Did I realize that I was sneaking around last night?
The enemy had set up sentries between the ranks and was thoroughly maintaining their encirclement.
As the moon set and dawn approached, they showed no signs of sleep, which honestly made me a bit worried.
What if the surprise attack had no effect at all?
But they never deviated from my expectations.
“The sentries are mostly dozing off.”
Just before sunrise.
As the light began to seep over the horizon, they slowly started to doze off one by one.
Relieved from having made it through the night, they probably thought it was daytime now and that they would easily see us coming.
I casually glanced back.
Fully armed, the knights lined up in front of the main gate came into view.
These were the gathered members of both the Holy Knights and the Imperial Knights.
They were all staring intently at the back of Pelaine, who stood at the forefront.
“It seems we can charge.”
“Prepare to deploy.”
Pelaine’s voice whispered after hearing my report.
With a *scrap* sound, the knights picked up their helmets and donned them.
There were no unnecessary sounds.
They maintained silence, merely waiting for Pelaine’s next command.
“Come on! We’re charging!”
I rushed to Trie, who was waving his hands frantically.
I grabbed that strong hand and got onto the horse with Trie.
Embarrassingly, I didn’t know how to ride a horse…
I thought I needed to learn horseback riding quickly.
Looking beside me, Aintz was already on a horse with Taylor, the vice-captain of the Holy Knights.
It may be hard to believe, but that guy is the key force in this battle.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Aintz would both start and finish this battle.
“······.”
Glancing at the watchtower, Erica was also wide awake and focused.
She had probably spent the night writing and checking spells repeatedly.
Given the size was anything but ordinary, it would take quite a while to complete.
Of course, no one but Erica could create such a massive spell without mistakes, so I had no choice but to place the burden on her.
Just hang in there a bit longer.
Once that’s over, I’ll let you sleep all day.
“Everyone has held on well until now. It’s time for the survivors to fulfill their duty. We fight for our fallen comrades.”
“······.”
“Don’t be afraid. I am with you.”
“······.”
“Open the main gate.”
*Dududududu…*
As the soldiers rushed in, the heavy doors began to swing open with strength.
The sun had risen beyond the horizon, shining brightly on the ground.
There were still some dozing off, unable to regain their senses.
And because of the glaring light, some were squinting with their palms raised, trying to shield their eyes.
Their conditions varied, but one thing was clear: none were prepared to take us on.
We quickly rushed through the narrow gate and formed a charging formation in mere moments.
“Charge!”
“Waaah!!!”
Pelaine’s resolute command.
Following that, cheers erupted as the formation began to move.
The target was the enemy ranks in front.
Dozens of tents were scattered about, resembling a refugee camp.
*Gugugugu…!*
“Uwaaa!”
Even though the cavalry didn’t exceed 40, it was enough to kick up dust and shake the earth.
Adding to that, the loud battle cry meant the enemy couldn’t possibly ignore the surprise.
But it was already too late.
As soon as the subhumans peeked out of the tents, their faces turned pale.
“Don’t stop! Break through!”
“Waaah!”
The first collision was terribly anticlimactic.
A few waiting spearmen seemed to resist, but soon tossed away their spears to flee.
They didn’t get far before being trampled underfoot.
And then came the second clash.
“Ugh! What the heck?!”
“Why is the cavalry here?!”
We overtook the enemy formation in an instant, thrusting spears at the subhumans who were fleeing in their underwear.
We charged through and pierced them while collapsing tents behind us.
If the spear broke, we’d draw our swords and slash away.
The cries of the fallen filled the formation, turning it into chaos.
Most of them fled the formation empty-handed towards the forest.
Chasing them would just be a waste of time.
“Separate!”
Pelaine’s powerful voice echoed around.
The once cohesive charging formation split cleanly in half.
The Holy Knights and we veered to the right.
The Imperial Knights took the left.
We showcased advanced techniques, splitting our formation without any clash or hiccups.
“Uh-oh? They’re coming this way?”
“······.”
Now it was time for the remaining ranks to receive our hammer of justice.
The effect of the surprise was practically gone.
However, fear had surely settled into them.
Seeing hundreds of soldiers who had gathered in that formation get swept away in an instant would have instilled an unshakeable terror.
“Damn it! Run!”
“What the hell!”
And that fear spread.
