Under the clear sky, a total of more than six hundred troops are taking a
rest.
They are the troops under Lucy's command, plus the reinforcements from
the Zaintert sisters.
Combined, they are the army in charge of defeating the enemy infesting the
roads to the western fort.
The sisters said they had come under orders of Marquis Krall, but I suspect
he had sent them to check on us. The Marquis, after all, hates immigrants,
and would not be pleased with Lucy getting glory now that she has the
presence of the Herderites and a Demon Race within her.
However, he also knew that he would need their strength to survive, so he
couldn't do underhanded means to spoil the cooperation.
Halting my thoughts which were becoming more and more of a suspicion
toward the Marquis, I listened to the final adjustments to our operation.
"The location of the sightings and the fact that the total number of enemies
is about 900 suggests that they are probably gathered here."
Krone points to a location on the map amidst the gathering of the main
members.
As for where she pointed, it was a flat area of some size next to a river.
"Krone, why do you think they are there?"
"It's obvious. It is the only place in the area where a group of nearly one
thousand people can easily gather. Besides, the forest is nearby."
Krone answers my question clearly.
Certainly, the location will pass through the forest if one goes further
toward the fort.
For monsters that like to clump together, this would be a position where
they could concentrate their strength and flee into the forest if the need
arose.
Soon, that prediction became right on target. The news of the enemy's
discovery arrived from the soldiers who had been sent out on a
reconnaissance mission.
"I was right. They were there all along. Now all I need to do is to make
some adjustments in the plan to not let any single one of them escape."
With these words, Krone made minor adjustments based on the information
from the messenger.
"Krone, what about the presence of the enemy general class? If that thing is
there, unforeseen circumstances may arise."
Lucy asks, but Krone just shakes her head at the former's question.
"There was no such presence here, or at least that's what I received from the
scouts. It's just a common horde of goblins, well, mostly goblins as they
have hobgoblins and ogres too."
"I understand. Let's set them up before they can move to another place."
At Lucy's words, we immediately began to move.
We marched forward, splitting into three units from the south and
northwest, to keep the monster horde under siege. If yo u ar e a ble to r ea d
thi s m essag e, yo u are rea di ng f rom an una utho rized ag grega te sit e.
Re ad at my W ord Pres s at stab bing w ith a sy rin ge. h ome. b log to su
ppo rt me and my tra nsla tions.
The north-south unit, in particular, had begun to close in, but there was still
no indication from the enemy that they had noticed us yet.
"Commander Finlay, they are the 4th Unit. Will they be alright?"
With the addition of their new commanding officer, I express my worries
about the condition of these new soldiers, much more that they are now on a
battlefield position unfamiliar to them.
But Lucy just smiled at me to reassure me of her concern.
"They will be fine since they are placed next to the 1st unit. The Herderites
are there, too, and they can fight on their own if the need arises."
Lucy implicitly suggests that there is a possibility that the 4th unit will be
cut off.
I am slightly surprised at the change, thinking how much she has improved
since we first met.
She, who had been easily confused about commanding troops in front of
monsters, could now give orders calmly and sometimes ruthlessly.
"Yuushin, we are about to begin."
At her words, I looked forward again and saw that the troops from the north
and south had already begun their charge, after approaching with just
enough distance using the tall grass as a cover.
Our men, too, formed a line and quickly got up from the grass.
The monsters seemed quite surprised by the sudden appearance of the
human army.
The goblins made a loud noise, and the hobgoblins and ogres finally
noticed.
The goblins started attacking recklessly, and it's just the beginning.
As expected, the goblins with rough temperaments and no second thoughts
attacked first, but they were pushed back by the troops lined up with their
shields firmly in place.
Gradually, the distance between the north and south units closed, and the
enemy became unable to move.
"Good! They are doing great!"
Krone, who was standing next to me watching the situation, also let out a
cheery voice. She seems to be excited that her plan is working.
Some of the goblins that had been pushed out came toward the highway.
"They're coming, Commander Finlay!"
"We are already in position. Just wait a little more until the enemy's main
force comes out."
