Wortenia Senki (LN) - Volume 20 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The End of the Northern Subjugation

“Your Majesty! The Mikoshiba barony army has moved out in pursuit of us!”

It seemed Ryoma Mikoshiba had finally decided to act. As the messenger ran over and gave their report while gasping for air, Queen Lupis nodded composedly.

It had been a few days since the northern subjugation army began its retreat, and the citadel city of Epirus was in sight. They were in the Runoc Plains, between the Tilt Mountains and Epirus. The location was quite vast, but due to its proximity to the dangerous terrain of the Wortenia Peninsula, Count Salzberg chose not to develop it.

These reasons made it a prime site for a decisive battle. The good visibility on the plains was suitable for deploying a large army, making it advantageous for the northern subjugation army.

Well, not that there are any more places we could use for a major battle, she mused.

Past these plains was Epirus, which had lost all its functions as a citadel at this point. So the northern subjugation army couldn’t use it as a defensive position. The Mikoshiba barony would also expose itself to danger by marching its armies all the way to the outskirts of Epirus, making the Runoc Plains the ideal spot.

Meltina sighed in relief upon seeing the battle would occur in the place she had predicted. This didn’t guarantee their victory, but she wanted every advantage possible with this gamble, even if it was a small one. She wanted them to, at least, take the initiative.

Upon seeing Meltina nod, Queen Lupis recited, “Very well. Send word to all units, telling them to prepare to intercept the Mikoshiba barony as originally planned!”

Hearing this, the surrounding knights hurriedly ran off to do as she said. Seeing them off, Queen Lupis wrapped her hands around her trembling body. Being told the enemy army was approaching most likely made her anxious, even if she was aware about what was coming.

Meltina placed a cape she was holding on her queen’s shoulders and whispered into her ear, “Rest assured, Your Majesty. I promise I will protect you with my life.”

That was a pledge one made with their life and blood on the line. Queen Lupis nodded in response, for she had no choice but to believe in Meltina’s words.

Both armies faced each other on the plains outside Epirus. The northern subjugation army had a hundred fifty thousand soldiers. Meanwhile, the Mikoshiba barony army had roughly fifty thousand men—a gap of three to one.

Queen Lupis’s army was in a crane wing formation, meant to capitalize on their superior numbers. As its name implied, the shape enveloped the enemy to wipe them out. Ryoma, by contrast, chose the line formation—a simple arrangement made by soldiers standing in a straight, vertical line.

The two armies glared at each other, and before long, both armies blew horns marking the start of battle.

Once they heard the signal, the two armies began marching. The northern subjugation army went for a frontal attack, hoping to leverage its numerical advantage. But Ryoma was well aware of their plan.

“Nelcius! Cut down the enemy numbers, just as planned!” Ryoma gave the order, bringing a hand to the earring on his right side.

The tool was called “Wezalié’s Whisper”—crowned with the name of a subordinate god to Meneos, the God of Light worshiped in the western continent. Its effect was communication using the power of thaumaturgy. Simply put, it was akin to a mobile phone with a few things that set it apart. Rather than using electricity to power itself and phone numbers to make connections, it used prana and a pair of earrings to establish contact.

Also, the distance it could communicate was a limited but effective range of twenty kilometers. Phones could reach out to anyone in the world if one didn’t mind the bill. This development was nonetheless revolutionary in a world limited to runners on horseback and carrier pigeons.

And it’s thanks to this that I was able to save Sakuya, thought Ryoma.

Had it not been for a spy with a Wezalié’s Whisper they had snuck into the northern subjugation army, Ryoma would not have known that Helena had pursued Sakuya. And he might not have made it in time to save her life.

Of course, this wasn’t to say Ryoma had no complaints about this tool. The country he envisioned was once where the speed with which information traveled was the most important factor. Not being able to change who he spoke to at will was a fatally limiting factor.

