Chapter 78: Wolf Pack

A/N: 1 shaku (尺) about 30cm, 1 ken (間) = 6 shaku (about 1.8m), 1 ri (里) = about 400m

Aurgorn invaded the forest with a forced march.

Despite many stragglers, he crosses a bridge that he sees as a strategic point.

At a distance of 40 ri (16 km) in front of them was the Christand army, but when they noticed our crossing, they turned around and began to retreat.

There's no way they won't pursue them.

Aurgorn chose to continue his forced march, and despite the sporadic delaying attack, he managed to close in on their rear.

It was a two-day pursuit.

Christand's army was moving northeast through the forest.

But their retreat was blocked by a river.

After crossing the first river, there was a big problem.

The rain that had been pouring down the previous day had swollen the river, and unfortunately, the bridge they had to cross had been swept away.

Facing the broken bridge, the Christand's army hardened their resolve and chooses to make camp there.

From marching columns to \horizontal formation, the Christand formed up to face Aurgorn.

It was truly fighting with one back to the wall------behind them was a raging river whose color had changed to earth and sand.

Aurugorn, seeing this, also moved from a marching line to a horizontal formation.

The place where the decisive battle took place was a grassy plain that had opened considerably even in this forest.

A deep forest spreads to the north, and a tributary of the river that flows behind Christand flows to the south, sandwiching them between the forest and them.

The two sides lined up their armies on the grassland in the center, but from the air the difference between them was obvious.

Just with a glance, the difference in strength was double.

"Hmph, so you're the commander was you, Corps Commander Faren. If it's now, I'll allow you to surrender. Your scheme has failed."

"...Then I won't have any face to meet Her Royal Highness. Besides, no battle is certain to be lost.

The lines were one ri (400m) apart, and in the center were two men on horseback.

The dull steel was carved elegantly accompanied by countless scratches.

They were proof that he had passed through countless battlefields.

Raising his visor, which was shaped like the face of a goddess, and squinting his eyes, Aurugorn looked at the man in front of him.

His gauntlets, leg armor, and breastplate were chainmail. The helmet was the same as that of a centurion.

His armor, which lacks any semblance of grace, was covered by a greenish-gray cloak, and he smiled with a sinister visage of a skull.

Eluga Faren boldly met his gaze, his wrinkled face showing no sign of fear.

"You always have an evil face. I've always wanted to peel it off and see what's inside."

"Haha, if you say that, then so am I, General. I wanted to take out those big eyeballs and compare them with others."

Displeased, Aurugorn lifted his cheeks.

"Kuku, I'll definitely cut off all the flesh from your body and expose it. As for that Christand's lass... she's quite the tempting woman. After I catch her, I'll make sure to give her lots of love."

"No matter how things fall, that kind of thing surely won't happen."

Eluga replied with a pleasant laugh, his face showing what could only be described as malice.

"You're the one who will lose everything you've built so far, Aurugorn Hilkintos."

"Hmph, nonsense."

"Well, surely both of us don't want to have a long-winded talk. Let's start."

Eruga said, then he went to the Christand's camp.

Aurugorn also returned to his own camp and informed his adjutant.

"Hmph, it seems they have no intention of surrendering. Their aim is probably to reduce our force as much as possible."

"Or there's some kind of plot------"

Aurugorn looks to his left wing, the northern woods.

"If they want to hide it, it can only be in the forest. How is it?"

"We're investigating it, but for now there's nothing."

"...I doubt it only be a head-on confrontation with this difference in military strength but"

It's not like it was impossible.

With the situation now------no doubt there were many deserters from Christand's army as well.

Christand's military strength that can be seen from here is over 10,000. More than 3,000 were missing from Roland's report of 14,000.

He didn't think the number was too low.

More than 5,000 of Aurgorn's troops had also fallen in the forced march.

The situation on the other side, where they were being pursued, must have been worse, so it was not surprising that they had lost that many men.

The situation was rather harsh for them.

Looking at the current situation in which we have cornered them, this difference in the number of soldiers is rather natural.

On top of that, the stragglers on their side were being picked up by the supply train that was left behind, so their troops will be replenished later, and the troop ratio hasn't changed much from the beginning.

All things considered, their side had the upper hand.

But there was one thing that bothered him.

Aurugorn has not picked up a single enemy straggler along the way.

Of course, in a situation where any decent person would be being chased, it's only natural that they would run away in a different direction than Aurugorn's, but the fact that he hadn't picked up a single one of the 3,000 people was a little worrying, and slightly increased his concern.

No enemy soldiers have been confirmed in the forest to the north yet.

