I’m the Madman of This Family

Chapter 281. How to Protect What’s Precious (5)

There were 100 people galloping across the plains of Tuka, the domain of Sephira.

70 Holy Knights and 30 Silver Knights. It was Sephira’s assault force, entirely composed of knights.

Their movements were incredibly swift. Normally, archers find it difficult to run quickly due to the bows and arrows they must carry.

However, for some reason, they were only wearing wolfskin clothes, making them look like a pack of wolves.

Pekda of the Seven Stars, commanding 99 knights, suddenly sensed something and sent a signal while running at the forefront.

Chop!

Extending a half-folded palm, the assault force reduced their speed by half upon seeing the signal.

“I hear hoofbeats. Judging by the ground’s vibrations, there are roughly 300. They intend to block our movements with cavalry.”

No knights responded. It was due to the instruction Pekda had given just before departure.

“No matter what I say, you all just listen.”

Following that command, the knights ran in silence, while Pekda began to speak alone.

“The enemy infantry is moving to the rear to cut off our retreat. But we won’t turn back. We’ll break through the cavalry at the front.”

Pekda extended his half-folded palm again. Now, the assault force’s speed dropped to that of a fast-running adult man.

Pekda’s commands continued to flow. Extending his thumb and index finger. At the signal to draw bows, the knights simultaneously drew their bows.

Swoosh!

Grasping the rod fixed at their waists, it unfolded in the blink of an eye into a bow. Vulkanus’s ambitious creation, the portable bow, made its debut in actual combat.

Next, at the signal to draw arrows, the knights pulled arrows from a special quiver on their belts.

The arrows, though only the size of a finger, extended on both sides upon pressing a button, forming into arrow shapes.

“Holy Knights, prepare the Golden Ox Bow. Silver Knights, prepare the Yaksha Bow. The next signal I send will be for the Holy Knights, and the second signal will be for the Silver Knights.”

The Golden Ox Bow, firing three arrows in a triangular formation. A technique every Holy Knight learns. They calmly nocked three arrows onto their bowstrings, even while running.

The Silver Knights also nocked arrows for the Yaksha Bow, known for its powerful strike.

Just as the assault force continued to run in silence—

Dududududu!

The sound of hooves galloping across the frozen plains echoed in all directions. It sounded as if they were right in front.

The assault force tensed. But they neither slowed down nor broke formation. Because Pekda, commanding them, showed not a hint of agitation or issued any commands.

The sound of hooves continued to grow louder. Now, the cavalry was clearly visible to the naked eye.

As Pekda had predicted, 300 cavalrymen were charging at full speed.

“Holy Knights, aim for the enemy’s torso. Silver Knights, aim for their horses.”

Swoosh.

Pekda quietly raised a clenched fist. It was the signal to prepare to fire.

Dududududu!

Gulp.

The distance between the cavalry and the assault force gradually narrowed. 500 meters, 400 meters, 300 meters! Now, they could see each other’s faces.

But why weren’t they firing yet? Both sides’ knights were tense, their hearts pounding—when Pekda’s fist came down. It was the signal to fire.

Thududududung!

70 knights simultaneously fired three arrows each. Moving in a triangular formation, the arrows didn’t hit their comrades.

A total of 210 arrows were fired from 200 meters away. The charging cavalry looked bewildered.

Even if they were ignorant of archery, they knew it was impossible to shoot a bow while galloping.

Even if they somehow managed to shoot, could they hit their intended target? Absolutely impossible.

They naturally assumed Sephira’s assault force would stop to shoot arrows, but unexpectedly, arrows flew towards them, and they hurriedly raised their spears.

“Chahap!”

Puan, the leader and commander of the Black Panther Knights, let out a shout. His steel spear bent like taffy, deflecting the incoming arrows.

Clang!

The Black Panther Knights behind him also managed to block the arrows, though they were flustered. Arrows that weren’t blocked bounced off or embedded in their armor.

“Hah, I was nervous for nothing.”

“The arrows have no power at all.”

Baydant’s cavalry, startled by Sephira’s assault force shooting arrows while running, mocked Sephira as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, the distance continued to close, and soon they were within 100 meters.

At that moment, Sephira’s assault force fired a second volley of arrows. This time, only 30 arrows, much fewer than before.

“Hahaha! Have they already run out of arrows?”

Seeing the significantly reduced number of arrows, Puan sneered and thrust his spear forward provocatively. Regardless, Pekda continued to issue commands.

“Holy Knights, Yaksha Bow. Silver Knights, Golden Ox Bow.”

As soon as the command was given, the Yaksha Bow reached the cavalry.

Crack, thud!

The sound of Baydant’s knights’ spears and arrows clashing, and arrows hitting armor, was anything but ordinary.

