Chapter 93
When I went to them with Velli-sensei and Mia-san, the key figures had gathered: the twenty members of the Romelia Squad, the veteran soldiers, the headquarters guards, and the healers who formed the backbone of our rear support.
The sight of all the officers and soldiers assembled was magnificent. The Romelia Squad in particular wore specially made armor and helmets, making them look like full-fledged knights.
Their appearance was dazzling, but looking at that armor honestly made my stomach hurt.
Conscripts from the peasantry generally had no weapons of their own, so spears, armor, and the like were provided by the kingdom.
Of course, since those were only the minimum necessary equipment, it was customary for knights serving nobles to purchase their own armor and helmets.
I found this puzzling, but apparently, soldiers had to stand out as much as possible on the battlefield. A knight, it seemed, was expected to spend lavishly on dazzling armor and impressive weapons.
During our journey, the prince had often bought expensive weapons, steadily eating into our travel funds.
I considered it wasteful, but apparently it was something warriors could not compromise on.
Velli-sensei compared it to the dresses and jewelry women wore to adorn themselves. When I said I wouldn't know, since I had no interest in either dresses or jewelry, Velli-sensei gave me a strange look. Why, I wondered?
In any case, even after stripping away such pointless decorations, armor and helmets made with the latest ironworking technology were extremely expensive. A complete set cost roughly as much as a house, and buying twenty sets cost enough to purchase a small mansion.
The Romelia Squad were peasants by background, not nobles, so there was no way they had that kind of money. I had to provide it myself.
Even my personal assets weren't enough to cover it. I borrowed money from Seryure, while Quins-sensei scraped together surplus funds from the accounting department, and only then were we finally able to equip them all.
Quins-sensei wasn't here, but I had nothing but gratitude for her. It would have been absolutely impossible without her.
If I could use my family's funds, this amount would hardly trouble me. But my father had disowned me. I couldn't do as I pleased and then ask him for money as well.
I had somehow managed to gather everything, but honestly, the expense felt like it had made me vomit blood.
Even so, I had high hopes for the Romelia Squad. They would surely perform well enough to justify the expense, or even exceed expectations.
I met each soldier's eyes one by one, greeted them, and gave a small nod.
"Everyone, stand at ease. There are no changes to the plan we discussed beforehand. The hundred heavy infantry in the center of the front line will be under Otto and Kyle's command."
When I looked at the two, Otto and Kyle both bowed.
Otto was the most heavily armed member of the Romelia Squad. His entire body was covered in armor, leaving only his eyes exposed.
He wore armor heavy enough that I would be unable to move in it, yet Otto moved with ease. He also had an enormous war hammer strapped to his back.
Without his armor and helmet, he was a simple, earnest young man. But once battle began, he never retreated and would not stop fighting until his enemies were reduced beyond recognition by his war hammer.
Kyle, standing beside him, had once been thin, but recently he had filled out and developed a catlike suppleness.
He was light and fast, and his only armor was a lightweight breastplate, making him easy on the wallet as well. He carried a slender sword and several throwing knives strapped to him. He could use his mobility for swordplay and launch mid-range attacks with his knives, making up well for Otto's tendency to rely on broad swings. With those two in charge, the center would be secure.
"The seventy troops on the left flank will be under Gran and Rett, and the seventy on the right flank will be under Ragun and Merill."
I entrusted the soldiers on either side to the twins and the Romelia Squad members Rett and Merill.
The twins, Gran and Ragun, had the appearance of average knights. They lacked Otto's strength and Kyle's agility, but they displayed steady ability and could be relied upon anywhere.
I had once kept them together, but it was fortunate that we discovered they could coordinate as though they were right beside each other even when placed in command of separate units.
The two had become the linchpins of the army.
"Graves will lead the thirty archers in the rear. Depending on the situation, you may be asked to switch weapons and join the front line. If that happens, I'm counting on you."
Graves, one of the veterans, gave an exaggerated bow.
