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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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The wooden palisade collapsed in flames, and the barracks made of wood also crumbled, consumed by fire. In the center, the torn and broken flag of the Philios Empire fluttered, signaling that this was their stronghold.
Clang.
With the heavy sound of iron armor scraping, heavily armed soldiers appeared from the darkness.
They were the heavily armored unit of the Free Isiria Kingdom’s Heavy Cavalry Division. The banner of their faction waved vigorously at the heart of the formation.
“Is this the end of this stronghold?”
A commander, wearing a chest plate indicating his officer rank, murmured to himself.
His gaze, scanning the destroyed stronghold, finally landed on the prisoners bound together in the center of the square.
“What’s this? Prisoners?”
“Yes, these are the survivors from the battle.”
“I specifically ordered not to take prisoners. This was a command to annihilate them, and it is also the will of the Free Isiria Kingdom. Sergeant, is this the limit of your understanding?”
The voice was chillingly cold. The sergeant couldn’t respond. In this situation, any answer would surely sound like an excuse, so he could only remain silent.
But one thing was clear: this wasn’t deliberate.
Even with the command to annihilate, there would inevitably be survivors if they were lucky enough to escape death.
It was impossible to execute all of them after the battle ended. At least, that was the thought of the senior sergeant of the 19th Heavy Cavalry Division.
“Sergeant, do you not know how to handle survivors in a battle after it’s over?”
At the commander’s question, the sergeant nodded silently.
“How could you not think of such a simple solution? This will surely tarnish the great name of the Free Isiria Kingdom’s elite Heavy Cavalry Division, but this time, I will tell you.”
The commander finished speaking and began walking toward the prisoners. In an almost unbelievable display of speed for someone in heavy armor, he drew his sword and beheaded one of the prisoners.
“Cough, cough!”
“This is how it’s done.”
“C-Commander… Even so, executing innocent prisoners after the battle…”
“You must be new. You’re the reinforcement that arrived two days ago, right?”
Other soldiers drew their swords in unison and began walking toward the prisoners. The commander wiped the blood from his face and turned toward the sergeant.
“Since we entered the Black Mountains, we’ve been doing this.”
And so the executions began. The sight was so brutal that the sergeant, who had joined the unit only two days ago, found it almost unbearable.
“And what crime do you say these people have committed? Just by guarding the enemy kingdom of the Free Isiria Kingdom, they have already committed enough crimes.”
A cold smile spread across the commander’s lips.
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“It is an honor to serve His Highness the Fifth Prince again!”
The Imperial Army, along with the elite guards, reunited. The commander of the Imperial Army, Cassias, was the first to approach and show respect.
“What is the plan?”
Next came Lysfield Dior, the Blue Tower Master. In a calm voice, he asked about the plan. Raymond smiled and spoke.
“First, let’s head to the Black Mountains.”
The Heavy Cavalry Division had destroyed the Alvin Fortress. Now, they had two choices. One was to retreat, and the other was to attack another stronghold or fortress, causing further chaos in the Black Mountains.
Because of the many monsters in the Black Mountains, large armies had trouble gathering there. It was hard to maintain supply lines.
A small elite force like the Heavy Cavalry Division was perfect for the environment. Since they had already moved south, they might as well stir up as much chaos as possible before retreating.
The way they had destroyed strongholds and bases so far made their intentions clear. They had no interest in occupying territory and focused solely on destruction, meaning they would likely retreat after causing significant damage.
“The commander of the Northeastern Border Army says they can prepare 300 soldiers for the special unit,”
The Red Tower Master, Berenus Kyle, said. 300 soldiers might seem like a small number for an Imperial Prince to command, but with the Heavy Cavalry Division wreaking havoc in the Black Mountains, the Border Army could only provide that many.
If an army of more than 500 suddenly moved north into the Black Mountains, the Free Isiria Kingdom would not stay silent.
There would undoubtedly be diplomatic protests, and at worst, a military confrontation could ensue.
“Tell them to prepare as archers.”
“Is that okay?”
The Red Tower Master asked for confirmation. Unlike the Haifel Empire or Free Isiria Kingdom, the Philios Empire didn’t have units skilled in mountain warfare.
The Haifel Empire had excellent Rangers, and the Free Isiria Kingdom employed experienced mountain mercenaries.
The Red Tower Master thought that filling all 300 soldiers with archers might not be the best idea.
Archers were naturally weak in close combat, and the terrain of the Black Mountains made it hard for them to maintain a wide line of sight, where archers could be most effective.
“Red Tower Master, don’t worry. It’ll be fine. So, prepare 300 archers.”
“I’ll convey the Fifth Prince’s order.”
The Red Tower Master trusted Raymond’s judgment. He nodded, then stepped back and used a communication crystal to contact the Border Army’s command.
It didn’t take long before he returned to Raymond’s side.
“I’ve delivered the Fifth Prince’s orders. The best 300 archers will be ready.”
They wanted to increase the number of reinforcements, but that was nearly impossible given the circumstances. The best the Border Army could do was provide 300 elite soldiers.
“Let’s head to the border.”
The Imperial Army increased their speed. The next day, they reached their destination.
Officers from the Border Army came out to personally hand over the command of the 300 archers to Raymond.
“Fifth Prince! We trust you!”
“Please be careful!”
Thanks to Raymond’s previous deeds, the Border Army had deep goodwill toward him. A big reason was that he had saved the life of Marquess Crayer, forging a bond of gratitude.
