48
サンダーボルトを放ち、第二波と呼べるような魔物の大群と戦っていると、第一部隊と交代した第二部隊が応援に駆けつけてきた。
既に疲労がピークに達して、やっとの思いで動いている第三部隊は救援に来てくれた第二部隊に喜んだ。
「バルバロト! 第二部隊が到着した!
我々、第三部隊は一時後退し休息を取る!
急いで戻れ!」
第三部隊の隊長がバルバロトに向かって告げるが、バルバロトは戻ろうとしない。
「バルバロト! 聞こえないのか!」
「聞こえています! 私は残りますので、隊長は隊員を連れて先に行ってください!」
「馬鹿なことを言うな!
お前は確かに強いが無限に戦えるわけではないだろう!
いいから、戻って来い!!!」
「後で追いつきますから、俺のことは気になさらずに!」
レオルドは二人のやり取りを聞いていて、このままでは埒があかないと判断して口を挟んだ。
「バルバロト。上官命令には従え」
「しかし、レオルド様。俺が抜けては戦線は傾きますよ?」
「ほう? 俺がそんなに頼りなく見えるか?」
「そうは思っていませんが全体的に見れば、自分でも分かるでしょう?」
実際、バルバロトの言うとおりで全体的に戦場を見渡せば多くの騎士が疲弊しており、息も絶え絶えで今を凌ぐのが精一杯という状況だ。
もし、ここでバルバロトが抜ければ、今までバルバロトが抑えていた前線が崩れてしまい、一気に戦況は魔物側に傾くだろう。
「随分と俺を見くびっているようだな。俺が本気を出せばこの程度どうということはない」
「ははっ。強がりはよして下さい」
少々、レオルドの言い方にバルバロトは苛立ったようで近くにいた魔物を乱暴に殺した。
「俺の魔法を見ただろう?
「確かに凄まじい威力ではありましたが、あれはレオルド様も万全な状態だったから出来たこと。
今のレオルド様にもう一度撃てますか?」
「はっ! 舐めてもらっては困るな。俺が出来ると言うのだ。できるに決まっておろう」
「......そこまで言うのならば見せて貰いましょうか」
レオルドを信じてはいるが、虚勢を張るのは許せないバルバロトは怒気を含んだ静かな声でレオルドへと願う。
「ああ。なら、よく見ておけ」
レオルドは後方へと下がり、詠唱を開始する。
「母なる大地よ、我が意思に共鳴せよ。
飲み干せ大地、暴食の晩餐は今ここに!!」
ゴゴゴッと地鳴りが響き渡り、魔物も騎士も立っていられないほどの揺れが起こる。
「グラトニーガイア!!!」
大地が裂けると、奈落が生まれて魔物が吸い込まれるように落ちていく。逃げようとした魔物も足元にヒビが入ると、地面が裂けて魔物は飲み込まれていく。
次々と魔物が奈落の底に飲み込まれる光景を見た騎士達は恐怖に震える。レオルドがまだこれほどの力を秘めていたことに。
そして、多くの魔物を飲み込んだ大地は抜け出そうとしている魔物を容赦なく潰した。引き裂かれた大地は元に戻り、残ったのは騎士たちだけであった。
「ふ......」
鼻で笑い、バルバロトにドヤ顔でも見せてやろうかとしたが、レオルドはそのまま横に倒れた。
倒れたレオルドに慌ててギルバートが駆け寄り、レオルドを抱き起こすもののレオルドは完全に意識を失っていた。
「坊ちゃま!? 坊ちゃま!」
ただ事ではないと衛生兵が駆け寄り、レオルドの様子を確かめる。
脈も正常で心臓も機能しているのを確認した衛生兵はレオルドが魔力切れを起こしたことを知る。
「落ち着いてください。恐らくレオルド様は魔力切れを起こしてしまったようです。
しばらくは目が覚めないでしょうが、命に別状はありません」
「そうですか......よかった」
単なる魔力切れと知ってギルバートは安心する。ギルバートはレオルドを抱えると、バルバロトへと視線を向ける。
「坊ちゃまが稼いだ時間を無駄にするおつもりか?」
「っ! 直ちに砦へと避難しましょう」
ギルバートの一言で正気を取り戻したバルバロトは第三部隊と共に砦へと避難する。レオルドが大規模な魔法を使ったおかげで、後退はスムーズに行われた。
砦内へと戻ったバルバロトとレオルドを抱えたギルバート。ギルバートはレオルドを医務室へと運び、ベットに寝かせるとバルバロトと共に砦の外壁へと上る。
「静かですな」
「......」
「バルバロト殿。貴方にしては珍しく坊ちゃまに腹を立てておられましたな」
「申し訳ない。分かっていたのですが、あの状況ではどうしても許せなかったのです。
多くの騎士が疲弊しており、剣を振るうのもやっとという者もいる中、レオルド様の発言は不用意に希望を持たせるものでした。
確かにレオルド様はサンダーボルトで一時は魔物を殲滅させました。しかし、誰が見ても魔力が切れて立っているのも不思議なくらい消耗してた。
にも関わらず虚勢を張った。いくら少し回復したといってもサンダーボルトをもう一度撃てるほどではないだろうと私は思ってしまった。
だから、虚勢を張るのはやめろと、無闇に希望を持たせるのはやめろと、怒ってしまったんです。
もしも、レオルド様の発言が虚勢だけであったならば、気力だけで立っていた騎士は崩れ落ち、戦線は崩壊していたでしょう。
そう考えると、怒らずにはいられませんでしたから」
「仰るとおりですな。正直、私も耳を疑いました。
ほんの少し前の傲慢な坊ちゃまに戻ってしまったと落胆しましたから。
ですが、坊ちゃまは強がりでもなく、純然たる事実を叩き付けて見せたのです。
現に私は坊ちゃまが倒れるまで、目の前の光景に目を奪われておりました。これでは従者失格です」
「悔しいですね。レオルド様のことを信じていたと自分では思っていたはずなのに」
「本当にその通りです。自分が情けない」
落ち込む二人は同時に溜息を吐いた。
二人が落ち込んでいる間、レオルドは目を覚まさなかった。
日が暮れて夜が来る。夜は魔物の味方で人の敵であった。視界が悪い中、第一部隊と第二部隊は懸命に戦った。
だが、バルバロト、レオルド、ギルバートの三人が欠けたのは致命的であった。
負傷者が増えて、戦線を下げることになってしまう。幸い、まだ死者が出ていないことだけが救いである。
