The Border Fortress 11

Dust kicked up as the sun shone brightly overhead. In the suffocating stench of blood, the men nocked their arrows.

“—Fire!”

Arrows were loosed one after another at Vice-Captain Maurice’s command. The targets were the cavalry, infantry, and the mages in the rear. Normally, arrows would not reach the mages in the far distance. But the arrows, imbued with magic, flew an unnaturally long way, taking the lives of the mages in the rear. The enemy camp was thrown into chaos. One of the knights, who had been watching the enemy camp closely, confirmed that a messenger was riding hard towards the castle. He was probably going to ask for reinforcements from the mages who remained in the castle.

And the knights of the cavalry, who had been running across the bridge that the neighboring lord had created with magic, were shot down one after another, and their masterless horses ran into the Kennys Border Margravate alone.

The enemy, who had underestimated them as mere infantry, had intended to scatter the Kennys Knights with their cavalry, but Maurice was not one to be so easily outmaneuvered. The elite of the Kennys Knights, who had been disguised as peasant soldiers, nimbly leaped onto the horses with only their saddles and turned them around.

The enemy soldiers who had escaped the arrows flinched for a moment in shock, but they quickly drew their swords and took up a defensive stance.

“Charge!!”

But the Kennys Knights were not one to be deterred. They, who were brave and valiant, showed their true worth when they were in danger. Both sides raised a war cry, and a melee ensued at the riverbank.

The muddy ground was extremely unstable, and the horses lost their footing. The enemy soldiers were thrown from their horses one after another, but the horses of the Kennys Knights moved as if they were on firm, level ground. It was a fact that the Kennys Knights were superior in skill from the start. But the reason they had the upper hand was not just their skill in horsemanship and swordsmanship.

The hard-pressed enemy soldiers were unaware, but the ground under the hooves of the Kennys Knights’ horses was instantly hardening, and returning to its original muddy state as soon as their hooves left it. Naturally, it was easier to exert one’s full strength when fighting on solid ground.

The culprit behind this clearly unnatural phenomenon was in the tower that also served as the highest watchtower, far behind the knights fighting on the front lines.

“How are you doing, Muirulainen?”

“It’s just a pain.”

“I bet.”

Ben Draco shrugged and nodded at Petra Muirulainen, who had answered with a weary expression. Though each one was not a great effort, magic that assisted a large number of people in battle from a distance was a job she wanted to avoid as much as possible. But to prioritize the safety of the "northern immigrants" and to settle the matter quickly with a minimum number of people, the power of the two mages was indispensable.

“Wouldn’t it be quicker to just bring the little missy here and hit them with a big one? There’d be less damage that way, right?”

Ben gave a look of exasperation at Petra, who had said something so dangerous. The only person Petra called “little missy” was Liliana Alexandra Clark. Her magic was the highest among all that Ben and Petra knew. If Liliana were here, it would be possible to rob the enemy of their fighting strength and make them surrender without them even noticing. But there were several problems with that. He could understand Petra’s feelings, but it was too reckless. There were often things that could be done but shouldn’t be.

“We already talked about that. If the Empire is going to conclude that this was a case of a rogue lord, then we have to stick to a defensive battle. The moment we’re considered the aggressors, the justification shifts to the Empire. If we were to settle this in one blow like you said, it would be an attack, not a defense.”

“They’re the ones who crossed the border first, but this is why fighting like a noble is such a pain.”

Petra said the word “painful” for what must have been the umpteenth time, but even as she did so, she manipulated her magic and assisted the Kennys Knights one after another. She also made a few moves to chip away at the enemy’s strength, to a degree that they wouldn't realize there was a mage on their side. Thanks to that, the tide of battle was steadily turning in the Kennys Knights’ favor. At this rate, they should be able to settle it in a day or two—if there were no unexpected ambushes from the enemy.

And the information that there was a so-called “ambush” had already been brought by Liliana. A being that did not belong to the regular knightly order, and a being that had not yet shown itself in the enemy camp—Gerulf and his subordinates.

Their only hope was the possibility that this ambush was only interested in kidnapping the "northern immigrants." The best-case scenario for the margrave’s side was that they would not get involved in the battle, would go to the tower where Gild and the others were hiding, would give up on the kidnapping, and would turn back.

“They can find fault with anything if they want to. The plan is to avoid that kind of trouble as much as possible, right?”

“Let’s just say the stronger one wins.”

Ben gave a wry smile at Petra’s dismissive words. He murmured with a sigh, “You can be surprisingly sloppy sometimes.”

“Would you call me bold?”

“Bold is what you’d call someone like the margrave.”

That’s true, Petra shrugged. And then, her demeanor suddenly changed and she narrowed her eyes. She looked at a spire different from the one they were in and muttered a single word.

“—The little missy, is she here?”

