296 - First-Sight Killer
The battlefield dominated by magic had a surprisingly understated beginning.
Both sides were firing flashy spells at one another, but the Walt family's camp was steadily closing the distance while blocking the attacks.
Combined with the loud explosions, the resulting smoke created a scene that looked as if it were conjuring a cloudy sky. Neither side believed that this magical exchange would decide the outcome.
However, they did think that if this caused the opponent to crumble, it would be a bonus. The skill possessed by the father, Maisel, was an anti-skill――the ability to prevent the use of skills. But that was a double-edged sword.
Because it prevented allies from using their skills as well. However, looking at it from the opposite perspective――.
"For all the flashiness, it's a rather understated start, isn't it?"
The one saying this from atop the watchtower was Monica, who likely wouldn't have much to do this time. I watched the Walt family closing the distance on the battlefield.
"It would be a problem if they suddenly launched a flashy assault, though. If our skills are sealed, this is all we can do, right? Well, I'm sure the opponent is trying to show us that. That we can't use our skills."
Then, Monica reported the enemy's deployment to me.
"...Reporting. The enemy has placed cavalry in the vanguard. Infantry are deployed on both wings, and archers are also in position."
Hearing that, I spoke to a nearby messenger.
"Did you hear? Move the cavalry to both wings."
"Yes, sir!"
As I watched the messenger run off, I muttered.
"...Now then, shall we hope for Clara's hard work to pay off?"
――In the rear, Clara, having received the orders, was utilizing porters to move the soldiers.
By entrusting large porters to talented magic users, she made it possible to move combat forces all at once.
However, there weren't that many large porters. Even when rearranging units to match the enemy's deployment, she could only respond to a certain extent.
Still, the ability to move a large number of soldiers at once was a strength of Lyell's camp. While the enemy Walt family used old-fashioned porters, this side had Lyell, the developer, as well as Damian, South Banseime, and other craftsmen.
Upon receiving the order from the messenger, Clara climbed into one of the large porters to operate it.
"Beginning cavalry movement. Moving them promptly. Please ensure they arrive before the enemy does."
As several large porters began to move, their cargo beds opened. Knights with horses climbed in one after another.
"Load spears and equipment into the other porters."
Clara was not good at giving directions, but she had no choice but to issue orders. After all, there was no one more skilled at operating porters than Clara. And throughout her life as an adventurer, Clara had specialized in porter operation.
When she thought about how she could be useful, the answer was clear.
(I really must thank Rianne-san. Thanks to her granting my request, I can handle the work I was given... Thinking about it, Adele really is hopeless)
While thinking about Adele, with whom she often clashed, Clara confirmed the surrounding work was finished and began the movement――.
――Right wing.
While the enemy showed a posture for a charge, Lyell's camp, which had opted for a strategy focused on defense, had taken a formation that widely encircled them.
Normally, Lyell's camp had more numbers, and they should have been able to fight advantageously with this formation... or so it should have been. However, Aria, deployed on the right wing, grumbled inside her helmet as she watched the enemy approach.
"No skills... this is rough."
Aria led the cavalry, carrying a spear atop her horse. Fences had been installed around them, making it so they couldn't be easily broken through.
Similarly leading a unit was Glacia, who brought soldiers from Galleria. These two were positioned as the center of the right wing.
Glacia, wearing black armor, removed the mask part of her helmet and spoke to Aria.
"My apologies, but I cannot fire flashy magic. It seems rear-guard skills have also been disabled."
Glacia was the owner of skills specialized in magic――rear-guard skills. She could manipulate fire at will and was quite a threat. She would be reliable as an ally, but even Glacia's skills were sealed.
"Still, if we can fight normally, I'm more than happy. More importantly, was it really okay to give me command of the right wing? In terms of position――"
"――In terms of position, you were the most suitable. That is all. As long as my soldiers aren't ground down, I am fine being under your command. Well, you know the number of soldiers and the customs of this army better than I do."
Looking at the calm Glacia, Aria thought.
"I appreciate it."
While saying so aloud.
(Why are you always so restless normally? You get all flustered and do weird things in front of Lyell... Sigh, whatever, not now)
Aria wished that this calmness would be displayed outside of the battlefield as well――.
――Left wing.
Miranda, who had been given several thousand troops, was attacking the enemy's flank under the orders of Maxim, who commanded the left wing main force.
