Volume 5 Chapter 16 Interlude： Simulated Combat II
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It seemed that Garvey and Fristoph had discovered the enemy’s main force.
They were already leading troops into defensive action.
The enemy had split into 2 factions, but the 70 units were advancing towards us in a tight formation.
Their tight formation was convenient for testing the effectiveness of our strategy this time.
”Send a message to Ane and Akebus! Prepare the thing! Once the signal is raised, launch them immediately!”
”Roger that!”
”Our Kondrad squad must focus all efforts on finding the remaining 30! If we are caught off guard, we will suffer another devastating defeat!”
”Oh!”
Meanwhile, the main force of ‘Black Wing’ was approaching Garvey and Fristoph’s squad.
The two squads had equipped large shields for enhanced defense.
They attempted to block the Dragonewt’s breath attack with these shields.
Garvey and Fristoph’s squad was managing to withstand the breath attack from the main force of ‘Black Wing’ using their large shields, but gradually, the shields were melting, and more members were being hit directly and withdrawing from combat.
The main force of ‘Black Wing’ was intensifying their assault on Garvey and Fristoph’s squad, ignoring Akebus and Ane’s squad. It seemed they intended to strip them bare and then devour Akebus and Ane’s squad last.
”Is it finally reaching its limit… I’m worried about not finding the remaining 30, but… it can’t be helped, alright! Send the signal!”
”Understood!”
Whoosh.
An officer under command shot a signal arrow into the sky.
Then, the waiting archers of Akebus and the cavalry of Ane prepared to fire.
And then, they simultaneously launched arrows and special rounds into the densely packed area of the Dragonewts.
Boom boom boom boom!
A torrent of intense light that darkened the brightness of the day and a thunderous explosion echoed across the mock battle area.
”Did we get them?”
As the light subsided, Dragonewts in a spiraling status were crashing down from the sky one after another, hitting the ground.
The enemy’s main force of 70 units had all fallen to the ground, unconscious.
”Commander Kondrad! We did it! All enemy soldiers are unconscious!”
”Alright! While the fallen Dragonewt is unconscious, throw the binding net to pin them down!”
Fristoph, Garvey, Akebus, Ane, and I used special nets made from the Giant Spider’s ‘sticky thread’ to cover the Dragonewts lying on the ground.
The Dragonewts, bound in the nets, began to regain consciousness, but they couldn’t flap their wings or breathe fire, helplessly falling into our captivity.
Cheers erupted from all around as we captured the Dragonewts, but we couldn’t spot commander Lady Ludmila.
I felt a chill run down my spine at that report.
No way, are we the bait!
At that moment, a voice shouted from the back of our line.
”Enemy flank unit, incoming from the rear!!”
”What’s the distance?!”
”It’s close! They’ve blended into the terrain and are approaching at low altitude!!”
Impressive… using the main force as bait for a surprise attack from behind… but the main force is already decimated.
This is a place where we should endure until we’re ready again…
”Enemy, climbing rapidly! They’re entering a dive configuration! Incoming breath attack!”
”Our squad will take the hits! Ane, don’t let them land a single blow on Akebus and the others! Hold out until we’re ready again!”
If we can just endure this one attack… we will win…
However, the enemy commander Lady Ludmila was greedy for victory.
Instead of targeting our tightly clustered unit, she dumped the contents of a basket hung from her legs towards Akebus and Ane’s squad.
Those basket contents were fist-sized stone projectiles.
The momentum from the dive and gravity turned those stones into deadly rain for Ane and Akebus’s squad.
”Damn it! Their target was the archers and gunners…”
Looking at where Akebus and Ane were positioned, I saw they were overwhelmed with injured members unable to fight.
We had lost our means to counter Lady Ludmila’s forces.
’Alright! Combat is over! Each of you, report your injuries to the medics! The mock battle is concluded at this moment! Kondrad and Ludmila, report to me!’
Lord Kent announced the end of the battle.
Perhaps he judged that we had lost our means of resistance…
I decided to inform all units to stand down and head to where Lord Kent was.
* * *
”Kondrad, I have arrived.”
Lord Kent was seated in a chair inside a makeshift tent set up outdoors, wearing his usual gentle smile.
”You’re quick. It seems Ludmila has just arrived as well. Let’s get started with the review of the mock battle.”
””Yes, sir.””
