Chapter 100:Battle of Schaferdorf (1)

The territory war is a game of strategy.

A lord declaring war on another inevitably means they desire something, usually land or rights.

There are mercenaries who do anything for money, mages hired after playing the scholar in the Academia, and knights who swaggered around their fiefdoms or their lord’s castle before rushing in to taste blood.

Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of men will clash.

And, excluding the mercenaries and private soldiers among them, these are the driving force of the territory.

In reality, assuming a force of two hundred soldiers, seventy percent of them are conscripted serfs or commoners.

That means over a hundred young men. They are given meager weapons and sent to the battlefield.

From the perspective of the one who governs the territory, it is a truly painful disgrace.

“Are our forces sufficient?”

“We mustn’t conscript more. We’re already short on manpower…”

The knights knew how precious the conscripts deployed in the territory war were.

Not precious simply because they were people, but treated as valuable components that kept the territory running.

It was better to think of them that way. Keldric silently listened to the knights’ meeting.

“Establishing a line of defense with the Ronauen River in mind seems essential.”

“We have a firm grip on the river.”

On the map the knights pointed to, a long highway stretched along the Ronauen River.

This meant that whoever knew how to properly utilize the Ronauen River could effectively use the highway. In other words, it was a supply route.

In a territory war, soldiers are important, but so is supply.

However, the concept of supply was somewhat ambiguous during this period.

They brought their own food, but their transportation capabilities were poor, making long-term supply difficult.

Frankly speaking, raiding nearby villages was considered supply.

Thanks to this, the villagers shed tears of blood. The knights didn’t care.

However, that only applied to the territory of the opposing lord.

The battlefield for the next battle is the Yaben barony.

And the four knights currently racking their brains are vassal knights of Baron Yaben.

If they went out to fight and raided a nearby village, it would be an act of plundering their lord’s land or a fellow knight’s fiefdom.

If the situation was dire, they might turn a blind eye and plunder their own territory, but it was best to avoid such a thing.

“The Bogenberg Merchant Guild is generously providing supplies.”

“Speaking of which, I heard that Sir Keldric received help from Count Bogenberg?”

The four knights’ gazes shifted to Keldric.

Keldric waved his hand lightly in response.

“It’s nothing much. Count Bogenberg must also desire justice.”

“Besides that, the soldiers you brought are all excellent. You can be a little more proud.”

There was a reason why the Yaben barony had grown so much.

The previous Barons Yaben were not fools. They appointed loyal and decent men as their vassal knights.

The result was, of course, the four composed knights before Keldric’s eyes.

They might be scoundrels in their daily lives, but the knights were experts in war. They had to concentrate now.

They had no intention of taking the battle lightly.

“So, Sir Lothar.”

“…Uh, huh?”

“Where would be a good place to set up camp?”

Sir Lothar, who had been sitting blankly at the head of the table, flinched.

‘He fell asleep.’

Seeing that, Keldric barely suppressed a sigh. The stove heating the room was to blame.

After blinking for a moment to grasp the situation, Sir Lothar opened his mouth just as the knights’ eyes began to fill with doubt.

“Are you talking about where to set up camp?”

“Yes. We need to send a letter to Count Gottfried, after all.”

“That’s right. Let’s see…”

Sir Lothar turned his gaze to the unfolded map.

The knights, who had been engaged in a heated discussion until just now, wore slightly disgruntled expressions.

The knights had narrowed down a few candidates while talking until their throats were dry, but Sir Lothar, who had been sleeping soundly, seemed to have missed it all.

“Hmm. How about this place?”

Sir Lothar’s finger pointed to a certain spot.

The knights’ gazes naturally gathered there. Keldric and Sir Henri were the same.

“…Yalta?”

“Yes. It’s close to Belam and has a river, so we don’t have to worry about supplies.”

“Sir Lothar, Yalta is too close.”

Someone voiced their objection.

As they said, there were several unsuitable aspects to using the plains in front of Yalta as a battlefield.

Even if everything else was put aside, it was too close to Belam.

The distance from Yalta to Belam was roughly 12-14 League.

Considering the time it takes for marching soldiers to eat, sleep, and relieve themselves, it was a little less than a day and a half.

Even if Count Gottfried’s army approached, they wouldn’t be able to break down the walls of Belam.

But the very fact that they were close was a problem.

First of all, the territory residents living in Belam would be anxious, and if they set up camp in Yalta, the villages further north would effectively be cut off from Belam.

