Plain Girl Hero of Darkness
Battle of Iris - (6)

"Your Majesty, the enemy cavalry is attacking."

When he heard Louis' report, Elman sighed in his heart and thought: "Again?" He then grabbed the telescope at his waist.

"- hm? They sent more of them this time... About a thousand riders. The Crescent Formation is again, so they are still trying to break through our lines. "

"Looks like. The enemy is stubborn. "

Elman rebukes Louis for his reckless words. The situation might change quickly on the battlefield, and being careless could be fatal. Elman relayed the orders through the envoys, assigning the archer commander to prepare to engage.

"They're here!"

The enemy cavalry entered the attack range, and strengthened their spears. There seems to be no cheating games as they repeat the previous tactics. Elman felt a little puzzled as he gave the archers orders to attack when they were within range of the arrow. Countless arrows fell down like meteors, killing the cavalry one after another.

"... It seems my worries are unfounded."

"Huh? Did you say anything? "

"No."

Elman handed the command to Louis, and returned to the tent for a short break. However, the shocked Louis broke through less than 10 minutes later.

"Y-Your Majesty!"

"Is there a problem?"

"New cavalry units have appeared! They stormed in an attempt to break through our lines! "

When he heard Louis's report, Elman rushed out in panic, and saw his army muddled with enemy attacks.

"So it's part of the scheme. I'm too easily trapped. "

Elman gritted his teeth. The first wave was probably bait, and the enemy lowered the defense of the Royal Army by repeating the same tactics. This creates a gap for the other two units to attack from the side.

"In my humble opinion, we should retreat and regroup."

Louis proposed with a bitter face.

"... Pull back the archer, send the shield forward, and let the spear force attack the enemy rider from the gap of the shield."

"Yes sir!"

Elman instructed Louis as he observed the enemy's movements with his telescope. He could see the enemy gathering to attack.

(I see, so the whole cavalry squad is just bait. Their main force will suppress their gains while our forces fall apart, and break our line. They really underestimated me.)

Elman smiled with self-deprecation, and Louis felt uneasy upon seeing that.

"It's okay, I didn't lose my mind. This series of attacks was merely a diversion. The main enemy forces are ready to attack. "

"What!?"

Louis grabbed his telescope in a panic.

"Ughh, that's right. You handed the order to me, but I was careless. "

"That's the same for me. Their timing is perfect, it seems like my opponent is not stupid. But that should be the end of his plan. Then it's our turn to fight. "

"W-What do you mean?"

Elman showed a cynical smile in response to Louis's question.

*******

"Fuhaha, look! Look at the Royal Army scrambling like a sewer rat. Plan succeeded! "

"As expected of His Highness Minits. Your cunning is unmatched. "

"The Royal Army has run out of luck now that they have to face our commander, the great Minits."

Minits was overjoyed, and her entourage used this opportunity to curry favor with the Minits. All the officers looked at them with cold eyes.

"Alright, I'll take command now! Defend our attacks, destroy enemy lines, and attack their bases. We will behead their commander in one hit! "

"Your Majesty !? Dividing the enemies and taking them down one by one is an orthodox tactic here. It might work for a Full Metal Knight, but our unit doesn't have a strong penetrating force. Please reconsider, Your Majesty. "

"No! This was a good opportunity to obtain war merit! "

Minits screamed as she hit the table.

"Your Majesty! Please reconsider - "

Officer Minits cuts off the Reoness, and threatens her on treason grounds. The faces of all the Officers reddened, but the Reoness stopped them before they could protest.

"... As you command."

"good. I'm glad you understand. "

Minits nodded in satisfaction, and ordered an assault on the enemy headquarters.

It has been an hour since the Minits launched a powerful attack on the enemy's left wing. As his allies fought bravely, the Reoness who was leading on the frontline felt that something was amiss.

(It's weird. The enemy should fall into our trap. There is no chance of us getting their commander-in-chief, but we should be able to deliver a hard blow to their left wing. But everything went too well. It would make sense if the Royal Army was incompetent, but from what I saw yesterday, the opponent was not too weak ... I think I need to check the situation.)

Reoness cut the stray arrow that came towards her as she said to her aide, Mars:

"I'll leave the order here to you for now. There's something I need to confirm. "

"Yes sir, leave this to me."

Mars bowed his head respectfully, and the Reoness turned her horse around.

"Good! A hundred men will follow me! "

"""Yes sir!"""

The Reoness spurred her horse into the nearby highlands.

"W-How is it possible...?"

Upon reaching a high place, the Reoness was startled by the sight before her. His unit was enveloped by the opposing force.

"Major ... What's going on?"

One of the riders asked. That's what the Reoness wanted to know, and think hard.

He then gave an answer.

(Does the enemy know our plan, and pretend to fall into confusion!? And we fell into their trap. Surely so, there is no other way to explain this ridiculous situation ... Fufu, in a sense, I prepared myself for failure.)

He lost the battle of trickery, and the only thing he could do now was to minimize losses. The restrictions of the enemy troops were getting tighter even as they spoke.

"Let's quickly return to headquarters. It will be too late if we wait any longer. "

"Yes sir!"

*******

[Imperial Army, Right Wing Headquarters]

After rushing back to the headquarters, the Reoness saw Minits drinking from a cup filled with golden wine and making a feast.

"Your Majesty! What are you doing on the battlefield !? "

"- hm? Oh, this is Reoness. Nothing, I was just drinking to celebrate our inevitable victory. You want?"

"Now is not the time for this! The enemy is enveloping our troops, please issue an order to retreat! "

"Ordered retreat? Why are you acting drunk even without drinking? Are not the enemies in confusion because they were deceived by my plan? "

"It's the enemy's trick! They're playing us like violins! "

At this moment, a soldier ran stumbling into the tent. From his frantic behavior, Reoness knew that the situation was developing in the worst possible way.

"How unsightly. Truly an embarrassing display for the Imperial Warrior. "

"M-I'm sorry. B-But... "

"Yes, report it quickly."

"Yes sir, our troops have been surrounded by enemies !! If this continued, it would only be a matter of time before they stormed the headquarters !! "

"You too, yeah. Enough with your bullshit, or your head will be- "

Minits did not finish it, as an arrow swept across her cheek. The Reoness could hear faint groans and shouts, and realized that there was not much time.

...****************...

...To Be Continue's...