Kays Translations

Chapter 136: First Day of Joint Suppression

The morning after the warriors of the kingdom, buried under the kotatsu, gathered, Isamu and the others were on a balcony set up in the front yard of the royal castle.

Below them, knights clad in various armors lined up. There were over several thousand of them, filling the spacious front yard of the royal castle.

Next to Isamu were Selfers, head of the Klaufeldt family, and Diluc, commander of the family’s knight order, with about 20 knights lined up behind them.

In addition, a little to the side, leading about 40 knights, were Eleonora, head of the Eriksen family, and Gascoigne, commander of the family’s mercenary knight order.

And in front of Isamu, at the forefront of the balcony, stood a man in shining pure white armor, basking in the morning sun, in the midst of delivering a speech to those below.

“――I expect great things from all of you! As usual, the commander of the suppression force will be the noble family that won first or second place in the royal tournament. During this suppression, ranks do not matter. Follow their command. That is all!”

With that, he concluded his speech, and the knights below saluted in unison. There was no one wasting words.

And that’s to be expected, as the one who had just delivered the speech was the first prince of the kingdom, Jormlang Staleen, who had also participated in the awards ceremony for the royal tournament.

Jormlang, who holds the first right of succession to the throne, currently serves as the Grand Master of the Royal Knights, commanding all the knights of the royal family. Therefore, he is the commander-in-chief of this joint suppression.

However, it’s unlikely that such a dignitary would visit the actual site. In reality, the top position goes to the commander of the first knight order of the kingdom.

And under that commander-in-chief, the actual judgment of the situation and issuance of orders on-site are carried out by the Klaufeldt and Eriksen families.

The organization of the joint suppression force is somewhat irregular.

First, each noble family is treated as a squad, and about four nearby families form a squadron. Actions will mostly be taken at the squadron level on-site.

Several squadrons make up a battalion, and four battalions make up a brigade.

With approximately 700 troops in a brigade, it’s double the usual number of personnel, but it’s an exception to treat each noble family as the smallest unit of a squad.

With two brigades, each will be commanded by the Klaufeldt and Eriksen families, respectively.

By the way, in many noble families, apart from the winning and runner-up families who become battalion commanders, it’s rare for the head of the family to participate in the joint suppression.

This is because it’s very dangerous for the head of a noble family to be crowded into a small area.

In fact, it’s also dangerous for all the heads of noble families to gather in the capital, but since most of the royal guards and the second knight order, as well as the guard units, remain in the capital, it’s much safer to accompany the suppression force than to stay behind.

However, there are exceptions to everything.

“Hohoho, the atmosphere on the ground is as good as ever.”

“I don’t want you to be stuck in your glomy room feeling bitter.”

“Exactly. Holding weapons and riding horses is what makes a noble.”

These are, of course, the border counts Rubindah Balsham, Zvar Zabadak, and Nazario Innocenti.

Not only were they participating in the suppression, but for some reason, they were marching alongside Selfers and the others at the head of the troops.

Selfers swallowed the words that were about to come out of his throat, urging them to return to their ranks. Unfortunately, these old soldiers are stronger than most of the knights present, so it’s difficult to ask for them to be protected.

Selfers, having given up, sighed quietly before speaking to the old soldiers.

“Have you all ever been to the Stad Valley?”

“Yeah. It was about five years ago when it was the target of the previous joint suppression. That was the most recent time.”

“That’s right. We haven’t been there since then, except for the joint suppression.”

“It was raining at that time.”

It seems that all three of them have been there as if it were a matter of course.

The target areas for the joint suppression are chosen after surveying places near the capital where monsters tend to gather.

There are about six candidate areas, rotating each year.

This year, the Stad Valley was chosen as the target area, a valley that spreads out in the upper reaches of the Stad River flowing west of the capital.

The terrain is closer to terraces than a valley, with monsters inhabiting the broad terrace surface on the upper level, making periodic thinning necessary.

It seems to have been terraces since ancient times, and the remains of weathered ruins are scattered on the upper terrace surface, which is also a cause of monster inhabitation.

“I’ve confirmed it in the documents, but what’s it actually like?”

Isamu, who was accompanying them as a magic advisor, joined the conversation.

By the way, Isamu was riding with Felix. Although it’s been over six months since coming to this world of Ethersia, he had been finding time to train in riding, so he was now capable of riding a horse normally.

However, this time, since there is a high possibility of combat involving riding, he avoided riding himself.

His beloved horse was brought along, and he planned to ride it back himself. Incidentally, they brought a bath carriage as a freight carriage, and Annemarie was riding in it.

It would have been fine for her to stay at the inn in the capital, but there would be fewer knights for escort, so it would be safer for her to accompany them.

“The number of monsters is decently high. I’ve only seen ogre-level individuals occasionally.”

“That’s about it. Also, it’s easy to conduct group battles due to the flat terrain. There aren’t many obstructions, so those who can use projectile weapons have an advantage.”

“Be careful of the lateral holes that occasionally appear. Large individuals may jump out.”

Truly seasoned veterans. It’s very reassuring to have them provide live information one after another.

“Is it going to be a scenario of extermination in line formation?”

What Isamu imagined was what’s known as a roller operation. Deploy the troops across the width of the terrace surface and advance the front line while defeating enemies.

Since there aren’t many strong individuals, it seems to be an effective method.

“No, it’s best to act in units of squadrons, determining your positions to some extent. There are even many actions carried out at the squadron level.”

However, the response from Nazario was such.

“The first prince said that, but there are factions and hierarchies, after all. It’s a bit different from operating with just your own troops, where orders are conveyed properly, as in inter-country wars.”

“Also, there are many who want to achieve merit in front of the royal family. Sometimes it turns into a competition for prey.”

Rubindah and Zvar further supplemented.

