Chapter 202 - What Are They Trusting In to Act Like This? (2)
"Let's kill them all!" the one who shouted like a roaring tiger was the 1st Company Commander. He had heard that a comrade he had served with since enlisting had died in the Martai conflict.
"We will," the Battalion Commander replied, then ordered a formation for an extreme defense.
Their forces consisted of six infantry companies. It was originally a single battalion, but the battalion stationed in the Green Pearl Plains had sent two companies as reinforcements. That in itself was a significant stretch for them. If they pulled all their troops from Green Pearl, there was no telling what Azpen might do.
"If they come through the south gate, a siege defense is possible, but we won't be able to avoid a battle on the plains," the 2nd Company Commander said.
"How many cavalry?"
"Fifty horsemen, sir."
Fifty horsemen. To Enkrid, that did not sound like a small number. Warhorses were creatures that chewed through gold coins not only while being raised but also during their upkeep. They had to be fitted with iron barding, and the cavalrymen who rode them had to be specially trained. As much as they cost in krona, cavalry was a fearsome force on the plains. A lance charge from just fifty horsemen could chew through several hundred infantry.
The total strength of the six companies was approximately 1,200 men.
'Fifty cavalry is a huge variable,' Enkrid judged. And yet, Marcus was calm.
"They've raised a considerable force behind our backs," he said, not with calmness, but with admiration.
"Their number of archers is not small either."
This too was ominous news. To Enkrid, it sounded like the enemy's preparations were thorough.
"Urgent report!"
The finishing touch was delivered by a scout who burst in. He stormed into the meeting room, blood dripping from his left arm. He was a soldier who had gone deep into enemy territory on a reconnaissance mission and had barely survived. The soldier spoke, enduring the pain.
"A force with covered emblems has joined the enemy army."
Martai's original force was not that small to begin with: one infantry battalion and a portion of a cavalry unit. They also had a company's worth of archers. Although the quality of their troops was slightly lower compared to the Border Guard, the difference in numbers was clear. And yet, in the battles between the Border Guard and Martai until now, the Border Guard had won time and again. They had seized victory.
"This is not good," someone said.
It was because of the man who had just spoken. The Border Guard, a special unit composed entirely of top-class soldiers. Their martial prowess was certainly exceptional. However, the thought of whether they could do it again this time naturally arose, as a series of reports that could make one falter before the battle even began had come in.
"Independent Company Commander."
Marcus, who had been organizing the situation, spoke. Enkrid realized a moment too late that he was being addressed.
"...Yes?"
"Do you know the authority of the Independent Company?"
Was there such a thing?
Marcus continued. "The company commander can, if he wishes, requisition troops from other companies. Be it a squad or a platoon."
'Is he sane?'
Outwardly, Enkrid was calm; inwardly, he doubted Marcus's mental state. Those words meant that the Independent Company could act as a superior unit to the other companies. Literally.
'Hey, hand over your platoon. I'll use them and give them back. Oh, half of them died while I was using them.'
What would happen then? Moreover, who would accept such an order? Enkrid's gaze fell on the faces of the other company commanders. They were all men who were not of a gentle disposition. Men who had earned their commander's insignia while living with the battlefield at their doorstep. It was not a position one could hold with a weak or soft attitude. Therefore, even if he was the Battalion Commander, an opinion like that would…
"For you, I could give more than that."
The first to speak was the elf company commander. Well, that elf might.
"If the Border Guard is needed," the commander of the Border Guard stepped forward after her. This one might feel indebted because of the recent incident.
"The 1st Company is one body, but it will do its part even if divided."
But why the 1st Company Commander? Wasn't he considered the next in line for Battalion Commander? Although the Border Guard Commander held the real power, this man's influence was also considerable.
"Well, are we joining the Madmen Company? I wouldn't mind joining with my entire company," the 2nd Company Commander said.
Was this bastard always so lacking in backbone? Enkrid thought for a moment and concluded that he was not. Wasn't he the man who was called 'Foaming Palto' because he would foam at the mouth and throw a fit every time someone tried to take men from his unit?
The 3rd Company Commander, who had filled the position after the previous one, Rayon, had died, and the commanders who had come as reinforcements, had similar reactions.
"Hmm, if it's the Independent Company, we can trust them."
