Chapter 75

Apennia is a land that looks easy to handle at first glance.

Small-scale nations are scattered about, and since the fall of the ancient empire of old, a unified dynasty has never been established.

Only the masters of its city walls have continued to change.

But in reality, Apennia is a den of demons.

The reason a unified dynasty could not be born in this neighborhood is partly because the traditions of city-states and republics have been maintained.

But more than that, it was because of the beautiful custom of ganging up and beating down any guy who thought he was somebody.

The fact that an anti-alliance was formed as soon as Fasa's alliance with Levona was severed shows just how harsh the sentiment in Apennia is.

In such a place, a feudal state with the title of Duke was an object of suspicion, as in, ‘That bastard might overthrow us and declare himself king at any moment.’

Because of this, Cavaldi and the Urdino Ducal Army were seasoned in all sorts of wars, from minor border disputes to wars of aggression and large-scale defensive wars.

That experience had nurtured the young Duke Cavaldi of Urdino into an experienced commander.

But even Cavaldi had never been in a situation like the present.

The enemy army is positioned right in front, and the territory is being burned by pirates?

It was truly a commander's nightmare scenario.

In that regard, Cavaldi felt his pride wounded and a sense of humiliation.

He had never thought that he would be ambushed and chased like prey before anything had even properly begun.

And by a novice who couldn't possibly have experienced a proper war.

In Cavaldi's not-so-short military career, such an event was extremely rare, and his anger grew in proportion.

“Even the damn pirates dare to look down on Urdino!”

As the Duke trembled with rage, his subordinates stepped forward to soothe him.

“Your Highness, rather than waiting for contact from the coalition forces, how about retreating to your territory at once?”

“Retreat? You're saying I should retreat?”

“Isn't protecting the territory a priority over keeping faith with a coalition that couldn't even keep its promise?”

The Duke's subordinates were flatterers, but they weren't simply incompetent.

They naturally possessed a certain degree of military insight.

If they didn't have at least this much ability, they couldn't be the Duke's close aides!

However, when it came to military insight, Cavaldi was no less than them.

No, as the one leading his subordinates, he naturally had to see further than them.

“No! I will not retreat like this.”

“Your Highness?”

“If we retreat now, we'll expose our rear to the enemy. A surprise attack could annihilate the unit.”

“In that case?”

“Yes. If we're going to retreat anyway, we should make up for the defeat once. Shouldn't we?”

The situation was reversed in an instant, but Cavaldi did not yield.

Instead, he looked around at his subordinates with a determined expression.

“Those guys proved they have a knack for ground warfare with their victory this time. But will those guys fight well at night? I think not.”

Even as the Duke, the highest echelon of feudalism, communication with his subordinates was important.

So Cavaldi presented his subordinates with a convincing reason.

“That fellow named Leon Gryph is nothing more than a guy who got lucky finding pirate treasure and is playing the part of a mercenary captain. His only notable achievements were in naval battles. This is his first land battle, and his success so far is just due to luck.”

Cavaldi deliberately spoke in a contemptuous tone to boost morale.

“Aren't most of his subordinates unheard-of rabble? Not to mention barbaric Snow Elves or shepherd vampires, and a Kobold of pirate origin isn't even worth talking about. The Phoenix Knight Eleonor has a high reputation, but wasn't that knight order originally created by the Duke of Aquitaine for social purposes? That such trash defeated us is just beginner's luck.”

Cavaldi's logic was very plausible and sufficient to convince his subordinates.

Although there was some distortion mixed in, it was certain that the military careers of Leon Gryph and his subordinates were mostly focused on the sea or unproven.

To be defeated by such guys was surely not a matter of lack of skill, but simply a matter of bad luck.

‘We were just a little surprised because we were ambushed when we were tired from marching!’

The people of Urdino had the grit to make such a shameless claim.

Naturally, they had no thought of giving up the chance for revenge.

As Cavaldi intended, the morale of his subordinates rose.

“Your Highness is right! You have indeed grasped what we failed to see!”

“Your Highness is truly wise.”

“That Tospol fellow was nothing more than a mere pirate. If our navy had been just a little stronger, it would have been Your Grace the Duke who finished him off.”

“Um, still, shouldn't we be careful? Leon Gryph defeated the notorious Tospol. It's hard to see him as completely incompetent. Besides, there are rumors that he commands beasts……”

“Someone drag this coward out.”