If nothing else, the device showed its worth in this battle because the range of Wezalié’s Whisper was wide enough to cover the entire battlefield. Ryoma’s words instantly reached Nelcius’s ears when he was two hundred meters behind him in the back of the formation.

“Understood!” said Nelcius, holding his spear to the heavens. At his signal, a unit of half of the ten thousand dark elf soldiers present nocked their bows. These were elites selected among all the dark elf tribes living on the Wortenia Peninsula, making them warriors that exceeded the average knight in strength and discipline.

They aimed at an enemy unit stationed directly opposite the Mikoshiba barony army. The distance between the archers and the enemy was roughly one kilometer. Longbows, which had exceptional flight distance, only had a range of four hundred to five hundred meters, and this distance was nearly twice of their target. On top of that, flight distance was only the range of how far an arrow could reach. In terms of how far arrows traveled while packing enough strength to kill its target, the distance is a third of that.

This would usually be a meaningless attack, but the bows these dark elf soldiers carried were cutting-edge short bows from Myest, acquired as a result of Ryoma’s deal with Ecclesia. They were then modified by the dark-elven craftsmen, so that their range and offensive power would exceed the standard of weapons in this world. Now, they would unleash their astounding performance upon the northern subjugation army.

“The enemy outnumbers us three to one! No need to aim! Fire your arrows up to the sky!”

The bows were pulled back as far as they could go, straining the bowstrings, and the next moment, Nelcius swung down his spear.

“Shoot!”

At Nelcius’s call, the dark elf warriors shot their arrows at once. Without checking the outcome of their first fusillade, he yelled again.

“Prepare the second volley!”

Like he said, they would keep shooting until they ran out of arrows. Nelcius and his troops had their targets obscured because Ryoma’s forces were in front of them and stood in their way. But that didn’t bother the dark elves. All they needed to do was continue shooting their bows and apply pressure to the enemy army. And those arrows were indeed a rain of death that showered over the northern subjugation army’s men.

“Arrows! Hold up your shields!” yelled the commanders on the other side of the battlefield to their troops.

Most soldiers only had simple wooden shields, but given the distance from which those arrows were fired, they should have been sufficient protection. At least, as far as they knew...

“Fool, if they’re shooting from that far away, the arrows will bounce off our armor!” A few of the knights laughed the order off.

But their naive prediction would be shattered the next moment when the arrowheads lethally sank into the flesh.

The arrowheads’ shape was different and unique from that of normal ones, which were triangular, thick, and broad. This form, called chisel-shaped or a “shield buster,” was a weapon focused solely on penetrating enemy shields and armor. The bows that fired these arrows were composite bows made of various materials. Normally, composite bows were short, but the dark elves employed short bows with superior power and range.

A shower of arrows rained down on the northern subjugation army with all the might of a rockslide, resembling a scene out of hell. The simple wooden shields snapped from a single arrow and sometimes gouged through the soldiers along with their shields. Even the same tragedy struck the knights in metallic armor. In their case, the arrows didn’t penetrate enough to deal fatal damage, but they did dig deep enough to render the knights incapable of fighting.

The Mikoshiba barony’s preemptive attack was successful, even if it only affected one area on the battlefield.

“Maintain your formation! March on and crush them!” screamed members of the northern subjugation army who did not get pelted by the arrows.

Lione, who watched over the tides of battle as a commander on the front lines, shouted, “March while maintaining your formations too! No matter what, don’t let the formation crumble, ya hear?!”

She led a sturdy force of thirty thousand armored soldiers. Over half of the Mikoshiba barony army consisted of these armored infantry, all of whom fell under the control of the Crimson Lioness, a woman who rose from a mercenary to an army commander.

The armored infantry carried halberds. While their mobility was low compared to a cavalry unit, their metallic armor granted these elites overwhelming defense and durability. These advantages came about from martial thaumaturgy seals that increased hardness and reduced weight. They were the Mikoshiba barony’s greatest shield, and the lynchpin of this battle.

