"You called for me, Lord Genichiro?" Alexander asked, kneeling on the ground just in front of him.
"I heard you killed a lion on the way here. Was it difficult?" Genichiro asked, taking a sip from the ochoko in his hand.
"I just attacked when it was looking the other way, I drove my sword right into its neck, but it was tougher than I thought."
"Did it attack you?"
"It died the moment I struck, but my blade got stuck, though the soldiers managed to drive the other one away."
"You're quite brave, as usual. Are you very tired from the march?"
"No, sir."
"You must be thirsty, have a drink." Genichiro gestured to one of the servants, who poured sake into an ochoko and served it to Alexander. He took the small cup in his hands, looking uncertainly at the contents, a colorless and translucent liquid.
"Is this your first time drinking good quality sake?"
"It's the first time I've ever had sake..."
"Sometimes I forget you're just a boy. Drink, consider it a gift. This is my favorite sake, so enjoy it." Alexander was still a bit hesitant. We're in an ancient era, appearance matters a lot here so... He drank it in one gulp, grimacing as the drink burned its way down his throat. Genichiro laughed once again.
"It's good, isn't it?" he said.
"...Yes," the elf boy replied, trying to suppress a cough, which made Genichiro laugh even more. The giant in armor stood up, his shadow covering all of Alexander's body, and he looked into the elf boy's red eyes with a smile on his face. "
Rest for now. At nightfall, get ready and meet me at the camp entrance alone." Genichiro said, placing his large hand on Alexander's shoulder.
"Are we going somewhere, sir?"
"I'm going to show you what you were so eager to know in Urazaki."
The night sky was full of stars, although only one of the twin moons shone in the sky. Alexander left one of the tents carefully, trying not to make any noise, glancing again into the tent where some soldiers were sleeping. It was dark, but he could see without any problems thanks to his perception status.
"Seeing so clearly in the dark is still strange; I feel like a cat," he said in a low voice.
Even though the camp was dark, there were some torch lights, and with his sharp hearing, he could hear several voices at the camp entrance. Alexander walked there, seeing the many samurai gathered and busy.
"There you are."
Genichiro said, surprising Alexander.
"My lord... Has anyone ever told you that you are very quiet for someone your size?" he said respectfully, bowing his head.
The huge samurai laughed.
"When I want to, I can be very stealthy, young Shura."
Alexander observed the huge samurai; he looked different, his massive armor with shiny plates was covered by a cloak, and he wasn't wearing his helmet.
He lowered his gaze slightly; under the cloak at Genichiro's waist, he could see a huge sheathed katana.
Genichiro began to walk, and Alexander followed him, looking at the various samurai who seemed to be preparing for something, mounting horses of normal size. In contrast, those of the same stature as Genichiro mounted iron steeds.
"Looks like you're going somewhere," Alexander said, observing.
"Yes, we are," Genichiro replied.
They walked for a few seconds until the huge samurai stopped in front of a horse.
A samurai was holding the horse's reins, a samurai with green armor, but no helmet, Hirata Shigenori, the captain of his division.
"Lord Shigenori?" Alexander said, surprised, quickly bowing his head.
The samurai in green armor with black eyes smiled with an expression.
"Enough, young Shura. I've heard that you will accompany us on the reconnaissance mission."
"Reconnaissance mission?"
Wait... I understand the situation now.
He turned his gaze to Genichiro, who had a mischievous smile on his face as if he was hiding something all along. Alexander walked over to Shigenori and looked at the horse, gazing into the animal's eyes—a beautiful creature, even though it wasn't magical.
"Do you know how to ride a horse?" Shigenori asked, handing the horse's reins to Alexander. He took them and looked at the saddle.
"No, but I learn quickly," Alexander said, holding the saddle and placing his foot in one of the leather stirrups. With a single leap, he mounted the horse.
The animal bucked, but Alexander pulled on the reins, controlling the horse, his legs gripping it firmly. He loosened his grip a bit, worried he might accidentally harm the poor animal if he squeezed too hard.
"You seem to have a knack for this. But be careful, Sora is a stubborn mare but she's fast," Shigenori said, clearly impressed.
"Sora is… I'll take good care of her."
Genichiro laughed, then turned to the rest of the samurai.
"Men, our reconnaissance mission begins now! We will head to the village where the supposed fortress is being built, and we will confirm its location and the number of soldiers there. No torches or banners, only cloaks and swords, complete silence," Genichiro announced. All the men there, at least thirty of them, were paying attention.
Someone walked up beside Genichiro, the samurai in red armor, Shinzaemon.
"We will split into two groups, one led by me and the other by Shinzaemon Takeda. We'll advance in opposite directions to gather more information about the target's dimensions. The mission ends when we return. Keep your guard up and be as stealthy as mice, not as noisy as elephants—I'm talking about you, Nakajima!"
The samurai laughed, but the laughter was short-lived. They all had determined looks on their faces.
"
Let's see what we're dealing with, and then we'll use the information to attack in three days. Gentlemen! Warriors! Brothers! Let's find the wolves' den, and in three days, we will kill them in their lair!"
The men shouted with force, creating a truly invigorating atmosphere. In a matter of seconds, they all mounted their horses, following Genichiro out of the camp. The huge samurai rode an even larger horse if it could still be called that—a warhorse the size of a rhinoceros, armored in the same color as Genichiro's armor.
The plains were dark, even with one moon providing some light. Alexander rode with a certain ease, following the samurai who showed no sign of concern—true warriors, trained and prepared for situations like this.
