Chapter 54: Blue and Bronze


    Blue and Bronze


    With the battle situation unfolding before them, Lord Lansius finally made his decision. He pointed at the nearest column on the drawn map on the ground. “Sir Cahan, let’s hit this column.”


    “The South Hill column? My Lord, may we learn the reason?” Cahan inquired. Even though the Lord had a victory against Lord Robertst year, his inexperience remained a concern among the knights.


    Although, the Marshal, had assisted the Lord in proofing the ns and their variations, there were still lingering doubts. Thus, Cahan had made it his mission to guard against any potential problem.


    “We don’t need to inflict a crippling blow, just enough to cause a rupture in their seams,” Lord Lansius exined.


    “But even if we sessfully charge this weak column, the ck Knights will arrive quickly,” warned Cahan, noting that despite the surprise factor, they were just eighty cavalry against two-thousand. Such a disparity meant it was unlikely for them to damage, break, or rout the column.


    “If we do enough damage. When the timees, they’ll break on their own,” Lord Lansius assured him.


    Cahan looked at Lansius for a second or two before nodding in response. He wasn’t wholly buying what Lansius had said, but it was good enough of a reason. Back in his youth, he had charged a column for worse reasons.


    The blond knight nced at his fellow knights, his eyes brimming with determination. His brother in arms nodded and voiced noints. Their trust stemmedrgely from the fact that Cahan vouched for this, and that the Lord was joining them in person.More than thirty knights and dozens of horsemen were formerly Lord Robert’s vassals. Against such arge opponent, there were risk that they could be disheartened and flee. Thus, the reason why the Lord feltpelled to lead them personally.


    Without any objections from the cavalry, Lord Lansius turned his attention to his trusted ally. "Calub," he called.


    The alchemist, who had been waiting patiently in a corner, perked up.


    “Yes, My Lord." Calub stepped forward. As a high-ranking but non-noble among the knights, Calub wisely downyed his importance to avoid potential friction.


    “Takemand of the hundred men as nned. Spread them between the de and the opening near the entrance. If things go as nned, we might bring arge prey, and you’ll be the snare. If not, then you’ll be our shield.”


    “Understood, My Lord,” Calub responded firmly.


    “Sir Cahan,” the Lord called.


    The blond knight stood. Even nearing fifty, he retained a captivating presence.


    “Let’s ride,” the Lord gave hismand.


    Subsequently, Sir Cahan rallied the cavalry with vigor, “The Lord is riding with us!” His deration set things into motion. One man wiped the map from the ground, while the rest readily mounted their horses.


    Sterling had Lord Lansius’ horse ready. He helped him mount and handed him the gauntlets.


    “Sterling,st chance. Forget about courage and honor. This is war. You could be crippled for life,” the Lord warned from atop his destrier. Many knew that the Lord hadn’t asked Sterling to join, but the young squire insisted oning.


    The squire’s face remained adamant. “My Lord, I shall not be a burden.”


    Lansius drew a deep breath and just rode after Sir Cahan.


    Behind him, Sterling in half-armor dutifully carried theirnces. Carrying ance was burdensome and an unnecessary hazard within the forest, so they wouldn’t let a Lord to have it until they reached the open field.


    Only knights were in te armor, the rest were either in half-armor, brigandines, or ringmails. The horses were also protected by barding or horse armor. The head part and some of the horses’ bodies were covered by metal tes or hardened leather. There was no uniformity, each owner acquired and equipped their steed on their own. The result made them look like a circus with plenty of colors and unique designs.


    Before long, the column of cavalry reached the forest outskirts and quickly fell into formation.


    “My Lord, with your permission, Sir Harold and I will ride in front,” Cahan requested.


    Lord Lansius looked at the tall man who saluted with an open visor. His polished te armor was impable. Sir Harold and his small band of brothers were the unofficial Mindian reinforcements. Despite the small number, they were highly enthusiastic warriors and war aficionados who volunteered for the sheer thrill ofbat.


    Lansius let out a grin, finding some simrities with Anci. “It would be an honor to ride with you, Sir Harold.”


    “The pleasure is mutual, My Lord,” the tall knight replied with an honest smile.


