The day after the wedding ceremony in the
Domos capital of Fenrir, the Domos’s military flag was raised: black with a
yellow border and a legendary divine wolf in the center.
The supreme commander was of course Domos
King Lorent. He was followed by his generals: Stephan, Almeida, Kubdai,
Shigsal, Naja, Carnap, Vatistuta, and Lumishas. The army was 12 thousand
strong. They had far more horses than soldiers, so 20 thousand horses kicked
dust high into the sky.
Domos Queen Ansandra rode in a carriage in
the reverse of the journey she had taken just a month earlier.
The maids and knights that had accompanied
her from Clanaria were shocked and dumbfounded by this sudden turn of events.
The marriage had been intended to build friendship between the kingdoms, but it
had led to the exact opposite.
They had no idea what to do, but they were
forced to choose one of two things: Serve Ansandra by assisting Domos, or die.
Every last one of them chose to serve
Ansandra as before. This had less to do with Ansandra’s leadership ability and
more to do with the naïve idea that surviving now would lead to alternative
options in the future.
Ansandra sat in the shaking carriage and it
was Dominic rather than Mimi who sat opposite her this time.
That viper of a woman was trying to gather
information on Clanaria from the traitorous princess. Ansandra hated Dominic,
but she was Lorent’s wife now and she had steeled her resolve, so she was
willing to help.
“Look at that.”
There was a commotion outside the carriage
and one of the soldiers cried out. Ansandra looked out the window and followed
everyone’s gazes.
A truly large flying dragon was soaring
calmly north to south in the western sky. Its massive body glittered gold in
the summer sunlight.
“A gold dragon. The Divine Golden Dragon
has appeared!”
Someone else cried out that name and smiles
spread across the people’s faces like a ripple.
“The Divine Golden Dragon?”
Ansandra had never heard of a god named
that, so Dominic explained while giving the excited soldiers a scornful look.
“It is one of Domos’s folk beliefs. It is
very widely believed.”
She spoke resonantly, like she was singing.
“When a dragon lives for more than a
thousand years, it is said to become a god beyond human understanding. And the
greatest of these divine dragons has scales that glitter with gold and a roar
that travels a thousand miles and smashes mountains. Any who bathe in its blood
gain a body of steel and any who drink its blood become immortal. A sword
forged from its fang can cleave even the sea and a shield hammered from its
bones can stop even the sky.”
It sounded like she could continue, but
Dominic stopped there.
“Well, a lot of it is contradictory and
they are no more than legends. The divine dragon is supposed to come from a
flying dragon that lives for a thousand years, but they live for at most 30
years and usually only 20. It simply isn’t possible for them to reach 1000.”
Dominic shrugged, but the wild passion
outside was growing out of control.
Lorent wore black armor and rode his great
black steed named Black Flame Hair. He rode up onto a small hill, drew his
sword in front of his troops, and struck a grand pose.
“Behold! The Divine Golden Dragon watches
over us. This is proof that heaven has blessed us. There is no doubting our
victory now!”
“Ohhhhhhh!!!”
Some of the soldiers were moved to tears.
“His Majesty looks incredible no matter
what he does.”
Ansandra sighed as she watched the man who
had made her body his captive, but Dominic responded much more coldly despite
having fallen for the same man.
“That dragon is either covered in moss or
has some kind of disease. He is merely using the legend to his own ends. He
will use whatever it takes to win. From a whiny little girl to a great dragon.”
Ansandra responded indifferently to
Dominic’s blunt statement.
“Appearance is what matters in all things.
A little girl will develop feelings for you if you sleep with her every day and
a dragon will raise morale if you call it a god.”
The carriage continued on as Ansandra and
Dominic fought their icy feminine battle within.
Led by the ever-victorious King Lorent, the
Domos army travelled south from the northern mountains at lightning speed. They
attacked Gorod Fortress, a barracks on the Clanarian border, and it fell in a single
night. But they ignored all of the other strongly defended fortress cities and
enveloped 10 or so villages in crimson flames as if paying a toll along the
way. The army marched swiftly across the empty fields.
The Clanarian army was waiting to stop the
Domos army at Corlal Field, which was located 3 days south from
Domos-controlled Sulbey and 8 days north of the Clanarian capital of Curling.
The area barely qualified even as “remote”
for the Clanarian forces. Crossing that field would take the Domos army to the
granary region of Bastore. Clanaria had to protect that region at all costs, so
Vanguard General Madelene had used day laborers to build a fence.
“That vanguard general uses some loathsome
tactics.”
Madelene’s troops were far from elites, but
there were 2000 of them. Lorent had 6 times that many, but after one glance at
the enemy formation, he decided against a direct assault. He instead stopped
his army atop a hill that gave him a view of Corlal Field in its entirety.
“I had wanted to take Bastore, but Clanaria
reacted quicker than expected.”
Domos King Lorent sat on a stool at the
very back of his tent. He stroked his chin in surprise and peered at his new
wife’s face where she sat next to him.
