***Arc 8 One Who Spread Death, Chapter 181 Bagil Sandika, Or Perhaps Watcher of Holiness***

*One ken = about 1.8 meters One ri = about 400 meters. Half a ri = 200 meters.

――Bagil, commander of the Third Corps, remembered the night before the start of the war, in the main tent of Alberan's army.

‘――First of all, Krische’s army moves to take care of the enemy's war elephants and beasts like that. The opponent has a large army and elephants on the front. They will assume that they will not be defeated by any means and that they can at least create a stalemate, so we will turn that idea on its head.’

A special javelin throwing unit composed of magic possessors.

Using the Whoosh Whoosh Soldiers of the Blacky Corps or rather the Magic Spear Soldiers of the Black Flag Special Forces Company, they would use javelin to eliminate all the elephants that form the vanguard of the enemy army before they could engage.

A simultaneous javelin thrown by a trained magic possessor――it has some power against the military, but since it was just a spear, in the end the number that can be thrown at once is limited, and the damage it could inflict was also limited.

Its purpose was just to disrupt the enemy's pace, just like a regular spear, but the difference between it and a regular spear was its power.

Even if the opponent is a heavily armored infantryman or an elephant with a thick skin, the spears could easily pierce it.

A single throw by five men against one elephant would be more than enough.

The vanguard of the Alberinea army――they would sneak into groups near the front of Kolkis and Bagil's army, and at the signal they would begin throwing javelins.

The result would be a direct betrayal of the opponent's imagination.

This also had a large implication for the soldiers to get used to it as most of them were new recruits.

Even though they were highly skilled at using magic, if they were suddenly asked to attack the enemy, they would probably hesitate.

In fact, most of the Black Century in the Dragon's Maw were also frightened until Krische led them into action.

However, if they were to use a long distance throwing javelin, which they had been trained to do, it would give them a chance to realize the power they had gained without any of the danger, and it would be less psychologically taxing for them to throw than to hold a blade and thrust it directly at the enemy.

In order to treat the large number of these soldiers as a legitimate force, it was important to allow them to gain experience step by step.

Krische stood up and went to the steel plate behind her.

The formations of the two armies were drawn by magnetic pieces.

She got on the table and reached up and started moving the pieces until the two armies were engaged――Gallen helped her from the side..

"The blow to the enemy's morale will be huge. A full-frontal assault is a move one will choose because they are confident that they can win. There's no way the enemy would expect this to fail completely, and they will definitely become passive at this point. The initiative is here. From there, we will continue to make every effort to not let go of this opportunity."

Krische spun around on the platform with her skirt fluttering, put her hands on her hips, and puffed out her modest chest.

She then looked down at the generals and corps commanders, met Bagil's gaze and tilted her head.

She followed his line of sight――to her skirt.

"Bagil, what’s wrong?"

"No, I was worried that what's under the skirt might become visible."

"...Muu, don't worry, Krische is being careful."

While pouting her lips, Krische pinched her skirt as if she was worried about Bagil's words and looked at the generals and army commanders sitting in the chairs.

If Krische stood on the platform, it would probably be easy to see from an angle, but her skirt reached below the knees.

She nodded, thinking that it wouldn’t be seen, and turned her attention back to Bagil.

"Krische’s glad that Bagil is worried, but it's okay. Krische is a proper lady, so Krische won’t show any disrespect to men."

"Yes ma’am!"

Gallen, Mia, and the others looked exasperated when they saw Bagil stood up, gave a powerful reply, and saluted with dignity, while Dagra rubbed his temple as if he was tired.

Although an extremely talented warrior and commander, he had some character flaws.

If he were not in this position, he would be a man who would hang out in bars all year round and mess with the waiters.

"Krische's move, is of course, to break through the enemy forces that had been disturbed by this. The first to move will be Krische’s right wing, Bagil the commander of the third corps. It will not be difficult against the enemy who has lost the elephants and whose morale has been seriously shattered, right?"

"Of course, there is no commander here who would have trouble with that."

Krische smiled at those words.

"The first step is to make a breakthrough from that point. The first step is to make the enemy think so."

The right wing of the Alberinea army――the Third Corps.

As he gave the order for a full assault, Bagil’s mind flashed to Krische’s skirt, which was swaying.

Those were not the usual boot socks.

Not below knee length, but above the knee.

Though slender overall, Krische’s white thigh was fleshy――the black lace line of the socks that tightened there was beautiful, but.

"...What on earth was that?"

Bagil's sharp eyes didn't miss it.