    Without time to lose and with the cavalry ready, the Lord gazed at Sir Cahan. In the direct sunlight, the blond knight’s armor disyed its intricate details. The ck decorative gilding and ornaments gave it the appearance of ancient ceremonial armor. However, the buffed-out scrapes and dents betrayed its use in battles.


    “Sir Cahan, lead the way,” Lansius instructed as hetched his own tried and tested helmet, and gazed upon the ins that would be their battlefield.


    ***


    Coalition Side


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Beneath the shade of an umbre, Viscount Jorge witnessed the battle unfold in front of him. His heart beat faster as the Coalition column mmed into the Korelian line. “Morton, you see that? You see that?” Jorge jumped from his folded chair as he remarked excitedly.


    The Lord was so proud of Arius, his most trusted cousin who personally led the attack. Meanwhile, Sir Morton, the ck Knights’ captain, merely nodded his head. He wasn’t the type to talk much.


    Somehow, this seemingly mismatched master and retainer actually had good chemistry. Both men deeply respected their differences. This was quite umon. In the Imperium, a servant who wouldn’t lick the master’s boots was usually discarded early.


    But then again, Jorge was hardly normal. So abnormal that his peers mocked him as the ‘big fool of One Hill’ behind his back. Originally, Jorge’s Viscountcies held four regions: Korimor, South Hill, Korelia, and the capital in the center.


    Each castle was built on a hill, thus the capital was aptly named Three Hills. Under Jorge’s nascent rule, a branch family and another old follower had seceded.


    In response, Jorgeunched wars multiple times without a victory. When he won, he installed an untrustworthy individual who eventually rebelled. In the end, he gained nothing and lost even more.


    The young Lord was not entirely to me. His only fault was being na?ve and idealistic. Jorge idolized the school of meritocracy. An ideal governing system where people were promoted based on their ability, not by blood rtion.


    However, not even the best of the Imperium lords were able to implement such a radical system. Family ties and nepotism ran deep and were central to feudalism.


    Traditionally, a House ced family members in powerful positions to secure their control. When a lord promoted non-family members into high positions, envy, and political intrigue often followed. This led to distrust and contempt among his House members. Ultimately, it usually ended in a purge, assassination, or open conflict.


    That very problem still haunted Jorge, whose only hope nowy with Arius. The younger cousin was respected by various factions and might be the solution to the instability. Jorge didn’t mind sharing some of his power with Arius if that would resolve the crisis.


    Contrary to the myths circting about him, Jorge wasn’t overly ambitious; he merely sought to keep the legacy of his forefather intact. All he truly desired for himself was Korelia, his birthce.


    “We’ve beaten them! They’re pushed back,” Jorge mored excitedly as he watched Arius’ column gaining ground.


    The staff cheerfully congratted Jorge. Only Morton kept silent.


    Far to their right, in another cavalry column, the Nicopn cavalry captain was also silent. Danie had learned that the Lord of Korelia had a keen eye for battle. However, today’s battle today was too brash even for an overconfident nobleman.


    “Something bothering you, mydy?” one of her mercenary lieutenants asked.


    “It’s too quiet and too stupid,” Danie replied, and then she felt the urge to act. “Tell the scout to move further. Leave no blind spot.”


    “Will do.” The rider quickly ryed the order.


    Her rider barely left when cheering erupted from Jorge’s position. Danie felt the cheering was so contrasted with what happened on the battlefield. As she could clearly see, there was no glory in the mangled and beaten bodies that littered the field.


    Many of the wounded, drenched in their blood, limped and even crawled for help.


    However, as a part of the nobility, she understood that for the ruling ss, this brutal sight was no different from a sporting event.


    <strong>Tara- taraaa!!</strong>


    A different trumpet signal from the South Hill column posted on the north side caught everybody off guard. Everybody who heard it looked northward with confused expressions.


    Danie was quick to action and rode north with a few riders to get a better look. Meanwhile, Jorge stood and squinted his eyes."What’s going on? It’s one of ours, right?"


    One of his staff promptly sent a scout to ascertain the situation, but it would take time, and Jorge was impatient.


