Chapter 436
My Villains Episode 436
65. peak of spring(11)
Immediately after confirming that Topal's army was withdrawing, he turned his horse's head to the southeast. And ran without stopping.
Throughout the journey, I maintained a wet trot, or a speed close to a full sprint, so if the horse I was riding was an ordinary horse, I would have collapsed with foam at the mouth in less than an hour..
But Bicorn was a magical beast. Not only does he rarely get tired, but whenever he shows signs of exhaustion, if you give him a little blood, he quickly regains his strength. It got to the point where I had to worry about myself and Mungchi breaking their butts more than him getting tired..
Thanks to this, the distance that would have taken a typical infantry unit about a week was covered in five or six hours. As dusk fell, we arrived at the corridor where our troops were setting up a defense line..
“……Ugh, it smells real.”
My face suddenly frowns. The faint stench of the light green river water hit my nose. It must be the smell of corruption flowing from the swamp of death..
The sensitive bundle was already covering its nose, and the bicorn, which would not touch anything other than fresh meat, also growled in displeasure..
At that time, six or seven cavalry rushed from the defense line..
“Commander!”
It was Agoth with the knights of Count Milgrester, led by Sir Benlow, and the Hares Kisses..
“Nothing much happened yet?”
“You came at the perfect time. The tammas who detected the enemy forces about two hours ago reported it..”
After Lord Benlow, Agos followed immediately and spoke like a rapid fire gun..
“Enemies will appear before dusk sets in. Nafiddah told me to bring him straight to the central watchtower..”
“Have you just built a watchtower? You must have had a hard time..”
I reined in the reins again and entered the long fishing boat..
“It's a bunch.”
“yes?”
“Could you please find Gotrop and tell him??”
“What do you mean??”
“Bring Iopiya to the watchtower. Oh, and tell him to bring some armor too..”
Mungchi, who was already whining that his pelvis was still hurting, jumped off the bicorn as if he had been waiting and disappeared among the soldiers..
When he disappeared, I leisurely drove the bicorn and looked around the camp..
How many troops were mobilized in just two days? The length of the defense line was almost 1 kilometer..
Of course, almost half of the defense lines were shabby, consisting of shallow trenches dug and supply carts filled with dirt and stones. However, in other words, the rest of the section was quite plausible, with some parts surrounded by low wooden fences and as many as six defensive bases made with piles of firewood piled high..
In addition, there was a sturdy watchtower in the center of the defense line, reinforced with mud and siege eggs brought in from somewhere..
“The soldiers must be very tired..”
“After realizing the appropriateness, we reduced the number of construction workers to 30%..”
“hmm. Then, let's stop work after the sun has completely set. So that you can focus on vigilance and relaxation. What about wizards??”
Currently, our team has only twenty wizards..
‘Excluding the 'mage of Antrum' Ogshlizo and the 'genius' Epoz, half of them are skilled battle magicians brought by Count Aenes, and the rest are mercenary magicians or those who surrendered from Eisbobalt..
In other words, out of twenty wizards, only about half are trustworthy..
“Everyone is taking a break. In most cases, you will be able to recover your magic by noon tomorrow, or evening at the latest..”
I thought it looked pretty sturdy considering it took two days to build, but I guess they had help from wizards?.
“But, you said the enemies would appear before the sun sets?” Sir Benlow lowered his head with a dark expression..
“This is disrespectful to me and my staff. The retreating imperial army moved a little faster than expected,.”
“……Well, it can't be helped. But the defense line seems too long. Can you fill it all??”
“This was the limit. If it had been shorter than this, there would have definitely been a significant detour. Also, there are a few spots that can be used as access roads, either willingly or unwillingly, so if you can induce the enemy's offensive... I held on to the reins and listened to Sir Benlow's words while also observing the surroundings. didn't stop.
The light green river dividing the field was flowing about fifty-sixty meters away from the defense line. As I quietly retraced the flow and looked upstream, I suddenly felt numerous eyes on me..
The brave men who swam far away on the eastern coast of the kingdom, the loyal soldiers born and raised in Abidden beyond the Gulf of Blades, the bronze-skinned warriors who roam the wilderness without a home or home..
Their eyes were colored in many colors..
Mostly it was fatigue and exhaustion. There was a lot of worry and worry, but there were rare instances of optimism or desire. I can't say it was perfect, but it was fortunate enough that the fear wasn't noticeable..
A little unexpectedly, I remember arriving at High Castle with Prince Ulkar. The eager eyes of the group of refugees and those who remained in the city, and Prince Ulkar looking at them.…….
I tried to imitate the pose of the prince I saw then..
Hold the reins loosely with your right hand, and keep your shoulders and back straight. The left hand was clenched into a fist and raised as if on a sword belt..
It was a little unexpected to give a great speech, and I was also embarrassed to raise my hand to boost morale..
In the end, all I could do was smile leisurely and confidently like the prince did..
Ureung.
Bicorn bared his teeth fiercely. I put my weight back a little and it seemed to bother me..
The eyes of the soldiers were once again drawn to the life that the demonic beast was shedding. Instead of opening my mouth or buckling the reins, I tapped the bicorn's side with the heel of my boot. Fortunately, the guy walked calmly even though he was purring..
I looked straight into the eyes of the soldiers facing this way. He was still smiling confidently - no, arrogantly - and his posture was no different..
“Commander. You're in a hurry,”
“Let's take it easy. Even if I go quickly, the battle plan drawn up by the staff will not change much..”
“……yes, i understand.”
After giving a rough answer, I kept saying things like, 'With dignity, like someone who has already won.'.
