27 Tavorhel. The third day of the ninth month.
‘The Foresters are retreating!’
‘All units, do not give chase! Our job is done for today!’
It was nearly getting dark. Teraiil finally stepped back from the windows overlooking the eastern wall. Unlike the chaos of the first day of battle, the second day was fortunately rather uneventful for the Trelvenese. The hole in a section of the wall had been temporarily reinforced with wooden palisades, while the gate held strong with increased numbers stationed to the area. The Foresters had attacked in coordinated waves, but despite their magic, they stood no chance without any siege equipment. The battle was fated to be a Trelvenese victory to begin with. The Foresters’ struggle was merely grasping at desperate hopes.
They were stupid to even attempt attacking the city in the first place. But being brainless warriors, it was the only thing they’d do: fight. It was the only thing they knew for all their lives. Teraiil’s gamble was working perfectly as planned.
‘Good work, everyone,’ he applauded. ‘Let’s get some rest and prepare for tomorrow. The Foresters aren’t likely to give up soon.’
‘Turns out they only have one trick: fire their energy blasts and charge straight into our defences,’ an officer commented. ‘Pathetic.’
‘You can’t really blame them,’ a second officer replied. ‘They don’t have the education to learn even the most basic of tactics. Without proper commanders like us, they’re only a mob bound together by a foolish sense of unity.’
‘The loss at Norerila was a fluke,’ Teraiil said. ‘General Arael’s death and the desertion of our Foresters were huge blunders on our part, but so long as we maintain our morale and strategy, the rebellion will soon be extinguished.’
‘By the way, Deputy Commander, I noticed their leader didn’t show up to battle today. Was she injured during yesterday’s assault?’
‘Most likely,’ Teraiiil answered. ‘Several soldiers reported her being carried away after firing that frightening shot that destroyed a part of our walls.’
‘Her presence alone heightened the threats the Foresters posed against us. They seemed to be fighting in much higher spirits when she was in command as well.’
‘She’s definitely our biggest threat for now,’ Teraiil said. ‘Foresters’ magic aren’t usually this powerful. In fact, I think I’ve never seen such power in my career before. She may be a stupid leader, but her individual capabilities should not be underestimated. It was how General Arael fell, after all. If she shows up at the battlefield again tomorrow, target her with all our archers.’
‘Forgive me for pointing out this obvious fact, Deputy Commander, but aren't her magical wings capable of blocking all our projectiles?’
‘By overwhelming her with numbers, even she would struggle. And without the wings to protect her followers, it should be easy to defeat them as we have today.’
‘You know, Deputy Commander, you’re far smarter when you’re not drunk,’ an officer commented.
‘Shut up. I know when I need to be serious and when I can slack off. After the shock of the first day of battle, I can’t afford to relax until the rebellion’s been crushed.’
‘Honestly, I think you’re the first person taking the rebellion seriously since they rose up a month ago. Maybe with the exception of the capital’s overreaction at the very beginning.’
‘Who won’t take them seriously after their leader killed our general, an individual with power over troops in the provinces closest to the northern front against Rhinn?’
‘But, Deputy Commander, are you sure the Foresters will continue their attack tomorrow?’ another officer questioned.
‘They have no choice but to attack,’ Teraiil reasoned. ‘Maerila is not known to be self-sufficient from our surrounding farmlands. The Foresters would’ve likely looted all they can by now, while we can still extend our supplies through food imports from the west. If they flee, to the east are the continent-dividing Irrenl Mountains, to the north are the lands already ruined by them, and to the south are flatlands where they have nowhere to hide, and since it’s in the direction of the capital, there will be more elite troops to intercept them en route. It’s death regardless of which direction.’
‘And if they stay put?’
‘They’ll starve themselves before we do.’
‘Why not just attack them while they’re weak? We have a far superior numerical advantage. With their casualty rates compared to ours, we have over five, maybe even ten times their number of able-bodied fighters.’
