Meanwhile

Viewpoint: Harris — Lumoria Kingdom, Yōntsu Territory, Private Knight Corps, Company Commander

“The enemy force numbers fifteen hundred. There is no cavalry, and we also see no signs of fortification work or the installation of observation towers.”

“Good work. Continue monitoring the enemy.”

“Yes!”

At my words, the soldier who had gone up to observe left the command tent.

“A force with absolutely no cavalry is unusual.”

Once the soldier stepped outside, the first to speak was Viscount Karmos-Fivro-Yōntsu—lord of Yōntsu Territory, whom I served. He was also serving as the overall commander in this war.

He was old enough that it would not be strange for him to have already retired, but as you could see from how he had come to the battlefield like this, he was still very much active.

“Indeed. The battlefield is open plains… and they should understand the strength of cavalry in this terrain. And yet, they have not prepared any cavalry, which means…”

“Those fools cannot even prepare decent horses, that’s what!”

The one who seized on the end of my words and declared that was Viscount Gusco-Habar-Assen. He was the head of a viscount’s house that ruled Assen Territory, neighboring our Yōntsu Territory. I recalled his age being somewhere past forty. It was hard to say armor suited him, but since he was not originally a warrior, that could not be helped.

Viscount Assen had not only sent five hundred troops as reinforcements for this war, but for some reason, he had personally joined the campaign as a commander.

Well… he was a bit the type with a strong need for self-display, and he was not particularly knowledgeable about military matters… but he was the man who had dispatched five hundred soldiers. I could only be grateful.

“Hm. We do not know how, but the enemy has sent that many troops into this land. Is it not strange that there are no warhorses among them at all?”

As Lord Karmos said that while looking down at the map spread across the desk, Viscount Assen fell in line, saying that indeed, when you put it that way, it was strange.

“Harris. What do you think?”

Lord Karmos raised his face from the map and asked for my opinion, so I also lifted my gaze and answered.

“The first possibility is that they have concealed cavalry as an ambush force, but there are not many places around here suitable for hiding troops. The forest spreading to the south is the most likely, but it is somewhat far from the battlefield, and too distant to launch an effective surprise attack.”

“Then… if they are hiding them in the forest, would it be as a reserve?”

At Lord Karmos’s words, I shook my head.

“If they were placing reserves at that distance, it would be better to incorporate them into the army from the start. Also, I had scouts investigate, and they reported the forest was extremely quiet. If an army entered a forest filled with monsters, the forest would become noisy from that alone. Judging by the state of that forest, there is likely no army there.”

At my assessment, both viscounts nodded as if convinced. Neither of them had much to do with battlefields in general, so it was understandable.

“Is it impossible to hide troops on the opposite side of the forest?”

Looking down at the map, Viscount Assen asked as though he had just thought of it.

“This forest is very large, so it is possible to hide troops on the far side, but whether they go around the forest or pass through it, it would take considerable time to reach this battlefield. We have observers deployed on that side as well, so if any army approaches the battlefield, we will know at once.”

“I see… you’ve prepared thoroughly.”

Viscount Assen praised me, but… the others in the tent were giving wry smiles. No—considering every possibility was not a bad thing, you know?

Even so, this was within our Yōntsu Territory. Over this past month, we had confirmed there were no suspicious armies anywhere else besides this battlefield. It was hard to point that out to Viscount Assen directly.

“Thank you, Viscount Assen. In this case, I believe the enemy has set something on the plains that prevents horses from moving freely.”

“When you say ‘something’… a trap.”

When Lord Karmos furrowed his brow and said “trap,” Viscount Assen’s eyes widened, and the others in the tent stiffened as well.

The presence of traps would increase our casualties, and depending on their scale, could decide the course of the battle. With forces evenly matched, that was especially true.

“From above, I saw no signs of pits being dug, but… if they have stretched ropes or nets, hidden in the grass, that alone could catch a horse’s feet.”

“So they are targeting the horse’s legs…”

“The enemy had one month. It would not be difficult to set some kind of device on the battlefield.”

“Cavalry crippled in the legs is fragile… do we have countermeasures?”

Lord Karmos asked, looking down at the map, addressing the unit commanders, myself included.

“As Harris-sama says, given the enemy’s composition, the possibility that they have set devices targeting horses seems high. If so, perhaps we should preserve the cavalry until the mid-battle, and for a while after the opening, fight using infantry only.”

A unit commander seated near me offered that proposal.

“If it is a magical device, we can detect it. For physical devices, it may be best to have the infantry trample them.”

Then the commander of the mage unit followed up. Certainly, preserving cavalry—which played a major role on the battlefield—and pushing infantry forward was reasonable… but the idea that there were cavalry traps was only a hypothesis.

Even if there were cavalry traps as expected, it was unlikely there were no traps for infantry as well.

Commanders of company-rank and above, who directly commanded on the field, were generally mounted no matter which unit they belonged to. That was to secure visibility and to carry their voices to their troops. Of course, they could dismount and fight as infantry… but most would not consider it acceptable to dismount even if they knew traps were present.

