“Now then, I believe there’s still some bad news in store?”

「那么，还有一些不太好的消息没有讲吧？」

“Yes! My Prince! Is it really advisable to let these gentlemen return?”

「是的！王兄殿下。让那几位先回去真的好吗？」

“That will depend on your report.”

「那要先听了你的报告后再考虑」

Caspond had once told his subordinates that they could only speak of news that was common knowledge in the presence of outsiders. That was why this man was the last to remain in the tent.

对直属部下们说过，在有第三者的情况下只能说出一些大家都知道的情报。这就是为什么只有他一人在帐篷里留到最后的缘故吧。

“...Your Highness, the demihumans are advancing on us from the east. At this rate, they’ll reach us in one hour.”

「……殿下，亚人们的部队正从东方往这里进发。按照这个速度我认为一个小时以后将会到达这里」

“Im...possible…”

「怎么……可能！」

Caspond struggled to keep himself from raising his voice. It would be bad if someone outside the tent heard this.

卡斯邦登拼命想要抑制住自己快要提高的音量。要是被帐篷外面的人听到就不好了。

“Kalinsha is to the east. Why hasn’t the city contacted us yet? Even if they did make a big detour to circle around us, how did they avoid our patrols’ eyes? ...Or are they few in number?”

「东边有卡林夏。那个城市什么联络都没有哦？就算想要绕一个大圈迂回，要怎样才能躲过那些巡逻队的眼睛……。莫非是少数人？」

“No, they’re estimated to be over 10’000 strong… what should we do, sire?”

「不、推测应该超过一万人。……请问该如何是好？」

The Holy Kingdom still had the numerical advantage even if one added 10’000 men to the demihumans forces. However, the fact that they were coming from the east was disastrous. When a smaller force attempted a pincer attack, normally one would simply defeat each arm of the pincer individually. However, this time, they were facing Jaldabaoth.

就算给亚人的残存兵力加上一万，也是圣王国这边的兵力更多。但是从东边来的这一点是最糟的。面对少量兵力的夹击，普通的话只要先击退一方然后再处理另一方就好了，但是这次的对手是亚达巴沃。

In other words, their escape route had been cut off.

这就等同于被截断了逃跑路线。

“...Alright, listen closely. You must not tell this news to anyone, got it?” Caspond coldly told the surprised scout

「……这样的话、你听好了。绝对不要把这个情报告诉给任何人！」

卡斯邦登对着一脸惊讶的斥候冰冷的说道

“This news is very dangerous. If the army learns of it, they’ll lose their will to fight and we’ll lose a battle that we could have won. Also, a lot of people might end up dying. We must not tell anyone about this for the sake of unity.”

「这个情报太危险了。如果被全军知道了的话，战意会瓦解，本来能赢的战斗也赢不了，还有可能还会出现大量的牺牲者。为了团结的话这件事就不能被人得知！」

“Your Highness…”

「殿下……」

“...Don’t worry. All will be well if we can win within an hour. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

「……没事。在一小时内决定胜负就好了。不用那么担心的」

“...I understand.”

“Also, don’t let the scouts stray to the west. If things go badly, they might let the news slip, and then we’ll splinter and end up defeated in detail. You must keep this secret until the last moment, understand?”

「……属下明白了」

「还有尽量不要让斥候们到西边去观察敌情。要是搞不好情报泄露了，就会被分裂然后被各个击破，一定要隐瞒到最后，知道了么？」

“Yes, sir!”

「遵命！」

While he did not seem quite comfortable with it, the messenger probably felt that Caspond’s logic was sound as he left the room. Alone inside the tent, Caspond palmed his face.

虽然好像没法接受，但大概觉得卡斯邦登的考量也是有道理的传令兵离开了帐篷。在毫无一人的帐篷里，卡斯邦登一个人摀住脸。

***

The palisade they had built was very simple. The west and north sides were complete, but the south-side was only half-finished. Meanwhile, there was nothing on the east side. It would be better to take formation on open ground rather than try to fight in such a cramped place, so they abandoned their camp and spread out over the plains.

建成的栅栏过于简单。西侧和北侧倒是完成了、但南部只完成了一半、至于东侧则是完全没有。与其围在这样的场所里面战斗，不如拉开阵型在平地上打。因为这样的意见，因此放弃了据点而在平地上展开了大军。

They had chosen to form a long line.

