Under normal circumstances, the harassment attacks intended to stall the Frizion Army would have played out exactly as planned.
The strategy was simple: launch one-sided, long-range bow attacks and flee before the enemy could regroup. This would steadily increase the number of wounded, forcing the Frizion Army to deplete their stores of potions and magic for treatment. Even if it caused no fatalities, the constant need to adopt a defensive posture every time they were targeted would drain their supplies and crush their morale.
It was a plan that likely would have succeeded—had Rei and Seto, a duo capable of aerial traversal, not been part of the Frizion Army.
Because of their presence, those calculations were thrown completely into disarray.
Of course, from Cabajid’s perspective, the losses were negligible; they consisted mostly of bandit gangs and a handful of mercenary bands. Even among those mercenaries, most were individuals of poor conduct, so he felt no regret even when Rei’s surprise attacks wiped them out entirely. If anything, he might have even expressed gratitude to Rei for disposing of elements that would have only caused unnecessary trouble later.
Regardless, while systematically crushing these ambushers, the Frizion Army continued its march along the highway to rendezvous with the Rebel Army led by Mercurio.
"We won't make it today... but will we arrive by tomorrow afternoon?" Rei asked.
"Probably," Angela replied, letting out a weary sigh from atop her horse as she rode alongside him. "If you hadn't gone ahead and cleared out those ambushers, it might have taken us several more days. To think a distance that should normally take only two days is taking this long..."
It was a fact that they were half a day—perhaps a bit more—behind their original schedule, which was the source of Angela’s frustration. Still, they had prepared their supplies with enough leeway that there was no immediate risk of a shortage.
Furthermore, Frizion was popular among the common people. In a pinch, it wouldn't be difficult to replenish their stores from the villages and towns along their route. Fortunately, it was already autumn. The harvest was largely finished, and even small villages had a decent surplus. Of course, "replenishing" did not mean "confiscating." They would pay a fair price to purchase what they needed.
Frizion was devoted to her people, and she allowed no compromise on that front. Her army was largely composed of individuals who adored her and understood her character well. Since they weren't exactly lacking in funds, such negotiations were expected to proceed without a hitch.
"In a pinch, I wouldn't mind providing a little from my own stock," Rei offered.
Rei’s Misty Ring contained a massive hoard of prepared meals, raw ingredients, and monster carcasses. It was enough to provide at least one full meal for the entire army.
"I'm truly envious of the way things don't rot inside the Item Box," Angela remarked.
"Yeah. Honestly, being able to preserve food in a ready-to-eat state is incredibly useful. I can buy soup or stew by the pot in a city and just keep it like that indefinitely."
"Guruuu!"
Seto, hearing Rei mention food, gave a cry of emphatic agreement. Since he began traveling with Rei, the griffon had tasted many delicacies and learned the true meaning of flavor. That said, Seto was still a creature of the wild at heart; he was just as happy eating prey he had hunted himself as he was eating a cooked meal from a town.
"Fufu. Is Seto hungry?" Angela asked with a smile.
"I don't think it's that exactly, but if there's food to be had, he'll happily eat it. Of course, so will I."
The fact that the Frizion Army could travel the highway while engaging in such peaceful conversation was entirely due to Rei’s initiative the previous day. By scouting ahead and eliminating the bandits and mercenaries, he had brought great benefits to the army. Not only was the threat of surprise attacks gone, but they had also secured a significant number of horses.
When Rei encountered horses prepared by the ambushers for their escape, he would leave a note at the scene and move on to the next unit. As a result, while a few horses were likely made off with by random passersby, the Frizion Army had successfully recovered the majority of them. Naturally, it wasn't enough to mount every infantryman, but it had certainly increased their overall marching speed.
The Frizion Army had been progressing smoothly until the White Rose Knight Order, positioned at the head of the column to guard Frizion’s carriage, suddenly noticed a group approaching them.
It was a chaotic scene: one group was being pursued, and another was doing the chasing. The skirmish was taking place right along the highway. Other travelers on foot were scrambling off the road, keeping their distance to avoid being caught in the crossfire. The sight of the fighting group closing in was nothing short of bizarre.
"Her Highness Frizion, what are your orders?"
"Let's see," the princess replied. "I'm sorry, but could you go and settle that fight? We've seen enough blood lately; if possible, I'd rather not see any more right now. However, your safety must be the top priority."
Following her words, the female knights of the White Rose Knight Order dashed forward.
"Let us go! Fight in a way that does not shame the name of the First Unit!"
The Unit Commander’s voice rang out, and in response, the momentum of the First Unit’s female knights surged.
The group being pursued must have noticed the knights charging toward them. At first, several of the men looked terrified to see the White Rose Knight Order rushing at them without slowing down, but they quickly recognized the distinctive white armor. They let out collective sighs of relief.
A knight order composed entirely of beautiful women in white armor was a sight unique to the White Rose Knight Order in the Bestia Empire. Their presence was proof to the fleeing men that they were safe.
Which means the pursuers are naturally a different story, the First Unit Captain thought to herself, firmly gripping the hilt of her rapier.
A rapier was a rare choice for a cavalry weapon. However, for this captain, it was a weapon she had mastered to such a degree that it lost none of its lethality even when used from horseback.
"Leave this to us! Go on ahead!"
"Our thanks! You've saved us!"
