Dragoons! (2)
“It’s nothing else. This time, I was thinking we should be the ones conducting the reconnaissance.”
The 1st Prince added the words as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
After all, it would be unfair if only we were the ones getting hit, wouldn’t it?
Indeed, there was no rule saying we couldn’t perform a show-of-force reconnaissance ourselves.
“Then to what scale do you plan to mobilize, Your Highness?”
“I haven’t decided on the specifics yet. On the contrary, I’d like to ask you—what scale do you think would be appropriate?”
Well, what would be the right size….
“I apologize for answering your question with another question, but the answer will vary depending on what we set as the objective of this reconnaissance. So let’s begin by clarifying the mission’s purpose.”
Would it be simple reconnaissance, or maximizing damage to the enemy?
Would looting be permitted or forbidden?
How would we handle the duration and supplies?
‘When you start listing it all out, there are surprisingly many factors to consider.’
So, what exactly was the 1st Prince thinking?
“I’m sorry, but I truly haven’t thought of anything specific. It simply occurred to me after seeing your Dragoon unit.”
Hahaha! With such an outstanding force at hand, anyone would have the same idea.
The additional remark the 1st Prince tossed out was pure chaos. It was pandemonium, destruction, and oblivion incarnate.
I shook my head.
Even the 3rd Prince, who had been listening from the side, shook his head with an obvious headache.
My head hurt just as much, but I couldn’t possibly show it in front of the princes, so I endured it with everything I had.
“Then how about we do it this way?”
Bruno thought.
Why on earth am I here? And with the 1st Prince, no less?
“Hahaha! It’s been stifling lately, but this is excellent! Lord Barenfelt! You feel the same, don’t you?”
“Ahahaha! Y-yes, I do!”
At best, he could accept the idea of himself and the Dragoon unit joining the reconnaissance mission.
That part was fine.
But why was the 1st Prince coming along too?
‘…This is way too much pressure!’
Clip-clop! Clip-clop! Neighhh!
“Hm, this should be far enough. Soldiers! Can you hear me!”
“We hear you!”
The knights’ vigorous replies rang out. Pleased with the response, the 1st Prince continued with a booming laugh.
“Hahaha! As expected of my knights! Excellent answers! We will now begin full-scale reconnaissance! You all remember the teams we assigned beforehand, yes?”
Rumble rumble rumble!
The moment the 1st Prince spoke, the men swiftly split into their groups.
Clack! Vrrrrrr!
The 1st Prince pulled the receiver from the Communication Magic Tool on his back and infused it with mana.
Then he spoke into it.
“Can everyone hear me?”
The replies from the various knights came back. They were the team leaders who had been pre-assigned and carried communication devices on their backs just like the 1st Prince.
After confirming no issues through the sequential responses, the 1st Prince immediately issued his orders.
“Then, my soldiers! You all know why we’ve come deep into the eastern lands!”
Revenge! Elimination of the wicked! Various shouts burst out from among the knights. The 1st Prince paid them little mind and continued.
“Disperse by team to search for traces of the enemy. If you discover any foes, immediately call the others through this Communication Magic Tool! Once the forces gather, we will annihilate them! Repeat this process until the enemy mounts a proper response or until we’ve consumed the predetermined amount of supplies! Understood?”
“Understood!”
The knights’ enthusiastic replies echoed powerfully. They had penetrated deep into enemy territory, yet their bold, carefree attitude remained unshaken.
The 1st Prince seemed delighted and answered with a hearty laugh of his own.
“Hahaha! Good, my soldiers! Then let us advance!”
Thud thud thud thud!
The sound of hooves scattered in every direction, and soon no knights remained at the original spot.
“Hahaha! Lord Barenfelt! Shall we move out as well?”
“Ahaha, y-yes, let’s do that!”
Even though Bruno and the Dragoon unit were left behind.
‘The 1st Prince said he would personally command the Dragoon unit and look for areas to improve. Sigh…’
Because of that, he had no choice but to operate under the 1st Prince’s direct command for the duration of this mission.
Bruno, too, could not escape the tense situation of being near the 1st Prince.
‘Someone get me out of here! Or at least make an enemy appear! Aaaargh!’
Perhaps it was Bruno’s desperate wish. The enemy was discovered sooner than expected.
“I hear you, Lord Eisenfels. Scale and location?”
<Scale approximately five hundred! No knights visible. Location is——.>
After comparing it to the pre-set coordinates, the position was roughly thirty kilometers east from the starting point.
“Did you all hear that? We will assemble at Lord Eisenfels’s location within one hour. Any team that cannot reach it in time, report immediately and continue your reconnaissance!”
Several transmissions went back and forth.
Thud thud thud thud!
By the time the 1st Prince and the Dragoon unit reached the destination and the designated time had passed, twenty men from the Dragoon unit and sixty knights had gathered.
