Chapter 247: The Battle on the Cliff
[Your plan worked splendidly, didn’t it?]
Standing beside me as I sat down, the Cerberus Roa said.
Her left and right heads are staring at me.
[Pigii.]
Hearing his voice, I glanced up and saw Pigimaru on Roa’s back.
The messenger’s equipment wasn’t able to hide him well.
Thus, I had him work with the other monsters.
He was surprisingly active in the battle against the 10th Cavalry earlier, cooperating with the other monsters.
[According to the information Mikhail gave up, the relationship between Alion’s Thirteen Cavalries…… isn’t really good. If that’s the case…… there shouldn’t be many people who would know every single soldier. That’s why this kind of strategy could work.]
It wouldn’t work for those who know each and every member of a group by face..
For example, people like Seras.
[U- Ummm…… Would you mind keeping still?]
[Eh? Ahh, my bad.]
At my side, a Centaur was wiping away the blood and dirt on my body.
Blood that has dried up or faded over time would look suspicious.
Thus, the newer the stain, the better.
Thinking about this, I looked at the 10th Cavalry’s equipment set nearby.
[The 10th Cavalry’s equipment has been secured.]
[Are we going to destroy the other cavalries with this strategy?]
[Well, I hope we can get rid of all of them this way.]
If the enemy has members of around this size, it will be effective.
If it works, I will be able to use the same technique over and over again.
However, I’m not so naive as to think that this would work on every unit.
This is especially difficult depending on the number of enemies.
In a large-scale war, there is a limit to what one person can do.
The key to success in a large-scale war would still be “numbers”.
[Doris-dono’s way of fighting is much dirtier than I thought.]
[There’s no way you can call a slaughter beautiful after all. Well, I at least think that the way I fight is like that. If I don’t feel like doing something myself, I will do anything to quickly finish it.]
[Umu, I don’t think it’s something we’re good at.]
[From my perspective though, if it’s pure combat ability, you’re pretty good.]
Cerberus.
A huge claw with sharp edges.
A great body strike as impactful as hammers.
Bites with her thick fangs.
Moreover, she even breathes fire.
Around the end of the skirmish, the 10th Cavalry already started escaping.
However, Roa possesses a speed that managed to chase after them.
She also managed to finish all of them off.
[You’re also very nimble. It’s no wonder you’re in charge of organizing the monsters.]
[And you’re very good at giving compliments.]
Roa’s tails were swaying side to side.
Is she feeling embarra.s.sed?
From what I feel……
I guess she’s not as used to being praised as I had thought.
Even her left and right head looked a little embarra.s.sed.
[……The Dragon Light Army, as well as the monsters here, are fighting better than I expected.]
[The people here are the elite of the monsters who have been trained in combat. They are more suited for battle than the ones we left inside the country.]
[…………………..]
In my original world’s games, these monsters would have been set as enemies.
Even in this world, all the Golden-eyed monsters I’ve met thus far have been our enemies.
The only monsters I could call friends would be Pigimaru and Slei.
But now, the monsters of the Faraway Country are fighting on my side.
[However, the movements of this battle is also largely thanks to Se…… Koudelka-dono.]
She almost called her Seras.
I guess it will be difficult to distinguish names until they get used to them.
[Well, yeah.]
So far, the whole operation wasn’t bad.
Seras’ proper deployments and commands are satisfying.
As expected of a former Holy Knight Leader.
I don’t think this would be something I’m capable of.
How should I say this————- It’s as if her commands were smooth.
[Reporting!]
A messenger has arrived.
The messengers of our side are Demi-Humans.
Thus, there’s no need for us to worry about them disguising as messengers just like I did.
[Left flank! They’re still far in a distance, but we’ve confirmed more enemy movements!]
[They sure arrived fast.]
Were the enemies gathering on the left flank?
Or perhaps, was it a diversion to make us think that they’re doing that?
[What about the Central area where Gio and the others are?]
