“―Arkland knights?! What are they doing here?!”

The completely unexpected development takes Bann by surprise, and he has forgotten that half of his body is out of the window as he cries out, nearly fall out of the carriage.

Yes. Those are the professional warriors known as Arkland knights. The soldiers are just as shocked by their sudden appearance as Bann was. Their mighty hands send several people flying with every swing.

Amidst a spray of blood and gore, the stricken soldiers fly into the distance and impact on the ground, which wakes their fellow troops from their stupor. They panic, turn tail and desperately begins fleeing. Several more Arkland knights appear from behind the gate, as if to pursue them.

As the soldiers fall back in a disgraceful rout, they are struck by the the Arkland knights’ weapons and sent flying. It looks like children kicking their dolls into the distance.

The reason for their flight ―because there is no way this was any kind of withdrawal― is because these soldiers are all the lower nobles’s levied troops. They have loosed the flame arrows in order to make them open up faster, and Bann had granted them the honour of being the first into the village.. Who could have thought that it would have backfired so badly?

Just as Bann is about to frown at the the front leaders -also Baronets, who had abandoned the very men they led and come scampering back to him, the sound of a horn rings through the air.

Luckily, although most of their soldiers here are conscripted peasants, each lower noble lords bring handful of professional knights.

The Marquis’ knights have raised their lances in unison. It is a textbook motion that shows that they are professional soldiers. However, the men are fleeing and the Arkland knights are in hot pursuit, and it seems difficult for them to plunge into the chaotic battlefield.

Lances are weapons which showed their power during a charge. They could not shine in a pitched melee.

“Why aren’t you shooting yet?!” Bann shouts.

Allowing Arkland knights to get closer would only increase the losses they would take. It would be better to abandon these soldiers and kill their fellow comrades along with the villagers.

Just as Bann’s aggravation begins to mount, the Arkland suddenly begins to retreat. They used the fleeing soldiers as meat shields, preventing the cavalry from pursuing, and in the end they fell back into the gate.

Bann’s men receive the survivors and then begin reorganizing into a proper battle formation. He clenches his fists nervously.

He has originally planned to finish this boring mission swiftly, and then rush back to the battlefield to gain glory in battle against the David Lassic.

Now, this unsightly mess is all that is left of his dream.

While they have not expected the Arkland knights to show up, if they simply retreat to their turfs with nothing to show for it, their reputation would plunge even further. There would be no catching up with other Great nobles, in the race for the followers.

Or could it be― had all this been planned out beforehand?

He could not help clicking his tongue in annoyance, knowing the surrounding lower nobles’ eyes are on him.

However, he has no time to pretend to be calm. Bann turns a keen eye on the man running toward him. He is a baronet, who is the lowest nobility rank.

He could feel the confusion in the the baronet's words. 

“In any case, we don’t know enough about the enemy. Well, that’s only to be expected. Only fifteen Arkland knights show up. If they have more, they would have continued attacking us. So in all likelihood, they probably don’t have more than fifteen in total. You should be able to take down fifteen men, no?”

“Of course! Every one of us is as strong as a member of the Ferelden’s Warrior Band. A mere fifteen knights are nothing to us!”

"I want an overwhelming victory. If we take losses here, all sorts of gossip will spread. The same goes for you. People will talk about how the Marquis’ trump card was sent out to a pissant village to be bloodied.”

“But that was because of the surprise attack―”

“―You can’t use that as an excuse. That’s just how the world works.”

“Understood!”

“If you understand, then get to work. Get the troops from the rear gate. At the same time, cut down trees from the forest and start making battering rams. I’ll leave the details to you. Minimize casualties while ensuring victory. Kill anyone who flees.”

The powerful, many sound of footsteps comes from the side of the village, filling the entire battlefield. All the eyes which go to the source of the sound goes wide in the next instant. That is because an army of over 300 people is moving is marching fiercely, intruding towards Bann's main army. 