选择的阵型是横阵。

Any unit that made contact with Jaldabaoth would be lost. Therefore, the other units would abandon it and attack the demihumans. They had taken this formation because they were prepared to make that sacrifice. Remedios would lead the paladins on hit and run attacks, so she had no fixed position. This was so that she could head towards any location where Jaldabaoth appeared.

出现了亚达巴沃的部队应该会全军覆没吧。既然这样就不管那个部队，由其他其他的部队和亚人们开始战斗就好了。就是这种做好了牺牲觉悟的阵型。其中，蕾梅迪奥丝率领的圣骑士团负责游击，所以并没有特定的部属。这是为了能随时前去亚达巴沃出现的方向。

Neia and her unit were also free-roaming. She understood the two implications of that assignment. The first was that it would be easy for CZ -- as a subordinate of the Sorcerer King -- to escape. The second was that if CZ wanted to fight Jaldabaoth, putting her in an immobile unit would result on a hole being torn in the line of battle.

宁亚他们的弓兵部队也是同样负责游击。宁亚知道这么做有两层含义。一层是容易放走希丝这个魔导王的陛下，另一层是如果希丝回心转意想要和亚达巴沃战斗的话，无法自由行动的部队会使战列形成缺口。

Neia’s unit had already discussed what they would do if Jaldabaoth showed up.

宁亚的部队早已商量过在亚达巴沃出现的时候应该怎么做

Would they hunt down the demihumans, flee to a safe place -- or perhaps, would they fight Jaldabaoth?

是要去打倒亚人的部队、还是向安全的地方转移、还是说——应该和亚达巴沃战斗。

Their answer was unanimous.

大家的回答是一致的

They would defeat the demihumans.

去打倒亚人的部队。

All of them deeply hated Jaldabaoth, the source of all evil. However, they knew their place -- what good could they do, if even the mighty Sorcerer King was no match for him? In that case, it would be better to focus on slaying the demihumans, in order to bring them just a little closer to victory. Of course, part of that was also because they did not want to let CZ die, being that she was a subordinate of their great benefactor, the Sorcerer King.

虽说确实对万恶之源的亚达巴沃恨意很深。但就连那个魔导王都没能打败对手，对于自己的分寸还是清楚的。那么为了能多少迈向战略的胜利，更应该着重于歼灭亚人上。虽然其中也是有不想让对自己有恩的魔导王的部下希丝死的理由。

Neia mounted up on her horse, and studied the enemy.

宁亚上了马，注视着敌军。

The demihuman formation had been full of openings in their previous battle, but now it was immaculate. What had once been a motley grouping of demihumans by racial types was now a neat line of battle that looked like a veteran army.

在之前的战斗中破绽百出的亚人联合军阵营、现在保持着没有破绽的军容。原本不过是不分兵种只是按种族聚在一起的集团们，如今却如同精良的军人一样整齐列队。

Had the demihumans projected such an image of strength and power in the previous battle? Their rows of shields looked sturdy and indomitable, while their bristling spear points gleamed with blinding brilliance. Jaldabaoth’s incredible command ability notwithstanding, this unit’s cohesion was self-evident.

在以前的战斗中亚人们有保持过这样的威容么？排列的盾牌坚实无比、林立的枪剑发出耀眼的光芒。亚达巴沃的指挥能力之高自不必说、这支部队的向心力也如实的阐述出来。

No--

不对――

This is only to be expected. Everyone would obey once they saw his overwhelming power.

（这是理所应当的，见识到那样强大的力量后，没有人会不屈服的）

Many demihumans placed a great emphasis on personal power. In that respect, they would probably be glad to follow Jaldabaoth.

许多亚人崇尚力量，如果是这样的话可能会很乐意追随亚达巴沃。

The battle was about to begin.

战争一触即发。

Neia and her people loosed arrows from the rear.

宁亚他们从后方放箭。

A rain of arrows launched by 3’000 people fell upon the enemy.

三千人一同放箭，箭如雨下。

During this battle, the humans had adopted a wide formation in order to end the battle quickly -- by wiping out the demihumans.

这次的作战中，人类摆出宽广的横向阵型、总之志在短时间内结束战斗——歼灭亚人们。

They launched a heavy cavalry charge, leaving nothing in reserve. The humans were committed to an uphill slog, and they attacked ferociously. In contrast to them, the demihumans solidified their defense.

