"Ugh…"
"Chief? Are you alright?"
Nuada woke up with a dull pain.
He checked his body for a moment and looked puzzled. He had been hit so hard, but most of his wounds had healed.
"How did this happen?"
The answer came from his subordinates.
"The foreigners brought someone who was either a healer from the sect or something, and they treated you, chief."
"Hmm…"
Nuada's expression darkened for a moment.
'I lost.'
It was the first time he had lost since he received the title of warrior and started his active career. And he was pushed back in his specialty area of strength.
The shock was hard to express in words, but Nuada was also a proud man.
"So I lost! I lost! Hahahaha!!!"
He laughed so wildly that his subordinates wondered if he had gone crazy from the defeat, but he soon started to sort out his thoughts.
'I have to accept the loss and think about the future.'
He decided to brush off the pain of defeat with a laugh and keep it deep in his heart.
"I want to see the leader of the foreigners who beat me. He was called the emperor, right?"
"He said to contact him when you wake up, chief."
The subordinates looked reluctant, but Nuada immediately sent a message to Eurius.
And the place for the meeting was arranged.
"First of all, thank you for sparing my life when you could have killed me."
"Didn't I say my condition was an alliance? I just did what was natural."
Eurius tried to dismiss it casually, but Nuada seemed to have a different idea.
"I will remember this as a debt. And!"
Nuada spoke with more force.
"When I have confidence that I can beat you, I will challenge you to a rematch someday."
It was a rather aggressive statement for someone who proposed an alliance, but Eurius nodded.
He was that kind of person. He was rough in his actions, but he was responsible for what he said.
"I also welcome a duel with a skilled warrior like you anytime."
"And about the alliance, I need some time to think. I agree, but I have to gather the opinions of the allied tribes…"
Eurius nodded.
It was obvious that the conclusion was already made since the greatest warrior of the north agreed. There was no need to wait long.
"Oh, and if you think you owe me a debt, I have one personal favor to ask."
"The sooner I pay off my debt, the better for me. What do you want?"
"Take me to the mountain range where your tribe lives."
Nuada looked surprised for a moment. It was rare to let foreigners into the tribe, but it wouldn't be difficult if the alliance was really formed.
But…
"Weren't you going to join us in fighting against Chief Gundar's army right away?"
'So this chief's name is Gundar? It's the first time I hear it. He must be suspicious.'
Eurius nodded.
"Of course, driving him away is the priority. But my reason for proposing an alliance is not just to get rid of the immigrant coalition that came down from the mountain."
"…!?"
He continued with a serious expression.
"From what I've observed so far, you are Nuada, right? You seem to have a brilliant mind. Don't you think it's a waste of blood for your people and our empire to clash like this?"
Nuada looked at him with a surprised expression.
'So he didn't need me just to get rid of Gundar. He might be more trustworthy than I thought.'
Seeing the color return to Nuada's face, Eurius smiled inwardly.
'Well, of course he would be happy. I came here to help him with his plan after subduing him with force.'
But Nuada was a bit skeptical about the solution.
"But I don't think that simply making peace will solve the food shortage of the tribes near the plains…"
'That's why I came here to solve that problem.'
Eurius asked him to take him to the peak where Nuada's Thunder Rock tribe was located after the plan to attack Gundar was over.
"It's a bit embarrassing to say this to a warrior like you, but that place is too dangerous for even me to wander around."
Nuada agreed to take him there, but he earnestly asked him to follow his instructions.
The reason why there were many powerful warriors among the tribes inside the mountain range, including the Thunder Rock tribe, was because the northern mountain range was not only inhabited by many monsters, but also occasionally had powerful beasts that were hard to deal with even for superhumans.
"That won't be a problem."
Eurius readily accepted.
That's how their first meeting ended, and it didn't take long for Eurius' prediction to come true.
"You're going deep into the land of those barbarians?"
The knights were a bit reluctant about the second condition, but they followed Eurius anyway. They wouldn't oppose him much.
"I talked to them and they seemed surprisingly compatible with me. I don't think we have to worry about being attacked by them all of a sudden."
Nuada's side had nothing more to say.
"We lost. Do we have anything else to say?"
"…"
The warriors of the north couldn't dare to go against Nuada's words. Besides his charisma, they followed the winner's decision because they lost in a fair duel. That was their way.
"I don't trust those foreigners, but I trust the chief!"
"Well, Gundar also has some weird foreigners by his side, but at least these foreigners settled it with our way…"
That's how their alliance was formed. It was still an awkward relationship, but it was the beginning of a force that would become the core of the storm in the northern mountain range.
Around the time Eurius completed his alliance with Nuada.
As he expected, the empire and the northern tribal alliance led by Gundar clashed.
"It will take at least another week for reinforcements to arrive."
"I thought we wouldn't be behind in terms of skilled knights even if we were outnumbered, but this time that prediction was completely shattered."
"Hmm…"
Count Andersen also stroked his beard and fell into thought.
'I don't know who that barbarian leader is, but he completely hit me in the back of my head.'
In fact, until he gathered his troops and went out for a frontal battle, he wasn't too worried. That's why he sent all the forces that could be used, including Eurius, to the rear, right?
'But when we actually fought them, it wasn't easy.'
He recalls the memory of the first day of the frontal battle.
