"What the hell?!"
"It's an ambush! We're under attack!"
With the sudden rain of arrows, the Brance Army's formation quickly fell into disarray.
I rapidly assessed the situation.
Unfamiliar soldiers were attacking from both flanks, closing in on the Brance Army's sides.
'...What is this?'
At a glance, the number of soldiers seemed to match the Brance Army's 8,000.
A force that large suddenly appearing and launching an ambush on the Brance Army?
"Th-this is..."
Cain, completely bewildered and unable to comprehend what was happening, looked around blankly.
At that moment, a man approached at high speed from the enemy's side.
His attire clearly aligned more with those ambushing the Brance Army than the army itself.
The man stood in front of Cain and asked, "Are you Sir Cain of the Lunarian Army?"
"Y-yes, that's me."
"As expected. Just as I was told."
He removed his helmet and said, "I am Karle, vice-captain of the Raven Mercenaries."
'Raven Mercenaries?'
The name triggered a memory.
The Raven Mercenaries.
A mercenary group specialized in the unique unit type "Raven Archers." Hiring them required completing specific events and paying a hefty fee.
They didn't offer a large number of troops for the price, but each archer had significantly higher offensive and defensive stats than standard archers, making them invaluable once recruited.
There were many such specialized mercenary units in this game, but...
The Raven Mercenaries appearing now made no sense.
'If I remember correctly, they shouldn't be available at this point in the timeline.'
To recruit them, the first prerequisite was capturing three castles.
We hadn't even captured one.
Yet the Raven Mercenaries had appeared... and were now aiding us.
Cain asked in disbelief, "But how did you even recognize me?"
"Explanations can wait. You're under attack from the Brance Army, correct?"
"Yes."
"Then we'll assist you."
With that, the man left.
The moment he did, I raised my voice.
"All troops, charge!"
WAAAAAAAH!!!!!
With the sudden reinforcement, our troops, emboldened and high in morale, charged the previously overwhelming 8,000-strong army.
Already disorganized from the ambush, the Brance Army began collapsing rapidly.
While our total number of soldiers was just under 8,000, the fact that we were joined by the Raven Mercenaries made the fight seem winnable.
And that man had just told Cain, "Just as I was told."
Now I was beginning to understand why I'd been instructed to make Cain the vanguard.
Cain slowly turned to me.
Then, in a trembling voice full of disbelief, he asked, "Swen... Don't tell me you predicted this?"
"..."
I slowly closed my eyes.
And acted as if this outcome had been part of the plan all along.
"I'm just glad they arrived in time."
Even I had to admit, that line sounded perfect.
Anyone hearing it would assume I was a brilliant strategist who'd foreseen everything.
"...Unbelievable... How is this possible? Swen, just who are you?"
Cain must have been in shock.
But I knew what was happening in his head.
The phrase "Let's hear Swen out first" had now been engraved in his mind.
And even if it hadn't yet, I would prove myself again and again.
My predictions had a 100% success rate. No exceptions.
So I was sure of one thing—
We would win this war too.
If this were a battle I couldn't win, my conclusion would have been to retreat.
With confidence, I turned back to the soldiers and shouted, "Victory is ours! Do not falter! Fight with all your might! Let us protect Zeilant with our own hands!"
* * *
"Stay calm! Stay calm! Hold formation! Focus on taking out the archers first!"
Though ambushed from both flanks by archers, Karlinz managed to rally the Brance Army's shattered formation.
'Damn it!'
There were far more archers than he'd expected.
While not confirmed, it felt like the enemy had even more soldiers than his 8,000 troops, completely surrounding them.
"Ugh!"
"General! You must retreat!"
"What are you talking about?!"
An officer beside Karlinz let out a final cry as an arrow pierced through his head.
Startled, Karlinz quickly turned his horse around and pulled back.
'I'm not about to flee without taking Zeilant Castle!'
This was the Brance Army's campaign to conquer the central continent.
'We have completely crushed the Walnut Army, who had even mocked us at one point, so there's no way we could struggle against the Lunarian Army, which had less than a third of their power.'
Karlinz, who had yet to achieve any significant accomplishments compared to his older brother, was feeling increasingly impatient, a feeling uncharacteristic of his normally composed nature.
Still, he didn't recklessly hurl his soldiers forward in a rage. Instead, he quickly started thinking.
Objectively, if they could just deal with the archers, they could easily overrun the interception unit.
Karlinz shouted again to his troops.
"Don't panic! Regroup and split into three formations, then take out the archers on the flanks first! We have the numbers! Don't be afraid and take them out one by one!"
Retreating was not an option here.
At Karlinz's command, the soldiers split into formations and charged toward the archers on either side.
The force of 8,000 men split into three groups, fighting the flanking archers and the Lunarian Army directly ahead.
They suffered some losses, but Karlinz thought they could still win at this pace.
'Where did these bastards come from?
