Special Chapter
The Beginning of the End ②
The Bond That Connects Future and Past
Translator : PolterGlast
Baron Solis von
Takuhir, lord of the Estol domain, having heard the urgent report from the
border, had assembled his army and was heading for Teigoon, intending to take
the shortest route through the demon territory toward the Southern Gate.
The army he led
numbered a mere 200 men. In the Estol domain's prosperous days of yore, his
father had once gone to war leading a force of some 400 men. But beset by
repeated disasters, his contingent no longer held its former glory.
Even so, as a noble of
the kingdom, he hurried his army to fulfill his duty and confront the enemy. He
had finally reached the settlements of Teigoon.
"A report from
the unit scouting the demon territory! An innumerable force is advancing toward
us from the pass on the demon territory side! The exact number is unknown, but
it is believed to exceed five thousand!"
The report was
practically a scream. An expression of despair crossed everyone's faces as they
turned their eyes to their unreliable-looking young lord.
"...Is the battle
already decided? Send men to the Teigoon settlements and the mine at once! Tell
the citizens to flee immediately! The soldiers will guard them!
I... with only those
who volunteer, will make a stand at the exit of the pass and buy time for the
citizens to escape. I leave the choice to each of you! Only those who will
protect the rear of the citizens with me, follow!"
With that, he galloped
off.
Some were taken aback
and stood rooted to the spot. Some turned on their heel and fled for their
lives. Some followed him without a moment's hesitation.
The soldiers'
reactions were varied.
"Well... about 80
followed, I suppose? That's only to be expected... No, perhaps I should be glad
that as many as 80 followed me?"
Takuhir, looking back
midway, first muttered with self-deprecation, but his expression quickly
changed to one of satisfaction.
He was not trusted by
his citizens. His domain, ravaged by repeated disasters, was overflowing with
their voices of resentment. Since becoming the lord at the age of 16, having
lost those he could rely on, he had nonetheless desperately worked on his
domain's domestic affairs.
But the results had
not come. In fact, due to the famines that followed, the domain had become even
poorer. His desperate efforts, his feelings for his citizens, were known only
to a few close aides and those who had worked and sweated alongside him.
"We will strike
the enemy army as they come out of this pass! Here, even a small number like us
can fight at an advantage. Never fight one-on-one; make sure to engage them in
groups."
After issuing this
order and hastily instructing them to set up abatis and fences, he muttered to
himself.
"Ah... this is
just like King Leonidas of Sparta. Well, in the end, they all get wiped out,
though. Hmm? Huh? Sparta? King Leonidas? What was that? I've never heard of
such a country..."
The words had come out
unbidden, and he couldn't recall them even as he tried. As he was tilting his
head in confusion, a group of people running toward him caught his eye.
"What are you
doing? Hurry and flee while we hold this position!"
"Hahaha! Holding
them with this number... you like to put on a brave face, don't you, Lord. At
this rate, they'll break through in no time. We're just a bunch of oddballs who
came here to buy time for our families to escape. Right, Gold? Everyone!"
"Yeah! Just as
Gale-danna says, all us laborers from the settlement are proud of our strength.
We won't lose to those scrawny soldiers. Besides, my daughter was taken care of
by you all at the infirmary during the plague. If I run away now, my old lady
will skin me. That's a hell of a lot scarier."
"Wahahaha, that's
right. The women are scarier. I've drifted through a lot of mines, but the one
in Teigoon was a real good place for us miners. In any other domain, miners
were always disposable. But you thought about our livelihoods, our working
environment, and treated us like proper human beings. There was no other mine
like it. This is the least we can do to repay you. We miners are a short-fused,
reckless bunch. Can't you just accept our help already? By the way, sister...
you ended up coming all this way... are you sure you shouldn't be
fleeing?"
The man, who looked
every bit the part of a rough miner, called out to the only woman who had
accompanied them.
"I was dispatched
to the mine from the infirmary in Est. My job is to treat all of you who get
injured, so I must stay here. Well, it looks like things are about to get busy.
No matter how many times you tell me, I won't run."
"Hahaha! What a
waste to keep her as a woman. Hey, everyone! A pretty sister like this is
watching. We can't show her anything unsightly. She is our goddess of victory.
You lot! I don't care if you die, but you damn well better protect her!"
"Hey, hey! If we
die, we can't protect her, can we?"
"It's a matter of
spirit, that's what it is. Isaac-danna, don't pick at every little
detail."
A burst of laughter
erupted from the men, who were about to face a hopeless battle. They all wore
the serene expressions of men who had resigned themselves to death.
"Everyone, I'm
sorry... and thank you. We just need to buy a little time. Once we've given
them a bloody nose, we'll all retreat. Until then, lend me your strength, your
lives... so that we can get as many people as possible to safety."
"Yeah!"
Takuhir and his 80
soldiers, along with the 150 citizens who had rushed to their aid, prepared
their defenses and awaited the ranks of the invaders.
※
Having passed through
the narrow, winding pass, the vanguard of the cavalry led by Corps Commander
Weiss came to a halt as they finally neared the exit.
"Ahead, at the
exit of the pass, there are men who have formed a defensive line and are lying
in wait. Their numbers are approximately 200! Shall we trample them?"
"Oh? To have such
resolve with this disparity in forces. Does this mean they are prepared for
death? I think it's futile, but advise them to surrender."
Corps Commander Weiss
watched the exchange between his messenger and the enemy commander from a short
distance behind. There, the man standing beside him, Erol, who had newly joined
their ranks, began to explain.
"That is the
baron of this domain, Baron Solis. He has a reputation as an incompetent, but
to not even understand the difference in our military strength... it seems he
is an incompetent man after all."
"Baron Solis?
