Chapter 259 - Chapter 2: The Septanaquila Campaign
Septanaquila, having been refused reinforcements by Medioland, focused its diplomatic efforts on stalling Northern Gram by offering to return previously acquired lands for free, and dispatched a field army of four thousand against Finis.The border had already been breached. According to reports, the enemy's momentum was unstoppable. They had to be stalled at some fortress.
The Finis forces numbered eight thousand. Almost all were infantry, with only about several dozen cavalry in the rear.The Septanaquila side thought there might be an ambush, but they were in the middle of a plain. There was nowhere to hide.
While Finis had more troops, Septanaquila had better equipment and over a thousand cavalry. The two sides faced each other across a small stream.In the Septanaquila headquarters was the most trusted high-ranking vassal of the King. Naturally, if the diplomacy with Northern Gram went well, the King himself would lead his own troops and join the fray.
That high-ranking vassal chuckled as he looked at the enemy's horizontal formation with his staff. The role given by the King was to stall them. Therefore, he had been holed up in the fortress, but upon seeing the infantry advancing in a long vertical column across the plain, he decided to march out. Light cavalry had confirmed that the one leading the Finis army was Crown Prince Gwyn, so they knew it was the main army. If there was only infantry, it would be fine to strike a blow.
In mid-April, the first battle between the main forces of Finis and Septanaquila thus began as a field battle.
The Septanaquila army first marched across the plain from the coastal area where the fortress was toward the eastern mountains, as if crossing in front of the Finis army. In response, Gwyn halted his army and formed a horizontal line.
They had successfully come out in front of the enemy. If the light cavalry deployed magic defense in the front, the enemy would find it difficult to use magic. They would first catch them in the front, and then have the heavy cavalry on both sides charge the enemy's flanks to win. This was the elite main army entrusted to them by the King. It was no wonder the Septanaquila side was chuckling.
"Gwyn-sama. The opponent has brought out their main army."
"Umu. Just as I hoped. If we win here, we'll gain momentum; conversely, the opponent will crumble. We'll march all the way to the Royal Capital at once."
The battle, which began in the early morning, started with the advance of the Septanaquila infantry. Finis had the numbers. As expected, they met them head-on. They would deploy [Magic Barrier], and then the cavalry would move to a charge and it would become a melee. Or so it was supposed to be.
"It is finally time. The time has come to show our power."
"You bet. It's a shame Jeanne isn't here."
"You can just brag to her the next time you meet. More importantly, don't mess up."
"What? You're the one who should watch out."
The soldiers, formed in a three-row horizontal line and kneeling on one knee, felt the voices that seemed to come from right behind them to be eerie, but the owners of those voices were, so to speak, the guardian deities of this battle. They steeled themselves and gripped the long spears they had kept on the ground.Everyone's faces were painted blue.
"The enemy light cavalry has deployed [Magic Barrier]. Eventually, the heavy cavalry will come charging in. However! We will not lose! The spirits of our ancestors are with us! Today is the day we settle long-standing grudges and take back the land of our ancestors! Men! Steel yourselves! Kill them all!"
In response to Gwyn's words as he shouted at the front, drawing his horse-riding sword, they raised a war cry.
"Change formation! Level spears! Advance!"
The straight horizontal line changed shape as if undulating, and several oblong circular formations were created. Gripping their long spears with both hands, they began to move forward as if a forest of spears were advancing.Gwyn himself dismounted and entered one of the circles.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!"
Step by step, raising their voices and remaining in a crouched posture, the swarm of long-spear infantry began a slow advance.
"What is that?"
The Septanaquila headquarters could not understand the actions of the enemy in front of them.They understood lining up long spears to prevent a cavalry charge. However, they were slow. They were advancing slowly, at a speed far slower than infantry. Moreover, they had discarded their shields to support the long spears. Their only defense was leather armor.
They had never seen such a defenseless formation.They thought it might be a trap to lure out the cavalry, but there was nothing around. For the enemy, this was hostile territory. There was no way to set a trap.Something like that would surely crumble and retreat immediately if shot at with arrows. The cavalry would charge as soon as the enemy fled.
"Do they intend to oppose the cavalry with that? Quite innovative."
The staff members were also half-grinning.The noble commander-in-chief had the heavy cavalry prepare for a charge and then gave instructions to the person beside him to bring the archers forward.
"Archers! Forward! Aim and fire at those pathetic hedgehogs!"
The heavy infantry lined up in the front row all turned right at once. Archers ran out from the gaps that were created.
"Wahahaha. 'Hedgehogs' is a good way to put it. Good, today is a fine day for monster hunting."
Seeing the enemy advancing sluggishly as always, the commander-in-chief finally cracked a joke.
He pointed his command baton at the enemy.
"Ready! Draw!"
