The pursuit team relentlessly charged forward on their horses. The pursuit team had been hastily put together and was forced to cover a long distance, but all of its members were well-known elites and they moved expertly.
Yet, even they hesitated when they saw a large forest in front of their path.
“What are you going to do, sir?” the vice-captain asked the captain of the allied forces’ pursuit team.
“The terrain is good for ambushing. Furthermore, our enemies have the elves on their side.” It was common knowledge that elves were incomparably stronger inside a forest than humans. It seemed that the captain thought the same and stopped his troops for now.
‘Our enemy’s traces continue on from here.’ There were traces that a considerably large group of people had moved around, and it was clear that the Steelwall forces had moved across this path. The captain turned his attention back to the forest again, which was filled corner to corner with trees, and every time the wind passed through them, their leaves rustled. This forest scene of abundant life under the blue sky would’ve filled most viewers with a sense of peace and serenity. Yet, to the pursuit team, the forest looked like a coy snake hiding its poisonous fangs.
‘It’s difficult to go around it too.’ A large rocky mountain stood on the opposite side of the forest with the path at the center. It was a hard structure where only a few trees that barely managed to lay their roots stood and openly showcased grayish rocks that covered it. Even elves wouldn’t be able to hide in an area where there were such few trees. Furthermore, the terrain also restricted their movements. Even if they were on well-trained, expensive horses, it would be impossible for them to ride through the rocky mountain. Even if it were possible, their speed would be greatly restricted.
‘If those guys reach the center of the Pinne Estate like this and attack the castle, we could be too late.’ Thus, it wasn’t an option for them to take the roundabout way and they would have to go through the rocky mountain.
‘As I thought, do I have to send scouts into the forest?’ However, whether or not the scouts found their enemy, it would all take a lot of time. The captain glared at the forest with frustration.
“What do you think you are doing!” Then, he heard an angry voice behind him. The captain was displeased to hear a commotion in an already complicated situation. Yet, the person who recklessly approached his side was someone the captain couldn’t simply dismiss: Glen Zenard. Glen’s status and title were not only amazing but his skills were also considered the best in the allied forces. Thus, the captain repressed his strong urge to yell back.
“What is it, sir?” the captain asked.
“That is what I want to ask you! Why did you stop the team!”
“There’s a thick forest ahead of us. If the elves are waiting for us inside to ambush us, we could suffer significant damage. It would take us too much time if we go around it, so I’m trying to think of a—”
“Let us commence advancing forward!”
People scowled at Glen’s words. Several of them even faked a cough to display their discomfort. Yet, Glen didn’t back down.
“If we stall for too long, the Pinne Estate will be captured. Even if our enemy is few in number, we have confirmed that they are the elite of the elites. If they attack the Pinne Estate’s castle, the weakened defenses there wouldn’t be able to endure for long. The Viscount’s forces aren’t even big in the first place.”
“But if we advance rashly and get ambushed…”
“Then, that’s all for the better. Our enemy has split their already small troops, and they can’t split it up more than that. Thus, if we get attacked, that means the entire detachment is inside the forest. In another sense, that means that the Pinne Estate’s safety will be guaranteed for now. Afterward, we can calmly wipe out the forces inside the forest.”
“Hm…” The captain brooded over Glen’s words. Although Glen had come forward brashly, there was logic to his words. The only concern was that they could suffer great casualties from an ambush….
‘Rather than risking the possibility of the Pinne Estate getting captured, it would be better for us to bear the risk of getting ambushed,’ The captain then thought.
“Vice-captain!”
“Yes!”
“Resume advancing forward. Tell the rest of the men.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Warn them to be on guard since we could be ambushed.”
“Got it, sir!” The deputy quickly relayed the order to his subordinates, and his subordinate passed on the information to the rest of the team in a loud voice. The captain surveyed his surroundings. Glen had disappeared by then, and it seemed like he returned to his original position as soon as his request was met.
‘Glen Zenard…’ His military might was incredible and based on the suggestion he just made, it was evident that he had a good head over his shoulders too. However, the captain’s face was still scowling. ‘He’s not a likable man at all though.’
The pursuit team rushed across the path again. Horse hooves fiercely clopped against the ground, and even as they gained speed, the pursuit team didn’t stop warily surveying the forest. Some observed the sides of the forest more than the front while advancing. This was only natural since the descriptions of the elves' compatibility with the forest were well known across the human world.
The forest wasn’t very large, and it was quiet. Instead of flying arrows, only the rustling leaves caught their attention. The pursuit team hoped that this peace and quiet would continue until they reached the end of the forest. Yet, as usual, such wishes were never fulfilled.
Whoosh!
