"It's a mess. A Borvatian sorcerer, or perhaps the curse of the elves as the lore goes.

　Richard, his old bones creeping into his gray armor, frowned at what his second-in-command, Neymar, had said. His eyes distorted as he looked around the battlefield.

　As Neymar had said, it was a terrible sight to see. The front lines were almost evenly matched, though the soldiers on my side were well-trained and those on the heraldry side were mere amateurs. The left and right flanks are slowing down, which is to be expected, but the center of the line is unintentionally baffling.

　This was all due to that great magic. They suddenly created a massive whirlwind, or dropped a muddy stream into the battlefield, which was so out of the norm. It's only natural for soldiers to cower when they see something like that up close.

　I knew from my conversations with Lugis that there were people who dealt with magic in the heraldry. It's a good idea to take a look at the website to see if there is anything you can do to help.

　I've never heard of anyone being able to use magic to shake the battlefield on such a large scale, let alone to dispel a bow and arrow. Or maybe I just don't know, but there are people like that walking around in the Borvat dynasty, the great masters of magic. Richard's lips quirked up in a smile as the thought crossed his mind.

　It was horrible. If such a thing were possible, the kingdom of Garliest would have already been destroyed by the Borvat dynasty. The Borovart dynasty is still the dominant dynasty in the East because magic alone is not enough to surpass their pure power and number of soldiers.

　If that is the case, then the great magic was only based on the enormous power of individuals. There are only two such people in the world, maybe one. Richard's dry toes twitched.

"Don't talk too much about the soldiers, Neymar. A soldier's disgrace is a general's disgrace--oh, about time. The men in the center should leave in order. I don't care how ugly they are, but don't let them turn their asses and run away.

　Richard narrowed his eyes, hoping he wouldn't have to use that magic more than once. Maybe once or twice more, or maybe not anymore.

　No matter how threatening it is, it's only a human thing. Then you should not be too afraid. If you attack with a good change of troops, even the vanguard that is being bitten can strike back.

　But alas. But sadly, it is too much to ask a new recruit to operate in such a way. It is almost a pipe dream for a recruit to keep fighting while retreating and replacing some of his men. Therefore, there are only two options: let them move forward or let them retreat.

　If you let the collapsed troops move forward, even if it is only a little, the enemy will swallow them all. It is not uncommon for an entire army to collapse because of the loss of a few.

　Then it's much better to let them collapse as we have planned.

I'm not very good at this either, I can't speak highly of the Lugis guy.

　But I'm not very good at it either. But now you're killing soldiers and looking down on yourself. You've come a long way. Richard said sarcastically, letting a drink slip to his lips before mounting his horse.

　I'm going to be thirsty for the rest of the day, so it wouldn't hurt to moisten my throat a little at the end.

"Captain ......, will the enemy come?

　Neymar, who had already retired from the reins of his horse, spoke with concern, or perhaps just anxiety. Neymar's teeth were not lined up properly. Even Richard could hear the sound of their teeth shifting. 　　

　Richard responded lightly to Neymar that he would come.

　She, Neymar-Gloria, in Richard's opinion, had a tendency to be too serious. She was afraid of failure and took things too seriously. She was a provincial aristocrat, that's what she was. He would have been unsuitable for politics. He's too rigid.

　However, in response to her firmness, she also possesses tenacity. A tenacity that would not easily break even when encountering foreign objects, and even if it did, she would not lose her pride. Richard thinks that if you mix that material with experience, you might be able to grow remarkably as a commander. Soldiers love a strong, yet unflappable commander. Neymar-Gloria has that quality in spades.

　All that remains is to see how much he can learn. That's all. Well, it's unfortunate for her that her teacher is as vicious as she is. Richard smiles humorously and sits back on his horse.

The enemy will come. Maybe one or two people on the front lines, like Lugis, will sense it.

　I'm not sure what to make of this. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it. Even if they don't know who the enemy is, the thought that there are still allies behind them is enough to keep their hearts pumping.

　However, if the soldiers retreat one after another with light steps, how unnatural it is! It would be bizarre to see the left and right flanks holding out while the center portion of the army slips back.

　I wonder if things will work out that way on the battlefield. I'm sure my student will be thinking. I'm sure he's got a keen sense of that kind of backwardness.

　Richard says through his teeth.

"And still it won't stop and it can't stop. Listen to the sound of this savage voice. Look at that dense mass of soldiers.

　The heraldic religion fears more than anything that they will be defeated individually because they are outnumbered. It would be ridiculous to think that they would be scattered and then slaughtered by a large number of enemy soldiers. It is a normal thought. That is why they set up a dense formation.

　They massed their troops as much as possible and then clashed with the enemy. As long as the Great Saints have the advantage in numbers, they will eventually collapse, but they can buy some time. At least it will not collapse immediately. With the time gained, a superior vanguard force can attack the enemy's main camp. That's about it, I guess. In a sense, it is a reasonable tactic.



　But there is a natural disadvantage to this tactic.

　The more crowded the area, the more the soldiers' vision is blocked, the more their ears are deafened by the barbaric voices, and the more they are unable to do anything but move forward. This is especially true if the enemy vanguard is retreating.

　Perhaps one of the troops that stood out on the front line was Lugis. So, if he realizes our intentions, will he be able to make his troops retreat?

　No way.

　There are allied soldiers pressing forward behind us. There is no way you can give the order to retreat in such a situation. At any rate, if you stop, your allies will trample you down. Even if you know that you are being lured, you can no longer retreat.

　The situation was very different from that of the Daishonin, who were lightly armed and had set up their formation with a certain degree of retreat in mind from the start.

"Listen, Neymar. The only way to trump the battlefield with your hands is to make the enemy think you are acting of your own free will, and in the end make them do what you want them to do. That's all you need to do.

　Richard said with a look on his face that he had never seen before. Neymar looked back at his superior's face and gasped. He knew he had seen this look somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where now.

　The soldiers in the center of the Archdiocese's army continued to retreat, slowly, slowly, sometimes collapsing. As if mesmerized by the sight, the heraldic soldiers repeatedly charged.

　The sound of barbarian shouts and the footsteps of the soldiers shook the midair. No one could stop them, no one could stop them. The sun, which should have been at the top of the sky, tilted its body slightly.