Going back to before the battle started.
The fight between Frizione’s forces and the pursuers and ambushers was completely different at the front and rear.
The forces at the rear were made up of a standard military forces, such as infantry, cavalry, archers, and a small number of mages. The forces at the front on the other hand comprised only of the White Rose Knights.
They were basically an entire cavalry force.
In contrast, the force that had been waiting for Frizione was a well-balanced mix of infantry, cavalry, and archers.
Yes, it was almost the entire opposite of the battle that had taken place in the rear in terms of army composition.
However……there were a few differences.
Even though the White Rose Knights were a full cavalry force, some of them were capable of mounted archery and magic.
They were also equipped with a number of magic items that Frizione, Marquis Lognos, Angela, and others had tried their hardest to obtain prior to their escape.
Frizione would have liked to distribute the magic items to everyone who followed her, but magic items were rare to begin with. No matter the quality or ease of manufacturing, it was impossible to distribute them to the entirety of Frizione’s army.
As a results, Marquis Lognos was of the opinion that since the army would likely collapse if Frizione, their leader, was killed or captured, the magic items they had collected should be preferentially distributed to the White Rose Knights.
That said, although they were magic items, they weren’t particularly powerful.
The effect it had on their defensive and offensive power was……less than a 10% increase.
However, although they were only magic items of that level, when worn by elite troops like the White Rose Knights, there was a much greater effect on their overall strength.
「Let’s go! Behind us is our lord, Princess Frizione. Do not show her a shameful appearance!」
Widele’s voice echoed across the battlefield.
Their lord was watching from behind them. No one in the White Rose Knights, who served directly under Frizione, was not inspired by that.
「Let’s go! First Unit, I won’t allow you to fall behind Captain Widele! Use all our strength!」
The captain of the first division, who was of noble birth, shouted to advance as Angela had told her.
「Hey, you all. If we lose to those other two, the name of the Second Unit will be tarnished! You know that, right?」
A female knight with short hair, a former adventurer who had been promoted to the position of captain of the Second Unit, shouted out as she led her troops forward.
「Here we go. In this battle, we will display our strength that will not embarrass Princess Frizione or Vihera-sama!」
The captain of the Fourth Unit, who had formerly served the Second Princess before being taken in by Frizione after Vihera ran away, let out a shout, showing off her fighting spirit to as many people as possible.
「Everyone, stay calm. Don’t rush and don’t get hurt. However, we must ensure that anyone who opposes Princess Frizione knows their place. There’s no need to show mercy to those who don’t need it. Let’s shoot them all with our bows.」
The captain of the Fifth Unit smiled while spouting dangerous words in a calm tone.
「Seriously……I wonder how things became so troublesome. but this is part of the job. Everyone, we’ll fight hard, so please! Be aware of the number of arrows and magic power you have left. And don’t shoot at your allies!」
The captain of the Sixth Unit looked troubled as she told the knights what to do, as was her role.
The six units, including Widele’s, rushed forward.
Of course, the army lying in wait couldn’t just sit back and watch as the cavalry approached.
Before the White Rose Knights could get close, arrows, magic, and even a catapult, a siege weapon, was used to try to reduce their numbers.
The catapult had originally been intended to be used against Rei.
However, as Rei had left for the forest, rather than not using it at all, rocks were launched at the White Rose Knights.
「Leave the catapult to me!」
Widele, who was leading the charge, swung her magic sword with great force.
Lightning shot out from the tip of her magic empowered magic sword, slicing through the air towards the rock and shattering it the next moment.
「Ah, wait a second, Captain Widele! If you’re going to smash the rocks, make sure there aren’t any shards left behind!」
The captain of the First Unit, who was charging alongside the Third Unit, cried out in complaint. However, Widele brushed it off as a common complaint as she continued her own charge forward with her subordinates.
As the First to Fourth Units charged towards the enemy’s front line, the Fifth and Sixth Units supported them with arrows and magic.
A secret garden, beautiful ladies, dignified knights. That’s what the White Rose Knights were described as. But, as knights who served directly under Frizione, their abilities were undeniable.
They struck down the arrows shot at them with their long swords, spears, and axes, closing the distance in an instant.
Although they failed to avoid some arrows, their magic items were more than sufficient to deflect them.
The magic items they had could protect them against several arrows and were extremely effective for anyone with a certain level of skill, not just ordinary soldiers or adventurers.
Striking away the arrows, they approached the infantry waiting for them with spears and shields at the ready and……as the infantry braced themselves, arrows and magic rained down on them from above.
「Everyone, please don’t use all your arrows. If you hit any of our allies, you’ll be punished later.」
「Please, P-L-E-A-S-E, do not fire at your allies damn it! And be especially careful with your magic!」
The voices of the Fifth and Sixth captains echoed out.
The two units had waited until just before their allies and the enemy collided to launch suppressive fire.
Before then, they had only done normal cover fire, only changing the target of their attacks at the last moment.
Giving the order was easy, but there weren’t many people who could carry out the order properly.
The enemy infantry’s attention had been completely focused on the cavalry charging at them, so they were directly hit by the arrows and magic that rained down on them, causing enormous casualties.
You normally wouldn’t think of firing arrows or magic at the enemy just before your allies made contact. If timed incorrectly, it could result in allied casualties as well.
It was a risky attack to catch the enemy off guard, but it worked perfectly.
The First and Third Units advanced, cutting through the confused enemy infantry.