Ch 48
As  he released the Thunderbolt and  was fighting the horde of  monster that could be called the second wave, the second unit, which had replaced the first unit, came to their aid.
Already at the peak of fatigue and barely moving, the third unit was glad to see the second unit come to the rescue.
"Barbaroto! The second unit has arrived!"
" We, the third unit, will temporarily retreat and rest!"
"Hurry back!"
The captain of the third squad announced to Barbaroto, but Barbaroto did not want to go back."
"Barbaroth! Don't you hear me!"
"I can hear you! I'll stay behind, so you take your men and go ahead!"
"'Don't be a fool!
You're strong, , but you can't fight  forever !"
"Just get back already !"
"I'll catch up with you later, don't worry about me!"
Leolde listened to the exchange between the two and decided that they were getting nowhere, so he interrupted.
"Barbaroto. You should  obey your superior's orders."
" But, Master Leolde, if I'm  leave , the battle line will tilt."
"Huh? Do I look so unreliable to you?"
"No  but if you look at the whole picture,  you will understand .
In fact, if you look around the battlefield, you'll see that many knights are exhausted, out of breath and barely able to stand
If Barbaroto were to pull  back at this point, the front line that Barbaroto had been holding back would collapse, and the battle situation would quickly turn to the demon side.
"You're underestimating me quite a bit. It's not a big deal if I'm serious.
"Haha. Please don't be so tough."
A little bit, Barbaroto seemed irritated by the way Leoldo said it and roughly killed a nearby  monster .
"You've seen my magic and you don't believe me?
"It is true that it was very powerful, but that was only possible because Leoldo was with full magic power ."
Can you chant Master Leolde again now?"
"Ha! Don't  underestimated me . I say I can do it.
"...... If you say so.
Barbaroth, who believed in Leorde but could not tolerate pretense, wished Leolde in an angry, quiet voice.
". Then do it ."
Leolde steps back and begins to chant.
"Mother Earth, resonate with my will."
"Calling up the earth, for the feast of violence is now here!"
The earth rumbled with a gurgling sound, and the shaking was so great that neither the  monsters nor the knight could stand.
"'Gratony Gaia!!!"
As the earth ripped apart, an abyss was created and the demons fell as if they were being sucked into it. As the demons that tried to escape also cracked underfoot, the ground split open and the  monsters were swallowed up.