They heard a faint swishing noise in between the loud clomping of the horses. Everyone in the pursuit team heard the noise and felt all the hairs in their body stand up.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As expected of elite fighters of the allied forces, they blocked the sudden flying arrows. This was also the reason why they continuously held up their guard in the forest and skillfully blocked the arrows flying toward them. However, not everyone successfully blocked the flying arrows.
“Ugh!”
“Aggh!”
“Keck!”
Those pierced by arrows in critical areas fell from their horses and let out piercing screams. Most of them instantly died, and those who were alive were brutally trampled on by the horses that came after them.
“It’s an ambush!”
“Don’t slow down! Let’s first get out of here!”
“Raise your guard! Strike down the flying arrows as much as you can!” The pursuit team did not stop moving. Instead, they increased their speed, since there was no suitable place to turn back either. The decision to chase the elves into the forest was completely out of the question.
The captain looked deeper into the forest with mana. He could see something running between the trees. ‘As expected, they’re elves.’
Clash! He gritted his teeth as he struck down an arrow flying toward him. However, at the same time, he felt relieved. ‘They’re not in the capital city.’
For an unknown reason, he was ordered by Count Flaud to protect the Pinne Estate even at the cost of sacrificing the entire pursuit team. If their enemies were still in this forest, he at least didn’t have to worry that the Pinne Estate’s capital would fall under the enemy’s attack.
‘We need to first get out of here and surround the forest.’ Then, the pursuit team could slowly drive them away with their far superior numbers. It was also not a bad option to completely burn down the forest, but the ambush wasn’t the enemy’s only trap.
Crrrrrack! An ominous sound rang out in the air. It came from a rocky mountain next to them.
“What is that?”
“What’s that sound?”
The knights who had been blocking arrows while raising their guard in the forest glanced toward the direction of the rocky mountain. They also felt that the sound coming from the rocky mountain was highly ominous.
“Captain!”
“I know.” The captain also assessed the rocky mountain. It seemed as if something bad was going to happen, but the pursuit team couldn’t afford to change their plan. “Let’s get out of here as fast as possible. It won’t matter if we get away from the rocky mountain and this forest.” However, the situation didn’t go as they expected.
“Ah, ah?”
“It’s a landslideeeee!”
“Runnnn!”
The knights frantically screamed, and the captain also hurriedly looked up at the rocky mountain.
Crumbbble! Rocks were rolling down the rocky mountain. Most of them were small stones, but there were also large rocks the size of human bodies. In addition, the stones rolled down on the hillside and quickly gained enough momentum to become frightening weapons.
“Damn it!” The captain couldn’t help but swear at their situation. In that short time, his brain frantically churned to find a solution. After biting his lips, he infused a lot of mana into his neck and shouted, “Leave your horses and avoid the stones!”
Even though it seemed like the whole mountain was collapsing, the captain quickly realized that the landslide was merely a small collapse of the surface of the rocky mountain, and the size was not as big as it looked. Of course, it was nothing to laugh about either. The captain thought, ‘We can minimize the damage by leaving our horses and moving on our own!’ Since they were all elite soldiers, they could avoid rocks falling at extremely high speed.
At the captain’s command, the knights jumped down from their horses, quickly dodged the rolling stones, and shattered large rocks by infusing mana into their swords. However, there were so many stones that not all the soldiers were able to escape damage.
Bam!
“Ack!” A knight hit in the head by a fist-sized stone fell to the ground with a scream. Stones pounded his helpless body countless times.
Crack! The knight’s life ended as a giant rock hit his body, and the enormous amount of blood seeping through his armor made his death more than certain. Moreover, it wasn’t just the rocks that attacked the pursuit team.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! An endless number of arrows came from the forest. The arrows cruelly targeted the knight’s gaps as they frantically tried to avoid the falling stones. The knights hit by arrows fell to the ground, and the stones covered them in an instant. In a short period of time, many stone tombs were erected all around the area, and the landslide that seemed as if it would last forever finally ended. Many lives were lost, and the majority of the horses were dead. The remaining soldiers were covered in dirt and dust, making them look defeated and exhausted, but many soldiers were still alive. It was thanks to the captain's quick judgment and the soldiers’ outstanding individual abilities. However, their nightmares were not over yet.
“Kill them!”
“Ohwaaaaaa!” Knights with swords jumped out of the forest with a loud cry. Unlike the exhausted pursuit team, the Steelwall knights looked as energetic and lively as ever. In the very front, a figure ran out before anyone else with an arrogant smile. The figure approached the enemy in an instant and slaughtered the three closest soldiers in a flash.
Then he took a deep breath and shouted, “Where are you, Glen Zenard?! Let’s play another round here!” With these words, the two troops officially began their confrontation.