The battle had been in the kingdom's favor from start to finish.
The opening strike cost the rebel army ten percent of its forces, and the subsequent charge shattered their lines almost immediately.
The militia, whose morale had been low to begin with, were the first to flee. The mercenaries, who were only in it for the money, followed close behind.
The regular soldiers held their ground and mounted a counterattack against the royal army… but by that point their numbers had already been halved. There was no way to overcome a disadvantage of more than two to one.
One hour after the battle began.
The fight was steadily drawing to a close.
"So it should be just about over now, right?"
"Yes, it appears so."
Chatting idly from the royal army's command post as they looked down over the battlefield were Rest and Diebl.
Having already delivered a decisive blow with the first strike, Rest and the rest of House Rosemary's forces had been relieved of duty.
Of course, if they headed out to the field they could probably rack up even more results… but that would be going too far.
To avoid stealing too much glory from their allies, they had been holding back from any further combat.
"A portion of the enemy is still putting up a fight here and there… but it's only a matter of time. More than half have already surrendered or fled."
"Our casualties seem light. Practically a clean sweep, wouldn't you say?"
Against the rebel army, which was already on its last legs, the momentum of the royal army only continued to grow.
Casualties were minimal. There had been almost no deaths among their own forces.
"If the enemy is still holding out, that means the supreme commander, Marquis Eiger… rather, Prince Rodele is still alive and well?"
Rest's Amaterasu had already burned through the enemy command post… but because he hadn't focused the beam tightly enough and had allowed it to scatter, its power had been reduced.
Any mage with a reasonable level of skill in body reinforcement would have been able to endure it.
Rodele may be questionable as a person, but he was apparently an excellent magician — and Marquis Eiger was a man who had risen to the rank of court magician in his youth. There was every possibility they were still alive.
"Hmm… the enemy's main camp is getting noisy."
He had thought the battle would be decided as it stood, but… there was movement in the enemy lines.
What his body reinforcement-enhanced vision caught sight of… was none other than Rodele of Aiwood, the Third Prince — the very man they had just been discussing.
"From this moment on, we charge the enemy lines! All who can fight, follow me!"
He gathered the soldiers around him and came galloping forth on horseback.
"[Flame Cannon]! [Thunder Tempest]! [Stone Blast]!"
One after another, he unleashed high-powered magic, scattering the royal army's soldiers.
He cleaved the battlefield clean in two, building momentum as he charged straight toward the royal army's main camp.
Rest's soldiers tried to stand in Rodele's way to stop him… but they were blown away by magic, unable to even serve as a wall.
"…I'm surprised. I never expected that guy to lead the charge himself."
He was supposed to be the kind of man who'd only ever lord it over a pack of lackeys.
But then again… Rest didn't really know Rodele all that well.
Perhaps he possessed the courage to run at the head of his soldiers in order to turn the tide of a losing battle.
"Oooooooooooooh!"
A decorative figurehead though he may be... the leader of the rebel army was charging straight into enemy territory.
Enemy soldiers were pouring in after him, one after another.
Like a cornered mouse biting back at a cat, the rebel soldiers had regained their momentum and were storming across the battlefield.
"Stop him! Don't let him advance any further!"
"Fire! Fire!"
The royal army's soldiers tried to intercept with magic... but with friend and foe intermingled all over the place, they couldn't unleash anything too powerful.
Meanwhile, Rodele — who was plowing straight through the heart of enemy territory — simply fired magic ahead of him and pressed forward. He could wield devastating high-tier spells without a shred of restraint.
"I am the Third Prince, Rodele Aiwood! Behold this power! Behold my very existence!"
"...Impressive. So he wasn't just a fool prince after all."
Seeing Rodele's figure charging all the way to the throat of the royal army as if waking from a long slumber, even Rest found his perception shifting.
He'd thought Rodele was nothing more than a spoiled prince — a man whose pride, like excess fat, had only continued to bloat, without any ability to match his arrogance.
But... at this point, he had no choice but to acknowledge the truth.
At the very least, on the battlefield... Rodele Aiwood possessed the qualities to become a hero.
"If he keeps up this momentum and breaks through to the main camp, Crown Prince Highness himself could be in danger."
Under no circumstances could the crown prince be slain.
Then... what should be done?
There was no need to even think about it. The answer was already decided.
"I'm heading out. Let's go meet Prince Rodele head-on."
Just when he thought his part was finally done... it seemed there was one more job to be had.
Rest once again found himself standing in Rodele's path, a consequence of the incident that had unfolded at the academy.