“…”
Ansandra only casually looked away while successfully
hiding her panic, but that told Lorent something.
“It would seem you really did send a secret
messenger back home. I had thought you were drowning in pleasure in my arms,
but it would seem I can’t let my guard down around you even for a second.”
Ansandra neither confirmed nor denied the
accusation. She remained expressionless and ignored him.
It was true she had sent a secret
messenger, but she had never imagined Mimi would actually fulfill her duty and
she could not suppress the surprise in her heart.
“Well, fine. I knew this would come down to
a showdown somewhere. If they are focused on defense, there is no need to spill
our own blood in a forced attack. They will shift to attack once their main
force arrives. That is when we will strike.”
Lorent’s prediction provided accurate. With
time, more and more reinforcements arrived for the Clanarian army.
The Clanarian army gathered at Corlal Field
had Right General Duchess Chamomile in control of the eastern defensive army,
Left General Hopard in charge of the western defensive army, and General Albare
in charge of the full interception army. All told, there numbers reached 30
thousand.
This was the same troop formation they had
used around 2 months prior in the battle against the Exstar Kingdom in the
western Catra territory. That meant it was a flawless formation.
Also, King Baldwin must have been quite
upset after handing over his daughter and having that good will trampled
underfoot. Defense of Curling had been left to Prime Minister Stuart and the
king himself commanded 3000 troops at Satarfia, approximately halfway between
the royal capital and the front line. Of course, that was only to demonstrate
his resolve to the army and he had no intention of actually participating in
the battle.
This was the strongest and most certain
formation that Clanaria could think of. Some would call it the strongest on the
continent.
Clanaria’s troops now had the strength they
needed to ruin their enemy, so there was no need to hesitate. Intending to
begin the battle the following morning, General Albare gathered his commanders
to his headquarters, so Lucy was on her way there.
“Hey, Demon Princess, you’re looking pretty
grim.”
A knight in bright red armor lined his
horse up alongside hers.
“Madelene!?”
He was the lover of Clanaria’s 1st Princess
Virginia and a favored retainer of King Baldwin. He was also the first and only
man Lucy had shared a bed with.
“You have guts to continue brazenly showing
your face before me and even calling out to me. My spear White Heaven can
easily pierce that red breastplate of yours.”
Lucy did not even try to hide her
displeasure as she raised her slender spear. The lady killer raised both hands
in an expression of surrender.
“Don’t be like that. I was trying to be
nice since I can guess how it must feel to have your best friend on the other
side of the battle. I’d like it if you recognized that kindness, my former
lover.”
Madelene’s jocular tone really made Lucy
want to put the spear right through his chest, but she smiled bitterly because
she knew this was just the kind of guy he was.
“Former lover, hm? Giving you access to my
body was the greatest mistake in my life. I’d prefer not to remember that.”
Lucy was special enough just being General
Albare’s daughter and she was also known as a Demon Princess, a Fierce Woman,
and a War Goddess, so no man had had the guts to seduce her. Except for this
one, that is.
In bed, he had whispered to her while
groping her body.
“I will be king one day. And I will bring
all the many kingdoms together with my own power. I can do it, so you come with
me.”
Madelene had always burned with
insubordinate ambition. Due to her lineage, Lucy was more than loyal to Clanaria’s
royal family, so she had trembled with fear upon learning this man was plotting
to usurp the throne in the future. But his bold and ambitious charm had kept
its grasp on her feminine heart and she had spent her days agonizing between
her duty and her emotions.
She had never even dreamed he would use a
trick like seducing 1st Princess Virginia. His plans had far exceeded Lucy’s
expectations.
“I should have realized what was going on
when you refused to make our relationship public. To think you were secretly
working to steal a princess’s heart.”
Lucy desperately kept her feelings inside,
but she could not hide the tremor of anger and humiliation in her voice.
“Don’t say that. I still love you.”
The gentleman said it so readily that Lucy
had to give him a skeptical look. And she finally opened her mouth.
“You are a bold man. You will marry a
princess in the near future, but you’re already looking for mistresses? You
will be a royal soon, so how about you watch what you say?”
Those biting words were not enough to shake
Madelene.
“Virginia has her own mistress: magic. Her
magic research is apparently an irreplaceable hobby for her. She happens to be
focused on me now, but she will eventually return to her magical pursuits.”
“Don’t act like you don’t put your
ambitions above love in the same way.”
“I wasn’t trying to. That’s one reason why
we’ll make such a good couple.”
Madelene readily accepted Lucy’s critique and looked up into the azure sky. It
was somewhat cloudy.
“How about it? The position of mistress is
still open. I want a woman who can ride out onto the battlefield with me. Do
you think we can redo this?”
He approached with a serious expression.
Lucy looked away with a furious expression
and exploded into laughter.
“Ha ha ha… You really are bold! A bold man
indeed. You don’t know your place. You have no right to look down on that
savage king Lorent who thinks himself a conqueror.”
Lucy grabbed her horse’s reins and kicked
it in the gut. She needed to get to the headquarters, so she did not have time
to chat here.
