Chapter 31 – An Unexpected Enemy

Tistria’s pet project, the Conjurer Knights.

Their origins were a complete mystery, and everyone—from their clients to the members themselves, and even Tistria—told others, “Don’t go digging too deep.”

To think we have to line up and fight alongside people like that, was the prevailing sentiment among the soldiers and generals alike.

A battlefield was a life-or-death place to begin with; there was no way they could fight alongside a bunch of unknowns.

But setting that aside, the addition of a new knight order was a welcome one.

If they could be trusted, they would be glad to fight with them.

And they all agreed with Tistria’s proposal to test their strength on a small-scale battlefield.

Thus, a conference was held at military headquarters.

Naturally, those in attendance were all standard military men, and all of them were human.

“Let this war council begin… The main topic of discussion is the Conjurer Knights, led by Gaikaku Hikume.”

The one chairing the meeting was Algol, the most senior of the generals and the de facto supreme commander. He was in a conference room at the National Army General Headquarters—a place physically close to, but politically distant from, the Knights’ Headquarters.

He was already an elderly man, but that was rather the norm for a general of the army.

Having earned numerous distinctions on many battlefields, he was now retired from the front lines, which was precisely why he was serving as chairman.

“This is a knight order established under the recommendation of Lady Tistria… my apologies, of Supreme Knight Commander Tistria… and they have already resolved a number of cases. Most notable was the hostage rescue mission in the forest governed by Lord Dikes, but as for a proper military operation, their only one has been the recent ‘fortress capture mission.’ We are not yet at a stage where we can pass judgment.”

As he spoke, he picked up a single report.

“Regarding the capture of the centaur bandit gang, they were meant to form a joint front with Viscount Rukbat’s local soldiers, but the knights finished the job on their own before the fighting actually began, so it cannot be used as a reference.”

“You say that, sir, but isn’t the mere fact that they established a defensive line a source of reassurance?”

“Indeed. If they were truly uncontrollable, they would have certainly skipped such basic preparations.”

“The paperwork for the loan of the stockpiled crossbows and longspears was also processed promptly.”

“At the very least… it seems they aren’t the type to say, ‘I’ll do everything, just leave it to me,’ are they?”

The subjugation of the young centaur bandits.

While it was not known what the “main force” had done on that occasion, the military was aware of how the defensive unit had been organized.

In fact, it was the military that had loaned them the crossbows and longspears.

“Hot-blooded young punks tend to skimp on these fundamental preparations and borrowings…”

“They certainly do…”

The generals’ expressions turned thoroughly bitter as they reflected on their younger selves, or perhaps on the subordinates currently serving under them.

“Well, be that as it may, it’s true we cannot judge them on that alone. Since they themselves have said it’s fine to have them actually fight, perhaps we should send them to some small-scale battlefield…”

“You say that, but this is a knight order we’re talking about. They must possess a strength befitting that title. A small-scale battlefield would be blown away in a single strike.”

“Small-scale battlefields are, well, truly small. A single knight approaching with a banner raised might be enough to make the enemy surrender.”

“And yet, deploying them to a high-priority battlefield is…”

“A ‘medium-sized’ battlefield is a difficult thing to find, isn’t it?”

A large-scale battle is not something that can be resolved by a single standout force.

Like Go or Shogi, what’s important is to push forward on all fronts.

A knight order recklessly charging in could very well result in damage to the entire army.

It was also possible that a knight order could be too successful, exciting the troops and throwing the overall command into disarray.

In truth, such cases were common.

A knight order would be cutting down foes one after another, and the young soldiers on their side, seeing this, would get cocky and think, Hey, the enemy’s a bunch of small fry. They would then charge in without a plan and learn a painful lesson (many casualties).

One’s allies being strong and one’s enemies being weak are two completely different things.

A soldier must understand that an opponent a knight can fell with ease is still far stronger than them.

You must never think there is someone on the battlefield weaker than you. That’s the one who dies first.

“At this point, shouldn’t we just send them to one of the fronts that has requested reinforcements?”

“Well, that’s a reasonable idea.”

“There are several… the smallest in scale is this one… the front near the Medusa Shrine.”

“I hear that recently, the enemy’s morale has been high and our forces are being pushed back…”

“Pushed back just because the enemy’s morale is high… a sorry state of affairs.”

“A battlefield where armies of a thousand clash… If we commit roughly two hundred troops here, victory should be assured.”

“The question is how they will win, isn’t it…”

The army’s top brass was deciding where to dispatch them.

