Chapter 32: The Battle of Kabachi Plains (Part 1)

The Kabachi Plains are a vast basin sandwiched between the Risruna Mountains to the east and the Ribulus Mountains to the west. The total area spans roughly one hundred fifty thousand square kilometers. The Wasp River flows from the Risruna Mountains along the southern edge of the basin and stretches westward, nourishing the Kingdom’s northern granary region. The Ribulus Mountains give rise to the Arus River, which runs from the center of the basin northward. Thanks to these two rivers the Kabachi Plains became fertile land, and especially in the south cultivation had advanced since ancient times.

Roughly two hundred years ago there was a king who unified the northern territories—then divided among various tribes—and built a nation. He was the founding emperor of the Tolmakia Empire, “Great Emperor Ottofried Fizz Tolmakia.” Ottofried integrated and developed the cultures, mining techniques, and agricultural and livestock technologies of the various tribes, dramatically raising the productive capacity of the entire country. But even a great king could not change the weather. Much of the Tolmakia Empire’s territory belonged to the “subarctic zone,” and the soil was poorer than in the south. That was when Ottofried set his eyes on the Kabachi Plains, which the Holy Felcis Kingdom—a major power in the western continent at the time—had already begun developing. He planned to seize the fertile plains, turn them into a vast granary, and at the same time make them a strategic chokepoint linking north and south so he could tilt trade with the Kingdom in his favor.

But the Kingdom’s national strength far exceeded Ottofried’s imagination. Tribal clashes had been on the scale of a few thousand at most, yet the Holy Felcis Kingdom could mobilize armies of tens of thousands. At first his lightning invasion secured most of the Kabachi Plains, but that only made the Kingdom serious. They mobilized a hundred-thousand-strong army to retake the lost territory. Against them the Tolmakia forces numbered a mere fifteen thousand. Ottofried had no choice but to abandon the occupied land, but the act he performed at that moment would influence later history.

Fearing the Kingdom’s counter-invasion, Ottofried decided to destroy the Kabachi Plains itself. He burned not only wheat fields and pastures but every blade of grass and tree in sight, and even scattered the highly toxic liquids produced during mineral processing across the earth. As a result the Kabachi Plains became a land of death, and for the next twenty years the Empire and Kingdom remained divided.

In the present day, two hundred years later, the poison in the soil has thinned and forests have begun to form in places. Yet when viewed from above the entire plain still deserves the description “wasteland.”

“Great Emperor Ottofried’s achievement lies in forming a unified nation and blending cultures. The fact that he transformed poor land where people fought over a handful of grain should be praised. At the same time, the sin of corrupting this earth deserves condemnation. Sandwiched between two mountain ranges and blessed with rich water resources and a warm climate, this land remains desolate. Re-developing it will require the labor of many people.”

“For that we must ensure the Kingdom cannot meddle. That is why we are capturing Valihart Grand Fortress, correct?”

“Exactly. Once that fortress falls we turn it into a wall preventing Kingdom incursions from the other side. Then we gradually develop northward from there. Revive the soil, open fields, begin livestock raising. It will take time, but someone has to start… Yes, this should be about right. Aisis, pass me a bowl.”

Crown Prince Austro Tolmakia of the Tolmakia Empire and supreme commander of this expeditionary force casually ladled stew into the bowl offered to him. It was a stew made from broth of animal bones and vegetables, enriched with cow’s milk, root vegetables such as carrots and daikon, and salted meat coated in wheat. Austro was a general but also a Hero Chevalier. He did not do it every time, but he sometimes cooked for his own Holy Knight. Especially this time, since he planned to have Aisis operate a separate unit.

“The Kingdom army will arrive here tomorrow as well. Starting tomorrow you will move immediately. Raise your flag and draw their attention as much as possible. But do not push too deep. If they come out, exchange blows lightly then withdraw at once. It will take two days to form barricades and defensive lines. I’m counting on you until then.”

“Leave it to me. I will make sure their attention stays fixed on us. Your Highness, please focus on preparations for the decisive battle without worry.”

Austro nodded and began eating himself. He was not in heat. Aisis would move the troops without receiving the goddess’s blessing, in her pure state. But he felt no anxiety. Even without the blessing Aisis was a first-class swordswoman.

(With this battle the era of heroes and Holy Knights will end. An age will come when human wisdom and technology, not divine blessings, decide victory and defeat…)

In Austro’s eyes the new shape of the battlefield was already visible.

“Oh my, the enemy has already arrived.”

Great General Belgarad Phalanx laughed with amusement. Yet his eyes coldly scanned the plains. At the far left edge of his vision a cloud of dust rose. From its size he estimated two or three thousand cavalry.

“Folner, it seems flies are buzzing. Go swat them with your own hand.”

“Yes sir!”

Unit Commander Folner, who led the direct troops, took command and moved two thousand cavalry. Phalanx’s direct unit was recognized as the strongest in the Kingdom. Every soldier was a battle-hardened veteran forged by the famous general. The man who commanded them, Folner, might not hold the rank of general but his ability rivaled first-class generals. They formed a magnificent conical formation and galloped across the plains.

