Chapter 386 - Episode 378: The Battle of Fioluviki Gorge — Decisive Battle ⑦
The battle, which had begun with the Viowulf Kingdom holding the advantage, shifted course due to the strategic ploys of the Ravland Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Arqvist, and had now become a losing fight for the Viowulf Kingdom.
"We advance as well. Let's pinch the enemy and crush them along with Gustav and the others."
Watching the Ravland Kingdom army boldly corner the enemy soldiers and push the battle line forward, Noein judged that now was the time to attack and secure victory.
"""Yes, sir!"""
Yuri, Pence, Matilda, the puppet mages, and their guards responded to Noein's instructions.
The golems, who had been lined up in a semi-circle, changed their formation into a single horizontal line and began to advance. Alain's golem also joined the line, though its footsteps were somewhat unsteady after losing one arm.
The golems robustly filled the center of the battle line, which had become thin as the Ravland Kingdom soldiers spread out horizontally.
When facing a crowd of infantry that could no longer fight in an organized manner, the golems exhibited a strength that could almost be called invincible. Like a knife slicing through cheese, they shaved away the enemy soldiers from the front line—those who were flustered, fleeing in panic, colliding with one another, and so disordered in their ranks that they could not even move properly.
On the opposite side of Noein and his group, the separate detachment led by Gustav was also fully intact and was whittling down the Viowulf Kingdom's forces.
To compensate for their numerical inferiority, they arranged their golems in a slight outward semi-circle, dealing attacks with magic items to any enemies attempting to flank them.
The rear-guard mages and archers, who had never for a moment imagined they would stand at the forefront of an enemy attack, were utterly powerless against the approaching swarm of golems. Arrows had no effect on the golems, and they had no time to concentrate their magical power. Almost none of them attempted to fight. Like small fish chased by a giant fish, they fled toward the vanguard.
"Don't push! Stop pushing!"
"You idiot! Don't lower your spear!"
"What's happening! What's going on now! Which way is the exit!"
"I heard His Majesty Kaia is dead!"
"General Gaziev too! It's all over!"
"Damn it! Hasn't any order been given!? Where are the nobles in charge of command!?"
The collapse of the Viowulf Kingdom's forces, who had not anticipated a chaotic melee, was so wretched that it would likely be carved into the dark history of the northern continent's military annals.
They pushed against their own allies; sword tips or spear points carelessly lowered by someone struck another; soldiers who had lost sight of the direction they should flee collided head-on. Because soldiers were fleeing from both the front and the rear, some of the soldiers in the middle guard were even crushed to death, pressed from all four directions.
"Damn it! I surrender!"
"Look! I've dropped my weapon! I won't fight anymore!"
"Take me prisoner!"
Some, believing there was no meaning in dying in such a pathetic battle, gave up, dropped their weapons, and knelt with their hands raised.
Some were killed by conscripts who either did not hear the declaration of surrender in the chaos of the battlefield or ignored it, but the regular soldiers did reprimand such actions, and many of those who surrendered were taken alive. The prisoners, which included a fair number of nobles and squires, were important spoils of war that would later be converted into ransoms.
On the other hand, there were still those who fought.
"The flank! Circle around the enemy's flank!"
"Now! Break through!"
The royal guards of the Viowulf Kingdom, who had lost the king they were meant to protect, and capable warriors possessing both skill and courage, ignored both the Ravland Kingdom army and the Grand Duchy of Arqvist's golems in small numbers, successfully circling around and reaching the fortress gate.
If they could destroy the fortress from the inside, they might break the enemy's will to fight and potentially restore the fighting spirit of their allies who remained loyal to the Viowulf Kingdom. Even in this situation, there was still a chance for victory. Those who thought so were greeted by—the dozens of soldiers who had remained inside the fortress.
"!? "
There were approximately thirty infantrymen of the Grand Duchy of Arqvist's army led by Dant, who had finished their duties with the ballistae and had moved to the reserve force protecting the fortress. Along with them were a small number of Ravland Kingdom soldiers who had remained to protect the wounded, doctors, and clergy.
