Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi

Translator: Nat

–Aegir POV–

「We'll attack from three points: the open field, trench encampment and two-level fence encampment.」

The points Leopolt indicated were places right beside the areas where our allies were fighting fiercely with the enemy.

We can effectively attack where the enemy is confused while staying out of the mess ourselves.

I look at Luna and point at the trench.

Without a trace of hesitation, she leads the bow cavalry there.

I look at Gildress next.

He already starts running with the Aless soldiers in the direction of the fence.

Well, that's fine.

Lastly, I look at Irijina.

She shouts "leave it to me!!" in a loud voice and rushes off to the open field.

「W-what about me!?」

「Wait a little longer.」

When I pinched Celia's nose, she had to breathe through her mouth and it sounded somewhat erotic.

「The strength of an independent battalion is the ability to act separately from the main army. There's no point in them attacking together.」

Celia glared at Tristan when he chimed in with a know-it-all tone, which made him quickly duck his head in between his shoulders.

Soon enough, the true fight will begin.

Firstly, the speedy bow cavalry attacks the enemy camp protected by the trenches.

I would say the proportion of regular army and militia here are fifty-fifty.

「Cavalry are coming! Line up spears along the ditch, don't let them jump over!」

Those soldiers who are more trained become the core of the defense, protecting the center where the crack – the weak point of the trench – is, meanwhile the less trained soldiers align themselves parallel with the ditch. There are also archers and infantry waiting in the rear.

Cavalry can obviously leap across a narrow ditch.

It's not incorrect for the enemy to use a row of infantry to guard against that.

「Charge―― halt! Loose!」

「That won't work against my bow cavalry though.」

They fire their arrows after committing to a charge.

「Guwa, bows on horseback!?」

「Crap! These guys are the mounted archers in the report!?」

「We're lining up for them to shoot! Bring the shields to the front!」

Falling for the disguised charge, the enemy soldiers are nothing more than target practice for the bow cavalry.

The enemy spearmen fall over like toys in the face of the furious barrage, and the archers also have to retreat without putting up much of a fight.

Our opponent should have known about the existence of the bow cavalry, however, they must have had a lapse in memory after fighting the Royal army for such a long time.

Luna, confirming the enemy unit had been routed, picked up speed with a running start and jumped over the trench.

Since all of them were experts at riding, nobody failed to cross the gap.

「That's one.」

I nod in response to Leopolt's muttering, stroking the neck of the impatiently huffing Celia.

Next, the Aless soldiers are running as fast as horses toward the encampment protected by fences.

Judging by the enemy's reaction, the relative density of regular army soldiers is high in this area.

「Here they come……deploy spearmen behind the fences. Use crossbows to eliminate anybody who tries to destroy the fence with an axe.」

A majority of the palisade is constructed with wood, although the height is twice that of a normal palisade and the central section is strengthened by the presence of crossbowmen and spearmen.

Such a defense is perfectly suited against infantry since standard practice is for soldiers to get up close and destroy the fence with axes or hammers.

Of course, the enemy is prepared to stop that.

「There are battles here and there! You are not a man if you aren't fired up! Advance, men of Aless!」

「「「Ooooh!!」」」

Gildress, leading the way with his signature red cloak waving about, shouts so loudly that I can hear him clearly from where I am.

A cloud of dust is kicked up by the Aless squad comparable to an army of cavalry.

Is it my imagination or do I see clothes and underwear mixed with the scattering clumps of dirt?

「They're foolishly charging at us head-on. Stop them with crossbows!」

As expected, they must surely be mostly regular army soldiers if they aren't fazed by the intimidating pressure of the Aless unit.

Crossbowmen wait until close range to fire bolts at the incoming wave of muscle.

On reflex, the Aless soldiers raise their shields, but their entire bodies could not be covered and the powerful bolts pierce through even their honed physiques. The volley was accurate as well. Instantly, a dozen Aless soldiers fall over.

「That's not enough to stop them.」

None of the Aless soldiers seem to slow down.

In fact, many of them smile, attributing the outcome as being part of war.

A crossbow's range is at most 50 m.

Such a distance can be reduced in less than ten seconds by the leg speed of the Aless soldiers, so there is no time for the enemy to reload.

