Chapter 105. The Siege of La Spezia (1)
The plains near La Spezia.
The place where the Vara River and Magra River met.
It was winter, the dry season, so the water levels were extremely low.
Knights and soldiers crossed the shrinking rivers on foot and formed ranks according to the battle plan.
Commanders shouted from every direction.
"Keep the line straight! You are the wall! Have you ever seen a crooked wall?!"
"If they break through, we all die! Never retreat!"
"Hold your positions! Shout! Make your blood boil!"
I watched them for a while.
Then I turned my gaze north.
Roughly twenty or thirty minutes away at walking speed, a massive wave of orcs approached beneath rising clouds of dust.
Their skin colors varied widely.
Several tribes were clearly mixed together.
Neigh!
As the orcs drew closer, even the horses began crying nervously.
Predators were approaching while shaking the ground beneath them.
Of course the animals were frightened.
Martin, who was carrying my banner, and my adjutant Hans approached me.
Martin had gone through plenty of battles over the past year, so his expression was calm.
Hans was the opposite.
His face was flushed, and tears were gathering in his eyes.
"Hey, Hans. Relax. We aren't fighting today."
"What? But the enemy is right there."
"The orcs still have to form their ranks. It'll take a long time. We probably won't fight until around lunchtime tomorrow."
"Then... shouldn't we attack them now?"
I pointed toward the valley where orcs were still steadily pouring out.
"If we push all the way up there now, the orcs will stop advancing and pull back. We deliberately left this open space in front of us to force them to fight here."
"We're forcing their battlefield?"
"Exactly. The plan is to annihilate them here."
Hans nodded slowly.
"So we're taking advantage of how stupid they are."
"No."
I shook my head.
"We're using their love of fighting. Orc warriors seem to get fired up when they see an enemy waiting to fight them openly."
I knew that because I'd fought many orcs in my previous life.
What surprised me was that the Odoacer imperial forces also knew it.
Their ancestors had probably fought similar wars and left records.
"But why are we stretched out this wide instead of forming a charging formation?"
"Our average individual strength is much higher than theirs. But there are far too many of them. If we charge recklessly, we'll be surrounded and crushed."
I gestured across the battle line.
"So we spread the knights thin and wide, then hold the formation."
Even the most mediocre knights here were individually strong.
Some wore full heavy armor and carried tower shields.
The Radiant Knights preparing a cavalry charge on the right wing had even armored their horses.
The orc warriors possessed neither proper armor nor shields.
Even their weapons were crude.
Rough iron striking human steel.
No matter how well an orc warrior fought, it couldn't easily overcome the difference in individual ability and equipment.
The problem was simply their number.
Violence through sheer numbers.
The question was how long the human line could endure it.
The orcs continued emerging.
Soon the plains were filled with them.
Hans eventually looked exhausted just from standing tense.
"Commander, if we aren't fighting until tomorrow, may we rest?"
"Are you insane? If we leave gaps, they'll rush us. Stay alert. If you have to sleep, sleep on your horse."
Hans's face fell.
Martin suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"My lord. Look over there."
He handed me a telescope.
I raised it.
And saw something black moving among the orcs.
I mounted a horse to gain a better view.
It was over four meters tall.
Its head resembled a goat's.
Its appearance was so grotesque that it looked like Satan from some comic book.
That must be the Great Chief Saru mentioned.
I've never seen a monster like that even in my previous life.
In subculture stories, something that looked like that was always a boss monster.
It was too far away for my senses to reach.
But according to Saru, the bastard was at least Grand Master level.
He looks fucking strong.
His strength is going to be a massive variable.
Damn it. Saru didn't change his mind, did he?
While all kinds of thoughts ran through my head, the creature turned.
Our eyes met.
A chill ran down my spine.
It almost looked like he was smiling at me.
Oh, fuck.
I'm losing just from his presence.
I should stay as far away from that bastard as possible...
Then he threw something into the air.
I immediately activated [Flare Shield] and looked upward.
A spear filled with mana was descending rapidly.
If it struck the ground directly, the mana would explode.
Dangerous.
Can I stop it?
The projected landing point was slightly behind me.
I moved my horse into position.
Then I waited.
Three.
Two.
One.
Now!
Bam, BAM!
"Urgh!"
I parried with [Flare Shield] while dispersing the mana at the same time.
Even so, the impact was enormous.
All four legs of my horse broke.
Its internal organs ruptured, killing it instantly.
"My lord!"
Martin and Hans rushed over in shock.
"I'm fine! Watch the front!"
Then I called for a priest.
My left arm had nearly broken.
A huge blue bruise spread across it from the impact.
One greeting and this happens.
If Saru doesn't keep his promise, this battle is going to be fucking miserable.
* * *
"He blocked it?"
Great Chief Suji had thrown the spear at the human he thought had met his eyes.
He was genuinely shocked.
Even from that distance, the spear had contained an enormous amount of mana.
No one had ever stopped it before.
Not even the chief of the Red-Haired Trolls.
Standing beside Suji, Warrior Captain Saru watched Eric in the distance.
That young human is surprisingly capable.
I can use this.
Saru immediately used Eric to plant fear in Suji's mind.
"He stopped your spear. That human must be at least equal to you, Great Chief. Perhaps even stronger."
"Damn it. There was a bastard like that among them?"
Of course, Saru was deliberately misleading him.
Eric hadn't truly stopped the spear.
He had parried it and desperately dispersed its mana, preventing the explosion.
Saru pointed toward the human formation.
"Great Chief, as you can see, that side, where Eric stands, has an extremely powerful warrior. We should concentrate our strength over there instead."
He pointed toward the human right wing.
"...Very well. Do it."
