Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi

Chapter 350: 350

We advance south on the road in a long queue .

「It's been a while . 」

「How long has it been since we fought side-by-side?」

Myla and I converse on horseback .

She didn't come along to the Federation so it really has been too long since we fought together .

The fight with Zillovely doesn't count as a war after all .

「It took only a day to get here from the Libatis border…… it feels like everything I've learned until now is outdated . 」

Myla looks down .

「Don't worry about it . I always go on the offensive during wars, so it's natural for a defense expert like you to do things differently . 」

We set out to provide reinforcements for Libatis after receiving orders from the king .

An army of 15 000 had been arranged and was garrisoned in Trisnia .

My own personal army would be added to that .

Erich seems to have readily accepted the burden of supply which accompanies such a mission .

"Sorry for the half-hearted numbers . I understand sortieing with a small force is foolish, but these were His Majesty's orders…… I will work hard after their departure to make him reconsider . For now, do your best with what you have . "

He even apologized .

「I wonder if the king has something in mind . Well, I'll leave those kinds of concerns to Leopolt . 」

「Now then, please confirm the total numbers in your army again . 」

Goldonia Royal Army - Seventh Division Army Corps: Over 15 000 men

Infantry: 11, 000

Archers: 2000

Cavalry: 2000

Hardlett Army: Over 4000 men

Bow Cavalry: 4000

Escort: 200

Chariots: 80

「About 20 000? Sounds about right . 」

「I put that together! Myla-san stole it from me!」

「No need to stress the fine points on the battlefield . 」

Celia is making a fuss from behind .

Actually, glimpses of her face have been popping up beside us for some time now .

This isn't all of the army though .

The only ones here are the cavalry, bow cavalry, escort and chariots―― in other words, just the troops using horses .

We headed south after convening in Trisnia, however only the fast-moving cavalry went on ahead .

We've done this countless times before .

According to Leopolt, it's apparently inefficient for the infantry and cavalry to march together, excluding siege situations .

「The biggest weapon cavalry have is not their offensive power, it's their mobility . Eliminating that can be nothing other than foolish . 」

「Pfft . 」

When I imitate that guy's expressionless face and tone, Myla bursts out laughing .

Seeing how well it was received, I do more impressions .

「Although my face looks like this, I'm actually a big pervert on the inside . The rumor of me liking men is not entirely baseless . 」

「S-stop it please . 」

It was worth practicing in the mirror .

What should I do next?

「Lord Hardlett, the number three scout is not returning . I propose getting light cavalry to do a forced reconnaissance . 」

「Uu, uuh, yeah sure . 」

Leopolt came up from behind before I realized .

It's not anything he said, it's just really awkward .

Myla also stops laughing and looks in another direction .

「If we continue down south, we'll encounter the enemy in no time . Please use your time effectively」

「……got it . 」

Schwartz is moving strangely…… he's totally laughing, isn't he .

If you don't stop, I'll throw a caterpillar inside your ear .

The next thing I know, Myla is off inspecting the soldiers .

She must also feel awkward to be by Leopolt .

It's been such a long time that we've had a real battle so I brought almost all the military personnel I have .

The only one left behind is Tristan .

Myla has some influence over the royal army with her baron title so I let her look after them .

Luna looks after the bow cavalry exclusively while Celia manages the escort unit . Irijina is allowed to rampage as she wishes in the raid unit .

Finally, Leopolt oversees the entire operation, making this a perfect and efficient composition .

Wait, something is missing .

「Uuu, Aegir-sama . 」

Why is Celia making such a sad face?

Why not try following Irijina's example and taking it easy?

「Wahaha, I've been longing for battle! And with this many brave soldiers, there's no way we'll lose!!」

Yeah .

「More reinforcements will soon follow! There's nothing to worry about!」

It would be nice if Erich did his best .

「The South Yuguria army is nothing to be scared of!!」

「Celia, make Irijina be quiet . 」

「Mogh! This fight, mgghogh! Is practically won!!」

Afterwards, I dispatched a reconnaissance unit as Leopolt advised and they discovered the South Yuguria army surrounding a certain fort on the west side of Tortoent .

