Fun Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord (Novel) - Chapter 98 - War 2 - Movements on the Yerinetta Side

Chapter 98 – War 2 – Movements on the Yerinetta Side

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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With the dragon’s appearance, the enemy army instantly changed formation and began dealing with it.

But even calling it dealing with it, their movements looked like nothing more than blindly trying to take distance from the dragon.
Deliberately using powerful mages as decoys, the soldiers were only showing the form of an encirclement.

“Well, with that as the opponent, it cannot be helped.”

As I said that, I deepened my smile before the scene spread out below my eyes.

That dragon only became subject to puppet magic after we used large quantities of black spheres to dull its movements and only after binding its limbs with great chains.

We expended abnormal funds and human losses, and furthermore an enormous amount of time.
If it had not been usable after all that, it would have been a terrible loss.

However, judging from the current battlefield, it is producing tremendous results.
That group of mages controlling those horses are without question members of the Ventury Knight Order.
They are unsparingly firing the powerful magic that destroyed the city gate in an instant at the dragon, yet the dragon has taken almost no damage.

If anything, they are the ones being driven into a corner and needing support from other mages.

“If all had gone well, I would have wanted to commit the wyverns here and settle it all at once, but…
we cannot be careless.”

If the enemy were as they had been in the past, our army, having obtained new strength, should have won in overwhelming fashion.

But in the previous battle, things took an unexpected turn. As a result, we completed the seizure of Scudetto, the key position, as planned, but the losses in strength greatly exceeded what we had anticipated.

Because of that, we ended up sending fast horses to the reinforcements who were supposed to be accepted in sequence and begging them to replenish our strength.

Putting aside the main force for the royal-capital invasion led by my elder brother, if the other two armies were to seize their objectives without injury, my evaluation would drop dramatically.

“And all of that is because of that mysterious group… How hateful!”

I shouted and turned around.

Behind me stood Vice Commander Freitliner, looking at me with a stiff expression.

Though he is my younger brother, he is a timid man. Despite having already gone to war many times, even now he does nothing but support me and my other younger brothers. With the sword as with magic, his ability is low, so perhaps it cannot be helped.

“…Freitliner. From this point we will split the troops and move. You will attack from the right-hand side using the infantry. Use black spheres to keep them in check and guide them toward the dragon. I will guide them from the left-hand side with the cavalry.”

When I gave those orders, Freitliner put on an ambiguous smile and bowed his head several times.

“A-As expected of Brother Bashes. So the dragon in the center and explosions from black spheres on both sides, right? And in the end, with the wyverns?”

He replied in that way with a face and voice dripping with flattery.

I clicked my tongue in irritation at that spineless face that showed no pride or resolve as royalty.

“Fool. Have you already forgotten the previous battle? At that time, the wyverns were killed without distinction, whether they were waiting on top of the wall or flying in the sky. Those on the ground had their necks cut, and those flying in the sky were killed when their torsos were pierced through by something like spears.”

“T-Then, that means we are not using them? Even though they were replenished…”

“Dragons and wyverns are precious, you know. If we lose any more, it will become a serious blunder. Their place to be used is limited to the time when we bring down the royal capital. We will preserve our strength until that final decisive battle, and at the very end, during the invasion of the royal capital, we will burn everything away with overwhelming force.”

When I explained part of my operation, Freitliner blinked, and only then seemed to understand and began clapping.

“I see. As expected of Brother Bashes. Then in this phase, simply driving them back will be enough?”

“Do not say something so foolish. Their formation is spread that wide because they fear the dragon, you know. If we encircle them and devour the thin points, we can easily achieve a complete victory. At minimum, we will take Marquis Fertio’s head. And in the pursuit after that, we will crush more than half of them.”

“I-I see.”

As if he did not understand, Freitliner gave an unenthusiastic reply.

I snorted at that and turned on my heel.

“That is enough! You only need move as I say! If you understand, then run now and lead the troops!”

When I shouted, Freitliner hurriedly ran off.

On the other hand, Freitliner watched Bashes start moving with the cavalry with cool eyes, then looked over the soldiers under his own command.

