Chapter 104: Outbreak of War
As the sky began to tint red, I started my charge toward the town of Emilia.
Flying at about 20 meters, weaving slalom-style between Emilia and the far side of the river, countless arrows shot up at me as if they had been waiting. The holes in my punctured balloon were on the upper side, so no problem.
Magic attacks couldn’t hit either, since I kept subtly changing my route and altitude. All I heard was the pop of fireballs exploding far off target.
After passing over Emilia, I turned and zig-zagged between Madras and Emilia. Both towns had fortified the areas around their gates and were clearly preparing for a siege.
I’d seen what I needed to, so I headed toward Blange. High-speed flying had become comfortable, even exhilarating, though the cold air stung my face.
When I approached Duke Berlant’s camp, it felt like they had been waiting for me. I landed in the usual spot.
Once I blew away the dust with wind magic, the duke came over.
“How was it?”
“Both Madras and Emilia have set up defensive fences around their gates. On the far bank behind Emilia, they’ve built anti-landing barriers and reinforced their forces.”
“I see. Tomorrow at dawn, survey both towns from above and check their troop placements.”
Saying only that, he turned back to his tent.
The whole camp felt restless—serious battle preparations had begun. Staying here would only be noisy, and since I had to scout again at dawn, I decided to sleep near Madras.
* * * * * * *
“How was it?”
“They seem to be strengthening defenses, but no attack orders have been issued.”
“Wouldn’t it be bad for us to attack first, then?”
“That’s already been handled. We’ve informed all foreign ambassadors in the capital of the situation. We also notified the Holtland ambassador that if their troops don’t withdraw from the border, we’ll take appropriate measures. Though, considering the Blange road has been practically blocked due to the monster hunt, who knows if the message even reached their homeland.”
“Then…”
“The reserve forces behind us have already been ordered to begin marching after sunset. Tomorrow, the main force will attack as soon as we get the adventurer’s report, with minor adjustments issued to each unit.”
* * * * * * *
Waiting for dawn, I flew out to scout for the third time.
In front of Madras, a straight defensive fence had been built, with roughly four to five hundred soldiers camping behind it. When they saw me, troops poured out of their tents.
I marked the fence position and estimated numbers on my simple map, then flew between Madras and Emilia.
There, too, many soldiers were preparing for the day—about twice as many as before.
While circling to approach Emilia from behind, I felt something off, but continued to survey the formations on both riverbanks.
Their numbers behind the far-bank fence were unchanged, but the fence had been reinforced, and many troops were being ferried by small boats toward Emilia.
Holtland must have realized a battle was unavoidable.
Finally, I gained altitude, checked the troop placements inside the town from above, then headed toward Blange.
To avoid being seen by the enemy, I dropped altitude and made a wide detour, then climbed again to investigate the source of the strange feeling.
Cold wind stung my face, making my eyes water.
From high above, I saw an unnaturally raised patch of ground—camouflaged with branches and grass, but obvious.
Such cheap camouflage was nothing to someone used to makeshift shelters on adventures, and with my magically enhanced eyesight, spotting it was trivial.
* * * * * * *
“Captain, isn’t that the adventurer?”
“Where?”
“You can’t see him? A tiny speck moving north from the south.”
“A tiny speck? Does that look like a person to you?”
“Well… if you ask whether it’s a bird or a person, it isn’t flapping… so I’d say person.”
“Then he won’t notice our camouflage. If he suspects something, he’d fly over to check. With this much foliage piled on top, there’s no way we’d be spotted.”
* * * * * * *
If there were ambushers south of Madras, then surely some to the north as well. Looking carefully, I found similar camouflage. No mistake.
After a wide turn, I looked down at Duke Berlant’s forces. Huge numbers massed along the border.
I remembered something about attackers needing triple the defender’s numbers… Was this going to be okay?
When I descended toward the duke’s position, preparations for battle were complete. Thousands looked up as I came down, which felt embarrassingly awkward.
The duke hurried over as soon as I landed.
“How was it?”
“They’ve added more fences and doubled their troops. Both Madras and Emilia have soldiers stationed inside the towns as well. Also, there are hidden troops north and south of Madras, though I don’t know their exact numbers.”
“Ambushers, huh… How far from the town?”