Saru had found the opening he needed.
The plan he had agreed upon with Eric beforehand was simple.
Pressure the strongly defended human right wing.
Then induce Great Chief Suji to personally charge.
Once Suji became isolated...
They would kill him.
Saru shouted at the warriors.
"Move over there! Faster! At this rate, when are you planning to fight, and when are you going to taste human meat?!"
* * *
I watched the orc formation shifting in the distance.
It looked like Saru was keeping his promise.
The stronger warriors were concentrating toward the right wing.
Still, I couldn't trust Saru completely.
I warned the commanders and major knights on my own left wing.
"If the Great Chief appears, do not test your strength against him. Unless you're a Sword Master, you'll die before you can even understand what happened."
Our left wing had the weakest overall strength.
There were only two Sword Masters here.
One was my deputy commander, the Knight Commander of the Golden Lion Knights.
The other was a noble from the Lowlands participating on his own.
If the Great Chief came to our side and began rampaging, stopping him would be extremely difficult.
I wanted to avoid showing the golems and ghouls.
But I had no choice.
I sent Martin to Benedikta to bring Lorian and Emma.
Then I created eight Wood Golems and positioned them at the far end of the left wing.
Explaining the enormous golems to the shocked knights and soldiers became a job in itself.
* * *
The next morning.
The knights and soldiers had camped beneath the night dew.
They used the morning for meals and personal maintenance.
I had alternated night watch with my deputy commander, so I yawned repeatedly as I gave orders.
"We'll probably start fighting around noon. Eat properly. You can't use your strength if you're hungry."
Squires, servants, and logistics soldiers moved through the camp distributing food.
The meals provided to the mages from Le Capital looked the best to me.
So I took Martin and Hans and shamelessly joined them.
On a battle day, high-calorie food was better than some carefully balanced health meal.
The young mages were surprisingly relaxed about sharing their food.
They also loved talking.
These guys are extroverts.
Not a single stereotypical nerd among them.
They were curious about everything and bombarded me with questions.
Conversation never ran dry.
The Wood Golems carrying mountains of rocks especially caught their attention.
"Those wooden monsters are incredible. I've seen similar creations before, but never any this intelligent."
"It's an ability I received from a god. It would be disappointing if they were stupid."
"They appear extremely useful. If they can carry that much stone, do you use them for construction as well?"
"Right now, they're mostly clearing land for the refugees who are relocating into my territory."
Since the number of golems had increased, I had been using them not only for the Provence development zone, but for projects like building roads alongside the canal.
"As the rumors say, Count Marcel truly is a merciful lord."
"I've received plenty from the gods. I should give something back."
As we talked, more people gradually gathered around.
Before long, dozens of knights and mages were listening.
It wasn't because I was an amazing storyteller.
The mages were simply good conversational partners.
Near the end of breakfast, one knight approached me.
"Count Marcel, could you offer a prayer to the God of War? Even if there is no blessing, it would give everyone hope."
There's a god for everything.
I must have shown the question on my face.
The knight quickly added,
"The God of War is named Ares. He is said to grant strength and courage."
"All right. I'll pray."
I stood and raised one hand toward the sky.
Every knight, soldier, and mage nearby immediately knelt and clasped their hands.
People who had no idea what was happening simply copied those beside them.
The prayer posture spread across the entire left wing.
I had planned to give a casual prayer.
Now I had to make it serious.
I steadied my heart.
"Ares, protect us as we enter battle. Grant us courage and wisdom. I pray that we may achieve victory and preserve our lives. Remain with us always, and guide us."
I prayed sincerely.
Regardless of whether we won or lost, I wanted as many of these young people as possible to return home with me.
"Blessing!"
Maybe my sincerity reached someone.
Light descended from the sky.
It fell upon me first.
Then spread across the entire left wing.
* * *
Great Chief Suji saw the light falling upon Eric in the distance and nearly felt his heart stop.
"Isn't that the same human from before? He receives blessings too?"
He had no way to know what kind of blessing Eric had received.
His thoughts fell into confusion.
Saru immediately noticed the growing anxiety.
"Great Chief, we absolutely must not provoke that human. Let us merely contain his side and advance rapidly through the opposite flank."
"Hmm..."
Saru didn't even wait for a proper answer.
"All forces, forward! Push hard through that side! Break through the human knights!"
He ordered the army forward before the orc formation had even fully formed.
Suji found that strange.
But he couldn't think of a better plan, so he let it happen.
* * *
As always, a system window blocked my sight the moment I received a blessing.
[System Alert]
[Ares has granted you the duration buff [Cry of Struggle].]
[Replacing it with a similar registered skill.]
[You have acquired the duration buff [Battlefield Shout].]
[Ares has changed the magic skill [Intermediate Golem Creation] into [Enhanced Intermediate Golem Creation].]
[Battlefield Shout] increased the strength, stamina, and agility of everyone affected by the blessing for seven days.
And [Intermediate Golem Creation] had changed into [Enhanced Intermediate Golem Creation].
The maximum number of golems I could create increased from eight to thirteen.
Their physical strength, regeneration, and defense all improved.
And among the thirteen golems, I could designate one as a squad leader.
The squad leader golem had especially long arms and greater arm strength.
Why only the arms?
What is this, a squad leader specialized in shoveling?
While I checked the system messages, everyone on the blessed left wing erupted in cheers.
"Uoooooh! Long live Count Marcel!"
"Long live the God of War! Long live Ares!"
Apparently, even they could clearly feel the buff's effects.
At that exact moment, the orcs began advancing.
The excited knights formed their lines.
Their blood was boiling.
Crazy bastards.
At this rate, they're all going to get themselves killed.
