12.THE SWORD OF KARL VON TEIRAH

“Wah, this is awesome.”

The massive arcadian army crowded around the surroundings.

“There are three thousand footsoldiers, five hundred cavalry; in total, our numbers are three thousand five hundred. Right now, the army is organized in columns, but when the battle starts, the should change it into a more linear formation.”

Willian spoke out about information he had took out of nowhere. Karl looked at Willian with admiration.

“We are the light infantry. We have the role of fighting in the front row. And…”

Willian looked behind him. What was in his sight was…

“… the heavy infantry are the stars of the battlefield. Our role is to stall until the heavy infantry arrives.”

Heavy infantry. To both the kingdoms of Arcadia and Ostoberg, the heavy infantry was definitely the star of the battlefield. They had the most powerful fighting strength and were regarded more highly than cavalry. The heavy infantry was essentially the regular army of the kingdom; the soldiers of career would be at this branch. Because of that, they were provided with equipment of high power and top quality. That fighting powress was respected throughout the whole world.

“The soldiers of Arcadia are the ones wearing white armor and the Ostoberg ones are the ones wearing the black armor, right?”

“That´s right. Well, once we cross to the other side of that hill, you would be seeing them even if you didn´t want to.”

The two of them were positioned in the middle of the front row. The ten man squad they were assigned to was a group that was composed of survivors from Raconia. Taking into consideration their experience with surviving a defeat, they were positioned in this place.

“”Generally, the ones positioned in the front rows are the ones that lack experience. We are survivors, and besides, most of the people that had more experience than us died. Because of that, this position… isn´t bad.”

The front row started to get restless. The enemy troops probably entered in their sight. The leading cavalry and scout cavalry were coming and going by the side of the army Willian and Karl were part of. This kind of anxiousness was part of the battlefield. The feeling of extreme excitation naturally came to Willian.

“”Calm down me. If I became too excited, I will be killed. I need to have my head cooled down more than anyone and carry on with composure during the fight.””

“We need to hide our charms deep inside our clothes.”

Willian was able to confirm one more time the reason why he was able to keep calm.(TL note: Referring to the ruby…)

“Yes. This is to prevent the enemies from stealing it from us, right?”

Karl put his hand at the center of his chest. At that place, the important thing he was entrusted with by his family was there.

“Correct. Besides, even our allies would want those gems. It´s not like only the enemies that are dangerous. For now, there is no reason for us to give the small fries an impression that will be troublesome for us.”

“”That said, if we can´t stand out in a good way, my plans won´t work out.”

And at the same time Willian was pondering about that…

“Ah!?”

A mass of black color appeared in front of the eyes of the two. Those weren´t at a distance the two would already need to be engaging them, but they weren´t at a distance that the two were safe. Before one´s notice, the front row that used to have considerable fighting power was now having it toned down. Karl, who was standing beside Willian, was trembling. This kind of feeling of intimidation. This was what war is.

“”That is no good. That is no good, me.””

But on the contrary to that, among all those people…

“”This is no good; it is really bad nee-san!”

there was a person that was becoming excited by the pressure.

That person knew of pain more than anyone in that battlefield. He would drink muddy water and would live like a rat. He would scramble around at trash and would be oppressed just by trying to live. As if living was some kind of punishment, and as if it was only natural that he was supposed to serve under others; that was how the young man defined such kind of life.

“…Willian?”

A life of continuing to be stolen of everything. A little while ago, he was finally standing at the side of the ones that would steal away things. But it wasn´t enough. He was lacking too much. His most beloved person was stolen away. Everything from his life was stolen away.

“Are you… smiling?”

He himself was superior. People have taken away many things from him, who is strong. In retribution of that, he needed to break this world down. If he didn´t steal back something of equal valor to his sister, the trade off wouldn´t be fair.

“No, I am not smiling, Karl. Calm down. You must definitely not go away from me.”

“Ye-yes!”

In that case, he should steal. He should steal everything of this world.

“”Ah, nee-san. The masses are crawling like insects. Dullards, dullards, dullards; it is a flock of dullards. They are much inferior than me, who was labelled as a slave. If so, it isn´t enough. Even if I get all of them, it wouldn´t be enough. Compared to all the happiness that was stolen from us, trash people like those won´t even account for anything.””

There was no mistake the one that was the most insane in this battlefield was that man. The slave named Al died, and the freed slave that was also called Al also died. The one that was standing here now was…

“Now then, let´s eat up all of them!”

It was a white beast that had lost even the name he had stolen.

This was the true meaning that campaign had for Willian Rivius.

☆

“Is it fine if we stay here like that, Willian!?”

“Yes, it is fine.”

