Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: 24. His Majesty the Emperor Joins the Fray (2)
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The boost in morale among the Philius Imperial Army following the Vanguard's defeat was short-lived.
Soon after, the main force of the Belpiang domain army revealed its overwhelming might, and the morale of the Philius Imperial Army's vanguard plummeted before they could even engage in proper combat.
The enemy numbers were simply too vast.
"The enemy is retreating."
A sentry reported. The Belpiang domain army hadn't launched an assault on the first day. They had merely paraded their force of ten thousand before the Philius Imperial Army, then pulled back slightly to establish their camp. A tense day passed in that manner.
"The Belpiang domain army is on the move!"
Early in the morning, a sentry's shout echoed through the Philius Imperial Army's camp. Alarm bells rang out, and the soldiers sprang into action.
Count Denitz, who had been resting in his tent, emerged with a small escort upon hearing the bells. Before him, knights and soldiers scurried about in a frenzy.
"Lord Count Denitz!"
"Please issue your orders!"
Staff officers from the Northern Central Army rushed over.
"We must head out beyond the camp immediately."
"Is that truly necessary?"
Someone boldly questioned the overall commander, Count Denitz. He approached the man slowly and spoke.
It was an opinion that they should stay within the camp—which, though hastily constructed, featured cavalry barriers, watchtowers, and wooden palisades—and fight a defensive battle.
A couple of other staff officers nodded in agreement.
"I know the Belpiang domain army's strategies and tactics better than anyone. If you want to live, follow my orders."
The man who had questioned him shuddered at the chillingly cold voice.
"Move, now!"
Urged repeatedly by Count Denitz, the troops stationed in the camp sprang into orderly motion.
The Imperial Army, the Dancihi domain army, and the rearmed Northern Central Army—a total of five thousand strong—poured out of the camp in unison.
And right after that.
Boom!
Dozens of lightning bolts crashed down from the sky onto the camp. Sharp ice shards followed like rain, while dozens of wind blades formed and swirled through the now-devastated interior.
"N-No way!"
"What in the world!"
The staff officers who had opposed leaving the camp went pale. Had they stayed put as they advocated, they might have fallen victim to high-tier magic. It wouldn't have wiped out all five thousand, but the casualties would have been significant.
"How did you know?"
A mage from the staff asked. The mana fluctuations had been so subtle that even he, at the pinnacle of his art, hadn't detected them.
"The Belpiang domain army's strategies and tactics all came from me. If I couldn't predict something this basic, His Majesty the Emperor never would have appointed me."
Parading a large, heavily armored force to lure the enemy into a defensive formation, then dropping high-tier magic stealthily onto their camp—this was a tactic Count Denitz had devised himself while under the Mountain Duke's command.
"I-Impressive..."
The staff officers' gazes shifted. Until now, many had viewed him unfavorably.
They simply couldn't voice their discontent easily, given his count's title and the emperor's protection.
"It's too early to relax. The enemy will come charging soon."
Count Denitz spoke calmly. Sure enough, riders in the Belpiang domain army's formation raised flags signaling advance.
The commander, realizing their tactic had failed, had issued hasty orders. The troops, who had been holding position, began a slow march toward the Philius Imperial Army.
At first, slowly but heavily, like a quiet storm building, before suddenly accelerating.
"The vanguard is the Duke Knight Order, the pride of the Belpiang domain army. Their heavy armor renders arrow fire useless. Archers, target the infantry in their rear ranks instead. And right before impact, their mages are highly likely to strike, so our own mages must prepare accordingly."
Count Denitz issued calm directives. The staff officers bustled into action.
"Don't worry about the magic attacks! We'll handle them for sure!"
The Crimson Tower Lord and Azure Tower Lord stepped forward. Just as Count Denitz predicted, moments before the formations clashed, dozens of spells rained down on the Philius Imperial Army's vanguard.
The two tower lords' defensive magic clashed in a chain reaction, scattering hundreds of mana fragments in all directions.
Light flashed. Screams erupted, but the Philius Imperial Army's losses were minimal. Realizing magic was futile, the Duke Knight Order and Belpiang cavalry accelerated further.
The thunderous pounding of hooves filled the air.
"Lord Count Denitz, impact imminent!"
"No need for concern. I've set up a little surprise right in front of the camp."
A smile crept across Count Denitz's lips.
"Might I request fog magic from the Azure Tower mages?"
Azure Tower Lord Risefield Dior nodded. He dispatched a messenger to relay the order, and soon fog blanketed the battlefield.
"Can't see a damn thing through this fog!"
"Damn it! What are the mages doing?!"
Dispelling fog required mages to channel mana as well. That was precisely Count Denitz's aim.
Even if the Belpiang mages cleared the fog with magic now, the situation he had engineered would already have unfolded.
"It's time."
Count Denitz murmured to himself. The staff soon understood why.
Neigh!
A panicked horse's cry rang out. The Duke Knight Order, charging fiercely through the thick fog, suddenly vanished into the ground.
"Wh-What?!"
"It's a trap!"
Had the fog been deployed from the start, the mages might have dispelled it. But unleashing it just before collision left no time, and the heavily armored Duke Knight Order, the Belpiang domain army's pride, plunged into deep pits.