Before long, the two armies approached each other and clashed, creating a sea of blood on the battlefield. Needless to say, this was a battle between conscripted commoners and soldiers capable of thaumaturgy clad in equipment reinforced by endowed thaumaturgy. They marched while maintaining the formation of a stalwart wall, protecting the Mikoshiba barony army.

The outcome was all but decided as the Mikoshiba barony’s soldiers swung their halberds, cleaving through the northern subjugation army soldiers and reducing them to bloody corpses. Their superiority was no small task. After all, the enemy greatly outnumbered them, and numerical advantage was a significant factor.

As the enemy army washed over them like a tidal wave, Lione skillfully fought to keep them in check.

“Boltz! Have Mike’s unit move in for reinforcements! And have Alex make sure the enemy doesn’t move around us!” As she quickly issued orders, runners sped off to deliver her word. Things were still going according to plan, and Lione’s face showed no signs of unease. I swear... If we could use this convenient little tool to command the units, we’d have a much easier time. But there’s no point complaining since we can’t gather that many of them. 

The Wezalié’s Whisper had to be made by dark elven craftsmen over a long period, and they had only created five pairs of them, which went to show how precious and rare they were.

Moreover, the fact they were earrings made them ill-suited to the battlefield. Even if one wore two Wezalié’s Whispers, they could only speak to two people at once. The only way to circumvent that would be to change the earrings and reactivate the endowed thaumaturgy, which was quite bothersome and a major flaw.

Ryoma could only communicate with Lione and Nelcius, and Lione could only communicate with the boy and one more person. If she was to issue orders to anyone else, she’d need to rely on messengers on horseback.

But still, this tool’s capabilities give us a major advantage. Seriously, how does the boy come up with ideas like this? Lione thought as she pressed the earring to her ear. “Boy! Everything’s going according to plan on my side! Those two are going to change the formation now!”

“All right. I’m counting on you, Lione!”

At this point, the plan was for Laura and Sara, who led some of the units under Lione’s command, to avoid the enemy army’s pressure and gradually change the formation from a line formation to a triangular formation.

Yeah, it’s going well so far...

As she received reports from each unit, Lione updated the map of the battlefield in her mind in real time.

All that’s left is to find the right time to use the lad’s trump card...

That would be the play that would decide this battle. As the commander on the front line, it was Lione’s role to choose when to use that trump card.

Overcome by the pressure, Lione reflexively reached for the earring on her left ear. But a runner hurried over and delivered a report at which she clicked her tongue. Something unexpected had happened on the right side of the formation, where Sara was commanding the troops.

“See, this is why I hate fighting wars. Nothing ever goes quite as planned!” exclaimed Lione.

The Mikoshiba barony army knew the enemy would try to surround and wipe them out. Seeing they held a vast numerical advantage, that was the kind of tactic that was sure to win this battle for the northern subjugation army. The question was how Ryoma’s army would break through this frontal assault.

Such was the reason Ryoma chose the line formation: it was a diversion meant to hide his true plan from the enemy. Despite how simple the line formation was, it still had its advantages.

The fact it was such a basic formation made it easy to change. If the army wanted to ward off the enemy’s pressure, they could use Lione’s unit as a starting point to go from a line formation to a triangular one. Of course, doing this while on the retreat only made it all the more difficult. It required the commander to be skilled and the soldiers to be very organized.

The most important factor, however, was having the will to not yield to the enemy—for everyone to trust one another regardless of the difference between soldiers and commanders.

Placing Lione at the center of the formation while having Sara and Laura command the flank formations was the right choice. But the cruel reality of war was that making the right choices didn’t necessarily mean everything would go according to plan.

“Boy, I’m sorry—the enemy unit overwhelmed us and is charging at Sara’s flank!”

The enemy assumed a crane wing formation that increased the surface of their front line, while the triangular formation had the zenith facing toward the enemy. When seeing it from an overhead perspective, the latter was more offensive. However, that was only a one-sided assessment.