‘It’s unnecessarily dangerous if we head out from the safety of the city,’ Teraiil argued. ‘The Foresters have a slight advantage on open ground where they can beat us individually with experience and magical abilities. The forests are out of the question. Being a surefire victory, I don’t want to sacrifice more people than necessary just to finish the battle as quickly as possible.’
‘That wasn’t your reason when you talked with the governor,’ the first officer chuckled. ‘What happened to not being ready for a counterattack?’
‘The governor is only interested in returning the city as a whole to its previous prosperity,’ Teraiil explained. ‘For a man who only looks at the economical side of things, he only sees our troops as parasites eating away at his income. A civilian has no right to question the work of a military professional in war.’
‘That sentence sure sounds familiar.’
‘Shut up. Everyone, just leave already. We all need some well-deserved rest.’
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27 Tavorhel. The fourth day of the ninth month.
Silence. Teraiil looked worriedly at the eastern walls. It wasn’t that the troops were struggling. Rather, there were no Foresters to struggle against. The entire city was quiet, the walls standing blankly over an empty battlefield.
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This wasn’t what was supposed to happen. The Foresters should’ve tried to attack again, assaulting them as they did the previous two days. It wasn’t just their leader that was absent now. The entire rebellion failed to show up.
His officers looked unnervingly at him, his confidence in the Foresters’ movements yesterday still fresh in their memories.
‘Send a team of scouts,’ he commanded. ‘Investigate their camp to see if there are any traces of retreat. Tell them to return by next morning.’
‘I thought you said you weren’t going to send troops outside into open ground,’ an officer said wryly.
‘This is an exception,’ Teraiil growled. ‘Depending on where they’re heading, we’ll need to move out soon accordingly.’
‘Alright, Deputy Commander.’
‘You’re becoming a little like General Arael,’ a second officer noted.
‘Shut up.’ Where did they go?
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27 Tavorhel. The fifth day of the ninth month.
The scouts returned to the headquarters. There were no casualties. All of them reported the same thing.
‘They… stayed in their camp?’ Teraiil questioned, refusing to believe what he heard.
‘Yes, Deputy Commander,’ a scout answered. ‘There were no signs of them trying to move. They just stayed where they were and ate their rations. There were guards at the camp, but otherwise, it seemed everyone else was unarmed.’
‘Did they just decide to… give up?’
Two days in a row. This was beyond peculiar. The soldiers had stood at the walls, tensely waiting for an imminent enemy attack… and the Foresters were just relaxing in their camp. This was against their warlike nature. The Foresters as Teraiil understood them would’ve never done such a thing.
It wasn’t that it was smart, either. Being lightly prepared for attacks during the day meant that if Teraiil had sent his troops to attack at this moment, the Foresters would’ve quickly crumbled before they could even react. There was nothing logical about the situation, but the scouts were definitely not lying.
It was as if the Foresters knew the Trelvenese wouldn’t come out of the city.
‘... Argh!’ Teraiil angrily slammed his fist on the table, the documents fluttering from the strong vibration. The other officers could only stand in silence.
A messenger suddenly entered the headquarters, quickly stepping in front of the scouts. ‘Deputy Commander, this is an urgent report!’
‘What is it?’ Teraiil wasn’t really in the mood for another likely unpleasant report.
‘Commander-General Esiel and a team of officers have entered the city from the southern gate!’ the messenger announced. ‘He has requested that you, Deputy Commander, talk with him over the matters of the city in the governor’s office!’
‘C-Commander-General Esiel?!’
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‘Sit, Lieutenant Teraiil.’
Esiel was already sitting with the governor, leaving the smallest seat reserved for Teraiil. Hiding his displeasure, he sat down, anxiously anticipating the daunting conversation before him.
‘I hope your journey here wasn’t too difficult, Commander-General?’ the governor said politely.
‘Oh, it was fine,’ Easel answered nonchalantly. ‘Travelling on horseback for two weeks is normal for any officer, isn’t it, Teraiil?’
