Chapter 204 - Thud-Thud-Bam(1)

"This bastard?"

Despite the cheers from the Naulrilia forces, some of the commanders in Marta's army felt their anger rising.

"He's asking for it! Kill that bastard!"

They knew he was a good fighter, but damn, how could he be so relaxed while retreating?

It almost seemed like a deliberate provocation. It looked like he was imitating an epic hero's saga just to mock them.

How could they not be enraged?

"Chase him!"

"Don't let him leave!"

"Destroy him!"

"Stop! Stop right there, you bastard!"

Marta's infantry rushed forward.

As soon as Enkrid and his group quickly ran into the gates of the castle, it happened.

Tudududung!

The archers in the Naulrilia tower became very busy.

"Ugh!"

"It's arrows! Shields! Raise your shields!"

Marta's infantry, charging forward, retreated, using the arrows as an excuse.

"Fire! Fire! Give them hell!"

Vengeance's shout rang out high, as he had taken command of a portion of the archers.

Marta's infantry had withdrawn, and then...

"Waaaah!"

After the first battle, the border guard standing on the walls cheered. They had gained a kind of victory, though they hadn't fully fought yet. It felt like they had won before the real battle had even begun.

Even though the enemy outnumbered them, the gap was clear, yet something about it made them feel like they weren't going to lose.

Most of the soldiers could feel it.

Of course, it was Enkrid who created this atmosphere.

So it was only natural that all eyes focused on Enkrid as he casually entered the gate.

The news of the destruction of the mangonels and the actions of a few enemy soldiers soon reached the commanders of the nameless forces.

They had already seen the events unfold firsthand, so now it was just a matter of receiving the full report.

The commander's eyes gleamed coldly through the slits of his helmet as he twisted his mustache.

"Interesting bastard."

His tone was laced with a chilling coldness.

His nickname was "The Elite-Cutting Blade."

At first, he had thought it was a boring, unimportant battle, but now he had seen a few individuals who made his heart race.

'At least three of them.'

These were people worthy of death. He already started thinking about how to kill them.

'It would be great if a skirmish broke out.'

What if they tried to hide and defend? Then, it would be better to surround them and apply pressure.

It was a fascinating situation.

The mangonel? An ambush? The damage caused by a surprise attack? He didn't care about any of that.

The elite-cutting blade was all about efficiency, but the commander of the nameless forces was thinking differently.

"That bastard."

The commander of the Ventria Duke's forces wasn't foolish. Narrow-minded, perhaps, but certainly capable of thinking.

'He stopped and suddenly revealed his name?'

That was no ordinary bravery.

He had broken the eight mangonels, making it seem like they were at a disadvantage right from the start, and then announced his name while retreating.

He focused solely on the facts.

Why? Why had he done that?

The commander quickly reached a conclusion. It was the most rational decision based on his experience and theory.

'That bastard?'

It was a cheap move. A strategy. What kind of methods would those pushed to the edge choose?

This was one of them.

Puffing himself up. It was a dirty trick. A strategy to inflate his own abilities and cause the enemy to second-guess themselves.

This was one of the tactics used by elite forces to change the course of battle.

It was a warning: There were a few strong individuals, so be prepared when you engage.

But was he really that capable?

Destroying the mangonel was impressive, sure.

'But that's all.'

He probably overreached. No, it was definitely reckless. It was clear that it was a life-risking operation.

They had probably been hiding in ambush for days, consuming a lot of resources for this one attack.

It was likely a plan set up from the moment Marta began advancing.

"He's just fluffing his feathers."

The commander of the Ventria Duke's forces said, finishing his thoughts. Marta's Supreme Commander fell into deep thought. After a moment, he nodded.

It was the same conclusion.

"Get more siege weapons."

The general spoke. They were already building a few more in the city.

Even makeshift weapons would be better than nothing.

"Fix what can be fixed."

If they repaired them, they might salvage one or two.

It was impossible to recover the main structure, but they could at least repair the broken ones.

'That monster bastard.'

The guy who destroyed the siege weapons with his bare fists was still on their minds, and it bothered them.

'He must have taken something.'

If someone had taken the special drugs that potion makers made to fight giants and frogs, something like that would be possible.

A drug that temporarily enhances physical strength beyond its limits.

Of course, the side effects were severe. If used incorrectly, the person could die the moment the effect wore off.

Narrow-mindedness, prejudice, and assumptions—once these thoughts take root in the mind, they are like demons that refuse to leave.

And that was the case with them.

The "Elite-Cutting Blade" had recognized the enemy's strength, but had assessed it at a level that was just right for him to kill.

