Chapter 361
My Villains Episode 361
61. art of war(3)
Led by Prince Ulkar, fifteen lords large and small and dozens of knights climbed the western outer wall. Since the officers, staff, wizards, and squires assisting these nobles were also there, the gatehouse became crowded in an instant..
Fortunately, the walls of this world are much wider than the medieval walls of Earth. This is because the castle walls are built thick to withstand magic and incantations used in sieges..
So, although many people climbed the walls, the seats near Ulkar, that is, the head seats, were naturally limited. No matter how crowded they were, only about a dozen people could see the prince face to face..
“Well, please get out of the way. Let's pass by.”
Of course, Sir Ankir, Sir Lyam, and I were among the most prestigious among the knights gathered here, so we were able to occupy the 'head seat'..
……Really, in this damn world, everyone is divided into classes based on all kinds of things..
As I stand in front of the castle, following Lord Ankir, who effortlessly fights his way through the crowd, the western landscape finally comes into view..
Beyond the dried-up valley, the vast fields were full of fallen trees, stumps, and ash..
There were also countless imprints that looked like half of the little nail, no, almost like a dot. The number seemed to be at least well over a thousand, but I couldn't tell for sure..
Experienced officers, non-commissioned officers, and scouts can tell the size of the enemy at a glance, but I don't seem to have that kind of ability..
Anyway, the figures that appeared to be Mitergeland soldiers were moving around busily. Dragging the tree with a rope, cutting it with an axe, and clearing away the ashes..
Lord Ankir clicked his tongue..
“It was a forest not long ago, but now it's an empty plain..”
“……What are they doing??”
“As you can see. Since it is difficult to move a large army in the thick bushes, it is best to push them all away..”
From his explanation, it was said that originally, a dense forest stretched from about 2,300 meters away from the valley. But now the forest had receded so far away that the bare branches seemed like strings..
“The people of the plateau call that forest ‘Zelent Lee’. It's a forest that burns every time a war breaks out with the empire..”
Sir Lyam, who was examining the field that would become a battlefield in the near future, narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth..
“However, it is said that when it rains in the summer, buds and stems sprout within seven days, and by the time the sun goes down, yew trees and dogwood trees grow taller than a person..”
“In a year? Isn’t it really fast??”
“Thanks to this, some villagers believe that a fairy lives somewhere in that forest. Of course it's nonsense.”
Because it's a fairy…….
Even in this world, the fairies are commonly called El
A pseudo-race called P is a being that only appears in legends..
It is said that during the ancient empire, many similar races, including fairies, lived together with humans. However, more than 700 years have passed since the fall of the ancient empire, and even the truth has become difficult to determine..
Of course, I can bet everything that elves actually exist. I don't know about the Wood Elves, but the Dark Elves and High Elves were captured and killed in the Underworld and the Eternal World..
“……Looks like they're Alzenburg's slave soldiers..”
Most of the lords and knights looked puzzled at what Prince Ulkar suddenly said..
“How do you know that, Your Majesty??”
“There are many people with different skin colors mixed together. There are also Gelan soldiers who appear to be leaders..”
Prince Ulkar seems to be able to see the skin color of people half the size of his little nail. Even though he is not naked, but fully armed with a chain vest and iron helmet..
Although he lost his left arm, Ulkar was still an archer of peak skill, and his eyesight was much better than that of the criminal. People who remembered this later shook their heads and looked impressed..
“Your Majesty, I have a report to report on that matter..”
Among them, a middle-aged man opened his mouth. He was armed with an overcoat with a silver shield pattern engraved on it, long chainmail, and an open-sighted sallet helmet. He looked familiar..
““Tell me, Harold.” Ah, now I remember. This is a man I met at South Harbor. One of Ulkar's henchmen, he was a capable commander..
“The size of the enemy army, initially estimated at 5,000, jumped to 15,000. The main reason was that Duke Avilambus hired a large number of mercenaries and recruited conscripts, but Vice King Burcard also sent a huge number of additional slave soldiers..”
“ how much?”
“Approximately four thousand are added, making the total approximately six thousand..”
Several people held their breath at Commander Harold’s decisive words..
