Chapter 146: Louises Impatience
Volume 5 – Battle of the Royal Capital
「Commander Louise, at this pace, not just people, but even the horses won’t hold up!」
「Some are already falling behind.」
Suzanne and Claudia, riding alongside Louise, offered their counsel. The relentless days of swift travel had left even these seasoned riders exhausted.
The road connecting the Silesie Kingdom and its vassal territories was well-maintained, with relay stations established according to Takeru’s instructions. At appropriate intervals, fresh horses were kept ready, allowing for quick exchanges when the steeds grew weary.
However, that was a matter for individuals.
The volunteer cavalry of 200 riders had no spare mounts for each of them.
Even the 500-strong Silesie Royal Knights accompanying them, despite Commander Marina’s modifications to their lighter steeds, struggled to keep up with Louise’s desired pace. Some had already fallen behind.
「However, war waits for no one. We must reach the reinforcements as soon as possible.」
Marina, the knight commander, seemed to have had enough of Louise’s continued haste. She rode up, seized Louise’s reins, and forcibly halted her. Marina had known Louise since her days in the knight order, and their long association allowed unspoken communication. Pushing forward recklessly would only leave the warhorses utterly fatigued by the time they reached the battlefield. Not everyone possessed the same resilience as Louise. Hence, Marina’s silent message was clear: ‘Calm down.’
Despite Louise’s equestrian skill, she couldn’t match Marina Horse’s innate talent for handling horses. Restrained by the reins, Louise had no choice but to comply.
「Understood! My apologies… Let’s rest for today. Give the horses a chance to recover.」
Louise sighed deeply, gathering firewood for their camp.
Even when allowing the horses to rest, it seemed she had no intention of resting herself. She remained entirely oblivious.
Louise’s stubborn reaction prompted a sigh from Suzanne. Although she exchanged glances with Claudia, her partner in crime, all she received was a helpless look that seemed to say, ‘What can we do?’.
Suzanne understood the urgency. They were racing on horseback to deliver reinforcements to the Lanct Duchy, which was under attack by the Fist Slave Imperial Army.
However, Louise was a commander of seven hundred riders, including the Volunteer Army Cavalry and the Royal Knights. Her anxiety was palpable and contagious, even to inexperienced soldiers like Suzanne. The atmosphere grew restless as battle loomed ahead, and Suzanne wished for the composed Louise she knew.
Yet, given their position, Suzanne hesitated to voice her concerns directly to Louise. She longed for Louise who usually sat calmly, but the circumstances made it difficult to approach her.
Just as Louise hurriedly gathered firewood, Marina—her chestnut hair billowing in the wind—swiftly stepped in. Compared to the statuesque Louise, Marina was petite, yet the weight of her unwavering gaze halted Louise in her tracks.
「What is it, Marina? What do you want?」
「The horses deserve better.」
Louise’s crimson eyes widened in surprise.
Marina’s audacity was remarkable, even beyond that.
「I haven’t heard your voice in ages.」
「……」
Marina continued, her gaze accusatory.
Louise sighed. Marina’s outspokenness was unusual, to say the least.
「I apologize. I pushed too hard.」
Without warning, Marina lunged at Louise, clinging to her waist.
The firewood Louise had painstakingly collected scattered from her hands.
「Ouch! What are you doing?」
Louise protested, her crimson eyes meeting Marina’s determined gaze.
Louise, who was being restrained, struggled, but Marina skillfully held her down.
Then, Suzanne and Claudia exchanged glances before rushing over to Louise, pinning her down and each grabbing one of her arms to immobilize her.
「Ugh… fine, I give up.」
Louise, unable to resist being held down by three people, conceded. If it had been a matter of brute strength, she could have shaken them off even with three of them. But that wasn’t the point. They were doing this out of concern for Louise.
The weight of their bodies pressing on her conveyed their feelings more than words ever could. Louise smirked wryly, realizing they were as clumsy as she was.
「Alright, I get it. I’ll calm down.」
「Commander Louise, why are you so anxious?」
Suzanne asked on behalf of the group.
「It’s because of the reinforcements… no, that’s not it. I’m anxious about this battle because I have a bad feeling.」
「A bad feeling?」
Suzanne and the others didn’t understand.
It was Louise’s warrior instinct.
