The battle for control over the farmland had begun.
Earl Degelton gradually moved his army. He looked over them and was confident in his victory.
âThat idiot Molando. Does he think that the battlefield will change just because he hired some nameless mercenaries?â
Earl Degeltonâs army had over fifty heavily armed soldiers. They numbered half of his total army.
âYour Lordship, that farmland will soon be ours,â assured a retainer that stood next to Earl Degelton. He was a retainer with delicate looks for a man. He spoke softly and seductively.
âAlrian, I will gift this farmland to you. This war is for you.â
Earl Degelton spoke with affection. The two were a gay couple. It was not a rare occurrence in the noble community.
Alrianâs face turned red and turned away before speaking.
âI didnât know the leader of the Silver Lion Mercenaries was Your Lordshipâs half-brother. It was just in the nick of time.â
âHe deserted the family ten years ago with some young members, but I didnât expect that he would become the leader of a mercenary group. I was surprised as well.â
âIf itâs the Silver Lion Mercenaries, theyâre one of the few mercenary groups that are recognized by many. They donât have that many members, but their combat power is outstanding⌠I have also heard some of their sagas through bards. There are also rumors that the imperial army tried to recruit them as an official unit.â
âAlthough my older brother is an illegitimate child, our relationship was never that bad. He often played with me when I was young.â
âPlease step back a bit, Your Lordship. Arrows will fly towards us,â said Alrian.
As the distance between the two armies closed, arrows flew towards them. A few soldiers fell to it.
âHm, I think weâre lacking a bit in archers. It might be best to charge in.â
Earl Degelton pulled out his sword and raised it. He took in a deep breath and screamed with all his strength.
âCHAAAAAAARGE!â
The soldiers continued his roar.
âTheyâre coming! Theyâre coming!â
At Earl Molandoâs formation, soldiers that carried shields stood at the vanguard. They gulped, preparing for the collision.
âDegelton has about double our number of heavily armed soldiers! What happened? What the fuck happened?!â
Earl Molando scowled. No matter how much he asked his retainers, none of them could answer. They lost in the battle of information.
In small-scale battles such as this, the number of heavily armed soldiers decided the outcome. It was hard to injure them with the conscripted soldiersâ equipment.
âIf we didnât hire those mercenaries, we wouldâve lost without being able to do anything.â
Earl Molando looked at the mercenaries that were in charge of the left wing. There were no heavily armed soldiers even amongst the mercenaries. They might have been experienced warriors, but they were still only lightly armed mercenaries.
âOur numbers might be similar, but weâre at a disadvantage.â
THUD!
âWAAAAARGHH!â
âUWOOOH!â
The two armies collided. The sound of shields colliding resounded. Their weapons violently tangled up.
The smell of blood flooded the area along with screams and yells. Life collapsed, fleetingly.
âLetâs make some money!â screamed Urich.
The mercenaries, who were in charge of the left wing, advanced.
âItâs been a long time since Iâve been to war.â
Sven advanced heavily while carrying his two-handed axe. Every time he swung his arms, an enemy would fall. The spirit of the North flowed through his body.
He was a warrior of the North that even the imperial army struggled with for ten years. The Northerners faced the imperial soldiers with poor equipment and environment, only making use of their immense physical and mental strength.
âCome at me! Send me to the Hill! HUAHAHAHAHA!â
Sven ran out of the formation and dove into the enemies. His eyes were filled with madness. He jumped into the spears, as if desperate for death.
âHill of Swords.â
Urich thought of the Northâs resting place as he watched Svenâs back. Sven wasnât afraid of death. He was certain that he would go to the Hill of Swords when he died.
âFollow Sven! Their formation is collapsing!â Donovan shouted without losing the opportunity.
With Svenâs reckless charge, the conscripted soldiers with low morale didnât know what to do. There wasnât a farmer that wouldnât run away after seeing a massive Northerner with a two-handed axe chase at them.
âTheir mercenaries are destroying our formation.â
âI know that as well! Alrian! Send the heavily armed soldiers over there!â shouted Earl Degelton.
The heavily armed soldiers moved over to Urich and the mercenariesâ side.
The eyes of the soldiers wearing chainmail armor were bright and clear. Their wooden shields had leather underneath and were framed with iron to make it even more durable. They were shoulder to shoulder with no flaws in their formation.
âSo these are their elite soldiers.â
Urichâs hair felt like it was rising on their ends. A life-and-death struggle was about to begin. It was a battle where victory was hard to guarantee.
âRu, please give us life and victory.â
Countless prayers could be heard. The only thing you can rely on while on the battlefield was your body, weapons, and god.
âIf we have Ruâs grace, we will be the ones left standing!â
Bakman kissed his sun pendant. He lifted his spear and stepped forward.
âAlright, good. Letâs go, my young friends.â
Sven nodded and licked the blood near his mouth.
âUUUWOOOOOOOOH!â
The mercenaries jumped daringly into the heavily armed soldiers.
