Chapter 117 – Quagmire – The Knights Being Led by the Nose

Having ruled this land for so long, Seazack had an extremely detailed grasp of the terrain. This was especially true for the former Rugierlan territory.

On the other hand, Arloston had rarely left the Imperial Capital. Among the knights, there was not a single one from the western region.

With no guide to lead them, they continued their advance while keeping speed in mind, dispatching scouts to gather information.

From the residents of the villages and towns they had already liberated, they had confirmed that Seazack’s base was in the capital of the Rugierlan territory. Though they had become quite separated from the main force, they would likely be able to see their destination before long.

“Arloston-sama. According to the information, there’s another village ahead. Should we wait there for the rest of the forces to catch up…?”

The one making the suggestion was Bandred. Having once led the Silver Spear Knights, a heavy cavalry unit, he was also highly skilled in handling horses. For that reason, Arloston had placed him in command of the cavalry.

Roglain was marching at the rear, distributing food to the liberated villages, while Arloston and Bandred advanced ahead leading a force centered on light infantry and cavalry. In between, the troops led by Katzman and Raibarden filled the gap.

The vanguard numbered around eight thousand. They had pushed too far ahead in pursuit of a swift liberation, but it was also because the bandit families had yet to show themselves.

There had been no resistance to speak of, allowing Arloston to advance the army faster than expected. A quicker march also meant conserving food, so the speed itself was not a bad thing.

“Surely at the capital of Rugierlan, Seazack will have properly constructed defensive positions. The reason we haven’t seen any bandits until now is probably…”

“They’ve gathered their forces in one place, preparing for a decisive battle against us.”

Bandits who had run rampant across the western region were, without exception, sentenced to death. They themselves likely understood that their only choices were『fight and die, or fight and survive.』

That said, bandits were still bandits, not soldiers. Their level of training couldn’t compare to the elite Imperial troops. Even if they gathered in numbers, everyone was confident they could crush them.

“It’s also possible they’ve been intimidated by our advance and withdrawn further east…perhaps as far as the former Mardkrald territory. Whether we prioritize regrouping or continuing the advance can wait until the scouts report back.”

“Yes, sir…”

At that exact moment, the scouts returned with their report.

But what they brought was something entirely unexpected.

“In the village ahead, the Brenark knights were carrying out looting!”

“—!? W-What did you say…!?”

“That’s absurd!?”

“Could you have mistaken it!?”

“No, there’s no mistake! We confirmed their armor and the flags of the Brenark Kingdom! The moment they spotted us, they hurriedly fled…!”

“…………!?”

According to the scouts’ report, the looting had been utterly brutal. The villagers had been mercilessly slaughtered, and their homes destroyed.

Their numbers were fewer than a hundred, but that didn’t change the fact that they had been acting freely within Imperial territory.

“Damn them…! Damn you, Brenark…!”

“But how could Brenark have advanced ahead of us…?”

“You said they were fewer than a hundred, correct? Most likely scouts. Brenark’s discipline is lax and they’re unable to properly control their own forces.”

Rather than orders from Brenark’s commander, Jeigan, it was likely a group acting out of control. Even Arloston couldn’t deny that possibility.

Even so, there were still many puzzling points. But before he could think deeper on it, another scout arrived with new information at that very moment.

“Those Brenark knights who appeared to retreat… the moment they saw us return to report, they turned back again…! And now they’ve set the village on fire…!”

“What!?”

“Fire!?”

“Those bastards… are they trying to erase the evidence of their looting!?”

There was no time to hesitate. They had to rush to the village to extinguish the flames, and to hold those knights accountable, they needed to capture them.

If they wasted time, the fire would spread in an instant, and the knights would escape. Right now, action took priority over thought.

“Move out! We head to the village at once! Keep running until we reach it!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Arloston-sama! I’ll take the cavalry ahead!”

“Counting on you, Bandred!”

Bandred led two hundred cavalrymen and advanced ahead toward the village. With anger toward Brenark burning in their eyes, they galloped across the plains.

Yes…plains. Naturally, large towns are built in places where people can easily gather. Around the capital of the Rugierlan territory, there were abundant water sources and very little uneven terrain.

“I can see smoke…!”

Smoke was rising in the distance ahead. It was likely from the fire the Brenark knights had set in the village. At the moment when every member of the vanguard fixed their gaze on that smoke—

“Gah!?”

“Guh—!”

Suddenly, arrows rained down from the north. Because they were lightly armored, several men took direct hits.

“Arrows!? From where!?”

“Bandred-sama! O-Over there…!”

“—!?”

The plains offered clear visibility and made it easy for horses to run. But a perfectly flat plain was rare; there were always rises and dips, hills of varying size.

That unit had concealed themselves on a small hill, firing arrows from there into the flank of Bandred’s vanguard.

“That flag…!”

“Brenark’s…!”

Though they had lost the initiative to a surprise attack, the anger of Bandred and his men reached its peak.

Even if it was for the sake of reclaiming their territory from bandits, they had been forced to ally with a country they despised. It was infuriating enough that foreign soldiers were already roaming their land armed and unchecked.

And yet those same men had dared to loot, set villages on fire, and now even fire arrows at them.

At this point, there was no one who could suppress Bandred and his men’s fury. Not even Arloston.

