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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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“Sir Gail is by no means an easy opponent.”
Jin, who had been tasked with investigating my opponent, had given me this assessment of Sir Gail.
‘The man who made the current King.’
A commander who had led the King to countless victories through his military knowledge and strategy.
As if to prove that his reputation wasn’t just for show, his soldiers moved with perfect discipline.
His infantry was divided into three units and arranged in a single line, all armed with spears which is clearly meant to counter a cavalry charge.
‘He knows that the cavalry is the key.’
According to the mock battle rules, we only had five cavalrymen, less than twenty percent of our total forces.
Considering that the ideal ratio was twenty to thirty percent, our cavalry might seem weak. In reality, it was the opposite.
To counter a cavalry charge, a dense formation was required. However, the mock battle rules only allowed for thirty soldiers. And what’s more, the cavalry were all knights.
It was as if the rules were designed to maximize cavalry effectiveness.
“The cavalry on the right will decide the outcome.”
“If we charge, they’ll try to split our formation with their cavalry. Then they’ll surround and annihilate us with their infantry. A classic pincer movement.”
Zant and Fiore, positioned on either side of me, offered their opinions.
My response was simple.
“Form ranks! Wedge formation!”
It was a pyramid formation, with me and the cavalry at the apex.
“You’re just going to charge head-on? We’ll suffer heavy casualties.”
“This is a mock battle.”
“Ah, right.”
Fiore smiled sheepishly.
I didn’t see anything wrong with that response. It proved she was accustomed to war.
“Besides, the impact will be greater if this seemingly reckless charge succeeds.”
“You… you’re really pissed, aren’t you?”
Fiore smirked, as if she knew everything.
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At the same time, the spectators grew louder, even from this distance.
“Look, look! He’s just going to charge recklessly!”
“The difference in speed between the cavalry and the infantry will split their formation! They’ll be picked off one by one!”
“Hahaha! These country bumpkins! They don’t know the first thing about strategy or tactics!”
“The undefeated knight, they called him. Tsk, what a joke.”
“I guess that works on the southern country bumpkins. Hahaha.”
The King’s face was also filled with disappointment.
Despite having heard the jeers, my knights and mercenaries remained unfazed.
Those who had witnessed a miracle firsthand wouldn’t be swayed by the words of others.
I raised my sword, boosting their morale one last time.
“Remember this! The slow get nothing! Charge!”
No other words were needed.
I spurred my horse forward.
“Look, look! He’s really going to charge head-on!”
“This will be an easy victory for Sir Gail. What a boring first match.”
The crowd’s jeers grew louder.
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As they had predicted, the difference in speed between the cavalry and the infantry began to split our formation.
I saw Sir Gail’s expression of disbelief. He probably found it amusing that he achieved the effect of using cavalry without actually deploying them.
However, as a seasoned commander, he quickly composed himself and reacted.
“Centralize! Deal with the cavalry first!”
He combined two of his three infantry units and concentrated them in the center. The remaining infantry spread out to the left and right.
It was a formation designed to block our charge with dense numbers, then surround and annihilate us.
“The cavalry is flanking! They’re trying to hit us from behind!”
Fiore pointed to the enemy cavalry flanking us. She was the only one who could speak while riding at full speed, a testament to her exceptional horsemanship.
Sir Gail likely intended to quickly break us and then deal with our infantry.
I drew my warhammer and pointed it at the enemy.
‘Nothing has changed.’
My apologies to the mercenaries, but they wouldn’t be getting any spoils of war. Their turn wouldn’t come.
“Raise your spears! Raise your spears!”
The enemy infantry raised their spears. While the tips were blunted with cloth and cotton, their length alone was threatening.
However, my horse, having been with me on the battlefield for two years, didn’t hesitate. It knew I would protect it.
And I did.
-Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud…
As our charge didn’t slow down, the enemy soldiers faltered. Their spear tips wavered, and my horse cleverly exploited the gap.
I swung my warhammer, deflecting the remaining threatening spears. Once I was within their reach, it was easy.
