Almadianos Eiyuuden Chapter 59

Chapter 59 is out! 

Note: No chapter next week, 'cause of exams (yup, in September, because of the long strike we had earlier this year in Algerian universities). Anyway, I'll make up for that by doing a double release the week after. As for , I won't be posting today and I won't be posting next week either, but I'll do a release along with the Almadianos release.

Anyway, here's the chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it!

Chapter 59

About 20 miles (30km) south of Crowdagen, there was a broad expanse of flat land called the Mycenae plains.
Amongst Lapland's numerous mountains, flat land was a rare sight.
Before the war, the Myceneae plains were the one breadbasket that enlivened the kingdom's dining tables, but all that was left of them now was a tragic wasteland. 

Both armies had tens of thousands of men in armors. 

There was no way the soil would stay fertile after being trampled by all these soldiers and their horses.
Whether they liked it or not, Lapland was going to see a sharp decrease in their harvest this year. 

Still, that was better than the country's destruction.

Sometimes a country had to force some labor on its people for its own survival, that was only natural for them.
Even so, Lapland did feel reluctant to damage its own agricultural land at first, but they were certain that there was no other adequate place for them to deploy their large army.

There was another land south of these plains called Farris that had also been considered as an option; it was located near the kingdom's borders and was the location of their first clash against the enemy. 

The problem was that Asgard had no reason to retreat that far back at any point.

So, in the end, the Mycenae plains were fated to become a battlefield. It was inevitable.

【"They had way more magic canons last time, and they only have like 60% of their mages left."】
『Those kind of forces aren't like ordinary soldiers, they can't easily be replaced.』

Rather than that, the fact that Asgard was able to bring the numbers of its mage forces back to 60% spoke of their great efficiency.
They were not one of the big five for show.

If Lapland had been in the same situation, they wouldn't even have attempted to replace anyone.

Kurats was honestly impressed by the Asgard army.
Their formations were tidily organized, and their morale was completely back on track.
With how much damage they had taken, it would be normal of them to be afraid or shaken.
Even Asgard's elites should have been no exception.

【"This is pretty amazing. I guess that's the iron wall Cabernard's talent at work."】

Frigga nodded in agreement.
She and Kurats were currently riding horses side to side.
The griffon units were staying on standby as a reserve formation at the rear of the army.
But since she was a commander, Frigga had to switch to a horse for a while in order to give directions to her kingdom's forces.

【"As I expected, if we just let the soldiers go upfront, they won't be a match for Asgard. Everything will depend on how you and I will intervene, sir Mathers."】
【"I'm ready."】

The northern alliance's numbers were on the low side, but the even bigger issue was that it was impossible to put such an alliance under a united chain of command, no matter how willing they were to cooperate.
So while they they could have their chances during a siege, there was no way they could land a win in an open battlefield.
The reason Frigga had still dared to challenge the enemy on an open battlefield was that, first, she believed that the alliance's power would not be able to withstand a drawn-out battle such as a siege, but more importantly, she believed in Kurats' power.

【"Man, being popular sure is hard."】
『A king should answer such expectations.』

Bernst spoke cheerfully. He was hoping the achievements Kurats was going to earn here would help establish his position in the future.

『After all you've done, you don't want to return to your country without any victory to show to your sister, do you?』
(Well, our family's motto is "The victor is always right, and coming back alive is half the fight".)

Kurats' parents were former mercenaries, and before they died, they had instilled their teachings to his core.
For mercenaries, it didn't matter what kind of method they had to use as long as they obtained victory, and escaping was always a better option than defeat.
And of course, just like his parents taught him, Kurats had no intention to die before he could meet with Cornelia again, nor did he have any hint of a thought of losing.

【"Oh, hey! Good to see you came here too, sir Mathers!"】

It was then that Rodrigo showed up, wearing a plate armor that covered his enormous body.

【"I'm itching to start fighting! I'm glad I'll be able to battle on your side!"】

Just like Hans, Rodrigo was a complete meathead. He was cheerful and greeted Kurats with his heart opened right out, even though he had been beaten by him not that long ago.
This behavior was truly a mystery for Bernst. As far as he knew, men who were made to submit under another's strength would usually not show that kind of brightness and friendliness in return.

『…I'll never understand the inner workings of a meathead's brain.』

The fact that Bernst thought about that at all probably showed that he was changing.

【"Mister Rodrigo, I look forward to the support that you and your fire mages will bring to this battle. Our country did not have many mages in the first place, and now we only have half of them left…"】

Frigga bowed her head to Rodrigo while feeling quite disheartened about the state of her kingdom's army.
Even with the help of Macbarn and Elsrid, the alliance would barely be able to stand their ground in a magic battle against Asgard.
If Lapland was by itself, the enemy would be able to freely and one-sidedly shower them with anti-military spells.

【"Oh don't mention it, miss Frigga! I also look forward to seeing your griffon units in action! With enough griffons, you could change the shape of war as a whole!"】

Aside from Kurats, the griffon units led by Frigga was the force that was garnering the most attention from all the other countries.

Being able to control a monster was already considered amazing enough, but being able to control the griffons was another story, as it granted them superiority in the air.
This could change the core of the continent's military manoeuvers and defensive military facilities.

These griffons offered the possibility of fighting above ground, with no obstacles, which opened the door to new, omni-directional, aerial maneuvers. This was valuable enough to catch the eyes of major powers such the Asgard empire.
One of the reasons they had picked Lapland as their target in the first place was probably that they had their suspicions about the existence of these griffon units.

【"It's a shame that we'll be facing Brigitte. The griffons won't really be able to do anything with a high-level flight mage like her on the other side."】

Unfortunately, Frigga only had a few griffons at her disposition. With the help of a few subordinates only, Brigitte would easily be able to keep them at bay.

【"That's true. That's why the key is how fast I can beat Brigitte."】

Kurats liked Frigga's spirit.
She hadn't considered losing for a second.
It was hard to find this kind of character in a front-line commander like her.
She had an atmosphere to her that gave hope for the future, and she had the power to back it up.
Her hyperonfident words made Kurats completely forget about the seriousness of the coming battle.
His eyes met with Rodrigo's, and they both burst out laughing.

Frigga vehemently protested against the two men's loud laughter.

【"W-what are you laughing about, Maste-Sir Mathers?! And sir Rodrigo, you too?!"】

Her pouting face made this front-line commander look like nothing more than an ordinary young woman, which only served to make the two men laugh even more.

【"H, hey! If you don't stop laughing I'll get angry!"】

Frigga's cheeks cutely reddened as she got more and more upset.

And it was at this precise moment that Kurats finally started seeing her in a special light.