[They still didn’t find any signs of the enemy. Currently, they are still waiting in that area……]
Hearing what the messenger said, I looked towards Roa.
The Cerberus shook her head in response.
[No enemies have been sighted in the vicinity so far either.]
Earlier, I had secured one of the 10th Cavalry’s people as a prisoner.
He was already close to dying.
However, I made him give up on the condition that I would give him an easy death.
I didn’t really get that much useful information but……
Anyway, based on the information we have now———-
[Each of Alion’s Thirteen Cavalries doesn’t know much about the overall layout or the movements of the other cavalry units———— and each cavalry unit is basically acting on its own initiative.]
In other words, they don’t have anyone who holds overall control.
On the other hand though, this also somewhat makes the situation difficult.
It would be difficult to predict their overall movement.
Standing up from the ground, I spoke to the messenger.
[I’m going to the left flank where Niko and the others are. Get a horse ready———— Let’s go, Pigimaru.]
[Pigiii! Poyoon!]
Heeding my call, Pigimaru jumped down from Roa and bounced on my shoulder.
[Pinyuii~~♪]
“This place really is the best~~♪”
—–or so it sounded to me.
At that moment, Roa spoke.
[What should we do after this?]
[Retreat for a while and stay on alert at the aforementioned area…… If enemy comes, watch the situation and fight back————- For the time being, that should do.]
Telling this to Roa, I then looked to the messenger.
[Tell the main camp about my movements too. However, if Koudelka comes up with another plan, go follow her instead.]
[Hahh!]
Giving me one final salute, the messenger returned back to the main camp.
[……Smartphones would have been great in wars like this.]
[Smartphones? What’s that?]
[It’s a long-distance communication tool. We couldn’t contact each other in this world though.]
No, we can’t even charge it.
[That sounds more useful than a sound ball. It would have been rea.s.suring to have one of those……]
[On the other hand, that also means the enemy also lack the means to obtain real-time information on the entire battlefield. They can’t even take pictures or videos.]
Well……
I guess you could say that this is the perfect environment for someone like me to work in.
[…………..Kuh.]
A dragonewt glanced at the cliff behind him.
With a nervous look on his face, the dragonewt gulped.
[So this is finally it.]
[We’ve finally cornered you, Demi-Humans.]
The 12th Cavalry had caught up with the Dragonewt soldiers up atop a cliff.
Behind the Dragonewts were the cliff itself.
One wrong step and they will go straight to the bottom……
In front of the Dragonewts, the cavalry stood firm.
Behind them is a cliff.
In front of them is the 12th Cavalry.
There was no escape for the Demi-Humans.
[Fho fho fho, well, you’ve done well even as you’re faced against us. That first momentum of yours…… it may have gained you victory against the Fourth, but don’t think that we’re the same as the Fourth.]
[Right you are, Dear.]
[That captain of the other side, that Demi-Human leading the charge, acting as a shield for others. The other Demi-Humans…… call her Niko-sama, right?]
The old, white-haired man———- the captain Ars Dmitri narrowed his eyes.
Lining up her horse beside him is his deputy, Gretchen Dmitri.
The deputy is an old woman, but she’s largely built, and except for her face, she doesn’t look like a woman her age.
Gretchen always has a serene smile on her face.
Both of them are already 74 years old.
However, their bodies are strong.
Their backs aren’t hunched at all.
They are often told that they look young for their age.
Also, all of the soldiers they lead are also old enough to be called old.
The 12th Cavalry, led by Ars, also known as the “Absorption Cavalry”.
[Those Dragonewts look young too…… Even if they’re Demi-Humans, it really feels irresistible to kill the youngsters.]
[That’s true, Dear.]
[Seeing the youngsters suffer makes me feel young again.]
[However, the youngsters these days have no patience. When I just tease them, they would immediately want to quit…… They must have been spoiled their whole lives. They’re brats that make light of how the world works.]