His somewhat affected manner rubbed me the wrong way, but Graves had extensive battlefield experience among the veterans in Cashew and understood the subtleties of war. I might not need to interfere with him at all.
"Al and Ray will command the fifty cavalrymen. The two of you are the key to this battle. That said, not everything in this operation will go according to plan. I give you free rein to make your own decisions. I'm counting on you."
Al and Ray nodded in unison. Their faces were taut with responsibility and resolve.
I had spared no expense on the two men's equipment.
Their armor and helmets were expensive enough, but the spears with red and blue pennants that they carried were masterpieces commissioned from a renowned master blacksmith. Their beloved mounts were excellent steeds, and they had cost a great deal as well.
But the two were now outstanding members of the Romelia Squad. The reckless Al had recently even acquired an air of dignity. At some point, Ray's freckles had vanished, leaving him with a strikingly beautiful face.
But it wasn't only their faces that had changed. More importantly, they had gained tremendous skill, and no one could match them in handling a sword or spear. I expected their achievements to exceed the cost of their equipment.
Without these two, it would have taken another year to come this far.
"As reserves, twenty men will be assigned to Ben and Hans, twenty to Jini and Tars, twenty to Borel and Gatt, and twenty to Glenn and Zeze. These units will wait in the rear as mobile reserves."
I called out more names from the Romelia Squad and divided the soldiers into smaller units.
Reserve forces that could seal gaps in the front line and sometimes charge in to inflict a heavy blow on the enemy could determine the outcome of a war. Deploying them would likely be my most important task.
"Miecha and Sei, and Bry and Shuro, will guard the headquarters."
Since we were short on manpower, the headquarters guard consisted of five soldiers in addition to those four: Kolts, the standard-bearer; Belt and Ban, the trumpeters who would signal charges and retreats; and five others serving as messengers.
Because the reserve forces and headquarters guard were so important, I had placed members of the Romelia Squad, whose skills had improved considerably of late, at the core of those positions.
"The four of you will protect not only us, but the healers as well."
I looked at Mia-san and the three people standing behind her. They were personnel newly sent by Priest Note.
A man named Karlman was Mia-san's senior and highly skilled. The other two were still young, but their abilities were reliable as well.
Miecha of the Romelia Squad looked at Mia-san once, then gave a firm nod, promising to protect her without fail.
That accounted for every soldier under my command. We still had no mages. Having one or two would give us more tactical options, but there was no point wishing for what we didn't have.
"We don't know the enemy's total numbers, but even a conservative estimate puts them at fifteen hundred to two thousand. This will be the fiercest battle we have ever fought."
By numbers alone, they outnumbered us more than four to one. However, although antfolk had a high reproductive rate, their combat ability was not especially great. In terms of fighting strength, if ours was one hundred, theirs was roughly one hundred fifty. We were at a disadvantage, but they were not an enemy we couldn't defeat with the right tactics.
"This will be a difficult battle, but we must drive them out and bring peace and tranquility to this land. I expect each of you to fight with all your strength."
When I finished speaking, Al stepped forward from among the assembled commanders.
"Victory for Romelia-sama."
He pressed his right fist against his chest and swore to achieve victory.
"Victory for Romelia-sama!"
The commanders echoed him, then turned and returned to their respective units.
After watching the commanders return, I looked at Velli-sensei, our military strategist. Velli-sensei nodded as well, assuring me that nothing had been overlooked.
I nodded back and stepped forward with the standard-bearer. When I signaled him, he raised the lowered flag high into the air.
A flag bearing a lily-of-the-valley design fluttered in the wind.
As soon as the flag was raised, a unified shout rose from the soldiers.
"Victory! Victory! Victory!"
The soldiers roared with fighting spirit and shouted at the tops of their voices as they struck their weapons together. Their stamping feet created a light tremor that shook the earth.
Perhaps they were also trying to disguise their fear, but their morale was high.
I waited until their fighting spirit had reached its peak, then drew my sword.
I raised the slender blade toward the sun and swung it straight down.
"The entire army, advance!"
At my command, the soldiers began to advance.
Thus began our war against the monsters.