“I will seduce you eventually.”
Madelene called out to her as she galloped
off.
Her chest burned and she just about cried.
She hated herself for being unable to forget that love she had supposedly
thrown out.
(This is no time to deal with that man. I
need to save Princess Ansandra.)
It was the end of summer. As the clear
morning air covered the field, the dawn’s first light gently shined down from
east to west. The grass and trees were brightly illuminated and a silver river
of armor and weapons began flowing out onto the green field.
“They’re finally coming.”
Lorent told his entire army the time was
ripe and ordered them to prepare for a counterattack.
The Clanarian army had 33 thousand men and
the Domos army had 12 thousand. A simple comparison suggested the Domos army
did not stand a chance, but the veteran Domos soldiers did not take a
pessimistic view.
“If the enemy outnumbers us 3-to-1, we can
wipe them out if every 1 of us takes out 3 of them.”
Those fierce warriors truly thought they
could do that.
Clanaria’s greater numbers seemed to have
the advantage on the great expanse of Corlal Field, but this terrain allowed
full use of the cavalry, so it was the ideal battlefield for Domos and its
primarily cavalry army. The battlefield allowed both sides to use their
greatest advantage.
Domos held the high ground, so they could
more easily grasp the full battlefield. That seemed to give them an advantage,
but the terrain was fairly level and Clanaria was not at much of a
disadvantage.
“Go, Lucy. Find out just how powerful these
rumored Domos soldiers really are.”
Clanarian General Albare gave the honor of
the vanguard to his beloved daughter. It was a nepotistic choice, but it also
showed that he trusted his daughter’s military senses.
“Every warrior wishes to fight on the
vanguard. I won’t let the enemy build any momentum. Try to keep up with me!”
With her silver uniform glittering in the
sunlight, Lucy looked like a true War Goddess. The 500 horseback troops who
followed her were the top elites chosen personally by Albare.
“The enemy vanguard is approaching with
approximately 500 on horseback!”
Lorent lightly nodded at the report.
“So they’ve finally started moving. It is
difficult to break someone who is focused on defense, but someone seeking
victory is surprisingly fragile. We will finish this swiftly. The enemy likely
intends to fight a quick skirmish to test our strength, but we will pull them
in and destroy them.”
The Domos strategy had been given to the
troops in advance. The first to move on Lorent’s instructions was the 1000-man
vanguard led by Lumishas.
General Lumishas had been left in charge of
the Domos vanguard and she had been the adopted daughter of the former king of
Sulbey. And her virginity had been taken by Lorent.
The troops under her command were of course
made up of Sulbey’s former retainers, so it was easy to imagine the complicated
feelings in their hearts. They had fought so fiercely against Domos not long
ago, but now they were fighting on Domos’s behalf as the vanguard against
Clanaria.
Lorent’s official reason for selecting
Lumishas for the vanguard was to allow her and her men to demonstrate their
military prowess to their new master, but he of course had another reason.
If he placed this new unit in the rear,
there was a risk of them firing arrows at the back of the Domos army during the
battle. If that happened, Domos would be forced to retreat no matter how
powerful they might be. To prevent that, he had placed the former Sulbey
retainers in the vanguard as an implicit threat that he would have them
immediately slaughtered from behind if they tried anything funny.
Even if they had their misgivings, they
would be forced to fight under the Domos flag to ensure Lorent was pleased with
their work. And if they did not, they would be drowned by the Clanarian troops
pushing in like the surging waves. The former Sulbey soldiers would have to fight
valiantly to save their own lives.
This was less Lorent’s own cunning and more
a tactic developed during this age of war. Placing newcomers on the vanguard
was the standard decision.
Domos’s vanguard unit was larger. Lucy did
not want a head-on clash, so she circled to the right to hold them in check.
After a whizzing sound, an arrow pierced
the forehead of what looked like a veteran warrior at the lead of the Domos
troops. He flipped backwards and from his horse. He was torn to pieces by the
hooves of his allies’ horses.
Lucy had fired her bow on horseback. She
displayed incredible skill. And since the horsemen under her command were also
skilled in archery, they avoided approaching too close, cleverly kept their
distance, and fired arrow after arrow.
“Well done.”
“Oh? Not bad.”
Albare the doting father and Lorent the
enemy commander voiced their impressions at the same moment. But the commander
of the losing side was not just going to sit idly by.
“What are you doing!? Don’t let the enemy’s
tactics get the better of you. Set up a wind barrier and crush them!”
As Lucy skillfully guided her horse, she
fired 5 more arrows. But from the 2nd one, the Domos soldiers skillfully
avoided them with their helmets and armor. And when she fired her 6th arrow, it
flew off at an odd angle.
She could not have heard Lorent’s shouting,
but Lumishas had immediately used wind barrier magic to block the arrows.
“Throw aside your bows and raise your
spears. We’ll take this to them directly.”
The Clanarian forces led by Lucy and the Domos forces led by Lumishas who had
set up a wind barrier charged toward each other in a large clump.
