Chapter 4 : War & Battle
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“So, what’s the plan, Haruki?”
“I’m just an ordinary soldier. My job is simply to listen to my superior and follow his orders as long as they make sense, then run away if he tells me to commit suicide.”
“And lastly, eat a slap from me if you don’t give me a serious answer.”
“I’m serious...”
Smack!
Erwin’s palm meets Haruki’s cheek, just as he promised.
“You actually slapped me...?”
“That’s because you weren’t being serious.”
“Huh? I’ve been serioooouwaiiiiiiiit!”
Haruki takes several steps back when he sees Erwin clench his fist. Once his hand is clenched, what he delivers is no longer a slap. And Haruki has no desire to take a punch from someone like Erwin, whose physical abilities are far beyond those of an ordinary man.
“Wait, wait, wait, wait! Erwin! Even if I want to do something, I’m nobody here!”
Besides, he genuinely has no idea what to do.
“What Haruki says is true, so stop making a commotion.”
Amelie tries to speak calmly, but as her childhood friends, the two of them know that she is merely pretending not to be affected by what is happening. When they were children, they were already accustomed to seeing Amelie cry whenever she was sad, afraid, or, of course, worried.
At present, the three of them are inside one of the towers of the Coalition Army’s fortress. Officially, they have been placed there as a gesture of respect toward their guests from Amteric. The princess and her escort. After all, it is the safest place in the fortress.
But judging by how busy everyone they can see through the room’s window is, the more likely explanation is that they have been put here so they can’t do anything and interfere with the soldiers on duty.
Her position as a Military Academy student seems to no longer matter either.
“I’m sorry.”
Erwin doesn’t regret slapping Haruki, but at the very least, he understands that there is nothing they can do at the moment. As Haruki said, all they can do is wait for orders.
“Maybe they don’t want us to do anything, but there are still things we can do, like gathering information.”
Amelie gestures for Erwin and Haruki to sit back down. She then unfolds a map showing the surrounding area where the fortress is located, along with the layout of the fortress itself. Claiming that she needs it to plan her route home, she manages to persuade one of the fortress officers to lend her a map.
“There are roughly fifteen hundred soldiers inside the fortress, while the enemy is estimated to number around four thousand.”
Amelie says this after her two childhood friends finally agree to sit down quietly.
“Four thousand, huh... That’s almost three times our number.”
Erwin rests a hand on his chin, remembering that, in theory, an attacking force needs to have at least three times as many soldiers as the defending force.
“That’s only an estimate, so don’t treat it as an actual hard number.”
Haruki points out that accurately counting the enemy forces in a situation like this is nearly impossible. The actual number could be higher or lower than the estimate. And as someone who has to fight on the battlefield, of course he always prepares for the worst-case scenario…
“Next...”
Amelie takes out several more documents.
Because the enemy forces are labeled as rebels, as expected, their attack comes without warning, unlike in a more traditional war. Furthermore, they do not move as a single army, but as small groups that only come together at a predetermined location.
“That way, they can move quickly without arousing too much suspicion.”
Given the vast area they have to defend, and the limited personnel and supplies the Coalition Army can provide, they cannot check every route the rebel forces might use and can only focus on the major roads. This makes it easy for anyone familiar with the area to hide and sneak around, just like Haruki and the others did before.
“Which means we don’t know how many more enemies are going to come.”
It is through this strategy that the Coalition Army has been caught off guard, suddenly discovering that the enemy forces are already too close and too numerous to deal with effectively.
Some who manage to escape the initial attack return to the fortress and report the situation, but their counterattacks are too hastily mounted to have much effect.
Then, once the rebel forces launch their full-scale attack, the Coalition Army’s defensive line collapses with ease. Everyone is forced to retreat into the fortress, allowing the siege to begin.
“Yesterday, the Coalition Army tried to launch another counterattack from inside the fortress, but it didn’t go very well.”
On the day Amelie’s small group arrived at the fortress, the Coalition Army attempted to fight back using cannons and arrows from within the fortress. However, the attack was quickly called off.
They managed to inflict some casualties on the rebel forces, but the result was quite disappointing.
“Why...?”
Asked Erwin.
Firing from a higher position increases the power and effective range of the weapons being used. In other words, a high position is the ideal place to launch a long-range counterattack.
“You should know that better than anyone.”
Haruki is puzzled by the fact that Erwin, of all people, is the one asking about it.
“Hey, I’m just a guest!”
Erwin protests.
While staying at the fortress, the young man’s movements are constantly restricted, and he is not allowed to interfere in military affairs. That is why he doesn’t even know the Coalition Army’s exact situation. In fact, Amelie, who has only just arrived, already knows more about it than he does.
Of course, the fact that he doesn’t particularly care about the fate of the Coalition Army also contributes to his ignorance. To Erwin, this place is merely a temporary resting point that he can leave at any time.
“Take another look at the map.”
Amelie holds the map out closer to Erwin. And when the young man takes a closer look...
“Ahhh... supplies.”
Behind the fortress stands a massive, steep, rocky mountain. With this natural barrier protecting their rear, the fortress itself is safe from enemy attacks from that direction. On the other hand, it also means they will be trapped once the enemy takes control of the area surrounding them.
Without any route for transporting supplies, no one can expect reinforcements or supplies to arrive from anywhere but the front. The very areas that have already been conquered by the enemy. That is why they stopped launching counterattacks after realizing how ineffective they were.
Things like cannon projectiles, pellets, and arrows do not simply grow on trees. Someone has to manufacture them, purchase them, and then transport them. And for a besieged Coalition Army, resupplying is practically impossible. This is not a problem that can be solved with money.
“Hmm... For a rebel attack, everything seems far too well planned.”
This time, Erwin pushes the map in front of him closer to Haruki.
“Yeah. Their level of coordination, planning, and weaponry is way too high!”
It is almost as though they are facing a professional army from another country.
The reason rebellions tend to fail more often than they succeed is usually a lack of coordination. Even if everyone has the enthusiasm and manpower, without solid coordination, a rebellion’s movements can easily be detected, monitored, and eventually crushed.
But these rebels are not only capable of gathering enough people to form a serious organization. Their coordination is so good that they can bring together those scattered groups and turn them into one large, organized army. For some reason, they are also capable of gathering enough funds to equip themselves with a full arsenal.
All of this would be possible if they had highly competent and charismatic leaders. But no one there believes that is the only thing happening. It would be far more believable if a major power were supporting the rebellion from behind the scenes.
“We can’t mount a counterattack, our supplies are running low, and we’re surrounded. Aren’t we already checkmated?”
Erwin closes his eyes, crosses his arms over his chest, then relaxes against the back of the sofa.
“Hahh...”
His mission is to bring Amelie home. That is all. This war is not his, and he has no obligation to participate in it or help them. If he wants to go home, he can do so. Erwin is confident that he can protect the girl and get her out of this hellhole. And even if the girl doesn’t want to go home, he can force her to.
But just because he can doesn’t mean he wants to.
“…”
Erwin slightly opens his eyes and looks at Amelie, who is still busy studying the map in front of her. Then, sensing that she is being watched, the girl looks back at Erwin before saying...
“I don’t want to go home yet.”
She says it as though she can read Erwin’s mind.
The words immediately make the young man let out a long sigh. Why? Because he has already anticipated this. The girl is not going to run away, not until the situation becomes truly unsalvageable.
“Haaaaah…”
With his suspicions confirmed, Erwin can only sigh. Again.
If they are forced into a war of attrition, it will take nothing short of a miracle for them to avoid defeat. The enemy only needs to wait for them to starve. Even if they have a massive amount of reserves, they would still run out of fuel within a few months.
Not to mention, Amelie does not have much time either, as her territory needs her to deal with problems back home. They need to win this war within a few days, or everything will be too late. If this war is not brought to an end soon, by the time they return home, her territory may already belong to someone else.
“If no one can come up with a plan by tomorrow, I’m taking you away by force! Whether you want to or not! Understand!?”
To Erwin, Amelie’s safety is far more important than the Coalition Army’s victory, or even its survival. That is his only priority. If no one can come up with a way out of this situation by tomorrow, things will only continue to get worse, and at that point, he will have no choice but to impose his will on her.
“I…”
I don’t want to go.
That is what Amelie wants to say.
But because she knows that her presence is needed and that Erwin’s decision comes from his desire to protect her, the girl decides not to finish her sentence.
CLAP!
Haruki claps his hands.
“Enough! We should get some rest first!”
And just like that, he closes the conversation for good.
“It’s already late at night. I’m sure Amelie is tired too! Good ideas don’t come when you’re exhausted.”
If possible, Haruki doesn’t want to use his ace in the hole. But now that things have come to this, he has no choice but to stop hiding. Even though Amelie’s departure is inevitable, he doesn’t want to part with her like this. In the middle of all this chaos. There are so many things he wants to say to the girl before they part ways, perhaps for good.
His heart feels heavy, but once again, he can’t stop her from leaving. Still, if they have to part ways, Haruki at least wants them to do so in a more peaceful situation. One where they can say goodbye with lighter hearts. Not one filled with anxiety and worry.
“I’ll try to look for more information. I’m sure there’s still a lot we don’t know about what’s happening out there.”
Haruki picks up the map in front of him, silently asking to borrow it before getting to his feet and preparing to leave the room.
“You’re right. We should get some rest first! Your other companion is already asleep after dinner!”
Erwin agrees with Haruki’s suggestion, but for some reason, the young man remains completely relaxed and continues lounging on the sofa. He doesn’t look like he has any intention of leaving the place at all.
“Erwin! Just to make sure! You’re not planning to sleep here, are you?”
“Of course I’m sleeping here!”
“Okay! Just save the sleep-talking for when you’re actually asleep! Now, come on, get out with me!”
In a hurry, Haruki tries to pull Erwin outside. But instead of cooperating, the young man uses his power, binding his body to the sofa and the floor beneath it.
“Hey!!”
