Viktor took the lead because he knew the terrain north of Breisburg better than anyone. And since we’d already worked together in the field, his command as vice commander didn’t feel awkward at all.

The enemy cavalry chasing us weren’t Imperial Knights but what I assumed to be mercenaries. The Imperial Knights were heavy cavalry on par with the Beren Lance Cavalry, but these pursuers were clearly light cavalry specialized in pursuit.

There were no Imperial Knights among them. They were probably in the rear group.

All that remained were the corpses of the Imperial Knights’ vice commander and his men.

We were light cavalry too, but unlike them, we were equipped with cavalry armor, making us slightly slower than dragoon-class light troops. Still, we hadn’t been caught thanks to the head start.

If the Scouter hadn’t detected their ambush, we could have been wiped out. It was an incredibly dangerous situation. My men had been through enough with me that they followed my judgment without question.

As a result, we easily avoided the enemy’s surprise attack.

I think my authority within the Gale Knights just went up another notch.

Now all that remained was to safely protect this poor young lady squirming in my arms and whimpering that it hurt. It was no surprise she was in pain. We were pressed close together, but I was wearing plate armor.

I understood perfectly well the agony of having her body constantly jostled against cold metal by the rough riding, but it was a hundred times better than being captured and dragged away.

The most important person here right now wasn’t me.

The Grand Duke’s greatest design hinged on the future crown princess in my arms. So my top priority was to fulfill my duty and protect her. Whatever the reasons, the Grand Duke was my liege lord.

And since he had shown me favor and granted me many privileges, I had an obligation, separate from loyalty itself, to carry out his orders to the best of my ability. That was the contractual relationship between lord and vassal.

As long as it didn’t mean walking willingly into death like Baron Constance.

But then, the Commander Scouter detected an enemy trap.

It didn’t specify what kind, but it was obvious.

They’d either strung trip lines to snag the horses’ legs or laid out wooden stakes.

Simple yet extremely effective traps.

And they were spread over a wide area. It seemed the enemy had mapped out our predicted route the day before and set everything up deliberately. But no matter how wide the coverage, it wasn’t dense.

I felt bad for Mont Blanc, who was already irritated about carrying two riders, but I pushed for even more speed and shot to the front in an instant. Then I signaled Viktor with hand signs.

It meant I was taking the lead. When Viktor signaled the standard-bearer, the Gale Knights’ formation naturally shifted into a wedge following the flag’s movement.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!

This was the result of regular training. Panicking when the enemy launches a surprise attack is what ragtag mobs do. Thanks to Fiel and Viktor’s thorough drilling, we moved as one body.

The pursuing cavalry must have been celebrating inside when they saw us charging straight toward the traps. Sorry to disappoint. I threaded us through only the gaps where there were no traps, slipping past with pinpoint precision.

From a distance, it probably looked like we were moving in a zigzag.

The ones caught off guard were the enemy cavalry.

They must have expected us to flounder in the traps, but we passed through far too easily, and it was actually their own riders who stumbled into them, charging forward in confusion.

The traps were impossible to spot with the naked eye, so they ran right into them.

Neighhh!

Aaaagh!

The crashes were so loud that even my knights turned to look. And surely they felt a sense of awe toward me for weaving through those traps as if it were nothing? I could feel Viktor’s astonished gaze.

But it was too early to relax.

Plenty of enemy cavalry had leaped over the wrecked traps and were still coming.

And before long, flanking riders appeared.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!

Roughly twenty to thirty riders in small groups were closing in from both sides. They too had approached from outside the Commander Scouter’s range. These cavalry seemed specialized in wide-area operations.

They probably thought of us as frightened prey fleeing in a rout. But we weren’t running out of fear. We had someone to protect, and we were falling back because the odds were against us.

Running from fear and retreating from disadvantage are two entirely different things. That was why we needed to break through the flanking riders closing in from both sides. When I gave the hand signal, the standard-bearer waved the flag.