The soldiers, who were leaning against piles of dirt or carts looking exhausted, just looked up at me with faces darkened by the sun and dirt. However, some people's eyes seemed to have become a little brighter..
I climbed up the watchtower and put on plate armor with Atalanta's help. It was not a complete set, but only the breastplate, pauldrons, vambraces, and greaves were worn..
“I don't use a helmet‘?”
“uh.”
“Your liver is also big.”
“It's more bothersome and dangerous if it gets crushed for no reason..”
After acquiring the special passive skill ‘Legendary Bloodline’, I invested a lot of skill points, so not only did my skin become much tougher than cowhide, but my bones also became quite strong. It has reached a level where it can take on quite a few attacks with its bare body..
Of course, even if that were the case, the back of my head is no harder than a properly made iron helmet. However, when fighting a melee, having clearer vision and sharper senses is more valuable than improving your skills a little, so at some point I stopped wearing a helmet..
In short, it means that no amount of equipment can offset the demerit that arises when using a stuffy helmet. Well, if I get a magic helmet with excellent effects, things will change, but for now, I don't have anything like that.…….
Atalanta, who looked a little worried, soon nodded in agreement..
“but. If you're in a hurry, you can wear that disgusting scale thing..”
“……What disgusting scales?.”
That's a bit of a shocking story. I deep down thought that ‘iron blood armor’ was a very cool technique among blood magic techniques..
“……Hey, he's coming..”
As I was about to protest, the person who spoke up was Count Aeneas, who was standing on one side of the watchtower and looking closely at the eastern side..
The young high lord, in his mid-teens, wore a white bandana under his eyes to block the bad smell. The girl was placing her hand on an earring imbued with the 'clairvoyance' spell, which caused a blue and translucent film to appear in front of her eyes..
“do you see something?”
“I see the flag of Altenburg..”
The spell cast with the magic earring did not show an effect worthy of the grandiose name of Cheonlian. However, among those gathered at the watchtower, it seems that it was not difficult to see the furthest distance..
Count Aeneas, who had narrowed his brows and wiggled his fingers as if he was counting something, opened his mouth in a heavy voice..
“There must be over a thousand people... … I don't think it'll be more than 1,500 at most..”
“It looks like they are an advance team..”
Atalanta twinkled her amber eyes..
“If we attack quickly, we might have some fun.?”
“Whose dog's name is Thousand? Moreover, Alzenburg’s slave army is no ordinary group of conscripts.” When I reacted negatively, Lord Langbolt also expressed his agreement..
“The main force won't be too far away, so if they rush in with the aim of taking the lead, they will be swept away by the enemy that follows..”
Several other knights and officers expressed their opinions, but the consensus was to maintain a defensive line and not make a reckless move..
Fo Gunn, the chief advisor to the Milgrester family, hesitated for a moment before speaking..
“…… As you probably know, such a sudden advance cannot defeat an army of over 6,000 troops. They may simply be outnumbered in terms of troops, but they have numerous imperial knights and dragon knights, and they also have hundreds of magic soldiers..”
“That's right.”
I nodded calmly. Fogan spoke with a slightly distorted face..
“Wouldn't it be better to move to Eisbowald and attempt a sit-in protest now? “If you hang torches on fences and mounds and secretly attack your troops, you will be able to deceive the enemy for at least one night.” "no. Then you can pass the time, but you can't win..”
“If you take your time, you can seize the opportunity. It seems like Alzenburg is trying to withdraw from the war, so there might be a rift between them.-”
I shook my head firmly this time and cut him off..
“I told you that if we want to end this war, we have to crush them here.?”
“Do you really believe that His Highness the Third Prince will appear here??”
“yes.”
“You've only exchanged messengers once since High Castle fell. Expecting a joint attack without proper contact is difficult even with a lot of luck..”
Would you say he is a soldier who has earned the trust of a prestigious family? Fogan's words were persuasive. Lord Langbolt, Atalanta, and Count Aeneas had expressions of solemn expression, but the other commanders looked sideways at me with heavy expressions as if they agreed with his words..
Around that time, lights began to shine on the dark horizon far to the east. Alzenberg's army appeared..
I looked at them and opened my mouth..
“Prince Ulkar will take care of it..”
“……yes?”
“The prince said this before the blade crossed over. Follow my judgment. Then you can win.”
“3Are you saying that I should trust His Highness the Prince??”
“hmm. It's similar, but a little different.”
I continued, recalling the battles I had fought with Prince Ulkar around the plateau and the trainings I had held under his supervision..
“He must be anticipating how I will move..”
“……what does that mean?”
“It was a war game of where to move in this situation and how to react in that situation - no, we played hundreds of mock battles..”
While stationed at Highcastle, Prince Ulkar summoned officers and non-commissioned officers several times a day and held mock battles using maps and horses..
This is a training exercise in which horses with the type of troops and troops engraved on them are placed on a grid-drawn map, and they move according to their mobility and environment and engage in battle with the opponent's horses. And then I discuss.
In the process, Prince Ulkar, as Commander-in-Chief, transplanted his fighting style to all officers and non-commissioned officers. And I actually entrusted troops to several knights, including myself, and observed how they operated the troops..
“And by the end of the process, whether it's training or evaluation,,”
I burst into laughter as I remembered the last conversation with the prince..
“My prince knows me better than I do..”
I added with confidence.
“So, you will come. clearly.”
Fogan and others still looked confused as if they did not understand. I left them behind and headed under the watchtower..
“Still, I think I need to buy some time tonight, so I'll go down..”
“What are you going to do??”
I shrugged my shoulders in response to Atalanta’s question..
“I need to bluff, whatever..”
“••••••bluff?”
“uh. It's increased a lot these days..”
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