Chapter 45 : Second Clash (4)

Chapter 45: Second Clash (4)

Inside the Imperial Army camp, within a tent.

Knight Lindalph lay on a hard wooden bunk. Even with his eyes closed, he wasn’t able to fall asleep.

‘By now the mercenary companies must have reached the Black Forest. They are… too busy pillaging to think straight, right?’ 

There was no way those brutal mercenaries simply passed the village of Pegandul. 

They had likely fought for a while, worked themselves into a rage, then plundered with glee. 

‘Should we strike those bastards now?’

After battle, discipline always slackened. If he attacked now, he could earn considerable merit. Yet Knight Lindalph could not bring himself to do it. 

‘No. I should join with another unit and strike with certainty. Lure them deeper into the forest, and tire them out a little… just a little more.’ 

He tried to console himself by calling it strategic thinking, but in truth he was a thorough self-preservationist. 

His ambition burned because he wanted to live on and swagger, not because he wished to die a hollow death. 

So thought Knight Lindalph. 

‘Ugh, dammit. I don’t feel tired at all to sleep.’

Lindalph stepped out of the tent to get some air. A sentry spotted him and called a greeting. 

“All clear on duty.” 

“Good.” 

The cool night air filled his lungs. He looked up at the sky, clear without a wisp of cloud. 

‘Nice. Just let it stay like this.’

Lindalph smirked. If this fine weather held, he could at least wait out the next few days of ambush in tolerable comfort. 

‘The advance party of those mercenary bastards… Did they say about a thousand?’ 

The mercenary force was far larger than he had expected, but it was fine. 

‘With the soldiers His Majesty granted me, that number is nothing. And three hundred reinforcements are due soon. With an ambush on top of that, we will probably handle them with ease.’ 

Knight Lindalph was a noble who drew pay from the Emperor and guarded imperial demesne. Thanks to that, although he was only a knight, he could command as many as three hundred men. 

‘I must earn more merit.’ 

But such undeserved authority did not curb his desire. He wanted land rather than honor, greater wealth rather than what he had. The grain of an estate he currently held fell far short of satisfying him. 

‘If I handle this well, I’m sure His Majesty will grant me territory.’ 

By coincidence, a section of the imperial demesne sat right beside Lindalph’s estate. It was worthless mountain land, yet it had a river. The Lenos River ran through several fiefs. 

‘If I receive that portion of imperial land, that will be excellent.’ 

River routes were far safer than roads swarming with bandits. They allowed greater cargo in a single run, and most of all they were free of the tolls paid when passing through each fief. 

If he earned merit and received nearby imperial land from the Emperor… the house of Lindalph would meet with great prosperity. 

He could not help the corners of his mouth rising. 

But it was at that moment.

–Psh.

“Urgh!” 

From somewhere came the hiss of cleaving wind, and his guards dropped. 

“W-What the?!” 

Startled, Lindalph swept his gaze around. Arrows rained from every direction. 

-Swish. 

“Gugh!” 

“Aaagh.” 

The sentries collapsed without proper response. 

‘An ambush?!’

He never imagined they would be ambushed in turn. How had the enemy learned their position? The situation allowed Lindalph no time to think. 

-Ahhhhhh!

“Kill every last imperial dog!” 

In the dark forest, torches suddenly flared and shouts rose on all sides. 

Although shaken, Lindalph did not forget a commander’s duty and forced out a bellow through trembling lips. 

“A-An enemy ambush. Out of the tents at once—!” 

At the clamor, soldiers rubbed sleep from their eyes and stumbled outside. Then they blanched at the sight of comrades bleeding out on the ground. 

“Bauer? What in the world!” 

“Agh! It’s the enemy! The enemy is inside the camp. Grab your weapons now!” 

“Counterattack. Group up! Form a defensive line at once.” 

Chaos. 

He tried somehow to seize command amid the bedlam, but it was not easy. 

The enemy did not wait for them either. 

“Sweep them all—!” 

“Follow my lead! I will open the way.” 

A man with a longsword burst forward, mowing down soldiers as he advanced. 

‘Good lord-!’

Seeing that, Lindalph reeled. 

What kind of monster was that? The way he moved looked like Sir Zauren, who had won several tournaments. 

‘A-A way out. I must find a way out.’

Terrified, Lindalph cast about. As ally soldiers crumpled on every side, fear only mounted. When the advantage was his, Knight Lindalph was greedier and more violent than anyone. But when the tide turned, he was more fearful and more cautious than anyone. Honor exalted in death meant less than life in the moment. 

‘Oh-!’

Even if the sky fell, there was always a hole to escape through. 

Though enemies pressed from every side, he saw that the east lay open. A short push through the trees would take him to the highway. 

Lindalph decided that if he mounted up, he could break out there. 

“Hyah-!” 

-Neighhh! 

He wrenched his horse’s reins in haste. Seeing it, his squire ran alongside and shouted. 

“Sir Lindalph, where are you going!” 

“Silence you bastard. You follow me at once too.” 

“If you go now, the line will collapse! You must not go, Sir Lindalph!” 

“Shut it! What do a few soldiers matter! Escort me at once.” 

With a shout, Lindalph wheeled his mount toward the east. 

“You mustn’t!” 

-Thud thud. 

Despite his squire’s anguished cry, Lindalph paid no heed. No matter how he thought about it, the only thing in his head was escaping this place now. 

Victory and defeat were already decided. 