“This should be sufficient. Lord Eisenfels, are you certain there are no knights?”
“Positive. No horses have been spotted in the enemy camp so far. I suspect these are the territorial forces of a minor lord.”
“Hm…. Territorial forces mean commoners. Charging straight in leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
The 1st Prince seemed to ponder for a moment before turning to Bruno.
“What do you think, Lord Barenfelt? Can you eliminate only the enemy commander?”
Eliminating only the enemy commander from the middle of five hundred foes sounded impossible at first glance.
“It should be possible.”
Bruno answered and immediately gave orders to the Dragoon unit.
“Dragoon unit! Load the mana stones!”
Clack! Clack!
The men loaded the mana stones in perfect unison. Tension was clear on their faces, but there was no trace of fear.
The 1st Prince watched the scene with great interest.
‘I thought I understood mages well, but these men have been trained as soldiers first. Excellent. They show the natural tension of battle, but none of the fear that comes with doubting their success.’
Was this Lord Barenfelt’s ability, or Sir Sternfelt’s mercenary techniques?
‘Either way, it doesn’t matter. I’m very satisfied.’
More satisfied than he had expected, the 1st Prince smiled.
“Dragoon unit! All forces, charge!”
Thud thud thud thud!
At Bruno’s command, he and the twenty Dragoons raced toward the enemy camp.
“Sudden horses? What is that?”
“Huh…? Is that the 1st Prince’s crest? Enemy?”
“It’s the enemy! Enemy sighted! Everyone prepare for battle!”
The enemy was thrown into confusion by the abrupt engagement and scrambled in panic.
However, an army made of peasants could not respond with the crispness their commander desired. Bruno and the Dragoon unit easily broke through the outer perimeter and drove deep inside.
“Stop them! Stop them, I said!”
The enemy overseer’s voice rang out.
“You heard him. Fire!”
“Fire!”
Boom boom boom!
Countless Fire Balls flew toward the owner of that voice, and the area was obliterated without a trace.
“Whoa! Fireballs!”
“Run! It’s mages! Aaaagh!”
“Don’t run—form ranks!”
Boom!
The enemy commanders desperately tried to restore order among the infantry.
But they had already become prey for the Dragoon unit that had penetrated deep into their lines.
A few minutes later, every last ounce of command capability in the enemy camp had vanished.
All that remained were the peasant soldiers who couldn’t flee and those who had lost any will to resist.
The 1st Prince approached while marveling at how quickly the battle had ended. A huge grin stretched across his face.
“Well done! Lord Barenfelt! I never imagined you would handle it this brilliantly!”
“You flatter me.”
“Not at all, you performed superbly! You shattered the enemy’s will to fight and minimized casualties on both sides! You did exactly what I wanted. Truly admirable.”
Pat pat!
Highly excited, the 1st Prince gripped both of Bruno’s shoulders and patted them heartily. His hands were overflowing with joy.
Unfortunately, the face of the man receiving that joy was filled with nothing but burden.
‘Ugh… I’m dying here. How does the commander endure traveling with the princes like this?’
He was so nervous about making even the slightest mistake that he felt like he would drop dead, yet the person in question approached without any formality. Bruno felt like he was losing his mind.
All while completely unaware that the commander he was thinking of—Alvaro von Sternfelt—didn’t care about such things in the slightest.
“Is this the current deployment map of the 2nd Prince’s army?”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
The man trembling before the 1st Prince was the owner of the peasant soldiers—the lord of this land.
However, only his dirt-covered clothes and haggard face, surrounded by enemies on all sides, remained. He was in a truly miserable state.
To survive, he was selling information about the 2nd Prince’s army to the 1st Prince.
“Lord Eisenfels, have Lord Hammerstein verify whether this information is accurate.”
“Understood! Hoo!”
The short wait felt endlessly long to the trembling lord.
“It seems there was no mistake in what you told me.”
“T-then… will you spare me now?”
“Yes. As promised, I will at least spare your life.”
The lord sighed in relief at the 1st Prince’s words, but then noticed something strange and asked with a puzzled expression.
“Only my life?”
“Correct. From now on you may no longer use a noble title. Demoted to commoner, you will wander the wilderness and live as such, you worthless traitor.”
“T-this cannot be! This land has been passed down through our family for generations——.”
“Drag him away!”
“Hoo!”
The knights dragged the lord—now nothing more than a pathetic beggar—away.
The man’s sorrowful screams filled the area, but no one paid them any mind.
“Then, where shall we strike next?”
The original objective of reconnaissance had already been far exceeded, yet the 1st Prince had no intention of stopping here.
‘The Dragoon unit proved far stronger than expected. Since we’ve come this far, I want to catch a big fish instead of these small fries.’
If possible, defeating an army commanded by a count would be ideal.
That was what the 1st Prince was thinking.
‘…I just want to go home.’
Completely regardless of Bruno’s own wishes.