Chapter 3: Battle of Iris

Translator: Skythewood

Editor: Hiiro

Ⅰ

Imperial Army, Kaspar castle, Main Base

There"s movement from the Seventh Army!

The surveillance network keeping watch around Fort Gallia sent an urgent report to the main base, and General Osborne summoned all the officers for a war council.

“Where is the enemy headed?”

“Sir, the Seventh Army has crossed the Ecstasy River, and is marching towards Canaria road.”

The messenger reported the movements of the Seventh Army a little excitedly to the room. Metallic clanking noises could be heard outside, and the atmosphere was a little tense. The entire unit already learned that the Seventh Army was moving, and the soldiers were preparing for battle hastily.

“Sir, judging from the enemy"s advance, they are definitely targeting this Kaspar castle… Looks like they stole a march on us.”

“That seems to be the case. They probably got tired of turtling inside their base.”

All the officers laughed at Osborne"s sarcastic words. Paris was the only one who averted his eyes and sighed. He could tell that Osborne sounded a little vexed.

(Why didn"t the Emperor approved the plan to attack Fort Gallia? I have seen His Excellency"s plans, and it is perfect. General Felixus also pushed hard for the plan too. The initiative should have been ours…

Paris clicked his tongue inside his head as the stinging laugher of the officers rang out. He then asked the messenger calmly:

“What are the enemy"s numbers?”

“Yes Sir, scout reports estimate their strength to be around 50,000.”

“““Hahaha… Ha?”””

The faces of the laughing officers turned stiff.

“50,000… that"s unexpected. It seems they have more reserves than we expected.”

No one responded to Paris" words. They didn"t expect such a large force either. Most of the officers furrowed their brows at this news.

After getting reinforcements, Kaspar castle now has 55,000 troops. Paris commented the development was “unexpected”, but he wasn"t too surprised. But he did admit that he underestimated the enemy numbers.

He previously estimated Fort Gallia to have 40,000 soldiers, or 45,000 at best. But considering the invading force and the garrison unit left at the fort, he would need to revise those numbers to around 60,000.

(Our spy in Fort Gallia has not reported back. He either got caught, or was killed. The lack of intelligence is making things difficult.)

Paris was from the intelligence bureau, and placed a lot of importance on intel. He knew very well that a single piece of intel might be as valuable as 10,000 soldiers, and could decide the outcome of a battle. However, many of the officers present believe the opposite. A large number of soldiers only consider intel to be of secondary importance, and that battles were always decided with martial might.

And Lieutenant General George was the most devout believer of this. He had a burly build and was the head of the famed Bachstein family that aided with the founding of the Empire. With the influential power of his renowned clan, he got everything he could ever want. To match his achievements on the battlefield, George leads the Knight Corp that rose to fame during the Battle of Swaran— the Full Metal Knights.

During the early stages of the Southern War Theatre, he personally led his Knight Corps to crush the Sixth Army, and his outstanding performance fueled his confidence.

George glanced at Paris, then said to Osborne with a faint smile:

“Your Excellency, the enemy might be numerous, but they are just a weak mob. We have nothing to fear, and this will be a good chance to crush them head on, and show them the might of the Imperial Army.”

George smashed the table in a display of his strength. The officers all agreed with him and cheered him on, including the ones who were furrowing their brows.

“Your enthusiasm heartens me. Well then, let us show the Seventh Army our might— Paris, where do you think we should engage them?”

Osborne asked. Paris turned his gaze to the map on the table.

“Here… In my humble opinion, the Iris plains will be the most suitable place.”

“The reason?”

“It"s simple. That is the most suitable place to deploy a large army. The Ark forest and Grox valley on either side of the plains aren"t suitable. Going through the Iris plains will be the shortest route to Kaspar castle, so they will be fools to take another route.”

“Hmm, so this battle will be a direct confrontation, huh.”

Osborne said with a nod.

“That"s just what we want. My Full Metal Knights will tear the Seventh Army into shreds!”

George smiled sinisterly. The fighting spirit of the officers reached its peak. Paris felt a sense of danger when he saw their reaction.

(This is a little dangerous. This large battle after a long lull is making them anxious for war merits. This isn"t a good sign.)

Right now, the situation to the south of the Kingdom was at an impa.s.se. With the Seventh Army stubbornly defending Fort Gallia, the army in the southern war theatre had no chance to earn any war merits. On the other hand, their comrades had been winning battles in the northern and central war theatres, which fills them with envy.

And now, reports of the Seventh Army invading came in. It was natural for the soldiers to get hyped up. However, if they lose the battle because they were too anxious, that would be putting the cart before the horse. As a strategist, he had to consider the worst case scenario at all times.

With that in mind, Paris proposed to Osborne:

“Your Excellency. To be safe, we should request for reinforcements from Fort Kiel. We can then—”

“What"s that drivel I"m hearing?”

Paris got cut off before he could even finish, and he looked towards the one who spoke— Lieutenant General George. George was glaring at Paris, his body trembling with rage.

“I will ask this again. What"s that nonsense you just said? I can understand if we are at a disadvantage, but our numbers are evenly matched. Are you trying to shame us by calling for reinforcements for nothing?”

“Lieutenant General George, pardon me, but we can intimidate the enemy more easily if we had overwhelming numbers. In my humble opinion, this will be the best way to minimize our losses.”

When he heard Paris" reb.u.t.tal, George smashed his fist on the table.

“You moron! Where"s the honor in winning with numbers? And you call yourself an honorable soldier of the Imperial Army? Know your shame!!”

George declared publicly that honor was more important than the lives of soldiers. Paris knew there was no point in saying more.

“… You are right, Lieutenant General, my apologies for making a useless proposal.”

