Translator: Cinder Translations
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"Damn it!"
Andrew held up his binoculars, and through the lens, the catastrophic scene unfolding on the right wing pierced his brain.
After the first formation collapsed, it was like knocking over a row of dominoes—other formations scattered one by one, and the Horns Bay Alliance was in disarray. The soldiers scrambled desperately toward the rear, each wishing they had two extra legs.
Clearly, this group was falling apart. The New Faith army had lost a full two-fifths of its strength just like that, with a wide open gap on the flank.
The ten mercenary battalions of the Horns Bay Volunteer Army were forced to become the new right wing. The situation was extremely urgent.
Without hesitation, Andrew gave the order for the ten mercenary battalions to make a sharp right turn and face the advancing enemy's left wing, forming a new defensive line to cover the center.
"Is this really okay?" asked Marianna worriedly from beside him.
"Madam, though they are locals from Horns Bay, they've all been trained in our way. They're top-notch. Please have faith," Andrew reassured her, patting his chest.
Marianna, who had crossed the sea with the Eaton forces, had met both Andrew and Quik. Though neither of them were old members of the Grayman family, each had their differences.
During the war against the orcs, Marianna had stayed by Paul's side. The navy hadn't played a major role in that conflict, and Quik was either in Frand Port or at sea, so they hadn't met her.
But when Andrew, who had accompanied Paul in the campaign, saw Marianna, he immediately connected her with the beautiful wife of the late Earl Grayman.
As a noble from Byerldine, Andrew had seen Marianna when she was the Lady of the Alden Territory. The Grayman family had publicly claimed that she had passed away from illness, so years later when he saw her again, he initially thought she was someone who just happened to look like her. But she hadn't changed in appearance over the years, which seemed illogical.
However, when he noticed the red-haired lady often with Paul, his doubts grew. Eventually, he couldn't help but ask Paul about it, and was shocked to learn that this red-haired lady was indeed the former mistress of the Grayman family.
Paul's attitude towards his mother's return was that if no one asked, he wouldn't bring it up, but if anyone inquired, he wouldn't hide it. Of course, that didn't include the identity of the mage she had become.
As for why Marianna had left her home, Paul had explained it with a very reasonable story—saying goodbye to the mundane world in the name of death to find a secluded place to practice hidden arts—something not uncommon among devout, fanatic followers of gods.
Later, Marianna disappeared again, and then Andrew saw her with the Duchess of Eaton.
He was puzzled—how had the former Lady Grayman traveled all over the world?
"I just wanted to travel and see the world while I'm still in good health. I came to Horns Bay and was lucky enough to become friends with Her Highness Helen," the red-haired lady gave him an unclear (or perhaps poorly executed) explanation.
But Andrew had no time to dig deeper. He quickly wrote a letter to Paul reporting the whereabouts of Lady Grayman and then threw himself into the intense military duties.
However, Marianna had ended up on the battlefield!
Upon seeing her, Andrew immediately ordered his guards to keep a close watch on her.
At this point in the battle, not just Marianna, but everyone unfamiliar with Alden's army focused their attention on the mercenaries who were shifting positions.
"Quick! Get to your positions!"
"Stay sharp, don't embarrass me!"
Doug and Fergus were shouting commands with full force, waving their arms.
These two former mercenary regiment leaders still held the title of regiment commander, but more specifically, they were now part of Alden's army.
After being incorporated into Alden's forces, they and their subordinates had been living a more stable life, no longer having to live day to day on the edge, risking their lives for money.
Military instructors from the Northwest Bay had instilled a strict discipline in these mercenaries, aligning them with Alden's army in all aspects, except for the weapons.
Though peace was enjoyable, living such uneventful days could be tiresome.
The battle at Lion's Port excited Doug and Fergus, and they quickly volunteered to join the army in combat or offer assistance.
Alden's army had clear rewards and punishments, and they longed for a war that would allow them to rise further in the ranks.
From the high ground, Webster laughed heartily upon seeing the chaos in the Horns Bay Volunteer Army' right wing.
After taking out two-fifths of the enemy's forces, he thought the outcome of the battle was already decided.
However, as always, things took an unexpected turn. The mercenaries moved quickly, raising clouds of dust beneath their feet, and soon they reformed into multiple formations, bringing their wide fronts to face the advancing Church Army.
"How is this possible?" Webster shouted in disbelief.
Such a large-scale maneuver, especially while being pursued by a powerful enemy, what army or soldier could execute this so orderly?
But this so-called "Horns Bay Volunteer Army" had done it.
"Quick! Full assault! We must seize this opportunity!" Webster roared, ordering his soldiers to continue pressing the attack.
With high spirits and overwhelming momentum, after crushing the Horns Bay Alliance's forces, the Church Army's left wing surged with morale. Under strict orders from their commander, they did not pursue the fleeing soldiers but instead attacked the Horns Bay Volunteer Army' right wing.
Yet no one had anticipated that these mercenaries, trained by Alden's instructors, could react so swiftly.
The Church soldiers shouted their battle cries as they crashed into the solid wall of mercenaries.
Though the mercenaries had no firearms, their long spears were no less lethal, and they engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the incoming enemy.
"It's our turn to strike!" Andrew was determined to change the passive situation. He issued the order: the center units would advance and attack the enemy's wedge formation at the junction.
Suddenly, the eight battalions stationed in the center, including the Marines, began drumming loudly in unison. At the officers' command, the soldiers held their rifles tightly, stepping in time with the drumbeats as they charged toward the enemy's formation.
The infantry advanced, and artillery led the charge.
As they moved, the artillery began clearing the way, sending shells crashing into the advancing enemy forces.
(End of the Chapter)
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