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Chapter 30 – Crazy Battle
The day the Death Squad returned, I went to report to my uncle Rodrigue, who was leading the army.
Reporting, communicating, and consulting are the basics of being an office worker, but in reality, they are sometimes difficult to do.
I’ll have to instruct my subordinates to be thorough…for that, sometimes I’ll have to do it myself.
[Uncle, we destroyed two villages, two settlements, and many forests. No one on our side has deserted. It is possible to sortie again.]
When I reported, my uncle and Yannick nodded with satisfaction.
[Well done, Varian. The enemy’s morale had clearly fallen, and some of their soldiers had deserted.]
My uncle happily patted me on the back many times. It hurts a little.
[Hmm, if they knew there was an enemy behind them, they wouldn’t be able to concentrate, obviously the pressure on us would drop.]
Yannick showed a powerful expression with a grin.
Yellow teeth peeking out from an old wound, making him look a little scary.
[Come to think of it, it seems like we engaged in a battle yesterday.]
[As smoke rose behind them, they quickly subsided. The enemy doesn’t want to be attacked by surprise while engaging us.]
Yannick answered my question, and he seemed really happy.
My uncle didn’t even try to hide his joy, saying, [Absolutely].
[It seems that Bazelard’s army has sent out a detachment to guard the rear. Your plan has gone as planned… The enemy has been reduced in number and morale has dropped. Now, what should we do next?]
My uncle’s eyes sparkled when he looked at me.
It’s like a child finding a new toy.
If you think that just by prodding me, I’ll come up with an idea, you’re being naive.
[If the enemy is weakened, it’s a bad idea to give them time. Let’s attack with momentum, an all-out attack.]
My uncle frowned at my suggestion.
Although the number of enemies has decreased, the force ratio was still close to 2:1.
The situation was still overwhelmingly disadvantageous for us.
[No, it’s not a bad idea.]
Yannick showed my uncle an empty cart, saying, [Look at that].
[There’s no more food. We can’t maintain the army…]
Yannick said with a lowered voice.
It’s probably something the soldiers wouldn’t want to hear.
[Varian-sama is right. If we want to attack… this is the only chance.]
Yannick spat out his words in frustration.
Originally, the Lioncoeur army went to intercept them because we didn’t have any supplies.
If we could afford to fight a protracted battle, we would’ve confined ourselves in the fort city Portu.
My uncle glared at the empty cart and let out a groan.
[Varian, unfortunately I’m not good at military stuff… I can’t read the war situation. This isn’t about knowledge or experience.]
The uncle gritted his teeth in frustration.
My uncle, who always had a carefree attitude, looked like he was about to cry out of frustration.
[But, enough of that! If you and Yannick believe that we’re ready for battle, then we fight!! Ready the troops!]
My uncle started shouting instructions to the soldiers.
…I think this uncle is a really strong person. How many Generals would take up the opinion of a 14-year-old in this situation?
Rodrigue lamented that he himself lacked military talent, but this was a little different.
There is no way that a General who can put his heart into it, accept the advice of his subordinates, and go to battle lacks military talent.
Rodrigue may not be blessed with the competitive instincts to read the battlefield, but it can be seen that he has excellent commanding skills.
Following my uncle’s instructions, the soldiers lined up and waited for instructions.
From what I could see, there were still some injured people left who could fight, and they seemed to be maintaining the line of battle…the total number was about 500.
This is actually miraculous.
Normally, armies of this era would be crushed to pieces if defeated, but due to their menacing tenacity, very few people deserted.
[Varian, you should address the soldiers.]
My uncle called out to me, and Yannick handed me a spear and a shield.
[It belonged to one of the fallen in this war, but a warrior shouldn’t go empty handed.]
Yannick grinned.
I took the spear and shield and nodded vigorously.
When I stood in front of the soldiers, I could hear them shouting, [It’s Varian-sama], [What’s going to happen?], or something along the line.
It is the job of the General or someone equivalent to give instructions before going to battle.
It’s normal for people to feel suspicious if I show up.
I waited for a while until everyone settled down.
I could see that the commotion among the soldiers gradually subsided.
[Can you hear me!? Can you see me!?]
When I raised my voice, the soldiers slammed their shields in response.
It appeared that all of them could hear me.
[Then, look! Remember my appearance!!]
I spread my arms and raised my voice.
[Don’t look aside, just follow me!!]
I pointed toward the Bazelard’s army with my spear.
Over there is an enemy that we hate.
The color of the soldier’s eyes changed.
[Advance!!]
At my command, the army began to move.
My uncle, who had entrusted me with the instructions, didn’t say anything.
Maybe he’s planning to leave it as is.
I will advance at the head of the soldiers.
This is because of Albert’s teachings.
『The Commander stands at the forefront』
Albert always said this.
『There are few cases where an army whose vanguard collapses wins, so it is necessary to stand at the vanguard and take control』
Albert was always at the forefront, probably directing the soldiers.
This is a solid teaching based on experience.
In that case, I’ll go ahead of Albert…no, I’ll stand at the front, and I’ll be the first to hit the enemy with my spear.
This is probably a childish and stupid idea.
However, common sense makes it impossible to fight an enemy twice as large.
You must derail your enemies and inspire your allies with unconventional actions.
Isoroku Yamamoto is said to have said, [Lead by example].
I understand very well.
Even if I ordered them to “Fight to the death”, it won’t do anything… unless I show them how I “Fight to the death”.
…Even the ancient Alexander the Great, Xiang Yu, and Minamoto no Yoshitsune fought at the front.