In other words, they will only receive a single volley and will not suffer any significant damage unless they stop moving.

「I-it's not working! Even though they're pretty much naked, they're not going down!」

「Reload the crossbows. Form a wall of spears, don't let them near the fence!」

The enemy obviously thinks the Aless soldiers are going to take out axes to try and destroy the fences……

「Get 'em!!」

Contrary to common sense, the Aless soldiers brush away the spears with their shields and use the momentum of their charge to crash into the fence.

Somehow, the fence was strong enough to withstand the force capable of demolishing a normal wooden barricade.

Unfortunately, that's not the end.

Those in the vanguard who were stopped, moved to the side, making way for the rearguard to charge into the fence with the same momentum.

This repeated itself until the third round, when the fence was finally torn apart. All of this happened in less than 30 seconds.

What comes after is where they are unrivaled.

The enemy tried everything from shooting arrows and forming spear walls to challenging them in close combat with skirmishers.

「Arrows are easily blocked. They can ram into the spears with their shields. And close combat……」

「It's one-sided. Each of them are taking on five―― no, ten people.」

After crushing the enemy camp, the Aless soldiers move on.

「Two.」

Leopolt doesn't let a smile show on his face.

I pat Celia on the head as she looks at me with puppy dog eyes.

Lastly, we shift to Irijina, who is leading my personal army and the 105th army corps to the open field.

There isn't anything sturdy constructed in this area, instead there are countless inverted stakes dotting the ground.

Although it can't be considered a solid defense, the multiple obstacles prevent a large group of cavalry from attacking and a massive army from forming neat rows.

It's simple yet annoying to deal with.

I saw the soldiers in this part are mostly lesser trained militia, however, there are easily over 20 000 of them.

Their general strategy is probably to stack pure numbers against us.

「Let's go!!」

Irijina, leading the infantry unit, quickly gets surrounded after jumping into the middle of the enemy.

When an opponent tries to thrust at Irijina, she plants a foot firmly into the ground and spins around with her spear.

Blood sprayed out from the one soldier who got too close and was sliced, and that was enough to ward off the others.

My personal army flooded in and a melee unfolded.

Because large formations can't be used, several smaller units were utilized instead, which inevitably delayed the development of the attack.

The enemy couldn't be brought down in one blow.

Our side has the overall advantage in training, however, the other side is superior in troop strength.

As the battle prolongs, our soldiers will tire and lose their edge.

「I guess it's about time. Haa…… I'll go now.」

Tristan stands up with an attitude opposite to heroic.

「Don't slack off.」

「How would I do that on the frontlines?」

Tristan smiles wryly.

「Even Tristan is going before me!」

I scratch the underside of the protesting Celia's chin.

20 chariots came rolling out from headquarters, changing the movements of the squads in front.

Until that point, the enemy was retreating while somehow keeping our constant pushing at bay, but suddenly the vanguard stopped attacking and pulled back.

A dubious voice leaked out from the enemy side.

「We're being overwhelmed! We have to counter―― hm? Wait…… they retreated?」

「They had the upper hand, so why…… no, this is our chance! We'll go forward and push them back!」

Naturally, the enemy tried to give chase, but the difference in training showed and there was already a large gap opened up between them and our ally forces.

「Alright, shoot.」

I could swear I heard Tristan's unmotivated voice.

Then, there was an explosion and later, I saw a cloud of dirt rising from near the enemy.

「Field artillery, huh?」

The chariots dispatched from the headquarters must have been carrying those cannons.

They are smaller than normal cannons and relatively easier to move as well as simpler to set up…… those cannons were fired in the brief moment granted by the distance gained.

Before the dust settled, our ally forces resumed their attack, and the enemy collapsed in an instant.

Compared to other cannons, the field artillery aren't that powerful.

That's to be expected, since they sacrificed size and force for mobility.

However, the cannons were fired at surprising timings to deal a greater blow to the enemy's morale than a large army would.

The effect was more pronounced against the less experienced militia.

It was a complete rout of the enemy vanguard.

Seeing how bad things were getting, reinforcements poured out from the enemy side.

