Chapter 47 : Second Clash (6)

Chapter 47: Second Clash (6)

The next morning.

“Whoa, whoa. Everyone get ready!”

“We prepare to move. The whole army, on your feet.”

“You bastards. If you ate that expensive food, then move your asses.”

The Black Raven Mercenary Company became noisy.

From early morning they were fed a heavy meal, then told to get all their gear on and prepare to march at once.

-Thump thump thump.

With the sound of the drums, the mercenaries who had been sprawled out at ease scrambled to their feet and began forming ranks while the officers screamed at them. Once the order went out, they could set off at any moment.

“Changing the face of the battlefield, huh…”

Watching that sight, Captain Mordo suddenly remembered the words from last night and muttered without realizing it.

Changing the whole playing board of the battlefield.

Many young nobles dreamed of such things as they learned the art of war, but in reality it was not so easy.

Contrary to what people imagined, there were very few positions from which one could actually shape a war. There were reasons certain locations were called strategic points. To concentrate troops and establish lines, you needed water and supply routes.

Because of that, battles usually took place where battles could take place. No matter how much you flailed and flew, it was not easy to change the board the way people liked to boast.

Yet that young whelp of a mercenary had actually done it.

‘If we just march on their supply depot, it becomes a burden for the Imperial Army.’

‘If we wipe out the depot, they lose control of this whole front.’

‘That is right. So we request support from Count Bellua and head straight for the supply depot. If the garrison is large, we block them in and wait for the count’s reinforcements.’

‘If they are few or their defenses are sloppy, we just attack. The reinforcements will come anyway.’

‘That is right. We have nothing to lose. We drag the entire battlefield over here. The Imperial Army’s grand strategy gets flipped on its head.’

It had been a tempting and amusing proposal. Mordo was not stupid enough to ignore it. A chance had come to seize the initiative on the battlefield. How could he stop?

For a man who carried a sword, this was not something to refuse.

“Captain, all preparations are complete.”

“And the courier to the Count?”

“He rode out before dawn on a fresh horse. You do not need to worry.”

“Hehe. Does it not make your blood boil again after so long, Jacri?”

“…I only wish that you live a long and happy life, Captain.”

“You are no fun at all.”

Mordo looked at his old retainer and let out a grumbling laugh. Ten years had passed since he lost his fief and wandered. At last, through a young friend, he felt he had gained a chance to move toward a new history.

-Clang!

“Army, advance! Our target is… the Emperor’s supply depot. Today we will eat our meal there!”

“Ouuuuooooh!”

* * *

The Imperial Army’s supply base lay deeper in than expected.

On foot, it was a distance of two to three days, nothing to shrug at. They had a map, but the terrain was unfamiliar.

Shatien gladly volunteered for the scouting party and, recalling his old memories, guided the mercenaries as safely and quickly as he could.

Without the memories of all those campaigns against the Imperial Army in his previous life, they would not have reached it so easily.

“There is a supply storehouse on top of a high hill. It is not far from here.”

“What about the garrison?”

“We checked from a distance, so I cannot be exact, but the numbers look small for a base that size.”

The scouts who had gone ahead returned and made their report.

“A hill, huh? It is steeper than I thought.”

“This is going to be rough.”

The mercenaries buzzed uneasily. They had marched all the way out here, only to find the target perched on a hill. It would be exhausting just getting up there.

Of course, the seasoned Mordo knew how to pull them back together.

“The Black Raven Mercenary Company will make a rapid march and break out of the Black Forest.”

“Yes sir.”

“Pick up the pace!”

-Step step step step.

The mercenaries’ feet caught fire.

Not long after.

-Fwoosh.

The moment they came out of the Black Forest, bright light struck them in the face and a new landscape opened up ahead.

Shatien narrowed his eyes and scanned the terrain.

‘I’ve only heard about it, but this is my first time seeing it in person…’

The supply base sat atop a tall hill, surrounded by a thick palisade. All the trees around it had been cleared away to secure line of sight. One side of the hill was sharply cut and dangerous, which only made the gentle slope on the other side stand out more.

‘If we go back, we’re going to suffer like hell.’

-Clip clop clip clop.

Mordo rode up from the front on horseback. After sweeping his gaze over the depot once, he shouted to the mercenaries.

“Black Raven Mercenary Company!”

“Ha—!”

“Look there. Look at the smoke rising up. Now, look! Look at the panic on the soldiers atop that palisade!”

At his words, the mercenaries stared up at the palisade as if hypnotized.

Sure enough, they could see Imperial soldiers flailing around in confusion at the sudden appearance of an enemy force.

“They are few in number! Barely three hundred or so. Compared to us they are nothing but a handful. They only cling to that tall palisade and try to hide their cowardly hearts!”

There had always been many methods to estimate an enemy’s strength, but counting the cooking fires and the plumes of smoke at mealtime was one of the surest. You could not hide how much people ate.

Judging by the number of smoke columns rising now, the garrison was laughably small.

Mordo thought to himself.

This is doable.

If they took the place, that would be excellent. If they did not, it still did not matter. Just as the young mercenary had said in the war council, Count Bellua would clean up afterward.

