Ch.148War and the Vermilion Bird #4

I always think that not sleeping at all is hard, but waking up after falling asleep is even harder.

This time, the tension from the special circumstances of war makes me less tired, but in other cases…

I lightly shook my head, heavy with drowsiness, as I listened to Helena’s explanation in front of the Magic Corps.

Besides the Magic Corps, there were also elven soldiers mixed in, making for a decent number. All together, about three hundred.

“Let me emphasize again, our goal is not to inflict major damage but to build up the enemy’s fatigue. So there’s no need to engage in excessive combat; just keep them in check. Of course, it’s better to reduce enemy numbers when possible.”

“Understood.”

Perhaps because it was night and difficult to see clearly without fire, the voices answering were also low.

It was understandable, as those going to launch a surprise attack couldn’t openly shout.

“Elves, please move along the mountain range and set up ambushes nearby. You just need to cut off any tails following the Magic Corps.”

“Would you not need our assistance?”

“No. Just protecting our retreat route is reassuring enough. Moreover, when we flee toward the mountains, we can inflict more damage by striking their tail, so I think it’s advantageous in many ways.”

The elf who had asked the question seemed to agree, nodding in understanding.

From how naturally he spoke among the large group, I could tell he was quite respected, even if I hadn’t heard the unit description.

“Then… we will now commence the operation.”

As Helena gave the order, the elven army rushed toward the mountain range as if they had been waiting for this moment.

They chose the right side of the mountain range that blocked both the Kingdom and Empire’s flanks, and in the blink of an eye, they threw themselves into it.

I, Helena, and the Magic Corps followed behind them as if we had been waiting too.

The dark elves, belonging to the same elven race, skillfully climbed the mountains and leaped between trees, moving forward like the wind, just like other elves.

I was reminded of the saying that in the forest, anyone would have to concede to the elves.

Helena, being no ordinary person but a Sword Master, was agile enough to keep pace with the elves, but I was not.

Though I thought I was keeping up fairly well, I couldn’t help but feel slower than them.

Fortunately, it wasn’t enough to hinder the operation; otherwise, I might have ended up being carried on someone’s back, both pathetic and comfortable.

“What…?!”

Swish. The elf leading at the front spread one arm to the side as if blocking the path.

The others following closely behind also stopped their flight-like running as if on cue, waiting behind tree shadows or perched above.

They were already wearing black robes as camouflage to avoid being spotted, making them nearly invisible.

Dark elves naturally had dark skin, so it might have seemed unnecessary, but their equipment could reflect light, so it couldn’t be helped.

What could it be?

I carefully moved my feet with Helena to minimize noise as we approached the leader standing on a thick branch.

“What’s happening?”

“Soldiers are approaching from a distance.”

Soldiers? We were close enough to see each other, so they should have been paying attention to the mountains, but soldiers?

I unconsciously widened my eyes and focused mana to enhance my vision.

My eyes had already adjusted to the darkness, so I had no major problem distinguishing objects.

Then, I truly saw a group of Imperial soldiers.

“Those are… Imperial soldiers, right?”

“Yes. They’re Imperial soldiers. Judging by the direction they’re coming from and their uniforms, they’re definitely Imperial.”

When the male elf on the tree asked, Helena, who was hiding in the shadows below with me, answered.

Since it was a time when voices carried far and their hearing was excellent, they could easily converse in whispers.

“How many do you see?”

“About three to four hundred, I’d say. Probably twice as many as our forces. Moreover, they didn’t bring horses, just like us.”

Even with smaller numbers, over two hundred people riding horses at once would naturally make the ground rumble.

Moreover, on the open plains, it would be impossible to approach on horseback all the way.

That’s why we decided to leave the horses behind and traverse the mountains, but who would have thought the Imperial army would do the same?

And with troops that had just arrived and must be tired.

“They may have forced a march, but they’re probably not tired enough to collapse… I didn’t expect them to come for a surprise attack with troops that just arrived.”

“And even less expected them to come through the mountains where elves excel.”

“That’s precisely why they aimed for that gap. Thinking that with elves who know the forest well, we wouldn’t come through the forest.”

Helena kindly answered the lead elf’s muttering as she crossed her arms.

It seemed neither side had anticipated that their attempts to exploit gaps would lead to such an ironic outcome.

“Everyone, ambush from the trees. We’ll annihilate them in one go.”

However, having encountered them like this, there was nothing to say except that it was bad luck.

If those soldiers were guilty of anything, it was only that they had no choice but to follow their superiors’ orders.

Going further, it was also due to the misfortune caused by a god’s false encouragement.

“Understood.”

The elf at the front reached behind his back and drew a bow that had been hidden by his robe.

He also adjusted his robe to make it easier to draw arrows from the quiver strapped to his back.

The other elves also drew their bows and scattered in all directions.

Those at the back who couldn’t hear the instructions received them from those in front.

Like an old-fashioned game of telephone.

“Huu…”

Meanwhile, Helena and I moved toward the center of the spread net and caught our breath.

It was obvious that if we didn’t kill them instantly, the Imperial soldiers would start shouting at the top of their lungs.

Just a little more, just a little more…

The Imperial soldiers, still unaware of our presence, continued steadily forward.

Normally, when such troops move through a forest, they leave traces like broken branches, but most of them moved through the trees like monkeys.