Survival and planning for later were all that remained. Chasing a knight’s honor like that fool of a squire led nowhere. He broke the thin eastern cordon and crested the rise, and Knight Lindalph let out a sigh of relief. 

However, 

“Haha! I am sa…!” 

Before he could finish, 

-Swish!

-Thunk. 

An arrow from somewhere pierced Lindalph’s chest clean through. 

“Huh…?” 

What had happened?

Why was an arrow stuck in his chest? 

He had fled, he was certain of it. 

With a shaking hand he clutched his breast. But unfortunately, the arrow had no intention of coming out. 

Instead, 

–Swish, swish, swish!

Dark red blood kept pumping out. 

This was exactly that. 

“Ah… Damn it all.” 

Knight Lindalph. 

This was the end of a greedy man who had once sought to live in splendor under the Emperor’s favor. 

* * *

-Kakakang!

-Kang, kakang! 

At night, sparks flew, lighting the dark. The Imperial Army’s camp fell into utter confusion. 

“Kill them all!” 

“Leave no imperial dog alive!” 

“Follow my lead!” 

Shatien swung his sword at the imperial soldiers before him and shouted. 

-Flash.

-Clack, clang!

At the very front. 

Facing the Imperial Army that had formed ranks to somehow hold the line, Shatien commanded the Centuria. 

“Ggaaah!” 

“Ghk!” 

With each flash of the blade, imperial soldiers clutched their throats and fell. His point slid through the narrow gap between helm and gorget. 

“Eek!” 

“Do not shove me, you bastards.” 

“D-Die! You mercenary scum.” 

Some panicked at the sight, some swung boldly, but it did no good. 

“Hup!” 

–Charararang! 

With a single gathered breath, Shatien’s sword moved too fast for the eye to follow. 

“What?!” 

The soldiers who had rushed him stared wide-eyed. 

He had brushed aside every attack. 

But it did not end there. 

In the tiniest instant. 

As the imperial soldiers faltered, Shatien darted into that opening. 

-Thunk! 

“G-Gugh!” 

-Shraaaah! 

Blood fountained along the blade that had punched through. Shatien flung it toward the Imperial Army in a crimson spray. 

“Agh! My eyes.” 

“You madman. You cowardly bastard…” 

Curses burst from their mouths. A lordly knight might be ashamed to use such tricks, but not Shatien. 

-Shraak! 

He used it more aggressively instead. 

-Pshshshik. 

“Aaagh!” 

Soaked in the blood that surged over his body, Shatien led from the very front, cutting with his sword. 

“What kind of lunatic is this?” 

“Do not push, stop pushing you bastards!” 

In the enemy’s eyes, Shatien was a demon. Terrified soldiers heaved their shields up and locked together in a scrum. It was a desperate attempt to block Shatien’s assault. 

-Fiiiiiing! 

But it was useless. 

-Crunch. 

“Aaagh! My shoulder!” 

That strange sense guided Shatien’s sword. 

The oak shields split along the grain and failed to serve their purpose, and imperial shoulders shattered underneath. 

“?!?!?” 

“???” 

At the astonishing skill, movement around Shatien stalled in an instant. It grew so quiet he could even hear sobbing. 

The mood had shifted completely. 

Judging so, Shatien grinned with bared white teeth, the very image of a demon out of hell. 

“Ughhh. Damn it. What kind of monster is this.” 

“What is our knight doing! They should come and stop this monster.” 

It was only natural that the Imperial Army cried out, as their will to fight was broken. 

“Shatien! Calm down! Wait!” 

At last, Miles caught up and grabbed Shatien’s shoulder. 

“How could you rush ahead like that when you are the Centurion!” 

“A-Ahem. I am sorry, Miles.” 

It felt a little embarrassing to hear this from Miles, who always got excited and swung an axe in battle. 

“Damn it, you will be the death of me I swear. Fall back now. That coat of blood looks like a real devil. Jeeez.” 

Shivering, Miles said it. There was sense in it, so Shatien scratched his head and stepped back a pace. 

Thanks to the smashing opener, his Centuria was fighting very well against the Imperial Army. Some were still resisting, but it did not look as if that would last. 

As expected, 

“Surrender! We surrender.” 

Someone who looked like a knight’s squire dropped his sword and shouted. 

That began it, and the demoralized imperials laid down their arms and yielded in a rush. 

“Please spare our lives!” 

The battle.

No, It was a night raid so one-sided that calling it a battle felt embarrassing. 

* * *

“Gather the prisoners. The Captain will interrogate them personally.” 

“Yes! You bastards, get over here and kneel. Look at that face huh? Have you not been beaten enough?” 

Mercenaries dragged over those who looked like officers and barked at them. Shatien looked them over and tilted his head. 

‘Where’s the knight?’

No matter how he looked, there was no one who seemed like a knight. Apparently Captain Mordo wondered the same. 

“Where is the knight? Why do I not see him? Did he perhaps run away?” 

“Ahahaha. Surely not. Maybe he is somewhere else.” 

“Or he might have died in the fight. It was night, so he might not have put his armor on properly.” 

Everyone argued back and forth. 

It was because the absence of a commander was unsettling. 

Soon, that absurd guess proved true. 

“...Sir Lindalph fled.” 

“What? The commander ran away? Alone at that?” 

“Yes. A moment ago I saw him on horseback fleeing east.” 

The squire who had taken over command gave his testimony. 

“…” 

“…” 

The world was truly a madhouse. 

Without meaning to, Shatien let out a dazed laugh.