WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Genius Knight of a Fallen Race ◈
Chapter 49: Encirclement and Annihilation Formation
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Count Sedil was descended from a storied knightly order that had pioneered the Demon Realm since the days when the Arman Empire still stood strong and the Hasra Royal Family had been no more than grand dukes of the east.
The magic sword he handed over had also accompanied the Count's family throughout those centuries of pioneering.
There were several magic devices excavated from the Demon Realm that were stronger than it, but the history it had accumulated alongside the family made the sword special beyond its actual capabilities.
Naturally, Shan took it as a loan rather than a gift.
After all, Sir Gowell had only borrowed the sword from the Count whenever he needed it.
The Count's stern expression when Shan had casually asked for the sword as a reward for their sparring match was enough to show how much he treasured the weapon.
“I'll take good care of it and return it to you.”
Shan bowed respectfully in thanks, and the Count let out a heavy sigh.
“Forget it. If you succeed in cutting off that ogre's head, the sword is entirely yours. Use it for a long, long time, until you're old enough to paint shit on the walls, even after I'm dead, then pass it down when you have a son.”
“Pardon? But... isn't this a family treasure?”
Shan looked puzzled by the unexpected words. The Count turned his gaze far to the west.
Hasra, the capital, lay there.
“Have you ever met my son?”
“Yes, briefly, at the departure ceremony before...”
Unlike Count Sedil, who had made a name for himself as a knight in his youth, his son had spent his entire life as an official in the capital.
The young noble Shan had glimpsed during the departure banquet had a slender build and somewhat irritable eyes, unlike his father.
They had no meaningful connection, and the man had not acknowledged Shan either, so Shan had not gone out of his way to speak with him.
“I sent him to the capital while he was young so he could see and learn more. I didn't want him called some ignorant country noble. Then, at some point, his letters became scarce. When I told him it was time to come inherit the territory, he began making every excuse not to come down. He doesn't want to leave that glamorous, safe capital and rot in a backwater like this.”
Compared to Hasra, Sedil City was certainly lacking in many ways.
As the current situation showed, its proximity to the Demon Realm meant it suffered disasters like this once every few decades to a little over a century.
In fact, it was not just the Count's son. Many nobles in other territories sent agents and did nothing but collect taxes, using that money to enjoy luxury while living in mansions in the capital.
“I can understand that much while he's still young. But when his own territory is in danger, it's another matter entirely if he's too frightened to even show his face. He could have come with the subjugation force, but instead he sent one letter full of endless excuses... This sword is wasted on a coward like him.”
Seeing the Count's gloomy expression, Shan vaguely understood why he intended to give him the sword outright.
Count Sedil was half resigned to everything.
The territory he had cultivated all his life had been half devastated, while the son he had sent to study in the capital from childhood, hoping he would receive a good education and build connections, did not even have the courage to come defend the family lands.
At this point, he had simply thrown away the damned magic sword, saying Shan could take it if he could kill the ogre.
Perhaps this, too, was one way of expressing his resentment toward his son.
After hesitating for a moment, Shan fastened the sword at his waist and nodded.
“I'll definitely kill it.”
“Please do. My life has already been half a failure. And that only applies if we can drive that thing back and protect the territory. If we can't, then it will have been a complete failure.”
An invasion by an ogre pack lord was closer to a natural disaster than proof of Count Sedil's incompetence, but he seemed to feel deep self-reproach over his territory having fallen to ruin in his generation.
Shan had been about to offer some comfort, but he closed his mouth and silently nodded.
He had a feeling that nothing he said would comfort the old man.
* * *
After parting with Count Sedil, Shan left the Count's castle with Lugh and headed toward the residential district through the drizzling rain.
Roden and the Alto mercenaries he had hired were staying at an inn in the city.
Considering that most soldiers were lodging in the empty homes of people who had died or fled, it was quite a luxury.
When Shan opened the door and entered the inn, the old owner recognized him, beamed, and bowed deeply.
It was a place Shan had stayed during his days as an explorer.
