The moment we struck, the lizardmen recovered much faster than I expected.
For our first clash, they had been caught completely off guard.
Not this time.
Their swordsmen and water-lizard riders quickly moved toward us while the shield bearers and spearmen stayed farther back, protecting what appeared to be their archers and mages.
The mages weren't attacking yet.
I couldn't tell whether they were afraid of hitting their own soldiers or simply waiting for the right moment.
Either way...
I couldn't afford to worry about them.
I was caught between several lizardmen.
I swung my spear and shoved one of them away from a rider who was trying to surround me.
Before I could follow up, another lizardman rushed toward me with his sword raised.
I immediately changed my grip.
Instead of thrusting with the spear, I swung it sideways.
The axe blade attached to the spear struck his stomach with tremendous force.
The blade tore through his armor and flesh.
I pulled the weapon free and continued the motion.
Another lizardman was already moving toward me.
I kept my momentum and brought the axe blade upward, catching him across the chest.
He staggered backward.
Then—
A loud horn echoed across the battlefield.
Retreat.
That was our signal.
Unlike our previous attacks, this time we had to withdraw as quickly as possible.
There was no one left behind to cover us.
I immediately pulled the reins.
"Rusty!"
Rusty changed direction without hesitation.
We turned and began retreating.
But the lizardmen didn't let us go so easily.
Their archers finally began firing.
One arrow...
Then another...
Then dozens.
The sky seemed to fill with arrows.
At the same time, the mages began attacking.
Large spells flew toward the retreating cavalry.
This wasn't the time to block.
There were too many attacks coming from too many directions.
My only option was to dodge.
Thankfully, my Sensory Field helped.
I could sense something approaching from my right.
I reacted immediately.
I pulled Rusty to the left.
A moment later—
BOOM!
The impact shook the earth.
I looked to my side.
One of the mercenaries hadn't been fast enough.
The water spell struck him directly.
His body was crushed beneath the force of the attack.
Blood and fragments of armor scattered across the ground.
For a moment, I froze.
Then another impact struck nearby.
The shockwave threw me off balance.
Rusty stumbled beneath me.
I nearly lost my grip.
But I forced myself upright.
Don't stop.
Keep moving.
I glanced toward the other mercenaries.
Some were still retreating.
Others had already disappeared into the trees.
The enemy's attacks continued behind us.
I didn't know how many of our people had escaped.
I didn't know how many had fallen.
But I remembered Azpen's order.
Don't stop while Retreating.
So I drove Rusty deeper into the trees.
I didn't stop.
Not even once.
Eventually, I escaped into the forest.
The sound of pursuit slowly faded.
I kept riding until I was certain no lizardmen were following me.
Only then did I finally slow Rusty down.
My entire body felt exhausted.
My breathing was heavy.
Every muscle seemed to be screaming at me.
But I couldn't stop yet.
If I remained in one place and got surrounded...
I'd be dead.
So I pushed deeper into the forest.
My Sensory Field was still active.
I searched for movement.
Nothing.
No enemy.
No voices.
No approaching footsteps.
Eventually, I found an area where the swamp water was shallow enough for Rusty to stand comfortably.
A massive tree grew nearby.
Its roots spread across the ground, forming a natural shelter.
The water only reached my feet.
I finally climbed down from Rusty.
The moment I looked at him, my heart tightened.
He had several scratches across his body.
An arrow was lodged near his back.
His left rear leg was bleeding.
I immediately walked toward him.
"Rusty..."
I gently placed my hand against his neck.
"I'm sorry."
"If I had controlled the situation better..."
"You wouldn't have been hurt."
Rusty simply looked at me.
Then he lowered his head slightly.
As if he understood.
I removed some cloth from the saddle and carefully pulled the arrow free.
Rusty flinched.
"Sorry."
I pressed the cloth against the wound to stop the bleeding.
Then I poured some of my healing potion over it.
The healing potion wasn't powerful enough to instantly restore a serious injury.
But it could accelerate natural healing and help stop the bleeding.
After making sure the wound was stable, I finally sat down beneath the tree.
Only then did the reality of what had happened finally hit me.
My right shoulder was throbbing.
My entire body felt heavy.
I had barely avoided the mage's attack.
If my armor hadn't protected me...
I might have been lying dead in that swamp.
I slowly exhaled.
I hadn't marked the route we had taken.
I didn't know exactly where I was.
I didn't know where the rest of our force had gone.
And I certainly didn't know how to return to them.
For the first time since entering the forest...
I realized how dangerous my situation really was.
I had survived the battle.
But survival didn't mean I was safe.
I looked at Rusty and gently rubbed his head.
"Looks like..."
"We'll have to rely on luck to find them again."
Rusty quietly snorted.
I leaned against the tree.
For now...
That was all I could do.