“Ugh?!”

“Gah!”

Screams echoed.

The cavalry, expecting arrows to come at them, didn’t anticipate the arrows targeting their horses.

Even if they blocked the arrows by skill or luck, the impact was incomparable to the first volley, and many dropped their spears.

Puan, the commander, also didn’t expect the arrows to target the horses and was momentarily staggered, but as a self-proclaimed Grandmaster, he managed to deflect the arrows.

Sizzle!

“Ugh!”

Unlike the other knights, he didn’t drop his spear, but the shaft trembled. A momentary stiffness. Though it lasted less than a second, a lot can happen on the battlefield in that time.

Another volley of arrows flew in. They had a similar vibe to the previous Yaksha Bow.

The cavalry’s front line, already hit by the Yaksha Bow, had fallen. With the front line collapsing, the rear fell like dominoes without a chance to react.

The relatively unscathed knights prepared for the second volley, expecting it to target their horses again, but this time was different.

Thud! Crack!

Sounds of flesh tearing and spears breaking echoed everywhere. This time, the Yaksha Bow aimed at their torsos, and slower knights couldn’t react in time.

Of course, since it was fired by Holy Knights of only 1-2 stars, it wasn’t powerful enough to kill instantly, but it was enough to inflict painful wounds and the fear of death.

“Get up, get into position! What are you doing?!”

Puan, the only one unscathed, stopped his horse and scolded his subordinates. But Pekda didn’t give the cavalry time to regroup.

Another 90 arrows flew in. The Silver Knights’ Golden Ox Bow. It was on a different level from what the Holy Knights had fired. Aura surged.

Though not as powerful as the Yaksha Bow that could shatter rocks, it had enough destructive power to pierce steel plates easily.

Baydant’s soldiers were utterly confused. They couldn’t tell if the incoming arrows were light or powerful.

“Uwaaah!”

Puan knew he had to command, but he was too busy deflecting arrows flying at him to issue orders.

With control lost, his knights and soldiers began to fend for themselves.

Some tried their best to deflect the arrows.

Some tried to dodge but were hit in vital spots by faster-than-expected arrows.

Some leaped to dodge but ended up pushing their comrades.

Some, overwhelmed by tension and fear, swung their spears too wildly and cut down their allies.

It was utter chaos.

Meanwhile, Sephira’s assault force didn’t stop charging. When the distance between the two forces was less than 10 meters—

“Scatter!”

At Petra’s shout, Sephira’s knights increased their speed and split left and right, passing right through Baydant’s cavalry.

Puan and Baydant’s soldiers, tense and gripping their spears, expecting arrows to fly at any moment, froze momentarily as Sephira’s assault force ignored them and passed by.

“Whew, whoo…….”

When the distance widened to over 100 meters, someone let out a sigh of relief. Starting with that, the surviving cavalry collapsed.

“These idiots! What are you doing now?!”

Seeing this, Puan shouted in rage and stabbed the ground with his spear.

“Get up now! We’re pursuing!”

Baydant’s cavalry, who had been swept away by Sephira’s arrows, had surprisingly few casualties. Only 17 out of 300 died.

But over 100 were seriously injured. Moreover, the horses that had fallen once couldn’t get up again. Less than 50 horses remained unscathed.

The cavalry got up at Puan’s furious command, but they couldn’t hide their discontent.

“You bastards! What’s with those faces? Disobeying your commander’s orders in wartime?!”

No soldiers responded. They knew better than to talk back and risk his wrath. But their silence only infuriated Puan more.

“Anyone not on a horse within 10 seconds will be considered insubordinate and executed on the spot. Move it now!”

At Puan’s murderous shout, the cavalry finally started moving briskly.

“Uh, Knight Captain. What about the wounded?”

But not everyone could keep their mouths shut. A Black Panther Knight cautiously asked Puan for his opinion.

“You couldn’t even block Sephira’s pitiful arrows, and now you have the leisure to care for the wounded?! Leave them and follow with the unscathed!”

“What about those who lost their horses?”

“Are you insane?! Do I have to tell you everything?! Run if you have to! If you don’t follow, you’ll be considered deserters!”

Puan gave orders without considering his subordinates’ condition. He thought he was showing commander-like charisma, but his subordinates, with even lower morale, began pursuing Sephira’s assault force.

*

Baydant’s main building was surprisingly easily breached by Sephira’s surprise attack and was occupied.

It wasn’t just because they failed to predict the archers’ infiltration.

“What benefit is there in occupying the main building of a family, to take such a risky move…….”

A vassal of the Baydant family, captured without a chance to escape, muttered.

“The victory condition of a family war is only the death or surrender of the family head. Sephira must know that Lord Jordic has taken to the battlefield himself.”

