The Elysia Kingdom possesses a vast territory sandwiched between the Almira Mountains to the east and the Elphant Mountain range to the west.
The royal capital Elis sits precisely in the central plains, along the middle reaches of the Elbe River that flows down from the mountains.
The Elbe River cuts through the city of Elis as if dividing it, with the eastern and western districts connected by several bridges.
It simply happened this way after the streets on the opposite bank were incorporated and city walls were built, yet the river area serves as a vital route for goods, with constant traffic to and from the downstream port town.
The royal castle stands right beside the Elbe, surrounded by a moat fed directly from the river.
Massive amounts of concrete were piled to reinforce the foundation and construct the defensive walls, which twist like a maze to counter even river-borne invasions.
The concrete is made from volcanic ash sourced from a volcanic island floating in the southern sea, mixed with lime, gravel, and shards of broken terracotta, then kneaded with seawater until it hardens.
This mixture was shipped in and stacked high.
Roughly three hundred thousand people lived there.
Broad highways running east and west formed the arteries of distribution and troop movement, branching out to every city from the capital.
Goods flowed into Elis along these roads, and commerce thrived.
The Elysia Kingdom enjoyed abundant water from the northeastern mountains that nourished the plains, making the land fertile; agriculture and livestock flourished.
As a result, the recent cooling trend had almost no impact.
Instead, heightened grain demand from other nations brought foreign ships frequently to the southern port of Elvinas, where high-price deals swelled the royal treasury.
Grain exports were a government monopoly, and the revenue formed a crucial pillar of the state budget.
Taxes were collected not in currency but in grain or minerals; only border tolls and tariffs were paid in coin.
Since ancient times, far more high-quality grain was harvested than the people consumed domestically, keeping local prices low.
Abroad, however, grain prices often surged, so collecting taxes in kind and exporting proved far more profitable than levying currency.
Taxes remained relatively light, people could trade freely, and support for the royal government stayed comparatively high.
Still, every region was obligated to dispatch troops in wartime; in emergencies, a set number of soldiers had to be sent.
Maintaining a standing army was too heavy a fiscal burden, so conscription handled wartime needs.
The kingdom had a noble class that shouldered the royal government, yet educational institutions were established to recruit talent widely, and outstanding individuals were appointed regardless of birth.
In practice, however, the upper ranks were dominated by nobles; commoners rarely rose beyond assistants to provincial ministers.
Compared to the past, the path to advancement had broadened, and commoners now filled roughly half of government posts.
When commoner appointments began to expand, they formed a mutual-aid society to share information and smooth their work.
That society had since grown into a large organization; operations at the ground level could no longer function without them.
The nobles had no choice but to respect them, and commoner influence was steadily rising.
As a result, policies began to reflect commoner views, gradually moving away from the old noble-centric approach.
To counter this, the nobles held their own gatherings, but conflicting interests prevented unity.
Still, some factions banded together to push policies that would fatten their own camps.
This political strife had even reached the matter of royal succession.
Led by Julius of the Crepius family, Minister of Finance, and several prominent houses, they backed First Prince Lucius and arranged his engagement to Julius’s daughter Claudia.
Lucius was an energetic youth who loved martial arts and had distinguished himself on the battlefield, earning thick trust from the soldiers.
Yet he showed no interest whatsoever in academics; nothing could be expected of him in cultural matters.
He was cheerful and open-hearted, without guile, and maintained wide friendships.
Julius had chosen such a man precisely because he would be easy to control.
Lucius had little interest in politics and left nearly everything to others; once on the throne, he would make an ideal puppet.
Second Prince Clovis was the complete opposite of his brother. He was not poor at physical activity, but he leaned far more toward scholarship.
Full of curiosity, he took interest in many fields and cultivated broad learning.
He was mild-mannered, pleasant to everyone, kept suitable social ties, and above all, made no enemies.
He earned people’s trust through a different kind of charm.
Aquinas of the Farnese family—son of the Minister of Justice and a scholar himself—served as Clovis’s tutor.
Clovis also enjoyed strong support from the commoners’ mutual-aid society.
He had many commoner friends at the academy, and word of his character spread quickly among the people.
Still, without military backing it was difficult to claim the throne.
Aquinas somehow persuaded the war-averse prince to study military strategy.
He even assigned a reputed master for sword practice, yet results were meager.
The sole exception was war games; Clovis stayed up all night with staff officers planning strategies.
He had little enthusiasm for tactics themselves, but once absorbed in war games he began devouring every book on military strategy.
