Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi

onsistently strike the same place multiple times and its durability is too low to deal a decisive blow to a proper wall like this.
Of course it would be a different story if we had way more cannons.

「It takes too much effort and money.」

「……I see.
Then it might be better if you used catapults.」

It would be the best case if we could improve the cannons, but the craftsmen in my territory don’t have the skill to reproduce the product made in the Federation.

「Doesn’t it look like the battle is just about settled though?」

There are close to 100 catapults flinging objects into the city and over 10,000 archers continuously firing flaming arrows including the bow cavalry.
Both ally and enemy alike should understand that the end is approaching.
Plus, I heard the enemy isn’t getting any reinforcements.

「You’re right.
It’s just a matter of time.
But this would mean the city would be like hell right now.
The citizens will surely hate us quite a bit.」

「It’s a little late to care about that now.」

Erich must have encountered rebelling citizens along his marching route.
He’s looking at me with a bitter look on his face.

「In any case, we should bring the city down quickly.
Kenneth was probably the one who called the Federation’s fleet here.
If things continue at this rate, he’ll act all self-important.」

After the Federation’s fleet destroyed Magrado’s navy, they moored at Goldonia’s port and the commander even garrisoned his troops there.
It certainly looks like they want to cut in and see the end of the war.
They might take advantage of us if we handle things poorly and struggle in our fight.

Just when orders were about to be given to increase the intensity of the attacks, the city gates suddenly open.

「The gates opened?」「Are they going to charge at us?」

The nearby soldiers are making a fuss about it.
However, Erich and I wait before making a decision.
It’s natural to believe that opening the gates in this situation signifies their surrender.

A single messenger runs forward and calls out in a loud voice.

「If you surrender, I swear there will be no further attacks on you.
Abandon your weapons and line up……gugyah !!」

But the answer to the messenger comes in the form of a rain of arrows, as well as a group of heavy cavalry charging out from the gate.
There are around 2000 enemies rushing at us, aimed towards the headquarters where Erich and I are situated.

「Assaulting us? No way, have they gone mad……you can’t go, got it?」

「Muu」

I unconsciously reach for my spear but Erich stops me.
It’s true we have dispersed our forces, but there’s no way 2000 cavalry could pass through the headquarters, the most heavily guarded area, with about 40,000 soldiers packed together.

They are instantly met with a shower of giant bolts and arrows, some of it coming from even the unique repeating bow, causing over half the cavalry to fall faster than they came rushing out.

「Have they gone insane?」「Well, they’ve been getting their ass handed to them, of course they’ll get desperate.」

The soldiers deployed on all fronts are sneering at how they don’t even need to move to defend the headquarters.

Not even half the enemy remains as they continue to close the distance.
It was quite the reckless charge.

Yet they don’t stop.
Even as they get shot by bowguns and get sent flying by the giant arrows, the enemy maintains their ranks and not a single one of them runs away.
They push their horses closer and closer towards us until the moment they get skewered.

If their horse gets shot down, they run on foot and if the rider is shot down, their horse continues running forward.
The soldiers in the headquarters is gradually losing their composure too.

「What are you doing!? Concentrate all your arrows on them!」
「Order the cavalry to attack them from the flank!」

As the enemy charges at us, cavalry and spear units approach from the side and finish off a couple of the enemy cavalry.
However, it didn’t matter how many were killed by the flank attack.
The enemy focuses only on advancing forward, regardless of how many casualties they suffer.

「Anti-cavalry defensive formation! Get your spears up!」

At last, the soldiers under direct command of the headquarters get into defensive positions.
The enemy broke through the unit performing the siege attacks.
Well, it’s more like they forcibly pushed their way past them, but their forces have been reduced to a mere 500 while our allies have practically taken no damage.

「But there are still 10,000 soldiers directly under the command of the headquarters, so how are they going to get past them?」

「Which side are you supporting?」

A defensive formation with no gaps is set up in front of the enemy, which can be taken out in two ways by cavalry – destroying the formation from long range like the bow cavalry, or slowing down and brushing away the spears – but if they choose the latter option, our allies would catch up, surround them from behind and wipe them out in an instant.

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It was then that the enemy took another option.

「No way! They’re going to charge in anyways!?」「Not good, the trailing units are going to break through!」

The heavy cavalry continue charging forward into the defensive formation, using the momentum and weight of their heavy equipment to crush the spear units and opening the path for the cavalry following behind them.
Naturally, there was a terrifying collision between the enemy and the spears and the enemy suffered great casualties, dropping their unit count to a few dozen in number.

