Chapter : 13

“Shields up-!”

-Clank, clank, clank!

At Chamberlain Hamil’s command, the soldiers raised their shields in perfect unison.

The pressure of the impending battle weighed down on the soldiers.

“There are more Kruks than I thought! Can the center hold? Human Chamberlain?”

Captain Konrad, who was assessing the situation, frowned. At a glance, their numbers were nearly double ours. On top of that, the Kruks were coming down from a hill.

The hammer and anvil tactic only succeeds if the center holds.

No matter how strong the Blackrock Mercenary Company positioned on the flanks was, they would be useless if the center collapsed.

‘This looks really dangerous. Is he okay?’

I glanced sideways at Chamberlain Hamil. His expression was firm, but his eyes were alive.

Chamberlain Hamil was holding his breath like a beast, waiting for the right moment. No, at a glance, it looked like he was even feeling a sense of ecstasy.

Perhaps he missed this battlefield that he had longed for.

“Javelins, ready-!”

-Shink!

500 domain soldiers holding javelins stepped forward.

They were the soldiers who had been placed in the back due to their lower proficiency.

“Throw-!”

Swoosh-!

“Krrraaaarrrr-!”

“Don’t stop, keep throwing!”

500 javelins flew through the sky at once. For a moment, darkness fell. With death shrieks, the Kruks were skewered and thrown back.

“Brace for impact!”

But it wasn’t enough to stop the charging Kruks.

-Thump!

“Arrrggghhh!”

“Hold-! Hold-!”

The triple-layered shield wall wavered. Soldiers fell, and Kruks pushed through the gaps. Along with screams, jets of blood shot up into the sky from all directions.

“Don’t break! Rear rank! Raise your spears! Grab them with both hands and stab-!”

Chamberlain Hamil shouted himself hoarse. The soldiers in the rear rank, having recovered from the shock, held their longspears with both hands and stabbed relentlessly.

Crack!

With a flesh-tearing sound, the Kruks turned into chunks of meat. The entire area was stained with green blood.

The momentum of the charging Kruks faltered for a moment.

“Good! Blackrock Mercenary Company, it’s time to earn your pay-!”

Seeing that, Captain Konrad shouted. The mercenaries on the flanks, who had been silent, began to advance slowly.

“Gwahahaha-! You filthy dwarves! All of you, die! Ora, ora, ora!”

Captain Konrad dashed forward, swinging his halberd. Each time the heavy weapon whistled through the air, Kruks fell like scarecrows.

Death descended within the range of Captain Konrad’s halberd.

“Blackrock-! Support the Captain! Let’s show them the fighting spirit of the Dwarves! Forward!”

The mercenary company’s adjutant did not miss the moment. The Blackrock mercenaries on both flanks advanced at a quick pace, slamming their halberds down.

Crack-!

Crunch-!

Their breakthrough power was as strong as a cavalry charge. The Blackrock Mercenary Company split the Kruk horde in half like an angry bull.

“Waaaaah-!”

“Oooohhhhh!”

Seeing this, the soldiers let out inspired roars. In the meantime, Chamberlain Hamil rebuilt the collapsed shield wall.

But there were still far too many Kruks before them. The Kruk horde charged forward again and again, paying no mind to their fallen comrades.

‘They were tough monsters to fight in the game, too. But reality is even worse.’

In [Pangea Universalise], Kruk subjugation was over with just a few mouse clicks, so I hadn't known.

The Kruks’ death-defying aggression made my hair stand on end. The inside of my gauntlets was damp with sweat.

‘Still, it looks like we can wrap this up without major losses….’

I thought, surveying the battlefield.

The Kruks’ counterattack was fierce, but that was its limit.

They were collapsing before the systematically moving soldiers.

At that, the nobles and knights, who had been quietly following Chamberlain Hamil’s orders until now, seemed to be getting antsy.

“My Lord-! Your orders!”

“Please give us an honorable opportunity as well!”

“We will build our martial renown-!”

They spoke to me, clattering their weapons with eager hearts.

They looked ready to charge out at any moment if I didn’t give them permission.