What they meant by “charge with infantry only” was to give the initial charge order, then collide with the enemy on momentum alone, without commanders among them.

But an army lacking commanders was extremely fragile. If it was only a straightforward frontal clash, that was one thing, but if they took unexpected attacks through traps and the like, they would be cut down without any way to respond.

I should interject here.

Just as I thought that and began to open my mouth, Sir Lumbart, who was standing behind me, raised his voice.

“With all due respect, I submit that it is dangerous to send only infantry in a charge. Even if it is a trap for cavalry, it may not be true that it will not affect infantry. If the infantry suffers a major blow, can the battle situation truly be reversed by the cavalry we have held in reserve?”

“Mm…”

“…”

At Sir Lumbart’s words, the other commanders fell silent.

Originally, since Sir Lumbart was here as my adjutant, he had no right to speak… and yet, he had said exactly what I wanted to say. I would have to support him later.

A commander who had just had his plan denied by a young man—if I recalled, the captain of the Second Cavalry—glared at Sir Lumbart with a clearly displeased expression and spoke.

“I see. It is true that I erred in not accounting for that. However, it will not do for you to simply deny another man’s plan and feel as though you have participated in the war council. If you deny it, you ought to present an alternative.”

“Yes! I humbly believe that in this battle, we should win by defending!”

As Sir Lumbart said that, a chilled, awkward air settled over the tent.

Well, that was understandable. In field battles, colliding head-on with the enemy and defeating them was the proper way for a knight. If you intended to prioritize defense from the outset, then you should not be fighting a field battle at all—that was the natural way to think.

That would be true for the commanders here who had battlefield experience, and surely also for both viscounts, who had less.

This was not a good direction…

“Hmph! On a battlefield, we have no need for those who succumb to cowardice! And the enemy is an invader, is it not!? If they outnumbered us and we were holed up in a siege, that would be one thing—but to ‘win by defending’ in a field battle against an equal enemy!? There is no way such a passive plan could lead to victory!”

As expected, the captain of the Second Cavalry seized the moment and tore into Sir Lumbart. So it had come to this…

In truth, I had been thinking of something close to the way Sir Lumbart proposed… but if I presented a plan aligned with his proposal in this situation, it would sour the Second Cavalry captain’s impression.

It seemed we had completely misjudged the timing. In that case… regrettably, we would have to rely on Lord Karmos to smooth things over.

With that in mind, I flicked my gaze toward Lord Karmos. That alone seemed to be enough for him to understand, and he raised a hand toward the Second Cavalry captain, speaking to calm him.

“Gayak, I am glad to see your spirit. However, if you threaten someone who has thought for himself and offered a proposal, it will make those below you reluctant to speak up. In times like this, if you admonish gently, you will be respected later. It is a technique you can use in many situations, so give it a try. Ah—though it won’t work on women, so you can give up on that part.”

After lightly warning the Second Cavalry captain—Sir Gayak—and then shrugging with a joking air, Lord Karmos lightened the mood in the tent.

“Yes! My apologies! …I’m sorry, Adjutant-dono. Before battle, it seems I was on edge.”

“No! I am the one who should apologize!”

Sir Lumbart bowed properly, and with that, the earlier atmosphere was completely swept away. When I dipped my head slightly to Lord Karmos, he relaxed the corners of his mouth in a small smile.

“Hmmm… but what shall we do for a plan? If there are traps, then pushing the army forward is dangerous, is it not?”

At Viscount Assen’s words, each person again wore a difficult expression and fell into thought.

Seeing that, Lord Karmos turned the conversation to me.

“Harris. Do you have a way?”

“Then, including a status confirmation, one thing… First, this situation where our forces are evenly matched before battle. For us, it is as though we were struck from behind. The enemy unit I previously encountered numbered about five hundred. Even if they had reserves, we believed the enemy’s total force would be around eight hundred at most. From Yōntsu Territory, we brought one thousand, and with five hundred reinforcements dispatched from Assen Territory, our total became fifteen hundred. We should have been able to scatter the enemy quickly.”

Yes. Originally, we had marched here believing we were numerically advantaged.

“Even allowing for traps and schemes, we believed there was a gap that could not easily be overturned, considering the plain terrain… and yet, when we actually formed ranks, our forces were evenly matched. We have fallen into a situation where the enemy, who had one month to prepare on this ground, holds overwhelming advantage.”

At my words, the tent fell silent. Even as I said it myself, it left me feeling quite gloomy…

“Therefore, what we must do is… to crush the enemy’s advantages in this situation as much as possible.”

Viscount Assen, wearing an expression like he understood everything, proudly spoke.

“You mean we launch a surprise attack to strike first!?”

No.

…I nearly said that on instinct, but since it was convenient, I decided to let him ride with it a little.

“Indeed, a surprise attack is an excellent plan, but… since the enemy may have set traps and is aiming to draw us into their position, we will launch a surprise attack with a bit of ingenuity.”