Nevertheless, they press on.
They run past the archers who intended to support the spear unit and hurriedly rush straight at us, ignoring the other soldiers in the headquarters.
The enemy units continue to get taken out one after the other, becoming 50, then 30, then 20.
Even so, they only look to push forward.

The man leading the pack bellows loudly.

「My name is Radgalf! Hardlett, if you are a true brave general, then you will come out and fight me!」

It seems he has designated me by name.

He swings his spear around to remove the soldiers blocking his path and cuts down the fence so his horse can advance.
His horse eventually gets stabbed by spears and he’s forced to dismount but the fallen man recovers quickly and continues to run at me while waving his spear.
His mud-covered appearance and desperate actions don’t look unsightly in the least to me.

「Aegir, you better not be thinking of doing something stupid.
We can deal with this guy just by shooting him down.」

It’s been a while since he’s called me Aegir.
I guess he’s lost a certain amount of composure too.

「The Supreme Commander should stay back.
I’ll stay here.」

I raise my spear to let that Radgalf fellow know where I am.
But I’m not going where he is.
I’ll challenge him only if he can make his way past the allies in front of me.

「So you’re over there!!」

As Radgalf brandishes his spear, the spear unit thrusts their weapons at him while the bowgun unit fires volley after volley, but he remains undefeated.
His last subordinate rushes to his aid and protects him, blocking the bowgun bolts with his body and becoming a porcupine.

「General ……I wish you luck……I will be waiting in the otherworld……」

「Umu, it won’t take long.
Take a drink and sit tight!」

「As if I’ll let you!!」

Irijina and Celia rush out from my right and left to protect me, but I don’t have enough time to stop them.

「Don’t block me!」

He somehow blocks Irijina’s intense consecutive thrusts with his bare hands and tosses her aside.
Next, he’s easily able to block Celia’s sword, parries her attack and kicks her to the ground.

「Gu……」
「Hau……」

「Haa, haa……Hardlett……Hardlett, oooh!!」

It’s almost exactly like how I fight – fine, bring it on.
Looking carefully, you can see his eyes are bloodshot and he can’t see anyone else but me.
Did I do something to make him resent me so much?

Irijina and Celia somehow seem unhurt and once again ready their swords, but I stop them from going any further.
He’s probably stronger than you girls.
You probably won’t escape unscathed the next time.

Standing still in front me makes for a perfect target for the bowgun unit aiming to shoot him down.

「It’s not needed.」

I hold out my spear to stop them.
At the same time, some allies form a circle around us to give us some space.

He did well to get here with only 2000.
I’ll have to respond accordingly.

「My name is Radgalf, and you are Lord Hardlett!?」

「That’s right.
What do you want with me?」

「Well done on your impressive battle in Treia! But I came carrying the regrets of my subordinates.
Now that the battle is all but finished, this is my last chance……come, accept my request for a battle to the death!」

I don’t need to know any more than that, let’s fight.

「Alright.
Come at me.」

「En garde! Uoooooooh!!」

The spear swinging down at me is a halberd1, which I block with my own spear, but it forces me to take a step back.
He has a considerable amount of strength, rivalling that of the dwarves.

「Uoooooooh!!」

Seeing how I moved backwards, he follows up with a side swipe and an upward thrust to continue his attack.
I block his attacks successfully but step back every time.
I want to counterattack but if I’m not careful, I might get my head split open.
Even iron armor won’t be able to guard against this kind of strength.

「What’s wrong!? You’re only going to defend!?」

Since I didn’t make any move to attack back, he prepares to take a huge swing, aiming to strike a fatal blow.
This is my chance.

I time my own upward thrust to meet his full-powered down swing.
As our weapons collide, a loud ear-splitting metallic sound rings out and the dry grass on the ground scatters into the wind.

The force of the tremendous impact knocks me back, but also pushes him away and brings his knee to the ground.

With some distance created between us, we will now be using the thrusting range unique to spears.
I’m the one who takes the initiative, performing my three-part thrust at his throat, chest and stomach, but Radgalf blocks all my attacks and even returns a thrust to my face.

The spear grazes my cheek and draws first blood.
Pushing his spear away with my arm guard, I swing my spear down intending to bisect him in a single strike, but he expertly twists his body to avoid the attack, then counters with a furious thrust aimed at my heart.

I deflect the blow with the handle of my spear on reflex, but open myself to his consecutive attacks.
I’m able to block his fourth and fifth attacks but I’m a bit slow to intercept his last attack aimed at my knee.

