Around that time--
A large force of Shem, led by Guin, Lothor, the chieftain of Rak, and Iracheli of Glo, was much closer to them than the Mongol commanders thought.
Even the Mongol soldiers, who had resumed their march after the surprise attack, and who had been more careful than ever about the number of their scouts and observers, could not have foreseen that after their night camp, which they had just overlooked, all the troops of the Semites, 5,000 in all, would boldly assemble, They could not have foreseen it.
As Count Mars had read, the main body of 5,000 Semites was actually lurking nearby when the 500-strong Semite death squad made its surprise attack.
For those Shem who are born in Nosferus and live and die there, the wilderness called "Death" is not an unexplored land, nor is it a barren hell where getting lost there means death.
There is nothing more familiar to them than that wilderness of rock and desert, and wherein are the dangers, and wherein are the valleys of the id, and wherein are the valleys of the dead, and wherein are the colonies of quicksand and bloodsucking moss, which they must never enter, and in what direction they must walk for days to find an oasis. That is the first thing they learn when they are born.
Even in the midst of this open wilderness, which seemed to be open to all, there were dry river beds, rocky places, and undulations of sand dunes. They took advantage of this to hide themselves and to sneak up on the expeditionary force of Mongol as far as they could.
"I knew Leard was right. Om sees to the right, to the left, to the front, to the top, but he believes that behind him are only his own footprints."
Shiva whispered painfully.
"Mm."
Guin sat in the shade of the rock, wrapped in a long hooded cloak made of sand-coloured cloth, so that his conspicuous leopard head would not be seen by the Mongols. Shiva, Lothor, Iracheli, Osatubai, the chief of the Tubai tribe, the cult of Lhasa, Istvan of Valakia, the mercenary of the Red Kurenai, and the holy twins of Paro with Suni, were the main figures surrounding him.
"The Death Squad is back, Mr. Reardon.
A young Lakh who had been standing a little higher and looking at something, came down and said.
"Are you sure Orm isn't following you?
Roto asked worriedly. Guin shook his head.
"It's all right. They started marching when they were all together. I told them not to go too far, for I feared there might be more troops hidden nearby."
"So it seems, Liard."
The suicide squad was composed of half of the Gros and half of the Laks. They had gone far enough to the east to blind the Mongols, and then had come back again in a great circle. All the while, they were pushing forward with all their might, so that even the desert runners, the Shemites, were gasping for breath.
"How many have been hit?"
"One hundred and thirty, forty, Liard."
"We're a third of the way there. That's more than I expected. I ordered you to take it easy and leave as soon as you had accomplished your two objectives, but you got carried away with the fight."
"That's right."
The suicide squad was led by Seb of the Rak. He looked ashamed.
"Well, okay. So, how'd it go?"
"I did what you told me to do, sir.
Seb said, and threw the spoils of war into the air.
Guin looked it over carefully and nodded.
"All right. Perfect. And you've also done a fine job of dazzling the enemy. I'm sure that by now, while hurrying on, Mongol's army is puzzling over the meaning of Shem's surprise attack. After all, the enemy has three times as many men as we do. If we don't cough and play our cards right, we will be swallowed whole."
"You're just gonna let them do it, Liard."
Iracelli said disapprovingly.
"If we chase them from behind and kill a third of them with poisoned arrows, they'll be twice as many as us. If we kill another third with stone axes, they'll be as numerous as us."
"Before that, we'll have been reduced to the same level."
Guin let out a short laugh and then stood up with a swift gesture.
"Now-- don't get too comfortable. The enemy doesn't expect us to be this close already. They'll think, at best, that a nearby tribe happened to spot them and came after us. This is our greatest advantage. We must not lose this advantage."
"Hey--Linda."
Remus whispered to his sister as he looked over at Guin, who was standing up and calling out names around him for what had been Shem's head.
"Hey, what's Guin thinking?"
"How could I have known?"
Linda said back irritably. Hearing this, Istvan approached them.
"He's got a hell of a lot on his mind, princess."
He frowns and says. Only these three in the army cannot speak or understand the language of Shem.
So, naturally, as Gentiles, whether they liked each other or not, they had no choice but to act together.
"Outrageous?"
Linda was taken aback and asked back. Istvan has always made her very angry, and yet there is something about this familiar, self-confessed scoundrel of a mercenary that she can't ignore.
"Yeah."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"By the way, just as we were leaving Rak valley, the monkeys started screaming for us to kill Karoi."
"Yeah. I was wondering what was going to happen."
"Then Guin jumped up on the stone and made a speech, and the monkeys, who had been screaming at first, grew quieter and quieter, until at last they said, 'Liard! Leard! You remember how they started shouting? I wondered what Guin had said to them to calm them down, so I asked him just now, on the way from Rak Valley to ... what was it called, the hill of the Night-Wailing Rock. I asked Guin.
"What did Guin say, huh?"
"Come on, there it is.
Istvan said in an impatient and curt manner.
"Guin says, 'I'm not saying anything special. I just said that we had a good chance of winning because we had a powerful ally, a secret weapon, to overcome a 15,000-to-5,000 odds. So I asked him what the hell was that. And I said, "..."
