New chapter of May Our Village be Happy is out (1/2 chapters)

 

 

Surprise Attack on the Main Camp

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Having left the forest that made walking difficult and descending the hill in haste toward the allied main camp in the southeast, Mika and his companions were met with an unexpected sight.

“Geh! It’s a Horned Bear.” (Mika)

A gigantic Horned Bear was attacking the main camp, scattering the guards and toppling the banners bearing the family crests one after another. Faced with that sight, Mika could not help but cry out.

The Horned Bear, which must have leapt from the forest covering the northeastern region of the battlefield to launch a surprise attack on this camp, was no smaller than the one that appeared in the Valentine territory at the end of last year. Moreover, this Horned Bear was clad in armor. The protective gear resembled a leather cuirass, covering its vulnerable flanks and neck. When combined with its tough hide and thick layers of fat, even spears or arrows would rarely pierce through.

The fact that it wore man-made armor meant that this Horned Bear was being kept by humans. Yet, it was said to be an inherently ferocious creature that could never be tamed. To domesticate it should have been impossible. There was only one method to make such a thing reality. As fierce combat unfolded before his eyes, Mika turned his gaze beyond the Horned Bear and saw someone issuing commands toward it.

“…A summoning magic.” (Mika)

Summoning magic was a spell capable of rendering animals, and depending on the practitioner’s mana, even magic beasts, obedient. Mika had not heard that the Mortimer family possessed a practitioner powerful enough to command a Horned Bear. It seemed even with Lorenz’s talent for gathering intelligence, it was difficult to have complete knowledge of all magic users serving lords in distant lands. Or perhaps that summoner was still young and had only recently awakened to his gift for magic, not yet known to those around him.

Either way, there was no doubt that he was a formidable foe.

If such a threat as an armored Horned Bear were to go on a rampage, no ordinary human could hope to survive. Several of the camp’s guards had already met gruesome ends, and those remaining would not hold out much longer. Behind them, the lords who had stayed within the camp could be seen. Lorenz still appeared unharmed, which brought Mika a brief moment of relief.

The enemy detachment that launched the surprise attack on the main camp consisted of the Horned Bear, the summoning magic user, several soldiers likely serving as his escorts, and a knight whose movements suggested he was a physical magic user. The physical magic user guarding their own main camp was being held off by the enemy’s counterpart and seemed to have no capacity to deal with the Horned Bear.

Ordinarily, a surprise attack on the main camp was no easy feat. To avoid detection, only a small force could move around the battlefield, yet breaking through a camp heavily guarded by elites required considerable strength. Balancing those two needs was extremely difficult.

To achieve that balance, one could either send in an elite squad or a magic user powerful enough to serve as a force on their own. However, assigning such individuals to a detached assault risked weakening the main army, and losing elites or magic users was a devastating blow. It required great resolve to send them on an isolated mission where death was likely.

The allied forces had accomplished their own main camp strike by deploying Mika, whose ballista allowed his to attack from extreme range single-handedly. The Mortimer army, on the other hand, achieved their ambush with a relatively low risk of losses by placing an armored Horned Bear, an exceptionally durable asset, at the forefront.

“That’s bad. Really bad.” (Jeremy)

“This is insane. They’ll all be wiped out.” (Hugo)

“Mika-sama, what shall we do?” (Dimitri)

Jeremy cried out in alarm, Hugo stared in disbelief, and Dimitri sought instructions from Mika. Though momentarily overwhelmed by the dreadful scene before him, Mika soon steeled his expression.

“It’s frightening to get close and fight, but we must repel the enemy detachment. Even though we drove their commanders into retreat, if this continues, we might end up losing after all. If that camp is annihilated, the Horned Bear could come for us next. It’s better to fight while we still have numbers. Besides, it’s not the first time I’ve faced a Horned Bear.” (Mika)

With a fearless smile, Mika ordered preparations for the ballista. Together with Jeremy, he drew the bowstring, and Hugo loaded an arrow tipped with iron for greater penetration. They approached the allied main camp. Only a few shots remained, including the one already loaded. If the first missed, there would likely be no time to reload for a second, meaning he had only one chance.

