Chapter 38  : A Red Banner Emblazoned with a Golden Lion

A new side quest was assigned.

Instead of excitement, Kant’s expression looked rather stern.

Sir Hobson, who had not been in the Oasis Lookout for long, looked even more serious than Kant was.

“2,000 Jackalans.”

He frowned slightly. His eyes looked fierce. “The difference in numbers is just too great.”

It was not 20 or 200 Jackalans they faced. It was 2,000 Jackalans. It was a terrifying number that could swallow up all 50 retainer knights right there and then.

From the looks of things, if both parties clashed head-on, it was a battle the humans were destined to lose.

Things looked grim.

“Are those forces all from some large-scale Jackalan Tribe?”

Scholar Hank, who was holding his cane, said, “If there are 2,000 Jackalans, that is not a number a small tribe could have easily amassed.”

The old scholar was not versed in militaristic affairs.

However, when it came to tactical analysis, his mind remained as that of a scholar.

“Indeed.” Kant nodded, not bothering to hide anything.

His mind blitzed about with thoughts. He truthfully said, “We found a largescale Jackalan Tribe north of the Oasis Lookout. That place had at least 2,500 Jackalans. If I’m not mistaken, these are definitely bastards from there.”

It’s definitely them.

The direction and numbers all indicated that they were from that Jackalan Tribe.

Worse still, they were moving out en masse.

They were determined to wipe out the human forces occupying the Oasis Lookout.

They’re out for revenge!

“We need to be careful with tactics.”

Sir Hobson was quiet for a while before saying, “We need to crush those Jackalans in the least costly way. We need to cut down on casualties that may occur on our side.”

“We need to be careful.” Scholar Hank nodded in agreement.

“You have my thanks.”

Kant pressed his hand against his chest and bowed solemnly.

The way the two men spoke meant that they intended to intervene in the matter.

In truth, they could have simply chosen to leave when facing an assault from 2,000 Jackalans. They would not have needed to consider what Kant’s thoughts were. They had no duty whatsoever to help Kant defend his territory.

Their mission was to escort Scholar Hank in the Nahrin Desert expedition.

“If the Oasis Lookout is taken over, I guess my expedition would end here.”

He sighed and gave a bitter smile.

He looked at Kant’s young yet determined face and felt pity for the young man. “Then again, I couldn’t bear to see the best student of mine lose his place without a fight.”

Sir Hobson nodded and said, “Furthermore, that’s not to say that we’ve lost any chances of winning.”

“We’ll need to give all we’ve got.”

Kant nodded solemnly. They did not say much, but he had taken what was offered to heart.

This was timely assistance in an hour of distress.

Seeing Kant’s expression, Scholar Hank and Sir Hobson nodded.

At the very least, they both liked Kant.

“We shall lay out the battle plan.”

After speaking, Sir Hobson looked at both Kant and Scholar Hank and added, “This is not a battle we can afford to lose.”

They still had a decent fighting force.

The 50 retainer knights were 50 heavy cavalry units.

They were all well-trained, well-armed, and eager to fight.

Working with the troops currently garrisoning the Oasis Lookout, which was a force of about 200 units, it improved their chances of taking out those primitive, crude Jackalans.

Unlike the Jackalans, they were a fighting force from a civilized world.

They had proven that point 10 years ago.

A force from the Dukedom of Leo, consisting of 2,000 units, had overwhelmed the entire southern part of the Nahrin Desert back then.

Their deeds were clearly detailed in the records.

Back then, in the southern part of the desert and the Senwaya Range, there had been over a dozen large Jackalan Tribes. Furthermore, hundreds of smaller tribes were scattered around.

All of them had been wiped out without fail.

But things were different now.

They clearly had a disadvantage in terms of numbers, so they needed to carefully consider the plan to win the upcoming battle.

Their strategies needed to be sensible.

Their discussion proceeded quickly due to the enemy about to be at their door.

Before long, they arrived at a conclusion.

“In that case, your forces shall guard the oasis, Baron Kant.”

Sir Hobson said, “I will lay low with the retainer knights behind the dune. When the fighting becomes intense, we will crush the enemy in the shortest amount of time and throw all of them into a panic.”

“That is a good strategy.”

