Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: 17th Chapter: Heavy Armored Charge Unit (4)
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"It's already been a week of these ambushes. The soldiers can't get any rest. Morale is in the gutters, and two days ago, part of our supplies went up in flames. Commander, we need to take action right now."
The commander of the 19th Heavy Armored Charge Unit scowled fiercely upon receiving the report from one of his officers, clearly irritated by this frustrating situation.
"The mages have been responding early on, so the damage hasn't been too severe, but fatigue is building up across the unit."
"What about the pursuit teams?"
"Even when we send out pursuit teams, we get no results. Whether it's because they're operating in small numbers or something else, we just can't catch them. The rain that's been pouring nonstop for the past week has slowed our mobility too, but it feels like they're using some kind of special magic."
The officer was just as frustrated as the commander. Still, they couldn't afford not to send pursuit teams. With the weather like this and time dragging on, the unit's exhaustion was only worsening, which worried him deeply.
"When the hell is this damned rain going to stop...? Have you checked into the possibility of magic?"
"According to the senior mage in our unit, there are only a handful of people in the Philius Empire capable of wielding climate magic on this scale. So, magic probably isn't something we need to worry much about."
The commander slowly nodded at the officer's confident tone. He didn't know much about magic himself, but he understood that senior mages were on a high level.
Since the unit's senior mage had confirmed it, he felt he could relax. But they had no idea.
That one of the few in the Philius Empire who could wield vast climate magic—Azure Tower Lord Risefield Dior—was in the Black Mountains.
The Ghost Unit and Hashashin had obtained intel that Risefield was in the Black Mountains, but the Ghost Unit was annihilated before they could relay it.
The Hashashin of Edriger Kingdom had deliberately omitted this information, so it never reached the 19th Heavy Armored Charge Unit of the Free Isiriya Kingdom.
"Damn it all!"
The commander spat out a curse. He wanted to strike other targets, but with the scale of the ambushing enemy unknown, he couldn't risk it. His rear was too vulnerable.
It was at that moment, as he tried to calm his mind.
KABOOOM!
The explosion rocked heaven and earth. Another ambush had begun.
Assuming they'd unleash a few advanced spells and vanish like always, the commander prepared to send out a small pursuit team.
But.
"Enemy archers have appeared in large numbers on the southern hill!"
A messenger burst into the command tent and reported.
"What?"
This was different from before. Archers had never shown themselves.
"I can see the banner of Philius Empire's 5th Prince too!"
"Commander, are we just going to keep defending?"
The officer asked sharply. One reason they hadn't caught the enemy so far was that the foes operated in small elite groups for hit-and-runs.
Even on horseback, chasing down a tiny handful with a large force wasn't easy.
But now, the enemy army had revealed itself. And the 5th Prince's banner was visible.
After taking hits for a week straight, could they really hold back now?
The officer questioned himself, but the answer was no. He just hoped the 19th Heavy Armored Charge Unit's commander thought the same.
"Commence pursuit and annihilation. Relay orders to the century captains!"
"Yes, sir!"
Excitement laced the officer's voice. After enduring endlessly, the chance to strike back had them thrilled.
The commander felt the same but masked it before his men; he couldn't show excessive elation.
The messenger left the command tent and spread the orders to the century captains. Worn from constant ambushes, they welcomed the command.
"Raise the vanguard banner!"
The standard-bearer hoisted the Free Isiriya Kingdom's Heavy Armored Charge Unit's proud vanguard flag. The heavily armored troops—clad in plate mail, thick shields, spears, and swords—mounted their specially trained warhorses.
"Vanguard! Advance! Smash their formation in one go!"
"Waaaaah!"
With a roar, the heavy charge thundered forward. A hail of arrows rained down, but most bounced off their special heavy armor.
"They're retreating! Magic cover!"
They had closed some distance when a massive wall of flame erupted before them.
While the unit's mages destroyed the flame wall, the Philius Empire forces mounted up and fled the battlefield.
"What now?"
After a week of torment, if this mobilization yielded nothing, the 19th Heavy Armored Charge Unit's morale would plummet.
This time, they needed results.
"What do you mean? Pursue and annihilate them now!"
"All units, advance! Pursue and annihilate!"
The aides and officers echoed the commander's orders, and the Heavy Armored Charge Unit chased the fleeing archers.
Fueled by a week's worth of pent-up rage, their eyes burned with fury.
Not being mounted archers, the enemy didn't shoot while fleeing, but flame magic kept blocking their path.
The unit's mages couldn't pinpoint the source of these attack spells. All they could do was deploy defensive magic to minimize damage.
"Commander, we can't pursue any further..."
"I know! Damn it!"
They'd pushed too deep. Regretfully, with ambushes possible and supplies at camp to protect, they had to abandon the chase.
It stung to return without enemy blood on their blades again, but there was no choice.
"What about the retreat route?"
"To avoid ambushes, we should detour around the path we took."
The 19th Heavy Armored Charge Unit's commander was reasonably cautious. He even considered the risk of ambushes on the inbound path during deep penetration and planned to change course.
