Chapter 240
The Western Front ②: Clarice's Strategy
Translator : PolterGlast
The fate of the troops under Margrave Clantiff's
banner and the Western Frontier Noble Army who had acted alongside them was
harsh. There was only one bridge for retreat, and it would take time for as many
as 3,500 troops to cross.
A river flowed in front of them, and if they advanced while
armed, it was certain they would drown under the weight of their armor. If they
shed their armor, they would expose their bodies defenselessly to the raining
arrows.
"Hahaha, Lord Lugner's command is splendid. The
enemy army has lost its escape route and is in chaos, and moreover, they are
concentrated. Shoot and you will hit! Do not slacken the attack."
"Count Lesser, that bridge could become a bit
troublesome when we advance as well. We should be cautious..."
"Oh, come on now, let's
take this opportunity to annihilate the enemy troops on the left and right,
bite into the rear of the fleeing enemy in the center, and pursue them closely.
How about we establish our own bridgehead on the far bank, and then crossing the
river with the entire army? It seems
there is a 'big fish' over there. If we capture her, we might even be able to
exchange her for our 'ornament'."
One of the Barons accompanying the Count, invigorated by the
overwhelmingly advantageous war situation, interrupted Lugner's words.
"..."
"Indeed. With this, we can achieve sufficient war
results ourselves without even borrowing the power of the Mage Corps. Slacken the fire in the center and begin parallel pursuit!"
Lugner remained
silent, but an uncontrollable flame was already lit in their hearts. Although
it was hard to believe immediately that an enemy princess was in the enemy
camp, it seemed like the greatest opportunity for the Fearalt Principality
side. If it is a Princess, they could capture her to use as a bargaining chip
for a hostage exchange, or press the Kyle Kingdom Army to surrender.
The war results to be gained from this were immeasurable.
They became excited all at once, and in a frenzy of joy, they pushed up the
front line and charged.
In the Kyle Kingdom camp on the opposite bank, the
disastrous state of their allies was plain to see. At this rate, it was clear
that the allied forces who had belonged to the enemy side would be annihilated before
long, and the Principality side would win with almost no damage.
"Your Highness, there are various things I wish to say,
but first, please give the order for a counterattack! Archers in the center,
aim for the enemy army pursuing in parallel, fix your aim on the center of the
bridge, and wait! Left and right flanks, aim at your respective opposite banks
and wait!"
"The Kyle Kingdom Army, Western Front Defense
Force, will now move to attack! All forces, prepare for combat! We will
commence combat following the sound of the bell. Ring the preparation bell!
From here on, I entrust command of the attack to Legion Commander Schulz."
At Legion Commander Schulz's words, Clarice,
the Supreme Commander, issued orders with a clear voice. The sound of the bell
announcing attack preparations echoed across the battlefield.
By this time, the opposite bank of the bridge was already
being occupied by the Fearalt Principality Army, and the majority of the
Kyle Kingdom troops were losing their escape route.
"Princess Clarice, I beg to speak. Preparations
for the submersible bridges are complete. Regarding the retreat route for our
allies on the opposite bank, what shall we do?"
Before Elan, who stepped forward to make a
suggestion, Clarice hesitated for just a moment.
Hidden within this river—constructed during the dry season
under Takuhir's orders—were several
sturdy stone submersible bridges positioned at the deepest points. Using
those routes, one could cross the river without using the main bridge. They had
been designed to allow friendly forces to cross en masse to launch a pursuit,
but they were also a double-edged sword. If the enemy were to discover their
locations, they could just as easily use them to launch an assault of their own.
"Saving as many Kingdom troops as possible takes
precedence right now. Elan-san, let's use not just the submersible
bridges but the Ice Mages as well. I grant you command
over 32 Water Mages and 20 Ice Mages. I entrust their rescue to
you. Legion Commander Schulz, I ask you to handle the defense and attack
at the bridge. Can you manage with the 20 Wind
Mages I've entrusted to you?
Yuka-san, could you lead 20 Wind
Mages to escort the rescue
unit and deploy Wind Walls? The remaining 10, prepare to intercept if there are
enemies attacking the retreat route we prepared. Chrisia-san, please
lead 10 Holy Mages and handle the wounded."
