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Rain Vol 4 Chapter 2.2
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Rain Vol 4 Chapter 2.2

Chapter 2.2

Part 2

 

-Just before Joe sensed the enemy’s movements. –

The enemy——Galfort Castle’s new master, Safir, was advocating for war in the audience chamber.

He had gathered up a large number of nobles in his faction and was shouting at them with a pathetically weak fist raised high in the air.

“It has been several days since the enemy set up formation around our capital! We’ve sent them messenger after messenger to demand an explanation for their actions, and yet they’ve failed to reply back to us! My patience is running thin!”

He surveyed over the large chamber before continuing,

“the royal family of Sunkwoll will become a laughingstock if we continue to allow their violence!”

 

“……But you’re not even related to the royal family!”

 

No one pointed out the above piece of relevant information, but that didn’t necessarily mean that all who were present unconditionally agreed with everything Safir had said either.

Though many shouted back their approval in a stormy rage, there were still a few people who were opposed to what Safir had said on an emotional level.

Ludic, whom Safir had recently invited to the castle, was a prime example.

He interrupted Safir in a hurry before the chamber could become buried under cries for war.

“A moment please, Your Majesty!”

“Hmm?”

Safir’s cheeks were tinted red as he sat on the throne. He was evidently a little too excited.

He glared down a little at Ludic, perhaps because he found it unpleasant that his momentum had been cut short.

“Are you opposed to this?”

Safir abruptly spoke his conclusions first before Ludic could say a word.

Ludic shook his head, unable to do much else in his situation. He moistened his lips and chose his next words carefully as not to provoke his master further.

“I am not voicing an opposition. It’s only that we are currently facing another enemy, the Princess’ faction. I am simply saying that it is unwise to fight multiple enemies at the same time.”

“……Then what would you have me do?”

“We should allow them to exhaust themselves while fighting each other first,”

Ludic stressed with utmost emphasis. He continued,

“at least one side will come out for the worse should they fight. Then, we’ll have our chance when one side is defeated and about to withdraw. Your Majesty can deliver the iron hammer of justice on them when the opportunity strikes. Doing so will provide you with the easiest path to victory.”

“Ludic, I have no doubt that you are skilled in the art of warfare. However, you are in the wrong this time around.”

Safir flatly rejected Ludic’s hard-earned counsel.

He sat unusually straight on the throne and continued with renewed dignity.

“I see that I will likely emerge victorious if I do as you say. However, I am now the ruler of this kingdom. How can a ruler ignore his duties and stand by doing nothing when faced with an invader?! There is no way that the people and the soldiers will follow after a liege who does nothing!”

 

“Oh! As expected of His Majesty!” (cheered the nobles in the chamber)

 

Not that Ludic cared about their clamor.

Unlike usual, Safir had declared something that was terribly proper.

Even Ludic could not help but be silenced by his words. After all, Safir was exactly right. Ludic wondered to himself why Safir, who was constantly off the mark, had to bring up a decent argument this one time.

Ludic bit his lip and looked to his liege in resent.

Besides, he thought that, while Safir’s words had indeed been correct, they should have only been said by a “competent” king. He didn’t want to hear those pretty words when there were multiple powers struggling for influence within the kingdom’s borders.

You don’t have the ability to back up your words!

“Ludic. You couldn’t possibly be getting cold feet now, are you?”

Someone asked impudently while Ludic was grumbling silently to himself.

When Ludic looked up to see which idiot had spoken, he found that it was a man named Shadac, or something. His recollections were hazy, but Ludic was sure that he belonged to the Estherhart family.

There were a good number of people who from the Jervael, Estherhart, and Hartoul families, which served under the Princess’ faction, who had fled to Safir’s. They were all those who had lost their love for the heads of their respective families, who backed the Princess.

In other words, it meant that Rain’s side was not a stable monolith.

Ludic felt that there was no helping that some people had betrayed their families, as their base would weaken to the point of peril if the Princess, a reformist, wielded royal authority. Regardless, he felt that those who didn’t even know the basics of warfare had no grounds to find fault with him.

In irritation, Ludic spat out,

“……my duty is to make our battles as favorable for us as I can. There is no place for foolhardiness on the battlefield.”

“What?! Are you trying to say that my valor is mere foolhardi——”

“Argh, enough, Shadac. Ludic’s argument is only to be expected from a commander of an army. And Ludic. I’m sure you have more you wish to say, but keep quiet for now and follow my plans. All right?”

……Ludic didn’t know what kind of face to make.

And so, he simply closed his mouth and lowered his head, since, as much of a surprise as it had been, his liege had undoubtably covered for him.

(Still……does His Majesty understand? They say that no army commanded by Joe Lamberck has ever been recorded to have tasted defeat……)

While their own army had plenty of battle experience, Ludic couldn’t say that morale among the lower-ranked soldiers was high even as a lie or that their knight-captains were even remotely of good quality. Wasn’t it too much for them to battle Joe, whose armies were boasted to be invincible, in the face of all of this?

Ludic thought it was.

 

Dawn broke out after both armies had finished their battle preparations through the night.

Safir’s army had advanced after squeezing Galfort castle’s forces dry. Essentially, they had brought forth every available soldier to the battlefield and left only the smallest possible number of soldiers behind.

Their troops numbered thirteen thousand, including the many soldiers who had been freshly recruited with the funds they had to spare.

They opened the outer walls of the capital for the first time in a long while and poured outside of them in droves.

They glared at the Chandrys army, which had taken formation in a slight retraction, and began to form their own lines. Ludic stood at the rear of the army with Safir and looked over to oversee the Chandrys army’s movements.

The Chandrys army had yet to move, however.

They apparently did not want them to be able to flee back inside——which was likely why it did not seem that the Chandrys army would attack until Safir’s entire army was outside of Lydia’s walls. Ludic thought that this was because they were either the very reflection of knightly etiquette……or it was because they were simply making light of them.

“Hmm?”

Ludic suddenly noticed something strange and furrowed his brows.

“What is it?”

Safir promptly asked.

“Well……I feel like the Chandrys army has fewer numbers than before.”

“We already knew about that. They split their army to annihilate that damned Rain and were soundly met with defeat…… You were the one who explained this to me, were you not?”

“No, I meant as in comparison to yesterday,”

Ludic tried replying anyway.

However, even Ludic did not have an accurate grasp on the Chandrys army’s numbers. He was simply going off of what he could determine by eye from afar as they could not send out scouts.

But……I do feel like they are fewer of them than there were yesterday. Perhaps I should have sent out more spies even if I didn’t think they would be effective…… Ludic could only express his regrets after the fact.

“In any case,”

Safir interjected again,

“from what I can see, our army is slighter larger in numbers. Let us commence our attack at once!”

“……Please wait a moment. Our lines will be ready soon.”

Ludic could not erase his apprehensions even as he spoke. Additionally, he could tell even just by looking from afar that the enemy army had no openings.

They maintained their formation, like that of a bird spreading its wings, without panicking, without stirring, and without moving even in the slightest.

No one even budged as they single-mindedly kept their silence.

Ludic could see why Grand General Joe Lamberck was such a famous commander just by looking at the enemy formation.

But his own army, on the other hand——

Ludic grew fed up upon looking at his army, which was still in the process of staggering into arrow formation (a battle formation shaped like an arrowhead). At this rate, it would be better for him to hope to avoid defeat rather than to hope for victory.

