123.
123.
It was fortunate that the rain wasn't too heavy.
[shuk- shushuk- pababak! pak! taeng!]
[hududuk- hudududuk-]
The rain and wind continued to fill the space between the dreary gray sky and the soggy ground.
To make matters worse, the javelins and small darts thrown by the enemy, whose numbers had swelled considerably, mixed into the downpour, but the defensive line of the heavy infantry, armed with good-quality armor and large shields, did not waver.
'But on the other hand, there isn't much we can do. Konungr's words were correct. This battle will not be easy.'
As I watched from behind the ranks of warriors who held firm despite being suddenly ambushed while singing spiritedly, the light infantry of Alt Clut, having used up their projectiles—each man seemingly having brought four or five—spun around and fled at a reckless speed.
Last time there had been twenty, this time seventy. The increase in their numbers was alarming.
They could move so quickly because they had fought all their lives in such conditions, but on this land where it rained all day and everything was mud, horses could not run properly, and archers found it difficult even to string their bows.
'We need to come up with something, but this time, the enemy is nature itself, so there's no way to counter it.'
Heh heh-.
Watching the warriors of Alt Clut flee at a truly beast-like speed, a dry laugh even escaped Refil's lips.
"Ah, Jarl Refil! Aren't they truly quick? They seem to keep watching our movements even as they flee... It doesn't look like this will end with just this one time, does it."
The rainwater kept pelting helmets and already soaked furs, and as the warriors who had raised their shields high stealthily disbanded the shield wall, Jarl Oleg's voice, as he rode up on horseback, tickled Refil's ear.
The hearty voice was full of irritation; it seemed even the lord of the East had no particular clever scheme.
At a time like this, what would Konungr do?
No, perhaps the question was wrong.
Perhaps such a difficulty would not even befall Konungr. If it were him, he would charge out of the ranks and smash everything to pieces.
"First, let us continue advancing, Jarl Refil. We must not get too far from the main force, must we."
"That would be best, Jarl Oleg."
"Good! Did everyone hear? Sound the march drums again! Messenger, ride and inform Jarl Halfdan of the main force that we have been ambushed!"
"Yes, Jarl Oleg! Hyah!"
[cheolpyeok- cheolpyeok- duguk- duguk-]
"Now! There was a brief commotion! It was just a slightly heavier rain shower that came and went! Sing again, warriors!"
"Jarl Oleg is right! These warriors fight in a truly amusing way! Bastards! I would really like to see their faces!"
"Beat the drums! Sound the horns! We march!"
"What shall we sing next?"
If there was one thing that made Refil smile in this gloomy environment, it was that his comrades were such resilient warriors who could find laughter even in such vile conditions.
The top commanders were Oleg and himself, but—
Since they were Jarls appointed by the Thing in their respective regions, the second batch of recruits from the Árós training camp, who were more accustomed to battle than anyone, responded to the vigorous Jarl Oleg's words and again set their steps powerfully.
[cheolpyeok! cheolpyeok! cheolpyeok! cheok! cheok!]
"The next song is 'The Girl Next Door to Jarl Sigurd's!'"
"Oh, damn!"
"Aheu-! Now, one, two, three, four!"
"..."
"...Why aren't you singing!"
[dung- dung- dung- dung- ppuuuuum-]
The stirring sound of the horn pierced through the rain, and the banner of Hel, raised high, did not lose its brilliance even as it fluttered in the gusting wind and rain.
*****
At a normal pace, the silhouette of Glasgow should have been visible long ago.
But as Paereogeos had told me beforehand, once it started raining in earnest and the ground turned entirely to mud, our army's advance became terribly slow.
Even so, if Paereogeos and his 'Dull Blann Avengers' had not volunteered to be our guides, we might have, absurdly enough, become stranded on the straight course along the banks of the River Clyde.
The frightening thing about rivers and valleys was that the water level rose in the blink of an eye when it rained.
Therefore, Paereogeos's guidance, as he knew the terrain of this area like the back of his hand, was like a grace bestowed upon me and my army by a heavenly Valkyrie.
