Chapter 80 - 7-6
A ptarmigan, which had changed its feathers to summer plumage, kept a vigilant watch, nimbly turning its head.
It must have been surprised by the herd of giant beasts climbing the mountain path. Those beasts were approaching, lined up politely upon the road. It was a procession of horses and the humans leading them.
As the ptarmigan moved cautiously, a hand reached out soundlessly from the thicket. With the swiftness of a venomous snake biting its prey, that hand dragged the ptarmigan into the brush and snapped its neck.
Five men were lurking within the thicket.
They were mountain soldiers wearing pointed hoods that made it look as if a single horn had grown from their heads.
They were the Dint Mountain Rangers, commanded by Cloden Danforth, who wore the same hood. Fifty mountain rangers were hidden in thickets here and there, watching the Kosa people climbing up while leading horses.
Then, the high-pitched cry of a copper pheasant echoed from lower down the mountain path, tearing through the mountain's silence.
Several of the Kosa people in the procession turned around upon hearing the voice.
"That's the signal, right?"
Cloden asked the man beside him. He was a ranger named Hemrik, a man who could be called a born mountain man.
"Fuhehe. Young master, you didn't get it wrong this time."
Hemrik laughed in a low voice, then mimicked the cry of a ptarmigan. The cry of a ptarmigan is remarkably similar to that of a frog.
This time, the voice of a female ptarmigan reached them from further up.
The five men present crouched low and moved from the thicket to the shadow of the rocks. Not long after, a sound like the rumbling of the earth reached their ears. The sound gradually grew louder and closer. It was a heavy sound one would never want to hear on a mountain slope. It was mixed with bursting sounds. The sound of hard things colliding and shattering. The sound of something massive falling.
Every living creature on this earth knows this sound—it is the sound of a mass of misfortune approaching, the roar of the atmosphere, the derisive laughter of the earth.
What came rushing down from the top of the mountain with ferocious momentum was white smoke. Bursting through dry sounds, vibrating the mountain slope, and bringing along many stones that popped and cracked, a boulder as large as an ox, trailing clouds of dust, bounced right before Cloden's eyes.
Following it was a giant rock, twice the size of the first, rotating with great effort and making a thunderous noise.
Following behind, leaving faint shadows within the dust clouds, countless rocks tumbled down.
Rocks the size of calves, stones the size of chickens, bouncing and rolling down as if in a race.
The Kosa army's procession wound its way down the zigzagging path toward the foot of the mountain. Right through the middle of it, rocks of various sizes leaped and bounced, crushing everything in their path.
Cries of terror crawled up the mountainside.
The Kosa people began descending the mountain all at once. Perhaps it was instinct, but some soldiers tried to mount their horses. Above such people, countless rocks rained down.
The large boulders did not dive straight into the enemy lines. They veered left, then by that recoil veered right, moving in a zigzag, as if with the intent to run over and kill the Kosa army.
There were many human figures that collided with the boulders and flew through the air, trailing streaks of smoke.
—Many soldiers dodged them.
Cloden thought as he strained his eyes.
Surprisingly many Kosa people escaped the path of the rockslide.
"Seems it's about time, Hemrik."
When Cloden spoke, Hemrik mimicked a bird's cry. The high-pitched voice echoed through the mountains, and mimicking replies returned from various places.
Though the rocks had all finished falling, the billowing dust still blocked their vision.
The Dint Mountain Rangers unleashed a volley of arrows all at once at the coughing enemy soldiers.
Death throes of groaning overlapped many times within the smoke. The rangers fired arrows in succession, launching attacks while moving from rock shadow to rock shadow.
Just as the ten clans of the "Dark Forest" displayed supernatural abilities within the woods, the hunters who made their living by hunting in mountain countries like Dint and Carossa were also a group of supernatural ability users in the mountains.
They spend several months in the mountains and, depending on the case, wander through them even in winter. To prioritize agility, they carry no food, procuring small animals and wild herbs on the spot while moving nearly ten ri a day through high altitudes where the air is thin.