“What are you doing?! Hurry up and get in line!”

Ludic barked his order in near-desperation.

Ultimately, the Chandrys army remained deathly still and silent as Safir’s army finished arranging their formation.

It’s eerie——

Ludic thought from the bottom of his heart.

If he could, he wanted to order a retreat back inside of Lydia’s walls.

But his master was fully psyched up for a fight, so there was no way that was going to happen.

“Ludic, can I give the order to commence the attack once our preparations are complete?”

“……Go right on ahead.”

“All right! Then——”

Safir stuck out his chest in elation and drew his ornate sword that was over-decorated with jewels.

He cleared his throat and raised his sword to the heavens.

 

“Begiiiin!”

 

Safir screamed out in a voice which Ludic could only say was reminiscent of a chicken with its neck being wrung, signaling the bow unit to nock their arrows all at once and release them into the air slightly above their enemies.

A countless number of arrows, enough to cover the sun, flew underneath the azure sky and fell on their enemies like torrential rain. Rank and file soldiers from all throughout the enemy army that was so orderly that they could have been a still-life painting fell one after another.

However, that was the only change that occurred in their formation.

No one let out so much as a scream. Instead, the vanguard unit began to march upon receiving Joe’s signal. They stepped over their comrades’ bodies and advanced in silence.

Then, naturally, the enemy began to return fire just a beat later.

They sky grew dark under the arrows the two armies exchanged.

No arrows reach the back of their formation, where Ludic was, but his soldiers still dropped like flies from not that far in front of him.

They weren’t nearly as quiet as the enemy was. Death cries sprouted up from here and there and the grassy field was beginning to be dyed red by the blood of the fallen soldiers. The sound of several thousands of arrows whistling through the air filled the fields with what sounded like the eerie, sardonic laughter of a grim reaper.

Even now, at this very moment, there were soldiers falling to the arrows in both armies.

But this was just the preface.

Feeling mean, Ludic quietly took a glance out of the corner of his eye. He was certain that Safir would be afraid. After all, Safir had hardly stood at the frontlines before despite being a high general.

……And sure enough, Safir looked scared.

It was plainly obvious that his teeth were rattling and his shoulders were shaking.

And yet, despite all of that, he remained facing directly forward and was pointing his sword at the enemy lines.

Then, in a loud voice, he rebuked those around him.

“Don’t falterrrr! Forward, keep moving forward while shootiiiiing!”

He still sounded like a dying chicken. And it was all too obvious that he was pushing himself because he was terrified on the inside. And yet, Safir did not move to fall back like he always did. According to the rumors, he had always retreated to the very back of the army at times like this.

Ludic’s opinion of his master rose just a little.

Perhaps Safir’s “sense of duty”, which had been hiding behind some nook or cranny somewhere, had finally surfaced now that they were on the brink of a subversion of the state. Ludic thought that it was about time, too, but it was better late than never.

Ludic stiffened his expression and returned his gaze to the enemy in front of him. They were just about the right distance away. Actually, the enemy had inferred that they would soon move on to close-quarters combat first and their bow unit had already put down their bows.

Ludic called out an order as if in response to that.

“Bow unit, cease fire!”

The bow unit quickly fell back at his order.

Then, Ludic turned to Safir and bowed.

“Your Majesty, please issue the next command.”

“Of, of course.”

Safir’s glistening golden armor shook as he nodded repeatedly. Did he really know what he was supposed to say? Ludic was a little worried at first, but Safir managed to shout out the correct command.

 

“All right! Vanguard, attaaaaaack!”

 

Safir’s army let loose a battle cry when he swung down his sword.

Several thousand soldiers began their charge while kicking up clumps of earth and yelling to incite themselves.

Even the Chandrys army, which had remained stock still until then, had finally been roused into motion. The knights at the head of their formation had readied their lances.

They let out a war cry as one, without any prompting, as they prepared to face against their enemy.

The distance between the two armies vanished in a blink and Safir’s army promptly crashed into the Chandrys army.

 

The battle had truly begun.

 

The knights’ armors, plenty enough to cover the earth, glistened, and the exchanging lances brought forth more death from both sides.

Even if they didn’t suffer fatal wounds, they would not be able to remain unharmed in a battlefield this densely packed even if all they did was fall off their horse. If they were unlucky, the wounded would be trampled underfoot the horses behind them and would swiftly join the ranks of the dead. Moreover, they would become corpses of such miserable state that their own parents would not be able to tell who they were.

They would not be able to help a comrade who had fallen off of their horse, even if they happened to see them fall. This was especially true now that their enemies were bearing their fangs and brandishing their spears and swords before their very eyes.

All that a knight on the frontlines could do——was to protect themselves while slaughter as many enemies as they could.

The earth was stained scarlet by the blood pouring out from the growing piles of corpses.

Joe quickly encouraged his troops from the rear of his formation when his army began to be pushed back a little, unable to fully withstand the first wave.

 

“Don’t falter! We shall undoubtedly be victorious!”

 

——Just one line.

The Chandrys army had been galvanized by just one line from Joe. The entire army cheered, “We will be victorious!” in chorus and ceased their slow retreat.

Each soldier shouted, unafraid of death, and repelled Safir’s army, which had been eroding through their lines like a wedge.

They slammed bodily into Safir’s army, which had highhandedly continued their attack after their initial advantage and forced their once-broken lines back into formation.

Their absolute trust in Joe Lamberck, the Fearless God-General, had overturned their premonition of defeat and called forth their conviction of victory.

And lo, Joe had personally leapt out from the rear lines with a pike in hand.

The knights of Safir’s army could do little but turn around in panic upon seeing his silver-white armor as his white horse galloped across the land.

Then, all alone, like a single gust of wind, Joe began his own charge.

 

“Standing before you is Joe Lamberck! I shall be your opponent!”

“Standing before you is Joe Lamberck! I shall be your opponent!”

 

His pike flashed as he introduced himself with brevity.

The tip of his pike drew a silver line as it sank into the throat of an enemy who tried to attack him. A fountain of blood erupted. His opponent’s head lobbed to the ground, frozen in an expression of astonishment.

Joe’s pike swiftly turned course in search of new prey.

His attacks were precise and merciless.

Stab, mow down, spin, and rend.

Joe’s godly skills with the spear diminished Safir’s army’s numbers as they gawked on in blank amazement.

Although it looked like he was hardly putting any strength into his swings at all, someone’s hand or head flew, or their torso was pierced, and they fell off their horse with every elegant movement Joe’s arms and pike made.

It was hard to tell because he carried it to easily, but, like Rain’s, Joe’s pike was specially made to be several times heavier than normal. It was only natural that his opponents’ arms would go numb just by blocking it once. That was to say nothing of the fact that no one had the leeway to block it twice.

Even if someone did somehow manage to block Joe’s pike at first, Joe would run them through, armor and all, in the very next moment.

The knights of Safir’s army, who had challenged Joe into a futile battle, rushed into retreat after the sky had been colored by erupting fountains of blood for a time.

A vacuum had formed around Joe as a result.

Then, every soldier of the Chandrys army began to fight with all their might upon seeing their revered Grand General fight……

 

 

Meanwhile, Safir was visibly expressing his terror in the midst of his army’s main formation.

