“―O-o-ogres?! What are ogres doing here?!”
The completely unexpected development took Prince Barbro by surprise, and he he had forgotten the dignity of the royal family in his shock.
Yes. Those were the demi-humans known as ogres. The soldiers were just as shocked by their sudden appearance as Barbro was. Their mighty clubs sent dozens of people flying with every swing.
Amidst a spray of blood and gore, the stricken soldiers flew into the distance and impacted on the ground, rolling head over tail before smashing into their fellow troops. Those soldiers immediately turned tail and desperately began to flee from the gate. Then, as if to pursue the defeated troops, several more ogres appeared from behind the gate.
As the soldiers fell back in a disgraceful rout, they were sent flying by blows from the ogres’ clubs.
It looked like children throwing their toys into the distance.
The reason for this unsightly retreat ―which couldn’t even be considered a withdrawal― was because these soldiers were all the Baron’s levied troops. They had loosed the flame arrows in order to win the right to be the first through the gate. Who could have thought their quest for glory could have backfired so badly?
Prince Barbro frowned at the Baron, who had abandoned the very men he led and come scampering back in front of him. At this moment, the sound of a clarion rang through the air.
The Marquis’ knights had raised their lances in unison. It was a textbook motion that showed that they were professional soldiers. However, it still seemed difficult for them to plunge into the mass of fleeing infantry and engage in a chaotic melee with the ogres.
A knight’s mounted charge was one of the most destructive forces on the battlefield, but in melee combat, cavalry would lose their advantage.
“Why aren’t you shooting yet?!”
The shout belonged to Barbro.
Allowing the ogres to get closer would only increase the losses they would take. It would be better to abandon these soldiers and kill their fellow villagers along with the enemy.
Just as Barbro’s aggravation began to mount, the ogres suddenly began to retreat. They used the fleeing soldiers as meat shields, preventing the cavalry from pursuing, and in the end they fell back into the gate.
After receiving the survivors, Barbro began reorganizing the formation, his hands gripping the reins tighter and tighter as his anger built.
He had originally planned to finish this boring mission swiftly, and then rush back to the battlefield to gain glory in battle against the Empire.
Now, this unsightly mess was all that was left of his dream.
Although the appearance of ogres was unexpected, if they couldn’t even bring back the necessary people to E-Rantel, it would stain his reputation even further. It would be a decisive setback in the race for the throne against Zanack, the backup successor.
Or could it be― had all this been planned out beforehand?
He clucked his tongue in annoyance, knowing the surrounding nobles’ eyes were on him.
However, he had no time to bother about them. Barbro turned a keen eye on the knight approaching him. He was the commander of the Marquis’ elite troops.
“…What the hell was that? Has that village been taken over by ogres? What’s going on?!”
“Th-that shouldn’t be the case, sir. Nobody could have expected there would be monsters there…
there should have been tax collectors visiting recently. But we received no word that this village was taken over by ogres. If they went and didn’t return, that would be abnormal… what on earth happened in that village…”
He could feel the confusion in the knight’s words. If there was a scheme to make Barbro lose his dignity and fall into a trap, he probably wasn’t aware of it either.
That meant that he was on the Prince’s side for now.
“In any case, we don’t know enough about the enemy. Well, that’s only to be expected. Only five ogres showed up. If they had more, they would have continued attacking us. So in all likelihood, they probably don’t have more than ten in total. You should be able to take down five ogres, no?”
“Of course! Every one of us is as strong as a member of the Kingdom’s Warrior Band. A mere five ogres are nothing to us!”
“I’m not doubting you. I’m just saying, you need to be on the lookout. Ogres are stupid monsters, but their actions just now were too intelligent. They opened the door to lure us in, and then counterattacked at the best time. It looks like the other side has a commander. If one of the villagers was leading them…”
“Forgive my rudeness. No mere peasant could control an ogre. I believe there must be some other force at work here. If we could just learn more about the enemy―”
Barbro could no longer control his impatience.
“What are you babbling about? Look there!”
Barbro pointed at the gate, at the tattered royal flag.
“The country’s flag is now in that sad state. You will destroy that village no matter the cost. Gather your troops, loose flame arrows, and burn the village down. Now is the time to put that accumulated experience in sieges to good use! It looks like we won’t be able to finish this without any losses. So you will attack with the intention of razing that village to the ground!”
“Please wait! It might be that some ogre sorcerer or some other intelligent demi-human might be the mastermind here, and not the villagers!”
“And if that were the case, so what?”
Barbro looked at the knight, his face a picture of befuddlement, and began explaining slowly to him, like an adult lecturing a child.
“Are you listening? Good. It doesn’t matter if the villagers have control of the ogres, or if they’re controlled by some intelligent demi-human. Those villagers have rebelled against the rightful ruler of their land, the royal family. That being the case, we must display the consequences of such foolishness to the world.”
“But, there might be some villagers being held as hostages, aren’t they innocent?!”
“Were you listening to what I said earlier? So what if they are?”
Barbro shrugged at the knight, who seemed to have trouble accepting what he’d just heard.
“I get it, I get it. I understand how you feel. Then I will show them the greatest amount of leniency possible. Capture those villagers who don’t resist, and then we will put them on trial later. Is that better?”
“Understood, sir!”
The knight bowed deeply to Barbro. After hearing his forceful response, Barbro nodded in approval.
“However, I have one condition. I want an overwhelming victory. If we take losses here, all sorts of gossip will spread. The same goes for you. People will talk about how the Marquis’ trump card was sent out to a pissant village to be bloodied.”
“But that was because of the ogres―”
“―You can’t use that as an excuse. That’s just how the world works.”
“Understood!”
“If you understand, then get to work. Get the troops from the rear gate. At the same time, cut down trees from the forest and start making battering rams. I’ll leave the details to you. Minimize casualties while ensuring victory. Kill anyone who flees.”