Heavy night fell over Port of San Juan, shrouding the trees and tall grass to the west in dangerous darkness. This stronghold, seized from the Taino tribes, had been the safest of "soft nests" in the four-plus months since the Castilian Expeditionary Force landed—a "paradise of conquest" where they could take whatever they wanted from the natives and indulge themselves without restraint!
Yet after the savage natives of Cipangu appeared, the Castilian Expeditionary Force's easy conquest and colonization swiftly became difficult, giving way to brutal slaughter and death!
The savages of Cipangu—their fanaticism and fearlessness, their cunning and cruelty, and their devil-prophecy-like understanding of them—were again and again overturning the colonizers' knowledge, bringing ever more unbearable and agonizing casualties!
The Lord bore witness! This East India Great Island, which the expeditionary force had taken with ease, had already turned into a quagmire like the holy war of the Reconquista. Yet behind their expeditionary force, there was no endless stream of Crusaders coming in support; they had not even built a proper foothold, and already they had to face the unending harassment of the Cipangu savages.
Just like this very moment: a full one hundred and twenty Cipangu savages had suddenly appeared and launched their first surprise assault on the west side of the stronghold! The twenty or so Crusader Veterans before the bonfires were met, in the blink of an eye, by a rain of arrows smeared with poison!
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!..."
"Damn it! It's natives ambushing us! Quick! Raise your shields, form a shield wall!... Ugh!..."
Veteran company commander Beltran wore a conspicuous nasal helmet, with red plumes stuck into it to signify his status, and around his neck hung a silver holy-war badge personally bestowed by the Queen. These distinctive marks of glory all made him the "most