Female warriors and generals were not all
that rare, but it was still unusual for the vanguard on both sides to be led by
a woman.
Lumishas rode a palomino horse, swung her
whip, and repelled the gathering enemy soldiers as she commanded her troops.
She was 28. Perhaps because she was an outsider, the plain woman tended to be
so taciturn you could forget she was even there, but she truly shined on the
battlefield. Enough so that Lorent had given her troops to command.
Clanaria’s warrior woman shined just as
much. Lucy fought from horseback while wielding her beloved spear named White
Heaven.
Both sides refused to allow the other side
to advance even a step and blood sprayed out and filled the wind as the area
developed into a scene of carnage.
“Go help Lucy. Send in the next group.”
Even if Lucy was not losing, it was
1000-to-500. She would not last long. Both sides had clashed simultaneously, so
Albare ordered 2000 men to be sent in as reinforcements. Clanaria’s army had
more than twice as many men, so there was no need to hold back.
Before his vanguard could be swallowed up
by a sea of overwhelming numbers, Lorent gave further orders.
“Order Lumishas to fall back. Have Kubdai’s
2nd formation shatter the enemy that pursues her!”
General Kubdai was 25. He had been Lorent’s
aide since he was young. Their similar ages meant he had approached Lorent as
something like an older brother. He had assisted Lorent as his
second-in-command since before he took the throne. No one had Lorent’s trust
more than him. He was not an especially fierce or intellectual general. He
struck a nice balance between offense and defense and he was persistent. He was
an unsophisticated man with a beardless and simple face and Ansandra had heard
Lorent describe him as “a man who can always be used for something”.
Sure enough, Kubdai broke the leading edge
of the Clanarian troops pursuing Lumishas’s unit and then swiftly moved away
before the Clanarian unit could regroup and attempt a counterattack. It was the
kind of hit-and-away tactic only possible for a cavalry unit.
The Domos army tried to break the enemy’s
formation by repeatedly using their horsemen’s mobility to sharply advance and
gallantly fall back, but Clanaria’s tactics were superbly skilled and their
formation would not fall apart.
Albare knew he had twice the enemy’s
numbers, so he kept true to his plan and always attempted to use his superior
numbers to surround and eliminate the enemy. If the Domos troops showed an
opening as they buzzed around like flies, he would not overlook it and he would
send in reinforcements.
Domos was always on the offensive and
Clanaria was always on the defensive.
However, that was only on the surface.
The Domos army’s attack would eventually
reach its limit. Once that happened, it would quickly collapse. The Clanarian
army thought it was only a matter of time.
“Order Hopard and Chamomile to advance the
left and right flanks. But have them move slowly.”
Left General Hopard was a middle-aged
gentleman with an impressive mustache. He struck a decent balance between
results and personality, and he was being watched as a possible candidate for
the next head general.
Right General Duchess Chamomile was a 40-year-old
widow who was known for her thoughtfulness and archery skill. She was secretly
Albare’s mistress and had been Lucy’s archery instructor.
Both of them had stable skill as
commanders, so they moved with perfect coordination to flank the Domos army on
both sides. Domos’s hit-and-away tactics were gradually working against them as
Clanaria sent in their excess troops.
“Focus your magic bullets between the
enemy’s right flank and center. Create an opening there.”
The Domos army was almost half-surrounded,
but on Lorent’s orders, their front line launched silver light that flew toward
the enemy as bands of glowing balls.
Magic bullets were the most standard type
of magic. It fired a ball of magic about the size to fit in the palm.
Magic was convenient and magicians who had
researched and trained in the field could produce fire, frost, gusts of wind,
flashes of light, darkness, and more. Magicians could produce higher level
supernatural phenomena with greater skill, a better environment, a superior catalyst,
or a more complex ceremony. It was even said that it would be theoretically
possible for someone to fly or cause an earthquake.
But the high level magic was too taxing on
the user’s stamina and required too long an incantation, so even in the hands
of the most well-trained magicians, it was not always useful in combat.
Conversely, magic bullets were a basic form
of magic that fired pure magic power, so they were not much of a burden on the
user and were fairly effective even in the hands of the average soldier. That
made them perfect for combat. In other words, an attack from a thousand ants
was more useful than from a single elephant.
They were not very lethal, but they would
negate the magic cast on armor and shields and made those defenses more
brittle. When used right, magic bullets could bring great change to the
battlefield.
As a dense volley of magic bullets
unbalanced Clanaria’s formation and a flower of magic light blossomed brightly,
Lorent ordered a charge.
“Tell Almeida and Shigsal that they’re up.
It’s their turn to go nuts!”
The unit of 2000 horsemen that had been
preserved at the Domos rear guard now moved forward under two commanders.
Almeida was 36. He had fought on the
battlefield since the time of Domos’s previous king. As a true Domos man, he had
ridden more on a horse than walked on his own two feet. He had a stern face,
tanned skin, a black beard, and the overall appearance of an old warrior. He
was like a living embodiment of Domos’s militaristic personality. Nothing
honored him more than leading the charge in a difficult battle and he had been
disappointed when he had not been chosen for the vanguard in this battle.