“Aren’t you worried about Amelie? You saw for yourself that there are plenty of enemies outside, right?”
“This place is safe!”
Cannons, arrows, and even air rifles don’t have enough range to reach the room they are in. Haruki is also certain that the enemy won’t send a secret unit to kidnap or assassinate Amelie. Not only do they have no idea that she is here, but the defenses around the fortress are also extremely tight.
Besides, if the enemy wants to take someone’s life, the leader of this fortress is a much more valuable target.
“I miss her, and there are so many things I want to talk to her about, too.”
“You can do that tomorrow!”
“I want to do it now!”
“Over my dead body!!!”
Back when they were at Amelie’s home in her hometown, something like this might not have been a problem. The people around them understood that Erwin and Amelie had grown up together and were practically siblings in everything but name. Unfortunately, this is a foreign land where nobody knows anything about their background. Haruki doesn’t want to take the risk of the two of them becoming the subject of gossip throughout the fortress.
It wouldn’t just damage their reputations. It could also cause problems for the army itself. Someone might get the idea that it is easy to approach Amelie and try something foolish.
And if something like that happens, Erwin will become another headache for this garrison, which already has its plate full.
“Calm down, Haruki. That’s too much of an overreaction!”
“This is not an overreaction!! You really are... arghh.”
No matter how close the two of them are, they aren’t actually siblings. Yet Erwin still doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with his plan.
“How about this, then? You come sleep here too!”
Not even that is enough for him. He keeps coming up with even crazier ideas.
“Are you serious, Erwin? I’ll ask you again! ARE YOU SERIOUS?”
They have slept together many times before. Not just in the same room, but even in the same bed. But all of that happened when they were still children. And surprise, surprise, they are no longer children.
They can’t exactly sleep under the same blanket, hugging each other and laughing like they used to.
“I’m just kidding! Ahahaha... Of course I don’t want to be your body pillow like I was back then!”
Erwin laughs loudly, but Haruki is certainly not in the mood to laugh along with him.
“Enough! If you’re not going to leave, then I’ll take Amelie to the women’s barracks!”
That way, Erwin won’t be able to follow her either. At least, Haruki believes Erwin still has enough common sense to stop himself from sleeping in the middle of a group of unfamiliar women.
“Sorry, sorry.”
Erwin raises his hands.
“If you two still want to talk, do it outside! Or at least leave the door open to make sure nobody can misunderstand what the two of you are doing in here.”
Sigh... Haruki can’t believe he actually has to say all of that.
Putting Amelie aside, she only spent a short time at a noble academy and grew up in a small town where the number of children her age could practically be counted on one hand. Erwin, on the other hand, should know the social norms of the nobility like the back of his hand. How can he behave like this?
“Heeeehh... But I don’t want outsiders sharing those memories with me. Besides! You know I have plenty of secrets that other people aren’t supposed to hear, right?”
The young man has plenty of secrets. Even though the things he does and the inventions he creates are part of everyday life within Amelie’s territory, outside of it, the things he has created could shake the course of human civilization itself.
“You just need to watch what you say!”
“Eeeehh... If you’re telling me to be careful whenever I’m talking around a bunch of outsiders, then it’s basically not a casual conversation anymore.”
“Don’t be so picky. You don’t want to repeat what happened last time, do you?”
It’s true. Erwin is a genius who managed to change the way the world works several years ago. And that was the result of just one of his inventions. One mistake on his part could change the world all over again.
Haruki can’t even imagine what would happen if the rest of Erwin’s inventions were to spread throughout the wider world as well.
Wait a minute!
Outsiders?
How could Haruki have forgotten?
“Erwin! I just had an idea!”
Haruki suddenly speaks in a much more serious tone. This immediately makes Erwin look toward Amelie, and the two of them exchange a nod.
“What can I do?”
Erwin asks.
“It’s simple. You just need to go pick up my other companions!”
“Your companions... Ah...”
Erwin finally realizes what Haruki wants to do too.
If the plan goes smoothly, there’s a good chance they can get themselves out of this difficult situation.
𖣂𖣂𖣂
Like Yuudai, Erwin is one of the fortunate people who possesses magic from birth. He prefers to call his unique ability the power to harden things, since explaining the details of how it works to other people is simply too much trouble.
More accurately, his ability can be described as the power to lock the relative positions of particles in relation to one another. This is what ultimately causes an object to become hard.
If he uses his power on a piece of cloth, for example, the threads. Or more precisely, the particles that make up the cloth can no longer move relative to one another because their positions are locked in place. As a result, the cloth becomes a solid object.
Since the end result is simply that an object becomes hard, Erwin just tells people that his ability is the power to harden things.
His ability is simple, but it has a great many applications. Even so, his favorite way to use his magic is to harden parts of his body or his clothing. When necessary, he can harden his entire body, making himself virtually impervious to most of the dangers that come his way.
Normally, his power only applies to his own body or to objects that are in direct contact with him. However, during his training, Erwin also discovers that he can extend the range of his magic simply by bringing an object he is holding into contact with another object.
As long as he can sense the contact between himself and the object he wants to manipulate, the young man can apply his power to several objects at the same time.
A simple example of this is what he is doing right now.
“Hmm... It’s pretty high.”
At the moment, Erwin is hanging from the fortress wall using several small pieces of wood as hooks. He places several random sticks together and shapes them into something resembling a hook before activating his power, making them hard and preventing them from coming apart.
With his power, Erwin could, of course, simply let himself fall without getting hurt. But considering that his body is literally as hard as stone, the noise from his fall at the top of the fortress would be far too loud, making his secret mission not so secret anymore.
Unfortunately, his power is not without its flaws.
As explained earlier, he needs to maintain contact with the object he wants to manipulate. Or at least be able to “feel” that contact. Furthermore, no matter how hard his body becomes, he cannot withstand attacks in the form of radiation. In other words, heat and cold can still affect him.
His power also only applies to the outside of his body, which can be considered a good thing. If it also stopped the movement of his internal organs, he would die instantly.
And because it can't block the transmission of energy too, even when he can stop practically any kind of projectile, the shockwave from the impact is still transmitted to his internal organs. So, while he can technically stop a cannonball with his body, it is something he would rather avoid if possible.
“Ugh... The number of enemies just keeps increasing.”
Just as Haruki suspected, people from the other groups keep pouring in and adding to the enemy forces. Although Erwin is confident that he could escape their encirclement on his own, if possible, he would rather avoid doing something as ridiculous as taking on an entire army by himself.
And that brings him to the final weakness of his power, or rather, the weakness of magic in general.
Magic functions much like any other physical ability. It has a limited duration and capacity. You cannot simply use it without consequence. At some point, you will run out of the stamina and energy needed to activate it.
And if you force yourself beyond that limit, all you accomplish is pushing yourself into exhaustion. And the worst part? The kind of exhaustion caused by magic depletion feels as though your very soul is being strained.
It is a sensation that is hard to describe and one that only magic users can truly relate to.
That is why he doesn’t try to leave by climbing the steep, rocky mountain behind the fortress. Once again, technically speaking, he could climb those rocks with ease, like some kind of human spider... A Spider-Man. But practically speaking, it would be far too risky.
“Hmm... Time to become a super elite agent.”
Once he reaches the ground, he dramatically pulls up the hood of his entirely black outfit, looking exactly like a young man whose sole purpose in life is to hunt from the shadows.
Except that, despite his attempts to look dramatic, what he is actually doing is anything but.
Erwin carefully begins to move. From one shadow to another, from behind one large object to another, from a trench to behind a tree, and then into the bushes. Whenever someone starts to become suspicious or senses his presence, he resorts to cliché tactics like throwing a rock to make a noise somewhere else or throwing something to knock out a light.
After a while, all of this really starts to make him feel like a secret agent.
He has to avoid not only the enemy, but also the soldiers on his own side. With the fortress located at the foot of the mountain, it is hardly a secret that the enemy forces must have stationed several spies up there to keep watch over them.
Interacting with the other soldiers would reveal to those spies that he is trying to leave.
And Erwin doesn’t want to let the enemy know that they are planning a counterattack.
“...”
Erwin’s assignment is to find Haruki’s companions who are still outside and deliver the instructions he has prepared for them. According to his childhood friend, there are eight hundred of them in total.
Not all of them may have survived, and not all of them may be trying to make their way to this fortress. But still, Haruki is confident that this fortress will be where they ultimately go.
Even in the worst case, at least three hundred of them should make it here. And if everything goes according to plan, they could gain at least six hundred additional soldiers who can attack the enemy from behind.
Once Erwin finally makes it out of the fortress area and past the enemy camp, he is free to move around.
Haruki has already told him which routes his companions are most likely to take, so finding them should be relatively easy.
And sure enough, less than an hour after leaving the conflict area, he finds a group hiding nearby, busy discussing whether they should try to contact the people inside the fortress or flee and head toward another Coalition military outpost.
The group he finds isn’t part of the group that was stranded together with Haruki. Still, the reputation of Yamato Military Academy doesn’t lie.
Once Erwin explains his situation, his objective, and his plan, they immediately understand what is going on.
Seeing that the orders he carries come from an individual and a division they don’t recognize, the students don’t immediately agree to follow them. However, their response is positive. They quickly grasp the situation and begin coming up with a plan of their own, helping Erwin gather their other companions so they can discuss the matter in greater detail.
Perhaps it is because his first attempt succeeds so easily that Erwin unconsciously lets his guard down.
When he heads toward the forest where Haruki tells him the leader of his own platoon is located, he receives a rather unpleasant welcome.
An attack comes from both in front of and behind him at the same time.
A heavy punch from the front, and a sword slash from behind.
Both attacks are precise despite the considerable risk of accidentally injuring their own companion if they miss. Erwin also senses no hesitation in either attack, suggesting that his two opponents have confidence not only in their own abilities, but in each other as well.
If the person they had attacked were anyone other than Erwin, his head would already be flying through the air.
“Aren’t you guys afraid of accidentally killing your own friend?”