“Message to the rear logistics train—strengthen their defense. Flies may come buzzing.”

The Phalanx army had set up camp roughly three kilometers from the Imperial Army. There was no need for a thick solid line. They only had to be ready to respond the moment the Imperial Army attacked. By dusk the camp was complete and officers gathered in the command tent. Folner had returned as well.

“Honestly, just as the general said—they’re ‘flies.’ They attack then flee, retreat and they follow. It felt like a game of tag. They finally withdrew when the sun started to set.”

“Good work. It was probably a diversion to draw our attention. Who was leading them?”

“That’s the thing… they were flying the ‘Hero flag.’ If we believe that, it means Supreme Commander Austro Tolmakia and Holy Knight Paladin Aisis Elenskaya.”

“………”

Phalanx stayed silent, but the other staff officers let out stunned voices.

“Impossible. The supreme commander himself leading three thousand cavalry? Ridiculous. General, we should judge the enemy is using the Hero flag as a decoy. There must be other Holy Knights besides Aisis.”

“Indeed. I already thought the number of Holy Knights was too low for the army size. They must be hiding them. They want to focus our attention on Aisis alone.”

“Please wait.”

Amid the nodding staff officers someone raised an objection. It was the legendary Hero Chevalier Walter Wackenheim. Phalanx recognized him as one of the few truly outstanding Hero Chevaliers, and the other staff officers also respected his tactical eye.

“I do not understand the enemy’s aim. Certainly there was no supreme commander among today’s cavalry. But why would the enemy deliberately send a unit flying the Hero flag in the first place?”

“To impress us with Aisis and hide the other Holy Knights, surely?”

“But in reality we are now assuming multiple Holy Knights exist precisely because of that flag. Using the Hero flag to hide other Holy Knights is having the opposite effect. Rather, is it not Austro Tolmakia’s true aim to make us think exactly that?”

Once pointed out, the staff officers fell silent. Certainly, sending cavalry galloping while flying the Hero flag would make this side try to read the intention. And they would conclude multiple Holy Knights were present.

“But what is the point of making us think that? Whether there are multiple Holy Knights or only one. Is the goal to confuse us like this…”

Both the staff officers and Walter fell silent. Phalanx laughed quietly and changed the atmosphere.

“Whatever the enemy’s aim, there is only one thing we must do. Solidify our defense and prevent their invasion. That does not change. Everyone. In the previous battle we completely stopped the fierce attack of twenty-five Holy Knights. Whether there is one Holy Knight or many, they cannot break ‘Phalanx’s shield.’”

At the famous general’s powerful words everyone nodded. Instructions were issued to watch for any other women or anything resembling Holy Knights. But this very situation was Austro Tolmakia’s true aim: to direct attention toward the existence of Holy Knights.

The next day the “game of tag” between cavalry units continued. When they tried to ignore them the enemy made moves as if aiming for the rear logistics train, so they had no choice but to keep cavalry attached. Yet at the same time Phalanx never took his eyes off the enemy main camp.

“They are setting up barricades…”

Accompanied by roughly twenty guards, Phalanx had approached to within seven hundred meters of the Imperial main camp. At this distance they were naturally noticed. The purpose was to observe the enemy’s reaction, including that. But the Imperial Army remained eerily motionless. They simply continued lining up barricades and strengthening their defense.

“What is this? It is impossible to tell who is attacking whom…”

“Are they even planning to fight? What on earth is their aim?”

The accompanying staff officers also tilted their heads. Phalanx recalled the words of the young Hero Chevalier candidate he had met a few days earlier.

(We should be wary of the third possibility. In other words, the possibility that they have a plan to defeat the general…)

“A strange atmosphere. They are doing nothing but strengthening their defense, yet the fighting spirit rising from them is clearly that of attackers. And they keep sending Holy Knights buzzing around like flies…”

“General, we should return soon…”

Phalanx nodded and turned his horse. On the way back to camp his mind raced furiously.

(Suppose there really is some secret plan to defeat me. If we work backward from what they are doing, the true nature should reveal itself. The reason they keep Holy Knights flying around is to draw attention there and hide something. Setting up barricades and strengthening defense means they are wary of our charge. From that, the ‘something’ that emerges is…)

“Nfufu… A warrior’s blood is boiling.”

The next day thirty thousand troops of the Phalanx army marched out. For the “defensive Phalanx” this was a rare “offensive” formation.

Rewind time slightly. The report that Phalanx was observing the Imperial camp reached Austro immediately. Chief of Staff Partina issued orders.

“Continue the barricade construction as is. Keep the cannons and gunpowder hidden from view. Also strengthen patrols around the perimeter. Phalanx himself may be acting as a decoy while sending spies elsewhere.”

“Your Highness, what is Phalanx’s aim? The supreme commander coming to scout personally…”

“He came himself because he cannot read our aim. Right now Phalanx is confused by contradictory circumstances. The common sense that one Holy Knight is suspicious versus the fact that only one Hero flag is raised. The guess that other Holy Knights are hidden versus the reality that a single Holy Knight is conspicuously flying around. The situation where we—the attackers—are the ones fortifying with barricades versus the intuition that their army is full of fighting spirit… In such circumstances Phalanx has only two choices.”

