Chapter 91

Both sides formed their battle lines about a kilometer apart, facing each other.

I left my father's side and circled the front lines of our army. As I suspected, there was nothing buried there.

The enemy seems to have a strategist capable of repelling Lady Pretaria. A common talent defeated a near-hero level figure.

No wonder they became tengu.

I can understand their feelings.

I sometimes become a tengu even though I haven't done anything great.

The Badragia army appears to be waiting for us, with shield soldiers densely packed at the front.

About fifty meters behind the foremost shield soldiers, there are about a hundred magic soldiers grouped in tens, and another fifty meters back, archers are positioned. This is a basic defensive formation in this world.

The reason the magic soldiers are in front of the archers is that the further the distance, the more MP is required.

Additionally, once the magic soldiers have burned the enemy, their job is done.

However, if the shield soldiers are broken through and the magic soldiers are allowed to get close, they are less effective than peasant soldiers with spears, and they need to be protected from the enemy's one-sided attacks since they cannot be mass-produced.

The critical distance for the valuable magic soldiers to retreat and still be able to launch a medium-scale attack magic is fifty meters.

In contrast, our formation is a pyramid aimed at a concentrated breakthrough.

Cavalry are at the front, followed by infantry, with my father and the magic soldiers in the center.

"Riddle, how does it look?"

That was my father's first words when I returned.

I shook my head quietly.

Seeing this, my father said,

"Alright, I understand," and mounted his horse.

"We don't know what the enemy will do... but we won't know until we fight."

My father muttered this at the center of our formation.

"I announce to the Pornezia army!!!!"

I was surprised by the sudden voice from the enemy side and looked over. There, about two hundred meters in front of our formation, stood a tall man, likely an enemy general, with a height easily exceeding two meters, accompanied by one other. He held a massive hammer in his right hand.

I hurried over.

"My name is Gildor, the commander of the second division of the Badragia army!

And the strategist of this army is our first prince, Grid, who slaughtered your Pornezia near-hero level mage, Bridania!

I announce to you fools! You have no chance of victory in a million!

Fold your dirty flags and flee back to your country, and we will spare you the chase!"

This statement caused some unrest among our soldiers, but no one fled.

As I approached the front lines, I inwardly corrected him.

It's Pretaria, not Bridania. And she's not dead. She's alive.

Of course, my inner voice didn't reach him, and after scanning the area, he shouted,

"Fools of Pornezia!

Experience the terror of my army with your own bodies!"

He then turned and returned to his own ranks.

I quickly returned to the center.

"What was that fool's status?"

This was my objective.

I doubt he imagined I could see his status from that distance.

"He's quite strong.

Level 42.

STR 286, VIT 185, AGI 130.

His magic talent is fire, level 4.

His skills are a level 5 STR increase and a level 7 charge skill.

He's a power type focused on strength."

I used my divine eye to check the charge skill:

Charge

When colliding with an opponent, if your STR is higher, you can maintain your momentum.

No... isn't he strong?

Seriously? That's amazing.

What do we do? He's a typical brainless brute.

This is probably one reason he fights on the plains.

He's clearly not suited for defense in forests or castles. The plains, where he can freely scatter the enemy, are his ideal battlefield.

My father snorted in response to my concern,

"We'll teach them that war isn't just about strength.

Riddle, cast support magic on my command.

Can you do it?"

"Yes!"

He moved his horse three steps forward and took a deep breath.

Then he raised his right hand.

A deep drumbeat sounded twice.

The murmurs among the Pornezia soldiers ceased.

My father's voice echoed in the silence.

"I announce to the Pornezia army!!!"

My father's encouragement began.

"Who leads you all!!!?

I, Rondo Duke d'Orion!!!

The army led by Orion rages like fire!!!"

At that moment, a wave of magic spread through the ranks.

"Steadfast as a mountain!!!"

Another wave of magic spread.

"Swift as the wind!!!"

Yet another wave of magic spread.

