Chapter 91: The Battle of Hisfil Castle (1)
—
Anima immediately organized her forces.
At the vanguard was Ernandorf, with herself as the overall commander.
She wished to be mounted on a horse, but with one arm missing, Anima found it exceedingly difficult. Thus, in times like these, she had no choice but to ride in a carriage, even though she typically refrained from taking to the battlefield.
“It’s a critical operation. I can’t just issue orders and wait without leading from the front.”
Leaving behind troops to guard Racline Castle, she pulled together a total force of 50,000 men. She judged this to be sufficient to capture Hisfil Castle, now vulnerable due to its troops being deployed elsewhere.
Just before setting out, she informed Yuri at Balhart Castle of her actions through a messenger. It was a decision first, report later approach, but she wasn’t overly worried. Given her position, she believed that once she achieved results, they would be acknowledged.
After losing an arm, Anima had lived proving, every moment, that she was still a necessary existence for Yuri— for Aeshers Army— despite her condition. Originally skilled with the sword and physically trained, she had devoted herself to studying to the point of exhaustion. She had come up with necessary strategies and tactics at the right moments, lighting the path for Aeshers Army.
Her life story could be simply described as “miraculous,” but those who had been close and observed her would refuse to sum up her journey with the word “miracle.”
She lived diligently, reducing her sleep, stepping forward without considering what was possible and what was not. As a result, she had successfully transformed Aeshers Army, once no more than a band of righteous outlaws, into a nation.
So, it should be fine.
Yuri would understand, she believed. Since that day they lost everything, they had been each other’s only confidants.
“We must succeed, at all costs.”
Thinking this, on her way to Hisfil Castle, the carriage suddenly came to a halt.
“What’s going on?”
A soldier in the carriage looked at her and said, “Strategist, I mean…”
The soldier accidentally referred to her as “Strategist,” then became flustered and lost for words. Although she was no longer Aeshers Army’s national strategist, she was still regarded as such by the soldiers.
“I’m sorry, Lady Anima.”
“It’s fine. Titles don’t matter, so can you tell me what’s happening?”
“Well, one of the soldiers from the vanguard has a message for you.”
“A message for me?”
From a soldier in the vanguard? There should be no reason for them to specifically seek her out…
Pushing aside the uneasy feeling, she opened the carriage door to greet the soldier.
“Lady Anima…!”
“Calm down. Tell me what’s happening, slowly.”
“Serpina’s army…!”
“Serpina’s army? Why?”
That moment marked the beginning.
The soldier’s panicked expression, the suffocatingly heavy air, the unpleasant sensation pounding deep within her head… Anima was not unfamiliar with these feelings. They surfaced instinctively whenever things did not proceed as carefully planned.
And then,
“Serpina’s forces have appeared at the front… They’ve come to intercept us!”
“What? Intercept?”
But that made no sense. Serpina’s forces were supposed to have directed all their troops toward Elgaim Castle, weren’t they? Refilling their ranks in the meantime would have been nearly impossible due to the distance.
“We can’t estimate the exact numbers, but… A force roughly equal to ours is approaching!”
“Did they call off their invasion?”
For some reason, they must have abandoned the conquest of Elgaim Castle, noticing our advance and responding in time.
If we were to engage with Serpina’s forces now, with similar troop numbers, it was a battle we could feasibly fight. While the battle itself might yield favorable outcomes…
The crucial siege battle would likely be compromised. Siege weapons, extremely vulnerable in open combat, would be prioritized targets for Serpina’s intercepting forces.
“What should we do?”
Though taken aback, it wasn’t a completely unforeseen scenario. In such cases, the wise decision would be to retreat. Repeatedly engaging in fruitless battles would only benefit Serpina’s army, given their larger population.
“Send a message to the vanguard to prepare for retreat. If the enemy pursues, ensure a minimal force is ready to defend.”
“Yes, understood!”
Retreating would ideally mean no need for Serpina to chase. Though it would waste some supplies, if they could end it without significant losses, it would be acceptable.
…That was what she had thought.
“The enemy is upon us!!!”
“…!!”
The cries of her soldiers, unmistakably clear, reached Anima’s ears. The enemy had revealed themselves.
Not from the front, but…
“Could it be…!”
Yes.
“Attack! Charge! Incoming arrows!”
“Don’t panic, return fire!”
“It’s the yellow flags! It’s Serpina’s army!”
The sounds were coming from behind the carriage—
From the rear of the column.
“What in the world…!”
Serpina’s forces were both ahead and… behind them?
Anima froze in place.