Fortunately, he is Erwin.
The sword that slashes across his neck fails to pierce his skin, while the powerful punch to his forehead doesn’t leave so much as a scratch.
Magic in this world isn’t some kind of technique, but a natural ability that people possess from birth. As a result, many can activate their powers with virtually no delay. And for Erwin, who has trained his ability since childhood, his magic has become a natural part of his unconscious reactions. It can activate on its own the moment his instincts and body sense danger, without requiring him to consciously give the command.
In other words, his magic functions like a reflex, much like blinking.
A reflex that provides him with automatic protection.
“...”
“...”
The two Military Academy students immediately leap backward.
The two of them are frightened and shocked, but their sudden retreat isn’t caused by those two things alone.
Rather...
Whoosh...
Three simple wooden spears come flying rapidly toward him from above the dark trees.
“Did your teacher follow the ‘it’s better to apologize than ask for permission’ school of thought?”
This time, Erwin doesn’t simply stand there and take their attacks. He jumps, dodging one of the spears, then takes off his cloak and swings it at the two remaining spears still flying toward him.
He knocks both dangerous weapons aside, sending them crashing to the ground.
Even without relying on his power, Erwin is still a capable fighter.
“Your coordination is really impressive.”
After attacking openly, they immediately follow up with a ranged attack from the darkness. Once again, if their target had been anyone other than him, he would almost certainly have been killed.
As soldiers, they make for an efficient team.
“Sigh…But once again! Aren’t you afraid of killing your own companions? Or some local who just happens to wander in here?”
Erwin lets out a sigh.
“Don’t get the wrong idea! I know the faces of everyone at the academy by heart, and you’re wearing a foreign military uniform!”
The girl who punched him says. It is Yuudai.
“Hmmmm...”
“Looks like, at the very least, you’re not completely heartless! Your other companions are still better, though. They ask questions and gather information first before deciding to take an extreme course of action like this.”
Yuudai’s academic performance might be near the bottom of her class, but for some reason, she has enough memory capacity to remember the faces of every student in her year.
If she could put that memory to use when studying, there’s no doubt she could become one of the top students at the academy.
Unfortunately, she is the type of person who simply can’t sit still long enough to read a book.
“Who are you!?”
The young man is wearing a military uniform they don’t recognize. And even without the uniform, anyone can tell that Erwin isn’t an ordinary person. No matter how they look at him, he clearly isn’t a civilian.
That leaves only one likely possibility. He is a soldier from the enemy forces.
“You should’ve asked first before trying to kill me!”
Erwin reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out something that immediately puts everyone on alert.
“You don’t need to be that wary! I’m part of the Coalition forces! Otherwise, I would’ve fought back a long time ago!”
Of course, Erwin isn’t actually part of the Coalition forces. He isn’t even a member of Amteric’s military organization, despite wearing its uniform. He only wears it so that anyone he encounters while looking for Amelie won’t mistake him for some random uninvolved person.
His uniform isn’t recognizable because it belongs to the royal family’s guard, which rarely ever leaves the capital. But explaining all of that would take too much time, so he simply claims to be part of the Coalition forces.
“What is your objective!?”
It’s true that Erwin has only been defending himself so far. But the fact that he is wearing a military uniform they don’t recognize inevitably makes everyone wonder what he is doing there and why he has come to meet them.
“I’m here to deliver instructions to all of you! The Yamato Military Academy students who are still out here.”
Erwin takes out an envelope and pulls a letter from inside.
“What guarantee do we have that you’re not lying?”
“Hmm...”
Erwin points to a seal at the bottom of the letter.
Yuudai’s eyes widen.
“The... Reserve Forces seal?”
“Are you going to listen to what I have to say?”
Yuudai looks behind her and raises her hand. She then signals for all of her companions to lower their weapons.
The atmosphere immediately becomes much lighter.
“Good, then!”
They move to the location where Yuudai and the remaining members of their stranded group have set up camp. Just like the group Erwin encountered earlier, Yuudai’s group has also decided to assess the situation first before deciding whether to flee or force their way into the fortress.
As soon as some of them see Erwin, a few become visibly tense and prepare to draw their weapons. But Yuudai immediately signals that everything is fine.
“A few soldiers from the rebel forces managed to break through into this area earlier, so everyone is still on edge.”
“I understand.”
The two continue walking toward the center of the camp, where everyone gradually gathers and prepares to listen to Yuudai’s instructions.
Once again, it shows just how organized their small group is.
As an Amteric citizen who is used to seeing his classmates, and even his seniors at the academy, fight among themselves over leadership positions, Erwin can’t help but feel a little envious of the quality of the students at Yamato Military Academy.
Before long, they reach the center of the camp. In a voice that isn’t particularly loud but carries clearly across the camp, Yuudai calls for everyone’s attention and...
“Today, we’ve finally received direct orders from the Coalition forces. And that’s not all! These orders came directly from the Coalition’s higher command.”
The information immediately causes a stir.
They can hardly believe that their field exam has turned into an actual fight on the front lines. And now they are in a situation serious enough for the Coalition’s higher command to intervene and order them to participate.
“If you don’t mind me asking, who issued the orders? You seem familiar with whoever sent that letter.”
One of Yuudai’s group members raises a hand.
“Central Command.”
The reserve forces are not an official division known to the general public. However, because of their extremely important position, orders issued by its members carry authority almost equivalent to orders from Central Command.
Technically speaking, Yuudai isn’t lying to anyone.
“Hmm... You didn’t say that the orders came from Haruki?”
Seeing that Yuudai doesn’t directly reveal where the orders came from, Erwin lowers his voice as he asks about it, still confused.
“Ahh, you’re an outsider! Of course you won’t know about the reserve forces!”
“Hmm???”
Yuudai comes from a fairly old military family. Because of that, she knows more about the military organization than most of the other students. This includes the existence of an elite division that isn’t officially recorded.
Yuudai knows that Haruki is part of that division. That is why she can trust his decisions and plans. However, her friends don’t have the same knowledge. If they find out that the plan was made by the classmate they consider an idiot, they might refuse to participate.
Fortunately, members of the reserve forces are required to use code names when writing letters to protect their identities. That makes it easier to hide Haruki’s involvement.
“Well, you just need to know that we’re going to win!”
Every battle he leads ends in victory. Not only that, but every battle he personally takes part in also consistently has minimal casualties.
“...???”
Erwin doesn’t get the answer he was looking for. But he understands that perhaps this isn’t information that can simply be revealed to an outsider.
So, he doesn’t press the matter any further.
“As you can see for yourselves, this fortress is currently surrounded, and the enemy forces outnumber us by nearly three to one.”
As Military Academy students, they naturally understand what Erwin means. The situation inside the fortress is clearly bad, and it will only continue to deteriorate as time passes.
But even if the enemy forces are focused on the people inside the fortress, that doesn’t mean their group is safe. If they remain in this area, sooner or later, their position will be discovered, and they will become a target as well.
“Your friends inside have a plan to get out of this situation, but they need the help of all of you who are still outside!”
Erwin explains.
Yuudai takes the letter from the envelope she is holding and reads its contents carefully. Afterward, seemingly having some difficulty understanding its contents, she hands it to another one of her companions.
While her companion carefully reads the instructions Haruki has written, Yuudai turns her attention back to Erwin.
“Do you know how many academy students managed to make it into the fortress?”
“So far, I’ve only seen three.”
“Three...”
Yuudai doesn’t need to ask who they are. The letter, along with what she remembers from the time they split up to find their own routes, makes it fairly obvious who they are. There is only one group with three members.
Even if there are other groups she doesn’t know about, she is confident that only those three troublemakers would make up such a small group.
“Are they... alright?”
Haruki might be annoying, and Yuudai might not particularly like Amelie, but that doesn’t mean she wants either of them to die or suffer serious injuries.
“Everyone is fine.”
“...”
Yuudai doesn’t say anything. But the look on her face shows that, at the very least, she is relieved.
“Do you have any information on when reinforcements will arrive?”
“A week if the stars lined up, and at worst...”
Erwin raises both hands, as if he doesn’t know what else to say.
That one-week estimate is only possible if the messenger safely arrives at central command in time, at the exact moment the Coalition Forces are already planning to attack anyway. A chance that, honestly, is pretty much nil.
Realistically speaking, it would probably take a month or so for reinforcements to arrive.
“I see...”
Judging from the enemy’s actions and movements so far, fortunately, their general seems to be a patient and cautious person. Despite already having enough troops, he doesn’t attack recklessly, preferring to wait until all his preparations are complete.
Still, the situation could change at any moment. Their commander could change his mind just as quickly.
That is why striking first might be their chance to turn the tables on their current situation.
And speaking of being cornered...
“The important thing is, we can’t let the enemy take control of this area.”
Erwin announces.
In a conflict, the territory you control can be divided into several categories. Easy terrain, constricted terrain, high ground, temporary terrain, and decisive terrain. Of all these types, the area they are currently occupying falls into the category of decisive terrain.
Decisive terrain is an area that, once taken by the enemy, becomes extremely difficult to retake. If they are forced to reclaim it later, they will need a force far larger than the already sizable enemy army stationed there.
“...”
Yuudai looks back toward her companion, who has finally finished reading the instructions in Haruki’s letter.
“The plan is solid. The signals, timing, and everything we need to do are all written down in detail here! All we have to do now is gather everyone and put this plan into action.”
Yuudai’s friends seem to want to look for another group, so Erwin nods in agreement.
Until now, Erwin has been searching for Haruki’s fellow academy students on his own. It is highly inefficient. If he continues recruiting people one group at a time, he will run out of time, and their entire plan could fail.
“Can I leave this to you? I need to get ready for something else.”
Yuudai lets out a long sigh before answering.
“Alright. I know roughly where everyone is, and I can get in touch with them too!”
“Good, then! I have to get going...”
Erwin stands up and prepares to leave, but before he can even straighten up completely, Yuudai stops him after her companion whispers something in her ear.