[They don’t have enough respect for their elders. Vysis-sama, who has lived longer than anyone else, is the greatest in the world, so it is obviously whoever lives the longest that is the greatest.]
[Yes, yes. However, if we kill those youngsters…… It would really, really be……]
Gretchen lowered her head.
Thereupon, as if she was praying, she began rubbing her hands together.
[Doing that rejuvenates me too…… and that’s why I love the battlefield, where no one complains even if I kill. This truly is something I’m thankful for.]
[Ohh. When I kill these youngsters, I feel their dissipating life flows into me…… and the younger they are, the more alive I feel……]
[Especially babies, well, they make me feel three years younger…… Will there be many babies in their country when we get there?]
[That is indeed something we need to make sure of!]
Raising his voice, Ars vigorously dismounted his horse.
As he drew his sword, the other soldiers also dismounted and drew their own swords.
The cavalry clearly outnumbers the Dragonewts.
[With their back to the cliff, we certainly couldn’t charge at them with our horses. The plan to use the cliff as a backdrop to destroy the cavalry’s advantage indeed worked…… but haven’t you ever thought that you misjudged us? This old man is strong enough even when dismounted.]
[I guess it’s easier to kill them with a bow. But if we shoot them dead…… Right?]
[We wouldn’t feel ourselves absorbing their life force. The closer we kill them, the more youth I feel I’m absorbing.]
[However…… It’s a bit of an uphill climb we’re making, Dear.]
[Well, it might be hard on the soldiers with bad backs. We’ll be fine though.]
The dragonewt named Niko lowered her body and readied her stance.
Holding a large sword as long as her stature, she lightly prepared.
[Houu. That’s pretty impressive.]
[That dragon woman would do…… Dear, you and I will kill that one.]
[Guess you’re right…… That might be a little dangerous for me to kill alone. Stay alert, Dear.]
[As for the others…… Our numbers should be able to easily overwhelm them. They don’t seem to have much experience in fighting.]
[That doesn’t matter.]
“Kaka~” Ars guffawed.
His smile turning sinister, his eyes steadied on Dragonewts.
[All of them will be killed here, no questions asked.]
Ars and the others started running at a brisk pace.
A group of powerful old soldiers were closing in on Niko and the others.
And then———-
Ars stopped in his tracks.
[ ! ? ]
The other old soldiers also stopped in their tracks.
[What is this……?]
The Dragonewts that should have been trapped on the cliff.
From behind them———–
More Dragonewts suddenly appeared.
In addition, monsters appeared one after another.
Their number seemed to be three times the number of those who were on the cliff.
[Did the climb up…… from the bottom of the cliff? But how could such a large number of them appear all at once———-]
Yes.
If they had climbed up the cliff, there was no way they could have appeared in such numbers all at once.
[No…… Wait……]
They are still increasing.
With their rate of increase, there’s no way that they could’ve climbed up a steep cliff.
[What in the world is happening……!?]
[D- Dear……]
What’s behind them isn’t exactly a cliff.
Behind Niko and the others, there was a “gentle slope”.
But from the eyes of the enemy cavalry, it looked like a “cliff” from an angle.
Moreover, there was NIko’s performance.
She was at the edge of the cliff.
The glance she did earlier was an act, to make them think like she’s looking down into the depths of the cliff.
This made the enemy think that there was a cliff behind her.
But in reality, it was just a “gentle slope”.
If they were to lie on their belly on the slope, the enemy would not be able to see them because of the angle.
The rocky terrain around here isn’t a good place to hide.
That’s why, the enemy didn’t suspect the presence of ambushers.
They didn’t expect to see any ambushes in this terrain.
And consequently———— They were easily lured in.
(The terrain chosen by Fly King…… and how to fight to make the most of this terrain…… the acting needed to make it true…… it’s so satisfyingly beautiful.)
One of the strengths of cavalry is their “a.s.sault”.
This is especially effective against infantries.
With this in mind, how do they prevent this?
