Induction Ceremony Mock Battle (3): Rays's Shield

"They're on the move," Nerphia murmured as she watched the east.

From the western high ground built for our command headquarters, I could see the Tenth Knight Order beginning to move.

I wondered what Rays-sama was thinking as he looked at our formation from the similar high ground to the east.

With Ryuzel and Frein detached from the Tenth Knight Order this time, eight units remained. Since this was a mock battle, each unit had been fixed at one hundred soldiers.

That put the Tenth Knight Order's total force at eight hundred, plus five hundred new recruits, for a total of 1,300.

Three units—300 soldiers—had advanced, along with the 500 new recruits. Since tradition required the recruits to participate at the very front, the units advanced as though driving those 500 recruits before them.

The banner of the commander leading the three units bore Granz-sama's insignia. It was somewhat unusual, with three shields arranged like flower petals against a calm gray background.

Granz-sama's force approached slowly, its steps steady and sure. This was one of Granz-sama's defining traits: whether attacking or defending, she excelled at tactics that made her opponent feel as though they were facing a thick iron plate.

If Granz-sama had come out in the center, then was she the one entrusted with the supporting attack?

A unit appeared slightly behind Granz-sama's, advancing in a way that took it around the center toward the north.

Its flag was dyed crimson, with embroidery of a thistle and a wild hare. It was Lapiria-sama's force, numbering 200.

Lapiria-sama's greatest strength lay in her superb tactical instincts. Her attacks, launched at precisely the right moment, were said to make her entire unit move like a whip.

Lapiria-sama's charges had overturned the course of battle more than once or twice. The Battle Princess beloved by Waldoart, the goddess of fate, had earned that title honestly.

Using Granz-sama as the main assault and Lapiria-sama as the supporting assault was one of the Tenth Knight Order's more standard tactics. It was the method they used for a straightforward forceful attack.

If we concentrated on fighting Granz-sama, Lapiria-sama would cut into our exposed flank. But if we devoted too much attention to dealing with Lapiria-sama, we would be unable to avoid a frontal breakthrough.

On top of that, Rays-sama was watching the battle from farther back and could send reinforcements or separate units into action as needed. There was no opening.

It was a classic strategy backed by the confidence that the Tenth Knight Order was one of the most formidable forces among Ludeck's knight orders, and that its individual strength could overcome a modest numerical disadvantage.

It could even seem arrogant, but in reality, there was no denying that they were strong.

Rays-sama was also a first-rate strategist, and the variety of unorthodox tactics often stood out. Yet those constant victories were ultimately grounded in this solid strength.

Come to think of it, this was my first time seeing the Tenth Knight Order fight a proper battle in person. The battle of the Tenth Knight Order that I had once read about late into the night, forgetting food and sleep in my excitement, was unfolding right before me.

And this time, I was the opponent.

"Roa-sama...? Are you smiling?" Sazaby's words made me realize for the first time that I was, in fact, smiling.

I tried to make an excuse, thinking it was inappropriate. "No, I'm just tense, so my face is twitching." But I was probably smiling.

This must be my karma by now.

"Dick, give the signal."

Dick waved the enormous banner of the Sixth Knight Order. His tremendous strength made it possible, but I couldn't even have lifted it.

At the signal, the Sixth Knight Order in the center and the new recruits at the very front began advancing. We had 500 Sixth Knight Order soldiers and 500 new recruits—more than the 800 led by Granz-sama.

Including Ryuzel and Frein's units, we had 1,200 soldiers besides the new recruits, so we committed them without holding back.

At the same time, Ryuzel and Frein led their own units into action to confront Lapiria-sama as she came around from the north.

That committed 700 soldiers. I left the remaining 500 at our command headquarters and began by watching the situation.

Now, let's see how far my strategy can get against Rays-sama. This was the moment of truth.

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"Hmm. So they're coming at us with conventional tactics first."

Granz muttered to herself as she watched the enemy's movements.

With little variation in the terrain and the troop numbers fixed, there were only so many tactics available. Even so, she felt a little disappointed.

Since Rays-sama had taken notice of us, Granz expected some sort of unconventional stratagem, but...

The enemy force appeared larger than the soldiers under Granz's command, but the difference was negligible. It could hardly be called a strategy.

"Shall we continue advancing?"

The commander of one of the units Granz had brought with her asked for confirmation, and Granz replied, "No problem."

As the distance between the two armies closed, the battlefield gradually filled with tension, mock battle or not.

There were no blades, but they were using wooden swords and wooden poles made to resemble spears. Depending on where one was struck, they could still cause serious injuries.

Withdrawal after being attacked was based on self-reporting. Soldiers withdrew when they judged themselves defeated, but new recruits were slow to make that decision, so being beaten black and blue far worse than expected was a traditional part of the event.

"What is that?"

Just before the armies collided, one of the soldiers near Granz spoke up in puzzlement.

At the front of the Sixth Knight Order's formation, the new recruits were raising something like long poles high into the sky.

"Aren't those Sassar stalks...?"

"They certainly look like overgrown Sassar," another soldier agreed with a nod.

Even to Granz, they looked like fully grown Sassar stalks. The branches and leaves had been stripped away, and the tips bent slightly.

Sassar was valued as a commoners' food when harvested as young shoots, but it grew rapidly and could shoot up to the sky before anyone realized it. Mature Sassar had no edible parts and little practical use, serving at most as material for simple crafts.

What were they planning to do while holding up those fully grown Sassar stalks?

Were they going to swing them down? Those things? Were they weapons?

The moment Granz thought that, the large number of Sassar stalks held aloft were swung down toward the ground, just as she had expected!

The sharp smacks were accompanied by the screams of the new recruits at the front!

What was more, half the Sassar stalks remained raised. As the stalks that had been swung down were lifted again, the remaining stalks were swung down, producing another loud crack.

What was that? It was a weapon Granz had never seen. For that matter, was it even a weapon? In any case, it was a fact that the enemy was beating them one-sidedly, without allowing them to approach.

The new recruits at the front hesitated, taking hit after hit for no reason. Their confusion also restricted the movements of the regular Tenth Knight Order soldiers.

So it was a weapon for beating the enemy without giving them a chance to fight back. Its movements were simple, too—simple enough for even the Sixth Knight Order's new recruits to wield.

I see. Interesting.

"Our spears can't possibly reach them. Shall we pull back?"

The unit commander standing beside her asked.

"Pull back once, and put the archers at the front."

"Yes, sir! Fall back! Bring the archers forward!"

The messenger ran off to carry out the unit commander's order.

Watching him go, Granz raised the corners of her mouth in slight amusement. "That's more like it."