Chapter 157 – The Young Lady (9)
“That person has arrived!”
“The savior of the allied forces!”
“Hero Amolang…!”
In the romance fantasy world of <The Generous Young Lady Who Receives Everything>, which lacks any combat-oriented fantasy elements, it is impossible for a single individual to annihilate an entire knight order.
My very existence is a cheat.
But if we’re going to talk about cheats, isn’t the setting where every handsome man is unconditionally obsessed with the protagonist an even more absurd one?
In other words, I stand proud and upright!
“Hmm… So you’ve come.”
“Ahem!”
“You’ve worked hard.”
Unlike the soldiers and knights cheering for me after I achieved a feat straight out of a fairy tale, the command staff’s reaction was lukewarm.
No—indifference would have been preferable.
“Hero, huh…”
“How could he raise a sword against the young lady…”
“This is troubling…”
Many of the nobles and commanders looked displeased with me for fighting well against the duchy to which the young lady belonged.
The reason?
‘The average age here is quite high.’
The soldiers and knights fighting on the battlefield are mostly young. Even the oldest are barely in their early thirties. Because of that, they are unaffected by the world-setting.
On the other hand,
“How about a truce even now?”
“To raise a blade against the young lady…”
“This war only brings wounds.”
The allied command staff—men who only needed to walk on two legs and give orders—were swarming with old men.
Fanatics of the young lady down to their very bones!
Their years of experience and wisdom were undoubtedly useful, but their mindset toward war was completely rotten.
And the bigger problem?
“You are all soldiers. Please refrain from any self-serving statements or actions that could be mistaken for espionage.”
“Hah! Is this young Count trying to lecture us now?”
“Count Amolang! You’re getting arrogant just because of His Majesty’s favor!”
“War isn’t won by one person being good at fighting!”
Their pride was stronger than their actual abilities, making rational conversation impossible.
“Very well. What would I, still young, possibly know? Just remember one thing: for us, there is no retreat, and no truce.”
“……”
“……”
The elderly commanders furrowed their wrinkled brows and showed clear displeasure, but they did not refute me.
Because doing so would be evidence of espionage or treason.
“I’ll see you all tomorrow. Ah—and since the knight order has been annihilated, I will be operating a separate special unit, so please pay it no mind.”
“Special unit? Count Amolang! Who gave you permission to draw troops—”
“It is a one-man special unit.”
“Hah?”
I answered the commander’s incredulous question with a smile before exiting the command tent.
(Unexpected.)
What is?
(I thought you’d just wipe out those old fools who are obviously going to cause trouble soon and pin the blame on the duchy.)
“Haha!”
My senior has greatly misunderstood. I’m not a villain—I’m a shaman.
(So you’re going to wait until they actually cause trouble.)
Yes.
And perhaps… those old men might never get the chance to cause trouble at all.
***
There’s no way a tent pitched outdoors would have soundproofing.
So if you simply strain your ears a little, you can immediately hear what’s being discussed in the command tent.
The same applies to the enemy camp.
Within the range of my perception, serious conversation was already taking place in the duchy’s command headquarters.
‘The knight order’s losses are catastrophic!’
‘It’s because we built the knight order with men who wear makeup like women…!’
‘Knights fighting with their faces—that’s why it ended like this!’
‘Insolence! The adorable young lady’s requests are absolute!’
‘Ahem!’
Thanks to the world-setting, the duchy’s leadership was just as insane as ever.
Although I had pushed through with brute force, even taking that into account, the duchy’s knights had fallen like bowling pins far too easily…
A knight order selected purely based on appearance?
There was a heartbreaking backstory behind it, as shameful as defense industry corruption.
‘We need the young lady’s royal guard.’
‘Ah! The royal guard!’
‘But don’t they only obey the young lady’s orders?’
‘If the duchy falls, it won’t benefit Her Ladyship either. If we explain that properly, the royal guard will surely understand.’
‘I hope so…’
The royal guard.
The duchy’s knight order I had crushed was equivalent to an Olympic reserve team—second-string.
The true first-string, the elite royal guard, seemed to serve solely as the young lady’s personal escort, like imperial guards.
