Chapter 145 - The Season of Hunting
What are these guys?
Finn blinked.
She recalled the previous battle, the one before they came to the battlefield, when she fought alongside Enkrid and someone named Toris or Tholos— a border guard.
It had been intense.
Fierce.
She had given it everything she had.
Barely managing to survive.
'If these guys had been there, it would've been a breeze, wouldn't it?'
It seemed likely.
The three men in chainmail were experts in combat.
They all used blunt weapons—one wielded a hammer, another a morning star, and the last one held a long pole with a steel ball on the end.
They were all tough opponents.
What stood out most was that despite their heavy armor, they moved with incredible speed.
'If it were me.'
She would have had difficulty handling even one of them.
They were the opposite of her style.
With such armor, even if she got close and tried to stab with a dagger, they could likely withstand it.
Judging by how thick the gambeson underneath the chainmail was, it would probably take a lot more than just pushing a short sword in.
Would they even leave any openings?
Even if there were openings, what then?
Would he just stand there while someone else took a swing?
The hammer or morning star would probably come down on her head.
A blow to the head, and she'd be done for.
She didn't have much confidence.
Yet, the three enemies were being toyed with by her allies.
"Brother, it's time to go."
The zealot soldier, more devoted than most priests, stepped up to the soldier with the morning star.
He closed the distance and delivered a punch to the man's head.
'Wasn't he supposed to be a master of the Valaf-style martial arts?'
He didn't show any signs of that.
The zealot soldier simply overwhelmed his opponent with brute force.
The morning star wielder swung his weapon as he was punched, hitting the zealot soldier's arm.
Despite not wearing armor, the zealot soldier's arm showed no sign of injury.
It looked perfectly fine from the outside at least.
Thud.
Even as the blow landed, the zealot soldier didn't budge.
No groan of pain.
He just said his piece and did what he had to do.
"Go. To the Lord's side."
The soldier who was hit with the punch stumbled.
Then, with his left foot as a pivot, the zealot soldier's body twisted.
The sight seemed to form a small vortex around his large frame.
His leg extended outward as he rotated his waist and hips, perfectly aligning his upper body with his movements.
A high kick.
The foot collided with the enemy's head.
Thud!
The soldier's eyes bulged out.
Even though the blow hit his helmet, the pressure from the strike was too much for him to handle.
'Wow, damn.'
Finn couldn't close her mouth.
The other two were similarly astonished.
The madman wielding an axe, still fuming, let out a laugh.
"What, you think you won't die just because you're wearing that?"
His opponent was the one holding the long staff.
The mace with the iron end came down, but the madman avoided the iron ball, reaching for the staff's lower portion with his palm.
He then yanked the weapon toward him and swung his axe in one fluid motion.
It was incredibly fast.
The flying axe struck the enemy's abdomen.
Thud!
It sounded like a leather drum being struck.
Clang!
The axe blade sliced through the chainmail armor.
The waist section of the armor broke open, and blood sprayed.
But that wasn't the end.
The madman soldier spun his body, bringing the axe back to the same spot.
Smash!
The second swing of the axe tore through the gap in the broken chainmail, slicing deep into the enemy's side.
"Grrk!"
It was no surprise when the soldier died.
His insides spilled out, splattering blood across the ground.
He collapsed to his knees, lifeless.
The blonde soldier with the red eyes, who had mostly been slacking off, now seemed more enthusiastic than ever.
Clang!
Clang!
He blocked two powerful mace swings with his sword, deflecting them and then thrusting his blade in a smooth, natural motion, as though it was meant to pierce the enemy's stomach.
The sword pierced halfway through the chainmail and continued to rip through the enemy's cloth armor.
He thrust the sword with such strength that the opponent tried to swing his mace down on him.
It was a vertical strike from above, an invisible square of danger.
Just before the mace could crush his skull, the lazy soldier released his sword from the enemy's body and drew another sword from his waist.
Thud.
He swung it upward, knocking the mace aside with a speed and decisiveness that Finn could barely follow.
'How good are these guys at fighting?'
With the mace sent flying, his sword struck the enemy's helmet.
Not the edge, but the flat side of the blade.
Bang!
The soldier who had been hit lost his grip on the mace, clutching his head and stumbling, losing his balance and falling.
The lazy soldier then slowly walked over to him, stood in front of him, and pushed the sword deeper into the enemy's stomach.
"Don't, don't do it."
The soldier's body jerked as the sword pushed further.
The horror and shock were palpable.
The sword was driven deep into the enemy's body, and the soldier fell limp as it impaled him to the ground.
The mace-wielding soldier, now without his weapon and holding only a shield, tried to hold onto the sword embedded in his body, but he couldn't stop it.
He cried out as he died.
While this was happening, the rest of the enemy soldiers, who had been watching, were in disbelief.
