Volume 4, Chapter 2 – The Captured Flame Emperor And The March of The God of War, Part 4
Volume 4, Chapter 2 – The Captured Flame Emperor And The March of The God of War, Part 4
“Lord Beyaen!”
“Where did the arrow come from?”
The voices of the surprised enemy soldiers hit his ears. When Hiro looked next to him, he saw Hugin with a bow in her hand, wearing a proud look on her face.
“Wise brother, you have to give credit to your men once in a while.”
Hugin’s happy tone made Hiro shrug his shoulders and gave a small laugh.
“Indeed, that’s exactly what Hugin said. That’s a great archery technique, as always.”
Hiro tapped her on the shoulder after he said that.
“Go ahead and make a name for yourself. Let’s make today your day.”
“Yes!”
Hugin puffed out her chest proudly and raised her bow high in the sky.
“I, Hugin, the first disciple of the wise brother, has defeated the enemy general! I’ve shot the enemy general down!”
“For such a little girl! If we don’t avenge Lord Beyaen, the name of Dral nobility will be ruined!”
The enemy soldiers, bent on revenge, rushed towards Hugin in unison. Even in the face of this spectacle, Hugin did not panic. Rather, she held her bow with a fearless smile on her face.
“On the battlefield, only the powerful survive! Your commander did not have enough strength to survive!”
“What a cheeky bitch! Do you think you’re going to win by accidentally killing Lord Beyaen?”
“Hmph, women and men have nothing to do with the battlefield! Or will you use it as an excuse for your defeat?”
“You bitch――!”
The enemy soldiers were furious, but after being shot in the forehead by Hugin, they disappeared from their horses.
“We are the Raven Army! We are the children of the God of War!”
Hugin shouted, and as if in mockery, she slaughtered the enemy soldiers with her terrifying archery.
“Damn it, retreat! Retreat! Retreat!”
The enemy’s second-in-command, who was confronted with such technical prowess, pulled back on the reins in astonishment.
“Fall back, regroup!”
The enemy’s second-in-command began to give orders at the top of his voice in a desperate manner. However, his decision was too late. Because Munin, who was leading a separate force, was attacking the enemy forces from the rear.
“H-how the hell did they get behind us? What happened to the heavy infantry?”
The enemy’s second-in-command was dismayed.
“Shit, shit, the whole army must get out of here at all costs!”
The spear of the “Raven Army” appeared from the rear with great force and cruelly pierced their bodies.
If not mistaken, it was Munin. He kicked the enemy soldiers away with his excellent spear-handling. When he noticed Hiro, he proudly raised his spear with both hands.
“This completes the pincer attack.”
He had left the other team to Munin and had hidden them in the black smoke of Lesuende village. He was prepared for the possibility that the enemy might strike back, and he did a fine job of it.
The enemy’s heavily armed infantry, which had missed the battle, had probably been devastated by the troops led by Munin.
“Now we have won the first battle.”
“Mmm… my brother’s success is overshadowing my success.”
“Don’t worry. Hugin’s first success is unassailable.”
The youngest sister, who took down the commander, and the older brother, who attacked in time with the breath of the commander, remind everyone that they are excellent siblings.
“Do you really think I’m the best?”
“Of course, so I hope you don’t look worried.”
Hiro nodded with a bitter smile and looked around.
“Let’s not hunt down the enemy too much so as to avoid damage.”
There was still fierce fighting going on around them. Some of the enemy soldiers had turned their backs on them and were running away. Hiro raised his voice to the troops who were trying to chase them.
“There is no need to pursue! Leave those who flee behind and bring down the hammer mercilessly on those who turn on us!”
The more enemies that flee, the more the presence of the Raven Army will be known to the Grand Duchy of Dral. Witnessing defeated soldiers running for their lives will cause the inhabitants of nearby villages to begin evacuating.
This would make it easier for them to get their goal ― the Grand Duchy of Dral ― to the negotiating table.
Still, it feels far away. The distance was so great that it was impossible to catch sight of Liz.
(It’s no good. I can’t show my soldiers how I feel.)
Even though they had just won a victory, it would affect morale if the commander looked unhappy. Now is the time to concentrate on the battle and not think about anything else.
And just when he thought that…
“Wise brother? What’s wrong? You look really scared.”
Perhaps it was still showing on his face because Hugin called out to him in concern.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m fine.”
“Really…?”
“I was just thinking, that’s all.”