While his enemies were suffering at least as much as he was, Safir, who had little experience in commanding an army, began to fear defeat as soon as the tides had turned against him, even if just a little.

“Ludic! Our army is about to collapse!”

he immediately raised up a fuss.

“I know that. Now’s a good time to send out our reinforcements, in any case.”

Ludic let his master’s cries go through one ear and out the other and raised two fingers on his right hand to signal to the orderly.

Eventually, two thousand soldiers from their reserve troops moved out toward the enemy. Ludic had ordered them to target the right wing of the enemy’s formation, which had been composed of fewer soldiers from the start of the battle.

He planned to whittle down the Chandrys army, which had only been wary of Safir’s army’s frontal assault——in other words, the enemies in front of them, slowly from the sides with time.

Ludic meant to send out reinforcements to the right wing next to cause unrest in the enemy ranks.

He had to make the best use of his advantage in numbers as he could.

 

But……something feels off.

 

Ludic could not help but tilt his head to the side. The Chandrys army looked like they were fighting desperately for their lives.

Well, that was only to be normal in battle, but this time, it was odd.

After all, Safir’s improvised army should have been nothing more than an easy opponent for the invincible Joe.

It’s strange that they’re having a difficult time to begin with!

This was why Ludic had maintained a set distance from Lydia’s walls at all times as the battle progressed. It was, of course, so that they could retreat at any time. It was a pessimistic strategy, but he felt that it was the correct one.

Is this a trap……? While Ludic had his doubts, he couldn’t decide on anything for sure because the enemy’s desperation looked too real. Furthermore, the Chandrys army had changed out of their offense and had begun to collapse while he was lost in thought.

This had happened because of the reinforcements he sent out, which caused the Chandrys army to be at the absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers. Their left wing had collapsed, as Ludic had wanted, and unrest spread out from it into the rest of the army.

The rout looked all too natural even in Ludic’s eyes, and he had been suspicious of them from the very start. When Joe, who had been fighting at the very front of the enemy army, drew back, the knights, who had been fighting for their lives, slowly began to be pushed back.

Their perfectly and beautifully composed formation finally broke apart, and the soldiers at the rear began to flee.

Then, after a set point, the soldiers of the Chandrys army, known for their valor, turned tail one after another. The entire army had begun to collapse.

Saifr swished around his spear from his horse.

“All right, now it’s time for our complete victory!”

Simultaneously, Ludic turned to the orderly and screamed,

“the retreat, sound the retreat! Stop advancing, and don’t chase them too far! Hurry!”

“Pre, preposterous! What are you saying, Ludic?! We’re winning! We’re winning, aren’t we?!”

“It’s to take precaution. Certainly, the enemy rout looks natural to me——”

“Then why aren’t we chasing them down?!”

Ludic looked at his liege with bloody eyes before he answered.

As Safir flinched, he quietly said,

“if I must answer, then it is because of my intuition. Besides, Your Majesty’s objectives will be fulfilled even if all we do is chase them away from here.”

“……Unfortunately, Ludic. Even if your intuitions are correct, it’s far too late. Look, the frontlines are already chasing after them in pursuit.”

“——Tch!”

It was just as Safir had pointed out.

His allies were already in pursuit despite the fact that a retreat had sounded. Not only had the frontlines advanced, but many other units had followed after them and were moving around Ludic in droves. Ludic saw Shadac, far in front of him, rushing toward the enemy with his men in tow.

He was not the only arrogant noble present. The nobles had likely never had the intention of listening to Ludic, an upstart general, from the very beginning. And now, Safir’s army’s fatal flaw had finally been exposed.

No, I can’t say for sure that this is all a part of the enemy’s plans yet.

Indeed, the Chandrys army had split their forces heavily in order to battle Rain.

It was still possible that Safir’s army could win just by having the simple advantage of numbers, as was proper.

It was still possible that pursuing them was the right choice.

“There’s no other choice. Slowly advance the main troops,”

Ludic shook his head and reluctantly amended his order. He could not abandon his allies, regardless of what fate had in store for them.

All I can do now is place my bets……

Ludic made great efforts to remain positive.

 

 

His instincts had not been wrong, however.

He had been right not to underestimate Joe. His only misfortunes had been that his mismatched army could only have been said to be crudely put together and that his enemies’ rout had been far too skillful and ingenious.

 

To begin with, it was impossible to order his allies “Don’t pursue,” when the enemy had collapsed and scattered before their very eyes. It was only natural that the knights and soldiers wished to stand out in the battlefield, become famous, and receive as large of a reward as possible.

Moreover, the fact that he had to give orders to nobles who ignored martial law had been Ludic’s downfall.

As a result——the scales of the battle had finally tipped out of their hands for good.

……They had missed their only chance at victory.

 

“Enemy soldiers from the rear!”

 

A soldier screamed, causing Ludic to bring his hand up to his forehead before he knew what he was doing.

We’ve been had!

he thought.

he thought.

Sure enough, he turned around to find that a unit of enemy soldiers was approaching from the rear while stirring up a cloud of dust.

“Shit! It’s a pincer ambush!”

Ludic punched his saddle.

——He regretted that he hadn’t followed through with what his instincts had told him. Though, nothing would have changed even if he had, since the nobles hadn’t followed his orders.

“A pin, pincer ambush? What is that?!”

Safir asked while trembling with fear.

You don’t know something that basic even though you’re a high general……? Ludic thought afresh that Safir was pathetic.

“A pincer ambush is a tactic that involves purposefully fleeing before an enemy to lure them into a position where your ambush troops are waiting in advance and then annihilating them in one fell swoop. This isn’t a normal pincer ambush because the ambush unit circumvented the entire battlefield and attacked us from behind, but their objective remains the same. In other words, they enticed us, their enemy, to let down our guard so they could change the tides against us and attack.”

 

——Then, our enemies, who had been fleeing before us until now, will mount a counterattack.

 

Everything Ludic had said had come true by the time he finished his explanation.

The Chandrys army, which had been fleeing until just moments ago, began their counterattack upon the arrival of their ambush troops.

They thrust their spears and scythed their swords as if in revenge for the fact they had been made to flee until then.

On the other hand, Safir’s army was visibly disturbed. They foolishly turned tail and began their rout as if the fight they had been putting up earlier had been a mere fluke.

The biggest reason for this was because their path of return to Lydia had been sealed, though the appearance of the ambush troops had also played a part.

If things went poorly, they would not be able to return to their home base…… This fact served to double their fears.

“Ugh……. To think that we’d fall for it so easily, even if it’s only natural give chase when the enemy flees. ……How pathetic.”

“Now isn’t the time to be saying that!”

Safir’s voice had quickly become colored by panic. Ludic thought he was hopeless, since Safir, a general, had lost his nerve before the soldiers had.

“Is, is there nothing you can you?!”

“——I will try.”

Ludic nodded and raised his voice in a hurry.

 

“Don’t falter! There are only a few enemy troops behind us! Their formation is thin! Break through them in a straight line and return to Lydia!”

 

Ludic, a seasoned veteran, knew that this was the only course of action available to them. It was all he could do, as he had been caught in the enemy’s pincer attack and his army had grown agitated.

However, Joe, who had set up the “pincer ambush” to begin with, understood this as well.

 

There was a subtle change in the Chandrys army’s movements.