「Celia.」

「Right!」

Celia straightened her back excitedly, breathing so hard that the air exhaled from her nose could almost propel her body into the air.

I draw my Dual Crater from its sheath and point it at the battlefield.

「Defeat the approaching enemy. Don't stray too far from the main army.」

「Yes!!」

Celia hops onto her horse.

Her battalion, also waiting in the wing, also moves into action at tremendous speed.

I warned her not to wander off too much, but she's too excited to hear me.

「Hmm. It'd be nice if she didn't act too recklessly.」

「The state of battle won't be affected even if a battalion gets annihilated.」

「Celia-san. She's become a real beauty, eh?」

I wanted someone to agree with me and got back Leopolt's expressionless comment and Gido's irrelevant remark in return.

I'm sending out Celia, who always replies to me properly, so it can't be helped.

Without her by my side, I feel lonely.

「The independent battalion is engaging with a 1000-strong enemy unit…… fumu.」

A slight amount of surprise crept on Leopolt's face―― no, I just sensed it.

「She partially surrounded them in less than a minute. Incredible.」

As Gido said, Celia's battalion immediately enveloped the enemy as soon as they clashed, breaking into their respective companies and flanking with cavalry when the enemy tried to escape through the sole opening in the rear.

「They're moving further. Assaulting the enemy as they try to regroup.」

Leopolt's eyes widen―― well, let's just imagine the eyes in his heart opening.

「A breakthrough this time……」

Gido was truly in awe.

As the enemy was trying to rebuild their formation, Celia broke through with cavalry in a triangular shape, then dispersed to launch a fierce attack, causing a complete rout.

Celia's battalion would later run from place to place, defeating many squads larger in size than her own or she would divide the army into their companies and deter multiple enemies from moving, contributing greatly.

Even if I looked objectively at the achievements by similar sized squads, Celia's battalion has undoubtedly done the most.

Knowing she has accomplished a lot herself, she seems to be gradually fighting more flashily.

「Cutting through the middle of a 3000-strong enemy unit followed by an encirclement in the rear…… a risky move. But it's a big success.」

「Amazing! Isn't that the best result even including the battalions of the Royal army?」

Gido is pumped up.

Leopolt watches Celia without any emotion in his eyes.

「Currently it may be first class. However, she has ignored Lord Hardlett's warning.」

「No need to be petty when Celia's doing her best.」

Some concern clouds my face.

Celia had been working actively around the main army until now.

But she has moved away in search of enemies with greater numbers or in an attempt to pursue more effective attacks.

Celia's battalion is an independent detachment designed to operate separately from the main army, so there shouldn't be any problems normally.

Considering the enemy's state, I can understand how she views this as an opportunity to expand her accomplishments, regardless of the potential risks.

I'm getting a bad feeling down my neck though.

Just in case, I ride Schwartz with my Dual Crater drawn.

「The enemy is getting more confused, plus it looks like she's about to win. Ah, she's heading for another enemy.」

Gido follows me, along with the escort unit, his voice sounding optimistic.

Leopolt speaks without stirring.

「The Royal army's offensive is also progressing steadily. At this rate, a normal unit won't be able to recover. If the enemy continues to watch idly, the frontlines will collapse. In that case……」

Before he could finish, several flaming arrows were shot up in front of us.

They were a bright red color, reflecting the urgency of the situation.

Then, I see messengers sent out by multiple squads.

「Appearance of a large cavalry force! It looks like a powerful army with chariots!!」

「……they'll send the army held in reserve as reinforcements. The cavalry of the central army…… so they've come.」

Things turned around.

The enemy utilized their mobility to penetrate the center of the Royal army and make their way towards us.

The sound from countless hooves stomping the ground was overwhelming to allies and enemies alike.

Our bow cavalry and Aless unit don't push further than they have to and start retreating.

It was more dire in the front.

Those who were pushing unilaterally were forced backwards and some even showed signs of being routed.

Although the 105th army tried to stand their ground, there wasn't much they could do against cavalry with superior numbers, and they also had to slowly fall back. Eventually, they gave up entirely on holding their position and returned to the plains where the inverted stakes are to fortify their defences where the cavalry can't charge.

