52 – Operation Lasso (8)

Our army, Countess Nantes, led by His Excellency Count Schwein, and Count Helsman’s army, led by Hellsmann, faced off for a long time.

During the confrontation, there were occasional clashes between small units in order to summon the enemy, and furthermore, moving the Baron of Circleland to battle the enemy…

Nevertheless, as if he was showing off his skill, Hellsman did not move until the end calmly.

Damn, after such a long standoff, we’ll run out of ‘food’ and have to return…

If that happens, my son and his army, who are isolated over there, will suffer enormous damage close to annihilation, and His Excellency Schwein will use all of that stigma.

If this happens, I, as the best vassal of the Count of Nantes family, will become a idiot who failed to assist the Count and a human scum who charged and killed his son…

I wish I could have something sharp…

While reconnoitring the battlefield with the knights of the Count of Nantes and lost in thoughts, a messenger hurriedly approached him on horseback.

And the messenger quickly dismounted from his horse, looked at me, and knelt down to report.

“Your Excellency, I have a report! His Excellency Count Schwein led his Excellency Baron Crescent and his soldiers to plunder the enemy’s village. Please tell me, if you plunder the enemy’s village like this, Hellsman will surely go out to protect them, so don’t say much. said.”

It’s ridiculous.

Although this is a place where you can plunder because it is the territory of the enemy, it is a war of conquest for the purpose of conquering the territory of this land.

In other words, no matter how much war is fought, if the serfs lose their public sentiment, even if they conquer it, they will suffer greatly from rebellion…

To go plunder without even considering it.

“Okay, that’s a lot of work.”

“Thank you, Mr. Guardian.”

“Then tell them that we are going back to defend the main base according to Viscount Creutel’s order.”

“Yeah.”

I was able to pretend I wasn’t embarrassed in front of the messenger, but I am very concerned about His Excellency’s arbitrary behavior.

He must have had his own thoughts in this arbitrary action, but to say that he participated directly without even telling the guardian appointed by the predecessor Count of Nantes…

However, all I can do right now is to tell my son who has gone to the frontline ‘this news’, give him time to formulate a policy to respond, and pray for His Excellency to return safely.

Lord, protect Your Excellency Count of Nantes, Count of Schwain and our troops.

**

For about two weeks, no, during the month he stayed here, His Excellency continued to plunder villages near the Linz Plain.

During the looting, he permitted all ‘looting, murder, rape, and kidnapping’ in the name of boosting the morale of the soldiers, and as a result…

The morale of the soldiers and knights rose to the highest level.

As they plundered so many villages, they collected cows and pigs, so even the soldiers were given roast pork or beef once every three days.

I have fought countless times in enemy lands, but never experienced so much plunder.

Never before has there been a war so rich with enemy supplies.

Even if it means plundering an enemy’s territory and claiming it as property…

“Your Excellency, Your Excellency!”

I stopped thinking and looked at one of the knights calling me from behind.

“Ah, Sir Charlotte. What is it?”

“It is said that His Excellency Schwein is leaving tomorrow. He asked me to participate in a military meeting before the march.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Upon entering the tent, the Count was talking with an unusually enthusiastic spirit.

“Leave command of the infantry to Baron Crescent, and Viscount Kreutel and I will lead your knights and fight directly against Hellsman’s knights. Any complaints?”

Perhaps dissatisfied with His Excellency’s courage, or rather, his command tactics that bordered on recklessness, Baron Haydn, who normally doesn’t speak well, raised his hand and carefully raised his objection.

“But, Your Excellency…”

“Yes, tell me, Baron Haydn.”

“Your Excellency is now on his first march. But to stand at the forefront of a wedge formation that even veteran knights find difficult…?”

Hearing that, my head was filled with confusion.

No matter how often I say ‘correct words’ to His Excellency and get hated, shouldn’t His Excellency say something to me, his guardian, at least once before thinking about this?

Isn’t this too much…

So, I also questioned Count Schwein in an argumentative manner.

“Your Excellency Schwein, why did you not say a word before devising this strategy? I am Your Excellency’s guardian!! If so, shouldn’t you let me know too?”

Upon hearing my words, His Excellency Schwein shook his head as if he was dumbfounded and then said,

“Yes, you are my guardian. But… your son, yes, Ciel.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“I heard that Ciel, despite being a few years younger than me and unable to withstand lance charging after being injured a few years ago, puts on armor and goes to the front of the formation to charge knights. Even if it’s your first outing. What do you think about this?”

From the moment my son Ciel, viewed objectively, refused to enter an academy that no one else wanted to enter…

He was different from the heirs of ordinary aristocrats.

He always looked at least two moves ahead, sometimes acting cautiously as if he were looking 20 or 30 years into the future.

Also, since he was a child, he has a strong body that has never neglected training to become a knight like me…

After inheriting the title of Count, the present His Excellency rarely held a ‘lance’, and rarely rode a horse wearing armor.

If such a Excellency calmly takes the lead in the charge of the knights… what will happen?

But to be honest again, ‘How dare you compare me to someone like Ciel and put me down!!’ You will feel that your honor has been insulted.