After waiting a bit more as Lucy suggested, the ogres also came out of the
highway as if they had been pushed out.
"It's about time. Let the attack commence!"
With one voice from Lucy, the cavalry unit launched its attack.
Each drove their horses, drew their weapons, and attacked the monsters in
front of them.
More than a hundred of the enemy are already trying to escape from the
encirclement, and a few have already passed through the encircling troops.
"I won't let you do it. Anastasia!"
"Yes, yes, I'll take care of it!"
Anastasia, who was running alongside Lucy, replied amusedly, despite her
tone as if she was tired of it.
The next moment, an oversized fireball was formed at the tip of her pointed
finger, which she then launched over the heads of the crowd of monsters.
Fshoooo. Boom.
The fireball drew an arc above the enemy's head, then exploded. The
fireball burst into a large number of small fireballs and rained down on the
heads of the enemies in front.
Multiple fireballs hit the monster horde, setting the goblins on fire.
This made the enemy's feet to stop in astonishment as their friends who had
been advancing next to them were suddenly burned. This ch apt er tran slati
on i s ma de poss ibl e by st abb ing wi th a syr ing e tra nslati ons. chec k o
nly u p-t o-d ate tran slat ions on my Wor d pr ess si te.
"The enemy is shaken! We'll charge in, break them up, and run straight
through!"
Lucy's order boosted the speed of the cavalry unit.
Unable to engage in melee combat, Anastasia and I positioned ourselves in
the center of the column, using the cavalry charge as a shield.
Soon, we clashed with the enemy, and the rushing cavalry kicked the
goblins away.
From the point of view of the smaller goblins, it was almost like being in a
car accident.
They were kicked in the front legs, trampled, then blown away before they
had the chance to fight back.
"We have gained enough results! Break through the lines, disengage and
regroup!"
After we disengaged, the count's troops, led by the sisters, also attacked.
Although fewer in number than Lucy's troops, the heavily armed infantry
were perfect for mopping up the scattered enemy.
The sporadic attacks of the monsters were all repelled by their armor, and
with their sharp weapons, they felled every enemy they came in contact
with with one fell swoop.
In this way, the monster horde, which should have outnumbered ours, was
surrounded and exterminated one by one.
The damage to our unit was less than expected, and we are now preparing
to go back to the base after confirming that we have cleared out all the
remaining enemies.
In the middle of it, though, I caught up with Krone. I was curious about
something.
"Yuushin? Is something the matter? I'm still busy with my post-battle
calculations."
"Sorry to disturb you, but there's just something I am curious about. What
do you know about the Zaintert sisters? Lucy doesn't know much about
social circles."
Lucy is a good commander, but she is so devoted to it that she neglects the
company of the nobility. Also, being a viscount aside from her job as an
intelligence gatherer, Krone probably has more information about the
aristocracy than Lucy does.
"I see. If Lucy doesn't understand, I don't blame her. Very well, I'll teach
you."
Upon mentioning Lucy unable to do her part, Krone spoke with a proud
expression on her face.
"I heard that the Countess's head of the family is very frail and is bedridden
at the moment. But as nobles are "obliged" to make certain contributions, it
seems their daughters were pushed to represent on his behalf, ending with
the two sisters commanding the troops under the pretext of support of
Marquis Krall."
Are you saying that for the Zaintert sisters, the Marquis is their guardian
and sponsor?
"I see. With their situation, they are the perfect pawns for the Marquis to
use."
As I was thinking this, Krone asks me with a grim look on her face.
"Yuushin, did you do something that would make the Marquis leer at you?
It's insane to defy him in his city."
"I have done nothing of the sort against him. But I heard that he doesn't
seem like our actions. I'm still waiting to see how it goes."
After soothing Krone, who looked upset at me, I looked ahead.
There, Lucy was just chatting with the Zaintert sisters.
(I will never let them harm Lucy again. To do that, I need to find out what
these two are up to.)
Determined, I decided to find out more about the sisters and their
relationship with the Marquis.