“…Now then, we are moving too. If things become dangerous, use the black spheres by your own judgment… Advance!”

When he raised his voice, the soldiers cried out in excitement and began marching.

Watching the allied soldiers advancing in high spirits, Freitliner quietly let out a sigh.

“Everyone is getting far too excited over a new toy. Nothing but fools.”

Muttering that in a fed-up tone, Freitliner shrugged and mounted his horse.

When Freitliner left Scudetto and turned his eyes toward the battlefield, the Scuderia army was desperately keeping the dragon in check at the center and unleashing magic upon it without reserve.

“Certainly, in battles up to now this would have been a perfect chance, but… the enemy’s main camp farther back, which still does not move at all even in this state, is ominous. Both of the enemy’s new weapons were weapons that raised destructive power by narrowing down the target. It may be better to spread out.”

Muttering in his mouth, Freitliner glanced sideways at the officers.

“If we are using black spheres, there is no meaning in a dense formation. Split into small groups centered on the captains of ten and corner the enemy. However, do not drive them too hard. The opposite side will surely drive them with full force without thinking. If so, the enemy’s counterattack will not come here. Let us watch the situation at first.”

When he said that, the officers looked at one another with dissatisfied faces.

“I judge this to be a perfect opportunity to deal the enemy a great blow…”

When a middle-aged knight said that representatively, Freitliner nodded with a wry smile.

“I understand the feeling that makes you judge it that way. However, if we consider those two points, one, that the enemy brought out new weapons in the previous battle, and two, that they are committing that many four-element mages, who until now would have been the key of their strategy, I do not think this ends with us overwhelming them just like this, do you?”

At Freitliner, who explained his thinking simply, the middle-aged knight groaned with a difficult face.

“Hmm… that is certainly true, but it also feels that this time the situation is different. After all, before that dragon, even if it is the enemy’s new weapon…”

“That is wishful thinking. If the new weapon has absolutely no effect on the dragon, then what would they do? If I were in the same position, I would withdraw to a place where I could fight on terrain that could neutralize the dragon. Because if they commit all their mages against the dragon, it is obvious they will lose the war. After that, it would become nothing but an escape drama while receiving pursuit. They would not fight in such a foolish way, would they?”

“Mmm… that is, certainly, a persuasive line of thought.”

The knight thought for several seconds, then immediately reached a conclusion. Turning around, he shouted in a loud voice.

“These are Lord Freitliner’s orders! Split the companies into small groups centered on the captains of ten and encircle the enemy army! However, do not push too far ahead, and drive them slowly and carefully!”

“Sir!”

At those orders, the veteran knights moved at once. Seeing that, Freitliner let out a relieved breath and guided his horse so as to move away from the battlefield.

“After this, it is only a matter of the timing to press and the timing to pull. Now then, what will happen…?”

Freitliner narrowed his eyes and murmured that.

Then, as if taking that as a signal, a change occurred on the battlefield.

The Yerinetta army encircled the Scuderia army as if pinching it from both sides and gradually tightened the encirclement.

The Scuderia army, driven so as to be pushed toward the dragon, quickly began moving so as to separate from Scudetto.

Drawn by that, the dragon’s head also turned toward the side opposite Scudetto, toward Scuderia’s main camp.

The next instant, a fierce scream rang out as if tearing through the battlefield. It came from the dragon.

Blood sprayed from both its eyes, and as it raised its face and roared in pain, an additional attack was delivered.

Slight bleeding could be seen from its neck, chest, and belly, and the dragon toppled sideways and thrashed on the ground.

Then red flames leaked from around its mouth. The direction it faced was toward Scudetto.

“Get down!”

Someone’s shout rang out, and Freitliner immediately got down from his horse and crouched on the ground.

The next instant, red flames like magma burst from the dragon’s mouth and blew away two tenths of Scudetto’s wall. Watching the unlucky soldiers on the straight line get burned black and die, Freitliner clicked his tongue.

“We lose! We are running!”

Freitliner made that decision without hesitation and moved to restrain his panicking horse.