"Centaur Colony in Martai," Marcus, the battalion commander, stated.
When monsters gather in groups, it forms a colony.
Enkrid immediately decided to take action after hearing this.
He had only learned just before departure that Dunbakel had gone there, and the suggestion was made to move quickly, given the large number of centaurs said to be a significant threat.
"Let's ride. Running will take too long," Marcus suggested.
It would be faster to ride horses rather than take a carriage.
The only concern was whether everyone knew how to ride.
"Are you worried about me? I'm Rem. Rem," came the answer.
Everyone had some experience riding horses. In fact, they were all skilled enough at it.
Enkrid himself had some expertise in handling horses, having done it as a stable master when swords were not required.
His riding skills were not bad at all.
"You ride well," Ragna commented, noting Enkrid's handling of the horse.
"Well?" Enkrid replied, not taking it too seriously. Was it meant to imply that there was something else lacking?
"Don't lead the way. Keep close and follow," Enkrid instructed. He had learned the importance of watching out for those who had a poor sense of direction.
Audin, Jaxen, and Krais were all used to riding, and Finn was no exception.
"If you can't ride, you can't carry a lady," Krais quipped, making it clear he was confident in his skills. He had even intentionally trained under the noble Krona to master horsemanship.
He had chosen a sturdy draft horse. It wasn't fast, but it was known for its endurance.
Recently, the Border Guard had seen an influx of various goods through trade, and among them, there were horses. Though not yet military steeds, a few skilled individuals had been selected to manage a proper stable.
Thanks to this, quality grazing lands had been set up on the Green Pearl Plains, and the horses were now being raised there.
One of the rewards from the war against Aspen was acquiring the land, which now had the potential to train cavalry.
The Border Guard had always had messenger and draft horses, but now they were in the process of raising them more seriously.
Marcus had provided some of these horses.
"You know this won't be easy, right?" Marcus asked just before they set off.
Enkrid nodded.
The centaur monsters, part of the colony, were a serious threat.
The problem with a colony wasn't just that monsters gathered together—it was that there was always a leader among them, and that leader was often a unique and powerful entity.
Centaur colonies were especially dangerous because they were already skilled cavalry by nature.
'And they also tend to use strategic tactics, which makes them even worse,' Enkrid thought. A group of skilled horsemen using human-like strategies would be an overwhelming force.
Even with fifty thousand of them, the danger would be immense.
Of course, the Border Guard had to roll up their sleeves and help.
At the same time, they were trying to open the Eastern Trade Route, which was why the cavalry was needed in the first place.
There were other motives as well—strengthening ties between the territories, among others.
Martai was an important buffer for the Eastern Trade and would serve as a key defense should any conflict arise in the East.
For the Border Guard, making Martai an ally and strengthening their ties was essential.
However, the news upon arriving in Martai wasn't exactly encouraging.
"Dunbakel entered the forest and has gone missing," they were told.
And to make matters worse, a monstrous group had set up camp on the plains near the forest.
It wasn't just the centaur colony causing problems—it was worse than expected.
"This situation's pretty messy," Torres said as he approached, his head wrapped in bandages.
They had been fighting monsters for the past three days, and many soldiers were gravely injured. Dozens had died.
Zimmer was limping, and the former border defense commander now turned lord grimaced.
Enkrid climbed the castle wall and gazed out at the monster horde in the distance.
Was the real problem the hundred or more centaurs?
That was dangerous, yes, but the larger issue lay elsewhere.
"The leader's roar freezes everyone in place," Torres added. Enkrid had heard that this was what caused Torres to take a blow to the head. One soldier had been killed instantly when the leader's club struck him, and over fifty soldiers had died in total.
Enkrid didn't know the exact number of soldiers in Martai, but the damage they had already suffered could be considered catastrophic.
It was fortunate, though.
Thanks to the efforts of Zimmer and a few of the most skilled soldiers from the border defense, the situation hadn't escalated further.
Enkrid tried to inquire about the situation and gather more details but decided against it. The real issue was clear—it was the centaurs.
