Chapter 93: Armored Combat
Fiel and August were struggling against the enemy cavalry, and if I got bogged down here and we all died, all the achievements and efforts so far would be for nothing. That absolutely couldn’t happen. Why was I fighting with my life on the line? Isn’t my dream to become a lord and live happily with Hilda?
What could I do against one knight who raised both arms high to strike down from above in Halbschwert stance while the other tried to find an opening? Their skills were no joke, and I was being pushed back. But when had I ever not been pushed back? I’m the one who fought to the death against Klugen.
Compared to then, now I was wearing sturdy plate armor and hadn’t even been cut by a sword. The wound on my left cheek was slowly healing as the memory of that day faded. As the knight in Halbschwert stance charged to strike down from above, I met him with the same stance.
The moment we were about to collide, I could predict his next move and the flow it would lead to. This was definitely Fühlen. He was going to tangle my arms to hold me immobile, and in that opening, the other knight would stab at my weak point. So I moved reflexively.
I thrust my sword inside the opponent’s spread arms to cross them, then tapped Mont Blanc’s right side to make him turn right. I screamed with all my might and pulled the knight toward me. As the entangled knight was dragged in the direction Mont Blanc rotated, he fell from his horse.
After instantly unhorsing him, I knocked aside the other knight’s sword that had been aiming for the gap in my armpit, then struck his face with my pommel. Thud! Thud! The moment the knight swung his sword to counterattack, I grabbed his elbow and wrenched the foot caught in his stirrup upward with all my strength, toppling him from his horse.
Thud!
"Gah!"
The knight who had fallen first got up and attacked Mont Blanc, and somehow—I don’t even know how—my cavalry sword tip precisely pierced through the visor gap and stabbed his eye. The knight screamed and rolled on the ground, while the other knight took Mont Blanc’s well-timed back kick square in the chest plate.
Thwack!
Thump!
After struggling to take down the two knights, I spotted Count Épinay fleeing in the distance. You bastard, won’t you stop? Chivalry or whatever, let’s stab first and sort it out later. Mont Blanc ran powerfully once again. Fiel and August’s stalling had its limits, too. Some enemy cavalry had flanked around.
Thud thud thud thud!
They chased behind me, trying to prevent me from reaching Count Épinay. Some even threw javelins at me, which I instinctively dodged by steering Mont Blanc left and right. I was startled, and Mont Blanc was startled too. What the hell? That’s terrifying. It was truly like being in a trance.
For some reason, I seemed to know the trajectory and direction of the javelins flying from behind, but does that even make sense? Yet I dodged them all, as if I had eyes in the back of my head. Was this also the influence of Fühlen? Regardless, it definitely saved me.
"Count Épinay! I’ll chase you to the edge of the continent!"
"Damn it, you plague-ridden bastard!"
When Count Épinay saw me still chasing, his face twisted into a look of pure horror, as if he were staring at a walking plague. Compared to how he had exploded in frustration after learning I was the Streit who’d ruined all his plans, what he felt now was closer to sheer terror. Anyone else I might let go, but not him.
But Mont Blanc seemed tired.
He’d run at full speed from the garrison to here and burned through his stamina in continuous battles, so it was natural for him to be tired. However, Count Épinay’s horse still seemed fresh. If I’d had a javelin, I’d at least have tried throwing it. But then, as if by fate, a spear was stuck in the ground between the trees ahead.
And next to it was an infantryman’s corpse.
I quickly steered Mont Blanc in that direction.
I bent down and successfully grabbed the spear.
"Mont Blanc! Just a little more strength! When we get back, I’ll feed you all the sugar cubes you want!"
At the mention of sugar cubes, Mont Blanc seemed to gain a second wind and increased his speed even more. The distance to Count Épinay gradually closed. Wait—you weren’t tired? Why are you suddenly so energetic? I’d once heard from Hilda that among smart horses, some occasionally fake exhaustion.
Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now.
Having barely caught up to Count Épinay from behind, I stabbed the spear into his horse’s hindquarters.
Neigh!
"Aagh!"
The horse toppled forward, and Count Épinay fell with it. Whether he’d landed badly or not, I placed the spear tip at Count Épinay’s neck as he groaned, clutching his shoulder. I looked down at the count, who flinched in surprise, his beard trembling. The Épinay cavalry who had desperately followed couldn’t approach any further.
