Chapter 54 : Second Clash (13)

Chapter 54: Second Clash (13)

-Clack clack clack.

Baron Friedrand led the Imperial Army around to the rear of the hill.

Twenty heavy cavalrymen on mounts slipped in among the shield bearing infantry and completed their preparations for a surprise charge as if by magic.

A moment later, Baron Friedrand swept his gaze over the troops he could see on top of the palisade in the distance.

‘Hm. They don't look that many. If we push with strength, we’ll be able to break through.’

Then his gaze, which had been sliding along, stopped at one spot.

“…?”

It was the soldiers holding oversized crossbows.

His brow furrowed without him meaning to.

How dare they raise arms against His Imperial Majesty? An inexplicable rage rose in Baron Friedrand.

‘I will skewer those mongrels next to that Shatien or whatever he is called.’

-Shring.

He drew his sword and gave voice to that anger.

“Charge-! We crush that pitiful handful of troops and plant His Majesty’s banner up there today!”

“Waaaaaah!”

With a shield wall in front of them, the Imperial Army began to climb the hill step by steady step.

The slope was steep, so they could not sprint, but that did not mean they were slow. At a quick march, they advanced without interruption.

But that lasted only a short while.

-Thwhooooom-!

A heavy sound tore through the air.

-Pabababap.

-Crack, crack!

The front ranks of the Imperial Army behind the shield wall collapsed. The crossbows fired from the palisade, loaded with gravity, displayed brutal destructive power.

“Aghhhhh!”

“The shields are being pierced!”

“Guh, cough. My stomach… It is in my stomach.”

Twenty soldiers dropped to the ground at once and rolled, groaning. It was a horrific sight. Yet the Imperial Army was still the Imperial Army, even rotten fish stayed a fine fish.

They truly were elite.

“Do not waver!”

“Their reload speed is slow anyway!”

“If we stop, more die. Move forward! Advance!”

An Imperial officer rallied the men and they began to advance again.

Because the Imperial Army used crossbows often, they knew their strengths and weaknesses well.

Yet before they could take more than a few steps, something unbelievable happened.

-Thwhoooooom!

-Pabababak!

-Crack.

“Uwaaah!”

“Guh, cough!”

Another volley of bolts rained down on them. Worse, this time they had shifted their shields aside for the charge, so the damage was even greater.

Baron Friedrand’s eyes widened.

‘They… already reloaded?!’

It had not even been ten seconds since the first volley. Yet they were firing again.

The reload speed defied common sense.

‘What trick are they using?’

Unable to believe it, Baron Friedrand stared at the front. He wondered if there were other crossbowmen lying in ambush, but no matter how he scanned, he saw only twenty crossbowmen.

Instead, the mercenaries next to them kept moving busily.

‘The bastard, he used his wits!’

Yes.

They were constantly loading the empty crossbows.

The crossbowmen only had to grab a loaded weapon and shoot, so they could fire as fast as ordinary archers.

“Crossbow unit! Lay down covering fire. I will lead our men in the charge.”

“My lord Baron. We have to advance at least fifty meters more before we can fire the crossbows.”

“Then move up on your own and fire!”

“U-Understood.”

Startled by the shouted order, the officer started to lead the crossbowmen up the hill. But Baron Friedrand, who had calmed somewhat, changed his mind.

‘Damn it.’

If he sent only the crossbowmen, they would be wiped out instead. He could not waste such precious troops because of a moment’s anger.

-Thwhoooom!

-Papat, pat!

Meanwhile, Imperial soldiers kept falling.

They had not even climbed a third of the hill and already dozens lay flat. The mounted knights who had hidden among the infantry could not avoid the rain of bolts either. Panting as they climbed the slope, the heavy cavalry were nothing but good targets.

The only saving grace was that their sturdy armor prevented any serious casualties.

His aide, flustered, rushed to Baron Friedrand.

“My lord Baron. The losses are too great. What if we break the shield wall and charge instead?”

“Lieutenant. Are you sane right now?”

Baron Friedrand refused flatly. If they broke the shield wall in this state, when they were already taking heavy damage, the result could turn into a complete disaster.

“Do not worry. I will put the knights in plate armor in front and charge with them. I will lead the front myself.”

No matter how powerful the crossbows were, they would struggle to inflict fatal damage on plate armor. If they were true knights, they would punch through the bolt storm and climb.

Baron Friedrand finished his brief hesitation and nodded.

“I honor your devotion.”

“Thank you, my lord Baron!”

The lieutenant quickly gathered the knights. They numbered only about twenty, but breaking through meant more than their numbers.

“Knights. It is time to show our honor and devotion! For His Imperial Majesty-! Charge!”

“For Saint Michel!”

“Long live His Majesty!”

“For honor!”

-Shushushuk.

Bolts poured like rain toward the charging knights. But unlike the other soldiers, the knights kept running without a care. It was the combined power of well tempered defensive techniques passed down through their Houses and their crushing heavy armor.

“Grrk!”

“Guh!”

But of course, that did not mean they blocked everything.

With a storm of bolts, the weak spots were bound to be pierced.

But they were knights.

Silent and dogged. Honorable warriors who advanced without fear.

They showed with their bodies why people called them the nightmare of the battlefield.

“T-The Emperor’s knights are here!”

“Stop them! We have to stop them!”