Meanwhile, Shigsal was just as wild a
warrior. He would turn 15 soon, so he was by far Domos’s youngest commander. He
was the young master of the Pixy clan, a highly isolationist group even within
Domos, but he revered Lorent like a god. Lorent likely wanted to raise him
well, so he preferred to give him important positions on the battlefield.
Two of Domos’s fiercest commanders were on
the attack. The intention was clear: As the concentrated fire of magic bullets
opened a wound in the Clanarian army while they thinned themselves to surround
the Domos army, those two would charge in and break through the center. It was
exactly the sort of ferocious and daring tactic that Domos was known for.
Of course, Clanaria accurately saw through
Domos’s tactic. To prevent it, they tried to fill the wound with men and
horses. A deadly wall of spears, arrows raining down thick enough to blot out
the sun, and blinding magic light wore them down.
And after much intense battle, Shigsal’s
unit successfully broke through a gap like a fired arrow. This was due to
Shigsal’s fearless valor as well as Almeida drawing away many more of the
enemy.
Whatever the case, Shigsal’s unit tried to
break through the Clanarian army using their momentum, but Clanaria was not
about to let the blade stabbed deep inside them stir up their organs. They
fought back with twice the intensity of the initial counterattack to the
charge.
Shigsal was blocked by a wall of soldiers
and horses and brought to a standstill in the center of the enemy formation.
Utterly surrounded, it looked like his unit
would be crushed from all sides. They took great damage but were not utterly
destroyed thanks to Shigsal’s efforts. The ferocious boy held a curved sword,
rode amongst his own forces, assisted his struggling men, encouraged them,
gathered the injured in the center, fortified their defenses, and waited for
the reinforcements that were sure to arrive.
“Such energy in that one.”
Albare admired the struggling young beast
with its leg caught in the hunter’s trap, but as the supreme commander of the
Clanarian army, he was not satisfied with simply stopping the enemy’s attempt
to break through their center.
When Domos’s troops had gathered on the
right, he had ordered an attack on the center and left. He had the excess
troops to do that. The center and right of Domos’s army had also nearly been
routed.
But Domos’s frontline unit deflected and
repelled the attacking Clanarian troops.
It was led by a man by the name of
Vatistuta who had once been a great commander of Celeste. He had led the
Celeste army and fought against Domos countless times. And during single combat
with Lorent, he had continued fighting even after having his left arm cut off
at the elbow. When Celeste had fallen, Lorent had not wanted to lose such a
skilled commander, so he had showed the man honor and invited him into his own
camp.
Of all the commanders on this battlefield,
only Albare surpassed him in both past results and fame. His history of warfare
was far longer than Lorent’s.
Even with only one arm, Vatistuta did not
appear any less formidable. He controlled his steed without holding the reins,
he swung his great spear with one arm, and he commanded his troops.
“Such solid defense. You would think they
had planted roots in the earth.”
That impressed comment came from Albare’s
aide, Uldarg. Uldarg was a young, courageous, and honest warrior. Albare
secretly thought he could be his daughter Lucy’s future husband.
“But our own men are disappointing. How
could they overlook this opportunity to grasp victory!? Sir, will you allow me
take direct command?”
Albare used a hand to reject his hot-blooded aide’s suggestion.
“There is no need to rush. That unit’s role
is to defend and they will not bring any major change to the battle. They will
shake us a few more times, but that will never bring us down.”
Uldarg straightened his back and saluted at
his respected commander’s expression of confidence.
Meanwhile, Lorent was racing across the
battlefield with none of Albare’s calm.
To break free of this crisis with the
slight time Vatistuta’s fierce attack had bought him, he sent in all of his
reserve troops.
He took direct command on the front line as
arrows and magic bullets whizzed by, worked to help his front line recover, and
struck at the enemy formation with his personal troops whenever he saw an
opportunity. Shigsal’s troops responded by making a last ditch effort, breaking
through a point in the enemy troops surrounding them, and successfully escaped.
But they took severe damage in the process. Loyal and brave Toce, an elderly
man who had long served Shigsal’s clan, died in battle and 4 other noted
retainers were also lost.
But this did not mean the Domos army had
escaped its crisis. Shigsal had been rescued, but this had placed the Domos and
Clanarian armies in an all-out clash.
In a battle of attrition where both sides
fought to the last man, Domos had no chance of victory. They had to put some
distance between the two sides if they were to make full use of their cavalry’s
mobility.
“Have Carnap and Vatistuta’s units continue
to the left, have Kubdia’s horsemen make a feint to the right before
withdrawing, and have Lumishas’s unit advance in their stead.”
The situation demanded it, but withdrawing
while continuing to fight was a difficult task. It pained Lorent that it was
necessary.
“They’re crumbling.”
Albare smiled as his calculating eyes
observed Domos withdrawing while making feints. Domos’s attack had reached its
limit.
