Chapter 17 – The Battle Begins
Thick white mist filled the area.
The night had ended, and in that moment just before the sun rose over the mountains, the heavy aura that the surrounding peaks exhaled began to condense into droplets on the surface of armor.
“…Have all of the villagers evacuated then?”
Poro said to no one in particular.
In the pale world, the only thing he could see was the vague silhouettes of houses and sheds.
At this time, there should have been sounds of chickens and pigs begging to be fed, as well as the voices of women heading to the stoves.
“Don’t worry, captain.”
Instead, it was Meshe who appeared.
“I looked around again, but no one has returned. Besides, we were the ones who dragged them out and told them to abandon the village if they wanted to live.”
“Yes.”
Kaitora Village was to the north of the Sedas Mountains, near the border of the ancient kingdom of Kaitar.
They were standing in what used to be a small village, bordered by mountain ranges on both sides and with Gai Straum behind it.
They had chosen this route because passing through Kaitora was the fastest way to head north. However, that choice had effectively led to the destruction of this peaceful village.
The monster advance had been quicker than expected.
Instead of focusing on Perlei Village, they had been marching through the mountains with almost no rest in order to pursue the main force. They were now only a day away.
As a result, Kaitora Village, which was on their path, was taken over by the Hero’s command and forced to abandon everything. Whether they had chosen to meet the attack or ignore it and move on, a small defenseless village would have only slowed them down.
“The sun is coming out.”
The morning calm had ended, and the fog quickly vanished. Such rapid change in weather was typical for terrain surrounded by forests and mountains. As soon as visibility returned, their situation became clear.
Everything had been completely leveled. It was hard to believe a village had ever been there.
The wheat and vegetables in the fields were either harvested, or crushed and trampled down.
A few houses were left standing to be used as barracks, but most were torn down. And the remaining stones and wood were used to build temporary defensive walls.
In the central square, hundreds of tents were clustered together, with the Hero’s large main camp built right in the middle.
A faint stream of incense smoke flowed from the huge tent, and people dressed in robes were bowing and praying around it.
“They say that it’s a prayer for victory. But what more could they want?”
“It’s good to be thorough. Especially if it means that we won’t have to die.”
He did not care what the Hero did at this point. There had never been any possibility of exchanging human emotions with him.
‘Message to the entire army. Prepare for battle immediately. All men are to follow the orders of their unit leaders and take up combat positions. Be sure that all actions are swift and precise.’
The dog tag around his neck glowed, and the order rang. As the others had already awakened and eaten their breakfast, they came out of the tents in full armor.
The infantry soldiers, in their iron helmets and chain mail, grabbed the pikes and shields that were hanging outside and followed their unit leaders out of the village. Behind them, magicians carrying ceremonial staves marched with brisk movements.
They all remembered how, just a few months ago, they were merely farmers, sons of town craftsmen, or drifters. But thanks to some rigorous training and the Hero’s blessing, they were now part of a great army that could defeat monsters with ease.
“Perhaps, we would have been there too.”
Meshe muttered with a strange expression.
“I don’t want to politely train with a spear. Not any more. Still, that is one power as well.”
“…Indeed. Even if we have become stronger, we could not fight against that horde, head on.”
That was his honest opinion.
It was true that the members of the Giant Beast Slaying Squad had been given the same abilities as the Hero from the other world. Each had a special skill and was definitely stronger than a regular foot soldier.
However, it was unlikely that they would be able to handle a hundred of those infantry soldiers and block the attacks of the magic soldiers hidden behind them.
“When it comes to war, numbers are power. Having more soldiers is what determines who wins.”
Added Ditore, who was suddenly standing behind them. A moment later, Leodor and Darnan came to watch the march as well.
“According to the scouts, there are about forty thousand of the monsters. And we have over sixty thousand. If it is just about numbers, we have the clear advantage.”
“Really? But that demon general was about to slaughter all of those knights. I don’t think we can look at things too lightly.”
The large man and the thin man laughed. Poro listened to them as he continued to watch soldiers move into formation.