Chapter 111 - 9-12
Lucy Alish's days always ended with a sleep so deep it felt like fainting. The fatigue following her work would rush in, claiming Lucy and dragging her into slumber, overwhelming a body and brain that had been numb with the excitement of her duties. There were times she fell asleep without even taking off her chainmail.
Still, the fact that she woke up at a fixed time before dawn the next day was perhaps the fruit of her training at the convent.
It wasn't something to boast about.
When Lucy left her bedroom, there was always someone waiting for her in the waiting room at the corner of the corridor. They were either earlier risers than Lucy, or they simply hadn't slept. Their business varied, but they all waited to obtain Lucy's sanction.
On this day, the ones who greeted Lucy were Yugis Necrat and Kashu Coil.
"Good morning," Yugis said. "There is something I wish to report..."
Crossing the corridor illuminated by candelabras that burned through the night, Lucy's mind cleared as she listened to the report.
"Ness?"
"Yes."
According to Yugis, Ness Syllabus's mental state had become unstable and was reaching a peak of deterioration.
"Is he violent?"
When she asked, Yugis shook his head.
—It is the opposite.
Since yesterday, Ness had apparently shut himself in his room, remaining seated on his bed, staring forward with melted eyes. He showed absolutely no reaction even when spoken to. He barely ate.
When Lucy was a princess, she had met Ness many times. Laicanel often brought him along. Lucy had a favorable impression of Ness. Not just Lucy, but many people liked Ness. Ness was liked by everyone. He had a refreshing, uncomplicated temperament and spoke to people casually. Yet, he possessed a hidden wisdom that kept him from saying unnecessary things.
At a certain point, Ness stopped appearing at the detached palace. When she heard from Laicanel that he had fallen ill in mind, Lucy found it surprising. She had thought Ness was the person furthest removed from such an illness.
When they reunited, Ness occasionally behaved strangely, but he had generally seemed healthy.
"While we were aware of the problem, we avoided facing it."
"You are correct. Moreover, we dragged him along and entrusted him with a major role."
As Yugis spoke, the stout youth Kashu Coil knit his brows.
"Did you not expect this at all?"
"I didn't. Are you suggesting I should have? No matter what you say, it cannot be helped that I didn't think of it. I only thought that if it came to that, I would take over his role."
"Don't nag. I'm not exactly blaming you. —However, you should have at least predicted it."
"Ness was a key figure in the liberation of Euryas. It is difficult to predict that such a man would become like this."
"But in that state..." Kashu looked down. "I think it would be better to send him back to the Syllabus family in Karnain."
"No, according to Laicanel, Ness seems to recover his condition better when involved in the war. ...That's it, perhaps separating him from Laika was not good."
—As I thought, I shouldn't have sent Laika to the east.
Yugis talked a lot. The deterioration of Ness's condition must have been unexpected; he was panicking.
Laicanel Thora was pushing through the forest, advancing toward Brazm. This was to launch a surprise attack on the enemy army in Brazm. Yugis had been keen on this operation and intended to lead it himself. However, Laicanel had been even more insistent than Yugis. Laicanel was stubborn to a degree Lucy had never seen before.
Yugis's argument was that as the general of the Western Army, it was irresponsible for Laicanel to undertake a dangerous mission. From what Lucy could see, Yugis's true feeling was likely that he wanted to be the one to cut through the east.
On the other hand, Laicanel's claim was dignified. He argued that since he was the general of the Western Army, he should be the one to join with General Hilboro of the Siddim army in Brazm.
'In the first place, the main axis of Hilboro's operation is the destruction of the enemy army in Brazm,'
Laicanel had said.
Because Yugis understood this, he could offer no good reply and had no choice but to withdraw his claim.
The elimination of the enemy army entrenched in Brazm was essential.
That was the objective of General Hilboro's operation. If the enemy army in Brazm could be eliminated, they could first sever the enemy's supplies. Furthermore, the Siddim King's army would be able to maneuver freely to the west and east. The march through the forest was a reckless move to ensure the enemy army in Brazm was finished. The Western Army, traveling a long distance for the surprise attack, was the auxiliary force for the King's army to eliminate the Brazm enemy. It was worthy of the general's command.
