Chapter 104:Battle of Schafendorf (5)

Darkness descended upon the snow-covered battlefield.

Keldric watched the soldiers huddled together, warming themselves by the fire.

Among them were mercenaries, and a few peddlers who had somehow managed to set up shop.

Occasionally, a soldier would cling to the priest who had come with them from Belam. Keldric silently scanned them all.

Familiar faces caught his eye. The welcome faces of the Wild Goat Mercenary Company, Jorgen and the other mercenaries.

‘They survived.’

Their survival wasn’t bad news. If a familiar face were to be found frozen stiff on the battlefield, it would be a grim thing indeed.

“Lord Keldric, we should hurry,”

Lord Henri, who was leading the way, said. Keldric turned away without hesitation.

“Indeed. Let’s hurry.”

“This way.”

Keldric and Lord Henri were headed towards the largest and cleanest tent in the Military Camp.

Lord Lothar’s tent. And also, the place where diligent knights who hadn’t yet gone to bed would be gathered.

Though the sun had set and darkness had fallen, the reason the weary knights hadn’t yet retired was obvious.

The battle wasn’t over. When the morning sun rose, they would have to fight tooth and nail once more.

And to do that, they needed a constructive conversation for victory.

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“This is fucked.”

Lord Lothar muttered, frowning. All eyes turned to him.

“I know we can’t finish it in one fell swoop, but aren’t the results too insignificant?”

Lord Lothar’s dissatisfaction stemmed from one thing: the lack of captured knights or nobles.

Territorial wars were fundamentally a huge drain on money. There were more than a few lords who were barely able to afford hiring mercenaries.

Hiring mercenaries, donating a suitable amount of money to the church.

The source of that money was, of course, Baron Yaben’s wealth. And that was also the wealth that Lord Lothar would inherit in the distant future.

Therefore, to end a territorial war that was constantly draining money, capturing the opposing lord or his knights was of utmost importance.

“We’re evenly matched with the other side, but it’s still disappointing. Can’t you all put in a little more effort?”

However, regardless of the Yaben family’s financial situation, Lord Lothar’s words were grating.

Everyone, especially Lord Rutger, who had fought just as hard as Keldric, frowned with weary eyes.

“Lord Lothar, the first day of battle is always chaotic. Capturing a knight in the midst of fighting…”

“Yes, yes. I know your efforts. But, I believe you can do better here.”

“…Yes.”

“Let’s work together more tomorrow. We can’t stay here for long.”

Lord Rutger looked unconvinced, but he took a step back and nodded.

Lord Lothar’s expression softened slightly at that. As if he was satisfied with his knights being obedient.

“The number of places being looted is increasing. I heard that the Einhorn side has already been completely reduced to ashes.”

Einhorn was a village bordering Baron Gottfried’s territory.

It didn’t have any particularly outstanding products, so it wasn’t a place that Baron Gottfried would be particularly interested in.

Reducing such a place to ashes seemed to be a psychological tactic employed by Baron Gottfried.

He probably burned it as an example. To make Baron Yaben’s people waver, and to make them submit in fear when Baron Gottfried’s army attacked later.

That wasn’t a method that Keldric particularly favored. Keldric’s jaw tightened.

“So, let’s aim to crush those bastards within two days.”

The knights, who had been lost in thought for a moment, slowly nodded.

As Lord Lothar said, it wasn’t good to stay here for long. They had already issued requisitions for various supplies in Schafendorf.

If they stayed for too long, they would lose the loyalty and trust of the Schafendorf residents, and there would be knights who would question the honor of this endeavor.

“Looking closely at today’s battle, there’s something a little suspicious.”

“What is it?”

“Lord Rutger. Why are they fighting us on equal terms?”

Lord Rutger closed his mouth. He couldn’t grasp what Lord Lothar was trying to ask.

‘What’s he talking about?’

That was the same for Keldric and the other knights, so silence filled the tent for a moment.

“Umm, Lord Lothar. What do you mean…?”

“They won once, so their morale should be high, and they had one more knight than us. And the number of soldiers… seemed to be about twenty more, roughly.”

“….”

“Conversely, most of our troops are those who retreated. Shouldn’t it be impossible to fight on equal terms, logically?”