The delusions were each person's own to bear.

"I just need to encircle them and crush them to death."

The commander of the Ventria Duke's forces clenched his fist. Having inflated their own strength, they would now focus on defense.

But if they came out?

He was also the commander of the cavalry.

If the enemy, being harassed, opened the gates to charge out, the cavalry could sweep them aside.

It was a simple but effective plan.

Whether the enemy inflated their own abilities or not, it didn't matter.

"That's right."

Marta's general shared the same thought.

Marcus watched the enemy's movements from atop the walls.

'They're angry.'

There was commotion, shouting.

Even though eight mangonels had been destroyed and many had died, the enemy showed not fear, but anger. Their fervor and momentum were not lacking.

They were furious, even after seeing Enkrid and his group.

How could they be like this?

'The battle was short.'

The actual fighting was very brief. Even though their combat power was impressive, only a few had actually witnessed it.

'The way the last commander spoke...'

What worked was the way Enkrid, while retreating, had announced his name and told them to back off.

If doing that would make them retreat, then they wouldn't have come this far.

It was the perfect provocation, one that was designed to make the enemy overestimate themselves.

It was the kind of provocation that made it easy for the enemy to misinterpret.

'If it were me...'

Marcus briefly imagined himself in the enemy commander's position.

He muttered "If it were me" repeatedly as he observed the movements of the enemy forces.

He saw a group of enemies moving below.

They were flustered, but there was no sign they intended to retreat. They were flustered, but there was no fear within them.

Their ranks were re-forming. The way they had pulled back at the end, orderly despite being chased, remained in his mind. These were well-trained soldiers.

The enemy's morale had not diminished.

***

'They're underestimating us.'

Their confidence came from their underestimation of their opponents.

Why were they confident? Because they had many soldiers, were well-trained, and had more than enough reinforcements.

On top of that, the story about Enkrid's strength, which had spread even though Battalion Commander Marcus had tried to conceal it.

'Do they think it's all bluff? Do they think he's just puffing himself up out of fear, like some coward?'

That was possible. He couldn't be sure, but that was what he believed.

It would be nice if they knew the name and nature of the enemy commander, but...

No, if they knew that much, they'd have to be a fully-fledged intelligence guild by now.

'Work is about to get much busier.'

This was the right time. The perfect level to gather Krona without getting too big.

Krais sorted out his thoughts. The enemy commander hadn't figured out their forces, and they had a sharp weapon on their side.

'I hope they're idiots.'

Not suspicion, but confirmation bias—those who believe they're right and refuse to change their minds.

If that were the case, they wouldn't need a brilliant strategy.

All of this had been the result of Enkrid's whim.

He had casually come out, broken the mangonels, and then returned.

If he had fought further and shown his full power, things might have been different.

'But did the commander plan all of this?'

That was something he could ask if necessary.

"What are you doing, Krais?"

Vengeance, who was commanding the archers, asked. Krais had been muttering to himself, and it seemed like he was possessed by some evil spirit.

Vengeance didn't like ghosts or spirits. They were the kind of thing that ruined his sleep.

"I was just sorting my thoughts."

"Really?"

Vengeance didn't think it would change anything, but in Krais' mind, the future of the battlefield was already taking shape.

A scenario for victory was unfolding in his head.

But he didn't feel the need to speak it aloud.

Krais thought everyone else would figure it out on their own.

"Are you alright?"

Rem asked as they entered the Border Guard.

Enkrid checked himself. Was there any injury?

No, there was nothing. It wasn't even something that would cause harm.

It had been a light warm-up.

Why wouldn't it be? Even though the plan was hastily put together, it felt like it would work, so he went along with it.

Of course, on Marta's side, they probably thought this was an ambush that had been meticulously planned for days, but in reality, that wasn't the case at all.

It had just seemed possible, so it was a half-hearted attempt.

"It looks like your head is injured."

Rem said with a serious face. There was no trace of a smile.

Ragna's gaze was also on Enkrid, and so was Rem and Audin's.

"Do you have a fever?"

Finn asked last. Enkrid felt a little sad seeing their lack of romance.

He understood why they reacted this way.

It was because he had revealed his name at the end.

"It was just a burst of impulse."

There was nothing to hide, so he said it bluntly. Rem, instead of teasing him as usual, made an "Oh" sound and pursed his lips in awe.

"Woah!"

A cheer-like sound came from above the heads of Enkrid's returning forces.

Of course, this reaction was expected after they had gone out and destroyed the siege weapons.

