Bait

"Quick! Charge! Run into the woods!"

General Kent ran at the very back of the formation, waving his arms as he shouted himself hoarse.

The thunder of hooves came from behind him, like raging ocean waves that could swallow him at any moment—he had been born in a coastal city, so the sensation was not unfamiliar to him.

Looking back, he could see the Hori Kingdom's elite cavalry a few hundred meters behind him. They wore armor, roared from their throats, and brandished longswords—the same men who had routed their army only a few hours ago.

Priests flew through the sky, and from time to time, a Holy Light Bomb came crashing down from behind. Fortunately, the distance was still great, and their aim was poor.

Ahead, the woods beneath the night sky were dark and silent, without the slightest sign of movement. Everyone desperately rushed inside, like famine-stricken refugees charging toward grain carts sent for disaster relief.

They knew the mages were lying in ambush inside. As long as they lured the enemy army in, they could turn around and strike with their blades. But with the enemy host closing in behind them, no one was truly confident. They could only sprint on the will to survive, casting thoughts of bait and ambush to the back of their minds, leaving only one thought: I want to live.

Perhaps only General Kent retained a trace of clarity.

To be honest, he did not think this ambush plan was particularly flawless. A retreating army suddenly fleeing into a forest would look suspicious to anyone; the pursuers might not necessarily take the bait. And if they were to keep the enemy from growing suspicious, the distance between bait and pursuers had to be very close.

—A battered remnant force on the verge