“Lord Valentine.” (Lorenz)

“Lord Meldars, everyone, please fall back. I will handle that Horned Bear.” (Mika)

Calling out to Lorenz, whose face showed relief at the arrival of reinforcements, Mika kept his eyes fixed on the Horned Bear as he advanced. Jeremy and Hugo stood before him, clearing a line of fire, while Dimitri stayed at his side.

The distance was only several dozen meters. The target was large, its armor merely leather. Human attacks could not pierce it, but if a ballista bolt struck directly, it would surely penetrate. A hit would decide victory.

As Mika prepared to pull the trigger, the enemy summoner blew a whistle. Instantly, the Horned Bear ceased its assault and fled at tremendous speed. Mika hurriedly fired, but hitting a rapidly moving target at an angle was no easy matter. The bolt only grazed the beast’s hindquarters, then pierced through an unlucky enemy soldier and his shield before embedding itself in the ground.

Advancing while levitating such a massive weapon made them obvious targets. Even the enemy must have realized that a direct hit from the ballista would be fatal to the armored Horned Bear. They likely wished to avoid losing such a valuable asset in a hopeless fight. Thinking so, Mika set the ballista down and switched to his repeating crossbow.

“Whoa.” (Jeremy)

As Mika prepared to shoot, Jeremy, one of the two commoners holding large shields before him, shouted. An arrow struck his shield, its tip piercing through enough to be seen on the inner side.

Looking toward the enemy, Mika saw the summoning magic user aiming a crossbow at them. It appeared to be his personal weapon.

Though the shot failed to kill Mika, the distraction gained him a few precious moments. In that time, he leapt onto the back of the Horned Bear that had reached him and escaped together with it.

“Damn it.” (Dimitri)

Dimitri raised his voice, positioning himself before Mika with his round shield. A sharp metallic sound rang out as the shield shook, and a sword clattered to the ground. The one who had thrown it was the enemy physical magic user. Having risked everything to slay the psychokinesis magic user, Mika, his surprise attack had failed. Seeing this, he drew another sword from his waist and ran off.

The Horned Bear, the summoner, the physical magic user, and the two surviving enemy soldiers retreated into the northeastern forest, the same route they must have taken to infiltrate the area. Mika fired several bolts after them, killing one soldier, but could achieve no further results.

“Do not pursue.” (Mika)

If they pressed too far and the enemy counterattacked, it would be too dangerous to fight the Horned Bear and the physical magic user within the forest where trees blocked visibility and projectiles. Thinking so, Mika gave the order.

“Raise the banners. Quickly, raise the family crests.” (Lorenz)

Seeing the battle end, Supreme Commander Lorenz shouted. If the banners of the main camp remained lowered, the troops of the main army might mistake it for defeat and flee. Restoring them was the top priority.

“We owe you our lives, Lord Valentine. To have driven off that Horned Bear is truly the mark of a powerful psychic magic user.” (Lorenz)

“I am glad to be of service. Forgive my late arrival.” (Mika)

As Lorenz finished giving orders to his guards and approached, Mika answered while surveying the devastation of the camp.

Among the dead were not only guards but also one of the lords who had remained behind. Seeing the mangled corpse, torn in two, Mika thought grimly that his rescue had not come in time.

“Think nothing of it. Guarding the camp was never your duty, yet you came to our aid. We are truly grateful.” (Meldars)

“Indeed, as Lord Meldars says. You have our thanks, Lord Valentine.” (Lord)

“We could easily have been wiped out, but thanks to you, we survived.” (Lord)

Following Lorenz, the other lords of the camp also expressed their gratitude.

“I am honored. We succeeded in the surprise attack on the enemy camp, so I believe their forces will soon withdraw.” (Mika)

“Still, our camp has been thrown into considerable disorder. Some soldiers are shaken as well. I wonder how this will affect the battle.” (Lorenz)

As they spoke, Mika and Lorenz turned their gazes toward the frontlines of the battlefield.

 

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