Chapter 103
"Those troops... when did they get there?"
Seeing a group of cavalry approaching from behind the enemy, I could not help blurting it out.
Of course, they must have been positioned there in advance. A pincer attack from the rear was an obvious tactic. Making it happen, however, was difficult. More than anything, our forces here had been stretched to the limit. We had miraculously held out, but if we had been even slightly fewer in number, they would have broken through.
In other words, someone had judged our forces to be just barely sufficient and divided the troops to lay the groundwork for victory.
The antfolk commander noticed the cavalry appearing behind them, but it was already too late. He had already ordered the main force to advance, leaving only a small guard to protect him.
The two knights leading the charge were especially impressive. They broke through the royal guards protecting the King Ant and put him in check.
But the battle was only beginning.
The knight with the red spear closed in on the King Ant, but the enormous King Ant swung its poleaxe and blocked the blade.
A fully grown King Ant possessed enough strength to overwhelm an ordinary knight. The royal guards, its closest retainers, were similarly strong and were not opponents who could be defeated easily. In fact, they possessed the strength to swing enormous poleaxes effortlessly with one hand.
I had expected them to struggle, but after only a few exchanges, the red knight defeated the King Ant and overpowered it through sheer strength.
The knight with the blue spear also overwhelmed the two royal guards with magnificent spearwork.
"Those two are strong."
Demil muttered, but the battle was only beginning.
"Not yet. The antfolk can use magic."
Rare individuals among monsters were capable of using magic. The number was not large, but the antfolk had many such individuals. Those with magical power became royal guards, and eventually King Ants.
No sooner had I said it than the King Ant's body was covered in diamond, while the blue knight staggered as though the ground beneath his feet had turned to mud.
Those two knights might lose. They were promising young men, but we were too far away to go to their aid.
Yet despite the magic, the two knights did not flinch. They faced their enemies head-on, shattered the diamond armor, and, even with their feet caught in the mud, fought on equal terms or better against the two royal guards.
The soldiers could not help voicing their admiration at such a magnificent display of valor.
"Lady Romelia, where on earth did you recruit knights like that?"
She had probably borrowed them from some great noble using Count Graham's name. But borrowing troops between nobles could cause serious problems later; it was not something she could do on her own.
"Recruit? That's an insulting way to put it. They're soldiers born and bred in Cashew. They came up from farming, and they're not even knights."
"What are you talking about!"
With feats like that, they had to be renowned knights from somewhere in the Kingdom.
"Look at them. They're even using magic."
The King Ant desperately covered its entire body in diamond to protect itself. The royal guards had their subordinates fight while the King Ant used swamp magic to try to swallow the blue knight in a bottomless mire.
But the red knight created flames along his spear, slipped them through a tiny opening, and burned the King Ant to death.
The blue knight, meanwhile, manipulated the wind to blow away the mire, then flew through the air and pierced the fleeing royal guards from above.
There was no way someone capable of using magic that powerful could be a farmer-turned-soldier.
"If you refuse to believe me, so be it. But as you can see, the tide has turned. I have no time to spare for you, so excuse me. I must command this battlefield."
Lady Romelia said only that before turning on her heel to face the battlefield.
"The pincer attack succeeded! Reserve troops in the rear, continue exterminating the enemy behind us! Otto's unit, Gran's unit, and Ragun's unit on the front line, advance! Exterminate the antfolk infesting this land!"
Her clear voice rang across the battlefield, and the soldiers raised a battle cry as they advanced.
The cavalry unit that had defeated the King Ant was also preparing to attack the enemy from behind.
"Captain."
My deputy, Demil, spoke hesitantly.
"Damn it! We'll join them and strike the enemy!"
I made the decision, unable to hide my irritation.
The Cashew garrison had resumed the battle. The extermination of the antfolk had begun both at the front and the rear, and our presence was only getting in the way.
"Are we really allowed to participate in the fighting on our own authority?"
"We have no choice!"
At worst, I had intended to take Lady Romelia into custody by force. But the guards protecting her were wary of both the antfolk and us, never taking their eyes off either side. In this situation, one wrong move could turn into a genuine fight to the death.