The Walt family's army included forces from other houses, so not all of them were elite. Therefore, she had led her unit to circle around and strike the enemy's weak point, but――.
"These guys are surprisingly capable."
Holding a dagger atop her horse, Miranda deflected the tip of a spear with her left-hand dagger as an enemy knight charged, then diverted its direction and thrust the dagger in her right hand into a gap in the opponent's armor――the neck.
The knight fell from his horse and struggled, while the horse simply galloped away somewhere.
Looking around, allies were struggling to attack due to enemy resistance. The surprise attack had failed, and while Miranda wanted to somehow gather the sluggish unit and retreat, the enemy would not let her.
Then, a large knight dismounted and began swinging a halberd.
"Rebel scum! Curse your misfortune for appearing before the great Caslade!"
A single knight laughed boisterously while swinging his halberd. However, the allies around him were being cut down by that halberd. It seemed his large body was not just for show.
"I guess he's the enemy's vanguard. Not my favorite type."
Saying so, Miranda galloped her horse and pulled a crossbow from a bag attached to her saddle with her free right hand, then pulled the trigger.
She aimed for the head, but Caslade pointed his left hand in the direction of the arrow and deployed a Magic Shield. The fired arrow penetrated the Magic Shield, but its momentum was killed, and it was deflected by his armor.
"People of this class are just rolling around everywhere, aren't they?"
Seeing an opponent who wasn't just all about strength, Miranda put away the crossbow and took up an unfamiliar short spear.
Caslade shouted.
"Flashy armor. And that slender frame――you, are you a woman?! Curse your misfortune for coming to the battlefield!"
Caslade held his halberd high, intending to swing it down with enough force to cleave both Miranda and her horse in two. However, Miranda was laughing inside her helmet.
"You're someone who loves cursing misfortune, aren't you? But it looks like you'll be the one cursing it."
Then, Caslade's halberd was kicked by Mei, who appeared from the side. From Miranda's perspective, she had suddenly appeared from the side and truly kicked the halberd away.
As Caslade lost his grip on the halberd, he lost his balance.
Just then, Miranda activated the mechanism of her short spear――a gimmick spear――and the tip was launched, piercing Caslade's abdomen.
As Mei landed on the ground, Marina was nearby, punching enemy soldiers away.
"Wasn't that just now a bit dangerous?"
To the speaking Mei, Miranda held a dagger in her right hand.
"It was. That's why I want you to keep helping me from now on."
However, perhaps Mei wasn't in top form either, as she shook her head.
"Give me a break. I feel all restless and can't put any strength into it. More importantly, the enemy is shaken, so why don't you retreat?"
Because Caslade had been defeated, the enemy soldiers around them were shaken. Miranda saw this movement.
"Retreat! Follow me!"
When Miranda declared the retreat, the allies moved away from the enemy. However, internally, Miranda thought.
(I wanted to wear them down a bit more, but I guess any more than this is impossible)
As she retreated, she felt that opponents other than the Walt family were also not to be underestimated――.
The reason the wings began combat first was that, unlike the Walt family's army, our army had the central force positioned behind the wings.
From the watchtower, I could hear Monica's voice, shouting across the battlefield.
"Both wings have commenced combat. They are holding the enemy sufficiently."
I couldn't tell the details from this distance, but I felt relieved that they seemed to be doing well. However――.
"The central vanguard has also made contact with the enemy. The flashy exchange of magic has stopped... but they are being pushed back."
The central force had clashed with the enemy's elite and was on the defensive.
Looking at my allies, I thought.
"I knew it would happen, but we're completely on the defensive. I hope their morale doesn't crumble first."
Before the first of the installed fences was easily destroyed and breached, I immediately had them retreat and told my allies to focus on defense. I had indicated that the main camp was here from a highly visible location, and as I watched my allies being pushed back.
"It's about time."
Then, the line between me and Monica was restored.
Monica shouted to me.
"They're coming!"
Immediately after, the sound of a bell echoed across the battlefield from the enemy camp. What my father, Maisel, was skilled at was not just sealing skills.
"Even if you know it's coming, there's no way to prevent it. For now, they'll just have to endure."
Thinking bitterly, I made them focus on enduring. That was the only option.
A portion of the enemy camp suddenly increased their breakthrough power and breached the fences once again. They immediately entered combat with my units. That breakthrough power was clearly due to some kind of skill.
――What Lyell remembered was a conversation with the Seventh Generation.