However, there was a good chance that they were hidden far away.

"Strengthen the vigilance against the forest. It's really bothering me."

"Yes sir."

The river to the south was in no condition to be crossed.

Most of the rivers were more than 4 ken (7.2 m) wide.

And with the current and broken bridge, it was in an unfavorable condition.

That one could be completely ignored.

"------Soldiers, listen up!"

Aurugorn raised his voice.

"It seems the remnants of the Christand are a bunch of fools who can't even count! Against us who double their force, they didn't surrender but pointed their sword, seems they want to be thrown to the bottom of the river!"

He galloped his horse and rode around the front ranks of the soldiers.

Then he shouted.

"Let them hear your voices!! With a single voice of yours, they will realize their mortal destiny and be frightened! Now, let's march! Raise your roar!!"

He draws his sword and thrusts it into the sky.

At that moment, 22,000 soldiers raised their voices all at once.

The sight of the soldiers lined up with swords and bows soaring high in the sky was truly imposing and majestic.

They were the army of Aurgorn Hilkintos, the ever-victorious and undefeatable army that had defended the west for many years.

As if using the fervor to deceive the fatigue from the forced march with that heat.

At the General's signal, they let out a cry into the forest.

"Archers, step forward!! Rain arrows on the enemy!!"

And with that voice, they began to advance.

Aurugorn, watching, moved backward to slip between the soldiers.

There was still a distance of one ri between them.

The effective range of the bow was about 60 to 70 ken (108 -- 126 m).

If the distance between the two sides was not reduced to one-third of the current distance, they will not be able to fire their arrows effectively.

It seems that the other side also sent the archers forward, but only in the center.

Not deployed on both wings. There were probably not enough archers for some reason.

The number of archers in the center was equal.

The enemy's central infantry held a long spear and heavy infantry on both wings. Behind each wing were medium and light infantry.

It can be said that it was a relatively orthodox formation.

The only failure was that their side had not prepared long spears.

Although they had brought them in anticipation of a decisive battle on level ground, they had left them behind as they conducted a forced march.

Their main attack was in the center, which was thicker.

The opponent would probably try to catch them with long spears and break through one of their wings.

Looking at the current situation alone, it was hard to imagine any other way.

There was no sign of approaching from the other side. They were waiting for them to close the distance.

He watched the orderly march and glanced occasionally toward the left wing, the woods to the north.

After all, that side was what he should be worried about------if it's only a head-on confrontation, there's no element to lose.

"Now, what are you planning Faren. You've made such a big deal about it. ...Surely you're not just hoping for a honorable defeat?"

------Five days ago.

Rain was pouring down on the tent, and only the sound of the rain was echoing in the quiet tent.

Inside the tent, men surrounded a spread-out map.

Among them were the main battalion commanders and Dagra, the first squad of the Century, and two captains.

Then there were the figures of the two corps commanders.

Standing in the center was a silver girl.

Her slender body is wrapped in a black cloak, and her fingertips traced the map.

Her body seemed to lean forward on the desk in front of the large map.

A battalion commander shifted the map and pulled it closer to her, and Krische politely thanked him.

"------If we think about it as General Verreich and Skeleton predicted, the enemy will force their way across the bridge to the west. The probability of this happening is about 80%. We will ambush them here, or defend here and nail down the enemy force."

A tone that was unsuitable for the battlefield.

It was a sweet, young voice like that of a child.

"Nevertheless, Krische doesn't really like just nailing them down. It will mean leaving the Dragon's Maw completely to Selene and General Verreich, and Krische's purpose won't be achieved. After all, Krische personally wants to completely get rid of the Hilkintos army here."

Well, that's fine, Krische continued.

"If the enemy crosses over here, they will think we have failed in our ambush and blockade. If we can't hold down this place anyway, Krische (we) will only be a trapped mouse, a delicious prey for the enemy. If we try to retreat, this time we'll be blocked by countless rivers, and if we run away, we'll be eaten from the back..."

Krische's fingertips danced on the map, tracing each of the countless rivers that run through the forest.

"...and that's what Krische is aiming for. Gaines, Krische heard you used to be a hunter."

"Yes. When I was young."

The man who answered was an old-looking man, Gaines, the Fifth battalion Commander of the First Corps.

He was a hunter-turned-battalion commander.

He is one of those rare individuals who rose from being a foot soldier to a battalion commander while not being able to use magic power.

His age was over 40 and he already looked like an old man, but he was smart and dependable in the forest and in the mountains.

He was the man who single-handedly controlled the Fifth Battalion, which had many archers who were trained as hunters, and was highly evaluated by Krische.