“Your Excellency, Ciel is only a baron. In other words, no matter how much I try, I am His Excellency’s vassal. And even if Ciel died there, there was no problem because I was there. However, Your Excellency… There is no one to succeed you, and you are more noble than my son, aren’t you?”

Upon hearing my words, His Excellency Count Schwein became even more angry.

“However, His Highness Centroil, the Duke of the Eline Empire, personally takes the lead in the assault of the knights. Therefore, as the Earl of Elaine, I can stand in the vanguard when personally defeating them!!”

“Ha, but…”

As if the oars had reached the end of my continued objection, the Count stepped on the ground hard, hit the desk with his hand, and said,

“Then, Your Excellency the Guardian, do you think I can’t stand at the forefront of the assault on the knights, which only the baron and the like do? Stop making funny noises!! no way!! Today’s meeting ends here. At the same time, tomorrow, as agreed with Hellsmann, there will be a giant battle across the river in the northern part of the Linz Plain!! I will raise my honor there, so you guys follow me.”

Then the Count waved his hand and drove the barons out of everyone.

I intended to remain silent and speak as a guardian, but seeing me like that, the count said in a voice filled with anger.

“If you want to brag about your son, go home and do it. custodian.”

…. How will this battle turn out?

**

However, the fight went surprisingly well.

Baron Crescent, who was in charge of commanding the infantry, silently led the infantry and continued the fight.

In the place where the knights were waiting to charge, they couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but they were confronting the enemy without incident.

Still, seeing the encirclement of the enemy’s left wing by utilizing numerical superiority…

we’ll win with ease

As I was watching the battle of the infantry from such a height, a soldier approached me and said.

“Your Excellency, the assault will begin soon. Please go to the location.”

“Okay.”

And I took my place on the far right in the first row in the assault formation of the knights.

On the left, Lord Blackheim, the chief knight of the Earldom, was seated, and in the center was His Excellency, Count Schwein… not there.

I wondered where he had gone and when I was about to call the soldiers to find him, I heard a huge shout from the right side of the first row.

“Long live His Excellency Schwein!!!”

“Victory in this war!!!”

Turning to the sound of the shout, the knights were holding out their swords in front of their horses, and His Excellency Schwein was striking their swords with his own.

An action taken by a lord who has been in the vanguard since ancient times to raise the morale of his knights…

It’s not bad.

And then, His Excellency approached me as well, and His Excellency slapped my sword lightly like they did before returning to his seat.

Then His Excellency raised the lance bearing his banner up and down, then lowered it, ready to declare ‘war’.

With him we rode slowly towards the village of Valoa, to the right of the Linz Plain, where the enemy was.

A little faster than walking, but now the horses always go slowly in line with each other…

It gives a grand feeling as if the ground is shaking.

After moving for a while, the enemy knights finally began to appear.

Looking at the banner hanging on the enemy’s lance, is that Baron Sangchon, called Hellsmann’s left arm…

It’s not going to be an easy battle.

And as planned, I fell to the far left of the triangle to turn the camp into a wedge formation.

Then we picked up speed, and now, after a very short time, we’re about to bump into enemies…

His Excellency Count Schwein was about to turn around and step back.

Damn, to think that in this situation, you’re making the mistake that ‘new lance-wielding idiots’ often make…

I can’t help it more than this

I should change it to a crescent-shaped charge centered on Lord Blackheim and allow the Count to escape.

So I outpaced the others and waved my lance with a banner as a signal to follow me.

As a result, His Excellency was able to escape, but…

**

“Hey Balt. Crazy.”

Hearing that, Balt looked at me and said with a puzzled expression.

“Why is that? The soldiers are watching.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, but the battle process is so shit. His Excellency Schwein got out in the middle of lance charging.”

Balt listened to me and looked at me with incomprehensible eyes.

“As long as you have a lance, aren’t you supposed to just charge? Even if you wear plate armor and quilted armor properly, you will hardly die unless you are stepped on by a horse.”

“Thanks to that, the sacrifices of the knights were enormous. 50 knights were killed, 40 were seriously injured… At least they were able to surrender thanks to the fact that they completely won before the knights returned by using their numerical superiority in the infantry battle.”

“But this…”

I looked at Balt, who was trying hard to swallow his gossip, and said straight up.

“Yes, His Excellency Count Schwein was brave in his first war. And he completely lost his ‘honour as a knight’ because he couldn’t take responsibility for his bravery. At the same time, I made the knights die as well, even though I was victorious against Count Hellsman’s army.”

Personally, I thought that even though His Excellency Count Schwein was ensnared and defeated, and then captured the castle, he would not be able to obtain Count Helsmann’s territory due to the ‘defeat of the count’s army’…

No way, even though he was caught in a noose, thanks to his capable father, he won the match against the army of ‘Hellsman’.

I’m surprised However, I don’t know anything, anyway, that kid committed ‘leaving without permission when the knights charge’, which is a taboo that you should never violate as a knight.

As a disgraced knight and aristocrat for the rest of my life, I will live in scorn, and in exchange for that… I finally got the justification to cut down on that bastard.

Ah, but before I can get the Countess of Nantes… it’s still going to be a while, right?