ACT 4
“A narrow path surrounded by mountains, huh? Easy terrain to defend and hard terrain to attack.”
Yuuto furrowed his brow as he looked to the mountains that towered to either side.
Ten days after departing eastward from the Holy Capital of Glaðsheimr, the Steel Clan Army was resting along the border that separated the Shield and Tiger Clans. It went without saying that borders weren’t clearly defined in this era, with the territory between two clans being only vaguely considered to belong to one or the other. Most often what ended up dividing territory between two clans were natural dividers such as mountains, rivers, and fortresses—objects that made crossing into the other territory difficult.
“Certainly, it is as you say, Your Majesty. There were several times we’d mobilized against the Shield Clan, but on most of those occasions we ended up just facing off in this spot, resulting in nothing more than a stalemate as we glared across at one another.”
Summoned to the command area by Yuuto, a compact man answered him as he knelt on one knee. The man’s name was Scirvir. He was the messenger that the Tiger Clan had sent to seek aid from the Steel Clan. They had fortuitously encountered him on their advance. He was shocked to learn that the Tiger Clan’s capital had already fallen, but driven by a desire for revenge, he had pleaded that his knowledge of the Tiger Clan’s territory would make him useful and had asked to accompany Yuuto.
“Yes, it’s easy to imagine why that would happen. The moment you get through the bottleneck, the enemy would be waiting to crush you on the other side.”
Scirvir nodded in agreement.
“That is the case, as you so wisely observe, Your Majesty.”
In large-scale combat, the side that could surround their opponent had an overwhelming advantage. It was no exaggeration to say that the party that managed to do so would almost certainly win the battle.
Since it was clear that the enemy had to use the narrow pass to advance into their territory, a faintly clever commander would know, even with Yggdrasil’s bronze-age knowledge, that all they’d need to do was to divide their army into two flanks and surround the enemy force as they emerged from the exit. With all that in mind, they’d quickly realize how foolish it would be to press through such a pass.
“It’s possible they’re not aware of this terrain since they just conquered this area, but no shame in double-checking before we go. Kris!”
“I’ve already sent someone to look. I believe they’ll return shortly.”
“You’re on top of everything as usual.”
Yuuto’s lips quirked into a grin at Kris’s ready answer.
“Mother, Your Majesty, I apologize for keeping you waiting.”
Soon after, a black-garbed man appeared in the staging area. His physique wasn’t that of a warrior. He was slender and willowy, a body type that emphasized agility, and he very much fit the mold of one of Kristina’s children. He was a man practically built for gathering information.
“Welcome back. Your report?”
“I found a force that appeared to be the Silk Clan’s army a short distance from the exit of this pass. The force totaled perhaps ten to twelve thousand.”
“Tch. As expected.”
Yuuto clicked his tongue sourly.
Given the enemy’s force was substantially smaller than previous reports had claimed, there was a high probability that they had several thousand troops lying in wait on either side, ready to flank them as they passed through. It would be far too dangerous to charge in without a plan.
“It would have been nice if we could have brought the wagon forts.”
He had already proven at the Battle of Vígríðr that a barricade made up of iron-armored wagons could withstand a flanking attack from an enemy force. However, because he had expected a long journey to the eastern coast of Jötunheimr during this campaign, it would have been difficult to bring those heavy wagons along with them. On top of that, they were also extremely useful as cover against the Flame Clan’s arquebuses, so, in the best interests of the defending force he had left back in the Holy Capital, he had no choice but to leave them behind.
“I’d like to know more detailed information about the terrain around here. Kris, can you take a look around and snap some pictures of the area?”
“Yes, of course.”
Kristina gestured to the black-garbed man with her chin, prompting the man to produce an object that had no business existing in this age. It was a digital camera with a telescopic lens that Yuuto had brought with him from the modern era. Checking the contents, Yuuto saw several pictures of a valley surrounded by mountains that appeared to have been taken from a high elevation.
“Damn, you really do work quickly!”
“I could hardly be considered first-rate if I only took action after being told to do so. It takes a first-rate individual to anticipate and finish the task before it’s given,” Kristina returned flatly with a cool expression.
Yuuto couldn’t help but admire her. Considering that she was fifteen by Yggdrasil’s reckoning, and only fourteen by modern methods of counting ages, she was a terrifyingly capable young woman.
“They’ve stopped, mm? If they’d just charged in, We could have destroyed them.”