"..."
"The Leopard-headed one smiled like a howler and said, 'Nosferatu.' I asked him what the hell he was talking about, but he didn't say anything. He just said, 'Then I told him that Karolyi would be joining us in less than a day.
"Kaloy?"
Linda rolled her eyes.
"Because the Karoi cut off the head of Raku's messenger and said something rude about it?"
"That's not what I'm talking about. You'll have to ask Guin herself."
Frowning, Istvan said.
"I'm sure he's got some ideas. He's probably got some ideas that are really annoying us."
"Oh my--why?"
Istvan did not answer, but instead swore obscenities that made not only Linda but also Remus turn red.
Linda was about to complain, indignantly, that he should watch his language in front of the ladies.
"Istvan."
Guin called.
"Istvan. Come here."
Guin had summoned all the major Shemites and was putting together a number of plans. Some of them seemed to have been completed, and now Tubai and Rasa were gathering their clans and rushing off to the left and right.
"Istvan."
"All right, I'm coming. I'm on my way-- hey, Guin, I guess I should do it."
Istvan reluctantly walked over to him, his mouth agape. Guin flung off his sand-colored hood and let out his usual short laugh.
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you'll have to do it. Me, the Semites, the children, there's no one else I can think of who can do it."
"Hey, I'm always the only one who gets the short end of the stick."
And Istvan uttered obscene curse words. Guin was unconcerned.
"The only way we can win is to break up Mongol's army, which is several times larger in number, and divide it into as many small groups as possible, that's all. If we separate them into several groups, even 15,000 is the same as three groups of 5,000 or seven groups of 2,000."
"All right, all right--I guess I'll just do it."
Guin began a detailed and intricate discussion with Istvan, who was in a pensive mood. His low voice did not reach the ears of the twins, who had retreated a little farther away so as not to be disturbed.
"I wonder what Guin's thinking."
Remus said again, looking at him.
"I don't know. I just--"
Linda said dreamily.
"Anyway, all I know is that I can trust Guin with everything. Oh, Guin, what a man he is! I've never seen anything even remotely like him. No, I don't mean the way he looks. Hey, Remus. The more I learn about him, the harder it is for me to believe that someone like him could actually live."
Linda's face was aglow, and in her eyes there was a look of pride and wonder that was almost that of a passionate believer. Remus looked over at her and cautiously agreed that she was right.
Then..,
"Wow!"
The two men looked at each other in astonishment as István shouted, and Suni also turned her eyes from Linda's face, which she had been looking up at in adoration.
"Be quiet, Istvan."
Guin says firmly.
"What do you mean, you think this is personal? What do you think you're doing? What the hell do you think I am? What do you think you're doing? All right, I'll do whatever it takes!
And Istvan suddenly stripped off his armor and his bodice, which he had been wearing with great dignity, and stripped naked.
The eyes of Remus rolled up, and Linda turned red and turned away. The mercenary, unconcerned with this, stripped off his black robe and leggings and took on a dark, well-developed, naked form, and held out his hand in desperation.
"Come on, give it to me. Come on, hurry up. You'll catch a cold!"
In the soft violet sky of Nosferus, the sun was already high in the sky, and only the white-gray dust, which was fluttering as if it were a warm spring haze, announced the distant location of Mongol's army.
It was only three zangs after the resumption of the advance that the Mongol army stopped its tireless march.
"Report! Report!"
The scouts rushed in, and in their panic, the soldiers split off to the left and right, passing through the middle, and looking away with a grimace.
"Report! Report!"
The scouts will move into the middle of the White Knights in the center, and forward and backward simultaneously by word of mouth,
"Halt the march! All troops, halt as you are!"
The order was delivered exactly the same way.
"All troops halt!"
Amidst the shouting of the captains,
"Scouts, move closer!
Amneris, tightening the reins of his white horse, quickly fended off the helmet.
"I have a report for you!
The soldiers who had been out scouting saluted nervously in front of the princess.
"Don't thank me. Say it."
"Sir. It appears that a large Semitic force is pursuing us from the left rear."
"What!"
Amneris tightened his lips.
"The numbers!"
"We don't know, sir, but it looks like a large force. There's a cloud of dust all around."
"..."
Unexpectedly, the knights present looked in the direction of what was said and roared inaudibly.
In the distance, across the desert, a cloud of dust indicates the location of the enemy.
"Distance!"
"About three tads, sir."
"Three tad--"
Again, Amneris's expression turned grim.
"All right, sir. You may return to your unit."
Nodding to the scouts, he immediately turned around,
"Feldrick!"
"Ha!"
"Message!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Assemble the company commanders and above."
"Ha!"
Feldrick, who is in charge of the White Knight's troops, immediately runs away.
"Order, order!"
Once again, the whole of the Mongol army was under severe tension.
"The Shemites are coming!"
"Enemy attack!
From mouth to mouth, the cry goes out.
"Gayus."
Amneris murmured to himself as he listened.
"is."
"What do you think. This must be the main body of the raiding party."
"Thank you for--"
"It must have been a small group of people who followed us, watching us and following us."