âDeath is right behind us.â
Urich stabbed an enemy with his imperial steel sword. It pierced through the chainmail armor and even the leather armor inside. It was only possible because of his incredible strength and the steel swordâs durability.
âKeok!â
The heavily armed soldier vomited blood and looked at Urich, who stared back into his eyes. His body was still hot.
âThese guys wonât stop unless I cut off their heads.â
Urich didnât finish it sloppily. Trained warriors fought until they drew their last breaths. If he met warriors like those, he would have to kill them off for certain.
CRUSH!
Urichâs axe hacked into the soldierâs face.
âFuuu, fuu.â
He gathered his breath. His shoulders kept bobbing.
Twitch.
Urich jerked his head to the side without looking back, and a javelin whizzed by.
âH-How did youâ?!â
The soldier who threw the javelin was frightened by Urich.
âDid he dodge my javelin without even looking at it? Does he have eyes on the back of his head?!â
Urich didnât wear a helmet. Wearing one made him feel as if his ears were getting muffled, and his hair would get pressed down. Additionally, the speed at which he can turn his head gets slower, and his field of vision gets obstructed.
Having oneâs hair pressed down was akin to removing the antennae of a bug. Urich would sometimes feel his hairs would stand on end, and with it, he could detect where the enemies were. Even if it were just a delusion, those senses were important for warriors.
And he didnât need to say anything about his ears and eyes being restricted by it. Thatâs why Urich didnât wear a helmet despite knowing its utility.
âHey, you bastard. I almost died!â
The enraged Urich pulleded the javelin off the ground and threw it back.
CRUUUSH!
It pierced a personâs head.
The lightly armed mercenaries were overwhelming the heavily armed soldiers. For the nobles that were watching the battlefield, it was something unbelievable. Earl Degelton and Earl Molando were flustered by Urichâs and the mercenariesâ combat power.
âDamn it! Why are we getting pushed back?!â
âThey have an amazing warrior on their side. The formation itself is crumbling.â
Earl Degelton stomped his feet. The situation was becoming unfavorable for him.
âDamn it! God damn it!â
He couldnât give the order to retreat. He looked at the battlefield with regretful eyes.
âHuh? Huuuuh? B-Block him!â
Urich jumped out of the tangled battlefield and ran straight up the hill to charge at Earl Degelton. The heavily armed warriors couldnât keep up with his speed. The retainers, who were on horseback, dashed in to block Urich.
âThe pressure that the horses here give off isnât a joke.â
Urichâs home didnât have things like a cavalry. The horses in his motherland werenât big enough to move while carrying people. Since the horses here had been used for horse riding for a long time, they were big and strong.
Urich lowered his upper body at the waist to duck and lifted a stone off the floor.
CRUSH!
He threw it, and it landed directly on a horseâs eye.
âNeeeeigh!â
The horses were terrified and reared. Urich didnât let go of that opportunity and sliced the retainersâ legs.
âKaaack!â
The retainers, who had their legs cut off, fell off of their horses and rolled around on the ground. Urich left them and kept looking forward.
âIs he Earl Degelton?â
It was obvious who the Earl was just by looking at their glittering cape. Urich pulled out his axe.
âShould I aim for his horse to knock him off? Or should I aim the handle at his head to knock him out?â
Urich thought for a second. Earl Degelton turned the horseâs head and started to run away. This was Urichâs first and final opportunity.
âFuu.â
He threw his axe as he exhaled.
Thuck!
The axe landed earlier than he thought it would. It was because someone stepped into its path as it flew.
âAlrian!â Earl Degelton screamed. His loyal subject and lover, Alrian, took the axe instead. Unlucky for him, it was planted deep into his chest.
âAlriaaaaaaaan!â
Earl Degelton tried to turn his horse back while screaming. With his dying eyes, Alrian looked at Earl Degelton.
âG-Go. Y-Your Lordship. I-I loveâŚâ
Alrian had used the remainder of his strength before he could finish his words, and his head dropped. Earl Degelton glared at Urich with tears of anger.
âI will definitely! Definitely! Get your revenge! Alrian! My love!â
Earl Degelton turned his horse around and ran away. Even if itâs Urich, he was no match for the speed of a horse.
âTch, did I lose him?â
Urich stepped on Alrianâs head as he pulled out his axe.
âYour leader ran away! You damn stragglers!â Urich yelled while looking back.
Hearing this, Earl Degeltonâs army lost their will to fight and started to run away. Some of them gave up their weapons and surrendered.
âUWAAAAAAAAH!â
Earl Molandoâs army had high morale, roaring as they chased after the stragglers.
Urich didnât participate in chasing them down. He just serenely watched the battlefield.
âWhere do all of their souls go? To the Sun God? Are they going to be reborn? âŚHow nice it would be to be able to see souls.â
Urich pondered about life after death.
âD-Did we win? We won! We protected the fief! Huahahaha!â
Earl Molando chuckled as if it were hard to believe. When he recovered his senses, he ordered his retainers.
âTreat those mercenaries respectfully. As proper guests!â