58
The confrontation began in the Galrun Mountains between the 70,000 troops of Tunkai and Caliper.
The following day, due to the declaration of war by the Chimera Alliance, eight fronts simultaneously engaged in battle.
This time, the eight fronts had a distinctive feature.
They were almost aligned in a row.
Hence, there were two absolute rules to follow: neighboring fronts should not collapse simultaneously, and the front at the far end should not crumble. These were the two rules.
If two neighboring fronts collapsed at the same time, a significant gap would be created, making it impossible to maintain the front line. If the fronts at both ends collapsed, the neighboring front would be exposed to unilateral attacks.
Caliper’s troops were positioned on the edge of the Galrun Mountains.
Next to them, in the neighboring front of Elon Plain, were the 90,000 troops of the Albad and Bekabia Alliance facing off against Svenner’s 100,000.
If Tunkai could gain control here, they would be able to flank through the mountains into Elon Plain, making this strategically crucial.
“General! Tunkai’s army has taken formation. But something seems off.”
“Report in detail.”
“The enemy’s main camp is…”
Commander Dunan was extremely vigilant of the enemy.
The bandit king, Kraus Forkner.
Despite not gaining fame among the 20 heroes due to his unruliness, his skills were said to rival ten heroes, making him an exceptional commander.
“According to the intelligence, he is adept at psychological warfare. But that’s only if we fall for it!”
Since Caliper’s side was on the defensive, all they had to do was hold their ground. The attackers were on the other side trying to seize territory.
Dunan planned to make full use of this advantage.
However, Kraus Forkner’s unexpected move at the start of the battle complicated Dunan’s thoughts.
Kraus Forkner’s move at the start of the battle.
It involved erecting a watchtower on a high point in the neutral zone.
When the tower surpassed the height of surrounding trees and reached six stories high, it became visible even from the Caliper camp.
They went further, hastily constructing a roughly ten-story tall wooden watchtower.
“He’s incredibly fast.”
Indeed, one might call him a bandit. There were quite a few former bandits in the unit, skilled in constructing wooden structures.
Other officers who received the news came out of the tent and gazed at the watchtower.
“What could be the intention behind that?”
Eoga asked me, tilting her head.
“Since this area is a forest, even with the tower, we won’t see much.”
Her words were true.
With spring in full bloom and leaves thickly covering the trees, looking down from above didn’t offer a clear view of the ground.
Although there might be some information to gather, it wasn’t of significant importance.
“Isn’t it more like a good target for us?”
“Yeah… It’s much clearer from our side.”
While we weren’t clearly visible from the watchtower, we had a better view of it.
At that moment, I felt a chill run down my spine.
“…No way.”
It was at that moment.
Ding dong ding dong! An unexpected emergency order resounded throughout the military camp.
“Enemy attack! It’s a surprise attack by the enemy armored unit! Everyone, prepare for interception!”
Fuzzy, who received the assault news, was startled and quickly organized the soldiers’ formation.
“A surprise attack out of the blue!?”
Just as Fuzzy said, it was indeed a sudden and unexpected attack. To launch a surprise attack on the first day of the battle.
“The palace guards should hurry and take their positions…”
“No, Fuzzy! The enemy is using cavalry! The palace guards are useless now. Quickly deploy the infantry to defend!”
“…Infantry, assume formation!”
Even if the mountain terrain favored concealment, it was impossible for the enemy to approach this quickly without some means to enhance mobility.
Thud thud! Before we knew it, the enemy deployed over 500 cavalry troops, covering our camp.
“Using cavalry in the mountains… These lunatics!”
Fuzzy grimaced, clearly displeased.
It wasn’t a favorable situation.
Some horses stumbled over tree roots, others accidentally collided, resulting in the cavalry dying meaninglessly.
However, a few skilled riders managed to penetrate our defenses and wreak havoc.
“To handle horses so skillfully, are these the feared Tunkai armored cavalry…?”
“They’re certainly skilled. They’re making good use of the mountain’s advantages over there.”
The infantry struggled to form a proper encirclement due to the trees. Moreover, the archers’ support fire was hindered by the trees, failing to contain the cavalry.
As a result, the infiltrated cavalry wreaked havoc in our camp.
“Hya-hyahyah!”
“Die!”
Finally, three enemy cavalrymen approached our unit.
“Heyo, Anton, deal with the other two. I’ll take care of one.”
“Got it.”
I grabbed a spear and hurled it.
“Ugh!”
Swoosh! I shot the charging cavalryman.
“Ah…? Ugh!”
The enemy cavalryman pierced through the heart by my spear spat blood and fell.
Dealing with Eo and Anton was simpler.
“Ha!”