However, if Lucy were to read Laika's heart,
—She probably suspected that Laika wanted to keep Yugis with the main force.
Yugis was a talent capable of formulating operations against the Kosa. He was a rare asset. Laika's thought was likely that Yugis was the one she wanted to place right in front of the enemy.
The three of them stopped their steps in front of the door to Ness's room.
All three looked at each other's faces.
All three present here must be worried about Ness Syllabus. However, they weren't only worried about Ness's person. Ness's mind, which was in danger of collapse, was now merely one of the things accompanying the operation. Not limited to Ness, everyone was now a component constituting the operation.
—No.
Lucy shook her head.
Saying that everyone joins forces to achieve one thing sounds nice. But once you start thinking of humans as components, it's over. Humans cannot become such things.
"Discussing the cause of Ness's condition here will not lead to a conclusion," Lucy said.
"Yes," Yugis said.
"Exactly," Kashu agreed.
"Please tell me the countermeasures."
"Regarding Ness, we have no choice but to watch his condition," Yugis said with a bleak expression. "The infantry can be left to Hume. The cavalry is the problem."
Kashu nodded.
"I'll ask Raslaf Dravar if he has any suitable personnel."
"Please do, if possible, knights from the west."
"The west?" The stout youth made a displeased face. "It seems you've become a person of the west entirely. No, in the first place, under General-in-Chief Lucy-sama, there should be no west or east."
"The people of the west are the ones supporting this army. They..." Yugis hesitated. "They probably wouldn't want to die being commanded by someone from the east."
The three present there instinctively looked toward the arrow slits open in the corridor.
Lucy had entered Aver Castle a few days ago. At that time, the Shaal River was dyed red with bloodshed, and corpses were floating in the river.
"Commander, this cleanup, surely—"
"Yugis."
Lucy silenced Yugis with a quiet voice that still held a trace of sleepiness.
What was he trying to say? About where the responsibility lay, or an apology, or an excuse? She didn't want to hear any of it. What Lucy needed to do urgently was to invigorate Yugis. To make Yugis regain his confidence.
"Think only of whether your loyalty to me is sincere. I seek victory. If it is you, you should be able to achieve it."
In the dim light, Yugis's face flushed so red it almost seemed to glow.
—Yes!
He replied, then looked down at Kashu. "Hey, let's go."
"What's with you? That face—"
Kashu Coil gave a small bow to Lucy and followed after Yugis, who had begun to walk with his shoulders squared.
Lucy was left behind.
After casting a glance at the door of Ness's room, she began to walk.
As she walked, for some reason, she felt energized.
Lucy did not notice that she herself was being saved by Yugis's blushing reaction.
Glen Hilboro, the general of the Siddim army, fixed his focus on Brazm.
Geraha Wolf likewise determined Brazm to be the focus, and was fired up about establishing a sphere of influence in the central part of Siddim.
What of Pusiteto, who was deployed on the plains of Brazm?
According to the change of seasons, Pusiteto's tanned skin was returning to white. He was fair-skinned, plump, and though his face was large, his eyes, nose, and mouth were delicate and small. His voice was also small, but his pronunciation was not unclear. Those who faced Pusiteto, even superiors, would approach him and concentrate to catch his words.
Pusiteto certainly spoke opinions worth listening to.
He possessed a frankness worthy of trust.
Pusiteto believed that this was about all he was capable of. He was not cut out to be a general. However, he could be a general's help. Even if he couldn't be a general, Pusiteto had fully demonstrated his abilities in a position that could be called an officer to Kushitante, the King of the Tawaru. Pusiteto had fulfilled his dream. He thought that any further would be wishing for too much.
Geraha Wolf had summoned Pusiteto as a vanguard for the conquest of Siddim.
Pusiteto had opened the road connecting Siddim and the Plain Nations. Here too, the person responsible for the operation was Mozu Wolf, and Pusiteto intended to remain merely an assistant.
