Chapter 465: The Assault’s Launch

He knew it was most likely a trap. It was like putting his foot in the lion’s mouth.

But he couldn’t avoid it even though he knew that fact. Humans were like that; when they were cornered, and the fire was burning. It was like begging to die.

In front of the rear gate of Garoua Maria. The assault force was made up of reserve and garrison soldiers, and they were gathered together.

A total of two hundred men. With those reserve soldiers and even the volunteer soldiers from Garoua Maria gathered together, they had no chance of surviving.

The front army led by Caria was still battling, and she couldn’t send reinforcements. It would be all over if they tried to help the reserve soldiers by turning around, because by doing so, the enemy would get their hands on their necks. So the rear gate side had to make it through with their own soldiers.

Bernard, a Heraldic, lightly polished his wavy blade with a cloth and simply waited for the signal to charge. He narrowed his eyes as he waited for the familiar noise to rang in his ears.

He knew the situation was very serious… Even though he had been a reserve soldier due to his past deeds he could feel that he was being used.

The two hundred people would surely die. That was what a surprise attack on the enemy camp was all about. It was meant to injure the enemy’s neck, even if it meant taking some casualties. There was no way back.

There were young soldiers, old soldiers, and even people who lived in the slums, and Bernard couldn’t bear to see it. He instinctively gripped his long sword tighter.

Bernard’s heart was extremely complicated. He hated those heroes, but he also had an attachment to the city of Garoua Maria, where Saleino had done everything he could to save it. He couldn’t imagine it falling into the hands of anyone other than the Heraldic Order.

So, no matter what his heart said, he had no choice but to fight. But he couldn’t stop thinking about whether this was really the best he could do. What would Saleino have done? Bernard had been asking himself that question for a while now.

At the end of the unanswered answer, a loud bell rang out loud. It felt like the sound of someone’s heartbeat was hitting his earlobes with a particularly strong force.

「…Don’t look anywhere but ahead! Charge, now! 」

It came after a single breath. Suddenly, and yet inevitably.

A young soldier was the first to charge, followed by Bernard. Everyone called out. If they didn’t raise their voices, they wouldn’t be able to step foot on the seemingly endless battlefield with just two hundred of them.

They came into contact with the enemy much sooner than they thought. The enemy soldiers, who had broken their lines, were greeted by their assault force. For the first time in a long time, the blood of the enemy soldiers spurted out, wetting the ground.

The first to fall were a small unit of about thirty people. They were either an advance party or a lookout unit taking a break. They were annihilated before their identities were revealed.

The frustration of having lost their way had, in a way, given the assault’s force great momentum. Their allies gritted their teeth and shouted in celebration of their temporary victory. Not wanting to lose momentum, they launched the next charge.

The enemy camp was shaking as if in disarray, and their formation was not yet fully formed. It was the Heraldic soldiers’ only chance to infiltrate their enemy’s camp.

Or so it seemed. Bernard frowned. His eyes scanned his surroundings as he ran forward. Perhaps because he had once led soldiers of his own on a battlefield.

And he was certain. It was a trap after all. Bernard muttered to himself as he swung his undulating blade.

At first glance, the enemy soldiers seemed restless, but their flags were moving swiftly. The troops were moving in an orderly fashion, proof that their commander’s voice was reaching their ears.

Bernard knew the Heraldic soldiers were being lured deeper and deeper. The enemy soldiers were slowly retreating, probably to make sure they wouldn’t run away. They were probably trying to annihilate the assault force that had so bravely rushed in and undermine the morale of the defenders.

Bernard said nothing after realizing this trap, nor did he turn around. He knew that they couldn’t stop now.

That’s how a war worked. They were about to die, but it was inevitable since they were in the middle of a deadly war. That was what Bernard was thinking.

…Grrrr…Ooooh!

The charge of the assault force, which had begun with the sound of a bell, came to an end with the signal of a beast’s roar.

Magical beast soldiers appeared through the gaps in the formation, and the enemy forces that had been scattered until a moment ago were now skillfully overlapped and began to surround Bernard and the assault force.

There were only well-formed enemy forces. Even an amateur could see that if they charged, they would surely die.

It was a very skillful tactic. Enemy commanders were adept at seeing people’s weaknesses. They knew very well what a weak and depressed person would do.

The magical beast soldiers and the magical armored soldiers surrounding them were not graceful but heroic. The assault soldiers, who should’ve been prepared, swallowed their saliva instead.

『You savages, who can’t even use magic, dared to be so arrogant as to leave the gate. 』

It was a familiar female voice. It was the enemy commander who had called for them to surrender several times during the siege on the rear gate. But now, the slight softness that had been in her voice had disappeared, and it had turned into a tone of mockery.

『But this is the end. You talkative monkeys, get ready and die before civilization. 』

It was a voice that looked down on people. All the assault soldiers’ faces became grim. But if they tried to turn their backs on them, they would surely die.

So they had no choice but to clench their teeth and think of the next best possible action, while stepping on the death snow.

That’s what the Bolvat soldiers who surrounded them thought. That was the normal way of thinking for someone who was cornered.

But most of the assault soldiers didn’t even think about it. They were just thinking about how to kill the enemy commander.

If there was one thing that was unfortunate for the Bolvat soldiers, it was that many of these two hundred soldiers had met a certain man on the battlefield at some point.

Surely that man wouldn’t give up like that. He would certainly smile and say, “Let’s go kill them”. It was no coincidence that most of the soldiers were thinking of the same man when they found themselves in such a difficult situation.

After all, it was that man who brought the Heraldic soldiers to this battlefield where they were in a desperate situation. The Heraldic soldiers came here driven by him, prepared even to die. Without him, many of the Heraldic soldiers wouldn’t even be here.

Bernard snorted involuntarily. Then, he said to the young soldier looking ahead. The surrounding soldiers were cornered, but strangely, they had a fresh fighting spirit.

「Shall we go, boy? 」

「Yes, even though I’m scared. 」

Strangely, the young soldiers, the veteran soldiers, and the volunteer soldiers all had the same goal in mind. The leader of the allied unit, still on horseback, said with a laugh.

「Charge straight ahead! If I die, I’ll be the first to die! Everyone, die after I die! 」

At the same time, the group of two hundred soldiers began to charge head-on at the enemy’s main camp.

It was the first surprise charge of the day for the Bolvat soldiers. They didn’t turn their backs when surrounded, nor did they charge into a deliberately thin area, but rather, they didn’t just charge forward, as a normal army would do.

It was a feverish charge peculiar to a battlefield. But in a sense, it could be said that it helped them survive.

The Bolvat army’s response to this unreasonable action caused a moment of hesitation. For the first time, their voices and the voice of their commander were out of sync. The soldiers who had formed their formations took a few steps back.

The result was that the assault force’s charge was a success. They faced the enemy soldiers head-on, and a dozen of them were killed. Both of them suffered their fair share of casualties.

That was hand-to-hand combat. If the soldiers continued to advance with their fighting spirit on full display, they would survive far longer than if they turned their backs and fled.

That’s why they survived.

And then it happened. When the Bolvat soldiers and the Heraldic soldiers gritted their teeth for the last time…the sandstorm came.

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Hello dear readers. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the upcoming chapter of Cautious Hero will be updated on monday morning, March 3rd. Thank you for your understanding. Please look forward to it.

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