‘... Yes.’ Not at that speed. Assuming Esiel came straight from the capital, he had essentially travelled at half the speed of the royal messengers, individuals who’d travel around the kingdom non-stop just to deliver a letter to the capital. It wasn’t extremely fast, but it should’ve taken a toll on Esiel’s body. Instead, the man sat like he just returned from a vacation, completely relaxed and at ease compared to Teraiil’s nervousness.
‘Now, I heard you were the deputy commander of the city’s troops after General Arael’s deaths,’ Esiel said. ‘Are the Foresters defeated? I noticed a gaping hole in the walls, but there was no battle today.’
‘T-They… The Foresters didn’t attack today,’ Teraiil answered anxiously.
‘What do you mean “The Foresters didn’t attack today”?’ Esiel interrogated. ‘Were you just passively defending the city against their attacks? Do you even know where their camp is located?’
‘I know. T-This is a strategy to minimise our casualties.’
‘How many Foresters are there right now?’
‘Several thousand.’
‘How many troops are under your command?’
‘... Twenty thousand, if all are fit.’
‘Twenty thousand!’ Esiel laughed loudly. ‘Twenty thousand to defend a city! This number could repel a hundred-thousand-man attack! And you use it to turtle in and passively defend against a force that numbers only several thousand? Are you joking with me?’
‘Commander-General, I know this sounds laughable, but—’
‘It is laughable, is it not, Lieutenant?’ Esiel looked at him scornfully. ‘Your tactics are understandable when you are vastly outnumbered, not when you outnumber the enemy, and by such a margin as well! This misuse of troops can warrant death by martial law, you know?’
‘Commander-General—’
Esiel’s sword rested on Teraiil’s shoulder. The sharp blade slowly slid towards his neck as goosebumps formed all over Teraiil’s body.
‘You know, I can kill you right now for how you handled the situation,’ Esiel said softly. ‘You could’ve crushed the rebellion already if not for your passiveness. It doesn’t matter how powerful or skillful at magic their leader is…’
He stood up and leaned closer, his eyes filled with bloodlust. Teraiil felt Esiel’s blade heating up, and as he looked towards the metal hilt, he saw Esiel’s hand somehow being lit on fire.
‘There is always a very small minority of people who know how to use the Foresters’ wild magic in a civilised fashion.’
Satisfied at Teraiil’s terrified expression, Esiel quickly sheathed his sword and returned to his seat. ‘Well, Lieutenant, I do applaud your duties thus far and your concern for your troops.’
‘Indeed, Maerila is grateful for your protection,’ the governor, who had been silent, finally also spoke.
‘However…’ Esiel continued. ‘From this day on, I’ll take command of the troops stationed in Maerila.’
‘What?!’ Teraiil nearly sprang up from his seat. ‘These are my soldiers, my authority inherited from General Arael! Even as the Commander-General, you can’t just remove me from my position like that?’
‘Lieutenant, the position is still in a vacuum,’ Esiel calmly explained. ‘Officially, you are Lieutenant Teraiil, subordinate to the now-deceased General Arael. In emergencies, the highest-ranked officer on the field takes charge after the death or injury of the commanding officer. Now, let me ask you: who here has a higher office in the military than me?’
‘E-Even still, you can’t just change—’
‘You’ve been too wasteful with your resources, Teraiil,’ Esiel said. ‘The Trelvenese army has no need for a commander who doesn’t know how to efficiently use the troops at their disposal. Besides, I believe the other lieutenants are more willing to have me in command as well.’
To Teraiil’s horror, the officers all nodded in approval. In the short time Esiel had spent in Maerila, he had already convinced them to join his side.
‘Commander-General!’ Teraiil shouted in anger.
‘Alright,’ Esiel stood up once more, ignoring Teraiil’s indignation. ‘Let’s all have a good rest tonight, everyone. Tell the troops to gather at the eastern gate tomorrow at dawn. The tactics will be simple. As long as they know how to kill an animal, they will succeed. It will be a mass hunt, after all.’
The others followed Esiel to the exit, leaving Teraiil sitting in defeat, unable to accept the reality that lay before him.