On the other side of the mountain pass, the Silk Clan Þrymr Utgarda, like Yuuto, clicked her tongue in irritation. She had already assigned five thousand troops to take up positions in the mountains on either side of the pass, and she had been prepared to annihilate the Steel Clan Army if they had just blundered into the valley. However, annoyed though she may have been, Utgarda soon twisted her lips into an amused smile.
“Heh. Very well, then. It would be disappointing if We had so easily dealt with the infamous ‘god of war,’ after all.”
Utgarda had made numerous preparations in anticipation of this day. She also had her superb new invention. It would have been anticlimactic if it all ended before she could unveil her grand machinations.
“The normal thing to do here would be to wait to see how the enemy moves, but that’s a bit too dull.”
Utgarda debated with herself as she fanned herself with a fan made of bird feathers. She hated boredom above all else. She had no intention of just sitting here in this wasteland for several days waiting for the enemy to make a move.
“Mm, well then. It’s a good time to make use of them.”
After a brief moment of thought, Utgarda nodded to herself.
It was natural for someone to want to play with their newly acquired toys. If her new toys worked out well, it could end this whole matter with immediate effect. The shorter her boredom, the better.
“Time to see what this so-called war god has to offer!”
“You all ready?” Þjazi asked, turning to face the soldiers behind him.
He had once been the Leader of Subordinates of the Tiger Clan, a warrior noted for his strength and ardor, but there was no sign of that man in him now. Þjazi’s face was gaunt, and his skin deathly pale. There was no light in his eyes—no life behind his gaze. He exuded the aura of a defeated and broken man.
The soldiers following him didn’t bother to answer him, staring at him with a cold look of hatred. But that, too, was only natural. They were soldiers that had once belonged to the Tiger Clan, the clan that Þjazi had brought down with his betrayal.
They were only here because they had no choice. They were slave soldiers that fought for the Silk Clan because Utgarda had taken their wives and children as hostages. It was completely understandable that they’d loathe Þjazi—he was the root cause of all of their misery.
“Her Majesty the Þrymr has commanded that we fight. We will now charge at the Steel Clan Army in front of us.”
Again, none of them bothered to answer.
There were probably others who could have led this unit. Þjazi knew Utgarda took sadistic glee in forcing him to lead these men. He couldn’t get the sound of the gleeful giggles that spilled from Utgarda’s lips when she had executed the leadership of the Tiger Clan out of his head. Þjazi felt a jet of red-hot anger in the pit of his stomach as he imagined her amused laughter at his predicament.
Maybe I should just charge her army with these men.
He couldn’t help but imagine how satisfying that would be.
However, there was simply too large a difference in numbers. The only outcome of that little act of rebellion would be that he and his men would be instantly crushed by the main body of the Silk Clan Army. Soon after, Utgarda would just slaughter every last Tiger Clan civilian she held hostage. There was no way that these soldiers would trust the lives of their families to a traitor like Þjazi, and it was far too late for him to redeem himself in their eyes. No doubt she had that in mind when she put him in charge of this unit.
“Damned viper.”
The memory of being swayed by the charms of such a terrible woman made him want to curse his past self for his foolish decisions. If he could turn back time, he would definitely correct that mistake, but reality didn’t allow for second chances. The only thing Þjazi could do now was to lead a suicidal charge against the Steel Clan in the hope that a brave death in battle would save the civilians that were being held hostage. He didn’t think that would come anywhere close to atoning for his sins, but there was no other choice left to him.
Claaang! Claang! Claang!
Yuuto jumped out of bed upon hearing the clamorous echo of gongs that indicated an enemy attack. Felicia, who had been sleeping naked next to him, also hopped out of bed and took a glance around the room.
There was no helping the excitement that came from one’s survival instincts kicking into high gear on the battlefield. It was simply human nature. That said, there was nothing to be gained by a general being in a constant state of nervous excitement. All it resulted in was rash judgments and intense feelings of anxiety. To maintain the level head needed to make calm and clear decisions, there was a need to bask in the warmth of another’s touch. Or so that was Yuuto’s excuse, at least.
“Father! Enemies coming from the front! They’re charging right at us!”
“Tch! I didn’t expect them to attack two days into the face-off.”
Yuuto calmly responded to Kristina’s report as he got dressed.
