Chapter 11
Two days passed as I led the soldiers onward, and we began climbing a gentle hill. Once we crossed it, the settlement we had heard about should come into view.
When we climbed the slope and reached the top of the hill, the view suddenly opened up, revealing golden fields stretching across a basin and a village surrounded by fences.
Yet the moment we saw the village, a shock ran through the soldiers and me.
Fires were springing up all over the fields, while black beasts carrying torches raced through them. Villagers were fleeing in all directions, pursued by the beasts.
"Hey, what's that!?"
"The village is under attack!"
"They're monsters!"
As one of the soldiers had said, monsters were attacking the settlement surrounded by fields.
The monsters swarmed the villagers who had fallen behind, beating them with clubs and swinging flaming torches around.
They were monsters called monkey ogres, with the appearance of apes whose arms were unnaturally long.
They were only about a meter tall, but they were strong. They traveled in groups of up to several dozen and possessed enough intelligence to use simple tools such as stones and sticks. However, I had not known that they were unafraid of fire and could even use it.
"Let's go! We have to save them!"
When I gave the order, the soldiers, who had been stunned into inaction, hesitated for a moment.
This won't do.
Caught off guard by this unexpected encounter, we had been unable to prepare, and I realized with dismay that I had failed to ignite the soldiers' fighting spirit.
But then, a war cry rang out nearby.
"Woooooah! Let's go, you lot!"
Al was the one who raised the cry. Controlling his horse's reins with one hand, he held his spear high in the air.
Seeing one man charge ahead gave the other soldiers courage as well, and they each raised their own war cries.
They were shouting to hide their fear, but for now, that was good enough.
"Let's go!"
I took the lead and galloped down the slope. Ray and Al followed me.
"My lady, please stay back!"
Ray shouted from behind me, but there was no way I could do that.
They were a group of inexperienced recruits. I had no idea when someone might lose their nerve and stop. If one stopped, three would stop; if three stopped, ten might be unable to advance. But if someone moved forward first, the others would follow along. That meant I had to keep advancing where they could see me.
I urged my horse on and headed straight for the settlement.
The monsters were chasing villagers who were trying to flee into the settlement, and they were about to enter the village themselves. If they got inside, the damage would increase dramatically. I had to prevent that at all costs.
I kicked my horse's flanks and increased my speed, racing between the monsters and the village as if slipping through a gap.
Startled by a cavalryman suddenly charging in from the side, the monkey ogres stopped their advance.
The soldiers caught up, closed in, and began thrusting their spears at the monsters.
Striking them from the side allowed us to kill several, but there were a lot of monkey ogres. Twenty-five—no, thirty. There were more than we had been told.
The monkey ogres also used simple tools. They only threw sticks and stones, but the flaming torches in particular frightened the soldiers.
As expected, they were panicking during their first battle.
"Stay calm. Fire is nothing to fear. Even if something catches fire, just put it out."
It's not as though the fields are soaked in oil. All we had to do was put out the flames before they grew. The monsters were throwing sticks and stones, but unless one hit you in the head, it wouldn't be fatal.
"More importantly, form up. Remember your training and support one another."
In a battle between spears and swords, spears were said to have a major advantage because of their greater reach. But reach was not the only advantage of a spear. Its true strength lay in group combat. If the soldiers standing side by side helped one another fend off enemies trying to slip past their spears, they could defeat their opponents without even striking at them.
It was the most basic principle, but the recruits were so flustered during their first battle that they had even forgotten it.
"Al and Ray, assemble here! You there, don't fight alone—get beside your comrades! Close ranks even more!"
While waiting for the separated Al and Ray to return, I called out to the isolated soldiers and somehow managed to form a battle line.
But the line we had formed was dangerously fragile, a mere thread that looked ready to snap at any moment.
More monkey ogres gathered, and some began moving around toward our flank.
Spears were vulnerable if the enemy got around to the side. The monkey ogres probably were not acting that way because they understood the tactic, but if they reached our flank, our line might collapse all at once.
I considered using one of my precious explosive magic stones, but it would have little effect in this situation. Worse, the explosion and shock might startle our own soldiers. We would have to handle this ourselves.
"Ray, Al. Let's go. Follow me."
I raced ahead, and when I saw Al and Ray returning, I called out to them.
"Wait a moment, my lady!"
"Honestly, what a willful young lady."
The two of them were grumbling behind me, but I had no time to worry about that. I urged my horse on and charged.
I aimed for the rear of the cluster of monsters, with the spearmen in front of them.
I drew the slender sword I had chosen because even I could handle it. Controlling the reins with one hand, I raced past the monkey ogres from behind and swung my sword wildly, shouting all the while.
Even so, swinging my sword had no effect.
The monkey ogres were only a meter tall, and from horseback, my sword could barely reach them. The sound of my horse's hooves was probably more effective.
My actions had accomplished little, but Al, who was charging along behind me, performed brilliantly.
Holding the reins while swinging his spear, he mowed down one monkey ogre after another. Eventually, the spear broke in the middle because it could not withstand the strain, but he struck the monsters with the broken spear.
Attacked from behind by Al, the monkey ogres fell into confusion.
In moments like this, my 'Grace' displayed its maximum effect.
The soldiers quickly sensed that the pressure from the monkey ogres had lessened, thrust out their spears, and advanced.
Several monkey ogres were impaled, and the monsters' formation collapsed all at once.
The soldiers gained momentum and advanced even farther. By the time they had moved forward ten paces, the monkey ogres had already lost the will to fight. They threw away the stones and clubs in their hands and began fleeing in panic.