The Girl Who Eats the God of Death
Chapter 13 - Decorative Walnuts Red Sauce Tastes Very Delicious

One week after his operation had been established, David departed from Belta, leading 15,000 troops under his command. He made camp on the side of Sulawesi's Great Bridge and waved the commander's army flag.

In response as if welcoming them, the Liberation Army also deployed their troops on the opposite bank of the river. They showed the intention of 'Don't expect to cross'. They will not let the Antigua they took over with great difficulty, fall easily.

Looking at their camp, David snorted.

"From the looks of it, maybe 40,000? It seems that the main troop withdrawal has gone according to plan."

"We also as planned will pretend to have reinforcements that are constantly coming. It'll keep the enemy in place."

Said the Chief of Staff Officer, and David nodded.

"We must organize the officers and soldiers so that no one is negligent... We must also prohibit them from forcibly crossing the river. Tightening surveillance."

"As I have told you. The spies have been sent to the shore of the river, and our monitoring preparations have been completed."

"As expected of you, Chief of Staff Officer. You work fast as always."

"Thank you for your compliment."

The Chief Staff Officer respectfully bowed his head.

"From here, it'll be a long journey. I will pay close attention to the execution of his plans from this base."

David returns, and the officer's staff follow him. The gaze continues to be directed. Sometimes, trumpets or drums are heard, and signs that they will attack are repeated over and over again. Without a single arrow fired, Day passed and night approached.

–Alucia River, River Crossing.

The builders, waiting until nightfall, lined the small boats to the opposite edge, and built a wooden bridge. Until now, there was no sign of enemy soldiers.

They haven't been detected.

After a few hours, several floating bridges have been created. The faces of the builders soldiers showed a hint of impatience. If they were discovered now, then the bridge they had built would be sunk easily. They may be faced with a massacre. Even so, they had safely completed their task. When the last bridge was completed, the builders soldiers went to the mainland. They would guard the bridges until the trains crossed, and send a signal to the cavalry units of the First Division.

The sky is getting brighter. Soon the sun will rise.

"The construction of the floating bridges has been completed. The rest is up to you. We, as soon as the First Division crosses the river, will form a formation at the end of the bridge."

"Good job for completing your task. Leave the rest to us. We're going to tear them apart in one strike, just watch!"

The cavalry commander, Major General Alexei nodded. The leader of the builder warriors straightened his back and saluted.

"86– May good fortune be with you!"

Although the air was cool, the tension increased.

–The one who will start the battle is us.

Major General Alexei drew his sword and gave orders to the soldiers under his command.

"First Division, Crossing Cavalry, come forward! Target, Antigua Branch Castle!"

“Ou!”

"Start forward! Stay in line–!!"

A cavalry unit of 10,000 began crossing the Alucia River via a floating bridge. Although some poorly trained riders fell into the river, it could be said that the crossing was a success. They moved into the Plains of Alucia, unknown to the enemy. Schera's cavalry unit crossed last as rear guard.

"Quite rocking. I feel like I'm throwing up."

"What can I do, it's just for a minute. Be careful not to fall."

"It would be a funny story if a Second Lieutenant fell, Second Lieutenant Katarina. Be careful."

"I'm not going to fall!"

"You're gonna scare the horses, so don't yell out loud. Dare you do it again, then I'll push you down."

Reprimanded by Schera in a commanding tone, Katarina's shoulder slumped. Vander who was beside him calmed him down in a relaxed manner, "Well."

None of Schera's cavalry units fell. They did not put up their new flag. The two aides forbid it, deeming it inappropriate. Even so the cavalry members were intending to change their flag when they had the chance.

Ensuring that the First Division had successfully crossed the river, the builders soldiers continued their work and began to build an encampment on the banks of the Alucia River.

They began to give guidance to the supply unit. Simultaneously, the main force of the Second Division, a mix of the Fourth Army infantry divisions, began to cross the river. They were a huge army of 50,000, and it seemed to take quite a long time to complete the crossing.

Major General Alexei, who was assigned as a vanguard, was ready to move towards the Alucia Plain. Mysteriously, none of the enemy soldiers were found. Perhaps their entire military force had headed to the Great Bridge. Or so Alexei thought. The Second Division was still behind them, and currently, they formed a long lane formation. The only thing that the cavalry unit had to pay attention to was the movement of the main enemy forces located on the Great Bridge of Sulawesi. In a situation where they changed direction, the cavalry unit would attack them. In the standoff, it was David's unit's job, which was to distract the enemy on the other side of the bridge, to attack them from behind.

"Alright, someone! Go check if the main enemy forces are moving or not from the Great Bridge!"

"86– Leave it to me!"

"Other riders, check the movement conditions behind us. Hurry over!"

"86!"

