The Horned Cavalry (Rongāra) that had been fiercely charging into the enemy lines suddenly pulled back all at once, like a tide going out.
Duke Inselm, who had been watching the battle from the rear of the Urgalia army, slapped the saddle of his Horned Horse (Ronga) in frustration. “General Oswald speaks grandly, yet look at him! Struggling against a mere Selseta Army-what a disgrace! Does he intend to stain Your Majesty’s first battle?”
Duke Inselm rode up beside me and spoke in a sharp tone: “Your Majesty, I insist you dispatch a messenger to the General immediately, demanding an explanation for this shameful display!”
I answered Duke Inselm with a frown: “…Let’s not. I’ve left the command of the battle to General Oswald. If I want a report, waiting until sundown is enough.”
It wasn’t that I was upset by the “shameful fighting” he was talking about. It was because I’d ridden a Horned Horse all the way here from the Imperial Capital with barely any rest, and my butt, hips, and thighs hurt like hell.
Honestly, it hurt just to talk, so I wished Duke Inselm would just be quiet. But he didn’t seem satisfied with my answer and kept pushing.
”Regrettably, that would be unjust to the fallen. Reward and punishment-that is the essence of war. Command is indeed entrusted to General Oswald currently, but should he fail, forfeiting that command is only proper. Even he must understand that. Entrust command to me, and I shall capture that camp within one double-hour, I assure you,” Duke Inselm declared with absolute confidence.
I offered a bitter smile, still grimacing from the ride. “That would be a problem. If you go to the front lines, who would protect me?”
”I presume that duty may fall to General Oswald upon his return,” Duke Inselm replied smoothy.
”Oh? You would have a man who failed and lost his command protect me?” I asked back.
When I asked that back, Duke Inselm was at a loss for words. He must have realized I’d seen through him-that he cared more about military glory than about guarding me.
Not wanting to press him too hard, I quickly offered an olive branch: “Just as commanding the army is General Oswald’s duty, protecting me is yours. My safety is your glory. No matter what anyone else does, I will never forget your service.”
When I said that, Duke Inselm gave me a probing look for a moment. I looked back calmly, and something seemed to click for him-the silver-haired Noble Clans showed a small smile at the corner of his mouth.
He must have figured out his own interpretation of who “anyone else” meant.
It seemed my salaryman survival trick-saying what the other person wants to hear while never actually committing to anything-had come in handy.
Unaware of my internal relief, Duke Inselm bowed exaggeratedly from his saddle. “Understood. My sincerest apologies for speaking so presumptuously, Your Majesty.”
I replied, looking away toward the Selseta Army’s camp, “It’s fine. I know your advice comes from wanting my first battle to end in victory.”
Duke Inselm followed suit and turned toward the enemy camp.
Finally, he was quiet, and I let out a quiet sigh of relief inside. But right away, a sharp pain shot through my back and I grimaced.
Like I said before, the cause of this pain is riding here from the Imperial Capital with almost no rest.
Horned Horses are excellent in leg strength and stamina, but that puts a bigger burden on the rider.
If you just sit on the saddle, a Horned Horse can throw you off with even a little speed. To prevent that, you have to grip the saddle with both legs and keep your body steady.
It sounds easy, and for a short time it really isn’t that hard. Even I could do it.
But when it comes to the distance from the Imperial Capital to the border, things change a lot. My beloved horse Ura is a smart girl, way easier to ride than other Horned Horses, but even so, I nearly cried uncle more than once along the way.
It wasn’t just the pain. Being shaken on horseback the whole time made me horribly nauseous, and because of the nausea I could barely keep down food or drink, and with hunger and exhaustion and pain piling up, my mind started going fuzzy-it was just really, really rough.
Looking back now, I’m honestly impressed I made it here in one piece.
I think General Oswald could’ve gone a little easier on a first-time Emperor and slowed the march. Though thanks to that, I didn’t have time to feel the fear or tension of “we’re about to kill each other,” so maybe that was for the best.
If I could have my way, I’d get off this Horned Horse right now, lie flat on my back, and sprawl out on the ground. As I was thinking that, a soldier rode up beside me with a worried look.
A soldier rode up beside me with a concerned expression. “Your Majesty, how are you feeling? If you give the word, I can have a chair prepared right away…”
The soldier, riding a Horned Horse like me, had long hair and a woman’s voice.
There were five other female soldiers, and they’d been taking care of me throughout the march. Meals, clothes, and during breaks in the tent they’d let me rest my head on their laps, wipe every inch of my body clean-their “care” was truly devoted and covered everything.
They were all under Duke Inselm’s command and normally served as guards for the Duke’s wife and daughter. When this campaign started, Duke Inselm called them up and assigned them to look after me.
The soldier who spoke to me and the others were all young and beautiful, which was probably the Duke’s intention.
In peacetime, I might’ve taken them up on it with a “no one’s turned away” attitude, but right now wasn’t the time.
Expressing my thanks, I declined her offer: “I’m fine. Everyone’s fighting-I can’t be the only one sitting around taking it easy.”
”Ah, pray forgive me,” she murmured, bowing her head.
I added, praising both her and her lord, “I appreciate you worrying about me. The fact that your care is so thorough must be thanks to Duke Inselm’s daily guidance.”