“Oh! Sir Shan! The others are inside. Shall I bring you some cloths to dry yourselves?”
“Thank you.”
Shan accepted the owner's kindness and took a bundle of cloths, handing half to Lugh.
Before they separated for their rooms, Lugh clenched his fist.
“Then I'll see you tomorrow, Sir Shan. May fortune favor you in battle!”
“May fortune favor you in battle.”
As knights, each had one of the largest, most expensive rooms, shared with his own squire.
Back when he worked as an explorer, Shan had considered it too extravagant. He had never imagined he would stay there after becoming a knight.
When Shan opened the door, he found Roden arranging the luggage so Shan could rest.
“You're back? You're late. How did the meeting go?”
“You know how it went. They're going to fight tomorrow as soon as the rain stops.”
Shan removed his helmet, then rubbed his rain-soaked hair dry with a cloth.
As he roughly explained what had happened at the strategy meeting, Roden cleaned the inside of Shan's helmet and gave a bitter smile.
“Just as I thought. Their food situation looked bad at a glance... Oh, that reminds me, I ran into Mr. Jerpo earlier.”
“Huh? What is Mr. Jerpo doing here?”
Jerpo was the mage from Green Eyes, the exploration party the two had once formed.
Why was someone who had earned enough money to retire suddenly in Sedil City?
“Mages need monster materials for their research, so I guess he came to Sedil, a large city, to buy supplies and got trapped here. The mercenaries who escorted him here ran off on their own.”
“He really has terrible luck.”
“It might be better this way. We don't even know what happened to the city where Mr. Jerpo's school is.”
“Ah.”
That would have greatly contributed to the dark mood hanging over Sedil City.
Many of the city's residents likely had relatives in nearby cities and villages.
At least there was a good chance that Vent, the priest they had traveled with, and his monastery were still safe.
It was about three days on foot west of Sedil City, putting it beyond the reach of the monster invasion for now.
Of course, it had been too far from their marching route for Shan to visit himself.
“So we need to kill that ogre somehow starting tomorrow. Whether for revenge or so people can continue living here... But what's that sword? I've never seen it before.”
“Oh, this? Here.”
“Ugh.”
Shan drew the sword at his waist halfway to show Roden.
Roden froze at the blade suddenly appearing before his eyes, then realized what it was and opened his mouth wide.
“...That's a magic sword, isn't it? And it looks pretty good. Don't tell me you stole it or took it after dueling someone?”
“Count Sedil gave it to me.”
Roden's expression grew serious after hearing about Sir Gowell's death and how Shan had inherited his will through the sword.
“I see. Sir Gowell...”
“I took it because he gave it to me, but could it cause trouble?”
“If Sir Lugh was there as a witness, I don't think there'll be a problem. Still, you'll need to guard it carefully.”
Unlike Thousand Forms, Count Sedil's magic sword was a valuable treasure, but not something beyond what a famous knight might possess.
Of course, as Roden had said, Shan would have to accept that flies would gather around it from all directions.
Roden ran trembling fingers over the engraved letters on the sword.
“Count Sedil... If it's the magic sword of House Kurt, was it called Guardian of the East?”
“Yeah. That's what they called it.”
The magic sword, Guardian of the East, contained a small amount of true iron, one of the three precious metals.
It was a legendary metal said to be nearly impossible to damage through physical means without special methods.
Thanks to that, the sword boasted durability that ranked among the best of all existing magic swords.
The magic placed on it also increased its cutting and piercing power, making it perfectly suited for killing strong, powerful monsters.
“One weapon made of true silver and one of true iron. Now all you need is one made of true gold.”
“True gold isn't very good for weapons, though.”
“That depends on how you use it. Anyway, this is good news. I was worried about relying on just one spear.”
Heartbreaker, the magic device Serin had made for him, was certainly an excellent spear. Still, Shan felt uneasy about relying on a spear alone.
Even if it had been strengthened by magic, its shaft was made of wood, so there was a great risk it would break while fighting giant monsters.
Now he had a sturdy sword he could rely on in such situations, which was deeply reassuring.
