Chapter 187 - Chapter Ten: Robinson's Revenge
I made a mistake with the posting time.
The Engrio army advanced west along a single road through the forest towards Regnentes.
Their force numbered eight thousand, led by a noble from near the Regnentes border.
The vanguard consisted of two thousand mercenaries: five hundred cavalry and fifteen hundred light infantry. The center had three thousand conscripted light infantry. The rearguard was the main general's direct army of three thousand: five hundred cavalry, five hundred heavy infantry, and two thousand light infantry including archers and mages. This was the noble's direct unit. At the very rear, a transport unit of nearly seven thousand people protected wagons loaded with fodder and provisions.
Engrio, originally a nation of mercenaries, had its king himself employ many mercenary units, which meant a smaller proportion of soldiers led by nobles. The local lords were similar.
This time, with the king's direct army concentrated near the Medioland border, a large number of mercenary units were also assigned to the Regnentes invasion force, which could be called a detached force.
In the previous war, occupying the basin beyond the border was successful, but the Medioland army launched a surprise attack by crossing the northern mountains. This time, considering that, the main force was concentrated at the Medioland border to act as a deterrent. Conveniently for Engrio, Sertoria had declared complete neutrality, meaning Medioland soldiers could only be dispatched to Regnentes by sea.
The Medioland navy was still immature, capable of transporting at most about a thousand men. If they quickly captured the eastern and western positions in the basin and prepared for a surprise attack from the north, they were confident of victory.
The Engrio camp thought so.
Compared to a normal force, the cavalry was slightly fewer because they were passing through forested and mountainous areas. With less mobile warfare, there were more conscripted light infantry.
The conscripted soldiers, compared to the direct army and mercenary units, had poorer equipment and somewhat lax discipline, openly chatting during the march without a care.
"Hey, do you know about the new fortress we took from Primordia?"
One of the conscripted soldiers called out to his comrade walking beside him.
He was a light infantryman conscripted in lieu of corvée labor by a landlord, wearing chainmail lent by the landlord who led him, and holding a sword and leather-covered shield also lent by the landlord.
"Ah, the Demon Lord apparently took the entire fortress somewhere, didn't he?"
His comrade walking beside him was the same, and his role, if it came to it, was to protect the landlord archer.
That landlord was an archer accompanied by ten tenant farmers—that is, serfs—and he walked at the front, leading five men armed with swords and five with spears.
"No, that's not it. There's a strange rumor going around."
"A strange rumor?"
"Yeah, before the Demon Lord made the fortress disappear, it was apparently attacked by gargoyles, wasn't it?"
"So I hear. Well, they're monsters, after all. Aren't they the Demon Lord's subordinates?"
"You'd think so, right? But apparently, that's not the case."
The man had gone to collect food for everyone at the previous night's encampment and had heard a strange rumor while waiting in line.
During meals, he was with the landlord. He couldn't say anything careless.
So, they were whispering during the march.
"See, those guys in black robes riding in wagons at the front of the march? They're apparently Forbidden Magic users."
"What? Forbidden Magic?"
"Idiot, your voice is too loud."
The landlord at the front turned around and glared. Both men immediately looked down.
Although they were free farmers, it was rare for someone to gather ten men in response to a conscription. The mounted unit commander was pleased with him, and he was eager to earn merit and expand his farmland further. He couldn't afford to have any trivial military discipline violations ruin things.
Seeing the two quiet down, the landlord snorted and faced forward.
The vanguard would arrive near the enemy position tomorrow.
They would probably send an envoy with a surrender recommendation.
Since they would surely refuse, the attack would begin with archers. Catapults were also being pulled along, but installation would take time. So, probably on the third day.
The checkpoint was easily passed because the enemy had fled. They couldn't do anything, but such things didn't count for much.
It was the first day. He planned to earn merit early in the engagement with the main force. The beginning was always crucial. If he stood out at first, he was sure to be well-regarded later. That's what he thought.
"So, what about the Forbidden Magic?"