It was a mayhem. They were facing the enemy head-on. It was a clash that dispensed any kind of scheming. The ones to charge at them first were the knights, which were the diversion. After them, it was the light infantry, which had then led to that direct confront. At the current situation, the light infantry of both armies were entangled onto each other in the center of the war.

In the midst of that, Willian and Karl were calmly fighting in the middle row they were positioned at. Sometimes they would need to engage with an enemy that would come at them with his sword, but before they could approach Karl, Willian, who was standing next to him would bisect the enemy with swift movements. The war was clearly much slower-paced when compared to their previous battle.

“Even if they do their best in the first clashes, all that would happen is death. Not only the enemies, but allied arrows and javelins would be showering at them. Being right at the front isn´t something good. It is good everything is still flowing well. To the point I can´t find any faults.”

Karl was hesitant about the fact, but the risks of being at the front lines weren´t worth the military gains. That was the case specially because of the mutual preliminary test of the first clash. The ones that are fast to die out are the light infantry. They wouldn´t be able to get any heads that would be worth anything at the first phases of the war.

“”Now then, this should be over soon . Which of them will make the first move?””

The reason why Willian insisted in staying at their position was because he could look at the whole battlefield from there to some extent. Of course, the amount of vision he would get by doing that wasn´t much, but he still had enough leeway to be looking around while he would do proper reactions to enemy attacks by only relying on sensing the danger and the enemy movement.

“”It doesn´t seen like either side is planning on doing any kind of tactics, such as the echelon formation. In that case, I guess they will be competing in their earnest with their heavy infantry in the same way the theory tells to.”

Bit by bit, the enemy troops that were coming to the place Willian and Karl were standing at started to increase. The vanguards of both armies started to jumble up together and the chaos was spreading. If Willian wanted to make his move, it must be now. Even if he doesn´t, soon enough, it would be the time their heavy infantry was going to move.(TL note: I´m not sure if he is talking about their heavy infantry or Ostoberg´s. If it is theirs, Willian would need to move fast because their own infantry would take all his chances of getting achievements, and if it was the enemy´s, it would be because their infantry would come anyway, and so he would need to react anyway.)

“Willian! There is something behind us!”

It was Karl´s voice, who was standing behind Willian. Willian also noticed the irregularity, although a bit later than Karl.

“Behind us… cavalry!?”

It wasn´t that Willian could hear the sound of the hooves hitting the ground. However, the amount of allied arrow showers had diminished, and angry yellings that were loud enough to be heard even from their position started to approach them. The light infantry was in the middle of an engagement and it was in a state of equilibrium. The situation of their rear was that they were receiving a surprise attack. And also…

“There is no way the scouts wouldn´t have noticed the troops in such easy to look around plains like this one. There weren´t any signs of ambushes spotted at the surroundings of the hill. In that case, it should be the forest that is located at the other side of the hill. There soldiers that were positioned at the forest should have moved after the war broke in. Besides that, in order for them to be faster than the light infantry can pull back, it is essential that they have the speed of the cavalry.””

Therefore, those were cavalry. That was the showcase of their be speed, and also their power.

“The first play was of Ostoberg. This was probably something already planned. In that case… the next move should also be Ostoberg´s.”

While the people in the vanguard were looking at the rear, Willian glared at their front.

“”The rear is in chaos. In that case, it is obvious their next target is the front.””

Willian noticed the position where the clashing was happening was moving. Actually, the enemy´s vanguard was slightly stepping back. However, it didn´t mean that the Arcadian army was pushing them back. They were changing turns.  And the ones to take place was…

“He-heavy infantry!?”

The black shinigami. Ostoberg´s prided unparalleled soldiers.

“U-uoh!?”

The light infantry immediately threw their javelins. Those were met with their black armor.

“…”

The heavy infantry casually blocked those javelins with their shield. Since they were made of wood, the thrown javelins received a shock to the point that made them split in pieces.

And then, in a way that felt as if they weren´t particularly doing that as the retribution for the javelins, the heavy infantry was quickly mowing down the light infantry. Thick long spears that had a black luster to them assaulted, suppressed, ran over and overwhelmed them.

“He-help me.”

“Retreat.”

A big spear that had a very thick tip crushed the head of the soldier.(TL note: It´s funny how reading this in japanese feels like normal, but in english, you can imagine all sorts of things. -.-) The head was burst open just like a pomegranate would have been. The frontlines became a land of corpses in just an instant. All this was because of the black shinigami, who would bring forward blood, guts and corpses. It was because of Ostoberg´s heavy infantry.

“They really do their job well.”

Willian muttered in an excited voice. He muttered it low enough so Karl wouldn´t hear him.

“We should move soon.”

Willian drew the sword he had been keeping in his scabbard. That silvery blade attracted the eyes of many people. This was because of the beauty of that sword, and also because of the handsomeness of the young man holding it.