The lace at the top of the sock was connected to a mysterious band that hung down from the top.

What he saw when Krische flipped her skirt on that platform was not a mistake.

The forward roll that Cliché did while throwing the spear earlier――at that moment, he clearly saw the mysterious band extending from the top of her thigh.

"What exactly was that?"

It was something Bagil, who had wide knowledge about women's underwear, didn't know about.

"――No, wrong. As expected, that is."

He remembered a rumor his wife had told him.

Apparently, garter belts were becoming popular among the ladies these days.

A new product from Arica Sarsbern, a well-known tailor among noblewomen.

This was something that overturns the conventional wisdom of sock clasps, and his wife and friends have also told him that even some high class noble people wear them. Though this is vague information.

At that time, he didn't really put it into his mind.

He was just impressed that such underwear had been made.

However, when he thought about it again, something came to light.

High class noble, it was a vague term but it referred to those associated with the royal family――in short, Her Majesty the Queen and Krische.

And the mysterious band that Krische wore.

If you think about it, you could certainly say that it was intended to be a sock fastener.

Bagil was now convinced of this.

The image of innocent Krische appeared in his mind, and from the name garter belt, he imagined its structure and put it together by wearing it on the inside of her skirt.

It was probably tied around the waist, like a corset or something.

Simply think of it as a belt with garters and sock clasps.

The band pulls up the socks from the waist and secures them in place.

Bagil's brilliant mind derived the optimal solution from the small amount of information――he created the entire structure in his mind.

A crazy obsession――no, it was just a lecher’s mind.

"...Something’s the matter? Bagil-sama"

Fagran, former commander of the Second Battalion of the Christand Army――and currently a battalion commander equivalent to an adjutant under the Bagils’s command, asked that when he saw his superior's serious expression and wrinkles between his eyebrows.

There’s no way he would ever think his superior would seriously think about Krische’s underwear in the face of this attack.

Both of them were once under the command of Grunmeld.

He knew what kind of person Bagil was because he had known him for a long time, but he had no idea he was such a pervert.

How to attack and destroy the enemy's camp.

He thought he was thinking deeply about that.

"The situation is like this. There's nothing to think about. Just bring the coward to a bloodbath and it'll be over."

No complex tactics were required.

Just crush them with morale.

It was short-sighted, but in this situation, it would produce the best result.

Fagran spoke as a matter of course based on his experience, and Bagil nodded.

"I know. ...Krische-sama showed us something amazing. I have no enemies today."

Bagil replayed the glimpse of Krische’s thigh in his head.

Unaware of his superior's intentions, Fagran thought of Krische and her subordinate――the black flag special member, and showed a powerful smile.

He thought that Bagil was thinking of the same scene as him.

"Hahaha, a man who doesn't get excited when shown something like that is no longer a man. ...The morale of the soldiers is at its peak. Give them the order."

"Ah, that's true. Not a man. ...Let's go. We've got a lot of fun ahead. ――Rex, give me the spear!!"

Bagir roared as he grabbed the melee spear held by his bodyguard and danced out to the line of battle.

And then, a group of Black Flag Special Forces who had cleared away the war elephants and unicorns had slowed down right in front of Centurion Tagel.

"Centurion Tagel, my corps will take over from now on! All of you, take a rest!!"

"Ha――!?"

Tagel answered, although he was taken aback by Bagil's appearance that suddenly appeared from behind.

However, it is unclear whether he heard the reply.

Bagil accelerated in one breath and was far ahead, already in front of the enemy's vanguard.

――With a single spear that made a roaring sound, he crushed the enemy in front.

"Listen, you small fry of Gulshan! And your cowardly commander who is cowering behind you! Bagil Sandika will make you regret facing against Alberinea!"

As if a wave avoiding a rock.

Seeing the enemy corps commander just three ken away, the soldiers of Gulshan's army who were directly in front of him tangled their legs in fear, or fled to the side to avoid him.

"――Third Corps, follow me!!"

Former first battalion commander with deep ties to the Black Century.

He was usually a friendly and easy-going man, but in this moment, the spirit emanating from his body was truly that of an unparalleled warrior on the battlefield.

He had never thought of him as an ordinary warrior, but when he showed his true spirit, it was like a completely different person.

He was a warrior who rose from a private to serve as the right-hand man of the Great Wolf, Grunmeld Varkas, and served as the adjutant of the Wolf Pack, the Kingdom's strongest battalion, for many years.

Tagel looked at him with great respect and raised his voice, wondering if this is what the man named Bagil Sandika was truly like.

