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259. Engagement – Face

“That was quick.”

“I-I apologize.”

The Commander of Belita Kingdom Army bowed his head. However, the burly man standing with his arms crossed paid him no mind.

It was Count Hermann Forte.

One of the three Swordmasters in the entire continent and the man holding power in the Belita Kingdom. He turned away from gazing at the city across the river, the smoke rising from it. The banks of the river in front of the city were already occupied by the Austin Kingdom Army, preparing to cross.

How pathetic.

However, the Count, both a knight and a politician, did not reprimand the Commander. He was the one who appointed him as Commander, and he himself had to shoulder some blame for not sending the First and Second Knight Orders out sooner. The Count returned to the barracks and spoke.

“There’s no reversing what’s already been lost; what are you planning to do moving forward? Speak your strategy.”

“F-For now, we have three options.”

Creeeak… Count Forte sat down. Even though the chair was quite sturdy, it groaned under his weight as the Commander continued.

“First, we prevent the enemy’s crossing by the river. The stone bridge has been destroyed, and I consulted the sorcerer. The river is wide, making it easy to intercept without interference from enemy sorcerers.”

“…So you’re suggesting a magic battle? Both sides will suffer significant losses… And for an interception battle, don’t we need a lot of archers?”

“Yes. That’s the problem. I’m sorry to say this, but the enemy has far more archers than we do. Barbarians typically do. However, we can unleash magic freely on the river, so at least it will be fifty-fifty… We won’t incur heavy losses.”

“And the second option?”

– Creak.

The Swordmaster uncrossed his arms and leaned forward. It was a positive sign, so the young Commander took a relieved breath.

“The second option is to let the enemy cross the river. However, we’ll need to send a separate unit across the river. The enemy has advanced hurriedly, leaving their occupied territories unfortified. They’ve passed most of the villages, relying on a shallow supply line. If we form a separate unit to cut it off, the enemy that crosses the river will find themselves in a bind.”

“Hmm. And the third?”

– Creak.

The Swordmaster loosened his arms and leaned forward even further.

The last option is for us to retreat to ‘Toridom.’ T-The reason is…”

Count Hermann Forte’s eyes sharpened. It was a look as if to say, “What kind of plan is that?” and the Commander hurriedly continued.

“There’s no reason for us to fight the enemy at the cost of our own losses. They’ve strayed too far. As I mentioned earlier, they haven’t occupied the surrounding territories, so simply put, they’ve just sent their troops down here. Their objective is clear; they intend to seize Toridom before our army can reinforce.”

“So, are you suggesting we take a defensive position in Toridom?”

“Yes. Exactly. As long as we stall for time, we can turn the tide of the battle in our favor. Furthermore, aside from Toridom, there are no castles worth occupying, nor mountains or hills to fortify our defense in the Toddler region. The enemy wouldn’t want to face our army on the open plains, so they will eventually retreat. Hitting a retreating enemy is easy, and right here, they will be annihilated.”

The young Commander pointed at the ground he stood on.

The retreating enemy will meet this river again. It was easy for them to cross earlier, but this time it will present a massive barrier.

Count Hermann Forte looked at the promising young Commander before him. In his early thirties, he was quite young for a Commander, burning with determination as if to say, “Just trust me.”

The Count reevaluated his previous opinion of him. The earlier setbacks must have been due to a lack of experience. After all, the enemy’s Commander was a seasoned general who had fought in the fierce Nine-Day War.

There would naturally be differences in handling soldiers. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be a significant difference in strategizing for a grand war.

‘I’ve chosen my people well.’

As long as this youthful man (who, in the eyes of the nearly fifty-year-old Count) was around, our Belita Kingdom would be safe from all threats ─ he sighed with that thought.

His pathetic son came to mind. Being an unexpected child and the heir, he had refrained from disciplining him too harshly for the sake of preserving his dignity, which had become a problem.

He should have given him a proper scare once he started acting up… His son, Gilbert Forte, had grown into an embarrassing human disaster, even by his father’s standards.

This time, he heard that Gilbert had joined Count Gustave Peter’s eastern expedition? With other noble youths?

At his age, doing nothing but chasing after women… If I had known this would happen, I should have sent him to the Monastery Church. The Jerome Holy Kingdom is virtually under the control of the Cross Church, so whether he studied or not, it would have been of some help later.

