Reincarnation into the Barrier Master

In the middle of the night, I was awakened by a loud banging on the kitchen door of the house. It seemed to be a messenger from Krumphal.

"What's wrong, Arga?

"It's an enemy attack. We got a sign of an enemy attack from the harpies on the night search.

"Okay. I'm on my way.

Me, Rico, Gon, Ferris, Ruara, and Ilimo get on the warding. There is a commotion in the house, and Pius has gathered mercenaries to set up a defensive position. Outside the window, I could see harpies gathering, and Geki, the Gurion King, was waiting outside. They were all waiting for my arrival.

"Kyuuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

Itra, a baby gurion who has become the second master of the pavilion, comes flying to me, flapping her tiny wings. I take Itra in my arms and go outside. Harpy and Geki are waiting for me.

"Master, the enemy is gathering in the direction straight east from the house, just outside the forest.

"We, Gurions, are already in the forest."

Okay. I'll check on the enemy.

I held Itra to my chest, Gon on my back, and soared into the sky on the Ilimo.

It was still dimly lighted before dawn, and the enemy had formed a line of battle around the forest. They appeared to be the Imperial Guard.

"It seems that the target is your master's mansion..."

"I guess so. I guess they will go on, defeating the demons in the forest. From the looks of things, it will be several hours before we reach the house.

So soon, sir?

"Yes, they will march on us at daybreak. We need to finish our preparations by then. But why am I being targeted by the Imperial Guard? Even though I am faithfully carrying out the emperor's orders."

"Strange things happen, don't they?

Hey, Gong, you often hear of a retainer disobeying his country, but what do you call it when a country disobeys its retainer?

It is different from rebellion. I don't understand it either.

We returned to the pavilion, talking like this.

After getting down from Ilimo, I first created rain clouds in the sky and made it rain hard. This would make the ground muddy and slow down the enemy's advance. Then, I put up a ward around this pavilion, assuming a worst-case scenario. Now Rico and the others are no longer in danger of being attacked.

Pius, you will take a squad of mercenaries and deploy an intercepting force in the forest in front of the pavilion. I'll ward them all with a ward to keep out demons. Fire arrows at the incoming enemies. Gheki! You and Gurions! Hide in the woods to the east and west of the pavilion! If demons appear, kick them away as you go. The harpies stay in the woods. As a scouting party, let us know if the enemy moves. Eventually you will attack."

I turn around and give instructions to Ferris.

"Ferris. You and Ruara move through the air toward Kailik and Tohotsu. Ruara tell Karlos of Tohotsu and Ferris tell Marcel of Kyliak to gather the Sea Peoples together and take position outside the settlement to control the Imperial Guard.

""Yes, sir.""

"Listen up everyone! Victory in this battle is already assured when I arrive at this pavilion. All that remains is how to destroy the enemy. I'll draw them to the very edge and round them up. I'll shoot fireworks into the sky. That's the signal to start the attack!"

Ferris jumped up with Luara in his arms and disappeared into the sky. I make the rain stop. At the same time, each of us gets into position. When everything is ready for battle, the sun rises.

At the same time, the Imperial Guard is ready.

"The sun is coming up."

"Indeed, it is a magnificent sunrise that symbolizes our bright future.

Jono and Glagorail looked dazzled at the sunrise and muttered to themselves.

"All right, we'd better get going. You guys wait for the good news.

Auchet calls out to him proudly while still on his horse. They saw him off with a smile.

"All troops, let's go!"

"I'm a little afraid!"

Just as they were about to begin their march, they were unexpectedly interrupted. He looked disgustedly in the direction of the voice and saw his subordinate, Knogen, approaching on horseback.

"Knogen, what is it?

"This attack, please wait a moment."

Why?

"They are marching through the forest. The ground is muddy from the rain. If the leading troops collapse, they will fall to the ground and cause serious damage to our allies.

"The lead unit will collapse? How can you be so sure?"

"I have been on the battlefield for many years. If we don't do something, the situation may turn out too much like the enemy ordered.

"What is your title, Knogen? What class did you attend at the Imperial Military Academy?"

"...I am a commoner. I did not attend military school.

"I've learned all those lessons on the battlefield. I've learned far more than you have. What are the chances of your intuition being right? Is it absolute?"

"No, I can't say for sure. At least wait until the ground dries up. And we can see a squad of marines in the rear. If they hit us in the back, we will lose and suffer a blow that we cannot avoid!

"Let me tell you something, you can only think on a hunch. The sea people are just a check. They will not join a battle whose first priority is to catch fish. This battle will be fought until the sun rises. We advance with our backs to the sun. The enemy must fight with the sun. What fool would miss this opportunity?

"I am well aware of the war situation. I've been on the battlefield long before your second-in-command was on it.

"Shut up! Let them say it! I'm the commander here! I will do what I want in this battle! I don't take orders from you!"