Through that cheer:

"Impulsive, huh."

Ragna muttered, looking thoughtful.

Enkrid had truly just acted on a whim.

Ahead, he saw Krais coming down from the gallery.

"Provoking them and planting demons in their minds... was that intentional? Oh, no, that can't be it. But then, why did you say your name?"

Many had asked about the name he had revealed. Enkrid repeated the same answer.

"Impulse, it just felt like it would work."

"That's... well, okay. I see. It's pretty cool."

Passing Krais, Enkrid saw the group of commanders from their side.

"Destroyed all the siege weapons, huh?"

Marcus said with a grin that seemed to have a mischievous smile on it. Was that just a trick of the light?

Enkrid nodded indifferently.

"Good!"

That was the end of it.

"My name is Synnarda. If you come close now, you can have me."

The fairy captain whispered as she approached.

Fairy-style jokes—wasn't that getting a bit tiresome?

"Did you hit your head?"

"No, I'm healthy—except for being dead. By any chance, are you into frail, sickly girls?"

Was there any point in exchanging more words? Enkrid shook his head and stepped away.

"Don't slack off on the watch!"

Marcus urged the troops ahead.

"We're going to win!"

It was the perfect moment. The cheers were still echoing right after the hero, Enkrid, had returned.

The roar of the crowd filled the air. The war was only just beginning, but morale was at an all-time high.

This was the first day of battle.

The next day, right after it began:

"Are we going out again today?"

Krais asked as he approached. Enkrid had just finished the morning training.

Even under these circumstances, training continued. Some of those watching clicked their tongues.

Those who knew Enkrid weren't surprised, though.

"Where to?"

"Outside."

"Why?"

Krais blinked in confusion.

"We need to tease them again today."

When Enkrid looked at him, he wondered what this meant.

"Didn't the Captain say anything?"

Krais turned the question back to him.

Enkrid nodded. He had just been told to rest and fight well again later.

If they needed anything, they could ask at any time.

But there was nothing said about Enkrid going out on his own and setting up an ambush.

The results of the hastily executed plan had been good, but after all, Marcus had given him this kind of authority, so there was nothing to be said about it.

"Act in the opposite way of what the enemy expects."

Krais raised his voice and said with clarity.

Enkrid gazed at his loud subordinate with wide eyes.

"It's the basic of strategy and tactics."

So?

When he looked at Krais with that question in his eyes, Krais spoke again.

"The siege weapons had been destroyed. They were likely planning a long-term war. They would repair the weapons, resupply, and just threatening the Border Guard while surrounding it would work in Marta's favor."

They had solidified the supply lines behind them.

So, what was the task for today?

Krais found it too obvious, but was surprised that no one had said it.

"We need to harass the supply lines."

It was the basic of strategy and tactics.

Starve them.

Of course, they couldn't actually starve them, but they could certainly make them nervous about when and where their food would be disrupted.

It was easy to say, but hard to execute. The enemy wasn't stupid and would naturally be on alert.

But here, there was a crazy squad, including Enkrid.

"It's about playing outside the enemy's expectations with forces other than the main troops."

There were fewer than ten of them. This meant they could push forward.

"Nyaa."

Esther, who had been absent all night, suddenly let out a sound and stared at Enkrid.

Having listened to Krais' words, Enkrid nodded.

It didn't seem like a bad idea. He had a good sense for these things, so he judged that it was worth a try.

"Want to come along?"

When Enkrid casually asked Esther, she quickly stood up and moved beside him.

Thus, the next plan was decided.

On the first day, they would target the siege weapons, and on the second day, they would focus on the supply lines.

Naturally, they would go at night.

"Krais, report to the higher-ups. We're going out for a little night patrol."

It was just after sunset. Enkrid began gathering his gear. Next to him, Rem, Lagna, Audin, and Finn were also preparing, but—

"Audin, you stay."

"Yes, brother. I'll stay behind."

Audin's size was too noticeable. They left Finn behind as well. She could be a liability, and Ragna might get lost. He couldn't let anyone become a lost soul on the battlefield.

"Rem, Jaxen."

"Good, good. I don't need the stray cat, but sure. I'll carry the supplies if needed."

"Better to leave the foolish barbarians behind."

Although they still grumbled, there was no one more reliable than them when it came to being on the battlefield together.

"I'll be back."

Enkrid set out as if going to buy some bread at the market.

***

And when he returned, he actually brought back some bread.

"This is delicious."

At Enkrid's words, everyone admired the taste of the bread.

It was truly delicious.

Of course, it had come from the enemy's supply line.