-Thud…
The soldier, well-trained enough to try and draw his secondary weapon, a sword? That’s way too slow.
My warhammer struck his helmet first.
The force of the blow sent his head spinning like a top.
Such a nothing to say, it was an instant kill.
“W-What…!”
In mock battles, with blunted weapons and padded armor to absorb the impact, fatalities were rare.
Therefore, they hadn’t anticipated such a gruesome death.
The faces of the dead soldier’s comrades filled with shock. They should have at least tried to block my warhammer.
-Bang!
I swung my warhammer in an uppercut, striking another soldier in the face.
His head popped off like a Lego figure. The dangling spine was a sight worthy of a horror movie.
“Hiiiik!”
The enemy soldiers, horrified by the grotesque death, instinctively took a step back.
However, there was no escape. My knights, following close behind, charged into the wavering enemy infantry, trampling them.
“You bastard!”
An enemy knight, who had been embedded in the infantry, charged at me, seizing the opportunity while my speed was reduced.
My horse, as cunning as any knight, reared, threatening the knight.
Startled, the knight reined in his horse.
I seized the opportunity and swung my warhammer.
The knight raised his sword horizontally to block my warhammer, but the force of the blow pushed his sword aside and struck his helmet.
“Gah…”
The helmet caved in like a tin can. There was no way the knight could have survived.
He collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, his death was an anticlimactic for a knight.
“Sir Beringar!”
Sir Gail’s shriek echoed across the battlefield. It was his mistake. Thanks to him, I had pinpointed his location.
“Giddy-up!”
“Protect Sir Gail!”
The enemy seemed to have realized that I was targeting Sir Gail. The knights who had been scattered among the infantry quickly gathered in front of him.
“You bastard! I’ll deal with you myself!”
“I’ll join you!”
Two knights charged at me from either side, aiming for my horse, intending to stop me from reaching Sir Gail.
My horse, though not exceptionally strong, had been a great help with its cleverness.
I was reluctant to lose it, so I leaped from my horse and crushed the skull of the knight who was swinging his sword at my horse’s legs.
“Gah…”
My clever horse, realizing its role was over, fled to a corner of the arena. I left my steed behind and charged at the remaining knight.
“You bastard! Don’t expect me to go down as easily as Sir Gesthod!”
The knight lightly thrust his sword, using his reach to keep me at bay while looking for an opening.
“You’re mistaken.”
A blunted sword was useless for keeping someone at bay. The deaths of his comrades seemed to have made him forget that this was a mock battle.
Instead of retreating, I charged forward, my round shield raised. I used the raised iron boss in the center to deflect his sword and swung my warhammer.
While my weapon was also wrapped in cloth and cotton, the superhuman strength behind it was enough to inflict a fatal blow.
“N-No…”
My horizontal swing struck the knight’s face. His face exploded like a bomb.
“Gasp!”
The knights watching from Sir Gail’s side gasped in horror.
I noticed that the cloth on my hammer had torn and discarded it. While it was still usable, I didn’t want to be accused of cheating.
I picked up the blunted sword of a dead enemy knight and charged at the remaining knights.
“Stall him!”
The two remaining knights, their faces tense, tried to block my path.
Just then, I heard the sound of hooves behind me.
“Leave this to us!”
It was Zant and Fiore.
Behind them, the enemy cavalry was charging, desperate to save Sir Gail, their focus no longer on the mock battle.
“I’m counting on you.”
I cut through the knights and charged at Sir Gail. Two knights tried to stop me, but Zant and Fiore intercepted them, allowing me to face Sir Gail.
“Crazy… was this what you meant by leadership?”
Sir Gail raised his sword and shield, with a look of disbelief on his face.
I discarded my shield and gripped my sword with both hands.
“Strategy and tactics are just tricks to compensate for a lack of strength. They’re meaningless in the face of overwhelming power.”
This was my way of saying…, I am the strategy.
“I can’t deny that. But I won’t go down easily!”
“No hard feelings. This is all in earnest.”
Sir Gail raised his shield, intending to use it to block my attack and look for an opening.