Alternatively, when Count Peter suggested an engagement between my only daughter and Gilbert, I should have done whatever it took to settle it. Even if it meant locking up that runaway wild girl.

The reason I’m having these extreme thoughts now is that they were the only family that had come asking for a formal engagement so far. Despite Count Forte’s influence, he was just such a scoundrel.

Parenting is so difficult.

It’s a shame that I’ve been too busy ‘protecting’ the royal palace to spend time with my son since he was young. But there was nothing I could do.

Regardless of everything else, I had completely failed in raising him. Count Forte shook his head, returning his mind to reality to ponder the strategies presented by the Commander.

The third option seems promising.

It’s a type of empty field defense tactics, a strategy only a daring strategist could carry out.

If we defeat their army, the enemy would trample our kingdom’s land in return. Numerous farmlands and villages would be plundered, and lords would lose their castles. The people would surely be taken as slaves.

But honestly, that didn’t concern him much. Count Hermann Forte actually liked the bold strategy conceived by the Commander.

The Belita Kingdom wouldn’t crumble just from losing one region. The northern barbarians would soon grasp the overwhelming disparity in national strength.

However, perhaps due to his youth, the Commander overlooked one crucial fact.

Except for the rest, the enemy must not set foot in the Toddler region. The enemy shouldn’t even be allowed to set foot on that land.

This region is symbolic, much like Oberg. Even if they are repelled, there will be massive criticism asking what the army was doing while the enemy was allowed to reach there, as it would be a matter of politics as well as strategy.

Especially Marquis Benard Tatian wouldn’t stay silent. Count Hermann Forte could hand full authority over to this reliable Commander and return to the capital, but having come this far, it would be inappropriate to leave empty-handed, and he decided to watch over the promising general’s future. This week should be okay.

“The second strategy seems better.”

“…Huh? I-I think the second one may be…”

“No. The second is the best. The first, as you know, incurs heavy losses, while the third is reckless. You make our troops pull back five ri (approximately 2 km) from the river. Use the separate unit to draw the enemy’s attention to the rear while using the main force to pressure them so they can’t cross the river easily.”

“What strategy do you have in mind?”

Count Hermann Forte grinned. He grasped his sword and spoke.

“I hear Baron Albasete hasn’t shown up. The Austin Kingdom will pay for that. I’ll capture the prince who started this war.”

*

Count Hermann Forte led the knights of the First Knight Order across the river. It was the night after the Austin Kingdom Army began to cross. The Count, who had taken a long route downstream to cross the river, surveyed the darkened enemy camp.

The prince’s banner still remained on this side of the river, unacrossed. Struggling to grasp the enemy’s intents, he sent out units one by one.

‘Whoever thought of this, they’ve been clever.’

As autumn arrived, the river water had somewhat chilled. A makeshift bridge was laid across it. Boats requisitioned from the riverbank were lined up one after another, with planks laid over them; this made the transportation of supplies and troops far more convenient than crossing the river.

The soldiers crossing the river felt less isolated.

The enemy camp was divided into seven main posts.

Two of those were prepared for the Belita Kingdom Army’s attack from across the river, one was stationed in the small town of ‘Ranzla,’ and another, it seemed, was set nearby for supply purposes.

The remaining three were the main force of the Austin Kingdom Army. The unit in front of the makeshift bridge was holding the banner of Prince Anolf de Klaus, while the other two were spread wide upstream and downstream as if to guard the prince’s unit.

“We’ll divide our troops too. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th Knight Units will attack that unit near the city. The 6th, 7th, and 8th Knight Units will ambush between the enemy’s main force and that unit, cutting off any reinforcements they send and buying us time. There’s no need for either side to be reckless. Cause as much of a ruckus as you can, but if it seems too dangerous, retreat without hesitation. Even when you retreat, don’t feel you need to cross the river back to the main force. You don’t have to gather the knights into one group; retreat in your teams and autonomously attack the enemy’s supply lines. There are plenty of villages they haven’t occupied, so hiding shouldn’t be difficult. Everyone understand? Then 1st and 2nd Knight Units, follow me.”

Count Forte commanded the eight leaders of the knight units.

To understand his words, one had to be familiar with the composition of the knight units. The First Knight Order of the Belita Kingdom consisted of eight knight units. Each knight unit was made up of ten teams, which means about 20 knights, including the mentor and deputy mentor, made up one knight unit.