They possess the patience to ambush prey for days, and their skill with the bow can be called a guaranteed hit. They are men who should not be made enemies within the mountains.
These were the arrows fired by such men. The enemy soldiers fell one after another.
"That's the enemy captain," Cloden told Hemrik.
"Eh? Where?" Hemrik was a man whose sagging cheeks were covered by a red beard. The pointed hood suited him well.
"He hid behind that rock. He was shouting at his subordinates just now."
The dust was beginning to settle.
If this side were mountain soldiers, the enemy were Kosa soldiers. They were also a people who hunted on a daily basis.
Their skill with the bow and arrow was likely considerable. It would be troublesome if they counterattacked.
"If the young master shouts too, won't you get taken out? Fuhehe."
Hemrik nocked an arrow to his bow and aimed it at the sky. He shot the arrow high.
The arrow drew a high arc. The wind blowing in the blue sky made the fletching whistle. Though the trajectory should have shifted somewhat because of that wind, the arrow vanished right behind the rock where the enemy unit captain was hiding.
The moment a long-haired Kosa man peeked his face from the side of the rock shadow, Hemrik's second arrow struck him right between the eyebrows. The man who seemed to be the enemy captain fell with his hair dramatically disheveled and rolled down the slope.
Another man appeared from the same rock shadow. Just as he tried to move toward the captain, two arrows struck the man's back in succession. It was likely a ranger lurking in another location.
—Skillful.
Cloden was impressed.
The enemy began to retreat, calling out to one another in a language unknown to Northerners.
The scouts on this side were arranged to tail the Kosa people and confirm their retreat destination.
The others delivered the finishing blow to enemies who were still breathing and captured horses that were wandering in confusion here and there. These horses would make for a decent reward.
"Young, young," a man named Haltbeim came to Cloden, leading a horse. "Look at this horse. This one will fetch a price. Look at this face. Isn't he a handsome fellow, judging by his face?"
"Is that so? Faces of this level are common, aren't they?"
"If the young master doesn't even understand horses, it can't be helped."
Ignoring Haltbeim's exasperated voice, Cloden stared at the hooves of the Kosa plateau horse.
"The hooves aren't cracked."
"Well, if you're going to make them walk on a stony mountain path like this, you'd put horseshoes on them."
That was certainly true, but it differed from the information Cloden knew. Kosa people do not put horseshoes on their horses. That was written in the booklet distributed separately by the Thora family.
It was a booklet summarizing the investigation into the Kosa people.
Cloden picked up a bow and arrows from a Kosa corpse.
The bow was a composite bow made by laminating wood and bamboo. The arrowheads were better made than those of Siddim. Regarding the enemy's equipment, the descriptions in the booklet could be called accurate.
—That bastard seems to have done some work after all.
Cloden thought.
Cloden had received a letter sent by the knight Godly Curier from Malfa City. According to the letter, Yugis Necrat had apparently died. Yugis had traveled around the south investigating the Kosa people and created a large amount of notes. All of those notes were seized by the Thora family's people, and in the end, Yugis was killed.
The booklet regarding the Kosa people distributed by the Thora family in the east was undoubtedly a compilation of the records Yugis left behind.
—If that bastard were here.
Yugis would surely hold court with an air of importance regarding the Kosa people. Cloden could easily imagine it.
Even upon learning of Yugis's death, Cloden did not panic. He had half-expected it, and he had decided in his heart not to be swayed by emotion. However, the sense of loss he came to harbor in his chest was the only thing he could not deceive himself about.
When night fell, the scouting party that had pursued the Kosa army returned, relying on the moonlight.
Cloden was surrounding a campfire with the rangers.
Upon hearing the scout's report, Cloden's eyes widened.
"Twenty thousand?"
"Yes, they're hiding in the forest at the foot of the mountain. Twenty groups of a thousand riders, split north and south. Though, I only inferred that from the smoke of the campfires."
