CH 14

It was Winston Ferrius, a royal family, who was in charge of commanding the army from the Ferrius Kingdom, in supporting Myard.

Winston graduated from military school at the top amongst his peers, was a good person to be appointed as the commander in the war, even if viewed without considering the fact that he was second in succession to the throne.

He was good at group operations, and his personal skills were as good as knights due to his childhood education. He had experienced everything from skirmishes to full-scale field battles, and was confident in his dispatch as the commander.

The military counselors and generals who assisted him were all well-known and elite with daily training and experiences. Winston was struck by a strong sense of impatience for the first time in his life.

“The momentum of enemy soldiers does not stop!!”

“The horse fence is pulled out. The enemy is approaching here.”

Winston clenched his back teeth as the bad news jumped in one after another.

“If only cavalry it’s still okay, but the enemy came to the hill while bringing a battalion of infantry crossing a 6km road. Why are we being pushed out by such guys!?”

Impossible. Yes, it seemed impossible but, Winston needed to sort out such a situation. In the first place, the Myard army that was mixed with militias, wasn’t suitable for advanced mobile warfare.

Therefore, the defense of the hill leading to the capital of Myard was strengthened by prior strategy meetings, and the Highserk army that had bitten into either the position of Ferrius and Myard was restrained on the front line, a siege network was built to destroy the army on the field. It was the plan.

As expected, the enemy launched an attack on the Myard position, which was lined with weak soldiers. In addition, the front line was stalled without being able to push the Myard soldiers who had solidified their defense.

Winston was convinced that he couldn’t lose when he had half-sieged the enemy army that was the main force. But the reality was, now he was in trouble.

Winston and the generals expected that only cavalry might come to attack the base. So, they set horse fences for that purpose, and 2000 soldiers prepared for the reserve.

Unlike Myard, the Ferrius army was full of regular soldiers who had been training on a regular basis. Even if the opponent was Highserk soldiers who experienced a lot of battles, they should be able to deal with them.

Winston had never heard of a light infantry chasing a cavalry kind of charge. Even if it was possible to follow the cavalry, they would be exhausted and in an impossible state to be decent at the battle.

But, Highserk Imperial Army realized that. 

Myard infantry troops flooded from the left were overrun by cavalry, and even Ferrius soldiers who were defensive on the hill, were about to be crushed.

“… Winston-sama, this is dangerous. We have no choice but to join the position of the last battalion.”

One of the determined strategists tried to persuade Winston.

“Don’t be stupid. Are you telling me to abandon the camp and run away?”

On the right wing, the main force was continuing the onslaught. If you abandoned the camp and opened the hill here, the main force would be hit hard. It was an unacceptable proposal for Winston.

“If the commander is killed, the army chain in command will collapse. Right now, we should surrender the hill and rebuild the army!!”

“U, Guu …”

In the opinion of the strategists, Winston hesitated in making a decision while groaning. The enemy was a group of 4000 people. As long as the battalion joined, it could still be endured. The Myard troops that flooded the left wing still retained their combat capabilities due to speed-priority enemies. There was no doubt that Ferrius would win if he could earn time.

Winston couldn’t make an immediate decision. If he were to abandon the hills here, the victory would become even further away from sight.

A loud sound of magic echoed on the front line. The screams that flew together with the wind must be those of the Ferrius soldiers. As a soldier, Winston was unable to conclude that he would retreat, abandoning his royal duties.

A bloody soldier rushed into the camp.

“What is it? You’re in front of Winston-sama you know!?”

The soldier shouted, ignoring the rebuking knight.

“The horse fence has been breached. Enemy cavalry is rushing here. It can no longer be maintained!!”

The news was enough to despair everyone in the main camp.

“Winston-sama, leave immediately, we’ll do something here!!”

The first to react was the soldiers directly under Winston.

“Take him!”

Before Winston made a decision, the soldiers and strategists pushed Winston and took him away from the headquarters.

“Get the decoy group, Now. They’re just around the corner.”

The tent of the main camp burst with a blast, and the enemy was approaching Winston.

“Do something and stop them!!”

“They’re here. Those Light infantries.”

At the edge of his sight, Winston saw the guards, who he had tremendous trust in, being defeated by enemy ordinary soldiers.

One was a muscular man, but another one fascinated Winston. This was because an ordinary and harmless man activated his skill and cut off the guards along with his armor.

“Hi-Highserk soldier is really terrifying.”

Winston realized that the decisive battle on the plains would have been impossible to win if even ordinary soldiers had that kind of skill. And that he should have joined the siege battle near the Aidenberg, the capital of Myard.

The guards were working to escape their lord, Winston. If there was a problem, there were individuals in this world who could overturn the tactics as they could deal with the difference in the number of dozens of people.

Winston felt heat on his back, and the moment he tried to turn around, he noticed that the soldiers on the left and right were covering him. Immediately afterward, a fierce flame was scattered around with an unbearable amount of heat.

“W-what…”

Winston, who saw a mix of flame and wind, was stunned. The soldiers who tried hard to protect Winston were caught in the fire, fluttered their limbs as if they were dancing, and stopped moving.

The soldiers behind Winston were half-burned and gasping constantly.

“Oi, get it together!!”

Winston remembered the old battlefield story. An old soldier who became an educator had told him, 

『”If you see a blue flame on the battlefield, it’s a fire that will send you to the hell gate, and if you’re invited, what waiting inside is death. The name of it is――”』

Winston thought it was just a superstition or a kind of myth, but it was real, and was about to approach himself.

“De…《Demon Fire》”

The enemy with that skill was a soldier with no peculiar characteristics. While walking calmly among the soldiers in flames, he approached.

“The rest is, only you… the commander.”

The man told Winston with no expression, as if he were looking at the weeds left uncut.