In just a few pounding strides, the knights reached the spot right below the palisade.

‘This is the end, mongrel!’

Looking up at the noisy mercenaries on top of the palisade, the Imperial knights wore crooked smiles.

Those mercenaries had not known while they were happily firing from afar. The horrific slaughter awaited them now.

But… something felt strange.

“Now! Throw what we prepared at them.”

“?”

The mercenaries’ faces suddenly lit up, and,

-Sluuush, sluush!

A slick liquid poured down from the sky. An oily substance with a sharp stinging smell.

“Tar!!”

“They even have oil.”

“It is a fire attack. Scatter!”

But they realized it too late.

-Whoosh, whooshoosh.

-Fwoooooosh.

Flaming arrows fell on top of the knights and, in an instant, the place turned into a raging sea of fire that swallowed them whole.

* * *

Shatien stood on the palisade and looked down. A hell of fire spread beneath his feet.

“Gyaaaah!”

“It’s hot! Save me.”

Their sturdy armor now turned into perfect kindling. The flames soaked in oil and tar burned the knights fiercely.

“Do not let them escape. Keep firing!”

Shatien urged the crossbowmen on and shouted again and again.

If they eliminated the enemy’s knight corps here, future wars would become that much easier.

“No! Protect the knights! Quickly. What are you doing! Charge!”

Of course, Baron Friedrand reeled in horror at the sight.

“We have to save them, no matter what!”

If he hesitated and let them all die, it would be a disaster beyond words. The disgrace of having an elite knight force wiped out by mere mercenaries was one thing. They would also lose the strength to fight any further battles.

“Everyone, prepare to charge!”

-Shring!

Drawing his sword, Shatien shouted. He planned to throw open the gate and charge forward at exactly the right moment. One might have called it reckless madness, yet none of the mercenaries around him thought so.

“Get ready to charge! The Centurion says to prepare for a charge!”

“Ahahaha. I finally get to let my axe taste some blood!”

Miles, who now held the rank of Centurion, swung his axe in wild circles, his eyes bloodshot.

Once the enemy formation was thoroughly tangled and turned into a complete mess,

“Charge! Let’s show them a nightmare!”

Shatien opened the gate in the rear palisade and rushed out.

“Uwaaaaaah-!”

The Centuria followed close behind and charged bravely.

Crunch. Boom.

With brutal sounds, two heavy masses slammed into one another. The outcome did not even need to be checked.

“Gyaaaah.”

“S-Spare me…”

The Imperial line melted away like butter on a hot iron from the very first clash.

It was obvious, in a way.

They had rushed forward under the Baron’s screaming orders, yet with the burning knights thrashing wildly, there had been no way to maintain formation. In that chaos, they collided with a Centuria whose morale soared to the heavens. There was no way they could withstand it.

“Stop! I-I am from House Platina…!”

“I surrender!”

Once things reached that point, even the honor of a knight could not do anything.

They dropped their weapons and began to invoke their rights as nobles one by one.

“U-Ugh!! You cowards. You dare lay down your weapons already. Don’t surrender and keep fighting!!”

Baron Friedrand roared when he saw the sight.

Victory and defeat differed by a hair.

The knights had certainly taken damage, yet their numbers were not small. They had even opened the gate and come out. If they just endure and hold once, they could reclaim victory…

“R-Run away!”

“This is a pointless death!”

“Wahaha. Die!”

The situation did not move as Baron Friedrand wished.

With the knights surrendering and the battle line in chaos, the soldiers lost all will to fight.

“Ah… Ahh…”

“My lord Baron. Quickly. You must withdraw at once. Right now!”

“This is impossible. I led so many of our main forces here, and we are being pushed by barely half their number. This is… This is a dream! A dream.”

No matter how his aide advised, Baron Friedrand could not accept reality. He simply fell into panic, muttered nonsense, and stared blankly into space. In the end, the aide let out a sigh and made up his mind.

“I will take full responsibility. Escort the Baron at once!”

“No! Let go. Let me go! You bastards.”

“Hurry! If you miss this moment, there is no second chance.”

“Understood.”

That was the moment the fierce(?) battle finally came to an end.

* * *

Once the commander fled, all that remained was flight. The moment the banner fell, the Imperial Army cast aside their weapons and shields and bolted.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

“We won!”

“Wahaha. Run, Imperial dogs, run!”

Shatien’s Centuria whooped and cheered as they watched the retreating backs.

A few, unable to control their excitement, tried to chase after the fleeing Imperials, but Shatien hurried to stop them.

“Whoa, whoa! Calm down. Calm down! The war is not over yet.”

Victory behind the supply depot did not immediately mean victory in the war. This was only a relatively small scale skirmish.

The outcome of the conflict still depended entirely on the front line under Captain Mordo.

‘I don't have a good feeling.’

An ominous feeling wrapped around Shatien.

He had no way to know if they had won or lost. Only the harsh ring of steel and shouts echoed loudly.

“Go report our victory to the Captain and check how things stand on the front line.”

“Yes, Centurion!”

So Shatien quickly tidied up the battlefield and sent a messenger to Captain Mordo, praying there would be no major problems.

“This is terrible. The front is in danger. The enemy are already climbing the palisade and fighting on top!”

Yet as always, that bad feeling turned into reality.

‘Damn it.’