“And those two are?”

“To come out and fight or to retreat and defend. And Phalanx will choose the former. From previous battles we know Phalanx is a proud man. Even if he senses some scheme he will face it head-on and crush it. That is Phalanx’s way of fighting. He cannot tolerate retreating without battle.”

The plan Austro and his staff had devised was proceeding almost exactly as intended, but there were two miscalculations. One was that Phalanx himself had already partially seen through the scheme aimed at him. The other was that on this battlefield there existed a “third man” who saw through the Imperial Army’s plan even more clearly than Phalanx.

Hero Chevalier Walter Wackenheim and Holy Knight Paladin Gratina Wackenheim rode with Phalanx’s direct unit.

“You… this formation looks like we are the ones attacking.”

“Correct. The general is probably thinking of offense rather than defense. He will approach the Imperial camp as close as possible. Then he will solidify defense once, observe the enemy’s move, and attack from our side. Tina, your turn will come then.”

“Have you figured out the enemy’s scheme you mentioned?”

“No, not yet. But yesterday the general went out to observe himself and then decided to march. He must have sensed something. With the limited information available, all I can do is read the flow of the battlefield. And survive.”

At her husband’s words the wife nodded with a look of resolve. No matter how clear-headed her husband was, he could not read every aspect of the battle. When judgments had to be made with limited information, the unexpected could always happen. In the past there had been times he misread or fell into unforeseen situations. That was precisely when her husband’s power shone. The bold yet sharp-minded husband had always guided his wife accurately through chaos by using whistle signals. None of their knight-academy classmates from twenty years ago remained in the army. Nearly twenty years of battle record had forged an absolute bond of trust between husband and wife.

“By the way, how is that boy doing? You seemed to be helping him with something.”

“I introduced him to five retired Hero Chevaliers living in the city. Also some former soldiers who can no longer fight due to injury. After that I don’t know. He’ll do whatever he wants.”

“Honestly. I wonder what that boy is thinking… If the general finds out he might have his head cut off.”

With a motherly worried expression the wife shook her head. But the husband looked as if he was looking forward to whatever would happen.

“Thank you all so much for your cooperation.”

Kaito turned and bowed to those behind him. A one-armed man grinned.

“Hey, don’t mention it. I owe the general. When I lost my arm and was ready to give up, General Phalanx himself scolded me. He even found me work. If I can repay that debt now, it’s exactly what I wanted.”

“Same here. I lost a leg but now I do tailoring. Repairing armor is best done by someone who knows armor. He introduced me to a sitting job. That man must not be allowed to die.”

All the men nodded. Kaito, the four Holy Knight candidates, and a hundred “former soldiers” all mounted horses and quietly entered the plains. It was the day Great General Phalanx had gone to observe the Imperial camp.

Lizalith Prada swallowed hard and tried to stop her trembling legs from shaking. Sturdy soldiers protected her, yet she still felt terror at the sight before her. Only five hundred meters ahead thirty thousand troops were advancing. It was her first time seeing a group of “tens of thousands.” Every single one of them was directing killing intent this way. It was only natural for a mere “researcher” like Lizalith to feel fear.

(Ahh… I said I wanted to watch the cannons fire, but maybe this was a mistake?)

She glanced at the soldier beside her. Sweat ran down his cheek. Her own hands began to shake. Any moment now the shot that would change history would be fired. The thirty thousand ahead began to move. Slowly yet powerfully, they advanced.

“They have come this close and still not made a move.”

Phalanx remained composed, yet inside a prickling impatience grew. He had predicted the enemy would try something. But five hundred meters was a distance at which even heavy crossbows could almost reach. Even after advancing this far the enemy remained eerily silent. Beyond the barricades soldiers with spears simply stood in orderly lines. It felt like a staring contest.

“All units, advance another ten paces!”

He raised his hand and gave the order.

“Just a little more, just a little more…”

Austro muttered to himself as if persuading. The enemy was already within cannon range. Through repeated training they had adjusted angles and powder amounts so they could hit most distances. A full salvo from every gun was possible. But the enemy army had stopped. Heavy infantry to the front, defense solidified. To break the formation the best moment was when the enemy took a step and the line wavered. He clenched his teeth and endured until that moment.

“Damn… it’s hot…”

The August sun was fierce. The sky was cloudless and heat haze rose from the ground. Sweat ran down his cheek and dripped. This was the first battle of its kind in history. There were naturally no precedents. That was why he had wrung out every ounce of wisdom and prepared every possible scheme. Last night he had drunk the aphrodisiac, embraced Holy Knight Aisis, and received the goddess’s luck. Yet the anxiety that welled up could not be helped.

The silence was uncanny. Then the long-awaited sound came. Zass… zass… The enemy had moved. Austro took a deep breath.

“Fireeee!!!”

Loud booms rang out one after another and the Kabachi Plains shook.