Chapter 19
**CHAPTER TITLE: Divine's Surprise Attack – A Sudden Rain of Arrows**
Jeanne shuddered and took a step back.
Even though his usual personality was outgoing and quick to anger, when he did lose his temper, it was terrifying.
“**DIVINE!** What is the next plan?”
“The key to severing their supply lines is to deal with the animals pulling the carts, then the food, and finally the weapons.”
“Hmm.”
“However, if possible, we should seize the weapons first.”
“Why?”
“All of you knights here mostly carry swords, but for mobile warfare, bows will be far more useful.”
Diego nodded.
“Very well. Then let us immediately assault the armory. Let’s go!”
“Yes! Understood!”
The knights answered in unison.
Among them, Nael who had quietly chimed in suddenly felt a pat on his shoulder from Diego.
“You stay here.”
Nael puffed out his lower lip. After glaring at his snickering comrades, he sighed and trudged along.
The rest of the 2nd Knight Order mounted their horses for the next raid.
“Don’t be disappointed.”
Diego smiled cheerfully and encouraged Nael.
“Hmph.”
Nael snorted and turned away.
The honor of a knight often shone in the most useless places. Diego puffed out his chest while giving Nael a look that seemed to say, ‘Here’s a kid who still has a lot to learn.’
A short while later, Diego and Nael were left behind.
With nothing to do, the two sat quietly side by side. More precisely, Nael stared blankly while Diego drew a rough map of the area around Roire on the ground with a stick, pondering their route.
Nael kept stealing glances at what Diego was doing and sighed.
If this incompetent man had become his partner, he felt like he was being treated as an extra.
Yet Diego continued to smile brightly and spoke to Nael.
“I understand. Humans naturally want to prove their worth.”
Nael glared at him. The words sounded like comfort, but the smile, the playful tone, and above all the man himself made them sound hollow.
“While I’m just baggage, why did you even follow me? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been left behind!”
“Baggage? I’ve never heard anyone call me incompetent. Oh, how sad.”
“Stop pretending to cry when you haven’t shed a single tear. I’m not that open-minded.”
“Then why talk to me like this…? You must be very busy.”
“Hey, you.”
“Besides, I am not baggage! I’ve contributed plenty to the success of the raids so far!”
Diego vigorously tried to prove his usefulness.
In fact, he had been crucial during the cart theft and escape. He had designed both the entry and exit routes from a distance, even while the enemy camp was still visible.
Nael groaned in frustration and tried to change the subject.
“Fine. Setting that aside, what exactly is the point of all this?”
“Meaning…? You mean, with so many enemies, just a few dozen kills won’t mean much, right?”
“True.”
“But the numbers add up, don’t they? Hundreds, then thousands?”
Diego answered lightly. Yet it wasn’t enough to satisfy Nael.
Still frowning, Diego added further explanation.
“Quantity isn’t the point. The effects we can achieve by ambushing the enemy are three-fold. First, we show them that the kingdom’s army has not yet been completely crushed.”
Diego held up one finger.
“These enemies came via lightning strikes right to the capital. They didn’t slowly occupy the land but shattered the major strongholds and surged straight ahead. That means the provincial armies are still intact. Showing the remaining provincial forces that we’re still fighting at the center will boost morale and allow us to strike at their rear.”
“Interesting. At the same time showing both enemies and allies that the center is still fighting?”
Diego’s words made sense. Nael nodded.
Diego raised his second finger.
“Second, they won’t be able to easily raid our treasures or temples for loot. They’ll send many troops and tighten their perimeter. That will scatter their main force, slow their advance.”
Armies move on morale alone, after all.
For Rotinzel’s troops to maintain their soldiers’ spirit, they would have to be cautious. Naturally, their advance speed would suffer, benefiting Bluisol.
“Third, they don’t know our exact strength. By drawing their attention to us, we can divert the eyes of the soldiers heading to Ileang Castle. We can also gain time for the castle’s garrison to prepare.”
“I understand.”
“I’m glad you understood. Worrying about national loyalty or any of that only makes your head ache. So from now on, let’s just work hard for the sake of this beautiful princess!”
Diego said it with a playful wink.
The answer came not from the front, but from behind.
“I didn’t know you saw me that way.”
Diego startled and whipped his head around.
Despite his fatigue, Jeanne stood there with a remarkably refreshed expression.
“You came faster than expected!”
“I was a little late. What were you talking about that made me appear?”
“Ah, that? Serving a lady is one of the most important virtues in chivalry, right? We were talking about that.”
When had we started having conversations like this? Nael rolled his eyes at the bizarre exchange.
Jeanne raised one eyebrow in puzzlement. Diego didn’t care about reactions; he simply stated what he wanted.
“Speaking of which, I was also talking about the beauty of ladies. Hmm, the princess’s beauty isn’t the greatest in the kingdom… nor the second… but it’s certainly worth a second look, isn’t it?”