Fiel and his squad moved to the front.

I’d placed the Gale Knights’ most powerful assault unit at the vanguard.

"Fräulein! We’re about to break through!"

"What? What did you say?"

"We’re breaking through! Hold on tight!"

Lily turned to look at me with eyes that seemed to ask, You’re joking, right? Without mercy, I pulled a spare cloak from the saddle and threw it over Lily’s head. The timing was so perfect it almost looked like a magic trick.

I couldn’t let a young lady watch a breakthrough up close.

She’d faint if she saw it with her own eyes.

A cavalry breakthrough was that dangerous and required tremendous courage.

The knights on either side of me, carrying the handmaids, followed my lead and draped spare cloaks over them too. It was the bare minimum precaution and would at least keep blood from splattering on them. When the frightened Lily started wailing, I pressed her head down firmly.

"Keep your mouth shut unless you want to bite your tongue off!"

That finally quieted her down.

Sorry, Fräulein, but we’re in a hurry right now.

Lily was actually the well-behaved one.

The handmaids had thrashed around in such a panic that they nearly knocked the knights off their horses.

Fiel, who’d been watching for the right moment to break through, finally leveled his lance and began his charge. Our chosen breakthrough point was the right flank. The sudden charge threw the right-side flanking riders into complete disarray.

Crack! Crack!

Aaaagh!

Kibaszott!

I held Lily with my left hand and drew my cavalry sword with my right. The moment the vanguard punched through the enemy line, I slashed at the enemy riders as they passed.

I still hated the moment of cutting into a person.

But if I didn’t, I was the one who’d die. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

We completely broke through the right flanking force, and the remaining riders were knocked from their horses by my knights’ swords as we swiftly escaped the encirclement unscathed. Our goal was the breakthrough, not annihilating the enemy.

I hoped none of my knights had been killed, but there was no way to know right now.

As I fell back, Viktor retook the lead.

If we kept riding straight, we’d be heading toward Eisten, but Viktor led us in an entirely different direction. The enemy cavalry whipped their horses frantically, trying to close the gap.

Could they really close the distance, though?

We were riding just as desperately.

A fairly tall hill loomed ahead.

The Gale Knights temporarily slowed down.

The enemy cavalry must have sensed an opportunity, because they clung to us relentlessly.

They actually closed to within about fifty meters.

When we crested the hill, what waited on the other side was an infantry formation and archers arrayed to counter cavalry. There was also cavalry standing by for pursuit. Roughly a thousand troops in all, perhaps?

We galloped straight toward that army.

The infantry parted to let us through as we approached.

The enemy cavalry that followed us over the hill were shocked to find another army waiting for them. But the momentum of the downhill slope made it impossible to rein in their horses in time.

"Fire!"

At the commander’s shout, the archers loosed their arrows in unison. A black curtain of arrows blotted out the sky and rained down like a storm on the enemy cavalry, who had stripped their armor light for speed.

Caught completely defenseless under the arrow barrage, most of the enemy riders were thrown from their horses and couldn’t escape death. The rest of the cavalry who crested the hill after them saw the carnage and quickly wheeled around.

"Don’t let those rebel bastards get away!"

Michael, the supreme commander of the duchy’s army, ordered the pursuit of the enemy cavalry, and the riders charged out all at once. They seemed to be singing for joy at the chance to claim some loot for the first time in a while.

Having been waiting in reserve, their horses were fresh and full of energy.

The enemy’s horses, however, were thoroughly spent.

"Ha ha ha, look at those fools! Running away in a panic like a bunch of Romani!"

"Phew, thank God everything went according to plan."

It was fortunate that I’d detected the duchy army’s presence with the Commander Scouter. If anything had been even slightly off, the enemy cavalry would have caught us. But why was the duchy army here in the first place?

"Thanks to the messenger my brother-in-law sent, we were thoroughly prepared."

Michael added that they’d even found a guide while scouting for a rally point.

He finished with a grin.