Chapter 222

The afternoon was still early, too soon for the sunset hues to arrive.

The three thousand soldiers who recklessly attacked the barrier paid the price for their reckless charge, lying sprawled across the grassy plains.

No survivors. Their once-enthusiastic charge ended in a pitiful demise, a stark contrast to their earlier vigor.

For me, it was a fortunate outcome.

Even as more than half of our allies fell, the remaining two thousand made no move to assist. Amin was probably still over there, too. That was the only tricky part. They wouldn’t make it this easy next time.

“How’s our side’s damage?”

After receiving treatment from Rana and having my wrist bandaged, I asked.

Right after the battle, utterly exhausted, I rode back inside the barrier on Nigel’s horse. Cutting down hundreds of infantrymen who were charging like madmen, ready to die together, was no easy feat in my worn-out state.

I hadn’t realized it during the fight, but my body wasn’t in great shape either. The impact from falling off the barrier, the damage from blocking Havar’s cavalry charge, and the final stab to my stomach—once the adrenaline wore off, my entire body ached.

“Out of a thousand cavalry, four hundred light cavalry, fifty heavy cavalry, and twenty knights fell. The infantry lost about five hundred… Nearly a thousand out of four thousand troops lost.”

Losing a thousand to kill three thousand was a crushing advantage in terms of exchange rate, but Marquis Ludwig’s expression wasn’t exactly bright.

Well, the annihilation of the light cavalry must’ve been a painful loss for him. Heavy cavalry alone couldn’t keep up with Ka`har’s riders.

“We took quite a hit too… So, what about the remaining two thousand? Light cavalry doesn’t just fall from the sky. Even if they stay put, Orhan will come eventually, but we’re in a position where we need to head back to the mainland as soon as possible.”

“True… So, we’ll have to resort to a classic strategy.”

Marquis Ludwig muttered softly.

=====[White Flag Troops]=====

That night.

Amin’s camp was eerily quiet.

Only a few patrols were wandering around, while most of the soldiers were deep in sleep. They’d been ordered to rest well before heading south at dawn to break through the enemy lines.

It was a reasonable decision, so the warriors accepted it without complaint. After such a fierce battle, even the Empire’s forces must’ve been exhausted. They figured there’d be no issues. Just tending to the wounded and recovering their strength would take two days.

Ironically, Amin, who gave the order, couldn’t sleep.

“Damn it! Why is that ghost woman showing up there?!”

A thrown cup shattered into pieces. The spilled arhi soaked into the tent floor.

Amin grabbed a bottle and poured its contents down his throat. Some of it spilled down his chin.

‘Ha…’

Jargal, watching silently, let out a discreet sigh.

A commander drinking on the battlefield was one thing, but arhi wasn’t a weak drink to be gulped down like that—it was closer to poison. Amin was already visibly drunk.

After gulping for a while, Amin set the empty bottle down beside his chair.

“That damn whore! How much did she shake her cheap ass to stay alive…?!”

His unfocused eyes wavered, and his face alternated between red and pale from the alcohol. He’d clearly lost his composure. His drunken state laid bare the fear he usually hid.

“Damn it… damn it! Why are the Empire’s people…?!”

At first, there was no issue. He’d thrown the rebellious troublemakers at the barrier and watched the battle unfold, torn between aiding and observing. But the moment that crimson flash shot from the barrier, all his plans fell apart.

At first, he thought he’d seen wrong. Since they’d attacked the Empire unilaterally, he assumed Ha-shal-leur, held as a hostage, would’ve been killed or imprisoned long ago. That was his original goal, after all.

But it wasn’t a mistake. The woman who’d done the insane act of jumping off the barrier in human form not only moved freely but also took down the great warrior Havar barehanded.

For Amin, watching, it was a nightmare. The slaughter that followed was no different.

“That fire… what’s with that fire?! Now they’re using sorcery too?! Don’t they have any shame?!”

It was ironic coming from Amin, who’d allied with shamans. He had no sense of shame to begin with.

He pulled out a new bottle and chugged it down.

“That ghost woman is coming! She’s coming to kill me!!”

The drunk Amin bellowed. Jargal, watching his increasingly drunken rant, could only wonder how to calm him down.

—-

Outside the tent, the patrolmen chuckled at the loud shouts echoing from within.

“He’s at it again. Once he starts drinking…”

“Just let it go. It’s not the first time. He’ll quiet down soon enough.”

The patrolmen were only going through the motions, not particularly vigilant.

