On the second morning of our siege in the ruins of Semed Fort,
I looked at Balad Forest, where our allies should be. Smoke and flames rose from the forest, a massive wildfire.
The wildfire, burning since yesterday, showed no signs of abating. On the opposite side, three signal fires were rising, indicating that Gran and the others were trying to communicate with us.
The signals read “enemy attack” and “number, five hundred.”
The wildfire wasn’t accidental. It was part of the Demon King’s army’s delaying tactics.
It seemed that five hundred new Demon King’s soldiers had appeared, hindering our reinforcements. Gran and the others were advancing around the wildfire, but as the signals indicated, they were being attacked by the Demon King’s army and couldn’t proceed.
I held back a sigh.
As a Captain, I couldn’t let my spirits falter, for it would affect the morale of my troops. Even if it was a lie, I had to show composure.
“Are reinforcements coming?”
Al, who had climbed up to the tower, asked as he gazed at the forest engulfed in wildfire. Beside him were Ray, Schloe, Meryl, and Lett.
“No, it seems the Demon King’s army had some hidden troops.”
I realized my planning was naive.
I had assumed there were only the 500 enemy soldiers in front of us. However, it appeared that additional Demon King’s troops were blocking our allies in the Balad Forest.
Our prior intelligence indicated about 500 of the Demon King’s soldiers appeared in the southern Flamme region. It would take days to ride from Flamme to Balad Forest, but somehow, the Demon King’s army had transported their 500 soldiers faster than horses.
With no reinforcements coming, our fort, which we only needed to hold for one day, had become a coffin. Our soldiers were thirsty without drinking water, unable to fight effectively.
Looking down the mountain, I saw the Demon King’s army encircling us. They were wounded too but still outnumbered us, with ample water and food supplies. If we continued to hold out, we wouldn’t last through the day.
The enemy’s formation, prepared for a siege, could easily surround us if we charged out. They had a U-shaped formation, waiting for us to make a move.
Whether we stayed put or charged out, it was a lose-lose situation.
What would give us the best chance of survival…
As I considered the enemy’s formation, a sudden north wind blew through my hair.
The wind had been gentle until now, but today it was strong from the north.
“Alright, this wind is our ally. Prepare the horses. We’re charging out.”
With the wind at our backs, I decided to launch an attack.
“Eat all the food you can. But save the water for the horses.”
“Alright, time to make a grand mess,”
Al said, hitting his left hand with his right fist at the news of the attack.
“It’s fine to make a mess, but don’t think about going out in a blaze of glory. We fight to win,”
I reminded Al to ensure the soldiers understood our goal was survival, not a heroic death.
For me, victory is survival and death is defeat. We will find a way to survive.
“I understand. I will not die to protect you, Romelia.”
Ray said, placing his hand on his chest.
I wasn’t sure what he meant, but I appreciated the sentiment.
An hour later, 247 surviving soldiers were ready.
“Listen up, everyone.”
Standing before the Lily of the Valley banner, I addressed the 247 soldiers.
“We’re about to break through the enemy lines. Expect fierce resistance. But I have no intention of dying. I’ll lead the charge. Follow me and don’t stop. If you stick with me, we’ll survive.”
I planned to launch a mobile assault.
The enemy’s defense had no gaps, but if we could use our mobility to cause chaos within their formation, cracks would appear. As long as we kept moving without stopping, we could win. If we were halted, we’d lose.
“It’s going to be tough, but…”
As I spoke, the soldiers laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
I asked, looking at Al, who was also laughing.
“Captain Rome, it’s always like this. You charge ahead, and we follow.”
Al’s remark made me realize he was right. I always led from the front, with everyone following.
“True, it’s just like always. So, let’s do it as usual. Follow this banner.”
I raised the Lily of the Valley banner.
Seeing the banner, the soldiers laughed again. As long as they could laugh, we’d be okay.
“Alright, let’s move out!”
I mounted my horse and gave the order.
At the foot of the rocky mountain where the fort stood, Geldova looked up at the still-standing fort after two days.
The fort, abandoned for over a hundred years, should have fallen in a day. The enemy was closing in behind Geldova’s forces, risking encirclement.
But Gyami had moved 500 of Geldova’s soldiers, who had been attacking the south, to the forest, where they were now holding off the enemy.
Geldova’s soldiers had set the forest on fire to create a barrier against the humans, fighting with their backs to the flames. They could hold out until evening, but no longer. The soldiers fighting in the forest would be annihilated without the chance to escape.
Geldova was angry at Gyami for moving the soldiers without permission, but he also blamed himself for not capturing the fort in a day. He had to take Romelia’s head for the sake of the sacrificed soldiers.
Geldova had only one day left. But today, he was confident the fort would fall.
The abandoned fort likely had no water. The enemy’s lackluster movements indicated as much. The fort wouldn’t have been built without a well, so it must have dried up long ago.
The enemy had no drinking water. Victory was almost assured.
Without water, soldiers couldn’t fight effectively.
Geldova knew the enemy had drawn water from a stream before entering the fort, but they could only carry enough for two days. Considering the horses, they must be out by now.
They might drink horse blood, but…
As Geldova watched the fort, he saw the enemy moving. They mounted horses and charged out of the main gate in two columns.
Leading the charge was a woman with flaxen hair, carrying a flower crest banner. Romelia.
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“Romeliaaa!”