Scattering one’s formation into multiple small units reduced the number of idle soldiers, allowing troops to coordinate their attacks. In that regard, the triangular formation had a defensive side that allowed for prolonged sustainability.

This plan excelled in defense and offense when Ryoma’s army was fighting against a force several times its size. Though, even the most meticulous tactic was useless if it was only good on paper. Many things often went awry on the battlefield. What happened was unexpected as the enemy detachment Sara’s force was facing fell apart, which threw her command off kilter.

Apparently, the enemy unit’s commander was shot dead by the barrage earlier, likely hit by a stray arrow. This result would have been good news for Ryoma, but that outcome complicated Sara’s position. It was like trying to headbutt a target with all the force one could muster, only for it to fall apart too easily and send one tumbling forward from the momentum.

But the misfortune didn’t end there. To fill the hole in the wiped-out unit, the surrounding northern subjugation army unit began charging at the right wing, which Sara was leading. They wouldn’t usually do this since it’d break formation, though superior numbers can prove more effective than an organized formation.

Angered and driven by the desire to save their allies, the enemy soldiers went on a mad charge. In a way, survival instincts kicked in and spurred them to do so. And their actions were like a stone cast into water, producing a ripple effect that spread throughout the battlefield.

No good. The way this is going, the right wing will fall apart, Lione thought.

As she received that report, she instantly relayed it to Ryoma, who watched over the main force. No words could describe the battlefield and the movement of both armies’ banners, including the cheering and shouting of the soldiers.

Even more than that, the air hanging over the battlefield told Ryoma all he needed to know. He understood that this movement wasn’t the result of mistaken judgment on Sara’a behalf. But it had happened because the enemy commander was trying to close the hole that arose in their formation. Or perhaps it was simply the misfortune of that enemy officer dying to a stray arrow. Whichever it was, the commander’s swift judgment made the situation swing in their favor.

So what do I do? Send in reinforcements from the main force? No, sending in my troops now would be a bad idea. In which case... Ryoma thought.

Ryoma had ten thousand cavaliers under his command meant to guarantee their win. Regardless of the situation turning against him, he couldn’t afford to lower his unit’s numbers.

No choice, then. I have my misgivings about sending them out to the front lines, but I’ll have to have Nelcius and his troops set out!

The enemy army would wipe out Sara and the right wing if they didn’t gain momentum, putting the entire Mikoshiba barony army on the back foot. So if he had a hand to play, he couldn’t hesitate and had to use it.

Doing so would come at a hefty price, of course. He would be pretty much declaring that he was in an alliance with the demi-humans. How that would affect things in the future was hard to tell since anything could happen. But it risked the holy war from centuries ago breaking out again.

Nonetheless, whatever the price Ryoma might have to pay wouldn’t matter if his army lost here.

“Nelcius! Show me what the Mad Demon can do. Go around the enemy and tear off one of their wings!” commanded Ryoma, pressing a hand to his earring.

“Understood! We will move in to assist the right wing division!” he replied concisely while still firing his bow on the other side.

However, there was a clear cheer in his voice. Nelcius commanded the archers in the back of the formation, but as a warrior, he longed to fight directly. Reacting to Nelcius’s fervor with a wry smile, Ryoma roused the surrounding soldiers.

“Understood?! Hold on until Nelcius strikes at the enemy’s flank!” Ryoma’s words made the soldiers behind him cheer loudly.

†

Moving in a counterclockwise direction, Nelcius charged in to attack the flank of the enemy formation, seeking to cut into the enemy’s crane wing formation. As he charged toward the area of the battlefield where cavaliers and soldiers ran about, Nelcius twirled his trusty spear.

Following him was a force of five thousand dark elves—elites incorporated into the archer unit. Among them was Dilphina’s Black Serpent unit clad in leather armor, racing through the battlefield with agility and speed that matched the cavalry. With their physical powers bolstered by martial thaumaturgy and the protection of the spirits granted to them by verbal thaumaturgy, they moved with all the might of savage animals in human form.