Twang! Eo pierced one with an arrow through the forehead, while Anton swiftly took down the one he aimed for.
Then, Anton sent a twisted smile towards Eo.
“…Are you coming at me like that?”
Anton shrugged nonchalantly, but there was a flicker of competitiveness in his eyes.
His ambition to make up for ranking fourth in the past war was evident.
He single-handedly tore apart three consecutive waves of cavalry, not allowing the ordinary soldiers to come within a step.
Then, he extended three fingers towards Eo, making a claim that he had captured one more.
“Do you think you’re going to win this…?”
Eo’s spirit rose, his eyes gleaming as he started to locate the enemy cavalry.
“Well, they truly are remarkable… Truly warriors who can make a name for themselves on the continent.”
After expressing admiration, Fergie suddenly regained his composure and said to me, “Alts, since we have the leisure, it might be good for us to go support another unit.”
“If we move the entire force, it might actually cause confusion in the formation. So, it’s better to send about a hundred men.”
“Alright. I’ll go and come back. Guard the formation, Alts.”
Fergie personally led a hundred soldiers to provide support. Just in case, I assigned Anton to accompany Fergie as his guard.
The situation was gradually coming under control.
In the end, it was an onslaught by 500 cavalry against 70,000. The enemy lost more than half of their forces and soon began to retreat.
Eo speaks, “They are truly foolish. Using such valuable cavalry in this manner.”
“Well, not exactly.”
“Really?”
“Through this attack, the morale of our army has actually taken a hit.”
Many soldiers did not believe that a real battle would take place.
In that sense, this attack was meant to make them feel the reality of a full-scale confrontation.
“Sending 500 cavalry just for that purpose?”
“No, that was incidental. The actual purpose is something else.”
“If it’s the actual purpose…?”
“It’s just a guess, but it’s likely.”
If my thoughts were correct, it would be Klaus Forkner.
That guy truly deserved the nickname “Demon.”
***
The Caliper Army effectively repelled the surprise attack on the first day.
General Dugan framed this as a victory and began boosting the army’s morale.
By dismantling the captured or killed horses, feeding the soldiers meat, and hosting a modest feast, they could have uplifted morale. However, the true malice of the enemy was revealed from that moment on.
It was during the Caliper Army’s modest feast on that fateful night.
“Wait! I’m still…!”
A scream echoed from the mountains.
The direction was towards the watchtower.
Despite it being night, the flames on top of the tower illuminated the area clearly.
There, Caliper soldiers who seemed to be prisoners were kneeling, and behind them stood a figure as bulky as a house.
Seeing this, one officer muttered, “Klaus Forkner…!”
Klaus the Bandit King.
He shouted with a loud voice.
“Cuties of Callipher! The joyful execution time has come!”
Thud! The sound made the mountain birds soar into the sky.
Kraus tortured and then soon killed the prisoners in the mountains.
“No, no! Spare me! General Dunan! Welles! Please! aaah!”
The screams echoing through the silent mountains.
The Callipher soldiers looked up in dismay.
There was no way to deal with this.
It was a night of ambition, unable to launch an attack. Going to attack that tower would have been a high-risk ambush.
“Hey, can you hit that guy?”
“It seems difficult in this distance.”
“…Then there’s nothing we can do.”
That was the real intention of the enemy.
To show the execution of prisoners. Just for that, they built the tower and sacrificed around 500 mounted troops.
Confident that this would lead to victory in the war.
“Yumir, could you prepare an earplug for me?”
“Yes, my lord. I will prepare it right away.”
Feeling nauseous, I returned to the barracks, put on the earplug, and went to sleep.
The next day.
It was early morning when the sun rose.
Drururuk! A cart delivered to our camp.
There, the bodies they executed were stitched together like scarecrows.
The body parts seemed randomly put together, not matching at all. It was as if pieces of different people were combined into one.
Moreover, the heads of the corpses seemed to glare with resentment, adding a chilling touch.
“Damn them!”
“Uweaek!”
Upon this, General Dunan took measures to prevent regular soldiers from approaching the cart and entrusted the handling of the cart to the thick-boned officers.
And just before the sun set.
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Ding ding ding ding! Once again, the surprise attack of the mounted guerrilla unit engulfed the army.
“Strike them down!”
“Don’t let a single one live!”
The enraged Callipher soldiers managed to repel the attack, but not without casualties on their side.
Once again, about twenty soldiers went missing.
The fate of these soldiers was obvious.
The execution time by Kraus Forkner began again.
I tried to sleep with earplugs on, but Sergeant Furzi urgently barged into my barracks.
“Alz, it’s a call from the Supreme Barracks. Orders to hurry over.”
General Dunan had summoned me to an urgent military council.