Things changed after coming to Brazm. It wasn't the first time he had been entrusted with a battlefield. However, until now, he had followed some kind of operation, and guidelines for action had always been given to Pusiteto.
He had no experience being entrusted with such wide discretion as in Brazm.
—What should I do?
What Pusiteto thought was to move in coordination once the siege of Malfa City began. Until then, he strove to grasp the situation by sending frequent messengers. There were many things to do, such as adjusting supplies and conducting military tribunals.
Also, Pusiteto wrote letters often. He wrote letters to his family in the plain region called the Great Wasteland, and he wrote letters to Kushitante, the King of the Tawaru.
Letters came back from Kushitante with surprising diligence. Most were addressed to the Great King rather than to Pusiteto. It seemed the governance of Koroi was proceeding smoothly.
Detailed stories came back from his wife. They were letters full of affection, but embarrassingly, the one putting them into words was Pusiteto's son. Since Pusiteto's wife did not know letters, it couldn't be helped.
These letters from his wife, which were always replied to, suddenly ceased.
Soon, a report arrived from the direction of the Twin Forts. It seemed that around the Plain Nations, a single baggage wagon had been stolen in its entirety. His wife's letter must have been loaded on that wagon. The thief had not been caught.
That wasn't all.
A few days later, this time two wagons of fodder and food supplies sent to Malfa City went missing.
—Something is happening.
Pusiteto intuited this and immediately set about tightening military discipline, sweeping away the lethargy that had spread through the army. The time for relaxation had ended.
The correctness of Pusiteto's intuition was confirmed by Kijimute, a messenger who came from the Great King. He was together with King Kirikiri of Mamukuri and a member of the Mukuri people with prominent black arabesque tattoos.
"Pusiteto-sama, the time has finally come," Kijimute said.
"Finally, is it?"
He heard the Great King's instructions from Kijimute's mouth.
For the first time since clinging to Brazm, Pusiteto's mind settled. Once instructions were given, Pusiteto's head immediately began to spin. He could see what should be proceeded with, in what order, and how, to align with the Great King's will.
—In other words, my head is built that way.
A head that only begins to move once a goal is given from the outside.
"Geh-heh-heh. When you receive orders, Pusiteto-don's expression really changes."
The wily Eastern King Kirikiri saw through Pusiteto's characteristic of not being suited for a general.
"But there is nothing more terrifying than when Pusiteto-don makes that face."
To Kirikiri, who laughed with a dirty voice, "Gee-heh-heh," Pusiteto returned a gentle smile.
He was an old man not to be underestimated, but at this moment, Kirikiri was likely trying to encourage Pusiteto.
Pusiteto's greatness was that almost simultaneously with Kijimute, Kirikiri, and the other Mukuri people departing for the east, he called his deputy, Maharishi, and gave an order.
"By sunset, occupy the Breasts of Analis."
Pusiteto's army gave female names to the terrain of the Brazm fields.
The Breasts of Analis were hills with modest undulations. That said, their chastity was firmly protected by the enemy with double and triple trenches and log palisades.
One could say it was a hill of low strategic value. Right next to Analis, there was a higher hill named the Buttocks of Olasha. It was estimated that from the top of those buttocks, the enemy's longbow arrows could reach Analis. In other words, even if they seized the Breasts of Analis by shedding blood, they would only become good targets for the enemy soldiers on Olasha.
Because of that, Pusiteto thought that if the Kosa army approached Analis with a look of desperation, the enemy soldiers might unexpectedly retreat easily. No, they didn't even have to retreat; while sending troops to Olasha to keep them in check, he would seize the Breasts of Analis no matter what.
"Why?"
Maharishi said.
Maharishi was a large Southerner clad in beautiful black muscles. He was a man clearly recognizable as a former regular army soldier of Koroi, proud and strong-willed. Pusiteto was skilled at handling such eccentric people who were hardened by their individuality.
"Why? If we occupy Analis, we will be showered with arrows from the enemy soldiers on Olasha."
"Then there is no need to occupy it. Once we confirm the enemy soldiers of Analis have fled, we will also withdraw. Analis will be left empty, without a single soldier."
"The enemy will take it back."
