Chapter 173: The Final War of the Northern Continent
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 173: The Final War of the Northern Continent
The enemy camp began to stir just as we were finishing breakfast. From the way they were packing their tents and donning their gear, it was clear they were preparing to attack.
“My lord Baron…!”
At my nod, Wepilder raised the horn hanging from his neck and blew.
Bwooo. Bwooo. Bwooo.
It was the signal to prepare for battle.
“Get up! Get up!”
“Move it, move it! Faster!”
The knights and veteran soldiers barked orders. Perhaps because of their urgency, our preparations were completed faster than the enemy’s, even though they had started first.
With Isabel’s help, I put on a suit of chainmail that covered my entire body. It was as she was fastening the chausses to my garter belt that I felt it.
Wasn’t her hand slyly creeping toward my inner thigh? When I stared pointedly at her, she pushed her hand in deeper and whispered.
“You still haven’t kept your promise.”
She was talking about our promise to spend a night together. Even though we had stayed in the duke’s territory for two weeks after his rescue, that promise had yet to be fulfilled.
It was because of Isabel’s girlish body.
Even by the standards of this era, her development was stunted. Her body was nowhere near ready to handle me, who was overflowing with more than enough vigor.
If I tried to force it, it would be a terrible first experience for her. That was why I had been patient, waiting for her to be ready, but she, unaware of my consideration, continued to tempt me.
She was like a pup that doesn’t know to fear a tiger.
“You audacious little thing…”
I swept her roughly into my arms, and she looked up at me with a hot, syrupy gaze. Though her body was like a girl’s, her lustful expression proved the woman within was fully grown.
“So, you don’t like it?”
“How could I not?”
Normally, Isabel displayed all the grace and dignity befitting a duke’s daughter. This raw, unguarded side of her was something she only ever showed to me.
So how could I possibly dislike it?
I took her chin and tilted it up slightly. Isabel closed her eyes naturally. When I brushed my lips against hers, she held her breath and trembled.
When I pulled away, she let out the breath she’d been holding, her face flushed a rosy pink.
“Cute. Want me to do it again?”
“How can you call a grown woman cute?”
Isabel pouted and puffed out her cheeks, but she snuggled back into my arms. This time, she pulled my neck down and kissed me.
“You have to keep your promise.”
Her voice trembled, a clear sign of her anxiety.
“I’ll come back safely this time, too.”
“I’ll believe you.”
After a third kiss to soothe her fears, I turned away. Outside the tent, fifteen hundred soldiers were already in formation, waiting for me.
I rode my horse to the front of the troops. After exchanging nods with the duke and the other knights, I met the fifteen hundred pairs of eyes fixed on me.
They were a complex mix of emotions—excitement, anxiety, and everything in between. It was all because of the impending battle.
To face an enemy that outnumbered us two to one, I first needed to unite their hearts.
A soldier who knows why he fights will always fight better than one who doesn’t. And for that, a speech was necessary.
I drew my sword and pointed it toward the Royal Capital, Aran.
“I remember the first time I went to the Royal Capital, Aran. It was a prosperous and beautiful city, one that had stood its ground for centuries since the time of the Old Great Empire. There may be more glamorous cities, but none with more history.”
Every native of the Northern Continent yearned for the Old Great Empire, which had originated here.
And the Royal Capital, Aran, was symbolic as the empire’s birthplace. It wasn’t for nothing that the candidates for the throne had all coveted the capital.
The soldiers from the North nodded in agreement. A few, filled with pride, thumped the ground with the butts of their spears.
“But! The Royal Capital Aran of our memories is no more! Why? Because that army of devils has turned the city into a living hell!”
Having stoked their pride, I immediately tarnished it. The soldiers’ expressions soured as I continued.
“They cut off the limbs of the citizens, gouged out their eyes, and tore out their tongues! They even burned people alive! And why? Simply for their own amusement!”
The soldiers didn’t doubt the truth of my words. They knew that I had infiltrated Aran two days ago and barely made it back alive.
“And is that all! Mothers and wives were raped and murdered in front of their husbands and children! And in turn, children were brutally killed in front of their parents!”
With every gruesome detail of the atrocities in Aran revealed, the soldiers’ fury grew.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
They vented their rage by striking the ground with their spears. As more and more joined in, the ground seemed to shake as if from an earthquake.
I fanned the flames of their anger even higher. The method was simple. Even a dog will snarl when you mess with its food bowl.
“These are not the acts of human beings! That’s right! They are not human! They are devils! Devils that we must strike down! So do not hesitate! Why? Because if we do not strike them down, they will do the same to our mothers, our brothers, and our families!”
“Urah! Urah! Urah!”
