The Human Saint is Bored, so I was Summoned to Another World

Kuro's War (Part 2)

***The river of Bere, to the north-east of Amaranth, February 13th...***

With Kuro's ambuscade of an Imperial cavalry detachment at the borders of Devyere reaching the headquarters of the Imperial forces in Amaranth, diplomatic protests were sent to the Duke of Savoy to expel any foreign forces that were in his territory.

Of course, the Duke denied allowing foreign armies into his lands, even going as far as offering the Imperial ambassadors escorts to the site of the February 10th battle to inspect it and prove that those who attacked the Imperial cavalrymen were bandits, not professional armies.

Naturally, the Imperial delegation refused. They were afraid it's a ruse for another ambush, so they labeled those who massacred their men as royalist rebels and bandit groups making efforts to 'destabilize the Amaranthine kingdom'.

After all, no survivor was left to tell the tale of what actually happened.

However, rumors circulated once again that the legionnaires could be defeated, even by rebels and bandits, which proved to be even more disastrous to the Imperials. It shook the Amaranthines' faith in their legions and inflamed the legionnaires. The men clamored to be sent to fight the 'rebels and bandits' who killed their comrades, and to avoid a mutiny, the expeditionary force commander Umberto Benicci decided to make an example of their enemy and sent out a legion to avenge 'Devyere'.

The men that marched to Devyere eventually arrived at the region of Bere river, for they were trying to run after their enemies based on scout reports, and recent local knowledge of the area.

"There they are!" an Imperial scout notified his unit once he saw the tents and extinguished campfires of their elusive enemy a few distances away across the riverbank. One look and they could see that they could surprise their opponents, for they could make out the plates and overturned pots—a sign that their enemies were in the middle of a meal.

"Their group was smaller than what the reports showed." an officer commented.

"Don't be fooled by that, Henri!" the Imperial commander rebuked his staff, "The tree lines are flanking their right and left. Be careful; those bandits and rebels might've hidden their other men inside the forests. Bring in the archers and magicians!"

At once, the men who were ordered to the front came. The commander, not wishing a repeat of the one-sided battle in Devyere, ordered that the trees around the enemy camp be burned. Soon, the forests were set alight, as the enemy skirmishers shot their projectiles on the Imperials.

"Look at those bastards trying to stand up against us!" the commander began agitating his men, "Do they really think they could withstand our thunderous march towards their camp?"

The legionnaires let out their war cries, and without a moment's delay, trumpets were blown, and they took their battle positions.

"Archers and magicians to the front! Bombard them with your arrows and spells. Infantry to the middle. Don't waste time on their skirmishers!" the commander ordered, "Turtle formation! Advance!"

The legionnaires, even though they came from a long way from the city of Amaranth, showed no signs of slowing down. They steadily marched toward the enemy battle line, which was composed of skirmishers to the front and spearmen on the front line.

Seeing the quality of the men they're facing while watching the burning forest that deprived their enemies an opportunity to ambush them, the legionnaires' morale went up.

"The Saint of the Flame blessed us with a righteous resolve to smite these barbarians and bring order to Chersea! Kill them all!"

The legionnaires then began fording the river, using the ice spells of their magicians to freeze the water for makeshift pontoons...