***Arc 5 The One Who Obstructed, Chapter 104 Obsession With Honor***
A/N: *1 jou = 10 shaku: about 3 meters; How to read: 翠虎 (suiko; Green + Tiger)
――Gran Agrand respected his father.
Christand, the strongest in the kingdom, and his father was one of its corps commanders.
His father, who went through numerous battlefields as one of the hero's trusted companions, was more brave than anyone else and was truly a warrior.
‘Too slow! Do you think the enemy will just laugh and wait for you!!’
‘I'm sorry, Father.’
‘Don't apologize. If you have time to apologize, then point your spear instead!’
The training was harsh.
However, that severity was for himself when he went out to the battlefield someday.
It was with this in mind that he continued his effort.
Day in and day out, he practiced with his sword and spear.
He opened books to learn tactics.
As the eldest son of Kolkis Agrand, in order to become himself without shame.
Although he was not blessed with a good physique, he still strove for excellence.
He honed his skills and accumulated knowledge.
In order to win over his father someday, to be recognized.
‘...I want to take you to the next battle. Your mother says you are not ready, but I was on the battlefield when I was younger than you. I think you're smarter and more capable than I was back then. What do you think? I'll leave the decision to you.’
That's why he was more than happy to be recognized by his respected father.
Persuading his dissenting mother, Gran thus entered the battlefield.
He had no fear.
He was Agrand's successor.
He had put in the effort to match it and had built up the strength to do so.
All he had to obtain was an opportunity.
And the honor that only arises there——but Gran was swallowed by the atmosphere of the battlefield.
It was a battle with the Kingdom of Eldeland in the west.
It was when the Christand headed west as reinforcements for Aurugorn Hilkintos.
The terrain was a deep forest――if he had to make an excuse, it was that too many bad things happened.
He was the adjutant of the Fourth Battalion, in his father’s Second Corps.
Gran, who entered the battlefield in such a position, achieved passable results there.
Gran, who was recognized for his abilities, was then entrusted with a detached force of 500 soldiers and advanced through the forest.
It was a special attack unit with the purpose of bypassing the enemy's right flank, launching a surprise attack on the flank, and assisting the main force in breaking through the right flank.
It was a big responsibility, but the honor that would come with it was unparalleled.
Gran prepared carefully.
Just to be recognized by his father.
――The day he left, it was raining heavily.
Using all the knowledge he had accumulated up to that point, Gran cleared out the enemy sentry and moved forward in poor visibility.
There was a risk of going the wrong way, but the rain was drowning out the sound, and the visibility was just as bad as the enemy.
They reached the flank, albeit with quite a detour, and were making good progress up to the halfway point.
*‘Should I go further and aim at the rear, or should I launch a surprise attack from the flank?’*――That was what he was thinking while on a short break.
The one who attacked the unit was Suiko (written with Green + Tiger)――a magical beast.
A jaw that cuts through a person's torso together with its armor. Claws that tear through leather armor and break bones with ease.
Its shoulder height easily exceeded the height of a person, and its body length was more than two jou.
His strong body was strengthened with magical power, making him a being of a different dimension compared to a mere tiger.
It snapped trees and leapt about in all directions, easily taking the lives of soldiers along with their armor from overhead.
The black and green hair of its body blocked slashes like wires.
They were tigers mutated by magic power, just as some humans possess a large amount of magic power.
In addition to their original physical abilities, their magical power was even greater than that of humans.
The force and spring generated while they were using it were incomparable to humans.
――The unit naturally fell into chaos.
It was only after dozens of soldiers had been killed that he was informed that the opponent was Suiko.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
There were rumors that a Suiko would appear in the forest, but it was extremely rare to encounter a magical beast with a small population.
It can only be said that it’s bad luck that it appeared at the worst possible time.
In the worst visibility of the torrential rain, Gran was forced to make a decision.
Should he abandon the attacked century and fulfill his original goal?
Or should he give priority to saving them first?
And so, he chose the latter.
Unwilling to abandon his soldiers, Gran decides to move to hunt the Suiko.
With a difficult opponent and low visibility, Gran regained control.
However, what appeared there was an enemy detachment that seemed to be thinking of a detour as well.
Gran realized at that moment that he had failed completely and decided to retreat, retrieving the survivors.
He couldn't bring the Suiko to the main force, so he prioritized leaving the scene.