While munching on ptarmigan meat, the scout captain spoke of the expected enemy deployment.
Errors are inherent in scouting on a battlefield. Even so, it seemed certain that a large army was present. Even if half were reserves, Cloden saw that ten thousand cavalry were attempting to cross the mountains.
"Alright, I understand. I'll return to Dint and report to the Ramirez family. While I'm at it, the captured horses—"
Suddenly, Cloden fell silent. Something was catching in his mind.
"You're leaving the horses in Dint, right?" Hemrik filled in the words. "I'll get the preparations ready immediately."
"Yeah, please..."
The east side of the Dwarf Mountains where Cloden and the others were, and the territory of Dint, were separated by a deep valley. With about ten men leading a string of horses, they headed toward that valley.
Cloden was a man not skilled in archery or riding, but being born in a mountain country, he was adept at mountain walking. He could keep up with the rangers.
Along the way, he kept tilting his head in thought.
Cloden had thought the unit he drove away with the rockslide during the day was the enemy's reconnaissance. As for why the reconnaissance brought horses, it was likely to confirm if the path was one that allowed crossing the mountains with horses.
—Is that really so?
Thinking about it, it was strange. Why bring horses? If they intended to cross the mountains using this path and invade Siddim from Dint, they should first send infantry to suppress the rangers here. Not cavalry. Horses are useless in the mountains.
—In other words, they didn't come with the intention of fighting.
For what purpose did they bring horses? To ride them, obviously.
They intend to be cavalry. They came intending to be cavalry. To the Siddim people, this mountain is a tall defensive wall. But to the Kosa people, it is merely an obstacle to be avoided. They are trying to avoid it. If they had no intention of fighting here from the start, what would happen?
—What would Yugis say?
Cloden asked himself. Knowing Yugis, he would undoubtedly speak with an air of importance and pride.
"Hey, Hemrik," Cloden called out in a low voice.
"What is it?"
"I'm going to speak with an air of importance now, so don't take offense."
"Fuhe? What are you talking about?"
"The enemy. Their target might not be Dint."
"Then where is it?"
"I think the area around Tosha smells suspicious."
"Tosha? That's quite a detour."
Tosha is already close to the border with Skesia. It is the northernmost tip of Siddim.
"Isn't that strange? Why go that far?"
"To the Kosa people, it's not far."
The Kosa people are a horse-riding nation. Horse-riding is fast. They can travel long distances. One must not measure distance by the standards of human feet. The sense of distance they possess as a feeling must be far more expansive.
The vast natural defensive wall—the Dwarf Mountains—is thought of by the Siddim people as a northern partition extending to the end of the world. What about for the Kosa people? Might they think of it as merely a nuisance that can be dealt with by moving a bit and circling around?
The enemy soldiers during the day weren't searching for a path over the mountain. They were searching for a ridge to circle around the mountain; that's why they brought horses with shoes.
"I don't get it," Hemrik said. "Carossa or Dint are much closer. If there's a shortcut, you'd choose the shortcut no matter what."
"It's too close. The main force of the Siddim army is currently camped near the Dark Forest, right? They wouldn't want to risk crossing obstacles in a place where the enemy army is right under their noses. They'd want to cross the mountains carefully where we can't see them."
"Even so, it's too far."
"That's because they're cavalry. Cavalry are the kind of people who detour through places far beyond what we'd even consider."
"I see. You've become quite the know-it-all. No, but... Tosha is a place where they can't even properly govern the mountain bandits, so it might be dangerous. The roads are gentle, and it'd be easy to cross the mountains."
"Exactly. That place is a little-known gap in the mountain range."
"No, but even so," Hemrik laughed in a low voice. "If they cross the mountains at Tosha, they might be able to reach Bist along the mountain stream. Beyond that, there are forts."
—Those guys wouldn't give a damn about such things.
Cloden said.
