The battle wasn’t decided with a single clash.
After a fierce fight, unless completely collapsing, things would enter a temporary lull.
That was the case now. Keldric, who had retreated with the knights during the thick of the fighting, watched the two sides gradually distancing themselves.
While soldiers and mercenaries caught their breath, the surviving wounded and those who hadn’t managed to leave the battlefield hurried back to their lines.
“One time isn’t nearly enough, I see.”
Lord Rutger clicked his tongue and shook his head, removing his helmet. He was fed up.
Keldric felt much the same. His nose felt numb from the smell of blood and steel. And yet, Baron Gottfried’s forces were still fresh enough to continue fighting.
No matter how skilled Keldric was, he couldn’t slaughter over two hundred soldiers without rest.
That was true even with five knights assisting him. It wasn’t as if the other side had no knights.
“How many did you take down?”
“Two.”
“And us?”
“Lord Tomar was carried away.”
Keldric and Lord Rutger had each taken down one knight, for a total of two, while the enemy had taken down one knight.
Although they hadn’t captured any knights alive in the chaos, at least the fallen knights of the enemy camp wouldn’t be causing trouble in this battle again.
Knights dying in battle wasn’t a common occurrence.
Everyone risked death when they went into battle. However, knights were usually captured by other knights, and then, out of respect for their honor, they were kept alive and ransomed.
Thanks to this, no knights had died in the first clash.
If the battle situation was too chaotic to allow for capture, they might be killed, but that wasn’t the case now.
Now, both sides had five knights each, an even number. The number of cavalry supporting the charge was also even at six, but ultimately, it was fair to say that the knights determined the course of the battle.
‘Fewer than I thought.’
Keldric clicked his tongue in disappointment.
It was good that he had taken down a knight as soon as they charged in, but he regretted only striking down mercenaries in the chaotic battlefield. He hadn’t managed to capture the knight he had personally knocked unconscious.
As a result, the knight he had taken down was safely retreated by his attendants, and Keldric returned empty-handed.
It was because he was experiencing a large-scale battle for the first time. With enemies all around, he had swung his weapon wildly without a chance to seize his fallen opponent.
Keldric reflected on this mistake. Even if he made mistakes, he could acknowledge them and correct them.
Besides, the battle would continue anyway. There were too many soldiers for it to end with just one clash.
“Report the casualties.”
Immediately after returning to the Military Camp, Lord Rutger, who had been leading the charge, stopped a busy attendant and asked.
“Yes, Lord Rutger. Fifteen have died, and twenty-three are injured.”
“How many of those are unable to continue fighting?”
“Ten.”
“Ugh…”
In any situation, the loss of soldiers was painful. Especially in a situation like this, where every able-bodied man was desperately needed.
However, the losses were less than he had initially feared. Morale was low, but Keldric’s forty elite soldiers had helped to restore it to some extent.
“I will suggest to Lord Lothar that a treatment center be organized. You, along with the other attendants, gather herbs and clean cloths, and boil water inside the Military Camp.”
“I will do so.”
Lord Rutger’s attendant hurried away. Keldric carefully observed Lord Rutger’s relatively calm demeanor.
This was all experience. If Keldric faced a similar situation in the future, Lord Rutger’s actions would be helpful.
“Lord Rutger, do we have anyone skilled in medicine in our Military Camp?”
“I brought a barber along. We don’t have a doctor from the Academia, but this should be useful enough.”
Keldric nodded awkwardly. He knew that barbers also performed surgery in this era, but he was still reluctant to entrust his body to one.
He absolutely couldn’t get injured. Another reason had been added to why he couldn’t lose this battle.
☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩
If archers firing arrows were the overture signaling the start of a battle, knights were the period that completely ended it.
However, the narrative in between was lengthy, disorganized, and chaotic. That was how the battle unfolded.
“Swish!”
As soon as the second engagement began, arrows were fired from both sides.
Keldric, who was out of range of the arrows, watched from a distance. It was too violent to be considered entertainment, but it was necessary to assess the enemy’s lines in real-time.
Where were they weak, where were they strong, and which areas should he be wary of?
The areas to be wary of were, of course, those densely packed with spearmen. Even a sturdy warhorse would be finished if its neck was stabbed relentlessly.
“Good, Boreas. Just wait a little longer.”
Keldric scratched Boreas’s mane roughly. Boreas, slightly excited before the battle, snorted roughly.
Avelin liked gentle scratches, but Boreas preferred rough, strong ones.
A warhorse was like a knight’s companion. Therefore, understanding the warhorse’s preferences was also a knight’s job.
Keldric sometimes felt a sense of self-deprecation at having to know even the back-scratcher preferences of a mere beast, but when he looked back on the time they had spent together, it was less so.
