I Became King by Following My Little Sister's Advice. Now the Princess I Forced to Marry Is Giving Me Death Stares, What Should I Do? - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: The Battle of Roicardan Plains – Part 2

“Uh… our commander ran away. What should we do, Captain?”

At the rear of the battlefield, Eustace Bern sighed as he watched the Aidron commander flee. 

Eustace was an excellent knight and already understood that the battle was lost. 

Even if Crown Prince Eirick Aidron was merely a figurehead, his presence might have offered a chance for a comeback. 

But now, that figurehead was gone.

With their commander fleeing, the Aidron army was visibly shaken, more so than when they were ambushed by the crossbows.

“This is a total collapse. Let’s just retreat quickly… What’s your decision, Captain?”

“…”

The one being asked was Van Arlengs, the commander of Eustace’s unit.

Despite being of common birth, Van had risen to the rank of unit commander.

His unit had not suffered from the crossbow ambush. 

Van had intuitively sensed the enemy’s intentions and halted his troops, preventing any damage. 

As a result, his unit was still intact and not in chaos like the others, making it easy for them to retreat.

“…Move forward. Let’s go.”

“Huh…?”

But Van’s order was not to retreat. Instead, he commanded his troops to advance.

“Wait… Are you serious? In this situation… you want us to advance?”

Eustace trusted Van. 

He believed that if Van weren’t a commoner, he could be leading an entire battalion, not just a unit.

However, in this situation, advancing seemed like madness.

“…I see a chance for victory. Aidron’s victory.”

Van spoke briefly. 

He was a man of few words and rarely opened up, even to close friends. 

In the presence of others, he was always succinct.

“General Black is making a stand… Now we can seize it.”

“Seize it… You don’t mean!?”

Eustace finally understood what Van intended.

Seeing that his lieutenant grasped his plan, Van pointed far ahead on the battlefield.

“Gather the other units around us. We’re charging the enemy’s main camp… I’ll lead the way, follow me.”

Then, he spurred his horse and rode off, aiming for the northern part of the battlefield, the Zelos army’s main camp.

〇　　　　　〇　　　　　〇

“We’ve won!”

“Yes, it’s decided!”

At the Zelos army’s main camp, the atmosphere was already celebratory. 

They had successfully trapped the Aidron army and showered them with arrows from their crossbows.

Their smiles of satisfaction turned into joyful cheers when an unexpected piece of good fortune occurred: Eirick Aidron, the enemy commander, fled.

“Who would have thought… that a prince would abandon his own army and run away!”

“It seems the future king of Aidron is a coward! Perhaps the Kingdom’s end is near?”

“He’s nothing like our brave crown prince. Let’s push deep into enemy territory!”

These jubilant voices belonged to the generals left at the Zelos army’s main camp. 

Their commander, Crown Prince Lott Zelos, was leading the troops at the front lines. 

Unlike Eirick, who had fled, Lott was courageously commanding from the front, filling his generals with pride and confidence in their nation’s prosperity.

History often turns on the bravery or folly of individuals. 

Eirick’s foolish retreat and Lott’s brave leadership at the front were about to drastically alter the fate of the two nations.

“Enemy attack!”

“The Aidron army is attacking our main camp!”

However, the smiles on the faces of the Zelos army did not last long.

History can be changed by the actions of a single person. 

The victory and prosperity of the Zelos Kingdom were about to be shattered by one young man.

“The guards have already been scattered, and they are heading this way! Everyone, run quickly!”

“What!? An attack in this situation!?”

One of the generals shouted in panic upon hearing the soldier’s report. They had been caught off guard, certain of their victory.

“How many of them are there?”

“Approximately… three hundred.”

“Three hundred!? Just three hundred!?”

There were nearly a thousand soldiers defending the main camp. Yet, they had been overrun by just three hundred attackers.

“Damn… They targeted us when the crown prince was away!”

“Curse the Aidron army! I won’t forgive…”

“Chargeeeeeeeeee!”

“Wh-… Aaaaargh!”

At that moment, the Aidron army burst into the camp. Leading the charge was none other than Van Arlengs.

“Damn you…!”

“If we let them… Gah!”

“Shut up.”

Van muttered calmly as he swung his spear, cutting down the generals who had stayed behind in a single blow.

“Alright, kill them all!”

“Take this!”

“Yaaaaaah!”

The soldiers around Van fought with incredible ferocity.

Under a fierce commander, there were no weaklings. Inspired by Van’s strength, they overpowered the Zelos soldiers with overwhelming force.

“Alright… Set fire to their provisions. Burn the main camp to the ground.”

After confirming that all the enemy generals were defeated, Van gave his orders.

They had broken the main camp, but the battle was far from over.

In fact, the real challenge was just beginning.

“Make sure the fire is visible to all the Zelos soldiers on the front lines. Let them see that their camp has fallen.”

“Understood!”

Following Van’s command, Eustace and the other soldiers set the enemy camp ablaze.

The roaring flames turned the Zelos army’s main camp into a giant beacon.