Merchant Noble is out (2/3 chapters for today)

 

 

Battle

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The Warden army, stationed at the rear of the government army’s right flank, sensed a change in the atmosphere. Leo’s forces had appeared. Though the soldiers couldn’t clearly see the front due to the mass of people, a restless mood began spreading.

“The enemy is in sight!” (??)

“There aren’t many of them!” (??)

Voices of soldiers came from the front.

“Alright, Yulia. Have everyone prepare. I’m going to the front to see the enemy myself.” (Arc)

With that, Arc left his unit and headed forward. He had to confirm Leo’s forces with his own eyes. In the right-wing’s front, nobles from the rear had also come to observe the situation, just like Arc.

When Arc squinted, he could see Leo’s forces lined up on the distant plains. At a glance, there seemed to be about 5,000 of them, fewer than Yuna’s report suggested. There likely weren’t any ambushes on the plains, so this was probably their entire army. However, Leo’s forces were all cavalry, with every soldier mounted on a horse.

“Alright… Just don’t come this way.” (??)

One of the nobles joked. The kingdom army was divided into left, center, and right wings, so the chances of having to fight them were only one in three. After a while, Leo’s army began to move. They started heading to the right from their perspective, which was to the left from Arc’s viewpoint. In other words, they were moving away from the right-wing army.

“Yes, go that way!” (??)

“That settles things for us.” (??)

The nobles all breathed a sigh of relief. It was unfortunate for the nobles stationed on the left wing, but for now, the right wing was safe. Arc also felt relieved, though he continued to watch the enemy closely.

Leo’s army began climbing a hill. It was a small hill located beside the battlefield.

“Are they not going to fight?” (??)

“Are they retreating?” (??)

No one could understand what the enemy was planning. Everyone was watching intently to see what would happen. Suddenly, the cavalry changed direction. Using the slope of the hill to gain momentum, they charged straight into the left-wing army.

“Oh, here they come!” (??)

The sound followed shortly after the scene. The neighing of horses, the clash of swords, and the cries of soldiers echoed. The battle between Leo’s forces and the kingdom army had finally begun.

Arc and the right-wing army were still watching the events unfold, as if they were mere spectators. Between them and the battle were hundreds of thousands of kindom soldiers. It didn’t seem like it would be their turn to fight anytime soon. However, the situation escalated far beyond what they had expected.

“Impossible!?” (??)

“They’re only 5,000, and we’re 500,000…” (??)

Voices of shock could be heard. Arc himself couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The kingdom soldiers were being sent flying with no way to defend themselves. They were literally blown away. From a distance, it looked like a child gleefully kicking up piles of fallen leaves. The left-wing of the kingdom army collapsed in no time.

Panicked, Arc rushed back to his own unit. On his way, he saw other noble soldiers lazily lying on the ground. With such unmotivated troops, the army would crumble in no time if the enemy came. Fortunately, no such foolish soldiers were found in the Warden army, which was lined up with a sense of tension.

“Arc-sama! What’s the situation?” (Yulia)

“They went to the opposite side, not here.” (Arc)

“That’s a relief.” (Yulia)

“But we’re still in danger. At this rate, we’ll lose.” (Arc)

Arc decided to stay alert and ready to move at any moment, without lowering his guard.

 

—

 

Meanwhile, King Zerold I, who was at the center, was in complete disarray. The left wing had significantly collapsed, and soldiers fleeing from Leo were heading towards the central army. It was impossible to tell which soldiers belonged to which noble as the soldiers mingled and chaos spread throughout the entire force.

Receiving reports that the left wing had been easily breached, Zerold was shocked and summoned the captain of the royal guards to question him.

“What’s going on!? The enemy only numbers in the thousands! How could the army be in such disarray!?” (Zerold)

“We don’t know! In any case, the left wing is in chaos, and I believe the enemy will soon reach the center.” (??)

“I will neither flee nor hide. We will meet the enemy head-on right here! We have the overwhelming advantage in numbers. Let them come. We’ll wait for them!” (Zerold)

The chaos threatened to spread to the entire army, but Zerold’s decision allowed the central forces to regroup, and for now, the confusion subsided. The central army abandoned the idea of aiding the left wing and focused on reestablishing its formation. However, no one had anticipated that they would face such a battle against so few. The 150,000 soldiers stationed on the left wing were being chased down and scattered by Leo’s mere 5,000, leaving the rest of the army stunned.

After some time, Leo, having completely destroyed the left wing, charged straight into the central army with that same momentum. Leo, the supreme commander, led the charge at the front. Soldiers swarmed to attack Leo, but a giant man following Leo swung his axe, sending two or three soldiers flying with each strike.

Zerold was astonished by the strength of Leo’s forces, but he stood firm, relying on the numerical superiority of his 200,000 soldiers. The central army, nearly 200,000 strong, fought desperately to hold the line.

“Everyone! Fight bravely, I expect nothing less from each of you!” (Zerold)

The soldiers of the central army were aware that the former king was behind them. Moreover, because this area was handled by the elite guards who swore loyalty to Zerold and the great nobles, unlike the left flank, they did not collapse even under Leo’s fierce assault. As long as they maintained their solid formation, it was still many against few. No matter how many soldiers they lost, in the end, they would surround Leo’s army, wait patiently for them to tire, and annihilate them.

For Zerold, it should have been an easy battle where he simply waited safely for the enemy to tire. However, no matter how long he waited, Leo’s army didn’t tire. Slowly but surely, despite the 200,000 strong enemy, they were getting closer to Zerold.

Gradually, a sense of urgency began to grow in Zerold’s heart. He began to doubt the confidence he had earlier, relying on the overwhelming difference in numbers. He wondered could it be that things might not go as planned.

“Captain of the guards! Are we really okay with this?” (Zerold)

“Reinforcements from the remnants of the left wing or the right wing will arrive shortly. We are fine!” (??)

The commander of the royal guards answered calmly, but once Zerold’s anxiety had been ignited, it spread like wildfire and couldn’t be stopped.

“Is it bad if the reinforcements don’t come? Can’t the central army’s 200,000 alone handle this?” (Zerold)

“No! It’s just a precaution. We are more than enough with the central army alone.” (Commander)

“But aren’t we still being pushed back right now!” (Zerold)

“That is… we just need to wait for the enemy to tire.” (Commander)

“I have been waiting for a long time! Will they not tire?” (Zerold)

“They should be tiring soon. Please be patient until then.” (Commander)

The commander of the royal guards explained desperately. In fact, considering the difference in numbers, the kingdom army was still overwhelmingly superior. Remaining composed was the shortest path to victory. However, Zerold was becoming frantic. Could they really afford to take their time like this? He was consumed by the thought that they had to settle this quickly.

“Order a retreat and let them reorganize the formation.” (Zerold)

As if losing the contest of endurance, he gave an overly impulsive order. Naturally, the commander of the guards was astonished.

“A r-retreat?” (Commander)

“Yes! A retreat!!” (Zerold)

However, Zerold had already made up his mind.

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