I was a little surprised when I received that information .

「So they're all the way here? I thought they would be further south . 」

I checked the location of the fort and realize it's actually really close to the capital of Libatis, Tortoent .

So they're attacking this far in?

I remember hearing how strong the Libatis army was though .

「Libatis does not have much in terms of geographical advantage so the enemy is able to enter deep in their territory from a surprise attack . With that said, an invasion reaching this point is on the bad side of my predictions . 」

Leopolt looks a little more stern…… no, maybe it's the same .

「In any case, we should do something as reinforcements . It's convenient for us that they are in an encirclement . We can charge in from their flanks . 」

Myla nods and Leopolt doesn't say anything .

I guess his silence means that he's fine with what I said .

The royal army marching in columns and the bow cavalry separate before picking up the pace .

Me and the escort unit, along with the chariots, follow them a slight distance behind .

「Enemy flag sighted! As reported, they are surrounding the Libatis fort, but it doesn't look like they're attacking . What I can confirm is that they have roughly 6000 cavalry and carriages!」

Gido stands up on his horse and shouts .

So we have about the same numbers .

「They likely rushed here in the same formation as us . If that's the case, they're probably aiming to cut off the Libatis supply line instead of conducting a proper siege . 」

From what I can see, the Libatis fort appears sturdy with it being on a small hill, although its size isn't the biggest .

I don't think it holds a large stockpile of supplies .

「We won't hide . Let's charge at them head-on . 」

I can't do any tricks and there's no need to .

The bow cavalry fires arrows into the air as they run forward .

Red flames light up the sky .

That's the signal to begin attacking .

「Attack!」

「Charge!」

War cries and the thumping sound of horses galloping at full speed resound while the Goldonian flag, as well as my intentionally all-black flag gets raised .

We charge straight down from the north .

A group of cavalry travelling on the plains won't go unnoticed by the enemy .

「Reinforcements!? Not from Tortoent, but the north!?」

「Goldonia!? We received information of their departure from Trisnia not long ago!」

「Hey, don't panic! We're cavalry like them . Don't take their attacks, attack back!」

The South Yuguria army showed the slightest apprehension before quickly recomposing themselves and switching from an encirclement to a field battle formation .

That was a response beyond what we imagined .

「Reinforcements from the north . I see the Goldonia flag!」

「Ooh, we're saved . 」

The flag on the Libatis fort is waved vigorously .

If you carelessly send forces out and it becomes chaotic, things will be problematic, so please just wait patiently .

The first to approach the enemy is the bow cavalry from the left wing .

Under Luna's command, they split into smaller groups and form a wide triangle .

On the other side, the enemy is in two large triangles .

There is a rather large gap in between .

「We can easily breakthrough the middle…… ah, the enemies on the side aren't wielding spears! They have crossbows!」

Celia realizes the enemy's intentions .

I see, they positioned cavalry with crossbows to the side when they saw us take a formation that wants to run through the middle .

They want to use them to attack from or flanks and insert them where we are disordered .

「Bow cavalry, continue charging towards the middle . 」

「That's fine . 」

Neither I nor Leopolt retract our orders .

It's impossible to do so even if we knew the enemy's aim .

「Loose!」

Out of the two rapidly approaching groups, the bow cavalry were the ones to fire first .

Countless arrows rain down from the multiple squads .

That was the reason for dividing the bow cavalry into smaller units .

Soldiers in the rear of a single large formation could not see the enemy and take aim .

Spreading out like this allows all troops to participate in battle .

「Guwah, at this distance…… and archers on horseback!?」

「While galloping at full speed too!」

「Such forces were not in―― gyaaah!」

The enemy formation suddenly falls apart from the accurate barrage .

Maintaining speed, the bow cavalry loose another volley right before collision .

「Their speed is impressive as usual . 」

「Yes . It isn't something you can learn with a little bit of training . 」

Sufficiently trained archers still can't match their speed .

