A bloodbath amidst the gravestones

With a loud war cry, my knights rode to the battlefield with their swords and spears at hand. The bandits and the frost mage were surprised at the appearance of a third party, and we used this surprise to our advantage. Our horseback penetrated their ranks and pummeled the enemy to their knees

Spears pierced through the heart of the bandits, they barely had any armor so we were able to make quick work on some of them that were at the backline

But despite catching them by surprise, the bandits were still able to regroup and reorganize. I had somewhat expected that my knights would have the upper hand since the enemy was tired already, and we have better equipment but so far we are now on equal footing, and we're slowly losing the initiative that we had

I guess those talk about the bandits being former soldiers of the war really was true...I could tell based on how they conducted themselves. It's smooth compared to my men, and their coordination was impeccable

If the frost mage hadn't weakened them down then we would've been demolished

Seeing this sight, I made a mental note to train my forces more in the future...

"Grah!"

I heard a loud shout that seemingly shook the very earth itself. I turned in the direction of the voice and saw a goliath of a man absolutely crushing anyone that dared stand in his way. From that sight alone, I know that he was someone we shouldn't mess with...

"Ser Rudeus, order the knight squad facing that man to fall back and have the archers provide covering fire. Keeps those guys pinned in the dirt"

I couldn't exactly send him off to face him due to this other plan I have in mind, so for now, all we need to do is keep our distance

"Already ahead of you milord"

The knights facing the goliath quickly ran away while the volley of arrows prevented the man from chasing them. From his face, I could tell that he was extremely pissed that his prey got away. We continued the consecutive volley fires so as to keep it that way...

"And what about the frost mage?"

"A knight division is keeping watch on her from afar, and so far she still has her hands occupied with some of the bandits that are still pursuing her"

"Hmmm..."

I have a feeling that I needed to end this battle as quickly as I could. During the start of our surprise attack, we could initially pick off the bandits easily since we have horseback and archers, but now that they've gathered themselves that won't be so easy considering our numbers...We've divided half of them to fight off the bandits while half of them to watch the frost mage in case she attempts to escape...

The tides of battle are constantly changing, and I may have theoretical knowledge of how these go due to my knowledge of how many medieval battles played through in my previous world, but I shouldn't overestimate myself

"Ser Rudeus, tell our knights to encircle the bandits and continue to pick off those that seem weak or tired. But don't get too close to the enemy center, they'll get crushed by that giant. Our archers should be enough to keep them stuck hiding behind the trees, keep firing until we're out of arrows, anything that twitches in there you fire!"

"Yes, milord!"

With the orders relayed, my forces continued to maintain their distance, while implementing hit-and-run tactics, Once our horsemen stabbed a bandit with their spear then they would immediately ride away. With this, I could see the face of the giant growing more enraged as the seconds pass by

"Come down and face us like men you cowards! And you call yourself knights?! Is this all that the soldiers of the Vane could offer?! Wahaha!"

All of them laughed in unison as they continued to hurl insults at us

Seems that not being able to face the enemy has got them all heated up. I could understand where they were coming from, they'd been pinned on a spot with constant arrow volleys and can't retreat safely due to our riders encircling them...mocking the honor of my men does seem like a valid move from their end...

But I don't care, as long as my enemies are defeated I don't mind what names they call me. And I know those insults are meaningless anyway, so long as we continue our strategy and keep our distance then they'd slowly lose their numbers till they'd be forced to retreat or completely surrender...

I'd hope the latter would happen, but based on how wild they are I'd be a bit surprised if they opted to choose either of those options. I've studied a bit about how the soldiers of the former Vaneland kingdom operated, and based on that I could tell what their next move would be...

Choosing death over defeat...

"Fine then! If you ain't coming down then we'll just have to come to you!"

Shouting this, all of them went out from their covers and performed a suicidal charge toward us. Our distance is over two hundred meters, we still have many arrows, and our archers have quick hands...Not to mention our cavalry was lurking around...but they didn't care...

They knew that they'd lose had they stayed behind the trees, our horsemen would've picked them all off at some point...

"Archers! Keep firing like there's no tomorrow, don't you dare let those guys move another inch!"

The screams of the bandit grew closer and closer, we were able to put a lot of them down on their suicide charge but all of us knew that we won't be able to take them all out from a distance, direct confrontation was inevitable...

