[…Accordingly, move to the designated location by the specified date and time. It is necessary to divert the enemy's attention as much as possible and divide their forces…]
[…The outcome of this war will be determined by the success of the northern front…]
The content of the order sent by the Crown Prince Zeraitz along with reinforcements was quite simple when summarized.
Create as much chaos as possible on the northern front.
And occupy the designated point by the operation's deadline.
Of course, it goes without saying that this was not an easy operation at all.
Even operating troops on the northern front, far from the main camp, was an exhausting task.
On top of that, the location they were targeting was not far from the Castle of Silence, the main stronghold of the Wynz Border Province. It was going to be a more difficult mission than anticipated.
However, Elric initiated the advance.
The Star's Legion didn't bother protesting about it.
By now, their trust in Elric had reached unparalleled heights.
Thus, the next attack was launched.
The target was Barracks 19.
***
"They sure fight well, I must admit."
Elric chuckled while looking at the burning enemy barracks.
It was because the power of the reinforcements had exceeded his expectations.
He already knew the level of the knights from the Weyl Family, brought by Herman, but the Black Skull mercenaries, brought by Sailor, also showed extraordinary performance.
"Get in deep, loot the command post, and get out, understand?"
"Don't waste time chasing down fleeing enemies!"
"Over there! Catch that guy!"
Black Skull, being a mercenary group, specialized in chaotic combat rather than organized warfare.
Their fighting style was completely different from other units.
While the Star's Legion and Herman's knights, under Isabelle's leadership, meticulously broke down and isolated the enemy for strategic assaults, Black Skull mercenaries, without any command structure, plunged directly into the enemy ranks the moment battle commenced, recklessly swinging their blades.
For any average squad, this kind of wild fighting would undoubtedly result in severe casualties.
Yet, somehow, they sustained little to no damage, likely due to their individual combat skills.
It was like watching wolves tear through a flock of sheep.
The funny part was that, despite the chaotic fighting, they maintained constant communication amongst themselves.
They exchanged hand signals, discussing who the commander was, how to approach and assassinate him, and how to secure their retreat route.
Then, soon enough—
Thwack!
The commander's head flew into the air.
While some members intentionally distracted the command post, the assassin succeeded in eliminating the commander.
Whoosh!
A fountain of blood erupted.
Standing beneath it was Heize, gripping a grim sledgehammer.
'My elder sister… She's still terrifying,' Elric thought, smiling bitterly. He couldn't deny that he bore the most responsibility for her ending up in the mercenary world.
"Those guys…"
"I really like them."
"Should I ask them for a spar later?"
Meanwhile, Blue Hawks couldn't hide their competitive spirit while watching Black Skull's exploits.
Though they had been running around energetically themselves, as a formal knightly order, they couldn't fight as recklessly as the mercenaries.
At that moment, the leader of Black Skull glanced in the direction of Blue Hawks.
"Hmph."
With a smirk, he dove back into the battlefield.
A clear mockery.
For a brief moment, silence fell among the Blue Hawks.
"…."
"…."
"…What was that just now?"
"I didn't imagine that, right?"
"No, you didn't. He definitely mocked us."
"Those scum, they're dead!"
Naturally, the Blue Hawks were not the kind to back down from a challenge.
Leaving the other knights to manage the aftermath, the Blue Hawks too plunged deeper into enemy lines, slashing and stabbing wildly.
In response, Black Skull fought even harder.
"Come on! The Blue Hawks are running around like mad foals with their tails on fire! Let's hurry up and show them who the real lions are!"
Uwooo!
As if competing to see who was stronger, the battle quickly tipped in favor of the Star's Legion.
Elric took in the rapidly changing battle situation.
His Mind's Eye was wide open.
'The swordsmanship of the Gray Lion is… chaotic.'
As Elric continued to learn from
This battlefield was the perfect place to collect more data on such combat techniques.
The Gray Lion was also an excellent swordsman, to the point that even the Golden Lion had acknowledged him as a vassal.
His "children," the warriors he had trained during his travels, displayed consistent patterns in their combat styles.
Perhaps this was the essence of the Gray Lion's swordsmanship, the
Though Elric described it as chaotic, that didn't mean the technique was disorganized.
On the contrary.
The countless variables embedded in the pattern made it incredibly adaptable, providing timely responses to any situation.
Thanks to this.
Elric felt his understanding of the Body Strengthening Art techniques, particularly the 'Chaotic' and 'Unpredictable' aspects, deepening.
However…
Hmm!
Elric suddenly noticed that someone was watching him from afar.
It was none other than Sailor Holmes, the Gray Lion himself, observing him with interest.
Elric momentarily flinched.
In a way, he had just copied Sailor's swordsmanship.
But there was no proof, so Elric decided to brazen it out.
Sailor, noticing Elric's hesitation, smirked as if he found something amusing.
He mouthed something.
But due to the distance and the noisy surroundings, Elric couldn't make out the words.
Though he had a feeling he knew what was said.