Paris bowed deeply to the sound of sneers. From their voices, it was probably people from the George"s faction. His clique were officers from the upper n.o.bility, and as a lower tiered n.o.ble Paris was already used to such treatments, and didn"t mind.

“Lieutenant General George. Strategist Paris is only stating his opinions. There is no need to be so agitated.”

“Yes, Your Excellency…”

George let the matter rest reluctantly. Osborne gently tapped Paris" shoulder, and said even mannerly:

“I will keep your opinion in mind, Paris. We will engage the enemy first, and see what they will do. We can decide if we should request for reinforcements after that.”

“… Understood.”

“Alright then— Gentlemen, raise your gla.s.s.”

Osborne stood up with his gla.s.s held high, and the other Officers followed his lead.

“May the Glory of the Arsbelt Empire Shine Brilliantly!!””

““Eternal Loyalty to the Great Emperor Ramza!!””

—— The next day.

50,000 troops stood ready on the fields, and the horn that declared the start of the day echoed through the blue skies.

“Your Excellency, we are all set.”

“Good. Tell the troops that we are moving off for the Iris plains.”

Ⅱ

Royal Army, Canaria Road

The mixed unit under Paul and Lambert"s command were marching towards Fort Gallia.

There was almost no resistance from the Imperial Army during their march, as they headed west along Canaria road. To hide the fact that the First Army was part of the campaign, they were only flying the flags of the Seventh Army. Their intent was to trick the enemy into thinking that the First Army was still defending the capital.

Paul and Lambert was in the center of the formation, and they exchanged ideas while they rode. Their guards in bright silver armour flanked them, and a group of elite heavy infantry encircled the two commanders. The guards remained vigilant at all times as they marched cautiously.

In the meanwhile, Neinhart led the vanguards, and Otto commanded the rearguards.

“— Everything is going well so far.”

“That"s right, the Imperial units in the vicinity are retreating hastily.”

Lambert looked around him, and saw the remnants of tents and emblems with crossed swords. There was no doubt this used to be an Imperial Army camp. The vanguard units reported that Canaria town had been liberated from the Empire.

“But speaking of which, I was surprised that His Majesty approved this plan.”

“Hmm...? Well, it"s all thanks to the Field Marshal pushing hard for this…”

Lambert brushed it off lightly, but the process of convincing Alphonse was very tedious. Alphonse was planning to turn down Cornelius" advice, and insisted that the First Army should make haste and capture Fort Kiel. But Cornelius didn"t give up, and pushed his agenda repeatedly over many days.

This irks Alphonse, who then forbid Cornelius from entering the palace. In the end, Cornelius threatened to resign, which prompted Alphonse to quickly change tack and approve the plan.

The exalted Field Marshal was already in his 70s, but he was still known as the ever winning general, and his resignation would cause an uproar. Voices from both inside and outside the court would question Alphonse"s ability as a King. That would make things even harder for the Kingdom.

Lambert deduced that Alphonse only approved the plan because of that.

“… Sigh. I don"t know the details, but it must have been tough.”

Paul stroked his chin thoughtfully. His insight was still keen despite his advanced age. Lambert clicked his tongue in his heart.

“It probably is. But thanks to that, the First Army doesn"t have to die in vain at the walls of Fort Kiel.”

Lambert shrugged.

“Oh~ it"s rare to see you so dejected. Aren"t you worried about your reputation taking a hit?”

“Paul, it"s a bad habit to ask the obvious.”

Lambert answered with a blank face. Paul said with the corners of his lips raised:

“Fufu, sorry. Even for the First Army elites, attacking Fort Kiel like this is as good as suicide.”

“That"s right. I wish to die on the battlefield, but not in vain.”

Paul and Lambert looked at each other for a short moment, then laughed.

“So we can"t lose this time. We will follow the lead of the Seventh Army, so you will call the shots, Paul… but are you sure? You know, about that girl?

“You mean Second Lieutenant Olivia?”

“Yes yes, that Second Lieutenant Olivia. I heard she"s just 15? And your granddaughter is around her age too?”

Lambert thought about the girl he saw at a ball one decade ago, and sighed.

“Oh~ to think that you remembered. Yes, she"s as old as Second Lieutenant Olivia.”

“Hmmp. I might be old, but my memory is still fine.”

“Aren"t you just 50?”

“That"s enough to be called an old man. Never mind that. A girl that is the age of Paul"s granddaughter is the key to the battle plan? I admit she"s extraordinary skilled… But isn"t that too rash?”

Lambert knew about Olivia"s exploits, starting with her killing Samuel. And it was unbelievable since all that happened in just two short months. Especially the ridiculous story about killing a one horned beast with one stab, which Lambert could only brush off with a laugh.

“I understand your concern, but it"s fine to leave this to Second Lieutenant Olivia. We a.s.signed an excellent deputy to her.”

“Warrant Officer Claudia, huh… you actually poached an up and coming officer from the First Army.”

Lambert glared at Paul. Claudia graduated second from the Royal Military Academy, and was both knowledgeable and outstanding in swordsmanship. She might still be rough on the edges due to her youth, but the fact remained that she was far more capable than the other officers in her age group.

Lambert had high expectations of her, and was very unhappy about her transfer to the Seventh Army.

“I"m innocent. It"s your adjutant who recommended her, so don"t pick a fight.”

Paul said with a blank face.

“Yes, I know… Sigh, Neinhart did something unnecessary.”

Lambert glared at the youth that was out of sight. At this moment, a soldier walked through the formation of heavy infantry and stopped before the two generals. His red epaulette showed seven silver stars, marking him out as a messenger of the Seventh Army.

