The battlefield displayed on the tablet device was stained a deep red.
The gauges of nearly every unit had dropped to zero, and the few that remained were rapidly dwindling in number.
‘9th Unit, we can’t hold any longer! Please send reinforcements! Or at least order the dragoons to secure an escape route for the troops!’
Yasuharu tapped the unit on the screen and selected ‘Cut Communications.’
Another unit melted away before his eyes. The sounds of the battlefield carnage no longer reached him directly, but the rumbling of the earth was still carrying through the canopy cloth.
‘Sir Hero.’
At the familiar voice of his chief officer, Yasuharu opened the window while his expression was utterly devoid of emotion.
“The final unit has been wiped out. The main force of sixty thousand has been annihilated.”
“I understand.”
What more could he say? Yasuharu had no intention of reacting at all, even as Vengras sighed at his short response.
Only about a thousand soldiers remained to guard the stronghold. It was nowhere near enough to hold back the demon general and his forces as they bore down on them.
‘Their use of troops was quite impressive.’
Surprisingly, there was no hint of mockery in the Seer’s voice.
‘To recreate ‘Cannae’ with such a ragtag assortment… I suppose that even mongrels can be trained to perform tricks.’
“Cannae?”
‘In your world’s history, it was a battle that was fought in a place called Cannae on the Italian Peninsula, before the Common Era. The strategy was copied and reproduced almost exactly.’
Facing eighty thousand Roman legionaries, forty thousand Carthaginian troops had achieved victory in what was often called the most beautiful encirclement battle in military history. Through the coordinated use of cavalry and infantry, the Roman army was unable to offer any real resistance and their corpses were strewn across the field.
‘So you bestowed the natural genius of Hannibal the Thunder General upon monsters… Hehe… As expected, that old lizard was not to be underestimated.’
There wasn’t a trace of frustration in his voice. He was praising the enemy’s command and calmly assessing the shifting state of the battle.
‘Now then, it’s about time to end this. As a reward for fighting well, I’ll let you face the demon general.’
At those words, Yasuharu looked up in surprise.
He had never been given an order like that before. He was always sheltered within the army’s protection. He had never even faced the enemy directly.
‘The demon generals of the central continent are nothing but rabble compared to the minotaur. Fighting him made for a good experience for you as well, no?’
It was the Seer’s own brand of caprice. That was probably all there was to it.
Suppressing any further questions, Yasuharu stepped outside.
Outside of the command tent, soldiers stood ready with spears raised to protect him, while Vengras and Ekbert, the two officers who had returned from the frontline, took up their positions at his side.
And beyond them, he could see a figure charging straight toward him with vicious intent.
Yasuharu suppressed his unease as he stroked the table within his right hand and simply waited…
…For those who were coming in order to bring him down.
—
The unexpected sight spread out before Sheto’s eyes.
The enemy formation was opening up as if to welcome them. The last remaining soldiers of the Hero’s army stood still, their spears thrust up to the sky.
And at the very center, flanked by a magician and a general knight, stood a small, thin boy.
He had an even more unreliable build than the others that Sheto had seen. And there was no emotion within his eyes.
It was as if he was just a doll carved from wood. That is what Sheto thought.
“So you’re the commander of this army. The Hero.”
“…I am Yasuharu Hanuma, Hero of Furukamuto the ‘Seer.’”
There was no power in his voice. On the battlefield, it would be swallowed up by the thunder of hooves, and no one would ever hear him.
‘Feeble’ would be the perfect word for him. Sheto was certain that even his own former self, back when he possessed no power at all, could have defeated this boy.