When I was working as a civil servant, I was found out to be a muscle-brained knight by the princess knight and got sent to the front lines - Episode 209

Episode 209

Victor Alchemis had single-handedly charged into battle against the orderly retreat of Archbishop Lucius Agrippa and his 5,000-strong personal troops. He donned the conceptual armament known as the False Strongest – Arcon. It was expected to exhibit strength akin to a demon. However, things did not go as planned.

The conceptual armament was designed to provide combat capabilities comparable to humanity’s strongest, Gerald Norman. However, it turned out that the effectiveness of this equipment greatly depended on the user’s skill. Victor had thought that, with the support functions built into the armor and his own physical training, he would be able to manage. He even boasted that he did 50 sit-ups, push-ups, and back exercises daily.

In reality, Victor was far from capable of matching Gerald’s movements. The conceptual armament, despite being designed to assist the user and enhance perception and awareness with the help of spirits, faced issues. During testing, it seemed to work well. But in actual combat, the system produced abnormal values for all control parameters, triggering safety mechanisms and overloading the joints. The magical engine screamed in distress.

Despite these issues, Victor was wreaking havoc in the enemy ranks, neutralizing many foes. 

Victor’s struggle was palpable, and he finally met his match when Archbishop Lucius Agrippa caught one of the armor’s giant fists with his massive spear. The impact created a strong wind, but Lucius stood firmly, absorbing the blow from the 5-meter-tall iron giant.

Lucius managed to deflect and counter all of Victor’s subsequent attacks with his spear. When the onslaught paused, both combatants assessed each other’s next moves.

“…Certainly strong. But your movements. There’s a person inside, isn’t there? And you’re an amateur.” 

Victor was taken aback. Lucius had correctly identified that the armor was designed to enhance its user’s capabilities, but the user was inexperienced. Seeing the opening, Lucius lunged with his spear, targeting the joints of the armor. His powerful strike hit the armor’s right knee, piercing it. 

Following that, multiple knights attacked with their weapons, targeting the armor’s lower body. The armor, now resembling a hedgehog with spears and polearms sticking out, eventually lost its balance and toppled forward.

“This is bad. This is really bad!” 

Victor realized the severity of his situation and pulled the emergency ejection lever without hesitation.

Simultaneously, with a loud explosion, the armor’s back panel was jettisoned. Victor was ejected with his seat, shooting into the sky at full speed.

“…Goodbye, old man!!!” 

Victor shouted a ridiculous line as he flew away into the sky. 

Stunned, Lucius and his troops quickly regained their composure and began their retreat. They wanted to recover the giant armor, but it was too difficult, so they left it behind. They made sure to further damage it with spears before continuing their withdrawal.

The Holy Levia Knights, which had numbered 10,000 when they arrived in the ancient city of Paradis, had dwindled to just 3,000 by the time they fled back to the Holy City Sancturia.

・　・　・

While Archbishop Lucius Agrippa’s main force was demonstrating an expertly managed retreat, Seraphina and Jez, who had joined forces, were focusing on neutralizing enemies, capturing them, and tending to the wounded.

Though it was somewhat frustrating to let the enemy escape, many enemy soldiers had already been captured due to the policy of non-lethal engagement in this battle. The 11th Legion members were also out searching for traps and disarming enemy forces, making it unlikely that a pursuit would be practical in this situation.

However, a large humanoid weapon had appeared earlier, charging in solo from the airship Mandjet/Mesektet. It would likely stir things up to some extent. That was undoubtedly Victor.

“That was surprisingly easy to handle, wasn’t it?” 

“Easy, you say? …I had forgotten just how unreasonable you can be,” 

Jez replied as he and Seraphina, who were in command, chatted casually after their long-awaited reunion.

“…Ah, aaaaaahhhh!?!?!” 

Suddenly, a chair plummeted from high above with a shout and crashed spectacularly into the ground. Jez quickly recognized the voice and sighed. While Seraphina, seeing Jez’s reaction, approached the fallen object with a wry smile.

“…Hey, Seraphina! How’ve you been?”

“It’s been ten years, but Victor, you haven’t changed a bit,” 

Seraphina responded as she approached Victor, who was spinning around in confusion. Victor noticed Seraphina and tried to greet her with a wave.

“…Hey, Jez. Could you take off these handcuffs for me?”

Victor had just remembered the handcuffs Miriam had put on him.