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Vol 02 Chapter 52: Border Conflict IV

The Aris army and the Dibel army were facing each other across the river. So far, no contact has been made with Almus.

Contact could be made in a few hours by using a controlled hawk to send notice, but Soyon was the only one there who could control the hawk, and they couldn’t afford to lose her now. This was because Soyon’s cooperation was necessary for the success of the strategy.

The formations of both armies were as follows:

■■■■■

■      Elite troops including Gilbert                                          Dibel Army

～～～～～～～

River

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■      Elite troops including Ron                                               Aris Army

■■■■■         □□

Cavalry troops including Roswald

(Soyon, archers, and blast spear throwers are behind the infantry)

The Aris army, being vastly outnumbered, was spread thinly to avoid being surrounded and annihilated, so it seemed that they would be easily broken through if directly confronted.

Without much discussion, both armies immediately engaged in combat.

「We outnumber the enemy by two to one. Let’s defeat these cowards who have violated the alliance!」

Gilbert began the advance.

Both armies clashed in the river. This river was very shallow, with the deepest parts only reaching about halfway up the knee.

Naturally, the clash occurred in the shallower parts of the river, where the water only reached the ankles.

It was expected that the Dibel army, with twice the advantage, would quickly defeat the Aris army. However, the battle was evenly matched.

There are three reasons for this. One is the difference in morale.

The Dibel army was composed of conscripts. Their morale was very low, and their training was minimal. Moreover, they were all peasants. Fighting against those who had saved their brethren from oppression was hardly a situation to boost their morale.

Furthermore, their lack of experience in warfare played a significant role. After all, they had previously agreed to a secret truce with King Ferme.

In contrast, the Aris army consisted entirely of professional soldiers, with high morale. Many of the soldiers were of peasant origin and had limited training, but… they had experience running through battlefields as part of the Ferme army multiple times. And they had a good cause to boost their morale even further; protect the oppressed people from a Tyrant.

The second reason was the difference in weapons.

A third of the Dibel army’s shields were made of wood, and two-thirds were made of bronze. A third of their armor was wooden, and two-thirds were made of leather. All their spears were made of bronze and were three meters long. Ideally, they would have preferred to equip longer spears, but handling such weapons requires a high degree of proficiency. Considering their skill level, even these were slightly too long.

On the other hand, all shields in the Aris army were made of bronze. Their armor was entirely made of leather. The spearheads were all made of iron, and the spears were four meters long.

The third reason was the support from archers in the rear.

The Dibel army’s archers were merely hunters brought along. Their bows were small, designed for use in forests, and their arrowheads were made of stone.

In contrast, the Aris army’s archers were elites trained under Gram. Their bows were powerful longbows, and their arrowheads were made of iron.

While the Aris army’s archers were successively piercing through the Dibel soldiers, the Dibel army’s archers were unable to inflict any damage on the Aris army.

「Is the Aris army’s right wing filled with monsters?」

The soldiers on the left wing of the Dibel army shouted.

All those positioned on the right wing of the Aris army were under the influence of Almus’s blessing. Even though some retreated due to injuries, not a single one had died.

Wounds that would normally be fatal were not fatal for them. Gradually, they were pushing back the left wing of the Dibel army.

Ron’s actions, in particular, were remarkable.

「Take this!」

Ron, wielding a spear much longer than those around him at five meters with his left hand, would jump into the fray, slicing through incoming spears with his right hand’s sword, rendering them useless. Naturally, such a monstrous figure like Ron attracted concentrated spear attacks from the Dibel army, but all it did was waste many of their spears.

However, the Dibel army had twice the number of troops. Gradually, they began to gain the upper hand.

「Push them back! Annihilate them!」

Gilbert shouted loudly as he gradually pushed back the Aris army.

The Aris army was forced to move into the river… Before they knew it, both armies’ soldiers were submerged up to their knees in water.

「Now, it’s our turn. Let’s circle around to their back in one go!」

Roswald and his men kicked their horses’ bellies, attempting to circle around to the enemy’s rear through the shallow parts of the river. Naturally, the Dibel army attempted to respond by turning some of their soldiers around…

「Hey, you’re slow! What are you doing?」

「I’m sorry. My feet are caught in the water…」

The soldiers at the back struggled to turn around, made all the more difficult by their long spears.