"How do you bring down your prey?"

"It's the moment it bites the bait. It's the most defenseless, easy to aim, and the moment it stops moving. Shoot an arrow there or set a trap and capture it."

"Excellent answer. That's what Krische is aiming for. The moment the prey tries to bite Krische (we) who look like a delicious prey------that's when we strike."

Krische put her hands on her hips and smiled contentedly as she puffed out her modest chest.

Her lovely appearance.

The doll-like serenity and an occasional contradicting innocence that she has.

Such a gap sometimes makes her look even more attractive.

"Haha, putting aside us, Corps Commander certainly looks like prey that you would want to bite on."

"Muu... does Krische look that weak?"

A quiet laughter leaked out because of Gaines' playfulness, and Krische, who didn't understand what it meant, and tilting her head.

'Oh, fine', continued Krische, looking at the map again.

"Krische (we) must be delicious, tasty prey. Being chased, turning our backs, and cornered------the place to escape is the northeast, where we can get closer to the Dragon's Maw. Maybe the chased Krische (us) will go to General Verreich for help."

She pointed her finger to the northeast from the bridge.

The area is slightly open, with a forest to the north and a river to the east and south.

There was a small bridge, where the wagons could not even stand side by side, crossing the river to the east.

"But that's where Krische (we) will be surprised. When Krische (we) tried to escape and cross the bridge, there was no bridge. It seems that the bridge here has been washed away by the rising river."

Hearing Krische's words, seriousness again appeared on the faces of the men in the room, and their brows wrinkled.

The bridge she indicated was the one they planned to cross tomorrow.

"Krische-sama, are you saying that we're going to deliberately destroy the bridge?"

Krische nodded when Granmeld placed his hand on his chin and asked.

"Isn't that the best reason for the fleeing Krische (us) to challenge General Hilkintos to a decisive battle?"

"... Certainly. That's good."

"I'm going to leave Gaines' 5th Battalion and some other battalion commanders here to do simple maneuvers, and then move as an ambush. It's a trap to kill the prey."

Krische narrowed her eyes.

She plots the virtual army onto the map and did the math.

"According to reports, the enemy forces range from 25,000 to 30,000. Unlike Krische (we), who have a fixed destination, they will lose about 20% of their army in a forced march with no clear destination. At best, they are 20,000 strong and exhausted. While we are moving with the intention of fighting here from the beginning, so we will fight with less exhaustion and create an advantageous situation. At this point, there is no element of defeat."

After saying that it's just a matter of how to kill it when it gets this far, she put the nearby sake cup on the map and reach out for another sake cup.

Mia, who understood her intentions, immediately moved and placed a piece that had been placed on another desk in front of Krische.

It was a carved wooden piece. It is carved with carvings representing simple military classes.

Krische thanked Mia, and she used the piece to draw a simple battle map on the board.

"The enemy will be outnumbered, and the archers will be pushed to the front. Archers will also be used in ambush, so there is no way we can win even if we shoot each other with this."

"... The right wing on the forest side is for defense, and the left wing along the river is the main attack, right?"

Eluga said, helping to arrange the pieces.

"Yes. The right wing will have to face the archers without any support."

"It can't be helped. ......Are there any volunteers?"

The right wing will be in charge of the most dangerous part of this battle.

Naturally, the damage would be enormous.

Eluga took the lead before Krische appointed someone.

The intention was to soften the blowback against her as much as possible.

"...then I'll be in the front row."

Fourth Battalion Commander Varga raised his hand first.

Keith widens his eyes in surprise, and Varga looks back with a manly smile.

Whether he wanted it or not, he still had regrets about using the 3rd Battalion as a decoy.

He has a single-minded personality, and as a warrior, he always asks himself, how he should be.

Those qualities of his were the factors that made him endearing to his subordinates and colleagues, and in that sense he was a good battalion commander.

"The most dangerous------but the most honorable of all. Let my Fourth Battalion repel the enemy's arrows."

"Wonderful. The brave goes to the front row of the dead. Who is the next brave one?"

Several hands go up at the sound of Granmeled's voice.

Krische chose two of them and said.

"Thank you very much. ...Oh, Krische forgot to mention. Krische'll leave the overall command to Skeleton."

"Yes. Guess I need to do my best to not look bad huh."

"Ehehe, if it's Skeleton then Krische can relax."

Eluga smiles wickedly, without a hint of displeasure despite being called a Skeleton.

Krische also smiled like a granddaughter, like that of a little girl.

Seeing this for the first time, the battalion commander was increasingly puzzled by the mysterious relationship that had developed between the two.