Shan nodded at Roden's words, removed the sword and placed it at the head of his bed, then sat before the fireplace.
For now, he needed to dry himself and his clothes thoroughly so he would not catch a cold, and prepare for tomorrow's battle.
* * *
The next morning, the clouds that had scattered rain throughout the night had blown away, leaving behind a perfectly clear sky.
As planned, the subjugation force assembled northeast of the castle, where the monster army had disappeared the previous day.
Count Sedil had also gathered his troops as he said he would and raised his banner among the subjugation force.
His soldiers would take part in direct combat, but, being familiar with the surrounding terrain, would be an even greater help with scouting.
“Is that Sir Shan?”
“That's right. Green Eyes' great warrior. The cockatrice hunter.”
“He really is young... He looks like someone who'll become a legend.”
“Being the first Alto knight already says it all.”
Most of the people whispering as they watched Shan were explorers.
He spotted several familiar faces and lightly waved at them.
They began arguing among themselves, each insisting that Sir Shan had acknowledged them personally. Despite their intimidating appearances, they looked rather cute.
Their laughter did not last long. Once everyone had gathered, Count Kram, who commanded the strongest army in the subjugation force, gave the order to advance.
“If we follow their tracks, we'll find them soon enough! Move out!”
As Count Kram said, the monster army had left a very clear trail of its movements.
Their footprints remained in the muddy ground softened by yesterday's rain.
The tracks of large monsters such as trolls and owlbears, along with the ogre's footprints and the marks its two fists had left in the earth, were especially impossible to miss.
“Damn, the road is a mess.”
“It's so wet...”
Still, the muddy road was a major obstacle for the subjugation force as well.
Shan felt Awin's irritation at the mud squelching around her hooves and stroked her neck.
“Come on, bear with it a little longer. You need to save your strength if we're going to have a real fight soon.”
Even though she should not have felt his touch through the barding, she calmed down as if she recognized it.
Perhaps simply hearing Shan's voice helped.
The subjugation force struggled through the rain-soaked, muddy road and, surprisingly, found its target in only two or three hours.
“The ogre is ahead!”
“There are not many monsters around it, unlike yesterday!”
“It is continuing to flee northeast!”
According to the scouts' reports, the ogre had only three or four large monsters and forty or fifty miscellaneous monsters with it.
Had it lost control because it had fled after being intimidated by the human army?
Either way, they had to meet it before they could fight or do anything else.
Realizing they had neared the target, the lords immediately ordered preparations for battle.
“Please, Priest.”
“This is a battle to protect humanity in accordance with the goddess's will. Of course we must heed it. Do not worry.”
At the polite request, the priests accompanying the subjugation force bestowed blessings upon the knights and soldiers.
The soldiers received courage not to be overwhelmed by large monsters, while the knights, who could overcome fear through their own Spirit, received vigor that would keep them from tiring.
“You are finished, brother.”
“Thank you.”
Shan and Awin also received a blessing of vigor from a priest of the New Faith.
Strength surged through their bodies, and fierce smiles appeared on the knights' faces.
“Good. Let's go!”
Filled with courage and strength, they advanced rapidly and soon came face to face with the monster army led by the ogre.
The monster army stood at the entrance to a valley roughly thirty meters wide, and its numbers had clearly shrunk pitifully compared to what they had seen the previous day.
“It's the ogre!”
“It's enormous...”
Every member of the subjugation force trembled anew at the sight of the ogre up close.
Unlike looking down at it from a city wall or hill, facing a giant more than four meters tall at eye level was truly overwhelming.
The ogre watched the approaching humans and opened its mouth wide, revealing sharp, crooked teeth.
The roar that rose from within carried a heavy resonance, like a wind instrument rumbling from somewhere deep inside, unlike the roars of other monsters.
[────────────────]
Perhaps because it was noise beyond the range of human hearing, the ogre's roar felt like vibration rather than sound.
Hundreds of soldiers who had not received the blessing of courage due to the shortage of priests had their legs give out and collapsed where they stood.
“Damn...”
