Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: The Battle Begins
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"WHO THE HELL SAID TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF WYVERNS ON PATROL!"
Early morning in the command tent of the Habis Kingdom's subjugation army.
Duke Hanskain, who had spent the night wide awake from the shock of the previous evening, bellowed.
He had clearly ordered more than forty wyverns on rotation for aerial reconnaissance of the surrounding skies.
Yet, that defensive net had been pierced by Kayer and his Sky Knights, who had launched magic attacks before leisurely vanishing.
Upon investigation, it turned out there had only been a mere twenty wyverns on patrol the night before.
And even those had encountered a group of wyverns, giving chase and leaving the skies over the subjugation army completely empty.
"..."
But not a single person stepped forward to take responsibility.
These were nobles who had mostly joined voluntarily, not under direct royal command as the supreme commander.
There was no sense of accountability.
They believed in their overwhelming superiority and thought only of victory.
"Your Excellency, please calm your anger. In the end, won't smashing the rats in that tiny castle be enough? They've surely gotten the message by now."
Marquis Chakres, the highest-ranking noble after Duke Hanskain in this subjugation army, interjected.
"Hmm..."
'Damn fools. Do they think this is a game?'
The nobles showed not a shred of tension.
True to their rotten, spineless nature as nobles of the kingdom, they had shown up to the morning meeting fully decked out in finery.
Moreover, Hanskain knew that some of these noble scum couldn't hold back and had disguised women as soldiers to bring them along.
"Very well. But from today onward, you must follow my direct orders. Even if our forces hold an absolute advantage, remember that this is enemy territory."
Hanskain knew berating the nobles would only hurt feelings, so he swallowed his rage.
"..."
Yet the nobles openly displayed their displeasure at being ordered around and shouted at first thing in the morning.
No one responded.
'The moment we're annexed by the Empire, few of you bastards will survive!'
Hanskain ground his teeth inwardly.
"Then let us hold a strategy meeting regarding today's battle. According to intelligence, Gadein Castle blocking our path is one of the few ramshackle fortresses on the Neruman Plains. We've confirmed around 3,000 archer-like soldiers and a unit of cavalry there. We've also identified about fifteen wyverns protecting the castle."
"So that local lord Kayer who rampaged last evening is there?"
"Probably."
"Let's attack at once! Thinking about how he kept me up all night..."
"What's the point of a strategy meeting? No matter how much he flails about, overwhelming him with numbers will do the trick."
"Exactly. It's just a dilapidated castle. A few aerial bombings and they'll raise the white flag and surrender on their own."
The nobles frothed at the mouth, clamoring for attack in response to Hanskain's words.
In matters of spoils distribution, first come, first served—so they pushed for assault.
'Shitheads full of crap in their skulls.'
Even Hanskain found these nobles utterly pathetic.
He swallowed the curse rising in his throat and bit his lip lightly.
Overwhelming force rendered tactics meaningless, but there was still a proper sequence to follow.
"No."
Duke Hanskain's cold voice rang through the meeting hall.
"What do you mean? With this force disparity, even wyverns alone would be more than enough."
"Indeed. If we move with the infantry, they might escape."
Among the spoils, wyverns and Sky Knight gear fetched the highest prices.
Greed blinded the nobles; they saw nothing else.
"Everyone, prepare for deployment. We'll move right after the infantry sets out."
But instead of an attack order, Hanskain issued only a movement order.
"......"
Instead of a resounding "Yes, sir!", the nobles replied with silence.
A battle had already erupted among them, invisible and before the real fight even began.
No one cared what the enemy might be preparing.
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"They should be moving soon."
About twenty kilometers away.
A half-day march for regular infantry, but a short flight for wyvern riders.
"Are preparations perfect?"
"As you commanded, my lord, we've handled it thoroughly. They'll taste hell here."
Sedlian, who had risen from mercenary captain to key commander of the territory.