"The right wing is commanded by Keith, the Commander of the Third Battalion of the Firsst corps. Keep your men's fatiue and keep as many of them alive as possible. Loss is not what Krische (we) want."

"Yes ma'am! I swear by this name. It is the most rewarding duty of all."

Keith, whose wound on his dominant arm has yet to fully heal, salutes with his left arm, holding his hand to his chest.

However, contrary to his appearance, his voice oozed of imposing spirit.

For the sake of his friend who had come forward to take on this dangerous role, there was not even a shred of falsehood or pretense in his words.

Krische nodded at Keith, who was full of motivation, then Granmeld took the lead and said.

"Then, leave the left wing to me."

"Yes, Corps Commander Verkus. To be honest, Krische is glad that Corps Commander Verkus is here. Thanks to that, this battle will be a little easier."

"Haha, it's more of an honor to be evaluated that way by Krische-sama than by anyone else.... The role is also good. Above all, the main attack makes my blood boil more than anything else."

He laughed with a beast like face, the scar on his left cheek twitching.

The toothy grin was like a wolf facing its prey.

Krische looked at Granmeld's face with an excited look.

Wolf, dog, woof, wauf, grrr------Woof Woof.

Feeling a revelation descending in her head, her gaze wavers as she hesitated.

He was very much in the mood for giving a nickname.

But now it's a serious meeting. She squeezed her cheeks in an effort to endure the urge.

"Woof Woo------Commander Varkus, um, yes, being aggressive."

"...?"

Granmeld tilted his head at the unfamiliar words he heard at the beginning, Dagra and Eluga looked at each other as if they had realized something. It was a semi-unconscious reaction.

Kalua burst out, and the men's gazes go slightly in that direction, but Mia hide it in a panic.

'A-ahem, that's strange,' Krische continued, holding her throat while clearing her throat, and Dagra and Eluga, convinced by the deliberate clearing, quietly nodded at each other.

"Umm, that is the situation. Without a doubt, the Hilkintos army will have many reserves on that side to guard the northern forest. On the other hand, the enemy on the left flank where General Varkus is located is thin, and if we can get past them, we can deal them an irreversible blow."

Krische drank the juice from the sake cup..

Compared to when they had started talking, the air was just a little softer and warmer.

The same goes for Krische's tone.

"However, it's quite thick, so if you do it properly, it will take some effort."

"Yes, to some extent."

"Therefore, we will use an ambush."

However, the words that followed changed the atmosphere again.

"The first target will be the enemy's right wing against our left wing, roughly 5,000 to 6,000. At first, we will focus on this one target. Since we should have been a prey that is hunted down, they shouldn't be on guard."

----We will massacre them all.

With the same tone and smile as before, she continued.

The advancing Hilkintos army and the stationary Christand army.

There was movement at that moment when both archers captured the enemy within range and got close enough.

On both wings of the unmoving Christand army, assault flags flew, and earth-shattering trumpets and cries echoed through the forest.

Both his right and left flanks raise their large shields above their heads and begin a ferocious advance.

Unlike the center where they can shoot arrows at each other, there were no archers on either wing of the Christand.

In order to minimize the situation where they were shot one-sidedly, they took measures to reduce the number of times the opponent can shoot as much as possible.

The Christand army bravely charged forward in a hail of arrows, never stopping.

During this time, the Hilkintos army fired six volleys.

Even though they were charging, they, after all holding up their large shield.

Soldiers of the Christand army----their shields and bodies were pierced by arrows, causing countless casualties, but the damage was far from fatal.

The commanders of the right and left flanks, judging that it would not be an effective shot in this situation, immediately withdrew the archers on both wings.

The archers on both wings followed the instructions and moved backward through the cracks in the battle line----However, what ran through the right wing of the Hilkintos army here was a shock.

To the south, from the other side of the river, a great black rain poured down.

----It was a torrential downpour of arrows.

The Hilkintos army, which had been wary only of the spears of the enemy soldiers in front, was hit by arrows on their defenseless body, and screams echoed through the trees.

It was a mere one volley.

Considering the number of arrows that the entire Hilkynthos army had just fired, it was less than a tenth of the number of arrows they had just fired.

However, they suffered more damage from that single volley than the damage inflicted on the entire Christand army earlier.

Soldiers basically hold a shield in their left hand and hold it up.

As a result, the formation is particularly vulnerable to attacks from the right and inevitably becomes defenseless.

If an unexpected downpour of arrows rained down there, the result was self-evident.

And there was a bigger factor than numbers.