Half of them were already dead.
The cause of death was decapitation.
Somehow, one soldier had snuck up behind and decapitated a dazed enemy with a dagger.
'When did that happen?'
With all the surprise and disbelief, Finn opened her mouth.
"Isn't this too easy?"
Krais was right next to them.
His wide eyes blinked as he spoke.
"Indeed."
Krais was inwardly trying to calm himself down.
Why was I so anxious?
They fought well, after all.
The Madmen Squad fought much better than expected.
Looking at it from Enkrid's perspective, they had exceeded all expectations.
A new question arose in his mind.
How well do knights fight, exactly?
And then, he silently praised the one who first gathered them into a single unit.
"No, the person who sent the squad leader here is the best. That was the right call."
Normally, these soldiers might have become part of a large-scale explosion within the main force, but now, under Enkrid's leadership, they were united.
"Let's set the fire, Squad leader Andrew."
Krais spoke to Andrew, who had been assigned to protect him.
"Huh? What?"
Andrew looked just as surprised as Finn.
His expression darkened briefly before returning to normal.
Now, it almost seemed like he felt relief.
"Let's start a fire. If we hold out here any longer, the enemy's main force will arrive. Are you ready to deal with that?"
No, that wouldn't work.
It couldn't be.
"Let's move."
Mac, Andrew, and Finn began striking flints.
Among their supplies was a pile of hay meant for the horses.
Perfect dry grass to start a fire.
"Hurry."
Krais urged them.
There was no need to ask why.
"Damn it, it's a monster!"
"Save me!"
They didn't kill every enemy soldier.
As soon as their forces were close to being annihilated, their side pulled back.
After all, there was no point in chasing them down only to kill them all.
"Let them go."
It was Enkrid who made the call before Krais.
"Understood."
Rem's response was clear evidence that they would follow Enkrid's orders.
As he watched the squad set the fire, Enkrid spoke up.
"I think It's my destiny to set fires."
What is this nonsense?
Did he get hit on the head during the fight earlier?
"What?"
"No, I'm just saying. Let's go."
The fire ignited in one of the traps the enemy had set.
It was spring, so they probably didn't need such a big bonfire.
It was just fire.
A blazing fire.
The flames roared, announcing their presence.
Enkrid and the Madmen Squad moved out like the wind.
Finn, who was guiding them out, told them that from now on, they only needed to move in a straight line, then went to stay near Audin.
"Hey, what was your name again?"
"It's Audin. Sister."
"Right? Maybe I can get some lessons from you later?"
Finn seemed to have developed a strange competitive spirit.
Her eyes scanned Audin's arm, but there were no signs of any scratches.
This wasn't related to Valaf-style martial arts.
Finn's eyes were a curious mixture of intrigue and competitiveness.
Enkrid didn't care what the two of them were doing.
Instead, he began his usual walking training.
"You couldn't use my sense of evasion. It's a matter of skill."
He had heard Jaxen's words and was reflecting on them.
"You wanted to use two swords? Don't forget, when it feels more comfortable than using your own hands, that's when you'll be able to use them well."
There was also Ragna's evaluation.
"The first time you used the Heart of Monstrous Strength, that was… well done."
Unexpectedly, Rem had praised Enkrid's personal tactics.
Was it impressive?
Truthfully, Enkrid didn't care.
"Keep training. Brother, rolling is what matters."
It was just as Audin had said after glancing at Finn.
Enkrid also thought that rolling was what mattered—at least, that's how it was after they got through this.
He couldn't help but wonder how much longer they had to keep moving along this mountain ridge.
Maybe it was about time to pull out, he thought.
But, of course, there were still people they needed to meet.
Sure enough, two days after breaking the enemy's trap by force, the squad turned back toward the main force to avoid the enemy's persistent pursuit.
They had stopped to rest, chewing on dried jerky.
Bang!
An arrow pierced through the group, aimed precisely at Rem's head, but with beast-like reflexes, Rem dodged it.
In an instant, he twisted his body to the side.
He didn't manage to avoid it completely, and his earlobe was torn, blood splattering into the air.
With jerky still in his mouth, Rem grinned.
"Damn, it's that hawks ass or whatever again."
For some reason, Rem had seemed excited lately.
Enkrid examined the arrow stuck in the ground.
It was short and solid, different from the ones they had encountered before.
"Looks like he was serious this time. I couldn't detect them."
Ranger Finn spoke up.
The hawk squad, which had originally harassed their rear, had returned to track down the Madmen Squad on their hunt.
To be precise, it was the rear that had been targeted.
Of course, it was expected.
"Is this okay?"
Finn asked.
Enkrid nodded.
This was all part of Krais's plan, and Enkrid understood it.
From the beginning, the Madmen Squad's purpose and goal had been clear.