After a short whistle, the Chandrys army, which had begun its counterattack, halted their simple unidirectional offense and charged on their horses to group up with the unit behind Safir’s army.

They moved in the same direction as Safir’s army, which was trying to change its target.

Naturally, their objective was to cut off the rear of Safir’s army from the rest of the group. They were trying to make it impossible for them to return to Lydia by sealing off their escape route.

Their tactics had abruptly changed——from a pincer attack to a maneuver to regroup their forces.

Ludic, who had quickly discerned this, barked out orders as rapidly as he could in an attempt to break through the enemy lines——

But, unfortunately, his allies were too shaken to act as he wanted them to.

There was also the fact that not everyone in his army listened to his orders.

“This isn’t good!”

Ludic muttered to himself after a short while. They had long since lost the battle.

Not only that, but they had little choice but to abandon Lydia as well. They would be annihilated if they stubbornly continued to try to return to the capital.

“Your Majesty. Let us escape to Greatark Castle (Safir’s castle) for now! That is the only thing we can do. Fortunately, there are no enemy soldiers in that direction. We can make it if we leave now!”

“No!!”

To Ludic’s great surprise, Safir rejected his proposal without a moment of hesitation. He was caught off guard, as he’d thought that Safir would have spared no doubts to flee, and was stunned into silence.

Safir continued to speak in great agitation.

“I am the ruler of this kingdom. How can I abandon that which I’m supposed to protect and run away?! If I do, I’ll never be able to face the people ever again!”

He knew he was being rude, but Ludic thought that Safir had lost his mind for a moment.

It was because Saifr had said something that was incredibly unlike him. Putting the question of how serious his resolve was aside, that is.

“……What you say is correct, Your Majesty. However, our army is currently on the brink of collapse. We will not be able to maintain the battle any longer, and I am sorry to say that it is because I am powerless.”

Safir’s anger promptly subsided when Ludic was honest with him.

He hung his head down while on his horse and quietly replied,

“……no. This my fault for not heeding your counsel.”

 

“Is this where you wereee?!”

 

They didn’t have time to be conversing so leisurely like this.

The Chandrys army’s vanguard had already broken through their frontlines and was upon their main troops. At their point was a young general in his twenties mowing down Safir’s army in reckless fashion.

He looked at Ludic and Safir and opened his eyes wide.

“A lot of stuff’s been worrying me lately, so I’ve been pretty pissed off. I’m gonna take it out on you guys, so get ready!”

What do I care that you were pissed off?!

Ludic wanted to quip back.

But in any case——

“Your Majesty! The war isn’t over yet. You simply need to emerge as the final victor later! Now, to Greatark!”

 

“Alriiight, you crawled out! Die, Safir-or-whatever-your-name-was!!”

 

They had less time than Ludic had anticipated.

The youth from earlier jumped in front of Safir.

His pike extended out to pierce through Safir’s overly-decorated armor. Safir simply stiffened up on his horse and watched it happen in a blank daze.

Ludic immediately thrust his spear out from the side and repelled the enemy’s.

“Don’t get cocky, whelp!”

“Whoa! ——Not half bad, old man!”

The youth’s eyes glistened.

He was dangerously belligerent.

“I prefer fighting guys with some backbone better than these weaklings!”

He turned his horse around to face Ludic and continued,

“my name is Zartz! Now, let’s do——”

But situation changed yet again.

The men under Ludic’s direct command, who had been stunned like Safir was, rushed before Zartz and formed a human wall.

But situation changed yet again.

The men under Ludic’s direct command, who had been stunned like Safir was, rushed before Zartz and formed a human wall.

They were comrades who had served under Ludic for a long time. They were reluctant to die for Safir, but for Ludic……for Ludic, they steeled themselves and leapt into action.

“Hey! C’mon, that’s just dirty!”

Zartz cried out.

“General! Please escape! We’ll hold him off here!”

Ludic hesitated for a moment.

Should I die here with the men who’ve served under me for so long……? I’ve fought for life and death on countless battlefields with them. Is dying here with them not the path I should take?

However, he came to a conclusion upon seeing Safir trembling besides him.

No, I still have something I have left to do.

Even if I’ll be heading down to Hades soon, I can’t die just yet!

“I’m sorry, everyone!”

With one line, with just one line, Ludic turned away. He whipped Safir’s horse on the behind. Then, he urged his own horse into a gallop and followed after his master.

He leaned his upper body into the horse’s mane and yelled as loud as he could.

“To Greatark! Escape to Greatark! Head there, everyone!!”

On a few of the soldiers who had heard his voice obeyed. Everyone else had already fled and scattered.

 

At this moment, not only had the nobles, but the overwhelming majority of the common soldiers had also turned their backs on Safir.

 

 

Joe watched Safir’s army break away in droves from afar and nodded.

He then bowed to Folnier, who’s horse was standing neck to neck with his as she squinted like he had been.

“Victory has been decided, Lady Fol.”

“Yeah, good work.”

His liege cast him a sunny smile. She continued,

“your command was brilliant, as always. The noble army was no match for you.”

“No……. This time, the enemy soldiers were just too poor in quality. This fact helped me immensely.”

Joe spoke what he truly felt.

He felt this way because he had seen the orders the enemy commander had given out and had felt that they had always been the right ones.

He had ordered a retreat right when they had needed to, and the orders he shouted out from time to time had been accurate and precise.

Safir aside, the general called Ludic, who had actually been commanding the army, was a first-rate commander.

His only misfortune was that the soldiers he commanded hadn’t lived up to par.

Joe had simply capitalized on this weakness.

Folnier shook her head when Joe explained this to her.

“You were the one who saw through that and set up our strategy in response, Joe. A “pincer ambush” is certainly a difficult tactic to defend against, but it requires the same amount of talent, if not more, to pull it off. There’s nothing for you to be modest about.”

“……Thank you.”

Joe obediently extended his thanks instead of being stubborn about it. Then, he nonchalantly changed the topic of the conversation.

“And so, what will you do?”

“——About Safir’s army?”

“Yes. Will you pursue them?”

“No, this is enough. Victory’s already been decided. There’s no point in any further fighting,”

Folnier refused decisively.

Joe was a little relieved for it on the inside.

He had been planning to stop her if she said that she would pursue.

And yet, his apprehensions still remained.

He sounded the retreat in haste before inquiring about his misgivings.

“……Then, what will you do with Lydia? There will barely be more than a few hundred soldiers left to guard the capital right now. It will be easy to conquer, but——”

Joe spoke slowly with a hint of hesitation, but Folnier threw a quick glance at him and smiled bewitchingly before he could finish. For some reason, she then extended out a white hand and stroked him on the cheek.

“Lady Fol?”

“Hahaha……I think I know what you want to say.”

“……Pardon?”

“Don’t play dumb. You were planning to stop me if I said that I’d occupy Lydia, weren’t you?”

When Joe remained silent, Folnier smiled smugly and said, “Looks like I was right.” She continued,

“relax, I’ve changed my mind a bit. I’m going to wait right here for Rain and the others to arrive.”

“——Is that so?”

When Joe nodded in relief, Folnier shot back,

“hey now, I haven’t actually decided anything yet!”

and struck home her warning.

“By the way, Joe…”

She pulled away her hand and turned serious again. She continued,

“there’s something I wanted to ask you too……. Do you remember the time when the messenger arrived with news concerning Ralphus’ movements earlier?”

