In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 276

Chapter 276: The Kukkoro Male Knight and a Joint Battle Line 1

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Although I was the one who had ordered, “Prepare for battle!”, in truth I was reluctant to fight inside the village. After all, Runga City was a city in name only. This area was almost entirely forest and visibility was practically nonexistent. On top of that, the enemy consisted of those who had originally lived in this settlement.

My main force, the marines, was a rifle unit equipped with cavalry carbines. At mid-range, they would not lose even against the elves’ prized Elven Bows, but in close combat they were at a disadvantage. If possible, I wanted to lure them out into an open area.

“First, we’ll break their spirit. Does anyone want the honor of leading the first charge?”

However, if I said something so unassertive, the elves would surely be disappointed in me. Veteran elven soldiers were by no means reckless boars who knew only how to charge forward, but there was no doubt that they preferred aggressive tactics. Since not a small number of elves had chosen to follow me, I did not want to lose their support.

“Leave it to me! The clan at Rey’s place has always looked down on me as just some old fogey. It’s about time I showed them my worth!”

“No, no, this is the moment for me—the one called the finest archer in North Elfenia!”

“Hey, hey, don’t forget about me. You youngsters who haven’t even lived five hundred years should step aside.”

Just as expected, the elven elders volunteered one after another in response to my proposal. Their eagerness hardly seemed fitting for a civil war. They had not been killing their own kin for a hundred years for nothing. Even though they were facing people who had shared meals with them until just this morning, their fighting spirit burned fiercely.

Incidentally, most of the elders who sided with me appeared to be among the senior elders. In contrast, those who resonated with the martyrs were mainly younger clan heads. In a sense, it was a simple dynamic. …The reason the elders were cooperating with me was likely because they were lured by food and by the male attendants assigned to use charm offensives. What a bunch of lecherous old hags.

“Alright then, Elder Rocca and Elder Yaga! I’m counting on you. …Uru, assign several birdfolk as scouts and messengers.”

“As you command.”

I issued orders briskly. Those who were not selected booed, but I silenced them by saying, “There will be plenty of chances next time!” Meanwhile, the two who were chosen advanced proudly with their subordinates in tow. Naturally, they did not forget to cast glances at the men guarded by the knights. 

…You dirty old hags!

Each elder commanded a considerable number of followers. In battle, these groups functioned directly as units. It was a very elven, practical way of doing things. The two elders I had just sent out each had about twenty subordinates. In other words, a total fighting strength of forty. That was more than sufficient for a reconnaissance-in-force unit.

“Sonia, Dalaiya-dono, Orphan-dono. Let’s confirm the operation while we still can.”

The group I had just dispatched would buy time and conduct a reconnaissance in force. At present, we did not even have a clear grasp of the enemy’s strength. Gathering intelligence was the top priority.

That said, I had already established the broad outline of the plan. After calling the senior members over, I pulled a sheet of paper from my pouch. It was a simple map of this village that I had secretly drafted yesterday. Of course, it was not based on proper surveying, so the scale was approximate… but that could not be helped. There simply had not been time.

“Depending on the enemy’s strength, I would like the final decisive battle to take place on the riverbank of the Elfen River. For now, we will conduct a delaying action while withdrawing toward the riverbank.”

Along the Elfen River—the great river that ran through the Liseben Peninsula—stretched a fairly large riverbank. There, the marines would be able to fight much as they would on an ordinary plain.

“I see. We’ll be receiving fire support from the Michael Collins, then.”

As expected of someone who had served as my adjutant for years, Sonia understood immediately. After putting on the helmet handed to me by an attendant, I nodded. The main gun of the Michael Collins, which had been rendered inoperable in the previous battle, had been successfully restored thanks to the efforts of the engineers. Fire support would be fully available.

“Exactly. Even a single cannon makes a world of difference. …And besides, we have a trump card.”

The ship we had arrived on, the Michael Collins, had originally been planned to mount two 57mm quick-firing guns. However, the stern gun mount currently carried not a 57mm gun but a certain “secret weapon.” It had been prepared for a worst-case scenario, and this was likely that very scenario. I wanted to make good use of it.

“That said, it won’t be easy to simply tuck our tails and retreat to the riverbank. The enemy does not appear to be advancing in orderly ranks. There’s a high probability they’ll use infiltration tactics. If our flanks are hit while we’re moving, it’ll be disastrous.”

Infiltration tactics referred to using small units to quietly slip through and break past an enemy’s established front lines. Judging by the way elves fought, it would not be an exaggeration to call this their specialty.

“Still, we’ll have to rely on the elves for fighting in the forest. You two, any issues?”

I asked Dalaiya-dono and Orphan-dono. Of course, our units trained for forest combat, but we did not possess the proficiency to face elves head-on there. The forest was the elves’ domain. Speaking of forest combat training… The fox hunter Lenael, who served as instructor, was probably still attached to the marines. She was not a regular soldier but a civilian auxiliary, so I would need to pull her back before full-scale combat began.

“Of course. Since we’ve been under Liseben’s care, we’ll show work worthy of it. We’ve no intention of being mashed potatoes.”

Orphan-dono nodded. She seemed fully intent on placing herself under Liseben’s umbrella. It was practically a forced sale… And mashed potatoes? That just meant ‘useless baggage,’ didn’t it?

“Indeed, indeed. This matter arose from our own failings. Ideally, I should be the one to take the lead and settle it… I truly apologize. We will cooperate as much as we can. Please forgive us.”

Meanwhile, Dalaiya-dono looked dejected. Though her subordinates had been lured by men, for some reason the elders were following me instead of her. Perhaps that could not be helped. Honestly, what a strange situation. Why was I, who was supposed to be merely a mediator, now taking overall command? Certainly, for the hostile “New” and “Legitimate” factions to fight together, it was more natural for a neutral party to issue orders to both sides…

Come to think of it, even though this battle had begun almost by accident, the chain of command had been established with astonishing smoothness. That was the most surprising part. Since internal strife was the elves’ specialty, I had expected far more difficulty. Perhaps their tendency toward swift decision-making had worked in our favor.

“Good. That helps. …It looks like everyone’s finished preparing for battle.”

Glancing around the plaza, I said this. The elven forces, directed by their respective elders, had somehow reached a state where they could fight at any time. Their efficiency was astonishing. They truly excelled at war above all else…

“The ‘New’ will take the attack front. The ‘Legitimate’ will secure the retreat route to the river port. The top priority is evacuating the noncombatants to the Michael Collins. Okay?”

“Understood.”

“Mm, okay.”

“Good.”

Almost at the same time I nodded, light wingbeats approached. Looking up, I saw a sparrow birdfolk weaving through the trees. She landed lightly in front of me and reported:

“Al-dono. Rocca-dono has encountered the enemy. About thirty of them? Mostly youngsters, it seems.”

At the sparrow birdfolk’s airy tone, my eyebrows shot up. Already encountered the enemy? That was fast. Now that she mentioned it, I thought I could faintly hear the sounds of battle in the distance.

“The plan is exactly as just explained. You may act on your own judgment to a certain extent, but do not neglect your reports. That’s all!”

In the end, this was nothing more than a patchwork force. Trying to control every detail would be unreasonable. I left the elves to handle elven matters and began issuing various orders to the marines and the knight corps.

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