Rebirth in a Ruined Nation! The Life of a New Strategist Starting From Now - Chapter 54

The New Knights’ Welcoming Ceremony, The Mock Battle (3) – Rays’s Shield

“They started to move,” Nelfia stated, peering east.

I could see the knights of the 10th Division moving from the top of the man-made hill on the west side, where my side of the camp was built.

I was curious what Rays-sama was thinking when he saw our formation from the east side’s identical hill.

This time, Luzel and Frein were sent to our side, leaving the 10th Division with only 8 units. Because this was a mock battle, each side was limited to 100 knights.

As a result, their total number was 1300, with 800 knights from the 10th Division and 500 new knights.

Three units were moving out of this number, consisting of 300 10th Division knights and 500 new knights. By the way, because the 500 new recruits were typically forced to fight on the front rank, our opponent advanced in such a way that the 500 new recruits were pushed to the very front.

These three units used the three shields arranged like flower petals on a calm gray background banner, which was a unique design for a banner. It belonged to Grantz-sama.

The forces led by Grantz-sama approached us slowly and steadily. This was one of Grantz-sama’s characteristics. When you fought him, whether to defend yourself or to attack him, you felt as if you were up against a heavy iron plate.

Because Grantz-sama was leading the army in the middle, her job was definitely to support him.

Soon after, I noticed an army leaving the center and detoured to the north.

This army carried a deep crimson-colored banner with thistle and wild rabbit embroidered on it. It was the banner of Lapilia-sama.

In battle, Lapilia-sama was known for her exceptional instinct. Her entire army was known as a whip because they always cut through enemy lines with precise timing.

Her army’s movement did not merely change the course of war once or twice. The nickname War Princess blessed by the Goddess of Fate, Waldwart, wasn’t just for show.

With Grantz-sama as the main offensive force, and Lapilia-sama supporting him. This was a frequent strategy used by the 10th Division. They used this strategy when they intended to fight with everything they had.

Lapilia-sama would destroy us from the flanks if we were too focused on fighting Grantz-sama’s army but If we were too focused on defeating Lapilia-sama’s troops, we would be decimated by Grantz-sama’s powerful frontal attack.

In addition, Rays-sama, who was watching the battle from the rear, would dispatch reinforcements or another unit as needed, leaving no gaps for us to exploit.

The 10th Division was one of the most powerful knight divisions in the Rudek Kingdom, and their belief that each of them could defeat a small group of soldiers alone supported their fighting style. They were a true-life version of the ‘legendary knights’ who were commonly described in stories.

They may appear arrogant at times, but they have the ability to back up their arrogance.

Rays-sama himself was a brilliant strategist. True, his unusual strategies made him stand out, but it was this group of powerful knights that allowed him to utilize those strategies.

Thinking back, this was the first time I witnessed an actual battle of the 10th Division. The thrilling 10th Division battle, which I used to read in the book till I forgot to sleep and eat, was now in front of my eyes.

And their opponent was none other than me.

“Roa-sama…? Are you laughing?”

It was only when Sazabi asked me that question that I noticed I was laughing.

Because I felt it was impolite to laugh in the middle of battle, I answered, “No, I was just nervous, so my expression is stiff.”

But I knew Sazabi was right. I was laughing.

The role of temporary commander was nothing short of a blessing in disguise for me.

“Diku. Send them the signal.”

In response, Diku waved the large 6th Division flag. He could do it due to his incredible strength; I couldn’t even raise the flag, let alone wave it.

The 6th Division’s knights in the center and the new knights in the front ranks began to advance as soon as they received the signal. We had 500 knights from the 6th Division and 500 new knights, thus we outnumbered Grantz-sama’s 800 knights.

Including Frein and Luzel’s unit, we have a total of 1200 knights, not counting the new knights, so I would not hesitate to utilize them.

Luzel and Frein also led their units to confront Lapilia-sama’s army, which was heading north.

With this, I used 700 of our side’s 1200 knights. In our camp, I left 500 knights. First, let’s see how the battle plays out.

Now then, how effective would my strategy be against the famous Rays-sama?

***

“So he came straight to us from the front.”

Grantz murmured to himself as he observed his opponent’s movement.

There weren’t many strategies that could be used in this place with minor ups and downs because the number of soldiers on both sides was fixed, but Grantz was still a little disappointed.

Grantz expected him to come up with an amazing strategy because he was a strategist who had piqued Rays-sama’s interest, but…

Just using a larger number of soldiers than his army to battle him was a foolish decision. It hardly qualifies as a strategy.

“Is it okay for us to keep moving forward?”

To a captain’s inquiry, Grantz replied, “It’s fine.”

The two sides became closer, and despite the fact that this was a mock battle, the battlefield was tense.

Even though the weapons used in this mock battle were only wooden spears and wooden swords, depending on where you got hit, you could be seriously injured.

You must report it yourself when you could no longer fight. However, because new knights were slow to recognize the point at which they could no longer fight, they frequently left the battlefield only after being severely beaten up.

“What is that?”

When the two sides almost confronted each other, one soldier near Grantz asked.

The new knights, who led the soldiers of the 6th Division, were wielding a long stick.

“Wasn’t that……Sasar’s trunk?”

“That does look like a grown sasar’s trunk,” another soldier nodded.

It appeared to Grantz to be the trunk of a mature sasar with a somewhat bent tip that had its branches and leaves removed.

When young, sasar was a valuable food for the common people, but they grew fast and could reach sky-high heights in the blink of an eye. Mature sasar contains no edible parts and was therefore useless. It was only utilized for simple crafts at best.

What were they planning to use those mature sasar for?

Were they planning on swinging those things at us? Those enormous things? Were they planning to use those as weapons?

The opponents’ soldiers immediately raised a large number of sasars and, as Grantz had predicted, swung them down!

The hammering sound blended with the screams of the Grantz army’s new knights. Furthermore, half of the sasars were still raised, and as the sasars that were swung down first were raised again, the remaining sasars were swung down, generating another loud sound.

What were they doing exactly? It was unheard of to use sasars as weapons. No, they were just blindly slamming down those sasars, so could he even call them weapons? Nonetheless, his side couldn’t even get near their army, and his side was attacked one-sided.

Because the new knights in the front rank could not make timely decisions, they were attacked one-sidedly. Furthermore, due to the confusion of new knights, the movement of the 10th Division’s knights was restricted.

In other words, the weapons were used solely to assault the enemy one-sidedly? The weapons were also easy to use and even the new 6th Division’s knights could handle them.

How intriguing.

“Our spear cannot reach them. Should I order the spearmen to retreat?” The captain next to Grantz asked.

“Let’s do that and let the archers come forward.”

“Yes, sir! Tell The front rank to fall back, and the archers to come forward!”

The army’s messenger began to move after receiving the captain’s instruction.

“This is what I’ve been waiting for,” Grantz replied, his face intrigued as he watched the messenger go.