「Gotcha!」

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「Not yet!」

I lift up one leg and rotate my body to perform a spinning strike with my spear.
The attack glances his shoulder, but because I was in an unsteady position, it isn’t a deep enough wound.
However, I won’t ignore how he staggers, creating an opening for me.

「Fuun!」

I swing my spear furiously down at him, which might be a simple attack, but not one you can block half-heartedly.

He also uses all his effort to meet my attack with his spear but on the third time we clashed, his weapon breaks.
He promptly draws his sword to block the fourth time, but he gets sent rolling on the ground.
He must have scraped his forehead as blood runs down his head, dying half his face red.

As I was about to skewer him before he gets up, he flings some blood at me with his hand.
My body stiffens instinctively at the sudden action.

「There!」

His sword digs into my side.
Blood squirts out and I unconsciously reach to press against my wound.

「Gu……」

「Wh- ! Dastard !!」「 Do you know no shame !!?」

The surrounding soldiers jeer at him.
The one making the most fuss is Celia and if it wasn’t for Irijina stopping her, she would have jumped out and attacked the other guy.

I don’t really think anything of it myself to be honest.
We aren’t competing in some swordplay tournament.
This is just a one-on-one on the battlefield and a deathmatch where anything goes as long as you win.

「Let’s finish this.」

「Yeah.」

My wound doesn’t reach my internal organs, but it isn’t shallow either.
He looks a little clumsy, so maybe he’s feeling some pain from my previous attack too.
Both of us probably want to settle this battle as soon as possible.

I drop my spear and unsheathe my Dual Crater.
It’ll be over in a flash.

「Seiyyaaa!」
「Shi-!」

I run towards him and cross blades with Radgalf.
He slashes at me diagonally ignoring all defense, which I plan to evade with a paper-thin margin, but it was probably read by him from the start as he slightly changes the angle of his attack instantaneously as if capturing my movement.

Can I dodge it?
The world seems to move in slow motion as I twist the left side of my body, but feel the blade of his sword cutting into me.
His slash doesn’t reach all the way to my bone though.

With a splash of blood, his sword passes through my body, but I suddenly see a completely defenseless Radgalf in front of me.
I can feel a small smirk emerge on my face.

There was a sharp cutting noise.
The moment which felt like forever was actually over in the blink of an eye.
The soldiers all look on in worry, awaiting the outcome of the duel.

「Aegir-samaaaa!! I’ll assist you right now!」

You don’t have to come.
It’s over.

A geyser of blood shoots out from my shoulder, but Radgalf’s stomach splits open and spills his organs to the ground.
The battle is finished.

He lets go of his sword and falls over while still facing me, meanwhile the pain from my shoulder caused me to fall on my ass.
His hand grabs at my foot, but his grip is loose.
After leaking his blood and guts all over the ground, he probably won’t survive for more than a few minutes.

「……Was I……strong?」

「Radgalf, you were the strongest man I’ve fought so far.」

「Is that so……Ansgar! Dieter! I’m on my way, we can laugh at my defeat as we drink together!」

Radgalf looks up at the sky while laying on his back, extending his hand towards the heavens and then passes on with his eyes still wide open.
What a heroic end – he has a satisfied smile on his face.

「Geez! Geez! You suffered such injuries again!!」

I gently pat the crying Celia as she treats my shoulder and side.

「He was quite an impressive man.
I might happily let him embrace me if I was a woman.」

On second thought, I take it back – imagining his bearded face sucking on me is gross.

Shortly after the death of Radgalf and all his subordinates, a large white flag is raised from the palace.
Magrado’s royalty have completely surrendered and even the Treian royalty who were under Magrado’s protection also completely surrendered to us.

The war with Magrado is finally over, but at the same time, I receive a notice that the Malt Kingdom is invading my home.
I guess the fighting will continue.

Aegir Hardlett.
22 years old.
Winter.
Wartime.
Commander of Third Army Corps
Subordinate Squad: 39,900

Private Army: 7900 (Units brought to battle only)
Infantry: 2500, Cavalry: 500, Archers: 700, Engineers: 300, Bow Cavalry: 3900
Cannons: 7

Kingdom Army – 2 divisions: 25,500
Neighboring Lords’ Armies: 6500

Additional – Rafen Defense Squad: 1000

Military Subordinates: Leopolt (Deputy Commander), Celia (adjutant), Myla (commander), Irijina (commander), Luna (commander of the bow cavalry), Pipi, Tristan (house-sitting), Gido (???)
Current Location: Capital Odoros
Achievements: Capitulated Port Randel, Annihilated the Magrado Army, Won Against Radgalf in man-to-man combat, Capitulated the Capital Odoros (joint)