The archers nocked their arrows and drew them back.
"Fire!"
He swung down his command baton simultaneously with the order.With a series of whizzing sounds, the arrows flew all at once.
"Ready!"
They fired a second and third volley.
However, after the third volley, the voices mocking the enemy formation ceased, and their complexions changed.No matter how many arrows they fired, the arrows hitting the bodies of the soldiers wearing leather armor showed no effect at all. They were bouncing off and the soldiers continued to advance. It was unbelievable.
The cavalry could not be sent out. Their charging power would be taken away by the forest of spears, and they would just be poked to death from below. The infantry would likely be the same. Having the length must be an advantage.
"What are you doing? Aim well and fire! Are the arrowheads falling off?!"
He scolded them, but no matter how much he shouted, it was the same.
"Mages! Aim!"
They temporarily deactivated their magic defense, and a hundred mages fired various spells, but they were all reflected and flew back toward their allies.
"Use high-level magic! The enemy isn't using magic defense. Smash them along with their [Magic Barrier]!"
They fired a [Tornado Wind], but it was cleanly reflected, and their allies were blown away.The arrows were certainly hitting the enemy's bodies. Nevertheless, they weren't piercing and were falling to the ground.
"Support magic... impossible... how can they do it for so many soldiers..."
Even an ultra-high-level mage can only affect twenty or thirty people at a time with one spell. Even if they repeated it, they wouldn't reach two thousand. Moreover, they seemed to be applying several types of support magic. Just how much time would that take...
Just how many ultra-high-level mages were there? Ten? Twenty? No, it was impossible. Even if they searched the whole island, even in Engrio or Medioland, such a thing was impossible.
While they were panicking, the swarm of hedgehogs that had crossed the stream shifted to a double-time and charged while raising shouts. Before they knew it, the formation had transformed into a horizontal line with several protrusions, surging forward like a wave. Moreover, they were abnormally fast. It wasn't a human speed. They closed the distance in an instant.
The archers and mages hurriedly retreated to the rear, and the heavy infantry braced their shields. No orders had been given. They were driven by fear.
"Is it [Increase Agility]...?"
The infantries clashed.The long spears swung down and knocked away shields, and spears thrust out from the rear poked the front-line soldiers to death.
They were counterattacking.They would deflect the tip of the long, pole-like spear with a shield and get inside the reach.They thrust out their hand spears, but a sensation like hitting a rock came back.
"That hurts, you bastard!"
To evade a spear swung down at his head, a soldier instinctively braced his shield. Two spearheads simultaneously pierced his completely exposed torso.
Neither infantry nor cavalry could get close to the enemy. While they were parrying the spears being thrust out, they were pierced one after another by the spears being thrust out in succession. Even when they pushed in all at once with horses and swung their swords, they were easily caught with leather gauntlets.
"Are... are they monsters...?"
"Who are you calling a monster! I'll kill you!"
After being grabbed by many hands and dragged down, they only sprayed blood as their necks were torn open by drawn swords.
The enemy had the numbers. They were being swallowed...
"Re... retreat... pull back! Pull back!"
A long spear struck the back of the commander-in-chief as he distorted his face and turned on his heel to flee.
There was a difference in running speed between those wearing heavy chainmail and leather-armored soldiers who had received multiple layers of powerful support magic released from orbs imbued with magic by ultra-high-level holy mages. More than half of the cavalry, including the commander-in-chief, were able to retreat, but the three thousand infantry were swallowed by the wave in an instant.
Neither spears, swords, nor arrowheads would pass through. Magic was all reflected. The Septanaquila soldiers, falling into the illusion that they were fighting something like the Demon Race, were literally trampled while still terrified.
"Priestess-dono. How was it? Our power."
"Was it not magnificent?"
Behind the approximately fifty cavalry rode the Priestesses. The bags hanging from their necks contained crystal orbs, from which ghosts were peeking out and watching the battle situation.
The outcome was already decided. It was an overwhelming victory, having driven the enemy almost to total annihilation.
[Defend], [Shield], [Increase Defense], [Increase Agility], [Increase Offense], [Magic Reflection]... Various holy magics imbued into the orbs by ultra-high-level holy mages dispatched from the Royal Capital. The Priestesses holding those orbs were lined up.
"It was truly magnificent. Your tactics to deceive the enemy that you taught the young master, and as expected of the highly praised warriors who continued to protect the northern lands. To think you would fight such a battle with only holy magic."
"Naturally. Jeanne loathes having powerful elemental attack magic imbued into our orbs. She is truly a kind girl."
"Umu. We must be the ones to protect her."
In reality, powerful elemental magic cannot be imbued into the orbs. They were imbuing magic based on chants following the promise with the Ancient Priestess. The ghosts must have known this, but everything turned into matters of praising Jeanne.
