The cavalry unit directly under Schuls and the White Rose Knight Order directly under Frizion were still locked in combat.
The two units maneuvered to exploit each other’s openings, their movements so synchronized and precise that the battle seemed almost like a form of art to those watching from the sidelines.
"Dammit! I wish they’d just let us spectate in peace!"
"Tell me about it! Tch, here they come again! Fire! Keep firing!"
The infantry unit accompanying the White Rose Knight Order hurled curses at the oncoming Subjugation Army soldiers while desperately loosed their arrows.
Until recently, they had possessed enough leeway to watch the clash between the cavalry units, but the Subjugation Army’s side had suddenly intensified its aggression. Their soldiers had circled around the mounted engagement to fall upon the infantry.
It wasn't as if the Mercurio Army’s men were entirely in the dark about what had triggered this sudden escalation.
"As I thought, that Water Dragon definitely had something to do with this!" one soldier shouted.
His gaze was fixed on the spot where the Water Dragon had suddenly appeared only moments ago. Or rather, where it had been.
The massive creature of water, which had been visible to every man on the field, was nowhere to be found. When it had first manifested, the soldiers had reflexively gasped in terror; now that it had vanished, their faces were washed with profound relief.
It was only natural. A dragon made entirely of water was not a common sight. Only Digma, the A-rank adventurer who bore the alias of "Water Dragon," was known to possess the power to manifest such a creature, and none of them had heard anything about him joining the Mercurio Army.
Therefore, the Water Dragon was the enemy. That was the only logical conclusion.
Digma’s specialty was using his namesake summon for multi-target combat. Many soldiers had fretted over when those liquid fangs would turn toward them, but in the end, the creature had only rampaged in the immediate vicinity of its appearance, leaving the soldiers elsewhere unaffected.
Granted, in the area where it had struck—the ground where Vihera and Digma had clashed—soldiers from both the Mercurio Army and the Subjugation Army had suffered casualties.
Regardless, the men felt relieved that the devastation had been localized. Yet, amidst that relief, the Subjugation Army’s movements became more frenetic than ever.
Ordinarily, the Water Dragon was one of the Subjugation Army's greatest military assets. Since it had dissolved without dealing a decisive blow to the Mercurio Army, the enemy command likely concluded that Digma had been defeated.
This, in turn, forced them to play their next hand. Their original strategy probably relied on Digma inflicting heavy casualties on the Mercurio Army to keep their own losses to a minimum. Since that had failed, they shifted tactics to leverage their sheer numerical advantage—an army nearly quadruple the size of Mercurio’s.
"Dammit! As far as I can see, we're being pushed back all over the place! The front line in the center looks like it’s about to be ground into dust!"
The soldier shouted as he loosed another arrow toward the center, but he was met with a calm rebuttal.
"The center line? Isn't that the unit led by those traitorous nobles? Then there’s no need to worry. The main camp is likely letting them be ground down on purpose."
"Now that you mention it..." the soldier muttered, recalling the situation.
He watched the Subjugation Army’s attack wear the center unit down to its breaking point and decided it wasn't his problem. To the soldiers of the Mercurio Army, anything that happened to those who had planned to betray them was nothing more than self-inflicted karma. If they had been betrayed at a critical moment in a battle like this, the damage could have decided the outcome of the entire war.
"But still... there are just too many of them! Way too many!"
With the center unit forgotten, the soldier returned to grumbling about the Subjugation Army soldiers closing in on his position. No matter how many arrows they rained down, the enemy’s numbers never seemed to dwindle. On the contrary, it was the Mercurio Army whose ranks were gradually thinning.
It was the worst possible realization of the disparity in military strength.
Of course, the White Rose Knight Order wasn't idle. If the infantry acting as their support were annihilated, the knights would be surrounded next. Furthermore, as the unit directly under Frizion, they could not allow the men under their protection to be wiped out without staining their honor.
However, the cavalry unit directly under Schuls was not an opponent to be underestimated. Though the White Rose Knights maintained a slight advantage for the moment, it was held upon an extremely precarious equilibrium. A single mistake would shift the momentum to the other side in an instant.
I knew they were strong, but I didn't expect this, Videre thought as she clashed swords with an enemy captain. I suppose this is only expected of His Highness Schuls, given his immense influence over the military.
Around her, her subordinates were locked in their own struggles with the enemy cavalry. A significant amount of time had passed since the units first collided, and the number of wounded was rising on both sides. There were even a few deaths, though they remained rare.
The low fatality rate was likely due to the fact that both armies had stockpiled vast quantities of potions for this engagement. While the Subjugation Army had the advantage in pure volume since they held the Imperial Capital, the White Rose Knight Order had a high concentration of recovery magic users in its Fifth and Sixth Units.
Thanks to them, the White Rose Knight Order’s death toll remained small. However, even if wounds were closed with recovery magic, serious injuries still required time to heal. Many knights were forced to leave the fray and retreat to the rear.
If this war of attrition continues, we will inevitably lose due to our inferior numbers.