They waited for the landlord to avert his attention from them before resuming their secret conversation.
"Ah, so, those guys in black robes in the wagons are Forbidden Magic users. They apparently control monsters with magic."
"Can they really do that?"
"I don't know if it's true or not, but that's the rumor."
"Huh. So, we have monster tamers on our side, then. But how come the church is keeping quiet about it?"
"Apparently, the magic to control monsters isn't Forbidden Magic. It just happens that Forbidden Magic users can use it."
Then we can take it easy, his comrade's face broke into a grin.
If it wasn't Forbidden Magic, there was no problem. It surely wouldn't go against the church's teachings.
The monster tamers' goal was apparently to prevent a surprise attack by the Regnentes army. A surprise attack in the forest was the most terrifying thing. If that was eliminated, their chances of survival would greatly increase.
Regardless of the landlord's intentions, their goal was to return safely.
After all, even if they earned merit, unlike the landlord, they wouldn't receive a reward. It was corvée labor. There was no way their morale would rise. If monsters fought in their place, their chances of returning safely would also increase.
"So, how does that relate to the fortress the Demon Lord made disappear?"
"That's the problem. That fortress was apparently lost by Primordia after being attacked by gargoyles. In other words, the monster tamers took it down."
"The rumored special unit? Well, if they're monsters, they're certainly special."
"But, after being attacked by gargoyles, the entire fortress disappeared, right?"
At this, his comrade realized.
The gargoyles, which were supposed to be controlled, attacked their own side, and then the entire fortress was made to disappear by the Demon Lord...
"Hey, don't tell me..."
"That's exactly it. The rumor is that by carelessly controlling monsters, they incurred the Demon Lord's wrath."
His hands trembled, and sweat poured down his face. His legs gave out, and he couldn't walk properly.
His comrade was a devout follower of the Goddess, always taking his family to church to hear sermons on holidays.
He instinctively clutched the Goddess statue his wife had given him, which was in his pocket.
"Hey, pull yourself together. You're pale as a ghost. Don't worry. It's just a rumor. A rumor."
He was handed a water bottle and drank deeply, spilling a lot from his mouth.
"Calmed down?"
"Ah, sorry. But, will we make it back alive?"
"The rumor circulating at the distribution point was that the omen is gargoyles. If they attack, it might be better to flee into the forest."
"Flee, you say..."
He glanced at the landlord walking at the front.
He was full of enthusiasm, eager to earn merit.
"It's gargoyles, you know. Iron arrowheads won't do a thing. If it comes to it, let's pretend to help the landlord and drag him into the forest. If the others run away, we'll be fine. If it works out, we'll be his saviors. Hey, keep quiet about this to the others. We'll be the only saviors."
"Ah, ah. Got it. Gargoyles."
His comrade clutched the Goddess statue once more and offered a prayer.
He didn't know it, but that day, similar rumors were being whispered everywhere, only among the conscripted soldiers.
That night, the Engrio army, encamped along the highway, was suddenly attacked as several trees in the forest were cut down, blocking the road and severing communication between units. Next, they were assaulted by a swarm of gargoyles, plunging them into chaos.
At the enemy's position, the Regnentes army proudly displayed numerous bonfires. They sensed a surprise attack from the rear, but the mercenary unit, not expecting a monster attack, formed a shield wall to the front and sides, preparing for a charge from the Regnentes army.
The conscripted soldiers, seeing the gargoyles soaring in the moonlight, screamed and fled in disarray, merely wandering through the forest.
The enemy came from the sky.
The main force, after retreating into the forest to regroup, found that the gargoyles seemed to give up and flew away. Their relief was short-lived, however, as they were then attacked by another swarm of monsters from the forest behind them.
From the darkness between the trees, and from above the trees, they attacked, their sheer weight crushing human bodies. A single swipe of a foreleg sent heavy infantry sprawling to the ground, and their claws easily pierced and killed soldiers in chainmail.
