Darkness descended on the Parkes riverside and the Maiel Mountain.
Kallum’s part of the KaLu Allied Army, who received the elves’ surprise attack did not carelessly move around and went out for camp reorganization.
They set up a new camp below the mountain slope and refilled the number of soldiers by sending the main camp’s soldiers.
Though the appearance of vigilance overflowed on the entire camp, in reality they were overwhelmingly more shabby..
They were disorderly from repeatedly losing the battles and reorganizing the camp, and most of all, the fault of thinking that the Lancephil Fief Regiment as well must be sorely tired from the forced march, crossing of the Parkes River, and the battle in the day did not help.
The KaLU Allied Army still didn’t know Roan and the Lancephil Fief Regiment simply too much.
“Aahm. Tired. Tired.”
“You said it. *yawn*”
The sentries along the camp’s fences carrying out guzard duty droopily yawned.
They sloppily dangled on their helmets on the tips of their heads and lazily moved their steps while holding their spears with their armpits.
Tired looks overflowed on their faces.
“Do we really need to stand guard like this?”
“I feel like even the Lancephil Fief Regiment bastards must have fallen black.”
Dissatisfaction and complaints burst out.
At that moment, an old soldier at their side optimistically smiled and clapped his hands.
“Even so, we can get plenty of reward money if we just win this battle so let’s endure it a bit more.”
“Right. There isn’t much left to this tedious war either.”
“Yeah. Let’s pull our sleeves up a bit more.
Few soldiers echoed and nodded their heads.
Then the young soldier that complained first twisted his lips.
“That’s only possible if we beat the Lancephil Fief Regiment.”
Instantly, the elated mood coldly sank.
The old soldier made a forced smile again and tried to pull up the mood.
“The Lancephil Fief Regiment are humans like us. They aren’t ghosts. Besides, we have more than three times the number.”
“Yeah. Haven’t you heard his majesty’s words? Victory is in our hands.”
Few soldiers once again echoed.
However, the young soldier was still full of displeasure.
“We hold the chance of victory? Hmph! We won’t know that until we actually……”
When his words reached around that point, a disturbing sound was heard at the edges of their ears.
Ssssss.
A hair-raising sound that brought to mind a snake’s cry.
“Hm?”
“Eh?”
Everyone looked with puzzled expressions towards the place the sound was heard from.
The place their gazes headed towards was outside the camp, the direction of the Parkes riverside.
However, there was nothing visible.
The world beyond the camp was darkness itself.
“Eh?!”
Suddenly, the soldiers’ eyes widely goggled.
For the disturbing sound was now heard clearly.
Ssweaaaaak!
That was the sharp shattering sound of an arrowhead cutting across the sky.
“Ru……!”
He wished to shout ‘run’.
But before that word could quite come out of his mouth, an arrowhead appeared in front of his eyes.
Pubububububuk!
With horrifying bursting sounds, the sentries that poured out complaints and cheers became porcupines and fell.
“Eh?!”
“What the……”
Few soldiers who dodged the danger became half-dazed at the abruptly unfolded situation.
They falteringly moved backwards and glared at the blackly settled darkness.
About the time their eyes adjusted to the inky dark that settled beyond the camp.
Dududududududu.
Together with the sound of ringing the ground, tens, hundreds of cavalry swept through the darkness and appeared.
A night-assault troop of armors completely smeared with mud to prevent light from reflecting.
The man standing and leading the troop from the head was no other than Roan Lancephil.
“Throw the hooks!”
At Roan’s order, tens of cavalry stepped up from the sides.
With highly practiced postures, they threw the hooks.
Tudk! Tuddduk!
The tips of the hooks caught on the camp’s fences.
Simultaneously, the cavalry that went forwards scattered to the sides and soon quickly retreated towards the Parkes riverside.
Gggggck!
With disturbing sounds, the sturdily erected fences began to twist.
And finally.
Kwakang! Kwakakakakakang!
With an explosive sound, the fences were ripped away.
A wide entrance was instantly made.
“Pierce through!”
Roan grasped his reins and laid his chest on his horse’s back.
The soldiers following behind too all lowered their bodies.
Dudududududu!
The cavalry’s speed increased a level higher.
Literally a ferocious charge.
“U, uuuuh.”
“Ru, run!”
The surviving sentries screamed out and fell back.
However, their backward steps didn’t continue.
For the Lancephil Fief Regiment’s night-assault troop with Roan at the vanguard had pounced on them.
Ssskuk! Sssguk!
“Kuuk!”
“Kuhuk!”
The sentries fell with death throes.