「Yes, I’m sorry I can’t give a logical explanation, but it’s just a hunch. I’m sorry for dragging you all into this. Marina, you can let go now!」
「……」
Marina quickly released her grip and stepped back respectfully.
Suzanne and Claudia also hurriedly let go of Louise’s arms.
「Marina Horse, I’m assigning you to command the volunteer cavalry in addition to the Royal Knights.」
Without questioning why, Marina swiftly smoothed down her long, disheveled chestnut hair, straightened her posture, and bowed her head.
For Marina, Louise’s orders were absolute. If she was told to command, she would command.
「Suzanne, Claudia, you will fight under Marina’s command.」
「What about you, Commander Louise?」
Suzanne listened with curiosity.
She and Claudia had been raised by Louise as knights, so it was only natural for them to follow her lead. Yet, they couldn’t help feeling a bit disgruntled.
「I fight as an individual knight. You understand, right? The upcoming battle involves Fist Slave Emperor Dyson. He’s the same opponent Takeru couldn’t defeat. That’s why I must ensure his defeat here.」
「I see…」
Suzanne finally grasped what was driving Louise.
Suppressing their desire to fight alongside her, Suzanne and Claudia swallowed their words.
They knew that in a high-level battle, inexperienced knights like themselves could become a liability. So, they held back their longing to fight together.
「I apologize for my selfishness, but I must defeat Dyson. Otherwise, there’s no point in me being given with orichalcum equipment and being Takeru’s knight.」
The reason for Louise’s urgency became clear.
Takeru, who had faced the Fist Slave Emperor, couldn’t defeat him. While he hadn’t been defeated, another clash on the battlefield might endanger Takeru.
Hence, it was only natural that Louise, who had taken it upon herself to be Takeru’s knight, hurried to eliminate the dangerous foe.
It’s not just about her own glory, Louise thought. She wants to protect Takeru. Suzanne and Claudia realized their previous view of battle was shallow.
「Please don’t push yourself too hard. Master is important to us, and so is Commander Louise. 」
「Thank you. This is a battle we cannot afford to lose, but I’ll keep it in mind.」
With a gentle pat on Suzanne and Claudia’s shoulders, Louise prepared the campfire. She didn’t show the same urgency as before, but her determination remained unwavering.
Louise wasn’t lacking in composure. If circumstances allowed, she considered strategies beyond a knightly duel—strategies that would ensure victory.
However, Louise’s warrior instincts are binging and she senses danger.
「Maybe I’m just being overzealous.」
She had experienced a major defeat once before, during the failed sealing of the ‘Miasma Hole of Doom’.
She had lost important comrades that’s like Suzanne and Claudia to her now so she understood that feeling all too well.
But she wouldn’t repeat the same mistake.
Louise now possessed the strongest armor and the mightiest sword bestowed upon her by Takeru. With her meticulously trained cavalry of seven hundred riders, she was determined not to lose again.
The memory of that past failure drove her forward. She wouldn’t allow history to repeat itself. The crimson flames of the campfire illuminated her resolve.
Yet, despite her determination, a lingering unease remained. As she prepared for battle the next day, sleep eluded her, and she found herself caught in shallow dreams.
※※※
When Louise and her five hundred Silesie Royal Knights, along with the two hundred Volunteer Army Cavalry, entered the city of Lanct, the situation was dire.
The reinforcements had arrived just in time. The Lanct Duchy’s forces were surrounded by twenty thousand Fist Slave Emperor foot soldiers. Taking advantage of the multiple layers of defensive walls within Lanct, they had hunkered down for protection.
「Thank you for your assistance, Louise-sama.」
「Yeah….」
The chief defender of the City of Lanct, the Princess Knight Eleanor, the flame-armored knight with long golden hair, greeted them personally at the gate facing the Tsurube River.
To her sides stood Garan Dodol, the bald-headed leader of the Garan Mercenary Corps, and the silver-haired butler knight Kato, both serving as her lieutenants.
As Eleanor struggled to contain her impulsive desire to charge into battle, the seasoned veterans—Garan and butler knight Kato—kept her in check. Louise observed the spirited young knight’s determination and couldn’t help but smile.
In this precarious situation, as long as Lanct remained fortified within its city walls, victory was still possible.
The city of Lanct was strategically positioned with the Tsurube River at its rear, connecting to the Transylvania Duchy in the north and the Roland Kingdom in the south.