Reliable as ever.
"Contact Raider. Have him lead his forces to seal the border."
"Yes, sir!"
No need for a prolonged battle.
By now, a storm of blood was likely raging in Habis Kingdom as well.
One decisive clash would settle everything.
'Using the Neruman Highway, we can reach the border in less than half a day.'
Some defenders from Orak Castle had been reassigned to Denfos defenses, and about 3,000 soldiers from Denfos had been sent to the cement production outpost at the start of the Neruman Highway.
They had been transported swiftly using modified wagons.
The moment orders arrived, those soldiers would seal the border.
Riding modified wagons along the Neruman Highway, even 3,000 troops could reach the border in about half a day.
"My lord! Enemy wyverns have taken off, report confirms!"
In the spacious meeting hall of Gadein Castle.
It seemed Viscount Lukens had put great care into it; it proved quite useful.
A knight entered the hall to report that the enemy wyverns had launched.
'One shot to send them straight to hell. Or else... I'm done for.'
The trump card that would decide this war's outcome.
Failure meant utter ruin.
"Everyone, prepare."
"Yes, sir!"
The dozen or so key knights gathered in the hall shouted in unison.
'I wonder if Rosiatte can wrap things up properly.'
A faint worry about the Habis Kingdom situation.
They couldn't eliminate all 200 wyverns.
Most would likely survive and flee.
If Rosiatte failed to seize Habis Kingdom amid that chaos, this war would be only half-victorious.
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"H-Halt!"
A group of cavalry charged relentlessly.
The knights and soldiers blocking the castle gate beyond the moat jumped in alarm.
"Th-The enemy! Everyone, battle st—Gahk!"
In Duke Hanskain's territory, half a day's ride from Habis Castle.
With most Sky Knights, knights, and 5,000 elite territory troops away on the subjugation army, only about 1,000 soldiers remained in the ducal castle.
Mostly old, sick, or low-combat rabble.
Toward this ducal castle defended by such soldiers charged fifty-odd cavalry.
Leading with the royal banner embroidered with five spears and shields, they faced no real obstruction.
Royal Guard Knights occasionally visited the ducal castle like this, so the soldiers stared blankly at the knights.
But then the knights slaughtered the gate-blocking knights and soldiers, charging through.
"Enemy!! Everyone, prepare for battle!!!!!!"
A knight atop the walls shouted in panic.
Thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud!
And in the distance, 1,000 cavalry appeared, charging forward.
Kicking up clouds of dust, they barreled toward Duke Hanskain's castle, which dominated Habis Kingdom.
Rooaaarrrrrr!
Kieeeek!
That wasn't all.
Before the startled soldiers could recover, dozens of wyverns closed in instantly.
Swoooosh.
They menacingly skimmed over the heads of soldiers on the walls before flying off.
"Surrender, all of you! This is the command of His Majestic Majesty the King! We are here to arrest the traitor Duke Hanskain and his entire family! From this moment, all who resist will be punished for treason! Lay down your arms and obey the royal command!!!!!!!!!!"
The thunderous voice, infused with mana, from a Guard Knight in a red cloak.
The knights' and soldiers' faces drained of color.
Treason—something they had never even considered.
If they resisted with weapons in hand, their entire families would be executed.
Clang.
Ching.
"What are you doing?! Pick up your weapons and fight! Do you think your lord will let you live when he returns?!!!!!!!"
One soldier dropped his weapon, and frightened soldiers hurriedly followed suit.
But the knights screamed, urging them to fight.
Swoosh.
Thud!
That was the end of it.
A Blessed Spear pierced the heart of the shrieking knight on the wall, embedding deeply into the stone.
Clang clatter clang.
Terrified by the knight's gruesome corpse, the soldiers hastily discarded their weapons.
A royal command they had never heard before.
Unfamiliar, yet its weight was anything but light.
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"The moment the subjugation army attacks Gadein Castle, the castle knights will bypass and strike Denfos."