He rallied the black soldiers around him and took control of the soldiers so that they could move again under any circumstances.

Now that the hunt for the beast was over, the command of the men was in the hands of the valiant Bagil.

A roar that seemed like it would burst their eardrums――and then the sound of the enemy lines shattering and screaming.

Imagining how big this assault would be, Tagel also lifted his cheeks and moved to Fagran's side, who was a little behind.

"Kuku, it's unusual for Bagil-sama to be this excited. Be ready to move at any time, young man. Once he becomes like that, you won't know how much more outrageous things will be."

"Understood!"

"――Fagran, the front is mine! You're in command from behind!!"

"Yes sir! Wave the flag and sound the trumpet! The First Battalion in the Center moves straight ahead! Second Battalion to the left, and Third and Fourth Battalion to the right! Let's force the enemy to break open!!"

For a battalion of 1,000 soldiers, the basic arrangement is 20 vertical lines and 50 horizontal lines.

If a corps commanded five battalions, one battalion would be left as a spare, so the width of the battle front would be approximately half a ri.

The reason why it was made vertically thick by 20 was because of the existence of magic possessors.

The presence of magic possessors is a threat in itself, but if among them were some powerful enough to overwhelm others, they could easily break through the thickness of 10 people by themselves.

The reason for dividing the centurions into five in the vanguard and five in the rear guard, as well as leaving a large battalion behind them as a reserve, was based on the premise that such magic possessors would break through.

Even if they were to spread out horizontally and take up a position of 10 vertical and 100 horizontal, for example, and take a wider battle line than their opponents and attempt to bypass them from the wings, they would still have the disadvantage of travelling long distance as a fundamental problem.

If the wall is broken directly from the front before they reach the enemy's rear, they will be at a disadvantage.

This was a conclusion and answer not only for Alberan but also for the battlefields of this world, and the same was true for the Gulshan army.

If there are 1000 people, there will be 20 columns.

However, armies were basically composed of companies of about 500 soldiers.

The commanders of these companies were directly under the command of the general, who had the authority of a battalion commander that is called "War Lion Commander" in Alberan and given corps commander authority.

If the army was 5,000 strong, one could command 10 companies at most.

A good war lion commander could, in some cases, gain an advantage over the kingdom's 5,000 legionnaires.

The ability to freely operate a small force company of 500 allows for greater freedom of tactical maneuver, and a good war lion commander might even be able to gain an advantage over a corps of 5,000 of the Kingdom in some cases.

However, as tactical freedom increased, commanders were required to have vast information processing capabilities and the ability to derive optimal solutions from countless options.

And the more the number of troops entrusted to their command exceeds that number, the greater the burden on them becomes.

This could be said to be a military structure in which everything depended on the excellence of the War Lion Commander.

Alberan's army lacks a sense of stability, and its chain of command allows the superior Battle Lion Commander to perform detailed tactical operations, but at the cost of that, the Battle Lion Commander is at the mercy of countless pieces of information and thoughts.

If their instructions were delayed, or if they stopped thinking even for a moment, the problems to be handled would rush in like a tidal wave and exceed their limits.

This military structure was a deeply rooted problem in the history of Gulshan.

In the past, the War Lion Commander was a privileged class that was only allowed to the noble of the Gulshan Kingdom. There was an absolute wall between them and the company commander, and no matter what military achievements a commoner may have, they were limited to company commanders.

The Gulshan royal family believed that giving too much power to commoners would inevitably lead to rebellion, and this system was built over many years to solidify the power structure of the royal family, the nobility, and the commoners.

On top of that, they treated the nobles generously and sided with them to prevent commoner rebellion. Although that power structure collapsed due to the rebellion of Organ, who was born into the royal family, the military structure has been maintained even after becoming a republic.

Based on his experience in the civil war, Orugan felt that the chain of command was problematic and needed to be reformed, but he voluntarily relinquished his authority to make any decisions on his own initiative and assumed the position of vice-chairman.

He held the position of commander-in-chief of the Gulshan army, but this power was only entrusted from the congress.

There were many difficulties in reforming the military structure, such as the need to obtain approval from Congress, and on top of that, the position of War Lian Commander was the most coveted rank for military personnel who were civilians.

There was a lot of opposition to having that authority taken away, and the soldiers also wanted to be led by a warlord who was a commoner.

Despite some problems, there were advantages, and the problems were not fatal flaws.

It is also true that the War Lion Commander, who was a commoner, defeated the royal family and led the rebel army to victory――even now, they were able to compete with other countries.