“Your Highness! Just a moment! I was wrong! Just one more chance!”

As the subordinate who had expressed a dissenting opinion was dragged out screaming, an atmosphere of satisfaction spread between the Duke and his vassals.

A coward was not worthy of being the Duke's close aide.

“The state of the soldiers?”

“Under the leadership of His Grace the Duke, their morale is high.”

“A very good thing.”

“When will you commence the operation?”

“Tonight! Those guys will be careless because they've won once. If we attack now, we can achieve victory.”

“Understood, Your Highness. We will prepare the soldiers.”

“Good! This time, we will surely be victorious.”

Since the one who had voiced a dissenting opinion had already been dragged out, there was no one left to oppose Cavaldi's opinion.

Besides, Cavaldi's plan seemed quite good.

It would have actually been good, if only his opponent wasn't a veteran of .

Even if he had known, it probably wouldn't have changed much.

***

Late at night, when even the moonlight was obscured by clouds.

The Urdino Ducal Army, personally led by Cavaldi, secretly slipped out of the fortress under the cover of darkness.

As their objective was a night raid, the Urdino Ducal Army paid great attention to maintaining stealth and silence.

They applied ash to their armor and weapons to dull the shine, and also applied ash to their faces for camouflage.

Naturally, a venomous aura flowed through the crowd.

“Fasa country bumpkin bastards. They must be feeling smug right now, right? I'll repay the humiliation I suffered earlier.”

A non-commissioned officer shouted.

“Everyone shut up and just walk.”

“Are you alright, Sergeant?”

“No. The spot where I was hit by that troll bastard still hurts. Anyway, those northern bastards are so ignorant.”

“That guy was smashed by His Grace the Duke, so he won't be unharmed.”

“Let's hope so.”

They cursed Rhom and infiltrated close to the Black Company's camp.

However, the Black Company's camp had only a few campfires lit here and there and was in a defenseless state.

There wasn't a single watchman, and only the occasional sound of snoring could be heard intermittently.

At the absurd situation, Cavaldi felt extremely empty.

“These guys were really beginners. To not even post a single guard.”

“Indeed, thanks to the wise decision of His Grace the Duke, this……”

“Stop it. This is not the time to listen to flattery.”

“Yes, sir.”

Cavaldi also listened to flattery depending on the situation.

Now was too important a time to be listening to adulation.

“It doesn't seem like a trap.”

“Then?”

“Good. Charge.”

“Commence attack!”

As Cavaldi's order fell, the Urdino Ducal Army rushed forward with a shout.

“Waaah!”

“Everyone, advance!”

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

The mercenaries, belatedly realizing the surprise attack, fled in all directions.

The Urdino Ducal Army overcame the resistance and quickly seized control of the camp.

But a moment later, the Urdino Ducal Army, which had been triumphantly searching the camp, fell into confusion.

The camp was almost empty.

“Your Highness, there is no sign of people in the camp.”

“It's just quiet. The enemy's main force is nowhere to be found.”

Cavaldi was also flustered as he heard the reports.

‘Something is wrong.’

In this case, only one thing came to mind.

‘An ambush? Or did they go to launch a surprise attack on the fortress? You're telling me he wasn't just a lucky kid?’

“All troops, retreat……”

His shock was only for a moment.

As soon as he realized something was wrong, Cavaldi tried to move.

But before that, the Black Company reacted first.

“The enemy has fallen into the trap! Fire at will!”

The sound of bowstrings twanging was heard in unison, and a rain of arrows poured down on the heads of the Urdino Ducal Army like a downpour.

The Urdino Ducal Army, defenselessly exposed to the light of the campfires, fell to the ground.

“Ugh!”

“It's the left!”

“No, it's the right!”

The fact that it was a dark night, good for a night raid, acted as a blind spot for the Urdino Ducal Army as well.

The ambushed Urdino Ducal Army quickly fell into chaos.

But Cavaldi was not fooled.

“It's both sides!”

“Pardon?”

“We're being attacked from both sides in a pincer movement!”

The Urdino Ducal Army, realizing the truth, was shocked.

Watching his precious soldiers fall in droves, Cavaldi trembled with rage.

Seeing how they set non-overlapping fields of fire and concentrated their firepower, the opposing commander must have mastered the art of troop placement and operation.

