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247. Childhood Friend – Wooden Staff

An unwanted battle had begun. Duke Alzeor de Lognum gritted his teeth.

It wasn’t because he had never heard such an abundance of insults before. It was because the Conrad Kingdom that needed to be conquered was just across the river.

Our dreams have been postponed by at least ten years.

Or perhaps even longer. The Conrad Kingdom would never forget the memory of being invaded.

“Your Grace, this place is dangerous.”

The prince raised his head, getting pelted by heavy raindrops. The soldiers of Marquis Gaidan were charging in with loud shouts. Alzeor turned toward the command center and muttered, “Not yet, not yet.”

It wasn’t over yet. If we could suppress them with minimal damage. And for that to happen… the prince issued orders with an unusual demeanor.

“We will form a formation. Count Jermin, you will take command at the front and buy time for the main forces to establish the formation. Since the knights are in the lead, it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“…Understood.”

What the hell is happening here? Count Geogis Jermin’s complaints vanished.

Surprised by the prince’s coldness, who was usually indulging in pleasures, he obediently followed the orders, and Duke Alzeor furrowed his brow, surveying the battlefield hidden by the pouring rain.

To the right, the Irotashi River flowed, and to the left were woods. The ground sloped slightly toward the riverside, now a muddy bog from the rain that had poured since yesterday.

The formation was nowhere near complete. Sharing the execution of the Marquis slowly divided the troops into various units and squads.

The total troop strength was 50,000.

Among them, 7,000 were pirates, 10,000 comprised mixed troops brought by nobles following the marquis, and 6,000 were serfs conscripted from his duchy. The remainder included 15,000 lightly armed infantry borrowed by promising various benefits in the prince’s name from the coastal free trade cities, and 12,000 heavily armed infantry supported by the Lognum royal family through Brother Aton.

And the two royal knight orders along with three wizards belonging to the Bolinyu Tower…

Alzeor asked the wizards.

“What would happen if we used large-scale magic over there?”

“They’d all die.”

“Are you saying we could kill the entire enemy? 28,000 of them?”

The eldest of the three shook his head, speaking slightly with a sense of pride.

“No. That includes our forces as well. The environment is too favorable for water-type magic, making it hard to measure the range.”

“What if we used a different type of magic?”

“The power would drop significantly. But one thing I must warn you about… There are wizards on their side too. If everyone uses magic, the mana road in the air will tangle and explode. I do not recommend it.”

That’s why large-scale magic isn’t often utilized in modern warfare.

There was once a time when such magic was used without care. But that was a time of mutual destruction for both our soldiers and theirs, leading to the use of magic that only affects dozens of people in modern times. Small-scale magic consumed the mana’s installation and depletion quickly, making it difficult for enemy wizards to interfere.

That alone provided tremendous assistance on the battlefield. Magic is not just about kill power; its terrifying effect on soldiers is enormous.

“Alright. You should head to the front. Aim for the enemy’s rear, ensuring that our side suffers no damage, but refrain from attacking fleeing enemies. Try to lead them to escape as much as possible.”

The wizards bowed their heads and headed towards the front lines. Duke Alzeor directed the generals,

“Bring the pirates to Count Jermin. Once the fighting starts, they’ll be the first to lose morale and try to flee. Position them at the forefront, and kill anyone who tries to escape.”

Entrusting 7,000 pirates to him.

They would make fine expendables. Alzeor set the pirates in the front row, the mixed troops in the second row to push them into the fray, and positioned the Lognum royal family’s heavily armed infantry as the last bastion of the main force, thinking, ‘The front is taken care of,’ and turned his gaze elsewhere.

To the left, where the woods were.

That nameless forest was covered with low hills. There were already 3,000 conscripted serfs holding flags there, and to minimize the damage from this rotation… Alzeor decided to take control of that area.

What he envisioned was the hammer and anvil tactic. While the main force holding the area solidly acts as the anvil, the flanking forces as the hammer would break the enemy’s right flank and push them toward the river.

Leading the remaining 3,000 conscripted serfs and 15,000 lightly armed infantry, Alzeor headed to the woods.

Meanwhile, Reb was harboring the same thoughts as Duke Alzeor. Reb struggled to keep the charging soldiers of Marquis Gaidan under control while observing the battle situation. His mind was in chaos.

[ Leo, you are the king of the Conrad Kingdom and a great general who has defended your homeland for a lifetime. For your achievements, I grant you the ability {Tactics}. ]

Running in headfirst won’t secure a victory. With fewer numbers, it was crucial to enclose the enemy to enhance the efficiency of the battle.

Battles involving tens of thousands were completely different from mere brawls. In a confined space where there was barely room to step, pushing forward meant colliding with our own soldiers.

The situation at the very front was even worse.

Behind, our forces pushed in, while in front, the enemy swung their swords. There wasn’t even any space to dodge; you would have to block and strike, pouring all your strength into pushing the enemy in front of you.

What about those behind? Unless they were spearmen, they would have no choice but to wait helplessly.

50,000 vs. 28,000. The side with fewer numbers had to rush to widen the front line. They would also need to encircle the enemy to ensure their playing forces were massively outnumbered to secure victory.