"Exactly. Infantry will come to take it back. We will strike down that infantry with our cavalry."
Maharishi widened his eyes. "There is support from Olasha. Will it go that smoothly?"
"We will not let Olasha provide support. Because immediately after taking Analis, we will attack Olasha with the entire army."
"Our own base will be left unattended. If our base is taken, the supply line will be severed."
"It is enough that we crush the enemy."
"Even if we take Olasha, it won't lead to the destruction of the enemy army."
Pusiteto nodded. "However, the enemy will send troops to take Olasha back. Where will they come from?"
"From the Hair of Meshina?"
"The enemy cannot leave Meshina thin. Meshina is a lonely woman. She is geographically isolated."
"Then—could it be, the Mons Pubis of Dila?"
"That's it. If the troops of Dila move, then to fill that hole—"
"Troops will emerge from the Thicket of Filime. I see."
"Umu. We will drag out the shy Filime."
Maharishi crossed his arms and thought for a while.
"I see. I thought Analis's breasts were modest and boring, but..."
"They've started to look attractive, haven't they?"
Maharishi stood up slowly. "I feel like trying to suckle them."
"I'm glad you understand. I'm counting on you."
"By sunset."
The deputy left Pusiteto's tent with enthusiasm.
However, when they actually tried, Analis's resistance was stubborn. As if firmly covering her breasts with both arms, the enemy was far from retreating. The time limit of "by sunset" was not kept, and they fought throughout the night, and the dawn light of the next morning illuminated the corpses of enemy soldiers embraced by the breasts.
The soldiers of Analis had fought until they were almost completely annihilated.
They seemed like different people from the enemy soldiers who had fled at the Twin Forts.
Pusiteto had just heard the surprising story from Kijimute that the enemy's general-in-chief had been replaced by a princess of the royal family. He didn't know if the high morale of the soldiers was related to that.
Glen Hilboro, the general of the Siddim army, had a tolerance for the bad news that arrived one after another as soon as the battle began. Lost over there, dangerous over here, fire broke out here, a rout began there. Only bad news gathered in the general's ears.
Bad news towers ten times larger than good news and appears ten times more prominent—Hilboro told himself that this was a common illusion. Sometimes good buds hide within bad news, and Hilboro thought as much as possible about how to nurture those good buds.
The hill the enemy named Analis was called Joff's Lowland Camp by the King's army. This was because the captain's name was Joff. The hill the enemy named Olasha was Joff's Highland Camp. These two were in a complementary relationship, and Joff's unit was deployed in two separate parts.
In other words, from the Siddim side, Analis and Olasha were the same single camp. The enemy army rushed here.
—It has begun.
Hilboro dealt with it calmly. He saw that the enemy must be aiming for the Highland Camp. The Lowland Camp was within the range of the Highland Camp's archers. Safety could not be ensured unless the Highland Camp was occupied. There was a mistake here. From Hilboro's perspective, the policy of seizing the Lowland Camp formulated by the enemy general Pusiteto was far too meaningless.
He sent three units from nearby camps to provide support from three directions. Joff's camp was at the easternmost end of the southern face of Brazm. The battle became like a vortex in the area. The Siddim army drove back the enemy's light cavalry many times. Because the enemy cavalry escaped nimbly, it inevitably became like that. Around Joff's camp, it took on the appearance of a game of tag between the Siddim army and the Kosa cavalry.
Meanwhile, the enemy soldiers gathered at the Highland Camp and the Siddim infantry engaged in a fierce battle.
Surprisingly for Hilboro, the Lowland Camp was drawing the enemy in. He had told Captain Joff that the Lowland Camp could be handed over to the enemy. It would have been fine to retreat.
However, a situation emerged where defending the Lowland Camp led to weakening the attack on the Highland Camp. This is how the annihilation of the soldiers in the Lowland Camp occurred. The soldiers deployed in Joff's Lowland Camp tried to defend to the death the low, gentle hill unsuitable for defense. They must have believed that this would shave off the strength attacking the Highland Camp.
As dawn broke, the situation became clear. It was said that countless corpses lay supine in the Lowland Camp. Hilboro was infuriated.
