Chapter 142
Chapter 142
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: The Use of a Treacherous Subject
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That evening.
After the sun had set, in Count Vanilo's camp, the soldiers who had finished harvesting that day all lay down their weary bodies, praying for the war to end quickly or lamenting the lack of alcohol.
Normally, after such grueling harvest work, one should spend it noisily drinking strong liquor to truly savor it, but with the enemy army on the other side, they couldn't do that and had to rest while camping out.
"Those damn bastards! How long are they going to leave us like this? Seriously! I'm going crazy. I can't figure out what the higher-ups are thinking at all."
"You said it. First, they burn half of a perfectly good wheat field that's ready for harvest, and on top of that, those bastards completely strip our wheat fields and even bake fresh bread with it?"
"It's because it's not theirs! Damn it!"
Even when harvesting the same thing, for the Valderian army, it was considered plunder, so they simply milled it and had it baked for the soldiers. In contrast, the armies under Count Vanilo had no choice but to hand over the grain to the lord of that territory and receive military supplies as compensation for their labor.
However, as in any era, military rations were mostly either terribly tasteless or hard to eat. The meal given to them, exhausted from a full day of hard labor, consisted of bread as hard as the bricks used for supplies and a stew made with salted, cured meat.
Meanwhile, from the enemy camp across the way, the rich, savory smell of baking bread wafted over every single day, which was enough to drive one mad.
"Sigh~ If you're going to fight a war, just fight it~ No, I heard we have more troops? Why are we just staying still?"
"Anyway, let's just go to sleep. It's already dark now. Ugh~ We'll have to get up early and work again tomorrow."
"Right, right. Let's get some sleep before it's our turn for night watch. If we don't wake up in the morning again..."
"Damn it! My home is right in front of me, and I'm like this outside! Daaaaamn it!"
They finally stopped grumbling and returned to their tents.
No matter how much they complained, as mere soldiers, there was nothing they could do, so they decided to lay down their tired bodies and just sleep.
Since the river was held by the enemy, they couldn't even wash themselves freely, making their situation even more pitiful.
"Fire!"
Just as they were about to fall asleep, the unexpected news of a fire reached them. Those who were just drifting off hurriedly put on their shoes, grabbed their weapons, and rushed outside.
Heading toward the source of the shouts, they saw the wheat field scheduled for harvest tomorrow being consumed by crimson flames.
Although it was dry autumn, they had been especially careful, so there was no reason for a fire to start. As it blazed fiercely, chaos erupted all around.
"Oh no! That one's burning too. What's going on?"
"Wait, how did the fire start?"
"Quick, contact the territory! We need water! We have to bring water...!"
Booooooooom!
"Waaaaaah!"
The fire illuminating the dim night, accompanied by a heavy vibration and battle cries that shook the atmosphere. These were the sounds announcing war.
The soldiers under Count Vanilo immediately armed themselves, and squad leaders and centurions tried to muster their troops to respond to the surprise attack, but they were caught in the chaos of responding to the fire and were utterly helpless.
"Damn it! How could this...?"
"What should we do?"
"Everyone, calm down first! Gather up! I said gather up!"
Knight commanders stepped forward to properly take control, but the knights and soldiers, who didn't have much actual combat experience, couldn't easily escape the confusion.
For an army with no organized training or situational manuals, dealing with even one event was difficult. Handling both the wheat field fire and the enemy's surprise attack was proving impossible.
"I knew they were weak, but I didn't know it would be to this extent, Father."
"That's why I didn't take an active offensive even with twice the troops. Even when we fought once, our formation didn't even get scratched, right?"
'...The opponent is too weak.'
Looking down at Count Vanilo's camp, screaming in chaos and burning, Count Valderian, Kedron, and Beonald each fell into different reflections.
First, the surprise attack, which was part of their strategy, succeeded so easily that even they thought it was ridiculous.
Although they had pretended not to want to fight and maintained a standoff, the Valderian army was thoroughly prepared for vigilance and fire.
Having an enemy nation across the border, and coming from the Valderian family that survived fiercely through 500 years of chaotic turmoil, the gap was simply too vast to be shocking.
"But we must not let our guard down. A cornered rat can bite and wound you."
"I'll keep that in mind. By the way, Beonald, with this, your ambitious project won't get to show its stuff, will it?"
"No. That's a separate issue. Anyway, just watch. It's even more visible in the dark night."
Grrroooowwl!
Although the red flames burning the wheat fields cast light, the night was still dark after sunset. Where Beonald pointed, a golden flash was shining.
Though it was black armor clad in 'Black Drake' leather, golden aura brilliantly shone through its seams, splitting the darkness. Heidi, mounted on an armed griffin, was freely roaming the enemy camp, targeting enemy knights.
"Imperial Knight Order's Martial Art, Second Form—Dire Wolf's Swift Charge."
A swift lance strike imbued with the form of a wolf. Despite the large lance made from Black Drake bones and materials, its speed