Even Keldric’s hometown, Carlton Village, would slowly wither away without merchants coming from Belam.

Moreover, if Count Gottfried’s army won again, it was obvious that they would completely surround the vicinity of Belam and ravage the territory to their heart’s content.

“Sir Lothar, please reconsider.”

A knight with particularly thick eyebrows stepped forward with a earnest expression.

Was it Sir Rutger of the Hoenthuringen family? Keldric made a mental note of his name.

“Yalta is the gateway to all paths leading north. If we fight here, it will be difficult to defend the north.”

“Can’t we just win?”

“Sir Lothar…”

Stubborn and lacking experience.

That was Sir Lothar.

“The reason I chose Yalta is simply because of supplies. Well-fed and well-equipped soldiers fight well.”

“Sir Lothar, the difference is only two days anyway. That level of supply disruption is not a problem.”

“In that case, Sir Rutger, how do you plan to prepare for the upcoming blizzard?”

“That is…”

The problem was that the more they listened, the more plausible it sounded.

Keldric was also briefly swayed by Sir Lothar’s words.

Yes, the blizzard. If it came, they would be stuck for as little as three days or as long as a week.

If they moved away because they were afraid of Belam being besieged, would they be able to handle the supplies in the meantime?

However, the time for blizzards was still early.

The weather became a bit rough around this time, but it wasn’t unbearable.

Besides, if that happened, Count Gottfried’s army would be stuck as well.

“Sir Lothar, may I say something?”

Sir Lothar’s slightly stiff face turned to Keldric.

“Speak.”

“Instead of Yalta, let’s set up camp below Schafendorf.”

Keldric pointed to the most plausible place among those the knights had suggested earlier.

In fact, Keldric didn’t know anything about strategy or tactics. He was just using common sense.

“Why?”

“There’s a river near Schafendorf, and there are many sheep farms next to Schafendorf.”

Schafendorf’s main specialties were wool and mutton.

With wool, they could roughly withstand the cold blizzards and bad weather, and with mutton and grains for raising sheep, the food situation would be decent.

It would look like they were requisitioning supplies, but anything was fine as long as it was done in moderation.

Moreover, this would place the important stronghold of Yalta in the rear, so even if they were defeated, they could retreat

to Yalta and reorganize their ranks.

It was also a reasonable distance from the Ronauen River. Thanks to this, the escape route was also open.

Sir Henri and the other knights readily nodded at Keldric’s words.

Seeing that, Sir Lothar was silent for a moment. With a slightly sulky expression.

It seemed he was displeased that his opinion, as Baron Yaben’s representative, had been pushed to the back.

“…Fine.”

But this was not child’s play.

Sir Lothar had a slightly precarious tendency, but he knew how to back down a little.

“I’ll send a letter to Count Gottfried. I’ll suggest we fight near Schafendorf.”

“A wise decision.”

“Well… if Sir Keldric is so confident, we’ll definitely win this battle, right?”

“That is “

“I have high expectations. I hope you don’t betray my expectations.”

Sir Lothar left the room after saying only those words.

The meeting was over.

As the knights, who had been standing awkwardly, dispersed and left, Keldric looked at the door Sir Lothar had left

through with a complicated expression.

Dealing with a naive noble young master was not easy.

However, Sir Lothar was not a man who simply acted as he pleased.

He had his own thoughts, and they weren’t entirely unreasonable.

However, lacking experience and being able to listen to others were things he had to realize on his own.

Keldric had realized that early on.

The experience of having responsibility as an adult was incomparable to anything else.

Perhaps soon, Sir Lothar would also have to bear the heavy weight of that responsibility.

As a nobleman, as the heir to Baron Yaben, and as another knight.

And Keldric knew a way to bring that time forward.

‘Should I give him a beating?’

Generally, a dog that doesn’t listen needs a good beating. People weren’t much different.

But unless he was crazy, he couldn’t openly beat him. Keldric didn’t particularly want that either.

So, it would be better to watch a little longer for now.

*   *   *   *   *

It was the same early dawn as when he had left Bogenberg that the soldiers and mercenaries were assembled and left Belam’s gate.

Keldric shuddered as he rode Boreas.

Even if it wasn’t as harsh as the cold wave that swept through the north in the middle of winter, the morning air was still not something to be taken lightly.

The magical time when even the dew froze.

Within it, the Yaben barony’s army, consisting of soldiers, conscripts, and mercenaries, moved sluggishly without Baron Yaben.

Keldric glanced over the soldiers gathering on the dimly lit highway at dawn.