Moreover, a commander from the Green Pearl reinforcements, whom he was seeing for the first time, nodded and looked at Enkrid. In his eyes, he could see things like faith, hope, and trust.
"Since when has such an authority existed?" Enkrid asked. He was not one to show his emotions. His tone was impassive.
The company commander nodded heartily and said with a voice full of laughter, "Since now, of course!"
'Is this bastard under some kind of curse?'
Or maybe he had eaten something bad. Had he gotten heatstroke? It was getting quite hot. Enkrid once again hid his expression well. He might not know how to act, but he was a master at hiding his expressions.
"I am not a man of great imagination," Marcus continued.
Wondering what he was talking about now, Enkrid stared at him. Marcus, meeting his eyes, spoke again. "If you were allowed to rampage as you wished, outside of strategy and tactics, what could you do? Could you suppress the enemy's cavalry? Or could you strike down every enemy you see as they come in?"
A heat began to color Marcus's voice as he spoke. But perhaps because he had seen his acting a little while ago, he could see that there wasn't a shred of acting mixed in his words now. That's how he felt. The sincerity that came from an earnest tone. He was reminded of the speech Krang had given long ago. His speeches had the power to captivate the audience. A dignity that made one see illusions in his gestures, voice, and attitude.
In Marcus, he saw not dignity, but heat. A burning passion. Something that a man possessed, regardless of age. The voice of a man engulfed in heat reached Enkrid.
"On a small scale, you've conducted reconnaissance. On a larger scale, you've struck the enemy's cities. On a grand scale, you've brought victory to our allies with your exploits on the battlefield. And is that all!"
THUMP!
Marcus slammed his palm on the table, and the pins scattered again. However, no one took their eyes off Marcus. Everyone looked at his mouth. They heard what he was saying, and they were engulfed in the atmosphere he created.
"You survived among a thousand gnolls and proved yourself. As the commander of an uncontrollable force, you have solidified your position. More than anything, I am in awe of your outstanding skill and ability. So I ask. If I give you unlimited authority on this battlefield, what can you do?"
What was it that Marcus believed in? What was the reason the Battalion Commander felt no threat? Why did people say nothing about accepting a beastkin who had been with the Black Sword? Why were the commanders so calm even when he said he would take their forces? And what was the reason for the faith, hope, and trust in their eyes?
'The things I have accomplished.'
A knight is a being made of skill and achievements. Enkrid felt as if what he had been doing all this time was being acknowledged as not wrong. Pride? Such a word could not express it. A dream he had long forgotten had become a part of reality and had reached him.
At the same time, Enkrid found his task. He had been asked a question, so he had to answer. Krang's speech had ended after he had shown his own dignity and drawn in his surroundings, but Marcus had asked him for an answer.
'A small elite.'
On the current continent, the tide of battle is decided by the presence or absence of knights or knight-level forces. When a knight takes the field, if an opposing knight does not appear, a massacre occurs. There are more cases of duels instead of massacres, but sometimes, they use their heads and create a fight of a knight versus a unit. Conversely, they even use that as a trap, whittling down their own forces to kill a knight.
'The enemy doesn't know me.'
They don't know the Madmen Company. Marcus had made it so. A small elite unit with unpredictable martial power. Five with at least quasi-knight level strength.
Facing his changed self, Enkrid said, "I don't know. I'll just try to do everything I can."
In truth, this was the first time Enkrid had been given such authority, and it was probably the first time Marcus had employed such an absurd strategy. To create an independent company of less than ten men instead of a knight order, and then grant them full authority on the battlefield. It sounded as if he were betting the fate of the battle on Enkrid alone.
He thought his answer was inadequate, but Marcus showed a satisfied smile.
"Well then."
If he had been given the authority, he would use it. His pounding heart moved Enkrid. Just as he was about to step outside…
Bwoooooo!
As if on cue, the faint sound of a horn blowing from outside the city walls and the thump-thump of a drum grazed his ears. The enemy must be approaching.
"All troops, assemble!"
Marcus shouted as he came out of the meeting room, and Enkrid moved at a half-run. There was a battlefield to fight on with his allies—the core personnel of his company. But as always, just gathering them was a task in itself. It had been that way since they were the troublemaker squad.
As he headed towards the barracks, he saw his company members already armed and coming out.
"We're heading out, right? Marcus must have put his full backing behind you, Commander. Did he ask you to wipe out the cavalry or something?" Krais said, his leather helmet on crookedly.