Geldova found himself shouting the woman’s name.
He couldn’t believe he remembered the name of a human woman. But no one had ever given him this much trouble. He had to kill her himself and take her head.
“Heavy infantry, forward! Don’t let them break through. Stop them with your bodies! Archers, draw your bows and hold! Elite squad, target the red and blue knights. They are the pillars of their force. If you can neutralize them, we win!”
Geldova gave orders while watching twenty heavily armored soldiers with large spears. These elite soldiers were the best under Geldova’s command, capable of matching the two knights.
“They’re coming, get ready!”
As the cavalry charged down the mountain like an avalanche, Geldova’s eyes were fixed on the flaxen-haired woman leading the charge.
“Archers, ready, aim!”
Geldova raised his right hand. The archers drew their bows. He waited to give the order to shoot.
Hold… hold… now!
“Fire…”
Just as Geldova was about to give the order, Romelia abruptly changed direction, turning left.
“Wait!”
Geldova couldn’t stop his hand, and the archers released their arrows.
The arrows arched through the sky towards the cavalry. But it was too late; the enemy had already changed course.
The arrows hit only a few of the rearguard, who clung to their horses, enduring the pain.
The enemy cavalry, having turned left, now clashed with the left flank.
“Left flank, hold your ground! Elite squad, advance!”
Gerdova ordered the selected units to move forward. As the elite squad moved, the cavalry shifted again.
The red knight broke through, creating a path, while the blue knight covered the rear.
Before the elite squad could reach them, the cavalry disengaged from the left flank.
“Archers, ready!”
Geldova ordered the archers to draw again, but couldn’t decide where to aim.
The enemy, having broken from the left, now headed towards the right, but they could change course to the center.
“Front, no, right flank, aim! Fire!”
Geldova guessed the enemy would hit the right flank and ordered arrows there.
Immediately after that, But the enemy changed course again, charging the center.
Arrows that miss their mark only end up stuck in the ground.
Geldova waved the flag at the head of the cavalry, observing Romelia as she issued commands. The woman with flaxen hair was also watching Geldova.
Damn, that woman. Does she think she can see everything on the battlefield?
Geldova growled.
There is always a delay in the commands given by a commander.
The orders are heard by the captain, who then instructs the soldiers, who follow and act. The effect of the order comes a bit later, after the command is issued.
With highly trained soldiers, this delay can be somewhat reduced, but it can never be entirely eliminated.
A commander must take this delay into account to a certain extent, anticipate the enemy’s movements, and give orders ahead of time.
Romelia, that woman, excelled at this ability to predict the future.
Her gaze seemed to pierce through the entire battlefield.
The enemy cavalry unit, having avoided the arrows, attacked the front line and then turned back to the left flank.
“Damn it, advance the left and right wings ten steps! Squeeze the battlefield, block the route to the fortress with the reserves. Crush them with our formation!”
Geldova advanced both wings, narrowing the battlefield.
In the gradually shrinking battlefield, Romelia led her cavalry, rampaging like a serpent. She attacked the left, the right, and then the left again, but no matter what she did, she was like a rat in a trap.
“Elite unit, prepare! When the enemy stops, charge!”
Geldova ordered his prized elite unit to charge.
“Advance the whole army, crush them!”
Geldova advanced his army all at once, trying to crush Romelia’s forces from all sides. However, at this moment, the left wing lagged slightly behind the others. This slight delay created a gap, a narrow strip of unoccupied land.
This is bad!
It happened in an instant. The gap appeared for just a brief moment.
Geldova noticed the delay in the left wing and was about to issue an order to close the gap, but before he could, Romelia slid her horse into the opening.
The gap existed for only an instant. And it was breached in that same instant.
Following Romelia, who had slipped through the gap, the cavalry unit broke through the encirclement set by Geldova.
I’ve been outsmarted!
Seeing Romelia’s forces escaping the encirclement, Geldova realized his mistake.
Romelia’s seemingly random attacks had targeted the left wing heavily. The left wing was more exhausted than the others and thus slower to advance. Romelia had aimed for this very moment, to create this gap.
“Damn you! Romeliaaaaa!”
Geldova, even as a commander, ran, chasing after Romelia. But on foot, he couldn’t catch up with a horse, and he could only watch her grow smaller in the distance.
“So close! I was so close!”
Geldova shouted.
Just a bit more and Geldova would have caught Romelia. But her flaxen hair slipped through his fingers, running off to a place he could never reach.
Geldova reached out in despair.
But at that moment, as if catching a single strand of hair, Romelia’s horse suddenly stumbled and fell.
Thrown to the ground, Romelia slammed into the earth.
Seeing this sudden stroke of luck, Geldova rejoiced.
No, this isn’t luck, it’s fate.
There was no well in the fortress, and the horses had barely had any water. Yet, they had been running at full speed and changing direction multiple times. It wasn’t surprising the horse couldn’t endure it.
Geldova drew his sword and ran towards Romelia.
Romelia, having fallen, looked around as she tried to stand up. She noticed Geldova running towards her and looked back at her soldiers who had run ahead.
The cavalry unit, realizing their leader had fallen, turned back. But Geldova was closer. Despite the difference in mobility, Geldova would reach Romelia first.
Geldova raised his sword, closing in on Romelia. She simply stretched out her right hand.
Got her!
Geldova swung his sword down at the woman. Blood sprayed into the air.
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