They rode for nearly an hour, following the moonlight like a shadow running. Alexander carefully observed his surroundings.
"System, open the map," the red-eyed elf whispered.
The system's window appeared.
A green dot moving with several blue dots around it, the samurai accompanying him. Looking at the compass in the corner of the map, he saw they were heading northeast, passing through some small woods but following a nearly straight path.
Northeast… We're almost thirty kilometers from the camp. It's a very open area with few places to hide twenty thousand men. If we're going to make a surprise attack, we have to be direct. A march of thirty kilometers will surely draw attention, but I don't think they'll be able to react in time.
After a few minutes, the horses stopped. They gathered once again but seemed to surround two samurai.
"Takayama, Yamaoka, now," Genichiro ordered.
The two samurai clasped their hands in prayer, their eyes closed as if they were truly praying. Their auras revealed themselves, yellow flames intensely covering their bodies.
"In the dead of night, by the light of the moon, protect me with your veil, allow me to conceal myself," the two samurai chanted together, like a true incantation.
Alexander felt a chill in his stomach and looked down immediately.His hand was disappearing, turning invisible. This startled him for a moment, but he looked more closely—his hand hadn't disappeared but had become translucent. If he focused a bit, he could see the outline of his fingers. Looking at the rest of the samurai, they also became translucent. With so many gathered, their shapes could be seen contrasting against the darkness.
"Now we'll split into two. We're thirty, so fifteen will go with me, and fifteen with Shinzaemon. Let's go!"The group of samurai split naturally and headed in opposite directions. Alexander hesitated for a moment but followed Genichiro's group. After riding for a few more minutes, he finally saw it. Approaching on the horizon were several tents and torch lights—a camp.
We finally found it…
He couldn't see clearly, but one of the samurai seemed to pull something from a pouch at his waist—a notebook and a pencil, though it looked like a brush due to its somewhat strange shape.
Alexander looked at the vastness of the tents, a truly enormous camp.
"How many do you think there are?" one of the samurai asked.
"At least thirty thousand," Genichiro replied.
He approached slowly, some samurai staying behind, probably to keep watch. Alexander followed him, looking at the immense structure at the center of the camp.
"So the rumors were true, they are building a fortress," he said.
"If they're building a fortress, some of those tents must be for workers, but we can't rule out that they also fight on the battlefield," Genichiro replied, approaching.
Alexander strained his eyes; the darkness wasn't a big problem, as he could see the details of that dark landscape.
"I see horses, iron steeds like yours."
"What? You can see in this darkness?"
"I can, and I can tell they haven't finished building the fortress yet, at least part of it."
The samurai with the notebook approached.
"What do you see, young man?" Genichiro asked.
"The walls on the eastern side are still incomplete, with scaffolding all around. The upper part of the castle isn't finished either. There's no way they can fortify this in time if we attack in three days."
"Don't be so hasty; they may have earth mages like we do. They might not finish the fortress, but they can certainly alter the terrain to our disadvantage—natural barriers, trenches, all sorts of things are possible when you have creative and powerful earth mages."
"I understand, when we attack, things might be different."
"Always expect the worst."
Alexander moved closer, still straining his vision.
"They've set up watchtowers scattered around; made of wood. At least eight."
The samurai with the notebook came closer.
"Point out where they are."
They observed the camp for a considerable time, noting every detail and identifying every inch of that place. Alexander observed and reported what he saw—investing in senses was an advantage. Genichiro seemed somewhat apprehensive, seeing the number of tents, and with the darkness of the night, it was impossible to know their numbers precisely.
"Let's head back," he ordered.
The samurai exchanged glances, then began to move, riding in uniform movements. Alexander followed them immediately, a few meters behind but still within sight of each other.
"Send the signal," Genichiro ordered.
One of the samurai pulled something that looked like a whistle from his small pouch. He blew it, and for a moment, Alexander had to cover his ears—an incredibly high-pitched sound resembling a bird's call.
They rode on, unconcerned about the group that had split from them, following the direction they had come from, back towards the camp. Alexander heard galloping approaching; he looked back and saw the translucent silhouettes of men riding horses.
"The second group caught up with us!" he shouted, alerting the samurai ahead of him.
They returned to the camp, the camouflage spell dissipating instantly. The samurai dismounted quickly and headed to the command tents. Alexander dismounted, handing the reins to a nearby soldier, feeling a shiver run through his body. He looked back immediately and saw the three noble boys who had tormented him in Urazaki.
I guess it's worth playing around a bit…
He smiled at the three. They turned their faces away irritably at once.
Now we just have to wait for the battle… Hmm, this strange feeling in my stomach… Could it be anxiety? It must be the anticipation of the battle.
Two days passed, and the strategy changed.
The army marched towards the fortress, moving in formations and divided by squadrons. Alexander marched, paying attention to the surroundings, and looking at the faces of the army that accompanied him. Perhaps Lord Genichiro hadn't been entirely truthful in his words, looking at some faces that didn't know how to hold a spear or sword.
He could hear shouts ahead of the march—orders being given to soldiers. He raised his head and saw the division commander, Shigenori, starting to shout.
"Positions! Get into attack positions!"
On the horizon, the landscape looked different from what he had seen two days earlier. The ground was sloped to the enemy's total advantage—a terrain that wasn't there before. Above the slope, the enemy's rows were visible, patiently waiting.
Oh, what a marvel…