As one dropped their spear, others followed suit, tossing down their weapons and fleeing.
We were only a group of less than 20 cavalry, yet the enemy had already lost their will to fight.
“Break through!”
Another clash.
As we vaulted past fences and barricades, the knights slashed down every visible subhuman.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Pelaine, who led the charge.
She didn’t waver or change direction but simply swung her sword while maintaining her course.
No emotions could be read from her cold helmet.
What thoughts were going through her mind as she cut down her own kind?
“Schlus! To the left!”
“······!”
There wasn’t time to get lost in thought.
I needed to reduce their numbers as much as possible.
Following Trie’s lead, I spotted a subhuman trying to pass through our left.
Clad in chainmail and seemingly paralyzed with fear.
Holding a longsword in his left hand, he hesitated –
*Swish!*
“Ugh!”
I beheaded him.
After that, there was nothing else to do.
Just slash and keep slashing.
As I continuously moved forward, I soon found myself facing the Imperial Knights.
We, circling the right half of the fortress, finally encountered them as they circled the left half.
Looking back, the path we had taken was covered in blood.
The majority of the enemy encircling the fortress had fled, their command structure in complete disarray.
We had obliterated their siege forces.
“Regroup!”
However, there was no time to cheer.
Even though we had entirely repulsed an enemy ten times our size, that was not enough of a victory.
At Pelaine’s signal, the Imperial Knights marched toward us, aligning with us perfectly.
Before long, we were walking as one, heading toward the fortress’s main gate.
“Wow.”
“Ugh…”
I heard gasps from all around that couldn’t be concealed.
It was certainly a suffocating sight.
Those tiny dots far away, densely clustered on the ridge.
All of those were the heads of enemy soldiers.
And they were heavily armored cavalry.
Even I gulped at the grand scene.
While we had been joyously ravaging the infantry formation, enemy cavalry had gathered on that ridge from various fortresses.
“Hoo…”
My arms were trembling.
What would Aintz be feeling right now?
Suddenly, I glanced over –
“Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh… Are you serious about facing that? R-r-really?”
“······.”
Aintz’s face was completely drained of color.
It was troubling to see Aintz like this, of all people.
I had exhausted all my Mana for ‘Selection and Concentration’ right at midnight, so today I only had 1000 Mana left.
Even if I summoned Vafe, how long could I last against all those cavalry?
I had no choice but to rely entirely on Aintz.
I moved a bit closer to Aintz and placed my hand on his shoulder.
“Yikes?!”
“Don’t be nervous. You can do it.”
“Ah… Sh-Schlus. Am I really supposed to do this?”
“Yes. You’re the one who will lead this battle to victory. There’s no one else capable.”
“I… I…”
Aintz hung his head low, repeating the same words.
Uh-oh. Is he malfunctioning?
That would be bad.
If Aintz couldn’t fight, we’d have to retreat back into the fortress immediately.
Without Aintz, facing that insane army would mean certain annihilation.
“So this battle means I’m the main character, huh!”
“Uh…?”
“It’s a chance for a solo breakthrough! I’ve been waiting for this, damn it!”
“······.”
Well, I didn’t seem to need to worry too much.
“The enemy is regrouping!”
The enemy was starting to gather the widely scattered cavalry back into a charge formation.
It seemed their earlier spreading was merely to create a show of force.
But even after forming into five or six layers, their lines were wider than ours by more than double.
The numbers were around a thousand…
They must have collected every one of their cavalry in a hurry.
“Charge.”
Even in this situation, Pelaine’s voice was calm and steady.
Feeling an inexplicable sense of stability from her unwavering voice, the charging formation began to advance slowly.
The enemy seemed ready to charge us as well, closing in.
Before long, both sides dashed toward each other at full speed.
Neither side planned to stop; it was a planned chicken game leading only to destruction.
“······!”
Soon, the enemy formation began to shift.
Both sides surged forward, aiming to envelop us.
I remembered seeing something like this before.
A ‘crane-wing formation.’
Yes. They were attempting to surround us using their numerical advantage.
We had already ventured too far.
Even if we slowed down now, we couldn’t escape.
“For the Empire!”
“For the Empire!!!”
Spears and swords rained down from all directions, aimed at us.
But the knights didn’t care; they just continued to howl in battle cries.
Three seconds until the collision.
The prologue to our counterattack.