In that case, Orugan didn't have the means to directly deny their advice that things would be fine as they were.

Military reform always requires a lot of effort.

Even if the current score is 70, they won't know whether it would be 80 or 60 after the reform they actually did it.

Naturally, many military personnel would prefer to maintain the status quo rather than reform, which had an uncertain future.

It is difficult to shake off the idea that they had been doing well up until now, and the fact that they currently have a score of 70 was only seen by Orugan and a few others.

The only way to reform is to take time, and even today, they are in the decisive battle against Alberan in their old form.

"War Lion Commander! The commander of the 7th Central Company is coming to the rescue――"

"I know!"

On the left wing of the Elkar army against Alberinea, Battle War Commander Lacour was spinning his mind on horseback, concentrating on how to overcome this situation.

The reason he was positioned in the center of the left wing instead of in the rear of the left wing was because his initial move was a simultaneous assault.

In order to be able to quickly sense and deal with whatever movements his opponent was making――with that thought in mind, Lacour placed himself in a relatively front position.

However, the situation was fundamentally reversed.

The main premise of being the one to attack disappeared along with the beast, and they were in the worst possible situation of being completely caught off guard and being assaulted by the opponent.

Without a doubt, the vanguard would be breached.

This position near the front was dangerous, no matter how one looked at it.

Depending on the situation and the depth of the battle line, they had no choice but to resist the enemy's attack.

The opponent in front of them was less than half of their number, 5000 at most.

However, the vanguard in front of Lacour was only 5,000.

The rest of his forces were behind him.

In this situation, the best option would be to bring those behind them forward, have Lacour escape to the rear, and use the depth of the battle line to absorb the enemy's attack.

The damage would be great, but it would be the best option under the current circumstances.

Knowing the responsibility and value of the War Lion Commander on the left wing, it was reasonable to think that he should never put himself in a situation where he could not command and control――a situation where he would directly engage the enemy.

However, they lost Alcazaris, the war elephants and the unicorns in an instant.

The morale of the soldiers was on the verge of collapse.

If their commander, the War Lion Commander, were to flee to the rear, the vanguard would feel abandoned by Lacour.

If that happens, all that would be left is just a mob.

It was clear that their current situation of being overrun would change to being slaughtered.

The entire left wing was on the brink of a morale collapse.

Even though it is the best choice, he couldn’t take the choice of escape――the choice of a fresh start.

His role as War Lion Commander was to inspire his soldiers here.

"A breakthrough in the center is inevitable! Deploy our troops to the left and right and annihilate the enemy who has broken through!"

"Y-yes sir!"

A breakthrough to this point could no longer be prevented.

If that's the case, then use himself as bait to draw the enemy in, pincer attack from the left and right――use mobile defense to lure them in and kill them.

The enemy's corps leader was probably at the front.

As long as they could defeat him, they could recover from this situation.

Even if that's not the case, if there was enough time for the troops behind him to reinforce the vanguard, they could achieve a temporary stalemate.

With this difference in military strength, there were countless options other than fleeing from here.

However, in order to do that, they needed a little time――time to rebuild their vanguard.

Therefore, Lacour took the brave option of pulling out his curved sword and using himself as a decoy to attack the enemy.

"Get the archers ready to shoot――hg!?"

――However, it could be said that he made that decision too late.

The shock of losing the war elephants in the blink of an eye.

Lacour also stiffened for a moment.

And it could be said that that delay resonated here,

"I see a cowardly commander! Who will kill the delicious prey!?"

His eyes were bloodshot and he had a maniacal smile on his face.

A man appeared, cutting through the vanguard.

The half plate representing the goddess was smeared with blood――Bagil Sandika, commander of the Third Corp under the direct control of Alberinea of the Kingdom's Central Army.

His howling voice was overlaid by the cries of a pack of wolves.

With the corps leader in the forefront, morale was at its peak, rising to the utmost limit.

There was nothing that could stand up to them.

The frightened vanguard――at its rear line some even threw down their swords and ran away.

Their cries for help were endless as spears and blades skewered them from behind.

"Ts――I rescinded my previous order! Stop them!

Lacour shouted as quickly as he could, trying to call back the troops he had split in two.

However, they were confused as they were moving to take a mobile defensive posture――only a few were able to move at that moment.

Immediately after giving the order.

The soldiers who were guarding him were still nearby.

And there was some distance between them and the enemy.

Lacquer thought that he could manage to fend off the assault.

"――Centurion Tagel, cut in with me!"