The bow cavalry are hitting the enemy with pinpoint precision and doing so on horses racing at top speeds .

Enemy cavalry fall over amusingly like toys .

Mounted troops are large in size as it is and make for perfect targets .

The enemy waiting with crossbows can do nothing except crumble when the bow cavalry are pelting them with composite bows outside their range .

「All troops, take up your sword! Charge!」

At Luna's command, the bow cavalry stow away their bows and draw their swords .

They can quickly change into skilled light cavalry for a fight at close quarters .

「They're clashing!」

They're clashing, but not exactly clashing .

The lightly armored bow cavalry are not directly engaging the enemy, they're running past and cutting down the enemy as they go .

The enemy spear cavalry intersect with the sword-wielding bow cavalry .

Piercing metal sounds and neighing, as well as screaming, soon follow .

「Normally, spears would be the stronger of the two . 」

「With how messed up their formation is, they can't leverage their longer reach . The difficulty of manipulating weapons with that length is actually more outstanding . 」

As Celia described, the enemy cavalry wanted to finish off the bow cavalry with a collective thrust, however each individual bow cavalry have more flexibility to change direction, making it hard for the enemy to deal with .

Spear cavalry usually want to line up in a horizontal formation, but with allies to the right and left either late or unable to get in position, many of them end up isolated .

They quickly get finished off by the bow cavalry .

That was when a rather peculiar scene could be seen .

「What is that?」

「That's…… no, it can't be . 」

A strange rider near Luna is sweeping away any enemies aiming for the commander .

The strange part is the rider is not doing the sweeping, it's the horse―― or rather, the lizard .

「Pochi, standing up and using your arms is against the rules . Ooh, you're also using your tail . 」

「Their concentrated attacks don't seem to be effective . The spears are all breaking . 」

When surrounded, Pochi would spread its wings and roar, causing the horses to run away .

Pochi looks to be about 5 meters when standing up and its roar is loud enough that I can feel the vibrations in my stomach from all the way over here .

Let's look at the big picture now .

「The bow cavalry have successfully broken through the center! And the crossbows…… can't get a good shot!」

The cavalry with crossbows were being targeted heavily so their formation was in the most disorder and they could not utilize the opportunity to shoot from the flanks .

Sporadic bolts would fly, although that is far from enough to stop the bow cavalry .

「Switch to bows, and loose!」

After running past the enemy, the bow cavalry take out their bows again and fire while facing backwards on their horses .

Arrows poured down on the heads of the enemy from the opposite direction and I can see how badly disorganized their ranks are from where I am .

That should eliminate the left wing's fighting strength .

Subsequently, the royal army cavalry led by Myla charge from the right wing .

Cavalry equipped with spears make up both of our main forces with a few heavy cavalry leading the charge .

「We are the royal army . We can't fall behind another lord's personal army!」

「A fight between cavalry is the flower of battle, let us proudly decorate this field . 」

I sense a burning spirit within the commanders of the royal army .

「We won't allow ourselves to be defeated here!」

「They don't have any unusual soldiers! Meet them head-on and crush them!」

The enemy on the right wing isn't scared, instead their fighting spirit increases .

Compared to the acute triangle formation of our allies, the enemy is in a wide triangle almost nearing a horizontal line .

「They're colliding!」

This time they're colliding for real .

Both sides charge in with spears and swords .

Crumpling metal and booming thuds from weapons making contact echoed incomparably louder than when the bow cavalry charged in earlier .

「Gyaaaah!」

「Uooooh!」

I can hear the thunderous sounds of spears punching holes in shields, helmets being squashed, armored horses bumping into other armored horses…… adding to that is a terrifying chorus of deathroes .

「The battle is…… swinging back and forth!」

Celia shouts grimly .

Both sides suffer similar losses and experience the same amount of disorder .

Since they collided head-on, their momentum gets stopped almost immediately and both sides are left to fight on horseback .

It isn't easy to deal significant damage as either side possesses durable shields and armor .

