Chapter 3 - The Immortal Knight Episode 3
The Immortal Knight Episode 3
Chapter 3.
'They must be annihilated… Tch.'
Mongclay, sitting on his white horse, thought of his company, which he had left behind as a shield.
The 1st Company, always at the vanguard, like a sword.
The 2nd and 3rd Companies supporting it.
A total of five hundred soldiers.
A group renowned within the battalion for their experience and fighting prowess.
Leading the charge was natural.
He had no doubt that they would become sharp arrowheads, cutting down the Imperial army and opening the floodgates to victory.
Victory should have been certain.
'It definitely should have been….'
The vanguard's attack was ineffective.
Not only did they fail to break through, but they also witnessed the bizarre phenomenon of the Imperial army's forces suddenly swelling.
He had no choice but to use the unit that should have been a weapon as a shield.
It was no different from sacrificing them as offerings to preserve as many of his own troops as possible.
Still, he had gained one important piece of information.
'A unit with distinctive attire and movements.'
Amidst the suddenly inflated ranks of the enemy, he noticed individuals who seemed particularly strong. They used the armor on one arm as a shield, moving quickly and nimbly, and wreaking havoc on his troops.
"No doubt about it."
Based on information obtained from spies who had infiltrated the Empire, they were the killing weapon raised by Marquis Bueno Argen.
Once he made that judgment, the cause of the defeat became clear.
'They gathered those who lacked the talent for knighthood but excelled in slaughter, and created them.'
Therefore, he had no choice but to withdraw his forces before suffering even greater losses.
To preserve as many troops as possible, and to use the cards he had to call in for a reversal.
He needed to secure a location to tie down the Imperial army.
"Stop them at all costs!!"
"We must not let the Imperial bastards cross the Treverb Bridge!!"
"Do not forget that if this place falls, your families will be violated and slaughtered by those vile Imperial soldiers!!"
"Give your lives! Fight! Do not retreat!!"
Mongclay turned his gaze towards the battlefield unfolding in the middle of the bridge, wide enough for twenty adult men to pass comfortably.
With eyes that sought to read the path to victory, forgetting the previous defeat, he stood on a slightly inclined hillock and surveyed the situation.
The Kingdom of Azrion soldiers in blue armor were building walls with corpses, regardless of friend or foe, and blocking the Loden Empire soldiers in red armor.
It was an offensive and defensive battle that had followed a relentless chase, day and night.
A stalemate where no one could predict victory.
'Yes. If we can just hold out longer….'
Mongclay was quite satisfied with the valiant fight of his soldiers on the bridge.
If they could just hold out, the forces he had prepared for the worst-case scenario would arrive soon.
As he was thinking this,
The adjutant next to him pointed at the battlefield and shouted.
"Battalion Commander!! Over there!!"
Mongclay followed the hand that the adjutant pointed with his gaze.
To be precise, it was next to the bridge where the battle was raging.
"Ah!"
Mongclay was horrified.
Someone emitting a blue light from the Imperial army camp across the Treverb River was slowly freezing the flowing river.
"Those cowardly Imperial bastards hired a mage!!"
Mongclay's face turned pale, ignoring the adjutant's shout, he asked a hurried question.
"Is there still no news from them?!"
'The retreat was fast….'
Rian Keide, having escaped the Dandelion Plains, ran through the Greenwave Forest, where low hillocks rippled like waves, thinking of where his allies might be.
'Treverb Bridge.'
Swimming across the wide Treverb River was sure to result in being swept away by the fast currents or drowning.
Therefore, he had no choice but to pass through that place in order to get to Northheim.
Rian judged that Battalion Commander Mongclay would defend it desperately, unless he was a moron.
'Will they call for a knight?'
Of course, simply defending would not be enough to deal with the ever-increasing forces of the Loden Empire.
In order to achieve a reversal, at least one knight would have to come down from the main battlefield, Twin Canyon.
That was the only way to protect this detour to the main castle.
But was that realistically possible?
'They'll be too busy trying to hold off the Imperial Knights at Twin Canyon as it is.'
The moment they pulled a knight from there, the balance of the canyon battle would be broken, leading to an even greater defeat.
Then, did the Kingdom of Azrion have any forces to replace a knight?
