Chapter 141 - Rem on the Charge

"We must move our position forward. We cannot leave things as they are. We seize the woodland and strike their rear."

"What are you talking about? If we advance straight in, how do you propose we withdraw? We have no idea how many troops Aspen has guarding its rear."

"Then you intend to let those skirmishers run wild?"

"Letting them carry on is lowering morale again." It was a strategy meeting. The company commanders and a group of adjutants stood around a desk, debating.

Graham, the First Company Commander, favored pushing ahead. Palto argued otherwise. Rayon, the Third Company Commander, had been killed by a Fairy assassin in the previous battle, so the commander of Third Company's First Platoon had immediately filled the vacancy. He kept his mouth shut, apparently having nothing to say.

Marcus's adjutants made up the rest. They offered suggestions, examined them, and cross-checked them. Watching it all, the Fairy Company Commander thought it a complete waste of time.

The problem was clear.

'They have someone clever on their side.'

And this side did not. Battalion Commander Marcus was nicknamed the Warmonger. Despite that name, he was no fool. His treatment of Encrid alone made that clear. He knew how to give his subordinates credit, manage morale, and seize upon the mood. Compared with the previous battalion commander, he was an archangel.

But Marcus was not a commander who relied on his wits, either. What did Marcus use to ride the momentum and turn the tide? Brilliant strategy? No. He took the field himself or employed a powerful fighting force.

The previous battle made that clear. What swords had he ultimately drawn? There had been two: First Company's heavy infantry and the Border Guard, a unit under the kingdom's direct command.

In short, Marcus built his tactics around fighting strength. The enemy, on the other hand...

'Whichever way I look at it, they're using their heads.'

The Fairy Company Commander had lived a long time and accumulated experience to match. In situations like these, a clumsy response from her own side usually made it all too easy to fall into a trap. What if this was an invitation to advance farther? What if the main army pushed deeper only to find an enemy trap waiting?

Even gathering information was difficult here, on the enemy's doorstep. Send the scouts deep into enemy territory? Judging by the skirmishers' movements, it would become a chase across the mountain ridges.

Ignore them and strike the enemy's rear? That might not be a bad idea, either. West lay Cross Guard. Northeast lay the enemy's main army.

Their own army could not decide which way to move. If they could not settle on a course, holding their ground was the best option. In truth, this force threatened the enemy's entire main army simply by being here. They could just ignore these enemy tricks. THUMP.

Marcus slammed his fist onto the desk where the strategic map lay spread out. Pieces and a couple of pins toppled across it.

"So, to put it bluntly, we can neither advance nor withdraw? How about telling me what we can do?" He was frustrated, too. Their main army should have beaten the enemy's main force and returned long ago, but the fighting was dragging on. Meanwhile, enemy skirmishers kept coming to prod at them. It irritated him, so he had asked for a plan to catch the bastards, only to hear nothing but nonsense.

In the end, the strategy meeting petered out. No one had a useful suggestion. After leaving the meeting, the Fairy Company Commander was almost back at her tent when a platoon commander stepped squarely into her path, his peculiar armament consisting of a sword at either hip.

He pressed his left hand against a sword and bowed his head. Having saluted, Platoon Commander Encrid spoke.

"I would like to offer a tactical suggestion and request temporary operational authority." The Fairy stared at him, thinking that this human had quite a handsome face, while her expression asked what sort of suggestion he meant. As far as she could see, Encrid was not much of a strategist, either. He, too, favored straightforward fighting.

"If you have come to propose an engagement, your timing is poor, Platoon Commander."

She delivered the joke in her own fashion, perfectly composed. Perhaps accustomed to such jokes by now, Encrid answered just as calmly.

"This concerns military strategy." Could she dismiss it as the opinion of a mere platoon commander? No, she could not. Quite apart from her fondness for the man, Encrid was proving himself on every battlefield.

"Let's hear it."

Since it was not his own idea, he kept it as brief as possible.

"Give me temporary command authority to wreak havoc behind enemy lines."

"And?"

"I request one soldier skilled at finding their way."

"Is that all?"

"Also, why not have the main army open a route west now?" The Fairy tilted her head, and Encrid explained it as he had heard it: where their force was currently positioned, how their movements would affect the enemy, and what those effects would produce.

Observation and prediction.

"And if things do not go as expected?"

"We withdraw." They would withdraw then. No, this had been a withdrawal strategy from the outset. The Fairy Company Commander was no fool. Her mind raced as soon as she heard it.

'That could work.'

No, it was more than workable. It might be their best option under the circumstances. Each move amounted to little on its own, but what would happen when they overlapped?

