- Main article: Norden Line/Script
Kempf and Nikalaf discuss their strategy for dealing with Leif's approaching forces. Nikalaf chastises Kempf for underestimating their enemy and orders him to hold the bridge with his battalion until the Knights of Ulster under Count Conomor arrive from the rear to trap Leif's forces in a pincer attack.
At the same time, Leif confers with August about the enemy's formation and wonders if the enemy could be convinced to break that formation. If Olwen is present, she volunteers to tempt the enemy commander - Kempf - into leaving the bridge, as she has a "history" with him.
The battle begins. If Olwen talks to Kempf, she sends a string of insults toward him, making him break formation and rush away from the bridge alongside his battalion in order to kill her. If Olwen is killed or has not been recruited, Karin can also talk to Ilios, and if she does, she convinces Ilios to defect to Leif's army. His only condition is that he must receive a noble title once Leonster is liberated, a dream that Karin pokes fun at him for.
If Leif visits the top eastern house during the battle, he meets Sleuf. Sleuf recalls his vision from the Tower of Bragi - the words of Father Claud - which leave the prince confused. Sleuf explains that Leif will understand in time, then decides to join the prince's army.
Late into the battle, the Knights of Ulster under Conomor's command appear from the west, and Conomor orders them to charge. One of his soldiers questions this decision, claiming they could retake Ulster now instead of fighting for the Empire, but Conomor is worried that Princess Miranda's safety would be in danger if they did so.
Once the battle ends, Dryas praises Leif for his success, then they discuss the fall of Leonster and Leif's subsequent escape alongside Finn. Leif mentions how the Knights of Ulster striking from the rear made him briefly lose hope, to which Dryas responds that Count Conomor is a splendid and honorable leader. They both wonder why someone like that would fight for House Friege, but conclude that there must be some reason and that it would be best if they could avoid fighting Conomor again.
This section details unofficial strategies that may help with completion of the chapter. This may not work for everybody.
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The fast method
If the player does not care for any of the chapter's valuable items, they can use Warp to kill the boss and end the chapter early. Because Sleuf joins with an A-rank in staves, the player can give Leif a second Warp staff to warp Leif to Sleuf's house then to the Gate, or use a Rescue staff to bring a unit holding the Warp staff to the area (preferably Karin if the player wishes to recruit Ilios). Don't worry about the Ballistae - they stop attacking when the boss is killed. Doing this puts Leif, Sleuf, and any other units in the area in danger of Ilios and his squad, though thankfully Sleuf can survive two Boltings from Ilios.
The player is still able to Thief a Sleep Sword (preferably on the last turn if Ilios it to be recruited, as otherwise the swordless Cavalier might take his Meisterschwert) and visit the Pure Water village, with the Knight Proof village also reachable with some planning, either having a flier Warped/Rescued over, or delaying the Warp skip by a few turns and having a flier travel through the mountains around Ilios's range.
The slow method
The Pure Water village to the west is in danger to a brigand, though between their low level and only weapon being the Hammer they are no threat, so a single unit can handle them safely.
Ilios is a powerful mage knight with Bolting, a Meisterschwert, and a Sol Manual that can be recruited with Karin, though Olwen must be killed or unrecruited. It is recommended to either kill Ilios or recruit and rescue him, as doing either will cause the rest of his squadron in retreat. Some of the front-line Cavaliers have Sleep Swords equipped, which are dangerous weapons to face but if obtained can help with recruiting Misha in the next chapter or Xavier in Chapter 18. Acquiring them is difficult, however, as the swords are too heavy to be stolen, the Cavaliers cannot be captured without being put to sleep, and if they get to hit a unit the unit will be put to sleep. The easiest way to get one is with Tina's Thief staff (at which point the weaponless Cavalier will either steal Ilios's Meisterschwert or run away and escape), with the only other method being putting them to sleep and capturing them.
Unlike in Chapter 11, Kempf does not have a Meisterschwert and can take bonus damage. The units under his authority do not move, which makes it hard to attack him due to the ballistae from behind. His squad can be made to break formation by having Olwen talk to him, though depending on how it is done it risks her dying; this can be used on purpose if the player wishes to recruit Ilios, though this should ideally be done before engaging Illios's group with a Warp use. As with Ilios, killing him causes his entire division to go into retreat, though utilizing this is difficult to the enemy layout. The chapter boss, Brook, also has this behavior with units under his authority, which includes all of the ballstae. This can be exploited by Warping a unit to kill Brook to deactivate all of the Ballistae.
Recruiting Sleuf requires unlocking the drawbridge with a Bridge Key (the middle village has one), a thief with a Lockpick or the Unlock staff. He can also be reached with a flying unit or a combination of Warp, Rescue, and Rewarp.
Conomor will show up on turn 20 with a Nihil Manual; killing him here will cause him not to re-appear in Chapter 19. Neutralizing him away is easy, as if any of his units are killed they will all run away. Additionally, if they have been lured past the 1-tile wide bridges, they can be rendered completely immobile by blocking their way out, making them easy pickings for EXP or for stealing the Nihil Manual.