Paul pulled his reins and raised his left hand to stop the march.

“Lieutenant General Paul, my apologies for interrupting your discussion.”

“It"s fine. Any signs from the enemy?”

“Report, the Imperial Army is marching for Iris plains. They number about 50,000.”

“So it"s the Iris plains after all. Well, it"s not like there is any other choice.”

Paul nodded, and Lambert deduced from the news:

“50,000, huh. If we discount the detachment force, we are evenly matched. So they left 5,000 men behind to hold their fort?”

“Around there. It"s within expectations.”

“Hmm, that"s fine then— Any movements from Fort Kiel?”

This is the most crucial matter for this plan. Lambert asked a little tensely.

“Yes Sir, there are no signs of movement from Fort Kiel as of now.”

Lambert was relieved to hear that report. If Fort Kiel sent out reinforcements at this juncture, then the operation will be stopped immediately. He looked towards Paul, who also looked relieved.

“Seems like our biggest worry is out of the way.”

“That"s right, there"s no point in fighting the war if they call for reinforcements right away.”

“In that case, it will be all up to the performance of the detachment unit.”

Lambert said as if he wanted to confirm this, and Paul looked confident when he heard that.

“Second Lieutenant Olivia will definitely come. After all, she is the ‘Silver Haired Valkyrie".”

“…Silver Haired Valkyrie? What"s that?”

Lambert was confounded by this foreign term.

“You didn"t know? Valkyries are beautiful women who charge around the battlefield with grace and majesty. That"s what the soldiers who accompanied Second Lieutenant Olivia to seize Fort Lamburg said. Don"t you think it"s an apt use of the term?”

Lambert started doubting his eyes at the sight of Paul"s warm expression. He already heard from Neinhart, but after seeing with his own eyes, he realized that Paul was already beyond saving. This wasn"t a face that a man going into battle should have.

This was the face of a loving grandfather doting over his grandchildren. Even the soldiers around them had complicated faces.

(Paul, who used to be called a demon, is like this now, huh…)

Lambert soothed his neighing horse and sighed heavily.

One week before the combined forces led by Paul and Lambert set off from Fort Gallia.

To avoid prying eyes of the Imperial Army, soldiers were sent by platoon levels towards Fort Lamburg, until 5,000 of them were mustered. Olivia then led her detachment force of 3,000 cavalry into Ark forest secretly.

Right now, Olivia was riding on a black horse and moving in the forest at a leisurely pace. Beside her was Olivia"s newly appointed deputy, Claudia. She watched her surroundings cautiously, and kept her guard up.

“Claudia, you don"t have to be so wary with such a scary face. It"s a waste of your beautiful face, you know?”

Olivia patted Claudia"s back with a laugh.

“Pardon me for being blunt, but getting complimented by Second Lieutenant Olivia on my looks feels sarcastic.”

“Ehh? But why? I"m not being sarcastic though?”

Olivia tilted her head puzzledly. Claudia sighed, it was worse since Olivia wasn"t aware of the reason.

“Please look at the mirror and see for yourself… That aside, the mission a.s.signed to us will greatly affect the war. We can"t be careless before we flank around to the Imperial Army"s back.”

The battle plan was devised around this surprise attack. Olivia"s group were to travel through the Ark forest, and go around to the back of the Imperial Army deployed on the Iris plains. They would then launch an attack on the Imperial Army headquarters in concert with the main unit"s attack, and rout the enemy in one go, a very bold plan.

Olivia"s mission was to kill the enemy commander swiftly. Claudia"s task was to bring Olivia within striking range. The timing of this crucial attack would be left to their discretion.

Claudia who was weighed down by her heavy responsibilities looked at Olivia beside her. Olivia"s frivolous att.i.tude wasn"t wrong for the detachment commander. This would keep the men at ease. On the other hand, her role as the deputy was to keep her guard up, and this balance was just right.

“Speaking of which, Second Lieutenant Olivia, your horsemanship is excellent. I heard that black horse has quite a temper.”

The black horse had a tougher build than the other horses, and was faster too. In theory, this breed of horses were well suited to be warhorses, but were seldom seen in battles. That was because of the fierce temperament of the black horse, which made it difficult to ride it.

From what Claudia knew, riders who could ride black horses were really rare. Even so, this black horse was really docile towards Olivia. It would neigh from time to time like a child wanting attention. Its unexpected behaviour made Claudia wonder if it"s black hide was dye.

Olivia brushed the mane of the black horse gently and said:

“Ehh~ is that so. I think this horse is really docile. When I was small, I rode on the back of a one horned beast, and it made quite a racket.”

“——Hah...? By, One horned beast, you mean the 《Type 2 Danger Beast》?”

“I don"t know what is a Type 2 Danger Beast, but it"s a beast with one white horn on its head. And its meat doesn"t taste good.”

Olivia placed her hand on her forehead with her index finger pointing out, and mimicked the cry of One horned beast with a “rawr”. She looked absolutely adorable. That aside, Claudia was stunned by Olivia"s sudden words. There were no kids in the world that rode on the back of One horned beasts. Not even adults would do that. They would get eaten before that happens.

(Is Second Lieutenant Olivia teasing me?)

Claudia looked Olivia in the eyes with that in mind, but she couldn"t see any ‘colour" that suggested Olivia was lying. As Claudia looked on in surprise, Olivia gently stroked the neck of the black horse, and then nimbly stood up on the horse"s back.

“Hey, the horse is really docile, right?”

“W-W-What are you doing!?”

Claudia reached out to stop her, but the black horse turned away, as if to stop her from disturbing its master. Olivia flipped back in the air, and did a handstand on the saddle. The soldiers around them all cheered in awe.

