Chapter 79: Counterattack (4)

"This idiot..."

It was a mutter from Duke Ryurik as he listened to the additional report.

A sound made by barely moving his lips, inaudible to others. Though it was a blasphemy against the royal family, it was a reasonable criticism.

The Western Army, having already succeeded in the siege, had set up an ambush and pretended to be struggling with the siege, thereby surrounding and annihilating the 3rd Prince's forces.

Up to that point, it was understandable. It would be difficult for anyone other than me to perfectly play the role of a scout.

However, the 3rd Prince failed to regroup his forces. Even if they were surrounded, there should have been a limit to the extent of the chaos.

If they had broken through at a single point, the damage would have been severe, but they could have at least saved a few thousand.

Instead, the 3rd Prince led only his guards to escape and return.

The soldiers who barely survived that hell joined together on their own.

This meant that amidst the chaos, the 3rd Prince had ignored his soldiers and sought only his own survival.

In fact, even if Duke Ryurik had openly cursed, no one would have said anything. The messenger had also spoken with a tone of disdain.

"Hmph."

Regardless, the fact that those forces were heading this way remained unchanged.

I had felt uneasy, but I hadn't expected that the sparks would fly to us.

The purpose of the Western Army was clear.

The long front line in the western part of the empire stretched from north to south: 1st Prince, main force, 2nd Prince, 3rd Prince, and us.

By capturing us after the 3rd Prince, they aimed to secure the southern part of the front line completely.

Meanwhile, if the situation in the north remained stable, the tide of the battle would change.

"Is the reserve force coming this way?"

"I'm sorry, but the reserve force is heading to the 1st Prince's side due to an issue there."

"Is that a more important issue than here?"

"To be frank, I haven't received detailed information on the situation."

Indeed. It wasn't a problem to question the messenger, who was merely relaying orders.

Moreover, he said it wasn't easy to reach here, as the Western Army had tried to block the transmission of information.

It seemed that the situation on the front lines above was also not going well. Had they also fallen into an ambush?

He shook his head inwardly. The likelihood was low.

Unlike the 3rd Prince's side, the 1st Prince's battlefield had no place for an ambush, and 50,000 troops were sufficient.

"If there was an issue... could the 2nd Prince's side have been a decoy?"

They might have pretended to attack a city to target the largest force.

Considering the size of the city, it was a natural move.

The reserve force had gone to support, and this speculation was likely correct.

The reason for spreading the front lines was not for a siege but to disperse our forces.

The Western Army's strategy was sharp. They didn't just take the west for no reason. I was quite curious about King Rohalak, whom I had never seen in the game.

He would be a good ally in the war against the demons. However, the matter at hand was such that I couldn't save the situation, as the emperor had given orders.

"Was there any special instruction?"

"No, it was just to relay the information."

Since we couldn't help in the competition among the princes, did this mean we should make our own choices?

I thought it was a bit discriminatory that the reserve force went to support the 1st Prince's side, but...

Considering the timing, an issue might have arisen there first.

Moreover, it was the right judgment to go protect 50,000 rather than 25,000.

"You've worked hard. I'll arrange a place for you to rest."

After sending the messenger who had traveled all night, we immediately convened a meeting.

Amid the various discussions, I stared at the map, thinking.

After all, the task was set. We needed to find a way to win the battle.

In the midst of this, a rather ingenious idea came to mind.

"We are effectively isolated."

35,000 troops are coming down from above. There was no possibility of support from our allies.

A 10,000-troop difference. It wasn't an easy battle.

Everyone knew this. I nailed it down before any unnecessary talk could start.

"We cannot retreat or bypass to join the main force."

The firm words drew the attention of the assembly, their eyes demanding an explanation.

"Princess Erendil must not show that she is abandoning Akiten."

This matter would continue to be discussed as long as Erendil did not give up the throne.

The empire wanted a strong emperor.

Abandoning subordinates would not be good. We needed to create a distinction from the princes.

The 1st Prince, who is struggling, and the 3rd Prince, who has retreated. We need to show how to overcome the crisis.

"A 10,000-troop difference."

"It's hard to defend. The walls are severely damaged from this siege. It would be difficult to repair them with magic in time."

The two bodyguards of the princess expressed their opposition. They weren't wrong; the walls were almost half-destroyed.

There wasn't enough time to repair them.

But we had to overcome it. This war. I realized that I could gain more support from the nobles than I had thought.

A 10,000-troop difference. It's a lot, but not an insurmountable number.

