Reincarnated as a Son of the Sword Saint and the Sage - #296 - 296 Rants

On a historical day that would be written in the annals of the history of the Kingdom of Astley, a fierce battle that would change the fate of the kingdom was occurring not far from the white walls of the kingdom’s capital. The forces of the crown prince, Richard XVI, and the second prince, Paul, clashed their weapons to end the revolution. 

Tens of thousands of arrows were punctured on the earth throughout the battle, along with lots of injured and lifeless bodies of the fallen soldiers. Burned vegetation, trenches, and craters from the flames of the sorcerers’ mystical powers were evident as the war went on. 

Thankfully enough, not a single civilian was involved in the piles of casualties as the battle occurred away from the highway that connected the capital to the nearby cities and towns. In addition, the gates were closed so that the king could show off how much he cared for his constituents. Also, the people who wanted to make their way to the city had to find another route to avoid the battle as much as possible.

The current situation of this specific battle was the most chaotic among the battles simultaneously happening throughout the edges of the kingdom. With the largest number of participants, the death toll was expected to be regretfully high.

It was a battle between eighty thousand strong men against a hundred thousand. By numbers, the army of the crowd prince, whose forces were superior in quantity, would take the advantage. However, numbers were not the only factor to consider when it comes to any kind of combat.

“Fire!” 

Bang! Bang! Bang! 

With the wave of the captain’s rapier, rows of thousands of rifles and bows were fired at the same time, aiming their bullets and raining arrows at the combatants of the crown prince’s forces. 

The opposite forces instantly took action, and the footmen immediately used their metal tower shields to cover themselves by utilizing something called a testudo or tortoise formation. 

By enhancing the durability of their shields with their techniques, spells, and skills, they were able to ward off the rain of arrows with ease. Although there were a few arrows that went through the gaps between the shields and hit the men under them, it was still a minor loss.

However, the gunners of the revolutionary forces were skilled marksmen with relatively high levels of Shooting Art techniques. Even with Level 2: Armor Penetrate alone, their bullets managed to penetrate those metal shields and pierce the first rows of the formation. 

Due to the high first rate of the karabiners, the opposing units did not buy enough time to redeploy their shields and were eventually killed by the next rounds of bullets.

“Next batch!”

After running out of bullets, the first batch of gunners back off to reload their rifles and have the next batch of gunners shoot the next five rounds, killing another set of opponents, and vice versa. 

When it comes to warfare, weapons were one of the most important key components. As early as the blue sky above, the involvement of the newer and evidently more powerful karabiner brought the tide of the battle in favor of the revolutionaries. 

Aside from the karabiner, the quality of the average revolutionary was significantly greater than that of the king’s soldiers. The revolutionaries were strictly trained under a somewhat better military discipline, while the corrupted nobles barely paid attention to funding their military as they thought it would lessen their budget for their own interests. 

In desperation to win the war, some of the soldiers making up the king’s army were civilians. In contrast, the revolutionary soldiers were authentic warriors seasoned from their upbringing. Including the numbers, the gap between the two armies was a major concern for the king’s side.

So far, the death toll on the king’s side had spiked up to a whopping forty thousand compared to the twenty thousand of the opposing army. Without a doubt, the revolutionary army would hypothetically gain victory in this war. 

Prince Paul, who was roaming around on his war horse clad with shiny mithrill scale armor to encourage his men and slash opponents with his spear at the same time, was somehow satisfied with the current results. However, he was also mourning for the fallen ones, but he could not let himself down and make their noble sacrifices go in vain.

“No! No! No! This can’t be happening!”

While the side of the second prince was content with the outcome of the battle, the other side was left unsatisfied. Prince Richard XVI, who was leading the king’s army on his mithrill-scaled armored war horse, ranted as he witnessed how his men fell one after another. 

At first, he was confident that he would win an overwhelming victory against his younger brother, as he based the outcome quantitatively. As someone who basically had no experience in war, he firmly believed that numbers mattered the most. But right now, the revolutionaries had overwhelmed his forces with their superior troop quality and advanced weaponry.

“Your Highness!” 

Seeing the battle from the rear, one of his generals on a warhorse called out his name, and he approached his spot. 

“What now?!” 

“Our troops have suffered major casualties! We are about to plummet half as much as we started! I suggest withdrawing our troops!” 

“Are you telling me to surrender?! To my brother?! And what right do you have to give instructions to me?!” 

“B-but, Your Highness! If you continue any longer, our defeat is inevitable!” 

“Damn it!” Father already knew it would happen! He wanted me to fail!” 

The prince blamed his father for making him lead his inferior army. Even though he was his father, he was still a man of greed who probably wanted to do anything to achieve his desires, even putting his own son in dangerous situations. The prince could not yet fathom the extent of his rottenness, but he could say that he was way worse than himself.

“Is there anything we could do?! Oh, wait! That’s right!”

In the middle of his tantrum, he suddenly remembered the cards he had under his sleeves. Leaving no choice, he ultimately decided to reveal his trump card that he believed could turn the tide of the war—a game changer.

“I am going to do something. You,” pointing his golden long sword to the general, tell the Paladins I have given them order to intercept the enemies as I begin my preparations.” 

“Yes, sir!” 

Immediately after he gave a salute, the general quickly retreated and approached a certain tent in their camp. 

“And you.” 

Once the general was far enough away, Richard uttered those words in a low and serious tone. Almost immediately, out of nowhere, a man covered in dark garments suddenly appeared beside him and kneeled before the prince. He did not appear to be included in the army; he was most likely a man of the prince. 

“What are your orders, Master Richard?” 

“Tell him to prepare the ultimate weapon. I am going to make use of its potential here in the war.” 

“… I understand, master. I’ll tell him right now.” 

“Good.” 

As fast as his entrance, the man instantly vanished to fulfill his order somewhere. When the man was gone, the prince took a final glance at the battlefield before reining his horse toward the king’s tent in the camp.