「They're strong.」

I unconsciously admire the enemy's ability.

「They're probably the enemy's most elite unit. They're worlds apart from militia. Without them, our winning percentage would be 80%.」

Leopolt adds a "but" at the end of his sentence.

「This is desirable. We forced them to play a trump card faster than they wanted to, which greatly reduces the danger of being flanked from the rear or side.」

I sense a bit of satisfaction from Leopolt's expressionless face.

However, the next report would make me forget about him.

「They divided us in front! Independent battalion, isolated!!」

「What!?」

「Uwah!」

I throw Gido aside so I can see.

The enemy's cavalry and chariot unit is trying to break through the side of our formation.

My personal army and the 105th army, trained by Myla and Celia, put up a fight to stop them.

As a result, the enemy cavalry had no choice but to move around us, which separated us from Celia's battalion, who chased another enemy and strayed from the main army. They probably don't have time to deal with a fast enemy.

I look over and see Celia's battalion desperately trying to return, but it's practically impossible to bypass a highly mobile unit like cavalry.

Celia makes a panicked and half-crying face.

Right now, the enemy is merely pushing everyone back so Celia's unit isn't being aggressively attacked, however, I'm sure the enemy will surround and annihilate her squad once they get things sorted.

「We're going. Gido, follow me.」

My foot kicks Schwartz in the stomach.

Gido, who has fallen off his horse for some reason, gets back on and hastily trails behind me.

「Lord Hardlett.」

Leopolt addresses me only.

「I'm going to save Celia. It's the top priority.」

The big picture is also important, but all is lost if Celia gets killed.

I have to help her no matter what. There is no room to argue.

We stare at each other for a few seconds.

「……if you get attacked, cooperate with the bow cavalry to disrupt the frontlines rather than rescuing her directly.」

「Why?」

「The independent battalion is no more than another small unit. If the enemy is trying to overturn the state of battle, they shouldn't spend time deliberately wiping out a single squad. If a larger threat appears, they will naturally prioritize that instead.」

I see. If we create a ruckus in the enemy lines, Celia can escape on her own.

She has that ability.

「Got it. I'll do that.」

With that said, I make my way slowly across the battlefield, my Dual Crater in hand.

「I'll go along the current route and use your strategy.」

Schwartz ran off before I could hear his response.

First, I'll join up with the bow cavalry.

「The Royal army is engaging the enemy in front. Shall we detour around them?」

「As if we'll bother with that. What if we don't make it in time?」

I lead the escort unit straight down the middle of the battlefield.

Those fighting are apparently militia, so their combat seems disorderly, with the enemy slightly ahead after their morale was raised by the arrival of their reinforcements. The commander is shouting gallantly.

「The great cavalry army led by General Maestus himself has come! Our victory is guaran――」

I have no time to waste fighting small fry, but he was annoying, so I lop his head off in passing.

「Me too―― seei!」

Gido rides by an enemy and swings his sword through his neck.

As both commanders fell, the nearby enemy soldiers could only stare dumbfoundedly.

「Move if you don't want to be crushed. Stand in front if you want to die.」

「Hiiih! The commander and vice-commander, so easily!」

「Not good! Step back!」

A path opens up for us when the sea of conscripted soldiers parts.

That's perfect, since I can't afford to kill every single rank-and-file soldier.

「Watch out! Look to the side, Chri――」

I don't worry about checking each individual's face, although a soldier is slow to move out of my way.

Schwartz doesn't hesitate to run forward and send him flying.

「Uwaaaaah!!」

「Aaah!? ――toph got hit!」

The screaming soldier comes crashing down pretty hard and dies―― or I thought he did. He luckily plunged head-first into a pit of mud, which softened his impact, only causing him to be stuck with his feet flailing in the air.

Gido tilted his head curiously for some reason, but our priority right now is meeting with the bow cavalry and saving Celia.

「No time to be distracted. We're picking up the pace.」

I yell at Schwartz who turns his head back for some reason.

Bow cavalry and the enemy cavalry.

Recently, I've been fighting against encampments and before that, it was surface warfare, so it's nice I get to face cavalry this time.

「I'll save Celia and then proceed to win.」

The battle is reaching its climax.