He simply enjoyed using his mind.
Reality, however, does not unfold like an exercise.
“The endless gulf between ideal and reality is what a general must bridge to achieve victory, and the king stands above that. I wish to create an opportunity for Your Highness to learn it.”
Aquinas spoke with burning eyes.
Sara listened quietly.
Loki and Shera slept curled close together.
“His Highness was deeply impressed by your work.”
Suddenly hearing praise directed at herself, surprise and confusion flashed across her face.
“In what way?”
“In a horizontal line of thousands of soldiers, a hundred-man unit is negligible. To reverse a stalemate or disadvantageous situation within it requires unprecedented tactical thinking and the skill to execute it. The Rondo unit already possessed superior capability compared to others; that alone gave it strength. Today, a unique tactic was added. That was you.”
Hearing it made her a little embarrassed.
Aquinas paused for breath and continued.
“First you elevated the archers and shattered the wall with arrows. Front-rank units in a horizontal formation almost never carry bows. Yet you all took up bows and devised a way to use them. Coloniaus had probably positioned heavy infantry as ‘rocks’ to dam the river flow. He intended to shove the central enemy infantry forward and pour light infantry into the cracks of the wall. At least the left army’s wings were deployed that way. Without heavy-infantry support, the ends of the line were inevitably pushed back, so reserves were committed.”
Aquinas moistened his throat with water.
“Yet you betrayed Coloniaus’s expectations in the best way and outmaneuvered his strategy. You pried open the wall yourselves and widened the wound from the center outward. In response the enemy general sent cavalry to crush you. But you mimicked heavy-infantry tactics, picked up enemy shields, formed a defensive array right in the midst of hostile troops, and forced the cavalry to withdraw.”
Aquinas spoke with genuine delight.
Sara, too, could not help smiling.
“Coloniaus and Aurius must have been left speechless. That is why, upon detecting the enemy cavalry’s second charge, they committed every remaining heavy infantryman. Your unit’s exploits today rank first in the entire army. You also redeemed the Imperial Guard’s blunder and opened His Highness’s escape route. Aurius must be grateful to you. Without that achievement he would have carried the shame of letting His Highness die in his first battle.”
Sara bit her lip and brushed her hair back.
“Who could have imagined that such a young maiden would accomplish this? His Highness feels the same. Witnessing someone barely a year older than himself overturn the course of battle moved his heart. He has declared he wants to learn martial arts. That is your achievement.”
Aquinas smiled.
“Incidentally, among the cavalry charging His Highness, the first rider you shot from his horse was that unit’s captain. You will likely be praised as the one who earned the greatest exploit in this battle.”
Sara looked startled and scratched her head in bewilderment.
After being told so much, she could no longer refuse.
“You certainly have a way with words.”
Aquinas grinned.
“My battlefield is debate.”
“I accept the offer. However, Riad is our unit commander. I must obtain his consent, so please wait a moment.”
With that she left the tent.
Noticing Sara’s movement, Loki lifted his head and stared hard at Aquinas.
Aquinas probably did not feel at ease.
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A short while later Sara returned with Riad.
Sitting beside her, he looked at Aquinas and spoke.
“I am grateful for the honor of protecting His Highness the Prince. As for cavalry, I intend to leave it to Sara as before, so I would appreciate it if you follow her instructions.”
“Understood. Thank you. Rest assured about the soldiers’ training; we will cause no blunders like the Imperial Guard.”
“That is reassuring.”
Sara meant it from the heart.
“However, your security is truly tight. I did not feel at ease at all.”
Sara realized she had left Aquinas in front of Loki and the others and apologized.
“By the way, may I see your sword?”
Remembering she had been midway through maintenance on the mat, Sara picked up the finished blade and offered it to him.
He received it with both hands and gazed at it for a time.
“What is this made of?”
He meant the scabbard.
“It is bamboo coated with lacquer.”
“Bamboo… I see.”
Lacquer hardening techniques had reached this region and were occasionally used.
“It does not grow naturally here. Our ancestors brought the plant from far beyond the eastern side of the Almira Mountains.”
“Does it have this color?”
Sara’s hilt and scabbard used bamboo smoked for over a hundred years.
The deep red hue, with subtle natural variations in shading, gave it an elegant, antique beauty.
“Bamboo is originally blue-green, but when cut and dried it turns light brown. After being smoked for roughly a century it becomes this color.”
“A hundred years?”