It was correct to be infuriated here.
"In that case! I will definitely rescue Joff's camp!"
—Push the enemy back!
Hilboro ordered.
Even though it was called a Highland Camp, it wasn't particularly high. Enemy soldiers at the foot could probably run up to the top of the hill. However, the defense was solid. Protective fences were installed, and crisscrossing dry moats to prevent cavalry charges were dug. Moreover, Joff's unit was stubborn.
Looking down at the battlefield from Joff's unit, the number of enemy soldiers was staggering. It was surprising how many had been hiding. It was like a sea of people, and the Highland Camp was an island where waves of people broke.
The soldiers holed up in the camp all thought the same thing. Was the enemy Kosa army attacking this hill with their entire force?
Fortunately for Joff's unit, allied soldiers were also arriving one after another. It was as if streams of different colors were piercing into the crashing black waves. The King's army wore the same defenses, and their charge was like a force dyed in one color melting into the enemy's vortex.
Even so, the enemy's ferocity was something. There was a violence to the barbarian courage of the Southern infantry that almost induced nausea. The Southern infantry ran at full speed into the Siddim heavy infantry. There were infantrymen who, upon reaching the front, arched their backs, used their whole bodies as springs, and threw spears. This spear-throwing was powerful. Depending on where it hit, it pierced armor. Even if not, the spears aimed for the gaps in the armor with considerable accuracy.
The Southern soldiers who didn't throw spears used them to stab, and the soldiers who threw spears drew sharp barbarian blades.
The enemy was one thing, but the Siddim infantry receiving them also seemed to be out of their minds. The job of heavy infantry was to become a wall. Their job was to defend the position and advance it. One shield, one spear, and the comrades lined up next to them—that alone made a wall. They exposed their bodies, armored in metal, to thin sharp spears, keen blades, and rushing silver edges.
Simply defending was not permitted. Retreating was out of the question. No matter how ferocious, the opponent was light infantry. Heavy infantry had to push. Push and push and push back.
—As expected of Pusiteto-sama!
Seeing this, Maharishi was impressed.
The enemy was surging.
Maharishi saw this as the enemy coming to take back Analis. When allies and enemies mixed this much, the enemy soldiers on Olasha held back their arrows a bit. This was because there was a risk of hitting their own. The support from Olasha was cut off. Light cavalry exploited such gaps.
Still, the number of enemy soldiers was great. In terms of numbers alone, they might exceed the Kosa army. However, Maharishi also knew well the psychology of overestimating the enemy in war.
"Push! Push!"
Though a Southerner from Koroi, Maharishi rode skillfully and urged the soldiers on. The Kosa cavalry never panicked, pulling arrows from their quivers and breaking the enemy infantry. Maharishi himself led the cavalry and advanced. Moving slightly away from the combat that had become like a clump, he deliberately entered a maneuver. Avoiding the front of the heavy infantry, he passed the Buttocks of Olasha amidst the raining arrows, crossed the slope of the hill beyond, and advanced further in. It was a maneuver on the edge, but he was now behind the enemy in the midst of battle.
The enemy's main stronghold came into view.
The Mons Pubis of Dila, which had the highest elevation in the fields of Brazm.
Maharishi's mouth relaxed atop his horse.
Even though it was a site of rough men, the defending Siddim army did not give female names to the terrain. The hill the enemy named Dila was likened to a castle, and its peak was called the keep.
What made Hilboro's eyes widen was seeing cavalry galloping up that keep hill.
—What the...?
It was called the keep precisely because it was a hill with steep slopes that horses could not climb. It was a steep slope that could be mistaken for a cliff. There, the enemy's horses climbed with powerful strides, their bodies undulating like caterpillars. They were in numbers like a swarm of ants clinging to a fruit. The riders all clung to their horses, gripping the reins. Even so, they released arrows by letting go with both hands for just a moment, which seemed beyond human capability.
Hilboro snorted.
He decided to immediately deploy reserves to respond.
This was a situation where, as expressed by the Kosa side, troops had emerged from the "Thicket of Filime."
