As part of General Tilly’s unit, Maxim had entered deep into the Palatinate alongside the Paladin Order.
However…
Currently, the place where she and the Paladin Order were stationed was not at the front line where enemies could be seen, but rather in a location filled with military supplies and food.
Their main task this time was not to wield weapons at the forefront but to manage supplies from the rear and use the sacred power of Aura to heal the injured.
Given the capabilities of the Paladins, it was more advantageous for them to provide support rather than engage in direct combat. So, one could say they were effectively deployed in the right position.
Of course, if an all-out war were to break out, they would also rush out with weapons in hand, but that would only pertain to the very end of the battle.
Thus, with a bit of leisure compared to others, Maxim and the Paladin Order were able to approach the current situation, and especially Maxim was quite satisfied with her position as part of the supply unit.
“After all, there’s no reason for someone as noble as me to step into that filthy battlefield; my role is simply to stay quiet here and enjoy the spoils of victory once the war is over.”
To be honest, while General Tilly’s insight played a role in her deployment, Maxim’s own insistence was also quite significant.
Her argument was that as a clergy, she wanted to avoid killing as much as possible and to do what she could.
In response, General Tilly, who had a deep sense of faith and knew well how to utilize the unique powers of the Paladins, decided to heed her opinion.
As a result, Maxim and the Paladins took up a position in the rear, which could be considered the safest in terms of power deployment.
From the very beginning, Maxim had come here with the intention of securing her own benefit rather than risking her life for a grand cause, so she was greatly satisfied with her situation, where she could comfortably enjoy the spoils.
“Now, all I have to do is have the Paladins heal the people and gradually sneak away the loot that will pile up here. Ha-ha, indeed, one must use their head. Why would I need to bleed with others when they are suffering?”
With hopes for the enormous gains to be had from this war, Maxim remained relaxed and contemplative about the situation.
Although she had heard that the heretic forces were quite formidable, the thought of their defeat never crossed her mind at that moment.
“There was a slight mishap in Bohemia, but that was merely a coincidence. In the end, the ultimate victors will be our church’s forces and Emperor Sijip. I just need to ride their coattails and reap the benefits.”
In reality, the disparity between the Sacred Empire, which dominated about half of the continent, and the heretic forces was too great from the start.
Even if they might be slightly hindered in the short term, it was not unreasonable to believe that ultimately, the heretics would be crushed.
“Well then… should I get some sleep? I heard that tomorrow we’ll be joining forces with General Spinola to wipe out those overconfident heretics…”
Thinking that she had nothing to worry about during this war, Archbishop Maxim laid down to rest.
Suddenly… a fleeting thought crossed her mind that this situation seemed eerily similar to something from the past, but she quickly dismissed it.
*
In the darkening hours, soldiers in General Tilly’s camp were standing guard vigilantly.
Temporary watchtowers had been erected, and this place, located slightly elevated with hills at its back, allowed for easy observation of the situation around.
However, even with that, accurately grasping the circumstances at this late hour was not easy, and the soldiers relied on torches and simple lighting magic to keep watch.
With the armies of Mansfeld and Christian right at their doorstep, they could not afford to let their guard down for a moment.
General Tilly was acutely aware of this fact and was constantly keeping an eye on enemy movements with a circle of magic spread out around him.
Intentionally setting up his tent near the watchtower, he was monitoring the enemy, reflecting on the mistakes made in Bohemia, determined not to be caught off guard this time.
“Tomorrow, I should be able to join General Spinola. Once that happens, there won’t be anything to worry about, but I must ensure we get through tonight safely.”
Although the rendezvous with General Spinola was close at hand, the position of the enemy was very close, and the soldiers were also extremely fatigued from the long march.
Keeping that in mind, General Tilly kept himself on high alert, while also meticulously checking the weather—a potential variable.
Having suffered a decisive defeat due to unexpected fog last time, he was resolved to spend this night without making two mistakes.
Then,
“!”
He felt the presence of the enemy within the circle of magic he had cast.
Immediately, General Tilly drew his sword and stood up.
*
“ENEMY! The enemy is attacking!”
“All units into battle formation! Make sure they don’t take a single step into here!”
In the middle of the night, alarms blared throughout the camp as soldiers hurriedly grabbed their weapons and began to move.
Given the high likelihood of an attack, they had received orders to prepare in advance, and swiftly took defensive positions.
Soon after…
A group of enemies could be seen rushing toward them with torches in hand.
“That’s Mansfeld’s army!”
“Hold them off! Spearmen and shieldbearers to the front! Archers prepare to fire on my signal!”
The soldiers, in defensive formation, leveled their weapons at the approaching enemies.
Although they knew that the enemy outnumbered them, the soldiers, under Tilly’s command, prepared to receive the enemy’s assault without fear.
If they could hold out just a little longer, they believed that General Spinola, having discerned the enemy’s movements, would come to their rescue.
“Indeed, a messenger from General Spinola just arrived. They said he would arrive in two hours at the shortest… at most within four hours. As long as we maintain our formation without making reckless attacks until then, we should be fine.”
Judging accordingly, General Tilly prepared to issue the order to fire at the advancing enemies.
But then…
“Wait?”
“What… what is happening?”
In the next moment, General Tilly and the soldiers began to feel bewildered by an unexpected situation.
The opponents that had been charging straight toward them suddenly began to veer sharply away.
“What… what is this? What on earth is happening?”
The mercenaries of Mansfeld split apart like a river parting to the sides, naturally retreating. Tilly and his soldiers started to feel uncertainty along with skepticism.
“What should we do, General?”
“… For now, let’s observe. Since we don’t know their intentions, lifting our defensive posture to launch an attack might lead to trouble.”
Having tasted defeat in the past due to reacting overly sensitively to enemy movements, General Tilly decided to watch their movements while instructing his forces to maintain their defensive formation.
At that moment…
“General! General Tilly! Look over there!”
“What is it? What’s happening?”
A urgent voice came from the rear.
Feeling a sense of foreboding, General Tilly quickly turned to look back.
What he saw next was…
Flames rising from the rear of his formation along with the unmistakable sound of explosions.
“! Th-this…”
“That… that place is where our supplies are!”
Voices filled with confusion exclaimed.
General Tilly felt as though he had been hit in the back of the head with a hammer, but…
He maintained his composure and immediately issued orders to his soldiers.
“The enemy has played a trick on us; we must immediately send the second unit to sweep them away. The first unit should continue to maintain their defensive posture here.”
“Understood.”
Having issued his commands swiftly, General Tilly began to move toward the rear.
Though caught off guard by an unexpected raid, he was nonetheless handling the situation with a cool head.
“After all, the enemy knows that General Spinola is coming, so they can’t concentrate all their forces against us. Moreover, the damage they can inflict within this short timeframe is limited.”
Even though darkness enveloped everything, there were limits to how stealthily forces could move around without lighting a fire on such a night.
The enemy’s numbers were most likely to be small.
Furthermore, General Tilly had already instructed that the rear area was on high alert, anticipating an enemy attack tonight, so he believed that rushing over wouldn’t lead to a catastrophic outcome.
“They certainly put some thought into this, but I won’t fall easily. Brace yourselves, Evil Heretics!”
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