“Are you praising me now?”
“Oh, of course.”
“Ugh, if you’re going to praise, I’d rather hear something else.”
“What would you like to hear?”
“You never once told me I was doing well when you were teaching me.”
When Diego was acting as Jeanne’s tutor, he pointed out her weaknesses, and every time Jeanne became more determined and studied harder.
“Your stubbornness must still remain with me.”
“Everyone isn’t a genius, but if you can’t keep up with your own standards, you don’t complain.”
“The princess at the time seemed even more of a genius than I. And in the end, you didn’t follow as well?”
“I hate talking with you. Always makes me feel like I’m losing.”
“That’s because you have tremendous fighting spirit, my lady. It proves you are worth being taken care of.”
Jeanne shook her head.
It seemed talking to Divine was useless.
“Still, you came to find me. Your teaching didn’t go to waste.”
Diego had a hobby of creating ciphers.
He taught them to friends as a pastime, but only Jeanne and his friend Matthias had truly mastered them.
Since he was moving separately from Jeanne, he had to leave instructions for reunion time and place. Diego left them in the cipher he himself had made.
With such a difficult cipher, even if discovered by the enemy, it would take time to decode, giving them plenty of time to escape.
***
The 2nd Knight Order, having raided the Rotinzel forces and returned, welcomed Jeanne’s arrival.
Ethan looked more pleased to see Fabian than Jeanne, but…
Nael, who shared Jeanne’s love for swords, was desperate to see Joyeuse up close, yet hesitated to ask for help because of his pride.
The knights placed the seized goods on the ground. There were swords and spears, but most were bows and arrows.
“Oh, bows?”
Heini’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“Who is this kid?”
Diego asked.
Jeanne whispered quickly so Heini wouldn’t hear, as explaining the events would take too long.
“A knight named Fabian’s disciple.”
“Ah!”
That single word was enough. Diego nodded in understanding.
To the knights, being Fabian’s disciple was itself a clear endorsement of identity.
While Heini was testing the bowstrings, Divine quietly approached Jeanne’s side.
“I told them to seize as many bows as possible from the armory.”
Diego looked at Jeanne with expectant eyes, as if asking, ‘Did I do well?’
Jeanne casually ignored his gaze and surveyed the knights.
“Rest briefly, then we move into the next operation. Is that possible?”
“Of course!”
Despite being exhausted from the previous raid and pursuit, every knight answered with enthusiasm.
The one with the loudest voice was Nael, who didn’t like Jeanne much.
Leaving behind when everyone else was sent out was hardly honorable for a knight. Even if he didn’t like her, he was part of the team, so he naturally raised his voice.
The Rotinzel forces were in chaos.
Having been raided several times by the 2nd Order, they had gathered their troops and tightened their perimeter.
A total of twenty from the 2nd Knight Order, plus Heini, Fabian, and Jeanne — just twenty-three. Far too few compared to the enemy numbers.
Yet on the other hand, it was an elite strike team, which was appropriate.
“Our goal is to slow their advance. Remember this well.”
“Yes! Understood!”
The knights answered in hushed voices, though there was no one to hear.
Jeanne added to the tense knights.
“Focus on hitting the oxen and horses.”
“Why? Wouldn’t it be better to reduce the number of people?”
One knight asked. Fabian answered instead.
“We don’t have many arrows left. Even if all of us are perfect shots and could hit every target, the enemy won’t lose many soldiers.”
Their weapons were limited. If they used up all the arrows, they would have to resort to crude weapons made of branches.
They had to use their resources efficiently.
“However, shooting the oxen and horses carrying supplies will delay the delivery of weapons, food, and supplies. This will slow the enemy’s overall advance, making it more efficient. Understood?”
“Yes! Understood!”
The answers grew louder than before.
Some were tense, some worried, but the knights, who clearly understood their duties, seemed trustworthy.
Jeanne glanced at Divine beside her and poked him.
“Are you joining us too?”
“Even though I look like this, I can shoot a bow decently. I won’t get in the way.”
“The problem is running. If I get in the way, I’ll leave you behind.”
“Haha, I’ll follow you until it gets annoying. No need to worry.”
Diego said confidently and laughed.
Meanwhile, Jeanne and the soldiers had already hidden among the bushes and advanced.
“Wait! Let me go too!”
Diego hurriedly followed them.
The wind was right. The guards were also sloppier than usual from the heat.
The important thing was distance. A range where our arrows could reach but theirs could not.
A distance from which we could retreat if the enemy noticed and pursued.
Jeanne fixed her gaze on the target and drew her bow.
A large black ox appeared in her sights.
She released the taut string.
The first arrow flew.
Thwack!
The ox let out a pained bellow.
The cart attached to the ox overturned, spilling the food it carried.
Jeanne drew the string again.
The signal was given. Arrows rained down like a downpour toward the Rotinzel camp.