The mood of the battle changed.

“Go back, Karl. I will be killing some small fry until a good head to take appears.”

His attitude made one wonder where all his apathy from a few moments ago went to. The glint in Willian´s eyes was like that of a predator that had its prey right in front of his eyes. He was looking at the black shinigami as if he was licking them all over. They were his prey.

“Small fry, you say. Don´t be so pretentious, brat!”

There was no way the heavy infantry would hesitate because of those words. They were warriors of long military service and were brave man that went through situations they were close to dying many times. At that very most, those words were only nonsense of a single soldier of the light infantry. Even if you could say the mood had changed a bit because of him, he…

“Shut up and be killed by me, small fry.”

“!?”

Speed, judgement, head, flew. (TL note: The raw is pretty much that: 　速、断、首、舞。)

“You aren´t worthy of eating. I will crush all of you.”

He muttered in a low voice so that the people at his back wouldn´t hear what he said. Being cut precisely through the joint part of his armor, the soldier had his head cut off from his torso. He was still living, but he didn´t have the life functions to keep living. The part that had the requirements for understanding words was now soaring at the air.

“Impossible!?”

The frontlines fell in uproar. The eyes of his allies and also enemies were all gathering on Willian.

“My name is Willian Rivius! I am the sword that serves Karl Von Teirah! If you do not fear the power of my master, then come at us!”

Nobody at that place knew about Karl. They probably didn´t know even about the Teirah household. However, that was fine regardless. This was where all started. Here was where his life as Karl Von Teirah´s shadow and sword would start. It was the first step for eating up the skies.

“You stopped moving, you know? Hey, heavy infantry. Are you trembling in fear?”

“Youuuuuuuuuuuu!”

The shinigamis that were made fools of were now rushing at the white beast. As if he was looking at them from a place above, and as if he was going to trample all of them without letting any remain, eating up all of them without leftovers, Willian moved.

The stage had been prepared.

☆

“Your Excellency, just like you have planned, we are having the predominance at the frontlines. We should soon pull back.”

It was a cavalry company of black knights. As they rode their horses, the sound of the hooves resounded through the battlefield. Among those knights, there was a noticeably big man that took off his helmet and turned his eyes to the main enemy forces.

“Guhaha. Like always, they are unyielding to pull back, Baldias.”

Seeing his perfect plan in action, the man became even more agitated. The big man showed a smile to the opposing army that was showing no signs of pulling back.

“As expected of the immovable Baldias. He won´t move one step even with my plans. However, it is unfortunate how him not moving was considered in my plans.”

His strategy was the surprise attack. The big man had moves prepared in case Bardias was to move in fear of the surprise attack without consideration, and if he didn´t, in the end he would have revealed his plans for only a little bit of advantage. This war was much more balanced than it looked like.

The only things that truly moved the battlefield was one´s own power and one´s military power. That was battles between armies was about.

“Hmph. Back to the old style of war, but I like it. You don´t use petty tricks in that after all.”

Old war strategies. To this big man, they were easier to understand and also easier to have fun with.

“Those are completely different from those skinny fellows from Garias. Gahaha.”

Arcadia didn´t know, but recently, Ostoberg had fought against the superpower, the kingdom of Garias. The war wasn´t in that much of a large scale to the point of it being able to be called a war, but it was because of many accumulated reasons, that war had lead to this one they were right now.

“Well, since I found something interesting, I will leave it there. For now, all.”

Their long history of enmity. The many battles between both sides that had accumulated to a number that was to the point that counting them became annoying to do brought forward this dignified battlefield. This one wasn´t those make-believe wars, but the true thing itself. (TL note: It should be about that thing of there being pieces onto a map that represents the army, and the strategists or so making use of them and fighting each other using strategy in order to train for the real wars. That is something that appears many times on those military stories about the ancient china.)

“The main army should go uphill. If we bring them down from there, they will get some of their bones broken.”

In contrast to his words, he was being all smiles with joy.

“Now, let´s end this war once for all. Let´s pull back.”

“Ou!”(応ッ！)

The big man withdrew from the battlefield he had threw into chaos together with his subordinates. If one was to say, he needed to have the perfect timing to escape if he wanted to regroup with his army. It was at this kind of situation that his experience shone. His ability as a general could see a way through this.

“…?”

During his escape, the big man looked at the two armies clashing against each other at the vanguard. At that battle the light infantry and the heavy infantry were fighting each other, the ones having an overwhelming predominance were the ones of his army, of the Ostoberg army. However…

“Hou…”

It was at one place; at a single place. It was just a little part of this vast battlefield that one normally wouldn´t keep his attention to.

“Interesting.”

There was something that caught the man´s eyes.