“Have Hopard’s unit quickly advance to
strike the enemy’s retreating left flank. Do not let Domos’s main force escape.
Pursue them and destroy them.”
Hopard’s attack with 6000 men was swift and
effective. To beat Domos at their own game, he cleanly cut into one section of
their formation and rushed forward. Domos could not surround the advancing
enemy troops the way Clanaria had before because the Clanarian army began an
all-out attack across the battlefield.
Domos’s front line melted like butter on a
frying pan.
The trend of the battle was set.
Vatistuta’s unit continued fighting on the front line with any sort of organization
the longest, but even they began retreating while supporting their allies.
Even so, Lorent attempted a counterattack
to turn things around. He worked to crush Hopard’s troops that had accurately
cut deep into Domos’s formation to reach the core of their army.
“Tell General Stephan to circle to the
enemy’s left side and cut off their escape route.”
The experienced old general who had served
as Lorent’s tutor was not exactly quick-witted, but he had great skill built
from the military, political, and diplomatic experience to match his many
years. He was an undeniably vital part of the kingdom.
The 1500 horsemen he commanded moved in a
clockwise semicircle and struck at the left side of Hopard’s troops who had
advanced too far away from their allies.
Domos was attempting to cut Hopard’s troops
off from their main force, have Stephan and Kubdai’s units surround them, and
destroy them as the first step in causing the entire Clanarian army to
collapse.
Even if it did not turn out that well, they
could at least stop Hopard’s advance. And if possible, they hoped the enemy
troops would draw back so Domos had time to rebuild their battle line.
“Not a bad attempt, but it is not enough.
This was a trap that Albare, Hopard, and I worked together to set without
exchanging so much as a word.”
Stephan’s horsemen were stopped by the
light infantry led by Clanaria’s Duchess Chamomile.
“Aim for the horses’ legs.”
The soldiers held round shields in one hand
and swords in the other. They all crouched on the ground and swept their swords
toward the horses’ front legs.
That was why Stephan’s unit came to a stop.
And immediately afterwards, the 1000
infantry commanded by Carnap attacked from behind Chamomile’s troops.
Carnap had been a wandering mercenary until
Lorent had recognized his talent and recruited him. True to that history, he
had an excellent eye for tactics.
But Chamomile’s troops were not at all
shaken by the pincer attack from in front and behind.
After all, they were 6000 strong. A pincer
attack from 1500 and 1000 was nothing. Even if Carnap was attacking from behind
Chamomile, Carnap was exposing his soft flank to the main Clanarian force. He
would be destroyed soon enough.
Chamomile was an experienced woman general,
so she did not mistake the importance of the factors around her. She ignored
Carnap’s attack and worked at cutting down Stephan’s troops. And she aimed to
destroy Domos’s entire army by attacking in parallel to Hopard.
“Gh.”
As Ansandra watched the battle play out,
she sensed Dominic gulp as she too watched the battlefield.
Lorent was preserving a poker face as he commanded
the front line on his steed, but he had to be sweating profusely where no one
could see. That was plain enough to a woman who had slept with him so many
times.
And even if Ansandra was an amateur when it
came to war, she could still tell the Domos army was teetering on a razor’s
edge.
“It seems a kingdom only as powerful as
Domos truly cannot defeat Clanaria.”
Ansandra sensed anew how reckless her
husband was as she held herself with her trembling arms.
“This will be the crack that ultimately
breaks them.”
Confident of their victory, Chamomile gave
her orders, but then she sensed a large flock of giant birds and her face
clouded over.
“What!?”
She and her troops looked skyward in shock.
A flock of grim reapers spread their wings
wide to fill the blue sky.
With her red ponytail blowing in the
powerful wind, Naja looked down at the defenseless enemy army below and blew a
cheerful whistle. Then she raised a long spear in her right hand and swung it
down.
“Throw your spears!”
Naja’s flying dragon unit suddenly flew
down with the deafening noise of flapping wings.
In the central plain, flying dragons were
primarily used as messengers. There were simply not enough of them to put
together a unit, so they were never deployed on the battlefield.
Using them in war made a great difference.
500 spears poured down like rain.
5 of them were targeted at Chamomile. 1
grazed her helmet, 1 injured her horse’s hoof, 1 stabbed deep into her thigh, 1
shattered her left fist, and 1 pierced her chest.
That veteran woman general’s eyes widened
in shock as she fell from her horse and onto her back.
“Duchess Chamomile was killed!?”
That report brought a shudder to the
Clanarian army.
As Albare commanded from the rear of the
army, he stood in shock at the death of his trusted colleague and mistress.
“Rush the enemy formation! Follow me! Our
flying dragon unit will hog all the honor for ourselves!”
Naja and her large black winged dragon flew down toward the 6000 soldiers
unsure what to do with their direct commander gone. She raced across the
battlefield sky like a whirlwind.
“Ah ha ha ha! This is the great central
plain kingdom everyone was so worried about!? They’re so weak! They’re barely
even worth mentioning! We could’ve taken them without bothering with that
princess first! This kingdom’s pathetic!”
