58.THE BATTLES OF EACH OF THEM

“How come…. They are making such a bold move.”

Until yesterday, Ywain´s opponent was Anzerm. Anzerm had persisted very well at that day. Ywain believed there wasn´t any other commander more enduring and capable on the defense than him. However, it seems that Arcadia had come with a hand that greatly exceeded his expectations.

“I will be paying you back from yesterday, Sir Ywain, the [Lion Marquis]!”

His opponent was now Gilberto von Osvalt. He was Arcadia´s prided centurion that was famed for being the most talented among the younger generation, and had a strong the blood of the heavenly sword of the Osvalt family.

“So our opponent is that acclaimed Lion Marquis. This makes me eager to display my strength.”(TL note:Probably a soldier speaking…)

The [upstream] was a position to begin an offensive the enemy had to hold at all costs. It should be impossible for them to not take it seriously if they intended to win. Although it was a very daring swap, it still made sense. Who would the one to stop the [Lion Marquis] if not Gilberto?

“Lion Marquis, you say? I am nothing but a mercenary.”

Seeing Gilberto´s troops filled with morale, Ywain showed a wry smile.

“You can´t change yourself once you are born. One´s blood is honest, Ywain, one amongst the twelve knight kings of Garnia. I don´t know why you would disguise yourself as a mercenary, but I swear on the honor of the Osvalt that I will kill you.”

Distant at the limits of the west, there is a big island across the seas people call Garnia. In that island, many kingdoms stand. Many are born and then fade away; many faded away for then new ones to be born. The cycle repeated.

Over ten years ago, the twelve knight kings appeared in the midst of the many countries. Though those kings were young, they had power. It was said they would spend all their time in wars, and that their twelve kingdoms joined in the mix at the same time of their rise. Due to their military prowess, they were called the knight kings. Their names thundered even to the distant lands of Arcadia.

Among them was the [Lion Marquis] Ywain. He was the most aggressive of them. It was also said that his strong point was fighting harsh wars. Although there were many things Gilberto didn´t know, such as why a man of such caliber was part of a mercenary group, or why he served under Volf, there was one thing that was clear.

“So you become even more willing to obtain victory now that you came to know who I was?”

No matter who was the enemy, there was only victory. That was the destiny of the one born as an Osvalt.

“Of course! The blade of the Osvalt knows no defeat!”

Fighting spirit. Being exposed in their fighting spirit, both armies became wrapped up in their aura. One of the was a sword. By the number of soldiers, this sword prided by Arcadia was turned into countless blades. The other was a lion. The wolves led by the platinum lion roared.

The sword and the lion. The two clashed against each other.

○

The one fighting against Nikka was once again Gregour. Because both of them knew what each other had in hold in their hands, they didn´t want to fight each other. To begin with, Gregour was ordered by Gilberto (Willian) to not proactively attack and to fight from the afar after taking a good amount of distance. Even someone like Nikka didn´t want to attack the opponent that not only had the range, but also had the geographic advantage and lose soldiers unnecessarily because of that. The swift assault she was so good at was sealed off.

In result, the battle turned into a stalemate. The commanders of both armies muttered:

“””I´m bored.”””

It seemed that the day was going to end with neither being able to draw their blades even once.

○

Anzerm was defending the position Gilberto had been defending until now. The enemy troops hadn´t been able to go through to his position. Because of that, there weren´t many things for Anzerm to do. Even so, there was no way he could leave his post, so he did everything he could do.

“Carefully fill it in with earth. The construction of this wall will decide our future.”(TL note:Not sure about this part  ->土は丁寧に盛れ<-)

The fortification of their base. Back then, both Gilberto and Anzerm were relatively unconcerned with that. After all, there has never been a time a high ranking officer like him had done this sort of carpenter job. With that said, it wasn´t like this had never happened before in the world. The superpower of Garias treated this as a necessary ability, thus making it one of their strengths.

“Garias is constantly reforming itself. Even in the military, there are many points in which we can take them as an example.”

Until half a century ago, the kingdom of Garias wasn´t a country that stood out among the seven kingdoms. However, just after ten years since the enthronement of the reformist king, Garias turned into the greatest country of the seven kingdoms. Since then, it kept its standing as a superpower.

Honor and social status were the norm for the seven kingdoms. Tradition held great importance. Despite being among them, Garias was able to abandon those traditions. Because of that, they were able to act with rationality without having to be picky about their decisions. That was the case for the government, for the commerce, and also for the military.

The soldiers that were born from this ideology would engage carpentry. There wouldn´t be the need to hire workforce if the soldiers themselves were capable of doing the job right at the place. They didn´t have the spare time to be hiring them either. Time and money were interconnected. That was an important point especially in war. Seconds and minutes decided life and death.

“The cause of our defeat yesterday was the naivete in not fortifying the headquarters. The carelessness due to the belief they wouldn´t be able to get past created this gap. I must not spare any efforts. We won´t have a second chance after all.”

The one to have shown Anzerm this method of fortification was Willian. That was Garias´ forte; it was the point Garias most excelled at from the other seven kingdoms. They didn´t have the leisure to not be copying them. Gregour and Gilberto made an ugly face when they were told about that. However, the complete control of the battlefield had already been given to Willian. They could only yield.

“”Willian´s strategy isn´t one that can be considered reputable. Instead, it is an uncouth and simple measure. This plan is the embodiment of methodicalness.  …There is no plan that accomplishes such more than this one.””

Willian´s current strategy wasn´t ingenious. There were some parts that strayed from the theory on the part about not attacking the enemy and completely focusing on defense. But even so, it still wasn´t to the extent it could be considered elaborate. The point about focusing on the usage of range didn´t make it an innovative plan either. Using the advantage of the terrain wasn´t brilliant, but the basic. However, it was because the army was properly pulling it off in coordination that they were strong now.

It was called 王道 because it was strong. (TL note: -.- Urgh… This word is being used so many times… This time it is simply impossible to translate. The meaning is sort of like: The easier way, the practical way)

The black wolf´s group should have felt it themselves. They should have felt this王道 becoming of Willian, who knew of every sort of 王道, the 王道 formed by the foundations of a multitude of military strategies of the many countries of the world he studied. Its foundations were firm, its elements were elegant; before the ultimate 王道, clever plans had no meaning. (TL note: I gave up ^^)

“”Indeed… It is strong.””

Anzerm deeply sniffed the smell in his hands. With a slightly flushed face…

“Ah, how wonderful.”

He let out a praise. Nobody but Anzerm himself knew who he was directing that to, or the reason why.

Although this was a construction work he wasn´t used to, he made complete use of his inherent commanding power and all-purposeness. By the time the sunset came, he had completed the fortifications, and was hit by a bountiful sense of gratification.