Arrows flying aimlessly and disorganized formations were unable to hold their ground amidst the confusion. The mingling ranks of infantry and archers had resulted in a loss of control.
Yet in the midst of it all, dozens of spells soared through the air. Despite the tangled formation, the attacks were sharp and menacing.
In spite of the efforts of our allied mages, a few managed to strike the charging cavalry unit.
Magic spells – there was a difference in numbers. So many mages? It was an unexpected situation.
‘Could they have sent more for a swift siege?’
Considering the Western strategy, it was a plausible hypothesis. However, the cavalry’s speed remained unabated.
The firepower was insufficient to stop the cavalry charge within the disordered ranks.
It could have easily turned into a situation where our troops were attacked. The narrowing distance lessened the enemy’s firepower.
Instead, our allied mages unleashed powerful spells.
Kwaang-! Explosions erupted as fireballs soared. The fallen Western soldiers turned into projectiles, flying into the sky.I sprinted into the open space. Dirt soared above my shoulders and rained down.
“Death to them!”
The cavalry pierced through the enemy front with their mass. Thud! The weight of the enemy struck audibly against the hooves and bodies of the horses.
I advanced, wielding Moonlight. Occasionally, pockets of enemies would open up as the magical soldiers cleared the path.
I didn’t aim to kill specifically; the purpose of the cavalry was to induce panic. The infantry behind would finish off the rest.
“Aaargh!”
Amidst screams and noise, the cavalry charged relentlessly toward the heart of the enemy.
Surveying the battlefield with my Winds was a dizzying endeavor, with the details indistinguishable. I had to wield my sword while charging.
It didn’t matter. Our infantry reached the fallen enemies. Now, the intricate strategies were meaningless.
And unnecessary. We kept advancing.
Not everyone among the Western forces was in disarray. Amidst the demoralized soldiers, a single knight hurled his lance.
Directly at me.
The sight of a charging vanguard had caught my attention.
‘Oh no.’
It was impossible to deflect with Winds. There were too many eyes watching. The trajectory of the lance couldn’t be altered.
The lance pierced through the horse’s chest. I felt the impact. The horse collapsed, its momentum causing me to lean forward.
“Sir!”
Amidst the cavalry unit’s cry calling my name, I twisted my body in mid-air. A mid-air roll. I landed on his right shoulder.
Immediately springing back up, I utilized the remaining momentum to leap forward. The massive inertia was felt in my thighs.
I dashed at full speed. The knight who had thrown the lance was finally drawing his sword.
Just as he unsheathed his sword, I was already in front of him. Moonlight pierced through the knight’s chest.
Thud, thud. The cavalry unit swept past on both sides. It was a close dodge, demonstrating agile mobility.
A perilous situation – the horse could have fallen and I would have become the target.
Unable to maneuver left or right, I charged straight ahead. With the speed of the horse, I could certainly manage its momentum.
I slashed down, cutting down the soldiers blocking the path. As I did, I caught the gaze of a single cavalryman.
“Sir Carl!”
Someone approaching me extended his left hand. Fortunately, there was someone who understood my intentions.
Stepping back, I immediately grabbed the outstretched hand.
The cavalryman exerted force in the hand he held. The force surged forward, using the ground’s impact as leverage to flip upwards.
In an instant, I was behind the cavalryman.
“Sir! Are you alright?”
“Of course.”
“Just moments ago, when you fell… I never thought you would kill even the Western knights.”
I chuckled at the voice full of awe and asked.
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Pasciang.”
“It was excellent horsemanship. Thanks to that, I survived.”
“It’s an honor.”
I put some weight on Pasciang’s shoulders. Since the last battle, the cavalry had taken a great liking to me.
Of course, from the very first encounter during the suppression battle, most of the soldiers had been favorable to me. But their affinity had grown stronger.
Having fallen slightly behind at the front and riding together, I couldn’t wildly swing my sword like before.
I focused on surveying the battlefield.
Perhaps to restore order among the disoriented soldiers, even the enemy commanders, and knights were putting in effort.
They yelled at their scattered soldiers, but it was futile, given the current situation.
Amidst this chaos, I saw a knight valiantly fighting.
Even amidst this chaos, he was protecting the courageous soldiers maintaining formation.
“Sir Faorn! It’s dangerous!”
“Don’t worry! I’ll take care of those who dare to attack us!”
Faorn Shade. A knight who had gained some fame in the West. One of the candidates for Swordmaster.
Well, he wouldn’t become a Swordmaster. He was more famous for his reputation than his skills.