Besides, this battle was clearly already won. We could hardly withdraw now.
We were playing into her hands, but it could not be helped. Even so, I had to make my position clear.
"Lady Romelia! As a knight of the Kingdom of Lionel, I will assist in exterminating the monsters infesting this land. However, do not mistake this for placing myself under your command. And once this battle is over, you will follow my instructions. Is that understood?"
I had no intention of leaving the matter ambiguous. I would make it clear here and now.
"Of course. As soon as my work here is finished, I will do as you say."
"I heard you clearly! I will hold you to those words!"
I had secured her promise. All that remained was to defeat the enemy as quickly as possible.
The Cashew garrison had surrounded the antfolk, and our formation was now becoming an inverted triangle.
But it was not complete yet. The cavalry unit that had taken the enemy's rear numbered only fifty—far too few. The red and blue knights were fighting hard, but they had not yet managed to change the course of the battle.
If our hundred cavalrymen joined them, we could completely cut off the rear and make victory certain.
"Let's go, Demil! Take fifty to the left. I'll take the rest to the right. Follow me!"
After I gave the simple order, my foul-mouthed deputy nodded in understanding and rode left with half the unit. I led the remaining troops to the right.
It would have been easy if we could have headed straight for the enemy, but infantry lines blocked our way, so we raced behind the battle line and emerged at its edge.
On the opposite side, I could see Demil's unit, which had circled around from the right.
"Men, charge!"
The enemy could do nothing but advance straight ahead. It was hard to imagine an easier target.
"Don't lose to those knights! Show them the valor of the Graham Knights!"
At my shout, the soldiers raised a battle cry and fought valiantly. I did not know which order those knights belonged to, but their gallant fighting had inspired my men.
I could not help feeling my own blood surge. Strength filled my spear thrusts, and I found myself pushing too far forward.
Some of the antfolk noticed us, and about ten of them came rushing our way.
"Kane!"
I called out the name of the subordinate beside me. Kane was a knight, but he carried no spear, holding a staff in one hand instead.
He pointed the staff at the group of antfolk approaching us. A ball of light shot from its wooden tip and struck the ground in front of them, followed by an explosion and a cloud of dust.
Kane was the only magic-wielding soldier in my order. His ability was not particularly impressive, either.
Several antfolk were caught in the explosion and fell, though none was likely killed. Its power was weak, and he could fire only a limited number of shots. But the key was knowing when to use it.
The blast and shock directly before them halted the antfolk's advance. With their momentum stopped, I led four of my men forward and thrust our spears, impaling ten antfolk and trampling them underfoot.
"Captain Hardy!"
A subordinate behind me shouted. I turned, thinking it was the enemy, and saw a knight with a red spear approaching while scattering the enemies before him.
"Identify yourself!"
The expected challenge came flying at me.
"Hardy of House Dostra, of the Graham Knights of the Kingdom of Lionel! I offer assistance!"
I gave only my name and affiliation.
"Thanks. I'm Al, captain of the Cashew garrison!"
"Al, your family name?"
"Family name? I don't have one. I'm just Al!"
His brusque reply certainly did not sound like that of a knight.
Could he truly not be a knight?
While Hardy stood astonished, the man who called himself Al turned around and shouted encouragement to his own men.
"You lot, just because they're Graham-sama's knights, don't hold back. First to score gets the credit! Hardy, my man, let's compete to see who can take down more!"
He declared it with boisterous abandon, then swung his spear and charged into the enemy.
If he really was a commoner, such an attitude toward a noble would normally be unacceptable, but I could not bring myself to be angry.
He spoke easily even to nobles, without regard for status. There were men like that on battlefields from time to time.
It was irritating, but there was no better man to entrust my back to in battle.
Those who did not care about status were unafraid of death and did not cling to life.
Noble and commoner alike were nothing more than corpses when they died on the battlefield. Status meant nothing there; if there was any distinction, it was how valiantly a person could fight.
Indeed, Al fought with such bravery that it was exhilarating just to watch him.
"Let's go! Don't let the Cashew garrison beat us!"
I, too, raised my spear and shouted encouragement.
And as dusk fell, every antfolk on the plain had been wiped out, bringing the battle to an end.