The intruders, who had not imagined that such a concentrated force remained in the fortress, stopped with expressions of being caught off guard. The fact that they immediately formed a semi-circular array and readied their weapons despite their surprise was proof that they were steady-hearted elites.
Facing that array, Dant wore a fearless smile.
"You did well to make it this far. Good work... now, I'll have you die."
Saying this, Dant raised his hand slightly, shifting his gaze slightly above the intruders.
When the intruders looked back in the direction of his gaze, they saw several soldiers of the Grand Duchy's army on the ramparts, exactly above the gate. Holding explosive arrows.
"What!? Hey, wai—"
They were not waited for.
Several pots thrown into the midst of the intruders shattered with a pleasant sound upon hitting the ground or the heads of unlucky individuals. Simultaneously, the magic circuits reacted and fire was born, igniting the oil that filled the pots. The splashing oil became masses of flame, burning the surrounding human bodies.
"Gyaaaaah!"
"Aaaah, it's hottttt!"
A few were turned into human torches, and an even larger number rolled around while their arms and legs burned.
Those who leaped out of the formation in a panic to escape the flames had their unguarded movements exploited and were stabbed or slashed to death by the soldiers surrounding them.
"Damn it! For the revenge of His Majesty Kaia!"
One royal guard, the bravest among the intruders, charged straight forward while swinging his sword, attempting to give the enemy one last taste of his strength even in this situation. While one of his legs was burning.
However, he was outnumbered. Before he could reach Dant, whom he had targeted as his prey, one of his legs was sliced by the tip of a spear thrust from the side, and he fell forward.
"Long live the Viowulf Kingdo—gugyah!"
The fallen royal guard managed to leave his final words before Dant's heavy slash came crashing down from directly above, splitting his head like a piece of fruit.
"...Hmph."
Looking down at the corpse overflowing with flesh, blood, and brain matter, Dant snorted with a cold expression.
.....
Dozens of minutes after the main camp had been annihilated by a surprise attack that should not have happened. Cadne, Yvette, and the Guard soldiers were fleeing north along the highway.
That said, their marching speed was currently slow. This was because the horse Cadne rode could not continue to run long distances no matter what.
Although the muscles in both legs had wasted away, Cadne was an adult male. Yvette, who rode with Cadne, was tall for a woman and somewhat trained, so her weight was slightly heavier than average. The horse carrying the two exhausted its stamina quickly.
They exchanged the horse they were riding with the horses of the Guard soldiers several times along the way, but it was like pouring water on hot stones. In the first place, the horses the soldiers rode were also tired from carrying sturdy men at high speed. The time taken to change horses versus the time lost by continuing to run. It was already doubtful whether there was any effective difference.
"Captain! Enemy pursuers!"
Just as they had begun to move north again after several horse exchanges, one of the Guard soldiers shouted.
When the captain immediately looked back, he could indeed see a cavalry unit riding growth lizards approaching from the south, beyond the road that curved to avoid the forest.
"Damn it! We can't escape at this rate!"
"Aah! The enemy, the enemy is here...!"
The captain cursed, and beside him, Cadne, who had looked back, grew flustered.
The presence of the forest and the curve had been unfortunate. By the time Cadne and the others noticed, the enemy had approached closer than expected.
The enemy were riding growth lizards, which had more endurance than horses. It was said that the growth lizards bred by the Ravland Kingdom were of particularly high quality, so no matter how desperately they fled on their exhausted horses, they would soon be caught. The surroundings were open with no proper obstacles, so they were in a situation where they were fully visible to the enemy, and there was nowhere to hide even if they diverted from the road now.
In this desperate situation, the captain of the Guard made a decision.
"Your Majesty! Please flee! We will buy time here!"
Their side consisted of six riders on tired horses, while the enemy had twenty riders on high-quality growth lizards. There was no chance of victory. It would be a suicidal charge. The time they could buy was limited. It would likely not be enough to save Cadne.
Still, to keep their lord alive for even one second longer, to increase the slim possibility of their lord's escape by even a little, they would hold them back. That was the captain's decision.
The Guard soldiers who were told this showed not a hint of agitation. Their expressions spoke that this was the natural course of things.