Their faces were all fixed with expressions of great determination and resolve, as this battle was a war for the survival of their species. If Ryoma lost this war, the Mikoshiba barony would be annexed by the Kingdom of Rhoadseria, and the Wortenia Peninsula’s demi-humans would suffer greatly.

And so, their resolve burned with great vigor as Nelcius, the one most aware of the possibilities, led the charge.

“Who are you?! Identify yourselves!” declared a burly knight clad in full armor who stood in Nelcius’s way, wielding a large warhammer in one hand.

His expression wasn’t visible behind his helmet, but his voice was thick with disgust and hatred at the fact that he was facing nonhumans. But the flames of the knight’s hatred did nothing to faze Nelcius. He wordlessly thrust his spear into the eye slits of the man’s helmet with all the fluid speed and accuracy of a spear god.

Once the knight crumpled to the ground dead, Nelcius withdrew his spear and raced deeper into the enemy lines, seeking his next prey without glancing at the man he slew. Right now, only one thing mattered to Nelcius: bringing victory to Ryoma Mikoshiba.

“Dilphina,” he ordered his daughter, who followed behind him. “Lead the Black Serpents and take a bite out of the enemy lines!”

She flashed a savage smile, nodded, and said, “Yes, father. I will prove my strength as the Mad Demon’s daughter.”

This was an oath on her life made to her beloved father, so Dilphina charged into enemy lines to bathe in the blood and screams of her enemies.

†

Ryoma watched over the situation in the center of the formation, keenly noticing when the enemy army wavered. A crane wing formation was well suited to surrounding and wiping out an enemy army. But its weakness was that the flanks of the formation became vulnerable spots.

With the knowledge of this shortcoming, Ryoma’s orders were appropriate. Thanks to Nelcius and his group answering his expectations as well as putting up a valiant fight, the northern subjugation army’s crane wing formation was gradually falling apart.

But this was only the signal for his next scheme to unfold.

“Good, the time is right. Lione, let’s tie this up!” shouted Ryoma.

Hearing his order, Lione nodded and responded, “Aye, boy. You better prepare too!” She pressed her hand to her earring and issued the order to the trump card hidden in the northern subjugation army. “We’re countin’ on ya! Begin!”

The effect of the order immediately began weakening the northern subjugation army. At first, it was nothing but a single doubt voiced by someone in the army.

“Hey, are you sure this is all right?”

That whisper wasn’t directed at anyone in particular, but somehow everyone heard it clearly. A few people reacted to it, and they all did so similarly.

“What are you saying?! How does any of this look all right to you? Just focus on killing the enemies in front of you!”

“Seriously! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”

Their response was natural. Nelcius’s dark elf warriors were repeatedly charging at them nonstop, each skilled in martial and verbal thaumaturgy. The average knight was no match for them, which meant the northern subjugation army’s only chance at winning them would be by overwhelming them with superior numbers. Even then, they had to fight while preparing to die.

So, it made sense that they couldn’t let their minds wander at this moment. But that soldier ignored them and continued injecting the poison of anxiety into their veins.

“But if we keep fighting like this, we’ll end up trapped by the enemy!”

Everyone present knew this would happen. After all, Nelcius’s charge was cutting the crane wing’s formation section in half. The result went without saying as everyone felt what the soldier said and wished they could look away from reality. Still, they were soldiers, and their only way to survive was by fighting.

And yet, the moment someone put that feeling into words, it made the soldiers’ hearts waver. The possibility of being trapped amidst the enemy scared them to no end. Then a second blow struck, furthering their anxiety.

“Hey! The main headquarters, where Her Majesty is—it’s retreating!”

The moment they heard those words, the soldiers couldn’t help but look back at their main headquarters. At this point, the northern subjugation army’s formation hadn’t budged. Even Queen Lupis approached this showdown with a great deal of resolve.

But the soldiers did not know how Queen Lupis felt, especially in the midst of battle. They wouldn’t be capable of being rational at a time like this. The smallest wavering in their hearts would be enough to ripple into a massive wave.