He reflected that he had been too self-conscious. Hiro had formed a self-deprecating smile, even though he had always told himself that there was no point in being in a hurry.
And then――,
“Don’t you think you’re being too careless when the battle is still going on?”
Ghada appeared with a disgruntled look on his face. The armor is covered in blood, the face is as red as an asura, and fresh blood is dripping from the bloody tip of the sword.
“Well, it may be impossible to concentrate on an opponent who has no response like this.”
His body reeked of death, but his expression seemed to indicate that it was not enough.
“The fight is still on; there is no need to waste your energy here. I hope you can save as much strength as you can for the time to come.”
“When I lose my strength, I’ll take a rest in the rear. In the meantime, leave it to me and you, One-Eyed Dragon, keep your strength in reserve.”
Ghada pointed to a roofless carriage behind them. Hiro decided to take advantage of his words and jumped from the swift dragon to the carriage.
“I’m sorry for the trouble. There won’t be any fighting for a while, so you should rest now.”
He patted the dragon’s head, and it squealed happily.
“Ghada, I’ll leave the rest to you. I’ll think about what to do next.”
“Very well.”
After receiving Hiro’s instructions, Ghada turned his horse’s head and threw himself into the area where the battle was still going on. Then Hiro turned to Hugin and urged her to report the results of her reconnaissance.
“From the reports of my men, it seems that the neighboring nobles have gathered young men from the cities and villages and are preparing to intercept us. Even so, it seems that many of them followed the legitimate heir of the Grand Duchy of Dral to the Felzen region, and they were not able to gather a large number.”
“How many?”
“Six thousand, a respectable number, but since most of them are peasants, many of them can’t ride horses, and I suspect they’ll be using a formation consisting mostly of infantry.”
Hiro was impressed with how they were able to assemble 6,000 people, even if they were mixed with farmers. Although the death toll in this battle is likely to be low, there are likely to be several hundred injured.
If that’s the case, the number of people who can fight will be over four thousand. The next battle should be minimized as well, as there is no telling how many troops the second son of the Grand Duchy of Dral will send against them.
(Tactics may change depending on the enemy’s commander, but the terrain can’t be changed either.)
Hiro took out a map from his pocket and spread it out on the floor of the carriage, and stared at it. He predicted the path that the allied forces, made up of the nobles of the Grand Duchy of Dral, would choose.
The battlefield’s terrain was the same as here, the plains, but there was no place with a good vantage point to hide the troops. Suppose the Raven Army continues to advance at this rate, and no problems arise on either side. In that case, they will probably clash with the noble coalition tomorrow.
(A normal clash would be a clash of power against power. That puts us at a disadvantage because we’re outnumbered.)
The enemy will probably want to make sacrifices to stop Hiro and the others and buy some time.
Until the return of the legitimate heir of the Grand Duchy of Dral, who went to the Felzen region, or until the second son, who is in charge of his absence, rushes to reinforce. In either case, in order to cut off any lingering doubts, the Grand Duchy of Dral’s noble alliance must be defeated once and for all.
Hiro looked up from his map and surveyed his surroundings.
“Is it over…?”
There were shouts of victory from allies all around. Countless swords and spears were being thrust up into the sky. The sound of sword fights had died down, and the enemy forces were fleeing without a second glance, looking hapless.
“Hugin, I want you to call Ghada.”
“Yes!”
Not long after Hugin went to call him, Ghada came to Hiro’s side.
“What’s wrong? What do you need?”
“It seems that clashes with neighboring nobles are inevitable.”
“Fumu, Hugin has told me about it. Six thousand troops, including peasants.”
“I want to minimize the damage to our side if possible.”
“Then we’ll have to devise a plan. But there are only a few things that can be procured in the enemy territory. But since we don’t have much time left, we have no choice but to go straight for it, so what are you going to do?”
“We’re going to set up a siege tactic. I’d like to keep close coordination, so let’s gather the one thousand to five hundred cavalry captains this evening and have them listen to the plan. Also, I’ll leave it to General Bakish to decide what to do with the Hanatigal Fortress, so can you send a message to him?”
“Very well.”
While looking sideways at Ghada calling for the messenger, Hiro called out to Hugin, who had nothing to do.
“And Hugin, I’m going to rest for a while, so you take care of the rest.”
“Leave it to me! No one will interrupt my brother’s sleep!”
“No, wake me when it’s urgent.”
Hiro muttered with a bitter smile and closed his eyes to keep his energy up.