All the commanders and officers sincerely wished for Raymond’s safe return, and with their prayers, the Imperial Army entered the Black Mountains.
“1 km ahead, we have detected a large orc group.”
Sylvia relayed the news from the spirits of wind. Now that they had entered the Black Mountains, her true value had begun to shine.
Using wind spirits for reconnaissance and navigation was truly astounding.
The officers of the Royal Guard and Cassias did not initially believe her words, but after sending scouts to repeatedly confirm that what she said was true, they followed her lead without any doubt.
“It seems we should take a detour. There is a group of orcs ahead.”
She continued her reconnaissance using wind spirits, pushing herself to help her clan’s benefactor, Raymond, even more, to the point where her complexion turned pale.
Unable to watch any longer, Desia suggested she take a rest, and only then did she take a brief break.
Thanks to Sylvia, who was walking ahead, the Fifth Prince’s army had entered the Black Mountains for several days but had not encountered a single monster, preserving their combat strength.
“About 300 meters ahead, there are ‘humans.’ According to the spirits, there are about 500 of them, heavily armored.”
On the fifth day, they finally caught up with the Heavy Cavalry Division.
“This is our chance.”
“We must strike immediately.”
The officers of the Imperial Army and the Border Army’s forces argued that to increase their chances of success, they needed to launch a major surprise attack right away, and their point was not without merit.
To achieve victory against an enemy with superior strength, a surprise attack was optimal.
However, Raymond believed that a simple surprise attack alone would not be enough to achieve a complete victory against the 500 elite heavy cavalry with only 400 soldiers.
“A simple ambush won’t work. We need to use another method.”
Raymond said firmly.
“May I ask what that method is?”
The commander of the archers asked cautiously.
Neither Cassias nor the two Tower Masters, who had served the Fifth Prince for a significant time, had any questions. Their deep trust and strong confidence in him made them avoid asking.
“A brief explanation should be necessary.”
Raymond mumbled to himself and then briefly explained his plan to defeat the heavy cavalry.
It was a short explanation, and the details were not fully revealed, but the eyes of the commander of the archers and the officers changed.
‘Could it be this?’
‘Was Marquess Crayer’s story true?’
‘It seems the Ghost Unit’s defeat of the Free Isiria Kingdom wasn’t just luck.’
The rumors of the Fifth Prince’s feats in the Black Mountains had reached the border area as well.
While the Border Army’s commanders and officers believed the rumors to some extent, they thought they might have been exaggerated.
But now, they could not help but revise their judgment.
‘The rumors about the Fifth Prince are true!’
Unlike the exaggerated rumors spread by nobles about themselves, these were real.
‘This person is different.’
Even when they first saw the Fifth Prince, they sensed something. He did not exude the arrogance that was often seen in royalty and nobility.
Instead, a subtle charisma naturally commanded the attention of those around him, causing the commanders and officers to unconsciously fall in line.
“Have you understood the plan?”
“Yes! We’ve confirmed it!”
“We will do our best!”
“Then let’s execute the plan right away.”
Raymond’s gaze shifted to the Blue Tower Master, Lysfield.
“Old man, can you use weather magic?”
The skill required for weather magic was of the highest level. As a high-ranking mage, Lysfield could easily handle it.
The issue was the enormous mana consumption.
“The mana consumed varies greatly depending on the range. What range do you need?”
As expected, Lysfield was concerned about the mana consumption and asked about the range. Raymond briefly explained the range he needed, and Lysfield’s face turned thoughtful.
“Your Highness, if we use weather magic with that range…”
“Is it impossible?”
“It’s possible, but I would be completely drained.”
“That’s not bad. Let’s proceed with it.”
“Your Highness!”
Lysfield let out a high-pitched scream, but Raymond smiled and proceeded with the plan.
That night, Berenus, along with Sylvia, headed to the camp of the 19th Heavy Cavalry Division.
“Which magic would be suitable…”
From a hill overlooking the camp of the 19th Heavy Cavalry Division, Tower Master Berenus Kyle muttered in a chilling voice.
Raymond had ordered him to attack the heavy cavalry to provoke and lure them, so the magic should be one that dealt some damage but allowed him to retreat before being detected.
High-level magic was not an option since the large mana fluctuations during the incantation would increase the chances of detection. Therefore, they had no choice but to use intermediate or higher-level magic.
“It’s best to hit them with high-level magic.”
After a moment’s consideration, he made his decision. Now, they just had to wait for the signal—rain.
“Tower Master…”
“I know. It’s about to start.”
The rain began to fall from the sky. The red-eyed gaze of the Tower Master gleamed eerily as he held his unique magic tool, the Flame Shower.
“This will do.”
As he chanted the incantation and shook the Flame Shower, a powerful high-level spell was unleashed.
“Argh!”
“What—what is that!”
“We’re under attack!”
The soldiers of the Heavy Cavalry Division, caught off guard by the sudden shower of flames falling from the rain-soaked sky, shouted in panic. But the damage was minimal.
As expected, the mages of the Free Isiria Kingdom acted quickly, deploying shields to protect the troops.
“Do they know our position?”
Berenus asked Sylvia.
To lure the enemy, it was necessary to leave just the right amount of traces.
“It seems like we can retreat now.”
Sylvia said, feeling the probing mana from the enemy mages brushing against her cheek. Berenus nodded, signaling that they should retreat.
The pursuing cavalry couldn’t catch up with Berenus and Sylvia.
The next day, the Blue Tower Master, Lysfield Dior, along with Sylvia, visited the camp of the 19th Heavy Cavalry Division once again.
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