“You can get back into the fortress, right?”
“Yeah!”
“Tell them we’ve noticed a massive amount of supplies being sent here! They’re probably preparing to receive reinforcements!”
“Understood!”
“And one more thing! Tell him he owes me one!”
Looks like Haruki’s requested help isn’t going to come for free.
“I’ll pass on your message.”
With that, Erwin leaves and begins preparing for his next task.
⛨⛨⛨
“Are you ready?”
Right now, just behind the fortress’s iron gate, Haruki is helping Erwin put on a full suit of armor. Around them, several Coalition soldiers are also preparing their weapons while others get ready to open the massive gate.
“Yeah, you don’t need to worry.”
Erwin lowers his body so his friend can place the metal helmet over his head. Once Haruki makes sure it is properly secured, the young man straightens up and moves his head, arms, and legs to make sure nothing restricts his movements.
Although his lateral movement is still relatively normal, his vertical mobility is another matter altogether. Even bending down is already a struggle. If he wants to lower his body, he has to kneel, just as he did earlier.
“If you can’t keep going, retreat immediately! Your job is only to distract the enemy, not actually fight them.”
Haruki hands Erwin a long spear, a weapon that is no longer suited for a modern battlefield. And judging by the triangular flag tied to its tip, bearing the Coalition forces’ symbol, it seems the weapon’s purpose is nothing more than decoration.
“Got it, Papa Haruki!”
“This is no time for jokes!”
“Ahahaha…”
Seeing how worried Haruki is about him, Erwin suddenly reaches out to pat his friend on the head. But of course, Haruki immediately dodges and gives Erwin a disgusted look.
“Stop that!”
First of all, he doesn’t want another man patting him on the head. Second, again, he doesn’t want to be treated like a child by someone who is only one year older than him.
“Open the gate!”
Haruki shouts at the soldiers around them. Then, as soon as the gate opens, Erwin raises the spear in his hand.
“I’m heading out!”
Slowly, Erwin begins walking toward the enemy camp. No companions, no one to support him.
Or at least, that’s how it looks.
So...
How did it all come to this?
It all started last night.
As soon as he finished discussing his plan with Erwin, Haruki immediately headed to the command center to speak with the commander of the Coalition forces. With a casual, confident air, he tries to walk past the guards stationed outside the room.
“Only authorized staff are allowed inside.”
Of course, he is immediately stopped. But hey, at least he tried.
“I need to report something to General Butsuma.”
“If you have something to report, speak to your division commander first.”
Haruki looks outside and realizes he is running short on time.
“I’m carrying an emergency order from Central Command.”
The young man lowers his head and shows the envelope to the two guards standing before him.
“Hmm...”
One of the guards recognizes the seal on the envelope Haruki is carrying. However, he is still suspicious of the young man standing in front of him. So he takes over the conversation and asks...
“State your name, origin, and division.”
Haruki salutes and, as instructed, answers...
“My name is Haruki Youta, from Yamato Military Academy. I’m currently just a student.”
The young man introduces himself.
“Youta?...”
Unlike his relatively inexperienced colleague, the soldier standing before Haruki is a veteran who has been fighting Amteric since the country first began invading its neighbors ten years ago. Then, when the Coalition Forces were beginning to take shape seven years ago, he joined the group and has remained with them ever since.
Throughout his battles against Amteric, he has often heard the name Masashi Youta mentioned by high-ranking Coalition officers. Whoever he is, that man must be someone important.
“That’s right, I’m his son! And I’m also...”
Hahh...
Haruki takes a deep breath.
He really doesn’t want to do this. It goes against his usual modus operandi, where he simply finds someone with connections to the leadership and maneuvers them into doing what he wants.
But once again, he doesn’t have time.
“...a member of the Reserve Forces.”
“...”
The Reserve Forces.
To the man standing before Haruki, the name of that division is one he both admires and fears. He has never met any of its members. Or perhaps he has, without ever realizing who they were. Either way, he has experienced the effects of their presence countless times.
Once, he was severely wounded and thought that day would be his last. Yet not only did he manage to wake up the next day, but his wounds had somehow disappeared without a trace.
Another time, his unit was trapped by the enemy after being lured into a bad position. But at the last moment, a small force attacked the enemy from behind, giving his group the chance to escape.
Then there was the time his commander received extremely detailed information about the enemy’s forces, allowing them to destroy an enemy headquarters and seize an area with virtually no resistance.
He also hasn’t forgotten how supplies continued to flow smoothly to his unit, even though their commanders aren’t exactly the type of people who could write proper reports or proposals.
“I’ll deliver your message.”
His colleague looks a little confused, but as the junior, he decides to keep quiet and follow his senior’s lead. For now, he will make sure Haruki doesn’t do anything while his senior goes to speak with their commander.
While waiting, he studies Haruki’s appearance. His face, build, posture, and even the way the young man carries himself. From what he can see, there is nothing about him that suggests he is a competent soldier.
Still, judging by his senior’s reaction, the young man standing before him, who looks several years younger, seems to be a member of some kind of elite force or something along those lines. If he holds a position in an organization like that, then he must be competent, right?
Is he just putting on an act? Or does he simply have good connections?...
After a few more moments.
“Come in.”
“Thank you.”
With that, Haruki enters the room they are guarding after saluting once again. And with that, the soldier decides to put his curiosity aside.
Making important decisions is his boss’s responsibility. As an ordinary soldier, all he needs to do is follow orders and carry them out. He isn’t the type of person who likes thinking about complicated things, which is probably why, despite having served in the Coalition forces for three years, he still holds the lowest rank.
As soon as the door opens, Haruki is greeted by a man who looks to be in his sixties but is still in good shape. He sits in his chair, going through several documents. Although the man has lost some of his muscle mass over the years, his upright posture and large frame keep him from looking frail.
“My name is Butsuma. Central Command has entrusted me with overseeing this place.”
The Coalition forces’ Central Command is located in the Kingdom of Xamara, a hundred kilometers from this fortress. It is also where Amelie’s second-oldest brother, Sevarion, is stationed. Its location, which is geographically closer to the center of the continent, makes it an ideal place to serve as a logistical and transit hub for the entire Coalition.
“So why is a member of the Reserve Forces here?”
“The Military Academy’s field-training fortress has fallen into enemy hands. If we lose this place too, the Coalition forces’ position will become even more precarious!”
“Is that all?”
“...???”
Butsuma’s question catches him slightly off guard. Haruki doesn’t expect that kind of response. Even after revealing his identity, the young man knows he looks suspicious. He expects the man’s first question to be about who he really is.
Something he is already prepared to deal with.
“Ah, you don’t need to show me your ring! Your face alone is enough to tell me you’re not lying!”
“My face? Do you know my father, General Butsuma?”
“Hmm... I’ve fought alongside him before! And I trust his word.”
In terms of physical ability, Haruki’s father might not be able to match Butsuma. But when it comes to strategy, the man is in a league of his own. Every battle he takes part in ends in victory. And a man of such caliber once said that his son had tremendous potential and would one day succeed him.
If Masashi says that he can entrust something to his son, then his son must be capable of handling it.
“So? Why did you suddenly want to see me?”
Under normal circumstances, members of the Reserve Forces don’t make themselves known, much less openly reveal their identities. And Butsuma is certain that their situation hasn’t become so desperate that someone from that organization needs to intervene.
“This fortress obviously can’t hold out forever, but if all we need to do is buy time, we can hold out for a month or two until reinforcements arrive!”
Butsuma says calmly.
So even though their situation is bad, it isn’t bad enough to warrant a miracle. There is no reason for them to rush into anything. In fact, their best strategy right now is to hunker down and conserve their resources.
If someone suddenly wants to drive the enemy away as quickly as possible, the reason isn’t that they’re being pushed into a corner.
Rather, it’s because...
“What do you want?”
Haruki wants something.
Butsuma doesn’t ask in a stern voice. Instead, he speaks like a father coaxing his son into admitting he broke something. His gentle tone almost goads Haruki into confessing and apologizing right then and there.
“...”
What Haruki wants is to create a safe path for Amelie. He also wants her to be able to leave without having to carry any unnecessary burdens.
But of course, he can’t say any of that. He can’t ask Butsuma to sacrifice his supplies and the lives of his men for the sake of a single person. A single person from Amteric whom they don’t even care about, and who is also a member of the royal family responsible for all these problems.
“My companions just told me enemy reinforcements are coming! They’ll be here tomorrow, according to my calculations! If we do nothing, we’ll be overwhelmed!”
He remembers that the main reason they ended up here is because rebel forces seized the fortress they were heading toward.
If these rebels send reinforcements from another area they have already conquered, those soldiers could reach this place soon.
According to the information Erwin brought back, his companions saw a massive shipment of supplies being sent to the enemy. That suggests they are preparing to receive a large number of additional soldiers who will join the forces currently stationed here.
It is a very plausible scenario.
“So where did you get this information?”
“Princess Amelie’s bodyguard is a powerful magic user. He just returned from outside the fortress and met with my companions who didn’t make it inside.”
With so little information to work with, that is all the scenario he can come up with.
But that’s all it is. A scenario.
Even though both groups are rebel forces, the two armies he encountered came from different countries. It is entirely possible that they have nothing to do with each other and are acting independently.
But...
“This is a massive coordinated attack by several rebel groups, and we’re their next target!”
Once again, Haruki confidently declares something that exists only in his mind. But even though none of this is confirmed information, the scenarios he comes up with aren’t simply blind guesses.
The fortress his classmates were heading toward isn’t some small, undermanned stronghold. As part of the supply network supporting Central Command, it is protected by thousands of professional soldiers with full equipment and sufficient supplies.
If a fortress like that could be brought down, there are several plausible explanations.
There could be quite a few traitors among them helping the rebels from inside. Or they could have been attacked by a force so much larger that they were unable to fight back. Or... simply both.
The most plausible explanation is that the rebel forces have far more personnel than they expected, and that they also have spies inside the fortress too.
