In the pitch blackness, the sound of the continuous rain can be heard. Near the entrance to the forest that leads to the border of the Lamaronic Kingdom, the Lamaronic Army 5000 is encamped. The commander of the army, Neve, is accompanied by two sorcerers, staring out at the meadow that stretches out in the opposite direction from the forest.
"Well, what do you see?"
"...weak reactions, but... that's a fox or some kind of creature. There doesn't seem to be an army."
Neve had received a report about an hour earlier from one of his men who had been sent out to scout the area that Agartha's army was on the march. They were encamped in a position where they would be able to reach the main camp of their advance party and their followers within a few hours if they rode on horseback.
"Even though they are a small army, they may attack us at night. Keep your eyes peeled for signs.
Saying this to the sorcerer, Neve ordered his messenger to report back to the main camp as well.
The majority of Lamarone's soldiers did not sleep a wink in the morning, for the sound of the pouring rain, the night attack of Agartha's army, and the attack of the demons living in the forests had them on alert.
It is already dawn! Everyone, let's move into the woods!"
Although it was much earlier than planned, Neve decided to move the advance party into the forest. He and the other Lamarron soldiers had the desire to shelter from the rain and dew in the forest, but at the same time, they still felt uneasy about the Great Demon Lord. In the forest, they could hide themselves from the Great Demon King. It was an ordinary, childish thought, but for them, the desire to get to a safe place as much as possible dominated the situation.
"Hm? You've already advanced your army into the forest, how fast?"
We were just about to have breakfast when we saw movement on the map. By the way, today's breakfast consisted of grilled rice balls, steamed bean sprouts and pork, and fried eggs. I put the grilled rice ball in one hand into my mouth, enjoying the taste of crispy rice and burnt soy sauce, and called out to the soldiers.
"All right, it's a little early, but let's go to battle! The first one to finish eating should get ready!"
"Wow, if this is how it's going to be, camping out isn't so bad."
"Yeah, I've never been in such a comfortable camp before."
The soldiers look much better now that they have had a good night's sleep in my wards. We cleared the encampment quickly and began to move.
The rain that had been falling until early morning stopped by sunrise, and then the sun came out. Even though the fine weather finally came, Zizeu, the commander-in-chief of the Agartha dispatched forces, did not hide his irritation.
On the previous day, only half of the planned itinerary had been completed. He had originally planned to advance his army as close as possible to the advance party. However, the pouring rain and muddy roads made it difficult to move the carts full of food. To make matters worse, the ground had been dug up by the cavalrymen who had moved ahead of them, and Zizeu and his men were forced to move through the mud.
The advance party should have moved in formation, but in their haste to get to the encampment, they had moved separately, and the ground had been extensively disturbed. Therefore, it would have taken us a considerable distance to avoid that area. Rather than go around, Zizeu and his team chose to move through the mud. As a result, the mud and rain were making their march even more difficult.
After a sleepless night in the pouring rain, and with little time to rest their weary bodies, the soldiers were forced to continue their arduous march. Even though the weather was fine, the roads were still muddy from the rain, and the horses pulling the carts and the soldiers pushing them from behind marched with their feet dragging.
"Can't you do something more!"
Zizeu is hitting his men all around him.
"Hey, warder! Can't you put some kind of warding on the ground so that the carts can pass through? ...d*mn you, you useless bastard! We'll never make it in time. The Heedata reinforcements will be at the border!
"Commander-in-Chief, once you enter the forest, it will be a little easier to move around. Until then we must be patient.
"d*mn, what about the land of Agartha! This is not what I heard!
Zizeu mumbles and grumbles as he slowly paces. But then he remembered that he had a bright future ahead of him. If he delivers this food to the Kingdom, he will be a hero for saving his country. What will Her Majesty the Queen Mother say? Zizeu! From now on, you will be in command as Commander-in-Chief of the Lamarong Empire. If you do so, you will be able to move the hundreds of thousands of Lamaron's army as you wish under your command. And that's not all. Money, women, honor... everything will be at his command. While I was thinking about this in a good mood, one of my subordinates suddenly shouts out.
"Commander-in-chief, look at that!"
I looked down the hill in front of me and saw what appeared to be Agartha's troops deployed on the grassy plain. The enemy was divided into three columns, of which the center column stood out, and the two columns on both wings seemed to be chasing it slowly from far behind. Seeing this scene, Zizeu let out an involuntary laugh.
"Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! What the hell was that? It's all so unorganized! With the front and flanks so far apart, there was no way they could coordinate. I guess that the center unit was so far ahead that the rest of the army couldn't keep up with them before the whole army could get together. Moreover...the central force is quite small. They will be destroyed in no time.
"Hey guys, someone go to them and teach them how to fight! That's no way to fight a battle! Hee-hee-hee!"
Zizeu's silly laugh is followed by laughter from those around him.
"Let's teach them how to fight, shall we? Cavalry, destroy them individually! First, take that front line! Don't let any of them leave alive!"
Ramallon's army formed up and began to charge toward Agartha's army.
Lafayence, who was leading the troops deployed in the front, watched the scene calmly.
"Here they come! We'll use our big spears to make their dengaku-sashi! Let's give them a taste of our home-cooked food!"
Ow! The soldiers respond to the old general's words. They had smiles on their faces.
Facing the onrushing Lamarong forces, Lafayence's troops spun on their heels and retreated with great speed.
"Hee-hee-hee! What the hell is that? He's running away! This is not a good idea!"
On horseback, Zizeu is rolling with laughter. Lafayence's troops then pass between the two wings, which are keeping a certain distance from Lamaron's forces, and a wider distance from each other. From Zizeu's position, Agartha's army looked just like a U-shape. As if drawn into the U-shape, the Lamaron cavalry force of 4000 was chasing after them.
The old general's force came to a halt. At that moment, the fleeing troops suddenly turned on their heels and attacked the Lamarong forces. At the same time, the troops on both wings attacked. It was a brilliant, seamless coordination.
"Commander-in-Chief! Our troops are surrounded by the enemy. We need reinforcements!"
"What! Bollocks!
Zizeu has frozen in place with his eyes wide open. It was unbelievable. The Imperial Army, renowned for its bravery and valor, was being surrounded and annihilated by an Agartha army that had only half the strength of its own. Surrounded on three sides, the embattled Imperial Army is being pierced by the spears of the surprisingly nimble Agarthans, who are helplessly dying.
"Commander! Reinforcements!"
"What... what the hell is going on... what is happening..."
The screams of his men did not reach Zizeu's ears. He could not accept this nightmarish situation.
"Hey, you!
The knight who was advising Zizeu grabs the knight next to him by the chest.
"What is it?"
"Did the Commander-in-Chief just nod his head?"
What?
"The Commander-in-Chief certainly nodded his head when I asked for reinforcements!
"...ah, ah..."
"When you get back to your country, you'll have to testify that he nodded his head! . ..to reinforcements! Go on!"
Ramallon's army, led by a knight, was descending the hill. The soldiers guarding the wagons had also marched out, leaving only a few knights, warders, and a large number of wagons filled with the tribute that had been collected around Zizeu.
"I am not defeated. I will not be defeated. No defeat..."
With a slight feeling of dizziness, Zizeu stood there, wide-eyed and stunned.