The soldier's round shield is held in the middle, with half of it protecting him and the other half protecting the soldier on his left.

Fear of death naturally led soldiers to try to put their bodies inside the shield of the soldier on their right, which often caused the entire group to slant to the right hand side, unable to go straight.

To prevent this, the formation of the centurions, with the unprotected right side would always be formed by courageous and skilled soldiers, to hold stop it.

However, the arrows that were fired from the unsuspecting right side pierced the bodies of the brave men----the bodies of the skilled soldiers, who naturally exposed themselves.

As a result, in an instant, the right flank of the Hilkntos army lost many skilled soldiers.

A slightly disordered formation that overlapped with the retreat of the archers.

The loss of skilled soldiers.

----What happened to them was confusion and momentary paralysis.

Across the river that passes to the south.

Centered on 5th Battalion Captain Geins, who had separated from the Christand army in advance, they knocked down trees a little further into the forest to create a square, and their well-coordinated fire poured over the tall trees and onto the enemy right wing without interruption.

"Hah, as expected of our princess! Faglan, clear the way! First Corps, move forward!!"

A volley that was decided at the best timing.

Granmeld, who saw the success right in front of him, lifted his cheeks and shouted,

"The wolf pack under the heavens is going through! Second Battalion, clear the way!"

Faglan, the Commander of the Second Battalion of the Christand army, responded.

The heavy infantry that acted as their shield immediately created a gap in the formation.

For this reason, they had planned their placement from the beginning, and there was no hesitation in their movements.

Originally, the First Corps had many subordinates under Nozan Verreich, and Faglan was one of them.

There was no problem in coordinating with Granmeld.

Grammeld's army of 2000, which was hidden behind heavy infantry, moved forward.

Each grabs a javelin and began sprinting.

Many of them were the First Battalion, which was said to be the strongest in the Christand Army.

A genuine combat group composed of a light infantry group nicknamed the "Wolf Pack".

Even in the midst of an assault on enemy lines, the smile on their faces was one of madness.

"----Let's eat those bastards!!"

After forming a fairly dense formation while running, they all threw it at the enemy in front of them in unison with Granmeld's command.

The disorganized front ranks of the enemy were completely disrupted, some with blunt weapons, some with swords, and some with axes.

Some took up blunt weapons, swords, axes, and other deadly weapons that felt comfortable in their hands, and let out a wolfish roar.

And running at the forefront was the Great Wolf, Granmeld Varkus.

On his shoulder was a steel club----six shaku seven sun (~2m) long.

The farther it was beyond the grip, the thicker it is, and the tip was larger than a skull.

At the tip of its diamond-shaped tip were numerous blunt protrusions.

Repeatedly smeared with blood and cerebral fluid, the iron club was blackened with rust and irremovable dirt.

----Granmeld further increased his speed from there.

Even the name of the great wolf was no longer enough to describe him.

He lifts the iron rod with ease with one hand and looked down at the enemy's face as it approached.

There was terror in the face of the enemy, and he saw fright.

With his cheeks lifted like a madman, Grummeled smiled a toothy grin and swung his greatsword to the side.

A dull sound that could not be thought of as being emitted by a human body resounded, and the accelerated steel was swung through.

One person's torso was easily broken from the top of the armor, and the spine of the soldier next to it was broken.

The formation of several people was blown away, and the distorted body of the soldier danced in the air.

"Follow me!! Now you can eat whatever you want!!"

Twisting his body, this time to the right.

Flesh and armor crumpled, and a few men in armor flew into the air again.

Monsters beyond human. The distorted drumming of the wolf pack's leader, the great wolf Granmeld Varkus.

A little later, the others cut into them, and the battlefield music of countless blades and screams echoed in the place.

The First Corps of Verreich's army, which had raised a battle cry to the chorus of the enemy's screams, bites through the flesh of the frightened enemy.

The impact crumpled the fragile bodies of flesh, and some fell into the river from fear.

Grammeld was convinced of his victory and shouts with a maddened laugh.

"Carliss!! Split to the center! You should scratch the archers in the center!!"

"Yes sir! First Battalion forward!!"

"Torx! You follow me! Don't worry about the rest!"

"You guys heard it! Strengthen the Corps Commander's side!"

Everyone had a cheek-ripping smile on their face.

A group of beast-like men, unable to blend in with the city.

But here, they can release their hidden wildness to their heart's content.

In front of them was a crowd of frightened prey. In the rear of the enemy's line, arrows were raining down, and the line was in disarray.

It was the perfect assault situation that anyone would be hoping for.

Their eyes were clouded by the glory they would gain from shredding flesh and blood.