Above them, the strong warhorses powerfully raced.
“Uuk.”
“Kuk.”
The horse hooves trampled the enemy soldiers.
“Scatter! Light the fires!”
Roan, even while facing the enemies, precisely gave out the necessary orders.
“Yes sir!”
Together with a sonorous answer, fire arrows crossed the night sky and flew.
Simultaneously, they knocked down the bonfires that lighted the camp’s everywhere.
Fwooosh!
The crimson flame climbed the tents and instantly spread on.
“Wha, what the!”
“I, it’s the enemies!”
“It’s the Lancephil Army!”
“It’s a night attack!”
The KaLu Allied Army’s soldiers who were sleeping or taking rests poured out of the tents.
A hurried look where most hadn’t even properly gotten their armors.
Roan spurred his horse and raced past their sides as if to brush.
“All of you look clearly! I am Roan Lancephil!”
A resounding voice echoed the battlefield.
At the same time, a dark-red flame erupted along his spearhead.
Not only that, a gentle flare flowed along his crimson armor.
On his helmet, shoulders, arms, and waist, thin flames blossomed like a haze.
That was closer to a god’s image than a human.
“Uuuuuh.”
“I, it’s a war god!”
The KaLu Allied Army’s soldiers trembled their entire bodies and moved back.
However, they couldn’t dodge Roan’s spear even so.
Spababababat!
The Travias Spear freely lengthened and shortened and bisected the enemies without discriminating close and afar enemies.
Each time, a crimson line was drawn and crossed the inky night sky.
Fwooosh!
The flames burning the tents widely waved as if responding to Roan and flicked their tongues.
An inky night sky above the head, waving fire in the surroundings.
A dark-red light flowing along the helmet and armor and the flame erupting along the Travias spearhead.
Roan, with just that presence alone, crippled the enemy army’s spirit and will to fight.
“My lord! A reinforcement is coming from the other camp!”
Austin who was leading the taemusas and massacring the enemy army shouted with a loud voice.
“Retreat!”
Roan turned his horse’s head without a pause.
Suddenly, the taemusas who were energetically tearing the enemy camp apart began to retreat with an incredible speed as if a tide receding.
The camp where a chaotic fight, no, a massacre instantly turned cold.
To that degree, the night-assault troop’s retreat was made very rapidly.
It was almost enough for the battle that existed until just now to feel like a dream.
(t/n: “cold” or “void/vacant”? The raw word’s literally meaning is the first one, but is often used in the second sense to describe “barren” or “empty”.)(p/n i think its the drastic change)
“J, just what is……”
The commanders of the reinforcements that arrived a moment later stuttered their words with surprised expressions.
Flames that jump here and there and corpses lying around wildly, the camp was clearly turned into a mugwort field. (t/n: “mugwort field” or “a ruin”? “Mugwort field” is a Korean metaphorical phrase meaning “ruin/devastated field”.)
However, they couldn’t find a hint of Roan and the Lancephil Fief Regiment anywhere.
They were already at a state where they had moved out of the camp, crossed the field, and returned to the Parkes riverside.
No, they thought they had returned.
At that very moment.
“Uaaack!”
“I, it’s a night attack!”
Sounds of scream burst out from the camp on the left side.
“N, night attack?!”
“It’s our side’s camp!”
The faces of the commanders and soldiers that ran out as reinforcements bleached blue.
The place where flames soared together with screams was definitely their camp.
“Damn it! We’re returning!”
“We’re returning to the camp!”
Dizzying orders poured down. (p/n: “dizzying” or “riotous”? “Mind-bogglingly fast/many”?)
The soldiers, without even calming their short breaths, began running again.
It was the moment the troop’s vanguard reached the middle between the camps.
Pbububububuk!
Arrows suddenly flew towards them from within the darkness.
“Kuuk! Just what is……”
The commanders who were leading the troop couldn’t calm themselves.
‘But our camp is definitely getting attacked?’
Who was the troop that fired arrowed from the darkness?
The eyes overflowing with perplexion turned towards the darkness.
At that moment, the mud-covered Lancephil night-assault troop swept through the darkness and appeared.
A ferocious charge with spears and swords in the front.
“Kill them!”
“Slaughter them!”
“Waaaaah!”
Shouts and cheers struck the ears.
A wild attack followed behind.
The one leading the troop was Austin.
“Da, damn it! Are you bastards actually ghosts!”
The KaLu Allied Army’s commander shouted in exasperation.
‘Not only moving from camp to camp and making an assault attack, but even a surprise attack too! Damn it!’
Exceedingly thorough and perfectly fitting strategies.
