The Shame of Retreat

“So that’s it… Brother Roy, you were previously a Knight under the Cent Baronial Fief, and you only came to seek refuge with the Duke after the great defeat in the Netherworld Forest.”

Inside the dimly lit tent, three figures huddled around a small, flickering fire, desperately trying to draw warmth into their bodies.

Outside, the wind howled relentlessly, carrying with it a swirling blizzard of white snow.

“No… I wouldn’t quite call myself a knight,” Roy said with a self-deprecating laugh. “After all, the title was conferred temporarily during wartime. I don’t actually possess any legal proof now, ha ha ha…”

Indeed, if he could truly prove his knightly status, why would he be relegated to the role of a mere standard-bearer here?

“Uh… well, that’s still impressive! It’s certainly much better than Brooke and me, isn’t it, Brooke?” Gergel offered, clearly attempting to console him.

However, Gergel had evidently overestimated a certain individual’s intelligence.

A cold snort escaped Brooke’s lips. “A mere knight, that’s all? What’s there to be proud of? Hmph, let me tell you, lad, if it weren’t for the fact that I haven’t had a chance to go to the battlefield these past few years, ha ha—I’d probably be an Earl by now!”

“…………”

“…………”

****

Life on a military campaign, especially in such atrocious conditions, was undoubtedly harshest for the common soldiers.

Without heating or air conditioning, they could only rely on a small, flickering campfire that constantly swayed in the cold wind.

Forget about warmth; they could barely even sleep!

“Speaking of which, Brother Roy, are the demon beasts in the Netherworld Forest really that formidable? To think they defeated the Kingdom’s 150,000-strong expeditionary army…”

Unable to sleep, the three men continued to chat around the fire.

“Hmm… how should I put it? Their overall strength is quite weak. Most are low-level demon beasts, Lv1, with a smaller portion at Lv2, and only a very few at Lv3. They lack coordination, their formations are chaotic, and they primarily attack using a beast tide tactic.”

“Uh… that’s it?”

“Yes, that’s all.”

“…………”

Gergel was speechless. Logically speaking, that didn’t sound particularly strong at all!

It was even harder to imagine that mere Lv1 and Lv2 Orcs, charging haphazardly, could break through the formations of a 150,000-strong army. Was Roy joking?

Even the usually reckless Brooke couldn’t help but offer his analysis, grumbling, “You lost to opponents like that?

“Are you saying you were 150,000 pigs? No, no, no… even 150,000 pigs wouldn’t be driven out in less than half a month, would they? Tsk tsk, shameful, truly shameful! You’ve brought utter disgrace upon the human race!”

“…………”

There was no refuting him.

Roy could only offer a bitter, helpless smile, attempting to explain, “Initially, things went smoothly. Our army even pushed deep into the heart of the Netherworld Forest, more than 600 kilometers from the border provinces.

“There, we successfully encircled a vast Orc tribal army of 360,000, preparing for a decisive battle… However, I wasn’t present during that battle.

“At the time, I was ordered to accompany a detached force to guard a mountain pass in the northeast, preventing any Orcs from escaping. But later…”

Roy shook his head, too embarrassed to continue. The decisive battle had inexplicably failed, and afterwards, rumors—strange, even absurd—spread among the populace.

Some claimed the army was defeated by a sudden appearance of the undead. But were there really undead? Roy hadn’t seen any, nor had he heard fleeing front-line soldiers mention them.

The defeat happened so suddenly, so coincidentally, and so incredibly! It was as if… as if someone had deliberately orchestrated it.

“Alas… what a disgrace!” Gergel exclaimed, equally indignant.

“If only the Duke had allowed our hundred thousand elite northern troops to engage, instead of a motley collection of conscripts…”

[Boom—]

A sudden, colossal sound erupted.

“Explo… explosion?” Brooke questioned, his voice laced with confusion.

Just as he spoke, an excited cry from a messenger outside the tent pierced the air: “Raid… enemy raid! To arms! To arms! To arms!— ”

An enemy raid? At this very moment?

Gergel’s face instantly changed, becoming grave. Roy and Brooke also wore serious expressions.

“Let’s go… regardless, we should go out and see.” Roy said, rising first and taking up his brilliantly golden, exquisitely adorned sword.

His gaze then fell upon the banner emblazoned with Duke Edwin’s family crest. After much hesitation, he finally grasped the flag in his left hand, carrying it out with him.

****

On the edge of the military camp, within the foremost soldiers’ tents, the company commander was shouting, sweat pouring down his face, “Gather! Gather! Quickly, everyone who can move, grab your weapons and form ranks!”

His eyes were fixed once more on the dense, shifting figures approximately 300 meters outside the camp.

Visibility was severely hampered by the heavy snow. When they were first vaguely spotted from the watchtower, the enemy was already less than 800 meters away.

Fortunately, the enemies didn’t appear to have cavalry. Instead, they were a group of figures swaying and staggering as they walked, as if high on some stimulant.

Honestly, their demeanor suggested they were more on a leisurely stroll than preparing for battle. However, this peculiarity did grant the army sufficient reaction time.

The company commander glanced with satisfaction at the soldiers behind him, who had already formed a square formation, long spears at the ready. A faint smile touched his lips.

“Brothers, prepare defensive formations! And Master Mage, I implore you for a wind pressure shield!”

Everything was seemingly prepared, awaiting only the final catalyst.

The company commander confidently looked towards the ‘enemy’ once more. They still had over a hundred meters to cover… they were moving quite slowly!

No, no, no, this was far too slow! If he hadn’t been notified beforehand, the company commander might have mistaken them for the Duke’s reinforcements trailing behind.

“Cap… Captain, they seem… they seem to be a bit off…” a soldier stammered.

Nonsense! The captain rolled his eyes at the soldier. Not just ‘a bit off’—they were completely off!

Still… no matter. The military formation was already complete, and more and more soldiers were gathering under the leadership of other captains.

These few enemies… “AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!— ”

Such a high-pitched scream echoed through the sky.

Of course, if it were only a sound, that would have been fine.

“This… no, impossible… No, no, no… Great God of Light! This shouldn’t be happening!”