Enkrid remained expressionless, as usual. He didn't dwell on Dunbakel's disappearance too deeply.
This was a battlefield.
'Death is inevitable,' he thought.
If that was the limit, then it was simply something that had to happen.
But the question still lingered.
'Why?'
With the soldiers, Dunbakel could have easily escaped. Why didn't she?
Among the mercenaries, there were the Luchi and Rich brothers, whom Enkrid had trained with and whose names he had easily memorized, thanks to his remarkable memory. He remembered everyone he trained with—each soldier's features and habits were etched in his mind.
The two soldiers had said:
"If she wanted to run, she had plenty of time to do so."
"No, she didn't. She just charged right in."
"We saw it for the first time. There was a monster twice the size of the others, making these horrible sounds."
"It was when Dunbakel, trying to escape, slipped off a tree due to that creature's roar. That was the last we saw of her."
"If Dunbakel hadn't done that, everyone would've been dead. The territory would've suffered even greater damage than it has now."
That was the story they told.
Why? Was it to protect them? Did Dunbakel want to secure a reputation as a protector of the territory?
Or perhaps there was a man among the soldiers she cared for? She was a beast-woman, after all, and she had always been earnest about breeding.
Enkrid looked at the faces of the soldiers. There didn't seem to be anyone who would cause such feelings. It was hard to imagine her having any personal desire for them.
So why? That was what intrigued him.
Then, suddenly, a loud cry broke through his thoughts.
"Ki-yoooot!"
About ten centaurs broke away from the main group and started charging—not in a direct assault, but in a wide arc, making loud calls.
It felt like a threat, as if they were taunting them.
'Are they trying to intimidate us?' Enkrid wondered.
Though Enkrid himself was unbothered, the soldiers around him grew restless. Their discipline was faltering.
"Those damned things," Torres growled, grinding his teeth.
From what Enkrid had heard, this kind of behavior often preceded an attack by a larger group of monsters. The centaur leader seemed especially powerful.
They had more than fifty mounted creatures, and Enkrid could even see a few harpies circling above, strange monsters with breasts and wings. To make matters worse, there were over three hundred man-dogs in the mix.
Several dozen ghouls, their ever-present allies, joined the horde, along with some wolf-like creatures.
They had gathered such a mix of monsters that even Enkrid, Marcus, and Torres didn't know the full extent of the danger. However, a local ranger knew that the deeper parts of the forest were far more dangerous than they realized.
The ranger speculated that some of the monsters that had previously disappeared in the south had been hiding in the forest, hunting smaller animals without revealing themselves. Now, however, they had grown bold, using the expansive grazing lands beyond the forest as their new base.
The discovery didn't change anything immediately, but it had given Enkrid a clearer picture of the situation.
"Rem," Enkrid called, his mind racing as he watched the approaching centaur horde.
He didn't care if they charged or not. If they attacked, he would kill them.
Though the expressions on the faces of the lord and Torres told a different story—they were clearly concerned.
'Has Dunbakel already died?' Enkrid wondered, caught in a brief moment of contemplation.
Then, Rem's voice interrupted his thoughts. He spoke lazily, stretching and wiping the tears from his eyes.
"I don't usually say things like this..."
"Don't you?"
"The beast-woman... she's got talent," Rem commented.
Talent? Enkrid found it surprising to hear her say such a thing.
Rem wasn't one to casually make such comments.
Enkrid thought to himself. It wasn't easy to earn such praise, after all.
He himself had never been told he had talent, but he'd often heard of his stupidity.
"So?" Enkrid asked, trying to dismiss his own curiosity.
"She probably didn't die easily," Rem said.
"Maybe she didn't," Enkrid replied with a cynical chuckle. Rem laughed too, but there was something dangerous in her smile.
Enkrid wasn't particularly fond of Dunbakel, but she was still part of his team.
He'd give her a proper funeral, using monster blood and heads as offerings.
Perhaps Rem thought the same. It crossed Enkrid's mind briefly.
As he thought about how to fight, his mind worked quickly. He discarded the idea of fighting on horseback.