"I think so."
"So this time, we won't be fighting over little things."
"is ..."
"Gayus."
"..."
"Something's bothering you. I thought you knew how well equipped we were after our surprise attack... or are the Semites of Nosferus so numerous that they can outnumber us?"
"..."
"Very well. Let's see who wins at the water table. Then stay with Kal-Mor to keep the compass on the right course to the Valley of Miasma so we don't lose sight of it."
"I understand."
The gloomy mage replied. Without paying any more attention to it, Amneris gave the horse a whip and ran to the captains who had hurriedly gathered by message. Vron, Rindt, and the captains of the bannermen follow.
"Report!"
Amneris' order was delayed a little bit because the second wave of scouts came rushing in.
"Sir. The Semitic army is estimated at 10,000, two and a half tad behind us at the moment, and they're all approaching on foot."
"Okay."
"They're fast. It's no wonder they call them desert snakes."
Black Knight Captain Ilm mutters.
"You can run barefoot as fast as a horse and for as long."
Thangard whispers back.
"Quiet!"
Amneris lands an overhand right.
"Keep your ears to the ground. There are 10,000 Shemites on their way. We'll meet them here. Take the lead."
The young Astorias, Regan, stood bravely. They leaned forward as if they wanted to be named. Amneris gave it a quick glance,
"Ilm!"
"Ha!"
"Bring the crossbowmen forward and form a half-moon formation."
"Ha!"
Asturias watched enviously as Irum walked away from him, kicking the horse in the stomach.
"Tanguard."
"Ha!"
"Cover the Ilum from the rear and defend the main camp."
"Ha!"
"Mars, hang on!
"I understand."
"Regan, go left. Astorias, defend the right."
"Yes, sir."
"Let the crossbowmen be the first to attack, the shields behind them, the infantry and the knights in that order. Let them keep their heads down when they attack, lest they be blinded by Shem's poisoned arrows."
"is."
"Stay alert!"
In no time at all, the captains, each with his own company commander, were running off and busily recruiting their own troops to their assigned positions.
Once again, a bright, four-colored flower opens in the desert, but this time it is a half-moon shaped flower with both wings protruding like horns and the middle becoming noticeably thicker. The crossbowmen step forward, kneel down, and raise their weapons to fire stone shells under orders at once.
Behind them were set up thousands of wooden shields to ward off the poisonous arrows of Shem, and behind them the knights struck the heads of the brazen horses and pulled on the reins to restrain them.
"Report! Shem's first wave approaching!"
Three times the scouts rushed into the center of the crescent-shaped formation, following the shouts.
"Captain!"
"What?"
"You don't mean stuffed right!"
"Your Highness has made up his mind."
Asturias shrugged .
"It looks like there's a lot of them here, so I'm sure they'll bring the food to us. Don't worry."
"I wouldn't worry about it."
Pollack laughed.
Asturias looked back and saw that none of his men looked demoralized or cowed, and then he let down his headpiece with a clatter.
With his chain-knit gloved hands, he fastens the leather retaining strap that runs across the bottom of the headband and adjusts it slightly. The red feather ornament attached to the top of the headpiece sways softly in time with the movement of his head.
"All right. If you're coming, come."
He muttered and shuddered. While holding back his beloved horse, which was galloping away, he looked in that direction. Upon receiving the news, all of Mongol's troops hastily turned around and stopped all their movements to face the Semitic army.
"That's it. That's the dust."
I overhear Pollack or somebody say it out loud. And he was right.
The ominous yellow-gray clouds on the horizon of Nosferus are slowly and steadily approaching at a considerable speed, as if they were thunderclouds bringing rain.
"They're coming--!"
Somebody screamed,
"--that's quite a lot."
In a low voice, someone else said calmly.
The army of Mongol waited. Now all the crossbows were loaded, and their tips were raised high to aim at the approaching thundercloud. The right hands of all the knights clutched the hilts of their great swords, and their left hands grasped the reins of their horses.
Only a group of pure white troops under the command of Amneris, wrapped in three colors of black, red and blue, remained calmly looking in that direction, showing no movement.
Amneris lifted his hand to his headdress, as if he were suffocating, and lifted it.
His white face is tightly drawn and he is staring at the other side. Although he was only eighteen years old and a woman, he had fought in his first battle at the age of fifteen, and since then he had taken up the sword and commanded many battles by himself. During the Battle of the Black Dragon in the Battle of Paro, he had given orders to all the troops as the commander-in-chief.
Even as she watched, the yellow-gray dust grew larger in her eyes and grew closer. Amneris hesitates for a moment, then finally removes his helmet and flicks his golden hair over his hood.
"You're in danger."
In a panic, he held Feldrick's words with his left hand and made a gesture of listening to something.
"--It's quiet, ...."
He muttered lowly, as if startled. It was just a moment.
There was a sharp sound of a blowgun cutting through the air.
As if that were a signal,
"Aie, aie, aie!"
"Aye, aye!"
"Eeeeeeeeee!"
A shrill yell pierced my ears.
"We're under attack!
"They're coming!"
Immediately, all sides were filled with shouts of war. The battle had begun again.