Swordmaster of the Great Wall

The main force of the Watch, having set out onto the battlefield, began marching toward the forces that had sparked the rebellion.

At the front were Erich's unit and Richter's 6th Fortress, who had previously coordinated with Erich.

On each flank were the members of 1st Fortress Commander Grant and 2nd Fortress Commander Hern.

The battlefield they chose was the snowy field where they had previously fought against Ungrim's horde, as well as the bear and black wolf tribes.

Erich calmly observed the enemy's formation, trying to discern their intentions.

'They don't plan to fight head-on. It looks like they intend to hold out.'

The vast snowy plain allowed clear visibility for a great distance.

The enemy had constructed several small defensive lines—an archetypal formation for a delaying action.

However, Erich furrowed his brows, unable to comprehend the enemy's intention here.

In front, there was the main force of the Watch including Erich; at their rear, Ungrim's barbarians could attack at any time.

Yet here, the enemy had chosen to try a delaying tactic?

Unless they had something up their sleeve, this formation made no sense.

Erich slowly placed his hand on his sword and scrutinized the enemy.

'That must mean they're waiting for something.'

What, then, was the enemy aiming for at this point? Their opponents were Fortress Commanders Daren and Burton, who had incited rebellion within the Watch.

Erich had known them even before his regression.

'The two fortress commanders who already died in battle with Commander August—even before my regression, they were among those who rebelled. That includes Burton. But Daren was not.'

August's death—originally, it was an outcome of civil strife within the Watch.

However, there was a clear difference in makeup between the rebels then and those now.

What, then, had caused this difference? Erich focused on that point, tracing his thoughts back.

Daren and Burton were capable talents—not just within the Watch, but throughout the Empire.

After all, there weren't many who could rise to the rank of fortress commander in the Watch.

It was odd that such men would resort to a delaying action with enemies both in front and behind.

In short, Erich felt a sense of discord in both timing and circumstance.

Erich slowly repeated his words.

"... If."

If, by any chance, these events coinciding with Albrecht's disappearance were not a mere coincidence?

If even August's death had been orchestrated by someone?

In that case, everything made sense—a scenario covering both the unnatural timing and suspicious circumstances.

Of course, even before, discontent among the fortress commanders must have been considerable.

But to ignite that smoldering discontent required a separate spark—and the pressing question now was, who struck that spark?

With that, the corners of Erich's lips rose slightly.

'There is someone who could have solved that for them.'

But for now, he decided to test the enemy before anything else. Erich's hand stretched forward.

At the same time, Barnes and Frederick, marching at his side, nodded.

***

Barnes and several members moved forward. The faces of the rebel soldiers paled as they watched.

― Thud.

A rebel collapsed next to Barnes. Each one of them was so powerful, it would be inaccurate to call them ordinary members. Indeed...

― Kyaaang!

A rebel charged at Barnes, driving his sword into Barnes' chest. But the blade merely slid off, powerless.

In the next moment, the tip of Barnes' sword traced the air, and as he swung, the rebel who'd attacked him fell, blood spraying into the air.

Whatever equipment they wore, it was clear that ordinary swords could not even leave a scratch.

Attacking the unprotected parts of their armor might be possible, but that was by no means easy.

If they themselves were attacked, they would simply fall. To strike the other side, one had to find an opening.

Such unfair conditions made the rebels hesitate to attack aggressively.

Barnes murmured quietly.

"... If you retreat now, your life will be spared."

At this cold warning, the rebels glanced at each other. If they were facing barbarians, they might have charged in, ready to die.

But their morale right now was low.

Weren't these Watchmen who had once fought under the same banner? It wasn't easy to muster the will to fight.

And no matter how personally loyal they were to their fortress commanders, rebelling against the commander was itself a tremendous betrayal.

In this situation, their opponents were behemoths far stronger than ordinary members.

To throw themselves against such foes with their lives at stake was doubly difficult.

While they hesitated, Barnes' body leaned forward—and in a flash, he disappeared from their view.

― Swish!

Barnes' cloak fluttered in his wake. Suddenly reappearing, he felled two rebels with a sweep of his sword.

Witnessing this, any remaining hesitation among the rebels vanished.

"R-Run for it!"

"Uwaaa!"

In an instant, the rebels lost all fighting spirit, threw down their weapons, and bolted. Sergeant Kurz, approaching Barnes, mocked him.

"Well, looks like I can't even dream of catching up to you anymore, Squad Leader."

"... Catch up?"

