From Belam to Schafendorf took a full five days.
This was different from when Keldric traveled with a few mercenaries and Alyssa.
Unlike back then, when there were barely thirty people, now over two hundred followed behind.
Just making space for them all to sleep took a long time. Thanks to that, quite a bit of time had passed.
But what was clear was that they had arrived earlier than Baron Gottfried’s army, at least.
Keldric scanned the vicinity of Schafendorf, which they had reached in five days.
Schafendorf was a village that had long made its living by raising sheep.
Thanks to that, there were gentle hills everywhere, perfect for grazing. Hills that were neither too high nor too low.
Therefore, the main objective seemed to be to secure a hill with a good view of the surrounding terrain.
“Let’s take that one.”
Lord Lothar chose a fairly decent hill among them. Over two hundred soldiers quickly filled the hill.
“Start shoveling the snow!”
“Those with cold hands and feet, gather around the bonfire! We can’t have your skin turning blue!”
Several slightly yellowish tents were erected, and the mercenaries and soldiers busily began to shovel snow.
They didn’t have to worry about exhausting themselves shoveling snow.
Since the upper part of the hill was where the sheep grazed, there wasn’t much snow to clear. It was perfect for pitching tents.
Keldric wondered how the sheep could graze in the snow, but he immediately understood when he saw the grass growing beneath the snow.
The same welcome sprig of grass he had encountered when he first left Carlton Village to see the world. There were countless of them growing there.
Keldric didn’t know much about this mysterious ecosystem, but it was probably enough for the sheep to graze on.
‘I wonder if Avelin and Boreas would eat it too.’
After fiddling with the grass for a moment, Keldric walked out of the encampment where tents were being erected.
The permafrost of the north, covered entirely in snow, was painful to look at. The sunlight reflected off the snow in thick, glaring rays.
As Keldric unconsciously frowned, he saw several gentle hills in the distance.
Thanks to the shepherds having brought the sheep down to the village, the hills were all quiet.
Lord Lothar’s army had set up camp facing west, so the enemy camp would probably be on the hill to the west.
Between the hills, a terrain slightly too narrow to be called a plain caught Keldric’s eye.
It wasn’t hard to guess that this would be the battlefield if they were to fight in earnest.
“Lord Keldric. It seems we’re in for quite a bit of trouble.”
“Lord Henri.”
As Keldric was looking around at the surrounding terrain, Lord Henri approached.
Behind Lord Henri, tents were being erected.
The hill was large. Therefore, there was plenty of space to pitch tents. A base that could easily accommodate two hundred people was being completed.
Among them, a few particularly white tents were probably for Lord Lothar and the other knights.
Of course, Keldric’s was included.
“You don’t have to make it so extravagant.”
“It’s Lord Lothar’s orders. He says that once you make something, it has to be perfect.”
“Hmph…”
The largest and most extravagant tent was Lord Lothar’s. Keldric’s gaze turned towards it.
He would probably hold strategy meetings there, and also talk with envoys sent by Baron Gottfried’s army.
And perhaps, even have lavish meals or simple banquets.
“Lord Henri. We should be careful of a night raid.”
“A night raid?”
“Yes.”
Keldric was worried about a night raid.
Lord Lothar’s enthusiasm for setting up the tents was unsettling and disturbing.
Of course, Lord Lothar wasn’t a complete idiot or imbecile.
Since his father, Baron Yaven, had been caught in a night raid, he would at least prepare for one.
But Baron Yaven had also prepared for a night raid. The problem was that he had still been caught.
At least Baron Yaven had experienced territorial warfare, while Lord Lothar was clearly having his first real battle.
It was very clear who would come up with more reliable countermeasures.
“I need to tell him.”
“Isn’t it a bit premature? If we put too much effort into preparing for a night raid, the soldiers will be tired for the battle the next day.”
Lord Henri’s reaction was one of ‘Oh, come on.’
That was because it was hard to believe that they would be caught in a night raid twice.
But curiosity killed the cat, and ‘it can’t be’ ruins people.
“There’s no reason why they wouldn’t use a method that worked once, a second time.”
“If that’s what you think…”
Lord Henri reluctantly agreed. It wasn’t exactly wrong.
Defeat was painful. If the soldiers, whose morale was already low, were defeated again, it would be irreversible.
They had to win. Keldric’s eyes, looking at the opposite hill, sank deeply.
“Giddy up!”
Suddenly, several cavalrymen were leaving the encampment. Keldric’s gaze naturally turned towards them.
Four light cavalrymen were leaving the encampment. They were heading towards the western hill that Keldric had been looking at a moment ago.
A composition that prioritized mobility, insufficient to fight the enemy, but difficult for the enemy to pursue recklessly.
In other words, a show of force reconnaissance. Keldric quietly watched their backs.
‘I hope they find something useful.’
It would be ideal if they could bring back the key to seizing victory in this battle, no matter what it was.
☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩
The encampment was roughly completed, and the knights gathered in Lord Lothar’s tent.
The large tent had plenty of room even with all the large knights inside.
In the center of the tent, a U-shaped table was placed. Keldric sat at the very end of it.
Unless there were no other vassal knights, it was impossible for Keldric, a contracted knight, to sit close to Lord Lothar.
Keldric didn’t have any particular complaints about that, so the atmosphere with the other knights was quite good.
“Has everyone arrived?”
Then, Lord Lothar opened his mouth.
Keldric straightened his posture. From now on, very important things would be discussed.
Lord Lothar seemed satisfied with the slightly heavy atmosphere in the tent.
He flicked his hand, and one of the attendants standing behind him called out to someone outside the tent.
A moment later, the cavalrymen who had gone out on reconnaissance earlier entered the tent.
Keldric examined the faces of the four of them. They weren’t filled with anxiety, but they were somewhat tense.
“Lord Lothar. These men are…?”
“I ordered the soldiers to scout ahead. There is terrain hidden by the hills, so we must examine those places as well.”
Lord Lothar said with a proud expression. The choice he made was definitely good.
In order to win a battle, one must first understand the battlefield. Even Keldric, who knew nothing, considered that common sense.
“Lord Rutger. Now that we have scouted as you said, can we have a proper fight?”
Unfortunately, it seemed that the reconnaissance had been suggested by Lord Rutger, a veteran knight.
That was only natural. There was no way Lord Lothar would become a great strategist overnight.
“First, we must hear the report on the reconnaissance.”
“You there, tell us everything you saw and heard in the area.”
“Yes, Lord Lothar.”
The soldier, taking a respectful posture, began to stammer out what he had seen.
As the soldiers recited the results of the reconnaissance, one of Lord Lothar’s attendants held a twig and drew a rough map on the dirt floor.
According to them, this place was about 1 league southwest of Schafendorf.
There were sparse, gentle hills around, and no forests that could be used for ambushes.
Beyond the hill to the west, a path leading north branched off, making it suitable for the enemy to advance.
The knights, looking at the map drawn on the ground, made sounds of contemplation.
If the surrounding terrain was like this, they would essentially have to settle the matter with a head-on clash of force.
But that was better. With morale already low, it would be a disaster to try for a comeback with the immature Lord Lothar.