Leaving his tent, he saw that the sky was a dimly lit shade of blue. The sun was still hidden behind the eastern mountain, with just enough light spilling around the summit to know it was there. Given that Yuuto had expected the day to pass with the two armies testing the other’s reaction, it was somewhat unexpected to deal with an enemy attack so early. It was unexpected, but an important part of battlefield tactics involved catching the enemy unaware. Attacking at night or early morning was one of the most basic types of sneak attacks. Although young, Yuuto now had enough battlefield experience to remain calm even under these circumstances.
“Messenger!”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Upon hearing Yuuto’s summons, a mounted cavalry trooper immediately approached.
“Deliver a message to each unit. Prepare for battle! There’s no reason to rush, but make sure that they rouse their soldiers and encourage them even as they keep them calm! Order the arbalests to open fire on the enemy as soon as they’re ready!`”
Yuuto issued orders with a calm assurance. The commander’s mindset also influenced how those under him reacted. As they received Yuuto’s calm, precise orders, the soldiers who had been panicked by the sudden sneak attack all began to calm down.
“Fire!”
At the frontline commander’s order, countless arrows rained down upon the attacking Silk Clan forces. One after another, the soldiers at the front of their formation collapsed, but the enemy continued their advance. They let out a loud cry, holding their spears at the ready as they charged. As he listened to their battle cry, Yuuto furrowed his brow in thought.
“...There’s a note of despair in their cries.”
“Despair?”
“Yes, this is odd.”
Typically, soldiers on the battlefield carried a great deal of anxiety, fear, and a desire for life in their hearts. They would put a lid on those feelings through optimism that they could win, or through their resolve to defeat the enemy they faced. The moment they knew they couldn’t win a battle, that lid came off, often as a result of their fear, and they would flee out of a desire to survive.
There was a feeling of despair emanating from these men, however. It was despair brought about by the knowledge that they couldn’t run. They had no choice but to fight—their only option was to win. They had the air of soldiers who had to fight to the death.
“Hm... I can see that they’re all quite motivated, but honestly, I can’t hear what you hear in their voices, Big Brother...”
“Neither can I. Are you sure it’s not your imagination?”
“Huh?! You can’t?”
Yuuto reacted with shock as Felicia and Kristina tilted their heads quizzically at his observation. To him, the tone of despair in the enemy’s voices was clear as day.
“Mm, yes, I can see there’s a mixture of dim blue and a blackish-red mixed in with their emotions.”
The man who appeared after making that observation was Hveðrungr, the masked man. For this campaign, he was participating as the provost in charge of punishing those who broke military discipline, as well as filling in as a staff officer.
“B-Big Brother!”
“Big Sister... How many times must I tell you I’m your little brother?”
Hveðrungr shrugged his shoulders with a dry laugh.
“Y-Yes, of course.”
Felicia hurriedly recomposed herself. Hveðrungr’s true identity—that he was Loptr, former Second of the Wolf Clan—was a secret that had to be concealed at all costs.
Felicia cleared her throat.
“So, Hveðrungr, what are you referring to? The dim blue and the blackish-red, what do those mean?”
“What do they mean, you ask? I can only say that’s what it looks like. Well, to put it into other words, the black shade to their red means they’re not going to be easily swayed to another’s influence.”
“You’re making even less sense than you were before.”
“The dim blue refers to sadness or despair. The blackish red is rage and hatred, I think?”
“Mm, yes, that’s what it feels like,” Hveðrungr said as he nodded his agreement with Yuuto’s explanation.
“...I’m surprised you were able to understand such nebulously emotional terms,” Kristina said with a clear look of distaste. As a pragmatist, she didn’t particularly like that sort of ambiguity.
“Mm? I was just describing what I felt.”
“Could that be an ability imparted by the twin runes given to you by Lady Sigrdrífa?” Kristina asked, gazing intently at Yuuto.
Yuuto shrugged with a dry laugh.
“It’s nothing like that. Listen, can’t you hear a person’s emotions in their tone?”
“Well, yes, at least vaguely. Like when they’re angry or sad.”
“That’s what it is. I saw a lot before I became patriarch. I’ve been really careful to observe people’s emotions. I guess that experience makes it a little easier for me to pick out those emotions in people’s voices,” Yuuto said with a dismissive laugh, but it wasn’t as simple as he made it seem.
Desperate situations often sharply increased a person’s abilities. Even though Yuuto himself was hardly aware of it, the fact that he had interacted with many people and carefully observed their feelings and reactions meant that he had unknowingly accumulated a great deal of experience in that particular skill, creating an enormous database of knowledge in his brain.