「Perhaps it's my turn . 」

I draw my longsword .

「No, it's unnecessary . 」

Leopolt promptly raises his hand .

That acts as the signal for the carriages slightly to the rear of the battlefield―― the chariots, to launch their pre-loaded ballistae .

Hey, what am I going to do with my sword then?

「Guwah, what the-?」

「Ballisate? Impossible, when did they have time to―― gyaaah!」

It wasn't hard to see how much the 80 chariots rattled the enemy .

The large bolts tore through their shields and armor like paper .

With such tremendous power, bolts easily took heads off bodies and impaled both horse and rider together . It was an effective tool to pressure the enemy both physically and psychologically .

The chariots boasted long range as well, so it wasn't something the enemies could stop while engaging our allies .

Even if they got close, the chariots had blades attached to the wheels and soldiers holding crossbows riding on it .

Slowly, but surely, the tides of battle tilt in our favor .

「The cavalry which moved back to the rear are getting ready to charge again . 」

「That's a fine plan . 」

Allied cavalry gather where Celia and Leopolt point to .

Myla had gradually extracted some forces from the front line melee and formed a new group .

That squad organized itself in the rear and charged towards the chaos .

Despite the small number of soldiers who have stopped moving, they cannot stop horses with enough momentum built up .

「R-retreat! Fall back for now and reorganize . . 」

「Those who can't return to formation, disperse!」

The enemy's right wing eventually collapses as well .

As a whole, the enemy shifts to the south of the fort, which completely undoes the encirclement .

「I think now the soldiers will come out from the fort―― shall we wait?」

「No, we'll end it now . 」

Leopolt points at a certain spot in the enemy camp .

Located there, in the middle of the fleeing enemies, is a squad supporting both wings .

「That is the enemy headquarters . If you destroy them, they will completely unravel . This is where Lord Hardlett should go . 」

「I see . 」

Now I unsheathe my longsword and toss away the scabbard .

「Follow me . 」

I kick Schwartz to urge him forward .

「Aegir-sama is moving out! Don't fall behind!」

Celia yells and gets the escort unit to accompany me .

We're using the familiar triangle array――which is named as such by how sharp the shape of the formation is, and I'm at the very front .

「200 heavy cavalry charging straight at the headquarters!」

「We won't let them do as they want, intercept them!」

Heavy cavalry rush out from enemy headquarters to greet us .

They're aiming for me .

My first five opponents are wrapped in thick armor and equipped with standard spears and shields .

「How foolish of you to charge like this!」

Five spearheads point at me .

The cavalry are lined up in a neat row .

Schwartz doesn't decelerate in the face of those weapons .

Well, I would have put a caterpillar in his ear if he chickened out .

「Let's go . 」

I jump right in the middle of the five units with my longsword raised .

Their spears close in from both sides .

「Hmph!」

My right hand brings down my sword .

It cuts through two of the spears thrust at me and also splits one of the riders in half .

「This side too . 」

My shield takes care of the two spears coming from the left .

Both spearheads snap off after crashing into my shield and the broken pieces fly back at the soldiers who thrust them .

「Uwah!」

Their reactions were fast enough to block the shrapnel with their shields, but it didn't make any difference for me .

When my dragon scale shield, which weighs about the same as an average human, slams into them, they get sent flying like scarecrows made of straw .

Those two get knocked into the other cavalry approaching from the left and all of them wipe out magnificently .

「Wahahahaha!! Skewering time!!」

「Gyaaaah!」

One of the riders who lost his spear was taken out by Irijina from behind .

She really seems to be having fun .

That just leaves the enemy in front .

「My hands are full . Do something about the last one . 」

With a displeased neigh, Schwartz fixes his eyes on the enemy and maintains his route .

He doesn't take his eyes off the spear thrust at him and then takes the attack on his forehead .

Since we're on the battlefield, Schwartz is wearing his armor and the part covering his forehead is the thickest part .

Other horses would look away and get poked in the eye or neck . This guy has courage if nothing else .