“Yes. We are using what my grandfather and great-grandfather prepared.”
“What a mysterious atmosphere. A weapon, yet so beautiful. May I draw it?”
When Sara nodded, Aquinas slowly slid the blade free.
From the wooden scabbard emerged steel gleaming blue-black.
The sight of a steel edge appearing from an artistic scabbard was strangely beautiful, making it seem like something other than a weapon.
He set the scabbard aside, gripped the hilt, and let out a sigh of wonder.
“How light! Completely different from our swords. Can it cut with this lightness? Will it not break?”
“It might break if struck directly by a heavy blade, but it cuts without issue. The weight does not throw off the body, so you can swing through cleanly without forcing. Conversely, forcing it misaligns the edge and makes cutting harder.”
“Your weapons are truly fascinating. The longbow you used also left an impression with its unusual shape and sound.”
“Yes. It is made with techniques unknown here.”
“I wish to adopt them. This sword mysteriously calms the heart when gazed upon. It does not feel like a weapon at all.”
“It is probably the fruition of our ancestors’ philosophy. We simply inherit the tradition.”
“Could one be made for me?”
“For appreciation?”
“That as well, but His Highness seems to find his own sword difficult to wield. Perhaps this would suit him…”
“You value him more than yourself.”
“Ah… forgive me. I spoke too hastily.”
“We cannot produce many, but we can accept a commission. My elder brother is a blacksmith; perhaps you could visit once?”
“How wonderful. I shall speak with His Highness.”
With that, Aquinas soon took his leave and departed the tent.
Watching him go, Sara and Riad exchanged glances and laughed.
They looked forward to learning what kind of person the second prince truly was.
The next morning, as the eastern sky began to glow red, Sara stepped out of the tent and splashed icy water on her face.
She donned her armor and headed for the temporary stable.
The horse given by Coloniaus was a young dapple-gray mare.
She had a gentle disposition and did not mind when approached.
Sara gently stroked her neck.
The saddle had been removed, but she remembered how splendid it had looked when placed on her.
“Today as well, I’m counting on you.”
Returning to the tent, she found Loki and Shera waiting outside.
As usual she took dried meat from her pouch and gave it to them.
She would have to hunt again soon; she had brought little because she had planned to eat it herself.
Just then Harum arrived to say General Coloniaus was calling.
Sara went to the general’s tent, announced herself to the guard, and was admitted.
“Good morning.”
“Ah, you’re here. Care for tea?”
“Yes, please.”
Coloniaus ordered a subordinate to bring tea.
Inside the tent the general’s aides and unit commanders were assembled.
“Today we place heavy infantry in the center, archers behind them, and cavalry behind both wings. We will use the tactic you employed yesterday. Now, how will you move?”
She was first surprised that her own idea was being adopted for the whole army.
Then she thought for a moment.
Everyone present watched her with keen interest.
“If I were the enemy general, I would lower the horizontal line’s position to account for catapult range. Therefore I will hide cavalry in the western forest and, using only archers, snipe the main camp from the mountainside behind.”
“Hahaha! You’ve thought of something interesting again. What if you’re pursued?”
“I will strike the flank with the cavalry hidden in the forest.”
“And if there are many pursuers?”
“I will retreat blending into the woods.”
“How will you signal the ambush?”
“Whistling arrows—arrows that make sound.”
“How will you signal success?”
“We will raise smoke from the forest.”
“Understood. The plan is approved. If the enemy general falls it’s a bonus. This has become even more entertaining. All right, you may leave.”
Sara bowed lightly, took the teacup, and exited the tent.
Outside stood Aquinas.
“That was quite an unconventional plan.”
“You were listening?”
Sara raised the teacup to her lips.
It was excellent tea; she drained it in one gulp.
She handed the cup back to the guard with a smile and a light bow.
“Yes. I was curious as well.”
“I never expected to be summoned.”
“It is like your debut. If yesterday’s hero remained only a mysterious infantry unit, rumors alone would spread. Yet when you reveal such a plan, everyone grows restless.”
“Restless?”
“Of course. Your archery skill is known throughout the army. If you claim every merit, the unit commanders may start to panic.”
Aquinas laughed aloud.
“Did I go too far?”
“No, as you said, the enemy formation lowering is entirely possible. If so, sniping chances will appear; the plan is not impossible.”
“Thank you. I will now explain the situation to the unit commander and move out early with the cavalry. Lord Aquinas, please bring His Highness.”