“See, when people try to hide their emotions, they do a pretty good job of masking their expressions, but they’re not always able to do the same with their voices. I can tell when they’re trying to disguise their feelings with their tone. It’s a useful thing to be able to do when negotiating.”
“I see. I’ll try to pay closer attention in the future, in that case.”
“Yep, good idea. It’s a good way to tell whether someone’s telling the truth or lying.”
Yuuto’s lips twisted up into a confident smile. He had constantly been paying attention to the emotions people expressed in their voices. He couldn’t see people’s emotions through innate talent like Hveðrungr. However, the experience that he had accumulated through hard work could, with enough effort, work better than any innate talent.
Innate talent often relies on intuition. For many people, intuition often results in minor mistakes. People who can intuitively do things, because they’re used to successfully doing something, don’t tend to realize that they’re making those mistakes, and since they can intuitively do something, they don’t think too deeply about what they’re doing or how to do it better. Because of that, those with innate talents often stop short of their true potential once they’ve passed a certain point.
Because Yuuto’s ability was built upon countless hours of repetition and accumulated experience, it was more precise than Hveðrungr’s innate ability, and the vast database of knowledge he’d built up allowed him to more precisely read an opponent’s emotions.
“Enemy approaching! The arbalest units have completed their deployment to the wings.”
“That said, this isn’t the time to be worrying about the enemy’s feelings.”
Upon hearing the messenger’s report, Yuuto’s smile turned self-deprecating. A commander needed to have all sorts of sensors deployed on the battlefield to pick up any useful bit of information. The fact that he’d been caught off guard by Nobunaga’s secondary force at the Battle of Glaðsheimr was still fresh on his mind. He had sworn to himself that he wouldn’t ignore even the faintest of hunches that something was off ever again.
At the moment, however, he was required to make his decisions quickly.
Yuuto swept his arm forward.
“Phalanxes, charge!”
“Gah!”
“M-My shield shattere— Ah?!”
“Guh!”
“Ngh!”
“Aeri...th... I’m sorry...”
One by one, the Tiger Clan’s slave soldiers fell.
The Steel Clan’s attack could only be described as overwhelming. Their arrows had incredible power behind them, and because they were tipped with iron arrowheads, they easily punched through the men’s wooden shields and leather armor. If a Tiger Clan soldier somehow managed to avoid those arrows and make it close enough to the Steel Clan forces, they then found themselves faced with a forest of impossibly long spear points bearing down upon them. The spears also had iron points, so the Tiger Clan soldiers’ shields were easily pierced and shattered, leaving the soldiers without a defense. Even once they forced their way past the dense array of spears and got into their melee range, their spears and swords quickly shattered against the enemy’s shields.
“What exactly are we supposed to do against this?!”
Despair had drained all the color from Þjazi’s face.
Although the Tiger Clan soldiers were fighting with an unshakable resolve—since they were fighting desperately for the sake of their families that were being held hostage—they had yet to take down a single enemy of their own. This battle was a one-sided massacre. Perhaps if their equipment was made of iron like the Silk Clan’s line soldiers, they might have had some way of putting up a fight, but of course, such precious weapons weren’t given to soldiers from freshly conquered territory. After all, there was no way to guarantee their loyalty.
“Grr... If things stay this way, then...!”
Þjazi’s expression tensed as the panic welled up in his chest. His forces were holding for the moment with sheer force of will, but that wasn’t going to last much longer. The enemy’s sheer dominance would soon force them to break. Once the enemy controlled the momentum of the battle, it wouldn’t matter how hard his individual soldiers fought—they wouldn’t be able to change the outcome.
“I’m the only one who can turn this tide!”
Þjazi drew his sword and waded into the Steel Clan’s front line. He turned his body to the side to avoid the hail of spear points reaching out for him and slid his body between the spears. Next, he struck with the sword in his hand, taking off the head of the soldier in front of him. Even with his reputation in ruins, he was still a highly-skilled fighter, a man who had been one of the most powerful Einherjar in the Tiger Clan.
“Yah!”
The soldier in the row behind immediately readied his spear and thrust it at Þjazi. He tried to dodge the spear point by leaping to the side, but the haft of the spear of the soldier to his side blocked his way.
“Tch!”
Though Þjazi was able to somehow block the attack with his spear, another Steel Clan soldier immediately followed up with a thrust of his own.
