William's homework."
"...I wish you would study voluntarily, though."
"...I, I'll do my best."
The subordinates were used to the sight of the master-servant reversal conversation. Carl, the leader of the squad, and William, who assisted him. But in private, they had a relationship of Carl studying under William. Of course, in public, they respected Carl, and they never crossed the line, but strangely enough, Carl was dissatisfied with that.
"Even with a small number, the mountains can easily affect the battlefield. The sun is still high, so I want to take two more. Ignatz will be the leader, and Frank will assist him. The operation area is at the same point as yesterday's operation, unless there’s an unexpected movement. Lord Carl will adjust the squad in the middle, and I'll go in the rear."
"Understood."
The short and spirited one was Ignatz. The tall and gentle one was Frank. Both of them were talents that Carl had pulled out from the trading company under the Taylor family when he formed the squad. Their sword skills were mediocre, but their loyalty to Carl was different from the others. It was natural, since their families and trading companies were like hostages.
Ignatz led the way, followed by Frank and the others. William in the rear did not move until everyone moved. He waited until a certain distance was created after confirming that everyone had moved. He might be isolated by acting alone, but William's ability to see the rear widely had a great effect on the squad. In addition, William could escape as long as he was not caught or surrounded by the enemy. Therefore, he kept a little more distance than the others. Hence the free time.
"...Hmm."
William kicked the head of the enemy Decurion he had knocked off earlier. As it rolled and rolled on the ground, a strange exhilaration and a small sense of conquest welled up.
"How was your life? Were you happy? Were you unhappy? Do you have a wife? A daughter, a son? Do you have any friends?"
William couldn't suppress the smile that welled up.
"You didn't have anything. When you die, it's over, you incompetent fool. Happiness and unhappiness, rich and poor, nobles and slaves, they don't change. You lose when you die, I win when I live. That's all."
William stepped on the man's head with the momentum of his words. At that moment―
"Huh?"
A sharp discomfort ran through his chest. A pain that was painful, sad, and indescribable.
In the man's eyes, which were opened in agony, the figure of William in a mask was reflected. A hideous beast, a monstrous creature that converted the death and misery of others into its own pleasure. The "self" that was reflected in the depths of his eyes looked at him with a sad expression.
"That's all you have… you fool."
He stomped on the man's head hard, as if to erase the illusion. The head was crushed. The blood bounced back and hit his cheek, and he wiped it off. The illusion and the pain scattered. What remained was―
"I love the battlefield. The closer you are to death, the purer the exchange, and the easier it is to understand."
A beast wearing human skin.
He covered his mouth with his hand and hid his smile. He himself understood that this smile was not something that people would like. Rather, it would be unpleasant. That's why he hid it.
‘Hmm, the mask is also useful for selling my "face". The tone is good.’
He ran through many battlefields since that day. He had never gone berserk like he did in Laconia. He was calm, and sometimes he vented his anger like he did now; he controlled himself completely.
‘Except for the night.’
The dream he had been seeing since that day. A black-haired maiden and a boy, and―
‘The swelling crowd of the dead.’
The dead increased as he ran through the battlefield. The boy cried like a victim, hugging his knees. The maiden hugged him gently and protected him. A scene that made him feel sick for some reason. Lately, he felt more uncomfortable with their relationship than with the dead. He didn't know why, though.
"Oops, I have to move soon."
He eliminated the useless thoughts. The mask is something that reflects on oneself.
"Huh, I can switch, can't I?"
As he ran through many battlefields, he gradually began to make a name for himself. William Livius, the "White Mask". Carl's squad, the undefeated squad that continued to achieve results. The name of the "White Mask", the ring to it is slowly, slowly, echoing on the battlefield.
༺༻
"Ah, William, over here."
Frank beckoned to William, who had caught up with him.
"Perfect."
William's strategy had hit the enemy's rear. The enemy's formation was a little over ten men in a square. There was little difference in numbers, and it was an ideal shape to attack.
"..."
He would normally attack without hesitation, but William was silent.
‘...The opponent’s probably a Centurion. His armor is different from the others.’
In the center of the enemy's formation was a man with different armor. William narrowed his eyes.
‘My reason says I can win. But…’
In William's gaze, there was a man who waited for the enemy with confidence. Seeing the slight chill that emanated from him―
"...Let's retreat."