If he fell off his horse and broke his neck or was trampled by dozens of people, he would die without even being able to resist. Boreas was Keldric’s lifeline.
“Is that the one you usually ride?”
Lord Henri approached, acting familiar. Keldric nodded casually.
“There’s no point in overworking just one warhorse.”
“That’s true. I’ve also switched horses.”
Indeed, Lord Henri’s warhorse had a different coat color than before. Touare, that was the warhorse’s name.
“I’m worried because our Touare is a bit rough. Be careful not to get kicked, Lord Keldric.”
Lord Henri tapped Keldric’s shoulder and said jokingly.
Considering that Boreas also had a temper, Keldric could laugh it off.
“By the way, the horse is well-maintained.”
Lord Henri admired Boreas. The shine in its fur and mane and its good health were thanks to Helga’s care.
Keldric thought of Helga, who would be taking care of Avelin back there.
A little while ago, when he had returned from the first engagement with his armor covered in blood, she had been so surprised that she had teared up and handed over Boreas’s reins.
“It’s thanks to the attendants.”
“They’re good kids. Loyal. Such attendants are rare, so take good care of them.”
“I intend to, without you telling me.”
Boo-ooo! Boo-ooo!
The time for small talk quickly disappeared.
Keldric, Lord Henri, and the other knights put on their helmets or lowered their visors without anyone saying a word.
“Charge! Charge!”
Lord Rutger’s fierce shout, announcing the second charge, echoed in all directions.
Keldric’s foot reflexively kicked Boreas’s flank. Boreas had a bond with Keldric that had been built up since the first day of their journey.
If Avelin was delicate and moved as one with him, Boreas rampaged destructively like a primal wild horse.
The speed at which it kicked off the ground became unusually fast. The wind didn’t gently brush past but made a tearing sound.
Even while receiving that strong resistance, Keldric didn’t panic.
He trusted Boreas. He trusted the bond they had built up together since the beginning of their journey.
A warhorse was a knight’s companion, something more than just a horse that led the beginning and end of a battle with the knight.
The rough snorting sound struck Keldric’s ears. Boreas’s saliva flew everywhere on the wind. Its mane fluttered like reeds swaying in a storm.
Boreas, a name taken from the ancient god of the north wind.
Boreas lived up to its name, becoming a fierce north wind blowing from beyond the mountains.
“Let’s go! Boreas! Run faster!”
Even though it couldn’t understand human words, Boreas responded to Keldric with a rough cry.
“Faster! More!”
Faster, more violently, more primally.
Keldric entrusted himself to that pure, wild movement. He moved not as a warhorse and knight, but as a single beast charging to crush the enemy.
And Lord Rutger, Lord Henri, and the other knights completely entrusted themselves to that primal flow of violence.
“Lord Keldric!”
Lord Henri shouted in an excited voice. The other knights’ breaths also grew rough.
They knew. Although Lord Rutger was leading the charge, at this moment, Keldric and Boreas’s charge would be the sharpest spear,
piercing through the enemy lines.
And that a charge that crushed the enemy lines was an unspeakably glorious thing!
Swae-aek!
The wind made a tearing sound. But the rough wind was a resistance less than paper.
At this moment, the knights were filled with an immense confidence that nothing could stop their charge.
“Spears down!”
With Lord Rutger’s fierce shout, the spearheads quickly lowered.
The spears, held firmly under their armpits, cut through the wind.
Until the allied soldiers quickly cleared the way, and the faces of the terrified enemy soldiers were reflected in their eyes.
“Die!”
“For glory!”
“You lowlifes!”
And, impact.
Kwaang!!
Boreas’s charge, like a single beast, sent three soldiers flying.
Keldric’s spear, fixed rigidly with the intent to tear anything apart, pierced through two mercenaries.
Keldric realized that the shaft was dangerously close to breaking. It couldn’t withstand Keldric’s immense grip strength.
But there was nothing to worry about. There were plenty of spare spears in the Military Camp.
Without hesitation, Keldric released the spear and immediately grabbed his longsword.
The enemy soldiers, who had already experienced the power of the knights, retreated from them with terrified eyes.
However, in the chaotic battlefield, there was nowhere to run.
“S, save me—!”
Crack!
The ink-black blade slashed a mercenary diagonally. The body, torn apart along with its armor, collapsed powerlessly.
Shouts and screams rang out everywhere. Keldric focused on wielding his longsword while maintaining his composure in the midst of it all.
Occupying a high position had many advantages. And for Keldric, who was riding on a warhorse rampaging back and forth, the destructive power of his longsword strike was unparalleled.