Don't steal too much. What will you do if this old man runs out of tricks?
『That old man… Definitely more like a sly fox than a lion. Your master was at least straightforward, but he… he must have earned his title not for swordsmanship but for his cunning.』
Mephistopheles' comment made Elric smile wryly.
***
After the battle ended.
While the troops were binding prisoners and collecting loot, Elric frowned slightly.
"…This is going too smoothly."
Elric furrowed his brows.
"I agree."
Isabelle, too, looked troubled.
Herman, however, couldn't understand their concerns.
"What's the problem? Aren't things going well?"
Since the reinforcements joined, the Star's Legion had advanced without a hitch.
With their increased strength, they no longer needed to worry about retreating even after victories like before.
They had already managed to occupy about 60% of the northern regions of Wynz Border Province.
To Herman, everything seemed perfect.
He just wanted the war to end soon so he could return home. The war, entangled in the complex web of imperial family and noble interests, was exhausting him.
However—
"That's exactly the problem."
"Hm?"
"Sounds like you're discussing something interesting. Mind if this old man joins?"
Herman was still confused, but Sailor interrupted, inserting himself into the conversation.
Elric, though startled at first, decided to remain composed, acting as if nothing was wrong.
Sailor smiled knowingly, then asked,
"Go ahead, continue. It seems like something's bothering you."
Elric nodded and spoke,
"Their resistance in recent battles has been too weak. It feels like they have no will to fight."
For a moment, both Herman and Sailor exchanged sharp glances.
"What do you mean?"
"It's a deception," Sailor said, stroking his chin.
"In these situations, it's usually one of two things: Either they're trying to lull us into a trap, or they're stalling us to withdraw their main forces elsewhere."
If it were the former, they needed to be prepared. If it were the latter, they needed to pick up speed.
Sailor seemed to be leaning toward the latter.
It wouldn't be surprising if the Red Lion Army was withdrawing their forces to the center, leaving the chaotic northern front unattended.
However—
Elric calmly shook his head.
"No. There's one more possibility."
"Hm?"
"It could be both."
"What?"
As Sailor asked for clarification—
"Lord!"
Brian urgently galloped toward them.
All eyes turned to him.
"You need to come with me at once."
His voice was solemn.
Elric instinctively realized something had gone wrong and followed Brian toward the storage area at the rear of the barracks.
There… stood many half-naked people.
They all had gaunt physiques, as if they hadn't eaten properly. Their bodies were also covered in mud.
However, the most striking thing about them was that their appearance differed greatly from that of the typical imperial citizens.
Feathers adorned the bands on their heads, their clothing was made of woven hemp that left much of their arms and legs exposed, and their skin was a darker hue.
"Who are these people?"
Herman tilted his head in confusion. Before Brian could answer, Sailor stepped in.
"They are the Borfur."
"The Bor… what?"
"Borfur. In their language, it means 'the lively ones.' They are people from the eastern borders who live by hunting in the forest zones."
"Are they barbarians?"
"Don't say that so carelessly. They understand enough of our language to be offended. Other than not being under the Empire's rule, they're no different from us."
For once, Sailor dropped his usual playful demeanor and cautiously approached the Borfur.
Herman shook his head.
To the imperial citizens, the image of barbarians was terrible, even worse than that of the Revolutionary Army, which constantly shouted about republicanism and rebellion against the Empire.
While the other factions at least enjoyed the benefits of civilization, the barbarians were thought to pursue only war, superstition, and base instincts.
In particular, their rumored practice of cannibalism was horrifying.
Though Herman often spoke of justice and chivalry, that was only within the context of imperial citizens, and his limited worldview had never expanded beyond that.
Barbarians were seen as madmen driven by violence and bloodlust.
Those who threatened the Empire's very existence, akin to the demons of the eastern borderlands.
That was the popular perception of barbarians.
But—
Sailor showed no signs of such prejudice.
"Doomkat."
In fact, he approached them, speaking a language unknown to most.
For a moment, the barbarians glared at Sailor with suspicion, but when they heard their own language, their eyes widened in surprise.
"Ashimara-pum. Doomchai?"
His pronunciation and grammar were almost flawless, something only someone who had lived among the Borfur for years could manage.
"Doomkat" was a greeting, and the follow-up meant, "What are you doing here?"
Although the Borfur hesitated to respond at first, Sailor's persistence eventually broke the ice, and they began to converse little by little.
As the conversation dragged on, however, Sailor's expression grew increasingly grim.
"Hape."
"Hape."
After bidding them farewell, Sailor turned toward Elric.
Herman asked gravely,
"Why are these Borfur here? Have they joined forces with the Red Lion Army?"
"It's something similar."
"Similar? What do you mean?"
"They're hostages."
Sailor furrowed his brow.
"It's as the head of the Melvinger family warned us. We've fallen into a trap."
At that very moment—
Waaaah!
Suddenly, the mountains surrounding the Star's Legion lit up with torches, and an enormous echo resounded across the area.
[T/L: You can read ahead chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]