But that didn’t mean he was a pushover. Hence, the side with this knight was losing their momentum almost entirely. He needed to be dealt with.
This momentum shouldn’t be broken. Plus, I wanted to see the effect of a duel with a Swordmaster.
“Pasciang, to the side!”
“Yes, sir!”
The cavalryman turned his horse’s head without a word of command. From what I saw, his horsemanship wasn’t ordinary.
As the formation spread slightly while advancing, changing direction amidst charging cavalry was quite a risky maneuver.
Thanks to that, I had only about ten seconds to narrow the distance.
“You, charge again.”
“But, Sir…”
“I’ll handle him and come back.”
Pasciang nodded with a stiff posture. After patting the cavalryman’s shoulder, I dismounted from the horse.
The young cavalryman looked at me with unyielding eyes before turning the horse’s head.
Twenty meters. Faorn was already looking at me. Our eyes met. Even with the distance, the atmosphere changed instantly.
A duel with the knights. There was no need for words. I immediately ran forward. As I did, I recalled my sparring with Rudehrn.
Thrusts that followed Rudehrn’s movements. The middle-aged knight deflected the sword with fiery eyes.
The ensuing counterattack resembled the moves I had made against Rudehrn. I remembered how Rudehrn had responded to those attacks.
I gently parried the slashing sword with a diagonal movement. I tilted my wrist.
The knight’s sword slid along the edge and fell off.
Continuing smoothly, I twisted my body.
The knight’s sword pierced through the air where I had just been, and Moonlight, now spinning, traced a crescent arc.
Moonlight slashed across the knight’s exposed chest. It didn’t appear as radiant as when Rudehrn’s moon emerged, but it felt as if a moment of moonlight flickered.
Indeed, he was more famous than skilled. Still, the outcome was satisfactory enough.
Faorn stared wide-eyed. Thud! His body, which had lost its strength, first bent at the knees and then collapsed forward.
Behind the fallen knight, the Western soldiers stared with unbelieving eyes, as if hope had vanished before them.
* * *
“Waaaahh!”
“Sir.”
The path leading to the princess. Every time the soldiers met Carlyn, they bowed their heads and saluted.
Everyone knew whose idea this strategy had been born from.
The soldiers’ behavior was so distinct that the princess could sense Carlyn’s approach from a distance.
Even though she knew he was safe, the princess let out a relieved sigh.
“Schurtafen, I heard you fell earlier. Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes.”
Had the news already spread? The cavalry had returned first, so it was possible.
“I’m glad you’re okay. We heard the news of your bravery afterward, but I was worried.”
“I’m perfectly fine. Thank you for your concern.”
Carlyn replied with a faint smile. Even in this world where magic power was used, falling from a horse was dangerous.
Especially after being pierced by a lance. It was natural to worry from a listener’s perspective.
“Who would have thought it would be this effective?”
Emmet, who had been behind, stepped forward and congratulated Carlyn. Duchess Lyurik nodded as well.
“The genius of warfare is here. It feels like watching Temeur.”
Temeur was the chief strategist of the founding emperor. It was the highest praise the Duchess could offer.
Carlyn slightly lowered his head.
“You’re too kind.”
“No, not at all. Just a difference of ten thousand troops. We could overcome that, but the situation itself was too overwhelming. How did you choose this place? Just from looking at the map.”
“This is the path we took to Akiten, isn’t it? I noticed it then. It came to mind when I heard an attack was coming.”
The Duchess exclaimed in admiration.
“You’ve got a keen eye. So, is it even more impressive? You made the enemy cavalry look like fools and threw their formation into chaos. It was a perfect strategy.”
“Part of it was luck. There was no guarantee the enemy would play into our hands.”
“No. You created it. Even if I were the enemy, I would have acted similarly.”
Emmet added his comment. Carlyn just smiled. Excessive humility wasn’t a good thing either.
The princess also praised Carlyn’s achievements.
“That’s true. It was a remarkable feat. I’m very satisfied with the results of this Combat. With 25,000 troops, you defeated 63,000.”
“Thank you.”
28,000 against 35,000. It was a battle fought in two rounds, but he had won against more than double the enemy’s numbers.
Considering the opponent’s force was 170,000, he had defeated over 30% of the enemy with his own hands.
It was an incredible achievement. Not just the princess, but Emmet, Lyurik, the knights, and the soldiers all had proud faces.
‘This war has already tipped in our favor. It’ll be difficult for the princes to gain as much credit as Erendil.’