Considering how organized the rebel forces outside the fortress are, Haruki’s deduction doesn’t sound far-fetched at all. It would be too much of a coincidence for all of this to be happening independently.
“If we don’t strike first, their numbers will grow too large, and we won’t be able to do anything afterward.”
“Hmm...”
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Butsuma taps his fingers against the desk.
The scenario Haruki presents might make sense. But once again, it is only a scenario, not verified information. Butsuma isn’t the type of person who can casually send his soldiers into battle. Quite the opposite. He would rather order everyone to retreat than send them to a needless death.
Unlike the higher-ranking officers in the army he once served in, Butsuma rose through the ranks as a common soldier. He knows firsthand just how much suffering can be caused by a stupid order from a foolish superior.
“Does any of this have something to do with that princess from Amteric?”
Checkmate.
“I heard the two of you are close enough that she lets you speak casually with her, and that you even have long conversations with her in her room.”
Just as he expected, they really don’t have any privacy in this place.
“Including her personal guard, we are all childhood friends. I’m also her classmate at the Academy.”
But of course, Haruki came prepared. He deflected the subtle accusation that he has an inappropriate relationship with Amelie with a simple explanation.
They’re just good friends.
“Classmate, huh…”
Butsuma looks at Haruki from head to toe. Even someone who knows nothing about reading people can at least tell that the young man standing before him is too old to still be an academy student. In other words, he must have some other assignment that keeps him there.
Huff…
Butsuma lets out a long sigh.
“Alright!.. But!...”
⁀➴⁀➴⁀➴
Tak… ta… tak… tak…
Those are the sounds of arrows bouncing off Erwin’s armor.
In an era where nearly every proper military force is equipped with air rifles, a soldier’s mobility is considered more important than their ability to survive direct attacks. This is no longer an age when two massive armies meet on an open field and slaughter each other with swords and spears as their primary weapons.
Although such tactics still have their place, riflemen and archers have a greater impact on the outcome of a battle than cavalry armed with spears or other close-range weapons. Because of that, armor is generally no longer worn on the battlefield. If someone needs protection, they will usually wear lighter leather armor or chainmail instead.
A full suit of armor like the one Erwin is wearing now is basically only used for ceremonial occasions. And this one isn’t even a modern, practical design from a decade ago, when armor was still constructed with mobility in mind. It is truly a museum piece, fit only for display.
Still, just because it is outdated doesn’t mean it is no longer useful. The light arrows the enemy is firing at him can’t penetrate his armor at all.
“Come over here if you wanna die!!!”
So why is Erwin doing this?
Standing alone on the front line, shouting at the rebel forces in front of him.
The answer is that he is fulfilling his role as a decoy. He has been tasked with drawing the enemy’s attention toward himself and buying time for the soldiers inside the fortress to prepare.
His armor serves several purposes. First, it conceals his identity. A mysterious enemy is more intimidating than an ordinary soldier. Second, he wants to conserve his magic and preserve his stamina.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
After the arrows, several riflemen begin raining metal pellets down on him. But Erwin calmly turns his body sideways, presenting a narrower profile. The round metal pellets simply bounce off and scatter around him.
“It’s useless!”
The projectiles can’t hurt him.
BOOOOM!!!
And that includes the cannon that has just been fired at him.
“I told you it’s useless!”
The moment the cannon is fired, Erwin immediately plants his spear into the ground and drops to one knee before activating his magic. Just like its little brother, the rifle pellet, the heavy cannonball, whose kinetic force is far greater than that of an ordinary rifle shot, simply bounces away as if it were a toy.
His body is pushed backward, but he doesn’t suffer so much as a scratch.
“...”
Seeing this, the enemy’s composure immediately crumbles. His immunity to arrows and rifle fire can be explained by his armor, but something like that shouldn’t be able to protect anyone from a cannon blast. The soldier they are facing is no ordinary man.
“General Adelbart, your orders.”
General Adelbart and his aide are currently observing from a distance. The two of them are the most important figures overseeing this rebel attack.
“Stop the attack! Prepare war hammers for the soldiers on the front line!”
Adelbart was a general, at least until a few years ago, when his country was also annexed by Amteric. Perhaps because of his experience, when the rebel forces were formed, he was appointed to lead their assault on this fortress.
And he demonstrates that experience through his actions.
No matter how powerful Erwin is, he is still only a single man. There is no way for a single person to fight nearly four thousand soldiers alone. On top of that, he only has a melee weapon. Unless he can get close, there isn’t much the young man can do.
“I’ll relay your orders, sir.”
His aide immediately relays the order quickly and accurately. Before long, their forces are ready to face Erwin if he decides to attack them directly. Their response is so smooth that you would never believe it if someone told you that the majority of their forces are conscripts rather than professional soldiers who have trained for years.
The enemy soldiers begin shouting to encourage one another, filling the area with the roar of nearly four thousand voices.
Between the cheering and the explosions that have just taken place, there is no way Amelie can keep sleeping, no matter how exhausted she is.
“What are they doing?”
Then, when she looks out the window of her room, she is immediately greeted by the sight of a knight standing alone against the rebel soldiers.
“Erwin…?”
Amelie can’t see the face of the black-armored knight from this distance. But she has a feeling that only that young man would be confident enough to stand in front of thousands of soldiers who want to kill him.
“What’s going on?”
Without waiting for an answer from anyone, Amelie immediately takes the oversized Coalition uniform prepared for her and starts getting dressed. She has no idea what is happening. But at the very least, she knows that she wants to hit both of her childhood friends for making plans behind her back.
“Alright!”
And she also knows that whatever they’re doing, they’re doing it for her. That is why she wants to help the two of them in return.
While continuing to adjust her new baggy Coalition Forces uniform so that it at least looks a little neater, Amelie keeps watching what her childhood friend is doing.
Then, after a while, she notices something.
“He’s sending a message?”
If you don’t know what to look for, Erwin might simply appear to be randomly waving his spear around. But if you watch the movement of the flag attached to its tip, there is a definite pattern to the movement. More precisely, it is a military signaling pattern taught at the Yamato Military Academy.
The signal keeps repeating the same message.
“Hold?... Hold what?”
Wait.
“Is this a message… for Yuudai and the others?”
The moment she realizes who the message is meant for, Amelie carefully examines the enemy camp, paying close attention to their movements.
She notices new people continuously arriving along the main road leading toward the fortress. She also sees some of them heading straight toward the positions where the enemy cannons are stationed, even when none of the soldiers there appear to be preparing to fire.
Then…
“…Haruki?”
Amelie looks in another direction. More precisely, toward the top of the wall where their cannons are positioned. There, she sees Haruki standing alongside someone who appears to be an important officer, both of them watching the battlefield.
Or, in this case, Erwin’s stage.
“Ah…”
And then it dawns on her. Unlike the enemy forces, all of their cannons are ready to fire. Which makes no sense, considering the rebel forces have set up their camp well beyond the range of their cannons. Even if they fire from an elevated position and use a parabolic trajectory, their range still isn’t enough to reach the rebel camp.
“So that’s the plan, huh…”
Everything she has seen points to only one conclusion.
“Now I know what I have to do.”
In a hurry, Amelie walks toward the center of the fortress, where everyone is lined up and listening to instructions being relayed from a rear office. Without hesitation, she joins the formation.
Several people, including the fortress staff and even the officer giving the instructions, are briefly stunned. But knowing who the girl is, they decide not to say anything, hoping she won’t cause any trouble.
Meanwhile, Haruki, who is watching from a distance, starts to panic.
The enemy commander isn’t being provoked at all and has chosen to observe the situation from afar as well. If things continue like this, Erwin will have no choice but to attack the enemy camp directly if he wants to keep their attention.
Haruki knows Erwin is strong. His ability is also perfectly suited for a frontal assault, freeing him from having to worry about getting hurt. Even so, he can’t help but worry. On a battlefield, things rarely go exactly according to plan.
“…”
Last night, Haruki managed to convince Butsuma to approve his strategy.
On one condition.
He would only allow his soldiers to move once he could confirm that the rebel reinforcements were actually arriving. They would prepare for a confrontation, but they wouldn’t make a move until Butsuma gave the order.
While Erwin kept everyone’s attention focused on him, Haruki’s classmate would investigate the area around the fortress and, if possible, check the routes being used by the rebel forces. Then, depending on the signal he received, he would decide whether to leave Erwin to handle things or tell him to retreat.
“Hmm… their numbers sure are increasing.”
Butsuma says.
At the moment, there are probably only around three thousand soldiers actually holding weapons and preparing to fight. But the enemy forces now appear to be swelling in number, just as Haruki predicted. You don’t even need a telescope to see that there are more of them than there were yesterday.
Though if we count the personnel moving and guarding their supplies, there are already more than five thousand of them.
“But I still haven’t seen any enemy reinforcements.”
The only people arriving are groups carrying supplies, all of them unarmed. For the most part, the enemy’s fighting strength hasn’t changed. In other words, Butsuma still can’t give the order to advance.
“Haruki…”
Butsuma hands the young man beside him a flare gun.
“Hahhh…”
Haruki doesn’t want to do this. But he has no other choice.
Pewwwwwww…
He fires a flare toward the rebel camp, signaling Erwin to advance deeper into enemy territory.
Following the order, Erwin immediately lowers his spear and charges toward the enemy, swinging the long weapon with all his might.
“Gah!”
Several soldiers try to stop him with their own weapons. But the physical strength of a magic user is far beyond that of an ordinary person, allowing Erwin to easily knock them all out of his way.
But of course, the next line of soldiers immediately moves in to confront him. Several of them coordinate their attacks, swinging their war hammers at him simultaneously, but…
Pang…
Their attacks only produce an ear-piercing sound as they strike Erwin’s body. Instead, they are the ones who get hurt, their hands suffering the recoil from blows that feel as though they have just smashed their hammers into a rock.
“Ugh…”
They try to retreat, but Erwin doesn’t let a single one of them escape.
