30
Chapter 30
Paul, Hugo, and several soldiers drew their swords and charged at Charles. They were truly intending to kill him; otherwise, they wouldn't have radiated such bloodlust.
But Charles had a trump card. A woman who had stayed by his side throughout the entire battle without once stepping forward. His subordinates seemed to suspect she was his lover, but that wasn't the case. Her true identity was...
"Glacia."
At Charles's murmur, Glacia stepped forward and took on Paul, Hugo, and the soldiers in a ten-to-one fight. Yet, it was the enemies, not Glacia, who were being pushed back. What did it mean to be the third-best swordsman in the world? It meant that only two people in the entire world could defeat her.
Because she was such a warrior, she didn't falter even against ten opponents. In fact, had Glacia fought alone, she would have ended the clash in an instant. The only reason the fight was still ongoing was because of Charles.
Glacia had to fight around Charles to protect him, forcing her to keep the enemies at bay while staying close. Ten against one, all while shielding an ally. It was an incredibly disadvantageous position, yet Glacia's performance was nothing short of extraordinary. She began to unilaterally push the enemies back, herding them into one spot.
'W-what kind of swordsmanship is this...!'
'Insane!'
Paul and Hugo had thought that if they killed the commander and surrendered the three thousand soldiers to the Grand Duke of Kronor, they would be heavily rewarded. That was why they decided to betray the brat named Charles, but an unexpected variable had appeared, and now they were the ones facing death.
"S-stop! I surrender!"
Hugo was the first to shout and raise his hands. Glacia glanced sideways at Charles. However, Charles simply shook his head. He was refusing to accept the surrender.
In the next instant, Glacia stepped forward and cut down both Paul and Hugo with a single strike.
-Swoosh!
Blood erupted from the chests of Paul and Hugo. And...
"T-this is insane!"
"Paul lost?"
The commanders gathered there let out gasps of shock.
Charles smiled for a moment as if this were expected, then spoke to the crowd.
"Allow me to introduce her. This is my guard, Glacia. For anyone thinking of starting a rebellion, please keep in mind that I have a very capable guard. Glacia is a genius swordsman famous even at Arcadia Academy."
A murmur broke out everywhere. Paul and Hugo gasped, their mouths hanging open as they lay wounded. It seemed they weren't dead yet.
"Glacia, those two look like they're in a lot of pain. Please show them some mercy."
At those words, Glacia quietly approached and slit the throats of Paul and Hugo. As expected of a future Sword Master, she knew exactly where the vital points were; Paul and Hugo stopped moving entirely.
"Now, I intend to attack the enemy tonight. Does anyone oppose this?"
However, the assembled commanders remained silent. They intended to side with whoever won anyway, so they simply wanted to preserve their own lives in this moment.
And so, the battle for Crotea Castle began the following day.
-----
Although Charles had killed Paul and Hugo.
Their point was actually valid. Many of the heavy infantry and heavy cavalry, who were the main force, had been killed. The remaining heavy infantry and heavy cavalry were few and far between. Most of the soldiers were light infantry and archers.
In truth, it was absurd to fight an equal number of enemies with such a roster. But in this particular situation, it made sense.
That was because the enemy, much like Charles, was also in a position where they wanted to avoid a fight.
The idea was that if both sides are at a disadvantage, it eventually balances out.
That was precisely why Charles felt confident enough to challenge the enemy.
Soon, the opposing forces faced off, separated by a few hundred meters.
Charles shouted to his soldiers.
"Archers! Advance! Infantry, follow behind!"
The standard tactic: place archers in the front and infantry behind them.
The enemy did the same, advancing with their own archers leading the way.
"Fire!"
"Release!"
The archers, now within range, began raining arrows upon each other.
Arrows fell like rain, and allied archers were cut down by the descent from the sky.
"The Northern longbows are as powerful as they say..."
There is a type of wood found only in the North; bows made from it have immense tension and devastating power.
While Central bows aren't bad, the Northern ones are considered the gold standard for quality. However...
"The enemy archers are retreating!"
It wasn't the allies who retreated first, but the enemy.
The reason was simple: the allies simply had more archers.
Having lost many heavy infantry and heavy cavalry in the previous battle, mostly light infantry and archers remained.
Because of this, the sheer volume of arrows from the remaining archers overwhelmed the enemy, forcing them back.
But then, the enemy infantry began their charge.
The enemy had more infantry than the allies. This was where the real problem began.
Gabriel, the reconnaissance officer, asked.
"What is the plan now...? Should we prepare to retreat?"
"Don't worry. We will win."
The terrifying enemy infantry charged forward, wielding flails and axes.
They charged with shields raised to block the volley of arrows.
The allied soldiers felt a flicker of intimidation at the overwhelming momentum.
Northerners were naturally larger than Centralers, so when they charged with a roar, the Centralers tended to shrink back. However...