The long, thin formation was severed in over a dozen places, completely paralyzing any organized action.
The monsters stood on their four hind legs, using their four front legs to knock down heavy infantry who had formed a shield wall, stabbing them to death one after another with their claws.
They merely continued the slaughter without preying, and there was no animal instinct to be felt in their actions, but those fighting had no time to notice such things.
The main general, a noble, desperately issued commands and attempted a counterattack, focusing on the mages, but it was deep in the forest's darkness where even moonlight couldn't reach. Many soldiers were killed without knowing what kind of enemy their comrades in the forest were fighting. The monsters specifically targeted mages.
Steel blades and spearheads couldn't inflict a single scratch. As this was a conflict between nations, priests were not participating, and medical personnel were in the rear. The mages assigned to the main force were only about a dozen, retained by the main general.
However, several of them were intermediate holy mages, and centered around them, they gradually reduced the number of monsters.
The heavy infantry formed a circle, with the noble and mages at its center. The fragmented light infantry spontaneously formed several rings around mages at various points along the highway.
The cavalry had all had their horses killed and were now infantry, but by participating in the spear wall, they contributed to maintaining the defensive formation.
Several intermediate Holy spells pierced the bodies of monsters lurking in the forest, and cheers erupted with each one defeated.
While they had been confused and suffered unnecessary casualties at the time of the attack, their ability to recover from the chaos and form a united defense was truly befitting a seasoned direct army.
When the monsters finally retreated, everyone confirmed the safety of the noble, who had been drawing his sword and loudly commanding, and cheered.
At that moment, the gargoyles, which should have flown away, seized a momentary opening and attacked from directly above, instantly slaughtering the mages at the center of the circle.
The unit lost its mages, and thus its magical defense.
Suddenly, clouds welled up above the unit, obscuring the moon.
Before they could wonder what was happening, countless lightning bolts erupted from the clouds towards the soldiers, instantly wiping out nearly a thousand men at once.
Huge cracks ran in several streaks across the highway and the surrounding forest, and soldiers outside the lightning's range were swallowed one after another.
Spiders attacked again from the forest, pressing the soldiers onto the highway. Gargoyles continuously hurled stones and clods of earth larger than human heads. Furthermore, giant fireballs flew from above, causing the ground to explode one after another.
There were only gargoyles in the sky. Nothing else moved.
From nowhere, fireballs resembling dragon heads rained down, and the ground exploded.
The surviving noble later recounted this.
Massive amounts of earth and blood splattered, and severed limbs flew around. Around the noble, what were once parts of humans rained down, covering him in blood.
Naturally, the ground monsters were also blown away.
However, it wasn't over yet. When gigantic icicles rained down from above the survivors, freezing spread from the points where they pierced the ground, quickly turning the surroundings into ice.
Amidst the standing human icicles and the howling blizzard, gargoyles descended to the ground and began hunting down the survivors who had barely managed to escape into the forest.
It was past midnight when the swarm of gargoyles finally flew away.
The noble, who had been sitting dumbfounded, staring at the successive tragedies unfolding before his eyes, finally came to his senses, tried to stand up, but collapsed to his knees.
"H-how could such a thing..."
Covered in earth and blood, he and several staff officers were unrecognizable. He got on all fours and repeatedly slammed his right fist into the ground.
"How could such a thing be allowed!"
By the time his flesh tore and his fist became bloody, the noble was finally stopped from his self-harming act by a nearby staff officer. He looked up at his unit, which had become mere parts of what were once living beings. Then he tried to utter a curse, only to realize he didn't know whom to curse.
◆◆◆◆◆
Late that night, in a mountain cabin in the forest of the mountainous region on the border between Regnentes and Engrio, north of the highway connecting the two nations, six men dressed as hunters sat facing a table, eating a late dinner.
Two were Jaegers from the Kingdom of Sertoria. One was a scout.
The remaining three were Robinson, Wilson, and Fran, who had been newly assigned as Wilson's direct subordinate.
"Well, this front is finished, Robinson."