“Ackk…”
Erwin thrusts his spear into the soldier in front of him. Then he activates his power, hardening both the spear and the soldier impaled on its tip. The two become bonded. Then, brutally, he swings both of them at the soldier’s other comrades.
“Retreat!!!”
One of the unit’s captains shouts.
No matter how strong someone is, there is no way they can take a direct hit from a war hammer without suffering even the slightest injury. Even metal armor would simply crumple under such a blow. If he can take attacks like that without a scratch, then it isn’t just his armor that is hard.
The person inside it must be just as hard.
They know that someone with magic possesses strength far beyond that of the average person. But few people know just how great the difference is because magic users are quite rare. The majority of the rebel soldiers have never encountered one before.
“Keep your distance! Drive him back!”
Someone prepares a cannon and aims it at Erwin. Then, once their comrades have moved away from their opponent, he immediately fires at the young man.
Boom!
Bang!
To increase the level of intimidation, Erwin deliberately puts on a little show with his ability.
When the cannonball comes flying toward him, he immediately catches it and uses his power on it for a moment before throwing it downward, making it look as though he has deflected the cannonball using nothing but his own strength.
Not knowing what else to do, many of the enemy soldiers end up attacking Erwin without thinking, using their swords, spears, rifles, arrows, and even the cannons at their disposal.
But every single one of those attacks ends in failure and defeat. In a short amount of time, dozens of soldiers have already become red stains on the ground.
However…
Tak!
Erwin has just deflected an arrow with his long spear.
If you only look at the result of his action, there is nothing strange about it. His combat ability is no joke, so deflecting an arrow is hardly a big deal for him.
The real issue is that, even while he is busy taking down his opponents, he still takes the time to parry that arrow. Normally, he could simply ignore it, since his armor would protect him.
“Damn it!”
If only it had been a regular arrow.
“Use fire arrows!”
Someone shout the order.
Under normal circumstances, when the young man reflexively deflects an enemy attack, that would be a good thing. But this time, he has only given them a way to figure out his weakness.
“Ahh, I really am an idiot!”
It doesn’t take long for the order to spread among the other soldiers. And in an instant, Erwin is showered with fire arrows.
“Ugh…”
Now that he has become the hunted, Erwin immediately starts running at full speed. Not toward the fortress to take cover, but deeper into the enemy camp, hoping to cause as much damage as possible.
“Damn…”
The archers immediately stop raining fire arrows down on Erwin, worried that their attacks will set their own supplies ablaze.
“Use ropes and nets.”
Another order comes flying.
“Yes, sir.”
General Adelbart calmly gives another order. Once again, his experience on the battlefield allows him to remain composed even while his forces are being torn apart.
Unlike his subordinates, he has plenty of experience dealing with magic users. All that experience gives the old man enough leeway to think calmly and come up with a solution.
If their abilities are not too troublesome, you can surround them and overwhelm them with numbers. If they are too strong to defeat, avoid them. And if you cannot avoid them, isolate them.
Within a few minutes, Erwin starts seeing more and more soldiers carrying ropes and nets. And within that same span of time, as if following a carefully written script, Erwin truly starts behaving like a wild beast being hunted.
While continuing to destroy and kill anyone in his path, he keeps dodging the ropes and nets being thrown at him.
“Tch…”
For now, he is still fighting like a beast. But since he is alone, the enemy has both the time and enough personnel to gradually wear down his stamina. And once his stamina runs out, they will be able to bring him down with ease.
“If this keeps up, then I at least need to leave them with some deeper scars.”
Erwin continues running from one place to another. At the same time, he pays close attention to the movements of those around him, observing each of them and their appearances for a few moments at a time.
Then…
“Found you…”
The young man finally finds his target.
A man around the same age as Butsuma, wearing combat armor that, while not nearly as flashy as Erwin’s, still looks outdated and ceremonial. Erwin has seen several people approach the man to ask for his opinion, so there is a good chance that he is someone important among the rebel forces.
“…”
Realizing that he has now become the target, Adelbart whispers something to his adjutant before standing up and moving toward the fortress with several of his guards, each riding their own horse.
“Eh… seriously?”
If Adelbart wants to escape, he should be running backward, retreating deeper into the middle of his own army. But instead, he moves forward and rides his horse toward the fortress, making it clear that he intends to lure Erwin away from the center of his forces.
He is even carrying a long ceremonial spear, just like Erwin’s.
He is showing that he intends to become the bait, just like Erwin did.
“If that is what you wanted to do, I’ll gladly play along.”
Erwin also has no desire to fight the rebel army head-on when they outnumber him by such a crazy margin. If he can complete his mission simply by defeating their leader, then his job will become much easier.
“Haaa!”
Adelbart and his guards pull on their horses’ reins and charge toward Erwin at full speed. In response, the young man also runs toward the group trying to kill them. However, since his opponents are riding horses while he is relying on nothing but his own two feet, there is a huge difference in their speed.
Using their momentum, Adelbart tries to knock Erwin back. But the young man immediately activates his magic as the man’s spear rapidly thrusts toward his chest.
“…”
In turn, Erwin quickly grabs Adelbart’s spear, intending to pull the man down from his horse. But the older man reacts even faster, immediately letting go of his spear before riding past Erwin.
“…”
Behind him, several of Adelbart’s guards also swing their spears at Erwin, but not at his body. Instead, they aim for his legs, intending to trip him.
Pang!
To keep his balance, Erwin ducks and drives his spear into the ground, deciding to tank the attack. Unfortunately, their attack is not over yet. Behind them, two more soldiers throw ropes toward him…
“Gahh…”
Or more precisely, toward his neck.
“Haaaa!!!”
One misses him. But another catches his neck, and it quickly tightens around Erwin’s neck. Then, without mercy, Adelbart’s guards drag the young man along with their horses.
“Ughh…”
If Erwin weren’t their target, there is no doubt that he would already be dead. But thanks to his magic, the young man can harden the fabric around his neck, preventing himself from being strangled to death.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
As he is dragged along by the horses, Adelbart’s soldiers around Erwin do not stop attacking him with their spears. His armor, already having to endure the friction of the hard ground and the rocks constantly striking against it, is starting to look like it wants to cry.
“Mmmnghhh…”
He wants to conserve his magic. But the situation has already come to this. There is no point in saving his strength for later.
“Aaaaa!!!!”
Erwin strikes the horse in front of him with his long spear. Before the animal can even let out a cry, its body has already turned into a biological statue. And of course, when his mount suddenly becomes completely solid, its rider immediately falls and crashes onto the ground, throwing Erwin off at the same time.
“Fire arrows!”
After that, he turns off his power briefly before rolling with his power turned on again while being showered by another wave of fire arrows.
Clak! Clak! Clak!
A few moments later, his momentum finally dies, and he manages to stop himself and get onto one knee.
Erwin hopes he can create a domino effect and bring down some of Adelbart’s other men as well. Unfortunately, their riding skills are good enough for them to reflexively avoid their fallen comrade.
Erwin throws the rope coiled around his neck.
“You guys are way too good!”
They may be called the rebel forces. The name alone makes someone imagine conscript soldiers with little training, people who are there simply to increase the size of the army. But after seeing what just happened, Erwin is beginning to think they deserve a different designation.
“The sun is already starting to rise. Looks like this plan has failed.”
He hopes Haruki’s plan will work. But it seems that this time, the gamble has failed. There is still no sign of the rebel reinforcements arriving. And with the plan having failed, Erwin has no choice but to force Amelie to return home and leave Haruki behind in a situation like this.
“Hah… time to retrea...”
Pewwwww…..
A flare gun paints the sky with smoke.
And that smoke is coming from the forest surrounding the main road leading to the fortress.
That means…
“I take back what I said!”
Erwin straightens himself before swinging his spear in a specific pattern. A pattern that, if you are a student of Yamato Military Academy, you can read as…
“PREPARE YOURSELF!”
🗡🗡🗡
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
“It’s impossible! How?”
Adelbart has made sure that his army’s camp is well beyond the range of the Coalition forces’ cannons. Yet for some reason, their shots, which should never have been able to reach them, are striking the camp with ease.
Not only that, but their shots are incredibly accurate. Every single one hits a vital location, such as the gunpowder storage, which explodes the moment it is struck, the food storage, and their armory. And of course, the places where large groups of soldiers are gathered are not spared either, with explosions suddenly erupting right in the middle of them, presumably caused by cannonballs fired at them by the enemy.
Dozens are killed or wounded in an instant.
“What should we do, Lord Adelbart?”
His adjutant asks as he watches their formation fall into complete disarray while more shots and explosions continue to follow.
Confused and panicked, the rebel forces immediately retreat from their camp without any order. Because of course, nobody wants to be hit by a cannonball and become a name in a casualty report.
In an instant, panic spreads from one group to another, all because of cannon fire that should have been incapable of reaching them.
Then, while the rebel forces are busy fleeing and have yet to regain their formation, the fortress gates suddenly open. Coalition soldiers pour out from inside.
But they do not carry swords, spears, or bows.
Instead, they are carrying…
Wooden shields?
No! They are much larger than that. What the soldiers are carrying would be more accurately described as improvised wooden barricades. They are also carrying barbed wire.
They all run with everything they have, as if they are racing alongside the enemy soldiers fleeing from the explosions. And behind them…
“Stop!!! Everyone, stop!!! They’re trying to build a barricade!”
The moment Adelbart sees that behind the soldiers carrying the wooden barricades is a line of soldiers hauling barbed wire, he immediately realizes what the enemy is trying to do.
The man shouts at his troops to stop. But with the battlefield in complete chaos and explosions continuing to echo across the area, his voice fails to reach most of his men.
“Damn!!!…”
Adelbart is forced to retreat as well so that he can give orders to his troops, giving the Coalition forces a wide opening to carry out their task.
“Advance!”
Several of Adelbart’s captains also realize what the enemy is trying to do and attempt to launch a counterattack. But because they attack independently, without any proper coordination or strategy, the Coalition archers positioned behind the barricade carriers easily shut down their attempts.