"Do not be afraid! You are the elite soldiers of the Valboa Army!"
"Fight! The Goddess of Victory is with us!"
Commanders everywhere encouraged their men. Dian's commanders were truly different; despite everything, they remained calm and capable.
Encouraged by the commanders, the soldiers formed their lines and prepared for the enemy charge. And then...
-KABOOM!!!
The vanguards of both armies collided.
"The enemy infantry outnumber ours. If they just push us with raw numbers, we'll lose. I wonder if this will actually work..."
Gabriel's concern was valid. There was a theory that Britain used as a key strategy during World War II known as Lanchester's Law. It stated that if Army A has more soldiers than Army B, A can defeat B with fewer casualties.
Human wave tactics weren't simply about throwing bodies at the enemy until they won. It was a tactic that turned numerical superiority into tactical and strategic dominance.
From that perspective, it was natural for the allies to fear defeat since the enemy currently had more infantry.
This was a textbook scenario for Lanchester's Law. However...
"Gabriel, look closely. Do the enemies still look more numerous than us?"
"Huh? Well, obviously..."
Gabriel stopped mid-sentence as he looked again.
"They're even?"
Exactly. The number of enemy infantry and allied infantry was now similar, and with the allied archers providing solid backup from the rear, the advantage had shifted.
In reality, the enemy had only deployed half of their infantry. The other half had been held back. So, what was the other half doing?
'They're probably guarding the rear.'
They were likely on high alert for any enemy approaching from behind.
"I still don't understand. They could have won if they'd committed their entire army at once. Why would they use such a strange strategy as splitting their forces?"
"They have their own reasons."
The secret was... a drumroll...
"It's the Crotea Castle garrison."
"The Crotea Castle garrison?"
"They were attacking the castle when they spotted us and immediately pulled back. What do you think the soldiers in the castle thought when they saw that?"
"Uh..."
Gabriel pondered for a moment, then slapped his knee in realization.
"They'd think reinforcements had arrived!"
"Exactly. They likely believed that by coordinating with those reinforcements, they could surround and annihilate the enemy. A competent commander would make that judgment."
"So, to prepare for those reinforcements?"
"They split their infantry into two units."
Gabriel finally began to understand the situation—why the allies, who seemed disadvantaged at first, were winning, and how difficult the enemy commander's position actually was.
"But will the Castle Lord of Crotea actually come to help?"
"I don't know."
"What? Then..."
"However, the enemy held back their infantry because they feared reinforcements, didn't they?"
That alone was enough. According to Lanchester's Law, the allied forces in the front now held the upper hand.
"That's enough. Just forcing them to keep worrying about their rear."
Only then did Gabriel look enlightened and nod. Indeed, just as Charles said, the allies were winning, despite the fact that many commanders had predicted their defeat.
"Attack! The enemy is crumbling!"
An experienced veteran among the commanders, who had served Dian since she was young, shouted.
"Guard our rear! Your presence is what keeps the vanguard at ease!"
The younger commanders followed suit.
The allies steadily broke the enemy's lines. Though the Valboa Army had suffered losses in previous battles, these commanders were personally trained by Dian and were incomparable in skill. And then...
"Dammit! What are you doing! We're falling back! Deploy the reserve force!"
The general leading the Grand Duke's detachment bellowed.
"But General, if we move the reserves forward, we won't be able to handle any enemy approaching from the rear...!"
"There's still no sign of them! There were never any reinforcements from Crotea Castle to begin with! Those cowards are hiding inside the walls! Send the reserves forward this instant!"
But even as the enemy general shouted...
"Messenger!!! Messenger!!! Enemy spotted in the rear! Approximately one thousand men!"
At that moment, the Crotea garrison appeared. Charles didn't particularly care whether they showed up or not, but he was obviously happier that they did. And then...
"All units! Draw your melee weapons and advance!"
Charles shouted.
Archers and infantry alike gripped their close-combat weapons and charged the enemy.
Thousands of allied soldiers surged forward. The enemy, unable to advance or retreat, wavered in indecision.
Meanwhile.
"Our allies are fighting up ahead! Support them!"
Juan de Valboa, the nephew of Dian de Valboa and the general leading the Crotea garrison, led a thousand soldiers to attack the enemy from behind.
Front and back.
Seeing enemies closing in from both directions, the enemy general cried out frantically.
"Retreat! Retreat!!!"
The general shouted, but it was already too late. Sandwiched between the front and rear forces, the enemy army was completely annihilated within thirty minutes.
Accordingly, Charles reached out his hand to the general of the Crotea garrison who had arrived just in time.
The general of the garrison, fully satisfied with the fact that they had defended Crotea, shook Charles's hand vigorously.
It was a perfect victory for the Valboa Army led by Charles Jean Rochefort.