Moreover, this was happening in the middle of the river. Gilbert raised his voice loudly, urging his soldiers on.

But this had the opposite effect. The riverbed was not flat but uneven with stones, and the depth varied.

It was obvious that hurriedly attempting to turn around under such conditions would disrupt their formation. And then, as if to deliver the final blow, four blast spears were launched.

An explosion occurred at the center, significantly disrupting their formation.

Then…

「O fleeting fire, deceive the eyes of man!」

As Soyon shouted, flames burst forth from the site of the explosion. However, these were not real flames but an illusion—a spell of illusion.

They had previously mixed crushed herbs with hallucinogenic effects into the black powder. It was originally intended for use against the fugitives.

The explosion of the black powder scattered the particles of the herb, which then entered the bodies of the soldiers.

Next, they simply needed to execute the spell using the herb as a medium.

The spell of illusion is not omnipotent. Creating an illusion from nothing—making it seem as if water suddenly appeared in an empty space—was extremely difficult. However, pretending that an empty cup was filled with water was relatively easy.

And the spell of illusion is more likely to work on a group lacking calm judgment.

This time, real flames actually rose from the explosion of the black powder, and the opponents were a group of three hundred in a state of confusion. In other words, it was the perfect timing.

However, a magician on the receiving end could quickly see through and dispel it, and if one was calm enough, it would be easy to recognize that the flames weren’t hot. But there was no need to deceive them for a long time, and even if someone recognized them as fake, the visual threat remained.

Once a formation is broken, it does not easily return to its original state.

「The enemy sure is showing us a lot of unprotected backs… Just as planned. Now, strike!」

Roswald charged at the rear of the Dibel army.

◇

The Dibel army was in complete disarray. The Aris army did not pursue them.

They thought it would be unwise to invade enemy territory by pursuing them further. It wouldn’t change the fact that they attacked Dibel’s army without provocation though…

However, the Dibel soldiers who fled into Aris territory were a different matter. They could potentially become bandits, so they couldn’t be left alone.

The Aris army captured Dibel soldiers one after another. Those who resisted were killed.

Gilbert was running desperately. Through Aris territory.

He didn’t decide to flee into Aris territory on his own accord. When the Aris army circled to the rear of the Dibel army, the Dibel forces collapsed completely. Consequently, the Aris army’s infantry began to regain strength suddenly, and the Dibel army found themselves trapped.

Gilbert was confused. He was not someone suited to lead an army of over a hundred.

Moreover, he had little combat experience. His experience was limited to suppressing deserters and rebellious peasants.

Naturally, he couldn’t manage to retreat his forces effectively when they were being attacked from both front and back. Like the other soldiers, he fled desperately and found himself running through Aris territory before he knew it.

「You’re the enemy commander, aren’t you? I’ll be taking your head!」

A man on horseback was closing in from behind.

Roswald pursued the enemy commander. The commander was on foot, and Roswald mounted. He quickly closed the distance. Roswald raised the tip of his spear… and then he calmed down.

Reflecting on this battle, it was clear that the Dibel army was in the wrong, but the fault also lay on their side. No matter the reasoning, they were the ones who had initiated the conflict.

Could he truly justify killing the enemy commander under these circumstances?

As a leader of an army, the commander was undoubtedly a person of significance, likely close to Rigal. Perhaps he was even a relative or family member.

Roswald considered the situation from the opposite perspective. That is, if they had been the ones attacked first and then retaliated, only for Ron to be killed in the process.

Would he be able to forgive the enemy in that scenario? Would Almus?

No, forgiveness would not be an option. He would surely demand reparation through the life of the aggressor.

Thus, killing this man here would be a grave mistake. Conversely, keeping him alive could serve as a bargaining chip in negotiations.

Roswald rotated his spear, pointing the butt end downward, and carefully tripped the enemy commander to avoid injuring him.

The commander fell face-first to the ground. Roswald, while regretting that he may have applied too much force, dismounted from his horse and gently restrained the commander.

「I’ve caught you! Please remain calm. If not, your life is forfeit.」

He used polite language, assuming the commander was a person of high status.

Thus, Gilbert was captured by Roswald.