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Vol 04 Chapter 122: Decisive Battle I

「The high ground has been taken by the enemy…」

「Well, the enemy is on the defensive, after all.」

I glared at the Rozel army positioned on the hill.

It’s not a very steep hill, but in war, holding the high ground is advantageous. You can use gravity to your favor to increase your momentum.

「I have brought you the enemy detailed formation, Almus-san.」

As Lulu handed me a piece of paper, she explained.

「The total enemy strength is thirty-two thousand. It seems they’ve slightly increased after the remnants of their defeated forces from a previous battle joined them. There are thirty thousand infantry and two thousand cavalry, with seven thousand of the infantry being slave soldiers. We have confirmed the presence of sixty war elephants.」

The enemy’s force is larger than ours as expected. The Gallians are physically larger than the Adernians, making them formidable in combat.

This puts us at a disadvantage in an infantry battle.

Our forces consist of thirteen thousand infantry and four thousand five hundred cavalry. Our infantry is half that of the enemy’s, but our cavalry is double.

If only there were no elephants, it would be a lot easier…

「My king, I swear to you, this time we will win. Last time, the enemy was able to break our line, but this time I’ll envelop and crush them.」

「I’m counting on you, Bartolo. I can’t give any commands while I’m holding off Kuryuu.」

◇

The Rozel Kingdom army and King Rosais’ Country and King Domorgal’s Country mixed army began by exchanging emissaries.

Both parties offered terms for surrender.

As expected, neither side was willing to accept, leading to a breakdown in negotiations.

Both armies established solid formations and stared each other down, unmoving for three days. They were both looking for an opportunity to exploit.

Meanwhile, it began to rain.

Rain during the summer on the Adernian Peninsula is rare. The falling raindrops soaked the soldiers’ skin.

Normally, battles are not fought in bad weather.

It’s like not having outdoor sports like baseball on rainy days. Bad weather typically worsens conditions, so it’s usually avoided.

But Kuryuu was different.

「Alright, let’s start the battle. Tell the soldiers to coat their skin with oil.」

◇

「Has it started?」

A report came in from the magician who had been keeping watch. It seems General Kuryuu is preparing for battle.

It was good not to let our guard down just because it was raining. But…

「Why would he choose to fight in the rain? Does he like the rain?」

Fighting on a rainy day isn’t necessarily a tactical mistake since poor conditions affect both sides equally. However, the likelihood of increased casualties usually leads armies to avoid battle…

「My king, it looks like the enemy has started moving.」

「It seems so. By the way, do you understand why General Kuryuu would mobilize his troops on a rainy day?」

When I asked, Bartolo quietly nodded.

So there is a reason after all…

「What do you think is the reason, my King?」

「Because he likes the rain? I have no idea. Tell me.」

I candidly asked Bartolo. He grinned and pointed at the ground.

I looked at the ground he was pointing to. Due to the rain, the ground has become wet and muddy.

Our feet sink into the soil, making it difficult to walk. The sandals are smeared with mud, which is quite uncomfortable.

Huh? Feet sinking…

I see now.

「Is it a countermeasure against cavalry?」

「Yes. Horses, being heavier than humans, will get more stuck in the mud, which means their mobility decreases. The Rozel army has elephants, which would be even more hindered by this, but they are inherently slow. Though elephants are a decisive weapon for Rozel’s army, they are not the main force. General Kuryuu probably chose a rainy day to capitalize on his infantry, which is his main force.」

I see… Great commanders sure think things through.

I have a lot to learn.

「I think there is another reason as well.」

Said Alexios, turning around with a refreshing smile on his handsome face.

Interrupting a conversation between a subordinate and his king is quite rude, you know.

If you showed this much disrespect to another king besides me, you might have been killed on the spot. Can’t you ask for permission to speak first?

But seemingly oblivious to my thoughts, Alexios approached us.

「Did Alexios-dono also foresee this?」

「Well, I thought there was a sixty percent chance that the enemy would choose to attack on a rainy day.」

Despite his somewhat problematic demeanor, he’s clearly a great commander. I’d like to win him over, but I don’t know what he wants.

While I was pondering this, Bartolo asked Alexios about the other reason.

「What’s the other reason?」

「The blast javelins. I heard they make a sound like thunder and spread white smoke and flames. Maybe General Kuryuu thought the blast javelins wouldn’t be usable due to the rain? It wouldn’t be surprising if he considered that.」

The detonators for the blast javelins are based on Tetra’s fire magic, so the rain doesn’t affect them. The gunpowder is contained within wooden tubes and remains dry.

I won’t make a weapon that’s significantly affected by the weather.

However, General Kuryuu does not know the structure of the blast javelins, so it’s entirely possible he could have thought this way.

「Still, I think it’s more of a hopeful guess. It’s unlikely that General Kuryuu would take such a high risk based solely on speculation.」

「No, that was an interesting perspective. Now, let’s also hurry and finish our preparations.」

We cannot afford to lose this war just because it’s raining.

◇

The allied forces formed a formation with a slightly thicker center, and thinner left and right flanks. The thicker center was meant to prevent a breakthrough by General Kuryuu, while the thinner flanks were designed to envelop him if he was held back.

The main force was the Equus cavalry, evenly distributed on both flanks.

Their intent to encircle was clear.

On the other hand, the Rozel army challenged this by thickening their center and retreating their flanks—a formation known as the fish scale formation.

As for their decisive war weapons, the war elephants, ten were positioned on each flank and forty in the center.

The formation was spread out like a screen.

The elephants on both flanks were spaced apart, with agile light infantry and cavalry filling the gaps.