Occupying the main building only served to humiliate them. And since they felt humiliated, if that was the goal, it was achieved.

Of course, Keter, who planned this operation, knew that. Naturally, there was a purpose in sending the infiltration team.

Outwardly, it was to draw the troops surrounding Sephira to the main building—the real goal was to find the Seven Evil Tribes and the Moon Beast Tribe hiding somewhere in Baydant.

Of course, the mission to find the Seven Evil Tribes was a secret mission known only to Catherine.

“Somewhere in the Baydant family, the Moon Beast Tribe is hiding. Pretend to search for treasure and find them. And show them this.”

Catherine fiddled with the note Keter handed her. Though it looked ordinary, it was enchanted with magic. Catherine didn’t know what kind of magic, but she guessed it was related to security.

“It’s Prince Keter’s command! Find all small and valuable things!”

The infiltration team, all Holy Knights, began ransacking the Baydant family like looters. They also kept mentioning Keter’s name to intimidate people.

It wasn’t because they disliked Keter, but because Keter had instructed them to do so.

“Prince Keter said not to spare those who resist and to gouge out their eyes. Only those who want to go blind, step forward!”

For the Baydant vassals taken hostage, Keter was both the most hated and the most feared. Thus, the intimidation worked very well.

But Baydant’s soldiers alone couldn’t retake the main building.

The arrows fired by Sephira’s knights occupying the rooftop were unreasonably fast, accurate, and powerful. Every shot hit and caused serious injuries.

“Where are all these arrows coming from?!”

“Who said the arrows would run out?!”

“It feels like they’ve already fired 300 arrows!”

Common sense says that even if 50 people brought arrows, the limit would be 150 to 200 arrows per person. But Sephira’s infiltration team fired as if they had an infinite supply.

This was also thanks to Vulkanus’s ambitious creation, the miniature arrows.

Though a bit small, a special quiver could hold up to 100 arrows. In theory, 50 people could carry 5,000 arrows.

However, due to technical issues, mass production was incomplete, and they only brought a total of 800 arrows.

But Sephira’s knights remembered Keter’s instructions clearly.

“Never conserve arrows. Use them as if they’re infinite.”

“What if we really run out of arrows?”

“Mix in some Aura Arrows occasionally to conserve.”

“Ah.”

Thanks to Keter’s deception tactics, Baydant’s soldiers, numbering over 500, couldn’t do anything against 50 archers and were just running in circles.

Meanwhile, Catherine went deep underground alone. Reaching the lowest level in one go, Catherine looked around.

No one was there. Still, she tried to detect any hidden Baydant employees with mana detection, but felt nothing.

‘I can’t sense the Moon Beast Tribe’s presence either.’

Contacting the Moon Beast Tribe was Catherine’s secret mission. Even Sephira’s knights couldn’t find out.

Taking out Keter’s letter from her pocket, Catherine stared into the air and spoke.

“Moon Beast Tribe. I haven’t come to harm you. Rather, I’ve come to save you.”

This was also Keter’s instruction. There was no response, but Catherine stubbornly spoke again.

“If you don’t show yourself, I will set fire to all of Baydant’s buildings. After occupying Baydant, I will bury all underground spaces…….”

“That’s quite a threatening bluff, child.”

Catherine was startled by the voice coming from behind but didn’t turn around hastily.

“Are you the Moon Beast Tribe?”

“My name is Nila. I’d rather not be called by that bizarre title, Moon Beast Tribe.”

“May I turn around?”

“You like asking for permission, don’t you? Go ahead.”

Catherine cautiously turned around. Then she lowered her head. The voice had come from around her waist height.

But seeing the Moon Beast Tribe’s appearance, different from what she expected, Catherine blinked.

“Humans are always surprised when they see me. I look too young for my voice.”

As Nila said, her voice was like an old woman’s. But her appearance was that of a young girl. Maybe nine years old?

The difference from a human girl was her fluffy brown fur and perked-up rabbit ears.

Perhaps because of winter, her fluffy appearance was quite cute, and Catherine felt an urge to pet her without realizing it.

“Put your hand down. I don’t want to be petted by a child hundreds of years younger than me.”

“Ah, sorry. And here’s this…….”

Knowing time was short, Catherine quickly composed herself and handed Keter’s note to Nila.

Floating.

Nila did nothing, but the note flew into her hand on its own.

‘How is this possible? I didn’t feel any mana at all.’

Unaware of the Moon Beast Tribe’s innate telekinetic abilities, Catherine looked at Nila with a mix of curiosity and tension.

Nila unsealed Keter’s wax-sealed note with a gesture, and at that moment—

Zapzapzap!

A sudden burst of lightning shot out from the note and engulfed Nila.