Ben also glanced in the direction Petra was looking and then slowly nodded.

“There’s no way she wouldn’t be. That little missy is the type to do the important things herself.”

“True. She wouldn’t leave it to others.”

Petra, who had nodded in understanding, turned her gaze back to the battlefield. The enemy soldiers were at a disadvantage, and the soldiers who had probably been rounded up to make up the numbers had begun to flee in a panic. They were originally farmers and had never had any real training for battle. They had joined the battle either because they were paid or because it was their lord’s order, and they had no intention of offering their true loyalty. Their creed was that life was precious.

Because they knew this, the Kennys Knights had no intention of pursuing the deserters. And this battle was a defensive one. Maurice had also forbidden them from pursuing too far.

“I hope she’s alright.”

“She’s the little missy, she’ll be fine.”

Petra replied lightly to Ben’s words. But the seriousness in her voice was tinged with a slight anxiety and worry.

＊＊＊＊＊

At the same time as Petra and Ben were supporting the Kennys Knights with their magic, Gild’s eyebrows twitched. Torsten, who noticed this, asked in a low voice, “Are they here?”

“Yeah.”

Be on your guard, Gild said, and the descendants of Alvaldi who had gathered there heightened their alert. The enemy had the bark of the ash tree that would neutralize them. Even though they had performed the ceremony of the oath thanks to Gild and had enhanced their abilities, they didn't know to what extent it would be effective.

For once, even Gild was showing signs of tension. Above all, this was the man who had seen through Liliana’s magic. There was no doubt that he was a special ability user on par with or even stronger than Gild. Furthermore, it was undeniable that they might have prepared some other means besides burning the bark of the ash tree to weaken their fighting strength.

“—Hmph!”

The distinct smell that hit his nose—just as I thought, Gild’s cheeks twisted. The enemy must have already investigated that they were in this place. The smoke from the burning bark of the ash tree filled the room. If it had been before the ceremony of the oath, their stamina would have been drained instantly, but for now, they still had some leeway.

Gild sharpened all his nerves and searched for the intruder’s presence.

“A descendant of Alvaldi—”

He murmured in a low voice. The spiritual power he felt was undoubtedly that of a comrade. This must be the man Liliana had met, Gerulf, Gild guessed.

However, to have a spiritual power that could be identified even before he was seen was extraordinary. Either he was enhancing his special ability by some means, or his original special ability was abnormally high, enough to be clad in an aura. If it were the latter, Gild and Torsten should have at least known his name. But they had never heard the name Gerulf.

“Enhancing your ability with drugs is something a third-rate would do.”

Then he must be enhancing his special ability artificially, Gild concluded and spat. But that didn't mean he could let his guard down. Especially if he was enhancing his ability with drugs, there was a possibility that he would move in a way they didn't expect.

Gild consciously spread his spiritual power throughout his body. His chest and head immediately transformed into those of a wolf. Torsten, who was standing next to him, also enhanced his own special ability. Feeling his own physical abilities being further enhanced by Torsten’s special ability, Gild let out a small smile. But only a low growl escaped from his already wolf-like throat.

The next moment, Gild had moved from his spot. He slipped through a small lookout window from the tower room and leaped outside. The moment a dull metallic sound echoed, Gild, who was floating in the air, had parried the intruder’s sword with his own drawn one. He flipped backwards from the recoil and landed on the outer wall of the tower. At the sight of the group of black-robed figures that appeared in his vision, Gild bared his fangs in a grin.

The enemy were all floating in the air.

It seemed there was a special ability user on their side who could manipulate space. The number was unexpectedly large, but he didn't feel like he would lose. The opponent he had just crossed blades with seemed to have a very high special ability, but the others were not that strong. Depending on the type of special ability, in terms of sheer strength, their comrades in the Kennys Knights were far stronger. I see, so that's why they had to use the smoke from the burning bark of the ash tree, Gild understood inwardly. In short, the enemy must have understood that they were at a disadvantage in terms of fighting strength.

“To think you could win with just that, you’ve made a pretty sweet miscalculation, haven’t you?”

With a taunt, Gild’s body grew a size larger. Overwhelmed by Gild’s further swelling spiritual power, the black-robed figures all seemed to flinch. But there was one person who was completely unfazed. Gild turned his gaze to that man. He still didn't recognize his face, but this man was probably “Gerulf.” But he wanted to keep his relationship with Liliana a secret. To do that, he couldn't say the word “Gerulf.”

“—You, what’s your name?”

“If you want a name, you should give yours first, wolfman.”

“That’s a compliment. But if I had to say, I’m not a wolf, but a wolf hunter.”

The man’s eyebrow twitched at Gild’s reply. It was a change so slight that it would have been unnoticeable even if one were staring, but Gild’s high dynamic visual acuity, having half his body transformed into a wolf, easily spotted the change.