However, it cannot be precisely divided that easily. A team might include three members, and sometimes a knight unit could consist of more than ten or fewer than that, making the number of knights fluid.

Yet on average, there were about 20 knights in a knight unit, and the six knight units that received Count Forte’s orders vanished into the darkness on horseback. The 1st and 2nd Knight Units, led by Count Hermann Forte, waited for a moment.

– Peeng!

“The enemy approaches!”

A blue thread shot up into the night sky, not yet lit by the moon. The Austin Kingdom soldiers grew active, but it wasn’t due to the knights’ actions. From across the river, the Belita Kingdom Army was suddenly on the move at midnight.

That’s a decoy.

However, the Austin Kingdom soldiers, unaware of this, were busy sending their sorcerers and knights across the makeshift bridge in panic due to the sudden movement by the enemy. However, shortly after, another blue thread rose from the rear, causing them to pause in confusion.

The signal flare arose as the knights attacked the rear camp. Count Hermann Forte realized it was time for them to begin moving as well.

However, he did not rush. He waited until the main force protecting the prince had sufficiently thinned before giving the order.

“I’ll take the lead. Our target is the prince. We’ll charge through, but if a sorcerer shows up, report immediately. Now… let’s go!”

– Thud thud.

The hooves of horses covered with fabric pounded the earth. Although they tried to minimize the noise, it would be impossible for forty mounting knights to escape the tightly focused gaze of the soldiers. The flickering campfire, shrouded in mist, obscured their view. A soldier called out.

“Who goes there! Halt! Halt and provide the password… Ah! It’s the enemy!”

“Charge!!”

– Bam!

Dozens of horses leapt over the obstacles set waist-high. One knight, who had neglected to train in horsemanship, fell off, and a campfire built on a metal base wobbled and spilled embers in every direction as he fell. Knights on horseback trampled the soldiers as they raced toward the prince’s tent.

“What, what’s happening? Block them! Block them! Quickly!”

Are they mad? Even if they are mounted, they are charging straight into the enemy camp.

However, unlike the red campfires, the shining white aura immobilized the Hundred-man Commander’s head.

“Sword… Master.”

It’s not easy to wield a two-handed sword while galloping a horse. So, Count Forte drew his sword in one hand and faintly ignited the Oblivion Blade, causing the soldiers to panic and unable to hold back the enemy.

How big can a military camp be? They dashed past dozens of tents and finally reached the place marked by the prince’s banner. Only then did the soldiers begin to resist.

“They’re going for the prince! Block them! Block them! Quick!”

The soldiers frantically threw whatever they could grab and tried to stab the horses carrying the knights with their spears, but it was too late.

Count Hermann Forte shouted toward the young man in front of the large tent.

“Haha! It’s a pleasure to see you, Prince Anolf de Klaus. We finally meet on the battlefield.”

“…You’re Count Hermann Forte. It’s good to see you again.”

Count Forte dismounted. He showed respect to the royalty, while the knights surrounding the Count cut down the attacking soldiers.

As the prince acknowledged him, the battle came to a standstill. Between the prince’s escort knights, Count Forte spoke.

“I’ve come to capture you, Your Highness.”

“…It seems so. But how do you intend to escape from here?”

“There’s no trouble if I take Your Highness as a hostage. However! Out of respect for Your Highness, and because our princess is not entirely blameless for the war’s outbreak, I would like to make a favorable proposal for both of us.”

“I’ll listen.”

“Let’s say that I’ve captured you here, and I’d like you to withdraw your troops. If it’s a reasonable line, I’m willing to consider peace. However, since we are the ones being invaded… How about you cut a few strands of your hair? That would allow us to save face.”

“…Let me think it over.”

The prince displayed a thoughtful expression. Count Forte then called out.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot grant such time! This is simply a suggestion to consider Your Highness’s dignity… By doing this, you will find it easier to make a decision!”

Behind the prince, a sorcerer dressed in red robes appeared. Realizing that time was running out, the Count forcefully slammed the Oblivion Blade down. The sword, swung without any warning, should have cleaved the knight in front of him in two… An unbelievable occurrence unfolded.

– Clang!

“…Wha…?”

The Oblivion Blade was blocked. If it had been blocked by another Oblivion Blade, that would be understandable, but blocking his sword was a humble brown longsword.

[ Sword – Indestructible. ]

Leo Dexter smiled brightly. A lion caught in a trap. A most unfortunate predicament indeed.