His two guards were sent to scout, and for now, the First Division stopped moving. Since there was no resistance from the enemy, their movements went very smoothly. In this interval, they would rest their horses, and all the members of the group rested on a meal.

Schera also ate his provisions which he carried greedily.

It's past noon now. Before taking Antigua and before nightfall, they wanted to set up a combat formation so that infantry units could immediately make a raid.

A rider rushed up to Alexei who was sitting in a simple chair and arranged their movements together with the aides and stretched out a map. Without delaying it again, the rider got off his horse and reported.

"Major General Alexei! Enemy troops are seen on the Alucia Plain in front of us! It was the emblem of the leader of the Rebel Army, Altura! He led several thousand infantry!"

"What did you say!? That rebellious girl just came here!?"

Alexei shouted and stood up straight away. Right before his eyes, the path to success had opened. The only option is to catch the girl. If he got the head of the girl, he would definitely be promoted. He's got to go. Alexei decided without a second thought.

"Major General, this is an opportunity that will not appear twice. If we kill that girl here, it's all over. There's probably no need to take Antigua down anymore."

"The greatest achievement will be yours, Major General Alexei!"

"I know! Tell the riders. We'll start an attack soon!"

"86–!

"Altura's head will fall on our hands!! We'll get whatever gift we want!!"

Under the orders of Alexei, the First Division's cavalry moved vigorously towards Altura's unit.

As if they had expected it, the Liberation Army began to retreat like rabbits that had escaped without meeting them.

The slow platoon was destroyed by that cavalry unit. The momentum of the cavalry unit was fierce, with a pass right in front of them.

Alexei didn't realize it, but the First Division and the Second Division were far apart. Since the Second Division was a mixture of units, their chain of command was in disarray, and it was difficult to move forward just like that. There are many who disobey orders and the morals are low.

Since the rear guard did not need to participate in the battle, Schera's cavalry unit remained silent in the middle of the area. After all, it was so unreasonable, it was not even worth it as a joke for Altura's head to be snatched away by a little girl. Assuming that now was the only chance they had, the cavalry warriors belonging to Schera changed the flag. Blown in the wind, flags bearing the image of a white crow on a black background gracefully fluttered above their heads.

The area was illuminated by the sun that was about to set. Soon it will be a dangerous night.

".....Are we not chasing them? Major Schera."

"We cannot break the command. We just give up and hang around here. We can't neglect the task of surveillance for surprise attacks."

He signals the riders nearby, instructing them to conduct surveillance.

"However, if you decapitate the girl in the Rebel Army area, everyone will acknowledge you!"

"No ah, males eat food that has been mixed with poison. When you think gini, it's better to let someone else eat it."

Coming down from the horse, Schera pulled out the walnut she had put in her bag. He squatted down and broke the shell of his fruit using his large scythe, the contents were also destroyed, so he started picking up the shards and stuffing them into his mouth.

Vander whispered in Katarina's ear that her superior officer could not hear her.

"When Major did that, he was like a little animal."

"Shut your mouth!"

From a distance, the rider sent by Alexei as a lookout returned with an urgent expression. The main troops at Sulawesi's Great Bridge may be heading towards them.

"Where did Major General Alexei go!?"

"He went west after the enemy leader. What was? Calm down and tell me what you see."

As Schera stood up and asked, she received news of a shocking change in situation.

"The main force on Sulawesi's Great Bridge is a fake. It is true that they are numerous, but half of them are demilitarized civilians. The main forces of the Rebel Force are elsewhere!"

"Reply report to Major General Alexei."

"No need to tell me I know too! You guys also hurry up and get together!"

He drives his horse and chases the main unit of Alexei's army. Seeing him leave, Schera crossed her arms.

"Hmmm, I'm adjusting what we should do."

"....The main forces are not on the Great Bridge, which means they are concerned with defending Antigua? No, it has no strategic value.... Don't tell me we're surrounded?"

Vander opened the map he had and checked. Katarina agreed and said her opinion.

"....Major. I'm sure we're in a pretty dangerous position. Earlier, I thought Altura's men were very likely that it was bait."

"So that's it."

"If we move rashly, there is a danger we will be hit by an ambush attack. Soon, scout–"

Other riders came closer. His face was also very agitated.

"Where did Major General Alexei go!!!? I have some bad news!!"

"He's moving forward to pursue the enemy forces! What's going on!?"

"–no, not possible."

Antigua Branch Castle is the basis of a bag. The Alucia crossing is the entrance of the bag.

Royal troops, of their own accord have entered this huge "bag. The fact that the troops of David's unit in Sulawesi's Great Bridge were a diversion has been fully known. As a plan, it's not bad, but with the leak of this secret, it's useless.

From the beginning this plan was indeed very unsuitable for the Royal Army which had many defectors as well as people who had devious purposes. Moreover, due to the mixing of units that had recently been formed, no one was suspicious despite the spies infiltrating in. Their information had been fully known to the other party.

