Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: The Subjugation Force Sets Out (3)
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The fortress fell in no time.
After watching their mages get picked off one by one by the Xantia I launched, the enemy scrambled inside for cover.
That made it easier for Bernhard and the knight captains to close in, and eventually, they breached the walls.
The rest of us knights followed suit, leaping into the fortress, and after about an hour of fighting, we annihilated the enemies inside.
“13th Unit Leader! What the hell did you do?”
“You got a new Demon Spirit Sword from His Eminence the Cardinal, right? That must be its power?”
“It’s just like psychokinesis! Incredible!”
The knight captains crowded around me, making a huge fuss.
If I hadn’t taken out a good number of their mages with Xantia, our casualties would’ve been much worse.
“Don’t make such a big deal out of it. It took a ton of mana.”
“Legion Commander.”
“Looks like the Assault Knight Brigade’s begun their main advance. We can just sit back and watch.”
I glanced out the window.
Far off, our main force—the Assault Knight Brigade—was tearing through the enemy lines with ferocious momentum.
* * *
Thanks to taking the fortress early, our side suffered minimal losses.
But the enemy retreated quickly too, so we couldn’t wipe them out completely.
Greta Edel Felt hadn’t shown herself either.
“Looks like the Edel Felts have no intention of settling this in one go.”
“They might be trying to lure us in, sir.”
“Deep into their territory?”
“That would mean they’re confident they can encircle and annihilate us.”
Sershes and the staff officers fell deep into thought.
The situation made it clear: the Edel Felts were baiting the subjugation force.
“So what do we do? It’s a tough call.”
“We can’t just pull back now.”
“Impossible. But blindly following their lead doesn’t sit right either.”
“What if we strike at their weak spot?”
“Weak spot?”
“Send a detachment around the flank. Hit ’em from behind.”
“That means relying on the Independent Knight Brigade again.”
Sershes grimaced.
The Assault Knight Brigade specialized in frontal assaults with a solid formation.
They weren’t suited for mobile operations exploiting enemy gaps.
“Still, we have to use them where it counts. Summon Legion Commander Bernhard... and Sion.”
* * *
“You wanted to see me, Commander?”
Sershes and Bernhard sat facing each other inside the command tent.
“Your performance at the fortress was impressive, Sion.”
“You gave me plenty of opportunities, sir.”
“Tch. Just sit down.”
Sershes spoke in his usual gruff tone.
He’d assigned me missions before and benefited from them, but he still didn’t seem to like me much.
“Straight to business. Head north through the Winter Mountains toward Northburg.”
“Northburg... Isn’t that right in the front yard of Gayerant, the Edel Felts’ home base?”
“No one’s asking you to hit Gayerant itself, so relax.”
A map lay spread before Sershes, with the operation route already marked.
“From here, go north and enter the Winter Mountains. The paths will be treacherous, but if you break through, you can stab them in the back.”
“They’ll have troops stationed there too.”
“Probably. But their forces are thinner than ours. They’ll have left only the bare minimum.”
While the Assault Knight Brigade pinned down the Edel Felts’ main army, a detachment would slip behind enemy lines.
“Commander, this is a highly dangerous mission.”
Bernhard raised an objection.
“If things go wrong, not just the Edel Felts—the Dialogue Church might attack the detachment too.”
“You’re worried about the Dialogue Church?”
“Yes. There are already suspicions they’ve allied with the Edel Felts.”
“But they haven’t intervened in this war so far.”
“Even so...”
“This is my view—and Chairman Helena’s. The Dialogue Church won’t get involved in this war.”
Sershes’s voice was ice cold.
“The Edel Felts dream of taking the Holy Knights’ position. You think they can do that by joining hands with the vile Dialogue Church?”
“Well...”
“There’s still a chance the Edel Felt leadership is tied to the Dialogue Church. But if they mobilize them against us, they’ll face the scorn of the entire continent. The Holy Spirit Church would excommunicate them too.”
“So in the end, the Dialogue Church won’t enter this fight.”
“Right. They’re probably planning to sit back and watch the Edel Felts and Holy Knights weaken each other.”
I was a little surprised.
Sershes’s thinking matched mine exactly.
It might’ve been Helena’s analysis, but it was spot on.
“Even if we loop around the Winter Mountains to hit the Edel Felts’ rear, the Dialogue Church won’t intervene. They might poke at us a bit...”
Sershes looked at me.
“You can handle that much, right?”
“Depends on the situation.”
“Don’t play coy. I can see you’re confident.”
He scowled and pressed on.
“Enter the Winter Mountains and strike their rear. Handle the rest at your discretion.”
“Understood, Commander.”
Sershes had handed me a tough assignment.
* * *
“You sure just the 13th Unit will be enough?”
“Too many troops make stealth impossible.”
Bernhard offered more men, but I turned him down flat.
“Our mission is just to hit their flank. The commander doesn’t expect us to inflict massive damage, so a small unit is better.”
“I see...”
“Please keep supporting the Assault Knight Brigade as you have been, Legion Commander.”
“Got it. Good luck.”
The Edel Felts seemed to be employing a strategy to lure in the Holy Knights.
But with the Assault Knight Brigade, Sershes, and Est on our side, they could hold even if it was a trap.
[From your perspective, it’s perfect. You can move freely without prying eyes.]
‘Yeah, operating independently is the way to go.’
