༺ The Return (4) ༻
Every time the horses’ hooves struck the ground, the earth seemed to tremble.
The vibrations were felt even from afar, making it feel as if there was a group of giants running from a great distance.
Cavalrymen in shining white armor relentlessly charged forward while waving the Empire’s flag.
These were the elite cavalry of the Imperial Army, the proud White Dragon Knights. Each personnel, both rider and their horse, were donned in heavy armor.
“Hiyah! Haah!”
“Charge!”
Sharp lances pierced the bodies of the undead, followed by heavy hooves that trampled the rotting corpses.
From the infantry’s perspective, the trained cavalry’s assault was like an unstoppable natural disaster. The group of undead, struck directly in the rear by their relentless spear charge, were reduced to pieces of meat.
At the forefront of this formation, an imposing, dignified veteran of the Imperial Army could be seen.
“Don’t lose your speed! Keep this speed while we advance to the city!”
“Yes, Commander!”
“Anyone who falls behind will die! We have to rescue my granddaughter, even if it’s at the cost of your lives!”
“C-Commander?! R-Rescuing Her Highness the Princess is our top priority, please don’t forget that!”
“Enough! Shut it! She’ll be together with my granddaughter anyway!”
“Commander, you are too far ahead! P-Please slow down a little, Commander—!”
“Charge, White Dragon Knights! Chaaarge!!”
Ignoring the protests of his adjutant, Marquis Kalshtein grabbed the reins in his left hand before raising his lance high with his right, spurring his horse to go faster.
Despite his position as the Imperial Army’s Commander-in-Chief, the Dragon Marshal looked really aggressive. This was because he became the highest-ranking officer by circumstance rather than anything (others who were qualified for it had either perished or resigned due to their blunders). In truth, he was more renowned as a Field Marshal than a Commander. His strength as a late-stage Master only solidified his reputation.
Though it might seem like he was only charging in recklessly without much thinking, if one were to pay a little bit more attention, it was clear that he had cleverly exploited the element of a surprise attack, as he charged at the horde of the undead from their rears. The rotten corpses were unable to put up even the slightest resistance and were swept away. If they had positioned some knightly units like Death Knights, Doom Knight, or even shield-bearing infantry at their flank, they wouldn’t have been so easily overwhelmed by this surprise attack.
This was such a brilliant display from the Marquis. He was able to identify and exploit the enemy’s weakest point in such a short time. Now that the White Dragon Knights had begun their charge, just like other heavy cavalry units, if they were to lose their momentum, they would be finished, so there wasn’t much else to do other than telling his unit to keep charging forward.
Especially given that his beloved granddaughter was in great peril, it wasn’t hard to believe that the Marquis would toss aside any semblance of a commander’s dignity and lead the charge itself. It was a risky— no, it was a life-threatening move, at least that was what his adjutant thought.
The Immortal Corps Commander had also noticed the unexpected turn of events. If things were to continue this way, his army would collapse. But, he couldn’t just intervene directly because he was still occupied with his spellcasting. He wasn’t without options, though.
Some of the elite undead forces surrounding the Immortal Corps Commander turned their heads. These included the Hell Commanders, the Doom Knights, the Arc Banshees— they were the elite of the elite, made up of the highest-ranking undead. And these guys were strong enough to change the course of the charge and block its path.
Now, if they were to succeed in blocking the charge, the White Dragon Knights would lose their momentum and be surrounded by the swarming undead. If that were to happen, there was a chance that they’d be annihilated on the spot.
However, even upon seeing the elite undead forces blocking his way, Marquis Kalshtein’s expression didn’t change. It was unclear whether he planned to use his unit’s mobility to push through or if he had some other aces up his sleeve, but what was certain was that he didn’t have any intention of changing his direction or slowing his speed down.
Just as the Imperial Army and the elite undead forces were about to clash.
Dozens of knights drew their swords and leaped from their horses.
Each of their swords shimmered with an aura that glowed like starlight.
“For the glory of the Empire!”
“For Her Highness the Princess!”
The Knights engaged in fierce combat with the elite group of undeads while their white cloaks fluttered.
These were members of the Imperial Guard, the Empire’s strongest military force where each member was a Master Class.
While the Imperial Guard faced the elite undead, Marquis Kalshtein’s White Dragon Knights effortlessly maneuvered through them and entered the city gates via the shortest route they found.
“T-The Imperial Army is here! The Imperial Army has come!”
“That flag…it’s the White Dragon Knights!”
“Uwaa! We’re saved now!!”
The people inside the city cheered in unison at the arrival of the reinforcements, who had broken through the battlefield with unstoppable force.