What was the true strength of the Conjurer Knights, and what was their method of warfare?

They were considering what kind of observer to dispatch to the scene, but…

They did not think to consider that something unforeseen might occur.

※

Now… up until this point, while Gaikaku had made preparations for unforeseen circumstances, he had rarely encountered any.

He had only fought enemies that matched the advance intelligence, and he had always won with the strategies he had planned in advance. He had never encountered a foe stronger than expected and suffered a major blow.

That was merely good fortune.

It wasn’t that Gaikaku was particularly thorough in his preliminary research, but simply that the information brought by Tistria had been correct.

If that was the case, it was only a matter of time before he ran into a spot of bad luck.

※

The Medusa Shrine.

Though called a shrine, it was in fact the ruins of one; no active priests or believers were present.

One theory suggested that a new religion had sprung up long ago when local people began to deify the lamias, thinking, Aren’t lamias basically gods? The religion then supposedly dissolved when disillusionment set in after it was revealed that, No, they’re just regular creatures.

Though the ruins were ancient, recent analysis suggested they had only been in use for a short period.

In other words, the Medusa Shrine didn’t matter.

There was simply a battlefield in its vicinity; the shrine itself could be ignored.

The surrounding area was a wasteland, a convenient region for a battle, but a conflict had currently broken out between our country and an enemy nation.

A field battle of one thousand versus one thousand, evenly matched. Though the higher-ups likely had their reasons, from the perspective of those on the ground, it was a battle of unknown purpose. Neither side was particularly motivated.

But then, only the enemy’s morale suddenly surged.

They began to push forward relentlessly, heedless of their own injuries.

Not to take hostages, but to kill as many as possible.

Faced with such a brutal strategy, our side’s morale steadily dropped.

The cause of this situation, where both sides were taking heavy losses, was…

“Hey, all of you. Do you hate me?”

Inside the enemy encampment.

Within one of the tents, the officers were on their knees.

The object of their fear and respect was the commander who had only recently arrived…

A tyrannical man who gave but one order: “Kill them and come back.”

“I know you hate me. Forcing you to risk your lives on a pointless battlefield. And since we’re not taking hostages, you don’t even make any money.”

The elite beastman, Alterph.

He sat so arrogantly that the simple camp stool looked like a throne.

Surrounding him were four young beastmen, who likewise looked down upon the officers.

“But you can’t defy me. I’m of higher rank, and even higher-ups told you to obey me.”

Alterph was merely stating the obvious.

And for that very reason, no one could correct him.

“I’ll tell you why. This whole operation is just because I was bored. It’s no fun watching a battle drag on and on.”

The elite beastman, Alterph.

Though he was now on a remote battlefield like this one, just a few months ago he had held a rank equivalent to a knight in the enemy nation.

As for why he was here…

“The higher-ups don’t know what to do with me, but they think it’s a waste to get rid of me. So they dump me on a quiet battlefield and have me wait until they have a use for me. And this just happens to be that unlucky battlefield.”

It was exactly as he himself said.

“That said, neither I nor my men will lift a finger against the small fry that show up on a field like this. It’s too much trouble. Winning here would just get us sent to a similar front anyway.”

A powerful man with authority, and an arrogant tyrant.

In his own way, he was looking at this situation positively.

Apologies to those being sacrificed for his positivity, but this was all going according to plan, so it couldn’t be helped.

Yes, this situation was perfectly according to plan.

Those who had dispatched him here had pushed him onto them knowing full well this would happen.

“Well, it’s all the same even if you lot get wiped out, so don’t worry about winning or losing. I don’t care either. One more blemish on my record at this point won’t hurt me.”

Involuntarily, the officers clenched their fists.

They could barely endure this outrage, which remained just barely within the bounds of legality.

How ironic it was that their only way to survive was to defeat their enemy.

“Oh… but there is one good thing. If you all fight hard, and reinforcements come… and if those reinforcements are a knight order…!!”

For this man, Alterph, was an elite beastman, and a wielder of epithets.

“Then we’ll be the ones to kill them.”

Alterph the Giant-Killer, Alterph the Ogre-Killer, Alterph the Small-Fry Scorner.

A man who feared nothing, who had achieved great success by seeking out and hunting only the physical elites, like ogres, on countless battlefields.

On a battlefield where he was present, being an elite offered no safety.

He was the ultimate incarnation of evil for his enemies, reaping the heads of great warriors with utmost speed and efficiency.

This man was terrifying even when you knew he was there, but if you were to stand on the battlefield without knowing of his presence…

In that moment, a certain death would await you.