Our string of victories had the 13th Unit’s morale sky-high.
I figured we could handle this with a light heart.
* * *
So much for a light heart. I scrapped that idea after just one day.
“L-Lord Sion. Can’t we retreat and find another route?”
“You’re not one to scare easy, but my legs are shaking...”
“...”
The route Sershes assigned was beyond imagination—brutally rugged.
We were crossing a steep gorge now, forced to use an ancient plank road carved into the cliffside.
Parts were so narrow a single person could barely pass. Ages of wear had left sections crumbling.
No wonder sighs escaped the squad.
[That Sershes bastard—did he assign this to screw you over?]
Igzard cackled mockingly. Honestly, I half agreed.
‘Even so, a path like this really lets us catch them off guard. They’d never expect the Holy Knights to detour here.’
There’d be results for sure.
Convincing myself of that, we pressed on through the harsh terrain.
“At least we’re not getting ambushed. Small mercies.”
“Lieselotte’s right. No enemy would come here.”
Edwin chuckled, gazing at the sky.
“Probably no monsters either. Haha.”
But right then—
A piercing cry echoed: *Kyooooh!*
Something black swooped down from above.
“Edwin jinxed it.”
“Yeah, speak of the devil.”
“My fault?!”
As everyone blamed Edwin, a massive monster dove from the sky.
“Redhead Vultures!”
“One, two, three... Four of them!”
Redhead Vultures were eagle monsters native to the Winter Mountains.
Normally, they scavenged carcasses like regular eagles.
But their huge size, sharp beaks, and talons made them aggressive—they’d dive at any tempting prey without hesitation.
“Captain, what do we do?!”
Lotus asked urgently.
“Fighting here’s too risky! We could fall!”
“Yeah, they know that. That’s why they’re attacking.”
If we fought back here, we’d likely plummet into the gorge.
Then they’d just feast on our corpses.
“So don’t fight back.”
“Huh?!”
“Focus on defense. Just don’t fall.”
“But Captain, how...”
“I’ll handle it.”
“Ah...!”
I kicked off the ground and leaped.
To the others, it probably looked suicidal.
“Lord Sion!”
“Captain...!”
Cliffs loomed overhead.
I bounded up the near-vertical rock face.
By channeling mana to my soles for grip, I avoided slipping.
“Kyoooohhh!”
One Redhead Vulture targeted me.
It let out its eerie cry and charged.
[Those talons are massive. One hit and you’re full of holes.]
‘Right, their biggest weapon.’
So tough, people even made weapons from them.
But too hard to process, so they used whole claws—drawback there.
‘But...’
*Whoosh!*
Ashurai sliced through the air.
“Kyooooh!!”
A horrific screech.
The talons it thrust at me were severed clean off—as expected.
No matter how hard a Redhead Vulture’s talons, they were like soft pudding against the sword aura from Demon Spirit Sword Ashurai.
“One down.”
*Slash!*
My follow-up beheaded the eagle.
The remaining three, enraged by their falling comrade, rushed me at once.
“Kyooooh!”
“Kyoyoh!”
“Kyoooohhh.”
The noisy eagles bore down amid deafening cries.
I dashed across the cliff tops for the best footing when a voice whispered in my ear.
“I’ll assist you, my lord.”
Right after the familiar voice, two Redhead Vultures lunging from behind shredded to pieces.
Dietrich had returned—from gathering intel on the Edel Felts.
“D-Did you see that?!”
“The captain bisected vultures without even looking back!”
“Eyes in the back of his head?!”
“How’d he even slash them? I didn’t see a thing!”
My subordinates gawked from below.
“I staged it like you sliced them all with masterful swordsmanship. Good, right?”
“Dietrich.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Never do it again.”
“...”
Heavy silence.
Invisible in stealth, but he was probably crestfallen.
[Hey, he was trying to help. No need to be so harsh.]
‘I don’t want overhyping beyond my current skill.’
Plus, sharp senses like Edwin’s or Lieselotte’s might catch it.
“Kyooooh!”
The last one fled in terror.
“If it brings its flock for revenge, that’s trouble.”
Muttering, I hurled what I held in my left hand.
A talon from another Redhead Vulture—I’d snatched it earlier.
“Kyooooh...!”
Infused with mana, it pierced the beast’s spine dead-on.
Spinal damage sent it plummeting.
“That’s the last.”
I slid back down the cliff to our position.
Brushing off dirt, I scanned around—my men stared with jaws dropped.
“Lord Sion... Were you a lizard in a past life?”
“Lizard?”
“How do you not fall off cliffs? Suction-cup feet?”
Sorry, but my past life was Archbishop Hausel, not a lizard.
“It’s generating attractive force with mana. Train up, Edwin—you’ll get it quick.”
“The possibilities of mana control are endless...”
“That’s why we hone it.”
Not just Edwin—all my subordinates marveled at my moves.
“Let’s move. Vultures aren’t the only monsters. We need to clear this plank road fast.”
“Yes, sir!”
I urged them onward.
From the rear, pretending to watch our flanks, I spoke to Dietrich.
“Made good progress on the intel?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Something big?”
“Of course.”
Dietrich sounded smug.
“You’ll be shocked, my lord.”
“What?”
“They haven’t allied with the Dialogue Church after all. In reality...”
The news Dietrich brought was truly astonishing.