Even during their times of hardship, their cheers could still be heard here and there, but this time it was on a different level. The weight of the Imperial Army’s presence was different than that of the mysterious hero, Malevolent Star, as the latter was treated as a legend due to the Imperial Household’s strict control of information. To them, the two words, ‘Imperial Army’ brought a sense of powerful assurance. Also, the stability offered by a group, as opposed to an individual, made the cheers even more enthusiastic than before.
Eon was familiar with this scene, as he had experienced it more than dozens of times. In fact, the joy of unexpectedly meeting a familiar face in such a situation was greater than any emotion he felt for the scene..
Marquis Kalshtein pulled on the reins to stop his horse and spoke with a hearty laugh.
“Eon! Tell me, I haven’t arrived too late, have I?”
“…Just in time.”
The timing was almost too perfect.
A subtle smile appeared on his lips, but it was hidden by his helmet.
“So, where is my Dear Marian, whom I entrusted to your care? If even a single strand of her hair is harmed, I’ll—”
“Grandfather—!”
“Ohh…ohh! My beloved granddaughter! Marian! You are safe!”
At their long-awaited reunion, Marquis Kalshtein embraced her with joy.
Sadly, he had forgotten that his armor was covered in the rotten blood and flesh of undead from his previous charge through the battlefield. Marian’s expression instantly soured because of this, but she couldn’t bring herself to push away her grandfather, who was crying tears of joy at the moment. So, she had no choice but to suppress her disgust.
“How on earth did you manage to get here? They said that the bridge collapsed and reinforcements would be delayed…”
“It did! That’s why we crossed through the monsters’ domain instead! It was quite the ordeal! Almost died two or three times myself, haha!”
For the longest time, Shubaltsheim served as both the frontline and an outpost bordering the Kingdom of Ionia. Apart from the bridge connecting it to the Imperial Mainland, it was surrounded by Ionia’s territory, which now had been occupied by monsters.
.
Even for the Imperial Army led by the ‘Dragon’s Marshal’ himself, breaking through such an area to get to Shubalstheim would still require a demanding march. All the more so when they had to race against time.
In fact, they had lost more than 20% of their forces from the march. Without the Imperial Guard, the army wouldn’t be able to finish their march in the first place. It was the Imperial Guard who had to take the frontline, taking on most of the formidable enemies and minimizing the number of the casualties of the White Dragon Knights.
Marquis Kalshtein himself didn’t expect their participation. After all, the Imperial Guard was famously known for their slow response in regards to deployment.
Even in the last great war, they had only focused on defending the capital, insisting that they had to protect the Emperor and his family. When they did participate, they only mostly did that to support the hero, Wilhelm.
But the Marquis knew that their sudden change of heart wasn’t because they wanted to turn over a new leaf or anything. He suspected that it was a calculated move under someone’s command.
“Um…”
Marquis Kalshtein’s gaze turned towards Elizabeth.
Elizabeth, anticipating his arrival, gracefully exchanged eye contact with him.
As the Imperial Army Commander, Marquis Kalshtein had the privilege to forgo any formalities with the Imperial Family during wartime. Yet, he still showed his respect to Elizabeth, responding to her with a firm nod.
While she might not have been directly involved with it, the Marquis believed that the fact they could arrive at this place without delay was mostly due to the Princess’ merit.
After ending his brief reunion with his granddaughter, the Marquis mounted his warhorse. Then, he swung his heavy cavalry lance effortlessly, as if it was a long branch, and slung it over his shoulder.
“How long has it been since I stood alongside you in the battlefield like this? Am I the only one who’s feeling pleased about it?”
“When the war is over, I thought I would never stand on a battlefield again.”
“What a strange thing to say. Look ahead of you. If this isn’t a battlefield, then what is?”
Behind them, there were citizens they needed to protect. While in front of them, there were an innumerable horde of undead.
Yet, their own forces, despite being the elite of the elite, numbered only ten thousands at best.
If it was a surprise attack, they would probably triumph, but in a head-to-head battle, defeat seemed inevitable.
Though they had arrived, bringing great momentum, they still hadn’t gotten out of the desperate situation.
Despite that, the two heroes, who had led the last war to victory…
The Malevolent Star and the Dragon’s Marshal, casually conversed, as if this was an everyday matter.
“As always, I’ll leave it to your judgment.”
“Understood, General.”
“Ha! You’re still calling me General? It’s been ages since I was in that position! Charge!”
The Imperial Army, led by the Dragon’s Marshal, took the lead in blocking the undead’s advance.
No matter how good the adventurers might be at monster hunting, they still couldn’t outperform a trained army in large-scale warfare.
Under the Dragon’s Marshall command, the Imperial Army solidified their defensive stance. This robust defense line was expected to withstand the onslaught of the overwhelmingly large undead forces for a considerable time.
With this, there was nothing standing in Eon’s way anymore.
He fixed his cold eyes on the Immortal Corps Commander.
Finally, it was time to see the end of this battle.
