Episode 111

A month later, on the Soelden Plains.

Otto sighed as he surveyed the enemy across from us.

“From the left end to the right end, it’s all filled with Rheinfalz bastards. When other mercenary groups went scouting, they said there were 30,000. But seeing it like this, it looks damn a lot more.”

Our Whitebeard Mercenary Group’s formation, consisting of 500 men, spans about 80 meters in width and 50 meters in length.

And if there are 30,000, that’s 60 times the size of 500 men, so just the width of the formation alone would be 4.8km…

‘If you can see all that at a glance, you’re not human.’

Karin, an elf, or Lucia, a fox beastman, might have better vision than me. Can they see it all?

“Still, our numbers aren’t small either, Squad Leader Otto. We have a good 24,000, right?”

Otto laughed crazily at my words.

“I’ve seen only a few people laugh in a situation where our forces are 20% less than the enemy’s, other than our captain. And those folks generally made it big. So, if you ever leave the Whitebeard Mercenary Group and go independent, please take me with you. Honestly, if you receive a title like a baron or viscount, you would grant me a knighthood, wouldn’t you?”

Otto, although currently my subordinate, is a veteran who has been recognized for his abilities over more than 20 years of mercenary life.

Hearing that I could make it big from him somehow puffs up my chest.

‘He must be trying to ease my tension before the battle.’

And seeing Otto’s voice and expression, I can feel his sincerity.

“Our senior squad leader should secure a golden land for us.”

“Ah, I’m truly grateful.”

As we were chatting like this, the sound of the trumpet signaling the deployment echoed.

“Advance! Charge forward!”

“It’s time to show the power of the Medici Republic!”

“Long live the Medici Union! Victory to the Medici family!”

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but snort in laughter.

I mean, considering that 65% of the army you guys are leading consists of mercenaries like our Whitebeard Mercenary Group, what does this say about your family’s power?

No, it’s actually their power, since they hired us using the taxes from their lands and businesses.

With those thoughts in mind, the Whitebeard Mercenary Group also advanced towards the enemy line.

Squad leaders, ten-man squad leaders, and senior mercenaries began to toughen up the new recruits.

“Just do as you were trained! Don’t think unnecessary thoughts!”

“The meat and booze you enjoyed yesterday, the women we provided, you’ve got to earn them, you pizza-faced freak.”

“Follow only the orders of our hundred-man unit leader, and you won’t die a dog’s death! So don’t think with your own head!”

Toughening up the soldiers before facing the enemy in war is not so much an injustice as it is a way to completely eliminate any room for distraction in their minds.

Because even I, who have faced life and death several times, feel my heart pounding and a sense of fear as the war begins.

The new recruits and greenhorns, seeing the approaching enemy, will be paralyzed by fear and unable to perform their duties if they ‘think.’

‘Even knowing that deserting on the battlefield means immediate death, and hesitation gets you whipped to near death, fear is unavoidable.’

When the distance to the enemy became somewhat closer, I drew Aura from my dantian and shouted loudly.

“Attention to Martin’s White Unit!”

Although no reply came back, I spoke in a resounding voice, so everyone must have heard.

“A month ago, an officer from the Red Rose Mercenary Group, looking like a puffed-up frog, came and told us that our mercenary group had just barely reached the first rank, asking what we had done to deserve it.”

Although I paid back for that humiliation at the time, as a man, I remember such insults for quite a long time.

So, I’m going to thoroughly pay it back today.

It’s not like they are enemies or did something directly offensive to our mercenary group like that Pappenheim bastard, so I don’t plan to kill them…

‘Schoolteachers used to say that too, right? Showing a successful image is the best revenge.’

“So, after telling them about our mercenary group’s deeds, they shut up. But isn’t that insufficient!?”

Everyone in the unit unanimously responded to my words.

“Yes, it is!”

“Shouldn’t we crush their arrogance into dust?”

“We must teach them a lesson!”

Living and dying by pride, a splendid answer fitting for mercenaries.

“Good, then in today’s battle, it’s only natural that we should be the most active! Let’s rampage properly and teach those Rheinfalz sausage guys a lesson!”