“About 500 meters. They’re covered with grass and branches, but the scenery doesn’t match.”
He looked over my paper. “Wait a moment.” He jotted down notes and issued orders to his adjutant.
“By the way—you’ve been calling this reconnaissance, but does reporting the battle situation also count as reconnaissance?”
“That’s a tricky question. What are you asking me to do?”
“Tracking enemy movements is scouting, yes. But informing us where we are at a disadvantage is…”
“That would be outside the original request.”
“That’s why—listen. We cannot afford to lose. During the monster hunt, we couldn’t move our magic or noble units in case a dragon appeared. Holtland took that chance to gather troops at the border, hoping for a quick grab. Because of that, we lost the trust of Rosenne, Korche, and many civilians and the Adventurers’ Guild. His Majesty is furious. I’ve been commanded to deliver a punitive blow or push them back from the border.”
So they lost territory before…
“If you’re already scouting for us, I’d like to formally request battlefield reports and relaying messages. As you said, the longer this lasts, the more casualties. Families suffer too. We want this finished quickly. I’ll pay double the kingdom’s offered reward and grant you my identity crest.”
Ending the war quickly is my preference, too.
“You mentioned pushing the border back?”
“When I was a child, a war broke out. We lost Emilia and Madras, and they’ve stayed occupied ever since. That river is the Linjueil River—it used to be the border. If we reclaim those towns, I could recommend you for a title.”
“How far do you intend to advance?”
“This is meant to be punitive, and though I’d love to settle old grudges, that’s unrealistic. If we can retake Emilia, that’s good enough.”
“I’ll accept the battlefield reporting and communication, but I don’t need payment, a crest, or a title.”
“That may be, but if you have a family someday, an identification crest will matter. We can discuss that later. My adjutant will explain communication methods.”
The man who always stood at the duke’s side approached with attendants, giving me a signaling tube and long poles with red and white flags, explaining their use.
Great. Now I’m fully involved in a real war—basically the radar and communications officer.
If the enemy has no way to scout or communicate like we can, my presence alone could control the battlefield.
Duke Berlant had realized that immediately and intended to use me to the fullest. He really wasn’t someone to take lightly.
* * * * * * *
After our briefing, I climbed into the sky.
The main army had already advanced close to Madras, and a cavalry unit was charging toward the enemy ambushers.
“Captain, cavalry is coming straight at us!”
“So they knew our position…”
“Were we spotted?”
“No idea. Either way, we have to fight. Shields out! Form a circle!”
“Against that many?!”
“This is insane—twice our number, and cavalry!”
“No way…”
“H-hey, someone’s running!”
“Idiots! Break the formation and we’re dead! Spears level!”
“It’s no good—too many are fleeing!”
“They’re coming!!”
The cavalry from the right flank of Blange charged into the ambushers, and the fighting began.
Panic turned many ambushers into a fleeing mob, collapsing their formation.
Uh, let’s see… Madras’s right side is north, so:
Red flag horizontal to the right, small up-down motion → lifted overhead → waved left-right. Yes, that was the signal.
On the left side, cavalry had also engaged the ambushers. These ones were holding their ground but had no chance of victory.
So: Red flag horizontal to the south → small up-down motion → white flag overhead → waved left-right.
“Duke, the ambushers have been suppressed.”
“And the front line?”
“No signals yet. They haven’t engaged.”
* * * * * * *
“Signal from Madras—southern and northern ambush units annihilated.”
“So they were found after all.”
“With someone observing from the sky, no matter how we place troops, our plans will be exposed. If our lines clash, the weak points will be hit, and wherever we’re winning, they’ll send reinforcements.”
“Don’t talk like a coward!”
I had expected Madras to be attacked by a charge, but the army stopped short, lined up shields, and began assembling small catapults.
I had forgotten about magic bags.
You can’t transport living beings in them, but equipment is fine.
They probably brought shields and siege gear inside them, setting up a defensive line on the spot.
Even stones used as ammunition were likely stored in magic bags.
Both sides now flung stones and arrows furiously.
As for magic attacks… my expectations were overturned.
They must have used magic yesterday only because I was flying—much easier to target.
At over 100 meters distance, magic just wasn’t practical.