The cavalry of the First Division were fished by Altura. The Second Division crossed the river, and when they had just finished crossing, the ambushers attacked the platoon of the bridge, and they were destroyed. Together with the Third Division, the supply train, they split. Completely encircled, with the Alucia River behind them and the hiding Liberation Army in front of them, they received a devastating attack. The infantry from the Second Division who attempted to escape became victims. There were also people who were pushed into the river and drowned. Because they wear armor, they cannot swim well in deep water. The encampment that was supposed to be the headquarters, was currently like a picture from hell.

"What should we do? Vander, Katarina, say your opinion."

(TL note: the tone of speech and attitude of Schera changed 180 degrees, became very serious)

"okay. Our army is only 1,000. There's no point in us going to help the crossing. We'd better join Major General Alexei, who I'm afraid is almost ambushed. Right now, the Third Division cannot join us, the Antigua invasion will fail. If we don't think about retreating...."

Katarina said her opinion, and Vander also expressed his opinion.

"In addition, there is also the possibility of us being destroyed. We can't think about how to deal with a cavalry that's been hooked."

"There's no time, Major Schera, the decision is in your hands."

"Alright, we–"

"Major! Enemy cavalry units approaching–! They're about 1,000!"

A staking rider saw a cloud of dust from the enemy cavalry. Schera jumped up on his horse and raised his large scythe.

"We're stopping them!! Follow me! Kill them, don't let a single Rebel Army live–!!"

“Ou-!!”.

Schera and his army began to glide towards the enemy cavalry. The war flag depicted a white crow, exposed to the afternoon sun, was red as blood. The two aides also followed him, though while bewildered at the appearance of their superior officers behaving differently than usual. Is he the same person? They don't have the confidence to mention it.

Cavalry raising black war flags stormed the side of the cavalry raising the Liberation Army flag. Schera nimbly beheaded four people, and once again shouted loudly. In a spearhead formation* with their commander as the tip, the Schera unit split the enemy in two.

(TL note: I don't know what the formation is called, because the shape of the formation is triangular and the English itself only mentions "wedge formation" so I replaced it as "spearhead formation". The spearhead is also triangular in shape. The length of the very tl note'nya :v)

"w-wha who are you guys–!"

"Whose unit! You guys, the Royal Forces–!??"

"We are the cavalry of the God of Death. Now you know, die!"

While moving everyone behind him, he slashed at the shocked cavalry. A rider who has lost his upper body is pushed forward. Schera spun on his horse and swung his scythe in all directions, slashing fiercely.

A pierced spear was cut off at the end, and the soldier's head was cut off by a swung scythe. A man who raised his sword above his head, split vertically from his helmet. Blood and gray matter mixed together and scattered like liquid that dripped when biting a cherry.

That sensation when he crushed the skull–it was like a walnut he had eaten before, and his appetite was involuntarily aroused. Hard outside, but soft inside. Food is mysterious. By the way, there's still walnuts in her bag.

Schera took out a walnut, exerted strength on her hand, and crushed the shell of the fruit.

The walnut was mixed with someone's blood, and it looked like a sauce.

He tried to lick it, and it felt like iron. Is that delicious? He doesn't really know.

He decided to lick it again.

And then a disturbance appeared. Schera rubbed her mouth and turned away.

"You're the commander!? Your army is destroyed! Surrender yourself! At least it'll save your life!"

A commander who considered himself to be of high status approached Schera's dilemma while shouting.

"Ahaha–! How funny!!"

"–Stop your futile resistance!!"

Spears and scythes cross each other. The horses stopped, they locked guns. They strengthen the grip on their weapons. The man's face turned tormented.

"Well, w-what the fuck are you-!"

"Come on, my sickle is slowly getting closer. If you're not strong, you'll get stabbed."

"Kuh, stop. T-please stop-"

"That's impossible. Because you're a Rebel Troop."

–The person who dominates the gun lockdown is Schera.

Constantly repelling him, the tip of the scythe pierced the commander's face. Schera pushed him hard, and the commander's face was stabbed.

“U, guge-”

the body of the Liberation Army general was convulsed in pain. He's still alive.

"Now your face has become a joke. Congratulations."

As he slowly plucked it out, blood spurted out. Schera is wet with dark red liquid. Not giving the commander a final strike, Schera dropped him off his horse. A few seconds later, he would lose consciousness and die. Schera thinks he's a twitch like a fish thrown ashore.

When their commander is killed, the unit prepares to flee. The Schera unit, having lost its temper, took out the enemy cavalry unit.

Surprised, Katarina acknowledged the abilities of her superior officers. Schera's powers, as he imagined them to be, do not, even exceed those he had imagined, terrorize him. His tongue could not move well. His brain as an adjutant did not work.