Instead, there was a high possibility that the slight swaying of trees might instill caution, but we had spotted them from a distance long ago, so that wasn’t an issue.

And so, finally, all the Imperial soldiers stepped into the trap.

Helena, noticing this, flashed her eyes and brought down her raised right hand. It was the signal to attack.

“Huk?! Gi, gis… krrrr!”

The soldiers who received the order fired arrows as if they had been waiting.

Arrows wrapped in the elves’ characteristic wind fell like rain.

The rain aimed precisely for the Imperial soldiers’ skulls or throats, and as they tore through the air, they made no sound.

By the time they shot one arrow, they had already nocked another, giving the enemy no time to react properly.

It was unavoidable, especially with arrows falling so fiercely from above.

Moreover, their accuracy was wickedly high.

“It’s over.”

Just a few minutes after the arrow rain began, Orkus, who had quietly approached from the side, announced the end.

The elves, knowing this, released their bowstrings and descended from the trees, beginning to retrieve arrows one by one from the corpses that had died in a miserable state.

The bodies hit by wind-infused arrows seemed more shaved than torn.

Bone fragments had flown, leaving appearances too horrible to describe in words.

I frowned involuntarily as I breathed in the air sticky with the smell of blood.

It was the first time in my life seeing hundreds of corpses directly, so I couldn’t feel good about it.

If I didn’t have nerves of steel, I would have been retching.

“Are you okay?”

Realizing that my condition wasn’t very good, Helena gently wrapped her hand around mine and asked.

Ellen, who had been retrieving arrows with the soldiers, also rushed over with an expression that suggested she had just realized something.

It was a strangely amusing situation.

“Grand Duke… are you alright?”

“Thanks for worrying about me. I’m fine, so don’t worry. More importantly, have you collected all the arrows?”

“Ah, yes. In addition to the arrows we brought, we’ve also collected plenty from the Imperial soldiers. Thanks to that, we won’t have to worry about running out of arrows.”

That’s good then. I closed my eyes and took a few breaths, then narrowed my eyes as I spoke.

“Then we should move quickly. Orkus, please tell them to maintain forward vigilance while moving, in case there might be a rear guard.”

“…Understood.”

Tsk. Orkus also seemed displeased with this carnage, clicking his tongue as he moved forward.

While major orders came from Helena or me, he was quite busy commanding the Magic Corps in Eve’s place.

.

“Wh-what in the world is happening?!”

In the deepening silence of dawn.

The Imperial army’s outer camp was engulfed in great confusion.

It had started when arrows, falling silently from above or flying straight and fast from the front, had cut the throats of the sentries on watch.

Wind-wrapped arrows pierced through torches placed here and there, causing fires.

Sometimes fire arrows flew in as well.

To add some exaggeration, it was nothing short of a sea of fire.

“Surprise attack! It’s a surprise attack!”

“Surprise attack?! You’re saying those who should be defending came to attack us?!”

A soldier gripping his spear so hard it might break rushed over to report to the person responsible for this area, which had become a sea of fire.

The person in charge was a viscount of the Empire, and he too had just woken up, so he wasn’t wearing armor.

He had been in such a hurry that he didn’t even have time to put on his armor.

“Yes! It’s definitely those elves who decided to side with the Kingdom launching a surprise attack!”

“This can’t be…! Wait a minute! That means… all the troops we sent are dead!”

Four hundred out of hundreds of thousands.

In terms of simple ratio, it wasn’t such a severe loss, but people had died, so it was natural for the viscount to feel bitter.

But that bitterness was short-lived.

The viscount, as if he had never felt that way, ordered a nearby soldier to gather troops, and he himself rushed to his tent to quickly arm himself before coming out.

“Magic items! Use the magic items!”

The viscount ordered soldiers who had brought what looked like black pillars according to his command.

These were magic items meant to counter elves who shot arrows infused with elemental magic or attacked with magic itself.

The pillars were about waist-high to the soldiers and had the power to disrupt magic within their range.

As a result, arrows passing through the pillars naturally lost their power.

However, just because the magic disappeared didn’t mean all of its destructive power was gone.

While they had become simple arrows with greatly reduced power, they were by no means to be taken lightly.

The soldiers knew this and were calmly defending with shields.

─Regroup and bring the items! Don’t give them any openings, and archers, ready your bows!

As other commanders besides the viscount gave orders from all directions, soldiers gathered from all over the camp to form ranks.

Though they were scattered here and there, making it somewhat disorderly, it was more than enough to repel the attack.

“Troops not on defense, bring water to put out the fires! If we respond calmly, there won’t be any major problems!”

Having established a defense and caught their breath somewhat, they naturally deployed the remaining troops to extinguish the fires.

While there had been unavoidable casualties when they were first surprised, the damage was gradually decreasing as they organized their response.

Moreover, since the elven army was only shooting arrows from a distance without approaching, they soon found room to breathe.

“We can’t just take this lying down.”

Even in the chaos, the viscount who had been the first to be attacked gritted his teeth as he sent messengers to each camp to coordinate.

As the effect of the surprise attack gradually diminished and stability increased, anger raised its head.

So he sent messengers to express his intent to attack and encouraged each camp to respond and lend their strength.

It could be seen as a natural choice.

However, before that natural choice could be properly implemented.

A storm, small but easily capable of swallowing three people, opened its maw and charged forward.