The decision was to retreat. He ordered a retreat, even though he had set up such good conditions. If this was someone who didn't know William or Carl's squad, they would want to object. But―
"Understood, then can I be the leader again?"
Ignatz accepted it easily and checked the next instructions. The others didn't show any semblance of surprise either. They would retreat if William said so. This was the iron rule of this squad.
"Yeah, wait at the next point. I'll go in the rear again."
The reason why Carl's squad was undefeated— William's cut-off, discernment, and thorough attack and withdrawal. He didn't miss the battles he could win, and he avoided the battles he couldn't win.
"Alright, everyone, let's go."
The retreat and the move to another point began with Carl's command. The action was orderly and without hesitation, and it was terrifyingly well-trained. It wasn’t easy to be reluctant to retreat or not to be greedy. It was difficult to spread that intention to the whole squad.
"Alright, quickly, but quietly."
"Captain, if you talk, William will get angry."
"Mmph!?"
It was difficult, but William's strength and Carl's personality had rooted it. William's strength and achievements were persuasive, and Carl's likable personality made them accept it without resistance. The atmosphere of the squad was pretty good. Their skills were also improving.
‘This was fine for now. This was the best course of action.’
William did his best. That was the best thing to do.
"..."
But still, the person who was doing it—
"Damn it."
Wasn’t convinced.
༺༻
"Huh?"
In the center of the square. The man's eyes saw something like a faint sign rising up.
"Oh, the white mask? Hahaha, you're as cowardly as the rumors say."
He had almost finished retreating. He had used the terrain well and created a situation where it was hard to catch up. But that was all. The man had no "fear" of him.
"Hey, white mask! Why don't you fight us instead of running away?!"
It was stressful for the man too. His tactics were almost completely neutralized, and he was being manipulated by everyone else. He was confident that he could win if he faced him head-on, so he was frustrated.
"Hey, hey! Is running away the only thing you can do, the undefeated white mask?!"
He had to do some cheap provocation to make it worth it. In fact, he had been completely defeated in the whole battlefield. The balance was already broken. The man's main force was picking up the win and barely fixing the battlefield. It was hard not to get that win here.
"...You're thorough, aren't you?"
He was irritated, but he also felt admiration. The tactics that perfectly read the enemy's formation and cut it off from the advantage, the intuition that considered the attack and withdrawal according to the enemy's strength. Both were high-level and well-organized. If he was asked if he could do that―
"...I have to hold out until reinforcements arrive somehow."
His plan to lure the enemy in by using himself as a decoy was a failure. The situation on Tyar's side was not bright.
"Damn...it."
William, who had no one around him, punched a tree hard.
He couldn't hear any voices from behind. No one was following him. That's why William didn't bother to hide his irritation.
"I should be "above" them. I should be stronger than those trash, than those third-rates. So why can't I?!"
Blood oozed from his fist. Under the mask lay a fierce expression.
"How long do I have to keep this situation going! I can understand Stracles, Kyle, and the others; I can accept it. But...why can't I even beat those trash!?"
Trash. That's how the man looked in William's eyes. He had also repeated retreats from the same situation, from the same kind of opponent. His intuition told him he couldn't win. But another thing, parallel to his reason, his depths screamed that he was superior.
"How long, I-I… should be able to do more..."
William had hit a wall.
༺༻
Edmund's company. The core unit of the Tyar side, and a recently rising company. The night camp was noisy with celebration. A battlefield that was almost certain to win. The regular soldiers were thinking of home, and the mercenaries and irregular soldiers were dreaming of the rewards they would get from the victory.
"You're so noisy, Frank. You guys didn't do anything, did you?"
Ignatz puffed up his cheeks.
"But without them, you know, we can move as we like since they're blocking the road for us."
Frank looked down at him naturally because of the height difference. Ignatz stretched himself, but it was meaningless. Frank tilted his head at the mysterious action, and Ignatz twisted his face in frustration.
"It's all William’s, or rather, Lord Carl's strategy. They're just standing where they're told. We're winning like crazy, and as long as there's a difference in numbers, the enemy can't attack recklessly and it's a stalemate, then we'll take it deliciously—"
"Didn't William say it too? It doesn't matter if it's a stone, as long as it blocks the road and gives us some pressure, they're still useful. Numbers are important, he said."
"Hah, the reward for a stone and us isn’t worth it."
"Well, yeah. But I think we're having it pretty easy too. We're doing what we're told, right?"
"When you say that, I feel weak."