The soldiers’ roars and the thudding of spears against the earth created a strange harmony. Their eyes glinted with killing intent, and their muscles tensed as if ready to charge at any moment.
“Defeating this army of devils will not be easy! But! Do not forget that the Lord is with us! Even in death, we shall go to heaven!”
As I raised the flagpole bearing the cross banner, the soldiers raised their weapons in unison and shouted.
“Holy War! Holy War! Holy War!”
“In the name of the Lord, all forces, charge!”
Wepilder sounded his horn right on cue.
Bwooo. Bwooo.
As we began our slow advance, the Pope reacted immediately. He seemed to be trying to use his numerical superiority, spreading his formation wide to encircle us.
“Duke! I’m leaving the main force to you!”
As we had arranged beforehand, I entrusted the main force to the duke and joined the cavalry positioned on the right flank.
The only area where we surpassed the Pope’s forces was our cavalry, which numbered just over 200 men.
“We charge immediately.”
“Yes, sir!”
If I let them use their numbers to surround us, the tide of the war would surely turn against us. So, I immediately led the cavalry out.
Our target was the center of the enemy line.
“What the…!”
The hundred or so Templar Knights who rode out to counter us were visibly bewildered.
And for good reason. The standard tactic for cavalry was to chip away at the flanks of the infantry, which were inevitably weaker in defense.
To charge head-on into the heavily defended center, as we were doing now, was suicidal. No matter how much of an advantage cavalry had over infantry, they would be stopped in their tracks.
And this was no ordinary infantry; it was an undying army, armed with drugs and holy water, possessing formidable strength.
‘Sometimes, you have to do things that seem reckless.’
In truth, I didn’t think it was reckless at all. The breakthrough power of a cavalry charge depends on the skill of the knight at its head, and I was the one leading the charge.
“Don’t lose sight of me!”
Leaving the stunned Templar Knights behind, I plunged into the center of the enemy infantry.
“Hehe, die… Gack.”
A spear pierced the face of an enemy soldier who had wandered into death’s path without realizing it. Before he could even fall, my horse trampled him underfoot.
Before the surrounding soldiers could react, I retrieved my spear and swung it wide. The axe-head of my poleaxe literally sent three enemy soldiers flying.
The cavalry following me poured into the gap I had created. The combination of massive warhorses and fully armored knights was a weapon in itself, a sheer mass of destruction.
“Keuk!”
“Ack!”
The enemy soldiers were swept away as if by a tidal wave, but it was too early to relax.
If our charge slowed, the advantage between cavalry and infantry would reverse, and we would be devoured. That was why my role at the vanguard was crucial.
“Hah!”
I swung my poleaxe without rest. I used the spearhead to pierce the gaps in their armor, and when that wasn't possible, I used the axe-head to crush them, armor and all.
“Aim for the horse! The horse!”
Seeing that they couldn’t get within my reach, the enemy soldiers started targeting my mount.
But my horse, a veteran of many battlefields with me, was no pushover. It reared up to dodge an attack, then brought its hooves down, crushing an enemy soldier’s face.
Crack.
With the sound of breaking bone, the soldier fell and did not get up again.
The problem was that the enemy didn’t miss the brief moment I had paused.
“Die!”
An enemy soldier swung his sword at my leg. With a heavy thud, sparks flew from my chainmail. It was the first time an attack had landed.
The face of the soldier who had swung the sword lit up. But only for a moment. The axe-head of my spear bit into his neck. With a sharp snap, his cervical vertebrae shattered.
Bracing myself against the saddle, I swung the poleaxe, immediately regained my posture, and spurred my horse on.
“Hiyah! Don’t stop!”
The seemingly endless wall of men was finally beginning to show its end. It was thanks to them spreading their forces thin to encircle our army.
Beyond them, I could see the Pope, sitting on a bed with his back against the headboard. He was still flanked by prostitutes, and the bed was being carried by soldiers.
“Pope!! I, Allen, have come!!!”
Having spotted my target, I pushed forward with renewed strength and broke through the human rampart completely. The Pope, who had stood up at some point, pointed a finger at me and screamed.
“You Knight of the Apocalypse! Do you intend to interfere with me, the Lord’s first servant and the rightful king of the Northern Continent! Do you not fear divine punishment!”
“The one who deserves divine punishment is you!”
I spurred my horse, pushing it to go even faster, while aiming the tip of my spear at the Pope to threaten him. It was a ploy to make him focus solely on me.
The Pope’s infantry had fallen into chaos. The soldiers closest to me were chasing after me, while those further away were trying to continue their advance.
Thanks to that, our infantry had a moment to breathe. I hoped this situation would continue. But even high on drugs, the Pope was no fool.