I'll put some of Nonna's expensive perfume on his ear when we get back .

「What the-!?」

Seeing the spear bend on contact surprised the enemy soldier .

Schwartz follows up by veering off to the side slightly, pulling his body back and then tackling the enemy horse .

The opposing horse lets out a high-pitched neigh and tumbles to the ground .

As for the rider…… he's unfortunately under the poor horse .

He's a squashed frog for sure .

「This is no time to be distracted . 」

More enemies come at me .

I adjust my longsword and spear, then shout .

「Those who want to die, bring it on . 」

「What bullshit are you spouting, foolhardy warrior!」

I deflect the spear of the heavy cavalry who rushed at me upward and then slice the man in half horizontally from the chest .

「A sole cavalry underestimating us!」

I pierce the chest of the light cavalry who brandished his sword, then toss him up in the air .

「So you're a famed knight? Let me add you to my collection of achievements!」

The knight hides his body behind the shield while holding his spear out .

I generate more power in my next sword swing, separating the horse's neck and the man's upper body all at once .

「HIiih!」

I smash the following man's head along with his helmet using my shield as he charges while screaming for some reason .

That reminds me, Myla's often been telling me, "Lord Hardlett is using a shield wrong . " and "It's not a blunt weapon . ", although I think that's what makes it so handy .

「Are there any more?」

I take a look at my surroundings .

With perfect timing, the light cavalry I threw up earlier falls back down and hit the ground with a splat .

「Uu……」

「What's with this guy……」

I see nobody else wants to try me .

Now then, the enemy commander should be here in the headquarters .

The battle will be over once I take him out……

「Argh, you cowards . Get out of my way!」

When I turned around, a knight steps forward .

He looks to be as tall as Mack and I can feel a scruffy aura through his armor .

For some reason, there are lots of metal spikes on his armor .

The horse the man is riding is large and also wearing armor with spikes .

「So you're next?」

「Next and last opponent you'll ever face!」

The man points the weapon he shouldered at me .

It's a morning star and also huge…… this guy really likes his spikes .

「Ooh! It's Gorilan, the knight!」

「No one can stand against the spiked warrior, Gorilan!」

That guy called Gorilan poses proudly when the other soldiers cheer for him .

Before I knew it, the escort squad has caught up and is making a ring around us like the other enemy soldiers .

They're practically forcing us to fight .

「Whatever, let's get this over with . 」

If I take too long, the enemy commander might escape .

No matter how I look at him, this guy is all brawn and no brain, not fit to be a commander at all .

「Did you say something, Leopolt?」

「Aegir-sama, Leopolt-san isn't here!」

Was it just my imagination?

「Enough small talk . Here I go!」

Gorilan begins his attack .

「Hnngooh!」

He launches the iron ball with an unpleasant grunt which I block with my shield .

I was hoping it would bounce back and end the battle .

「Mu……」

My shield was pushed back instead .

He's stronger than I expected .

「Hmphmph! Hmp hmp hmp!」

Feeling pleased after seeing me falter, he unleashes a consecutive assault, letting out more disgusting grunts with every attack .

「Don't get cocky . 」

I time his fourth strike with an upward motion of my shield .

「Guoh!」

I deflect his morning star and Gorilan staggers .

Now it's my turn .

「Hup . 」

I swing my longsword down from above .

「That's nothing!」

He brings back his morning star and blocks my attack .

The handle attached to the large lump of iron is made of thick steel so I can't easily cut it in half .

「Tch . 」

I immediately follow up with a horizontal sweep to his torso .

「Not good enough!」

He blocks with the spiked orb .

I can't smash the steel ball .

「Muhaha! Is that all you've got!?」

Blood rises to my head when he provokes me with his scruffy voice .

「……hup . 」

「Mugh . 」

When I aim at his face, he reacts in time to defend, although the point of my sword takes out a chunk of the armor covering his face .

Blood trickles out from the tip of his nose .

His face is scruffy and ugly like I thought .

Let's end this with the next attack .

I drop my shield so I can wield my sword with both hands .