“Your physical abilities are excellent, but please refrain from doing this. We are in the middle of an important mission, and please be aware that you are the commander of 3,000 soldiers.”

Claudia warned coldly. Olivia answered: “Okay~. Ehehe, I made Claudia mad.” She then stuck out her tongue. The soldiers around them smiled and said: “The Captain did it again, huh.” The warm scene dispelled Claudia"s displeasure. It seemed that some of the soldiers were acquainted with Olivia.

“Do you know Second Lieutenant Olivia before this?”

“Yes Mdm, we accompanied Platoon Leader Olivia to retake Fort Lamburg.”

A black haired youth named Guile answered proudly.

“Oh~ is that so.”

“Yes Mdm. But we just stood around trembling in our boots, and was of no help… But thanks to the Captain"s training, we have gotten stronger. We will definitely be of use this time.”

Guile said with his head held high, and his comrades all nodded confidently.

(Too naive. It"s not that easy to become stronger. They don"t understand that requires long periods of continuous effort.)

Claudia"s swordsmanship was the effort of years of harsh training. Thanks to that, she understood the difficult path of martial prowess. However, she wouldn"t discourage the soldiers who had resolved themselves. Saying unnecessary things right before the battle would lower morale, and had no benefits.

“Hmm~ Guile, you haven"t gotten that much stronger though. Or rather, everyone is too weak, be careful and don"t die, alright?”

But Olivia poured cold water on them without a second thought. Claudia couldn"t help facepalming herself. Morale would drop now— However, the soldiers just smiled awkwardly. They didn"t look depressed and seemed to be used to this.

Olivia wasn"t done though.

“Especially Ashton, you won"t do at all. If I had to use an a.n.a.logy, it will be like you will die if you daze off a little.”

“——!? W-What do you mean!? I"m working my a.s.s off too!!”

Ashton protested angrily, and Olivia chuckled when she saw his reaction. Claudia stared at Ashton. So the mysterious person that Olivia would mention from time to time was a new recruit.

“It can"t be helped, people are suited for different things. If I have to say, I think Ashton has the makings of a strategist. When we played chess at the fort, you performed rather well.”

“I-Is that so? Being a strategist suits me?”

Ashton asked happily, and Olivia added: “But you lost all your matches against me.” She then held her stomach and laughed out loud. The others smiled at their interaction, and Ashton had a complicated expression on his face.

“Are you talking about your time at Fort Lamburg?”

“Yes. Everyone asked me to train them there. We got chased out shortly after, so there isn"t much results though.”

Despite what Olivia said, Claudia disagreed. She noticed that the steps of these soldiers were firm and steady. They also kept their eyes open and watch the surroundings as they chatted.

This was child"s play to Claudia, but it definitely wasn"t a standard she expected from recruits.

(I heard the soldiers that partic.i.p.ated in the operation to retake Fort Lamburg are inexperienced fresh recruits. Did they improve so much from the Second Lieutenant"s tutelage…? Just where did she come from?)

As Claudia was feeling puzzled, Olivia said in a hopeful tone: ”I wonder what reward Lieutenant General Paul will give me for completing this mission?”

Ⅲ

Iris Plains

The Imperial Southern army led by General Osborne reached the Iris plains before the Seventh Army did. On Paris" advice, the headquarters was set up on the high ground that overlooked the entire battlefield. In the center was 20,000 strong Full Metal Knights, commanded by Lieutenant General George. On the left flank was Major General Heit, and on the right flank was Major General Minits, with 25,000 men that comprised mainly of light infantry. Their crossed swords banner flew high in the sky, as the army of 50,000 waited for the Seventh Army"s arrival.

On the other hand, the combined forces of Lieutenant General Lambert and Paul arrived one day later. Judging that the enemy main forces were in the center, Lambert led his 25,000 men from the First Army and deployed in the middle. Another 20,000 men were split between both flanks, led by Major General Elman and Major General Hosmund. The headquarters with 5,000 troops were set up behind the center formation, headed personally by Paul.

Both forces were deployed in the basic line formation, which could make the best use of the vastness of the plains and alleviate the threats of attacks from the flanks. As the deafening horn and drums sounded, the Full Metal Knights plan to start the battle with a charge.

And thus began what would be called the 《Battle of Iris》 in the future.

“Your Excellency, you are too close to the front! Please slow your pace!”

George"s adjutant Lieutenant Colonel Cyrus advised him hastily. But George paid him no heed, and spurred his horse to go faster instead. Cyrus charged to George"s side, and George yelled at him:

“What drivel! How can I back off before the weaklings of the Royal Army? I will crush anyone who dares to stop the advance of our Full Metal Knights!”

George had a sinister smile as he ran over the enemy soldiers one after another. The Lieutenant General leading the charge personally raised the calvary"s morale to the roof.

A few hours after the battle started.

The fighting on the Iris plains was abnormally intense.

George"s Full Metal Knights were a heavy cavalry unit, and the unusual thing about them were their lances. Unlike normal spears or pikes, these lances were specialized for penetration, and with the inertia of their charging war horses, they could even easily pierce through armour. The Full Metal Knights displayed their exceptional attacking and defensive prowess, dominating the battlefield.

“Too weak! What an unsightly display! It"s the same with the Sixth Army, looks like the Seventh Army is just a gathering of mobs too! Even the Swaran Kingdom have more fight in them.”

George cursed and tossed aside an enemy soldier on his lance. Cyrus suddenly shouted:

“Your Excellency, the enemy is suddenly retreating!”

Following the direction Cyrus was pointing at, he could see some Royal soldiers retreating. The other soldiers were also pulling back in a coordinated effort.