Clarice's
decisions were executed immediately.
Under Elan's instructions, flags were set up at fixed
intervals at both ends of each submersible bridge by Water Mages who
advanced into the river. The river's current was guided into spillways on the
sides of the river, calming the flow.
Furthermore, targeting the stakes that had been driven into
the riverbed at various points, a massive number of incredibly thick ice slabs
were unleashed from ice chambers concealed within the embankment. They slid
down pre-prepared log ramps in a sudden torrent, plunging into the water to
connect with the stakes and form a series of floating bridges.
Even for excellent Ice
Mages, instantly freezing a flowing river is utterly impossible. However,
linking together massive blocks of ice that were already frozen to construct a
floating bridge—that was possible. Though even then, including preparation,
that work required more than ten Ice Mages...
And under the umbrellas created by the Wind Mages, retreat
routes were prepared for the troops on the opposite bank.
"A-A retreat route!"
"We're saved!"
"Long live Princess Clarice!"
Cornered on the riverbank and desperate, they were guided to
several retreat routes and began to withdraw. Simultaneously at the central
bridge, the Principality troops chasing the Kyle Kingdom troops rushed
in and were about to reach the center of the bridge.
"Change the central bell to three strikes! Target: the
enemy army from the center of the bridge to the entire opposite bank. Ready
aim... Fire!"
At Legion Commander Schulz's instruction, 1,000 troops
of the Third Army of the Royal Knights deployed in front of the bridge
released crossbow bolts all at once.
Guided by the Wind
Mages, those arrows drew
arcs and rained down on the heads of the Fearalt Principality troops.
Immediately after firing, the first 1,000 ran to the right, and another 1,000
waiting nearby took their firing positions.
"Continue with the second volley; execute continuous
fire! Is the shooter rotation ready? Ready aim... Fire!"
Those who fired the second volley ran immediately to the
left, back to where they were. And 1,000 waiting in the rear advanced forward
to prepare for firing.
This battlefield along the river is not a vast plain where
archers can deploy widely. Since deployment space is limited, Legion Commander Schulz
had prepared a system of continuous fire with three groups rotating, rather
than the three-man cell system.
1,000 troops deployed in four spaces of about 50 m square,
which were ideal firing positions, switched out one after another, repeating
controlled volleys without interruption.
"Third volley, ready... Fire!"
With these three volleys executed in a short time, the tide
of battle tilted instantly in favor of the Kyle Kingdom.
The Fearalt Principality troops, who had been frantic
in battle as if hunting defenseless prey, were bathed in the three volleys and
fell one after another as their positions reversed. Especially those deployed
on the bridge were pushed by those behind them and had no escape.
"W-What are you doing! At this rate, we will
become the sitting ducks. Pull back! Retreat temporarily and regroup! Pull
back! I said pull back!"
The Baron, who had courageously gone to the front lines to
command the troops upon learning an enemy princess was present, raised a shaken
voice. Even if he wanted to retreat, the troops behind him were in the way, and
he couldn't move.
Furthermore, since the retreat route was exposed to the most
dangerous storm of arrows, the troops did not move as the Baron wished. When
the second three-volley barrage occurred, the Baron's luck ran out.
"I-I...! I came all this way to take the head of that
impudent upstart brat. To die in a place like th... Gwah!"
These became the Baron's last words.
Going back two years, at a banquet in Fairy, he was
not only overwhelmed by the dignity of Takuhir, whom he had mocked,
exposing his disgraceful behavior, but was also insulted as having masochistic
tastes and being a poorly trained dog. He had participated in this battle
solely to exact revenge for his wounded pride and to vent his spleen.
And his wish would never be granted.
"Tch, they got us... It is regrettable that we failed
to kill their grunts, but I will avenge the Baron! I'll make them realize that
projectile weapons aren't theirs alone! Pull the army back for now! Send a
runner to bring the Mage Corps from
the rear to the front lines!"
Count Lesser,
in charge of the invasion force vanguard, was clicking his tongue but planning
his next move. To wipe out the enemy army at once with raining hellfire and a
shower of lightning strikes, he began preparations for a battle of revenge.