My full powered swing aims to cut him and his iron ball in half .

To my surprise, his horse suddenly runs at me .

Schwartz was bracing for my attack and couldn't defend himself .

Normally, Schwartz would not budge from a little push, even if the other horse was big .

However the spikes on the armor of this guy's horse stabbed into his belly .

It was slight, but Schwartz lost his balance .

My swing could not be made at a worse timing as the force of my attack amplified what was only a small stumble by Schwartz .

Cheers and shouts come from the onlookers .

「Ooh, the horse gets the credit!」

「Gorihorse is a well-known horse too . 」

「Schwartz, what are you doing!?」

He didn't let the opening slip away .

I was forced to defend in an unstable position .

Even so, I was able to block his morning star with the base of my sword, or so I thought――

「Guh!」

Although I received the impact, one of the spikes hits my left hand .

My excellent armor prevented it from penetrating, but my hand became dumb for a split second and I let go of my sword .

The poor position I defended myself in ruined my chances of a clean battle .

The enemy soldiers cheer and Gorilan roars as he pounds his chest .

I heard Celia scream through all of the noise .

「Uhohoho! This will be the finishing blow!!」

Gorilan pulls his morning star behind his back .

The moment he swings his iron ball down, my right fist sinks into his face .

I certainly felt the impact and that was enough to stop Gorilan .

「A-a punch!?」

「What power…… Gorilan was shaken with a single punch . 」

「There isn't anyone who can match Aegir-sama in raw strength!」

「Bufh……」

Gorilan staggers while blood drips from his nose .

His sturdiness is impressive because I was trying to cave his face in with that punch .

If he carried out his attack through my punch or if I hadn't carved out the face portion of his armor, I would have been in a bit of trouble .

I let too much blood rush to my head .

I was about to pull out the Dual Crater at my hip, but Schwartz moves before I could do so .

He also seems to be pretty pissed from that attack he took earlier .

After letting out a furious neigh, Schwartz rams his body into Gorilan's horse .

This time he was prepared to get stabbed by the spikes and didn't falter .

Gorilan's rocking back and forth up top throws his horse off balance .

「Hey, hey . 」

Schwartz doesn't stop his attacks there .

He finds a gap in the other horse's armor and bites down .

The unexpected pain makes the horse step back .

Next, he raises up on his hind legs and launches a front kick with his forelegs .

Schwartz delivers the final blow after seeing the other horse unable to withstand his relentless assault .

He puts his entire weight into his kick and breaks the other horse's forelegs .

There was a dry cracking like the sound of a twig snapping, and then a pained neigh .

「「「Oooh!」」」

The crowd groans as Gorilan and his horse falls to the ground .

「Uggh…… it isn't over yet……」

That guy hasn't let go of his morning star yet .

「Oh, that's good . 」

I would have been left with an unsatisfying feeling if he admitted defeat from that .

I jump off Schwartz and unleash a kick of my own .

Soon after, my fists come flying at his face from the right and left to knock him on his back .

「Guaaah!」

「It's over . 」

When he tries to lift up his head, another kick lands a perfect hit on his face .

Blood squirts on impact from his nose breaking and he lays motionless on the ground .

I didn't crush his skull so he probably isn't dead, however the outcome of the battle has been decided .

More importantly, we're still in the middle of a war so I don't have any more time to bother with him .

Once the fight was settled, the escort squad resumes their engagement with the enemy .

「We're going to find the commander . 」

I climb back on Schwartz .

「Hold on a little longer . It'll be over soon . 」

I look around as Schwartz is trying to keep a calm face, his ears seem to move unnaturally .

「If this is a category of an independent cavalry unit then the headquarters should be to the rear of the right wing of the stronghold, around there . 」

One of the escorts make a suggestion .

Ooh, now that I look, the fancily-dressed cavalry I saw in South Yuguria are lined up there .

That must be it .

「The heavy cavalry protecting the headquarters had to come intercept us . They should be close to unprotected now . 」

「If so, we must hurry . Come on . 」

This guy knows a lot about the enemy .