He didn't know about the duchies or earldoms, but at least there weren't any in this direct territory of the kingdom.
"Hoo… This is going to be tough."
If only Mongclay had listened to the company commanders' advice that he should meet the enemy at Treverb Bridge….
'Forget it. What's done is done. There's no need to look back. Battalion Commander Mongclay isn't that much of a moron.'
Rian Keide shook off the negative thoughts that were slowly gnawing at his mind and focused on running.
It was a night of running alone.
He dug into the ground and covered his body with bushes to rest.
He washed his body and quenched his thirst in the flowing stream. He satisfied his hunger by tearing off jerky or dried vegetables he had acquired from the enemy.
In the process, he felt the ordinariness of his internal organs, no different from before.
No, had he gone beyond ordinariness?
He was able to carry out long-term activities without any problems with minimal rest and food intake.
He didn't know whether the improvement in his body was an ability gained by overcoming death, or whether it was due to constant training in his arduous life.
'Well, there's no need to see the two possibilities separately.'
It was enough that he had improved.
So, he just needed to continue improving. To the point where he couldn't even estimate how far he could improve.
He just needed to survive without dying and continue to move forward as he always had until the end of his life.
Tadat-!
Rian focused on running.
He went up and down the Greenwave Forest, where the green swayed, and finally reached the last hillock.
He faced the wheat field spread out before his eyes. It was a place where the still unripe greenness rippled.
He confirmed the soldiers of the Loden Empire, who were stationed near the Treverb River and seething.
It was midday, after a short dawn rest and a morning run, so he could roughly grasp the movements of the Imperial army even from a distance.
"Prepare to advance!!"
"Once we cross this, all the land we've passed through will be yours!!"
"““Waaaaaaaah-!!!!””"
The shouts of the Loden Empire soldiers, sensing victory, reached his ears.
Rian wondered why they were shouting with such conviction of victory, but it wasn't difficult to figure out the reason.
'The river….'
The river, which didn't freeze well even in winter, was frozen. To a size that the Imperial army's main force could cross.
Then there was only one answer. There was only one being who could create an artificial phenomenon that wasn't natural.
"A mage."
The Imperial army had hired a mage.
If it was a level that could freeze the river to that size, then it was definitely at least an intermediate-level mage.
The Empire had hired someone who had to be paid a huge sum for participating in a single battle, and even being able to solve it with currency was said to be lucky.
Had Mongclay anticipated that?
He probably couldn't have anticipated it.
If he had anticipated it, he wouldn't have even attempted the plains battle.
'Whatever the case, I can't let the entire Imperial army cross the river.'
Rian took in the situation of the Treverb River and racked his brains. Fortunately, the allies across the river seemed to be flustered, but they didn't seem to be retreating right away.
No matter how much they crossed the frozen river, the battle on the ice would be difficult for the Imperial army as well, so it seemed they were trying to stop them somehow.
'In that case…….'
Rian rolled his eyes as if he had come up with a plan. And he focused his gaze on the section where the blue light was rising from the corner of the enemy camp.
And with an expression that seemed like he could do something, he quickly moved his feet down the hillock.
Tadat-!
'Stop the mage.'
If he could stop the mage, that alone could submerge the Imperial army walking on the ice.
No matter how powerful the mage was.
Unless it was a harsh winter, it wouldn't be easy to keep the flowing river frozen like that.
He had to interfere with the mage who was maintaining the ice by continuously injecting mana, so that the allies could seize victory.
'I have to do it.'
He knew it was a reckless act.
He wouldn't be able to avoid death either.
There would also be guards protecting the mage. They might be elite soldiers called shadows.
If he considered the reason why the Marquis's shadows were here, it would be a valid reason to assume that it was to protect the mage.
But he couldn't just stand by and watch without doing anything. Even if it was just a dog's death.
'I can do it. I have to do it. It's something I can do.'
He was going to do it. The mage would be immersed in his spell, so if he aimed for the moment when the Imperial soldiers were crossing the ice.
It might be easier than expected.
If he was implementing such a wide-ranging magic, he wouldn't be able to pay attention to other things.
Just by interfering with the point where he couldn't release the magic, it was obvious that the Imperial army would be submerged.
It was worth risking his life for.
Even if he faced eternal mortality, it would be better than doing nothing and watching his allies lose.