"Anyway, the Kosa cavalry will pour into Belgau. If the Royal Army sends troops to Tosha and Bist, those guys will be left empty-handed."
"Fuhehe, that sounds good. In that case, hurry—"
Hemrik's words stopped. They had arrived at the valley.
Cloden also looked at the valley and lost his words.
The suspension bridge that spanned the valley had been dropped.
—Dwight Ramirez.
Dwight Ramirez, the head of the Ramirez family, had brought up the proposal to drop the bridges connecting the mountains and Dint numerous times. Every time, Cloden had persuaded Dwight, saying, 'Being too cowardly is also not good.'
If the bridge is dropped, the enemy certainly loses the path to invade Dint. However, conversely, this side also loses the means to cross to the other side of the valley. One would no longer know the situation on the other side. It is the same as the vast region of the east side of the Dwarf Mountains being covered in darkness. It is the same as handing that region over to the enemy.
—You idiot.
A bridge could be dropped even after the enemy soldiers showed themselves on the opposite bank.
Cloden desperately suppressed his anger. Dwight Ramirez had abandoned Cloden and the Dint mountain soldiers, the finest soldiers of this country.
"Young master, what on earth is the meaning of this?"
Hemrik said in a harsh voice.
—I must not let everyone become agitated.
Cloden thought instantly. If everyone's anger turned toward the Ramirez family, the situation could become complicated.
"Ramirez is trying to protect your wives and brats!"
"We—"
"He's trying to protect your beautiful wives and cute brats! Hey you! Hey, Hem! You seem to have a complaint!"
"I don't! I don't!"
Hemrik said in a tearful voice.
"I'm just sad!"
—Damn it. Curse it all.
Cloden felt ashamed of himself for shouting.
"Hello—!" he called out to the other side of the valley.
There was no answer. Even though there was a possibility that the Kosa people would rebuild the bridge here, were there no sentries placed?
The mountain soldiers raised their voices one after another, calling out toward the Dint side.
Only silence returned.
"Why is there no answer?" Hemrik asked.
Cloden felt the gazes of his comrades.
Everyone likely felt an ominous presence.
The possibility that something was happening in Dint was low. The Ramirez lot probably just didn't understand the situation. They were overconfident, thinking that as long as the bridge was dropped, the Kosa people wouldn't come to Dint.
"Do you not trust the Great Lord?"
Cloden said in a displeased voice. He was reluctant to use his father's authority, but it was effective.
"If anything happens, Count Vizic Danforth of Dint will evacuate the women and children to the hidden fort. Do you not believe that?"
"True, that's right. If the Great Lord is there, we can be at ease. That's right, isn't it? It's just as the young master says." Hemrik looked around at the faces of his comrades. "You guys, calm down. Something's wrong with you. So, what do we do?"
"Anyway, we must report the movements of the Kosa people. We're returning to Siddim."
"What about the horses?" the one who asked was a youth named Yan.
"Just dump the horses," Cloden answered. "We will become the heroes who save Siddim."
Low cheers leaked from his comrades.
He hadn't told a lie. If they could notify that the Kosa army was heading for Tosha, it would be worth its weight in gold. That said, it would be meaningless without a commander who understood the value of this report. Fortunately, Haider Skyner was in Belgau.
—Haider probably.
He probably anticipated at least the possibility of the Kosa army taking the northern route.
If the news was delivered, he would surely act.
However, it was not that simple.
Upon departure, Cloden left the majority of the rangers in their original positions. Cloden's prediction was a mere prediction. The Kosa army might not take a wide detour. There was a possibility they would rebuild the bridge where the suspension bridge had been dropped and invade from Dint.
If the enemy began bridging, soldiers were needed to obstruct them. If they were Dint Mountain Rangers, they would stir up the enemy to their heart's content.
The five people, including Cloden, would report the current location and predicted route of the Kosa army.
The five first spent a night heading south along the valley, aiming for another suspension bridge that led to Carossa. He didn't exactly lack a bad feeling. Upon arrival, the Carossa suspension bridge had also been dropped.