Jeanne had indeed feared that the orbs would become tools of war. She had been relieved to hear they would be used to protect something.
As long as they take back the land of Septanaquila, they will likely focus on diplomacy for the time being.
However, men are innocent no matter how old they get.
The Priestesses laughed, "Hohoho," as they looked at each other's faces at the words of the ghosts in each of their orbs.
The main army of Septanaquila was annihilated, except for the cavalry. The noble who fled escaped to the fortress he had marched out from and holed up there. Including those among the nearby refugees who could fight, the garrison exceeded five thousand. Winter had just ended. Although provisions were insufficient, there wasn't much for the enemy to plunder either. At any rate, they had to buy time.
"Hurry to His Majesty and tell him exactly what you saw. They are not an opponent we can win against in war."
He chose one of his staff members as a messenger and decided to ask if he could conduct surrender negotiations.They blocked the gates and prepared for a siege. Inside the fortress, the shouts of those preparing arrows, those carrying stones and timber up the walls, and those preparing water in buckets for fire arrows echoed, reaching a peak of clamor.
"Gwyn-sama. The enemy seems to intend to withstand a siege. What shall we do?"
"Send a priest as a messenger for surrender negotiations. Since our provisions are sufficient, first tell them to release those other than soldiers. Say that we swear by the spirits of our ancestors not to lay a hand on them."
"Understood."
The priest who undertook the role of messenger stood before the gate with one attendant.
"We cannot trust you. First, withdraw your troops. If you place a sufficient distance, we will release the women, children, and the elderly."
The priest, having heard the opponent's conditions, returned and reported.
"Withdraw the troops. To the east."
To the west was the coastline, where there were fishing villages. For now, they should just let them escape there. If the sea was close, they could somehow get food.
"Hoho. The Crown Prince has become kind lately. In our time, we would have marched in without a word and killed everyone."
"Try doing such a thing. Jeanne would hate you. Gwyn-dono understands that too."
"What? Then is Gwyn-dono's target Jeanne?"
"Idiot! Gwyn-dono is already married and has an heir!"
Gwyn could only let out a wry smile.
Meanwhile, the King of Septanaquila was furious at the report, the likes of which he had never heard. According to the report, the opponents were soldiers like the Demon Race who, despite having only leather armor and long spears, were completely immune to weapons and magic, and there was no way to win.
"Negotiations with Northern Gram were about to go well. If it becomes known now that the field army in the north has been wiped out, even things that were coming together won't. In the first place, why did you launch a field battle? I told you to hole up in the fortress and stall them! To lose after ignoring orders and then say that!"
"There's a limit to excuses for losing!" he shouted, turning the messenger away.However, two weeks later, his complexion changed when he saw the salted severed head and right wrist of the high-ranking vassal he had sent out with elite troops inside a barrel. A ring indicating his peerage shone on the middle finger of the wrist. There was no doubt it was him.
"This was attached to it."
The soldier who had once been a prisoner but was kept alive and given the head after the fortress fell handed over a parchment with a trembling hand.
To the insolent one who stole the land of our ancestors. We have slain all the warriors who fought bravely. We shall come to you within a month, so wash your neck and wait. (T/N: 'Wash your neck' is a traditional Japanese idiom meaning to prepare for one's inevitable execution or defeat.)
The captured fortress was a strategic point that had been taken and retaken through long years of conflict with Finis, and for the past several decades, it had repelled Finis's southward advance through repeated renovations.
To send a challenge in this day and age...The seal on the parchment was the official one of the nation of Finis, and the signature was that of Crown Prince Gwyn. It was clear he had been delegated full authority.
What 'insolent one'? What hundreds of years ago is he talking about? The ones who were easily robbed back then are the ones at fault. In the first place, isn't Northern Gram a great traitor who was a vassal of my ancestors but became independent and stole the territory? Why did they form a marriage alliance?
The King muttered to himself and suddenly realized.Finis Crown Prince Gwyn took a bride from the Northern Gram royal family. An heir was born last spring. In other words, that child has the right of succession to the throne of Northern Gram. If Finis and Medioland team up, the map of the northern part of the island will change significantly...
He should have been able to predict this would happen. Why did he fall for the smooth talk of those in black robes at that time?The honeymoon with Medioland, which is deep in its faith in the Goddess and never misses prayer rituals to the spirits of the island, has ended. Will only the infamy of having added a curse to the guardian deity of the land remain...?
Negotiations with Northern Gram have already broken down. Reports have also come in that a large army from Medioland is advancing toward the capital of Gram. He seems to have been a great fool for rejoicing over the discord between Gram and Northern Gram since that battle where he won alone. He had been isolated before he knew it.The King began selecting ten guards to pass through Medioland territory in order to flee to Morandine.