Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Master of the Land
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"Their scouting wyverns came near Gadein Castle just moments ago and then turned back."
"Is that so?"
"What are your orders?"
The territory's most powerful forces were concentrated at Gadein Castle.
Three thousand archers and dwarf-forged wyvern-slaying crossbows.
And three thousand cavalry units, meticulously trained with care, awaited my command.
"What of the enemy's supply lines?"
"As expected, they can't keep up with the rapid advance and have fallen to the rear. They're about a day behind the regular infantry."
"In your view, how is their discipline?"
"It's a mess. If we can just break through their center once with force, they'll all scatter and run."
Sedlian, who had accurately assessed the Habis Kingdom's army.
"It'll start soon. Order the Sky Knights to stand by."
"Understood!!"
Without a single battle, they had raced all the way to Gadein Castle, a day's distance from the one Lukens Viscount had used.
For the first two days, they maintained some formation, but with no resistance, arrogance set in—they rushed ahead, one after another, and their lines collapsed.
I rose smoothly from my seat.
Clatter, clatter.
The fierce wind battered the windows.
The slowly fading sunset merged with the winter's biting gale, Kazofrne.
It crashed against the windows like a somber dirge.
The time has come, it whispered.
Unleash the deep-buried rage.
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Whiiiiiing.
"Ugh, it's cold."
"Damn it, starting a war on a day like this."
"Shh! Quiet down. If the knights hear you, you're done for."
The rear supply train of the Neruman Subjugation Army.
From Habis Kingdom to Neruman's capital Denfos, it was just a few days on horseback or less than ten on foot, so supplies weren't all that abundant.
Since it was a war waged with victory in mind anyway, they only had rations for about ten days.
"But it looks like the Neruman bastards are planning to defend from the castle."
"With the weather turning colder, they probably hope we'll turn back on our own."
"Sigh, they're no different from us. What a pointless mess this is."
Even among the territory's forces, the elite troops had advanced more than a day ahead with the knights.
Thus, those left in the rear were merely around three thousand peasant conscripts from the territory.
There were a dozen or so wyverns and a few dozen knights remaining, but they were aged wyverns and knights of inferior skill.
So on this frigid day, they had already retreated to their tents to guzzle liquor or sleep.
"The sky sure is relentlessly clear."
"Yeah. Looks like snow's coming soon."
Two soldiers on sentry duty blinked up at the sky.
"Huh?"
"W-What's that... over there??"
At that moment, several dots approaching from the clear sky in the distance.
"Wyverns!!"
"Uwaaaaaah! Enemy wyverns!!"
"Alert! Alert!!!"
Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!
The frantic clamor of the alarm bells.
"What's that!? Wyverns appeared, and you're making such a fuss!?"
"Damn fools, wyverns at this hour... what the hell..."
Boom!!!
Kweeeeeeeck!
Thud-thud-thud.
The drunken Sky Knights, who had been sleeping in tents near their own wyverns, jolted awake.
The wyverns, which had been peacefully sleeping with heads bowed until moments ago, now had their skulls shattered, their bodies pierced deep by blessed spears, leaving them dumbfounded.
"Uwaaaaaaaaah!"
"E-Enemy!!!!!!!!"
Screams burst out unbidden.
Kwaaaaaang!
Swooooosh.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
Suddenly, crimson thunderbolts rained down from the sky.
Roooarrrrrr.
Enormous fireballs crashed onto the hay for the horses and the soldiers' rations, engulfing the supply train in a sea of flames.
Krooooaaaaar!
Then, a thunderous wyvern roar that shook heaven and earth.
Flash.
Under the sharply honed winter moonlight gleamed a black wyvern striped with gold.
It flapped its long wings and vanished into the deep sky as if nothing had happened.
With five golden wyverns trailing behind.
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"An ambush? All the supplies burned to ash?"
"Y-Yes. Enemy wyverns appeared just now and launched a surprise attack."
"What the hell were you doing!? I ordered constant patrol flights!"
"..."
The morale of an army is greatly affected by the first battle.
Especially the loss of supplies was enough to instill anxiety in the common soldiers.
"Damn it..."
I could guess the situation without seeing it.
The nobles and knights, unopposed on the way here, had let arrogance invite disaster.
"What are your orders?"
"Orders? Scrape together every last supply and bring it here. Once we take that castle ahead, supplies won't be an issue anyway."
"Understood, Your Excellency."
"Oh! And make damn sure the night patrols are thorough! If they get caught looking stupid again, I'll punish them by military law regardless of rank!"
"Yes, sir!"
Late at night, when all the nobles were asleep, the chief knight received Duke Hanskain's orders.
'No reliable bastards anywhere. No wonder the kingdom's in such a state. Tsk tsk.'
Even as a Habis noble himself, Hanskain clicked his tongue at the indolent nobles.
"Yawn..."
To prepare for tomorrow's battle, he needed deep sleep, so he headed to his bed laid with plush magical beast hide.
He pulled the covers over and closed his eyes.
Ding-ding-ding-ding!
Just as sleep was about to claim him, the warning bells rang out wildly.
"T-The enemy!"
"Wyverns are here!"
"Alert! Alert!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The soldiers' desperate shouts echoed.
"W-What!!!!!!"
Duke Hanskain bolted upright from his bed.
Kwaaaaaang!
A massive explosion that shook the ground.
Boom-boom-boom-boom.
Followed by continuous blasts.
Tadak.
The duke rushed out of his command tent unthinkingly.
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
An enormous laugh laced with mana rang in his ears.
"T-That!!!"
He saw it.
Six wyverns leisurely crossing over the kingdom army under the blue moonlight.
At the lead, an exceptionally large black variant wyvern.
"Welcome all, to my land."
The cold, chilling voice.
It rang clearly in every ear.
And everyone shuddered.
The killing intent in that voice carried a chill colder than the winter wind.
"K-Kaiyer..."
The words slipped unbidden from Duke Hanskain's lips.
That name was Kaiyer.
The master of the very land he now stood upon.
Count Kaiyer de Neruman.
Standing proudly atop his wyvern, mantle billowing, he vanished into the distance.
Implanting thick dread of death in those uninvited to his land.