At first, both Marquis Bann’s forces think that they are reinforcements from Bann’s side, the sole difference being whether or not they have expected such backup. However, the forms of the new troops immediately tell them that it is not the case.

The members of that army are all in Arkland's knight uniform.

The number of professional soldiers known as Arkland knights are smaller than Ferelden's men who are mixture of lower nobles, knights and mostly conscripted peasants. However, their presence makes them seem twice as large as they actually are.

In addition, they are sheathed in gleaming steel. They bear potent, brightly polished weapons and armour, the equipment a warrior ought to have.

These are not peasant levies. This is an army of true warriors.

“What the hell is that?! Dammit, we were so close!”

Bann’s eyes go wide as he survey the interlopers who have ruined everything.

Nothing has gone as he has planned. Why is he deadlocked with an Arkland knights at a tiny village like this? He is so frustrated that he wants to claw at his hair.

If this are an federation Army detachment, he would gladly order his men to fight to death. However, these are in small village. Even if he wins, who would praise him?

“My Lord! Please allow the men to fall back!”

He glares angrily at the knight addressing him.

Rationally speaking, they ought to fall back now. While he does not know what such a large Arkland knights are doing here, as long as he bring the information back, it ought to count as achieving something.

However, running away with his tail between his legs without so much as fighting them would surely lead to him earning the hateful moniker of “the Marquis who fled from small village”.

And if he lost, then he would be the Marquis who is beaten by in small village. The topic-starved nobles would surely spread it all around and make it public knowledge. The people who have not seen the battle with their own eyes would not care how strong the Arkland knights before him are. They would only be concerned by how amusing it sounds.

WIthin his heart, Bann curses those nobles who mock him from safety.

“…Denied. Keep fighting.”

“My Lord! Please observe their equipment and their regimented formation! They must surely be elite troops who are the equal or superior of Ferelden knights ! Our side is largely composed of peasant levies; our chances of victory are slim. I beg you to order a retreat!”

Bann knows that as well, even if the other party does not say anything. However, there is no other way to protect his good name than by fighting. All he could do now is pray that those Arkland knights are just for show.

“You fool! Do I have to tell you how dangerous it is to let those troops be?! Right now, the Ferelden Army is making their way to the Lassic fort! What do you plan to do if that army attacks other territories while they’re undermanned?!”

“Un-understood.”

They would cross blades with the enemy once. If they are as tough as their appearances suggested, he would fall back immediately. The battle with the David Lassic is the truly important thing, and Bann does not want to be defeated here. He is at least calm enough to think of that.

The soldiers form up into ranks before Bann. As though matching their movements, the Arkland begins their advance.

The enemy has taken a long snake formation, which is three layers deep.

Bann’s forces have adopted a crane wing formation instead. They have not used the fish-scale formation because they want to make effective use of their powerful cavalry, and the enemy formation is poor at handling flanking attacks.

The leading edge of the Arkland formation is composed of their heavy infantry, carrying great shields that are tall enough to cover themselves. Their immaculate battle line is like a wall bearing down on them, and it places great pressure on Bann.

The hand holding the reins of Viscount Tesh's horse are slippery with sweat under his gauntlets, and it feels disgusting.

When the spear-wielding levies make contact with the shield-bearing heavy infantry, his troops would block the enemy advance, effectively treading on the serpent’s head, and then the cavalry would charge from the flanks.

The levies clash with the heavy infantry.

The levies are being pushed back by the enemy shields. Naturally, when they are pushed back, they collide with their comrades behind them, and their formation begins to collapse.

The cavalry on both flanks hurriedly springs into action. The right wing is slightly quicker to move, and they aim to attack from the side. However, cavalry in gleaming silver emerges from the enemy flank ─ riding white horses ─ seventeen riders in all, sprinting forth to intercept them.

“My Lord!”

