The flow of time turned back to the moment the clash began.
The struggle between Frizion's army and the pursuit unit was playing out as two entirely different battles at the front and the rear.
While the rear guard was composed of standard troop types—infantry, cavalry, archers, and a handful of mages—the vanguard consisted solely of the White Rose Knight Order. They were a force primarily built around cavalry.
In contrast, the force lying in wait for Frizion's army was well-balanced, a mixture of infantry, cavalry, and archers. In terms of troop composition, the situation at the front was almost the exact opposite of the battle raging at the rear.
However, there were a few key differences.
First, even though the White Rose Knight Order was composed of cavalry, many among them were capable of mounted archery or casting magic while in the saddle.
Furthermore, they were equipped with numerous magic items that Frizion, Marquis Lognos, and Angela had gone to great lengths to acquire for this defection. If Frizion had her way, she would have distributed such gear to every soldier who followed her, but magic items were a rarity. Even low-rank items that required little effort to manufacture were difficult to procure in quantities sufficient to equip the entire Frizion Army.
Ultimately, Marquis Lognos had argued that this army would collapse instantly if its symbol—Frizion herself—were killed or captured. Thus, the decision was made to prioritize the White Rose Knight Order when distributing the hoard.
Granted, these magic items were not particularly powerful. Their effects only boosted defensive or offensive power by a small margin—not even reaching a ten percent increase. However, when equipped by an elite unit like the White Rose Knight Order, even such minor items raised the baseline of the entire force, producing staggering results on the field.
"Forward! Our lord, Her Highness Frizion, is right behind us. Do not show her a pathetic sight!"
Videre's voice rang out across the battlefield. Their lord was watching from the rear. Among the knights of the White Rose Knight Order directly under Frizion, no one remained unmoved by those words.
"Let us go! First Unit, I will not have you falling behind Captain Videre! Show them the full extent of our power!"
The noble-born Captain of the First Unit shouted her command, advancing as Angela had instructed.
"Listen up, you lot! If you let those other two outshine you, the Second Unit’s reputation is dead! You hear me?"
The short-haired female knight, who had risen from the ranks of adventurers to become Captain of the Second Unit, gave a sharp cry as she led her troops forward.
"Let's move! In this battle, we’ll achieve results that would make Her Highness Frizion proud—and Lady Vihera, as well!"
This female knight had formerly belonged to the Second Princess Faction. After Vihera's departure, she had been taken in by Frizion and appointed Captain of the Fourth Unit. Driven by an intense fighting spirit, she shouted to make their strength known to the world.
"Everyone, stay composed. Do not be reckless, and take care to avoid injury. ...However, let us show those who oppose Her Highness Frizion exactly where they stand. There is no need for compassion toward those who know none. Let us pierce them with our arrows."
Wearing a serene smile despite her violent words, the Captain of the Fifth Unit spoke in a gentle, melodic tone.
"Honestly... I still don't know how things got this troublesome. But a job is a job. Do your best, everyone! Keep a close eye on your arrow count and your remaining magic power. And for heaven's sake, do not hit our allies!"
Though she spoke as if it were a chore, the Captain of the Sixth Unit acknowledged her duty.
Including Videre's unit, the six units led their respective soldiers and charged.
Naturally, the ambushers were not going to sit idly by and watch the cavalry approach. To thin the enemy's numbers before they could close the distance, they unleashed a barrage of arrows and magic. They even brought out catapults—siege weapons—and began lobbing heavy projectiles.
Originally, these catapults had been prepared to counter Rei. However, since the primary target had headed for the forest, the commanders decided it was better to use them on the White Rose Knight Order than to let them sit idle.
"Leave the stones to me!"
Videre, riding at the head of the vanguard, swung her magic sword in a massive arc. Lightning discharged from the magic sword tip, sliced through the air, and struck the incoming boulders. In an instant, the lightning shattered a person-sized rock into dust.
"Eek! Honestly, Captain Videre! If you're going to shatter the rocks, do it so there aren't shards flying everywhere!"
The Captain of the First Unit, riding alongside the Third Unit, shouted a complaint. Videre ignored her, treating it as a common occurrence, and continued to charge forward with her subordinates.
As the First through Fourth Units charged the enemy's front line, the Fifth and Sixth Units provided cover from the rear with arrows and magic.
They had been called many things: a Secret Garden, Beautiful Ladies, or Dignified Female Knights. But as the order directly under Frizion, the White Rose Knight Order proved that their skill was the real deal. They batted away the intercepting arrows with longswords, spears, and axes, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.
Though some failed to knock every arrow aside, the effects of their magic items allowed them to deflect the hits. These items were only meant to stop a few arrows, but in the hands of warriors as skilled as these knights, they were exceptionally effective.
Deflecting arrows as they rode, they bore down on the infantry units waiting with spears and shields. At the exact moment the infantrymen caught their breath to brace for the impact, arrows and magic rained down from the sky.
"Everyone, keep the arrows coming. But remember, there will be a punishment later for anyone who hits an ally."
"Be careful—I mean it, ve-ry care-ful—not to hit our friends! And mages, pay special attention!"
The voices of the Captains of the Fifth and Sixth Units echoed over the din. These two units had waited for the precise moment the vanguard clashed with the enemy before unleashing their support fire. While they provided standard cover fire during the approach, they possessed the discipline to shift their targets at a moment's notice to avoid friendly fire.
The commanders were impressive, but the soldiers capable of executing such orders were equally so. Because the enemy infantry's focus was entirely on the cavalry charge led by Videre, they were caught completely off guard by the rain of projectiles. The damage was catastrophic.
