The Battle at Yurba Fort (1)

Hearing the report that the Demon Army had been spotted, I felt the hair all over my body stand on end and found myself trembling.

Not knowing whether it was excitement or fear, I immediately pressed the messenger for details.

"Where? How far away is the enemy? How many are there?"

"Yurba Fort. It's under siege. Five hundred away! Three hundred soldiers!"

The messenger delivered his report succinctly.

They were fast. I had not expected them to be attacking the fort already. We outnumbered them, but veteran demons possessed nearly twice the combat strength of ordinary infantry. In terms of overall strength, the sides were about evenly matched.

"Sensei! The map!"

I looked over at Velli-sensei, who was riding nearby. Velli-sensei dismounted as though falling from the horse, immediately took a map from the bag, and spread it open, holding it up for me to see from horseback.

I had seen it several times before: Yurba Fort stood in the middle of a plain. The plain apparently consisted entirely of fields, with nothing to obstruct our view. We would have to meet them head-on, with no room for tricks.

But if they were attacking the fort, could we strike them in the back?

The tactic of ambushing the Demon Army from behind while it was conducting a siege crossed my mind, but a whistle that seemed to pierce the sky ruined that plan.

"Romelia-sama, look!"

Ray, who was waiting beside me, pointed to two mounted scouts who had burst from the shade of trees far ahead. Their gray scales and black armor marked them as a reconnaissance unit of the Demon Army. Even while attacking a frontier fort, they had properly posted guards to watch the surrounding area.

Our presence had been discovered. We had to assume the ambush's effectiveness was already halved.

"After them! After them!"

Seeing the fleeing Demon Army scouts, the eager soldiers began shouting and trying to give chase, but I stopped them at once.

"Wait. There's no need to chase them."

At this distance, even if we pursued them, they would escape to the main force. More importantly, now was the time to make a decision.

Advance or withdraw—that was the question.

If we advanced, we'd clash before either side had time to prepare. If we withdrew, we'd give the enemy time to prepare. Which side had the advantage? Which was at a disadvantage?

"Captain Rome! Let's go!"

Al made his recommendation with a steady gaze as I hesitated. His earnest eyes dispelled my uncertainty.

"All right, let's go!"

I decided to engage the enemy.

With no information about the enemy, prolonged deliberation was pointless. Besides, our fighting spirit was high. In a chance encounter, the victor would be whoever could force the other side to fight on its own terms.

"Hardy, advance the entire army across the plain at full speed."

I looked straight ahead. A gentle hill rose in our path. Once we crossed it, the plain and Yurba Fort should come into view.

"Understood. Entire army, advance! At the double!"

Now that Hardy was commander of the entire army, I ordered him to move everyone forward.

"Sonea-san, stay here with the healers. We'll leave the baggage train here as well."

I quickly instructed Sonea-san, who was mounting her horse, and the four healers to stay behind. A unit transporting food was stationed in the rear. Since I couldn't spare soldiers for an escort, I had members of the transport unit serve as guards.

"Understood, Romelia-sama. May fortune favor you in battle!"

I nodded to Sonea-san, spurred my horse, and joined the advancing column.

Beside me, Velli-sensei had leaped onto a horse and was desperately trying to keep up.

"Sensei, assist with deploying our formation. Once we reach the plain, we'll form the same line formation we used against the ant people."

Velli-sensei was clinging to the horse more than riding it, but still nodded.

"Al, Ray!"

I called out to the knights in red and blue riding on either side of me.

"Stay at my side, both of you. Lead the hundred and fifty cavalrymen. Depending on the situation, we may launch a cavalry charge. Are you up to it?"

I looked at Al and Ray. If we got behind the enemy, I wanted to strike. When the chance came, I would have the two of them lead the charge.

"Of course."

Ray answered, breathing hard, more fired up than usual. Always calm and collected, perhaps fighting the Demon Army had stirred Ray's blood.

I rode up the hill with Al and Ray beside me. When I raced to the top, the rolling hills spread out before me. Harvested fields stretched across the land, with a gray fort rising in their midst.

The Demon Army's black-armored soldiers stood around the fort and near its gates.

Though the Demon Army was attacking it, Yurba Fort remained intact. The flags of the Lionel Kingdom and House Kennett fluttered in the wind.

As the messenger had said, the Demon Army attacking the fort numbered roughly three hundred: around two hundred infantry, fifty cavalry, and fifty archers.

All the cavalrymen wore red armor. Surrounded by them, a knight in particularly fine armor was issuing orders and sending messengers. That must be the commander.

A group of wagons stood farther behind, away from the fort—probably the Demon Army's baggage train. A large tent had been erected in front of the wagons, with an impressive flag planted beside it. That must be the rear headquarters. Perhaps to protect the personnel in the rear, around ten red-armored infantrymen had been assigned as guards.

When I turned my gaze back toward the fort and the Demon Army's main force, the army was still attacking the fort, its back to us. I was tempted to strike, but the Demon Army, which had been pressing the attack, suddenly stopped and pulled away from the fort.

The formation thrown into disarray by the attack was restored at once, and a splendid line was formed.

When I looked at our Cashew Garrison, it had not yet completed its shift into formation. That was unavoidable since we outnumbered them, but the Demon Army truly was battle-hardened. The difference in experience and training was clear.

A moment later, the Cashew Garrison also finished forming up.

The formation was almost identical to the one we had used in the battle against the ant people.

Otto and Kyle's ninety heavy infantrymen held the front facing the enemy. Gran and Rett's units supported the left wing, while Ragun and Meryl's units held the right. Each numbered sixty men. One rank behind the front line, Graves commanded the thirty archers. On either side of them stood four twenty-man units: the Ben Hans and Jini Tars units, and the reserve units of Borel Gatt and Glen Zeze. In the main headquarters, I had stationed Miecha and Sei, along with Bly and Shuro.

The formation was nearly the same as before, but Hardy's knight order had grown by a hundred, so the cavalry under Al and Ray numbered around one hundred forty.

The main headquarters included not just me and Velli-sensei, but also the experienced Hardy as overall commander and his deputy, Demil.

Though we had lost infantry in the battle against the ant people, our overall numbers had risen. More importantly, the soldiers had survived a fierce battle, raising both their morale and their level of training. In fact, although most of them were facing the Demon Army for the first time, they stood their ground without flinching.

The two armies glared at each other, but the Demon Army showed no sign of retreating. The encounter had been unexpected, but neither side seemed willing to withdraw.

When the red-armored commander of the Demon Army raised a sword before the commander, the infantry began to advance.

I looked at Hardy, and Hardy was looking back at me. When I nodded, Hardy drew his sword and raised it before him as well.

"Entire army, advance! We will liberate Yurba Fort!"

Hardy shouted, urging the soldiers on. The soldiers raised a war cry and began advancing.

Thus, the battle with the Demon Army for Yurba Fort began.