Naja guffawed with her healthily white
teeth on display. Then her 500 flying dragon knights whipped up the dirt with
their wind pressure and flew every which way.
(It was all for this!?)
As Ansandra watched the dramatic change on
the battlefield, she realized her husband had kept the flying dragons in
reserve to ensure he could take the head of one of the enemy generals.
Corlal Field was almost entirely flat, so
taking the high ground only accomplished so much. But he had used that slight
hill to position Naja’s flying dragon unit in an unseen position and then
retreat to lure the Clanarian army within range of a surprise attack.
(That’s such a cheap shot…)
Ansandra was shocked, but she had to admit
it was an excellent strategy. She felt vindicated in the promise she had seen
in him, but another emotion also rose in her chest.
(General Chamomile…I’m sorry. I…I…)
She had known that women since she was
little, but she had killed her. And from a position where she had to celebrate
that death.
Unable to suppress what was rising inside
her, Ansandra vomited.
“Good, now strike back!”
The Domos army began an all-out
counterattack.
Assuming victory was theirs, the Clanarian
army had hastily charged in and carelessly overextended their formation when
they were struck. Domos did not overlook their bewilderment. One could barely
believe they had been fleeing and crumbling a moment before. The horses turned
back around and began a fierce counterattack. In fact, their previous retreat
had been a bluff.
“Don’t fall behind the flying dragon
girls!”
The Domos soldiers cheered.
“Naja! Naja! Naja!”
No woman in Domos was as loved as Naja. Ansandra
might be queen and recently wed into Domos, but her popularity paled next to
Naja’s. And while Dominic was respected for her talents, she scored far fewer
points when it came to popularity.
Naja was a flying dragon rider to the core
who had been riding them as long as she could remember.
She was cheerful, sociable, and openly
sexual. Everyone knew she was Lorent’s mistress, but she was still loved. She
was the Daughter of Domos born and raised in their ways.
Chamomile’s soldiers struck back at the
morale-boosted Domos army. They were far from weak, but they were ready to flee
after the sudden loss of their trusted commander and the attack from the flying
dragons.
They were so disorganized they could easily
have caused the entire Clanarian army to take flight.
“Don’t just stand around! Avenge General
Chamomile! They had the audacity to swoop down in the middle of our formation,
so make them pay for it with their lives! Do not allow a single one to return
alive!”
On her white horse, Lucy rebuked the
troops, rotated White Heaven over her head, and then thrust it forward.
A flying dragon crashed to earth and dirt
blasted skyward.
Impressed by her brilliant display, the
disorganized soldiers returned to their senses. They did not fully organize
themselves, but they sporadically fought back here and there.
“Tch.”
Naja sharply clicked her tongue, brought her
ferocious dragon around, raised her long spear, and charged toward Lucy.
As the long spear swung down from above,
Lucy caught it on the center of the spear she held in both hands. She
forcefully repelled the blow, grabbed the shaft at the base with her right
hand, and made a sharp thrust.
Naja had her flying dragon twist its upper
body out of the way.
“Die!”
“Die!”
The war goddesses of both armies cried out
in unison.
The red-haired and violet-haired women
swung their spears around and pitted their skills against each other.
Naja used the height of her flying dragon
for powerful attacks and Lucy used the space around her for an ever-changing
attack.
After they crossed blades 20 times, an
arrow whistled through the air and grazed the wing of Naja’s flying dragon.
“!”
To repair their broken formation, Vanguard
General Madelene and his cavalry unit had moved to the front line.
The 2000 horsemen led by Lucy’s former
lover were Clanaria’s elites. They shot down the flying dragons with incredible
accuracy.
“Damn, someone just had to interfere, didn’t
they? Fall back!”
With spear at the ready and reins in her
mouth, Naja used the squeezing of her thighs, the kick of her heels, and the
shifting of her body weight to guide her flying dragon away without using her
hands.
“Hey, you’re pretty good. I’m Naja! What’s
your name?”
“It’s Lucy.”
“Until we meet again. We can settle this
then.”
Naja rapidly ascended without waiting for
Lucy to respond.
The flying dragon knights had appeared like
lightning and wreaked havoc like a tornado, but now they left the battle as a
whirlwind.
The appeal of a flying dragon was its
mobility. If they remained in one spot, they would fall victim to arrows and
magic bullets. Naja knew that from inborn instinct and actual experience.
After driving back the dragons with arrows,
Madelene switched to a mid-sized sword in the right hand and a round shield in
the left. Red light trailed after his magic sword when it was swung and he had dubbed
it Crimson Princess.
“The enemy has fled! After them!”
Madelene was a womanizer, a man of insubordinate
ambition, rich in administrative skill, and a top rate tactician, but he was
also a courageous and skilled warrior in single combat.
He was known as a fierce commander for his
results and he had used devious tactics that also covered all the bases as he
raced across the wild battlefield. Even Lucy had to admit he looked like the
greatest commander of his generation right now.
Meanwhile, Lorent was commanding his
all-out attack.