‘To do that, we must take control of that forest. The main force will inevitably face pressure, but when they do, if we can push the enemy down from the sloped hills into the river!’

There was a chance.

Reb’s {Tactics} ability took a step further here. He called for the chiefs of the first and second Barbarian units and issued commands.

“You will float down the river on rafts. Completely detaching from the battlefield, find a spot where neither the enemy nor we can see, then gather the troops and strike at the enemy’s rear.”

It was something Duke Alzeor could never think of from his position downriver.

Tight as it was, Reb believed this would cap off the battle and sent off the two tribal units. Coincidentally, Vann and Ruben Bijan were each the lieutenants of those units.

Shortly after that, Reb spoke.

“Count Ogerton, I entrust the command of the main force to you. I will lead the right wing to seize that forest and the hills. Please just hold on until then.”

“How many soldiers will you take with you?”

“I will only take the native warriors. Please buy time with the soldiers of Marquis Gaidan and yours. I’ll leave all the knights behind.”

“…Understood. I wish for your victory.”

Count Soarel Demetri Ogerton smiled brightly despite being given only 15,000 soldiers and less than fifty knights, and an excessive burden.

While Reb was engaging with the hidden enemy in the forest with ten tribal units, he turned his attention to the forefront with his precious staff.

There, a blood storm was already raging. The pirates clashed with the elite soldiers of Marquis Gaidan.

Fueled by vengeance for the marquis’s death, the soldiers didn’t hold back. On the contrary, the pirates were in a bind, knowing they’d be killed by the noble’s soldiers whether they advanced or turned back, struggling to fight.

However, the reason they didn’t collapse completely was due to the presence of over 200 knights mixed among them. Even in the cramped forefront, the knights proved their worth.

Weapons specializing in thrusting, swords honed through lifelong training.

With every slash they made in that confined space, dozens of Marquis Gaidan’s soldiers fell into the muddy bog. The pirates, emboldened by this, clutched their unfamiliar weapons…

“Get out of the way!!”

Into that cramped spot, a man leaped in, swinging his sword dramatically. That blade, which should have been blocked before accelerating, cut smoothly, drawing a red line. A young pirate screamed in horror.

“Th-That’s a Swordmaster!”

The blazing Oblivion Blade. Out from the emptiness emerged Leo Dexter, raising his sword as he shouted.

“Don’t hold back your breath! Keep pushing forward! Knights, follow me!”

The soldiers of Marquis Gaidan, hesitating due to the knights’ presence, roared in response. The extraordinary being making the impossible possible injected them with strength.

That’s why the Swordmaster is called the strongest human on the continent.

On a regular day, they were not much different from a mere knight. Even considering their superior swordsmanship, they could be summarized as knights who would never lose in a one-on-one.

But on the battlefield, it was different.

In a space cramped with heavily armed soldiers. In a place where even inserting a needle was tough, the Oblivion Blade stood alone, disregarding all armor and weapons.

Thus, from ancient times, Swordmasters were named the rulers of the battlefield, and no one questioned this. The issue was…

– Bang!

A lightning bolt struck down. Leo, hit by the bolt, cried out in pain, “Ugh!”

The Swordmaster was only the strongest in ‘ancient’ battles. Since the appearance of wizards, those who dominate the battlefield have been wizards, and the Swordmaster’s role had fallen to a level not much different from that of regular knights.

Of course, those wizards were also stripped of the title of battlefield ruler as the unit formations and checks among wizards became the norm.

Count Soarel Demetri Ogerton stroked his chin. Seeing the Swordmaster wobbling up,

“Oh dear, that must hurt a bit.”

He murmured.

Still, truly, he is a Swordmaster.

Had he been an ordinary person, he would have been toast. Even a knight whose body was accumulated with mana, making them resistant to magic, would have needed a few days to recover after taking such a hit, yet he nonchalantly raised his sword again.

[ Quest: Magic Killer 10/10 – {Magic Resistance} ability increases by one level. ]

Is the Swordmaster more resistant to magic? I’ll need to experiment with that later, thought Count Ogerton…

And pulled out a ‘wooden staff.’

An ancient, timeworn oak staff. Regardless of whether a second lightning struck the Swordmaster or not, he momentarily glanced at it as he muttered.

“I apologize to my master, but during my trip, I did manage to acquire a little something. I feel bad for my seniors and my classmates too… But for the sake of our tower’s research, we must win here.”

Five years of traveling to find three Swordmasters. Although all the experiments had been rejected due to being busy, I still didn’t return empty-handed. The count lifted the staff.

A white substance, indistinguishable between light and waves, covered the rain-soaked battlefield. The soldiers murmured, “What is that?” but the wizards were aghast.

Mana solidified. Like ice.

More free than anything in the world, even the wizards had to coax the mana, saying, “Wouldn’t it be more fun to flow this way?” Now it moved as if it were summoned by someone’s command.

Count Soarel Demetri Ogerton shyly tucked the ancient artifact away. He had now become a count, a general commanding troops, and began directing his soldiers.

The battle at the Irotashi River had finally begun.