‘It couldn't be the work of that kid named Leon Gryph. This must have been done by someone with formal military training. In that case, is Eleonor advising him from the side?’

In any case, who the enemy commander was wasn't important right now.

If they just stood there, their allies would be annihilated.

Cavaldi quickly called his adjutant.

“Delapin! We retreat immediately!”

“Understood. Then Your Highness should first……”

“No, I'll take the rear! I'll be able to buy time for our allies to escape. You gather the troops!”

It seemed like a reckless plan, but Cavaldi was confident.

A knight was a human weapon in itself.

Breaking through enemy soldiers with poor armament was not a problem.

As the situation was urgent, his subordinates followed his orders instead of arguing.

Above all, they believed in Cavaldi's valor.

“Let's meet again at the fortress!”

“Understood, Your Highness. May fortune be with you!”

After sending Delapin off, Cavaldi surveyed his surroundings.

It was not easy to grasp the terrain because of the darkness, but his eyes had soon adapted and read the situation.

‘There.’

The enemy's main force was pouring arrows from the left hill.

Having grasped the path of fire, Cavaldi drew his sword and charged forward.

A small number of guards followed behind him.

They ran up the slope of the hill at a fast speed.

The crossbowmen unit positioned on the hill wavered when Cavaldi suddenly appeared before them.

They hadn't expected to be attacked in a situation where they had completely seized the momentum.

Moreover, the ones in front of them were all knights.

“What are you doing! Shoot!”

The commander belatedly urged them.

The crossbowmen who had come to their senses aimed at Cavaldi and shot arrows.

But their aim was very scattered.

They couldn't concentrate their fire like before, and the poorly loaded arrows couldn't penetrate Cavaldi's armor and just bounced off.

In the meantime, Cavaldi quickly traversed the hill and approached the crossbowmen unit.

“Get lost, all of you!”

Cavaldi shouted thunderously and jumped into the ranks.

Just as he was about to tear through them indiscriminately.

Suddenly, a single-edged axe, the size of which seemed to be twice that of a face, popped out from the side and blocked his path.

“That's far enough.”

“Hmph!”

Thud!

The force contained in the axe was no ordinary thing.

Recognizing at a glance that his opponent was no ordinary person, Cavaldi silently readjusted his grip on his sword and stepped back.

And he also realized that his plan to cause chaos among the enemy and escape was wrong.

“……”

A pale white hand was revealed, cutting through the darkness.

Judging by the skin, it must have been the barbarian Snow Elf he had only heard about in rumors.

The fellow walked forward and gave an order to the crossbowmen unit.

“From now on, I will take over this area. You continue to annihilate the enemy.”

“Understood.”

The crossbowmen unit immediately began to move to the side, but there was nothing Cavaldi could do.

The axe blade was constantly keeping him in check.

Only then did the Snow Elf look at Cavaldi properly.

The overflowing spirit showed he was no ordinary warrior.

Cavaldi bared his teeth and smiled.

“I thought you were just a barbarian, but it seems you're not.”

“Barbarian?”

The Snow Elf asked back and then burst into laughter as if amused.

“Yes. I've heard that a lot. You self-proclaimed civilized people always say things like that. Though falling into a trap so splendidly doesn't seem very civilized. Rather, it's like a beast being chased in a hunt, I'd say.”

At the mockery, Cavaldi had nothing to say.

It was true that he had underestimated his opponent and walked into a trap.

So, there was no time to get angry.

What was important now was not to fall for the provocation, but to quickly defeat the opponent and save his endangered subordinates.

Just then, a single phrase muttered by the Snow Elf caught Cavaldi's attention.

“Who would have thought it would turn out exactly as the Young Master said?”

“Young Master? Who are you talking about?”

“Over here.”

At the suddenly heard bright voice, Cavaldi flinched.

A faint figure walked out from behind the Snow Elf.

“I was here the whole time, but it seems you didn't notice.”

Cavaldi, whose eyes had adapted to the darkness, recognized his opponent at once.

He was a young man with a rather small build compared to the tall Snow Elf.

No, judging by his youthful appearance, he might even be a boy.

As far as Cavaldi knew, there was only one such person in the enemy camp.

“Don't tell me you're Leon Gryph?”

“Yes, that's right.”

“You're much smaller than the rumors say.”

“What?”

Watching his opponent's face scrunch up, Cavaldi laughed out loud.

It was the first pleasant feeling he had felt all day.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.