    “It’s likely a cavalry attack. My lord, please let me have a hundred,” Morton calmly requested. By now, they could see an unknown cavalry heading toward the northern column.


    “No, we’ll move as one,” Jorge dered, clenching his fist.


    Jorge''s deration drew the attention of his entiremand staff.


    “My lord, do you wish to attack?” Morton asked on behalf of the staff.


    “Certainly, now that we know what Lansius’ intention really is, let’s not hesitate. The chance has presented itself. Let’s move out,” the young Lordmanded.


    The staff readily ryed the order, and everyone mounted their horses. The squires strapped Jorge’s cuirass back on and helped him mount his horse. Spurred by the lord’s urgency, a hundred knights rode north at full gallop.


    Danie hastily rallied her Nicopn cavalry and gave themand to follow. She still found it suspicious, but the Lord of Korelia had shown his hand, and now she could y hers.


    ***


    Korelian’s Knights


    Lansius clenched his right arm against his side, feeling the weight of thence under his armpit. Even when kept at an angle, it remained heavy. The breastte''snce rest helped reduce the burden on his right arm and hand, and stabilize the shaft while the horse trotted.


    After almost two years of training, Lansius was still very much struggling not to kill himself by dropping and plunging thence into the ground. His arm and muscles felt on fire as he wrestled against the rocking motion. Minuscule adjustments were made to keep thence at an angle, far off the ground.


    Meanwhile, his destrier continued to run like a charging buffalo. The rocking motion was anything but gentle. Weighted by the armor, on every up and down, the saddle’s hard leather punished Lansius’ loins and battered his breath.


    He wanted to say he was used to this, that he was trained for this, but he couldn’t. This wasn’t something someone could get used to in a mere year and a half.


    Suddenly, the horse leaped.


    <em>Oof!</em>


    Theynded gracefully. It wasn’t a big jump, but the saddle smacked his butt and gut from beneath. In a trained reflex, Lansius exerted all his might to control thence as it wobbled.


    He realized that to survive this would be one of the crowning achievements of his life. Yet, he held no regrets. This was a necessity — he simply couldn''t afford to sit this one out.


    Understanding Lansius'' inexperience, Sir Cahan and Harold, who rode in front, made small adjustments here and there to ease their Lord’s burden. Instead of having Lansius follow them, they centered the whole formation around him.


    The rest of the eighty cavalry spread evenly on his left and right. Sterling and the experienced standard bearer rode beside Lansius. The banner depicted a blue shield with a single bronze chevron.


    The banner was new. It was Lansius’ own. Felis had designed and sewn the coat of arms just a few days ago. She boasted it would bring good luck, and now Lansius prayed fervently that it would.


    Sir Cahan and Harold picked up more speed. Lansius kept up with them and soon realized they were at full gallop. The wind screamed through every open vent in his visor. His sight was a blur.


    “Close ranks!” Sir Cahan shouted from the front.


    “Close ranks!” the standard bearer beside Lansius ryed the order.


    They rushed thest stretch ofnd between them and the opponent’s formation, forming an arrow-like formation. The standard bearer moved in front of Lansius, while Sterling remained at his side.


    Sir Cahan had told them that he was expecting crossbow attacks, but only a few materialized. At this range, Lansius saw that the Coalition line now looked jagged and uneven. More importantly, there was no wall of spears or pikes.


    This column was supposedly two-thousand strong, but what Lansius saw was just a group of men, scarred and frightened.


    <em>By the Holy, I’m going to trample them...</em>


    His conscience screamed, but his trained instinct kept him going.


    <em>This is my n, and I’m responsible for this. Go haunt me if you must, but judge me fairly against your lords who led you here in the first ce!</em>


    He steadied his mind as the distance closed in at a frightening speed.


    Sir Cahan in front lowered hisnce and the rest followed. Lansius felt the numbness in his arms as he lowered hisnce into position.


    By now, the opposing men was in full view. Lansius saw their faces and reactions as Cahan and Harold, along with the front riders, dove into their ranks.


    The screams and the horses’ beastly noises immediately filled his ears. There was no time to observe, gripping hisnce tightly, Lansius made his charge.


    ***