毫无保留地发动重装骑兵的突击。决定背水一战的人们不管三七二十一发动猛攻。与此相对，亚人们巩固了防御。

Perhaps it was because they understood that this all-out attack was nothing more than casting kindling onto a blaze. The charred remains of the kindling would scatter all over the ground in short order.

也许是他们理解到这样一鼓作气的攻势如同烈火添柴般，不过只是一时而已。焚烧殆尽的木头马上就会七零八落地散掉地。

Given that humans were weak individuals, it would be very difficult for them to bring down the demihumans’ reinforced defense. Or rather, the humans might have actually had a chance against the demihumans if Jaldabaoth were not around. However, the demihumans’ unit composition was one which allowed the many races making it up to make full use of their respective abilities, compensating for their weaknesses and further emphasizing their strengths.

个人力量上占劣势的人类想要攻破加强防御的亚人是很难的。不对，如果是亚达巴沃不在时的亚人还是有可能战胜的。但是现在采用的是让各式各样的种族都能把各自的能力发挥到极致的编成，彼此能够互补并加强长处。

The demihumans’ defense made the advantage the humans had enjoyed several hours ago seem like a pleasant dream. No matter how many times they charged, how many times they thrust their lances, or how many arrows they loosed, nothing they did could shake the demihumans’ formation. Instead, the attackers from the Holy Kingdom took heavier losses than them.

这防御能力让几个小时之前的优势如同梦一般。无论进行多少次突击，多少次长枪突刺，多少次射箭，都无法撼动坚固的阵形。不仅如此，进攻方的圣王国方反而损失更为严重。

Time was passing, and they could not let the battle last until nightfall. However, the humans’ morale and stamina would probably give out before that and they would be crushed in turn.

时间正在流逝，不能让战斗进到晚上。不过在这之前，士气和体力就会消磨殆尽然后反被突破的吧。

In addition--

不仅如此――

“Jaldabaoth’s appeared in sector 2A! Second Infantry has been completely wiped out!”

「亚达巴沃于2A地区出现！步兵第二部队覆灭！」

“Fourth Infantry has taken more than half casualties!”

「步兵第四部队损伤过半」

“Sixth Lancers has taken over half casualties!”

「枪兵第六部队损伤过半」

--The messengers loudly announced the situation on the battlefield.

――传令兵大声的报告着战场的局势

“Where is he this time!?”

「这次是那边！？」

Caspond had suggested they divide the battlefield into several sectors.

这次的战场由卡斯邦登提议被分割成了好几个区域。

They were numbered, to make moving the men as easy as possible. It was a very crude system, but it was easy to understand.

这是为了让部队尽可能容易指挥而用号码来分配。虽然很粗略，但是可以成为一定程度的标准

The forces there must have been trying to flee Jaldabaoth. Even from here, it was plain to see that they were in complete disarray. The demihumans in that region began their attack, and troop organization there disintegrated like it had melted.

那边的部队大概是要逃离亚达巴沃吧。从这也能清楚看到队伍七零八落的样子。接着亚人们开始攻势，兵团就像是融化了一样瓦解了。

That was it.

就是这个。

Just by appearing once and using just that little bit of power, he had destroyed a battalion of 500 men, and there were nearly 1000 casualties in total. The demihumans who charged the gap he created caused even more deaths in turn.

亚达巴沃只是出现一次，仅仅是发挥那个能力，五百人的小队就开始覆灭，全部的死伤者达数千人。而亚人们就会对因此出现的缺口进行突击，造成更大的牺牲。

It would be one thing if the demihumans had gotten cocky and pressed the attack, but they immediately retreated after pursuing for a short distance, like a turtle shrinking into its shell. This turned the battle into a melee, and the tactics designed to make it difficult for Jaldabaoth to use his powers could not be applied.

如果这样亚人们就得意忘形地继续进攻还好，但是他们追击了一段后马上后退，再度像乌龟一样收缩阵型。这样一来，把战斗拖入乱战，让亚达巴沃难以施展他的能力的战术也不能用了。

That masterful strategy was probably the result of Jaldabaoth’s command ability as well.

这些也是亚达巴沃那完美的统帅形成的作战吧。

Remedios led her paladins to sector 2A as quickly as she could. However, by the time she arrived, Jaldabaoth was no longer there. He had moved to another region via teleportation, as if to mock them.