If Havar had been alive, it might’ve been different, but the remaining soldiers were more interested in the thrill of plunder than honorable combat. Amin’s words sounded reasonable to them, and with a convenient excuse, their morale had significantly relaxed.

That night was unusually dark and quiet. Even the crescent moon’s light was obscured by clouds, and the usual chirping of insects was absent.

Experienced warriors, those with keen instincts, might’ve sensed something ominous.

However, those people were already rotting away under the barrier with Havar.

A rational decision wasn’t always the right one. Especially on the battlefield.

– Pshhh!

Two arrows pierced the back of the sentinels’ heads. They couldn’t even let out a scream before their breath was cut off, collapsing lifelessly. The sound of their fall was drowned out by Amin’s shout, unnoticed by anyone.

Ten minutes later, flames engulfed everything.

=== [Harshal, Ten Minutes Ago] ===

“I’m so sleepy…” I stifled a yawn, forcing my mouth shut. The fatigue and exhaustion made my body feel heavy, similar to the feeling of staying awake for three days and nights straight.

“It seems all the sentinels have been dealt with. Shall we begin?” Nigel, lying beside me, whispered quietly.

Dressed in a black academy uniform with a charcoal-coated breastplate to hide its shine, and draped in a black cloak, he looked just like the other knights.

We had boldly infiltrated the enemy camp, where two thousand Ka`har were gathered. Just 175 of us.

The plan was simple. Taking advantage of the enemy’s complacency, thinking we were resting, we would sneak in under the cover of night, set fires to cause chaos, strike key targets, and then retreat. Specifically, their horses, supplies, and leadership.

The most important target was the horses. Killing or severely injuring them would completely cripple the enemy’s mobility, their greatest strength. We also needed the horses to ensure a safe retreat.

All knights, except those too injured to move, were part of this infiltration. The soldiers couldn’t follow. Their skills weren’t enough to move without making noise, and descending the barrier would have been too difficult for them.

No, we didn’t use the barrier’s entrance. If we had, we would have been discovered immediately.

At a corner of the barrier, far from the battlefield, ten ropes still hung. The ropes we used to rappel down.

It was Ludwig’s idea. Seeing me jump off the barrier made it seem possible. Thanks to that, we had to experience rappelling again. The knights were a bit awkward at first, but after a demonstration, they managed just fine.

After descending the barrier, we waited and made our way here.

There were a couple of close calls along the way, but we quietly ambushed and dealt with them. When Amin shouted that Harshal had arrived, we were terrified, but Hersela’s explanation that it was just drunken rambling calmed us down.

Anyway, everyone was exhausted, but they managed to keep up without falling behind.

[They haven’t suffered as much as you have. Your strength hasn’t fully recovered, and your cracked bones haven’t healed yet.]

‘Didn’t you tell me to go?’

[Of course. It was the perfect opportunity to discipline Amin. As his sister, I couldn’t miss this chance.]

The heartwarming image of proper sibling love. This is how siblings should be.

[I’ll pluck out his remaining eye and sever all his tendons. Let him become a blind cripple, either killed by Orhan or living in contempt for the rest of his life.]

Hmm, such a proper image.

“Harshal?”

“Ah, right. You asked when to start? Let’s see… The other knights should be in position by now, so we can prepare immediately. We’ll attack in three minutes. Pass that on to the knights.”

“Understood.”

Nigel nodded and relayed the orders to the other knights.

Forty knights lined up horizontally, each holding oil-soaked arrows, javelins, and jars filled with sticky oil. I also prepared to shoot a flaming arrow, though I didn’t have enough strength to use Up-hwa yet.

Three minutes to go.

“The time has come! All knights, prepare to throw! Give it everything you’ve got!”

I gave the command in a low voice, lighting an arrow and shooting it into the sky as a signal.

So all the knights could clearly see.

“Commence throwing!”

The knights responded in unison, hurling the oil jars. Their physical abilities, far superior to the soldiers, sent the jars flying like shot puts, shattering against the tents.

“What, what is this? An enemy attack!?”

“Something’s falling from the sky…!”

The sound of ceramic jars breaking woke the Ka`har, their murmurs reaching us.

“This…! This is oil! They’ve thrown oil jars!”

Realizing it now was already too late.

I loaded the second flaming arrow. This time, aiming for the center of the enemy camp, where dozens of horses were tied. The knights lit their arrows and javelins.

“Fire! Turn it into a pit of flames! Burn them all to ashes!”

With a resounding command, 175 flames shot through the air. The oil spilled on the ground, the tents covered in cloth, and the flaming arrows embedded themselves, spreading fire uncontrollably.

The White Flag Troops’ camp was ablaze.