Though only a thousand strong, reinforcements had arrived via the river route from the Transylvania Duchy. While the Roland Kingdom hadn’t sent additional troops, they generously supplied abundant provisions.
Within the walls of Lanct, the combined forces included the five thousand Garan Mercenary Corps, a thousand reinforcements from Transylvania, fifteen hundred city guards, five thousand citizen militia hastily assembled to defend the city, and two thousand heavy knights led by Eleanor of the Lanct Duchy. Alongside them were Louise’s seven hundred light cavalry.
In total, they numbered fifteen thousand two hundred.
Even though the Fist Slave Emperor Imperial Army outnumbered them with over twenty thousand soldiers, their combined strength was formidable.
In fact, Eleanor’s charging prowess alone could likely break through the Fist Slave Emperor’s makeshift forces of peasant conscripts without resorting to a siege.
But there was more to the enemy than just the Fist Slave Emperor.
Reinforcements had arrived from the Three Kingdoms at the far eastern edge of the Germania Empire. Rather, these reinforcements—composed of seasoned knights—could be considered the true core of their army.
General Rai Lakan led a mixed battalion of four thousand from the Rastore Kingdom.
From the Trania-Gartland Kingdom, a force of ten thousand, primarily composed of knights, had also joined the ranks.
Fist Slave Emperor Dyson had a unique background—he was once a captive of the Rastore clan, enslaved during his childhood. As a result, the Rastore knights regarded him as a fellow countryman. Their morale was so high that they considered themselves the true army, not just a ragtag Fist Slave Emperor force.
The Trania-Gartland Kingdom, influenced by this sentiment, had sent ten thousand reinforcements. Although lacking in initiative, they were led by the ‘Living Ethnic Hero’ of Trania, the blind general Da Jeshka, and the ‘Yellow General’ of Gartland, Sandor Nefsky.
The city of Lanct, having entered a defensive posture, soon received reinforcements from the northwest at Dunburg. Under General Mainz’s command, two thousand heavily armored infantry, two hundred knights, and a thousand volunteer riflemen equipped with state-of-the-art matchlock guns had rushed to their aid.
Despite their limited numbers, General Mainz ‘the badger’,had planned to encircle the enemy assaulting Lanct. However, the seasoned commanders of the Trania-Gartland Kingdom, equally adept in warfare, thwarted his efforts, resulting in a stalemate.
The newly trained volunteer riflemen, wielding unfamiliar matchlock guns, fought valiantly under Mainz’s guidance. Yet, the agile tactics of General Da Jeshka—known for his mobile tank warfare (a combination of wagon defenses and crossbow attacks)—proved equally effective. In a direct confrontation, neither side yielded.
Frustrated by the enemy’s resistance, Mainz’s reinforcements refrained from entering Lanct. Instead, they transitioned to guerrilla warfare, utilizing the surrounding forests and villages.
Thus, with the 18400 troops of Lanct Duchy and the 34000 troops of the Fist Slave Emperor Army the battle, later known as the ‘Siege of Lanct’ had both sides locked in a strategic impasse.
After receiving the situation report from butler knight Kato, Eleanor’s chief of staff, Louise nodded in understanding.
When Eleanor, her eyes filled with anticipation, asked, ‘What shall we do?’ Louise chuckled. She realized that she was now in the position to deliver the very words Eleanor wanted to hear.
「Well, we’ll sally forth from the city.」
「Exactly! That’s the ‘ten thousand swords’ Louise-sama for you!」
Seeing Eleanor’s eyes light up as expected, Louise couldn’t help but suppress a wry smile. It was rare to find someone so ill-suited for a city’s defense among the ranks of commanding officers.
Before Louise’s reinforcements arrived, Eleanor had patiently withheld her advance. While her capable generals played a role, Eleanor herself had grown considerably.
In the past, she might have impulsively charged into the enemy ranks, fallen into a trap, and ended up captured. Butler Knight Kato would then have to negotiate a ransom with the enemy—an unfortunate situation.
However, this critical battle had avoided such a scenario, thanks to a stroke of luck.
Eleanor, as the commanding general, had likely been waiting for the right moment to launch an offensive. She believed that with Louise—the revered ‘ten thousand swords’ of all female knights—victory was assured.
Louise knew she had to prove Eleanor’s innocent anticipation correct in the battles to come.
With resolve, she prepared for what lay ahead.