That was quite a surprising question. At the same time, it was a question that didn’t take into account various situations.

To such a naive question, Lord Henri, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly opened his mouth.

“Lord Lothar, that’s because we were on the defending side.”

“Hmm?”

“In a battle divided into attackers and defenders, the side that sheds more blood is generally the attacking side.”

“Why is that?”

“Because we are prepared to block the enemy, but they keep disrupting their formation.”

The defenders stood their ground, maintaining their formation and not breaking ranks.

The attackers recklessly threw themselves at the defensive line. There might be tactical options such as attacking from three sides, but for now, that was it.

Those who maintained their formation and those who didn’t. It was obvious which side would suffer more damage.

“Don’t they know that? They charged in like dogs in heat during today’s battle.”

“They probably know. However, there were just two variables at play.”

One, the forty elite soldiers that Keldric brought from Bogenberg.

Their performance was outstanding. They skillfully thrust their spears, defending the line, and when the front lines were tired, they quickly rotated, not losing ground even in a war of attrition.

And two, the cavalry charge of the knights, who overcame their numerical disadvantage with the addition of Keldric and Lord Henri.

“Indeed… that’s right.”

Lord Lothar’s eyes briefly lingered on Keldric.

Lord Lothar had watched Keldric’s performance from afar in the Military Camp.

He had knocked a knight unconscious in an instant, and he had almost captured Lord Gerhard, who had previously inflicted defeat

on Baron Yaben’s army.

That could have made the slightly unfavorable situation even. Lord Rutger seconded Lord Henri’s words.

“Perhaps, from tomorrow, they won’t try to attack recklessly either.”

“Then how will they come out?”

“They will either take a defensive stance as well, or try to create variables.”

“Variables, you say?”

“For example… the mage we saw today.”

Mage.

Keldric recalled the man wearing the robe. His magic certainly had sharp and deadly aspects.

Keldric barely managed to avoid it, but he could have been engulfed in flames along with Boreas.

“Lord Lothar. We may have to go on the offensive tomorrow.”

The ones who were feeling the heat were naturally Baron Gottfried’s forces. Since they had left their territory, their supply situation wasn’t good.

However, it wasn’t much different on this side either. It wasn’t lacking, but it wasn’t particularly abundant either.

If they dragged it out for too long, and Baron Gottfried organized several separate units to loot various parts of the territory, it would be a disaster.

Either way, they had to settle it.

“We will take the vanguard tomorrow.”

“…You mean, charge from the start?”

“That’s the only way.”

In a battle between the incompetent and the incompetent, ‘the winning side’ is synonymous with the side that strikes first.

The number of knights was equal. Moreover, there was also the non-standard knight Keldric, so if they wanted to crush them before

the situation became urgent, there was no other way than to charge in with a cavalry charge from the start.

“What about you all?”

And, that was something the knights didn’t refuse.

The knights readily nodded. Someone even raised a glass of wine and shouted. A faint sense of excitement filled the tent.

Unless it was an overwhelming disadvantage where they were going to die, there wasn’t a knight who didn’t want a glorious cavalry charge that was worth trying.

In the midst of all this, Lord Rutger was intently watching Keldric.

Keldric’s navy blue eyes met his.

“Lord Keldric. Are you alright with this?”

In this situation, there was only one answer Keldric could give.

“No problem.”

The glorious cavalry charge to end the Schafendorf battle, where the cold was approaching. Everyone agreed to it.

“Lord Lothar. We will crush them.”

“That’s… good. Very good. Do it that way.”

Lord Lothar smiled with delight. Keldric looked at him with a dubious expression.

Since he was a man who was crazy about cavalry charges even in Belam, he seemed to be dying of joy.

The meeting held late at night ended there.

The knights headed to their respective tents, and Keldric also left Lord Lothar’s tent, fully intending to get some sleep.

“Lord Keldric. Can you spare some time?”

However, there was someone waiting for Keldric in front of the tent.

“…Lord Rutger.”

Lord Rutger, who had left the tent earlier. His seasoned eyes looked at Keldric.

Lord Rutger’s eyes contained a certain determination.

“I think we need to have an important conversation.”

It was the look that only a knight with honor… no, only a strong man could have.

The look of a man making a firm resolution in the turbulent life of a man.