It wasn’t long before he realized his miscalculation. My kick, carrying the momentum of my charge, sent him flying.
“Gah…”
He landed on his back, the impact so great that he could only struggle, barely able to get up.
I slowly approached him.
“Stop! Stop!”
I heard Bronce II’s rough voice from behind me. I ignored him and raised my sword like an executioner raising his axe.
I swung down, intending to feign ignorance, blaming the noisy crowd.
“You madman!”
Sir Gail hastily dropped his sword and raised his shield with both hands.
His wise decision saved him. The shield shattered, absorbing the impact. The remaining force still struck his shoulder and upper chest, but…
“Gah…”
At least he was alive. I raised my sword again to finish him off.
-Toot!
The horn, signaling the end of the match. I glanced back and saw Bronce II berating the official.
“It seems it’s not your time to die yet.”
I plunged my sword into the ground between Sir Gail’s shoulder and head. The blunted sword sank halfway into the earth. His pale face was reflected in the blade.
I looked back and saw the path I’d taken. The infantry, who’d arrived late, were surrounding the remaining enemy forces.
Zant and Fiore had also shown no mercy, leaving a trail of enemy corpses. The knights, in particular, had suffered heavy losses.
Sir Gail, the head of the Stormwood family, was seriously injured, and more than half of his ten knights were dead. He couldn’t have imagined suffering such a devastating blow in a mere mock battle.
I widened my view.
Those who had jeered and mocked us before the match were now silent.
Bronce II, in particular, was flushed with anger, his hands, gripping the railing, trembling.
Why? Wasn’t this what he wanted?
I smirked and raised my fist.
“Wooo!”
The cheers erupted, and time, which had seemed to stand still, began to flow again.
My clever steed, which had fled to a corner of the arena, trotted over and nuzzled me.
“You clever one…”
It was really a smart horse. And as soon as I mounted, the official cautiously approached.
“Sir Allen. His Majesty wishes to see you.”
“I understand.”
The King was in the best seats.
As I rode my horse along the path closest to the spectator stands, the cheers grew louder, and handkerchiefs rained down from all sides, thrown by the noblewomen and their daughters.
The festive atmosphere ended abruptly as I reached the King.
“Did you not hear me?”
Bronce II glared down at me, his eyes blazing, as if he were about to devour me.
I feigned ignorance and looked around.
“Did you say something? I couldn’t hear you over the noise.”
Bronce II’s face stiffen.
It seemed my performance had been insufficient. If he had recognized me as a serious threat, he wouldn’t have acted this way.
“I didn’t realize this was what you meant by leadership.”
“I believe leadership is the ability to achieve a military objective. Controlling soldiers is just one aspect of it.”
“That’s just sophistry. Your performance was only possible because this was a mock battle. You can’t defeat an army of hundreds, or even thousands, on your own.”
“That’s the standard for ordinary people.”
Bronce II’s face contorted in anger.
“Your words are sharp. Do you really intend to oppose me?”
I found his victim act amusing. He was so sensitive to how he was treated, without considering how he had treated me.
The best way to deal with people like him was to give them a taste of their own medicine. Only then would they realize their mistake.
“I will continue to strive to meet Your Majesty’s expectations.”
I warned him that this wouldn’t be the last time and retreated. I could feel his glare on my back.
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Meanwhile, the nobles who had been watching us began to murmur.
“I thought he was the King’s knight…”
“I know, right? Didn’t he accompany the princess at the last banquet?”
“I heard he’s marrying Count Dressten’s daughter. Perhaps he’s on Dressten’s side, not the King’s.”
The third opinion gained traction because Count Dressten was waiting for me in the waiting room.
I recognized him thanks to Eric, who was standing beside him. They were a spitting image of each other, father and son.
“You’re even more impressive than Eric described.”
He smiled warmly and extended his hand. I looked down at his hand, then back at him.
“Before we shake hands, there’s something you need to say.”
It was his fault that his eldest son, Aaron, had conspired with the King to betray me.
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Nobles got no shame, they won’t apologize tho.
