Chapter 268 - Episode 261: Admiration
"We've been had. I had no idea golems could be used in such a manner... and to have gathered such skilled operators, even for the enemy, is formidable."
Irene muttered regretfully as she watched the rampage of the golems that had emerged from among the iron plates lined up in the enemy's front row.
The Republic of Betumia naturally had puppet mages, but few ever stepped onto a battlefield. Most of them performed simple labor such as carrying luggage, or lived like entertainers, manipulating small dolls to perform plays.
To freely manipulate golems larger than humans was outside the common knowledge of puppet mages as Irene knew them, and for nearly twenty such experts to be gathered was extraordinary. There was no way this could have been predicted in advance.
"A frontal assault alone is not enough. Have them attack from the flanks! One legion at a time, move around to the hills on both sides!"
Irene's instructions were relayed, and units of about 1,000 men each broke away from the center of the infantry force and deployed to the left and right. To strike the flank of the Lordberg Kingdom army's formation, they pushed into the forest-covered hills.
Noein and the others watched this from the headquarters of the Lordberg Kingdom's Western Army.
"They intend to launch a flank attack... well, I would do the same if I were the enemy general."
"It's time for the units hidden in the hills to make their move. Conrad, tell Radley and the others. The enemy is trying to circle around through the hills."
"Understood!"
Told by Noein, Conrad connected the 'Far-Talk' and relayed the information to Radley and his men, who were preparing for the enemy attack from the hills.
...
"...Understood. Leave this side to us."
Having received Noein's instructions via 'Far-Talk' from Conrad at headquarters, Radley responded briefly and looked toward the person beside him.
"It seems the enemy is finally attacking here as well, Baronet Adrau-kakka."
"I see. It seems it's finally our turn."
The one smiling fearlessly was Baronet Bellad Adrau, who, when the conflict between the Northwestern faction and the Southwestern faction occurred in the Baron Wikander territory, had fought against Noein and the others as one of the commanders for the Southwestern side.
Though he had been Noein's enemy at the time, Baronet Adrau was now the captain of the defense force guarding the hill to the left from the perspective of the Western Army headquarters. The opponent he had once engaged in skirmishes with was, in this battle, Radley's direct superior.
Radley himself led a hundred-man unit consisting of his own subordinates from the Arqvist territory army and soldiers from other territories. This Radley unit, the unit led by Baronet Adrau, the sniping unit including Rick and others, and a portion of the archers—totaling about 300 men—guarded this hill. A unit of similar scale was deployed on the opposite hill.
"...They've come into view. Listen up, you lot! If we let the enemy soldiers escape, our allies' flanks will be pierced! Do not let the enemy through, even if you die!"
Baronet Adrau shouted an exhortation to the defense force in a voice so loud it felt as if it echoed across the entire hill.
"Radley! I do not like Viscount Arqvist, but I do not dislike a reckless warrior like you! I have high expectations!"
"...Yeah, thanks."
While thinking to himself that this was a pain, Radley answered thus. Along with Count Marcel, he was aware that he had a tendency to be overly liked by martial men, but for Radley, it wasn't particularly pleasing. He simply fought according to his lord's orders.
"They're coming, get ready!"
The Betumia soldiers could be seen climbing the hill, where the footing was poor and covered in trees. At that, Baronet Adrau raised his voice, and the soldiers readied their spears, swords, and battle-axes. Radley also readied his favorite spear without a single opening.
Their pace was slow, and though the enemy soldiers were likely several times their number—before they could reach Radley and the others, they were struck by arrows from four directions and fell one after another.
"W-what is this!?"
"Where are they firing from!"
"An ambush! In the thickets, in the trees... they're everywhere!"
Those who struck the enemy by surprise were the archers hidden throughout the forest covering the hill, and the elite units of the Arqvist territory army equipped with sniping Crossbows.
"............Hmph."
Rick, one of them, wrapped in a cloak with camouflage that blended into the forest, let out a short breath atop a thick branch of a large tree and pulled the trigger of his Crossbow.
Since the Crossbow could not fire at a downward angle, he aimed for enemy soldiers slightly further away, where he could aim in a form close to a horizontal shot. The scatter-shot arrow fired from Rick's Crossbow spread as it flew, simultaneously piercing two enemy soldiers who were guarding the perimeter back-to-back.