These archers weren't wearing the Lunarian insignia.
That meant they were from an external force—mercenaries perhaps?
But how could a weak army like the Lunarians afford a mercenary unit of this size?'
Moreover, after a few clashes, it became clear.
These weren't just average soldiers.
Karlinz hated to admit it, but if his side had brought even slightly fewer soldiers than 8,000, they might have been the ones to fall.
"Damn it!"
Still, if they could just seize the castle, it would be worth the losses.
That was when it happened.
"K-Karlinz, sir! From behind—from the rear!"
"What is it?!"
A soldier rushed toward Karlinz, breathless.
"From the rear... we're under surprise attack!"
"What?!"
Karlinz was dumbfounded.
Not only had they been ambushed from both flanks, but now the rear too?
If enemy forces pierced through the rear, the soldiers who had been divided to engage enemies in each direction would be doomed.
He understood now—
This had all been orchestrated with staggered ambushes.
Realizing he was dancing in the palm of someone else's hand, Karlinz scowled.
"Damn it... where did it all go wrong?"
Their intel had only reported about 3,000 troops.
'Did they hide the rest and wait for the right moment to strike?'
Looking back, it was strange that no preparations had been made even with the Brance Army so close.
Even after absorbing other nations like the Walnut Army, and surely hearing of it, the Lunarians had made no moves to conscript or prepare.
But now it all made sense if it was a ploy to lure them into a false sense of security.
The fact that their army was in crisis now was the clearest evidence.
"Lunarian Iniang... what a terrifying woman!"
"We must retreat! If we continue like this, we'll be annihilated! Please, Karlinz, sir!"
Another officer pleaded beside him.
Karlinz hesitated briefly... then decided to retreat.
First the flanks, then the rear.
There was no guarantee another ambush wasn't coming.
"Retreat! Full retreat! Officers, pass down the order quickly!"
"Yes, sir!"
Karlinz turned his horse and ground his teeth.
"Lunarian... I'll repay this humiliation with my own hands!"
* * *
Near the outer wall of Zeilant Castle.
"Hyaaaah!"
Tifa, wielding a massive axe, stood at the gate with the soldiers, cutting down enemy troops like it was nothing.
"Stop trickling in and come at me all at once, you bastards!"
"Haah!"
Beside her, Lady Lunarian swung her sword at the front lines, tearing through enemies.
Both women were powerful warriors, so unlike Cain and Swen, who commanded from the rear, they fought at the front.
The ones attacking the castle were the Garammil Army, who ruled over nearby Hoero Castle.
Their lord, Garammil Retas, watched the battle with a bitter expression.
The battle had reached a stalemate.
The Garammil Army had brought 4,000 troops.
They couldn't confirm the number of defenders, but it was likely less than their own.
Still, defending was easier than attacking.
Even if they sacrificed all 4,000, there was no way they could break through the gate guarded by those two monsters.
Besides, they only attacked because of a secret pact with the Brance Army.
The Garammil Army was merely probing, sending a few hundred soldiers in to test the waters.
"My liege, how long must we engage in this pointless war of attrition?"
His strategist asked.
"Soon, we'll hear word that the Brance Army has begun their assault. That's when we'll make our move."
They had raised an army under a veiled threat.
There was no need to fight hard and die needlessly.
Joining in once Zeilant Castle was breached would be just fine.
But... the expected result was taking far too long.
According to intel, the Lunarian Army only had about 3,000 soldiers.
If things were being delayed this much, it must mean they had scraped together a force from their tiny pool of troops.
Even so, how could they stall 8,000 men for this long?
Especially against the Brance Army, the undisputed power of the central continent.
"What is going on?"
Then, it happened.
"My liege!"
A scout on horseback came rushing in.
"What is it?"
"The Brance Army... they're retreating! They've lost and are fleeing!"
"What?!"
'The Brance Army lost?
8,000 men lost to barely 3,000 guerrillas?
And judging by the number of defenders at the gate, it was likely only 1,000 or 2,000 who faced off against them.
Moreover, their strongest warrior was here fighting Garammil!
That only left one old man.'
Nothing made sense, but a decision was needed.
"My liege, what now?"
"Hmm..."
With the Brance Army routed, there was no reason to continue fighting.
Garammil quickly made up his mind.
"Withdraw the troops! We return to our domain!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Garammil Army quickly re-formed ranks and began to retreat from the battlefield.
Seeing this, Tifa walked up to Luna.
"What? Those bastards are running without even putting up a proper fight. Should we pursue?"
"...No, let them go."
Luna lowered her weapon and assessed the situation.
...Had they stopped them?
Had they... defended Zeilant Castle?
Waaaaaaaah!
The cheers of the defenders watching the fleeing enemies rang in Luna's ears.
The grand invasion of Zeilant Castle by the Brance and Garammil Armies.
The victor was none other than Lunarian Iniang herself.