Chapter 91: War Written as ‘Reclamation’, Read as ‘Destruction’ 5

Maxim, who had entered deep into the Palatinate along with the Holy Knight Order as part of General Tilly’s forces.

However…

The current location of her and the Holy Knight Order was not at the frontlines visible to the enemies, but rather a place where supplies and rations were fully stocked.

Their main task this time was not to wield weapons at the vanguard, but to manage supplies in the rear and use their sacred Aura ability to heal the wounded.

Given the Holy Knights’ abilities were more suited to support rather than direct combat, one could say they were deployed appropriately.

Of course, in the event of an all-out battle, they too would rush out bearing arms. But that would only be toward the end of the fighting.

Thus, with somewhat more leeway than others, Maxim and the Holy Knight Order were able to face this situation, and Maxim in particular was very satisfied with her position in the supply corps.

‘A noble person like me has no reason to be on the dirty battlefield. My role is to remain here calmly until the war ends, then reap the fruits of victory.’

Truthfully, while General Tilly’s judgment played a role in her deployment here, Maxim’s own assertion carried considerable weight as well.

Maxim’s claim, as a member of the clergy, was to avoid killing as much as possible while contributing what she could. Given his devout faith and understanding of how to properly utilize the special Holy Knight forces, General Tilly decided to heed her opinion.

As a result, Maxim and the Holy Knights were stationed in the safest possible rear position regarding force deployment.

Having come here from the outset with the intention of pursuing personal gain rather than any cause, Maxim was greatly satisfied with her comfortable situation where she could leisurely indulge.

‘All I have to do now is have the Holy Knights heal people occasionally while gradually pilfering some of the spoils that will accumulate here. Heheh, people must think wisely after all. Why needlessly shed blood when others are suffering?’

Thus, looking forward to the tremendous gains she would reap from this war, Maxim calmly observed the situation.

Although she had heard that the heretical forces were formidable, at this moment, the thought of their defeat never entered Maxim’s mind.

‘There may have been a minor incident in Bohemia, but that was mere coincidence. In the end, the Church and Emperor Sigismund will emerge as the ultimate victors. I merely need to ride that wave and reap the benefits.’

In reality, the Holy Empire ruled nearly half the continent, while the heretical forces paled in comparison.

Though they may gain the upper hand in the short term, it was not unreasonable to assume the heretics’ inevitable destiny was to be crushed.

‘Well then… shall I rest for today? I hear that sometime tomorrow, plans will be made to join General Spinola’s army and utterly crush those vile heretics.’

Believing she had nothing to worry about in this war, Archbishop Maxim calmly lay down.

Suddenly… for some reason, a fleeting thought occurred that a similar situation had transpired before. However, she promptly dismissed it…

In the darkness of night, Tilly’s camp soldiers were maintaining strict vigilance.

They had set up makeshift watchtowers and taken a slightly elevated position with their backs to a hill, affording them a clear view of the surroundings.

Yet no matter how advantageous their position, accurately assessing the situation in such dim lighting proved difficult. Thus, the soldiers relied on torches and simple illumination spells to constantly survey their environs.

With Mansfelt and Christiane’s forces right before them, they could not afford to let their guard down for even a moment.

Tilly, fully aware of this fact, had his Mana Sphere deployed as he continually monitored the enemy’s movements.

The general had deliberately pitched his tent near the watchtower to observe the enemy, ruminating on his previous oversight in Bohemia and resolving not to be caught off guard again.

‘Tomorrow we’ll be able to join General Spinola. Once that happens, there will be nothing more to worry about, but to get there, we must safely pass today.’

Though Spinola’s reinforcements were imminent, the proximity of the enemy coupled with the fatigue from their long march made their situation precarious.

Keeping this in mind, Tilly remained highly vigilant while meticulously accounting for potential variables like the weather – having learned from the unexpected fog that led to his previous decisive defeat.

Thus, resolved not to repeat his mistake, Tilly spent the night warily…

Then…

“!”

Sensing enemy movements within his deployed Mana Sphere, Tilly immediately rose and drew his sword.

“The enemy! The enemy is attacking!”

“Form battle lines! Don’t let those fiends advance even a single step!”

Roused by the alarms ringing through the camp, soldiers scrambled from their rest and took up arms.

Having received orders to prepare for a potential night assault, they swiftly assumed defensive positions.

Moments later…

They spotted a group rapidly approaching while bearing torches.

“It’s Mansfelt’s army!”

“Stop them! Spearmen and shieldbearers to the front! Archers, prepare volley fire on signal!”

Assuming solid defensive formations and training their ranged weapons on the rapidly closing enemy, the soldiers stood firm under Tilly’s command.

Although outnumbered, they possessed an unwavering resolve – their faith in Spinola’s imminent reinforcements steeling their spirits.

‘We just received word that Spinola will arrive within two to four hours. If we can hold without reckless attacks until then, we’ll be saved.’

Thus reasoning, Tilly prepared to give the order to open fire on the approaching enemy…

When suddenly…

“Huh?”

“What… what is it?”

In the next moment, an unexpected development left Tilly and his men bewildered.

It was…

Mansfelt’s mercenaries, who had been charging straight toward them, abruptly and sharply changing course.

“What… what is this? Just what’s going on here?”

Like a river parting, Mansfelt’s troops naturally withdrew – splitting off in two directions just before entering firing range. This sight filled Tilly and his men with confusion and an ominous unease.

“Uh… what should we do, General?”

“…For now, let them be. Not knowing their true intentions, attacking now could lead to disaster.”

Having previously suffered defeat due to recklessly engaging the enemy, Tilly ordered his men to maintain their defensive formation while carefully observing the mercenaries’ movements.

At that moment…

“G-General! General Tilly! Over there!”

“What is it? What’s happening?”

A frantic voice called out from behind, filling Tilly with a sense of dread as he whirled around.

What met his eyes then…

Were the flickering flames rising behind his formation’s rear lines, and the now audible sounds of explosions.

“! This… this can’t be…”

“Th-That’s where our supplies are stored!”

The astonished voices of his men registered, like a sledgehammer to Tilly’s head. Yet he maintained his composure, immediately issuing orders:

“The fiends have resorted to trickery! The 2nd Corps, follow me – we’ll root them out. The 1st Corps, maintain defensive positions here.”

“Understood!”

After swiftly issuing commands, Tilly hastened toward the rear.

Though caught off guard by the unexpected assault, he calmly assessed the situation.

‘The enemy is certainly aware of Spinola’s impending arrival, so they can’t commit their full force against us. Moreover, the damage they can inflict in this short time has its limits.’

Even under the cover of darkness, the forces they could stealthily maneuver were limited.

Their numbers were likely a mere handful at most.

Additionally, Tilly had ordered heightened vigilance in the rear areas tonight in anticipation of an enemy incursion. If he hurried, the situation would not devolve into utter catastrophe.

‘You’ve employed clever tactics, but I won’t fall for them so easily, vile heretics! Prepare yourselves!’