Videre sliced through a spear tip thrust at her with her magic sword. With the returning stroke, she severed the enemy captain’s right arm. She gnashed her teeth in frustration. The Mercurio Army had only a quarter of the enemy's strength; if they consumed their forces at the same rate, the outcome was obvious.
"What's the matter? Did you really think you could challenge me with such pathetic skill?"
Videre’s sharp cry echoed across the field. Having made short work of the enemy captain, her voice carried a weight that intimidated many.
In truth, the captain whose arm she had just taken was a formidable warrior. As he collapsed and was dragged to the rear by his men, Videre knew that any captain of the White Rose Knight Order other than those of the Third Unit would have struggled to defeat him. Videre was the strongest individual combatant among the Order’s six unit captains. To the onlookers, it looked like an easy win, but she had carved the true strength of Schuls’s cavalry into her mind.
Regardless, I need to make our advantage known, even if it's just for show. I have to keep this momentum...
As she scanned the battlefield for her next target, she suddenly noticed a commotion. It wasn't coming from the Mercurio Army, but from the Subjugation Army’s side.
"What is that?"
She channeled magic power into her magic sword, wreathing the blade in lightning as she cut down another enemy rider. The lightning-clad blade was devastatingly effective against their metal armor. It might have been a different story if the enemy wore armor made of magic metal, but such equipment was too rare for even Schuls’s elite to outfit every man.
Thinking it a stroke of luck, she swung her sparking blade again and again.
"GYAAAAAAAHH!"
"Agh!"
"Gagagagaga...!"
Each time she struck, the enemy cavalrymen screamed as their bodies were paralyzed. Unable to stay in their saddles, they tumbled from their mounts. The scene was horrific; in the chaos of a cavalry engagement, falling meant death. Friend and foe alike were caught up in the collapse of paralyzed horses, their torsos crushed and limbs shattered under the weight of the beasts.
"Messenger! I am a messenger!"
A knight of the White Rose Knight Order galloped toward Videre, shouting over the din.
"Report! What’s happened?" Videre asked. "The Subjugation Army’s rear is in an uproar. Is it related to that?"
"Yes! It appears the units under Count Obrisin and Viscount Boogle have launched an attack on the Subjugation Army infantry unit from the rear!"
"...What?"
She cut the flow of magic to her sword and tilted her head in confusion. "Lady Vihera’s unit was supposed to be fighting elsewhere..."
"That’s just it—Lady Vihera is nowhere to be seen."
Videre froze, a cold premonition gripping her heart. If Vihera was missing, it could mean she had been killed or suffered a wound so grievous she could no longer fight.
However, she immediately rejected the thought. Videre was one of the Order’s finest, and even without fighting her, she could sense Vihera’s overwhelming strength. A woman like that would not be taken down so easily.
Realizing she couldn't think clearly in the thick of the fight, Videre temporarily handed command of the area to a subordinate and retreated a short distance. She wasn't leaving the battlefield, merely moving back from the front line of the Third Unit’s engagement.
"So, Lord Gurgast is the one leading the unit?"
"Rather than leading, it's more accurate to say that the individuals are fighting however they damn well please... but yes, that is correct."
Videre was well aware of the peculiar way Gurgast’s unit operated. They paid no mind to coordination, with every man fighting as he saw fit, yet they somehow managed to deliver results in the end. Now that they were part of the Mercurio Army, the archer unit led by Tilleul provided them with support, but usually, they fought without any backup at all. The fact that they survived such a reckless style of combat was proof that they were elites. Even so, as a disciplined knight, Videre found it hard to acknowledge their methods.
"And Lady Vihera? Could she truly have retreated with an injury? I find it hard to believe."
"I can’t believe it either, Captain," the messenger replied. "If she’s gone, she likely left the unit temporarily for some other reason. Lady Vihera does have certain... tendencies, after all."
"...I see."
Videre found herself nodding. She understood Vihera’s love for combat all too well. In a battle that would decide the future of the Mercurio Army, being true to one's battle lust seemed irresponsible, but...
No, if there was someone Lady Vihera wanted to fight, it means the enemy had a powerhouse of that caliber. If such an opponent were left unchecked, our losses would have been substantial. Which means...
The image of the Water Dragon, large enough to be seen from anywhere on the field, flashed through her mind. It had been a shocking sight, but she recalled that the creature had hardly moved from the spot where it appeared, as if locked in combat with someone.
If that dragon had been allowed to run wild across the battlefield, the Mercurio Army would have been devastated. This was especially true given that Rei was originally supposed to have launched a surprise attack on the enemy rear to cause confusion, yet there was still no sign of him.
While there were no absolutes on the battlefield, the fact was that many men were losing heart because the person they believed would guarantee victory—Rei—was missing. Someone had to step up to stabilize the situation.
When she put the pieces together, it wasn't hard to figure out who had been fighting that opponent.
If that’s the case, then her opponent was likely Lady Vihera.
She had no proof, but a strong conviction took root in her heart.
"Send word to Commander Angela. Tell her the time to launch an all-out assault is now."
After giving the order to the messenger knight, Videre turned her horse and plunged back into the fray.