“Mrrph!”
Þjazi twisted his body to avoid the attack, but that was as far as he got.
“Grah!”
Realizing that he was stuck between two spears and unable to move, Þjazi began to panic. He tried to push the spears away from him through brute force, but the spear he tried to move was held in place by a second spear. Even an Einherjar had no way of responding to this situation. Aware that Þjazi was held in place by the entwined spears, the first soldier drew back his spear and thrust the point at him.
“Guh!”
With no way of avoiding the attack, the spear point punched into Þjazi’s flank. Blood sprayed out of the wound as the soldier withdrew the spear.
“Ugh... So this is the end...”
He fell to his knees before collapsing onto his face. With the loss of their commander, the Tiger Clan forces lost their cohesion. The resolve that they had maintained in their desperation was overwhelmed by the sheer despair of learning that they were completely outmatched. There were plenty among the ranks who, in their panic, chose their own lives over the lives of their families. One soldier fled, then another. With each soldier who threw down his arms and ran, the Steel Clan Army’s momentum grew until the tide had turned completely against the Tiger Clan forces.
“Big Brother, it appears the matter is settled! The enemy fought hard, but the momentum is ours! I believe the day is ours!”
“Yeah...”
Yuuto nodded skeptically at Felicia’s excited report.
True, there was something remarkable about the enemy’s resolve—they had an intensity that he could almost physically feel. These enemies had put up a better fight against the phalanxes than anyone they’d faced in the past. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. As his forces pushed back the enemy and advanced, he glanced over to one of the fallen enemy soldiers that he saw out of the corner of his eye. It was a sight he’d seen often in the last four years. And it was the realization that it was a familiar sight that triggered his epiphany.
“Ah! All units, halt immediately! It’s a trap! Stop! STOP!”
Yuuto hurriedly yelled out to his forces.
However, it wasn’t an easy matter to stop such a large mass of soldiers, especially when they were excited by their impending victory and were pushing forward to monopolize on it.
He had sent out mounted messengers several times, warning of harsh consequences if his orders weren’t followed, but it was only when they were about to step into the narrow pass that the Steel Clan Army’s advance finally stopped.
“Phew... Just in time.”
Yuuto wiped the sweat that had beaded on his brow with his arm.
“Big Brother, why did you think this was a trap? It didn’t look like they were trying to draw us out.”
With calm restored, Felicia took the opportunity to ask Yuuto why he had made the call he did.
“Yeah, it didn’t initially look like it... But these men were definitely sacrificial lambs meant to lure us out. Although the Silk Clan knows how to smelt iron, all of these soldiers were equipped with bronze weapons, and their armor and shields weren’t made of iron either. That’s not even mentioning the weird intensity of their resolve. They were probably Tiger Clan soldiers who were sent out after the Silk Clan took their families hostage.”
“I see. It certainly is a fairly typical strategy to send out the soldiers of a captured territory first.”
“Yeah. Their plan was probably to throw away this force by sending it against us, then ambush us with the main body of the Silk Clan Army when we pursued the broken force through the pass.”
“Ah! That’s exactly the same as the Fisher and Bandit strategy you used to draw out the Dólgþrasir, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, precisely. And clearly, the enemy understands how it’s supposed to work.”
The Fisher and Bandit Strategy involved drawing the enemy into an encirclement ambush after an initial clash with the enemy. What made the tactic difficult to execute was drawing out the enemy’s forces after the initial clash. A quick retreat made it obvious to the enemy that it was a trap meant to draw them out.
The key to successfully executing the tactic was making sure that the initial clash was intense enough to make the enemy believe that they were winning. However, that required engaging in a hard-fought, close-quarters battle with the enemy. The retreating forces would be physically tired, and, given how close they were to the enemy, it would be difficult for them to avoid the enemy’s pursuit.
As a solution to that problem, the Silk Clan had chosen to take a conquered army’s families hostage and conduct a suicide charge against their enemy. What made this tactic particularly effective was that the loss of those soldiers didn’t cost the Silk Clan anything. It was cruel, but Yuuto had to admit it was effective.
If Yuuto himself hadn’t noticed the small irregularities in the enemy army, or if he didn’t have previous knowledge of the Fisher and Bandit Strategy, he might very well have fallen into Utgarda’s trap.
“She’s pretty damned smart. Not only that, she’s clever and ruthless. She might turn out to be more difficult to deal with than even Bára or Brother Rungr.”