He sounds really sarcastic though .

Don't tell me the soldiers think Leopolt is the commander .

Celia and I, as well as a few escorts rush toward the place thought to be headquarters .

Those fancily-dressed soldiers panic . It was just as I was advised, and their escorts seem to be all gone .

「Hey . 」

I give a little greeting before decapitating one of them, making the rest of the enemies stare dumbfoundedly .

「They've reached the headquarters!」

「Eei, the 200 men of the fourth company couldn't stop them!?」

They make a fuss as they draw their swords, however I can tell from their equipment that they probably didn't expect to have to fight .

I guess that goes without saying for people in headquarters .

「Guwah!」「Gueh!」

Celia and I cut down the headquarters personnel like vegetables .

「How fortunate . Truly . 」

The escort who gave me advice came along too .

He took another sword from the enemy and is wielding it along with his own .

Was such a guy always in the escort squad?

His fighting style seems familiar .

All the personnel have either been killed or ran away, leaving one person behind .

「So are you the commander?」

「Indeed…… I am South Yuguria Empire Eighth Army Corps Commander, Menkaura . 」

The man draws his sword .

I draw my Dual Crater in response .

Celia and the others read the atmosphere and stay back .

「Here I come . 」

The man charges forward with a short shout .

I step sideways to avoid his attack and then chop his head off with one swing .

His head bounces twice on the ground and then the headless body slowly collapses as well .

「The commander is dead . We win . 」

「Aegir-sama has taken out the supreme commander! Let it be known!」

The escort unit cry out in victory at Celia's prompt, followed by the bow cavalry and the royal army .

Our shouts also inform the enemy of what happened .

Both wings are scattering in retreat during the chaos .

「Pursue them and thoroughly el――」

「That's probably not a good idea . 」

Celia's mouth gets covered by that same escort .

「6000 is too little . There is likely another independent army nearby . If we get overconfident and chase too far, we'll be the ones who get flanked . 」

I see, so it's better if we join up with the Libatis army in the fort and let our soldiers rest .

Schwartz's movements are getting somewhat worse too .

Leopolt seems to have the same idea and the royal army is slowly meeting back up with my personal army .

「……what's the meaning of this, acting like you're so important . 」

Celia confronts the escort squad member .

So he was actually a she .

「You, do you really not know?」

「Hey now, don't get into a fight . More importantly……」

I gently rub the woman's shoulder .

「You fight well . You will be rewarded later, but……」

When my hand moves to her ass, I don't encounter any resistance .

「Don't you get fired up after battle? If you don't mind, how about spending a night with me?」

The moment my hand slips into her armor, her helmet gets removed .

「You pervert . 」

「Ah!?」

「Sekrit, it's you . 」

No wonder that fighting looked familiar .

「That Myla woman stopped me . That's why I followed you disguised as a part of the escort unit . 」

「…… it looks like stricter control is required . 」

Celia's shoulders drop .

Still, it should have been hard for her to sneak in without the proper armor .

「I approached one of them and used a hole . 」

「Wait, what!?」

I shout loudly in surprise .

She seduced a man with her body just so she could follow me…… I appreciate the sentiment, but I can't help feeling jealous when someone else gets to put their dick in Sekrit .

「Don't get the wrong idea . I didn't use my own . 」

「What?」

I don't get it .

「I shoved a few things in his ass, that's it . It didn't take long for him to become my loyal dog . Kukuku, I didn't think such a thick vase would fit though . 」

I don't know who it is, but I'll reprimand him when I get back .

The gates of the fort open and Libatis soldiers can be seen coming out cheering .

「……it's convenient for us that they stayed there until everything was over . 」

Celia looks troubled .

「Their mission was to protect the fort . It's good that they aren't stupid enough to rush out recklessly . 」

I put Celia on my shoulders and head to the fort .

「For that, we can enjoy our share of the fort's food and drinks tonight . 」

We have to get the infantry in the rearguard to join up too .

