Chapter 99 : In Place
In Place
Gregory immediately headed to the gorge as soon as he checked Ernest's note. Heln was worried about Gregory's mind and body, since he hadn't fully recovered, but Gregory continued to fret, reminded of the comrades he was meant to protect and wondering if there were more wounded.
In fact, he even felt sorry to his comrades for collapsing so suddenly.
'I must hurry... I have to get there faster. You never know who might have been hurt.'
As he spurred his horse to the maximum, before long, the earthwork came into Gregory's view. Countless regular soldiers, still clad in iron armor, were holding battle positions.
Moreover, the fierce shouts of the regular soldiers resounded through the air.
'Looks like the battle isn't over yet. I don't know what tactic they're using, but I have to join up quickly.'
Gregory drew Durandal from his back and kept on riding.
***
At last, Gregory arrived at the edge of the northern high ground of the gorge. The wind swept through his tangled hair. Below his gaze, the outline of the battlefield spread out before him at a glance.
Enemy troop movements along the narrow valley were disorderly. Some tried to advance towards the earthwork but were blocked, and others, desperate to escape the concentrated fire of the allied archers, tried to scatter to the flanks.
'Who came up with this plan? Not bad.'
But Gregory's gaze didn't settle at the center. He focused on the rear of the gorge, sealed with rocks. Beyond those rocks, he spotted yet another group of enemy troops cautiously infiltrating.
'... Mobile unit. They're faster than expected.'
Just as Gregory had predicted, beyond the rocks stood an enormous number of regular soldiers.
He felt overwhelmed by their numbers.
And it wasn't just regular soldiers.
It was the Blandi Kingdom's special forces, with the black hawk crest on their banner.
Soldiers specialized in infiltration.
Gregory knew exactly who they were.
He couldn't help but feel wary.
'It's all good, but why didn't anyone think of the next move after this?'
Gregory looked back. Seeing the tide of the battle, he figured that Ernest and his comrades had acted as bait, and by using that strategy, they had gotten rid of the shieldbearers. They'd taken advantage of the fact that without passing this chokepoint, it would be hard for the enemy to invade Arme.
However, no one could say for certain how long those rocks would continue to act as a pillar of support. No matter how strong and solid the rocks were, the sheer number of regular soldiers gathering behind them could pose a grave risk.
'Wait, they're retreating?'
Contrary to Gregory's concerns, the enemy's movements were suspicious. Perhaps having realized just how perilous the gorge was, or that they'd fallen into a trap, the enemy began to withdraw.
He realized something. Already, the shieldbearers were trapped inside, making their deaths only a matter of course.
Gregory shouted at the top of his lungs so that the gorge would ring with his voice.
"Everyone, assemble here!"
At his words, the archers, who had nocked their arrows at the shieldbearers, looked up at Gregory.
"Wh-what's going on?"
"He—he said to assemble! Wait, isn't that Sir Gregory?"
"A—assemble!!"
They couldn't just let the fleeing enemy get away. Gregory was seized by the resolve to shoot down even one more enemy on the run.
"Everyone, ready to fire! Finish off all those retreating before they break out of our encirclement!"
Strict obedience to orders. The archers' hands moved busily, even as they hadn't fully assessed the situation.
They knew exactly who Gregory was, so there was no hesitation or disobedience.
Gregory's raised voice wasn't solely for the purpose of attacking the enemy.
The order to fire was a tactic to both reorganize their lines and lift the morale of the regular soldiers by annihilating the foe.
"Support regular soldiers await at the rear of the left ridge!"
Besides, Gregory hadn't just been riding. He instantly read the terrain and troop disposition, seizing upon the enemy's weakness.
Pusshuk—
Pususu-shuk!
Dozens of arrows cut through the air, striking hard into the rear of the retreating enemy.
Some screamed and fell; some abandoned their comrades and ran; others half-turned, looking over their shoulders in shock.
The enemy troops had fallen into utter confusion.
'This is satisfactory.'
Before long, Ernest too had led the decoy group back up to the heights. Ernest had heard Gregory's loud command from above the gorge and called his comrades to join him at the summit.
Catching his breath, Ernest looked at Gregory.
"It wasn't my imagination... You've really woken up. Do you know how worried we were?"
It wasn't just his comrades. Senior knights soon made their way up as well.
"Everyone's safe... Thank goodness."
Seeing their faces, Gregory felt relieved. He was full of gratitude that no one had gotten hurt.
Ernest grinned broadly and said,
"Of course! I'm the one who came up with the plan, after all."
Alessandro, among those most worried when Gregory collapsed, dashed up and threw his arms around him as soon as he saw him.
"What are you doing? Let me go. This is unpleasant, you know?"
Gregory complained, but he could feel Alessandro's concern for him—Alessandro's hands were trembling, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"So what if you're a little uncomfortable? I'm just glad you came back alive, Gregory. You're okay now, right?"
"I'm fine, just let go, okay?"
Walter also grinned with a sly smile, apparently glad that Gregory had made it back alive.
"As expected. Things could've turned real dire, but you arrived at the right time. See, I knew we'd feel your absence. You filled that gap perfectly."
Once again, Gregory looked down at the gorge. Bloody traces remained, the scene as grim as the deadly rain of arrows themselves. Still, having dealt with the most troublesome shieldbearers was a great achievement. Gregory felt as if the hope he had cherished was becoming a reality now.
"So, what do you plan to do next?"
Walter, curious about what came next, cautiously inquired for Gregory's plan.
"Hm... We can't just sit here and take it. Now it's our turn to counterattack."
Having used this tactic, the fear among the enemy was bound to escalate. Still, they couldn't remain only on the defensive. Even if not here, another front could collapse at any time.
"Counterattack? That could lead to many casualties—are you alright with that?"
"Our job is to minimize that. And now, the enemy will begin to fear us."
"Fear?"
Gregory spoke with resolute conviction.
"There's a multitude of regular soldiers clustered behind those rocks. And then, for some reason, they suddenly began to fall back."
"And what does that have to do with fear?"
"With their manpower and engineering, they could've removed those rocks. Yet, they suddenly retreated. That means they recognize the severity of the situation."
Adrian countered Gregory's assertion.
"Maybe it's just that they realized they were in a trap, not simple fear? Didn't we inflict massive damage before through misdirection?"
Gregory nodded in agreement.
"That's why I think fear has now been imprinted on them. One mistake can be excused. But to fail twice in a row? That's going to make them cautious. Because they're afraid."
Adrian seemed not to fully get it, but let it slide with a smile.
Walter followed up with another question.
"So, how do you plan to strike back? If you've got a good idea, I'll do my best to match your plan."
Gregory replied confidently, as if it were only natural. Walter knew this method as well.
"We will cut off the enemy's supply line. The enemy already has a considerable number of regular soldiers deployed ahead. Before long, they'll run short of food. If we just hold out like that, we can win. But, structurally, that isn't possible—we never know where or when the enemy might strike again. That's why we're going to target their supply line."
"I agree with that, but surely the enemy knows the importance of their supply line. Can we really do that by ourselves? Don't we need help from other kingdoms?"
It was a valid point. Wherever supplies were delivered, knights were bound to be stationed. If they tried to cut the supply line, a battle would be unavoidable.
"That, in fact, is something we can use."