Normally, one wouldn't expect mages and archers to fire upon the very spot their own cavalry was charging just before impact. A slight mistake would result in a massacre of their own side. It was a maneuver that caught the ambushers entirely by surprise, and it succeeded perfectly.
The First Unit and Videre's Third Unit pushed through, cleaving the chaotic infantry unit apart.
The ambush force, having seen their vanguard pierced so suddenly, attempted to counterattack. They hoped to use their superior numbers to bog down the cavalry.
However... further hardship awaited them.
The Second and Fourth Units of the White Rose Knight Order charged in right behind the First and Third Units. As they maintained their momentum, the knights of the First and Third Units spread out on cue, forcibly creating a path for the fresh units coming from behind.
Once the Second and Fourth Units reached the front, the knights of the First and Third Units yielded their positions. If viewed from above, it would have looked as if the point of a drill that had pierced the ambush force had suddenly expanded, allowing a new, sharper drill bit to emerge and strike deeper.
The newly emerged drill tip pierced straight through the remaining infantry and fell upon the archer unit in the rear.
But the ambush force was not entirely defenseless. Realizing they were being pushed back unilaterally, Blatta led his own cavalry away from the center. They moved in a wide arc, attempting to flank the vanguard and strike at Frizion's carriage.
"What?! They're targeting Her Highness Frizion...? Unforgivable! Everyone, take care of them!"
The gentle smile the Captain of the Fifth Unit had worn a moment ago vanished, replaced by a terrifying intensity as she issued her command. The Sixth Unit was equally panicked by Blatta's maneuver and hurriedly followed suit.
"Trying to approach our lord... you've grown far too arrogant. Fire!"
Magic and arrows filled the sky, raining down on the cavalry unit heading for the carriage.
At the carriage itself, a defensive barrier flickered into existence—likely the work of another magic item. Angela, the Commander of the White Rose Knight Order, took up a defensive stance alongside her direct subordinates.
Sensing that the interceptive formation had been established in an instant, Blatta immediately veered away from Frizion's carriage. Instead, he pivoted toward the Fifth and Sixth Units that were providing support from the rear. It was a flexible maneuver possible only for cavalry, and the fact that he could command his subordinates to execute it flawlessly was a testament to Blatta's superior leadership.
He zigzagged through the incoming fire, making it impossible for the archers and mages to steady their aim.
By this point, the other four units rampaging through the center of the ambush force realized their comrades in the rear were in danger. They dispatched units to prevent the support line from being overwhelmed.
"Tch, they're fast. This is why these women are such a pain."
Blatta clicked his tongue just as he was about to break into the Fifth and Sixth Units. Judging that he would be surrounded and slaughtered if he stayed any longer, he chose to withdraw.
However, he refused to retreat without any results. As he veered away, he grazed the edge of the Fifth Unit, swinging his spear to strike down several soldiers in his path. The cavalrymen following him did the same, offering a violent "parting gift" as they fled. Given the other four units closing in, they couldn't afford to linger, so they focused on inflicting injuries rather than securing kills.
If the ambush force had been a bit more solid, they might have inflicted real damage on the White Rose Knight Order... Blatta spat on the ground in frustration.
However, considering eighty knights had just ravaged a force of five hundred, he couldn't complain. It was clear that his own side had sustained significantly higher casualties. He ground his teeth at the undeniable strength of the White Rose Knight Order.
(If Sobul were here to lead the units... no, should I have brought Pelfeel? I can't expect anything from Rhodos.)
After all, the current Rhodos was an existence specialized solely for killing Crimson. For that reason, Rhodos was not on this battlefield. He was likely in the forest right now, facing off against Crimson.
Musing over these thoughts, Blatta successfully regrouped with the main body of his force.
"Report on the casualties!"
"Setting the infantry aside, the casualties among our archers have far exceeded our initial projections!"
Blatta clicked his tongue at his subordinate's report. Replacing infantry was easy enough, but archers were a different matter. It took significant time to train a competent archer. One couldn't just produce more on command.
"And the mages?"
"We managed to minimize their losses. There are wounded, but no fatalities."
"...I see. Even if His Highness Cabajid is furious, at least it isn't the worst-case scenario."
He let out a heavy sigh and considered his next move. That was when he noticed a fresh, organized force of reinforcements arriving from the rear of the Frizion Army.
"Tch, so they failed over there, too? His Highness Schuls's vaunted cavalry isn't all that after all. ...Well, that settles it. We can't afford to push any further here."
The enemy was already composed of elites. They were only holding their ground now because of their superior numbers. Once that gap narrowed, the tactical advantage would flip entirely.
"Even though Crimson is right there... damn it!"
The reason he had personally come to this battle was to avenge the ultimate humiliation—being hunted like a one-sided piece of game without even being allowed the dignity of a fight. More than anything, he wanted revenge for his partner, Sobul, who had been captured right before his eyes.
Yet Crimson himself showed no sign of joining the main fray, having headed straight for the woods. Considering the ambushers who were supposed to strike the enemy's flank had yet to emerge from the forest, Blatta could easily guess they were being systematically dismantled.
"What's the time?"
When he asked the subordinate beside him, the man checked the watch he pulled from his pocket.
"No problems there. The scheduled time has passed. While capturing Her Highness Frizion would have been ideal... we have at least achieved our minimum objective."
"I see. ...Fine, we're pulling back. Order the general retreat."
"Yes, sir!"
The order was issued immediately, but...
"Lord Blatta! Some units are ignoring the retreat order and moving toward the forest!"
"What? They're going after Crimson on purpose? Which idiots are they?"
"The faction that joined us recently—Count Schwindel and his lot!"
At those words, Blatta clicked his tongue in pure annoyance.