The cavalry in Martai might be able to fight, but...
"They can't. If the leader roars, the horses will flee. Many of them freeze in place. We lost half of our cavalry in the first battle because of that."
What about using infantry to block?
Martai's famed charge infantry were light but armed with long spears and shields.
Would that be effective against centaurs?
No, that had already been proven ineffective.
At the very least, they had to deal with the leader. His roar froze everyone in their tracks, almost like an ability to manipulate morale.
"It's like a 'will' or a 'spirit.' I've heard of monsters with such abilities," Torres added.
Enkrid understood what that meant.
He then considered how to lure the centaurs into a trap and turned to Krais for help.
"Hey, big guy."
Enkrid wasn't sure about the exact strength of Martai's army, but it could certainly be considered a devastating blow.
It was fortunate, however.
Thanks to the few elite warriors from the frontier defense forces, they managed to handle things to this extent.
Enkrid had initially wanted to ask about the situation and get a clearer picture but abandoned the idea.
The problem, after all, was the centaurs.
They needed to handle the leader's presence. The roar alone had paralyzed everyone.
It was a nearly psychological weapon.
"I've requested support from the center. At least a few knights should be here soon."
The Lord was experienced. It wasn't by chance that he had become the frontier defense commander.
He believed that the monster leader's power was similar to the "will" effect. There were often leaders among monsters that could exert this kind of overwhelming presence.
It was called "presence," "aura," or even "scent" by some.
Enkrid understood this now, but he wasn't intimidated.
"Then, should we go out?"
"What?"
"Where?"
Both the Lord and Torres responded in unison.
"To fight."
Enkrid answered plainly.
"What did you just say?"
"Are you saying we should just go and die? We need to wait for reinforcements. At least until the Border Guard's units arrive."
Torres responded first, followed by the Lord.
They didn't understand Enkrid. The decision to face the threat head-on had only been made after they had left.
"Krais."
Enkrid didn't explain further. Instead, he called for Krais, who had been his sounding board.
"Things have gotten worse. The monsters have only grown in number. They're gathering everything they can. Their leader is a 'general'-type. It's the most dangerous kind of monster. Time is not on our side. We have to take care of the leader while we can."
Krais placed a hand on his neck and replied.
"If you get close to him, your body will freeze."
Torres shouted in frustration. If that was the case, he wouldn't be stopping them either.
"It's fine. You worry too much. You just hold out against the crazy monsters and beasts."
"Hold out? What are you talking about, Rem? You help out too."
"Haha, of course, I'll join in too."
"I'm going as well."
Rem slapped Torres on the shoulder, and as Enkrid spoke again, Audin and Teresa joined in.
Torres was bewildered. Why were they all acting like this?
Had they all chewed on some strange herbs?
No, these were the same crazy ones they had always been. That's why they were the Madman's Brigade.
Torres couldn't help but admire Marcus now.
"Did he really trust these idiots and bring them to battle?"
They didn't listen to warnings.
It was maddening, but there was no point in trying to stop them.
They wouldn't listen anyway.
Kiyooooo!
More screams rang out.
What about support from the center?
There was a very low chance of that. Things at the center seemed to have escalated into an even more complicated situation.
Rumors of a guild assassinating nobles were spreading even to the north.
"Let's go."
And so, Enkrid led the Madman's Brigade down to the base of the walls.
His steps were calm and collected. It didn't matter if the centaurs were screaming or charging.
With Krais staying behind, Torres asked with a tired look.
"Why aren't you going?"
Kriss gave him a look that said, "What are you talking about?"
"Why would I? You want me to die? Why would I leave the safety of the walls to go out there?"
And them?
Torres wondered if he should ask, but he didn't bother.
He already knew what the answer would be.
"Yeah, the boss is the boss."
Something like that was bound to come up.
"Well, then. We'll go fight too."
Morale was at rock bottom, but the strange atmosphere helped. At least, it prevented things from getting worse.
"All units, advance!"
Torres turned and shouted toward the troops.
The scream rang out in the distance once more.
"Attack."
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