Viscount Tesh returns to Bann’s side. He knows what the man is going to say with just a look at the terrified expression on his face. With heavy infantry and light cavalry in their ranks, the enemy is even more dangerous now.

“We’ve had it! We can’t hold them! It’s only a matter of time before the enemy reaches us! We need to retreat!”

He could not deny him now. Even if Bann orders everyone to stay and fight, the lower nobles who come with him would climb over each other to flee. Even if he somehow compels them all to fight, they would resent him and become future enemies.

“Do it. Also, order the Baron to run first.”

Bann wants to be the first to flee, but if he does that, it is not hard to imagine how he would be labelled as a coward who is number one at running from pathetic foes. That being the case, he would let Baron Buggy bear that shame instead.

“Understood!”

Just as the knight begins barking orders to his subordinates beside him─

“─There’s no escape.”

An unfamiliar voice comes from right beside him, and for the first time, Bann felt that his life is actually in danger.

His retinues draws their swords and survey their surroundings, and they see a group of black-armoured people emerge from the their side. Their faces are fierce, but their eyes gleam with a keen light.

“Protect the Marquis! Sound the retreat!”

“Pathetic.”

To Bann’s eyes, it seems as though the shadows are moving.

Everything above the knight’s neck disappears in an instant, and his blood spurts like a geyser.

Bann realizes what he is looking at, and he immediately exits his carriage and mount his horse beside it. He spurs his horse into a gallop. There is no longer any time to worry about the order in which to run. Right now, he is treading the edge of life and death.

Bann clenches his fists tightly.

Defeat is defeat. It was true that the Arkland knights has been strong. Anyone who fights them would have understood why there had been no hope for Bann.

However, those who know nothing would simply think that Bann is the great noble who has been beaten in small village. He would surely become the butt of many jokes.

“Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

A fire burns in his belly. 

“Nice to meet you." A female voice is heard.

He has no idea when they has appeared in the middle of nowhere. Not far away ─ 10 meters at the most ─ stood a ravishing beauty, with a smile on her face that could only be described as innocent. If this are a city, Bann would surely stares at her, even captures to his woman. However, this is the middle of battlefield and this woman is not only as tall as men but also carries a spear. 

He reaches for the sword at his waist. 

“I”m Irijina Wolls. One of the knight who work under Arkland Dukedom.”

The peculiar woman waved again as she greets him politely. The meaning of what she ─ Irijina ─ said gradually begins to filter through his mind.

“What… what did you say?”

“There’s only one reason I came here.”

Irijina pauses for a single breath, and then announces:

“I came to kill all of you invaders.”

Bann blinks several times, and then he shouts:

“Hahh?! What the hell are you saying? Do you know who I am? I’m Marquis Bann of Amaranthine, the great noble the Ferelden Kingdom!”

“Oh, so you’re a noble, then.....aahh!"

Irijina scratches her hair that is not itchy.

 "What’s the difference? To us, you Ferelden are equally evil. Ah, but you’re a noble.”

“In that case… I see! You mean to say you’ll kill everyone except me, right? I don’t think that’s a good idea. You need to take us prisoner and let someone live to bring the news back to The King, otherwise things will be difficult in the upcoming negotiations.”

Irijina tilts her head in surprise. 

“What are you babbling about?! Don’t you know how valuable I am? I’m the Marquis, one of the Great Nobles! Why are you thinking of killing me?! Normally, you’d take me hostage and demand a ransom, no?! Using me as a negotiation tool holds more merit than killing me, right?!”

"Great noble? Marquis? What is that?"

Irijina seems really clueless.

"What don't you know? Marquis is the most powerful man in Ferelden!" Bann yells while cold sweat is already covering his entire body.

“…Hmmm, what a troublesome person you are.”

With a shrill cry of delight at the impending slaughter, the Arkland knights sprang into action.

They are like wild beasts.

They run amidst the fleeing masses.

And then ─ there is a scream.

It comes from one of the nobles who is trying to escape on horseback.

It is followed by several more screams.