“As expected of the Lord.”
Sylvain led the knight order and rode to the right, observing the scene.
There was a moment of concern when the monsters all rushed at Enfer at once, but that was just because it had been too long since he had seen Enfer fight. It was truly needless worry.
“If it goes like this, it will end without any trouble.”
“No, the enemy’s commander won’t just leave it at that.”
Enfer is not an opponent that can be defeated by sheer numbers. At the very least, one would need the toughness to withstand that sword a few times, the ability to move at a very fast speed, or some means of long-range control.
Then, even if hundreds die in the process, they might manage to swing a sword at Enfer.
“The monsters currently lack those means. They will surely unfold a different strategy.”
“What do you mean by a different strategy?”
Sylvain nodded.
Before long, the commander will abandon the idea of killing Enfer. Instead, they will push the monsters towards the barrier as originally planned. Even Enfer won’t be able to stop them all.
They are on the ground and also flying in the air. That’s where the real battle begins.
“Before the barrier suffers too much damage, we need to locate their gathering place.”
Even considering the sudden appearance of the black monsters, there are too many of them in this battle. There must have been a place where they have been gathering for quite some time.
“Commander, ahead!”
A knight shouted, looking straight ahead. They had spotted the tail end of the procession that had not yet reached the monster’s front line.
“Swords! Forward!”
At Sylvain’s cry, the knights’ swords faced forward.
Clank!
The monsters belatedly noticed the appearance of the knight order. While they were hastily forming ranks, the aura of the knight order enveloped both themselves and their horses.
As they closed the distance, their auras overlapped, transforming into what seemed like one gigantic aura.
To the monsters, it was already a massive projectile hurtling towards them at high speed.
Crash!
The smaller ones were pulverized by the aura and flung away, while the ones as tall as the cavalry were struck down by the soaring swords.
Upon collision, the knight order slightly changed direction and cut the throats of the remaining monsters. The monsters were hit one-sidedly and could only watch helplessly as the cavalry moved away.
“After we get out of their sight, we’ll follow this tail! Circle around!”
“Yes!”
The knight order increased their speed even more, running in the opposite direction from which the monsters had come. Not all monsters were heading towards this procession, but a certainly unusual number kept being added from some direction.
“At this rate, there must be an unbelievable number of them at their stronghold.”
Sylvain intuited. If he could find out where these numbers were coming from, he would need to first confirm the location and then return.
Above all, this place was beyond the barrier, in the territory of the monsters outside. The deeper he went, the more overwhelming the creatures that would emerge.
Sylvain advanced while checking his retreat route. He observed the procession of monsters from higher ground, maintaining a proper distance as he made his way forward.
“Good, their numbers are increasing. I’m heading in the right direction,”
That’s when it happened.
Caw─Caw─!
A crow flying above the knights let out a cry.
Of course, in this forest, the sounds of various animals blended together, but the behavior of this crow was peculiar. Creatures that would normally hide in the forest due to the presence of many humans riding horses were now flying above the cavalry.
“What’s with this crow?”
Moreover, upon closer inspection, it had something in its beak.
“Huh?”
As Sylvain was wondering what the crow was up to, paying close attention to it, the bird eventually landed on Sylvain’s shoulder.
“……A note?”
The crow that had approached was carrying a small piece of paper in its beak. It was then that Sylvain realized the crow must be tamed by someone.
Sylvain took the paper from the crow’s beak. Unfolding the crumpled paper took quite some time.
After all the effort to unfold it, there were only a few words written inside.
Those few words,
[Be wary of ambush]
“……!”
Reading that, Sylvain’s mind went blank for a moment. Then, feeling chills running down his spine, he quickly shouted.
“Halt, all forces, halt!!”
Following his command, the Roach Knights stopped in their tracks. Although they found the order of their commander puzzling, their response was immediate.
Sylvain calmed his suddenly halted horse with a firm hand and surveyed the surroundings.
‘There’s a path that leads to their stronghold, relatively clear, and the area around is filled with trees.’
At first, he hadn’t noticed. The path wasn’t a maintained walkway, but rather, a natural trail just wide enough to come and go, formed by repeated treading.
At first, they thought they had forced their way through the forest somewhat recklessly, but before they knew it, they were treading this natural path, heading towards them.
…When did this path become like this?
“…It’s definitely a good spot for an ambush. No, it seems like a place made for ambushing.”
The sound of the horses’ neighing ceased, and as their hooves stopped, a deep silence settled over the forest.
Whish, the sound of the wind brushing through the trees tickled their ears. The other knights understood Sylvain’s intentions and watched the forest intently.
…There are no signs of monsters.
“Captain, I understand your caution, but perhaps it’s a bit too much…”
A knight beside Sylvain cautiously broached the subject.
They were currently facing monsters, not humans. If it were humans, they would lure the enemy, set up an ambush, and conceal their energy to remain undetected, but monsters are incapable of doing so.
Even if hiding their energy was possible, it’s unlikely for many to unite as one and set up an ambush.
However.
“…What they’ve shown us today already far surpasses the behavior we’ve known of monsters.”
The Roach Knights were certainly accustomed to fighting the monsters outside. More precisely, to the battles in front of the barriers.
They were intelligent to some extent but ultimately monsters. They had become familiar with their own strategies for dealing with them, and they could estimate how to make judgments.
However, today, they should not trust those judgments. Unexpected events had occurred since the start of the battle.
“I’m not sure if there really is an ambush. Even this note might be a trick of the enemy.”
What was clear, however, was that the few words written on this note had awakened something in the lax heart of Sylvain.
“……We’re going back.”
“Captain.”
“We still don’t know enough about them. The lord always said that there are monsters that surpass human intelligence. It wouldn’t be strange to encounter such a creature today.”
“But, if we can confirm the location of their gathering now, we can minimize the damage to the barrier and our soldiers. The battle won’t drag on either.”
Despite the knight’s strong persuasion, Sylvain shook his head firmly.
“Look at this path.”
“……!”
“If we were in the midst of war, if we were facing humans, this is a path we would never have taken.”
Upon Sylvain’s words, the knights looked at the long road laid out before them. It was slightly lower than the trees. Somewhat narrow, but a road leading to the enemy’s stronghold that could be traversed without much difficulty.
The path looked quite natural, but if one raised their gaze just a little, they would see the dense trees completely blocking the surroundings.
In war, there is no such thing as ‘a conveniently placed good situation.’
“Let’s go back. For now, we’ll join with our forces and conclude the first day of battle.”
“…Yes.”
With that, the knights turned back.
Leaving behind the straight path where an ambush could be present or not.