"Is that the tactic my father is most skilled at? That it's not just about sealing skills?"
『That's right』
The place where he was speaking with the Seventh Generation was the memory room within the Jewel Orb. It was the courtyard of the Walt family mansion.
There, Maisel was smiling and talking with his wife, a woman named Claire.
Claire, Lyell's mother, was stroking her enlarged stomach.
『What Maisel is skilled at is a tactic where he seals the enemy's skills and charges in while they are in confusion. But, the fact that he can make skills unusable means――』
Understanding the Seventh Generation's words, Lyell spoke the continuation.
"Conversely, he can make them usable and give that signal only to his allies. Does that work? The opponent can use their skills too, after all."
The gazes of the Seventh Generation and Lyell were directed at the two people who were happily rejoicing. Amidst that, the incongruous conversation continued.
『Well, from the opponent's perspective, they believe they've been sealed. Even if they can use them, it's only temporary, and even if they recover from the confusion, they'll soon be confused again. On the first encounter, it often leads to a one-sided development』
In other words, Maisel's army could use skills by exploiting the enemy's openings. The opponent could use them too, but since he would make them unusable again as soon as they realized it, it wasn't a problem. Even if they knew, they would inevitably panic.
The Seventh Generation looked a bit sad while watching the young, somewhat prickly Maisel looking happy.
Lyell noticed that profile and looked down slightly.
『Perhaps Maisel was right not to choose guns. In an environment where skills are turned on and off like that, orders become complex. If guns were used as magic tools, there's a possibility they could interfere with Maisel's skill and misfire. He might have broken expensive guns every single time』
The Seventh Generation gave a wry smile, but it seemed as if he were telling this to himself. Lyell looked up.
"Is it possible to make our side use skills the moment the opponent uses a skill?"
『I wouldn't say it's impossible, but it would be chaotic. In that case, it's better to form a unit that decides not to use skills. It's fine to tell a few people... but if you act according to that, Maisel will naturally devise a countermeasure』
Lyell let out a sigh.
"That's troublesome."
『But it's not all troublesome. After all, even if they gain breakthrough power by using skills, only a small portion of the elite are permitted to use them. Immediately after using a skill, that breakthrough power often becomes a liability, and people frequently end up isolated. Maisel was very concerned about that』
Hearing the Seventh Generation's advice, Lyell wondered if Maisel had been able to handle those aspects over the ten-plus years that had passed――.
On the battlefield, units that had temporarily regained the ability to use skills were seen running wild.
Thinking that the allies, who had been purely on the defensive, were becoming timid, some people began to act on their own, disrupting the formation. There were mostly young knights, likely jumping out in hopes of earning merit.
Then, some units gained breakthrough power from skills but waited for the followers, or began to retreat.
"...I had devised countermeasures, but I guess they weren't perfect. Father must also be troubled by young knights who tend to run wild."
It's impossible for everything to go perfectly on a battlefield. That applied not only to us, but to the enemy as well. And then, the line between me and Monica was cut again.
Monica shouted from the watchtower.
"You keep cutting the bond between me and that chicken coward!! Dammit!!"
Monica was the same as always, but I smiled slightly while looking at my allies.
"...As expected, even elites are easy to deal with once they're isolated."
When the use of skills became impossible, some people within the enemy units became isolated. We surrounded and struck them down.
I had told the commanders to do so, and in doing so, my father Maisel's first-sight killer was perfectly sealed.
And, at the same time.
"Should I say thank you for lifting the skill restriction? Monica!"
Monica, who jumped down from the watchtower, immediately reported to me. Reports were coming in one after another from the Valkyries deployed on the battlefield, timing it perfectly. In other words, information had gathered in my hands all at once.
"The right wing has no problems. However, the left wing seems to be struggling to attack. There appears to be a powerful unit. Based on the information, could it be the Foxus family's unit?"
I looked at Monica.
"Any contact with Novem?"
"I have already done so."
I looked toward the left wing. I couldn't see the details with my own eyes, but if Novem had headed there, that was enough. No, actually, that's probably not okay.
Then, Monica finished her report and returned to the watchtower.
I turned my gaze toward the place where the enemy main camp was located.
"A defensive battle inherited from the Fifth Generation――I'll show you, Father. ...Messenger, deploy the reserve units immediately. The location is――"
I gave the orders to the messenger, sending reinforcements in the necessary amount to the necessary locations.