Chapter 66 : Chapter 66
Chapter 66. Rear Disturbance (1)
A few days later.
In the largest barracks of the Vanguard Battalion, two men were engaged in a close conversation.
The two men were none other than Tobias, the Vanguard Battalion Commander, and Bent, the Infantry Company Commander.
Of the two, Bent was the first to speak.
“They say the Special Task Force Company is about to enter Imperial territory.”
At those words, Tobias frowned as if recalling a memory he wished to forget and replied.
“……So it has come to that already. What do you think? Do you believe the Special Task Force Company can return safely?”
Bent shook his head immediately without a second thought.
“To be honest, I think it will be difficult. In the first place, the fact that the previous Special Task Force Company Commander succeeded in the rear disturbance operation while belonging to the Transport Battalion was a miracle in itself.”
“A shame. Watching him up close, he was quite a capable talent, contrary to the rumors. I was particularly impressed by how he took command of the company and seized control of the unit in an instant.”
Tobias spoke as he recalled Roden, and Bent agreed.
“I too was very surprised to see that. But it can’t be helped. It was an order from the command.”
That was right.
The one who had ordered this operation was once again the 3rd Corps command.
And the one who had proposed this operation was none other than Michael.
However, Tobias and Bent had not grasped that the Glockner family's Succession War was intricately entangled in this operation.
This was because the two men were not from the Mediale Kingdom but from the Udira Kingdom, a prosperous and powerful nation in the eastern part of the continent.
“What on earth is the command thinking? No matter how important victory is, to drive a whole company to their deaths. Is the threat of the Allied Forces' division that great?”
For that reason, the two of them sought the reason for proposing this operation elsewhere.
Bent picked up on Tobias’s words.
“I hear that the 3rd Corps' situation is slightly better, but in the 1st and 2nd Corps, the conflict has now begun to show visibly.”
However, this thought was not entirely wrong, as the recent atmosphere in the Allied Forces was indeed not good.
Just as Bent mentioned, the 1st and 2nd Corps were greatly shaken by this.
“If it's visible, it means the conflict is spreading to each battalion, right? Our battalion will have to be a bit more careful.”
“Yes. I think we should.”
“Anyway, I understand the situation, but this feeling of unease lingers about driving a whole company to their deaths.”
“Wasn't it an unavoidable choice to protect the Vanguard Battalion's existing troops?”
“That may be so, but as a fellow human being, my conscience can't help but be pricked. If I had known it would be like this, I should have put our heads together and helped him devise a military strategy.”
“Even if you had, the result probably wouldn't have changed much. Isn't the fact that the Special Task Force Company Commander, who has already experienced a rear disturbance operation, departed with the same strategy proof of that?”
Tobias and Bent naturally thought that Roden intended to carry out the rear disturbance operation in the same way as last time.
It was only natural since he had left disguised as the Imperial Army without asking the Vanguard Battalion for any particular help.
“That’s why it’s even more regrettable. I keep thinking that if he had just refined the strategy a little, maybe even one more person could have survived. By the way, the Special Task Force Company Commander was good at everything else, but this is a bit disappointing. To think he'd plan a strategy so complacently.”
“I heard he was decent at planning strategies, but it seems the rumors of the world can't be trusted. To think that strategy would be his weakest point.”
Thus, Tobias and Bent rated the possibility of the Special Task Force Company's safe return as quite low.
They were even certain that there would be almost no survivors due to the complacent strategy.
***
Meanwhile,
The Special Task Force Company entered Imperial territory smoothly.
It was thanks to the Vanguard Battalion's scouts guiding them to the most loosely guarded area beforehand.
However, receiving further help from the scouts was difficult.
Now, the Special Task Force Company had to succeed in the rear disturbance operation on its own.
Roden, who was riding his horse at the very front, approached Chevalier and asked.
“How is everyone's condition? Are they okay?”
“The Infantry Platoon is fine.”
“Good. We don’t know when or how a battle might break out, so be well-prepared.”
Afterward, Roden checked on the Archery Platoon and the Light Cavalry Platoon in turn.
Although not to the same extent as the Infantry Platoon, the two platoons also showed little sign of tension despite having set foot in Imperial territory.
For that reason, the Special Task Force Company's appearance was natural, making them seem even more like the Imperial Army.
‘Though we’ll be found out soon enough.’
Roden knew it too.
No matter how well they were disguised as the Imperial Army, there was a limit.
Moreover, it was impossible to deceive the Imperial Army as he had before.
Unless they were fools, the Imperial Army would have surely prepared countermeasures to avoid falling for a rear disturbance operation a second time.
The Imperial Army would probably draw their swords the moment they met the Special Task Force Company.
The reason Roden had confidently set foot in Imperial territory despite knowing this fact was none other than this.
He was confident he could succeed in the rear disturbance operation even so.