Kant nodded in agreement.

He trusted his Swadian infantry units guarding the ends of the street at the village. He knew there would not be any problems at all.

That was what Kant guaranteed to Sir Hobson.

“I will remain here.”

Scholar Hank nodded and tapped his cane on the sand beneath his feet. “While I may be old, I do think that I can still be useful somehow here.”

Kant nodded and said, “It is best if you stay behind.”

It was a gruesome, bloody battlefield waiting for them out there.

If he were to be caught in the middle of such intense fighting, Scholar Hank, who was 67 years old, would have easily been killed.

Kant, who respected the scholar very much, pointed at his Council Hall and said, “Master Hank, that building is comparatively safe. You can rest there and rid yourself of the weariness from the journey.”

Sir Hobson chuckled at Kant’s caution. “You have indeed underestimated Scholar Hank.”

“There is no need to worry about me.” Scholar Hank smiled and shook his head.

He held on tight to his cane. His seemingly drowsy, yellowed eyes looked spirited. “Kant, back then when I followed Duke Cameron into the battlefield, you hadn’t even been born yet.”

“Is that so…” Kant wanted to offer some words of comfort.

Scholar Hank looked so old that it seemed a strong gust of wind would have been able to blow him away.

Suddenly, news came from the watchtower.

“Lord Kant, enemy inbound!”

The militia member in charge of the sentry duty at the top of the watchtower looked out and anxiously shouted, “They are readying themselves behind the dune and getting into formation. They will probably strike at any given moment. Please get ready as soon as possible!”

The enemy had arrived.

It was an enemy force that consisted of 2,000 Jackalans.

“Let’s go.” Sir Hobson gathered the knights and rode out.

The 50 retainer knights, all of whom wore double-layered mail armor covered with a linen robe, quickly rode out with their leader.

The stars were dazzling.

The moonlight above was brilliant.

The militia members on top of the watchtower saw tightly packed Jackalans behind the northeastern dune getting ready.

Howls and screeches were heard throughout the desert.

They were so loud that they were even heard clearly at the Oasis Lookout.

“Here they come.”

Scholar Hank frowned slightly as he looked at the dune to the northeast.

He remembered what was written in the records. He said to Kant in a low voice, “If we can resist the first wave of the Jackalan assault, we will be halfway through winning the battle.”

“I understand.” Kant nodded.

The primitive Jackalans had no tactics or strategies to speak of.

They simply charged messily.

They retreated just as messily.

Kant’s Drondheim troops only needed to make it through the first wave of attack to ensure the battle fell into a deadlock state.

Afterward, Sir Hobson and his 50 retainer knights were prepared to charge the Jackalans, paving their way to victory.

Heavily cavalry charges were extremely lethal.

It was just like how Kant had previously tricked the Jackalans and made them panic. Their formations eventually crumbled, and Kant won. It was the same situation.

Herd mentality was a terrifying thing.

As long as a breakdown was seen in their ranks, those Jackalans, which had never been trained in battlefield tactics, would crumble altogether.

Whooo!

Croaked howls were suddenly heard.

A strong Jackalan holding a two-handed battleax was seen standing on a dune.

“It’s the Jackalan Chieftain.”

As he spoke, Kant felt rather parched.

That chieftain held his two-handed battleax high. All the Jackalans behind him raised their crudely made spiked clubs high and began to charge.

High-pitched, noisy screeches from the Jackalans were heard all over the place.

In the dark of night, nothing but bloodlust could be seen in their green eyes.

“Raise your weapons and be ready to take on the enemy!”

Kant took a deep breath. His expression looked extremely serious.

He held the banner in his hand high. The red banner with a golden lion emblazoned billowed in the wind.

Intimidation!

That was the strongest item Kant currently had in his possession.

That was where his confidence in winning the upcoming battle lied.

“This can’t be…”

Even Scholar Hank looked shocked and shaken as he stared at the golden lion on the red banner with a dazed expression. He muttered, “The banner is a sacred item!”

The Jackalans charged.

A mystical aura enveloped the area after they were within a certain distance of the Oasis Lookout.

Something happened on Kant’s side as well.

The Swadian troops guarding the ends of the street of Drondheim were very high-spirited.

The battle had begun.