“Six thousand. No matter how powerful the elector is,……
“You really deserve to be called Vice King..”
“Aren't they inferior slaves? Don't be scared because one shout from me will cause them all to scatter..”
Among those who were buzzing, an old knight wearing pitch black plate armor made a joke. He was Lord Ecbert, a knight of Viscount Cirillo. He was a huge man who looked about four times as tall as his lord, who was thin and short..
“Rather than scattering, they'll probably flock together.”
A middle-aged knight with a short mustache and a cynical look burst into laughter. He was wearing Vidain, a famous sword with a large ruby embedded in the pummel..
“If the Lord appears in front of slaves who are already starving, they will not be mistaken for the appearance of an old pig.?”
“Daylessid. You're talking nonsense again today, you damn bastard..”
‘Sir Ecbert, who had been famous for decades as the 'Bronze Holding the Ax', growled, but Sir Dailesh de, Earl of Coburn's representative and the greatest knight of Odenlock, sneered without even blinking..
“Damn, the land I own is a bit big. Wouldn’t you have to worry about moving from place to place without a single patch of land in your later years??”
“what!”
Lord Ecbert's lord, Viscount Cirillo, was famous for betraying his lords and magistrates. In particular, it was quite a famous story that three years ago, he kicked out the old baron, who had only one illegitimate son, and took over the territory..
Viscount Cirillo furrowed his eyebrows without hiding his discomfort, and Lord Ecbert huffed with his face stained dark red..
“Don't be too angry. I am saying this because I feel sorry for the poor knight who cannot lay down his weapon until his later years..”
It was not Viscount Cirillo or Sir Eck Butt who responded to Sir Dalecid's subsequent sarcastic remarks..
“her. That's something I just can't ignore..”
Another old knight stepped forward. It was Sir Gidbal, who was standing behind the young high lord, Count Orth, who was observing his surroundings with his shoulders shrugged..
“It's a very sad thing, but I've seen too many young people who bloomed early and then died soon after..”
“Kyung hopes not..”
The man that the Marquis of Eavon has been serving as the commander of his division for over 15 years is Sir Gidbal. Receiving that much recognition from one of the most powerful people in the kingdom was in itself a testament to one's skills..
‘When the legendary old knight, known as the 'Golden Swordsman', smiled, Daylecid's eyes became sharper as he kept his mouth shut..
“This guy looks like a tall goblin.”
Sir Ecbert shook his beard in anger, perhaps because Sir Dailecid reacted quite differently from when he dealt with him..
The temperature seems to have dropped by a few degrees, perhaps due to the energy of the three knights with superhuman skills..
Lord Ankir, unable to watch the series of skits, grimaced and growled..
“……Everyone seems to be out of their minds. What are you doing in front of the prince now??”
“Everyone, please step aside. If you really want to fight, let’s spar later..”
Is it because of Ulkar's name being put forward, or is it because Lord Ankir is a knight who has achieved fame through the so-called 'Warring States District'? At his low shout, the three knights reluctantly retreated..
“Thank you, Lord Ankir..”
Ulkar smiled as he bowed the dog..
“Harold, go on..”
“ yes.”
Commander Harold continued his explanation with a calm expression..
“Some people's opinions may differ, but in the judgment of the commanders and staff, including myself, those slave soldiers are not people who should be underestimated..”
‘His peace-loving Viceroy Altenberg and his army under the guidance of the Lord.’.
Altenberg's Slave Corps, which had this idiotic official name, was an army formed by mixing slaves from the Gelan tribe, the main ethnic group of the Mitergeland Empire, and slaves from various other races..
“They form groups of eleven people. The leader and three archers are mostly Gelan, and the three spearmen and four shieldmen are pagan slaves. Nine of these groups are gathered to form a hundred groups, and five hundred groups are further gathered to form ‘Duleti’. And the viceroy or a commander designated by the viceroy commands all the duleti..”
Looking closely, the pagan slave army seemed like a fairly advanced form of army..
Of course, I don't know much about the military, but it seemed much more organized than the kingdom's army, which was united around a lord or knight without any particular organization, or was sometimes divided according to class..