And this ultimately led to my wariness toward him easing a little more.
"Come inside quickly, Paereogeos. At first I couldn't believe it, but I really didn't expect it to rain for an entire week."
At my shaking my head as I spoke, a faint smile appeared on Paereogeos's otherwise indifferent face.
I had opportunities to talk with this man, who sometimes sent messengers to me and other times came himself to report.
In that process, it seemed Paereogeos, having learned how my brothers and I had achieved our father's revenge, felt a kind of kinship.
Of course, it was the same for me. Because the kind of vengefulness that could make your eyes roll back is a feeling you can never truly know unless you've felt it yourself.
"Everyone who comes here for the first time is surprised, Konungr. Especially nine out of ten from the lower River Clyde can't believe it even after experiencing it themselves. A land where it rains more than half the year—how could such a place exist? Haha..."
"And we must scale the enemy's walls in such a place. Here, this is warm water."
"Thank you, Konungr."
Paereogeos, who now addressed me as Konungr instead of the title Ríheu, slowly drank from the cup I had handed him.
Warm steam rose from his cup and mine, while outside the tent, the sound of the rain and wind, which had quietened a little, was noisy.
As I rubbed my chilled palms together over the brazier—which had become my favorite item since entering this land—after just checking the encampment, Paereogeos subtly spoke to me.
"Konungr. The clans in the areas you have passed through so far have all professed neutrality, but they are people who could turn their backs on you at any moment."
A clan is something that includes kinship and family. It can be seen as a term for the powerful of an area and the people under them. It is a form where large families of many generations are merged into one.
It wouldn't be wrong to see it as a kind of clan society I'd learned about in history class, would it? That was how I understood it.
Anyway, because Paereogeos had been a local hero of some renown, our Norseman army had already advanced halfway up the River Clyde without facing much resistance.
Now, with just a little further, Glasgow and Cuban would come into view.
The problem was that the expected enemy attacks, combined with the unexpected natural environment, were more exhausting than I had thought.
The transport of supplies was delayed, and the soldiers' vitality was declining due to the weather and mud that made them inevitably feel damp and lethargic...
Given the nature of this place, where sizing others up was a specialty, Paereogeos must have been warning me that if we showed weakness, the people of the Clyde River basin could attack me at any time.
"I know that well, Paereogeos. If things turn out that way... our supply lines could be in immediate danger. We must pick up the pace."
[Surururu-]
Still, the warriors' morale was intact, and losses of troops and supplies were not yet great. Miraculously so.
Though fortune hadn't smiled on us, it was still a situation where we could give it a big fight.
However, it seemed Paereogeos's intent was not merely to awaken my vigilance.
"And regarding that... there were people who wished to make their names known to you, Konungr. They claimed they could be of great help when you assault Glasgow, Cuban, and Peartoc this time."
Hm?
"Are there people in this land who would so actively rebel against the throne of Alt Clut?"
Had they grown tired of just watching the situation? Or had they finally decided to take my side?
"They are a clan called Clan Erskine, Konungr. If the River Clyde and Alt Clut belong to Arthgal and his cursed old bloodline, then the lower lands of the River Clyde have belonged to Clan Erskine since long ago."
Clan Erskine. Rulers of the lower Clyde...?
"This piques my interest, Paereogeos. Tell me more."
"Yes, Konungr."
*****
Paereogeos moved before darkness lifted to secure Clan Erskine's cooperation, saying that anyway, now we needed only to march forward, so his usefulness lay elsewhere.
Having spent the night nearly sleepless, I pondered the question of what exactly Clan Erskine wanted from me, but without any information, there was ultimately a limit to my musings.
Whether they wanted land or money, I intended to grant whatever they asked.
In any case, my situation was that I had to quickly settle the fighting here and then help Ivar and Olaf finish off the Kingdom of Scotland as well...
Having sorted out my thoughts, I flung open the tent door, and somehow the hour was already dawn.
Since dividing the army into three, I had handed over tasks like overall security and march command, and detailed unit formation to Seutorolpeu and Guthrum. I finished preparations for movement with my guards, chewing on a few pieces of beef jerky distributed for breakfast.
