Some twisted their ankles and groaned, others screamed like soldiers in battle from the pain in the soles of their feet. Some even fell, and the enemy soldiers' movements came to a halt.
"What's wrong with them?"
Bart questioned the sudden halt in the enemy's movements.
"I wonder... It's as if they have sharp pebbles in their shoes," Vera remarked, observing the enemy soldiers' peculiar gait.
The enemy soldiers were wearing their usual boots, which they were accustomed to. Changing military boots takes time, and they couldn't afford to take off their boots, remove the pebbles, and put them back on while facing the enemy. The soldiers endured the pain and the difficulty in walking and resumed their charge, albeit with a peculiar gait. Not only the pebbles in their shoes but also the number of soldiers who had twisted their ankles contributed to their awkward movements.
"Alright, front line, move out! Mages and Vera, provide support from here!"
The close combat was about to begin. The rear guard remained in place while the front line advanced. The three members of 'Flame Wolves' who saw Mile join the front line, despite knowing he was a mage, were surprised but said nothing. There was no time for such things.
Before the clash, a fierce exchange of powerful attack spells between the front lines took place. The attack spells from the caravan side, without Mile's participation, were mostly blocked by the enemy's defensive spells, reducing their effectiveness. Mile, however, completely defended against the enemy's attacks. In the chaos, only precise small-scale attacks or long-range attacks against the rear guards were possible.
The front lines of 'Dragon Breath' were strong. Their leader, Bart, was B-rank, and the other two were close to B-rank, likely about to be promoted. Their confidence in their own strength allowed them to remain calm, steadily eliminating the enemies that approached them without recklessly pursuing them.
In contrast, the three members of 'Flame Wolves' were quite anxious. It was understandable, as mid-C-rank hunters were heavily outnumbered by the soldiers. However, as the battle progressed, they realized they were more capable than they thought and gradually gained momentum. The enemy soldiers' poor movements, lack of force in their attacks and defenses, and the support from the mages and Vera's accurate archery played a significant role. They managed to dodge the enemy's attacks and gradually inflicted injuries on them, a feat worthy of praise given the overwhelming numbers.
The mages, with Reina handling the long-range magic battles against the enemy mages, and Pauline and Ginny focusing on attacking and supporting the combat groups, were effective. The enemy had only three mages left, with two constantly defending against Reina's attacks, leaving little room for counterattacks. They had to prioritize defense to avoid being hit, and the remaining one's attacks on the front line were intercepted by Pauline and Ginny during their attacks. The caravan mages were closer to the enemy mages, giving Pauline and the others a slight advantage.
After Reina's attack was defended by two enemy mages, and the remaining one's attack on the front line was intercepted by Pauline, Reina, Pauline, and Ginny began casting their attack spells at full speed. Upon completion, three attack spells were launched, all aimed at the enemy mages in the rear.
The enemy mages hastily cast defensive spells, but with two defending against Reina and three attack spells coming at them, the remaining one couldn't switch to a defensive spell in time.
Boom!
Reina's attack spells hit, and the enemy's magic attacks ceased.
"Ah, Reina and the others did it!"
Mile, swinging his sword, noticed the increase in friendly attacks and support from the rear and commented. Bart, nearby, smiled, though there was no time for a leisurely conversation.
To avoid killing the enemies, Mile used the flat side of his sword to break the ribs of those in leather armor and the edge to dent the armor and break bones of those in metal armor. He handled the enemies with ease.
When the enemy's archers launched another volley, Mile lightly waved his left hand and cast a spell to deflect them.
Immediately after, a volley of javelins followed.
"Magic Shield!"
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
All the javelins stopped as if hitting an invisible wall and fell to the ground.
Then, another volley of arrows...
"Fire arrows!"
As Bart said, these were fire arrows aimed at the carriages in the rear, intended to create chaos and expose non-combatants.
Seeing no signs of Mile using wind magic to intercept the fire arrows, Bart braced himself for the loss of the carriages. However,
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
The fire arrows stopped in mid-air just before the carriages and fell to the ground.
"......"
The javelins earlier, and now the fire arrows, showed no signs of wind magic. A physical defense without the use of wind or any medium was unheard of.
Bart decided not to worry about it. He was finally getting used to 'Red Vow.'
"......Ah! I'll go provide support on the left! Is that okay?"
Mile, perhaps tired of the situation, offered to support 'Flame Wolves.'
"Alright, go!"
With the enemy numbers decreasing and the caravan's mages providing support, Bart, concerned about 'Flame Wolves' on the left, immediately gave permission. Meavis's performance was impressive, and there was little to worry about.
When Mile reached the left side where 'Flame Wolves' were fighting, they were struggling. Calem, a 'Dragon Breath' swordsman, was fighting on the left to support 'Flame Wolves,' but even with their unsteady footing, the mid-C-rank hunters were heavily outnumbered. Chuck, the swordsman, was injured and fighting with only his right hand, his face contorted in pain. The other two were constrained by covering Chuck and couldn't fight effectively.