Is there any reason why someone else can do it but I can’t?!
I went ahead of the pack.
I must have been insane at that time.
If you think about it calmly, it’s crazy to compare yourself to historical greats.
However, my madness was contagious, and I could feel the entire army filled with fighting spirit.
A General’s fighting spirit is transmitted to his soldiers.
The enemy camp reacted and prepared to retaliate.
Normally, we would have stopped here and exchanged fire with bows and sling slings.
But, I didn’t stop.
[Varian-sama! An arrow is coming!]
Rolo shouted from behind.
He was fighting despite his injuries. The crumpled Jinkasa looked horrible.
The Death Squad, Rolo, Jean, Andre, Tanqueray….. Everyone gathered around me.
There’s no way we’ll lose.
……Now! !
[Follow me!! Attack!!]
I screamed and ran.
Logically speaking, the General is my uncle, and I have no command authority.
But for some reason, the heat of the battlefield was driving me and everyone else.
[ [ Uwooooooo] ]
The Lioncoeur army also followed me.
It was a surprise attack that completely ignored military etiquette.
Bazelard’s army was caught off guard, surprised, and slow to react.
[Charge! Charge! Chaaargee!!]
I ran screaming.
Arrows were shot at me, but I raised my shield and kept running.
The Lioncoeur army formation naturally became shaped like the tip of a vertical spear and collided with Bazelard’s army.
[UWOOoooo!!]
I threw away my shield and swung my spear to strike the enemy.
It’s a ridiculous move, but there were only enemies around.
There’s no need to think about inconveniencing other people.
[Don’t let Varian-sama die!! Charge! Charge!!]
I heard Jean’s scream.
I hit the enemy’s shield and the spear broke.
I quickly pulled out my sword and swung it around.
My target was a knight-like figure who was giving commands from the rear.
He was riding atop a horse and wore fine armor. He’s clearly a commanding officer.
If I defeat that knight, the enemy will be sent to chaos, but there’s still a long way to go and many enemies are blocking me.
I was hit from above the helmet.
I felt a strong impact and my helmet came off.
In return, I stuck a sword to my attacker’s mouth.
[Get out of my way!!]
Next, I struck at the enemy in front of me with my sword, splitting his head open, but that caused my sword to break at the base.
As a result, my movements stopped, and I was tackled from the side by a large man who appeared to be an enemy squire, causing me to fall.
…..fuck, the dirt taste bad!
I was bodypiled from above, but that’s not a problem.
I did a bridge, changed positions, and hit him in the groin with my fist as hard as I could.
An indescribably unpleasant feeling was felt in my hands, and the big man burst into raving pain before passing out.
However, it would be dangerous to stop at the enemy’s camp.
The next enemy immediately attacked me.
…..that’s…!
The enemy seemed to be moving strangely slowly.
I couldn’t react to the newcomer and was about to receive a sword to the gut.
[Uraaaah!!]
The enemy soldier who came towards me was blown away.
For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend the situation and squinted my eyes.
When I looked, the enemy soldier who was targeting me was now wrestling with an allied soldier.
It was Tanqueray, Tanqueray stopped the enemy soldiers with a ramming attack.
Rolo helped Tanqueray while they were grappling, tore off the enemy soldier and finished him off with a dagger.
[Varian-sama, are you alright?]
Andre helped me up and handed me the hatchet that he probably pried from one of the dead.
[Thanks for the assist]
I took the hatchet and looked around to understand the situation.
Having cooled my nerves, I have become strangely calmer.
The crazy fever from earlier was no longer within me.
It seemed like our allies finally caught up to us one after another.
The following allies were rapidly attacking the enemy.
[Andre, let’s go! We’ll support Rolo and Tanqueray!!]
I called out to Andre and returned to the battle.
============
The end of the terrible melee came to a disappointing end.
The enemy commander’s horse was surprised by something and it stood upright.
The commander fell from his horse, and Bazelard’s army collapsed when they saw this.
You might think it’s just a fall from a horse, but falling from horse height can be fatal.
Famous examples include King William III of England and Yoshishige Satake, known as the Demon in Japan, who both died from falling from horses.
Even after the enemy collapsed, we continued to pursue them, and I was so exhausted that I collapsed, not metaphorically.
Probably, the adrenaline in my brain was so strong that I forgot about my fatigue, but my physical strength was exhausted.
I fell down with a bang like a toy whose battery had run out.
I fell back, carried by my allies, and never heard the sound of victory.
After that, it seemed that Lioncoeur’s army managed to steal supplies from Bazelard’s army, plundered several places, and withdrew.
Since we inflicted this much damage, there shouldn’t be an immediate threat.
Although it was a rather disappointing ending, this flashy debut battle, in which the enemy’s invasion was repelled with a small number of soldiers, was strongly etched in my memory.
…It’s no good fighting an enemy stronger than yourself. How many times did I think I was going to die…?
There is a value system in this world that says, 「History is written by the victors」.
It must be true in a certain sense.
Deadmen tell no tale…The point is, only those who have won can leave records and document their legitimacy.
If you lose, they can do whatever they want and take whatever.
『If you win, it’s justice… In other words, you have to choose a situation/opponent in which you can win and fight.』
Take it from the weak.
Avoid strong people.
It’s obvious, but I deeply engraved this lesson in my head.
…..You’d normally only get punished when taking this kind of gamble.
We managed to win the last bet despite the losses.
That’s enough for today.
When I woke up, I was already back in fort city Portu.
Nega Translations 