“Yes, you speak of the time when we received report that his troops numbered eight to nine thousand. ——What of it?”

“Do you remember……how you called Ralphus ‘Ralphus Juliard Jervael’ back then?”

It was Joe’s turn to take a long and hard look at Folnier.

Mischievously, she continued,

“not many people call him by his real name. After all, the name ‘Ralphus Juliard Sunkwoll’ has stuck now. It’s a lot more famous, since it’s crowned with the kingdom’s name itself, after all. So, why did you go out of your way to call him by the surname “Jervael”……?”

Folnier flashed a grin and answered her own question.

“This is what I think. Did it just slip out? Unintentionally, to boot. You’re emotionally attached to that name.”

She stared hard into Joe’s face and gradually broke out into a mean-spirited smile. She continued,

“hmm, it looks like I’ve hit bullseye. I guess the word on the street wasn’t just a rumor……huh. You’re being too distant, Joe. You could have just told me.”

“……No. It’s a private matter, after all. I don’t intend to bring in my personal feelings onto the battlefield.”

Joe began to smile alongside Folneir as he spoke. He continued,

“that was quite mean of you, Lady Fol.”

“Hmph. I’m only being mean because I told you not to keep secrets from me, but you went on ahead and kept quiet about this anyway. Tell me everything before I have to ask next time.”

Joe ended up being scolded by her.

 

Joe assented quietly and gently looked back at Folnier.

As he did, he thought……As I’d thought, she’s the person whom I’m meant to serve.

