Chapter 273
The Western Front ⑩ — The Pursuit Battle
Translator : PolterGlast
Amidst the confusion of the Fearalt Principality Army
running desperately along the highway toward the border, a suspicious group was
pursuing them. They were those who, under the orders of the Demon Territory
Count, had left the column on the way to Kleirat and headed for the
border area ahead of time to disrupt the Principality Army's rear.
Leading this
force of over 500 cavalry was Raphael.
Accompanying him in the column were Zahark—the
boss of the city of Salaam who had
successfully established ties with the Demon
Territory Count back in Aegis—Halim, and other members of the Tia Trading Company, all carrying separate orders from
the Demon Territory Count.
To explain this situation, we must rewind the timeline
slightly.
Raphael and his
group, receiving separate orders from Takuhir, aimed straight for the
far rear of the Fearalt Principality Army deployed in the western
frontier region of Kleirat, based on information obtained from spies.
They first raided the Principality Army's supply depot
located a day's distance from the battlefield, routing 1,000 garrison soldiers
who had been spending idle days in the rear. The depot garrison was not an
elite unit within the Principality Army but rather a mixed unit of gathered
soldiers, and since they were those removed from the front lines—and thus
denied the chance to distinguish themselves in battle—both their morale and
their training were poor.
Such soldiers had no way to resist Raphael and the
500 mounts of the Demon Territory Knights, the Kyle Kingdom's
most elite. Due to the Demon Territory Count Army's surprise attack,
they fell into great confusion and routed without even being able to mount a
proper counterattack. Raphael and his group seized the abandoned
supplies, and burning whatever the accompanying transport corps could not carry
right there on the spot.
"Wh-! What is this!"
Having fled desperately for a whole day from the
battlefield, Marquis Scuria could do
nothing but scream in horror. He had thought he would finally be able to catch
his breath at the rear supply depot. Instead, he found the tents flattened and
supplies like food set ablaze everywhere, leaving nothing but wisps of
smoldering smoke rising from the ruins.
"H-How vicious... To think they’ve already reached this
far. We have no choice now! Run through
day and night to the border barrier gate! Leave the
dead weight behind!"
The Marquis had no choice but to make a ruthless decision.
He shuddered at the Kyle Kingdom's counterattack and the speed of its
movement. At this point, he realized that they were already merely prey being
chased.
"Your Excellency Marquis, with all due respect. The
enemy has already forestalled us. Even if we head for the border as is, there
is a possibility the enemy is waiting. Just heading for the border might be
dangerous."
"I-I know that! No, Lord Lugner, excuse me. We
have lost soldiers and are in a somewhat difficult position. I am pinning my
hopes on the forces and assistance of your father and the other Marquises until the border. Please, hurry and convey our
crisis to them, and request reinforcements and supplies."
"Understood. Then I shall part ways with you here for
the time being. I will rally the troops in my territory and return with
reinforcements. Now, I take my leave!"
Thus, Lugner and a part of his subordinate soldiers
separated from the group of routed soldiers.
"It's that brat again! Every time we are on the verge
of a perfect victory, they butt in and get in our way. He is the only person I will never forgive! We haven't been completely
defeated yet. Let them enjoy their fleeting victory while they can!"
Declaring so, he changed direction further on the way
without heading to the Water or Fire Marquis territories.
"Lugner, where are you heading? Aren't you
heading to your puppet's territory?"
"Azal, soldiers for suppressing rebellion will
likely head to the Marquis territories soon. The one who crushed our victory is
undoubtedly that brat. The fact that he came here means the Empire
failed."
"What! An army of 50,000? How on earth..."
"I don't know! But we also lost nearly 20,000 troops in
an instant. It is entirely possible the same happened to the Empire. The flash
flood and the fatal attack that followed came from the south. Therefore, that
is the only logical."
"So, where are we headed?"
"First to the Master, then we rethink our strategy. We
made a big mistake. We should have prioritized taking that brat's life above
all else."
"...You have a point there."
Exchanging these words, they turned their course toward the
south and vanished into parts unknown.
The timeline returns to the present.
Marquis Scuria and the soldiers of the defeated army continued to run
toward the border, moving day and night.
Although the largest relay point, the supply depot, had
fallen into the hands of the Kyle Kingdom Army, small-scale depots and
the convoys of Principality merchants waiting further back to handle
logistics were safe.