Barnes tilted his head. Kurz smirked. He knew Barnes didn't get jokes anyway.

"It's nothing."

"... And those ones?"

Kurz shrugged and nodded toward the rear. Several members who had followed Barnes had vanished, not as if they'd fallen into the ground.

"They really are like ghosts."

"... Deputy-Commander, no—"

Barnes paused briefly, then corrected himself.

"These are the ones the lord commander handles. They all have their uses."

Barnes unemotionally watched the fleeing rebels. Among them he could spot some running in an organized, unbroken fashion.

Shadows.

Erich's wielders of Krupp's blade slipped among their ranks. Confirming his objective had been accomplished, Barnes returned to the main force with the others.

The information they would bring, and what they would do next, would be the key to resolving this battle easily.

*

On the dark night, skirmishes broke out all across the snowy plain.

Most were the result of Erich intentionally dispatching small squads to break apart the enemy's sturdy formation.

They could punch through the front, but if the enemy's coordination was strong, there was a high risk of a counterattack.

Depending on the abilities of the fortress commanders, it would be reckless to assume there were holes in their strategy.

Mikhail pondered this as he made his way to Erich's tent. It was a clever tactic, and oddly reminiscent of August's own strategies.

― Swish.

Mikhail entered the command tent, where Hrung-ga was already conversing with Erich. The hulking barbarian dipped his head at Mikhail's arrival.

Returning Hrung-ga's greeting, Mikhail spoke.

"What are you cooking up this time, commander?"

"Hrung-ga will play a key role in this battle."

"There'll be a lot of pushback if barbarians get involved in our family feud."

"That's true, without a doubt."

Erich answered calmly. Commander August, considering this, had not called upon even Imperial troops to suppress the rebellion.

However, if Erich brought barbarians into the fight, he would be doing the opposite of what August had intended.

But closing the document he was reading, Erich said,

"I have a plan in mind. I'll share more when it progresses further."

"... Hmm."

By now, Mikhail trusted there would be reason in whatever Erich decided, so he had no grounds to object.

He did, however, have another question.

"That aside, I saw Barnes and Frederick moving back and forth. I assume that means there's fighting going on. For what purpose?"

"To extract information from the enemy."

"Is there any information you need besides the fact that they're rebels?"

Mikhail's eyes narrowed. Though his tone was cold, fury brewed within him.

August had been his close friend since they were both unseasoned recruits.

The rebels who harmed someone like that deserved to be slaughtered immediately.

Erich nodded.

"I find the entire flow of this rebellion suspicious."

"... What do you mean by that?"

"I'm questioning whether, were they in their right minds, they would have made such choices."

"The fortress commanders aren't in their right minds?"

"Yes. That is likely."

Mikhail fell silent in thought. Of course, the rebellion itself was unforgivable, but so many things felt strange about it: the timing, the situation—everyone who heard of the revolt had questions.

Everyone knew it was a rebellion doomed to fail. Yet no one had thought about what could have driven them to such desperation.

They'd simply accepted it.

"Still, they have their reasons. There's been plenty of discontent."

"Everyone has discontent. But to actually turn their blades, there needs to be a truly explosive reason."

"... Are you saying someone manufactured that reason?"

"More precisely, I suspect someone is manipulating them."

"How could anyone ensnare four men at the level of fortress commander?"

To Mikhail, this sounded implausible.

But, in truth, ever since he'd first heard of the rebellion, one particular being had naturally come to Erich's mind.

'... I hope it's not who I'm thinking of.'

Erich recalled the horrors of that time: a being who could turn even a comrade who'd had his back moments ago into an enemy.

A loathsome monster whose mere appearance sowed suspicion and clouded judgment.

Yet this creature was one of the top three among the Lord of the Dead's minions.

By rights, it should not have revealed itself at this point.

Erich raised the corner of his mouth slowly.

'On the other hand, maybe it's a sign it's desperate now.'

If it had appeared already, when it should only emerge later to lay waste to the Watch and the Empire, perhaps it meant the Lord of the Dead was running out of time.

That said, all it could accomplish through these means was buying time.

What the Lord of the Dead hoped to do with this stolen time was beyond even Erich's understanding...

"We'll know soon enough. The Shadows are heading that way now."

Mikhail nodded slowly. The information they would bring would give Erich certainty. Then he could lay suitable countermeasures.

Torches flickered beyond the tent. Swords caught the moonlight, flashing here and there.

It was a night stained with the blood of those gathered to defend the Great Wall.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】