He spent a whole day wandering in the forest, and the Suiko attacked twice after that.
On the third attack, they succeeded in driving it away, but in the end, the number of casualties was close to 200.
About fifty men got lost along the way and were taken prisoner by the enemy.
With no support from Gran for the main force, the breakthrough on the right flank naturally had to be done by force.
While Kolkis succeeded in forcing his way through, he was angry with Gran when he returned.
The enemy's detachment――as Gran judged from his subordinate's report was not a detachment, but simply a reconnaissance platoon.
In the confusion, the soldiers had misidentified it.
The enemy was a force that the unit Gran had led would naturally have been able to destroy and break through.
‘A misidentification of enemy forces due to confusion? The visibility was poor due to the heavy rain? Is that your excuse?’
‘...I'm sorry, Father.’
Whatever the reason, the result was that there were no results.
Gran couldn't even defeat the Suiko, causing unnecessary damage and running away.
‘Haa, sorry is it? I think you've made enough excuses.’
‘Father――’
‘Shut up.…What you did was let a skilled soldier die in vain, and then you ran away from Suiko with your tail between your legs. That's it, right? And on top of that you came back when it was all over?’
‘N-no, however…’
‘Shut up!!’
――His father yelled as if howling.
‘You have nothing but excuses! Your powerlessness made you unable to abandon your troops to achieve your goal, and all you could do was run around causing more damage!’
The best result was to defeat Suiko and accomplish the surprise attack.
The next best result was abandoning the soldiers and accomplishing the objective.
The minimum was to defeat the Suiko to prevent an attack on the main force while they were on the run.
Kolkis was furious that Gran had been unable to accomplish anything.
Kolkis, who lost a lot of soldiers due to the unsupported frontal breakthrough, must have been frustrated.
‘...I misjudged you, Gran. I believed you could do it, entrusting it to you…bringing you along was a mistake.’
The words were spoken as if being wrung out.
At that moment, Gran felt that his father had abandoned him.
The Suiko that Gran failed to subdue was later hunted by Kolkis himself.
There were more than a dozen wounded, but they were all minor injuries, and no one died.
He only showed Gran the results, and his father said nothing to him.
――The front-line command was a heavy burden for Gran.
Kolkis told Bogan that, and Gran was then to work as Bogan's messenger, but he knew what he meant.
He implied that he was unfit to follow in his footsteps.
‘――It is not good to be cowardly. Isn't it said that Krische-sama easily killed more than a dozen thieves?’
And he was compared to Krische, who should be called a genius.
‘Selene and Krische succeeded in penetrating the mountains, killed a general adjutant and his aide, and captured an aide to the general alive. …How long will you continue to stay like that?’
Selene, a young lady who began to make her mark at a young age.
Kolkis compared Gran to the two of them.
‘The General Staff Department has a vacancy that the General has in mind――I'm thinking of having you go there soon. Either way, you're good with your head. Just the person the General seeks.’
‘Father, give me one more chance.....In the next battlefield, I'll be sure to――’
‘..... Stop. I've thought it over and made my decision. You are better suited to this than to wield the spear with the army. If you disagree with me, go out there and show me your results.’
Since that blunder, he had made more bloody efforts than ever before.
He spent every waking moment wielding his spear and sword.
However, those words were a sign of resignation towards Gran.
――Gran Agrand respected his father.
And as the successor of Kolkis Agrand, for him to be a son who wouldn’t bring shame, he
‘Gran, sorry to bother you at this time of night, but I need to talk to you.’
‘...Adjutant Caldera?’
It was around that time that he was approached by Salva.
“――Permission to pursue. If it's now."
“It's pointless. Naturally, the enemy is prepared for it.”
Dismissing Gran's words, Gildanstein took off his disguised messenger's armor and sat down on the seat of honor in the tent.
Night――Christand's army prepared to retreat from this place.
"Our soldiers are inferior in quality. They're a hodgepodge. If the sun is out, the number of soldiers can be deceived, but if it's a night battle, the difference will be noticeable."
"But they――"
"Gran, stop. Putting aside if it's a normal enemy, it's difficult to pursue the Christand army. It's not like you don't know how many enemies you've trapped with camouflaged retreats."
Salva interjected.
In today's battle, they were pushed by the enemy. The morale of the soldiers was not high.