Due to the defeat they had experienced once before, the soldiers’ morale was not very good.

The mercenaries also didn’t hide their anxiety. They were beings who didn’t want to side with the losing side.

Because if they lost, they might not get paid. It was simply for that one reason.

He seemed to vaguely understand what Sir Lothar had said earlier, the so-called defeatism.

Keldric sighed with complicated feelings.

The warm breath quickly encountered the cold and left a white trail in the air.

‘A territory war…’

He wasn’t afraid of battle.

But he was worried. He even felt a sense of responsibility for the forty soldiers he had brought from Bogenberg.

He wanted to send them back alive and well.

Other knights might not think so, but at least Keldric did.

Forty elite soldiers were not an easy force to come by.

Count Bogenberg must have given up the troops expecting losses, but if they all got wiped out and returned, he would definitely be heartbroken.

“Ugh…”

Suddenly, a slight groan was heard. Keldric looked at Alyssa, who was riding her horse beside him.

Alyssa, who was completely covered in a robe, was occasionally shivering.

Not only had she woken up early in the morning, but she was also facing this much cold from dawn!

But it would be fine once the sun rose. Keldric draped his cloak over Alyssa’s shoulders.

As the fluffy wolf fur cloak was placed on her, Alyssa, with wide eyes, looked at Keldric.

Feeling embarrassed for no reason, Keldric smiled awkwardly.

“Your magic is important.”

“T, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Tell me if you’re too cold.”

The soldiers were generally northerners who were resistant to the cold, but some of the mercenaries, like Alyssa, were shivering from the cold.

‘It would be nice to stop for a bit later and boil some hot water.’

Alyssa lowered her head deeply. Her small, gloved hands clutched her large cloak tightly.

The skin visible between the gloves was flushed red, probably from the cold.

As time passed, dawn began to break beyond the horizon of the snowy field.

Keldric scanned the road where the troops were roughly gathered.

Conscripted peasants made up the vanguard, followed by a rough mix of mercenaries and soldiers.

There was no semblance of formation. But even this was a blessing.

As Keldric’s eyes swept over them, they suddenly widened as he spotted a familiar face.

‘Jorgen?’

Jorgen, the leader of the Ibex Mercenary Company.

He was shivering in the cold, chewing on dried meat.

Keldric steered Boreas towards him. An old acquaintance was welcome anywhere.

☩   ☩   ☩   ☩   ☩   ☩   ☩

‘If I didn’t have such rotten luck.’

Jorgen, with his thick beard, chewed on the tough meat, trying to soothe his aching stomach.

When Baron Yaben’s forces were defeated last time, the Ibex Mercenary Company, led by him, lost a whopping eight mercenaries.

“Ah, damn it. Captain, I swear those bastards started it!”

“Shut your trap, Toven. Want to get hit some more?”

Thanks to that, all that remained by Jorgen’s side were ten mercenaries, including Anton and Toven.

Anton, like a veteran mercenary, had survived, but Toven hadn’t broken his habit from his rookie days and was still immature.

Jorgen was going crazy. It was difficult to find a mercenary with decent experience.

After this battle, Jorgen would have to bring in inexperienced, budding mercenary hopefuls.

Of course, that was if he survived this battle.

But the situation wasn’t good.

Due to the previous defeat, unsettling rumors were circulating among the mercenaries.

The main gossip was whether Baron Yaben was going to be defeated.

Defeat or no defeat, it would be a relief if they just didn’t delay the payment. Such materialistic attitudes of the mercenaries even made Jorgen scoff.

They were fighting tooth and nail, with many dying, and if they were defeated again this time, there would really be no way to forgive it.

“Better to die than to suffer.”

Jorgen spat out sticky saliva. On the road, snow, dirt, and saliva mixed together, creating an unpleasant lump.

“Jorgen.”

And a large shadow fell over it.

Jorgen, who had been chewing on jerky, finally realized that the surroundings had become quiet.

Jorgen swallowed hard and raised his head.

Slowly entering his vision were the sturdy, muscular legs of a warhorse that felt somehow familiar.

“O-oh….”

Keldric of the Bellaf Family. He was on horseback, looking down at Jorgen.

“L-Lord Keldric of the honorable Bellaf Family…!”

“Oh. You remember me?”

“No need to ask twice! What brings Lord Keldric here…”

“What else would a knight be doing in a place like this?”

Keldric chuckled and tapped the longsword at his waist.

“I came to fight.”

That was a truly knightly reason.