With these words, Auchet marched off.

From the window of the villa, I watched as all the units of the Imperial Guard entered the forest.

"We've won!"

"Have you already read the battle plan?

"It would be suicidal to advance an army in an unsuspecting forest with muddy footing."

Auchet, on the other hand, was confident of victory. The enemy was a widow. At best, their numbers would be 100. It would be easy to make them fall if we attacked them with force all at once. Moreover, all the soldiers are equipped with the warding stones purchased from the Dahke Trading Company. Therefore, even if they encounter demons in the forest, they can advance their troops without being harmed. There are some battles with demons in the front, but they are being exterminated without any problems. Barsam is killed by those who are equipped with the warding stones he created. Is there anything more comical than this? Auchet tried hard not to burst out laughing.

He looks at the surrounding forest landscape as a distraction. Auchet's mind is immediately occupied with what will happen after the battle is over.

Just then, the horse he is riding suddenly stops. Suddenly snapped back to reality, Auxhe looked at the troops in front of him with a look of displeasure on his face. The horses were stiffening up. Just as he was about to tell them not to stop marching, Auxhe heard an unfamiliar sound.

A map showed that the Imperial Guard and Pius' troops were closing in on each other. In a little more than five minutes, the two armies would collide. Pius can probably see the enemy's forces. I fire a fiery shot into the sky. A terrible "thud" sound echoes in the sky above. Then the gurions on either side of me begin to charge.

It was Pius' unit that opened the battle. They attacked from the front. The sudden sound of the explosion completely caught the Imperial Guard off guard. The Imperial Knights were equipped with warding stones, and Pius and his men's swords and magic were repelled. But they aimed at the horse's legs. The horses went wild with pain and surprise, throwing the soldiers to the ground or running away with the soldiers on them in a strange direction.

The harpies calmly observed this from the tops of the trees in the forest, communicating with their companions through their squeals, and relaying information to me. I immediately set up a ward to disable the magical stones throughout the forest. It consumes a lot of MP, but still only 1/3 of the total. No problem at all.

On the other hand, the troops deployed on the flanks are assaulted by the gurions from both sides, some of them are blown away, and some of them are pinned under the gurions. At first they were protected by the wards that kept them alive, but suddenly the wards stopped functioning and a hellish scene unfolded. The troops in the front were cut down one after another as well, and the troops were thrown into chaos.

Auchet felt as if he were dreaming. The front line began a slow retreat, continuing to skirmish, while a group of gurions closed in from both flanks.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah..."

Beside Auchet's inarticulate voice, a voice similar to that of Knogen's shout is heard.

"...Commander! Deputy Commander! Let's retreat! We are retreating!"

"Oh, wow!"

"Yeah! Useless! Everybody, fall back! We're retreating out of the woods! All hands retreat!"

Gagging Auchet's horse and forcing him to steer, Knogen started to retreat.

Auchet remained frozen and unable to move. His thoughts are not able to catch up with him. Why am I running when there are a thousand knights? Why are my soldiers dying? What about the warding?

Auchet retreats, dragged along by Knogen. As a result, the Knights of the Empire are retreating, losing a third of their forces. The muddy ground had been gouged by the horses' hooves, and the mud was getting deeper and deeper. The horses were in such a hurry to retreat that they were not in control, and frequently the horses collided with each other and soldiers were thrown to the ground.

When they finally made it through the forest and returned under Jono and Glagourail, Auxhe was surrounded by only fifteen pieces.

What the hell! What's going on!"

"Hey, Auche! What the hell is going on here? Explain yourself!"

Auchet, who looks incredulous, cannot answer their questions. Gradually, the soldiers retreat from the forest. Following them, a swarm of gurions emerges from the forest, and dozens of harpies appear in the sky above. The soldiers are shaken.

"In the forest we have been defeated. We have been completely defeated by Bartham's army and Gurion."

Breathing heavily, Knogen replies.

"You didn't tell me there were this many demons!"

"Jono, look!"

Glagorail pointed in the direction of the sea tribe, and they saw a squadron of mariners trying to fortify their rear.

"We are completely surrounded.

Catching his breath, Knogen calmly analyzes the war situation.

"Hey, what should we do? We need to get the whole army together and charge to the Imperial City or Glagourail territory!"

"It is impossible to break through this siege. We have no choice but to surrender.

Are you still a soldier of the Imperial Guard?

It is a basic principle of warfare not to let your men die unnecessarily. If you do not wish to surrender, then commit suicide. You can poison them or stab them in the heart with a dagger. May I lend you a dagger? Rather, you nobles are expected to commit suicide with grace."

"Suicide..."

Glagourail and Jono looked at each other.

A short time later, Jono, Glagorail, and Auchet, with Knogen as their emissary, jointly requested the surrender of the three of them.