“Hmmp… Adjutant Cyrus, what do you think about the Royal Army"s movements? Let"s hear your views.”

George"s cold gaze made Cyrus straighten his back. If he didn"t give an answer that would satisfy George, even the adjutant would earn the wrath of the General. That was what his gaze was saying.

“Yes Sir, in my humble opinion, the enemy is trying to withdraw to put some distance between us, and then regroup!”

“What should we do then?”

“This is a good chance. I think we should seize this chance and break through their center line, and charge their headquarters.”

George was pleased to have gotten the answer he wanted. Like Cyrus said, the enemy probably wanted to withdraw and regroup. If he used this chance to charge right into the enemy"s headquarters, then he would get all the credits. After that, It would just be a matter of time before he gets promoted to General.

George shook off the blood on his lance, and made his decision:

“Cyrus! We are breaking through the enemy"s center line, and head straight for their headquarters!”

“Yes Sir!”

“Hear me, Glorious Full Metal Knights! Follow my lead and charge! The one who cuts off the head of the enemy commander-in-chief will be handsomely rewarded!”

“““Wooaahhh!!”””

Cheered on by George, the Full Metal Knights let out a deafening roar. On Cyrus" signal, the entire unit went forth like an unstoppable tide. In contrast, despite Lambert and the First Army"s effort to hold the line, the Full Metal Knights broke through easily.

The centerline falters, and the Knights started to threaten the headquarters of the centerline"s headquarters.

As the Full Metal Knights tore the centerline apart, Neinhart watched on calmly. He ordered the routed units to retreat, and kept up the barrage of arrows. However, the arrows weren"t very effective. Since the warhorses were armored too, they couldn"t stem the calvary"s charge by killing the warhorses.

“Your Excellency, that"s the famed Full Metal Knights.”

“I can see that plainly. This unit is the personification of the term ‘reckless charge". They might be the enemy, but their performance is worthy of praise.”

Lambert nodded with admiration. It was true that the morale and prowess of the unit were impeccable. Even the elite First Army was put on the backfoot so easily, which surprised Neinhart. No wonder the Sixth Army commanded by Lieutenant General Sara was defeated.

“Admiring them won"t help us. What should we do about this? Commit our reserves?”

Neinhart looked behind them, where the main base flying the flags of the Seventh Army was set up. Lambert said with a snort:

“Hmmp, you have a bad habit of asking the obvious. You already planned for this from the start, you think I"m not aware?”

“Pardon me, I will get right on it.”

With that, Neinhart raised his left hand. On this signal, a group of archers that had been waiting for this showed up. Their arrows were covered with oil, and after a soldier set them alight, a volley of fire arrows were ready.

When the fire burned to the right intensity, Neinhart swung his arm down.

“Loose!”

On his command, the volley rained down on the area before the Full Metal Knights. The aim wasn"t to burn the cavalry, but to send the warhorses into a panic. All animals in this world fear fire. Neinhart"s plan was very effective, and the warhorses started neighing, and started rampaging.

“Steady!!”

The riders chided their warhorses, but still fell off in the end. The heavy infantry used this chance to a.s.sault the dismounted riders. They tried to get up and engage the enemy, but their heavy armor became the chains weighing them down. In the end, they couldn"t put up any resistance and were killed by the heavy infantry.

Neinhart muttered when he saw that scene.

“We can stop the enemy"s charge for now.”

“That"s true, but we have to stay on our toes. It"s our turn to attack for now, but the enemy is no slouch.”

With that, both men continued observing the battle without a word.

The fight in the centerline was at a stalemate. The battle at the two flanks were less intense, and the war slowly became balanced. Finally, the setting sun dyed the Iris plains in red. With that as the sign, both forces withdrew their forces.

The battle on the first day drew to a close.

The Imperial army lost 2,000 troops, and the Royal army lost 3,000 men.

While the flanks were evenly matched, there was a clear difference in the centerline.

Royal Army, Main Headquarters

Otto and several of his staff were overwhelmed with the reports from the battlefield. Many of them stated the prowess of the Full Metal Knights, which stressed to Otto how powerful the Imperial Army was.

“Everyone"s working late tonight.”

With that, Paul walked slowly to the group. His subordinates all saluted.

“Your Excellency, shouldn"t you be resting in your tent?”

Otto asked out of concern. Paul gently waved his hand, and sat on a chair that was prepared for him.

“At ease. Otto, you know I don"t sleep much during battles. The blood goes right up into my brain, and that didn"t change even at my age— So, how"s the casualty count?”

Paul looked over with a sharp gaze, showing flashes of his past when he was called a demon. Despite his advanced age, his nature remained unchanged. Otto felt a little nostalgic, and reported the intel he had gathered so far to Paul.

“— They put the Fierce General Lambert on the back foot, huh. The Full Metal Knights lived up to their name.”

“Indeed. The First Army stopped the enemy"s attack by panicking their warhorses with fire arrows, however...”

Otto stopped here, and looked up to the sky. The bright moon hanging above the Iris plains just now had been covered by dark clouds. Paul looked up and said:

“… The weather is changing.”

“Yes Sir. If it rains, the effectiveness of the fire arrows will drop. This will adversely affect the First Army"s battles.”

“Well, this is Lambert we are talking about, he will find a way. When can the detachment unit get in position?”

“Going by their schedule, they should be in place by now…”

According to the plan, the detachment unit will send smoke signals if their surprise attack works. On that signal, the entire army would launch an all out a.s.sault. When Paul heard Otto"s answer, he muttered “Is that so.” He then took out a cigar and lit it up. Purple smoke then rose slowly into the night sky.

There was still a few hours before dawn breaks.