”First, your strategy using the Estfort army’s Lightning Orbs to knock down the Dragonewts was impressive. Following that up with the capture net was also a brilliant response.”
Lord Kent praised our desperate strategy wholeheartedly.
”Lord Blackdagger! We were caught off guard in this mock battle, but Lord Kondrad’s strategy is akin to a clever tactic. Once used, it can be countered.”
Lady Ludmila was indignant, having lost all her main forces, even though she had used them as bait.
What she said had some merit.
The strategy we employed was indeed close to a clever tactic.
However, I judged it to be highly effective as a means to disrupt a tightly packed formation.
”I believe it is effective as a means to confuse the enemy. Surely, Lady Ludmila, you don’t intend to block the Dragonewts’ ears and send them charging in alone?”
”That is…”
”That’s risky. No matter how tough the Dragonewts are, they could easily be taken down if they charge in alone.”
Lady Ludmila looked at me with a frustrated expression.
Knowing her to be confident, I expected she would surely devise a countermeasure against this strategy.
”I will determine that Kondrad’s strategy was effective against the Dragonewt unit. I will notify the military department to purchase ‘Lightning Orbs’ and ‘Adhesive Nets’ as official equipment.”
”Haha, thank you.”
”Now, we’ve reviewed Kondrad’s strategy, but let’s move on to the review of Ludmila’s new tactics.”
”Yes… My tightly packed formation has an unexpected weakness, as revealed by Lord Kondrad, so I would like to implement further improvements, but the offensive power during the tight formation is hard to give up. The attack power necessary to defeat even Lord Garvey and Lord Fristoph’s heavy Equipment units is a must.”
Lady Ludmila seems to have grasped the characteristics of the tight formation during this mock battle.
Being a self-proclaimed combat enthusiast, Lady Ludmila is expected to conduct commands that will make up for the weaknesses revealed this time.
I’m relieved to have her on our side, but there may be more skilled fighters in the Black Dragon Dukedom, so we cannot let our guard down.
”Indeed, their breath attacks, which can melt even our heavy Equipment’s large shields, are a significant threat…”
With their displayed attack power, it seemed they could easily take down enemies holed up in strongholds.
”That’s right. Let’s have Ludmila gain further battlefield experience.”
”Yes. I will surely devise a way to counter the weaknesses revealed this time.”
”Moreover, while our main force was wiped out early on, the diversion tactic using them as bait was excellent. If it weren’t for the Estfort army, the annihilation would have been inevitable. No one would expect the Dragonewt to sneak in from behind at a very low altitude.”
As Lord Kent said, our army also failed to notice the ambushing units in the rear and couldn’t prepare a countermeasure, suffering catastrophic damage from the scattered stones unleashed by the Akebus Ane unit, which was our only means of resistance.
This time, due to Training, the stones were light, but looking at the numerous injuries, it showed significant power.
”I never expected them to scatter stone projectiles like that… With that, we lost our means of retaliation, and our victory slipped away.”
”Our breath attacks consume a significant amount of stamina, so we tried using stone projectiles as an alternative means of attack.”
”That looked painful. Injuries are the best way to sap an enemy’s will to fight—this might be even more troublesome than breath attacks. Especially against lightly equipped troops, the effect would be devastating.”
The stone projectiles unleashed by Lady Ludmila’s raiding force weren’t much of a threat to me, Garvey, or Fristoph’s heavily equipped units. However, for the lightly equipped Akebus and Ane units, they were a serious danger.
This time, those two units alone suffered around 150 wounded.
Thanks to the medical teams, there were no fatalities or severe injuries, but in a real battle, nearly 20% of our forces would have been lost to the ambush.
A cold sweat ran down my spine at the thought of being hit from behind while engaged with the main force.
”As an alternative ground attack weapon, stone projectiles might be ideal… We can source them directly from the mines, making them an economical choice. Unfortunate for the enemy, but we’ll adopt them.”
”Yes! As Lord Blackdagger commands.”
Lady Ludmila bowed her head and knelt before Lord Kent.
”Well then, this was a valuable mock battle. Make sure all the wounded receive proper treatment.”
””Yes, sir.””
And so, we somehow managed to create an anti-Dragonewt strategy for the time being. But I knew—it was nothing more than a temporary measure, meant only to bridge the gap until the Estfort army could equip firearms.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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