Abandoned Bastard of the Royal Family Volume 5 Chapter 29 (Patreon)

Chapter 29 – Ant Army Battle

“The army of the Demon Race is now approaching the royal capital.”

Schild led the newly-revived Royal Court Knights, which had just returned, onto battle upon receiving this news.

His old friends, the monster subjugators, were also with them.

“This time, it will be a joint operation between the knights and the subjugators.”

Schild called out to everyone in the place.

“But this will be different from the last time we fought to destroy the monster swarm. We are no longer enemies fighting each other for credit but friends fighting together for one common goal. As such, I want each of you to work together, efficiently and with minimal risk, and if possible, I want as many of you to return alive.”

Except, of course,

“That is after we kill all of our enemies.”

Schild’s speech, which was delivered with an eagle eye but also shone with a savagery that could not be concealed, roused the spirits of the entire army and ignited their fire of ferocity.

“As expected of the dubbed “Slayer of Forty-Eight”, his presence is heavy and strong! I almost feel like a war hero myself when I listen to it!”

“Haven’t you heard? The “Slayer of Forty-Eight” is the illegitimate son of the king!”

“So that’s why the big knights are listening to him! Seriously, though. How great is that guy?”

Schild’s origins were gradually becoming known to the public, and his charisma is growing due to the ability and bloodline he possessed.

“Master Schild, the morale of the knights is at its peak. Everyone is elated by the fact that they will fight their first battle under the banner of the new king.”

Knight commander Lesnussa spoke on behalf of the knights. She is currently holding the position of his right hand.

“Finally. I feel like I have been freed. I miss the air of battle!”

Meanwhile, on his left-hand side is Carney, who is also acting as the leader of the Subjugators.

For Schild, there was nothing more reassuring than to be flanked on both sides by these two magnificent beauties who also specialize in combat in this time of war.

“Lady Carney, it seems that you have grown into a splendid queen after not seeing you for a while. Pardon my rudeness, but considering your position now, shouldn’t you be leaving the battlefield to us?”

“That might be the right case, Sir Lesnussa, but the knightly knowledge you instilled in me has yet to disappear. Let us cooperate here and destroy the Demon Race for the sake of our Lord Schild!”

The two women exchanged praises with each other as they boosted each other’s morale.

Their current location is a wide plain far from the royal capital.

They chose this place to meet with the enemy as the area has few obstacles, meaning they could rampage as much as they wanted here.

Of course, the fact that they chose to fight in this field is also a sign of Schild’s intention to end this in a short decisive battle.

This would be the first battle for both camps, both the Human and the Demon Race factions, of the new generation.

Because of this, they intend to go at it with all their might, without any stakes, to get a grasp of their own and the opponent’s capabilities.

As they waited on the plains, a black cloud appeared over the horizon.

It seemed like a cloud of haze rolling in.

But everyone who was waiting knew that it was neither a cloud nor a mist.

After all, that black cloud was an aggregation of countless monsters, one by one, undulating in their marches.

The closer they got, the more their details became clear, and the more they learned about the shape of each and every one of them.

“…ants?”

Schild, who has excellent eyesight, was the first to quickly spot them from a distance.

They were a battalion of ants, each of them as huge as an human male.

“The fact that they act in groups and in a disciplined manner is a characteristic that is unique to a monster that specializes in group fights… this is going to be tricky. Hell, this battle could even become a high-level skirmish the worst case should happen.”

“We have the advantage of being trained as an army when it comes to coordination, but these ants can also do that by instinct. It is dangerous to compete with them recklessly.”

Lesnussa, while wanting to show the results of the training of their corps, also made a calm analysis, just like a true knight commander she is now.

“it’s not just that!”

Carney also interjected.

“The usual monster ants are indeed a force to be reckoned with, but that’s not the only thing they have going for these opponents we are fighting.”

“What do you mean?”

“Take a closer look at them!”

Carney pointed to the first rows of ”ants” in the group. And immediately, Lesnussa and Schild understood what Carney meant.

The “ants” had a strange appearance.

One had a sickle.

The other had two mantis-like scythes on each pair of forelimbs.

“Why do ants have sickles? They’re not praying mantises!”

“That’s not all!”

Another ant did not have a sickle but instead had a tail.

A scorpion-like tail with a sharp stinger at the tip.

“The ant over there has wings. Like a butterfly. The ant over there has horns coming out of its head, like a stag beetle!”

“Ants with the characteristics of various insects…!”

Along with the confirmation, unrest spread to the human side.

The ant monsters alone were already more formidable than any insectoid monster because of their close-knit group behavior.

This time, the ant army they were facing was equipped with various insect parts, all of which were vicious weapons on their own.

This was the New Demon Lord’s Army.

The moment they appeared, they understood that they were distinct from the stray monsters they had fought before.

“The previous groups of monsters we fought were of different races and had no coordination. That’s why it was so easy to win against them as we had followed a strategy.”

“This time, I don’t think that’s going to be the case anymore. Anyway, these ants are terrifying. They are not afraid to let their comrades attack them even at the cost of sacrificing themselves.”

Furthermore, the natural-born soldiers they were facing are now equipped with weapons such as sickles, needles, and scissor-like protrusions.

Pretty much everyone expected that it would become a hard fight.

Then, the moment came.

“Begin the attack!”

Schild announced.

“Onward! If they want to play to their strengths, we can also do the same! Use your experience, your bitter and painful memories here, to fight the enemy and survive!”

Although his tone was not shouting, Schild’s voice was clear to the entire army.

“Crossbows, stones, and whatever you have to thin down the enemy. Drop as many of the flying ones as you can before contact. Then advance with the infantry. Kill them all carefully, one by one. At the same time, the cavalry will go around and create confusion in the rear.”

Schild’s instructions were basic, but they were enough.

There is no art of war in a large army.

The strong can win without using tricks.

Schild’s battle this time was nothing but a practice of this.

This army, led by him, is strong.

But this “strength” is yet to be proven, as the kingdom’s new knights haven’t experienced a real war yet.

In other words, this battle would also be an examination to prove that the new knights are not easy to beat.

It was also to regain their dignity.

There’s also Schild’s leadership skills as a king to consider.

After all, this will be his first campaign to claim his rights as a proper king.

…though the person himself isn’t really akin to accepting this yet.

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