Both armies began the engagement as was customary, with an onslaught of javelins, stones, and arrows.

Both sides, vast armies numbering in the tens of thousands, unleashed their might, undeterred by the rain pouring down from the heavens, as death rained down upon the soldiers.

The soldiers held up their shields to protect themselves. Most projectiles were blocked by the shields, so significant damage was initially prevented.

However, as arrows and javelins lodged into them, the shields became too heavy to use. Soldiers who lost their shields retreated.

After the projectile exchange ceased, both armies began to move simultaneously.

On both flanks, the allied cavalry, Rozel army’s war elephants, cavalry, and light infantry started their maneuvers.

In the center, the Rozel army sent the expendable slave unit in a charge, which was met by the allied heavy infantry.

The slave unit, their senses distorted by drugs and magic, clashed violently with the allied army’s heavy infantry. As expected, the heavy infantry had the advantage in a head-on fight, and the slave unit was gradually pushed back, losing numbers steadily.

Yet…

「Die! Die! Die!!」

「Ha, hahaha!!」

The crazed slaves, their eyes bloodshot, charged into the forest of spears held by the heavy infantry. There was no fear of death in their eyes.

Even with injuries, the unyielding slave soldiers made the allied troops falter.

「What are these things…」

「They’re eerie…」

The allied heavy infantry were slowly being overwhelmed by the bizarre enemy slaves.

Despite their numbers dwindling to a third, the relentless advance of the slave soldiers did not stop.

It was when the heavy infantry began to feel fear that disruptions started appearing in the movements of the slave soldiers.

◇

「Damn! That little girl… such an irritating interference…」

Mari clicked her tongue in annoyance. She, along with a unit of magicians, had been manipulating the mental states of the slave soldiers from a distance.

However, suddenly their connection was disrupted.

It was clearly the enemy’s sabotage.

(This is probably due to that magician’s interference, her name was Julia, I think. …seems quite capable.)

「Focus more! You are my disciples. You shouldn’t be losing to some backwater magicians! Teams B, C, and D, continue casting spells. Team A, come with me and start attacking the enemy!」

◇

「This is more intense than I imagined.」

Julia was taken aback by the strength of the enemy’s connection. She thought severing it would be easy enough.

She was so sure that severing the connection would be easy, that she received a significant shock when she was unable to sever it.

(I still have much to learn.)

「It’s okay, Julia. As long as we can manage to disturb the spell, it’s enough. After all, we have Almus at the front line.」

Tetra encouraged Julia. Tetra was also participating in the attack as a mage.

Magicraft attack spells were still at the level of party tricks, and she was more effective behind the scenes than in combat, but she also knew normal magic.

「Right. War is a team effort… Everyone, let’s do our best!」

「Oooh!」

The magicians raised their hands and shouted. Their voices were as loud as those of the men on the front lines.

This was a fierce battleground, just like the front lines.

「Julia-sama! We are receiving counterattacks from the enemy!」

「As expected. Lulu, handle it!」

「Understood. I’ll show that old hag what we’re made of!」

Lulu, puffing out her slim chest, accepted the challenge from the enemy.

However, the enemy’s attacks were intense, and magicians, including Lulu, began to fall to the curses, collapsing one by one.

「Ugh… My head is throbbing. Julia-sama, I don’t think I can last another five minutes…」

「Hang in there. Just a little longer until our men defeat the enemy…」

Julia, also struggling with a headache, managed a smile at her fellow magicians. Like Julia, many of the magicians here had husbands.

Their husbands were currently exchanging lives with crazed soldiers on the front lines. They couldn’t afford to fall here.

How much time had passed? Just as Julia and the others’ headaches reached their peak, Soyon, who was on a scouting mission, shouted.

「There’s movement in the enemy lines! The central elephant troops are moving!」

At the same time, the headaches of Julia and her team abruptly ceased. This meant that the enemy magicians had stopped interfering with the minds of the slave soldiers.

「We somehow endured it!」

The magicians fell all at once into the mud.

◇

「Don’t falter! After all, the enemy is human! Aim for their hearts and kill them instantly!」

I raised my voice, inspiring the soldiers. Thanks to the [Blessing of the Emperor] I can somewhat discern the mental state of my troops.

They are frightened. Humans fear things unknown or incomprehensible to them.

To them, the crazed soldiers who do not fear death are an unknown entity.

「Haaaah!!!」

I continued to slash through the enemy soldiers’ necks, sending heads flying.

These guys are dying while laughing… It’s really unsettling.

「My, my king! Aren’t you pushing too far forward?」

One of the soldiers, with a look of surprise, advised me. I responded with a laugh.

「No. It’s you who are too far back. All troops! Follow me! I am the son of the war god! Don’t falter over something like this!!!」

Whether it was the rumor that I was the son of a war god or the influence of the blessing, the morale of the soldiers visibly soared.

「This is nothing! Don’t falter!!」

「Follow the king!!!」

「The gods are with us!!」

The soldiers, not to be outdone, thrust their spears. The frontline, which had been slightly pushed back, began to hold its ground again.

「As expected of Leader!」

「Well, it’s not just my doing.」

The movements of the enemy soldiers visibly slowed. Now, as they faced death, they showed a moment of hesitation.

Their human emotions are returning.

This is evidence that Julia and her team’s interference has achieved some degree of success.

How many soldiers have I cut down?

A messenger soldier rode up on a horse.

「What’s happening?」

「There’s movement in the Rozel army’s elephant unit! General Bartolo suggests preparing for an assault by the enemy’s main force!」

So, Kuryuu is finally making his move…