Obtaining food and such from them and absorbing them into
their ranks, they somehow managed to enter the territory of the late Frontier
Count Clantiff and reached a point where the
border gate was visible in the distance.
To get this far, they had abandoned all the wounded and many
of the infantry within enemy territory. The number of those who had managed to
escape was now reduced to less than 3,000.
"Ohh! It's the gate. If we can just reach that gate, we
can repel those who are chasing us! Everyone,
just a little further!"
Marquis
Scuria rallied his troops. His words were no mere boast. The border gate built
on the Fearalt Principality side was indeed a formidable fortification—solid enough that Takuhir, having passed through it
before, had deemed its design "troublesome."
However, in their
desperation to escape, the Marquis and his men failed to notice one thing.
They were
unaware that the pursuit force of approximately 5,000 cavalry led by Takuhir, intent on wiping them out, had
been sending scouts ahead repeatedly to maintain a perfect distance from their
fleeing prey.
"Zahark, Halim, we part ways temporarily
from here. We will blend in with the Principality soldiers as is. You hurry
ahead to Salaam with the Principality merchants. And convey the Demon
Territory Count's will to those living in the city. We will enter Salaam
eventually."
"Boss, please be careful. We'll have exceptionally fine
booze ready and waiting."
"Indeed, as Halim says, the Boss is a person who
suits our company better than serving in the court. For the victory celebration,
we'll prepare booze and women, exceptionally fine ones. So, we’re counting on
you to handle things out there. We’ll do our part to help thin out the routed
soldiers a bit, too. "
Raphael, whose
appearance and speech outside official settings were no different from
roughnecks found in any city, was a man who didn't seem like a noble or a
soldier, despite bearing the title of quasi-noble. However, for those who had
lived lives in the shadows, he was a rare and precious existence: someone they
could approach without reservation, and a man they could trust.
"Yeah, I'll be looking forward to it. Don't cross any
dangerous bridges."
Raphael laughed
and parted with Zahark and the others. He and his subordinate soldiers
had taken equipment and flags from Principality soldiers in the process of
coming here. To disguise themselves as Principality soldiers.
On the other hand, Marquis Scuria, unaware that a
dangerous group was mixed among them, managed to enter the gate on the Principality
side of the border.
"Listen well! The fact that the Kingdom soldiers cannot
even mount a proper pursuit proves they are far more exhausted than we expected. We will crush them thoroughly here and hold the border
line. This is our final bastion. Let every man regard this as an opportunity to
avenge our brethren who fell so miserably!"
Having entered the impregnable gate, the Marquis finally
regained his composure as his safety was secured. Their invasion operation
failed, and they retreated to the border line with massive sacrifices. However,
as long as they secure this gate, they can invade again.
The Kyle Kingdom still faced potential conflicts at three other borders. Furthermore, civil war will likely
break out in the western frontier region soon.
Once that happened, the Kingdom would fall into chaos, creating a possibility
to carve out territory in the frontier. It would be a golden opportunity for
the Marquis to regain his lost standing.
"Send the merchants who accompanied us to Salaam immediately! Order them to
gather food and supplies and bring them to this gate!."
Merchants ran at this order. Of course, Zahark and Halim
were mixed among them.
Timing their
movement to coincide with the enemy army entering their own border gate, Takuhir’s pursuit unit advanced to the
gate on the Kingdom’s side. Though, compared to the one on the Principality side, it clearly paled in comparison...
"Well
then, Commander, shall we begin preparations to capture that gate? I'm thinking
we should use that again to settle
this once and for all..."
"Indeed. First, let's start by greeting them with a volley
of suppression rounds. Kaul has joined us here now. We brought catapults
from Kleirat, and the number of Wind Mages is sufficient."
Yes, considering them no longer necessary for the Western
Front, Princess Clarice had allowed uninjured Wind Mages from the
Magic Knights to accompany us. About 20 of them. They were sufficiently
trained for supporting catapult attacks and had experienced actual combat.
"Then, install them at the top of the gate and begin preparations."
"Understood. We’ll rotate shifts between preparation
and standing watch, while the others get some food and rest. Pursuit battles
are waiting ahead, after all."
Since the Principality side confronting them before their
eyes had also run day and night without decent supplies, Takuhir and the
others who chased them also needed rest time while conducting sufficient
patrols.
Thus,
although it was brief, a time of silence passed at the western border of the Kyle Kingdom as both armies glared at each other, remaining in a state of high tension.
Needless to say, it was but a momentary respite before the slaughter that was to come.
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