"Th-That's amazing Major Schera! Our unit damage is very little. This is a great victory!"

"Alright, we'll proceed and meet Major General Alexei's cavalry unit, follow me!"

"86-!"

Schera unit glide. Schera's body was covered in blood, and the crow engraved on his armor had turned red. Blood kept dripping from his scythe. Today, how many lives had he taken? He himself does not know.

*******************

Moving to meet the cavalry unit that had advanced, Schera and his comrades found the Royal cavalry that had been defeated. Several tens of pursuing Liberation Army cavalry were wiped out. He asked about the situation.

"Where is Major General Alexei? Is he safe?"

"....Major General Alexei was killed in battle. We fell into a state of chaos due to the siege of the enemy, and fled to save him in all directions. What's going to happen next I don't know."

Murmured the soldier who survived his predicament while adjusting his breathing. The surviving cavalrymen were all wounded. No one can't move. The soldiers who could not move were already abandoned and might already be in the hands of the enemy.

"So so, so he died huh. You made it back safely. You're lucky. Come here, you must be treated. It would be a pity if you die. –Someone, come treat this man!"

The Death God gently patted him on the shoulder, and the wounded soldier twitched and stiffened. A soldier approached and bowed respectfully.

"Ready-rush! Understood."

After directing treatment to the rest of the defeated troops, Schera faced his aides.

"What should we do after this? Tell me your opinion."

"...The sun will set soon. We can only sneak in at night, move around, and find a place where we can cross the river."

"However, the places where we can cross are very few. I think we should hold back and pay attention. The places we're going to are most likely ambushes."

Vander pointed at a few places on his map. He was a pragmatic man, and began to think that giving up was inevitable again. He had almost no loyalty to the Kingdom, that was his true feeling. She doesn't know what her colleague, Katarina, thinks Katarina has an easy-to-understand personality, but there's something strange about Katarina.

He could say the same about his superior young hero whom he respected. There's something extraordinary.

"What do you think of the river crossing?"

"...I don't know. However, it would be dangerous to think optimistically. We must act while assuming the worst."

"What about the possibility that they've crossed the bridge, knowing that General David is a diversion?"

"That's it, I don't know, but I'm afraid they're already facing each other."

In all likelihood, they may not be able to move. David clung to his first strategy, and he wouldn't cross the bridge. And also, reinforcements may not come from the crossing, Katarina said, saying in her personal opinion.

".......All right, we'll move north and rest for a while. We'll recover the remains of the First Division, and then retreat."

"U-north? But the Great Sulawesi Bridge is in that direction....."⅚

"That's my intention. If we can come back, then that's great. Although something like a floating bridge was not made, have we not seen anything greater? I've also used it myself to escape. So if you understand, then we'll be leaving soon. First, I have to eat first."

Schera shouldered his scythe and began to slide as a vanguard. The white crows silently began to follow him. Lifting the spear forward diagonally, they started the parade. Maybe they no longer feel afraid the light in the eyes of the cavalry has disappeared. They just follow the instructions of Schera, their superior officer. There was no sound of uncertainty. Their formation was solid, and their horse darted forward, focusing on the darkness before them.

Vander thought it was scary.

Catherine trembled happily. His eyes are not wrong. This girl is definitely a Death God, he thought. He has been sure. He cleaned the blood that stained his glasses, and moved his horse in the row beside Schera. He's happy to be alive. So happy. Katarina wanted to scream out loud.

Schera's unit camped in a place that was hard to find by the enemy, and met and recovered the cavalry from the defeated First Division. In total they now number 2,500, and they plan to change the route to Sulawesi. The defeated cavalry, they were all people taken from the Schera unit, and they seemed to have been led by the God of Death and come to the Schera camp.

Vander could not say anything, and he felt goosebumps. That kind of absurd thing can't happen, he thought. How could these defeated soldiers know this place? It was unimaginable no matter how one used common sense. Though they also did not tell this location, there was no way they would start a fire. They regulate their breath so as not to be conspicuous. Wh why? Hows it? He was drowning in doubt.

–And then, the scariest thing is that no one thinks this is weird. As if this was something obvious, the cavalry greeted them with smiles. The people who escaped as well, were happier that they could gather again than when their lives were saved.

Vander couldn't understand it no matter how he thought about it.

Katarina thought it natural. It turned out this way, so it must be this way, he said.

–The Schera unit's war flag melts into the darkness, but they lift it up high as if showing off.

The soldiers raised the flag above their heads, smiling as if they had gone mad.

As if they were not tired, they continued. And continue on.

Every soldier other than Vander, stared at the flag. A bird roams in the darkness–a fearsome bird that rules life and death. These people have gone home, with this black flag as their destination.

Schera chewed on the dried meat while watching them, and she laughed happily and mischievously.