If the enemy is behind a “deep cliff”, cavalry couldn’t afford to charge, lest they risk falling down the cliff.
This place also isn’t suitable for cavalries in the sense that the width of the foothold is reduced.
In that case……
They would either dismount and fight, shoot arrows at them, or use offensive magic at them.
Niko had visually confirmed that there were no archers among the enemy.
When they engaged them earlier, she didn’t feel any hint of them using offensive magic.
But even without bows and arrows, this cavalry was strong.
(They were even much stronger than the 4th Cavalry we had just faced.)
If the enemy was that strong, they wouldn’t be able to make up the difference between infantry and cavalry.
That’s what Niko decided.
So, Niko decided to use the terrain just as she had been taught earlier.
She used the strategy that Fly King had given her.
And so———– She retreated under the guise of retreat and lured them to this place.
To this place where they left their ambush and reserve forces.
Niko raised a flag.
And then, from the other side of the slope, a lot of arrows were shot.
A rain of arrows.
[Put up the shields!]
The enemy captain ordered his soldiers to point their shields upwards.
However……
[Gyahh!]
Some of them were unable to protect themselves in time and were struck by arrows.
Niko brought strength to her legs.
[————-Let’s go, follow my lead.]
Niko burst forth.
The Dragonewt soldiers sprang up behind her and followed suit.
Seeing this, the old enemy captain clicked his tongue.
[Tsk! Some of the horses were spooked and started scattering! That includes my horse! This is the problem with young horses these days! They slacked on these horses’ training!]
The old woman shouted.
[Dear, there are more of them than we thought! Let’s call the youngsters of the Fourth that we left behind!]
[When we become older, I guess we really could only fight a few more times than the youngsters. If we want to replenish our numbers, even if we don’t want to, we’ll have to use the youngsters! Alright, go get them!]
The captain called out to send out a messenger.
Now, the ratio of numbers between the two forces is very close.
Taking away their advantage of “cavalry”, they then took the enemy by surprise by suddenly “outnumbering” them————
They’ve been successfully caught the enemy off guard.
[Press the attack before they get reinforcements! Go! Proud Dragon Warriors!]
Blasting forward, Niko slashed at the enemy captain.
Seeing her approach, the enemy captain caught her slash with his sword.
Klaaaang!
[You got weight, but got no technique———– Youngster!]
[Gunuu…… For someone old, to have this strength……!]
[Oh dear———-]
Fwoosh!
Niko barely twisted her body to avoid that strike.
However, the blade of the old woman’s scimitar faintly sliced through the flesh of her waist.
Seeing that she’s being attacked by two people, Dragonewt soldiers approached.
[Niko-sama! We’ll a.s.sist you!]
[Be careful! These two are quite strong! Don’t underestimate them for being old!]
Bringing strength into her arms, Niko swung her greatsword.
Blocking her strike, the enemy captain is flung away.
Not pursuing him further, she lunged towards the old woman.
[This greenhorn……! You’re wielding that big sword with such ease! It’s because of this unconscious boasting of your “youth”———– that I hate youngsters!]
[Oh my! For you to violently swing at an old man, what a truly dreadful youngster! Us more sensible elders must take responsibility and deal with you!]
[I’ve been listening to all your selfish talks———– but in every age and gender, there are good people and bad people. There are wise and foolish people. And you two…… are nothing but evil fools! And here, in this place…… I will cut you down!]
[Cut with the prattle, hateful brat!]
[How sickening! You have no respect for your elders! I’ll definitely behead this Demi-Human, Dear!]
[All of you! It’s a race against time from here! Before enemy reinforcements arrive, do whatever we can to bring them down……!]
As I was writing this, I was thinking that the sight of a Cerberus being on your side…… is somewhat rea.s.suring.
After the last update, I received one new review. Thank you very much.
Also, Volume 6 has been reprinted. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who purchased it. Thank you very much.
The next chapter update is scheduled for tomorrow (7/10), around 9:00 pm.