Chapter 84 : Tarierre Kingdom (5)
Tarierre Kingdom (5)
Ernest analyzed the flow of battle with cold precision. He was able to make such an analysis because he could remain calm in ruthless situations.
"For the best outcome, everyone needs to move together."
Ernest pointed to a certain place. At first glance, it seemed like nothing more than a spot to climb up the castle wall. Therefore, his comrades were busy harboring doubts.
Alessandro asked Ernest cautiously.
"You're not thinking of climbing up there, are you?"
"That's right."
"What could we possibly do after going up there...?"
Hearing Alessandro's pessimistic words, Ernest looked at the soldiers beyond the castle wall. Since they were knights skilled in swordsmanship, there was a high chance they'd be of little help unless it was close combat.
Gregory had dispatched dawn's knight order to avoid close combat, and did his best to prevent getting into melee fights.
But did that mean the mission was over? Ernest didn't think so. He then carefully explained his upcoming plan.
"The reason we can't advance right now is because of those wretched shieldbearers. It's true their defense is excellent, but it might not be impossible to deal with them with only individual strength."
Even then, Alessandro, as if his doubts weren't cleared, pressed Ernest for a clearer answer.
"So what are you planning to do?"
"I thought for a moment about what Gregory would do in this situation. Since we've seen it so many times, I figured we could find a clue there."
Elisabeth looked at Ernest as if she had a premonition.
"Surely... You're not thinking what I am, are you?"
She sensed something ominous. Up to now, Gregory had never hesitated to do anything if it meant he could protect his comrades.
Even if it was a reckless challenge, if there was a chance of results, he would always do his best.
Ernest, as if her guess had hit the mark, put on a meaningful expression and bowed his head deeply.
Alessandro, unable to gauge his intention, stared at him wide-eyed.
"What is it? What are you plotting? Tell me too."
Adrian, sensing the strange atmosphere, whispered to Alessandro,
"Don't get too curious... You'll find out soon enough."
To draw everyone's attention, Ernest cleared his throat once and spoke.
"We are going to climb that wall and carry out a concentrated attack."
Everyone looked at Ernest with a less than enthusiastic reaction. To the swordsmen, a concentrated attack meant striking from all directions at once.
Their reaction was, how could one carry out a concentrated attack on top of the castle wall? The soldiers as well muttered in confusion at the strange order.
"Did you just hear that?"
"Yeah, right? I didn't mishear that, did I?"
"No, I heard it clearly too. It sounded like an order to climb the wall?"
Calmly, Ernest continued.
"All this time, we haven't only been training in swordsmanship. We've also practiced shooting arrows. While our individual strength might be lacking, if everyone combines their strength, it will surely become formidable."
Everyone thought he made a good point. Although Gregory had been absent for a while, which made the battlefield feel chaotic,
for some reason, they felt Gregory would have said the same thing if he'd been in command, so they decided to accept it.
However, as always, Alessandro pointed out the part he felt was wrong, just as he used to check Gregory's words for flaws.
"But listen. Just because we're inside the wall doesn't mean it's safe. I still don't know what exactly you want to do."
Kylas, too, strongly agreed with Alessandro's point. Even if they could attack unilaterally in this wartime situation, it would still be difficult.
No, it wasn't even a one-sided attack in the first place. The enemy could also fire cannons. They could also shoot arrows.
Thus, Ernest had already prepared an answer to that issue. He'd prepared reasons for all his actions, a habit he'd learned from observing Gregory's usual behavior.
He replied in a flat tone.
"We've already finished reconnoitering this area. Even if they fire cannons, the wall is thick enough to withstand it. And as for the enemy archers, the height of the wall is much greater than expected, so it should be difficult for them to take proper aim."
Once again, Alessandro asked,
"Then what if the enemies gather their shields together and defend as a group? Even if we unleash a barrage of arrows, it probably won't have much effect then."
"If that happens, don't worry. We also have cannons. If the enemy clusters their shields like that, we'll use the cannons to scatter their shields and then unleash our barrage."
Just then, Gregory came down and patted Ernest on the back.
"Good. Your judgment is excellent, as always."
***
Gregory quickly reorganized supplies in the storage area and climbed up the castle wall. In war, you never know what might happen in an instant, so focused observation was necessary.
"Oh! Sir Gregory has come in person."
"Rest comfortably. For now, let's just observe the enemy's reaction."
Gregory also wanted to check how things were going after assembling the special unit. Since he'd confirmed the structure gave them enough advantage, he judged that if the special unit mustered and went out, the enemy would show some reaction.
And, while analyzing in this way, it was clear to see the cavalry force led by Ernest advancing proactively.
'Now... it's really getting started. I hope no one gets hurt.'
Even after handing over command, Gregory was full of worry. After all, he had once lost precious comrades easily in his previous life.
He thought such a tragedy could happen again this time.
Still, that didn't mean he could shelter his comrades forever.
Eventually, they would have to command on the battlefield themselves and confront powerful enemies.
'It's not about giving them fish, but teaching them how to fish.'
Gregory thought this was also an ideal opportunity for training through real combat. There was only a slim chance the enemy could block this castle wall anyway.
If they commanded themselves, they could see the result, and even if it went wrong, there was enough time to retreat.
Buying time for the other knight orders to arrive and sharply honing real battle senses were additional bonuses.
"Oh ho... Not bad at maneuvering."
Then, due to dawn's knight order's tactics, a large number of soldiers were split in half. One group was the decoy force, and the other was to deal with the shieldbearers.
However, for ordinary soldiers, blocking the enemy's attacks didn't seem easy.
Of course. Squeezed between those shields were spears, and it would be easy to suffer severe wounds from those. And arrows or bombs fired rapidly from afar could not be blocked.
'If only they could keep performing like this.'
Nevertheless, Gregory thought dawn's knight order was holding their ground well. Was it because they were knights, or was it the effect of their rigorous training?
Or perhaps, the strategy was simply working well. The number of enemies was visibly decreasing, and under Ernest's command, the troops were moving quite efficiently.
"Well, with the right strategy, it's a lot easier to seize the initiative at the start."
Perfect tactics are hard to execute in the early stages of war. But once a few sharp minds start offering wise opinions, their strategies often start working.
Thus, Gregory wore a somewhat relieved expression. But that sense of relief didn't last long.
'Wait. Something feels off. They're paying less and less attention to the diversion.'
And as he observed the enemy movements, Gregory decided the strategy needed sudden change.
Once he noticed the enemy wasn't really attacking the decoy force, their attention gradually shifted, focusing instead on fighting off those directly opposing them.
Worried that his comrades might get hurt or killed, Gregory couldn't stand still; he drew Durandal and observed the situation closely.
"Phew... For now, I suppose I should be relieved."
Fortunately, dawn's knight order detected the tension and began returning inside the wall. After confirming the plan wasn't working, Ernest's decision to retreat earned Gregory's admiration.
A little later, Gregory overheard some of dawn's knight order talking. The sound of war shouts nearly drowned it out, but since they were close by, he could barely make out parts of their conversation.
"I've come up with a good method. For the best outcome, everyone needs to move together."
At Ernest's muttering, Gregory looked flustered.
'A good method, out of the blue? What does he mean?'