“Understood. Good things should not be delayed; let us proceed at once.”
They parted, and Sara went to speak with Riad.
She expected to be scolded again.
“Hoo… You told the general you would shoot the enemy commander? As reckless as ever.”
Riad widened his eyes exactly as predicted and looked stunned.
“The general approved it?”
“Yeah.”
“Then go. We’ll carry on as usual here. Make sure you come back.”
“Got it.”
Riad gave her back a strong slap.
“I pray for your martial fortune.”
His eyes were serious.
Sara nodded firmly and looked for Sedy.
The riders from yesterday had gathered near the stable.
“We’ve been waiting, Sara. Called by the general?”
“Yeah. I received permission for today’s operation.”
“What kind of plan?”
Sara explained what she had told the general.
Everyone listened with wide eyes.
“The idea is crazy, but it might actually work. Look.”
Sedy pointed toward the enemy lines.
Even in the dim dawn light, the enemy main camp was visibly farther back than yesterday.
Horse pens had been placed at the foot of the rear mountain slope.
“We should move and hide before they notice.”
Sara nodded.
Just then a troop of cavalry arrived.
Aquinas rode at the front, followed by a young man.
“Your prediction seems correct.”
“It does. Now we only need to find a good position.”
“This is His Highness, Second Prince Clovis.”
At the introduction Sara and the others knelt in greeting.
Clovis dismounted and told them to rise.
“Since I requested to accompany you, I thank you for accepting. We will all follow your orders; please treat us well.”
When Clovis spoke, the fifty dismounted men placed their right palms over their left chests in salute.
“Please treat us well. I am Sara of the Rondo unit. I will command overall. Spearmen follow Sedy here. Today the empire’s right army is expected to pull its main camp back to avoid our catapults. We will exploit that moment to snipe the enemy general. Five of us will go for the sniping; the rest will remain hidden as ambush in the western forest. If pursued and the enemy numbers are large, fire two whistling arrows—retreat signal. If the number allows defeat, fire once and charge their flank. Three whistles mean the sniping succeeded; raise smoke to inform the main camp.”
She nocked an arrow and loosed a whistling shaft.
A high “Pyuuu” rang out.
“This is the signal sound. Understood?”
The fifty men answered briefly in unison.
“Then we head for the western forest.”
They set out before the sun had fully risen.
By the time the sun climbed higher, both armies had completed their deployments.
Exactly as Sara predicted, the enemy had lowered their formation.
The destruction of their second infantry wave seemed to have hurt them badly.
The enemy right army had received reinforcements from somewhere and regained some numbers.
That meant other sections had been thinned.
At that moment a great shout rose from the mountain peak behind the enemy lines.
It seemed to come from near the fortress the imperial army was besieging.
The imperials had probably diverted troops from the siege to bolster the right army.
The encirclement had thinned, allowing the fortress garrison to launch an attack.
Therefore the imperial army now had to watch its rear as well.
If the siege broke, they would face attacks from behind.
“That girl really is lucky.”
Coloniaus murmured while surveying the battlefield.
“Indeed. Now the imperials must look behind them too. The result of yesterday’s work.”
“It’s getting interesting. I can’t take my eyes off it.”
Albius nodded.
Thus the second day began.
Sara crouched on a slightly open plateau halfway up the mountainside northwest of the enemy right army, watching the battlefield.
The distance to the main camp was more than forty intervals—about seventy meters.
A little earlier the first infantry wave had received the order and advanced.
The enemy general was focused on the shouts from behind and the situation ahead, so surveillance here was lax.
Wind had been blowing since morning, unsuitable for sniping.
She could only wait patiently for the right moment.
The lance cavalry and remaining mounted archers hid in the forest southwest of the position.
Sara, accompanied by five confident archers plus Loki and Shera, lay concealed here.
While observing the target, an adjutant-like man stood right beside him, blocking the line.
They had to wait for the two to separate and for the wind to die.
The kingdom army was slowly pushing forward.
Three infantrymen formed a human ladder and raised archers atop it to rain arrows.
They had gathered a considerable number; the enemy wall was struggling.
The kingdom army seemed ready to charge cavalry on both wings; horsemen waiting behind the infantry were preparing to swing around their own lines and strike the enemy flank.
The imperial army also intended to move cavalry; messengers left the main camp and flags were raised.
At that instant the enemy general stepped forward, exposing his body from behind the obstacle.
He pointed ahead and issued orders.
The wind had become a light breeze.
