Technically speaking, this “army” of mine wasn’t a complete army. They were technically a group of ruffians with faith.
If this group could truly show combat capabilities, they would still need to undergo legitimately organised training for some time to ensure they follow orders and display discipline, as well as being able to learn teamwork. Otherwise, they’d just be a group of suicide bombers.
I don’t have the luxury of time to train them now, though. And if they’re going to train, they must be trained at Troy City! My current mission is to dismantle the siege at Socina City.
I looked at Karana who was next to me. She bit down on her lip tightly and stayed silent. I consoled her by saying, “Karana, you don’t need to worry. My guard unit is in the city. I don’t think that they’ll sit by idly and watch. You’ve seen their strength. It will be very hard for the anthropoids to break into Socina City unless they launch a heavy assault.”
“… I know.”
Although Karana said that, her expression showed that she was still as worried and tense as before. It’s her city and her most cherished memory with her husband, after all. Nothing that I say can put her at ease. She needs to see Socina safe and sound before she can be at peace.
I have no need to speak, then. I turned my head back to the front to focus my attention ahead…
“Hey… if you’re going to sit on my lap, can you stop moving your ears around?!”
The pointy pair of ears in front of me kept moving back and forth, while her fine fur brushed against my face. From my lap, Ling Yue irritably moved her body around, and then responded, “I can’t help it. If I had ears as short as you humans, I wouldn’t be able to hear so many sounds now, would I? I’m doing this for our sake.”
“Careful, I might grab your tail…”
*Slap!*
“I was joking! It was a joke!”
“Who makes jokes about a girl’s purity?!”
She turned her head around and looked at me, feeling enraged. She would’ve gnawed my neck off if it was feasible. I massaged the spot she slapped while looking at her, “Do you think that just anyone can ride on my horse? I’m the Prince of humans and elves! Not even Lucia had the right to ride with me back then!”
“I’m the only daughter of a noble fox tribe; I’m a descendant of the most venerated race, so I have every right to ride on your horse. You should feel honoured, human. In the North, being able to see my face is considered an honour!”
Ling Yue proudly looked at me. I chuckled and didn’t respond. Tanya, who rode at the forefront of the team, stopped her horse then made way. She looked at me and softly said, “In front.”
“Ah, oh.”
In front of us is the gap between the feet of the mountains. There’s a gradual incline from here that we can we can head straight up from. Below is the ice plain we entered the mountains from. The icy plain that was previously empty was now full with a massive horde of brown, messy anthropoids. They resembled a huddle of baby flies that looked utterly disgusting. Their howls could reach our position.
‘They should be the first team.’
As they were, presumably, the first team, they didn’t have weaponry for a major city assault. The only things they had were timber ladders that they put together using wood that they chopped down from who-knows where, as well as a simple block of wood to ram the city door.
I was surprised to see that they had simple catapults, too. However, I noticed that what they loaded the catapults with weren’t rocks but corpses, well, technically either heads or limbs. They even lit them up before catapulting them into Socina City. I felt that they weren’t after Socina City, but destroyed it, just because it happened to be there.
Socina City was still being defended. Due to lacking effective machinery for attacking a city, the anthropoids couldn’t take the city down, yet. Based on the numbers on the ice plain, though, Socina City will definitely be overrun by this massive horde.
“Your Majesty!!”
“Karana, calm down; they have the numbers advantage on us. Our main fighting force is in the city. I need to come up with a plan to defeat them.”
I bit my finger nail and looked down below, feeling anxious. I looked anxiously at the horde of anthropoids swarming toward the city.
‘How shall I attack to defeat them? We’re currently outnumbered, and I’ve never fought them, so I have no idea what tactics they employ. How can I ensure their defeat?’
“Defeat them?”
Tanya looked at me with her lifeless eyes and repeated herself again in an odd way.
“Uhm, that’s right… I want to defeat them… Ah!! What are you doing?!”
While I was still thinking, a dark silhouette vanished before my eyes, leaving a vague white shadow behind for me. Before I could give an order, Tanya already galloped down and charged toward the horde of anthropoids all alone. Her small silhouette looked lazy atop her horse, but she had already drawn the large sword on her back.
“Hurry! After Tanya! After her!”
I quickly got up and mounted my horse. I didn’t know what Tanya was up to or how competent she was, but I was asked to look after her. I, therefore, can’t just watch her march to her death. It’s not my fault, but I still don’t want to see someone, who’s willing to serve me, die in front of me.
All of the soldiers wore excited looks. They drew their sabres used to combat cavalry. I didn’t know what their sabres were made of or if they were effective. Nevertheless, it appeared that people used those sorts of weapon to fight with anthropoids in this era, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
Tanya rode ahead alone. She had almost reached the plains. She looked particularly small when she faced off against the horde of anthropoids. They noticed the small figure charging toward them. A few of them armed with stone axes charged toward her while roaring.
It was a really “cute” scene. Despite riding on her horse, Tanya still wasn’t as tall as the anthropoids. The anthropoids roared while charging toward her. They swung their axe violently toward Tanya’s head.
Tanya hopped up onto her horse, and then vaulted high up, using her horse as a platform. Her horse’s head was splattered by the axe before it dropped to the ground heavily. Tanya slashed at the anthropoids with her long sword. She dexterously flashed between two anthropoids comparably to a swallow. Her blade resembled two ice picks slashing between them. Tanya landed the next instant, while the anthropoids had been cut in two, with their torso and lower body separated. Their organs and blood sprayed forth as their heavy axes dropped to the ground.
Tanya then moved again. She raised the long sword in her hand and charged toward the anthropoid, roaring as he ran toward her. She threw her sword at him, where it stabbed straight through him. She then drew her short sword and a small axe. She dashed to the anthropoid as if she was a gust of wind. Despite him being tall and large, he was just a large sheep before her. He swung his axe down at her, but couldn’t even nip her cloak. Her small axe and sword flashed passed him, cutting his throat open with absolute precision.
There was nobody who could stop Tanya’s onslaught!
Tanya rushed to an anthropoid that was riding something similar to a wild boar, or maybe it was a wolf. The anthropoid blankly watched the white gust of wind charge toward him; Tanya leapt onto his head before he could even shout.
“I shall take thy head with my father’s blade!”
Tanya grabbed his hair with one hand. Her small and sharp axe resembling a wolf’s fang shined as it swung through the air beautifully, yet indifferently. Next second, she was completely covered in the blood that spurted out.
She threw his head onto the ground. Tanya stood atop his shoulders. It was the first time terror surfaced in the eyes of the anthropoids.
“Now… Who’s next?”
Tanya licked the blood at the corner of her mouth as she coldly stared down the anthropoids.
That’s when I suddenly felt that Tanya was more savage than the anthropoids…
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