Words were exchanged in the brief moment they passed. The pursued group continued toward the head of the Frizion Army, while the First Unit of the White Rose Knight Order turned their full attention to the pursuit unit.
The pursuit unit hesitated for a heartbeat, but they likely realized that turning back now would only result in being cut down from behind. At their captain’s command, they charged straight into the First Unit. They intended to strike once, cause enough of a flinch to disengage, and then withdraw.
That hope, however, was instantly obliterated by sheer astonishment.
As the female knights closed the distance, the rapier-wielding captain’s hand moved with blurring speed. To those watching from afar, the movement was clear; to those at the receiving end, it was a mystery. Before they could even process what was happening, they were pierced through the eye slits or neck gaps of their helmets, or through the armor joints at their limbs. They tumbled from their saddles.
Falling from a horse at full speed was never a clean affair. The impact shattered limbs, and those who survived the fall were often trampled by the horses of their own comrades following behind. It was perhaps a mercy for the man whose head was crushed by a hoof instantly; at the very least, he didn't have to suffer. He was far better off than the men crushed by horses that tripped over their bodies, or those who fell and were slowly trampled to death as the rest of the unit rode over them.
With their formation shattered, the pursuit unit was systematically dismantled by the First Unit of the White Rose Knight Order. Realizing they stood no chance, the enemy captain called for a retreat, and the survivors fled the scene in a sorry state.
"Captain, shall we pursue?"
"No, let us stop here. While I doubt it is a trap, we cannot afford to waste our strength in our current situation. More importantly, is anyone injured?"
"No, ma'am. The combat was nearly instantaneous, and with the Captain taking the lead..."
"Very well. Then let us return to Her Highness Frizion."
The Captain of the First Unit cast a brief glance at the ground. Corpses and the dying lay scattered across the road.
"We must dispose of these bodies properly so they do not become a nuisance."
"In that case, I shall go and ask Lord Rei—"
"Wait, let me!"
"Hey, no fair! It should be me!"
The moment Rei’s name was mentioned, the lingering tension from the battle vanished. The Captain of the First Unit shook her head, thinking it was only natural given how much everyone adored Seto.
"It is true that Lord Rei’s magic could handle the burial quickly, but... in the first place, Lord Rei is not one of our members; he is a guard for this army. Considering how much we already rely on him, we should handle this ourselves. I shall ask Commander Angela for instructions regarding the corpses. Now, come. We return."
They could not rely on Rei for everything. While the Captain understood this, it was also true that the Frizion Army was heavily dependent on Rei’s overwhelming combat power. Precisely because of that, she felt they should handle whatever tasks they were capable of on their own.
With that resolve, the Captain of the First Unit headed toward Angela. It was frustrating; despite having the strength to single-handedly route the pursuit unit, she still felt she lacked the power necessary to be truly independent.
"Huff... huff... huff... Y-you saved us. Thank you."
"I... I truly thought it was over for us."
"Honestly, why were they after people like us so persistently...?"
The men who had fled to the Frizion Army offered ragged words of gratitude, savoring the reality of their survival. Some were too exhausted to even speak, their state a testament to the danger they had just escaped.
"Bring some water," Angela commanded.
A nearby soldier immediately brought water at her order.
"Here, drink."
The men were clearly parched; they drank greedily from the provided cups. After a few rounds of water, they finally seemed to settle. One of the men bowed deeply.
"Thank you very much."
"Think nothing of it," Angela replied. "Rather, may I ask why you were being pursued?"
"Yes. But before that... you are Commander Angela of the White Rose Knight Order, are you not?"
"I am."
Confirming Angela’s nod, the man turned his gaze toward the carriage stopped a short distance away. "Then, the one in that carriage is Her Highness Frizion."
Angela nodded, but her vigilance sharpened. If this man intended any harm to the princess, she would not hesitate to strike. However, the man simply let out a long breath of relief.
"Thank goodness. We managed to arrive after all."
"Arrive?"
"Yes. My name is Dornos, a subordinate of Viscount Vish, who serves His Highness Mercurio. To be frank, the area surrounding our current position is being blockaded by the Subjugation Army. His Highness Mercurio and the others are preparing to break the blockade by defeating the Subjugation Army units one by one, and they dispatched us to deliver this information to Her Highness Frizion, but..."
Dornos’s gaze shifted slightly as he spoke. He was looking at Rei, who had been talking with Angela before the commotion started.
"I am glad to see you are safe as well, Lord Rei."
"I've had my share of small problems over here too... I see. So they've moved to cut off your supplies. Given that they're losing in terms of pure combat power, that's a logical choice," Rei said, nodding as he processed the news.
Rei recognized Dornos and a few of the others; he had seen them several times at the Rebel Army's position. Some of them were even faces he had trained when he first joined. Because they knew Rei, the moment they saw him, their relief was palpable. They knew exactly how much power he possessed.
Feeling their intense gazes, Rei frowned for a moment before turning back to Angela.
"It seems those persistent, harassing attacks were meant to keep this news from reaching us... No, wait. If they're cutting off supplies—using starvation tactics—then simply slowing down the Frizion Army's march wouldn't achieve much, would it?"
"You're right," Angela agreed. "It's true our arrival will be delayed, but we aren't going to take months or years to cover a distance that normally takes a few days... In that case, is their true goal something other than starvation tactics?"
Angela’s questioning voice echoed into the silence of the surrounding army.