蕾梅迪奥丝所率领的圣骑士团朝着2A地区急行军。但是到达的时候亚达巴沃已经不在了。通过传送移动，好像在嘲笑他们一般出现在别的区域。

This series of events had repeated itself over and over again since just now.

这戏码从刚刚开始就反复上演。

The word “bad” was not nearly enough to describe this.

不是糟糕可以形容的程度了。

Still, it was a fact that nobody here, Neia included, could think of any good solutions. All Neia and her people could do was keep raining arrows on the demihuman troops.

CZ simply watched the battle from beside Neia. Her weapon was not capable of arcing fire like bows were, so she had no chance to demonstrate her incredible skills.

但是包括宁亚在内，周围没有人能想出好的应对方法也是事实。宁亚他们只能不停的向亚人那边射出箭雨。希丝只是在宁亚的旁边观察战场的局势。她的武器和弓箭不同不能曲射，所以失去能展示她绝技的机会。

Eventually, her fingers began to hurt from drawing back her bowstring, and everyone’s quivers -- including Neia’s -- began to run dry.

终于放箭放到手指开始疼起来，箭筒也空了，而且不仅仅是宁亚空了。

“Baraja-sama! We’re almost out of arrows!”

「巴拉哈大人！箭矢所剩无几了！」

They did not have unlimited arrows.

箭矢也不是无限的。

“...Fall back for now and replenish supplies!”

「……暂时先退下，进行补给！」

The unit obeyed Neia’s instructions and returned to the rear to stock up on arrows.

遵照宁亚的指示，部队退往后方的补给部队。

She would have liked to give them some rest time, but unfortunately they did not have the luxury of that.

本来是想给一些休息时间的，但是很遗憾没有那个闲工夫。

“Are you ready?”

「准备好了么」

“Yes, Baraja-sama. We can move out any time!”

「是的，巴拉哈大人，随时可以出发」

“In that case--”

「那么――」

Just as she was about to shout for them to move out, Neia saw several mounted scouts from the east.

正要喊出发的时候，宁亚看见从东边来了几个骑着马的斥候。

The lead scout met Neia’s eyes for a moment, and then he shouted:

先头骑兵眼神和宁亚交会的瞬间，斥候喊道

“Demihumans from the east! Look out!”

「东边亚人部队正在接近！注意警戒！」

“Hah?”

「哈？」

Surprised, Neia looked into the distance and squinted. She could make out some rising dust and the shapes of what looked like people. While she would need to check their movement speeds to be sure, given their distance, they would be here soon.

宁亚惊讶着回头望去，眯着眼眺望，远方有些许沙尘扬起。

那里有像人影一样的东西。虽然也要看对方的移动速度而定，但是从距离来看应该不会花上很久就会到达。

What a mistake this had been.

多么大的失算。

They had been so focused on the demihumans before their eyes that they had neglected to watch their backs.

专注着与眼前的亚人战斗，而松懈了后方的警戒。

She wanted to believe this was fake. She wanted to believe that Kalinsha had sent reinforcements to help them.

多想相信这一切都是假的。真希望留在卡林夏的人会派援军赶过来。。

However, that was not the case. If it were, then they would have sent a swift horse ahead to inform them.

但是不可能会有这样的好事，如果有的话早就派快马来通知我们了

Neia’s legs felt like they might collapse.

宁亚感觉自己的脚要站不住了。

This news was far too grim.

这情报太过于绝望了。

Jaldabaoth’s plan was to trap them with a pincer attack from the enemy reinforcements.

来自敌方援军的夹击――亚达巴沃一开始就是这么打算的。

He did not fight, but let the demihumans fight instead. This way the humans would choose not to flee, but to fight in order to satisfy their victory conditions. Jaldabaoth’s aim had been to bait all the humans onto the battlefield and keep them from escaping.

自己不出战让亚人们战斗。这么一来，人类就会为了达成胜利条件不去逃跑而选择战斗。把人类们拴在战场上不让人类逃走就是亚达巴沃本来的目的。

In other words, Jaldabaoth had already surmised that the humans would say that he would flee once the demihumans were wiped out.

也就是说亚达巴沃早已看穿了人类推测说如果把亚人歼灭自己就会撤退这一点。

“Haha, but of course!”