To draw attention and handle the aftermath.
Now, it was time for the cleanup.
As the Madmen Squad picked off enemy troops one by one, Marcus's main force had departed toward Cross Guard.
Could they conquer the city with just this force?
Impossible.
But, it was a potential concern.
Meanwhile, a guerrilla unit had struck the enemy rear and attracted attention.
***
Aspen had limited options.
Particularly the commander, his practical choices were quite restricted.
"The Cross Guard won't fall. But the shame of a city invasion will remain. Even if not now, we should send reinforcements for the next battle. You need to clear the remaining enemy forces at the detour route."
The commander of Aspen hesitated at the words of his advisor.
Several scenarios intertwined in his mind.
Attack the city?
With that force?
It won't fall. It can't.
But the fact that the Cross Guard was attacked will remain.
It was a strange matter of pride.
Having failed with giants and sorcery, he found himself cornered.
Would he remain as the commander who lost the front yard of the Duchy?
'No, that can't happen.'
Even if it doesn't fall, the fact that it was attacked will linger.
The reputation of the commander who lost the city will stick.
Would he bear that disgrace on his shoulders?
Or should he turn this into an opportunity?
It would be a lie if it weren't a difficult choice.
However, his thoughts were leaning heavily toward one side.
The Duchy had failed its prepared tactics.
Naurillia had dug deeper and expanded its territory.
If things remained as they were, the border between the two nations would shift.
'Can I just let that happen?'
What if he cleared the enemy forces at the detour and then held out against the remaining Naurillia forces?
If that happened, it might give him a chance to strike from behind at the detour.
Leaving the Cross Guard would be the worst move, a blunder among blunders.
Whoever the insane enemy commander was, he was taking a gamble here.
Really?
Even though the battlefield was already in their favor?
Then, could this not be called an opportunity?
By pulling out of the detour, he would open up space for his auxiliary forces to move.
"Ugh."
The commander, having a habit of letting out a breath through his teeth, spoke.
"Mobilize the fastest units and send them to the detour route."
The command fell with the sound of air whistling through his wide front teeth.
"Yes!"
Soon, the Duchy began to move.
The adjutant, however, felt a sense of foreboding.
'If this goes wrong...'
It wouldn't just be a change in the borderlines.
The adjutant missed Abnaier.
The greatest strategist born from Aspen, a man who, at a young age, had already made giants and others part of the military forces.
'What a waste, what a waste.'
Because of his background, he had never been given the proper recognition.
Of course, it was a futile thought.
To the adjutant, Abnaier was a genius.
He would handle his own affairs.
"Send some semi knights."
If Naurillia had the Red Cloak Knights, the Duchy had the Aspen Crown's Knights.
Aspen Crown Prince's Knights.Their name might be uninspiring, but their skill was unparalleled.
"Send two, no, three."
Perhaps the commander felt the same foreboding the adjutant did.
The quality of the forces heading for the detour increased.
The quantity, too.
If the "Hawks" at the rear dealt with pesky insects and the rest, including the three semi knights, advanced, it might become a decisive move to reverse the situation.
***
"Captain, do you understand the difference between a sniper and a hunter?"
It was after dodging an arrow that Rem spoke.
According to Krais's plan, it was the job to deal with every single pest.
In such a situation, they had used bait to lure the enemy.
The bait had been enough, with the pin leaving the proper trail.
"These guys are pretty sharp. We need to be careful."
Finn spoke, but even in the midst of that, Rem kept grinning.
Enkrid stared blankly at him and asked.
"Do I need to know?"
"Well, you don't have to, but I want to tell you."
Rem had a habit of being overly honest at times.
This was one of those times.
He was always talkative.
"A sniper shoots from afar, hitting targets from a distance. A hunter, on the other hand, is literally hunting."
So, what's the difference?
"Hunting is more fun than shooting arrows from far away. Especially axe hunting. It's incredible."
So, what does that mean?
As Enkrid rolled his eyes, Rem answered again.
"While I'm away, don't get hit by arrows and stay put. I'll be back."
"Where are you going?"
"To hunt, of course. If I got a gift, I need to return it."Rem spoke as he pulled the arrow stuck in the ground.
He tucked it into his waist and began walking toward the underbrush.
Should I just leave him be?
Yeah, it'll be fine.
If he wasn't confident, he wouldn't have stepped up.
The others...
"Jaxen?"
I asked, perhaps suggesting he join Rem for an ambush and double attack.
"No, thank you."
Well, that was firm.
Sure, that's fine.
Rem would do well alone.
I decided to trust that.
"We'll move in our own way, right?"
Rem, the hunter.
The Hawks are the prey.
Once again, the madmen squad would prey on the Talons.
Summer was more suited for hunting, but still, hunting could be enjoyed in the spring as well.
Even spring can be considered a season of hunting