Cloden cursed himself in his heart. He had rushed and made a wrong judgment. He should have headed north from the start.
That said, this made it clear. Dropping the Dint suspension bridge was not Dwight Ramirez's sole decision. Likely, an order from Sedias Thora had been issued, and the bridges across the entire mountain range were dropped.
"It's fine, young master," Hemrik said with a fuhehe laugh. "If we climb toward the Dark Valley, we can return to Siddim on foot."
"You look like a god to me."
"Since we'll be crossing several mountains and valleys, let's find a good spot and take a break."
"Understood."
From then on, it was difficult. Cloden did not want to hold back his comrades any further, so he walked with all his might. This was undoubtedly a situation where his true value would be questioned. Perhaps that spirit paid off, as he could keep up with the mountain men if it was walking. Only walking, that is. Along the way, there were difficult spots that could only be described as cliff climbing rather than a path, and there he naturally became a nuisance to his comrades. Also, regarding meals, he remained entirely dependent on his comrades' care.
Cloden learned that snake meat was not bad once tasted. He also ate some kind of white, squishy larva. He realized that if he ate his fill of fruit, he wouldn't be exhausted even after walking nearly a whole day.
Climbing mountains and descending valleys, they walked for about four days.
"Young, you've gotten quite thin."
Even when laughed at like that, the most he could do was weakly retort, "Y-y-you idiot." Cloden was accumulated with fatigue.
During a break at the base of a giant tree, one of his comrades, Aegon, spoke to encourage Cloden.
"Once we get over this climb, it's the end of Ganlord, Carone Village."
"Really?"
"If I said I was lying, you'd probably try to punch me, fuhehe," Hemrik said. "By the way, once we enter Siddim, what should we do?"
"I'll head for Belgau in haste. Aegon and Ludger, please go see how Dint is doing. If Dint has become strange, write the situation in a letter and send it to the opposite bank via arrow-letter from the suspension bridge. Hemrik and Reinhardt, I'm sorry, but please return the way we came and rejoin the others. I'll leave the command of the rangers to Hemrik. If the Kosa people appear, fight while running away, alright?"
"I don't mind that, but," Hemrik made a suspicious face. "Will the young master be alright alone?"
"I'll be fine, now that we've come this far." Cloden took off his pointed hood and looked at the faces of the four men in turn. "I thank you on behalf of Count Dint. I am grateful for your work. Leave the rest to me. I'll surely send troops to Tosha and stop the Kosa army."
Parting with the rangers, Cloden descended into Carone Village looking like a monster that had emerged from the mountains. Asking people, he visited the village chief's house.
"I am Cloden Danforth of Dint. I wish to borrow a horse."
Asking the village chief, whose face was scattered with brown spots, he wrote a promissory note and borrowed a horse.
It seemed to be a good-natured horse, responding to Cloden's clumsy handling.
As he rode the horse west along the highway, he passed an unusual number of people. Groups pulling carts, women holding infants, men with tired faces. Cloden stopped the horse and called out to a man walking in the clothes on his back.
"Where is everyone going?"
"To Carone Village, mas... Master?"
The man tilted his head.
Looking at Cloden's haggard bearded face, he seemed unsure of how to address him.
"Did something happen?"
"Something... it's the Kosa army. You can't, Master! Going any further!" the man suddenly shouted. "The Kosa cavalry have appeared in Famana!"
Famana was a post town along the highway.
"Kosa army? When?"
"Well. The talk is that it was early this morning..."
—It must be a mistake.
He wanted to say that, but human figures continued further down the road. It seemed to be a crowd of people evacuating to Carone Village.
"Sorry for the bother."
Saying so, Cloden spurred the horse again.
The people he passed all looked up at Cloden's face with strange eyes. As he approached Famana, the number of evacuees increased.
It was not a laughing matter; he was far from fulfilling the promise he made with Hemrik and the others—the promise to stop the Kosa army.