Pursuing with exhausted and demoralized soldiers——It’s one thing if the opponent was an average opponent, but the risk was too great against the Kristand army.
If it was only 5,000 units that came as reinforcements, it would not be impossible to move them.
In that case, it may be possible to bite the enemy's buttocks, but this army corps was the trump card.
There was no sense in cutting the winning ticket here.
"Calm down a little. Don't lose your calm."
Salva looked at Gran.
Gran was excellent. He entrusted one corp not only as bait against Kolkis but also because he thought he had enough capability.
But he was still young, and there were still many aspects of him that were mentally immature.
"The enemy was stronger than expected, that's all."
“...Yes sir.”
Reading that Kristand would go on the offensive after learning of the reinforcements, today he used a plan that Gran had been working on for some time in order to lure Kolkis and take his head.
A mobile defense that deliberately opened holes in the defense and lured them in.
However, the enemy noticed it and it ended in failure, and Gran was desperate to make up for that mistake.
It was not Gran's fault. It was just that the enemy was better.
He would have done well enough against another army, and the camouflage itself was not bad, even from Salva's point of view, and the odds of success were good.
He may have succeeded with just one timing.
This way of taking failure too seriously was common among young people.
“Do you consider this an invitation, Your Highness?"
"... No. Retreating at this timing――despite them having the advantage. It's to buy time. Perhaps they realized that they were the true target."
"It's not impossible."
"Even so, that decisiveness is impressive... Bogan's daughter isn't too bad."
Gildanstein laughed, his beautiful face distorted.
He brushes back his golden hair.
"You and Gran, a former adjutant and a son. I thought Agrand and Melchikos would get hot headed and wanted to fight you two.”
It had all been thought out from the beginning.
That was the reason why Salva and Gran were placed here.
Kolkis, commander of the Second Corp, and Terrius, commander of the Third Corp, were two of the proudest commanders of the Christand army.
Disturb them and prompt their thoughts to a decisive battle.
Though Selene was a brilliant general, it hadn’t been long since she became a general, and at only 15, she was too young.
She wouldn’t be able to be independent in the presence of a seasoned corps commander.
Being swept away by the two men, who were naturally reluctant to flee, she would be forced into a head-on collision tomorrow morning.
This reinforcement was a corps of 5,000 selected elites.
He would lead an army that had readied all the cards they could muster, and by tomorrow the battle would be over.
That was the plan, but here the schedule went awry.
Selene's retreat was unexpected.
"They shouldn't be expecting that I’m here..."
There was no way she could have gotten word that Gildenstein was here.
They were putting even more effort into blocking messengers than usual this time.
Their messenger was forced to make a big detour――considering the time it was doubtful that they even had received the information that he had shown his face.
"... It's not a complete retreat after all. They just want to increase the distance and buy time for a head-on collision."
The enemy thought Gildanstein was in the South.
Considering the possibility that they were the target, they just needed to open up the distance.
The Christand army realized that if they retreated completely, a thorough delay tactic would be carried out in the south, and his army would ravage the rear.
The original purpose of the Christand army here――to prevent them from bypassing them and preventing them from disrupting the rear cannot be abandoned.
"It's troublesome to buy time. Tomorrow we will move before dawn."
"Yes sir. How do you plan to attack tomorrow?"
“If you think about which corps to defeat, the most troublesome is old ma Faren’s who was stationed in the center. He's an old man with one foot stuck in a coffin, but I'm sure he won’t hand over his head easily on the battlefield. If both sides take the same formation, there is also support from both wings, out. … In that respect, Agrand is easier to kill because he comes forward but――”
Gran reacted, but Gildanstein only gave a wry smile.
"However, his soldier. Even if we kill Agrand, they won't be crushed. Rather, it's highly likely that it will raise morale and cause trouble. It's a process of elimination."
"Then――"
"The Third Corp, we will kill Melchikos. Gran, I'll leave your father to you."
Gran gasped at those words and saluted.
"As for me, I want to finish it before the Cursed Child arrives. If it’s a monster, I know a few people who are capable enough to be called monsters and monstrosities, but that thing is a literal monster."
He held out his hands in exasperation and looked at Gran.
"I won't think about defense this time, I won't leave any reserves, I will just do my best to break through the Third Corps. Hit the 2nd Corps on your own. Torval, Giska, you guys too."
The other man on the left and the corps commander in the center also saluted.