A roar that powerful even from this far away.
The startled lords saw that the ogre had roared only once and did not charge, and they smiled.
Since resistance to monster roars built up easily, it had wasted one of its important weapons.
As time passed, the soldiers who had collapsed began rising one by one.
“Good. It's still just a monster! The path is narrow, so the vanguard charges first! The two wings will support from behind-”
“Y-Your Excellency! Look behind us!”
Count Kram turned and realized that monsters were pouring out from behind the eastern hill they had passed moments ago.
Banshees, werewolves, gnolls...
The monsters appearing at their rear swiftly blocked the path where they could have retreated.
That was not all.
Water Ghouls, kelpies, lizardmen, and other monsters that lived near water crawled out in a mass from the western marsh, while harpies poured down from above the valley behind the ogre.
Altogether, their numbers were nearly the same as the army that had surrounded Sedil City the previous day.
‘We've been surrounded...’
Looking around from Awin's back, Shan immediately sensed that the ogre had deliberately lured them into the battlefield it wanted.
Its roar earlier had likely been the signal calling the monsters hidden beyond the hills.
Despite the blessing of courage, confusion was plain on the faces of the surrounded subjugation force.
The blessing of courage gave resistance to monster roars and mental attacks. It did not help people overcome fear they felt themselves.
“W-What do we do?”
“There are monsters everywhere!”
“Stay calm! We just need to kill the ogre!”
“We need to fall back and reorganize! The situation is terrible!”
As the members of the subjugation force shouted over one another, the monsters' encirclement rapidly tightened.
Then the vanguard, acting on someone's judgment, began charging directly at the ogre.
They likely believed that if they killed the pack lord, the mixed army of monsters would collapse.
Shan briefly considered joining them, but quickly gave up on the idea.
Leaving aside the political trouble caused by breaking the planned deployment, the ogre had entered the narrow valley entrance, making it hard to use their numerical advantage.
In this situation, it was better to do what he could.
If the vanguard fought the ogre and the right wing fought the force at their rear, the left wing had to face the enemies emerging from the marsh.
Having quickly reached that conclusion, Shan lightly tapped Lugh beside him to get his attention.
“Let's move. At this rate, we won't even have room to charge.”
“Ah, yes!”
“Roden! Form a defensive formation with our people and hold!”
“Understood!”
At Shan's command, Roden moved inside the defensive formation formed by the thirty Alto mercenaries, as agreed beforehand.
He could somehow endure the spears and swords held by allies, but many of the monsters were armed as well, making it difficult for him to fight at full strength.
Roden's role in war was to command his mercenaries as their mounted leader.
After giving the order, Shan and Lugh rode out of formation and charged toward the enemy lines.
“Damn...”
“Follow Sir Shan!”
Only then did the knights assigned to the left wing assess the situation and race after Shan.
Since Shan had deliberately kept Awin from going at full speed, twelve knights quickly gathered into a wedge formation.
Shan pulled his helmet firmly down with his empty left hand and shouted.
“Charge the Water Ghouls ahead!”
“Charge!”
At the head of the formation, Shan felt a strange bond forming between himself and the knights around him.
It felt as though they had all become one long, sharp spear...
He understood why knights said they offered their spears to their lords, and why they were compared to spears.
[Kiaaaah!]
With the desperate scream of a Water Ghoul, the knights slammed into the monsters with a thunderous crash.
The lance charge, filled with Spirit meant to push back their enemies, instantly turned more than fifty Water Ghouls into bloody pulp and knocked an equal number aside in every direction.
As the monsters faltered before that savage momentum, Shan saw several knights whose lances had broken or who were clearly exhausted and shouted.
“Anyone who needs rest, fall back!”
Knights possessed explosive power beyond any other type of soldier, but lacked endurance.
That was why they needed to rest in safe areas created by infantry units, replace broken lances, and switch to reserve warhorses that had not tired.
Of course, that did not apply to Shan.
The spear Serin had made was far too sturdy to break after a single charge, and Awin had only just begun to warm up.