“Anyway, I heard that since they were slaves, their morale and skills were poor.?”
“It was like that in the past, but not today.”
Harold shook his head in response to a question from an article..
““From what I heard, they are using the slander that was used to raise magic soldiers to brainwash slave soldiers.” "brainwashing?" “That's right. Because you use a lot of strong drugs, you will become half-incompetent, and your personal skills will decline. However, it is said that he is willing to sacrifice his life for his father in Altenburg, and that even if a fireball falls in the middle of his unit, his formation is not disturbed..”
“It's threatening..”
Ulkar looked down for a moment and then looked back at Harold..
“So, is the overall scale of the enemy clearly understood now??”
“Currently, it is believed that 15,000 is all..”
……Fifteen thousand people. I really vomit a lot..
“Now that we've gathered together like this, please explain the overall composition of the enemy. There are quite a few people who are not aware of it..”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The army sent by his father, Burcard, totaled about seven thousand. Of these, excluding the 6,000 pagan slave troops, there were 500 soldiers of the Altenberg family and 500 magic corps..
“The slave army is also a slave army, but the real problem is the magic army.” The magic corps was literally a unit made up of magic soldiers..
A magic soldier is a being created using various drugs and spells, so to speak, he was a combat wizard who only learned two spells. One of the two spells was an attack spell represented by a fireball, and the other was a 'combustion' spell that restored mana by burning one's vitality or lifespan..
“They were made only for war. This is proof of how crazy Altenburg's previous viceroys were..”
The pagan slave soldiers are toy soldiers who have lost their sense of reason, and the magic soldiers are human weapons that fire attack spells using their own lives as fuel. As Harold said, there was no way his elector Altzenber was sane who had raised such an abnormal unit..
“It's more powerful than you think. The commander is?”
“These are Prince Savellard, the eldest son of Viceroy Burcard, and Saint Baek Hofken, the ‘master of the sword’..”
Sword master. Also known as ‘Sword Master’’.
A being who accumulates mana in the Danjeon through mysterious mind techniques and pours out milky sword rivers - of course, he is not that kind of being..
The title given to swordsmen who proved their skills to the emperor and were given the authority to found a school of swordsmanship was the sword master..
Currently, there are only about ten sword masters alive, so they are rare and at the same time, they are incredibly powerful beings who have reached the pinnacle of humanity with only physical prowess, even though they cannot use swords or anything like that..
“It's Hopen... … . “Did you bring your disciples too?” “I don’t know for sure, but it probably is..”
“This must be tricky..”
Unlike Ulkar, who narrowed his brows, all the knights had their eyes sparkling..
“The sword master and his disciples..”
Sir Ankir, who had been scrunching up his face from the knights' nerves, also wrinkled his nose and whispered to me..
“I'm excited. Isn't that so??”
“……You look really perverted right now, so take care of your facial expressions..”
“Hehehe.”
Harold’s explanation continued, leaving behind the excited chatter of the knights..
“Unlike Burcard, who sent an heir, Avilambus left his home..”
“The duke himself came forward?”
“yes. The Strom Army consists of approximately 8,000 men, 70% of whom are mercenaries and conscripts. He probably intends to make up for his lack of morale and control with his authority as elector..”
Duke Avilambus, the instigator of this war, mobilized as many as 2,500 soldiers from the Strom family..
In addition to being part of the standing army, they were regular soldiers who received all kinds of support from the vast territory. The only troops on our side that can deal with them are the most elite soldiers directly under Prince Ulkar..
The number of conscripts reaching 3,500 might not be that great, but more than 2,000 mercenaries could be a huge burden depending on the situation..
“Unlike mercenaries, whose performance varies depending on morale and the situation of the war, the saboteurs dispatched from 'Linhau on the Mountain' will be a serious nuisance anytime, anywhere. Well, they are so famous that there is no need to explain them further.” Destruction masters are sorcerers who manipulate pure power and force fields, and 'Linhow on the Mountain' is a historic school of magic that is the root of such destruction masters..
I have never met the 'main breed' of destruction masters belonging to the Linhau of the Mountain, so to speak, but I have fought against the 'subtype'. This is because there were many saboteurs mixed into the army of Count Mullin that was attacking Longville..