Part 2 Just before Joe sensed the enemy s movements. The enemy Galfort Castle s new master, Safir, was advocating for war in the audience chamber. He had gathered up a large number of nobles in his faction and was shouting at them with a pathetically weak fist raised high in the air. It has been several days since the enemy set up formation around our capital We ve sent them messenger after messenger to demand an explanation for their actions, and yet they ve failed to reply back to us My patience is running thin He surveyed over the large chamber before continuing, the royal family of Sunkwoll will become a laughingstock if we continue to allow their violence But you re not even related to the royal family No one pointed out the above piece of relevant information, but that didn t necessarily mean that all who were present unconditionally agreed with everything Safir had said either. Though many shouted back their approval in a stormy rage, there were still a few people who were opposed to what Safir had said on an emotional level. Ludic, whom Safir had recently invited to the castle, was a prime example. He interrupted Safir in a hurry before the chamber could become buried under cries for war. A moment please, Your Majesty Hmm Safir s cheeks were tinted red as he sat on the throne. He was evidently a little too excited. He glared down a little at Ludic, perhaps because he found it unpleasant that his momentum had been cut short. Are you opposed to this Safir abruptly spoke his conclusions first before Ludic could say a word. Ludic shook his head, unable to do much else in his situation. He moistened his lips and chose his next words carefully as not to provoke his master further. I am not voicing an opposition. It s only that we are currently facing another enemy, the Princess faction. I am simply saying that it is unwise to fight multiple enemies at the same time. Then what would you have me do We should allow them to exhaust themselves while fighting each other first, Ludic stressed with utmost emphasis. He continued, at least one side will come out for the worse should they fight. Then, we ll have our chance when one side is defeated and about to withdraw. Your Majesty can deliver the iron hammer of justice on them when the opportunity strikes. Doing so will provide you with the easiest path to victory. Ludic, I have no doubt that you are skilled in the art of warfare. However, you are in the wrong this time around. Safir flatly rejected Ludic s hard earned counsel. He sat unusually straight on the throne and continued with renewed dignity. I see that I will likely emerge victorious if I do as you say. However, I am now the ruler of this kingdom. How can a ruler ignore his duties and stand by doing nothing when faced with an invader There is no way that the people and the soldiers will follow after a liege who does nothing Oh As expected of His Majesty cheered the nobles in the chamber Not that Ludic cared about their clamor. Unlike usual, Safir had declared something that was terribly proper. Even Ludic could not help but be silenced by his words. After all, Safir was exactly right. Ludic wondered to himself why Safir, who was constantly off the mark, had to bring up a decent argument this one time. Ludic bit his lip and looked to his liege in resent. Besides, he thought that, while Safir s words had indeed been correct, they should have only been said by a competent king. He didn t want to hear those pretty words when there were multiple powers struggling for influence within the kingdom s borders. You don t have the ability to back up your words Ludic. You couldn t possibly be getting cold feet now, are you Someone asked impudently while Ludic was grumbling silently to himself. When Ludic looked up to see which idiot had spoken, he found that it was a man named Shadac, or something. His recollections were hazy, but Ludic was sure that he belonged to the Estherhart family. There were a good number of people who from the Jervael, Estherhart, and Hartoul families, which served under the Princess faction, who had fled to Safir s. They were all those who had lost their love for the heads of their respective families, who backed the Princess. In other words, it meant that Rain s side was not a stable monolith. Ludic felt that there was no helping that some people had betrayed their families, as their base would weaken to the point of peril if the Princess, a reformist, wielded royal authority. Regardless, he felt that those who didn t even know the basics of warfare had no grounds to find fault with him. In irritation, Ludic spat out, my duty is to make our battles as favorable for us as I can. There is no place for foolhardiness on the battlefield. What Are you trying to say that my valor is mere foolhardi Argh, enough, Shadac. Ludic s argument is only to be expected from a commander of an army. And Ludic. I m sure you have more you wish to say, but keep quiet for now and follow my plans. All right Ludic didn t know what kind of face to make. And so, he simply closed his mouth and lowered his head, since, as much of a surprise as it had been, his liege had undoubtably covered for him. Still does His Majesty understand They say that no army commanded by Joe Lamberck has ever been recorded to have tasted defeat While their own army had plenty of battle experience, Ludic couldn t say that morale among the lower ranked soldiers was high even as a lie or that their knight captains were even remotely of good quality. Wasn t it too much for them to battle Joe, whose armies were boasted to be invincible, in the face of all of this Ludic thought it was. Dawn broke out after both armies had finished their battle preparations through the night. Safir s army had advanced after squeezing Galfort castle s forces dry. Essentially, they had brought forth every available soldier to the battlefield and left only the smallest possible number of soldiers behind. Their troops numbered thirteen thousand, including the many soldiers who had been freshly recruited with the funds they had to spare. They opened the outer walls of the capital for the first time in a long while and poured outside of them in droves. They glared at the Chandrys army, which had taken formation in a slight retraction, and began to form their own lines. Ludic stood at the rear of the army with Safir and looked over to oversee the Chandrys army s movements. The Chandrys army had yet to move, however. They apparently did not want them to be able to flee back inside which was likely why it did not seem that the Chandrys army would attack until Safir s entire army was outside of Lydia s walls. Ludic thought that this was because they were either the very reflection of knightly etiquette or it was because they were simply making light of them. Hmm Ludic suddenly noticed something strange and furrowed his brows. What is it Safir promptly asked. Well I feel like the Chandrys army has fewer numbers than before. We already knew about that. They split their army to annihilate that damned Rain and were soundly met with defeat You were the one who explained this to me, were you not No, I meant as in comparison to yesterday, Ludic tried replying anyway. However, even Ludic did not have an accurate grasp on the Chandrys army s numbers. He was simply going off of what he could determine by eye from afar as they could not send out scouts. But I do feel like they are fewer of them than there were yesterday. Perhaps I should have sent out more spies even if I didn t think they would be effective Ludic could only express his regrets after the fact. In any case, Safir interjected again, from what I can see, our army is slighter larger in numbers. Let us commence our attack at once Please wait a moment. Our lines will be ready soon. Ludic could not erase his apprehensions even as he spoke. Additionally, he could tell even just by looking from afar that the enemy army had no openings. They maintained their formation, like that of a bird spreading its wings, without panicking, without stirring, and without moving even in the slightest. No one even budged as they single mindedly kept their silence. Ludic could see why Grand General Joe Lamberck was such a famous commander just by looking at the enemy formation. But his own army, on the other hand Ludic grew fed up upon looking at his army, which was still in the process of staggering into arrow formation a battle formation shaped like an arrowhead . At this rate, it would be better for him to hope to avoid defeat rather than to hope for victory. What are you doing Hurry up and get in line Ludic barked his order in near desperation. Ultimately, the Chandrys army remained deathly still and silent as Safir s army finished arranging their formation. It s eerie Ludic thought from the bottom of his heart. If he could, he wanted to order a retreat back inside of Lydia s walls. But his master was fully psyched up for a fight, so there was no way that was going to happen. Ludic, can I give the order to commence the attack once our preparations are complete Go right on ahead. All right Then Safir stuck out his chest in elation and drew his ornate sword that was over decorated with jewels. He cleared his throat and raised his sword to the heavens. Begiiiin Safir screamed out in a voice which Ludic could only say was reminiscent of a chicken with its neck being wrung, signaling the bow unit to nock their arrows all at once and release them into the air slightly above their enemies. A countless number of arrows, enough to cover the sun, flew underneath the azure sky and fell on their enemies like torrential rain. Rank and file soldiers from all throughout the enemy army that was so orderly that they could have been a still life painting fell one after another. However, that was the only change that occurred in their formation. No one let out so much as a scream. Instead, the vanguard unit began to march upon receiving Joe s signal. They stepped over their comrades bodies and advanced in silence. Then, naturally, the enemy began to return fire just a beat later. They sky grew dark under the arrows the two armies exchanged. No arrows reach the back of their formation, where Ludic was, but his soldiers still dropped like flies from not that far in front of him. They weren t nearly as quiet as the enemy was. Death cries sprouted up from here and there and the grassy field was beginning to be dyed red by the blood of the fallen soldiers. The sound of several thousands of arrows whistling through the air filled the fields with what sounded like the eerie, sardonic laughter of a grim reaper. Even now, at this very moment, there were soldiers falling to the arrows in both armies. But this was just the preface. Feeling mean, Ludic quietly took a glance out of the corner of his eye. He was certain that Safir would be afraid. After all, Safir had hardly stood at the frontlines before despite being a high general. And sure enough, Safir looked scared. It was plainly obvious that his teeth were rattling and his shoulders were shaking. And yet, despite all of that, he remained facing directly forward and was pointing his sword at the enemy lines. Then, in a loud voice, he rebuked those around him. Don t falterrrr Forward, keep moving forward while shootiiiiing He still sounded like a dying chicken. And it was all too obvious that he was pushing himself because he was terrified on the inside. And yet, Safir did not move to fall back like he always did. According to the rumors, he had always retreated to the very back of the army at times like this. Ludic s opinion of his master rose just a little. Perhaps