That young man? ...I see. So the line has already passed to the next
generation? It has been over 10 years, after all... To be so young, what a
pity."
While the two were
speaking, the negotiations broke down. It was clear that the men blocking the
path had no intention of yielding.
"All troops! We
will now break through the defenses ahead and advance into the Estol domain.
But be warned. They are dead men. Do not let your guard down. With respect...
crush them! All troops, charge!"
At last, the decisive
battle at the Teigoon pass began.
※
The battle for the
pass exit, which at first was thought to be over in an instant, had, contrary
to expectations, reached a stalemate. The Imperial army, hindered by the narrow
pass, had its column stretched long, and at most only 10 cavalry could deploy
side-by-side at a time. Their charges were blocked by the abatis and trenches
set up in front, and they were unable to break through the defensive line.
Their large army was
blocked by their own comrades in front, and the rear ranks were unable to
advance. Only the very tip was engaged in fierce fighting, while the rest had
been rendered idle.
"They're doing
better than expected. Do they understand the weakness of a large army, and are
they holding the line just by sealing its tip? What's more, they're skillfully
using our wounded as shields."
Yes, the defenders
were deliberately not finishing off the enemy troops, but aiming to wound them
and render them unable to move. For that reason, the Imperial army had to
rescue their wounded from the front line and send them to the rear through the
narrow pass for treatment, which was hindering the movements of the rear
echelons from the middle of the column.
"Are they
stalling for time? How annoying for us. And they have several skilled archers, huh?
...There's no choice! It's a waste, but we'll take down the enemy general
first. Send the archer unit forward! The target is the enemy general alone.
Once the general is down, have the dismounted cavalry charge in, throw them
into confusion, and then the entire army will charge again! We'll settle it
there!"
One of the major
reasons Takuhir and his men had been able to fight so well was the
participation of the men known as "hunters," who were based in the
Teigoon settlements.
They normally made a
living by entering the demon territory from Teigoon and hunting monsters. To
fight the monsters, they were armed according to their respective
specialties—bow, spear, and sword—and their total number had reached 50.
In this battle, the
performance of the 20 particularly skilled archers was what was holding back
the Imperial army.
But now, the tide of
this battle began to turn all at once.
Several hundred arrows
assaulted Takuhir, who was commanding at the very front, all at once. And
Takuhir collapsed, having lost consciousness, with several arrows sticking out
of his body...
"Marianne! You
take the lord and retreat to Fran! They missed the vital spots, he should make
it if he gets treatment in time! We can't let him die. We'll buy you time to
escape, so hurry up! Don't dawdle! Go, quickly!"
"Raphael, you...
you're not the type to die even if you're killed... so don't you dare die. Once
you've bought enough time, you take everyone and run... Promise me,
alright?"
Raphael said nothing.
He simply smiled in response to her words.
Marianne left the
front line and galloped her horse to Fran, taking the wounded lord on a pack
horse, along with a few guards.
"Christoph, it's
more than enough. You're still young. Go with them, and be a strength to our
lord in the future. We've been taken care of well enough in this settlement,
but leave the rest of the repayment to us."
"Hmph, you say
that, old man. Sending your best archer away... you're pretty confident, aren't
you? My sisters are still young, and they're slow runners. We still need to
hold out a little longer, don't we? I'm borrowing about five of your men."
Christoph said this,
then spoke to a soldier who was beside him.
"You're Walrus-san,
right? I hate to ask a soldier like you, but I'd like you to resupply the
quivers for the five of us. We're all masters of speed shooting. We have plenty
of spare arrows, but a hundred or so... with the five of us shooting, they'll
be gone in no time."
"Ah, sure! I'll
get someone else who's quicker on their feet to handle the resupply. I'll
protect you guys in front of the fence. Astor! You go and support them."
He shouted this,
raised his greatsword, and leaped out in front of the fence where the archers
were hiding. Thanks to the desperate efforts of these and various other people,
the front line was maintained even after Takuhir's departure, and their
defensive battle continued.
"Aral! The lord's
down, you take command! I'm... I'm done for..."
"Mars-taicho,
you're the superior, aren't you? Captain? Hey! ...Understood. You rest easy
now. Danke! Don't let the hunters and laborers have all the glory! We'll be
their shields and protect them. Follow me!"
Aral said this and
leaped over the barricade to support the laborers, who had been pushed into a
purely defensive fight. In the place where they had been, lay the figure of
their captain, with several arrows in his chest, lying on the ground with a
satisfied look on his face.
Their desperate
battle, continuing to resist fiercely even after losing their commander,
impressed Corps Commander Weiss, but its end was drawing steadily closer.
After sending in a
swarm of cavalry, the fifth charge broke through a corner of the barricade, and
the defensive line collapsed. After that, they were surrounded by the
overwhelming numbers of the Imperial cavalry... and were cut down, one by one.
Before long, they were
annihilated. Not a single one of them fled; they fought to the death, down to
the last man, and against the numerically superior elite of the Imperial army,
they had inflicted casualties twice their own number...
※
The battle was over.
Corps Commander Weiss, who had stopped at the remains of the barricade where
the enemy had holed up and resisted, knelt beside the corpses of the enemy
soldiers lying on the ground.
"You fought
bravely and bought more than enough time. As a fellow warrior, I offer you my
heartfelt respect. In that case... as a final tribute, I shall grant that wish,
at least in part."
Muttering this, he
stood up and commanded his entire army.
"Everyone, first,
tend to the wounded! We will rest for a time in this settlement. The corpses of
those who fought bravely here, down to the last man, are to be buried
respectfully, with the highest honor!"
Thanks to their
life-or-death defensive battle, the citizens who had fled were able to safely
reach the town of Fran.
But the invasion of
the Estol domain by the Imperial army had only just begun.
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