Nobody Welcomes Summer's Fever (7)
Suddenly, masters of stealth burst from the forest, charging toward the knights in their shocking naked forms. Of course, as I mentioned earlier, their armament was pathetically sparse—just a single shield and a single weapon. There wasn't much heavy infantry like our knights could do against such lightly equipped foes.
The knights' greatest weapon was their charge, the unity of man and horse, and their heavy armor and mounts weren't going anywhere. No matter how much mana the elves poured into their blades, they couldn't slice through knightly plate in a single stroke. Only someone like Lady Erna could manage that.
So the real threat was the other forces joining from behind while these naked warriors bought time. Soon enough, the Neustria duke's standard cavalry arrived. The plan was to stall with agile naked infantry, then envelop the knights with the light cavalry reinforcements.
That left me with two options: pull back the knights to regroup, or commit the infantry and push the line harder. Naturally, I chose to advance. There was no reason to let the enemy reform their lines.
"Advance. Relay the order: all units stay within ten paces of their banners and maintain formation."
The flames had swept through once, reducing some parts to ash, but the branches and trunks were still intact. Moving sloppily risked breaking formation. My goal was to minimize that while driving off the elves desperate to avoid close combat.
It was all meant to flush them out of hiding anyway.
Soon, my front line pushed forward on command, and the elves—who had barely started to regroup—scattered in panic. This lured the enemy's main force, still reeling from the forest fire and unable to properly form ranks, straight into my trap.
The Neustria infantry, having barely escaped the blaze, slammed into my unit in disjointed waves.
"Trample them!!"
Between the charred forest and the still-intact woods, amid scattered embers and choking smoke, our two armies clashed head-on.
Krunch, crack...!!
Weapons collided. Unlike the pure elves, the Neustria half-elf and human infantry—armed with wooden shields—stood against our glowing shield-bearers. The rightmost enemy unit charged first, equipped with typical elven curved swords and shields, but their center formed a phalanx with polearms like the bill—long enough to check cavalry effectively, yet more versatile than pikes for infantry work. They could slash down or thrust, giving them an edge in melee that my own halberdiers would have to reckon with.
If not for their fatal flaw: rushing in disorganized to support their allies without proper formation.
"Gahk...!"
"Push! Just keep shoving!"
"Protect Her Highness! You wanna end up as some golden-eared elf's concubine?!"
"Wooooaaah!!"
I didn't know what settings they'd been given, but the soldiers' attitudes in this mock battle felt more aggressive and hostile than usual.
If this is morale, then it's morale, I guess...
Meanwhile, the Neustria line teetered on the brink, barely holding. Our empire infantry favored thrusting swords for massed combat, while theirs swung their curved blades bravely. Their skill alone couldn't turn the tide, but elite warriors darting among them stabilized the wavering front—helmets mimicking elven heads with wing-like crests, mid-weight human armor etched with elven runes. These were the select guard who supplemented their prowess with elven magic: the Oathsworn.
Strong as they were, with us holding the advantage, they'd only force more sacrifices from our side...
While the infantry lines brawled, I redirected my reserve infantry—previously held back—to relieve the cavalry pinned by the naked warriors. Neustria's light cavalry had arrived to support them, but my timely rescue broke the encirclement, letting us press their elf-human hybrids across the entire front.
Without surprises, victory would have been straightforward. But this was a 2v2 team battle. The princess and the other enemy were still facing off without engaging, their attention on our front. And as our allies faltered, the enemy stirred.
The princess's hard-won comms crackled with static, then cut out. No response to my replies. Soon, it filled with meaningless noise.
Are they jamming it...?
Before I could dwell, an urgent signal came from my right-wing cavalry. Elves had flanked them unseen, raining arrows on their rear. New elven light cavalry exploited the gap, overwhelming our knights.
*
The enemy's command was more flashy than expected. Watching it, Hewerin Gruffard couldn't help but be impressed.
A guy with no real combat experience...
Of course, his opponent—Ludwig von Dennis, third son of the Neustria duke—lacked field experience too. But Ludwig claimed strong academy results and high peer regard. He rated only three peers his equal: Princess Charlotte Laura von Ahenmetis, commoner Johann Beltstein, and Baron Werner von Hebel over there.
He'd boasted their skill gaps were narrow enough to overcome.
But what Hewerin saw differed. Whoever faced Ludwig now overwhelmed him.
Not prepped with intel. Not empire tactics specialist. Hasn't studied elven warfare specifically.
Yet he adapted seamlessly, deploying troops as if prescient. Pure theory mastery, with solid fundamentals—he knew exactly where to press hard.
No cheat sheet either...
Still, theory had limits. Hewerin, veteran of years quelling Neustria's vassal revolts, pirate raids, and skirmishes, saw openings to disrupt.
"Disrupt the mana flow. Cut their comms."
Interference waves—hard for greenhorns to counter—scrambled the magic. Elves could easily jumble it with a few mages. Their light cavalry, using unburnt forest cover to muffle sound and dust, struck the unprepared imperial knights, shattering them swiftly.
"Focus the rest on air dominance."
While sending masses of light cavalry to aid Young Master Ludwig, Hewerin hid the maneuver from his river standoff opponent. Their fresh woods blocked sightlines. Conceal their moves, and the foe wouldn't notice.
Keep blocking river crossings with archer support, bleed the enemy dry—that was the plan. Success meant Ludwig reversing with aid, perhaps even encircling for annihilation.
Silence from Ludwig despite Hewerin's assurance. Perhaps the reports were graver than thought.
Hewerin harbored deep resentment toward the foe. Ludwig had confessed a blackmail attempt using his secret.
Daring to threaten the young master...
Proposing 2v2 was partly to let Ludwig crush them personally. Hewerin's care extended to rigging victory.
So long as the enemy lacked supernatural insight to pierce the jam sans magic and rush saviors before their knights collapsed, Ludwig could end this farce with his blade.
──Hewerin's misfortune: the world held one who defied common sense.
Right here.
"...Urgent relief signal from the cavalry!"
"What?"
A reverse-scrying mage's hurried report: "Mass imperial knights crossing the river...! Looks like nearly all their cavalry...!"
"What...?!"
Leading those knights in gleaming white armor was the one with the ability to rally every rider for a lightning charge in this chaos.
Charlotte Laura von Ahenmetis—if not for her.