—Does this mean I didn't make it in time?
Even so, it was too fast. They are twenty thousand cavalry. Even if they circled the mountains with horses, the foot is covered in forest. Though not as much as the "Dark Forest," the footing is poor. Even if they broke through on horseback, their speed should be limited.
Famana had a small castle, city walls surrounding the town, and city gates.
The gates were open. The townspeople were running out of the gates to escape. Thinking that combat had begun, Cloden found himself letting out a war cry before he knew it. With momentum, he leaped through the city gates into Famana.
Descending a small slope, the first thing that caught his eye was the nakedness of a young girl. Crouching in the road, clutching clothes to hide the front of her body, she was glaring at the surrounding men with a crying face.
Surrounding the naked girl were three men who had hidden their breastplates with cloaks. Cloden knew the emblem on the cloaks well. The Thora family.
"Hey you!" Cloden shouted.
The three men looked at Cloden and gasped.
Likely, seeing Cloden's filthy appearance, they mistook him for a Kosa person.
Taking advantage of the opening, the naked girl ran up the slope.
"What the hell are you doing! Are you soldiers of Dico Thora!"
"Who the hell are you!" a blond soldier said. He looked at Cloden while lifting the visor of his helmet with a finger.
"Cloden of the Dint Danforth family. Hey, what happened to the Kosa people!"
"They're gone. I don't know who you are, but you're getting in the way," a young, thin soldier spat on the road.
"What do you mean, 'they're gone'?"
"They were just staring at the town from afar. When we marched out intending to strike them down, they tucked their tails and ran," the first blond one said.
"The number?"
"Two hundred at most," the third man, who sported a brown mustache, said. "We're searching, but we haven't found them."
"Where the hell did those guys come from?"
"I don't know about that."
Just as the young soldier showed signs of approaching, the door of a nearby private house opened with a sound.
What appeared was a fat soldier. He was carrying a wooden box filled with tableware.
After the fat soldier looked up at Cloden and looked slightly startled, he turned his eyes to the three and said, "This place is no good. It's wretched," before waddling down the slope.
"The Thora family's style is quite refined, isn't it?"
When Cloden spoke, the young soldier spat again. "We're doing what needs to be done."
"What are you talking about?"
"The Royal Army is coming, to Ganlord," the mustachioed man said. "Before they ravage the place, we've got to take what we can get. This is Dico Thora's territory, after all."
The three turned their backs to Cloden all at once and began descending the slope.
—The Royal Army?
Because they saw something that looked like the Kosa army, they sent a messenger to Sedias Thora to call the Royal Army, is that it?
—There's no way the Kosa army would care about a town like this!
Cloden wanted to scream.
He spurred his horse and overtook the three men and the fat soldier from before.
Signs of looting were everywhere in the town. What a bunch of idiots. Stealing supplies is their war preparation, I suppose. Do these guys intend to hole up in the town?
—What's the point of holing up!
Cloden rode straight and left the town through the west gate of Famana.
The Kosa army had entered. Siddim had allowed their invasion.
Were the estimated twenty thousand riders lurking in the forest on the east face of the Dwarf Mountains the reserves?
If so, it could be assumed that the vanguard was of equal number.
Twenty thousand. Twenty thousand cavalry are somewhere in Siddim.
They have already infiltrated somewhere in this country.
If he searched desperately, he might be able to discover those twenty thousand. But who could capture them? They are the fastest-moving army in the world.
Cloden considered going to Maslow, the central city of Ganlord. He wanted to advise Dico Thora that they should support Belgau. However, before that, he might need to confirm if the Kosa army's invasion route was indeed Tosha. There were still reserve cavalry beyond the mountains.
There was no time to hesitate. Cloden chose a completely different path.
No matter where the Kosa cavalry were hiding, he knew their destination.
The Dark Forest. The camp of the Royal Army.
Cloden believed that he was the only one now who could strike a preemptive blow against the enemy.