"We obey."
Daterian, risen from castle knight to key priest in the order.
He quietly issued the command to the assembled main castle knights in the large tent.
"Our mission this time is to guide the priestess Armis, beloved by the gods' faithful, into the temple's embrace. Nothing takes precedence."
A special order from the High Priest.
Rescue the priestess called Armis and bring her before the High Priest.
Any who interfere were followers of evil gods obstructing Lord Neran's sacred work—kill them all, regardless of rank.
"In the name of the gods..."
The castle knights bowed, making the sign of the faith at Daterian's resolute words.
Ten or so order-affiliated Sky Knights who had joined a few days prior stood with them.
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Hiiiing.
Crunch crunch.
"Eat up, our cute little one."
A Sky Knight gazed fondly at a wyvern happily devouring the innards of a live horse, yanked out with its sharp beak. The horse's pitiful screams were brief.
Hiiing! Hiiiing!
Not just one or two.
Hungry wyverns devoured not only transport horses but also the cavalry mounts.
For wyverns that consumed two pigs a day, hunger was unimaginable torment.
'Damn it...'
Duke Hanskain grimaced at the screams and metallic stench of blood from all sides.
When supply unit fodder for the wyverns cut off, the starving beasts went berserk.
Moreover, due to his own orders to move with the infantry all at once, he couldn't stop them.
'Amazing that all those monsters are gone.'
Years ago, Hanskain had flown to Denfos by chance and was astonished at how Neruman had changed.
Monsters that seemed impossible for humans to clear were nowhere to be seen.
'Just clean up the castle.'
The weather was chilly, but the march across flat terrain was remarkably swift.
Gadein Castle, their goal, was just ahead.
They could fight immediately, but wary of nighttime tricks, he planned a full assault at dawn tomorrow.
"Wh-What?!"
As he gazed leisurely toward Gadein Castle across the plains, a sudden scene caught his eye.
Kuuueeeek!
Kieeeek!
"Enemy wyverns!!"
"All wyverns, take off!"
Wyverns patrolled in formations of a dozen or a few over the infantry.
Then, the lead wyverns let out mournful cries and plummeted.
Boom!
A magic storm exploded in midair.
As if wind magic had unfolded, a brief blue flash lit up, followed by thunderous roar shaking the earth.
Rooooaaaarrr!!
"Ka-Kayer!"
Even from afar, unmistakable: a wyvern with black scales and golden stripes.
It roared powerfully, turned its head, and vanished.
"Catch him!! Seize that bastard!!!!!!"
Flap, flap, flap flap!
Kiooooh!
No time to stop them.
Sated wyverns flapped wings en masse, kicking up dust over the soldiers as they launched.
The patrolling wyverns chased after Kayer without orders.
'Dangerous!'
An ominous premonition flashed through Duke Hanskain's mind as he stared blankly.
Kayer's solo provocation—not in formation—had enraged the Sky Knights.
Briefly glimpsed, his Blessed Spear range and magic attack power chilled the blood.
Even now, spears flew at the fleeing figure, but from harmless distance.
Swoooosh.
Yet dozens of excited wyverns and Sky Knights pursued Kayer.
"Entire army, double time advance!"
With things as they were, Hanskain decided to lead the soldiers in attack.
He hurriedly issued the march order.
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'Heh...'
Wyverns stupidly flying along, struck by consecutive spears and crashing.
'The new spears pack a punch.'
New-model Blessed Spears, range exponentially increased proportional to user's mana.
Even over three kilometers, full power.
'Idiots.'
He gently urged Bebeto, luring them.
Their flight formation alone screamed poor discipline.
Easily provoked, dozens of wyverns cluelessly gave chase.
Swoooooosh.
Bebeto, like its master, relished the tension.
Wings supported by taut muscles fully relaxed, slicing the wind.
At least thirty enemies trailed like a tail.