With little time spent confirming the result, Rick used all his strength to pull the string of the Crossbow and dipped the tip of a scatter-shot arrow into a small vial containing 'Angel's Honey'. He loaded it onto the Crossbow and searched for his next prey.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Baronet Adrau and Radley's units launched an attack, not missing the chance while the enemy was intimidated by the surprise attack of bows and Crossbows.
"The enemies felled by arrows can't move anyway! Ignore them and attack the ones still standing! Try not to kill them if possible!"
Baronet Adrau, who had personally experienced attacks using diluted 'Angel's Honey' and scatter-shot arrows in the past, shouted these instructions to the surrounding soldiers while swinging his own sword.
The slash unleashed from an arm strengthened by physical magic struck and broke the sword of an enemy soldier who tried to block it, slicing off the arm beyond.
Next, the Baronet effortlessly dodged a halberd swung down by another enemy—a large beastman soldier—grabbed the shaft, and threw the enemy away along with the weapon. He displayed a magnificent performance, truly like a demon god.
"The enemy has the numbers, so don't stray from your squadmates. Defeat them in coordination."
While speaking plainly in a voice that carried well, Radley fought in formation with his trusted subordinates, with whom he had performed patrol duties in the Arqvist territory.
In groups of ten, they ensured that no more than five enemies clashed with them at once. They repeated the procedure where half the unit blocked the enemy's attack while the others inflicted wounds from the flank or rear.
The flank attack unit of the Republic of Betumia army, which should have had the numerical advantage, struggled against the opponent's tactics of relentlessly targeting hands and feet, all while fearing arrows that might fly from anywhere at any time, and were neutralized one after another.
Eventually, the attrition rate exceeded thirty percent, and upon the legion commander's judgment that there was no prospect of breaking through the hill, the Betumia soldiers began to retreat.
"No need for pursuit! Instead, take care of the neutralized enemy soldiers!"
"Stop the bleeding for the heavily wounded. For those who weren't hit by arrows, make sure they all get a good dose of 'Angel's Honey'."
Once the battle ended, it was time for the "rescue" of the enemy. Baronet Adrau, Radley, and the others, while providing first aid to the wounded enemies, used knives coated in 'Angel's Honey' to slash their limbs and paralyze them.
...
"You incompetent fools! You entered the hill with a whole legion and come crawling back in retreat!? I shall punish the legion commander later!"
Irene screamed as she watched the flank attack unit, which should have charged into the forest-covered hill, show a pathetic retreat that could be called a rout.
"However, Excellency, the momentum at the front is balanced. If we continue to attack like this, it is only a matter of time before the enemy's strength is exhausted."
As the adjutant stated, their infantry units were engaged in a back-and-forth struggle with the enemy's golems, Crossbow units, and infantry units. Since the front lines were equal, it meant that the Lordberg Kingdom side, which was overwhelmingly disadvantaged in numbers, would run out of strength first.
"I know. I didn't think it would become such a pathetic fight, but as long as we win in the end, that is enough. We shall crush the enemy today... Wh-hey!? Where did those cavalry come from!?"
When Irene looked toward the front right, a cavalry unit, presumably the enemy, was approaching from a blind spot of the hill. Their number was approximately 300.
If the enemy had moved cavalry by bypassing the entire hill, it would be strange if reports of the enemy's approach weren't relayed by the scouts deployed throughout the battlefield before they were sighted. The absence of such reports meant the enemy had likely passed through the middle of the hill to launch an attack on their flank.
However, if such a path were maintained within the hill, there was no way the scouts wouldn't have discovered it in advance. It was unknown by what means 300 cavalry had passed through the unstable terrain of the hill.
There was no way infantry or archer units could withstand hundreds of cavalry charging full speed into their flank from an unexpected position. The enemy cavalry unit was not a vast army, but it possessed a destructive power sufficient to be a decisive blow on this battlefield.
"This is bad! Have the flank units form ranks and stop those cavalry!"
"Excellency, it is too late to relay orders now!"
The 300-strong cavalry unit kicked aside the survivors of the unit retreating from the hill like trash, and crashed into the flank of the infantry and archer units who were preoccupied with the struggle against the golems and Crossbowmen. Having allowed the enemy to trample the very center of their formation, the Betumia soldiers collapsed in total disorder.