"This area's full of swamps. Excluding the path we came..."
"There's one spot without swamps. We'll go there."
They'd scouted the terrain when setting camp. Knowing swamp locations—the Heavy Armored Charge Unit's worst terrain—they planned to take another route.
"Confirmed."
The unit moved in perfect order. But the commander overlooked one variable: the week's nonstop rain had turned his chosen path into a muddy quagmire, not quite swamp but bad enough.
"Commander, the ground's in poor shape."
"Press on."
Other routes were swamps. The inbound path likely had ambushes. Options were limited, and they'd gone too far to hesitate or turn back.
Only minimal troops guarded the camp, so they had to return immediately.
It was mud, but passable, so the commander ordered breakthrough.
As the Heavy Armored Charge Unit slogged through the sticky mud, a man in a uniform blending gold and red appeared before them.
He looked high-ranking at a glance, accompanied only by a one-armed knight, a knight in red uniform, and a woman in a blue robe.
"How much do you know about magic?"
An out-of-place question. The Heavy Armored Charge Unit had no time for it.
A small group in what they thought safe territory, wearing Philius Empire's symbolic red uniforms—it briefly paralyzed their reason.
"F-Fire! Shoot!"
Before magic could activate, vanguard soldiers aimed crossbows and pulled triggers.
Dozens of bolts flew, but a blue shield blocked them. Seeing this, Raymond smirked and spoke.
"Magic's power changes with the environment."
Raymond raised his hand. Mana gathered at his fingertips—a considerable amount responding to an advanced mage's call.
"For example... if heavy rain has already altered the terrain, something like this becomes possible."
He waved lightly at the air, dispersing the mana to complete the spell. A cold smile spread across his lips.
"We-We have to get out of here now!"
"R-R retreat!"
The mood turned dire. The soldiers tried to fall back desperately, but it was too late.
The mud shackling their warhorses' hooves deepened—like iron chains. Infusing mana into the naturally changed terrain completed a natural trap.
"Our feet are stuck in the mud!"
What was merely inconvenient moments ago now made movement impossible.
Trained warhorses struggled futilely. The muddy chains binding their legs wouldn't break easily; escaping this swamp-like mire was no simple task.
Frustrated Heavy Armored Charge Unit soldiers dismounted to flee the mud, but even that proved difficult.
Free Isiriya Kingdom's elite Heavy Armored Charge Unit flailing in mud—it was quite the sight.
"What are the mages doing? Use magic to handle it!"
The commander's furious shout carried this far.
Multiple mages might overcome this natural trap, but Raymond had no intention of letting them.
"All-out attack!"
It started with mud. Desia used magic to hurl clumps gathered by the soldiers.
The mages deployed defenses but soon dismissed harmless mud, dropping shields to conserve mana—unsure how long they'd need it.
But arrows and spell barrages followed, forcing shields back up. Fireballs rained like comets, sharp ice-laced winds howled threateningly. Shields around the Heavy Armored Charge Unit's formation shook perilously.
"Keep firing! Don't give them a moment's respite!"
Cassius shook the Imperial Army's golden banner vigorously and shouted. The border guards' archers loosed arrows without pause.
Crimson Tower and Azure Tower mages followed suit, pouring every ounce of mana into this battle with resolve to burn it all.
One shield shattered under the onslaught. But not everything favored Raymond's 5th Prince forces.
This was a novel's world cruel to all but the protagonist. Some Heavy Armored Charge Unit members escaped the mud faster than expected.
"Wind Cutter!"
Raymond charged forward, completing the spell. Blades of wind sliced through soldiers' arms and legs.
"Arrrgh!"
Raymond summoned colorful magic orbs while stabbing a fallen soldier's throat with his Soul Sword.
"Infantry forward! Protect the archers!"
"Archers, prioritize intercepting those escaping the mud!"
At Raymond's command, Cassius drew his sword with the Imperial Army to shield the archers and advanced.
"Dogs of Free Isiriya Kingdom! The Philius Empire hasn't fallen yet!"
Cassius boldly swung his mana blade. A Heavy Armored Charge Unit infantryman's head hit the dirt. String of victories had Imperial Army morale sky-high.
The standard-bearer waved the golden Imperial flag vigorously, and knights gathered around Raymond as if by agreement.
"Your Highness the 5th Prince! We shall protect you!"
Raymond, at the magic swordsman realm mastering techniques of a thousand knights, was strong enough on this field without escorts. Still, he nodded with a faint smile.
No need to refuse and dampen their morale.
"The real fight's here! Stay sharp!"
Raymond shouted, infusing mana.
It began with a few. Now over half the Heavy Armored Charge Unit had escaped the mud.
The battle wasn't over.
"Don't let your guard down!"
Raymond shouted again. Mud-caked and sluggish now, they were still Free Isiriya's elites.
Sure enough, three Imperial soldiers who strayed too far had their heads cleaved off.
"5th Prince! For this humiliation... you'd better prepare yourself!"
The 19th Heavy Armored Charge Unit seemed thoroughly pissed.