Ignatz sat down. Frank scratched his head. In the end, no one but William was thinking, not even the other Decurions, let alone Edmund, the Centurion.
"Ah, sorry to keep you two waiting. I just had a military meeting."
Carl popped his head out of the tent and came near the two who were waiting outside.
"So, how did it go?"
Ignatz stood up, and Frank straightened his posture.
"Hmm, same as usual, I guess?"
The three exchanged glances and quickly left the place. After leaving, Carl sighed and said,
"But you know, I still feel bad. It's like I'm saying that I came up with the strategy that William made."
He said with a grim expression.
"You're saying that William’s okay with it, right?"
Carl made an even grimmer face at Ignatz's question.
"He's not only okay with it, he's asking me to do it. He says it's more convincing if I say it."
Carl wanted everyone to know how amazing William was. He felt guilty for taking credit for it, and he hated using William.
"I don't mean to offend you, but I think the words of a noble and a foreigner have different levels of persuasiveness. Maybe it's easier to understand for the outside world that William’s the sword and Lord Carl’s the brain."
Frank's interpretation. Probably correct, but Carl wasn’t convinced.
"Well, if he's okay with it, then it's fine, right? If William's strategy succeeds, we won't lose."
"I don’t think complacency is good."
"Yeah, yeah, Frank’s serious, huh?"
"Ahaha, let's go and have a meeting with William for tomorrow."
"Okay." "Alright."
The three headed to the place where William was waiting for the meeting.
The three entered the tent that was given to Carl's squad. The tent wasn’t very spacious, but it could be dismantled and carried, and it was light and blocked some wind. Carl was the only one who slept here, and the squad's simple strategy meetings were also held here.
"I'm back―huh?"
William, who usually spread a map on a small table and thought about the strategy, should have greeted them, but now―
"..."
William was asleep.
"..."
The three were stunned. He was sitting on a round chair with his mask on, snoring softly.
"Wow, that's rare."
Ignatz said in a low voice, careful not to wake him up. Frank nodded silently. Carl also looked at the scene with a blank expression.
"Wh-What should we do?"
Frank asked Carl nervously.
"...Let's just go out for now."
The three agreed to quietly leave the tent.
The three were enveloped in an indescribable atmosphere.
"Even he shows weakness like that sometimes, huh?" Frank murmured.
Ignatz also agreed, "Yeah."
"He seemed tired lately, and William deals with things like that too."
"Well, it's been a series of battles. He hasn't been back to Arcus for a while either."
"And on top of that, he's been moving the company behind the scenes lately, so he must have had a lot of mental stress too."
Carl suggested the movement of the company through him. He also bribed and flattered Edmund to get his suggestions through. He took on both the front and back work by himself. It was natural for William to be exhausted. And he was always at the top of his military achievements, so it wasn’t easy.
"What about the strategy meeting?"
Ignatz's words made Carl groan. He thought for a moment and said,
"Let's think about it lightly by ourselves and have William check it tomorrow. He'll get punished if he doesn't rest a little."
"True. We don't have to push ourselves too much now that we've almost won, right? What do you think, Ignatz?"
"I'll leave that to you. I'm not good at thinking like you or Frank anyway."
"Then let's think about the strategy and... it's a sleepover!"
"?!"
Carl was excited. Yes, since William occupied the tent, Carl had to sleep outside with the other squad members. Carl, who was promoted to Decurion right after the war in Laconia, had the right to sleep in a tent. But he wanted to sleep outside with everyone. And now, William, who was usually strict about that, wasn’t there.
Why didn't he wake up William, who was the key to the strategy, even though he was winning? It all came down to this sleepover. Carl von Taylor's supreme strategy exploded.
"But, Lord Carl, sleeping outside is..."
Frank said in a trembling voice. If it became known that he let Carl sleep outside, he didn't know what his father, who ran a trading company under the Taylor family, would say. And what was more frightening was that if he angered Lord Taylor, his house could be ruined. Ignatz, who was in almost the same position, also turned pale.
"It's just a nouveau riche thing. Come on, let's have a strategy meeting and sleep together."
"A house that has lasted for three generations isn’t normally called a nouveau riche."
"That's what they say among the nobles."
"Then act like a noble."
"Stop complaining. This is an order. A noble order!"
Ignoring the two who couldn't make a sound, Carl was ecstatic as if he had mistaken it for some kind of sleepover party. The two said in unison―
"This is hopeless."