"And like water, we will sweep the enemy away!!!"

The final wave of magic spread.

By then, any signs of unease among the soldiers had vanished.

"Has Orion ever been defeated by an enemy merely twice our size?"

The soldiers raised and lowered their weapons in response,

No! No! No!

"Our way of fighting does not change, no matter the enemy!

Fellow Pornezians! Show them the folly of standing against Orion!!!"

Ooooooohhhh!!!

"Badragia!!! Lead the charge!!!"

"Leave it to me!!!"

A loud voice echoed from the front lines, matching my father's.

"All army! Charge!!!"

Ooooooohhhh!!!

With that command, the entire Pornezia army moved.

The waves of magic, of course, came from me.

In order:

Fire level 6 support magic

《Parafull People/Blazing Army》

Earth level 6 support magic

《Defending Army/Defensive Army》

Wind level 6 support magic

《Speed Troop/Wind Speed Team》

Water level 8 healing magic

《Cladual Ex Heal Area/Blessing of Water》

These are the best support magic I can use now.

I increased the STR, VIT, and AGI of the entire army by 200 each.

To put it in perspective, the average status of the mostly peasant soldiers is around 100.

With the +200, their average is now over 300.

In other words, they are about three times as strong.

The elite soldiers' status is roughly doubled.

The cavalry now run at twice the normal speed, and the infantry at three times the normal speed.

The difference in speed of the Pornezia army was immediately noticeable, causing the Badragia shield soldiers, who were neatly lined up, to waver.

However, the magic soldiers behind them maintained their concentration and continued their spellcasting.

The Badragia shield soldiers, like those of Pornezia, are mostly peasant soldiers.

However, the magic soldiers are all elite, including those who are usually adventurers, and are well-trained.

The Pornezia army's speed was much faster than expected.

This alone did not disrupt their concentration.

From here, I could see that they were continuing their group spellcasting in tens.

Ten magic circles were forming at their feet.

"Rain!!!"

My father shouted to me while riding his horse in the center.

"Leave it to me!"

Dark level 6 support magic

《Aria Break/Chant Destruction》!!!

The moment I cast it without chanting, the magic circle of the rightmost group of magic soldiers shattered with a crack.

"Next!"

I continued to cast Chant Destruction from right to left until the leftmost group was destroyed.

During this time, a few of the rightmost magic soldiers, who had regained their composure, cast level one spells, hitting a few of our cavalry and causing them to fall.

Almost simultaneously, arrows rained down on the cavalry, and a few more fell.

But... that was all.

Some of the front-line shield soldiers, realizing that no magic was being cast as the Pornezia cavalry approached, began to retreat.

A commander, visible even from here, was desperately shouting, "Don't retreat! Hold your shields properly!"

But it was impossible to regain composure in this situation.

The shield soldiers' faces clearly showed that this was not what they had been told to expect.

Even those who managed to stay in place were visibly shaken, holding their shields more as a support than a defense.

Seizing this opening,

"Duoriaaaaaa!!!"

The elite cavalry led by Badragia charged forward.

Blood and limbs of Badragia soldiers flew through the air.

The Badragia front line, which had been easily penetrated, was already collapsing, and the cavalry had already broken through the shield soldiers and reached the magic soldiers.

As mentioned earlier, the distance was just enough for the magic soldiers to barely escape.

With the Pornezia cavalry moving at twice the speed, escape was impossible.

Their weapons were staves, and they were quickly annihilated.

The Badragia archers, realizing the failure of the magic soldiers, fired a single volley and immediately retreated to the rear.

The Pornezia army pushed through the gap, and the Badragia cavalry rushed forward.

However...

"Jama Jaaaaa!!!"

The momentum of the Badragia cavalry was clearly being overwhelmed by the Pornezia cavalry led by Badragia.

As they scattered the enemy and advanced further,

A thick fog suddenly spread from their center, enveloping the entire Pornezia front line.