“Position one ready!”
A line of barricades is successfully erected not far from the enemy camp. After that, the soldiers behind them immediately take up positions inside the trenches and begin attacking the enemy with rifles, bows, crossbows, or whatever else they can find in the fortress armory.
Some of them are even carrying nothing but pieces of cloth, using them as slingshots to hurl pebbles as hard as they can.
With most of the rebel artillery destroyed and their camp thrown into chaos, the Coalition forces can launch a counterattack with relative safety, even though their only protection is a barricade made from wooden planks. The barricades are good enough to block the arrows and pellets sporadically flying toward them.
“Position Two ready!”
“Position Three ready!”
More barricades are erected.
Finally, even the illiterate rebel soldiers can understand what is happening. One by one, they begin to calm down and form orderly lines to launch their counterattack.
“Haaaaaa!!!”
Until suddenly, a part of their own forces attacks them from behind.
Or rather, several groups pretending to be part of the rebel forces are attacking them from behind.
They are the secret behind the success of the Coalition’s artillery barrage. Yuudai and her friends infiltrated the camp yesterday, when the supply carriers arrived.
Although the culture of the people of Yamato is very different from that of the people living on the Amteric continent, their languages and physical features are not all that different. Without their uniforms, identifying someone as a Yamato soldier is not easy.
One by one, they were able to slip the academy students into the rebel supply units with ease.
“What’s happening?!”
Just as Adelbart had calculated, the cannons the Coalition forces possessed did not have enough power to reach their position. But when they fired, Haruki’s friends embedded among the rebel forces simultaneously ignited the explosives they had planted.
This created the illusion that the Coalition’s cannons had a greater range than they actually did.
If you remain calm and pay close attention to what is happening, you can easily tell that the two explosions are unrelated to each other. But because of the panic Erwin has created, the rebels have no time to stop and think things through.
“Haaa!”
The rebel forces still vastly outnumber the Coalition forces. But with chaos breaking out from multiple directions, their sheer numbers have instead become a major obstacle to organizing an effective response.
Normally, with the numbers they have now, they could easily overwhelm their enemy. But the rebel forces are not facing anything that could be considered a normal situation.
From behind, they are being attacked by unidentified groups whose numbers and identities are unclear. This makes everyone hesitate to act, until eventually they are left confused and focused only on protecting themselves.
And from the front, their enemy continues to rain attacks down on them.
Not only that, but with their cannons no longer usable, the enemy can continue advancing and attack with even greater force.
And finally…
“Get out of my way!”
General Adelbart, who knows exactly what he needs to do, is busy dealing with Erwin.
“If you order your men to surrender, I’ll retreat.”
Adelbart, who is currently trying to regain control of the situation, obviously has no intention of answering Erwin’s request with a simple “yes.”
“Protect Lord Adelbart!!!”
Just as Erwin is about to swing his massive spear and split the middle-aged man in half, one of his men suddenly shoves Adelbart aside and takes the attack for him.
Or rather…
He tries to stop the attack with his own body, with the result being far too gruesome to describe in detail.
“Don’t be afraid to die! Surround hiiiim!!”
Another of Adelbart’s men shouts.
And in an instant, that is exactly what happens. Adelbart’s men immediately gather around the young man and surround him. Then, without hesitation, they try to kill him.
“If you run away, I won’t chase you!!!”
Erwin ducks and thrusts his spear forward, the weapon piercing through two men standing in front of him.
When Erwin swings his spear at the heads of the soldiers surrounding him, the sound of bones breaking immediately follows.
And when someone manages to get close, Erwin uses his feet and even his head to smash their resistance. In a very literal sense.
“Kill hiiim!!! Gaaah…”
Someone tries to wrestle the spear away from him. But instead of feeling cornered, Erwin smiles and activates his magic, causing the man to become firmly bonded to the tip of his spear.
After that…
“Gahh…”
“Aghh…”
“Ugh…”
The young man uses his enemy’s body as a weight before wielding his weapon like a war hammer. Paying no attention to what anyone else thinks of him, Erwin continues slaughtering everyone around him.
“Get out of my waaaaaay!!!”
Erwin hopes that by showing his brutality, his enemies will become frightened and choose to flee. But what happens is the opposite. His actions only motivate everyone even more to stop him, even if they have to sacrifice their own lives to do so.
Some do it out of loyalty to their leader, some for strategic reasons, and others are simply caught up in the moment and driven by their adrenaline. Whatever their reasons, all of it makes his task increasingly difficult.
If he does not take Adelbart down, the man will be able to regroup with his forces and put an end to the Coalition army’s momentum.
“Damn!!!”
BAM!!!!
Suddenly, an explosion erupts right in front of him.
“Leave Adelbart to me! Make more chaos along the main route!”
The one who fired the cannon is Haruki, who has somehow already come down from the fortress wall.
“Alright!”
Erwin runs toward the main route leading to the fortress, where the enemy reinforcements are trying to reach the Coalition Forces’ defensive positions. Fortunately, the reinforcements are currently stuck in a traffic jam caused by most of the non-combatants trying to flee the battlefield.
Haruki does not give him any specific orders. But from the situation alone, Erwin can easily guess what his childhood friend wants him to do.
“…”
Clank…
Erwin drops his spear and starts running from one spot to another, trying to herd his enemies toward the main route so they’ll use it to escape and make the traffic jam even worse.
Since he has to cover such a large area, he decides not to do anything complicated and simply crashes into anyone in front of him, making full use of his physical strength and his magic, which seems almost perfectly suited for a situation like this.
“My turn!”
Haruki hands responsibility for the cannon he is pushing to his companion. After that, he prepares the rifle he brought with him before finally running toward the center of the battlefield as well.
“Keep firing. You don’t need to worry about me.”
His companion is briefly stunned by Haruki’s order. But there is no time to stand around in confusion right now. So he takes the order at face value and, just as Haruki asks, continues firing without worrying about Haruki’s position.
While Erwin is busy acting like an enraged bull, crashing into everyone in his path without hesitation, Haruki moves nimbly like a cat, trying to avoid most of the attacks coming his way. Whenever he can’t dodge, he deflects them before continuing to run toward Adelbart.
“…”
Of course, Haruki suffers several wounds on his body and face. But all of them are only minor injuries, while any attack that could kill him is either avoided or deflected.
♞♞♞
“Remarkable.”
The word alone is not enough to describe the miracle unfolding right before their eyes. At least, not for Butsuma and his two guards, Hans and Torin.
“How is this possible? How can a situation that was almost a checkmate be turned around just like that?”
Like the other soldiers, Hans was initially skeptical of the plan Haruki had devised. But seeing their situation now, he feels foolish for ever having doubted the young man’s strategic abilities.
“I knew he wasn’t an ordinary person, but I never expected him to be this capable.”
Butsuma replies.
Of course, the plan would never have worked if Butsuma had not approved it and provided the soldiers needed to execute it. So the credit for the success of their counterattack cannot be attributed solely to Haruki. But at the same time, there is no denying what the young man has managed to accomplish.
And by personally stepping onto the battlefield, Haruki has also proven that he is not merely a master of theory.
“Lord Butsuma, what exactly are the Reserve Forces?”
Hans asks again.
“What do you think?”
“Normally, they are the forces left in reserve…”
Normally. That is.
Elsewhere, reserve forces are exactly that. Soldiers kept in reserve for the main army. But in Yamato, the term carries a different meaning.
They are the forces called upon when all hope has been lost. In other words, they are soldiers whose job is to bring about miracles.
They may be called the Reserve Forces, but their numbers are not large enough to properly call them an army. A division might be a more appropriate term, considering they have their own chain of command, a chain of command that can, under certain circumstances, even overrule the authority of the commander on the battlefield.
In other words, they are a group of the most elite soldiers in their respective fields.
And the name “Reserve Forces” is simply meant to deceive their enemies, because normally, reserve forces are made up of soldiers with less experience.
“I would like to tell you, but unfortunately, I cannot do so without permission from my superiors.”
“…”
Hans says nothing.
In terms of rank, Butsuma already holds a fairly high position. If he needs permission from his own superiors just to tell Hans about it, then the information Hans is asking about must have an even higher level of secrecy.
“Then, Lord Butsuma, do you know how those young soldiers are able to fight so well?”
Sensing that the atmosphere between them has changed slightly, Torin, Hans’s fellow guard, decides to change the subject and direct everyone’s attention to the young soldiers attacking the rebel forces from behind.
“Ah, them? They’re students from Yamato Military Academy.”
“Military academy students? Are you sure? They look far too competent for kids their age.”
In this era, anyone can become a soldier as long as they are willing and there is a need for soldiers. In other words, even teenagers can be enlisted into the army. But even so, soldiers as young as these would normally not yet be considered fully-fledged, since both their mental and physical abilities are still developing.
But unlike most soldiers their age, Yuudai and her friends fight with remarkable efficiency. None of them panic, and all of them are able to kill their enemies without hesitation. Their coordination and combat abilities are also already on the level of soldiers who have spent years on the battlefield.
“Hey, I told you they’re students from Yamato’s military school.”
“I don’t understand…”
Torin says.
“Yamato is the country most familiar with the realities of warfare.”
Yamato is now better known as the most educated country in the world, since it is the only place where nearly seventy percent of the population can read. But a few decades ago, it was better known as the Country of a Thousand Conflicts because, for hundreds of years. It was trapped in a continuous state of civil war.
Even after finally achieving peace, they maintained their tradition of training children from a young age to be ready for war. Not only that, they formalized the system and turned it into a national program, albeit on a smaller scale.
The curriculum at the Military Academy is extremely demanding and harsh. You have no choice but to become a genuine soldier if you want to graduate.
They are the very definition of elite soldiers. Academically excellent, physically strong, and efficient in combat.
The three of them can see that Yuudai and her friends are handling their enemies with ease. They can defend themselves in hand-to-hand combat, are familiar with close-range weapons, and can operate rifles skillfully. They also know exactly what to do amid the chaos, even without receiving verbal orders from anyone.