Several choking sounds echoed. Keldric couldn’t hear them well.
Extreme concentration made him focus only on wielding the longsword. The ink-black blade, without a single tremor, cut through people and became soaked in blood.
Knights from the enemy camp rushed to confront him, but at least no knight rashly approached Keldric.
However, someone had to face him.
“……!”
Keldric saw a knight galloping towards him. A large build, a dark reddish-brown horse, and fiercely decorated horns on his helmet stood out.
‘Lord Gerhard!’
Lord Gerhard of the Olenmeier family. The powerful knight who no one could match in the chaos when Baron Yaben’s forces were defeated in a night raid.
Keldric’s heart beat fiercely once. With that single contraction and expansion, hot blood surged through the blood vessels throughout his body.
His vision narrowed, but at the same time, it expanded. A large axe blade aimed for Keldric’s chest and struck.
Keldric roughly seized it. The base of the blade, the solid ash wood axe head, was grabbed by Keldric’s hand.
“What……?!”
Lord Gerhard was flabbergasted. As if he couldn’t believe it, he struggled, grunting, to pull on the axe handle he was so firmly gripping.
“He’s withstanding this?”
Keldric was just as surprised. He had put his strength into snatching the axe away, but Lord Gerhard’s hands narrowly avoided letting go of the handle.
“Haaah!”
Keldric put his strength in again. This time, he squeezed out every last bit of strength he had, pulling with all his might.
“Ugh!”
Lord Gerhard made a gasping sound. The clash of strength against strength wasn’t decided in an instant.
However, this unexpected situation stemmed entirely from the fact that Keldric was pulling with only one hand.
The longsword in Keldric’s right hand surged forward violently. Lord Gerhard, horrified, leaned far back. The longsword lightly grazed Lord Gerhard’s helmet.
His stance was broken, but Lord Gerhard didn’t let go of the axe handle in the end.
Keldric changed his mind at this point.
Crackkk-!
The axe handle made an ominous sound. Eyes as big as saucers could be seen beyond Lord Gerhard’s helmet.
Eyes that seemed to ask, “Could it be?” Meeting that gaze, Keldric answered by taking action himself.
Crack!
That “could it be” was right. Keldric had crushed the thick ash wood axe handle with his grip alone.
As splinters of wood scattered in a refreshing spray, Keldric immediately gripped his longsword in reverse and swung it with all his might.
Clang!
The pommel struck Lord Gerhard’s helmet a glancing blow.
The hit dented the area slightly, and Lord Gerhard, staggering as if about to fall from his horse, hurriedly pulled his mount back.
“Is that all you’ve got? Come at me!”
Keldric intended to completely incapacitate Lord Gerhard.
Whether he knew it or not, he was a powerful opponent, strong enough to contend with Keldric for a moment. He shouldn’t be allowed to return unscathed.
But at that moment, Keldric felt a chill run down his spine and reflexively yanked Boreas’s reins.
Whoosh-!
“…Fire?”
What shot up from the spot he had been standing just a moment ago was fire.
But it wasn’t ordinary fire. The flames were a little stickier and had a slightly more acrid color than normal fire.
Keldric immediately turned his gaze towards the Military Camp. Alyssa was standing far off in the distance.
Alyssa was leaning against Helga, looking exhausted. Following her gesture, flames rose up amidst the enemy lines.
Alyssa’s hand wasn’t pointing towards Keldric.
It wasn’t Alyssa’s magic.
Keldric’s wide eyes turned towards the enemy lines.
Far away, in front of a shoddy wooden fence, a man in a robe was gasping for breath and slumped down.
It wasn’t clear, but his eyes were definitely looking at Keldric.
‘A mage!’
Although the magic hadn’t hit him, Keldric had felt threatened for a moment.
Boo-ooo!
A horn echoed across the battlefield. It was the signal to cease fighting.
Soldiers who had been clashing swords and spears cautiously retreated, full of vigilance. Even the knights who had been fiercely fighting each other quickly turned their horses around.
Keldric calmed his ragged breathing and turned his horse around. Lord Gerhard had already fled.
“Damn it…”
A strong sense of regret washed over him. But Keldric was only human. It was impossible to break through two hundred soldiers in an instant.
Even if Keldric could, it would be a disaster if Boreas were stabbed even once.
Besides, sustaining intense combat for a long time while wearing heavy armor was quite tiring.
Since he hadn’t come to play the hero anyway, Keldric had to be satisfied with having rampaged through the enemy lines to his heart’s content.
Keldric steered Boreas towards where Lord Rutger was.
By the time the two skirmishes were over, dusk was settling over the snowfield.
The frigid northern night was approaching. It was a darkness that would cool the heat of battle.