The second day of the battle, Overcast skies

Learning from their failure on the previous day, Lambert"s First Army prepared fire archers way ahead of time. To defend against the charge of the Full Metal Knights, they adopted a defensive formation. On the other hand, the Full Metal Knights that achieved great results yesterday didn"t prepare any countermeasures against the fire arrows, and their attacks were more reserved than yesterday.

And so, the fighting in the centerline was less intense than the day before, with occasional skirmishes here and there. The battle had shifted to the flanks.

In charge of the Royal Army"s left flank was Major General Elman Hark. He was a commoner by birth, but caught the eye of Paul, and rose to the rank of Major General. A rare talent who mastered defensive battles.

“Your Excellency, the enemy calvary is charging us!”

His adjutant, Captain Louis shouted. As the intense battle rages on, a five hundred strong cavalry were charging towards them with reckless abandon.

“Stay calm. The enemy is in a crescent moon formation, it"s obvious that they intend to split our defence line. Relay my orders to the archers on both flanks, and tell them to attack with volley fire.”

The messengers sprinted off with Elman"s orders, and delivered them to the commanders of the archers. The archers readied their arrows with practiced movements, and fired as one. The bolts tore through the air and rained down on the enemy hors.e.m.e.n.

The warhorses neigh and raised their forelegs, throwing their riders onto the ground. But the calvary did not break their charge, as if they were being chased by something from behind.

“Hiee! T-The enemy isn"t stopping! They are still charging us!”

One archer said, and seemed to be on the verge of crying.

“Shut up and keep shooting!”

On the captain"s angry orders, the archers fired a second and third volley. Each volley created many corpses, and when the calvary"s casualty grew over 50%, the riders turned around and fled.

“Your Excellency, the enemy has been routed, we should pursue them.”

Louis proposed, and Elman muttered after hearing that:

“— Indeed. If we don"t pursue now, the enemy will grow suspicious…”

Normally, Elman would have ordered a pursuit before Louis gave any advice. But he hesitated this time.

“Hmm? May I ask what you mean by that?”

“Nothing, it"s my problem, you don"t need to worry— Alright then, send the calvary to pursue. 400 of them will do. Don"t pursue too deep, and fall back after making a show of it.”

“Yes Sir! I will make the arrangement!”

Louis quickly issued the pursuit order to the messenger. Elman looked at his subordinate"s movement and recalled the content of this operation. The key of this plan rests on Olivia, and only a small number of people knew the details. Since the success of the plan depends on the surprise attack, this was a necessary measure to avoid leaking the information to the enemy.

Their strategy was to not be too aggressive before the surprise attack worked and all the commanders were to strictly follow this game plan. This was the consideration Paul made to conserve their forces for the a.s.sault on Kaspar castle.

However, it would be suspicious if they acted too pa.s.sively. So they had to fight with all their might to fend off the enemy, and not draw any suspicion from the enemy when attacking. Elman sighed at how difficult this was, and scratched his thinning hair.

(Since Lieutenant General Paul trusts that girl, it should be fine… But a 15 years old girl will decide the fate of this battle. I wonder what the enemy will think when they learn about this.)

Elman thought about the silver haired girl he walk pa.s.sed along the corridors of Fort Gallia, and gave the follow up orders to Louis.

Imperial Army, Right Flank Headquarters

“You dare show your face to me, you shameless thing!”

A man wearing flashy accessories that seemed out of place on a battlefield scolded with a shrill voice. He was Major General Minits O"Stocks, a grand n.o.ble well known for being a show off. He was cowardly and didn"t dare to take the field personally. He would admonish subordinates when they made mistakes, and take their credit when they succeed. Minits wasn"t someone that could be entrusted with the command of the Flank unit, but since he was a distant relative of the Emperor, he was a.s.signed to the post of commander of the Right Flank.

“Your Excellency, that should be enough. He is also frustrated by the loss of his men.”

His adjutant, Major Reoness pleaded for the man, whose head was being stepped on by Minits. The charge to break through the enemy"s left flank resulted in 70% loss of the a.s.saulting force, and this man somehow survived. However, it was unfair to push all the blame on him.

After all, Minits plan to break through the enemy with just 500 cavalry was foolish.

“Shut up shut up! If I can"t get any war merit in this battle, my father will give me a harsh scolding. Send more cavalry to charge them!”

“Y-Your Excellency! A reckless charge will only result in the same failure! You should understand after seeing this.”

“Annoying! Lieutenant General George"s attack was stopped, so this is a good chance to get war merits! If you understand, then send more cavalries in. You hear that, this is an order!”

Minits said hysterically as he held his head and repeated “Attack, attack!” He couldn"t be reasoned with, but since Osborne requested Reoness to watch over Minits, Reoness couldn"t just leave him be.

Reoness sighed heavily in his heart, then proposed to Minits:

“Your Excellency, how about this. Let"s split 3,000 cavalry into three groups, and send one of them to charge the enemy left flank like before.”

Reoness laid out a map on the table, then took out three chess pieces. He placed one of them in the middle of the enemy left flank.

“… Didn"t I ordered that just now.”

Minits said angrily. So he had not completely lost it. Reoness smiled wryly in his heart, and continued:

“You are absolutely right, but what follows next is different. The enemy will become careless if they see the same attack. After all, they already beat us off once.”

He then placed the other two pieces on either side of the enemy.

“While their guard is down, we will send the other two units to charge.”

“So the first cavalry unit will be bait, and create an opening for the other two groups? So we will be charging three positions at the same time?”

“Yes, Your Excellency. But that"s not all, the next step is the real deal.”

Reoness raised the corners of his lips and explained slowly to make Minits understand.

“Your Excellency, the enemy cavalry is charging.”