The enemy’s vanguard was pierced immediately, but due to their numbers, the cavalry’s momentum soon slowed down and they tried to counterattack.
But……the result was only further hardship.
The Second and Fourth Units of the White Rose Knights charged in from behind the First and Third Units.
They charged forward without slowing down and, as if it had been planned before hand, the knights of the First and Third Units spread out, creating space for the two units behind them to charge.
Then, as the Second and Fourth Units arrived at the front lines, Widele and the others from the First and Third Units pushed the enemy forces apart.
Watching from above, it looked like the tip of an awl had been pierced into the enemy formation and the gap widened before a second awl pierced through.
The new awl’s tip punched straight through the infantry line, attacking the archers behind them.
However, the enemy’s response wasn’t bad either. As soon as he realised they were being pushed back, Bratta led the cavalry away in a wide arc towards Frizione’s carriage.
「What-! Targeting Princess Frizione? ……I can’t forgive that. Go for it, everyone!」
The gentle smile that the captain of Fifth Unit had been wearing until a moment ago turned terrifying as she gave orders to her subordinates.
Though not as extreme, the captain of the Sixth Unit was also anxious at Bratta’s actions as she hastily gave orders.
「You’re getting too cocky, trying to get close to our master. Fire!」
Magic and arrows flew through the air, raining down on the cavalry heading for Frizione’s carriage.
As the carriage was also a magic item, a barrier formed around the carriage as Angela, the commander of the White Rose Knights, and her direct subordinates prepared to intercept the enemy.
Seeing that preparation had been made to intercept them in an instant, Bratta changed his course from Frizione’s carriage to the Fifth and Sixth units, which had been providing support from the rear.
It was a flexible response that only cavalry could do, but that fact that they managed to do it was also a display of Bratta’s outstanding ability.
He snaked his way forward while avoiding the arrows and magic flying at him.
At this point, the other four units, which had been freely rampaging through the enemy’s main force, realised that their comrades behind them were in danger and sent part of their forces back to avoid being caught in a pincer attack.
「Tch, they’re quick. That’s why they’re so troublesome.」
Bratta clicked his tongue as he was about to charge into the Fifth and Sixth Units.
Judging that they would be surrounded and beaten to the ground if they stayed, he gave the order to fall back.
However, there would be no point if they came this far to retreat without any results, so he attacked several knights in the Fifth Unit, swinging his spear at them.
The cavalry led by Bratta followed suit, but considering the other four units were closing in on them, they couldn’t afford to waste any time and ended up only injuring a few knights rather than killing them.
If their ambush unit had been a little stronger, they could have caused more damage to the White Rose Knights……Bratta spat on the ground from his horse in frustration.
One unit comprised of 20 knights. There were four units. Considering the losses suffered by the 500 strong ambushing force against a total of 80 knights, it wasn’t unreasonable to have that complaint.
The damage they suffered was so great that it was clear who was the superior force.
Bratta grit his teeth at the strength of the White Rose Knights.
(If Sobble were here, I could have left command of the troops to him……no, maybe I should have brought Pelfiel. I can’t expect much from Rhodes.)
First of all, Rhodes was focused on fighting Crimson. As a result, there was no sign of him on the battlefield.
He was probably fighting Crimson in the forest right now.
Thinking like that, Bratta successfully rejoined his cavalry with the main force.
「Casualty report!」
「The infantry is fine, but the damage to the archers is far greater than we initially expected!」
Bratta clicked his tongue at his subordinate’s report.
Replenishing infantry wasn’t difficult, but archers was a completely different matter.
It too a fair amount of time to train a skilled archer.
They weren’t a role that you could simply get more of because you didn’t have enough.
「What about the mages?」
「We managed to contain the damage. Some are injured, but no one has died.」
「……I see. Even if Prince Kabajid gets angry at us, it’s a relief that this isn’t the worst possible outcome.」
Bratta sighed as he thought about what to do next……before noticing a large number of reinforcements coming from the rear of Frizione’s army.
「Tch-, they failed too. Prince Shurus’ prided cavalry is nothing special. ……But if that’s the case, we can’t push ourselves any harder.」
The other party was already a more elite force.
Right now, the difference in numbers was relatively even, but if their own numbers were reduced any further, their combat strength would quickly reverse.
「Even though Crimson is nearby……damn it!」
The reason he had come here in the first place was because he believed he could get revenge for the greatest humiliation he had ever suffered……for being treated as prey to be hunted without the opportunity to even fight back and, above all, for having his partner, Sobble, captured without being able to do anything.
But, Crimson showed no signs of wanting to fight him, instead heading straight for the forest.
Considering that the soldiers who were supposed to attack Frizione’s flanks hadn’t emerged from the forest, it was easy to guess that they were being completely suppressed by Crimson.
「What’s the time?」
When he asked his subordinate, his subordinate looked at a watch he had taken out from his pocket.
「There’s no problem. The scheduled time has passed. It would have been best if we could have captured Princess Frizione here, but……I think we have accomplished our minimum objective.」
「I see. ……I have no choice then, it’s time to retreat. Give the order to the whole army.」
「Yes sir-!」
Following Bratta’s words, the order to retreat was given immediately, but……
「Bratta-sama, some of our troops are moving towards the forest, ignoring your orders!」
「Hah? Are they going out of their way to take on Crimson? Who are those idiots?」
「They’re the group led by Count Schwindel, who recently joined us!」
Bratta clicked his tongue in disgust at those words.