Dragon Knight Chronicles ~ From a mere mercenary, rise to success through tactics! A small harem with the princess and the lord's daughter!? I'll also develop my territory! ~ - Chapter 97

Chapter 97   Death Soldier or Demon Soldier

I hurried to the tent and called out to Momiji, giving her instructions.

“Get our troops out of here immediately, starting from the rear. That includes the wounded!”

“Understood.”

“And after fighting for two hours, you and your men should retreat as well.”

“What!?”

“Trust me, just retreat when the time comes.”

“…Alright.”

I then gave orders to our forces, including the undead, on where they should position themselves. Afterward, I climbed up to the watchtower to await the enemy’s arrival.

From the watchtower, the view was unusually chilly for a summer night, with a thin mist covering the ground. The enemy began emerging from the darkness, one after another, like wild beasts.

“The scout says there are only a few soldiers in the fort! Attack!”

Leading the charge were soldiers wielding spears and swords, with some holding torches high.

“What is this?”

I had set up simple barricades, like wooden spikes, along the enemy’s path of attack. As they became preoccupied with removing them, I seized the moment.

“Fire the arrows!”

At my command, a volley of arrows was released, and the enemy began to fall one by one.

“Extinguish the torches! Fall back, retreat!”

The enemy commander seemed surprisingly adaptable, pulling his troops back before they suffered too many casualties.

“Prepare the scouts for an enemy attack.”

I ordered the watch personnel to rotate shifts, allowing the others to rest.

Even after two hours, the mist hadn’t cleared. However, the enemy hadn’t made a move either.

I called for Momiji, who was likely resting.

“Has the enemy not come?”

“No, perhaps they’ve realized that fighting a night battle on unfamiliar terrain puts them at a disadvantage, so they might not attack.”

“Alright, take your longbow squad and retreat to Lebe.”

“…Understood.”

Momiji seemed like she wanted to say something, but she quietly obeyed the order.

“…Will it rain?”

After she left, small raindrops began to fall from the sky.

◇◇◇◇◇

The next morning—

The sky was covered with rain clouds, and a torrential downpour hammered the ground.

“Come forth, undead heroes, archers of the demon realm!”

I summoned skeletal soldiers one after another, positioning them behind the fortress’s palisade.

These undead skeletal soldiers were not invincible—they were vulnerable to silver weapons and fire magic.

Moreover, summoning them required a prior contract, and my magical power could only call forth around 300 of them.

“Master Shinker, are you alright?”

Belchi, a demon archer, asked with concern as I panted heavily. But I wasn’t finished yet.

“Awaken the inner power, the might of the giant demon general, Gigas!”

The muscles on my back swelled, tearing through my clothes. The transformation spread to my chest, arms, and legs, turning my body into that of a massive, over three-meter-tall, powerful demon.

“…W-what in the world is that!?”

An enemy scout, who had been stealthily observing our camp, shouted in shock. It was no wonder, for what guarded the fortress was a horde of monsters, even if they were low-tier.

“Whether the enemy wields magic or commands darkness, it matters not! The royal leader of their forces is behind this fortress! Capture him, and even a foot soldier will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins!”

“Oooooh!”

The enemy commander skillfully rallied his troops and began a careful advance.

I climbed onto the roof to survey the battlefield. The enemy’s forces numbered around three thousand. We had only about three hundred, relying heavily on the fortress’s defensive strength.

Learning from their experience the previous night, the enemy had lined up soldiers carrying large shields at the front. This would greatly reduce the effectiveness of our arrows.

“Gau, I’m counting on you!”

Following my command were the rock golem and the mithril golem, Gau, whom I had summoned earlier. They used their immense strength to hurl the prepared boulders at the advancing enemy.

“Ugh!”

The ground had turned to mud in the torrential rain, making it difficult for the enemy to approach the fortress. Just then, stones rained down from above, forcing the enemy soldiers to retreat.

“…Tch, they’ve retreated again.”

“Yes.”

I clicked my tongue in frustration and complained to Belchi. The enemy’s quick retreats made it difficult to inflict significant damage.

The next tactic I employed was rather childish.

“You’re idiots, idiots!”

“Your mother is a big belly button freak!”

I had the skeletal swordsmen hurl insults at the enemy commander. The taunts were crude, but they were likely to affect those in the ruling class.

Ancient military texts often depict great generals ignoring such provocations. However, in reality, the ruling class cannot afford to be publicly insulted in front of slaves and commoners.

“How dare they mock us! Unforgivable!”

Without waiting for orders from their commander, the mounted knights charged at us. One after another, they followed suit, leading to a chaotic full-scale assault.

“Shoot the arrows! Don’t let them get close!”

We responded by unleashing a barrage of arrows and stones upon the enemy.

“Don’t falter! Charge!”

But the enemy was relentless. They dodged the rain of arrows, cleared away the obstacles, and began wrapping ropes around the palisade, attempting to pull it down.

“Master, the situation is not looking good!”

“Indeed.”

Belchi, my adjutant, reported the battle situation. The difference in numbers was evident. We simply didn’t have enough soldiers to provide support at every point.

The battle continued without pause, and somehow, we managed to hold out that day.

However, the next day, the enemy concentrated their attacks on the sections of the fortress that we hadn’t managed to repair in time. Finally, the palisade was pulled down, and enemy soldiers began pouring into the fortress.

“Attack! Attack!”

“It’s strange that monsters are here. The enemy commander is a human who controls them! Capture him, and it’ll be a great achievement!”

…What an unpleasant thing to say. Like I’d let myself be captured.

“Don’t falter! Push them back!”

I jumped onto Comet and rallied my troops. I swung my longsword like a windmill, using my immense strength to cut down enemy after enemy.

With my massive body, any normal horse would have been crushed, but Comet was a dragonet. Even with me on his back, he dashed through the enemy ranks, charging in all directions.