With a little luck, and Encrid personally taking his platoon into action... "You devised this, Platoon Commander?" the Fairy asked.

"No."

Encrid shook his head. He had no intention of stealing a platoon member's credit.

"It was the idea of a man named Krais." Krais had only offered the suggestion because he did not want to keep courting danger like this. If it worked, wonderful. If not, surely command had something in mind. His attitude had been that casual.

It just happened to be precisely the suggestion they needed most. "Good."

With that single word, the Fairy Company Commander turned briskly away, heading for the battalion commander's tent where the strategy meeting had just taken place.

Afterward, the army's movements changed. They began clearing out the camp and preparing to march. Meanwhile, Encrid had his entire platoon arm themselves and began to speak. They hardly needed a speech just because they were going on a mission.

"Rem."

"Go on."

"Shall we go catch that archer?"

He simply put the question to Rem. Rem's eyebrows twitched. Those were pleased eyebrows.

"Sounds good."

The smile accompanying his words almost seemed to reek of blood. "We're just going to stretch our legs. Anyone want to sit this out?"

Encrid met the eyes of Ragna, Audin, Jaxon, Andrew, and Mac in turn. He would have let anyone stay behind if they wished, but not one of them did. There was also a new addition.

"This is Pin. She's joining our platoon today."

"Good to meet you."

Pin had joined them. He had asked for support, and they had sent the ranger who had commanded the lightly armored missile troops. Now that those troops had returned to Second Company, Pin's position had become uncertain.

And so, one thing leading to another, she had entered the platoon as a squad leader.

It really was rather awkward. Independent Platoon or not, they had fewer than ten people, and now two of them were squad leaders. The organization was enough to make a monster's heart burst, but what could they do? This was simply how the Lunatic Platoon worked. Pin, too, had transferred because of Encrid. He was a human she wanted to observe up close, even if it meant accepting a demotion to squad leader. She also hoped to spend a night with him if the opportunity arose.

In short, she had various reasons. And there was someone else she wanted to meet. "I'm Pin. I'm not going to throw my weight around as a squad leader, so let's keep things easy. You must be Audin, then?"

Pin was forthright. She said what she had to say and acted as she pleased. And now she revealed one of her purposes.

Audin, the man who had taught Encrid Balaf-style martial arts.

She licked her lips once and stared at him. The sight of that body alone made her want him. 'Enkie is one thing, but...'

This one looked promising, too. Or was that fine physique all show, with nothing worthwhile underneath?

She had confirmed what Encrid had underneath at their first meeting. That encounter by the stream was unforgettable. Especially that thing below his abs...

"Hmm."

Pin put the thought aside. This was hardly the time. "Yes, Sister. Audin is the name the Lord bestowed upon me."

The two shook hands in greeting. Rem, Ragna, and Jaxon barely acknowledged her. Andrew approached and said he was a squad leader, too, while Mac offered only a look of greeting.

That was their assembled party. "Now, shall we begin with the mission outline?"

Encrid looked at Krais as he spoke. His eyes said it was Krais's turn, so Krais cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Well, the enemy skirmishers are raising hell, so we're going to do much the same." Krais knew nobody would understand a complicated explanation. He made his point as simply and clearly as possible.

It came down to this: the enemy was using the terrain to harass their army. Why couldn't they do the same?

Some of the Border Guard had already tried something similar, but to Krais, it did not seem to have made a strong impression on the enemy.

What, then, should they do? Give them something they would never forget. "Shall we go, then?"

Perhaps Krais sounded too lifeless. Rem gave a little laugh and said, "That's no way to set off for battle. We're going to wipe them out!"

He addressed Krais, raising his voice at the end. Of course, only Encrid responded.

"Sounds good." Everyone else ignored him. Jaxon had started walking the moment Rem opened his mouth.

"Aren't we going?"

He even directed the question at Pin.

She wondered what was behind all the hostility within the unit, but did her job. After all, she had been warned. ["This is not a normal unit. Are you all right with that?"]

The Fairy Company Commander had already warned her, and Pin had nodded. Her objectives were Encrid and Audin. She only needed to get along reasonably well with the others. And so Encrid's unit set out. Pin found the way.

Following the enemy's tracks would only put them back where they started. They had chosen a different target: not the skirmishers, but the enemy's main army.

Finding that was no trouble at all. "Whew. Won't we be in serious trouble if there's a knight there?"

Andrew asked the question, and Krais, the weakest fighter in the unit, answered. They were all trudging along without caring what tracks they left.

"There probably won't be."

"How can you be sure?"

"If there is, well, we'll test the waters and run. Besides, um, if they had knights or other troops to spare for their rear, they wouldn't be using skirmishers. I think those skirmishers are a diversion. And the reason is..."