The saboteurs were definitely a threat, but I remember that they were easily dealt with through a group's sneak attack..
Now that I think about it, when will Mungchi come back? I think it's already been 15 days since we broke up... … . I just hope they reunite before High Castle is completely surrounded..
“In addition, there are assassins who occasionally break into the castle, but thanks to the attention of the various lords and knights, there is no major damage. Therefore, the most dangerous thing at this point is increasing enemy power.-”
Wow!—!
““It’s exquisite.” Hearing the roar coming from afar, Harold sighed softly..
“It's those guys. Strategically and tactically, this is what our troops need to be most wary of..”
The ones rising from the horizon were none other than the Dragon Knights. Knights riding wyverns, boasted by Duke Avilambus.
I had seen them before the Blood Mane mercenaries' night attack last time, but today they felt completely different from then. There were more than fifty wyverns flying in and roaring at the same time..
“You need to take refuge in the castle, I
under.”
“Is there no way to respond??”
“Bows and crossbows cannot pierce the wyvern's scales high up there. Nopo (jjo砲; They are trying to shoot at high angles by modifying the ballista, but the aiming is so slow that the dragon knight can avoid it just by looking at the movement of the bow..”
“……The wizards?”
Master Lymond, who was nearby, answered the prince who asked a question with a sombre expression..
“It will be difficult. Shooting a spell farther than an arrow is a vision of vision that only a few prestigious schools have, so “at least in this High Castle, there is no one with that skill.”.”
Harold, who had interrupted Master Lymond, urged the prince..
“Battlemages will deploy defensive spells, but they are not completely safe. Please go to Naejeong quickly, Your Majesty..”
“ O ugh”
—— I that •
Wyverns were the fastest among winged monsters, and dragon knights were specialized in making wyverns fly with all their might..
As the dragon knights flew in faster than expected, those gathered at the gate tower fell into confusion. The wizards hurriedly chanted spells, the lords took refuge, and the knights looked up at the sky with indignant eyes..
Ulkar, whose face was frozen, also turned around to head towards my inner room. And then, he saw me and opened his eyes wide..
“……Sir Phoenics‘?”
“wait a minute.”
I took the spear from a soldier on guard, broke the tail of the spear, and made it to the appropriate length..
“What are you doing??”
“Originally, throwing skills were essential skills for heavy armor warriors..”
“What?”
By the time the wyverns grow to the size of the palm of your hand.
“Inhale.”
At the end of a short run, he stepped on the stile and threw the spear..
wedge!
The soldier's broken spear was fired so fast that the image became blurred and passed by the neck of the wyvern that was leading the way..
Tweet!
A death that does not follow.
The wyvern, whose neck had been torn long and shallow, was pouring out blood, and the dragon knight could barely calm the wyvern, which was twisting and glowing..
“……What is that.”
“What was that just now? Did you really throw it??”
For the wide-eyed knights, I snatched the spear from another soldier..
The second flying spear pierced the middle of a Wyvern's wing, and the dragon warrior had to urgently turn around and return to the west..
A dragon knight pointed in this direction and shouted at me. In response, the dragon knights all threw large stones and fireballs at the gate tower..
“Aurnetren!”
“Strong wind, rise up.”
However, because Munruen was crowded with outstanding battle wizards, including Master Limond and Master Epoz, the bombardment of the dragon warriors ended up being of little use..
“lily!”
As the aftereffects of the bombing subsided, a plump Esson ran up to the gatehouse and handed over a package of javelins..
“Okay, okay.”
A javelin that one was familiar with showed a completely different accuracy rate than a hastily constructed spear. I fired five javelins in a row, hitting four, and two of them ended up falling..
Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!
The wyverns screamed and circled.
all. Not just one or two, but over fifty wyverns were all retreating..
“……under.”
Prince Ulkar burst into laughter and said:.
“I guess we should prepare a place for worship at the top of the castle tower..”
“If you do, I'd be grateful..”
As Ulkar shook his head, those remaining in the gatehouse burst into cheers..
From that day on, I became a rock star among the knights..
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