Count Anderson is a superhuman.
He knew that there were many formidable warriors among the northern barbarians, but they were still a bunch of untrained savages.
'With the charge of the knights, including myself, we will break through the enemy lines in no time.'
It was a natural strategy for a superhuman duke.
"Charge!"
"Waaaaah!!!"
Thud thud thud thud!
The sound of hooves pounding the ground echoed as the duke led the knights to assault the center of the enemy formation. A tactic to shatter the enemy's line with one blow and then harass them with troops from behind!
"…!?"
But his prediction was shattered. It was impossible to defend against a cavalry charge, especially from knights who wrapped their bodies with force.
Unless they faced knights of the same level, the mounted charge of the knights, who added the enhancement of force to the kinetic energy of their running horses, was like a huge weapon that stuck together.
Crash!
The barbarians who tried to defend with their shields were crushed in an instant. The bodies that were pierced by the knights' weapons or trampled by the hooves were scattered everywhere in a bloody mess.
And the problem started from there.
The breakthrough of the knights was just beginning.
At first, they could easily destroy the enemy line with their momentum, but after that, they had to sweep through the enemy formation with their individual strength.
Then, the regular soldiers would harass the broken line and easily bring down the enemy.
Swish! Swish!
Some formidable presences that were hiding among the shattered corpses jumped out and attacked the knights.
"The enemy's force users have appeared! Fight back!"
The first charge of the knights had sacrificed ordinary soldiers to stop them, and finally, their warriors began to emerge among the barbarians.
'They used ordinary soldiers as shields? How cunning. But it won't work as long as I'm here.'
The Count swung his sword horizontally with great force.
His fourth-stage secret technique, Crushing Pressure! He could press down on the area affected by his force control with a powerful pressure.
Crack!
"Cough!"
The front of the duke was flattened by the pressure, and the barbarians who felt it spat blood and collapsed as if they were nailed to the ground.
'So far, everything is going according to plan. There's no problem.'
"Hmm?"
As he was about to order another charge with a satisfied expression, he sensed a formidable presence.
'Who are these guys?'
They were clearly from their side, judging by their barbarian attire, but unlike them who wielded crude weapons, they held longswords that looked suitable for knights and surrounded him.
Their number was more than twenty.
"Get lost!"
He used his secret technique again to sweep them away. But the result was different.
"…"
Some of them collapsed, but none of them were incapacitated in one hit.
Rather, they surrounded him and counterattacked.
The count's eyes widened.
'These guys are all master-level or close to it?'
They were probably the elite chosen from among the barbarians to face him.
'I have to kill them all here to make things easier later.'
The count's eyes glowed with killing intent. His favorite weapon was a huge two-handed sword that ordinary knights wouldn't dare to use.
His heavy blow was aimed at them with sincerity this time.
The pressure was so intense that a long ditch formed along his sword's trajectory!
Clang!
"…!?"
But his expectation was wrong again. They amazingly stuck together and formed a barrier of force to withstand his attack.
Some of them coughed blood, but he couldn't inflict any fatal wounds.
"Hmm?"
And as if they knew about his delay after using his secret technique, some of them who looked more skilled than others quickly launched sharp attacks at him.
Clang!
The count swung his sword to push them back and bit his lip.
'This won't be easy.'
He finally realized that they were professionals who had practiced this kind of attack technique.
'At a glance, there are at least ten masters… And there are also those who support them?'
Could it be that the barbarians had sent all their elites to his side? He looked around and saw that it didn't seem like that either.
"Kyahaha! I'm Kecha, the best warrior of the Red Feather tribe!"
'How can this be? Were there so many force users among the northern barbarians?'
There were many enemies around him that even skilled knights of the squad leader level would not take lightly, not to mention the horde that surrounded him.
Of course, he was a superhuman. If he took his time and fought them slowly, he could kill them all and escape, but his plan to break through the enemy lines had already failed.
"Knights, retreat while maintaining formation! I and a few squad leader level knights will cover the rear."
The first day's assault ended without much gain.
The barbarians also did not make any big movements except for occasional small-scale raids, so the front line was stuck like this.
"We need a large-scale reinforcement of knights or additional support from superhuman level knights."
"I know that. But we can't take out knights from the southern front, nor can we call the imperial guard knight commander who has to protect His Majesty."
Of course, there was Grand Duke Wilhelm, who was called the Sword Saint, but his status was too high to be deployed to the front line.
And it was doubtful whether he would come to this battlefield where Eurius, the first prince, was.
Moreover, as he thought of Eurius, the duke suddenly seemed to have another worry.
"By the way, is there still no news from His Highness Eurius, who has lost contact?"
One of his staff shook his head vigorously.
"We sent scouts, but the deep part of the mountain range is an unknown territory. At this point, we can't…"
Eurius had left only one letter through a messenger and marched into the deep part of the northern mountain range.
[I have found a groundbreaking way to turn the tide. I will come back with good news within a month at the latest! It may be a violation of military law, but I will take that punishment later.]
The message brought by the messenger was brief, but it was not something to be ignored.
'A way to turn the tide…'
Count Anderson was skeptical but also secretly hopeful and worried.
'Did His highness foresee that the situation would turn out so difficult and withdraw to the rear?'
Anyway, the duke and his staff could only hope for Eurius's safe return.