The next moment, countless spears appeared around Gild. Before he could even register them, the spears rained down on him. At that moment, the man who seemed to be Gerulf, perhaps to avoid being caught in the crossfire, had instantly moved behind his comrades.

But Gild was not one to be easily defeated. He flipped his body and ran along the outer wall, dodging the spears. But even where he ran, spears with their tips pointed at him appeared. Gild dodged those as well.

As he did so, his eyes were searching for the position of the special ability user who had created the spears. The special ability of the one who had created the spears was probably just that. To create spears in the air and attack the enemy. It would be effective in a one-on-many battle, catching the enemy off guard, but as an ability to use against a single person, it was simply a waste.

“Is that it?”

While moving around in the air, he caught the spears that were chasing him and neutralized several of the enemy’s special ability users who were nearby. It seemed Gild was right in judging that their special abilities were low, as they couldn't even handle their own abilities properly. Among them, there were two who were moving their positions as if being protected by their surroundings. One was the one manipulating the spears, and the other must be the one making them float in the air. It must be extremely tiring for a not-so-high special ability user to keep so many people floating in the air. In other words, the one who still had some stamina left must be the spear user. Having judged that much in a short time, Gild made a small hand sign without the enemy noticing and called out his comrade’s name.

“Innyeboli, probably the short, fat one.”

It was a unique communication method of the descendants of Alvaldi, which was only transmitted to those who had made the oath. With this method, even if there was a special ability user on the enemy side who specialized in hearing, their conversation could not be eavesdropped on.

“—Hmph!”

The next moment, the enemy was in turmoil. It was only natural, as a person had come out of their own shadow that was cast on the fortress.

The ones who appeared were Yeori, and Innyeboli, whose hand he was holding. Before the enemy could recover from their shock, Innyeboli looked at the short, fat man and grinned. At the same time, countless spears appeared around the enemy.

“Imitation—!?”

Someone shouted in astonishment.

Imitation of special abilities—that was Innyeboli’s special ability. Not only special abilities, but she could also imitate the physical abilities of her opponent. Furthermore, since Torsten, who had a special ability that enhanced that ability, was nearby, the possibility of losing was one in a million.

The spears, without giving the enemy time to counterattack, skewered them one after another. The first to be pierced was the special ability user who manipulated space, and more than half of them screamed and fell to the ground before they were pierced by the spears. But Gerulf was not among them. He, who should have been floating in the air until just a moment ago, had disappeared in the blink of an eye, in a moment when Gild and the others were blinking.

“—Where did he disappear?”

Gild murmured softly. No matter how much he sharpened his senses, he couldn't feel any spiritual power other than that of the Kennys Knights around him. Gerulf’s presence had genuinely vanished in an instant.

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

Gild, who had clung to the outer wall of the tower, grumbled as he looked down at the ground far below. On the ground, the Kennys Knights, who had gathered in a swarm, were cleaning up the dead enemy soldiers—undoubtedly the descendants of Alvaldi on the enemy side.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. But since there was nothing more to do for now, Gild sighed and entered the tower from behind Yeori and Innyeboli. His comrades, who had been waiting for them, looked relieved to see them.

The knight with the special ability to “make others fly,” who had been supporting the battle from the shadows, looked slightly tired, but his cheeks were slightly flushed, perhaps from the elation of having somehow made it through. Gild, who had been congratulating everyone, starting with him, suddenly caught a strange sound and his eyes sharpened.

“Garmr? What is it?”

Torsten, who had noticed Gild’s state, tilted his head. Then, Gild let out a sharp curse.

“I messed up.”

“Huh?”

Yeori blinked. Gild spat out with a low growl.

“This was the decoy. The real target is that other tower—the one with the margrave and the mages.”

Tension immediately ran through the knights.

He had thought it was too easy. It was also strange that the man named Gerulf, who was plotting to kidnap the descendants of Alvaldi, had retreated so easily.

“Hurry!”

The descendants of Alvaldi all jumped out of the fortress where they had been hiding at once. From the other tower, the one where Margrave Kennys, Ben Draco, and Petra Muirulainen were, flames were rising. Gild, who had particularly high physical abilities, kicked off the ground with enough force to leave the group behind. The fortress was large. Even with his enhanced physical abilities, there was a limit.

“I’ll go first!”

“You can take one with you, right? Take them!”

When Yeori, who had the special ability to move through shadows, shouted, Gild answered. Without hesitation, Innyeboli reached out to Yeori. The moment Yeori grabbed his hand, he jumped into a nearby shadow.

If it was Innyeboli, who could imitate his opponent’s special ability, at least he wouldn’t lose. It was possible that he couldn’t win without Torsten, but at least if he didn’t lose, she could hold out until reinforcements arrived.

“Captain—!”

A knight’s tearing scream reached Gild’s ears—or so he thought.