46.THE START OF THE WAR AT THE MOUTAINS

“I guess we should be focusing on speed.”

At the mountain area, at the other side of the Lulia river at the upstream part, there was a black colored group. The attire of the man that was at its center was a combination of black pelts and his black armor. His aura was much like that of a wolf, and his appearance was also like that of a wolf. It was a wolf in the shape of a human; the one called the [Black Wolf], Volf.

“Han? Isn´t our mobility restricted here? Then why go all the way? It´s just better to just beat them up with strength like the usual, isn´t it?”

Volf saw Nikka as an idiot. Thinking about it, and adding in her lack of sensuality too, he sighed.

“Hey, what´s that sigh for? I will fucking kill you, bastard.”

Leisurely dismissing Nikka´s voice that was filled with anger, Volf looked at the other person that was with him.

“It´s because of that that were are focusing on it, Nikka. It is because the mobility is being restricted that its value skyrocketed. In the situation both sides know well about the terrain, mobility for taking better positions than the opponent is essential. The speed in execution, movement speed, the cooperation with the other troops; every thing related to [speed] becomes important.”

Nikka clapped her hands as if she had reached an understanding. She probably still didn´t understand.

“That´s the essential at the first days of the battle. However, there is a part there that we definitely lack.”

“That is the cooperation with the other troops, right?”

At the same time Volf was starting to talk about their strategy, Nikka started to fish somewhere in the area. She had no desire to be part of the discussion about their strategy. She didn´t have even a bit of interest in strategy. She also didn´t want to study about it either. Seeing her old friend act like that, Volf gave a long sigh.

“Well, I guess. The one in charge is that man after all. He isn´t the type of person that would want to hear us with our lack of status. Cooperation is impossible.”

“Even among the seven kingdoms, social status is very valued in Nehdarks after all…  As a mercenary, it is so difficult to deal with this.”

It was Nehdarks´ troops that were pressing on the mountain side, but it seemed this was happening only for the moment. It didn´t seem like they would be able to take over it. If Volf was able to take the command of the whole army, the first thing he would do would be to take the mountains as fast as he could even if he had to greatly exhaust his military strength.

“The commander is such a pussy. For him to stand out like that and then get isolated… How stupid! For how long has he been keeping this up? The mountain is a natural stronghold, you know? If you get to take it, even if you are isolated, it´s possible to hold out somehow. It is because an incompetent that can´t even realize that is at the command that the situation is like this.”

Volf made an ugly face.

“The bad side of the conservative Nehderks is showing up. They are too scared to make a mistake.”

“The worst is that the enemy side is composed of the younger generation… It will be a headache.”

Although Arcadia was also had a big conservative side, since their troops were composed from the younger generation, they should be able to push back. Moreover, at the present time, Arcadia had the enough momentum to permit a few mistakes. They had more than the enough foundation to be holding the intent of attacking.

“They will keep losing their battles at those first days. Well, it´s fine… My target is the [White Mask] after all.”

Nikka, who had been fishing, suddenly turned around and threw a knife. It would be in trajectory of hitting Volf if he hadn´t dodged it. Volf´s cheeks were twitching.

“You bastard, you are still aiming for that oppai! Are you waging war for boobs!? Do you like them that much!? Don´t kid me, shit!”

Nikka was holding a grudge over the “oppai negotiation” (So nicknamed by Nikka). Volf was half joking half serious about that. The fact he liked boobs was the undeniable truth.

“Calm down. Although there is that about the boobs, if we can get the head of [White Mask], that ten-man squad leader, we will still be getting one of Nehdark´s three warriors. There is no mistake she has remarkable talent. She seems like she will be difficult to use, but then, gradually… Guhuhu, it should be just fine like that.”

“What´s with that “Guhuhu”!? Don´t start making that weird face, stupid!”

“Weird face!? What are you saying of this super handsome Volf-sama! Do it rightly! Say: Volf-sama is handsome and super cool!”

“It´s that part about you that´s weird, stupid, stupid!”

“Whaat!”

Once the married couple manzai begun, the time of seriousness was over. Volf had probably given up on the starting phase of the war. It was due to that that he stayed at the rear, at the Nehdarks´ side of the river despite how the army was pushing forward.

“For you to have come all the way there… You are really a man as cunning as a wolf.”(TL note:I have no idea who is speaking there xD ->ここまできたら徹底的に……本当に君は狼のように狡猾な男だよ<-)

Arcadia´s troops still didn´t know. They didn´t know there was a pack of wolves among the enemy. Right at the time they would be confident of their victory, the fangs of the wolf would bit off their throat. That man could already see that scene happening.

○

Arcadia was fast to start acting. Just when one would think that the Anzerm that was handling the upper part had moved away, Gregour at the other wing would push. When the center started to be short in hands, Karl´s troops would completely crush them. That was the strategy they had decided at the war council on the previous day. Karl proposed the idea, and Anzerm and Gregour supported it, thus having their strategy decided immediately. The one displeased was Gilberto. With that said, as to be expected, it was a bit premature to have Gilberto, who was the keystone that tied the mountain side and the flatlands together, to move now. Although speed was important, they mustn´t let any gaps appear.

However, at the first day of battle, they weren´t able to cause the complete downfall of their opponents.

This was because the center was considerably tenacious.

“…Tch.”

Willian was clearly unsatisfied. He was unsatisfied that the first day had ended without him having been able to cut down the man at the enemy´s rear guard he had crossed blades with earlier. However, this was something that couldn´t be helped. The opponent Willian was fighting against was the right-hand man of Lainberka, who one of the three warriors, the [Crying Spear] Anatour. He was such an skilled fighter that his spear would sing for the grief of the dead with the sounds it made.

“So that is the [White Mask]? It seems it isn´t completely impossible that he had killed Shulvester.”

Anatour, the regiment commander of this army, firmly held onto conservative fighting techniques. It could be said he would only do moves that went by the books, but in terms of one-on-one combat, he was still considered a top expert even in the whole kingdom of Nehderks. The reason why Arcadia´s offense only amounted to that much, and the reason why they couldn´t thoroughly press onto the center was all due to Anatour.

“He isn´t to the point of being unmanageable. But he also isn´t to the point I can be optimistic.”

Anatour evaluated Willian´s strength like that. Presently, Anatour could still push him back. However, the real issue was that he didn´t have the slightest idea how much he would grow from now on.

“I can understand a bit the reason why Rudolf-sama said we should kill him before he grows up.”

With that said, Anatour felt that he wasn´t such an opponent to the point that Rudolf would have to go all this way for. People that were this much strong in one-on-one battles was very common in this world. Since there wasn´t anything in particular that went over what was the expected in current situation, Anatour didn´t feel the need to report to Lainberka.

Anatour had a plan he could have used to bring Willian down. If Anatour had been able to notice Willian´s other face; one of deep knowledge even in warfare, he would have used it. Unfortunately, although Anatour could see through simple strength, he didn´t have the capability to guess the [power] Willian had.

If still in this day had the [Noir Guard] moved, perhaps Nehdarks would have been able to avoid the hell that was going to start from now.