He couldn’t help but be speechless.
“Ghost?”
At that word, Austin faintly smiled and stared at the burning camp.
“Perhaps we may be.”
He was sincere.
The thought that, at the least just one person, at least Roan might be a ghost.
Austin was staring at the KaLu Allied Army’s small troop camp.
Roan, right now, was tearing apart the enemy camp alone.
Hundreds of soldiers aimed their weapons at Roan.
It was a complete encirclement.
But instead, the ones who were making despairing expressions were the hundreds of soldiers.
“Are you just going to look?”
A quiet voice.
Roan stared down at the soldiers while riding his warhorse alone.
Gulp.
The soldiers dryly swallowed while unable to carelessly move.
The tips of Roan’s mouth gently went up.
Through the Kalian’s Tears, the sight of the KaLu Allied Army’s troop returning to the camp receiving Austin’s ambush and becoming annihilated was seen.
Now there was no need to especially cause a noise and buy time.
Roan lightly swung his Travias Spear.
“I also should slowly finish up.”
A flame instantly erupted the moment his words ended.
“You, you bastard!” (t/n: so… the phrase here is the shorten Korean version of “son of a bitch” with the “of a bitch” part left out, which translates directly to just “son”. Would you happen to know if there is a similar shorten phrase in english?)
“Die!”
Few brave, no, idiotic soldiers failed holding back and charged towards Roan.
Roan swung his spear up and down without minding them and powerfully struct the ground before him.
Boom!
The camp’s ground cracked with a boom.
A dark-red flame erupted from the split cracks.
Paat!
Simultaneously, the Travias Spear drew a circle and cut the night sky long.
Ssskuk!
With a chilling sound, the nearby soldiers became balls of flame and fell.
An overwhelming might.
Ordinary soldiers weren’t Roan’s match.
Kwakakakang!
Thunderous booms continued and exploded out.
This day, Roan and the Lancephil Fief Regiment carried out attacks throughout the night without a rest.
The KaLu Allied Army greatly suffered as it flustered about, and only tightened their defenses near the dawn and refrained from carelessly going out of the camps.
A signal that they won’t become swept into Roan’s trick anymore.
However, it took too much time to find the countermeasure.
The KaLU Allied Army’s commanders and soldiers ended up passing the night with open eyes without properly sleeping the entire night.
On the other hand, because the Lancephil Fief Regiment hadn’t continuously carry out the night attack with a single troop but instead Austin, Semi, Harrison, Brian, Pierce as well as the Lancephil Legion’s vice-legion vice-commanders Baron Bernard Landingham and Baron Andre Molde had taken turns attempting attacks using numerous small detached forces, which resulted in that many more soldiers than expected could rest.
It was merely one day since the Lancephil Fief Regiment and the KaLu Allied Army had met.
During that one day, Roan and the Lancephil Fief Regiment was able to bring back many more victories than any had thought.
However, the biggest win was something else.
That was a gain important enough to play the most decisive role in this battle.
And finally, the chaotic night passed and a new day began.
It was the second day of the grand battle later called the Maiel Battle.
*****
“I wanted to see you.”
He hadn’t even thought that he would come to say such words.
“I wanted to see you too.”
He hadn’t even thought that he would be able to hear such words.
Roan looked at blindingly beautiful Aily, smiling towards him and made a smile.
The two people didn’t say a word for a while.
The words weren’t needed.
Eyes, faces, breaths……
All of them expressed their longing feelings towards each other.
A warm wind blew around the two people.
No, it felt as if it blew.
In the middle of a chaotic world, it felt as if only Roan and Aily’s time had stopped
After an unknown amount of time.
“I want to keep you at my side and see you.”
Roan held Aily’s hand and and made a regrettable expression.
Aily faintly smiled and caressed Roan’s hand.
“Me too. But since we have an even more important work.”
She too was overflowing with a disappointed look.
Roan slowly nodded his head.
“I’m sorry for always asking you difficult work.”
“No. It’s something I do because I want to. And it’s for me as well.”
Aily was always calm, and always beautiful.
Roan quietly caressed her cheek.
A romantic mood.
It was a mood as if something would happen.
With an unfittingly tensed expression, Roan exhaled a long sigh.
“When this war ends……”
The moment his words reached that point.
“My lord.”
With a quiet voice, Austin showed up.
“Ah……”
He looked at Roan and Aily’s appearances and startled, then soon formed an awkward smile.
Roan brushed Aily’s hair once with a disappointed expression, then whispered in a small voice.
“I’ll follow you soon.’
Softly passed words.