The knights trembled in fear when they saw the scene of the  monsters being swallowed into the abyss one after another. They realized that Leolde still had this much power in him .
And the earth, which had swallowed so many monsters , mercilessly crushed  them that were trying to escape. The earth that had been torn apart returned to its original state, and the knights were all that remained.
"Huh. ......"
He was about to laugh through  his nose and show Barbaroto  his smug face, but Leolde just fell to the side.
Gilbert rushed over to the fallen Leoldo and picked him up, but Leoldo was completely unconscious.
"Master !"
The medic rushed over to check on Leolde.
After confirming that his pulse was normal and his heart was functioning, the medic knew that Leolde had run out of magic power.
"Please calm down. It seems that  he has run out of magic power.
He may not wake up for a while, but he'll be fine.
"I see. ...... Thank God."
Gilbert was relieved to know that it was just a simple loss of magic power. Gilbert holds Leorde and turns his attention to Barbaroto.
"Are you going to waste the  masters hard-earned time?"
"What? We should evacuate to the fort immediately.
Gilbert's words brought Barbaroto  back to his senses, and he and the third unit took refuge  to the fort. Thanks to Leolde's massive use of magic, the retreat went smoothly.
Gilbert is holding Barbaroto  and Leordo as they return to the fort. Gilbert carried Leoldo to the infirmary, laid him on a bed, and climbed the outer wall of the fort with Barbarothp
"It's quiet.
"......"
"Barbaroto . You  was unusually angry with  him ."
"I am sorry. I knew it, but I just couldn't allow it to happen in that situation."
Many of the knights were exhausted and some could barely wield their swords, and Leolde  commands inadvertently gave them hope.
It is true that Leolde  used the Thunderbolt to temporarily stun the  monster . But by all accounts, he was so depleted that it was a wonder he was even standing there with his magic power gone.
In spite of this, he was frail. It occurred to  him that no matter how little  he had recovered, it wouldn't be enough to shoot the Thunderbolt again.
That's why  he  got angry at him, telling him to stop being so emphatic and to stop giving me hope without a second thought.
(If Master Leolde's statement had been only falsehood, the knight who was standing on his own strength would have crumbled and the battle line would have collapsed.)
When I he thought about it,  he couldn't help but be angry.
"You're right. To be honest, I couldn't believe my ears either."
To be honest,   he   couldn't believe what  he  was hearing, because  he  was disappointed that he had returned to the arrogant monk he was only a short time ago.
However, the monk was not being tough, he was telling the truth.
In fact,  he was transfixed by the scene in front of  him until the monk collapsed. This is no way to be a squire.
"It's frustrating. I believed in  him , Master Leorde."
"You're absolutely right. I feel ashamed of myself."
The two depressed people let out a sigh at the same time.
While they were both depressed, Leorde did not wake up.
The sun is setting and night is coming. Night was the friend of demons and the enemy of people. Despite the poor visibility, the first and second troops fought hard.
However, absent of  Barbaroth, Leolde , and Gilbert was fatal.
The number of wounded would increase, and the battle line would have to be lowered. Fortunately, the only saving grace was that there were no casualties yet.
Eroge Reincarnation, Struggle of a Golden Pig Aristocrat Against Fate
エロゲ転生　運命に抗う金豚貴族の奮闘記
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/eroge-reincarnation-struggle-of-a-golden-pig-aristocrat-against-fate/
Action Adventure Comedy Fantasy Harem Romance Shounen Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Age Progression Aristocracy Beautiful Female Lead Broken Engagement Butlers Character Growth Complex Family Relationships Cowardly Protagonist Crafting Dense Protagonist Domestic Affairs Doting Parents Elemental Magic Emotionally Weak Protagonist Empires Fallen Nobility Fantasy Creatures Fantasy World Fat Protagonist Fat to Fit Galge Handsome Male Lead Hard-Working Protagonist Harsh Training Kingdom Building Kingdoms Knights Late Romance Lost Civilizations Loyal Subordinates Magic Magic Formations Maids Male Protagonist Management Manipulative Characters Marriage Misunderstandings Modern Knowledge Monsters Naive Protagonist Nobles Reincarnated in a Game World Royalty Sadistic Characters Sword And Magic Sword Wielder Time Skip Transmigration Underestimated Protagonist Weak to Strong Wizards
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4214gk/
名無しの権兵衛