'He predicted it.'
He had thought he would.
"No."
"Then what? Did he ask you to bring him the enemy general's head? That's a bit much."
"No."
"Hmm? He didn't ask you to do anything?"
"He asked."
Enkrid, having naturally joined them, took the lead. As he was talking with Krais, Rem cut in.
"That Bug-Eyes bastard said we had to go fight. Is that for real?"
It was. But had Rem always gone out so readily? The usual bullshit he would spew about having to crush an allied commander's head first was missing. Then again, the allied commander whose head was to be crushed was now himself. In truth, there was nothing surprising about Rem. He was the type to gladly go out to a battlefield.
The surprise started here.
"I heard Martai and a force without emblems have arrived," Ragna said.
The man who usually had no interest in his surroundings had grasped the enemy's troop composition. Enkrid wondered if the sky had split in two and briefly looked up. A perfectly clear sky was visible. There were almost no clouds.
"That's right."
As he lowered his head and answered, Audin said with a smile from behind, "Let's go, brother. The ones we are to send to the Lord are waiting for us out there."
It didn't sound like something a priest would say, but those who served the God of War were like that.
Jaxen just gave a silent nod.
These were not men who would move just because Krais called them. So why had they moved? Enkrid realized anew that his relationship with them had strangely changed. From just a scapegoat squad leader, a squad leader who was interesting to watch, a squad leader who didn't cause trouble, to a platoon leader who knew a thing or two. A platoon leader who improved a little with teaching. And now, further still…
'If I lead them.'
A man and a commander who has earned their respect. His heart pounded, as much as when he had yearned for his dream.
"So what did he ask you?" Krais asked again.
"He asked what I could do."
"...Wow, what a shameless man."
From Enkrid's single phrase, Krais had deduced the tangled story behind it. He was asking him to show his abilities to the fullest.
"So I said I would try to do everything I could."
"Have you made up your mind?"
At Krais's words, Enkrid showed a faint smile. He didn't know. Was this a time to be confident, or not? Was this arrogance, or something else? Was the something seething in his chest just a desire to fight? Or was it an emotion he felt from recognizing that he stood in a different position than before, standing on the battlefield with them? He didn't know. Enkrid didn't even try to know.
He just wanted to swing his sword right now. He wanted to let the enemy know by doing what he could. Desire and want mingled in his chest. Enkrid felt a seething desire to announce his presence to the enemy and leave a suitable impression. It could be called an unprecedentedly aggressive spirit.
As he walked on, Enkrid looked at Dunbakel, who had fallen slightly behind, and asked, "What happened to your eye?"
"It's fine. I can do my part."
The area around her eye was blue. It shone against her golden pupils and blue eyelid. He didn't have to ask whose work it was. A man who can create blue paint on a person's body without any paint. Wasn't that the bastard Rem's specialty?
"Stop hitting the kids."
"It was a simple sparring demonstration. She said she wanted to fight me."
Well, kids grow up by getting hit sometimes. Enkrid let it pass as nothing special. If she were the type to run away or pull some tricks from behind after getting hit like that, she wouldn't have said she wanted to be under him in the first place.
Deeeeng!
A bell tolled from the bell tower. It must mean the enemy was starting to be visible. He could see people who had been farming outside the city walls coming in through the open gate. They were the residents engaged in agriculture. Whatever the enemy's numbers, they would attack the walls first. Which meant siege weapons were a must.
"They'll have them, right? Mangonels."
Krais answered Enkrid's question. "Of course."
"Bring me a few sets of clothes from the people coming in. Ones that fit our size. Right now."
"...That's a brilliant plan."
Krais, without any explanation, answered immediately. Enkrid was glad he didn't have to explain at length. Krais answered and moved his feet quickly, and Enkrid, instead of heading for the place where the commanders gathered on the wall, headed for the gate.
Soon, Krais came back with the clothes.
"Audin's size is impossible."
Right, that he had to admit.
"Brother, all this body needs is a single piece of sackcloth."
Audin waved his hand, tore off a piece of a nearby market stall's tent, and wore it like a cloak. It suited him quite well.
"So what's the plan?" Rem asked.
Enkrid wondered if he needed to explain in detail. But he soon thought there was no need.
"Follow me and see."
And so, Enkrid and the Madmen Company stepped out of the city gate.