The wooden poles used as tent supports were wrapped well in cloth and loaded onto carts, and the well-tanned leather and cloth that were the alpha and omega of the tent were folded up like blankets and placed beside the poles.
The cart wheels, two of which had already broken and needed to be remade, and the horses' hooves and joints were examined, and that swollen Örn was excluded from today's duties.
The overall framework was under the charge of Cavalry Commander Thorbjörn, who had become largely idle since arriving in this land, but I too busied myself and lent a hand.
In a way, my body itself was specialized for field conditions...! Because the command tent, which could be dismantled in an instant, was always first to finish departure preparations, I even felt a certain pride.
The time when we finished our departure preparations was when the rain had stopped and traces of the sun were visible through the thick gray clouds.
With the return of good walking weather for the first time in a while, Seutorolpeu, Guthrum, and I ordered the advance of our vanguard with cheerful hearts,
but the march, which began with vigorous war cries, singing, horns, and drums, soon ground to a halt as it met a hidden reef right from the start.
[Shuk-! Shushushuk! Fweee- ... Pababak! Peobeok! Taeng! Tatang!]
It seemed they had been waiting for us to move, as enemies suddenly burst out from beyond the low hills and began pelting us with a volley of javelins.
'Two days ago it was Refil at the rear, yesterday it was Halfdan with the main force. And today it's my turn at the vanguard?'
This mass attack by light infantry had started targeting our rear, but it seemed to move along with the Norsemen's columns that advanced steadily like heavy chariots.
Meanwhile, they probed here and there with small groups, and now they gathered like this to pick a bigger fight.
Their intent was obvious—to wear us down.
So far the enemy had performed their role admirably, but this time I too had prepared in my own way.
[Shuk- Shushuk! Fweeing-]
"Shields up!"
"Block without gaps! Protect the man at your left!"
[Pababak! Peok! Taeng-!]
The enemy javelin assault numbered around five hundred. As they rained down in an irregular rhythm, we couldn't find a chance to counterattack, so I hurried through our ranks with my guards in tow.
[Cheolpeok! Cheok! Cheok!]
'If there is a hell for cavalry, it is right here...!'
The ground squelched with every step, and it was so slippery that warriors falling while walking was no longer a laughing matter.
Of course, that didn't apply to me, who could no longer be certain I was human.
[Tat! Tat! Tat!]
'Heup-!'
Whether the ground tried to cling to me miserably or not, I kicked off the earth with all my might, and my body accelerated over a short distance.
"Take... this!"
I put all my kinetic energy into my specially made javelin, which I had fashioned from a now-useless cavalry lance (a lance used on horseback, longer than a regular spear) and trimmed to a suitable size.
The propulsion that started from my toes traveled to my knees, my waist and shoulders smoothly pushed and rotated the force, while my wrist and fingertips simply guided the path of the power.
[Huuuung-!]
I followed through completely, extending my arm to the very end, while my firmly planted left foot supported my body's rotation, and my gaze followed the javelin soaring into the sky.
[Fweeeeing-! Peong!]
"Gah!"
With a sound of something bursting, the javelin stuck in the ground. And impaled on it, a red-haired warrior.
'It worked. This works.'
The efficiency wasn't high, but in a situation where arrows couldn't be shot either, I had to repay them like this to relieve my anger.
"...Woooh-! Helgi Konungr!!!"
"It's Thor's lightning! You lowly bastards!"
"We'll block all your javelins! But how will you block our Konungr's javelin—! Do you think you can stop that with a shield?!!"
"Hel's Hand! Hel's Hand!"
My force had remained calm and composed throughout the enemy's vicious attack, but their insides couldn't have been at ease. Only one enemy had actually been felled by my javelin, and hundreds still remained before us, but
nevertheless, all my warriors in this space felt a sense of exhilaration.
"Seutorolpeu! Give me the next spear!"
"Yes, Konungr!"
[Teop-]
'This time, my target is you...!'
Looking at the enemy light infantry who had frozen in the incomprehensible situation, I powerfully sprinted forward.