"That's enough." Andrew had seen how long-winded Krais became on this subject. What was the point of listening if he could not understand even half of it?

Krais was a little unhappy about that. Why did nobody seem willing to listen?

At least the platoon commander listened quite carefully. He lent an ear and showed a sincere interest. That was satisfying. In truth, Krais was a little uneasy about his own claims, too. He hurried over to walk beside the platoon commander and spoke.

"Captain, I think those skirmishers are a diversion. Why would they want to draw our attention? Simple. Stay here. Don't move. Don't go anywhere else. And if we come into their rear, they have traps prepared. Something like that. So we should move in a different way. In a direction the enemy won't expect." Krais went on explaining his strategy. Encrid listened carefully before asking, "Why are you telling me this again?"

He had already heard it. This made three times.

"Well, um, I wanted to say it. Just, um... Never mind."

Was he anxious?

"Does talking make the anxiety go away?"

"Well, you wouldn't understand, Platoon Commander." Krais considered himself an ordinary person. Someone like Encrid would never understand. In his eyes, the platoon commander was abnormal.

Giving up when you had no talent was normal. A dream? How was chasing something like that normal? Not an achievable goal, but a dream in the truest sense.

Yet he chased it, repeating the same things every day. Training over and over. Every day, he showed them what it meant to train as though grinding away his own bones.

How could that be normal? Krais stopped talking. Looking at the platoon commander, he truly felt they could somehow get through whatever happened.

Some of his anxiety faded. "This way."

Pin was an accomplished ranger and pathfinder. Even on unfamiliar terrain, she found traces with ease.

The enemy skirmishers had employed all sorts of tricks to evade pursuit. Several traps were visible, too. They had heard that some Border Guard soldiers had run into them a few times in their desperate pursuit. The Lunatic Platoon deliberately made no effort to find the skirmishers' tracks. They went straight ahead, directly toward the enemy's rear.

After they passed through the woods and over the ridges, the enemy's rear security force came into view. "I'm going first. No, let me warn you: anyone who gets ahead of me gets an axe in the back of the head, so stay the hell out of my way," Rem growled.

They told him to go ahead. Nobody else seemed interested in taking the lead. Krais studied the enemy formation. Their forces occupied the broad stretch of terrain extending from the tall-grass fields to here.

That would put this at their rear, toward the right, wouldn't it? Somewhere around there. They had spent more than half a day crossing the ridges. "Anyone knight-level?" Encrid asked.

Sharp-eyed Jaxon looked around and answered, "I don't see anyone particularly dangerous."

Time to begin. Rem made his way down the ridge, and Encrid followed. Dust rose as they pushed off down the slope.

Mac, Andrew, and Pin stayed behind, along with Audin and Jaxon, both to protect Krais and to prepare for anything unexpected.

Only Rem, Encrid, and Ragna descended. "I'll be watching," Ragna said, drawing alongside Encrid.

What had he learned from keeping two swords close all this time? Ragna intended to check the results of his teaching.

'A test?'

For Encrid, it was also an experiment. Two blades. Dual wielding. Fighting with a sword in each hand.

How effective would it be? "What the...?"

An enemy sentry spotted the three approaching. Their descent down the fairly gentle slope kicked up dust, and there was no terrain nearby that offered much cover.

They had reached the fertile plain, land that would soon belong to the victor of this battle. Rem approached with a wave. His gait and gesture might have been those of a man greeting an old friend.

"Hey!"

His casual manner made the enemy soldier tilt his head. Was that an enemy? Or not? The distance narrowed. Just as the sentry was about to tell them that was close enough, to stop, the hatchet at Rem's waist flew.

His hand moved like a flash of light. The throwing axe spun through the air, tracing a long arc. THUNK.

The sentry's head acquired a new ornament. An ornament that ended his life, of course.

With the hatchet buried in his skull, his feet left the ground. His arms flailed, and he fell backward.

THUD. The other sentry, who had watched it happen, hastily put a whistle to his lips. But Rem had already closed the distance.

It was a charge driven by the explosive release of his springy thigh muscles.

Encrid knew how skilled Rem was. Even so, he was astonished. It was like the sprint that knight had shown back then, a charge much like the one from the man just short of becoming a proto knight. 'Rem.'

He still had abilities he had kept hidden. Reaching the sentry, Rem seized his wrist and bent it back.

CRACK.

"Urk."

Then the axe in Rem's left hand sliced horizontally through the air.

THUNK. The enemy soldier toppled sideways, his neck halfway severed. Blood gurgled from his fallen body's neck, soaking the ground.

"Damn, they're weak."

Rem muttered between the two dead soldiers.