Because of that,

“Army, charge! We will eat our meal beyond that palisade in their supply base—!”

“Waaaaa—!”

“Let’s drive out the Imperial Army!”

* * *

“T-The enemy is here!!”

“Get into defensive formation. Hurry, hurry, report to the commander!”

Once Mordo’s Black Raven Mercenaries moved, the palisade exploded into chaos. But it was already too late.

The careless assumption that no one would come this far, and the relaxed atmosphere of mealtime, meant their response did not come together smoothly.

-Thump thump thump thump.

Mordo’s main force had already finished preparations and was charging the palisade head on.

“Swing around and climb the hill!”

Shatien shouted out the mission he had been given. They would climb the sloped side of the hill and split the enemy’s attention so the frontal assault could win the power struggle.

“Yes sir!”

His soldiers answered with loud voices. Thanks to the victory in the previous battle, morale was high.

Of course, Shatien and Miles could not smile along with them.

“Shatien. Rookie. No, Centurion. Are you sure this is all right for us?”

Axe in hand, Miles came up beside him and glanced nervously toward the palisade. For some reason, the top of the palisade on their flanking route was lined with crossbowmen.

It probably seemed the only way to hold that side with a small garrison, but for Shatien’s unit it was unfortunate.

“We do not have a choice do we. On the other hand, if we just manage to close the distance and climb, we can punch straight through.”

“T-That is true, but still… Ugh. Damn it. Since when did I start worrying like this?”

Miles snorted hard, then hefted his axe onto his shoulder.

“Just give the order, Shatien! I will do everything I can to keep the recruits alive.”

“Sounds good. Miles.”

In the end, the only one who understood his feelings was Miles. Just as with his own first battle, he wanted to save as many rookies as possible.

Praying for that, Shatien drew his sword.

-Clang!

The longsword flashed in the sunlight.

“Advance-! We move up in sync with the center.”

“Ouuuahhh!”

With a shield wall at the front, Shatien’s Centuria climbed the steep hill. The distance to the palisade on top was neither too far nor too close.

-Step step step step.

Their steady marching feet showed not a hint of hesitation. It was the fruit of the brutal training they had undergone in the Free City of Loren.

Thanks to that, they closed nearly half the distance in a single push. Shatien’s unit surged up the hill like salmon fighting upstream.

At that moment, a rain of bolts poured in from the front.

-Pwish!

-Crunch.

-Papapap. Crack crack.

Bolts, heavy with gravity, hammered into the shields.

“Aaaargh!”

“Ghhk.”

Unlucky few bolts slipped through gaps in the shield line. Mercenaries who had their ankles or shoulders pierced dropped to the ground.

The storm of crossbow bolts cascading down the hillside was not something easily blocked. There was a reason crossbows had earned their nickname.

‘Night killer.’

Those things were famous for butchering even heavily armored Knights. No matter how sturdy your shields were, stopping them was difficult.

“Damn it! Shatien! At this rate won’t we all go down before we even get there?”

Miles pulled a fallen mercenary back inside the shield wall, shouting as he did.

That last volley had taken down five comrades. For a moment, the advance of Centuria almost stalled.

“No. That is exactly why we have to continue advancing. If we stop we will take even worse losses.”

As if to mock his words, another wave of bolts came crashing down.

-Crack crack crack.

-Crunch.

This time the shots were more tightly clustered, so most of them slammed into the shield wall. However, that did not mean there were no casualties.

“Ggghhhh.”

“My leg!”

Two more men in Centuria fell. The shields that took the impact were not unscathed either. The bolts were so destructive that they split the shields wide open.

“You bastards. Get those shoulders tighter together!”

“There is no room, Miles!”

“The ground is too uneven. This is too much, too much!”

“You son of a?”

The hillside was not only steep but uneven. For Shatien’s Centuria, who had to maintain a tight shield wall as they climbed, it was a nightmare.

‘Damn it! They tried to do us a favor because we have mostly recruits, but this is bad.’

Miles spat on the ground and cursed inwardly.

Who could have known crossbowmen would be posted right in front of them?

-Murmur murmur.

Because of that, the Centuria, made up mostly of rookies, wavered visibly.

Miles quickly looked for Shatien. It was not only soldiers who panicked in battle. Officers could freeze up as well, especially if they were new.

If it came to that, Miles intended to shake Shatien back to his senses. But contrary to his worries, Shatien looked perfectly calm.

‘About fifty seconds…!’

In fact, his eyes were shining.

“Miles! Break the shield wall right now and run!”

“Huh? What?”

“Fifty seconds! That is their reload time. They fired rapid volleys, so they are tired and it will take even longer than usual.”

“Oh-!”

Only then did Miles understand what he meant.

They were already almost at the top.

A little more and they would reach the palisade.

At close range, fully armed soldiers like them always had the advantage.

“Yes, yes you are right! As expected from Shatien. Ahahaha!”

“Charge!”

“Mercenaries, chaaaarge! Your leader, Miles, is going to split their skulls with his axe! Ahahaha.”

In that instant, Shatien’s Centuria instinctively followed their officer and broke into a sprint.