Safir s sense of duty , which had been hiding behind some nook or cranny somewhere, had finally surfaced now that they were on the brink of a subversion of the state. Ludic thought that it was about time, too, but it was better late than never. Ludic stiffened his expression and returned his gaze to the enemy in front of him. They were just about the right distance away. Actually, the enemy had inferred that they would soon move on to close quarters combat first and their bow unit had already put down their bows. Ludic called out an order as if in response to that. Bow unit, cease fire The bow unit quickly fell back at his order. Then, Ludic turned to Safir and bowed. Your Majesty, please issue the next command. Of, of course. Safir s glistening golden armor shook as he nodded repeatedly. Did he really know what he was supposed to say Ludic was a little worried at first, but Safir managed to shout out the correct command. All right Vanguard, attaaaaaack Safir s army let loose a battle cry when he swung down his sword. Several thousand soldiers began their charge while kicking up clumps of earth and yelling to incite themselves. Even the Chandrys army, which had remained stock still until then, had finally been roused into motion. The knights at the head of their formation had readied their lances. They let out a war cry as one, without any prompting, as they prepared to face against their enemy. The distance between the two armies vanished in a blink and Safir s army promptly crashed into the Chandrys army. The battle had truly begun. The knights armors, plenty enough to cover the earth, glistened, and the exchanging lances brought forth more death from both sides. Even if they didn t suffer fatal wounds, they would not be able to remain unharmed in a battlefield this densely packed even if all they did was fall off their horse. If they were unlucky, the wounded would be trampled underfoot the horses behind them and would swiftly join the ranks of the dead. Moreover, they would become corpses of such miserable state that their own parents would not be able to tell who they were. They would not be able to help a comrade who had fallen off of their horse, even if they happened to see them fall. This was especially true now that their enemies were bearing their fangs and brandishing their spears and swords before their very eyes. All that a knight on the frontlines could do was to protect themselves while slaughter as many enemies as they could. The earth was stained scarlet by the blood pouring out from the growing piles of corpses. Joe quickly encouraged his troops from the rear of his formation when his army began to be pushed back a little, unable to fully withstand the first wave. Don t falter We shall undoubtedly be victorious Just one line. The Chandrys army had been galvanized by just one line from Joe. The entire army cheered, We will be victorious in chorus and ceased their slow retreat. Each soldier shouted, unafraid of death, and repelled Safir s army, which had been eroding through their lines like a wedge. They slammed bodily into Safir s army, which had highhandedly continued their attack after their initial advantage and forced their once broken lines back into formation. Their absolute trust in Joe Lamberck, the Fearless God General, had overturned their premonition of defeat and called forth their conviction of victory. And lo, Joe had personally leapt out from the rear lines with a pike in hand. The knights of Safir s army could do little but turn around in panic upon seeing his silver white armor as his white horse galloped across the land. Then, all alone, like a single gust of wind, Joe began his own charge. Standing before you is Joe Lamberck I shall be your opponent His pike flashed as he introduced himself with brevity. The tip of his pike drew a silver line as it sank into the throat of an enemy who tried to attack him. A fountain of blood erupted. His opponent s head lobbed to the ground, frozen in an expression of astonishment. Joe s pike swiftly turned course in search of new prey. His attacks were precise and merciless. Stab, mow down, spin, and rend. Joe s godly skills with the spear diminished Safir s army s numbers as they gawked on in blank amazement. Although it looked like he was hardly putting any strength into his swings at all, someone s hand or head flew, or their torso was pierced, and they fell off their horse with every elegant movement Joe s arms and pike made. It was hard to tell because he carried it to easily, but, like Rain s, Joe s pike was specially made to be several times heavier than normal. It was only natural that his opponents arms would go numb just by blocking it once. That was to say nothing of the fact that no one had the leeway to block it twice. Even if someone did somehow manage to block Joe s pike at first, Joe would run them through, armor and all, in the very next moment. The knights of Safir s army, who had challenged Joe into a futile battle, rushed into retreat after the sky had been colored by erupting fountains of blood for a time. A vacuum had formed around Joe as a result. Then, every soldier of the Chandrys army began to fight with all their might upon seeing their revered Grand General fight Meanwhile, Safir was visibly expressing his terror in the midst of his army s main formation. While his enemies were suffering at least as much as he was, Safir, who had little experience in commanding an army, began to fear defeat as soon as the tides had turned against him, even if just a little. Ludic Our army is about to collapse he immediately raised up a fuss. I know that. Now s a good time to send out our reinforcements, in any case. Ludic let his master s cries go through one ear and out the other and raised two fingers on his right hand to signal to the orderly. Eventually, two thousand soldiers from their reserve troops moved out toward the enemy. Ludic had ordered them to target the right wing of the enemy s formation, which had been composed of fewer soldiers from the start of the battle. He planned to whittle down the Chandrys army, which had only been wary of Safir s army s frontal assault in other words, the enemies in front of them, slowly from the sides with time. Ludic meant to send out reinforcements to the right wing next to cause unrest in the enemy ranks. He had to make the best use of his advantage in numbers as he could. But something feels off. Ludic could not help but tilt his head to the side. The Chandrys army looked like they were fighting desperately for their lives. Well, that was only to be normal in battle, but this time, it was odd. After all, Safir s improvised army should have been nothing more than an easy opponent for the invincible Joe. It s strange that they re having a difficult time to begin with This was why Ludic had maintained a set distance from Lydia s walls at all times as the battle progressed. It was, of course, so that they could retreat at any time. It was a pessimistic strategy, but he felt that it was the correct one. Is this a trap While Ludic had his doubts, he couldn t decide on anything for sure because the enemy s desperation looked too real. Furthermore, the Chandrys army had changed out of their offense and had begun to collapse while he was lost in thought. This had happened because of the reinforcements he sent out, which caused the Chandrys army to be at the absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers. Their left wing had collapsed, as Ludic had wanted, and unrest spread out from it into the rest of the army. The rout looked all too natural even in Ludic s eyes, and he had been suspicious of them from the very start. When Joe, who had been fighting at the very front of the enemy army, drew back, the knights, who had been fighting for their lives, slowly began to be pushed back. Their perfectly and beautifully composed formation finally broke apart, and the soldiers at the rear began to flee. Then, after a set point, the soldiers of the Chandrys army, known for their valor, turned tail one after another. The entire army had begun to collapse. Saifr swished around his spear from his horse. All right, now it s time for our complete victory Simultaneously, Ludic turned to the orderly and screamed, the retreat, sound the retreat Stop advancing, and don t chase them too far Hurry Pre, preposterous What are you saying, Ludic We re winning We re winning, aren t we It s to take precaution. Certainly, the enemy rout looks natural to me Then why aren t we chasing them down Ludic looked at his liege with bloody eyes before he answered. As Safir flinched, he quietly said, if I must answer, then it is because of my intuition. Besides, Your Majesty s objectives will be fulfilled even if all we do is chase them away from here. Unfortunately, Ludic. Even if your intuitions are correct, it s far too late. Look, the frontlines are already chasing after them in pursuit. Tch It was just as Safir had pointed out. His allies were already in pursuit despite the fact that a retreat had sounded. Not only had the frontlines advanced, but many other units had followed after them and were moving around Ludic in droves. Ludic saw Shadac, far in front of him, rushing toward the enemy with his men in tow. He was not the only arrogant noble present. The nobles had likely never had the intention of listening to Ludic, an upstart general, from the very beginning. And now, Safir s army s fatal flaw had finally been exposed. No, I can t say for sure that this is all a part of the enemy s plans yet. Indeed, the Chandrys army had split their forces heavily in order to battle Rain. It was still possible that Safir s army could win just by having the simple advantage of numbers, as was proper. It was still possible that pursuing them was the right choice. There s no other choice. Slowly advance the main troops, Ludic shook his head and reluctantly amended his order. He could not abandon his allies, regardless of what fate had in store for them. All I can do now is place my bets Ludic made great efforts to remain positive. His instincts had not been wrong, however. He had been right not to underestimate Joe. His only misfortunes had been that his mismatched army could only have been said to be crudely put together and that his enemies rout had been far too skillful and ingenious. To begin with, it was impossible to order his allies Don t pursue, when the enemy had collapsed and scattered before their very eyes. It was only natural that the knights and soldiers wished to stand out in the battlefield, become famous, and receive as large of a reward as possible. Moreover, the fact that he had to give orders to nobles who ignored martial law had been Ludic s downfall. As a result the scales of the battle had finally tipped out of their hands for good. They had missed their only chance at victory. Enemy soldiers from the rear A soldier screamed, causing Ludic to bring his hand up to his forehead before he knew what he was doing. We ve been had he thought. Sure enough, he turned around to find that a unit of enemy soldiers was approaching from the rear while stirring up a cloud of dust. Shit It s a pincer ambush Ludic punched his saddle. He regretted that he hadn t followed through with what his instincts had told him. Though, nothing would have changed even if he had, since the nobles hadn t followed his orders. A pin, pincer ambush What is that Safir asked while trembling with fear. You don t know something that basic even though you re a high general Ludic thought afresh that Safir was pathetic. A pincer ambush is a tactic that involves purposefully fleeing before an enemy