"This battle is simple. Either my head falls off, or I kidnap the enemy princess. All you guys have to do is stick to the enemy. Nakirus, isn't it fun?"
"Hahaha, indeed."
Taller than Gildanstein, taller than even the large build Kolkis, at 7 shaku.
Arms like logs and a face like a rock.
With his beard growing messily, Nakirus Felizar was the kind of man who looked like a bandit.
“But I certainly wouldn't want to be on the other side of that thing. Even Walter Zagan couldn't buy us any time.”
“It's a painful loss”
The Dragon’s Maw――Krische’s surprise attack, which came running up the cliff.
At that place, there were high-ranking officers, including a famous centurion commander, battalion commander, and corps commander.
The ten or so men we lost when we killed Bogan――he considered this an unavoidable loss for the result, but the ones killed by Krische were still regrettable.
Walter was the one he trusted the most.
He was the heir to the Zain style of swordsmanship and the royal family's instructor in swordsmanship.
As a single swordsman, he did not seek advancement in the world, so he remained in the position of corps commander, but he was a powerful general.
If he had been here, he would have felt more secure.
However, it was a matter of perspective.
It was precisely because Walter was killed so easily that Gildanstein was able to immediately understand Krische’s ability and jump behind.
If you think about it, you can say it was a sacrifice that couldn't be helped.
"Well, it's no use regretting what is already over. Time only flows forward."
Gildanstein said, looking around.
“We'll get it all done before the sun goes down from its zenith. Fight with that in mind.”
――Christand took a course to the west, crossing Kielzaran.
As Gildanstein read, they just kept their distance.
It was not difficult to catch up with them, as they had advanced about forty ri (~16 km) to the west.
The reason was that Christand had set up camp on the spot and did not move, nor did they move any further distance.
As Gran looked at the enemy line, he thought of the face of the commander.
Golden hair――a beautiful young lady.
Selene Christand was born with everything.
Beauty, family background, and talent——something that could be called charisma.
She never backed down even against those older than her, and she had been ahead of the pack in tactical class since she was a child.
She took up the sword alongside the adults and stood up with tears in her eyes no matter how many times she was struck down.
She never became arrogant or conceited since birth.
As a woman, she was never spoiled, never giving up.
If only she was not a woman——she shoved aside the voices of those who said that and showed her ability.
She worked hard to become the successor to the General and had her achievements recognized by those around her.
Everyone admired her.
Gran was once one of them.
But at some point, he felt a dark emotion toward her as she continued to advance in front of him.
*‘Me too. If only I hadn't made that mistake, I would be like this――’*
He stood still and she moved forward.
At some point, the gap between the two would surely be so great that it would be impossible to close.
Even though he understood that it was just jealousy, it never went away, and it tortured him.
And so now she was in front of him as a General, leading an army.
The morale of the Christand army was high.
The General Serene Christand was the daughter of a hero, and as a young hero, she was loved by her soldiers more than anyone else.
Even after losing her father, she still had the strength of mind to pick up a sword and show herself on the battlefield with dignity, which was more than that of a 15-year-old girl, that's why her soldiers respected her.
A tragic heroine who lost her father.
And yet she stood up for herself.
That was a heroic tale there that the soldiers liked, and they valued that kind of story.
As fate guided her, the human heart was swallowed up in its flow.
――Such a story will never lead him, a traitor, forever.
Gran understood this and closed his eyes.
"Corps Commander, the deployment is ready."
"Understood. …The enemy will think about breaking through. That's what we will be aiming for."
His current self was the army commander of traitors.
The girl who was once at his feet, now he needed to look up to look at her, the difference was clear.
However, this was not the end of the story.
Traitor――he needed the results and the power to overthrow that word.
*‘I can do it.’*
*‘I will show them.’*
Gran clenched his fist and turned his gaze from the center of the enemy line to the front.
The coat of arms of Agrand, the shape of a tiger.
His father's flag was there.
Gran knew about Kolkis’s tactics more than anyone else.
It had strengths, weaknesses, everything. He had always admired all of it.
That's why he pointed the blade at his father――and that's how it all began.
Everything that had stopped inside him.
"Only move when the enemy has charged in. Tell everyone to wait for the signal."
“Yes sir.”
――This was the first step that came too late.
"Cavalry, I'll lead the way. Follow me when we move. ...Victory lies ahead that path."
To seize the honor that he lost again.