And I knew that we'd lose in close combat, especially with that giant of a man among their ranks

Knowing this, Ser Rudeus drew his sword and turned to the squad that was assigned to guard me

"Alright men, it's time for us to take the stage. No more foreplay, these bastards want to get close and personal and I'm all for it! My sword is feeling extra thirsty today and I want to make sure she gets her fill! Brace yourselves men!"

"Hoorah!"

"Milord..."

Ser Rudeus then scooted close to me and whispered...

"We'll take it over from here. You do that little thing that you want to do"

"Are you sure? won't it be better for the lord to stay and fight with his men?"

It would inspire morale and would increase my reputation with them, I thought that it sounded fine but...

"No milord, the fact that you rode to battle with us despite being a child and the uncertainty of this battle already proves that your balls are heavier than more than half of the viceroys of the Empire, personally you've already earned my respect, as well as the respect of our men here"

With a smile on his face, he placed his hands on my head

"Go now. With the cavalry and archers in place, we have a strong fighting chance. I'll be sure to bring you news of our victory"

"Very well, if that's the case then I wish you good luck"

"Haha! Don't need it. Stay safe out there milord, you're a damn interesting lord to serve and I duwanna go through the hassle of serving another one that has a stick up their asses"

"Hehe, I'll do my best"

Saying this, I took two of our riders and went around the battlefield, our path was toward the frost mage who was located near the other side of the memorial. I could feel the air getting colder the more we get close, and at some point, one of my guards signaled me to stop in our tracks

And I could see why...

Based on how everything around us was completely frozen, along with the unconscious bodies of the bandits lying around, it was clear that we were now dangerously close. I stepped down and touched the necks of one of the bodies on the ground...

"It's faint, but he's still breathing..."

I did the same for the other bandits, oddly enough...They were all still alive, though they are unconscious...

I honestly can't help but be surprised...She was facing veterans that number about two hundred in total. To be able to hold herself back so as to not kill anyone despite the situation she's on...It was honestly impressive...

"Milord!"

The knight division that was asked to watch the frost mage regrouped with us, and once everyone was set we proceeded deeper into the forest. A chill ran across my spine once we reached a certain point...It was a feeling that I remember all too well considering our encounter...

"She's here"

Just a few meters across us was the Frost mage. She was wearing the same cloak and mask as she did during that day. Upon noticing us I could feel the air around me growing extremely colder as the mist began to gather at her hand. My knights had immediately drawn their weapons and braced themselves for combat

I too have taken out the sword that was on my hip...It's more of a ceremony sword than anything, but I figured that It'd be rude not to follow suit...

And besides, I don't plan on fighting anyone today anyway...

With this in mind, I tossed my sword to the ground, the loud metallic sound it created resonated throughout our surroundings, causing all eyes to turn on me. I greeted the mage with a smile and turned to my men

"Fall back and aid Ser Rudeus, I'd like to speak with her, alone"

"Wha-!"

The knights all looked understandably confused, after all this was tantamount to suicide. I'm not proficient in combat, and even if I was it would be too dangerous to face a mage as strong as her alone

"Milord we cannot risk your safety like this, it is our duty to protect and stand alongside you, even in the face of a mage! We cannot let you stay with someone as dangerous as her! And besides, Ser Rudeus would have our heads for this!"

Hmmm, so it's more of a sense of duty rather than a sense of loyalty...Well, I suppose it's better than having men who would cower and run in the face of a strong enemy. And while I appreciate their chivalry on this one...

"While your duty is to protect me, fulfilling my orders is a spot above that. Fall back"

"Milord we can't-"

"I've given Ser Rudeus a written statement that would deny any punishment towards you in case something happens to me here. I don't want to do this but should you continue to refuse my orders then I will count it as treason..."

"Ggh..."

The knight took a moment to think about his next decision, and ultimately he figured to just follow my orders. He signaled the men surrounding us to retreat, to which they reluctantly did so...

"Good luck milord..."

The knight turned to me one last time before following the rest of them...

After confirming that everyone was gone, I raised my hands and greeted her with a gentle smile, to which she cocked her head and asked

"Do you have a death wish?"

"Unfortunately no, dying feels terrible and I don't intend to experience it again anytime soon"

"Then why has a man like you come to face me, alone and unarmed? You can run back with your knights if you want, It's still not too late"

"Well, aren't you kind...But unfortunately, that would defeat the purpose of sending them back. I've come to you for one thing, and one thing only...I've come to make an accord"