"Surrender. Otherwise, we’ll both die here. I’m just a duchy knight—no great loss if I die—but the life of the ruler of Épinay can’t even be compared, can it?"
"...I’ve lost. Drop your weapons."
The cavalry surrounding us finally dropped their weapons. Fiel and August, who arrived afterward, had their plate armor covered in blood, as if they’d fought through a massacre. Our cavalry force of about 40 riders had been reduced by half. However, after those massive sacrifices, we had finally captured the enemy’s supreme commander.
"We won!"
"Long live the Duchy of Beren!"
"Streit!"
"Streit!"
Waaah!
Victory seized after fierce battle is always sweet.
[Gale Knight III Quest Complete]
[5,000 points, 50 silver coins (hazard pay) awarded]
[Family Prestige 500 points (1,750 points, Recognition 35%, Governance 35%)]
[E-Rank Cavalry Commander (Breakthrough 30%, Charge 30%) increased]
[D-Rank Knight (Military Power 40%, Courage 40%) increased]
The quest was completed, and the title ranks in the Hall of Fame each increased by one level. I’d grown significantly through this war. And the most gratifying thing among all of this was that I had finally mastered Fühlen from the German Swordsmanship Manual completely. That sensation I’d felt during battle—that was probably the final stage of Fühlen, wasn’t it?
[German Swordsmanship Manual]
[Stage 3 Training Quest Complete]
[1,000 points, 1 silver coin awarded]
[Stage 4 Training Quest]
[Armored Combat (Mordhau-Halbschwert-Zucken-Zornhau-Dagger Fighting)]
[Proficiency 0/100]
[Reward - 1,000 points, 1 silver coin]
The German swordsmanship had now reached Stage 4. From what I knew, Stage 5 was the final one, but what came after armored combat? It was hard to think straight with all the quests completing at once. Then Fiel and August approached. Fortunately, all the lieutenants were safe.
They were smiling brightly.
Covered head to toe in blood, but they’d crossed through the jaws of death.
"You did it, Captain!"
"Thanks to you two stalling for time, I was able to catch him."
"I’m just sorry we couldn’t hold them longer."
"What are you talking about? Capturing the count alive is entirely your achievement."
I had struggled against the knights, but the credit belonged more to Fiel and August, who had risked their lives blocking the enemy cavalry, and to the other lieutenants and light cavalry. Wasn’t it because of them that I could pursue Count Épinay with peace of mind? So I gave them full credit and praised them generously.
Count Épinay, now a prisoner, asked me in a resigned tone:
"Streit. I have something to ask you."
"What are you curious about?"
"What happened to the cavalry I sent for the ambush?"
"You mean the raiding unit led by the knight from Holland? Naturally, we drove them into a trap."
"...How? Was there a traitor in my ranks?"
I deliberately grinned and gave an ambiguous reaction. People believe what they want to believe. The count would probably find it more reasonable that his tactics had failed due to internal betrayal rather than being seen through by a greenhorn—because that would be less embarrassing.
Anyway, typical French bastard.
"I’m also curious about something. Why were you separated from your personal cavalry?"
"When retreating, there was a cavalry unit that broke through our collapsed center and was chasing us from behind."
"Was that cavalry unit by any chance Baron Valent’s?"
"Probably. I had my personal cavalry set an ambush to attack the pursuers. Seeing that they returned to me, they must have succeeded. But who knew that committing them to the ambush would be the fatal mistake?"
Thanks to that, we had been able to approach Count Épinay without interference. We’d nearly been wiped out by the personal cavalry that had hurriedly returned, but in the end, my luck was stronger and the count’s was worse. Having already surrendered, his personal cavalry didn’t resist.
Instead, they reacted with disbelief at having been soundly beaten by the Duchy of Beren, which they’d always looked down on. We crossed the battlefield plains heading south, and our troops cleaning up the battlefield saw our cavalry marching with Count Épinay in tow and burst into cheers.
"Long live the Duchy of Beren!"
"Great Euz, may you live forever!"
Count Épinay closed his eyes, listening to those cheers.
This tiresome border war ended with the complete victory of the Duchy of Beren.
What remained now was the distribution of rewards and honors.
But I became the center of controversy.