Meanwhile, in the Kyle Kingdom camp, retreating troops
were taken in, and the wounded were sent to the rear for immediate treatment.
Fortunately, the enemy side had adopted a tactic of driving
the Kingdom troops off the riverbank where there was no path of retreat after thoroughly pounding them with archers. Because
of that, excluding allies deployed around the bridge, the casualties among the
Western Frontier Nobles stationed on the left and right riversides were lighter
than anticipated.
Another factor was that the Fearalt Principality Army
had been firing with archers from a comfortable distance, slowly cornering them
than rushing in for the kill.
"Reporting! We do not know the exact numbers yet, but
ally losses are about 1,500. Of the 2,000 troops who reached this side, more
than half are wounded, but they are recovering thanks to the Holy Mages. I believe about 1,000 will be immediately available as
combat power."
"Thank you. I believe Chrisia-san's place is likely
the busiest right now, so please direct all units to provide her with support. I
suppose that gives us a moment's respite for the
time being?"
"Your Highness! This
is no time for respite! The enemy will likely attack seriously next time. I
held my tongue earlier, but I ask Your Highness to exercise a bit more
prudence!"
"Oh, why?"
"There is no 'why'! By Your Highness's words, the enemy
army learned that Your Highness is here. Do you not understand what that
means!"
For Schulz, this was more than just a headache.
Avoiding danger to the Princess, a precious existence of the Kingdom—this was
something that should be done at all costs.
"Fufufu, they will attack desperately, won't they? I
dare ask. Legion Commander Schulz, what is the thing we, who have set up
camp here, fear most on the Western
Front?"
"What does that have to do with... It would be the
invasion force using their numerical advantage to place one army in front while
making a large detour around the battlefield to strike at the Royal Capital. If
that happens, we would be... W-Wait, could it be?"
"That's right. If that happens, we would be most
troubled. But a delicious bait they never imagined has been dangled right in
front of their eyes. They will obsess over attacking here desperately. Just as
we intended."
Schulz felt a
sense of awe toward the girl smiling before him, who called her royal self
'bait' without hesitation. With this nerve, if she had only been born a man,
this country would be secure for a long time to come. No, in terms of substance
alone, she is more than enough of a man.
"Oh? Could it be you are thinking something rude right
now? Like the Demon Territory Count, do you wish to openly call me a
'muscle-brain woman' or 'someone mistakenly born a woman'?"
Laughing as she said that, in appearance alone, she was a
lovely and still innocent girl. Yes, in appearance alone... Even so, does the Demon
Territory Count say such disrespectful and terrifying things to Her
Highness so casually?
In that sense, he is a fearless and terrifying man. I
remembered the Minister of Foreign Affairs saying before, 『Only
the Demon Territory Count can handle Her Highness. 』
Is this the new era of this country? I hear the defense plan
itself is the proposal of the Demon Territory Count and his
subordinates. Myself, who was flattered as a young Legion Commander shouldering
the next generation, couldn't help but feel I was already an old thing left
behind by the times.
"Besides, by revealing my identity, I was able to save
at least 2,000 troops. I do not know the true intentions of the late Margrave
Clantiff. However, to counter his words, a corresponding position was
necessary. I did not want to see Kingdom troops fighting each other while under
a misunderstanding."
Saying that, she had an expression filled with pity and
benevolence, completely different from earlier.
"As you wish."
This person thought that far ahead... She is of a different caliber than myself. Assailed by a
sensation similar to shuddering, Schulz could only manage to utter a
single sentence.
"Now then, the unexpected opening act is over. From
here on is the real battle. Legion Commander Schulz, and everyone, I am
counting on you."
The Western Front would
move to a new phase. As Clarice said, a battle the Kyle Kingdom
Army had never experienced, a battle where Mages clashed with one
another, was about to begin.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
-
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
Corey Hicks
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Matthew Fraser
Xavier O'Donoghue
Alan Sharman
Anton Lim
Austin Lorenzo
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Didntpassit
nick nasca
openope
rads
SD Fox
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