"B-but, with that number of enemies..."
"There is no more time! Regrettably, it will not be possible for us to defeat the enemy. Please forgive our helplessness. And please, flee even one step further!"
"...I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry."
Cadne left those words behind and ordered Yvette, who was handling the horse, to move forward.
The horse, leaking fatigue, began to walk with very slow steps, carrying Cadne and Yvette.
The captain and soldiers, who watched their backs for a short while, turned back toward the rear, where the Ravland Kingdom's cavalry unit was approaching.
"Everyone, raise your swords! Show them the resolve of the Royal Guard!"
Along with the captain's loud voice, the soldiers lined up and drew their swords. A mere six members of the Guard—a Guard composed entirely of beastmen—would intercept the approaching enemy unit.
They were originally people who occupied the bottom of society in the Lancel Kingdom.
Disposable soldiers kept by mercenary groups. Or slave soldiers attached to the military. Or gladiator slaves who fought as spectacles. Those in such positions were discovered by Cadne, who was then the third prince, and were picked up as Cadne's private soldiers.
Cadne, who was pure in his ambition and desire for recognition, held values that were alien for a noble of the Lancel Kingdom, where persecution of beastmen was severe, and he kept capable and loyal people by his side regardless of status or race. While this was the result of seeking a force that would absolutely not betray him, he still gave appropriate treatment and affection to those he kept close.
These six were the same. Known for being reasonably brave and daring in their respective former places, they became Cadne's private soldiers, and at the same time Cadne obtained the throne, they were placed in the Royal Guard.
Of course, amidst the balance with the military cliques of the nobility, they as beastmen were not completely equal to the other Guard soldiers. They were sometimes assigned dirty work. Due to the politics of the nobility, they could not accompany Cadne on his personal expeditions.
Still, Cadne's personal treatment of them did not change. He promised them that once he obtained absolute power, he would make them all equal to, or even greater than, the other Guard soldiers. He promised to create a society where one could obtain an appropriate position regardless of race or origin, provided they were capable and loyal.
That was why they followed him even when Cadne was driven out of the Lancel Kingdom. It was not just the Guard. Almost everyone who chose the path of flight with Cadne at that time were people picked up by Cadne from the bottom of society.
They crossed to the northern continent with Cadne and lived these past few years with him. To repay the kindness given by Cadne, and to make Cadne's ambition a reality once more.
And now, they were about to die for Cadne.
"...Ah, it's a good thing. To be able to die for the King, rather than as a spectacle."
The one who muttered this was a bovine beastman soldier who had once been a gladiator slave.
"True. We aren't dying as disposable pawns on a battlefield because a master ordered it. We are dying for our lord of our own will. There is no greater honor."
A canine beastman soldier, who had once been a slave soldier, responded. The others also agreed, nodding and speaking one after another.
"We, who lived being treated like trash, will die as Guard soldiers protecting the King of the Lancel Kingdom. What a luxurious end."
The tiger beastman captain also muttered deeply.
In the history of later generations, it might not be said that Cadne was a good king. He was sometimes cold, and sometimes cruel. And he was defeated both in the war with the Lordberg Kingdom and in the internal power struggles.
Still, Cadne had picked them up. He had made them the Guard of the kingdom, the Guard of the royal family. Thanks to him, they as beastmen were able to live as a proud Guard.
They were certainly the Guard serving the king.
"Let's go! Everyone, advance!"
Following the captain's signal, all six advanced.
Unluckily, the terrain was a gentle slope. The enemy would gain momentum by descending the slope, while they would charge with little momentum as they ascended the slope on tired horses.
Still, the six advanced.
"Do not fear! Hold your heads high! Savor the happiness of falling to protect your lord! We are the Guard until the end!"
"That's right!"
"We are the Guard!"
"Even now, we are the Royal Guard!"
"For His Majesty Cadne!"
"Glory to His Majesty and the Lancel Kingdom!"
While performing a fragile mounted charge, the six shouted.
"We are His Majesty Cadne's Guard until the end! Until the end! Until the en—"
Their shouting voices were swallowed and vanished by the merciless destructive power of the twenty growth lizards.