"Enough. We will not abandon Akiten. Even without Schurtafen's words, I would have made the same choice."

Erendil interjected in the silence. Duke Ryurik nodded, and Emmit looked worried.

After all, Erendil's safety was at stake.

"Then we will defend..."

"No. Defending doesn't create variables."

I shook my head at another bodyguard's words.

"25,000 troops holding 35,000 is not a great feat. 10,000 is difficult, but not insurmountable."

A castle that could be destroyed with a few spells. It was better to fight outside than to defend.

"Agreed. Even if the Western Army is sharp from recent battles, I don't think the imperial army can't overcome a 10,000-troop difference."

Erendil agreed with me. Her words not only supported my opinion but also boosted the morale of our forces.

I expressed my gratitude with a brief eye contact.

"Sometimes we can change the situation by going on the offensive."

"Do you have a specific plan?"

Emmit's question.

"The Western Army likely doesn't know we are advancing. Even if they do, they won't expect a counterattack."

Duke Ryurik, who had been listening, lit up.

* * *

We waited at the location I designated.

Observing the enemy scouts' movements was a delicate task, naturally my responsibility.

I felt the distant movements of the enemy scouts. After circling to avoid detection and moving forward for quite some time, I finally saw the enemy's main force.

This meant the scouts had come out further than usual, with us in mind.

'They plan to ambush us if they discover us first.'

I quickly turned my horse and informed our forces of the facts.

We waited for a day. A short but long wait. Our forces began to advance.

We needed to make it look like we were suddenly encountering the enemy while joining the main force.

After advancing for a while, I felt the enemy scouts observing us through the wind.

Fortunately, they didn't patrol 24/7, so I was worried they might have returned earlier.

The Western scouts, suspecting a confrontation, hurriedly returned.

'They will prepare for battle now.'

It's fine. We are also prepared. Moreover, the battlefield was chosen by us.

The enemy's ambush location was obvious.

The battlefield I chose was generally flat, but the center was slightly lower.

This meant both sides would have to approach the center of the battlefield on a gentle slope.

The enemy would be at the end of the slope, out of our sight.

'As expected.'

As expected, the enemy was ambushed beyond the low hill. It was fortunate. I was anxious that the plan might not go as intended.

Otherwise, we would have had to engage in a full-scale battle.

We moved forward as if we knew nothing. The end of the gentle slope, now we had to climb.

At that moment, the enemy revealed themselves.

With the sound of the Western Army's distinctive high horns, the formation was archers, the main force of the Western Army known for their archery.

Our formation was just within the range of their arrows. This was the crucial moment.

We needed to show a natural, panic-stricken retreat.

"Retreat, retreat!"

Emmit shouted loudly, infused with mana. The entire force began to retreat.

From the outside, it looked unorganized, but it was a planned movement.

It wasn't as organic as we had prepared, but it couldn't be perfect.

This much was enough. The special training in a short time paid off. Arrows thudded into the ground behind us.

"Chase them!"

The sound of the enemy commander's voice carried by the wind.

Retreating up the slope, the formation naturally slowed down.

The enemy, descending the slope, could keep us within range, so it was a natural choice.

The advancing Western archers and infantry, with cavalry on their flanks, descended the slope.

They seemed to be circling to climb the slope first and block our retreat.

"Conserve your strength! Follow the plan!"

Even if the plan was known, the situation itself looked like a collapse to our forces.

To prevent them from being overwhelmed by the visible situation, I continuously encouraged the soldiers.

Though I felt it through the wind, I kept turning my head to visually confirm.

Unconscious tension.

'A little more.'

Ping! Ping! The sound of thousands of bowstrings overlapping. Magic flew over them.

The rear of our formation was within the range of the arrows. Knowing this, I had placed the shield soldiers in the rear during the retreat.

With the defense of our mages, I pushed the arrows slightly with the wind.

The casualties were not significant.

When we had climbed about halfway up the slope we had descended, the enemy was about 70% down.

Our retreating formation was now in a straight line.

Now.

I immediately blew the horn. The agreed action. All our cavalry leaders followed.

Woo! The low, majestic sound of the horns echoed over the plain. Simultaneously, the entire imperial army turned in unison.

The horses neighed. The counterattack began.

"Charge! Charge!"

The cavalry that had retreated to the sides started the charge first. Descending the slope, they moved faster than in retreat.

I controlled the wind at the forefront. The wind pushed the horses and