“Five riders, report to Arloston-sama! One hundred, head to the village ahead and carry out rescue and firefighting! The rest, follow me! We hunt down these bandits!”

“Ooooooh!!”

And so, right before reaching Seazack’s stronghold, the western liberation campaign descended into a quagmire.

■

“Hahaha! Who’d expect it to go this smoothly, huh!?”

“Truly vile.”

“The hell are you saying, Goya! If they can’t even keep their pace in sync and still get cocky over numbers, of course they’re gonna get tripped up!”

It had already been five days since the knight order led by Arloston invaded the Rugierlan territory.

At present, he had moved his forces northwest from Rugierlan, where the battle against the Brenark knights had begun.

Seazack’s plan was extremely simple. First, he handed out the Brenark knights’ equipment and flags, spoils from past battles, to his family.

They donned the armor, raised the flags, and boldly disguised themselves as Brenark knights, then began looting in villages where Arloston’s forces could detect them.

At the same time, to cloud their judgment, they set fire to the villages and even launched preemptive strikes on the advancing vanguard.

“Well, considering he’s that so-called commander of the knights, he probably felt something was off the moment he heard he was under attack…”

Under normal circumstances, Arloston would have realized something was wrong. Even if an alliance was only temporary, it would be strange for them to suddenly attack.

Even if a small group had gone rogue and committed looting, openly raising their flag would still be suspicious. If they were doing something shameful, they’d try to hide their identity.

But when the situation traps you, it’s hard to maintain that calm reasoning at all times.

In reality, Arloston had been considering various possibilities at the time. Was it the act of a rogue faction of Brenark knights or had Jeigan planned to betray them from the start?

If he had more time, he might have gathered proper information and arrived at the correct answer.

But the fires set in the villages had to be extinguished, and the Brenark forces had to be pursued. There was no time to wait for reinforcements.

And so, without being able to gather sufficient information, Arloston decided to pursue the fleeing Brenark forces. He believed he needed to obtain proof first.

More than anything, even Arloston himself could not restrain the knights, who were already consumed by rage.

No, Arloston himself had felt anger as well. No matter what, he intended to capture those who appeared to be Brenark knights and use them to condemn Jeigan and the Kingdom.

As for the bandits disguised as Brenark knights, Arloston and his men judged them to be a Brenark reconnaissance unit.

Those bandits continued fleeing toward the northwest. And what lay ahead of them was the town where Jeigan and his forces were staying.

Then, the Imperial knights who had been pursuing them witnessed it. Jeigan and his forces were carrying out brutal looting, repeatedly slaughtering, piling up valuables, burning fields, and even scattering salt over them.

“Even if Arloston had his doubts, once he sees with his own eyes the Brenark bastards looting like that, the rest is easy.”

“A clash between both armies, then.”

“Damn right! Brenark won’t have any choice but to face the enraged Imperial army! They’ve got way too much on their conscience!”

Of course, they still had to carry out the subjugation of Seazack…but aside from the Merkus River, Arloston had not directly fought the bandits. Everywhere he went, the families had already abandoned the villages and towns.

Arloston believed that『Seazack must be consolidating his forces for a decisive battle.』After all, they were merely a band of outlaws, not a disciplined army. He assumed many would flee.

In other words, from Arloston’s perspective, he already had an explanation for why they hadn’t encountered Seazack’s forces despite continuing their advance, so he felt no particular suspicion about it.

And that being the case, the Brenark forces became a more immediate concern than the bandits, who showed no signs of making a last stand. If he continued forward and engaged Seazack, the risk of being struck from behind by traitors was something he could not ignore.

From Arloston’s perspective, the priority became clear: first, annihilate the Brenark forces that were ravaging his own country, then deal with Seazack afterward.

Securing control over the Merkus River had also played a major role, as it gave him a foothold in the western region.

Within Arloston’s mind, cooperation from Brenark was no longer essential for taking down Seazack.

“So that knight commander really is a capable leader, huh. Makes it all the more fun how cleanly he’s been led right into this trap!”

“Precisely because he’s competent, his way of thinking becomes easier to predict.”

“Exactly! At this point, it doesn’t even matter whether the ones who set the village on fire were real Brenark knights or not. He’s seen them looting with his own eyes. Those Imperial knights must be furious as hell right now!”

That’s right. The situation had already advanced to the point where the identity of whoever set the fires no longer mattered. From the very beginning, Seazack’s goal had been to lead both armies into this exact situation.

To prevent further plundering, the enraged Imperial knights under Arloston would inevitably clash with Brenark. All while believing that Seazack and his bandits were fleeing in fear.

At this very moment, Seazack’s existence had completely vanished from Arloston’s mind. A blind spot had been created.

“There’s only one rule for those outnumbered to seize victory. Crush the head.”

“…Will they make their move?”

“Of course. We strike from behind the overconfident Imperial army and take down Arloston. At that moment, Goya and the others will…”

“Infiltrate the Brenark army and kill their commander.”

“That’s right.”

Having led things to this point, what came next was clear. The objective was not simply to make the two nations destroy each other. That was merely a means to an end.

The two armies differed in marching speed, and their objectives and priorities were subtly misaligned. That was precisely why Seazack had been given a perfect opening to exploit.

“Well then… guess it’s about time I show what I can really do for the first time in a while…!”

As Seazack spoke, a mark began to surface on his forehead.