“You’re right, the main headquarters’ banner is moving.”

None of them could tell how much truth there was to that claim. Perhaps the banner was simply flapping in the wind, which made it seem like it was moving. But people didn’t believe what was true because they’d rather believe in their preconceptions.

Finally, the moment was upon them.

“Betrayal! Viscount Romaine betrayed us!”

“Count Adelheid as well! Be careful! They’re coming to attack us from behind!”

The poison of suspicion seeped up from every corner of the battlefield, ignoring any sounds of clashing swords or shouting. Having the northern subjugation army be an amalgam of different noble armies was its greatest weakness. All the soldiers knew that none of the nobles participated in this war out of loyalty or trust in this kingdom, meaning they couldn’t disregard false rumors. The soldiers afflicted by that poison could only look around suspiciously at how everyone moved, unable to discern what was true or fake.

When their doubts and tension reached fever pitch, one soldier stabbed a Romaine viscounty knight that stood in front of him in the back. This was how misunderstanding and misinterpretation led to hatred and bloodlust.

“Idiot, what are you doing?!”

“He was on our side!”

“Shut up, traitors! I’ll kill the lot of you!”

As screams flew about and weapons clashed, the battlefield descended into chaos. What was true and what was a lie didn’t matter to anyone anymore. Everyone only thought of killing one another to ensure they survived. Consequently, northern subjugation army soldiers slashed their swords and thrust their spears without regard for friend or foe.

Yet they were unaware their actions were the handiwork of a small group that intentionally triggered this situation. Eventually, the nobles began acting in self-defense.

“Out of the way. We retreat!”

“Fighting any longer is pointless! The Mondo barony army goes on the retreat!”

Their choice was understandable, given the situation. Despite their surface-level loyalty to the Rhoadserian royal house, they still needed to protect their families. But their decision sealed the northern subjugation army’s defeat.

The units trying to advance and the units trying to retreat became jumbled together. At this point, the northern subjugation army lost all semblance of organization and control.

Taking note of the disturbance in the enemy army, Ryoma smirked viciously and said, “The Igasaki clan did their job well!”

The ninjas that had snuck into enemy ranks beforehand were valuable for gaining this information.

Nobles had conscripted many commoners to bolster the ranks of the northern subjugation army, which came at the cost of dropping the quality of the troops. This move was an especially critical issue regarding coordination between troops and trust within the unit. After all, they had composed units on the spot with no preparation. They might be able to match names to the faces of their platoon members, but with members of the same company, it was doubtful they’d know anyone.

That would mean the groups formed within such an army would have weak human relations with each other, making it easy to sneak spies into their ranks. Additionally, the Igasaki clan were ninjas who made sneaking into enemy territory to perform sabotage and spread false information their expertise. Once people’s hearts were tainted with a fire of terror, their rationality would diminish.

“Lione! Let’s finish this!” cried Ryoma.

“Aye, boy, leave it to me!” Lione agreed and made the final preparations. “Begin!”

At her order, the wall of heavy infantry who had focused on defense to minimize losses marched forward. The line formation had become triangular, thanks to Nelcius’s forces and the Igasaki ninja buying the time necessary for the troops to move.

Lione drove the tip of the triangular formation into the enemy’s formation like a spear to drive a hole into their ranks. Countless enemy units then formed a stalwart wall.

But Lione had a ploy to break through them. She gave the final order, “Open the way!”

The triangular formation parted to the left and right, like Moses parting the Red Sea, revealing a way directly to Queen Lupis. Five thousand cavaliers charged forward, with Ryoma Mikoshiba leading them.

This army commander led a do-or-die maneuver called a Crescent Moon formation. This was a dangerous tactic that meant braving the risk of death in combat. Since the plan was optimized for a frontal assault, it was vulnerable to attacks from the flanks. By taking part in the attack, the commander would be unavailable to command the rest of his forces.

