Merchant Noble is out (3/4 chapters for today)
Rear Guard
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Leading the army of the rear guard was extremely difficult. If one was preoccupied with fighting the enemy and delayed in retreating, they would be separated from the vanguard and middle corps, become isolated, and be annihilated. On the other hand, if one only kept retreating, they would take the enemy’s pursuit head-on and be destroyed.
“Fire arrows while retreating!” (Tyr)
Tyr and Hal, who were serving as the rear guard of the retreating army, were receiving the fierce assault of the 6th Unit Sanya, who had pursued them. Even if they were the experienced Tyr and his excellent soldiers, skillfully escaping while receiving the enemy’s fierce assault was difficult. They retreated while struggling.
“Advance! Advance!” (Sanya)
Sanya’s voice, urging her soldiers forward, was close enough that even Tyr could hear it.
Tyr, who was leading only 1,000 soldiers and mercenaries in retreat, was facing Sanya’s force, which had gathered not only the surrounding battalions but also absorbed scattered Kalli soldiers and Laplace soldiers, increasing its numbers to 5,000.
Sanya, who was at the forefront, encouraging the pursuit unit, spotted Tyr.
“Tyr! You were the one who killed Alma and Martina, weren’t you!? Stay right there!” (Sanya)
She screamed from atop her horse and charged straight at him with her spear raised.
Sanya was originally a renowned master of the long spear in Laplace. Among the royal guards standing behind Casablanca, her presence, with a long spear thrust upright, was outstanding, and she was famous as “the spear user of Laplace.”
“Guhah!” (Jeane)
“Gyaaah!” (Soldier)
Skillfully aiming for the gaps in the armor, she skewered soldiers one after another.
Her spear was instantly dyed deep red with fresh blood. However, while Sanya was fiercely fighting alone, the desperate resistance of Tyr’s soldiers had slowed the overall movements of the pursuit force. Even as she swung her spear desperately, Sanya realized that her own soldiers were unable to keep up and reluctantly pulled back for now.
“Alright! We can push through like this!” (Hal)
Hal had barely finished celebrating when an entirely different rumbling sound began to approach.
“Ah! That is… enemy reinforcements!!” (Soldier)
A soldier who had been keeping watch around them shouted. A third army appeared on the battlefield where the fierce battle raged. At its forefront flew the flag of the Laplace Kingdom and the royal crest.
“Jeanne, huh…” (Tyr)
As Tyr muttered, the leader of the army was none other than the 2nd Unit Jeanne.
She joined up with Sanya’s unit and cast a glance at the exhausted Sanya.
“What? It’s not like I was trying to hog all the credit or anything.” (Sanya)
Sanya spoke in a confrontational tone, but Jeanne grinned.
“Sanya, first we kill Tyr. We talk after that.” (Jeanne)
The 2nd Unit Jeanne was the only one among Casablanca’s royal guards who was of the commander type. Her combat ability was average, but she knew well how to maneuver an entire unit rather than just herself. With Jeanne’s arrival, the pursuit unit, which had started to lose momentum, was revitalized. Conversely, Tyr, who had been just a step away from shaking off the pursuit, was suddenly thrown into a disadvantageous position.
“At this rate, we’ll be completely routed. We’ll retreat for now. We’ll shake off the pursuit, reorganize our forces, and fight again.” (Tyr)
Tyr made his decision.
Retreating without repelling the enemy was an extremely dangerous action. It meant allowing the enemy to pursue freely and suffering massive losses. However, there was no other choice. If they stayed, they would be annihilated.
“Retreat! Retreat!” (Tyr)
Tyr’s soldiers began to flee all at once.
“We’ve got them! Tyr is fleeing! Don’t let him escape!!” (Jeanne)
Seeing this, Jeanne immediately ordered the pursuit.
Even Tyr himself was in danger of being caught in the pursuit, but he somehow managed to shake them off and escape. He stopped his horse for a moment, turned around, and checked on his subordinates following behind him. Then, he spotted a group surrounded by the enemy.
“Haa, haa… Hmm? That is?” (Tyr)
A nearby subordinate answered.
“It looks like about 100 soldiers of the mercenary corps were left behind.” (Soldier)
“We’re going back. We’ll break through the encirclement and rescue the mercenaries.” (Tyr)
The moment he heard his subordinate’s words, Tyr immediately turned his horse around. They had just barely managed to escape, and now they were going back. His subordinates hurriedly tried to stop him.
“Tyr-sama, those are just mercenaries!?” (Soldier)
“They are nothing more than mercenaries. There’s no need for you to risk danger to save them.” (Soldier)
One after another, they pleaded.
They were just mercenaries—wasn’t it fine to leave them behind and escape?
“You fools! I told you, as the commander, we all survive together!!” (Tyr)
Tyr shouted furiously at his subordinates.
A commander who abandoned someone was second-rate. Because doing so meant ranking his own soldiers, placing some above others. And strangely enough, soldiers could always sense when they were being ranked. To ensure that every soldier gave their all in their duties, they had to be treated with complete equality.
“You all go back first. I’ll take 200 elite soldiers and head for the rescue.” (Tyr)
Leaving those words behind, Tyr gathered the nearest soldiers and charged back into enemy lines.
“Rescue has arrived!” (Soldier)
No one had expected them to return. Not even the mercenaries who had been surrounded. And certainly not the enemy forces encircling them. With Tyr’s sudden charge, the encirclement collapsed in an instant, and the rescue of the mercenaries was a success.
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