At that moment, an enemy sword slashed at Chuck's weak left side.
"Chuck..."
Clang!
Before Leader Brett's cry ended, Mile's mysterious sword intercepted the enemy's sword.
Clash!
Mile deflected the enemy's sword, causing the soldier to lose balance. Chuck's sword then struck, though it was deflected by the armor, the soldier was thrown back with a bone-breaking sound.
"......Thanks, I owe you one!"
Chuck thanked him, and Brett nodded in acknowledgment. Mile nodded back and moved on to the next enemy.
The enemy numbers had already dropped below twenty, and without their mages, they were now receiving one-sided attacks. The archers, realizing their arrows were ineffective, joined the melee with their backup swords, but it wasn't enough to turn the tide. The specialized swordsmen were falling one after another, and the archers couldn't make a significant impact.
The rear guard mages had also moved to encircle the enemy, preventing them from escaping. With only a dozen or so enemies left, they had no chance to break through and attack the mages. If they tried individually, they would be hit by attack spells before reaching them.
The enemy commander had lost the opportunity to escape. Leaving injured but not dead subordinates behind would expose the plan, and even if they managed to escape, they would face relentless pursuit before crossing the border. They couldn't return directly to their homeland with a pursuit force.
Thus, the only option was to kill all the hunters and merchants, take the carriages, and head back with the injured. Or, kill the injured to silence them.
However, these thoughts would only come after eliminating the hunters. The commander, despite his desperation, couldn't focus on the battle. His boots were tilted, his ankles twisted, and the sharp pebbles in his shoes made it painful to step properly. Even with his life on the line, he couldn't muster the strength to fight effectively.
The commander was frustrated and angry that his final battle was in such an unsatisfactory state, but complaining wouldn't help.
What was strange was that his subordinates seemed to be in the same state. Despite the disadvantage in the magic battle, they were not the type to perform so poorly.
Why? How did it come to this...
In the end, the difference in strength wasn't significant. Before the close combat, eleven enemies, including three mages, were incapacitated by magic attacks. The remaining eleven, including three mages, four archers, and four javelin throwers, stopped mid-battle. Only eighteen initially clashed with the caravan's front line. The enemy assigned three to each of the 'Dragon Breath' members, two to each of the 'Flame Wolves,' two to Meavis, and one to Mile, confident in their overwhelming numbers.
Meavis, using her 'Divine Speed Sword,' quickly dispatched her opponents, using the flat side of her sword to avoid splitting their bodies. A sword that didn't break under such use was truly excellent.
Mile also dispatched his opponent quickly and, being idle, took one from Bart. He then focused on intercepting arrows and javelins until he decided to support 'Flame Wolves.'
The 'Dragon Breath' members, despite not being at their best, handled the three soldiers with ease. Even 'Flame Wolves,' though Chuck was hit, managed to hold their own against two enemies each.
When the archers and javelin throwers joined with their backup swords, 'Red Vow' and Bart were already free, leading to a piecemeal defeat of the enemy. The last five enemies surrendered, and the squad leader was not among them, either lying nearby or among the dead.
"Fergus, take one of the carriage horses and send a message. Inform the Hunter's Guild in Amros and then the lord's residence to send a carriage and guards as soon as possible. Remember, the guild first!"
Bart emphasized the order of notification. If there was any chance the lord was involved or trying to hide the incident from the capital, it was safer to be cautious.
"Then, write a summary of the incident and send it to the capital. Make six copies, three to the guild and three to the palace, using different routes to avoid detection. Understand?"
Fergus nodded and headed to the carriage. He was the right choice for this task, quick and trustworthy.
The carriage horses, though trained for passengers, would reach the city faster than on foot. With the moonlight, the journey should be smooth, and they should arrive by night.
"You're cautious... I wouldn't have expected that from someone who took this job."
"I'm a smart fool."
Bart dismissed Mile's comment.
"Let's gather the prisoners and the dead."
"......Yes."
Fortunately, no allies died, though some were injured. Pauline and Mile's magic healed the injuries, including Chuck's left arm and other minor injuries, completely. 'Flame Wolves' were stunned by Chuck's fully healed arm, but 'Dragon Breath' members, having seen instant bone healing during their graduation test, were less surprised. They were becoming desensitized.
On the enemy side, due to 'Red Vow's restraint, only one died from a direct magic hit, a soldier impaled by Ginny's ice spear. Many suffered severe injuries, especially from Pauline's scalding water attacks, which required intense healing magic to save their lives.
Five more died from non-magical injuries, those who fought 'Dragon Breath' and 'Flame Wolves.' 'Flame Wolves,' with no room for restraint, had more fatalities. The survivors were lucky. Just that.
Those with severe bleeding or internal injuries from broken bones received emergency healing from Pauline and Mile. Others with simple fractures were left alone. The goal was to keep them alive, not to heal them and risk them retaliating. The prisoners' complaints were ignored, including the pebbles in their shoes.
Many would have died or suffered severe injuries without Pauline and Mile's healing magic