‘Good grief….’

Seeing that, I couldn’t help but click my tongue.

Prowess and merit.

Those honorable things they could boast about to others were their top priority.

But to have such a feast laid out before their eyes and not be able to fight? For the knights, it was a maddening situation.

In fact, it was amazing they had followed orders this well so far.

After all, knights were not trained to fight in formation with soldiers like this. To them, soldiers were just support.

The main actors on the battlefield were the knights. That was their mindset and their values.

Didn't they say that in [Pangea Universalise], they rolled a die for the knights' behavior in every battle because of this?

If a 5 or 6 came up, it was the best, but if a 0 or 1 came up, the battle would often end in a major defeat due to an unexpected variable.

‘I’d better set the stage for them to run wild properly.’

If one of them foolishly broke formation and charged out alone, they could get surrounded by the Kruk horde and get hurt.

Knights were an important resource.

They were too valuable to lose to such reckless behavior.

Besides, I also wanted to see the true power of mounted knights for once. Was it really as tremendous as the rumors said?

With that thought, I roared at the knights.

“Calm yourselves! We are in the middle of a battle, what are you talking about!”

“Heek!”

“Ah, understood.”

[Receiving a Combat Power correction.]

[The knights will temporarily obey your words.]

[The unit’s discipline increases.]

Oh, so this is how Combat Power helps. I learned something new again.

With that thought, I spoke again to the surrounding knights.

“I will give you a chance to earn merit, so do not break formation recklessly! If you disobey my order, you will all be excluded from future battles.”

“But still….”

“Ahem, Sir! Did you not hear the Lord say he will give us a chance?”

“It will surely be an opportunity to achieve great renown. Be calm!”

“I-Is that so?”

Listening to their half-witted conversation, I looked for Biden. As expected, Biden was also at the very front, mindlessly cutting down Kruks.

“Sir Biden!”

“Haa, haa. You called, my lord.”

“Have the knights regroup at the rear. Have their squires prepare as well.”

“Pardon? In the middle of this chaos? What are you planning….”

“Since the knights wish for it so, I intend to try a charge.”

Though it was a hill, a charge enhanced by a horse’s momentum would by no means be easy to handle. Especially for short dwarf-like monsters such as the Kruks.

At that, Biden’s face lit up as he exclaimed.

“Oh-! Indeed! Then I shall join as well. Is that alright?”

“Ah, sure…. Do as you please.”

“Then I shall regroup the knights quickly. I will be right back, my Lord-!”

I had momentarily forgotten, but Biden was a knight as well. My words made him ecstatic as he ran to the back to call the knights.

And a short while later.

“My Lord. Everyone is ready.”

Biden reported to me, leading a group of people behind him.

A cavalry unit composed of ten knights and their thirty squires.

The greatest military force of the medieval era was ready.

“Good, then let’s ride. Close your visors and raise your lances-!”

Saying so, I shouted to Chamberlain Hamil.

“Chamberlain Hamil-! Move the soldiers to the left and right.”

“Pardon? That will break the formation, my Lord.”

“It’s fine! I will lead the knights and charge-!”

“Oh-! Understood.”

Chamberlain Hamil’s face also brightened as he exclaimed. In line with the knights' advance, Chamberlain Hamil immediately moved the soldiers to the left and right. Kruks poured out through the newly opened gap.

“Krreuk?”

However, the Kruks also tilted their heads, sensing something was strange about the suddenly empty space. But by then, it was already too late.

I drew my sword and gave the order to the knights.

“Forward-! Crush them!”

Then.

[Applying a correction for high Combat Power.]

[Your army’s morale increases.]

[The knights will follow your command through fire and water.]

“Kkiyoooot! Full speed-!”

“For glory-!”

“Ooh. The gods are watching-! Take my sword, you ugly monster-!”

The buffed knights spurred their horses and increased their speed.

The tremendous mass, carrying the weight of the horses, their barding, and the fully armed knights, descended upon the dwarf-like Kruk monsters.

Kwa-dududuk-!

Kwajik!