Calling that group of students elite soldiers is not an exaggeration at all.
Unfortunately…
“There aren’t many of them, Hans! Check whether the reinforcements from inside are ready yet…”
Pewww....
A flare launches from the middle of the fortress, as if answering Butsuma’s question.
“Looks like everything is ready! Hans! Torin! It’s our turn!”
Not long after, the cannons that had previously been positioned along the fortress walls are moved to the front line. With practiced movements, Haruki’s friends make an orderly retreat, leaving their enemies as the sole targets of the next stage of their plan.
They can finally go all out!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
♖♖♖
“Put the severely wounded soldiers in the treatment room and prioritize treating them. For those with minor injuries, put them in the large tent in the middle of the fortress so they don’t get in everyone else’s way. Those who can still walk, get your own medicine! Everything has been arranged somewhere easily accessible! The staff there will tell you what you need to do.”
While Haruki and Erwin are busy fighting on the front line, Amelie is no less busy inside the fortress. And even though she is not fighting, her work is no less exhausting than that of the soldiers on the front line. The difference is that, unlike them, the girl is not directly putting her life on the line.
“Put the cannonballs by the gate!”
The task assigned to Amelie by the officers inside the fortress is to manage the movement of supplies and personnel throughout the battle. Originally, the girl was given this task simply to keep her occupied without granting her any serious authority, something everyone could easily ignore if they considered her useless.
That decision was made with good reason. Although Amelie is indeed a soldier, she is also a princess. And not just any princess, either, but a princess of the Kingdom of Amteric, a country whose relationship with the Coalition forces is complicated.
Because of that, they decide to give her an easy and safe task inside the fortress. They even give her a new, brightly colored red uniform so everyone knows who she is and what they should do if they receive an order from the girl.
That is, say “yes” and then ignore whatever she asks them to do.
Amelie herself is aware that everyone is trying to avoid her. But she is not the kind of person who enjoys sitting around and obediently following someone’s orders, especially when those orders exist solely to keep her out of the way. If she were the kind of girl who could easily be bullied, she would have left the Military Academy a long time ago.
The first thing she does is help the other soldiers with their work without saying anything, even when everyone tries to refuse her help. She shows them that she is willing and capable of doing the hard work.
And when she says hard work, the girl means it.
Amelie helps carry a wounded soldier whose body is almost three times her size, carries weapons and supplies to the soldiers on the front line, and helps lower the cannons from the fortress walls for the next stage of their plan. Not only that, but she also helps the medical staff administer first aid to wounded soldiers without the slightest hesitation about getting her hands dirty with blood and sweat.
What is even more surprising is that she does all of this with perfect timing, even without receiving orders from anyone.
Seeing all of this, the majority of the soldiers begin to believe that Amelie is not a burden.
She is an asset.
And the girl clearly knows what she is doing.
Once she earns the trust of most of the soldiers there, it does not take long for Amelie to finally begin doing her actual job.
“Take the arrows to the northernmost barricade. They should be almost out of supplies.”
Haruki may be capable of coming up with brilliant plans, but those plans can only work smoothly if the people working under him are capable of carrying out their tasks properly. And Amelie’s contribution plays a major role in making it easier for Haruki to direct the Coalition forces.
“Miss Amelie, there are a lot of fallen enemy soldiers outside! I was thinking of asking everyone who can still move to collect their equipment and use it to increase our supplies.”
A young man approaches Amelie, whose eyes never stop moving between her surroundings and the book she is using as a journal to record the supplies they have already used.
The young man in front of her looks to be perhaps a few years older than Haruki and Erwin. He also looks somewhat panicked and in a hurry.
“No need. If they can still move, they’d be better off helping the medical staff treat the wounded! Just do your job and don’t act on your own!”
Rather than risking getting wounded even more on the front line, it would be better to put their effort toward helping their other comrades. Besides, even if their injuries are not serious, they are still wounded. They might end up becoming an obstacle or burden to the other soldiers.
“But our supplies are already starting to run low. On top of that, the damaged weapons need to be replaced.”
“That’s fine! You don’t need to worry about the supplies.”
From the movements of the Coalition forces, it is obvious that Haruki is trying to drive the rebel forces out of their camp, where the enemy keeps their own supplies.
In other words, the young man intends to seize the enemy’s supplies.
They can collect them afterward, once the situation is safer.
“You… don’t understand the situation!!!…”
The man in front of her roars.
“I should be the one saying that!”
Wait a second.
“What’s your name? Which division are you from?”
“…Mmm. Ivor, from the logistics division.”
“Logistics, huh…”
If he is from logistics, then why does he have enough time to try to convince wounded soldiers to put themselves in danger on the battlefield again just to scavenge equipment?
All of his comrades are busy supporting their fellow soldiers on the front line. Even if some of them have the same idea as Ivor, they literally do not have the time or manpower to do it.
Besides, why is he asking Amelie for permission instead of his own division commander?
“If you don’t have anything else to do, just help me! We don’t have enough people here.”
Amelie has felt for a while now that something is strange about the young man in front of her. And his nervousness is doing absolutely nothing to convince her otherwise.
“…I’ll return to my division and help my other comrades.”
Ivor tries to step away, but Amelie immediately grabs his arm and stops him.
“No need to rush. You don’t even look busy!”
Suspicious. Is he trying to use Amelie’s name to gather his own group and send them onto the battlefield? But why?
“I’m sorry, Miss Amelie, but I really need to get back to my other comrades.”
“How about we go see your superior officer? I’ll ask them directly if I can borrow you for a bit.”
Ignoring Ivor’s words, Amelie simply states what she wants to do. She feels that letting the young man leave could interfere with Haruki’s plan. The best-case scenario is that he really is only trying to scavenge supplies. But the worst-case scenario is that this young man is a traitor trying to sabotage the Coalition Forces.
And considering what happened to the Coalition fortress before this one, Amelie simply cannot rule out either possibility. If she is only being paranoid and has wrongly accused him, she will apologize. But right now, she has no intention of taking the risk and putting her comrades in even greater danger.
“…”
“…”
For a moment, the two of them simply stare at each other.
But then...
BOOM!!
Clink.
The moment a cannon rings out, Ivor suddenly pulls out a knife and prepares to stab the girl in front of him.
Only for...
“Ha!!!”
Amelie’s fist has already slammed into Ivor’s body.
And as the wielder of magic, the force behind her small fist is anything but negligible. The blow feels like a hammer crashing into his stomach, sending him crumpling to the ground in pain and leaving him barely conscious.
“Looks like you’re not much of a professional spy, huh?”
Amelie has always lamented her below-average physical capabilities. But don't mistake this as proof that she's actually weak. She's only weak compared to her peers at Yamato Military Academy, a place filled with the best of the best from every corner of the nation.
Her low self-esteem comes from comparing herself to the cream of the crop from Yamato. Relatively speaking, she's actually pretty strong herself. The girl isn't some princess who can only cower in fear and wait to be protected.
"I should probably tie him up"
Amelie herself isn’t certain whether Ivor is actually a spy or not. If he had pretended to cooperate, the girl couldn’t exactly make an open accusation against him. And once Amelie leaves, he could simply blend back into the Coalition forces.
But the young man makes everything much easier by attacking her outright.
Now, even if she has a clear case to bring before his superiors, Ivor might have thought that causing chaos by killing Amelie would give his comrades outside an advantage. Unfortunately for him, he picked the wrong opponent.
As Amelie considers what she should do with Ivor, who is groaning on the ground, another booming sound suddenly comes from the middle of the fortress. Though this time, it is not from a cannon but from their general.
“Follow me!! It’s time to kick their ass!”
Butsuma, accompanied by dozens of mounted soldiers, rides through the gates to execute the final part of their plan.
Their numbers aren’t particularly large, but from their very presence alone, it’s obvious that they are seasoned veterans who can be relied upon.
By the time they emerge, the battlefield looks completely different from how it did just a short while ago.
The enemy forces have now retreated far enough that Butsuma and his men can freely ride their horses and easily build up momentum for their charge.
The men break through the enemy formation and immediately attack Adelbart and his group from the side. Without hesitation, Butsuma swings his spear at the enemy general, intending to finish off their leader with a single strike.
But!
“Aaaaaa…”
Once again, Adelbart’s men throw themselves in front of the attack without fear of death.
“Protect Lord Adelbart!”
Adelbart’s men form a circle around him, shielding their general from the attack.
“You can fall back now, kid!”
Haruki, who has been fighting not only Adelbart but also his personal guards this entire time, is already looking exhausted.
Even with the stamina he possesses as a magic user, taking on more than a handful of veteran soldiers is no easy task. On top of that, he has already sustained several injuries, and leaving them untreated will eventually become a serious problem.
“Thank you! But please don’t push too far!”
“I know!”
Behind Butsuma, soldiers carrying additional barricades begin pouring out of the fortress again, gradually expanding their defensive perimeter.
Meanwhile, Butsuma continues to wear down Adelbart’s guards. However, the enemy’s resistance is fierce, and eventually, the enemy general manages to escape.
Then, just as he promised, Butsuma does not pursue them too deeply. Instead, he turns his attention to the remaining enemy soldiers who have been left far behind their defensive line.
Haruki’s friends use the opportunity to fall back as well, taking new weapons before returning to the front line and attacking the rebel forces once the cannon barrage subsides.
On the other side, Erwin, who has been fighting for nearly two hours, finally decides to withdraw with the help of the academy students.
Four hours after the battle begins, everyone is starting to show signs of exhaustion and losing their motivation to fight. Both sides want to end the battle as quickly as they can.
But because the coalition forces now have more weapons at their disposal, the rebel forces have no choice but to retreat farther out of range of their enemy’s cannons.
By noon, both sides agree to a ceasefire, giving them time to recover the fallen soldiers from each side.
And with that, their battle finally comes to an end.
At least, for now.