Resting in the fort is much safer than out in the field .

In any case, this is our first win and a good sign of things to come .

――Night . Fort's Stable .

「Your belly got gouged a little . If I put some ointment on it and you rest, it'll heal in no time . 」

I slap Schwartz's ass .

He snorts back at me .

「Man, you're not cute at all . Here, have an apple . 」

I toss the fruit into his mouth .

Schwartz munches on it without looking my way .

It was covered in honey so my hand is sticky .

「――checking on your horse? How nice of you . 」

It's Sekrit .

「It would be troublesome if I lost his legs . 」

I throw him another apple .

It made a bump sound when it hits his head and then I hear the noisy crunches as he eats .

「I see . 」

Sekrit takes a bite of an apple before tossing it to Schwartz .

The speed at which he eats that one is clearly faster .

So he prefers her half-eaten one over the ones I prepared? What an ungrateful and perverted horse .

「Give me a reward too . 」

Sekrit pulls down my pants .

「Hey, all of a sudden?」

「You're saying that when you're this hard already?」

I can't help it .

It always gets hard after battle and it'll stick out of my pants if I'm not careful .

「You damn sex beast . 」

Sekrit opens her mouth and swallows my rod .

「Hey, it's dirty . 」

I haven't bathed yet .

There was a well in the fort, which the soldiers fought over to drink from .

I'm not mean enough to casually jump in there while they're doing so .

「Yeah, it's pretty filthy…… stinks too . I guess that's natural if you didn't wash it for days . 」

Sekrit licks from the head of my dick to the base, all the while badmouthing me .

She's using her tongue to thoroughly clean me .

That thoughtfulness makes me even bigger and harder .

At this size, I have to cum at least once before I can fit it in my pants again .

「There, it's cleaned up . 」

Sekrit looks up at me when she's finished and then puts her hands on the wall of the stable .

I don't say anything and grab her waist .

「「Jiii . 」」

That was when I felt somebody staring . When I turned around, Myla and Celia were peeking around the corner .

「Tch . 」

Sekrit clicks her tongue .

「I won't let you be the only one who does it . 」

「We're going to join too . 」

Is this the development where the four of us does it together?

Fufufu, I'm sure hearing us have sex all night long will help Schwartz heal faster .

「We're a little sweaty too……」

「At least the most important parts have been wiped clean……」

The two of them swiftly strip .

It's okay to be a little sweaty, it gets me going .

「Wait! I'm joining in too!」

Irijina's here too .

「I haven't bathed yet, but please make love to me too!」

Irijina throws her clothes off…… and then a whole bunch of smells mixed with sweat waft into the air .

「Uwah! You really stink!」

「You didn't wash at all since you left from Trisnia, did you!?」

「……tch . 」

Irijina always had a strong body odor to begin with .

Adding on to the fact she hasn't let loose in a real battle in so long, she ran extra hard this time .

「It's all fine, once I fuck all of you so much and get all of you drenched and sticky, you won't be able to tell . 」

That night, we had an intense session in the stables .

I don't know if it because of the smell or being in an enhanced state of arousal after an invigorating battle, but it was rougher than usual .

By the way, the perverted horse was in a bad mood the next day .

I made sure to have him in mind when I did it, how ungrateful can he get .

Protagonist: Aegir Hardlett . 24 years old . Winter . Wartime .

Libatis Reinforcement Army Supreme Commander

Subordinate Squad - All members: Approx . 19 000 men .

Goldonia Royal Army - Seventh Division Army Corps

Infantry: 11, 000

Archers: 2000

Cavalry: 1750

Hardlett Army

Bow Cavalry: 3900

Escort: 190

Chariots: 80

(including vacancies left by wounded)

Subordinates: Leopolt (chief staff officer), Celia (adjutant), Myla (commander), Irijina (commander), Luna (bow cavalry commander)

Gido (escort unit), Pipi (special cavalry), Pochi (war lizard), Marta (assistant)

Current Location: West Tortoent, Fort

Achievements: Defeated siege army