Kuwaaaaaak!

They were packed together tightly, but it was meaningless. The Kruks were too short to stop war-trained horses.

Instead, the excited horses just trampled them relentlessly as they advanced.

Truly, the tank of the medieval era!

In an instant, the several hundred Kruks at the front melted away. It was truly brutal combat power.

“They’re breaking! Forward! Forward-!”

Not missing the opportunity, Chamberlain Hamil shouted. The soldiers’ morale was higher than ever before.

Shouting, the soldiers chased the Kruks scattering in all directions.

And the knights herded those Kruks, circling around them as if herding a flock of sheep.

The terrified Kruks, unlike before, fell helplessly to the soldiers’ spears and swords.

“Hah…. Hah…. It’s over.”

I didn't follow behind the soldiers to chase the Kruk horde. I just looked at the battlefield, breathing heavily.

The tension from my first battle had left me without the strength to even lift a finger.

While I was recovering my energy like that.

The battle had come to an end.

* * *

The Kruk horde, which had numbered in the thousands, was nowhere to be seen, and only corpses remained everywhere.

Soldiers went around, slitting the throats of any surviving Kruks, and were gathering and sorting the corpses in one place.

“30 wounded, 10 dead. 634 Kruks killed! It is a great victory, my Lord.”

Knight Balter’s voice as he reported the battle results was brighter than ever. Although it was a battle against monsters, with an exchange ratio like this, it was truly an overwhelming victory.

But I had a bitter taste in my mouth.

10 dead.

Among the 30 wounded, there were severely injured soldiers on the verge of death, so the number would surely increase.

“It is a shame…. I hope there are no casualties from now on.”

“What are you talking about! Human Lord! This is excellent. The Lord has accomplished a great feat. This Konrad can guarantee it!”

Captain Konrad said, thumping his chest with his fist.

A battle of this scale was truly rare in recent times. Wars in this era were at most in the hundreds.

A battle in the thousands was something one would only see in a fight between great lords.

Thanks to that, the nobles, knights, and mercenaries who participated in the battle were all excited about their achievements.

“Thank you for the kind words, Captain Konrad. Then, Chamberlain Hamil. Are there no more Kruk hordes in this vicinity?”

“According to the scout we sent to investigate, this Kruk horde was the largest group in the area.

However, he said that if we go a little further north, two more Kruk hordes of a similar size to this one are residing there, my Lord.”

Chamberlain Hamil explained, spreading out a map.

Two red dots were marked above the Great Forest reclamation area in the Seine River territory.

The distance would take roughly two to three days.

It was close if you considered it close, and far if you considered it far.

“If we provoke them carelessly, it will be like stirring up a hornet’s nest. There is no need to expend our precious soldiers to deal with such monsters. I don’t think there is a need to subjugate them, my Lord.

Chamberlain Hamil cautiously expressed his opinion while glancing at me. There was some truth to his words, but I could not agree with him.

By annihilating one Kruk horde, we had broken the balance among the Great Forest Kruk hordes. It was not a situation where we could guarantee they would quietly stay in their current position.

“What are your thoughts, Captain Konrad?”

“Are you asking for my opinion? Human Lord?”

“I am.”

At my words, Captain Konrad scratched his head.

“From a mercenary’s standpoint, the longer the contract, the better. However, if I were to give advice as a military expert.”

Captain Konrad took out a piece of charcoal from his bosom and drew a line across the map. It was a line connecting the areas we planned to reclaim.

“If we assume this is the border, the area to defend is excessively wide. Since the reclamation land happens to be a plain, we would have to build several stockades to defend it.”

As he spoke, he began to circle the areas that corresponded to defensive strongpoints. At a glance, there were more than ten.

If we were to station a minimum of 200 soldiers at each of those locations, we would need a staggering 2,000 men.

Considering our domain’s situation, that was an enormous number.

“However. What if we capture this place and build a stockade?”

Captain Konrad circled another spot on the map.

It was a valley where the mountains began and one of the places where a Kruk horde resided.

“With this one alone, you can protect the entire reclamation area, Human Lord.”