The Decisive Hill
Far off, the battlefield around Elbarphiel Lake was just visible.
Rauben, commander of the Northeast 2nd Defense Line, gazed toward the distant, faintly discernible battlefield of the 4th Defense Line.
The forced march had left the soldiers looking somewhat worn, but thanks to that pace they had arrived on time.
Whoosh!
A cold wind brushed past his cheek. From farther off came the clatter of armor, and someone approached at speed.
"Lord Rauben."
It was his deputy, Erd.
Seeing the shadow on the man's face, Rauben asked,
"What is it?"
"The forward scouts have just returned with their report. They say… they spotted Kar tribe forces moving down from the northern side of the lake."
"…Kar forces?"
Rauben's expression hardened.
People might think the Kar only ever pushed with brute strength, but within them lived a meticulousness that never left an opening.
He had expected them to request and dispatch reinforcements, of course.
But their speed is faster than I imagined.
If they were already arriving now, it was no exaggeration to say they had called for support the moment they lost the battle he had been briefed on.
I heard the Kar commander facing the 4th Defense Line was quite strong…
He had assumed that strength would come with equally fierce pride. He silently cursed his own misjudgment.
Rauben calmly ordered his thoughts and asked Erd,
"How large is the force?"
"The numbers themselves aren't great. However…"
Erd lowered his voice and unrolled the map he had brought.
Unlike the ones they already possessed, this was a detailed chart of the terrain around Elbarphiel.
Erd continued,
"The problem is the ground here. The Kar have taken position at this point… As you can see, the path our forces would have to take is narrow and long."
If the enemy had even a single ambush waiting, an entire column could be wiped out in an instant.
And there would be far more variables than the map could show.
The ground the Kar now occupied was not a place they knew well.
"…"
Rauben's brow furrowed deeply as he studied the spread map.
Even near the lake, the hills rose rough and steep.
In terrain like this, the advantage of superior numbers could not be brought to bear.
Still…
"If we completely seal the outer approaches… it would make for excellent ground to annihilate them when they try to pull out later."
"That may be true, but… are you saying we will not enter at once to help them?"
Erd asked carefully.
Rauben shook his head.
"This is not a decision I can make on my own authority. The risk of committing our forces into terrain like this is simply too great…"
Who would have thought Elbarphiel Lake held ground that could create a variable like this.
Rauben bit down hard on his lip.
"Send a dispatch to the Corps Commander at once and report the situation. This fight… is going to be longer and fiercer than we expected."
"…Understood."
Erd bowed his head in reply. Rauben turned his gaze back toward the battlefield.
He had thought that combining their forces would make short work of the wounded Kar…
I never expected a situation like this.
The reality that greeted him on arrival was far more tangled and harsh than anything he had imagined.
Rauben watched in silence.
Distant firelight flickered; the wind seemed to carry faint war cries, though it might have been only his imagination.
Nothing could be predicted—except one thing.
He looked again at the map in his hand.
Here…
The midpoint between the two halted formations.
The forward zone in front of each line.
How the fighting went there would decide the course of this entire battle with absolute certainty.
A strange tension pricked the skin like needles, circling the camp.
Ulgraak and Makcrowdon.
The two commanders of their forces, the two warriors the Kar Tribe boasted of, stood side by side and looked out over the field.
Two men whose four-feather tattoos proved their recognized strength.
Where else could one witness the two of them standing together, preparing for battle?
The warriors watching them held their breath and kept absolute silence.
At last…
Makcrowdon glanced at Ulgraak beside him and gave a single nod.
Ulgraak answered with his eyes, then turned to face the warriors assembled before him.
He stepped forward and raised his voice so that all could hear.
"The ground we stand on now is a key point the Empire's dogs dare not lead their main force into. Yet we, too, cannot easily march our main force through it."
This peculiar terrain south of Elbarphiel Lake was a place where few could hold back many.
But the reverse was also true: when the time came to attack, they themselves would have to pass through the same narrow, winding path, and so could not move large numbers at once.
"That is why seizing the hill that lies between the Empire's dogs and our main force is more important than anything else."
Every Kar warrior present already knew it.
Their gazes turned naturally toward the hill beyond.
Ulgraak sharpened the edge of his words and continued.
"The field of battle here is narrow and rough. Many warriors cannot move freely. Therefore only those with skill and courage will take part in this fight."
The taut air settled even heavier.
Watching them, Makcrowdon found a faint smile touching his lips without his meaning to.
With only a few sentences Ulgraak had seized complete control of the atmosphere.
Ulgraak looked over the warriors who stared back at him and spoke slowly.
"But the Empire's army of today is nothing like the ones we once knew. In a matter of mere days… countless brothers have gone to the side of the gods."
A solemn weight pressed down on every shoulder.
Just as Ulgraak said, far too many warriors had lost their lives in only a few days.
"Yet we cannot fall back in fear. If we fail to take this hill… this land will ultimately fall into the Empire's hands."