Yuuto couldn’t help but swallow the lump that had formed in his throat at the appearance of an unexpectedly challenging opponent.
Swish! Smack! Fwip! Crack!
“Gah!”
“Urgh!”
The whip cut through the air and lashed at the men’s backs. The sharp blows tore through their clothing and left painful red welts on their backs.
“Tsk. You cretins had the nerve to come running back here?”
As Utgarda cracked the whip with both hands, her lips slowly warped into an amused smile. Her actions made the men under her whip tremble. Were it simply the lash of the whip, they could have handled the pain. However, the combination of the intense pain inflicted by the whip and Utgarda’s demonstration of power and sadistic glee was too much to bear. They could only think about avoiding the agonizing lashes.
“P-Please forgive us, Your Majesty! W-We won’t ever run again!”
“Silence! The words of cowards who’ve already fled once are worthless!”
Swish! Crack!
“Gaaaah! Urgh... Ahhhh!”
As a particularly nasty lash landed upon a man, he screamed like a child. No one present thought that he was overreacting to the mere lash of a whip. The lashes delivered by a whip hurt much more than they appeared to. In the hands of a skilled wielder, the pain inflicted by a whip could easily kill its victim.
As would be expected, Utgarda wasn’t one to hold back in her lashes. She continued to crack her whip without pause.
“Phew. That was good exercise.”
Once she had inflicted enough pain on the men and enjoyed their expressions of suffering, Utgarda sat down in her chair to catch her breath. Sweat faintly beaded on her brow.
“Th-Thank the gods...”
The men had relaxed, relieved that their torment was over. They had been subjected to constant lashes by a powerful Einherjar. Their relief was understandable.
“Vizier. Find their families—all of them, including their kin—and execute them.”
“Wha?!”
That feeling of relief was short-lived. The color quickly drained from the men’s faces.
“Heh. The most entertaining expression of despair only comes when they’re thrown further into despair at the very moment they think they’ve been spared.”
The reaction of the men fulfilled her expectations, and Utgarda’s lips twisted into an evil grin. By contrast, the Silk Clan generals turned their faces away, unable to bear the sight. They couldn’t dismiss it as someone else’s problem. After all, it could very well be them in that position tomorrow. That said, the reality was that Utgarda’s unrelenting punishment of anyone who disobeyed her laid the foundation for the immense loyalty her subjects showed her. It also made sure they followed her orders to the letter.
“Well, that helped relieve some stress.”
Utgarda tossed her whip to her vizier and composed her expression.
The plan had worked almost exactly as Utgarda had intended for it to. The Tiger Clan soldiers had fought like demons but lost, and the Steel Clan Army had almost ridden their high and pursued them through the pass. However, the moment they had entered the pass, the Steel Clan Army had stopped in their tracks and returned to their original location. It appeared they had read her intentions.
“Still, even if they knew what We had intended to do, it shouldn’t have been that easy to stop their soldiers from advancing.”
Utgarda believed that battle was much like drinking. The longer a particular session lasted, the more drunk one got, and the more their judgment suffered as a result.
Commanders were one matter, but soldiers were easy enough to manipulate. Once drunk on the sweet taste of victory, they often left the control of their leaders and went berserk. Even if a commander saw through the trap, the soldiers under them wouldn’t stop as ordered and would fall victim to the resulting encirclement and die. That had been her plan, and it was an unexpected disappointment that the Steel Clan Army had stopped so quickly.
“Hrmph. Suppose that’s why he’s considered a god of war. He’s got his dogs well trained.”
“Based on what we’re hearing, it seems she’s quite a dangerous opponent... In more ways than one.”
Yuuto tiredly let out a dry laugh.
The sun had already set in the western sky, and the area had started to grow darker. They had just finished interrogating the Tiger Clan soldiers they had captured in the morning’s battle. Of course, they hadn’t used torture of any sort. The prisoners had enthusiastically provided information, even information they hadn’t asked for, and they had even begged Yuuto to avenge them in the end. It seemed they had quite a bit of pent-up anger and hatred.
“Yes... In a way, she’s a mirror to you, Big Brother.”
Felicia frowned sympathetically as she learned of the Silk Clan patriarch Utgarda’s depredations. Of course, this was Yggdrasil, a land where only the strong survived. Sometimes it was necessary to take extreme actions to show one’s ruthlessness. Still, the fact that Utgarda appeared to take joy in her abuses made her a particularly twisted example of a patriarch.