"Ha! Did you hear that, the target is the commander's head!!"

――However, the enemy closed the gap at an unimaginable speed.

If he had at least run away at this moment, he might have still been able to survive.

However, it couldn’t be said that it was a mistake.

It was true that he had misjudged his opponent――but no one could imagine being attacked by a century, all of whom possessed magical power.

Led by the army commander donning the blood-soaked goddess in his chest, the following soldiers galloped faster than horses as well.

Surrounding Lacour were a few escorts, flag bearers, and trumpeters.

And the quick-witted soldiers were able to return in that instant.

And in front is Alberinea's hunters, opponents of the same number or less couldn’t even hope to be an obstacle.

When approached at point-blank range, they fired their roaring spears in unison.

And their spears were magical spears that can kill war elephants and even pierce armor.

The men who became the wall of Lacour――it was now difficult to find survivors.

"――!?"

"Avoided huh, quite good."

Lacour, who barely managed to dodge the spear at the cost of his horse, also dodged Bagil's subsequent blow.

He was a warrior worthy of his position as War Lion Commander.

He tried to open up the distance by jumping backwards,

"Eh, gah..."

"――But you're not my opponent."

But the man with a crazy smile――Bagil easily chased him into a leap and pierced his throat with the tip of his long sword.

Half his body in front of the sword, it was the opposite of the Lorca style of swordsmanship――the Zain style of swordsmanship he had trained in was completely focused on attacks.

With his outstanding footwork, he always kept his opponents in range and took the initiative.

If there was a momentary gap, what would be released was a deadly thrust that could pierce through even plate armor.

In front of Bagir Sandika's sword skills and footwork, honed on the front lines of numerous battlefields, retreating would mean death.

When he pulled the sword from the throat, Lacour's body fell to his knees like a doll with its strings cut.

Bagil mercilessly cut his head off.

He didn’t let it fall and skewered it as it flew through the air, as if to show off his sword skills.

"Hahaha, what's wrong Gulshan small fry? The head of the coward who commands you is here! Kuku, don't you understand the language of the kingdom!

Then he laughed and held his head high above.

"Well, I'll teach you from now on. I'll make you all suffer the same thing. If you're going to hold a grudge, you should grudge your ignorance for challenging Alberinea!"

Bagir's followers expand on the breakthrough and exclaim in joy as their own corps commander lifted up the head.

At least in the crazy world of the battlefield, there was no one more respected than an outstanding murderer.

Everyone here knew that those who steal, crush, and trample on things that should be treated with care in everyday life would bring victory and honor.

A world where only the abnormal shine――and Bagil was a beast who loved such battlefields more than anything.

The head of the respected War Lion Commander was exposed, but there was no abnormal person who wanted to avenge his death, at least not among the Gulshan soldiers there.

Everyone was frightened and lost their will to fight, dazzled by the beastly nature of the enemy's commander and the black banner on his side.

Fagran caught up and looked at his superior with amusement and asked him.

"Bagil-sama, are you going to break through like this?"

Bagil doesn't seem intimidating compared to Grunmeld, and he usually seems kind.

That was probably why.

When he revealed the madness that resided within him, he seemed to be an extremely terrifying being.

He was asked by Krische to become the commander of the Fourth Corp, and the reason he turned it down was probably because he wanted to see this.

He wanted to experience this thrilling feeling down his spine under the command of an abnormal person named Bagil Sandika, a former Wolf Pack adjutant.

The feeling of a mixture of fear and respect.

"No, we won't break through. As planned, let's wait for Commander Argand to make a move."

Left――He looks toward the center, and his cheeks lift at the sound of roars and screams.

"...There's no need to rush. We'll take a break for a while――prepare for the next, and kill as many of the terrified enemy soldiers here as we can."

"Ah, understood. Trample them down, is it?"

"That’s right.…What do you think, Fagran, don’t you think it would be fun?"

"As for me, it's just a side job but......"

Black Flag Special Force, Centurion Tagel, looked at the unusual conversation between the two with a puzzled look on his face.

Although he was surprised that such a person would be a corps commander, he took control of the scattered soldiers and ordered each of them to take a break.

"...Centurion Tagel, please let Krische-sama know about my accomplishments."

"Yes sir!"

"As a reward, I would be happy if she would train my soldiers personally."

"Hahaha", Bagil laughed happily.

Tagel once again revealed his respect for his desire to improve by receiving training as a reward.

――Unbeknownst to him, what was inside his mind was a dancing skirt.

Tagel gives him a heartfelt salute.