After ordering the others to retreat, Shan immediately urged Awin forward and plunged into the scattered monsters.
Apparently irritated by having to match pace with the other horses earlier, Awin raced with excitement as though she were flying.
‘Ah...’
The sight of hundreds of monsters spread in every direction made his mind begin to boil.
His heart pounded as though it would burst, pumping blood through his entire body, while every color before his eyes blurred together and only the outlines of things became chillingly sharp.
“What speed!”
“It's dangerous, Sir Shan!”
The other knights shouted in shock, both at the speed that far surpassed their own warhorses and at his reckless charge.
No matter how exceptional a knight was, they only had two arms and no eyes on the backs of their heads. What was he doing?
Yet Shan proved that his actions were not reckless.
“Hup!”
Drawing in a breath, Shan gripped his spear with both hands and began stabbing every enemy he faced like a madman.
Heads, eyes, throats, chests...
He always targeted vital points that could end a life, relying on the spear's quality and using Spirit only as light support.
From Water Ghouls as quick as wild beasts to lizardmen covered in hard scales, and even kelpies, half-spirits with upper bodies like horses, no monster could endure Shan's attacks.
It was as though he had eyes on the crown and back of his head. While responding to ambushes from behind, he did not miss even the harpies swooping down from the sky, piercing them with perfect accuracy and sending them falling.
Everyone on the left wing widened their eyes at the sight of him literally grinding through the enemy formation.
“What in the-”
“I'll join you, Sir Shan!”
At that moment, Lugh shouted from behind and blocked Shan's exposed rear.
His spear had broken during the previous charge, so he wielded a long sword almost as large as a greatsword.
“Haah!”
Lugh's martial prowess was terrifying as well, though it paled beside Shan's.
His arms were already long, and with such a lengthy sword, he could control an even wider area than Shan with his spear.
With each swing, three Water Ghouls lost their heads at once, while lizardmen were split vertically from head to crotch.
With his vulnerable rear safely protected, Shan began tearing through the enemy lines even more aggressively.
Stab, stab, and stab again...
Every time monster blood and flesh splattered in every direction, exhilaration surged through him.
It was an overwhelming sense of omnipotence, as though he were the absolute ruler of this battlefield, or even a god.
War, fighting with hundreds and thousands of allies and enemies on every side, brought a different kind of pleasure that could not be felt in a small battle.
Unlike ordinary knights, who got carried away by such excitement and exhausted themselves by using too much Spirit, Shan carefully controlled his energy even in the middle of it all.
He used only as much as the blessing of vigor could sustain.
“Go!”
“Waaaaah!”
As the two knights, one large and one small, tore through the enemy lines, the knights who had recovered some strength once again used a coordinated lance charge to rip apart the enemy formation that had begun closing again.
They might not have matched those two, but they were warriors among warriors who had trained their entire lives.
“Shoulders together! Kol! Abik! Don't move ahead! If the formation breaks, we're all dead! Archers! Shoot the harpies coming from the right!”
Knights were not the only ones fighting on the battlefield.
Standing in the center of the defensive formation, Roden shouted himself hoarse as he urged on the mercenaries.
The infantry had to create safe ground where knights could rest, while also preventing enemies from reaching the subjugation force's reserve warhorses, supplies, and priests.
With Roden and the Alto mercenaries at their core, the infantry on the left wing formed a reasonably solid formation and held back the monsters.
Fortunately, because he was on horseback, no one could see his legs trembling beneath the blades swinging all around him.
As they worked together to clear out the enemies that had emerged from the marsh, a grief-stricken cry rang out from behind them.
“Retreat! Everyone retreat!”
Why retreat when they were winning? The soldiers of the left wing turned their heads and realized the speaker was one of the lords who had led the vanguard.
With one arm missing, the lord cried out desperately.
“The vanguard has been annihilated! That thing is a monster!”
As though answering the cry, the ogre gave a thunderous roar and raised its massive fists, like maces, high into the air.
Beneath fists covered in blood and chunks of flesh lay countless remains of knights and warhorses, their entire bodies crushed beyond recognition.
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