“It was painful to listen to their stories, but I feel relief when I see your face, Big Brother. We’re blessed to have the chalice of a kind man like you.”
Felicia placed her hands upon her bountiful bosom and let out a breath of relief. Although he’d enjoyed their bounty countless times, Yuuto’s eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to her chest. Noticing his gaze, Felicia chuckled.
“Shall you enjoy them again tonight? I came up with a new technique that I wanted to try...”
“I’ve returned.”
“Eep!”
Kristina appeared suddenly behind Felicia as she was directing a suggestive gaze to Yuuto. Caught completely off guard, Felicia let out a soft yelp.
It was impressive that Felicia, both an Einherjar and Yuuto’s personal bodyguard, couldn’t notice her approaching.
It had been two years since Kristina had begun her service under Yuuto, and, in addition to plentiful experience, she was young enough that she was still growing into her skills. There was a sense that she was starting to master the art of concealment.
“Ah, welcome back, Kris. How was it?”
By contrast, for Yuuto, it was completely typical for him to not notice Kristina’s approach. Well used to the occurrence, Yuuto casually called over to her.
He had sent her to check in on the enemy’s state of affairs. To make one’s way into enemy territory when there was only a limited number of ways in, check in on their forces, and return safely was, to put it simply, an incredibly difficult feat. Although the Steel Clan had many talented individuals, the only ones who could accomplish such a feat were probably Kristina—with her rune of Veðrfölnir, Silencer of Winds—and her older sister Albertina. It was for that reason that he had sent her personally on this particular reconnaissance mission, even though her usual duty was to manage the various spies and scouts who served in the Steel Clan’s army.
“It was as you said, Father. The only ones who attacked us were Tiger Clan soldiers. The main body of the Silk Clan Army was twiddling its thumbs in the valley at the other end of the mountain pass.”
With her report delivered successfully, Kristina took a spoonful of vegetables from the bowl in her hand and blew cool air upon them. It appeared that she had picked up her dinner on her way back. Given how much she had moved around, it was understandable that she’d be hungry. It was a pretty impertinent attitude to take in front of the þjóðann, but that was just business as usual. Yuuto had much more important matters he wanted to deal with.
“As expected,” Yuuto murmured, his expression tense.
Had Yuuto not issued his order to halt, the Steel Clan Army would have taken heavy losses. One misjudgment could have had an enormous impact on the battle. The fate of the twenty thousand members of the Steel Clan Army, and beyond that, the very future of the Steel Clan, rested upon the outcome of this war. There was a lot of pressure on Yuuto.
“Also... Here, and here. These locations had Silk Clan forces lying in wait, just as you had indicated, Father. There were about five thousand soldiers at each location,” Kristina explained as she operated the digital camera with a practiced hand, showing pictures of the enemy units, along with shots that made clear where exactly they were.
“That’s as expected, I guess. Yeah, that’s the natural thing to do.”
The soldiers had been stationed in the mountains to either side, located a short distance away from the main body of the Steel Clan Army.
Mountains were a bothersome presence on a battlefield. When attacking them, the attacking army had to march uphill, slowing their momentum, while the defenders had the advantage of the high ground and had extra momentum when charging downhill. It would be disastrous to have the Silk Clan’s reserves charge into the Steel Clan’s flanks just as the Steel Clan was engaging the main body of the Silk Clan Army.
“If we charge headfirst through this pass, we’ll be pounded on three sides. What to do, what to do...”
Yuuto rubbed his chin, his brow furrowed in thought.
“Shall we have Rún fish them out?”
“While I’d like nothing more than to do that, the terrain makes that impossible.”
At Felicia’s suggestion, Yuuto shook his head with a bitter laugh.
It was true that the Múspell Unit’s favored tactic of the Parthian Shot was well suited for drawing out the enemy. But given that there was some distance between the end of the pass and the main body of the enemy army, an attack might very well lead to another enemy unit cutting off the Múspell Unit’s path of retreat. On top of that, the opposing commander was sharp. It was almost certain that they’d take the appropriate steps to cut off any retreat.
“Mm, ah, wait, there’s that isn’t there?”
“Eep?! B-Big Brother?!”
Yuuto suddenly brushed his fingers against the nape of Felicia’s neck, prompting a surprised squeak from her. He then brushed his fingers through her golden tresses and grinned.
“I’ve figured it out. We’re going on the offensive next.”
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