“Now is our chance. Do not let up on the
attack! The beautiful women of Curling are waiting for you with their pussies
wet! All troops, follow me!”
The fierce king in black helmet and armor
set Black Flame Hair (his black-haired steed that seemed far too large to be of
Domos stock) in motion, took the lead of his personal troops, and cleared a
path with his great sword named Fang of the Demon God.
The blade split helmets and severed arms. His
great strength truly looked like a demon god to the Clanarian soldiers.
Both sides now had their main forces caught
in combat.
Madelene commanded in his red cloak and
Lorent in his black armor. They were so powerful that they naturally approached
each other.
The first to notice and open his mouth was Madelene.
“Hey, savage. You attacked your wife’s home
immediately after marrying her. You seem to lack character, a conscience, and
common sense. But don’t worry, I’m willing to educate you. Put down your sword
and beg for mercy. Civilized people like us are tolerant, so we will spare your
life.”
“Such nonsense. But it amuses me. Now, how
about you surrender? I will allow you to fight as one of my generals. To me, that
seems a much wiser choice than dying for a doomed kingdom, but what do you
think!?”
Their exchange of words was meaningless. It was no more than trash talk.
Madelene grinned and Lorent
expressionlessly raised his sword. Both men faced each other from their horses.
The soldiers of both armies gulped. Every
last one of them was interested in what was sure to be the greatest bout of single
combat of the age. And both sides wholeheartedly believed their commander would
emerge victorious.
Lorent swung his blood-wet blade and a red shower
flew from it.
Killer intent already filled the
battlefield, but this action contained much more intense killer intent.
Just as Lucy had suggested, they were two
of a kind. They burned with unwise ambition and would do anything to achieve
their goal. Everyone was aware they were more villains than heroes.
“Your wife is crying…”
“She is a crucial pawn for conquering the
continent. I am taking good care of Ansandra.”
Madelene narrowed his eyes and Lorent
calmly stared back. Killer intent exploded between them.
Lorent started forward first. His thick blade
sliced through the air and a crimson shield caught it. Madelene pushed back
with his shield and his mid-sized sword danced out.
Lorent dodged the crimson blade with an impressive
sense of balance and made an incredible barrage while fully aware Madelene’s
shield would deflect it.
Madelene had a shield and Lorent did not. That
meant Lorent had to remain on the attack. The shield deflected his fierce and
powerful blows overhead or to the right or left.
After around 100 exchanges, Lorent kept up
the attack. Madelene endured it with his shield and occasionally found an
opening and made a sharp slash, but his crimson blade was deflected and sliced
through empty air. About 3 lines had been sliced in the black armor.
Madelene was primarily defending, but he
was not at a disadvantage. He was letting Lorent attack all he wanted so he
could strike back when the man grew tired, but…
“…!”
A crack ran down the center of his round
shield.
Madelene was shaken. Lorent made another
attack on that crack.
The red shield split in two and fell to the
ground. The round shield was now a half-moon shield.
Madelene’s left hand had been crushed at
the same time, so his face twisted in agony.
Lorent’s powerful sword had smashed the
shield to pieces and he swung it down once more.
The courageous warrior in red armor had his
head split open. The dead man fell from his horse.
“Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!”
Cries of despair and joy raced across the
battlefield. Commanders of both sides had engaged in single combat and reached
a conclusion.
The Clanarian army had lost Chamomile and
Madelene in quick succession.
The shock was enough to devastate the
soldiers’ morale. The entire army took flight as a great stampede.
“The enemy ranks have crumbled. Pursue them.
Do not let a single soldier live!”
Lorent’s voice rang loud. But he was
inciting his troops to action, not ordering them. Led by Almeida, Kubdai,
Shigsal, Carnap, Vatistuta, and Lumishas, the Domos soldiers formed a ferocious
torrent that swallowed up the fleeing Clanarian soldiers.
“We’ll be going too.”
Naja’s flying dragon unit was resting a short
distance from the battlefield, but they flew back and joined the pursuit of the
enemy.
“My troops are to fortify the rear and
support the young master. …But the young master truly is powerful.”
Stephan renewed his loyalty to a king he was
proud to have helped raise.
“What!?”
Albare had easily over 4 times as much
experience as Lorent, but in all that experience, he had never suffered such a devastating
defeat.
The main force of Clanaria’s army was
destroyed and it frightened him to imagine what awaited them afterwards.
“We have no choice. I will command the rear
guard. Have Hopard gather the rest of the troops.”
Nothing was as difficult as fighting on the
rear guard after an utter defeat. He was prepared to die.
“Lucy, you must survive. I pray that our
War Goddess has the protection of the Phoenix God.”
After muttering a prayer for his beloved
daughter, Albare drew his sword.
“Clanarian General Albare shall fulfill his
duty to the end. Domos savages, I shall rout you.”
<To be continued in Part 2>
Thanks for doing this chapter! 😁
ReplyDeletecero sexo pero full peleas, muy bueno
ReplyDeletegracias por el capitulo