Sara exchanged glances with the men on either side, nodded, stood, and nocked an arrow, determined not to miss the chance.
All five drew their bows.
The bows sang “Kan!” and released.
Five arrows streaked toward the target.
Suddenly the adjutant moved, closing the gap with the general, and the arrows struck both men.
One in the adjutant’s neck, one in the general’s neck, one in the adjutant’s shoulder, one in the general’s temple, the fifth missed and stabbed the ground.
The enemy main camp erupted in chaos.
The general and his adjutant had been hit simultaneously.
The general collapsed on the spot, already unconscious.
The adjutant clutched his neck and crouched, blood pouring freely.
Some tried to locate the snipers, but discipline had vanished; the camp was in turmoil.
A few seemed to trace the arrow’s direction and peered this way.
The five kept their heads low, descended the plateau, mounted the waiting horses at the foot, and withdrew.
They loosed three whistling arrows skyward.
White smoke rose from the southwestern forest.
Coloniaus had been watching the enemy main camp from his own, yet distance and battle dust made it impossible to see clearly.
“Brother, look there!”
Albius pointed at the western woods.
A single column of white smoke rose from the yellow-tinted forest.
Sara’s signal.
“That little girl did it! Order the entire army to charge! Now is the moment!”
Coloniaus roared.
Messengers dashed off in panic.
An unprecedented full-army charge began.
Only Coloniaus’s personal guard remained in camp; cavalry and infantry surged forward, raising clouds of dust.
Soon the front was filled with kingdom troops; the imperial army was forced entirely onto the defensive.
Their reaction was noticeably slow; the command structure had clearly collapsed.
No reinforcements came, no retreat order was given.
There was no one left to command.
Aurius watched the left army’s abnormal charge from the main camp.
It was a sight he had never seen.
Not a single soldier remained in their own lines; the battlefield was covered with kingdom troops, while the imperials showed no movement.
They must have used some scheme.
Perhaps they had shot the enemy general.
Soon a messenger reached Aurius.
“Report! The left army’s detached force has slain the enemy right-army general by sniping!”
“Sniping!?”
“Which unit?”
“Reportedly the Rondo unit’s female soldier.”
A stir ran through the main camp.
“Are even the women of that group like this?”
Aurius sighed.
On the second day of battle they had neutralized the enemy right wing.
Victory was already as good as decided.
At that moment drums signaling full retreat sounded from the enemy main camp.
The kingdom left army did not pursue the fleeing imperials.
When the battlefield was filled with kingdom soldiers, the enemy had first shown resistance, but gradually their will to fight crumbled; almost no one advanced anymore.
It had become a completely one-sided assault.
The Rondo soldiers under Riad raised a victory shout.
They understood their comrades had accomplished something tremendous.
Then a unit of only eighty men returned carrying blue vexilla.
Coloniaus had mounted and come to meet them.
“Rondo cavalry commander, report.”
Sara stepped forward.
“From a hill northwest of the enemy main camp we sniped the enemy general and his adjutant. Hits on both confirmed. Their survival is unknown, but we judge the enemy command structure destroyed.”
“Mission accomplished—well done! Return to camp and reform ranks. All units stand by until further orders!”
Amid thunderous cheers the Rondo troops praised Sara’s achievement and returned to their lines.
Once ranks were reformed, Coloniaus issued strict orders for the entire army to remain vigilant.
There remained a slim chance the imperials might replace the right-army commander and restore order.
Yet the right army’s morale was shattered; recovery was almost impossible.
Each unit stood in orderly ranks, staring straight at the opposing enemy line.
Then the imperial center quietly began to withdraw, followed by both wings.
The Battle of Elphant Plains in the 134th year of the kingdom calendar ended in only two days with a kingdom victory.
The imperial army also lifted the fortress siege and withdrew in good order through the Elphant Mountains.
Clovis, who had been forced to wait throughout due to the unusual conclusion of sniping the enemy general, honestly rejoiced that his mission had contributed to the left army’s great victory.
Those wounded and those who had lost comrades set aside their grief for the moment and celebrated today’s triumph.
The name of Sara, daughter of Hadal of the Rondo people, was deeply etched into the memory of everyone who fought on this field.
Mounted on her horse, Sara gazed up at the autumn sky.
Clouds raced swiftly by.
The slightly cold wind passing over her still-excited body felt pleasant.
This text is an English translation of the story originally written in Japanese by 東風ふかば.
The translation was done using Grok 4.2.
You can read the original Japanese version here:
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