So, he didn't put any hesitation in his running steps.
Tadadat-!
Rian quickly crossed the wheat field and reached the Imperial army camp.
At that moment, a commander who sensed his presence and looked back saw Rian.
"Huh?! Who are you!! What unit do you belong to?! It's been ages since the advance order was given!!"
The commander stopped his steps, which he had been taking towards the ice path with his subordinates, and walked towards Rian.
"I'm sorry. I have urgent business."
Rian touched his stomach and quickly passed the commander with a simple salute.
"Have you ever seen such a spaced-out bastard?! You should have pissed your pants instead of daring to desert your unit? What unit do you belong to! Huh?! Are you not coming here?!"
"I'll correct it!"
Despite the commander with a fierce expression shouting and calling for Rian, Rian roughly glossed over it and ran, circling around the place where the Imperial army was gathered.
It was clear that a situation would have arisen where they would have held Rian back if it had been an order from the commander, but that didn't happen.
"Crazy! I've memorized your face! Let's see each other after the battle!!"
The commander didn't think of chasing him any further and was busy shouting and moving towards the ice with his unit members.
No one noticed that Rian belonged to the Kingdom army.
It was a natural result since he had already annihilated the cleaning unit in the plains and changed into the Imperial army's armor.
'I disguised myself as an Imperial soldier in case I was discovered while moving. It's being used in a useful way.'
In addition, the tense battle situation made it impossible for the Imperial army to doubt Rian.
It was as if the goddess of luck had temporarily blinded the Imperial army.
Tadadak-!
Rian quickly passed the Imperial army's makeshift barracks and ran towards the place where the mage was.
Whoooo-!!
A wind carrying cold air brushed his cheeks. It was the winter wind of spring that the mage had reversed.
"Hoo…."
Rian slowed down and took a breath.
Thud-.
He walked between the barracks.
The figure of a Shadow Unit member came into his sight.
The number was about thirty.
They were the same guys as Gerard, who had taken his life before.
Every one of them was extraordinary.
From their physique to the imposing aura felt in their unwavering posture guarding the mage.
"What is it. Soldier. You couldn't have gotten lost."
One of them discovered Rian and spoke with a wary look and voice.
Thud-.
Rian calmly approached them.
'He's not here.'
He confirmed that Gerard, who had stabbed a knife into his heart, was not there.
At that time, one of the unit members, who had been carefully examining Rian's armor, put his hand on the sword attached to his waist and said.
"Are you an injured soldier? The medical barracks are on the opposite side?"
It seemed that the traces of the stab wound and bloodstains on his abdomen had heightened his vigilance.
"Desertion is punishable by immediate execution. Get lost if you don't want to die. I'll cut your throat if you come any closer."
Sreung-.
The elite soldier threatened to kill Rian as if he would kill him according to his excuse.
It was a tense war of nerves created with five steps between them.
Rian replied to the soldier who had drawn his sword with a nonchalant attitude.
"Sir Gerard ordered half of the guard force to support Treverb Bridge."
It was a spur-of-the-moment remark.
It didn't matter whether it was bullshit or whether Gerard was there or not.
It was a statement to create a bit of a gap by mentioning Gerard.
He judged that it was a good time to use Gerard, who had revealed his name.
But the enemy in front of him frowned with a murderous look in his eyes.
"You're a spy. You."
Was it the worst move?
Was his name not Gerard?
No, how could he forget the name of the guy who took his life.
He was sure it was Gerard.
First of all, he had no choice but to deny it.
"That's… No! I just came to deliver the order as I was told."
Was it not a suitable excuse?
The soldier who had drawn his sword in front of him sneered.
"The order we must follow above all else is to protect Norfin. Would Gerard not know that?"
"……."
It had become like pouring oil on a burning house. As if to say that, the other soldiers who had only been sending glances began to approach.
"Or maybe that bastard is a spy too?"
"We'll know if we cut off his arms and legs first and then interrogate him."
"How about we take this opportunity to make Gerard, who always acts like he's so great, a real spy? What do you think?"
"Heh heh. I agree."
Hmm. The situation seemed to be going off on a tangent, but it didn't seem too bad.
Sreung-.
"Come on. I'm telling you, we're on the same side."
Rian drew his sword.