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I rushed to the Sarei front with the Masked Unit in tow.

Even if they weren’t a large unit, they were still part of the special forces.

Operating together with me, they could make a significant difference on the front lines.

With luck, we might even be able to chase down and kill Dorgon as he tries to escape.

However, I saw the Patriarch falling from his horse as soon as we arrived and had to revise the plan. If he was already incapacitated, then we needed to aim for a successful repulsion rather than pursuit.

I’m not too late.

I unconsciously let out a sigh of relief. My heart nearly stopped when I saw him collapse, but he was still conscious—his body was instinctively moving to protect his head.

It wasn’t the best timing, but we’d avoided the worst. No matter how severe the injury, he could recover if he was alive.

“Take father and Marshal Hiden and retreat.”

“Yes.”

As I gave instructions to the Masked Unit, the 4th Manager rushed towards Father and the former Count Horfeld after a short reply. Just as I was concerned about my father’s well-being, Father was the 4th Manager’s father-in-law. I knew she’d do her best to protect him.

The only thing that bothered me was Dorgon, who was lurking near him—

“Oh.”

He seemed to notice me and turned, raising the corner of his mouth.

“You’ve come, Carl Krasius!”

I drew my sword towards Dorgon, who was charging at me with a strange wooden stick. I didn’t know why he insisted on fighting with a stick instead of an actual weapon, but there was no need to decline if he wanted to impose restrictions on himself.

In the midst of this, I felt a bit grateful that he didn’t go for a confirmation kill on father in an attempt to provoke me. If he had decided to, Father would have met his end right before my eyes.

“It’s been a while, you fatherless brat!”

Of course, gratitude was gratitude, and a fight was a fight. If I had to face Dorgon, I needed to shake his mental state even a little.

Fortunately, I was a living aggro magnet to Dorgon. All it took was a few words to push his buttons.

“If you’re so lonely, you should’ve just died and gone to see your family! Why the hell are you trying to make more orphans?!”

Dorgon’s grin widened. I had never seen someone smile after hearing a taunt like that.

“Your mother would be sad to hear that! Besides, you’re not an orphan since you still have a mother even if your father died!”

What the hell?

For a moment, my mind froze. His counterattack was insane.

But unlike my frozen mind, my body moved instinctively. Dorgon, who had suddenly closed in, swung his wooden stick, and I swung my sword to block it.

“Tch.”

Dorgon quickly threw away the wooden stick that had been cut in half and stepped back a few paces.

It was a natural result. Neither of us had the confidence to completely overpower the other, even when fighting seriously. So, fighting with a stick instead of a sword was stupid and unconscionable.

“Shame. I was starting to like that thing.”

Sadly, it seemed that Dorgon still had some conscience left and wasn’t entirely stupid as he drew the sword from his waist without hesitation.

This bastard. Why did he prance around with a stick if he knew from the start that it wouldn’t work?

“So you do have an actual sword. I thought that maybe you lost it while wandering the wilds like some beggar.”

“Huh, what’s with your sword then? I didn’t realize the new trend in the Empire was decorating swords with rust.”

He chuckled and shot back.

I smiled as soon as I heard his reply. That was exactly the response I wanted.

“It’s red because it drank your father’s blood.”

At this even more colorful insult, Dorgon’s eyes sharpened.

Of course.

My first insult had been about him, while this one was about Kagan, his father. There was no way he’d laugh this one off. If he did, I’d have to admit he was the most cold-blooded bastard in history.

“Congratulations. Your father might be dead, but his blood still lingers in this blade. In a way, this sword is your father. It’s a family reunion after a long time.”

So I didn’t miss the opportunity to run my mouth. Talking my way through a fight wasn’t exactly my style, but against someone like Dorgon, anything went. If sacrificing my dignity meant rattling his nerves, it was well worth the trade.

“Ah, come to think of it. Since I’m using your father, I could be considered your grandfather.”

“That foul mouth of yours is still as filthy as ever.”

For the first time, Dorgon’s voice lost its casual amusement. I guess even he couldn’t brush off an insult that mocked two generations of his family at once.

Still, based on how quickly he composed himself, this bastard clearly wasn’t normal either. Most people would have lost it at ‘family reunion,’ let alone waiting for the second-generation insult.

“You know, this is an unfair fight. One of us lost his parents, while the other only lost a few friends.”

I bit my lip at Dorgon’s counterattack as he smiled again. Being eloquent didn’t make a person immune to the other’s verbal jabs.

At least my taunts had bought enough time. The Masked Unit had secured Father and the former Count Horfeld during it. Seeing the 4th Manager waving her hands in signals behind Dorgon put my mind at ease.

The battle wasn’t over, but as long as Dorgon wasn’t in the picture, no one here could break through the Masked Unit.

And now that Father was safe, there was no need to hesitate.

“That can’t be helped. Don’t feel bad though, because you’ll be seeing your parents soon.”

I adjusted my grip on my sword. This fight had gone off script, leaving me alone in a one-on-one standoff with Dorgon without Father, the former Count Horfeld, or the Masked Unit, but that was fine. Rather, I felt glad that I could end this bad blood with him using just my own strength.