Carlyn was half-convinced. The First Prince had received reinforcements for his main force, and the Third Prince had retreated.
Presumably, the Second Prince had no chance to shine.
Now, the enemy in the north was about 110,000 strong. Even without considering the defeated Third Prince’s army, the Imperial Army had 150,000 soldiers.
Of course, it was uncertain what had happened to the First Prince… Even if he had lost his entire force, he would have had around 100,000.
Since the experienced Rudehrn likely hadn’t suffered significant losses, if the princess joined forces with him, they would have the numerical advantage.
“Now, after regrouping, we can join the main force.”
Duchess Lyurik said.
“We need to discuss our next move. Send messengers for now. The situation will change above us due to our victory.”
The princess nodded confidently.
“Very well.”
* * *
“…What nonsense is this?”
King Rohalak’s voice was like an icy gust of wind. It felt as if a sudden cold snap had hit the hall.
Even the nobles who had been kings until just a year ago now had stern expressions, carefully observing the situation.
It was a tense atmosphere as if someone was about to snap. The man standing before the king trembled and began speaking.
“Duke Pasa has suffered a defeat against the princess. The commander barely survived with a handful of surviving troops.”
“Explain.”
“According to information from a spy, a knight named Carl Schurtafen executed a false retreat tactic on the Epyder Plains…”
King Rohalak couldn’t hold back and slammed his fist onto the table.
“28,000 against 35,000? Those worthless brats! Wait, Carl Schurtafen? I feel like I’ve heard that name before in Akiten.”
“Yes. He’s a knight in the princess’s retinue.”
“That bastard. How old did you say he is?”
“He’s not even twenty yet…”
King Rohalak closed his eyes and raised his head towards the ceiling. His neck felt stiff due to his blood pressure.
He was struggling to contain his anger.
“It’s been reported that Feorn Shade also died at his hands.”
The intention of the attendant reporting this was to calm the king down that Carlyn was simply exceptionally skilled…
But it had struck a nerve. The king grabbed a glass and threw it. Liquor splattered in all directions as the glass flew.
“Damn it! Why would an unexpected brat like him…!”
The courtiers lowered their heads as if they were mice. This was the first time they had seen King Rohalak so furious.
He had always maintained his composure.
His hand that gripped the fist shook with rage. He was trying to regain his calm at the moment.
But it wasn’t easy.
“These damned bastards.”
The southern front. It was, of course, the battlefield that should have been won. It was expected that the princess would head to Akiten.
It was a small city that was difficult to build a stronghold in.
That was why they had also invested in Omisan above it. To secure the south.
They had allocated additional resources to mages and equipment for a swift siege. It was undoubtedly a flawless plan.
Up until the defeat at Akiten. No, even until that point, things had been fine.
He thought it could be possible. However, the defeat of the forces sent to Omisan was a disaster.
“Sigh.”
In the silence, King Rohalak let out a sigh. Victory had been within reach, undoubtedly.
He knew that the Empire couldn’t send its entire army and was well aware of the competition among the imperial family members. That’s why they had prepared meticulously.
Executing a fake siege at a single city and repelling the forces of the First Prince had also been successful.
They had annihilated a whopping 40,000 troops.
The current confrontation on the northern front was roughly 110,000 against 110,000.
In this situation, an additional 60,000 troops from the south should have arrived.
Even if Akiten had suffered defeat, they had anticipated that at least 30,000 troops would remain intact.
But now, they were faced with an opponent boasting more than 20,000 troops.
“For heaven’s sake. Just one lunatic had to show up.”
It had been only 30 minutes ago when they were celebrating their favorable position in the war with raised toasts.
Having regained his composure, the king thought calmly.
Their opponent was Rudehrn. There was a Sword Master in the west as well, but there was still a gap between them.
In this advantageous situation, they needed someone to contain Rudehrn, who was a formidable force.
Launching an attack now would be suicidal.
The Empire would likely avoid the fight, and if they foolishly charged in, they would face defeat.
However, waiting was an even more insane idea. The king swiftly made a decision.
“We’re retreating.”
“Yes?”
A nobleman questioned in surprise at the sudden declaration, lowering his head quickly.
It was because the king’s gaze felt like it could pierce through iron.
“The situation is dire as it is. We’re heading back to the west.”
The original plan had turned into a fiasco. With victory slipping away, they had to lure the enemy onto their own territory.
Of course, when the Western forces were in a desperate situation, the imperial main force had been filled with a mix of panic and joy.
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