Keldric couldn’t ignore it.

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As dawn faintly broke, the bonfires that had been spewing smoke from various parts of the Military Camp listlessly died down.

Keldric, who had woken up early in the morning, immediately left the tent. The sound of clattering could be heard here and there.

“Ugh… I almost got frostbite. I couldn’t open my eyes this morning.”

“I thought you were dead.”

The mercenaries’ grumbling complaints were added. Keldric looked at the white mountain range visible beyond the tents.

The Permafrost of the north, beyond the mountain range that was its aorta, sent the coldest wind of the day, as if exhaling its last breath.

“Haa…”

The blonde mage from the south, who was with Keldric, was shivering just the same.

Alyssa looked almost like someone who had lost the purpose of life.

Her lifeless eyes contained nothing but a desperate survival instinct, searching for warmth in the cold.

“Hold this.”

“Ah, th-thank you.”

Keldric placed a stone on Alyssa’s small, red hands.

A stone that had been properly heated near the bonfire all night. The stone, which Keldric had been holding in his arms while sleeping, still had warmth left.

Alyssa cautiously looked around, then slipped it into her clothes. Her red cheeks quickly relaxed.

“Alyssa.”

“Hehe… Yes?”

“Is it very hard?”

“Uh… It’s a little hard, but I can endure it.”

“Endure it a little longer.”

Keldric called Arno, who was warming himself by the bonfire in front. Arno quickly picked up the armor parts and ran over.

“Perhaps, it will be over after today.”

“What do you mean…”

No matter what anyone said, today’s battle would not be easy.

However, whatever the difficulty, it was not just something to be overcome or avoided.

The difficulties encountered in a life where the waves of fate were raging, were just things to be broken and moved forward.

Would he be swept away by the waves of fate, or would he go against them and forge his own path?

For Keldric, difficulties were always a proving ground for choosing the latter.

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The forces of both sides lined up in the snowfield as they had the day before.

The battlefield, a mess from two skirmishes, was already being freshly covered with snow. The frequency of snowfall was gradually increasing.

The approaching blizzard, and the accompanying, intensifying cold. It was mercilessly tightening its grip.

They had to finish this quickly. Whether it was Baron Gottfried or Lord Lothar.

“God damn, it’s fucking cold.”

“Shit… I’m going to kill all those bastards today.”

Thanks to that, the soldiers’ and mercenaries’ eyes changed. They were the eyes of murderers, ready to kill each other.

A new tension filled the battlefield. Everyone sensed it.

Today, at last, the tide of the battle would turn. And if it didn’t, they would force it to.

“Archers! Draw!”

The soldiers of Baron Gottfried’s army immediately raised their shields. The same was true for Lord Lothar’s soldiers far in the distance.

“Release!”

Thwack!

Arrows rained down. So far, it was no different from the previous day.

But the arrows stopped falling, and the moment the soldiers of Baron Gottfried’s army lowered their shields.

Boo-ooo! Boo!

“What?!”

The soldiers of Baron Gottfried’s army widened their eyes. Was that a horn from their side?

No. The horn was coming from Lord Lothar’s Military Camp.

“Th-there… over there!”

Someone screamed. Several tense gazes turned in that direction.

Warhorses tearing through the snow, and armor gleaming in the sunlight on the riders.

“K-Knights!”

“Shit! Why are they coming already?!”

Five knights on warhorses were charging madly. The shouts of the soldiers running behind them grew louder and louder.

A few of Baron Gottfried’s mercenaries awkwardly tried to form a spear wall, but the space to do so was limited.

No one had expected a preemptive charge from the knights. Most had been expecting to face soldiers on foot.

But the knights were charging for all they were worth.

The earth rumbled, and the gleaming spear tips were aimed solely at the enemy.

“Block them! We have to block them!”

“Raise your shields!”

“H-Here they come!”

Clang! Crunch!

Several soldiers were sent flying powerlessly. A gap quickly formed in the line. The five knights drew their respective weapons.

Penetrating deep into enemy lines with only five men was extremely dangerous, but a few experienced mercenaries quickly grasped the situation and turned pale.

“Hey! Fill the gap! Quickly!”

“Shit! Maintain the front line!”

Waaaaaah!

A thunderous roar was already right in front of them.