When he heard Louis" report, Elman sighed in his heart and thought: “Again?” He then reached for the telescope on his waist.

“— Hmm? They sent more of them this time… About a thousand riders. Crescent Moon formation again, so they are still trying to break through our line.”

“It appears so. The enemy is really obstinate.”

Elman rebuked Louis for his frivolous words. The situation might change at a dime on the battlefield, and being careless could prove fatal. Elman relayed the orders through the messengers, tasking the commanders of the archers to prepare to engage.

“They are here!”

The enemy cavalry got into charging range, and braced their lances. There didn"t seem to be any foul play as they repeated the previous tactic. Elman felt a little confused as he gave the order for the archers to attack when they got in arrow range. Countless arrows fell like meteors, killing the cavalry one after another.

“… It seems my worry was unfounded.”

“Hah? Did you say something?”

“No.”

Elman handed command over to Louis, and returned to the tent for a short break. However, a shocked Louis barged in less than 10 minutes later.

“Y-Your Excellency!”

“What"s the matter?”

“A new cavalry unit has appear! They are charging in an attempt to break through our lines!”

When he heard Louis" report, Elman rushed out in a panic, and saw his army in disarray because of the enemy"s charge.

“So that was part of a scheme. I fell for it too easily.”

Elman grit his teeth. The first wave was probably a bait, and the enemy lowered the Royal Army"s guard by seemingly repeating the same tactics. This created an opening for the other two units to a.s.sault from the sides.

“In my humble opinion, we should fall back and regroup.”

Louis proposed with a bitter face.

“… Pull the archers back, send the shieldmen to the front, and let the pikemen attack the enemy riders from the shieldmen"s gaps.”

“Yes Sir!”

Elman instructed Louis as he observed the enemy movements with his telescope. He could see the enemy mustering to attack.

(I see, so the entire cavalry charge was just bait. Their main force is going to press their advantage while our army is in disarray, and break our lines. They are really underestimating me.)

Elman smiled with self mockery, and Louis felt uneasy when he saw that.

“It"s fine, I haven"t lost my wits. This series of attack is just a diversion. The enemy main forces are ready to strike.”

“What did you say!?”

Louis reached for his telescope in a panic.

“Ughh, it"s true… my apologies. You left command over to me, but I got careless.”

“It"s the same for me. Their timing is impeccable, looks like my opposite number is no slouch. But that should be the end of his schemes. In that case, it will be our turn to counter.”

“W-What do you mean?”

Elman showed a sinister smile in response to Louis" question.

“Fuhaha, look! Look at the Royal Army scrambling about like gutter rats. My plan worked!”

“As expected of Your Excellency Minits. Your cunning is peerless.”

“The Royal Army has run out of luck now that they have to face our commander, the great Minits.”

Minits was ecstatic, and his entourage was using this chance to kiss up to Minits. All the officers regarded them with icy glares.

“Very well, I will take over command now! Keep our offensive up, break through the enemy lines, and a.s.sault their headquarters. We will cut off their commander"s head in one fell sweep!”

“Your Excellency!? Dividing the enemy and taking them down one by one is the orthodox tactic here. It might be possible for the Full Metal Knights, but our unit don"t have their strong penetrative power. Please reconsider, Your Excellency.”

“No! This is a good chance to earn war merits!”

Minits shouted as he smacked the table.

“Your Excellency! Please reconsider—”

“Major Reoness, please restrain yourself. His Excellency has given his order. If you continue to defy him, you will be charged with treason.”

Minits" attendent cut Reoness off, and threatened him with treason. The faces of all the Officers turned red, but Reoness stopped them before they could protest.

“… As you command.”

“Good. I"m pleased that you understand.”

Minits nodded satisfactory, and ordered an a.s.sault on the enemy headquarters.

It has been an hour since Minits" forces launched a strong attack on the enemy"s left flank. As his allies fought courageously, Reoness who was commanding in the frontlines felt something was off.

(This is strange. The enemy should have fallen for our trap. There"s no chance of us getting the head of their commander, but we should be able to deal a heavy blow to their left flank. But things are proceeding too smoothly. It will make sense if the Royal Army is incompetent, but from what I saw yesterday, the opponent isn"t that weak… Seems like I need to check the situation.)

Reoness cut down a stray arrow coming his way as he said to his aide, Mars:

“I will leave the command here to you for now. There"s something I need to confirm.”

“Yes Sir, please leave this to me.”

Mars bowed his head respectfully, and Reoness turned his horse around.

“Alright! One hundred men will follow me!”

“““Yes Sir!”””

Reoness spurred his horse up to an elevated plain nearby.

“H-How could this be…?”

After reaching high ground, Reoness was shocked by the scene before him. His unit was being enveloped by the opposing forces.

“Major… What"s going on?”

One of his riders asked. That was what Reoness wanted to know, and fell into deep thought.

He then came up with an answer.

(Did the enemy see through our plans, and pretended to fall into confusion!? And we fell into their trap. That must be it, there"s no other way to explain this ridiculous situation… Fufu, in a sense, I set myself up for failure.)

He lost the battle of trickery, and the only thing he could do now was to minimize the losses. The enemy"s envelopment of their forces was tightening even as they speak.

“Let"s hurry back to headquarters. It will be too late if we wait any longer.”

“Yes Sir!”

Imperial Army, Right Flank Headquarters

After rushing back to the base, Reoness saw Minits drinking from a cup filled with golden wine and making merry.

“Your Excellency! What are you doing on the battlefield!?”

“— Hmm? Oh, it"s Reoness. Nothing, I"m just having a drink to celebrate our inevitable victory. You want some?”

“Now isn"t the time for this! The enemy is enveloping our forces, please issue the order to retreat!”