"Oh, no..."
The knights tried to warn the rear, but...
"Sound the horns."
Count Denitz ordered coldly. Horn blasts soon drowned the battlefield. The knights' warnings never reached the rear, and the pits filled with armored bodies piling up like mountains.
"Guh... ack..."
The weight was immense. Those at the bottom were crushed to death. The knights struggled to climb out, but the pits were deeper than expected, and their heavy gear made escape impossible.
By the time the Belpiang mages belatedly cleared the fog, no trace of the Duke Knight Order remained on the plain.
"Wh-Where did they go...?"
With only dozens of pits visible and the knight order gone, the Belpiang commanders couldn't help but falter.
"His Majesty's judgment was spot on!"
The Philius Imperial Army commanders cheered. Count Denitz calmed them and spoke.
"The battle isn't over yet. Crimson Tower mages, if you would—turn those pits into a sea of fire?"
"No trouble at all."
Crimson Tower Lord Berenus Kyle nodded and sent messengers to his mages. As they channeled mana, the sky turned crimson.
"The Duke Knight Order's history ends here today."
Berenus declared icily. He raised his hand, firing a clump of red mana skyward as the signal. The blood-red heavens vomited flames.
"Arghhh!"
"Aaaagh!"
Flames poured into the pits, filling them as horrific screams echoed.
"Th-The Duke Knight Order has been annihilated!"
A messenger rushed to the Belpiang command tent with the report. But it was unnecessary—the knight order's evaporation from the plain was visible from afar.
"Lord Count, your orders?"
"Retreat."
The Belpiang commander, a count, ordered withdrawal. His staff protested, of course.
"Lord Count! We can't pull back now!"
"We still outnumber them!"
"Please reconsider!"
But the count was resolute.
"We've lost our elite knight order, and the cavalry has lost momentum. Is there anything more foolish than charging ahead like this?"
He spoke calmly, his gaze turning toward the Philius Imperial Army's lines.
"They clearly know all our strategies."
"Is it true that Count Denitz has joined them?"
A staff officer with a knight baron's rank asked cautiously. Only the Mountain Duke knew Count Denitz's whereabouts for certain; lower staff had no clue.
The commanding count nodded.
"Highly likely. We need to fall back and gather more intelligence."
No one dared oppose the count further. Everyone knew facing Denitz without preparation was a tall order.
"Raise the flags and dispatch messengers to inform all units of the retreat."
In the end, retreat flags rose, and all mobilized units withdrew in unison.
Watching this, the Philius Imperial Army command erupted in cheers. Unlike the Belpiang forces, who had lost the Duke Knight Order and much of their cavalry, the Imperial Army had suffered almost no losses.
"This feels off."
Unlike the jubilant staff, Count Denitz—who knew the Mountain Duke and Belpiang forces well—couldn't relax.
'They lost the Duke Knight Order, yet retreat this easily? Did they get a victory report from another front?'
The Mountain Duke despised inconclusive outcomes. Whoever commanded this force now, pulling back so readily might mean a win elsewhere.
Unease stirred. Count Denitz composed his thoughts and recalled the weakest defensive line from his earlier inspection.
"Can we get a status on the Ratiel County defensive line right now?"
A Central Intelligence Agency agent dispatched by Count Potas as liaison stood where his gaze landed.
"I'll check."
Magic communication was possible at Ratiel County thanks to its high-tier mage. The agent vanished briefly.
Time dragged in tense silence. Soon, hurried footsteps announced the agent's return.
"Ratiel County's defensive line has completely collapsed. The remnants are falling back to establish a final line, but no one knows how long it can hold."
At the report, Count Denitz bit his lip slightly. Beside him, Azure Tower Lord Risefield Dior fussed about needing to inform the emperor and pulled out a communication orb.
"The military map!"
"Here!"
A young officer handed it over at Count Denitz's request. His eyes scanned it thoroughly, but no answers emerged.
No army had spare troops for reinforcements. Holding their own lines was the limit.
"This won't do..."
"Don't worry too much, Count Denitz."
Risefield approached after ending his call with the emperor. Count Denitz looked up.
"Reinforcements on the way?"
Risefield nodded.
"His Majesty is heading to Ratiel County himself."
"The Imperial Army is mobilizing?"
"Exactly. With him there, the Imperial Army won't lose."
"How much farther to Ratiel County's final defensive line?"
Raymond asked calmly, and Gestain stepped up beside him.
"Two more days, at least."
"Two days... I hope they hold out."
He wanted to push harder, but even with Sylvia scouting ahead, this was the limit. As he sighed and shook his head, a messenger from the reconnaissance unit arrived.
"We've spotted a Belpiang domain army camp about 5 km ahead, with around a thousand troops. Likely a detachment or scouting force."
"Has the final line already been breached?"
Desia said, squinting. But Raymond shook his head.
"Impossible for it to fall that quickly. Still, a thousand troops infiltrating Ratiel County means the final line isn't fully intact."
Time to decide.
"Split the Imperial Army in two. I'll take a thousand and hit their detachment. The main command takes the remaining two thousand to reinforce the final line."