Medieval Knight System: Building the Strongest Empire Ever!-Chapter 67: Commander Scouter

Setting aside the reward of 5,000 points, I focused on the Commander Scouter.

Manager, Searcher, Diplomat.

Those were the only three types of scouters I had used so far.

Of those, I owned the Manager and Searcher.

The Commander Scouter was a type I was seeing for the first time.

What functions did it have? Two came installed by default.

Morale analysis and combat power.

Morale analysis displayed both enemy and allied morale, conveniently color-coded: blue for high morale, yellow for caution, and red for danger. Red meant a high probability of routing. This was an interface I recognized from gameplay. I was secretly pleased to see something familiar after so long.

Unit combat power assigned a numerical value to each unit, with stronger units approaching 100. The number dropped when a unit had problems or its morale was affected. So if I concentrated attacks on units with low combat power, wouldn’t that yield good results?

I examined the Burgundian formation.

Morale was blue, but combat power was on the weak side.

Setting aside their numerical advantage, this was an army we could definitely fight.

Could the bulk of their force be levies?

By contrast, our side was composed of professional soldiers apart from the Rosenheim militia.

Our army’s combat power averaged 80; Burgundy’s sat at 65.

However, the enemy outnumbered us roughly two to one.

With their relatively low combat power, wouldn’t a strike at the rear greatly shake their morale as well?

If we raided with a small cavalry force, we stood a real chance of winning.

The Beren lancers were currently tied up fighting the Burgundian cavalry and out of the equation, so the mounted riders available were myself, Guard Captain Eisenach and his four guardsmen, Steinhof’s Fiel, Vermeer, and five light cavalry. Thirteen riders in total.

Much faster than heavy cavalry, but lacking in breakthrough power.

Then again, breakthrough power wasn’t truly necessary for rear disruption.

Since the Crown Prince had chosen to fight and the duchy soldiers’ morale was soaring, battle was unavoidable.

"What? Brother-in-law, isn’t that too dangerous?"

"It’s dangerous, but if it succeeds, we can win without major casualties. Your Highness, will you grant me command of the guardsmen, Sir Vermeer, and Sir Steinhof?"

I could be putting the Crown Prince’s close aides in harm’s way. But with a shortage of available cavalry, the guardsmen’s and close aides’ fighting ability would make a real difference. The Crown Prince deliberated but ultimately gave his permission. We actually broke out in a cold sweat stopping him from joining us himself.

"Consider Sir Streit’s orders as my own and follow them!"

So I stepped down from my position as right wing commander and became the leader of a detachment of thirteen cavalry, myself included. The real reason I had volunteered was my confidence that the Commander Scouter would allow me to make optimal decisions at the right moments.

"Commander, leave the vanguard to me."

"Where did you get that lance?"

"The Steinhof family always carries lances. My grandfather led a lancer unit. If you put me at the vanguard, I’ll pull my weight—I promise you that."

Fiel added that he had received extensive training in lance attacks using the couched method. Alongside swordsmanship, the first thing the Steinhof family taught was the cavalry charge. To carry on the legacy of Adolf, known as the Storm Knight, it had evidently become a unique family tradition.

"Form up! Archers, to your positions!"

Michael gave his orders and organized the formation, and battle finally erupted between the Burgundian army and the Beren duchy army. Meanwhile, I led the cavalry and slipped quietly around to the rear, concealing ourselves in the forest. I dismounted and hid in the undergrowth, watching both sides exchange volleys of arrows.

The right wing was now under the command of Michael’s lieutenant, and I had instructed Ted and Oscar beforehand to guard the lieutenant as if he were me. If they had been cavalry, they would have come along, but as regular soldiers, they couldn’t. That was a genuine disappointment.

When I got home, even if it cost some money, I needed to arrange cavalry training for Ted and Oscar.

If that didn’t work out, prioritizing horsemanship when selecting from among the private soldier candidates I hadn’t been able to recruit due to the tight schedule would be another option. The upkeep would be expensive, but having retainer cavalry to back me up in situations like this would be immensely reassuring. In any case, that was a matter for later—for now, I focused on the battlefield.

The Burgundians had more archers, but the duchy army had superior equipment. Heavily armored, our soldiers weathered the rain of arrows and immediately counterattacked. Then the Burgundian infantry began advancing first. Matching their movement, the duchy army moved to meet them while holding formation.

Wahhh!

Wahhh!

On the battlefield ringing with battle cries, the two armies collided.

Maintaining formation as they pressed forward, light infantry armed with daggers dispatched opponents in the gaps between the heavy infantry. It was fortunate that the Burgundian army didn’t have a single spearman. Beyond the first row of heavy infantry, most were light infantry equipped at a level similar to the Rosenheim soldiers. Levies, without a doubt.

The duchy army’s combat power dropped from 80 to 75. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Burgundy’s combat power likewise fell from 65 to 60.

But with their numerical superiority intact, their morale held firm.

The moment Burgundy’s combat power dropped to 55, I gave the order and everyone mounted at once.

"Cavalry of Beren, follow me! Hyah!"

"Hyah! Hyah!"

Thirteen riders burst through the undergrowth and charged hard toward the Burgundian army’s flank.

Having rested the horses while we waited for the enemy’s combat power to drop, our mounts were fresh.

Fiel, lance in hand, took the lead.

Thud thud thud thud!

Closer and closer to the enemy.

The Burgundian soldiers panicked at our sudden appearance.

They scrambled to block us, but it was already too late.

"B-block them!"

Crash!

"Ahhh!"

Fiel’s lance, driven at full speed, punched clean through the body of an infantryman who had tried to block with his shield. The lance shattered, but Fiel drew his cavalry sword and swept past, taking the infantryman’s head as cleanly as cutting through a straw bundle. With the vanguard’s role of breaking the line fulfilled, the rest of us poured through the gap Fiel had opened.

Then I took the lead.

Thud thud thud thud!

The remaining cavalry would follow wherever I rode.

My first target was the right wing, whose morale had plummeted after the sudden cavalry strike. Their combat power had dropped to 50, and the yellow morale indicator made them appetizing prey. Leading the cavalry in a diagonal sweep into the right wing, I drew my cavalry sword and swung.

Slash!

I passed by, cleaving an infantryman’s head from his shoulders.

It felt like slow motion.

Behind me, Fiel’s and Eisenach’s cavalry swords arced through the air, cutting down infantrymen in turn. Speed was life for cavalry. After tearing through the right wing’s rear, I immediately wheeled toward the enemy center. Our purpose was disruption, not a body count.

Swinging my cavalry sword to cut down soldiers, trampling others beneath the hooves—in the thick of battle, I nearly lost myself in the intoxicating rush of slaughtering enemies as a mounted knight. But I didn’t make the mistake of losing focus, and I monitored combat power and morale through the Commander Scouter to the very end.

From right wing to center, from center to left wing.

The cavalry I led tore mercilessly through the enemy’s rear.

At last, the Burgundian army collapsed into an uncontrollable rout.

In the midst of the chaos, a Burgundian knight shouting commands in French entered my field of vision.

I changed direction and charged straight for him.