“Order a retreat? Why are you acting drunk without even drinking? Aren"t the enemy in confusion because they fell for my scheme?”

“That"s a ruse by the enemy! They played us like a fiddle!”

At this moment, a soldier stumbled into the tent. From his panicky behaviour, Reoness could tell the situation was developing in the worst possible way.

“How unsightly. What a shameful display for an Imperial Soldiers.”

“M-My apologies. B-But…”

“Yes, hurry up and report.”

“Yes Sir, o-our forces have been encircled by the enemy!! If this goes on, it will just be a matter of time before they storm the headquarters!!”

“You too, huh. Enough with your nonsense, or your head will—”

Minits didn"t get to finish, because an arrow brush across his cheeks. Reoness could hear faint moans and shouts, and realize there wasn"t much time.

Minits looked confused at the start, and the truth gradually dawned on him. He started trembling and his pants grew moist. His entourage fell on their b.u.t.t and screamed.

“Your Excellency! Please get a hold of yourself!”

“R-Reoness! W-What"s happening!? Aren"t we overwhelming the enemy!? What is the enemy"s arrow doing here!?”

“As I reported earlier, we fell for the enemy"s trap. The Headquarters is in danger, please withdraw with haste.”

“I-It"s all your fault that things turn out this way!!”

“You can admonish after it"s safe— you lot escort His Excellency from here quickly. I will stay here and guard his retreat, and buy as much time as possible.”

The two entourage nodded, and forced Minits up onto a horse, and retreated with Minits clamped in between them.

After seeing them off, Reoness got onto his warhorse and drew his sword.

“Major, we will act as the rearguard along with you.”

“… My apologies.”

There were only 50 odd riders left, who joined the fray together with Reoness.

“Your Excellency, the enemy fell for our trick.”

“Yes, it appears so.”

The enemy had been encircled, and archers were concentrating fire on them from afar. They repeatedly a.s.saulted the enemy lines with pikemen units.

“Should we tighten the encirclement?”

Louis asked, and Elman shook his head.

“That would be unwise. Leave them an opening to escape. Cutting off the retreat route of soldiers will make them fight like a cornered rat. Our losses will also increase from that.”

“Yes Sir!”

(This is strange. The unexpected strategy is good at the start, but the offensive after that is inflexible and relied only on brute force. It"s too amateurish. I thought I met a formidable opponent, but got let down. I can"t tell what they are thinking.)

Because of the outstanding performance by Elman"s unit on the left flank, the day ended with the Royal Army"s overwhelming victory.

The Kingdom lost 2,000 soldiers.

The Empire lost 5,000 troops.

Olivia and her detachment unit was still absent.

Third day of the battle, Overcast skies

Neither side was capable to launch a decisive offensive, and the day ended after a few small skirmishes. The attacks from the Imperial Army right flank was unexpectedly reserved, and remained on the defensive. Rumors from after the war says that Major General Minits hid in his tent the entire day and trembled.

And so, the dawn of the fourth day arrives.

The dark clouds that had acc.u.mulated for days finally overflowed, and rained.

“Haha, looks like the heavens is on the side of the Full Metal Knights.”

George threw back his head and laughed. Cyrus smiled with relief, and announced:

“Sir, we are all ready to move out!”

The men and officers of the Full Metal Knights stood in orderly formation before George, everyone was eager to fight. The heavy rain would stop the effectiveness of the fire arrows. With their morale sky high, they could definitely overwhelm the enemy"s defences.

George rode on his stead majestically, raised his lance high and shouted:

“Heed me, glorious soldiers of the Full Metal Knights! We will charge right down the middle of the enemy line, and crush their headquarters. We will run over anyone in our way— and take no prisoners!”

“““By your command!!”””

George led the Full Metal Knights on a furious charge right down the middle of the Royal Army"s formation.

“Your Excellency——”

Neinhart looked up at the sky and was hesitant to speak.

“I know. Our foes won"t let this chance slip. Pa.s.s down the order, we will engage with the crane wings formation.”

Lambert already had a tactic for battling on a rainy day. Neinhart also had some formations in mind, but he didn"t consider the crane wings formation.

“… Are you intentionally weakening our center to lure the enemy in?”

“That"s right. They intend to forcibly break through our defence lines and take our headquarters. You should have noticed that by now?”

“From their behaviour on the first day, I can guess as much. But even so, their commander"s way of thinking is too rigid.”

Neinhart avert his gaze from Lambert, and looked towards the middle of the enemy base.

“Yes, with the penetrative power of the Full Metal Knights, this is a feasible tactic for them. They are like a rampaging beast, so they will definitely go for such a delicious bait.”

“You are really confident.”

“Of course. If I were in their shoes, I will definitely bite too. Even if I know this is a trap.”

Lambert smiled sinisterly. Neinhart shrugged after hearing that, and quickly sent the messengers to relay the orders to switch formation.

(I understand his plan, but doesn"t the Lieutenant General know that he is portraying himself as a ferocious beast too?)

Neinhart smiled wryly in his heart, and proposed a plan to Lambert. After stating his plan, Lambert said bitterly:

“Neinhart… despite your handsome looks, your thinking is really despicable. It"s just a little bit, but I"m glad that you are on our side.”

“I"m honored by your compliments, Fierce General Lambert Sir.”

“You are really thick skinned, as expected of the adjutant of the First Army.”

In response to Lambert"s sarcasm, Neinhart placed his hand on his chest and bowed.

“Your Excellency"s flurry of praises fills me with pride. Well then, allow me to take my leave and see to the preparations.”

Neinhart led a few soldiers towards the supply depot as Lambert sighed behind him.