Chapter 434: Both of Us Are Lying

Two days went by in a blink.

By now Viktor, leading the main body of the Gale Knights, would have arrived safely in Vintenheim. Beort, who was responsible for the city, must have been thrown by the sudden news, but he would make his preparations calmly enough.

"Is this the first time I’ve drawn up an operation with just the two of you?"

"Yes, my lord. We were rather hurt that you hadn’t called on us before this."

"Ha ha ha, my apologies. I expect you to show the mountain goats the greatness of the Magyars."

Szolnok Barosi and Debrecen Herto had been treated well enough, but with few chances to distinguish themselves they were starving for battle honors. On top of that, they now had a settlement of their own to answer for.

They were prepared to show the honor of their village and the Magyar spirit plainly in this battle. I’d chosen them because they were the ideal force for driving deep into enemy territory.

Fifty of the one hundred and fifty Hungarian cavalry were horse archers, which made them a formidable force. On top of that, Hungarian cavalry were the raiding specialists of the age. Even the empire had never been able to handle them.

The clans of Barosi and Herto had been defeated and exiled by the King of Hungary, but they had been driven out by sheer weight of numbers. In battle itself, they’d held their own. And now they would be fighting for me.

"Sir Einbeck, hold Hissen well while I’m away."

"...I would rather go to the battlefield with you, my lord."

August was clearly disappointed. How could I not understand his wish to be at my side? I put a hand on his shoulder and clapped it in encouragement. I have always been in his debt.

"The reason I can leave this castle with an easy mind is that you’re here."

I’d been able to march out on campaign without worry because August guarded my back so reliably. It must have galled him that he so rarely stood on a battlefield beside me, but I repaid him with unshakable trust.

"Thank you for your faith in me. But pushing into Basel’s territory..."

"Don’t worry. I’m not such a naive knight that I’d fight a battle I can’t win."

"You are the strongest knight and commander in Beren, my lord, but this is far too dangerous!"

August had opposed the audacious plan of advancing into Basel’s territory once the noble battle was over. By any sensible measure it was a wildly dangerous military operation. But I pushed it through anyway.

I’m the only one who can turn the enemy’s heartland upside down. I might draw criticism for a prince acting so recklessly on his own, but I’m a being with power that defies common sense. ℯℯ𝘭.

I intended to use that power to the fullest. I’d accumulated twenty thousand points through the point generator, and I held two Courage 200% Boost Scrolls and two Cavalry Breakthrough 200% Increase scrolls.

That alone was enough. My men, of course, had no idea, so their worry was considerable, but they seemed to have decided to trust in the strength that had carried us through impossible feats to where we stood now.

For reference, I’d also had three Training 200% Boost Scrolls, and I’d poured every one of them into training the Streit gunners. That was how they reached a level fit for the front line in a mere three months.

"I can’t even imagine how Rosenheim will change after this battle."

"Then your imagination is lacking. A great deal will change."

The massive gate in Hissen’s wall swung open.

With the people cheering them off, the Rosenheim army marched out. Once we were well clear of the castle, the Streit gunners and pikemen marched singing the newly written Streit battle song.

"Great knight! Charging wolf! Lead us onward!"

"With the Henningsmantel streaming, the rose in our arms, we advance!"

"We are the great Streit! The glorious Streit!"

"Knight! Beloved knight! Forward, men of Streit!"

"The current of the Main! The field of roses! There my love awaits!"

"With the Henningsmantel streaming, with her in my arms, I advance!"

"We are the great Streit! The glorious Streit!"

"Knight! Beloved knight! Forward, men of Streit!"

Oscar had commissioned the song from a street musician staying in Hissen, and thanks to its bright, catchy melody every soldier loved it and anyone could pick it up easily.

It was a magical song that loosened the tension in men marching to battle and put courage in them. Their voices rang out across the Hissen Plain like a grand opera as our army pressed on.

"My lord, the Count of Basel’s mountain goat crest."

"Hmm, he came out early to wait for us."

With a white flag and the mountain goat banner fluttering, the Count of Basel stood at the midpoint waiting for me. I ordered Oscar to make camp and rode over with Barosi and Herto.

"It’s been a while, Baron Rosenheim. Have you put the ransom I paid to good use?"

"Thanks to you, Count of Basel, I’m building a rather fine port."

"Ha ha ha, I don’t know how much that port will prosper, but I wish you luck."

At the mention of Vintenheim, the Count of Basel smiled meaningfully and wished me luck. That shameless face made me angry, but I held it in. When I checked through the Scouter, his state of mind read as derision.

He seemed to think a foolish baron had come all this way without realizing that his own lands were burning behind him, and I played along, acting as though I knew nothing so he’d keep believing it. The count looked quite relaxed.

He appeared not to doubt for a moment that the grand strategy they’d prepared would succeed. Then again, if Drek and Ted hadn’t thought to work backward from the worst possible situation, I wouldn’t have caught it either.

Thank heaven I have clever subordinates.

And so we faced each other, each with a dagger hidden behind his back.

"I brought five hundred men, as agreed."

"My force numbers four hundred and fifty."

"You came in fifty short? I like the confidence."

Behind the Count of Basel’s grin as he spoke, I caught a thick, clinging bloodlust. Rolling around on battlefields has made me sensitive to it in an opponent. So I answered by quietly letting my own bloodlust seep out.

"Baron Rosenheim, I have hired Swiss mercenaries. These Streit gunners you’ve raised will have to face the finest mercenaries in the world head-on. I hope your soldiers hold."

"You take firearms far too lightly, Count of Basel. This may be a small battle, but I have no doubt my soldiers will mark a historic victory over the Swiss mercenaries."

"Hmph. Before they’ve even loaded, the wall of pikes protecting your gunners will be shattered."

"Please compose yourselves, my lords. The Lord is watching over this meeting."

After we’d glared at each other for some time, the bishop attached to the County of Basel crossed himself and intervened. The Bishop of Basel served as both guarantor and mediator of the noble battle. The Count of Basel stepped back a pace.

"This battle is fought in the name of Christ, with noble honor at stake. Unnecessary slaughter and plunder are strictly forbidden, and prisoners who pay their ransom must be released at once. Do you swear this before the Lord?"

We spoke the oath. Until every formality was finished, the Count of Basel and I stared at each other with eyes full of bloodlust. The bishop, caught between us, looked like he was dying inside.

The moment the formalities were done, he cleared out as fast as his legs would carry him.

"May the glory of the Lord attend this holy battle."

"I wish you a good fight, Baron Rosenheim."

His part finished, the Count of Basel rode back.

With the Church’s certification, it was now a lawful battle.