The reason I didn’t just praise the soldier but also her lord, Duke Inselm, was my own way of looking out for her-it would probably work out better for her that way.
Just then, something changed on the battlefield.
A unit of the Urgalia army broke away from the main force with a loud blast of horns, about seven thousand strong.
The detached force seemed to be trying to swing south and get behind the Selseta Army.
After a pause, another detached force started moving, this time swinging north, also about seven thousand.
So from twenty thousand in the main force, fourteen thousand had been split off, leaving General Oswald with only six thousand. Considering the losses from the opening fight, it wouldn’t be strange if it was under five thousand.
I think you should concentrate your forces, but the General seems to have a different idea.
A thought crossed my mind: “-If the Selseta Army abandons their camp and charges right now, aren’t I in serious danger?”
Since the Emperor Flag is flying at the front, the enemy must know the Urgalian Emperor is on this battlefield. They’ve built a watchtower in their camp, so they’ve probably noticed the unit at the rear of the Urgalia army that hasn’t moved since the battle started.
If they take out the Emperor, this battle is the Selseta Army’s victory. Riding the momentum of having driven off the Horned Cavalry (Rongāra) in the opening fight, it’s not unlikely the Selseta Army would launch a fierce attack.
For a moment, a chill ran down my spine. But I quickly shook my head inside and brushed off the unease.
There’s no way the General hasn’t thought of something I could think of. So then, is this a plan to use the Emperor (me) as bait to fish out the enemy?
Deliberately thinning the main force’s defenses and waiting for the enemy to come out of their camp. It’s a plan you couldn’t use unless you were confident you could beat the Selseta Army on open plains with less than half their numbers.
If the Selseta Army doesn’t take the bait, that’s fine too. In that case, he’d just decide to attack the enemy camp from three directions.
This time, the Urgalia army had come here at the fastest march possible. In other words, they hadn’t given the Selseta Army time to fortify their defenses.
The eastern defenses visible from here look pretty solid, but the north, south, and probably west defenses aren’t as strong as the east. The General probably read that far and organized the detached forces.
-Hmm. When you think about it like this, it’s a really nasty way to fight. In a sense, the outcome was decided the moment General Oswald decided to “make the whole army cavalry.”
I’m glad the General is on our side. The Selseta Army, on the other hand, must be tasting the misfortune of having him as an enemy.
Thinking that, I put a hand on my aching lower back and patted it.
My guess at this point was pretty half-baked with no real basis, but long story short, it was almost completely right.
The Selseta Army’s royal sister Mito had sensed my presence, and when the Urgalia army split its forces, she apparently considered a surprise attack on the enemy main camp.
But the Selseta Army, made up mainly of infantry and archers, had no choice but to conclude that beating the Horned Cavalry (Rongāra) on open plains would be difficult.
On top of that, even if they could beat General Oswald’s main force, the Urgalia army-made up entirely of Horned Cavalry-could run away as much as they wanted if they chose to.
While chasing the fleeing Emperor, if the detached forces turned back, they could hit the Selseta Army from behind and wipe them out.
Judging that there was no way to win no matter what if they attacked, Mito chose to strengthen the camp’s defenses and meet the enemy head-on. You could say she had no other choice.
But in terms of having no chance of winning, this choice was no different.
The Urgalia army’s detached forces judged the west side to be the weakest, joined up, and launched a simultaneous attack. The west side had ditches and earthworks, but the wooden fence was only about half finished, and the Horned Cavalry (Rongāra) that charged up the earthworks easily broke into the camp.
Mito had moved half her crossbowmen to the west, so there were some losses there, but because the number of crossbowmen was smaller than before and the wooden fence they used for cover wasn’t finished, the Urgalia army was able to force a melee.
This dealt a huge blow to the Selseta Army’s crossbowmen. And with their trump card-the crossbowmen-gone, the Selseta Army had no way left to stop the Urgalia army’s fierce assault.
Having broken through the western defenses, the Urgalia army poured into the enemy camp in force, cutting down Selseta soldiers like grass.
Mito had no choice but to try moving the crossbowmen she’d kept in the east to the west, but by then General Oswald’s main force had already started moving, not letting Mito move her troops.
In a battle where defeat was all but certain, the Selseta Army led by the royal sister Mito still fought well to the end. But it only amounted to “fighting well in a losing situation”-it couldn’t turn the tide.
As the crimson of dusk spread across the sky over the Dalai Plains, Mito finally gave up resistance and ordered a full retreat.
Considering the Urgalia army showed up before noon, the battle took about two and a half double-hours (five hours) to finish.
The camp that the royal sister Mito had tried to build with the fate of her nation on the line fell into the hands of the Urgalia army in less than a day.
Trivia:
- Duke Inselm’s offer to take command in under two hours reveals his arrogance more than his competence, since Oswald’s entire strategy depends on patience and positioning.
- The Emperor’s salaryman survival trick of never giving a straight commitment while praising both sides is a direct callback to his past life, shaping how he handles noble politics.
- Mito’s decision to stay defensive mirrors the Emperor’s earlier guess almost exactly, showing that both sides understood the hopelessness of the situation but reacted differently.