“Well, I’m not in a hurry to see my grandfather, so I’ll pass. Aren’t you missing your friends? If I remember correctly, you don’t have any friends besides those guys.”

Dorgon seemed to feel the same way, as he gently stepped forward with his left foot. The way he lowered his body slightly suggested that he was planning to charge straight at me.

The stick from earlier wasn’t threatening, but my arm would’ve been broken if I clashed head-on with Dorgon at full power from the start. On the other hand, I’d have to risk injury, but if I countered properly—

—BWOOOOOOO—!!

My thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sound of a horn drowning out the battlefield noise.

“Tch.”

At that sound, Dorgon clicked his tongue and straightened up.

“Regrettable, but now’s not the time. We ended up just running our mouths uselessly.”

“What?”

I frowned at his words, which carried an unmistakable meaning. I knew this bastard was so good at escaping that the name Runrgon would suit him well, but I never thought he’d run before we’d even exchanged proper blows.

“You came at an awkward time. If you’d come later, I could have left without regrets for not seeing your face, and if you’d come earlier, we could have fought a bit.”

He sounded genuinely regretful, like he wanted to clash blades but couldn’t.

This son of a bitch. As expected of someone who served a wolf, he was acting like a canine.

“You think I’ll just let you go?”

“Of course not. The Carl Krasius I know would chase me to the ends of the earth.”

Seeing Dorgon shrug as if saying ‘isn’t that obvious,’ I felt my teeth grinding. Just let me properly land one punch on this bastard’s face.

“But if you’re Carl Krasius the son, not Carl Krasius the warrior, I think you’ll give up.”

However, I couldn’t respond to his following words. Father was now under the protection of the Masked Unit. Father himself was a strong warrior, so he should be able to hold out for a long time even in an injured state.

But if I held Dorgon back, the nomads who were about to retreat would continue fighting, and Father’s treatment would be delayed just as much. Yes, there were plenty of priests and healers stationed here, but to focus on healing in the middle of a melee was tantamount to suicide.

There was no telling how long I’d have to fight Dorgon. And during that time, Father would be unable to receive treatment—and him withdrawing from the front lines would affect the soldiers’ morale.

...

“Get lost.”

“A wise decision.”

Dorgon nodded as if satisfied and mounted a horse that approached him.

Damn, should I just kill the horse to give him some fall damage? No, he’d probably land on his feet without a scratch even if he fell. If I provoke him now, he might decide to abandon it all and charge at my father instead.

“Well then, I’ll be going. Today wasn’t the day, but let’s have a proper fight next time.”

I glared at the retreating Dorgon and quickly scanned the battlefield. The nomads started withdrawing after the horn sound.

So these bastards are the real enemies.

These weren’t just people who had gathered under the Khan’s name. They were the ones who had chosen to fight alongside him. It was right to consider the tribes here as the anti-empire faction prepared to die fighting the empire.

On the other hand, the tribes that hadn’t shown up to fight despite the Khan’s personal command weren’t neutral anymore.

Friend or foe identification is complete.

I sighed while memorizing the flags held by the standard-bearers. It had a crappy outcome, but there was some achievement in completing the friend or foe identification.

I decided to think of it that way because I might just lose my mind if I thought of it as a battle with no results.

***As the nomads withdrew, the mages and priests came rushing in. They probably saw Father and the former Count Horfeld facing the Khan. Their loyalty was impressive.

“There are countless wounded soldiers, yet all of you rushed over just to heal two men? Go back to your posts.”

Both men immediately dismissed most of them, grumbling at the unnecessary crowd.

“Father.”

“Carl.”

Father, who had taken off his top to show his wounds to a mage, slightly turned his head to meet my gaze as I approached.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

It wasn’t the right thing to say to someone injured and under treatment, but saying ‘I’m glad you’re not dead’ in the middle of a war felt off, especially to someone who had barely escaped death.

“Thanks to you. If you hadn’t come, he probably would have killed me.”

I couldn’t help but give a bitter smile at those words. Just thinking about it made me dizzy, too. If I had given up on coming to the Sarei front or if I had been even a little late, something irreversible would have really happened.

After rubbing the back of my neck for a moment, I turned my gaze to the former Count Horfeld. Partly because I didn’t know what else to say, and partly because my Father wasn’t the only one injured.

“I’m relieved to see that Marshal Hiden is also safe.”

“I think so, too. If I’d died, Zenobia wouldn’t have even given me a proper grave.”

I chuckled at his joking words. This must be his way of expressing gratitude.

“By the way, your verbal skills were quite impressive.”

“Ah.”

For a moment, my body stiffened.

“Yes, yes, psychological warfare is just as valid a tactic! Excellent work!”

Ignoring the former Count Horfeld, who burst into laughter and reopened his newly closed wounds, I carefully turned my gaze to Father. It didn’t matter that it was for a mental attack; I’d become a son who threw out sick burns in front of his father.

“I’m grateful to you, too. Thanks to you, I could be safe.”

“Yo-you’re too kind!”

Father, however, expressed his gratitude to the 4th Manager while deliberately avoiding my eyes.

It seemed like he was also struggling with this whole situation.

Damn it.

This was all because of Dorgon.