Academy’s Barbarian

Or-han, confident that Landenburg’s scouts were monitoring Ordos’ movements, prepared a light deception to mislead them.

Just before heading west with 6,000 of the Blue Army, he disguised a portion of the Blue Army as the Black Armies and positioned them on the outer edges of the formation.

Thin, barely convincing armor and black-dyed flags.

Up close, the shoddy disguise would be immediately obvious, but it was enough to fool Landenburg’s scouts observing from a distance.

The purpose of the disguise was twofold: to mislead the enemy about the speed of the pursuing force and to trick Ordos’ elite into falling for the bait, provoking them into more aggressive action.

“If it’s a diversion strategy, the goal is to divide and conquer Ordos’ southern forces… or, less likely, to target Ordos directly while I chase the special forces.”

If the goal was to divide and conquer, Targien and the enemy army would handle it.

On the other hand, if Ludwig’s goal was to ambush Ordos while the main force was away, Or-han could simply pretend to leave Ordos with the elite Black Armies.

This would mislead the enemy into thinking the Black Armies had left Ordos undefended, prompting a reckless attack.

Of course, Or-han also considered the possibility that Ludwig’s plan wasn’t a diversion but a trap to lure him out using Ha-shal-leur.

“If it’s a trap and not a diversion, Ludwig’s main force is likely lying in ambush.”

Even in that case, disguising the Blue Army as the Black Armies had its advantages.

“Tactics for dealing with heavy cavalry and light cavalry are different. If they mistake the pursuing force for the Black Armies, we can exploit that weakness and counterattack.”

If they knew it was the Blue Army, they would prepare a large number of archers, but if they thought it was the Black Armies, they would reduce archers and focus on heavy infantry and cavalry.

In that case, Or-han and the Blue Army could use their mobility to outmaneuver the enemy without worrying about arrow volleys.

“If it works, great… if it fails, there’s no real loss. We’ll just clash head-on.”

Preparing a disguise more akin to a trick than a strategy, Or-han rode westward.

======[ Ha-shal-leur]======

Or-han is coming.

With thousands of heavy cavalry in tow.

This news poured cold water on the morale of the special forces, riding high on repeated victories.

Logically, it was something to celebrate. Keeping Or-han’s attention on us was the strategic goal of the special forces.

However, few are bold enough to rejoice at achieving their mission while being pursued by thousands of heavy cavalry and the strongest on the plains. Most of the cavalry were already showing signs of anxiety, glancing alternately to the west and east.

“…The primary objective is achieved. All that’s left is to shake off the pursuers and retreat.”

Yan and Karim, unable to laugh off Or-han’s pursuit, feigned calmness, but their tense expressions betrayed their nerves.

“Right. We need to run before we’re caught. Get everyone ready.”

I nodded to them, lit a cigarette, and gazed at the gradually brightening eastern horizon.

Thousands of Black Armies and Or-han. If our retreat was delayed and we clashed, they could annihilate us in minutes. Even if I could hold off Or-han, the remaining 170 of the special forces couldn’t stop the Black Armies.

If the special forces were wiped out, I’d have to face Or-han and the Black Armies alone… begging for my life naked would have a higher survival rate. Not that it would be much of a life.

‘So, let’s not fight this time and just retreat. Got it?’

[Huh? Isn’t that obvious? The difference in strength is at least twentyfold. Not retreating isn’t bravery, it’s stupidity.]

I brought it up thinking she might insist on fighting, but Hersela sounded more like, “Why aren’t we running already?”

‘You’re more level-headed than I thought. Didn’t you used to say retreating from battle was a warrior’s shame?’

[A warrior’s fight and an avenger’s fight are different. A warrior should value honor over life, but for an avenger, the success of revenge is more important than personal honor.]

…Well said.

‘Good enough.’

I shook my head, flicked the cigarette ash, and turned my horse. The heavy cavalry, having finished retreat preparations under Karim’s orders, stood in formation.

Over a hundred pairs of eyes looked at me anxiously. My next task was to get them safely to the barrier.

“You all know this… but the Ka`har are faster than us. Even if the scouts returned as quickly as possible, we don’t have time to spare. Especially considering all the enemy forces are heavy cavalry.”

In fact, there was no guarantee that the entire pursuing force was heavy cavalry. It didn’t make sense. Chasing fleeing enemies with heavy tanks instead of armored vehicles?

If Or-han’s forces were actually light cavalry disguised as heavy cavalry, the distance between us and them could be much closer than expected. I didn’t voice this speculation to avoid demoralizing the troops.

“So, grit your teeth and run. Don’t even think about resting. Understood?”

“Yes!”

The heavy cavalry shouted, pounding their chests with fists, trying to shake off the tension and anxiety weighing on them.

“Good. Prepare for a charge! Our target is the Berengeiria Wall. Run like your lives depend on it!”

With a forced cheer, 170 heavy cavalry spurred their horses.

Thundering hooves kicked up dust like fog as we raced westward.

Four days’ journey to the barrier in a straight line. The four days that would decide our fate had begun.

—

Horses and riders, both pushing their limits, galloped in retreat. I used every means possible to slow the enemy’s pursuit.

I stripped off the cumbersome armor and melted it with Up-hwa, scattering it on the road, set fields and forests ablaze, and used the Power of Ruin to turn the terrain into rough, uneven ground.

Even with the Ka`har’s exceptional horsemanship, they couldn’t bypass scattered metal debris, raging flames, or ground torn up like a mad excavator.

These were stopgap measures, but they bought us some time. Three days after deciding to retreat, we still hadn’t been caught.

Well… three days was the limit.

—

“Sir! The pursuers!”

“I know!”

A nameless knight urgently pointed to the horizon. I gritted my teeth, responded, and turned to look behind.

Beyond the brownish haze on the horizon, thousands of black dots resembling an ant swarm swayed with the earth, radiating an almost burning intensity.

Damn it. We were only half a day from the barrier’s influence, and now this…!

[That speed…! They’re not the Black Armies! We’ll be caught at this rate!]

‘I know!’

As they say, bad premonitions are never wrong. The enemy was indeed light cavalry disguised as the Black Armies, judging by their speed.

“Can’t we go faster?”

“Everyone’s already at their limit! Whipping them more won’t help…!”

Nigel shouted in despair.

Right, they’re at their limit. I know. I only asked out of desperation.

We had been catching wild horses or using recovery potions to keep the exhausted horses going, but even that was reaching its limit. Whipping the foam-flecked horses would only make them collapse.

“Damn it…! Kenaz!”

I swung my right arm back, unleashing a burst of magical flame. A crimson wall of fire roared to life with a whoosh.

[That won’t be enough!]

True.

As Hersela said, trying to block their advance with fire runes now seemed impossible. In a grassland or forest full of fuel, it might work, but we were racing across a plain covered in dirt.

Setting fire here wouldn’t spread far or last long.

Using Up-hwa to burn the earth itself might last longer, but creating a wall of flame large enough to block thousands of cavalry would drain all my Life Force Technique.

If it worked, great, but if it didn’t, it would only lower our already slim chances of survival.

…Do we have to fight?

I bit my lip, lost in thought. Various ideas flashed through my mind: the odds of winning, tactics to improve those odds, and the fate awaiting us if we lost.

No.

There’s no way to win.

If I could draw out power beyond my limits like I did against Invidius’ arm, maybe I could defeat Or-han. Whether that’s possible is another matter.

The problem is… by the time I defeat Or-han, those cavalry would have slaughtered all my allies and might even hold a funeral for me. I could already see them being cut down like straw.

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