‘Commander!’
‘Oh! He’s finally here!’
‘Her Ladyship has sent the Second Cavalry Division as reinforcements!’
‘The Second…?’
‘Yes! The Second!’
‘Good heavens! You’re saying Her Ladyship sent the Second Cavalry Division—those frail boys who can barely hold a sword? Not even the First, who at least act like men, but the Second…?’
‘Yes, Commander!’
‘Haha… Did the wise young lady say nothing else?’
‘The Second Cavalry Division is expendable—losing them all would be no great loss—so she instructed them to bring back victory at any cost.’
‘…I see. Her Ladyship has been merciful toward them until now, but she has finally decided to discard the Second Cavalry Division, which couldn’t even earn its keep. It must have been a painful decision.’
‘Indeed!’
The commander had an extraordinarily positive mindset—when it came to the young lady.
‘That delicate lady…’
‘I wonder if she’s crying right now…’
‘To make such a difficult decision…’
Even the supposedly intelligent staff officers were not much different.
(The setting really turns people into fools.)
Yeah.
It’s truly pitiful—the fate of the young people who have to follow these idiots’ orders.
‘Tomorrow we’ll do it like this…’
‘The cavalry division…’
‘We must succeed…’
Perhaps because winning this war would shatter the small shell called the duchy and allow them to grow into a great empire, the duchy’s command staff was far more fervent than the allied side.
On the other hand,
‘Is this a just war?’
‘What is His Majesty thinking…’
‘This is blasphemy against the young lady!’
The old men of the allied command seemed to care more about the young lady’s feelings than tomorrow’s tactics. If I hadn’t been eavesdropping right outside the command tent, I might have mistaken it for a gathering of philosophers devoted to the young lady.
Why are they hostile toward the young lady?
The philosophical topic—completely useless in real life—was quite memorable.
***
The second day of the war—where the fate of every nation in the romance fantasy <The Generous Young Lady Who Receives Everything> hung in the balance—had arrived!
Moderate humidity, clear skies, bright but not blinding sunlight, cool breeze…
Perfect weather for exercise.
“Let’s do this well.”
“Hiing!”
No matter what nonsense the military’s brain-dead commanders were planning, all I needed to do was master ‘chivalry.’
“Please take good care of me!”
(Alright.)
Today, I would receive instruction from my great senior.
Back in the historical drama <Palace Maid Deok-chun>, I had the chance to learn the orthodox style of mounted archery, but I postponed it due to lack of time.
At that moment, my senior—planning ahead—stole the knowledge and experience of a mounted archery expert.
“Very good.”
My practice opponent today was the Second Cavalry Division, discarded by the Ranuvel patient.
The knight order—protected by solid armor—was immune to arrows, but the cavalry division, which prioritized mobility and endurance, was extremely vulnerable to arrows and lances.
(You haven’t even properly mastered archery yet, and you’re trying to skip two whole stages…?)
“Haha!”
Learning mounted archery naturally improves basic archery too!
(Giving a dullard the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and watching him fall into qi deviation, huh.)
“Here they come.”
Thanks to eavesdropping on the duchy’s entire tactics, I had perfectly memorized the Second Cavalry Division’s route.
A one-man ambush!
One bow as a weapon!
I didn’t need to test it—I already knew there would be a ton of arrows flying through the air, so I brought plenty.
(The theory was all explained last night. From now on, I’ll advise you whenever your frustrating self makes a mistake.)
“Thank you!”
Handsome men—showing off their faces without even wearing helmets—came galloping on horseback.
Their weapons?
Only a single sword at the waist!
Because their slender arms—good only for grabbing a woman’s slim waist—couldn’t hold a lance for long periods.
The duchy’s Second Cavalry Division.
So lightly armed they looked like they’d blow away in the wind.
“As expected.”
Their purpose—since their combat ability was practically nonexistent—was to burn the allied army’s Achilles’ heel: the food warehouses.
After setting the fires?
Retreat on their own!
They were expendables whose role ended the moment they slipped past the allied defensive line and set the warehouses ablaze.