Said strategy offered the greatest offensive powers compared to others, like the triangle, arrowhead, and serpent formations. And so Ryoma continued his charge toward the enemy formation, where Queen Lupis was located.

“Tear through the enemy formation!” Ryoma howled, swinging his favored cross spear and blasting through the enemy soldiers.

All that remained was to proceed with this headlong rush. For Ryoma, who had activated the fifth chakra located in his throat, Vishuddha, to reinforce his body, riding through this confused army was no different from galloping down an open road. Before long, Ryoma faced the enemy’s main force, and his eyes perceived a woman sitting on horseback.

At that moment, Ryoma let out a roar that shook the entire battlefield, “Lupis Rhoadserians!”

It was a roar of vengeance, let out by a gleeful, bloodthirsty demon. Looking upon Ryoma, Queen Lupis went pale. She didn’t expect the enemy to have penetrated this deeply into their forces, nor was she able to keep up with the rapid changes in the situation.

Her body stiffened in fear, and she couldn’t even flee. But the same didn’t apply to Meltina, who was beside her.

“You fools! Defend the queen with your life!” said Meltina, then she grasped the reins of Queen Lupis’s horse and began swiftly retreating.

It was a wise, swift decision. If nothing else, Meltina’s choice to retreat impressed Ryoma. But this wasn’t to say he would let Queen Lupis get away.

“Out of my way!” With that declaration, Ryoma’s spear swept through the royal guards who had acted on Meltina’s order to defend the women’s retreat.

But one knight stood in Ryoma’s way as he attempted to give chase. He wore full plate armor and a helmet. His face was hidden behind the helmet, but Ryoma immediately guessed his identity.

The force and speed of his spear are far beyond those of any average knight. Only one man in this army could be this skilled with a spear. Ryoma then asked with a mocking smile, “Chris... That’s unexpected. Are you sure leaving Helena’s side was wise?”

Chris removed his helmet, holding it under his arm, to reveal a beautiful face curled into a smile. He responded, “How is it unexpected? We are enemies, you and I. Isn’t it natural we would meet on the field of battle?”

He was right. They may have once been on the same side, but once Helena sided with Queen Lupis, Ryoma and Chris became on different sides of this conflict.

“Are you here on Helena’s orders?”

“Yes. She said we must protect Her Majesty’s life at all costs...”

“I see... She said that, did she?” asked Ryoma, nodding. Helena really does give some cruel orders...

Perhaps Chris imagined it, but when he said those words, there seemed to be a hint of pity in his voice.

Ryoma wasn’t sure how serious Helena was about winning this battle. As long as Queen Lupis remained alive, the northern subjugation army could attempt a resurgence. In that regard, placing Chris—who was a simple knight, despite being her right-hand man—with defending the queen was a reasonable choice. He did so even if he became a disposable pawn.

But there was no pain or self-pity to Chris’s expression. Instead, his face was brimming with fighting spirit.

“I have no qualms with her decision. Protecting Her Majesty is the natural duty of a Rhoadserian knight. Besides, I’ve always wanted to have a serious match with you once, Lord Mikoshiba.”

With that said, Chris put on his helmet once more. The time for pleasant chitchat was at an end, it seemed. Ryoma glanced behind Chris and sighed. Meltina and Queen Lupis were nowhere to be seen, and only more soldiers lay beyond.

Too late already... Ryoma thought. In this case, fighting Chris wasn’t a bad option. He kicked his horse’s side into a charge and thrust his spear as he said, “How about a gamble, Chris? If I win, you’ll have to serve me!”

Chris reacted by doing the same and charging his horse forward. Both men thrust their spears at their respective opponent’s faces, but both opening attacks only cut through air. The two turned around and faced each other once more.

Phew... That was close. I only dodged it thanks to the martial thaumaturgy, but that was a real close call.

Ryoma breathed in relief—he somehow tilted his head and dodged Chris’s attack. But the same was true of Chris. His expression wasn’t visible from behind his helmet, but the air about him made his thoughts clear to Ryoma.