What had happened here?
* * *
Rewinding time back to Hisfil Castle.
Yuwan, the middle-aged man in charge of the castle, knelt before the queen, who rightfully stood above him.
“You’ve arrived, my lord.”
She stood before him, her golden hair adorned with a characteristic hairpin, though her attire was slightly different than usual. She wore a ceremonial dress akin to those worn by noble children preparing for knighthood during the empire’s stable times. It was a piece of custom-made clothing she found comfortable, given her uniquely feminine figure and the limited fitting options available.
While she usually wore more ornate and uncomfortable dresses within the castle, she adhered to wearing ceremonial dresses when visiting other locations as a personal rule. Despite the dress being a common item now that anyone could wear due to the decline of nobility in these troubled times, her wearing it added an untouchable aura of nobility.
After receiving his greeting, Serpina glanced around and instructed,
“The greetings are enough. Report on the situation.”
“As you ordered, out of the 61,000 soldiers stationed here, around 55,000 are ready to march at any moment.”
“Is that so? That’s very satisfactory.”
“Although I’ve followed your orders, I’m curious about your intentions…”
“If they’re ready to march, then marching is what we should do, right?”
“But the preparation has taken so long… there’s a high chance the information has leaked. I suspect the enemy is also prepared…”
Serpina responded coldly to Yuwan’s concern.
“It doesn’t matter. That’s exactly what I was aiming for.”
“Excuse me…?”
“It’s simple. The most important thing was for the information that ‘we are preparing to march’ to leak out.”
Serpina posed a peculiar question to Yuwan.
“Stand up, Yuwan.”
She spread a map showing the surrounding area of Hisfil Castle and pointed it out to him.
“I ask you, if we were to dispatch our troops somewhere, where do you think they should go?”
“Um… that’s…”
Caught off guard
by the sudden question, Yuwan, however, soon provided a plausible answer.
“I would choose Elgaim Castle to the southwest of our castle, which belongs to Brans Army.”
“And why is that?”
“Because their troop count is only about 23,000, and their morale has significantly dropped since Chel Brans, their chief commander, left. It seems Brans Army might have already given up on it, considering they haven’t replenished their troops despite the time that’s passed…”
“Right, Yuwan. You’re correct. That’s the logical conclusion. Anyone would think the same.”
“Yes…”
Yuwan still didn’t grasp what Serpina was hinting at, but she didn’t berate him. As long as he didn’t defy her, not reaching the conclusions she had wasn’t a fault.
“We will invade Elgaim Castle of Brans Army. But, we won’t actually send troops there.”
“Excuse me? I don’t follow…”
“We plan to ambush elsewhere.”
“Wouldn’t that put the castle at risk?”
Serpina shook her head in response to Yuwan’s question.
“If Brans Army had the will to resist, perhaps, but now, even removing troops here wouldn’t provoke them to attack. They’re already too low on troops to consider moving.”
“That makes sense, but…”
Yuwan also doubted Brans Army would attack Hisfil Castle. Even if they did, he was confident in their defense.
Serpina pointed to the map and explained,
“Between Elgaim Castle and Hisfil Castle, there’s a mountain range. If you position at the peak of the central mountain, you can clearly see the southern vicinity of Hisfil Castle. It’s already been verified.”
“…?”
Yuwan still couldn’t grasp the concept, even after staring at the map several times, but Serpina patiently explained,
“It’s simple. Think of it as casting a fishing line, hoping someone bites the bait. And what I’m aiming for is…”
Serpina pointed to a castle south of Hisfil Castle.
“This place.”
The castle she indicated was Racline Castle.
So far, so good. But… how does ambushing soldiers relate to this?
If the plan was to attack Racline Castle, wouldn’t it be straightforward to send troops directly instead of going through this roundabout process?
Serpina, noticing Yuwan’s bewildered expression, finally clarified,
“Ah, I see. You lack certain information.”
“…?”
“Do you remember, Yuwan? Before arriving here, I asked you to deliver a letter.”
“If you mean the letter to the commander of the Astron Mercenary Band…”
“Right. So, do you still not understand my intention?”
“…Ah.”
Finally grasping her plan, Yuwan slowly nodded.
Serpina smiled enigmatically,
“Exactly. On this mountain… the Astron Mercenary Band, 20,000 strong, lies in ambush.”
If the bait, “the castle is undefended,” is taken, they would position Serpina’s forces at the front and the mercenaries at the rear, encircling and attacking.
Thus, extracting the forces within Racline Castle and neutralizing them was the true intent of the northern conqueror, Serpina.