“For the young lady!”
“My love, I offer it to you!”
“Victory as a gift~!”
Did they not know this fact? The Second Cavalry Division’s morale was sky-high. They galloped through the forest path, singing songs in praise of the young lady who had abandoned them.
“Geez…”
Having confirmed their approach, I drew my bowstring while still mounted.
Creak—
I observed the movement of my target, held my breath to eliminate sway, felt the biggest variable—the wind…
Now! Shoot!
Twang—
“Gah?!”
Thud!
Direct hit!
I had aimed for the golden-haired handsome man, but pierced the silver-haired one galloping beside him right between the eyes. No problem. I’ll just shoot better next time!
“Ambush!”
“Where?!”
“Reveal yourself!”
The Second Cavalry Division, thrown into chaos by a single arrow, was nothing more than excellent targets.
“This time, the brown-haired handsome one…!”
Shoot again!
Twang—
“Gah?!”
“Hiing~?!”
Thud!
The gray-haired handsome man clutched the arrow in his chest and tumbled from his horse.
(Hmm. The grip strength in your thighs holding the saddle is good. Your posture is fine.)
Thank you!
(Your problem is archery that is extremely lacking in practice.)
In other words, once I solidly master basic archery, mounted archery won’t be an issue either?
(Easy to say.)
“Haha!”
That’s why I brought plenty of arrows. If I run out, I’ll just return to the main force for resupply.
Twang—
I kept shooting from the same spot while the confused enemies searched for me.
Hit rate around 20%?
Since they were bunched together, even my misses often hit someone else by accident. But once their numbers thinned or they scattered, that kind of luck would disappear.
And finally,
“There he is!”
“Over there!”
“Chase him!”
The cavalry division that spotted me charged bravely—like moths drawn to a flame in the darkness.
Thud thud thud—
Thud thud—
The plan to burn the food warehouses had long vanished from their minds. As soldiers, they were a complete failure. (Though they weren’t really soldiers to begin with.)
“Let’s go.”
“Hiing!”
If it were the usual me, I would have stood my ground and fought head-on. But today was mounted archery practice day.
(Successor. Do you want to ruin your back? It’s fine here, but in reality, twisting your body like that would strain your spine.)
“Ugh…”
As I began riding seriously, my senior’s nagging increased.
Twang—
“Aaah~?!”
My skill was rising steeply at the same time.
My body—which had once caught even the S-class superpower ‘Acceleration’ in the world of the hunter novel <I Became an SSS-Class Hunter>—was far from ordinary.
Mounted archery?
The warhorse was running hard, but it didn’t feel much different from shooting while standing still.
The speed of the horse felt far too slow to be an obstacle. The only real difference was shooting from an uncomfortable saddle.
(Hmm. Successor.)
Yes.
(If you really want to master mounted archery, you’ll need a much faster mount than a horse… You should practice in your girlfriend’s sports car.)
It only goes 80 km/h?
There’s not much difference from this horse.
(Once her driving skill improves, it will eventually be useful for practice.)
I think the Winter Olympics will arrive before Song Sun-young breaks 100 km/h.
Twang—
“Aaah~?!”
“Coward! Fight fair and— Gah…?!”
“Damn it! I’m retreating!”
The Second Cavalry Division—my practice targets—finally stopped pursuing and turned to flee.
“Oho!”
This was the moment I had been looking forward to most during mounted archery practice.
A chase!
The horrifying tactic I had suffered helplessly in <Palace Maid Deok-chun> despite my overwhelming combat power—even with my eyes wide open.
‘The hunt has begun!’
I generously gifted arrows to the handsome men showing me their backs.
Twang—
“Aaah?!”
“Hiing~?!”
Thud, flop, crash…!
Sometimes I missed and hit the horse’s hindquarters, but compared to the beginning, my skill had noticeably improved.
(Let me say it again… You really are strong in real combat.)
“Yeah!”
While I steadily raised my mounted archery skill,
Bwooooo!
Bwooo~!
The allied old men who loved the young lady finally caused real trouble.
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TL Note:
The novel is fully completed (231 chapters)
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