We slowly went down the winding road through the gaps in the boulders.\n
Not a sound was made. I would not let them make any.
If I had guessed correctly, there would be soldiers up ahead.
Judging from the map, there really was no other spot that you could hide soldiers.
(Of course, this depended on the map actually being correct.)
It would all be over if it turned out that the map was fake, and realizing it was part of the test.
We might be the ones who ended up being ambushed from the back.
In war, an advantageous position could change everything.
We were twenty Ogres who were supposed to protect thirty non-combat personnel as part of our training.
(But since all of them wouldnât be able to fight, there would likely be an equal number of soldiers waiting to ambush us.)
If we were ambushed by the same number of enemies, we would probably lose.
But I wanted to defy their expectations with an overwhelming victory.
The soldiers should be visible after we turned the next corner.
I stopped just before reaching it. The others all stopped as well.
Then I slowly raised my right hand, which I used to hold my weapon. The others followed.
We were currently holding clubs.
We had been told that we could only use wooden weapons for this training, and so I chose something that was both heavy and easy to use.
Wooden spears had more reach and looked advantageous at a glance, but when you werenât familiar with your surroundings, you couldnât count on the enemy attacking from the front.
Spears were long and might end up hiding your comrades or the non-combat personnel. And so I had decided against using them. No one was wielding a spear.
Wooden swords were also an option, but they werenât as durable.
They would likely break after a few swings when wielded by an Ogre.
And so I had decided to use the simple but most appropriate weapon.
Out of our options, the clubs were the shortest.
On the other hand, they were thick and heavy.\n
It was like the trunk of a tree had been used to make them, and only the handle was thinner than the rest. It was very rough and almost looked like a hammer.
However, it would be easy enough for the Ogres to swing with them.
And so we raised the weapons above our heads and dashed forward.
âAARRRRGHHHH!!
I wasnât sure if it was my voice or someone behind me.
However, everyone joined in the harmony, which echoed loudly around us.
When we turned the corner, the enemy was there as expected.
They were Mezukis. Taller and stronger than Ogres.
And while horses were cowardly herbivores, these guys were different.
They had the agility and toughness of horses, but they were a vicious race. They would be a very formidable enemy.
ââŠAARRGH!!â
The reason that we had charged while raising our clubs, was so that we would be sure to get in the first hit.
We wouldnât raise it and then swing down. We would just run towards them and then swing with all of the force of our momentum.
My first hit landed, and a Mizukiâs head caved in.
Yes. It was almost too much power.
Of course, it was already known that people would die and be injured during this training, so I didnât think about it.
And I quickly moved on to my next prey.
The reason why the enemy were slow to react was because they were all wielding bows.
It seemed like they had intended on ambushing us with arrows and then charging with spears.
And while their arrows didnât have metal heads, the power of a Mizuki would ensure that they were still deadly.
So I was glad that we had come in from behind.
The Mizuki reacted to us by raising their wooden shields, but we were already too close.
I had taken down three of them by this point.
And my fellow Ogres were good at this kind of chaotic battle. \nThey gladly swung their clubs into the enemy.
After about half of their number had gone down, the person who appeared to be their leader shouted âwe surrender!â
This had been decided in advance. If one side shouted this, the battle would be over.
Had we shouted it instead, it would have meant failing, even if the people being escorted all survived.
âAlright. All of you, stop fighting!â
As they were used to it now, they all obeyed immediately.
The Mizukis all threw their wooden spears onto the ground. I could see that they were well trained.
âBring the others. Itâs now safe here.â
Before the others arrived, I looked at the Mizukis.
After fighting them, I saw that as individuals, they were indeed stronger than Ogres.
But as the battle had been so chaotic, I didnât know how good they were as an organized group.
Also, I now saw that there were a total of thirty of them.
Why did they outnumber us? Why?
âThis is your training. I cannot answer any questions.â
Said the leader as I looked at them with disbelief.
âNo questions, ehâŠ?? Well, nevermind. How about a little chat?â
ââŠAye.â
âI heard that Mizukis were brave in battle. I guess I was wrong.â
It was a little provocation. I wanted to hear his answer.
âWe had planned to attack you as you followed the cliffs. And so we were unable to react in time when you came from behind. No, perhaps it was because we had to change our weapons.â
It was as they finished changing their bows for spears that we were already upon them.
I see, so they were originally going to scatter and rely on each individualâs strength.
However, they ended up having to fight here, in a much narrower space with spears. And then he realized that there was no way to regain the advantage, and so he surrendered.
\nHere, we did a head count of the non-combat personnel.
Of course, they were all there. Not a single one was missing.
We were told that we could leave our wounded there if there were any, but I refused, as there were only a few people who had scratches.
âAlright, letâs go.â
Now there was only a mountain between us and our goal.
We would have to go around it.
And as we walked around the left side of the mountain, I started to hear voices coming from the far back.
âIs it an attack?â
I could hear the sounds of bending trees coming from the gentle slope to our left.
Clearly, this time the enemy wasnât trying to hide.
âThe enemy is waiting for us up ahead.â
I had sent scouts up ahead, and it turned out there were soldiers there as well. Was it a pincer attack?
âHow many? Which race?â
âMizukis. About the same number as us.â
ââŠDamn it.â
They really didnât want us to get through this training.
The enemy in front would likely attack us the moment they heard us fighting.
It was a good thing I had sent out scouts.
However, the situation would only get worse if we stayed here.
If it was only us, we could probably make a desperate charge and open a path through them. But we had people who couldnât fight with us.