As I shouted this, everyone let out a battle cry.

Soon after, the enemy entered our range.

Along with the sound of trumpets, all forces belonging to the Medici army, including mercenaries and nobles’ regular troops, began to shout loudly.

“Prepare for ranged combat! All units’ mages and archers, shoot before the enemy does!”

“One more spell, one more arrow can determine the outcome of the war!”

“Don’t leave a single one alive!”

After receiving that order, I also signaled with a gesture for the mages and archers to take the lead.

“Bow your heads and look at the ground! If you lift your head, an arrow will hit your face or neck!”

First, archers, including Karin, launched a torrent of arrows.

Especially Karin, being an exceptionally skilled archer and sniper, seemed to understand how to use a bow at such times.

“Shoot anywhere! Sniping doesn’t work at this distance! Just pull the bowstring as much as possible and shoot roughly!”

At a distance of just over 150 meters, it’s honestly more efficient to fire wildly than to aim and shoot arrows at the enemy.

This order to fire wildly reveals how well Karin understands the bow.

And arrows poured down on us as well.

The shadows created as arrows blocked the sunlight looked like black lines drawn across the sky.

Seeing this, I quickly covered my face.

“Arrows are coming! Don’t lift your heads!”

Right after I said that, arrows poured down toward our troops.

“Damn!”

Some soldiers managed to curse as their last words before dying.

“My eye, ahhh my eye!”

I also kept my head down, fearing that an arrow might penetrate my face cover if I lifted my face, though I couldn’t see well…

Surely the one crying out in pain must have disobeyed the order not to lift his head.

Fool, why don’t you open your ears and listen when someone speaks, tsk.

Even in such a situation, our mages didn’t waver and chanted their spells.

“O flames that burn the enemy, Fireball!”

“Lightning, strike down! Thunder Bolt!”

“Flames! Judge the enemy! Fireball!”

…Though there’s no set formula for spell chanting, it’s a means for mages to focus by reciting aloud to enhance concentration.

Sometimes listening to it can make one’s head spin.

But its power is undeniable, and it’s a necessary evil.

As magic and arrows flew, cries of death began to emerge from our hundred-man unit, and elsewhere.

“Damn, save me!”

“It’s hot, damn hot!”

“Ah, my body, my body!”

The screams of people experiencing the pain of death are always hard to get used to.

Some of the new recruits began to lose their composure.

One of them, while moving forward, cried with tears running down,

“Ah, this isn’t right! This is not it!”

A senior next to him slapped him to bring him to his senses.

“Did you leave your sense in a hole yesterday? Pull yourself together and think only of surviving!”

Another one started running towards me.

Crying with tears and snot, even drooling, the one who held a weapon but flailed his limbs wildly.

‘Was the new recruit training a bit lacking this time, to have such a fool come out?’

It’s rare to see such a hopeless coward, really.

“I want to go back! No matter how I think about it, this isn’t right!”

I didn’t even bother telling him to stop.

There was no need to waste words or effort on someone who was going to die soon anyway.

No, rather, dying here and attempting to ‘desert’ might serve as a better example of what happens.

It’s a bit regrettable from a personal standpoint, but what can you do?

As the hundred-man unit leader of this mercenary group, I must fulfill my duty to end the miserable life of this fool.

“Move aside, hundred-man unit leader! I’m going back home!”

“Fool, your place isn’t home but hell.”

I could have cleanly beheaded him for a peaceful send-off, but showing an example here seemed better…

‘I’ll cut at the waist.’

I didn’t even infuse Aura, just sliced at his waist with my sword.

With one swing, I managed to cut through his spine in one go.

‘I can now do this trick without even using Aura?’

It’s somewhat regrettable to directly kill a deserter, but such feelings melted away in front of evidence of my improved skills.

“Suffer there and die, fool. Do people go into battle with spears because they’re fools?”

The man continued to scream incoherently.

Having thus enforced discipline, I immediately ordered the soldiers.

“Martin’s White Unit, prepare for the clash with the enemy!”