“Be careful.”
Likewise words softly passed.
Aily looked into Roan’s eyes for a moment, then slowly moved back.
She lightly greeted Austin with her eyes and then exited out of the tent.
Austin only then awkwardly smiled and scratched the back of his head.
“Did I interrupt, sir?”
A considerably shameless question.
Roan returned back to his seat and answered shortly as he sat.
“Yeah.”
A completely unexpected answer.
“Eh?”
Austin asked back with a startled expression.
He wondered if he had heard wrong for an instant.
Roan faintly smiled and waved his hand.
“Nothing. What is it?”
“Ah, that is……”
Austin stuttered with a slightly flustered expression.
Roan gently smiled as if to say it was fine.
Austin only then answered with a relaxed expression.
“The KaLu Allied Army’s formation has finished, sir.”
At those words, Roan stood up from his seat and nodded his head.
“So from now is the true battle.”
“Yes sir. But……”
Austin who had already inspected the situation formed a worried expression.
“The enemy army’s number is much bigger than we’ve thought.”
Despite even the overwhelming victory using the Lumasas and the attacks that continued the whole night, the difference in number did not close easily.
Roan replied with an unperturbed expression.
“That’s something we already know.”
Meaning that there was no need to worry again.
Roan walked a step ahead out of the tent.
“Sir!”
Many soldiers saluted towards Roan.
Roan slightly nodded his head and headed towards the camp’s fences.
Far away, a giant army situated on the field below the Maiel Mountain.
Including the left and right wings that weren’t visible behind the mounds, forest, and the hills, it truly was an incredible army.
But even so, Roan’s expression was merely relaxed.
“Send a message to the left and right wing to move as planned.”
“Yes. Understood, sir.”
Austin slightly lowered his head.
Meanwhile, Pierce who was separately forming a detached force approached with light steps.
“My lord. The preparation has finished.”
At those words, Roan called with a hand signal to bring his warhorse.
Pierce looked at that sight and asked in a small voice.
“But would it really go as we planned, sir?”
A slightly worried light flowed in his eyes.
Roan lightly nodded his head.
“There’s nothing to worry about. Since the flower of doubt has already begin to blossom.”
“But would their relationship be cut off with just that much distrust.
Pierce exhaled a short sigh.
Roan hazily smiled and looked at the KaLU Allied Army.
“It’s fine. Since we’ll now water the flower.”
Incomprehensible words.
Roan climbed onto his warhorse and grabbed its rein.
Pierce quickly followed behind and moved.
A troop of five thousand including Roan’s direct Amaranth Troop and even the separately formed detached force lined up in front of the main camp’s entrance.
“Left and the right wing?”
“They’re preparing, sir.”
Austin quickly answered at Roan’s question.
“Good. The center army too will move as planned.”
“Yes. Understood, sir.”
Austin gave a short salute and lowered his head.
Roan quietly stared beyond the entrance and deeply breathed in.
The dawn air coolly whirled inside his chest.
Roan raised his left hand above his shoulder and, in a quiet voice, gave the order.
“Blow the horns.”
The instant his words fell, Austin shouted towards the watchtower.
“Blow the horns!”
Simultaneously.
Vvuuuuuuu!
The grand sound of horns rode the wind and spread to the camps and the battlefields.
Following that, the sound of drums signalling the advance hit the ears.
Dum! Dum! Dum! Dum!
Ggiiiick!
The tightly closed entrance to the camp fully opened and the expansive land showed itself.
The KaLu Allied Army’s center army, located beyond the small hills and big and small forests, came into their eyes.
Roan lightly pulled his rein and headed out of the camp.
Pierce and the five thousand soldiers followed his back.
“Waaaaah!”
“Roan! Roan!”
“Amaranth! Amaranth!”
The main camp’s soldiers swarmed out from the sides and cheered.
Roan who finally came out of the camp raised his spear high and spurred his horse.
Neeeeigh!
The warhorses cried out long and kicked the ground.
The slowly walking horses began to charge ferociously towards the KaLu Allied Army.
Dudududududu!
Together with the sound of horse hooves ringing the ground, the Amaranth Troop’s charge began.
Roan raised his spear high and shouted.
“Sweep away our enemies!”
Coincidentally, red sunshine shined from beyond the eastern mountain.
The day was sincerely great.
It was a day when one would want to pack a lunch and go on a picnic.
But the thing that actually spread below the blue sky was a ghastly hell.
“Die!!!”
A cold shout someone spat out shattered the great day.
The red sunshine became red blood and wetted the earth.
< Amaranth (34) > End.