「哈哈！那也是当然的！」

Beldran laughed with genuine mirth.

贝伦托兰打从心底觉得很有意思的笑了起来。

Just as everyone was looking at him with panicked eyes, Beldran regained his calm and addressed Neia.

就在大家都在想发生了什么而急忙把视线集中过来的时候，冷静下来的贝伦托兰对宁亚说道。

“Caspond-denka made a fatal mistake in his thinking. More importantly, why did he not notice it?”

「卡斯邦登殿下的想法有着致命的错误。正确来说应该是，为什么会没有注意到这件事呢？」

“What is it!?”

「那是！？」

“...Baraja-sama. It is a perfectly natural thing. As long as he controls the hills, he can send reinforcements here. Just destroying the demihumans in this place does not mean Jaldabaoth will retreat.”

「……巴拉哈大人。这是再自然不过的事了。如果控制丘陵地带的话，就可能往这个区域派遣增援。只是把这个区域的亚人歼灭，并不代表亚达巴沃就会撤退」

“Ahhh!”

「啊啊！」

After hearing the explanation, Neia was not the only one who understood. The same noises could be heard from around Beldran.”

听到说明后，不止宁亚一个人理解了状况。贝伦托兰话音落到的周围都发出了同样的声音。

“After driving away the demihumans here, we will still have to counter-invade the hills. Caspond-denka’s idea can only be proven correct after we exterminate all the demihumans there as well.”

「把这个地方的亚人们赶走，然后还要反攻丘陵地带。直到将亚人歼灭后，才能证明卡斯邦登殿下的想法是正确的。」

Indeed. Beldran also supplied an answer for why they had not thought of thus.

正是如此。至于为什么没有想到这点，贝伦托兰同样也给出了答案。

“...Caspond-denka and ourselves thought of the same thing, and we were blinded by the possibility of salvation and did not consider the matter in greater depth.”

「……我们和卡斯邦登殿下的想法一致，被有可能得救这种希望蒙蔽双眼，没有更深层的去考虑过这件事」

But launching a counter-invasion of the hills was practically impossible. In other words--

但是反攻丘陵地带几乎是不可能的。也就是说――

“...There’s no way to save the Holy Kingdom?”

「拯救圣王国的道路是……死的？」

Silence filled the air. The clamor of the battlefield seemed very far away.

沉默支配了全场。战场的喧闹彷佛离得很远。

“No…” Beldran forced himself to speak. “There is a way.”

「不……」贝伦托兰难以启齿般的开口了「只有一条路」

“Which is?”

「那是？」

“...Jaldabaoth. We have to defeat the Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth.”

「……亚达巴沃。把魔皇亚达巴沃打倒」

It was a perfect answer, but there was no rejoicing. It was the most insoluble problem in the world, and they had adopted Caspond’s plan precisely because they could not do it.

就算听到了这个完美的答案、也丝毫听不到欢欣雀跃的声音。这个是这个世界上最不可能解决的难题，正是因为做不到才采取了卡斯邦登的作战。

“...As I thought, we should have gone to look for His Majesty above everything else. We were the ones who chose poorly.”

「……果然应该无论如何先去寻找魔导王陛下才对。是我们做出了错误的选择」

If she had not gone to retake Kalinsha, but went to the hills with CZ in tow, they might have avoided this.

如果不去夺还卡林夏，而是和希丝一起朝着丘陵地带进发的话，就可以避免这个事态的吧。

Still, it would have been very difficult. Neia had made the best choice she could based on what she could do. She had tried to avoid foolhardiness and pick the most successful path.

但老实说那是很困难的。宁亚他们已经尽自己最大努力做出最好的选择了。不鲁莽行事，尽可能提高成功率。

However, should they have tried it after all?

不过，果然还是应该进行挑战吗？

What if--

如果——

What if--

如果——

What if--

如果——

Countless “what ifs” flew through Neia’s mind. Every time she thought about “what if I had done this or that” she was swamped in guilt and regret.

好几个「如果」闪过了宁亚的脑海。每想到一次如果这么做了，后悔与罪恶感就像海啸一般朝着宁亚袭来。

Her will to fight was at rock bottom. Neia was not the only one. Her entire unit which felt this way.

士气已经降到最低点了，而且应该不只是宁亚的部队是这样。

The victor was clear.