The one rejoicing was Maharishi at the foot of the Mons Pubis.
—Pusiteto-sama is amazing!
Although the actual process differed from Pusiteto's prediction, the result was correct. Maharishi's cavalry unit circled halfway around the hill of Dila and attacked the new move Hilboro had launched. The first to be hit were the archers. It was an ideal cavalry operation, attacking from the side and shaving them away. The archers being shot was synonymous with the infantry's rear being taken. Archers were always protected behind the infantry while supporting them with arrows. The Siddim heavy infantry immediately broke formation. Only the Siddim heavy cavalry were flustered, rushing here and there.
It didn't end with this. The place called the Thicket of Filime was the edge of the forest that seemed to be the enemy's base. Enemies appeared one after another from within the forest. These must be the enemy's reserves.
Maharishi was bold.
First, to make Dila his own woman, he ran his horse wildly and fired every arrow he had, attempting to seal off the enemy's reserve force through maneuver alone.
The one feeling left behind was Hilboro's command post, which had become almost completely naked.
The notorious Kosa light cavalry were already in sight.
If they galloped this way, he would have no choice but to flee in a panic into the forest.
Still, he did not flee. Hilboro, his staff, and several guards did not budge. Hilboro's will to fight was not broken.
In the first place, the enemy should not have reached Hilboro's eyes this quickly. Those enemy cavalry had simply pushed forward relying on their speed and were isolated. The attack on the keep could not be followed. If so, deploying reserves in such a place had been a failure. Even though he intended to be calm, Hilboro must have been panicking.
It was in the midst of this. A horse carrying a signal flag arrived fatefully.
If Hilboro's will to fight broke, it was because of that messenger's report.
—Engaging at the west entrance of the highway, it appears we will be bypassed.
A part of the besieging army that had been at Malfa City was coming this way. They were said to be heading for the fields of Brazm.
Hilboro shuddered. He kicked the crude chair placed in the field and stood up.
On the highway connecting Brazm and Malfa, there were broadly a northern route and a southern route, and the southern road had been taken by the enemy army. The northern highway was held by the King's army. The enemy was coming, breaking through that.
—Yugis Necrat!
For some reason, he thought of a man he had never met. Normally, he should have thought of the Western Army general, Laicanel Thora. However, when he had thought of the plan to divide and surround the enemy army at Malfa, the one Hilboro had envisioned was a youth called Yugis. Perhaps he had some suspicions. He wondered if he might actually pull it off.
He had wanted the Western Army to hold the besieging army at Malfa.
—Was it not that simple?
Among the reconnaissance reports, there was one saying the Western Army had recaptured Aver City. Or perhaps the Western Army had become unable to move in that Aver City.
Hilboro was not a man to do careless things. But at this moment, he instinctively clicked his tongue in front of the messenger.
What should he do? Naturally, retreat. There was no other way. He could just retreat to Saranti.
—However.
Unbelievably, Hilboro hesitated. He didn't hesitate tactically. If this were the time when Sedias Thora was the general-in-chief, he would have immediately set about preparing for withdrawal.
If he retreated here, what would Princess Lucy think?
Foolishly, such a concern occupied Hilboro's mind.
—Is there nothing, anything?
This was bad news. He must not be toyed with by bad news. Was there not some good bud?
It was at that time that Laicanel Thora appeared on the battlefield.
Despite being the young master of the Thora family, Laicanel had strangely gathered the trust of the soldiers and, overcoming hardships and suffering, had carried out the forced march through the forest.
Laicanel's army timidly emerged from the darkness of the forest into the bright field. At first, the fields of Brazm looked empty. From afar, the sounds of war could be heard.
"I see, they're at it."
This natural-born lucky child had arrived just in time for the crucial scene.
As he advanced his horse leisurely, he could see a vast number of tents in the distance. There were an unusual number of sheep grazing on the grass. Eventually, a group of soldiers came into view. About two hundred soldiers. They were standing still, staring intently in the direction of the noise. In the center was a fat man sitting in a chair.
Laicanel tilted his head.
He thought that that must be the enemy's command post.