But Ryoma couldn’t waste his time admiring Chris’s spear skills. He didn’t intend to kill Chris here but wouldn’t go easy on his opponent.

“Let’s go!”

With those words as their signal, the two warriors spurred their steeds to move and closed the distance. This time, however, they chose not to thrust but to swing at each other. The spears held aloft clashed with a loud clang. It was two great forces pushing against one another in the unstable situation of fighting on horseback, putting the ability to wield such power to the ultimate test.

They clashed while swinging heavyweight spears like twigs, exerting all their might, trying to break each other’s posture. But this wasn’t just about pure strength. The two thrust, swung down, then up, swept, changing movements in quick succession as their opponent tried to block and dodge the blows.

Their battle lasted for some time, going beyond ten or twenty clashes. As the battle raged on, they likely exchanged over a hundred moves as they clashed and tested one another’s strength.

“Amazing,” uttered someone in amazement.

At some point, Mikoshiba barony soldiers surrounded the two, but no one dared interfere in the battle. In their eyes, Ryoma and Chris’s duel felt like proof of what a warrior’s life should be. However, this match that seemed to last forever suddenly ended.

Ryoma slipped past a wide swipe and thrust his spear, which hit Chris directly all in the blink of an eye. Chris’s helmet flew away, and his body fell off his horse and crashed into the ground. However, this outcome made Ryoma feel humiliated.

“You...” Ryoma whispered, his eyes fixed on an arrow thrust into the ground.

The arrow flew toward Ryoma just as he was about to thrust. Knowing that it would render him defenseless, Chris swept the arrow away, fully understanding Ryoma would strike.

“Why?” Ryoma got off his horse and asked Chris, who lay on the ground.

This was a battlefield. Regardless of any one-on-one duels, arrows could come flying from any direction. Ryoma wouldn’t have blocked that arrow to save an enemy. He considered such unexpected accidents as part of the condition of a match.

Chris, however, met Ryoma’s question with a smile.

“It was just...something of a whim.” Chris said as he looked for his spear, which had also fallen to the ground.

Apparently, the blow he took to his head left his mind muddled as he struggled to find his weapon. Seeing him earnestly fumble in search of his spear made Ryoma sigh and order the surrounding soldiers to give him his spear. One of the soldiers obliged, picked up the spear from the ground, and handed it to Chris.

“Are you sure you should have done that?” questioned Chris, tilting his head at Ryoma.

For a warrior on the battlefield, handing your foe their weapon seemed like a foolish thing to do. Ryoma, though, shrugged and bent his knees, holding his spear perpendicular to the ground. This stance was basic but the key to the most advanced spear techniques.

“Let’s just say I acted on something of a whim too,” said Ryoma, smiling

“Very well...” said Chris, nodding curtly and holding up his spear too. His face was full of the excitement and glee of a warrior. “As for your gamble from earlier, I accept. Assuming I survive this match, though.”

At that moment, Chris’s presence changed entirely. If until now it felt like raging flames, now it had the coldness of a glinting blade. Despite him being full of fighting spirit, the aura he gave off now was the opposite of that.

Ryoma met Chris with much the same aura—the atmosphere of two warriors, each preparing to put their all into a single strike. The two warriors’ auras were like a barrier around them, isolating them from those around them.

The two inched closer toward each other. And then, the moment was upon both.

Both of them let out animalistic howls, then jabbed spears that whooshed from their hips and became invisible to the eyes of the surrounding soldiers.

But the next moment, the soldiers saw Chris’s spear spin through the air above them as it was knocked out of his hand. Ryoma had caught Chris’s spear with his own, using the cross spear’s sickle portion to throw it into the air.

The soldiers raised their voices in a cheer. That was when this battle with the northern subjugation army reached its conclusion. And the soldiers could all reflexively tell—today’s victory would be the rising of the curtain on the battle that would decide Rhoadseria’s new ruler.