While he was lost in these thoughts, Liviano, who had gone out for reconnaissance, rode his horse quickly toward Roden, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Company Commander. I’ve encountered the enemy’s sentries.”
“Did you meet them head-on?”
“No, sir. They spotted our movements from afar and fled in a hurry.”
“How much were we exposed?”
“They probably didn’t see our main force. They retreated almost immediately.”
“Then it’s manageable. For now, have the Infantry and Archery Platoons move to the location we scouted earlier and hide.”
Thus, the Infantry and Archery Platoons hurriedly began to hide as per Roden's command.
On the other hand, Roden and the Light Cavalry Platoon settled in a suitable spot and waited for the enemy to appear.
How much time had passed?
Finally, an enemy force of platoon size came charging toward them.
It was a heavy cavalry platoon that appeared, seemingly intending to crush our Light Cavalry Platoon at once.
In other words, it was the cavalry that the Imperial Army prided itself on.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
“Heeeigh!”
The Imperial cavalry stopped before Roden and the Light Cavalry Platoon, and a man who appeared to be the commander stepped forward.
“Who are you bastards! Identify yourselves!”
“I am Goeren Hadim, commander of the Special Task Force under the General Headquarters.”
Roden used the fake identity that Havier had used before, knowing it wouldn't work.
Sure enough, the cavalry commander flew into a rage upon hearing Roden's reply.
“Bullshit! Do you think we'd fall for the same trick twice! There's no need to look further! Charge immediately and cut off the heads of these half-hearted bastards! Hiyah!”
As soon as his words ended, the Imperial cavalry began to charge toward our forces at high speed.
The timing might have felt a bit sudden, but Roden and the Light Cavalry Platoon were not flustered.
And for good reason,
“Now! Attack the enemy!”
The moment the enemy moved, the Infantry and Archery Platoons revealed themselves.
“Waaaaaah!”
First, the Infantry Platoon appeared from behind the Imperial cavalry, blocking their retreat.
At that, the Imperial cavalry became visibly flustered.
They couldn't figure out whether to continue the charge or to turn their horses around and retreat now.
While the Imperial cavalry was in disarray.
The Archery Platoon began to fire arrows.
“Enhance! Fire!”
“Fire!”
The Archery Platoon shouted the activation word for the Strength Enhancement magic and fired the first volley of arrows.
The Imperial cavalry, in their confusion, were defenseless against the arrow attack.
The proof was that five enemy soldiers were hit by arrows and fell from their horses.
But it didn't end there.
“Fire again!”
“Fire!”
The Archery Platoon fired another volley of arrows.
This time, perhaps because the enemy had prepared after the first attack, only two enemy soldiers fell.
It was the same when the third volley was fired.
“There will be no more arrows! Force a frontal breakthrough!”
Normally, the enemy cavalry commander’s judgment would have been correct.
After three volleys, an ordinary archery platoon would no longer have the capacity to fire more arrows.
But there was something the enemy cavalry commander had overlooked, and that was the distance between the Imperial cavalry and the Light Cavalry Platoon.
Surprisingly, even after three volleys of arrows, the distance between the two was still quite large.
In other words, it meant that the Archery Platoon was firing their arrows much faster.
Realizing this belatedly, the cavalry commander muttered in surprise.
“Wha-what is this?”
It was then.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Another unexpected volley of arrows covered the sky.
For that reason, the Imperial cavalry had no choice but to suffer great damage, just as they had during the first arrow attack.
And it didn't even end there.
A fifth volley of arrows soon followed, and as a result, more than half of the Imperial cavalry lost their lives to arrows before they could even fight.
Now, only about 14 riders remained.
The enemy cavalry commander gritted his teeth as he looked at Roden and the Light Cavalry Platoon, who were now right in front of him.
‘If I can’t break through, I’ll die.’
It was only natural, as this thought dominated his mind.
If there was any consolation, it was the fact that the Imperial cavalry used longer spears than the Light Cavalry Platoon.
While the Imperial cavalry wielded their spears with both hands, the Light Cavalry Platoon held their spears with one hand and a shield with the other.
For that reason, if they could just execute a single-point breakthrough well, it wasn't impossible to open a path.
“Charge! We are the strongest cavalry!”
Thus, the enemy cavalry commander once again rallied the Imperial cavalry.
And finally, the Imperial cavalry and the Light Cavalry Platoon clashed.
Slice!
Surprisingly, the enemy cavalry commander's spear was cleanly cut in two by Roden, who was at the forefront.
Kwoooong!
And it didn't even end there.
The Light Cavalry Platoon perfectly blocked the Imperial cavalry's spears with their shields.
Simultaneously, the impact caused the Imperial cavalry to fall from their horses one after another.
It was the effect of the defense magic Roden had enchanted on the shields.
“Clean them up.”
Roden commanded as he struck the enemy cavalry commander's neck with his sword, and the Light Cavalry Platoon obeyed.
It was the Special Task Force Company's first victory in Imperial territory.