The Vanguard's Charge

In the distance, the encampment of the Ernest Fief army came into view. Countless tents stretched out at even intervals, ringed by a line of sentries. Guards with spears and shields leveled their sharp points at us as they watched. They would have scouts of their own, so they had surely already read our movements.

"The enemy is in sight!"

Hendrik, astride his black horse, bellowed in a voice that surely carried all the way to the rear of the column. At his cry the advance slowed, and save for the tramp of soldiers' feet, not a sound could be heard. Every man knew battle was about to break, and every man felt the weight of it. It was Hendrik Coulon who shattered that silence.

With reckless daring he spurred his horse and burst forward. Courage is admirable, but it is hardly a tactic one would recommend to a commander. That kind of charge is a perfect way to catch a stray arrow or a spell and die. Then again, the world does not always run on reason.

Hendrik, the highest-born man in the territory, riding at the very front — that sight struck friend and foe alike.

"Th-that green brat! Isn't that Count Coulomb's eldest son?"

"Good God. Does he have some trick up his sleeve? He'd have to be insane to charge like that…"

His actions laid crushing pressure on the enemy and became the spark that set the vanguard in motion.

"The young lord is charging at the very front! We can't fall back like cowards! We're the bravest elite in Coulon! First in, last out!"

"I'll cook those milk-sucking Ernest brats! Let's go!"

"Charge! Charge! Charge!"

The vanguard soldiers let out a thunderous roar, raised their shields square, and surged forward. Watching from behind, they looked as if they had forgotten the very concept of death. The sight of those fearless soldiers was immensely reassuring. Every last one of them was my meat shield.

"Arrows and magic incoming! Raise your shields and block!"

"Guh! There's a guy down in front! Watch your step!"

"Urgh! Don't step on me, you bastards!"

The Ernest Fief army's assault began. Archers' arrows and mages' spells arced across the sky of the Aden Plains and rained down on the valiantly charging vanguard. But this was open plains. Hitting a moving target with arrows or magic on open ground is no easy feat. The vanguard broke formation and charged in a disordered scramble.

A few were struck down by arrows and magic, but they did not stop. Swallowing their rage, they vaulted over the corpses of their comrades. At the center of it all, Hendrik Coulon charged alone on his black horse.

Hendrik survives until the end of the war, so he won't die here.

The reason I had joined the vanguard was because I knew that today's battle would be won largely on the vanguard's merits. They would shake the enemy's formation with a sacrificial assault, and then the main force of spearmen and archers would deliver a crushing blow.

For the record, in the original story Jin joins the main force rather than the vanguard, and there he racks up unmatched achievements that put him on the map.

"Magic incoming, Master."

A blazing fireball came screaming toward my head. Luna drew her dual scimitars at a speed the eye could not follow and split it in two. The fireball, as if it possessed mass, was cleanly cleaved by her blades and scattered to either side of us.

"Well done."

The other reason I stood with the vanguard was Luna. With her at my side, any stray attack flying my way would be stopped. In other words, my safety was guaranteed.

"On a battlefield like this, fire magic is the way to go."

I formed five orbs of fire and hurled them toward the enemy lines. The fire orbs drifted toward the Ernest Fief army like will-o'-the-wisps.

"A mage! They've got a mage over there too! Watch out!"

"Too late."

Fire Blast was a new skill I had acquired through training. The five fire orbs I had launched erupted in violent explosions among the Ernest Fief troops. Flames that surged several meters into the air were clearly visible even from over a hundred meters away.

The soldiers nearby were roasted alive by the searing heat, and those caught in the exploding flames thrashed like drowning men, screaming in agony. The ferocious fire, sucking in the surrounding air, threw the enemy into a panic.

"That's Lord Walker's magic! This is our chance! Sweep those wretched Ernest brats away!"

"Waaaaaah!"

Inspired by my magic, the vanguard charged even more fiercely. One soldier, bristling with arrows like a porcupine, still refused to stop. I fired my magic even faster.

"Whoa! Spamming magic that powerful at that kind of speed… Master, you're fucking strong."

Arme looked at me with an expression of genuine wonder. A woman's praise really does feel far better than some grimy man's. I stuffed myself with date palms that restored stamina and mana as I kept blasting away.

Recovering stamina and mana the instant I spent them, I sprayed magic at a rate that rivaled a machine gun. Ernest Fief soldiers burst apart or screamed as they suffered horrific burns. So this was what they called a player rampage? I felt like a god.

But it didn't last. From the Ernest Fief side, knights in silver armor and a number of mages in brown robes appeared. Our main force arrived as well. Count Coulomb on his white horse, the Reiss Knights he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠commanded, and a host of skilled fighters the Count had personally gathered came toward me.

"Lord Walker. Splendid skill! As impressive as the courage that led you to volunteer for the vanguard yourself!"

"You flatter me, Count Coulomb."

"However, it appears their main force has taken the field as well. Those knights in silver armor must surely be Count Ernest's Deus Knights."

Behind the Deus Knights was a diminutive man on a black warhorse, a stark contrast to Count Coulomb's white mount. He looked a full head shorter than Count Coulomb. That was Count Ernest, lord of Ernest County.

"Count Coulomb! It's been a while!"

Count Ernest shouted through a magical loudspeaker. His voice was as sly as his slight frame. Count Coulomb answered him.

"Count Ernest! I regret that we should meet like this!"

"We were always destined for this. House Coulomb and House Ernest mix like oil and water. In the end, one of us must drive the other out. That is our fate."

"That may well be. In that case, I shall be the one who does the driving."

"Impossible! You place far too much faith in that paltry force you cobbled together. That foolishness will be your undoing."

"I might say the same! Raising one's voice on a battlefield means nothing. Come and see for yourself who is in the right!"

At Count Ernest's charge order, two horsemen holding red banners around him dropped their flags toward us. The signal to charge. The instant the command fell, Ernest Fief soldiers with shields came rushing at us.

The soldiers themselves were no problem. The knights charging behind those soldiers as meat shields, however, were. Every knight came on horseback.

"We charge as well!"

At Count Coulomb's booming command, the vanguard and the Reiss Knights charged toward the oncoming enemy. It was a spectacle like two waves rolling from opposite directions and colliding. The Coulon Territory army and the Ernest Fief army tangled together in a chaotic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠melee of spears and swords.

The soldiers were little more than a mouthful for the knights. Spearmen swinging their long pikes could not match the mobility of mounted knights or the power of mana. Even when they thrust, a knight's mana-charged blade snapped their spears like mechanical pencil leads. Soldiers' heads went flying through the air along with the shattered shafts.

Just as the Reiss Knights were trampling the Ernest Fief troops, the Deus Knights were trampling the Coulon Territory army. With the forces so thoroughly mixed, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠using high-powered magic was a delicate proposition. If I didn't care about friendly fire it wouldn't have mattered, but there were plenty of precious knights among the fighting. I had no choice but to stick to magic with a small splash radius.

Luna and Sera intercepted arrows and enemies flying in around me. A few Deus Knights, having identified me as a mage, tried to close in, but Luna and Sera stopped them. Arme assassinated enemy soldiers in the thick of the melee. She demonstrated firsthand that assassination was not something reserved for darkness and silence.

My performance stood out above all. With my stats piled high through Power of Sex, I possessed the finest skill in this fight save for Luna. The Deus Knights were highly capable, but they could not get past Luna and Sera.

On top of that, I used Heal from time to time to tend to fallen allied soldiers. Grasping that the battle was turning against them, the Ernest Fief army finally chose to retreat.

"Tch! All forces, retreat! All forces, fall back!"

And so our first battle ended in a crushing victory for the Coulon Territory army.