to lure them into a position where your ambush troops are waiting in advance and then annihilating them in one fell swoop. This isn t a normal pincer ambush because the ambush unit circumvented the entire battlefield and attacked us from behind, but their objective remains the same. In other words, they enticed us, their enemy, to let down our guard so they could change the tides against us and attack. Then, our enemies, who had been fleeing before us until now, will mount a counterattack. Everything Ludic had said had come true by the time he finished his explanation. The Chandrys army, which had been fleeing until just moments ago, began their counterattack upon the arrival of their ambush troops. They thrust their spears and scythed their swords as if in revenge for the fact they had been made to flee until then. On the other hand, Safir s army was visibly disturbed. They foolishly turned tail and began their rout as if the fight they had been putting up earlier had been a mere fluke. The biggest reason for this was because their path of return to Lydia had been sealed, though the appearance of the ambush troops had also played a part. If things went poorly, they would not be able to return to their home base This fact served to double their fears. Ugh . To think that we d fall for it so easily, even if it s only natural give chase when the enemy flees. How pathetic. Now isn t the time to be saying that Safir s voice had quickly become colored by panic. Ludic thought he was hopeless, since Safir, a general, had lost his nerve before the soldiers had. Is, is there nothing you can you I will try. Ludic nodded and raised his voice in a hurry. Don t falter There are only a few enemy troops behind us Their formation is thin Break through them in a straight line and return to Lydia Ludic, a seasoned veteran, knew that this was the only course of action available to them. It was all he could do, as he had been caught in the enemy s pincer attack and his army had grown agitated. However, Joe, who had set up the pincer ambush to begin with, understood this as well. There was a subtle change in the Chandrys army s movements. After a short whistle, the Chandrys army, which had begun its counterattack, halted their simple unidirectional offense and charged on their horses to group up with the unit behind Safir s army. They moved in the same direction as Safir s army, which was trying to change its target. Naturally, their objective was to cut off the rear of Safir s army from the rest of the group. They were trying to make it impossible for them to return to Lydia by sealing off their escape route. Their tactics had abruptly changed from a pincer attack to a maneuver to regroup their forces. Ludic, who had quickly discerned this, barked out orders as rapidly as he could in an attempt to break through the enemy lines But, unfortunately, his allies were too shaken to act as he wanted them to. There was also the fact that not everyone in his army listened to his orders. This isn t good Ludic muttered to himself after a short while. They had long since lost the battle. Not only that, but they had little choice but to abandon Lydia as well. They would be annihilated if they stubbornly continued to try to return to the capital. Your Majesty. Let us escape to Greatark Castle Safir s castle for now That is the only thing we can do. Fortunately, there are no enemy soldiers in that direction. We can make it if we leave now No To Ludic s great surprise, Safir rejected his proposal without a moment of hesitation. He was caught off guard, as he d thought that Safir would have spared no doubts to flee, and was stunned into silence. Safir continued to speak in great agitation. I am the ruler of this kingdom. How can I abandon that which I m supposed to protect and run away If I do, I ll never be able to face the people ever again He knew he was being rude, but Ludic thought that Safir had lost his mind for a moment. It was because Saifr had said something that was incredibly unlike him. Putting the question of how serious his resolve was aside, that is. What you say is correct, Your Majesty. However, our army is currently on the brink of collapse. We will not be able to maintain the battle any longer, and I am sorry to say that it is because I am powerless. Safir s anger promptly subsided when Ludic was honest with him. He hung his head down while on his horse and quietly replied, no. This my fault for not heeding your counsel. Is this where you wereee They didn t have time to be conversing so leisurely like this. The Chandrys army s vanguard had already broken through their frontlines and was upon their main troops. At their point was a young general in his twenties mowing down Safir s army in reckless fashion. He looked at Ludic and Safir and opened his eyes wide. A lot of stuff s been worrying me lately, so I ve been pretty pissed off. I m gonna take it out on you guys, so get ready What do I care that you were pissed off Ludic wanted to quip back. But in any case Your Majesty The war isn t over yet. You simply need to emerge as the final victor later Now, to Greatark Alriiight, you crawled out Die, Safir or whatever your name was They had less time than Ludic had anticipated. The youth from earlier jumped in front of Safir. His pike extended out to pierce through Safir s overly decorated armor. Safir simply stiffened up on his horse and watched it happen in a blank daze. Ludic immediately thrust his spear out from the side and repelled the enemy s. Don t get cocky, whelp Whoa Not half bad, old man The youth s eyes glistened. He was dangerously belligerent. I prefer fighting guys with some backbone better than these weaklings He turned his horse around to face Ludic and continued, my name is Zartz Now, let s do But situation changed yet again. The men under Ludic s direct command, who had been stunned like Safir was, rushed before Zartz and formed a human wall. They were comrades who had served under Ludic for a long time. They were reluctant to die for Safir, but for Ludic for Ludic, they steeled themselves and leapt into action. Hey C mon, that s just dirty Zartz cried out. General Please escape We ll hold him off here Ludic hesitated for a moment. Should I die here with the men who ve served under me for so long I ve fought for life and death on countless battlefields with them. Is dying here with them not the path I should take However, he came to a conclusion upon seeing Safir trembling besides him. No, I still have something I have left to do. Even if I ll be heading down to Hades soon, I can t die just yet I m sorry, everyone With one line, with just one line, Ludic turned away. He whipped Safir s horse on the behind. Then, he urged his own horse into a gallop and followed after his master. He leaned his upper body into the horse s mane and yelled as loud as he could. To Greatark Escape to Greatark Head there, everyone On a few of the soldiers who had heard his voice obeyed. Everyone else had already fled and scattered. At this moment, not only had the nobles, but the overwhelming majority of the common soldiers had also turned their backs on Safir. Joe watched Safir s army break away in droves from afar and nodded. He then bowed to Folnier, who s horse was standing neck to neck with his as she squinted like he had been. Victory has been decided, Lady Fol. Yeah, good work. His liege cast him a sunny smile. She continued, your command was brilliant, as always. The noble army was no match for you. No . This time, the enemy soldiers were just too poor in quality. This fact helped me immensely. Joe spoke what he truly felt. He felt this way because he had seen the orders the enemy commander had given out and had felt that they had always been the right ones. He had ordered a retreat right when they had needed to, and the orders he shouted out from time to time had been accurate and precise. Safir aside, the general called Ludic, who had actually been commanding the army, was a first rate commander. His only misfortune was that the soldiers he commanded hadn t lived up to par. Joe had simply capitalized on this weakness. Folnier shook her head when Joe explained this to her. You were the one who saw through that and set up our strategy in response, Joe. A pincer ambush is certainly a difficult tactic to defend against, but it requires the same amount of talent, if not more, to pull it off. There s nothing for you to be modest about. Thank you. Joe obediently extended his thanks instead of being stubborn about it. Then, he nonchalantly changed the topic of the conversation. And so, what will you do About Safir s army Yes. Will you pursue them No, this is enough. Victory s already been decided. There s no point in any further fighting, Folnier refused decisively. Joe was a little relieved for it on the inside. He had been planning to stop her if she said that she would pursue. And yet, his apprehensions still remained. He sounded the retreat in haste before inquiring about his misgivings. Then, what will you do with Lydia There will barely be more than a few hundred soldiers left to guard the capital right now. It will be easy to conquer, but Joe spoke slowly with a hint of hesitation, but Folnier threw a quick glance at him and smiled bewitchingly before he could finish. For some reason, she then extended out a white hand and stroked him on the cheek. Lady Fol Hahaha I think I know what you want to say. Pardon Don t play dumb. You were planning to stop me if I said that I d occupy Lydia, weren t you When Joe remained silent, Folnier smiled smugly and said, Looks like I was right. She continued, relax, I ve changed my mind a bit. I m going to wait right here for Rain and the others to arrive. Is that so When Joe nodded in relief, Folnier shot back, hey now, I haven t actually decided anything yet and struck home her warning. By the way, Joe She pulled away her hand and turned serious again. She continued, there s something I wanted to ask you too . Do you remember the time when the messenger arrived with news concerning Ralphus movements earlier Yes, you speak of the time when we received report that his troops numbered eight to nine thousand. What of it Do you remember how you called Ralphus Ralphus Juliard Jervael back then It was Joe s turn to take a long and hard look at Folnier. Mischievously, she continued, not many people call him by his real name. After all, the name Ralphus Juliard Sunkwoll has stuck now. It s a lot more famous, since it s crowned with the kingdom s name itself, after all. So, why did you go out of your way to call him by the surname Jervael Folnier flashed a grin and answered her own question. This is what I think. Did it just slip out Unintentionally, to boot. You re emotionally attached to that name. She stared hard into Joe s face and gradually broke out into a mean spirited smile. She continued, hmm, it looks like I ve hit bullseye. I guess the word on the street wasn t just a rumor huh. You re being too distant, Joe. You could have just told me. No. It s a private matter, after all. I don t intend to bring in my personal feelings onto the battlefield. Joe began to smile alongside Folneir as he spoke. He continued, that was quite mean of you, Lady Fol. Hmph. I m only being mean because I told you not to keep secrets from me, but you went on ahead and kept quiet about this anyway. Tell me everything before I have to ask next time. Joe ended up being scolded by her. Joe assented quietly and gently looked back at Folnier. As he did, he thought As I d thought, she s the person whom I m meant to serve.

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