“I see… Is that so?”

Isamu understood with a grim expression.

“Selfers-san, shall we act as a guerrilla force from a step back?”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. We don’t particularly want credit, so let’s move like a battalion commander, overseeing the entire operation and supporting vulnerable areas to ensure the safe conclusion of the joint suppression.”

Selfers seemed to agree with Isamu’s proposal.

“Right. Then include me in that guerrilla force as well. To be aware of the factions, it’s better to move together.”

“That’s right. Then I’ll move with you.”

“I’ll accompany Ann-chan’s carriage.”

It seems that the three border Margraves will also be moving together with Isamu and the others.

The knights of Count Bisseling and Viscount Jansen families are marching with Count Eriksen’s family, the other faction member, so they will probably be acting together with them.

They departed from the capital early in the morning, marching with breaks along the way, and arrived at their destination, the Stad Valley, in the early afternoon.

As per the advance information, the terrain resembled a combination of a valley and terraces. The left bank had occasional upper terraces, while the right bank consisted of sheer cliffs throughout. This landscape stretched for tens of kilometers north and south.

The area where Isamu and the others arrived was particularly wide on the first and second terrace surfaces, making it easier for monsters to inhabit. The width was just over two kilometers on the first terrace and nearly one and a half kilometers on the second, with a total length of close to twenty kilometers.

They set up a camp at the southernmost tip and planned to conduct the extermination until the next morning, using it as a base.

“While each unit takes lunch, construct the camp! Depart for the extermination in half a bell!”

Selfers issued instructions to the First Battalion, which was marching ahead.

Since many were accustomed to the annual event, preparations were progressing smoothly without any major troubles or complaints.

By the way, Isamu heard that all materials and food necessary for camping were to be provided at one’s own expense, and he muttered to himself, “It’s like the Sankin-kotai system.”

After the break, the Second Battalion, which had joined them, also received instructions from Selfers.

“Squads one through five will handle the first terrace, while squads six through eight will handle the second. Our First Battalion Commander’s squad will provide support from the rear and engage in guerrilla tactics. How about your squad, Lady Eleonora?”

“It’s fine for my unit to engage in guerrilla tactics from the rear… There aren’t many significant monsters around.” 

Eleonora responded, her murmuring barely audible to anyone but Selfers beside her.

“That’s the plan. Each squad will cover about five hundred mel in width. You’re free to go deeper, but try to return to the camp by nightfall. Let the operation begin!”

“””Oorahhh!”””

Responding to Selfers’ instructions, the extermination force raised their voices and promptly rode off to their assigned positions.

The search area was vast, and since all participants were knights capable of riding horses, they utilized horses to cover as much ground as possible.

About five minutes after each unit dispersed, the Klaufeldt and Eriksen family units also began their actions.

The Klaufeldt family unit was responsible for the first terrace, while the Eriksen family unit was responsible for the second.

“What shall we do? The area is wide, so shall we split the squad into two?” 

Isamu asked Selfers to confirm the plan of action.

“That’s a good idea. Let’s split into teams for the mountain side and the valley side and proceed in a zigzag pattern.”

“Understood.”

Selfers agreed to this plan as well. They split into groups of about a dozen each and began their search.

Isamu led a team consisting of himself, Annemarie, six regular guards, five knights from the Klaufeldt territory, and Count Rubinda, who had decided to accompany them.

It was obvious that Rubinda should be in command, but because he promptly dismissed himself with “You guys won the championship, so don’t make the old folks work,” Isamu ended up taking command.

“Sigh… Isn’t it unprecedented for someone riding behind the horse to lead?” 

Isamu muttered with a resigned expression while riding behind Felix.

“Hehehe, it’s very much like you, Isamu-san. Right, Orihime-chan?” 

Annemarie, who was skillfully riding her horse alone, asked Orihime, who was perched on her shoulder.

“Nyaa!”

“Heh heh, Orihime-chan is not only cute but also a splendid warrior, right?”

“Nyaff.”

Rubinda, who saw the battle-ready Orihime for the first time, said with a twinkle in his eye, and Orihime, perched on his head, let out a proud meow.

“…Well, it’s fine. Princess, could you scout with Felix for a bit?”

“Nya!”

Having reached a state of resignation, Isamu asked Orihime to help, and Orihime, who chirped briefly, leaped onto Felix’s head as he passed by.

“Wow! Orihime-sensei, please take care of me!”

“T-That’s not fair!! Orihime-sensei, my riding is more comfortable, isn’t it!? Please ride on me!!”

Tiramisu is openly jealous of Felix, who is overjoyed. What’s more, her words are full of problems, as she lacks a variety of words.

While following the leading noble families with their usual demeanor, they occasionally came across overlooked monsters and dealt with them.

“Nyaa!”

“Nyanyaa!”

“Naff.”

Since Orihime, who had the widest search range and the fastest feet, was perched on top of Felix’s head, she would jump out as soon as she spotted something and quickly take care of it.

“Heh heh, Orihime-chan is not only cute but also a splendid warrior.”

“Nyaaff.”

Seeing Orihime, Rubindah’s eyes widened as he said so, and Orihime, perched on top of his head, let out a proud meow.

“Recently, I haven’t been able to go hunting, you know. Orihime-sensei must have been stressed too!”

“Yeah. We also had the preliminary matches, so we couldn’t train with sensei… We owe sensei an apology.”

The top two believers of Orihime in the knight order narrowed their eyes as they observed Orihime.

In the end, on the first day of the joint extermination, they safely completed the extermination except for about ten ogres. They managed to exterminate about sixty percent of the terraces.

Since the extermination was progressing smoothly, the briefing held at night with the squadron leaders ended in a cheerful atmosphere.

And so came the second day of the joint extermination. The situation was about to take a rapid turn…

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