"Yes, Wilson-san. We managed to get just the right thing, after all."
"Are you returning to Nakanohara tomorrow?"
"Yes, for now, I've been able to avenge myself. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity."
After finishing their meal, Wilson lined up cups in front of each person.
He poured wine.
"In any case, it's good that the conscripted soldiers suffered no casualties."
"Yes. I took various precautions for that."
"Fran and I both have our thoughts on the nobles and the class system of other countries. In that sense, our country is a good one."
"Yes. We want to protect it from foreign invasion."
To the Kingdom of Sertoria, the six raised their glasses.
The six agreed in their observation that Engrio would likely give up on dispatching troops to Regnentes.
They had confirmed that the Engrio army heading towards Regnentes had begun to withdraw. The surviving noble had proposed negotiations to the Regnentes army.
He conveyed that they had been attacked by monsters, stated their intention to withdraw to their own territory, and requested if a priest could purify the land in exchange for half of their provisions. The Regnentes scouts conveyed this series of events with great surprise and joy. They also seemed to be able to restore the border checkpoint somehow.
At the very least, despite receiving a royal order to conquer up to the second position in the basin, they had retreated without even reaching the fortress near the border. Moreover, while the direct army was annihilated, the mercenary unit and conscripted soldiers were almost unharmed. An explanation when summoned to the Royal Capital would be mandatory.
For the six, they had hoped that the main general and mercenary unit, whom they had deliberately not attacked, and the conscripted soldiers, among whom they had spread rumors about the possibility of the Demon Lord's interference, would claim the Regnentes border region was a cursed land. Of course, they also knew it wouldn't be that simple.
"Originally, there was no need to go that far," Wilson said.
"However, we needed to make it seem as little like human work as possible."
They had them attacked alternately by two types of monsters. The rumored gargoyles attacked from the sky. The spiders, which had been acquired by destroying and taking over a mage, were hidden among the trees, out of sight of the conscripted soldiers and mercenaries. Then, as if to blend in with the barrage of ultra-high-level magic, they detonated the clods of earth wrapped in gunpowder, which the gargoyles had scattered, all at once with Prominence.
At the very least, fire magic exploding was impossible.
The Jaeger who was piloting the bowl at the scene gasped at the slaughter unfolding before his eyes, his expression hardening, but even he had trod many battlefields. He was not flustered by what happened before him. It was natural for high-level magic and above to destroy human bodies on the battlefield.
Though it looked terrible, most of those killed by magic would have died instantly. There would have been little pain. Moreover, with that level of destruction, they wouldn't become Revenants.
"So, we can leave the subsequent information manipulation to the scouts and Jaeger corps, right?"
"Yes. We've received instructions to that effect. In the future, we'll inform those who have infiltrated, catch the conscripted soldiers who participated in this battle at taverns, and simply listen to what they have to say. That should be enough."
"And those who overhear will spread the rumors on their own, huh?"
When Wilson asked, the three Jaegers nodded.
"Then, I'm off. Fran, let's go."
"Yes, Director."
Wilson, having drained his drink in one gulp, stood up and said, "I'm counting on you, Robinson," to the three soldiers before heading out of the cabin with Fran and boarding the bowl.
As the two Jaegers cast Camouflage and Magic Reflection, they flew off into the unknown, leading a swarm of gargoyles controlled by Fran.
"Then, Robinson-dono. Is it alright to depart after dawn?"
"Yes, that's fine. Thank you for your cooperation."
Lying on the bed to rest, Robinson recalled the scene where human bodies lay in piles of flesh and blood, beyond imagination of their original state. Three thousand people had been massacred. He, too, had been involved in it. And he had volunteered.
He couldn't tell the girls of the Class of 175 about this. He wanted those bright girls to remain untouched by the karma of humanity.
He sighed once and closed his eyes.
Then, recalling the smiling faces of his once vibrant family and friends, he wiped away a single tear that flowed from the corner of his eye with his fingertip.