Chapter 52

I decided to update to two chapters due to the bad omen.

This is the beginner's guide to cavalry tactics.

The As army and the Dibel army faced each other across the river.

So far, no contact has been made with Alms.

If we use the hawk messenger, it would only take a few hours to reach Alms, but only Soyon can send the hawk.

Her cooperation is necessary for the success of the operation.

The formations of both armies are as follows:

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■←Dibel army including Gilbert and his elite troops

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River

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■ ←As army including Ron and his elite troops

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↑ （Soyon, archers, and explosive spear troops are in the rear of the infantry）

Rozward and his cavalry

The As army, outnumbered, is spread thin to avoid being surrounded and annihilated, making it seem vulnerable to a direct assault.

Without much discussion, both armies immediately engaged in battle.

"This is twice our number. We will crush these treacherous cowards who violated the alliance!!"

Gilbert began the advance.

The two armies clashed in the river.

This river is very shallow, with a depth of only up to the knees even in the deepest parts.

Naturally, the two armies met in the shallowest part of the river, where the water was only ankle-deep.

The Dibel army, with a numerical advantage of two to one, was expected to quickly defeat the As army.

However, the battle was evenly matched.

There are three reasons for this.

The first is the difference in morale.

The Dibel army is composed of conscripts, with very low morale and little training.

Moreover, they are all peasants.

To fight against those who saved them from the oppression of their own people...

It would be unreasonable to expect them to raise their morale.

Additionally, they have little experience with war itself.

After all, they had a secret agreement with King Verm and were in a ceasefire.

In contrast, the As army is composed entirely of recruited soldiers with high morale.

Many of the soldiers are of peasant origin and have not been well-trained, but they have extensive experience fighting in the Verm army.

Moreover, they have a significant cause to protect the oppressed people from the tyrants.

The second reason.

This is the difference in weapons.

First, one-third of the Dibel army's shields are wooden, and two-thirds are bronze.

One-third of the armor is wooden, and two-thirds is leather.

All spears are bronze, with a length of three meters.

Originally, they would have wanted to equip longer spears, but longer spears require a higher level of training to use effectively.

In fact, the spears are slightly too long given their training level.

On the other hand, all of the As army's shields are bronze.

The armor is all leather.

The spearheads are all iron, with a length of four meters.

The third reason.

This is the archers providing rear support.

The Dibel army's archers are just hunters.

Their bows are small, designed for use in the forest, and the arrowheads are made of stone.

On the other hand, the As army's archers are elite, trained by Gram.

Their bows are powerful longbows, and the arrowheads are made of iron.

While the As army's archers were continuously shooting down Dibel soldiers, the Dibel army's archers were unable to inflict any damage on the As army.

"Are the As army's right wing all monsters?"

A soldier from the Dibel army's left wing shouted.

The As army's right wing is composed entirely of those under Alms' blessing.

While some were injured and had to retreat, none had died.

Even wounds that would normally be fatal were not fatal for them.

They were gradually pushing back the Dibel army's left wing.

Particularly notable was Ron's performance.

"Take this!!!"

Ron, wielding a five-meter-long spear in his left hand, deflected incoming spears with his right-hand sword, rendering them unusable.

Naturally, the Dibel army's spears concentrated on the monstrous Ron, but this only resulted in many spears being wasted.

However, the Dibel army had a numerical advantage of two to one.

Gradually, the Dibel army began to gain the upper hand.

"Push them back!! Kill them all!!"

Gilbert shouted, gradually pushing back the As army.

The As army was forced to move back into the river...

Before they knew it, both armies were knee-deep in water.

"Alright, it's our turn. Let's circle around to their rear!!"

Rozward and his cavalry kicked their horses, moving through the shallow parts of the river to circle around to the enemy's rear.

Naturally, the Dibel army tried to respond by turning some of their soldiers around, but...

"Hey, you're too slow!! What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry. The water is making it difficult to move..."

The rear soldiers were struggling to turn around, made even more difficult by the long spears.

Moreover, they were in the river.

Gilbert shouted to hurry the soldiers.

However, this was counterproductive.

The riverbed was uneven, with stones and varying depths.

It was obvious that forcing a quick turn would disrupt the formation.

Four explosive spears then attacked, causing an explosion in the center, which severely disrupted the formation.

Then...

"False fire, deceive the eyes of men!!"

As Soyon shouted, flames erupted from the explosion site.

However, these were not real flames but illusions—deception magic.

Black powder had been mixed with crushed herbs that had a deceptive effect, originally intended for use against fugitives.

When the black powder exploded, the herb particles scattered and entered the bodies of the soldiers.

Soyon then cast the deception magic using the herbs as a medium.

Deception magic is not omnipotent.

Creating something from nothing—such as making water suddenly appear in an empty space—is extremely difficult.

However, making it appear as if a cup is filled with water is relatively easy.

Moreover, the more the target is a group and lacks calm judgment, the easier it is for the deception to take hold.

In this case, real flames erupted from the black powder explosion, and the target was a group of 300 people in a state of confusion.

This was the best timing.

However, a skilled mage could quickly see through and dispel the illusion, and the lack of heat from the flames would create a sense of unease.

But there was no need to maintain the illusion for a long time, and even if it was seen through, the visual terror remained.

Moreover, a formation once disrupted does not easily return to its original state.

"The enemy is exposing their defenseless backs... As planned. Now, charge!!"

Rozward attacked the Dibel army from the rear.

The Dibel army was in total disarray.

The As army did not pursue them.

It would be unwise to pursue the enemy into their territory.

However, this was a new situation...

Nonetheless, Dibel soldiers who fled to As territory were a different matter.

They could become bandits, which was a problem.

The As army captured the Dibel soldiers one by one, and those who resisted were killed.

Gilbert was running desperately.

Into As territory.

He was not running there by choice.

When the As army circled around to the Dibel army's rear, the Dibel army collapsed.

As a result, the As army's infantry suddenly regained strength, and the Dibel army was caught between two fronts.

Gilbert was in a state of confusion.

He was not suited to leading an army of over a hundred.

Moreover, he had little combat experience.

His experience was limited to suppressing fugitives and rebellious peasants.

Naturally, he could not skillfully withdraw his troops after they were attacked from both sides.

He fled recklessly like the other soldiers and found himself running into As territory.

"You must be the enemy commander? I'll take your head!!"

A man on horseback approached from behind.

Rozward pursued the enemy commander.

The enemy commander on foot and Rozward on horseback.

The distance was quickly closed.

Rozward raised his spear... then calmed down.

In this battle, the Dibel army was clearly in the wrong, but there was fault on our side as well.

Regardless of the reason, we were the ones who struck first.

Is it right to kill the enemy commander in this situation?

As a commander, he is a significant figure and likely close to Rigar.

He might even be a relative or family member.

Rozward considered the opposite scenario.

If we had been the ones to receive a preemptive attack and then launched a counterattack, and Ron had been killed...

Would he be able to forgive the enemy?

Would Alms forgive them?

No, he would not.

He would certainly appeal to King Rosais to demand retribution.

Therefore, killing this man here would be very unwise.

On the contrary, keeping him alive could be a bargaining chip.

Rozward rotated his spear, pointing the butt end down.

He gently knocked the enemy commander to the ground, trying to avoid serious injury.

The enemy commander kissed the ground beautifully.

Rozward, reflecting on his miscalculation, dismounted and gently restrained the enemy commander.

"Got you!! Be still. If you don't, you'll lose your life."

He used polite language, assuming the man was a significant figure.

Thus, Gilbert was captured by Rozward.

Vilgar is on standby.