The explanation was enough.
Fighting spirit already blazed like fire in the warriors' eyes; they looked ready to roar their fervor into the air at any moment.
A brief silence held.
Then—
"Are there warriors who will fight beside us?"
The instant Ulgraak's words ended, the warriors' heated cries exploded.
"I will go!"
"I wish to join the battle as well!"
"Among the two-feathered warriors none is stronger than I! Take me and I will be of great use!"
"I will go with you!"
The heat they had held down burst free; flames leapt up from the warriors' chests.
Morale reached its peak. Watching it, Makcrowdon felt genuine admiration rise within him.
So this is…
The power of Ulgraak, who for years had ruled Elbarphiel Lake and driven the Imperial army into terror.
He is far stronger than the rumors claimed.
He had only just arrived, yet Makcrowdon was already certain.
They would win this fight without question.
Ulgraak looked over the warriors and began calling names one by one.
"Maruolka!"
"Here!"
"Hukriatam!"
"Here!"
"Kwak!"
"Yes, Taman!"
One after another.
Each time a name was called, a warrior stepped forward, radiating the aura of a savage beast.
In every hand burned a warrior's soul hotter than the weapon it held.
At last a hundred elite warriors stood before Ulgraak.
Without question, they were the strongest force that could be assembled at this moment.
Ulgraak looked at Makcrowdon.
He, too, had already finished forming his ranks and stood ready with his warriors.
Makcrowdon met Ulgraak's gaze in turn.
There was no need for long words.
They shared a single goal.
This fight…
This war…
They would win it without fail.
Some two hundred elite Kar warriors began moving once more into the mist-shrouded hills.
And at that same hour—
A peculiar tension filled the Imperial army's operations chamber.
"In this fight the main force is meaningless. Whichever side takes the forward hill will be the absolute victor."
Seran, who had come to the commander's chamber to deliver his report, spoke before the gathered officers.
His voice was firm; his eyes never wavered.
He pointed to the map.
"The more the scouts map the terrain, the more every conclusion points to one place. The moment we seize that hill, the enemy cannot move. The path is too hard for our main force to enter—therefore they cannot come out either."
"So if we hold the hill and completely cut their supply… we could simply starve them to death?"
"Completely severing rear supply is another matter entirely. But once we hold the hill and can then drive our main force into their formation, we can annihilate them in the battles that follow."
"…Are you dismissing the value of the main force itself?"
At Leorn's words Seran shook his head.
"Not at all. I am only saying that, because of the terrain, the main force cannot exert its strength unless the hill is taken first."
This was Seran speaking—not some ordinary officer.
The weight of his words made it difficult for even Leorn to brush them aside.
That was why Leorn's face twisted.
The plan to overwhelm them with sheer numbers was collapsing before his eyes.
And more than that…
…That bastard Rauben…
A suspicion flashed through his mind.
He already knew the relief force from the 2nd Defense Line had reached the outskirts of Elbarphiel Lake.
Yet they had not even reported to him—the commander of this place—and had simply taken position outside.
Perhaps they had already grasped this special situation and chosen to wait on the perimeter.
"Haa."
Leorn let out a long breath.
Then he opened his mouth heavily and looked at Seran.
"So in the end we must use a small strike force to take that hill?"
"Correct. Roughly seventy to a hundred men. Any more than that would be impossible to operate."
Seran answered without hesitation.
Leorn glanced sideways at Hadel standing nearby.
So everything that man had said had been right after all.
He hated to admit it.
"…Then make ready at once."
There was no other way now.
However—
"But Seran. You will remain here and defend the main force. We cannot know what might happen."
"…What?"
Seran's eyes shook hard.
Had the man even listened to his report?
Right now…
This was no time to be holding a shield.
It was the moment when the sharpest blades had to clash.
Seran spoke urgently.
"This is the time to concentrate every strength we have. If I do not go, the balance of the battle will break."
At that answer Hadel looked at Leorn.
He had thought he was already used to the commander's incompetent judgments, yet he had not expected the man to hobble them again at a moment this critical.
"No. I cannot allow it."
Leorn's tone was adamant.
"Should anything befall you, the entire 4th Defense Line could be endangered. And who knows—perhaps the enemy will turn their forces and strike the main body by surprise."
"…"
With those words Seran finally understood why he had been kept only as the heart of the main force all this time.
This man…
He was simply afraid.
Afraid of losing his own position.
Beside him Hadel clenched his teeth and tightened his fists.
He wanted to step forward and argue, but he had already clashed once, hard, with Commander Leorn.
If he created another open conflict now, it would clearly damage the unit's morale.
With an incompetent man like this… we will never retake this lake.
Must he simply back down again?
But then—
"Commander."
A cold air wrapped the chamber.
Seran took one step forward and spoke in a low, unyielding voice.
"I refuse that order."
"…!"
In that instant the air inside the conference room began to freeze solid.