“Sound the horn!”
Bwooo. Bwooo.
At the sound of a prostitute blowing the horn, the infantry that had been chasing me turned back to target our main force again.
“Detached force, protect me!”
He then sent out a separate unit of five hundred infantrymen to block me.
It made sense. This was the same Pope who had requisitioned all the iron in the city to reinforce the castle gates. Since overwhelming numbers hadn't worked on me, it was only natural that he would be thoroughly prepared.
“You think you can stop me with five hundred when you couldn’t with two thousand five hundred!”
“Of course not. But before you get to me, my soldiers will have annihilated yours and returned!”
He was saying the five hundred men were nothing more than a tool to buy time. It was a tactic well-suited for an army that felt no fear and did not die easily.
“Is that so!”
Our main force was holding its ground well, despite being outnumbered two to one and facing an undying army.
It was thanks to the rectangular tower shields that covered the entire body and the long pikes we had prepared in advance.
The shields, in particular, had spikes on the bottom that could be driven into the ground, helping our soldiers hold back the enemy with less effort.
The shields linked together to form a wall of steel, and the long pikes jutted out like the spines of a hedgehog. No matter how relentless the undying army was, they wouldn't be able to break through in a short time.
“What the…!”
“You’re not the only one who prepared for this moment.”
Of course, it wasn’t a perfect defense. If the Pope’s infantry used their numerical advantage to attack our vulnerable flanks, we would soon be cornered.
That was why my role was so important.
“Prepare to charge!”
“Prepare to charge! Prepare to charge!”
Before the enemy infantry could swallow our army, I had to deal with the Pope first. Without their commander, the enemy soldiers were nothing but a bunch of drug addicts.
“Stop him! Stop him at all costs!”
The Pope knew this as well and was desperate. The detached force he had ordered forward blocked our path.
Now, it was a race against time.
“Charge!”
I spurred my horse again. An enemy soldier running toward me threw himself at me. I pierced his chest with my spear, but he grabbed onto the shaft and struggled.
As expected of the undying army.
I didn’t bother trying to shake him off. Instead, with him still impaled, I swung the spear shaft in a wide arc.
“Uwaaack!”
Thanks to the soldier, the impact area was wider, and several nearby soldiers were swept away. It was a feat impossible without superhuman strength.
One soldier who was lucky enough to escape the attack crawled on the ground toward me. It was obvious he intended to attack my horse before I could retrieve my spear.
“Hiyah!”
I pulled lightly on the reins. My horse, now a true comrade-in-arms, lifted its front slightly and brought a hoof down on the hand of the soldier holding a weapon.
“Hehe, g-got you!”
Even with his hand crushed, the soldier laughed and grabbed the horse’s leg with his other hand. He then opened his mouth wide, intending to bite the horse’s leg.
“Not a chance!”
Instead of the horse’s leg, my retrieved spear plunged into the soldier’s mouth. He collapsed, his mouth still wide open.
The problem was that there wasn’t just one or two soldiers like him. Once one of them reached my horse, others started crawling on the ground, rushing toward me in the same way.
The rest of the soldiers ruthlessly trampled on the backs of their crawling comrades as they charged at me.
Suddenly, I was fighting on two fronts. No matter how I dealt with them, my breakthrough speed was bound to slow. The other knights were in a similar predicament.
“My lord Baron!”
They only had to deal with the enemies I left behind, but even that seemed to be a struggle for them. It only got worse the deeper we penetrated toward the Pope.
“The enemy’s momentum is too fierce!”
The situation with the main force was also precarious. The enemy was now attacking our vulnerable flanks. A little more time, and we would be completely surrounded.
The knights, who had been seconded from the duke and other nobles, couldn’t help but worry about their lords who remained with the main force.
“There is nothing to worry about. That momentum is an illusion.”
“What do you…!”
The knights looked at me, unable to understand. An illusion, when they were seeing it with their own two eyes? Was this a mirage, even though we weren’t in a desert?
But to my eyes, which transcended those of ordinary men, I could see the tide of battle slowly turning. The change began with the enemy soldiers at the front line, the ones fighting most fiercely against our troops.
“Huh…?”
The arm of a soldier who had been madly pounding on a shield suddenly went limp. The soldier tried to tense his muscles again, but instead, his legs gave out, and he collapsed.
He was left defenseless in the most intense part of the front line. Our soldiers did not miss the opening.
“Die!”
A soldier thrust his spear, as if to pay back all he had suffered. The enemy soldier died without ever understanding why his body wouldn’t move.
Scenes like this were unfolding all across the battlefield. This was the moment I had been waiting for.