Chapter 270
Western Front ⑦ — Their Respective
Death Battles
Translator : PolterGlast
The
beginning of the circumstances of how 5,000 Fearalt troops came to surge upon the right bank—where Clarice and her forces were holed up—we
must go back a short while in time. The
allied noble forces, having petitioned Clarice
for deployment upstream, were about to violate Clarice's strict prohibitions the very instant they arrived at
their position.
"Hmph. Given Her Highness’s sheltered upbringing, I
suppose it is no wonder she is ignorant of the standard rules of warfare. After
all, she is disregarding even the most basic tenets of strategy."
"The enemy's Mage Corps has already been
annihilated. What on earth is Her Highness afraid of? If we deploy in a
position like this, we are simply allowing them to cross the river right under
our noses! To think she fails to grasp that striking the enemy at the water's
edge is the very essence of utilizing the terrain... Good grief."
"How about this? We deploy at this position for now,
and the moment the enemy begins crossing, we all rush down the hill at once and
annihilate the enemy army at the water's edge? Wouldn't that be an opportunity
for us to achieve military exploits too?"
"Nay. There is no guarantee the enemy will even come
this way in the first place. Did we not dare to petition for this position
specifically so that we could cross the river, take the enemy by surprise, and
launch an assault on the left bank? If we simply remain holed up here, surely
our presence is meaningless?"
Based on the flow of events thus far—and indeed, by the
standards of common sense—their reasoning was not necessarily flawed. Once they
allowed the enemy to cross, they would have no defensive fortifications to rely
on.
Clarice’s instructions had been specific: in the unlikely
event the enemy crossed the river, they were to restrict themselves entirely to
long-range attacks. They were to strike at the enemy's rear only when the
hostile force turned downstream toward the main camp.
However...
despite their grumbling, they managed to adhere to her strictures for the time
being, maintaining their distance from the riverbank.
"Report! The
enemy army's detached force has appeared on the left bank! They are crossing
the river in droves! Their number, about 5,000!"
" F-F-Five
thousand?! We are merely 2,000! There is
no way we can win fighting head-on! Charge
the riverbank immediately and stop the enemy army while we hold the advantage!
Follow me!"
A group of certain nobles began charging toward the
forbidden riverbank. To strike the enemy soldiers coming up from the river. And
as if lured by that, other nobles also began to charge all at once.
And then...
Just before they reached the riverbank, numerous fireballs
scorching the sky suddenly assaulted their heads. Not just fireballs, but
lightning strikes flying from the opposite bank with a roar also assaulted
them.
In this way, the allied noble forces defending the upstream
right bank were annihilated.
On the other hand, Clarice, who had behaved
resolutely even on the main battlefield and continued to support soldiers on
the front lines, had also reached her limit. Although she was commanding a
battlefield where massive armies clashed—her very first campaign—there was no
longer anyone at her side on whom she could rely on.
Corps Commander Schultz, the only man capable of filling that
role, was following the orders she herself had issued. He was at the very
forefront, commanding a desperate defense to hold together a battle line that
was beginning to fray. If she were to recall him to headquarters now, the front
lines would collapse beyond recovery.
Furthermore,
she had reached the limits of her experience and mental resilience. She could
no longer maintain the composure needed to issue precise orders in response to
the relentless barrage of unfavorable reports. It was at that moment that a man
of imposing stature appeared in the main camp.
"Your Highness, excuse me for being extremely rude, but
could you temporarily entrust command authority to me? I am prepared to fully
accept your reprimand for my impertinence later..."
The one who appeared before Clarice saying so was Gord,
who had been commanding the catapult unit. Having traversed many harrowing
battlefields alongside Takuhir
and observed the shifting tides of war firsthand, he remained perfectly calm.
And above all, he had been given a secret order by his lord.
『Gord, you've been watching the movements of the battlefield at
the very front lines while struggling as an assistant all this time, right?
That's why I'm counting on you! Move anticipating dangers against predictable
unforeseen situations, and if necessary, take command! Even Commander (Weiss) has given his stamp of approval, saying that you are considerably strong when it comes to solid command.』
Yes, Takuhir had deployed Gord, who had a
strong impression of being a shadow worker and a hard worker, to the Western
Front as his final trump card.
The current him had no trace of his past self when he was a
complete amateur at fighting despite being selected from a laborer. Serving
under Takuhir for over 10 years, receiving direct teachings and
discipline from Commander Weiss, interacting with Knight Corps
Commanders in the Royal Capital, he constantly polished himself. Takuhir
himself selected him after highly evaluating his tenacity in defense during
mock battles and actual combat.
"Y-Yes, Gord-san. Please,
by all means—I ask that you make up for my shortcomings."
There was a reason Clarice entrusted the command authority so readily. When the Demon
Territory Count had first introduced Gord
to her, she was told he was one of those most familiar with the Demon
Territory Count Army's way of fighting, had sufficient ability to be
entrusted with command without worry, and was a man to rely on in a crisis.
"Thank you. All surviving catapults, change aim to the
Left Wing! Conduct a volley of suppression rounds! Aim can be rough, max range
with the support of Wind Mages! Use annihilation rounds only with the
central catapults. Except for those supporting catapults, other Wind Mages
move quickly to the extreme left wing and keep blowing wind upstream! Each army
deployed in the floodplain fortification, abandon the first line and retreat,
deal with the enemy army relying on the sturdy walls of the second line."
Messengers ran out all at once. Watching this, Clarice
asked about what she felt anxious about.
"Gord-san, wouldn't that mean surrendering the fortifications and
embankments on the very front line to the enemy?"
"Yes, let's let them take it."
Saying so, Gord smiled. With a fearless smile that
only those who have traversed numerous battlefields show.
"Signal corps! Launch a balloon immediately—make sure
it is visible to Elan-dono! From this point on, do not miss a single signal from his
direction! Messenger! Orders to the far right flank: Release the 'Red Orbs' all
at once, immediately!"
"Are you going to do that?"
"Yes. The responsibility for taking the lives of many
soldiers, albeit enemies, and causing trouble for the people downstream will be
borne by myself and the Demon Territory Count. Activating that
takes time. Until then, I'll show you we can hold out somehow."
Saying so, Gord smiled again. This time, it was a
gentle smile comforting Clarice.
"Thank you. Perhaps I was still naive. Considering the
possibility of involving allies, taking many lives at once, the damage
downstream... no, perhaps I had even lost the leeway to consider such
things."
"Not at all, that's how it is in a first battle. The
weight of taking command, the weight of being entrusted with soldiers' lives,
is far greater than imagined."
"Gord-san, thank you. But just one thing, the Commander-in-Chief is
me. All responsibility lies with me; on that basis, please command
freely."
By this time, Clarice had somehow regained her
composure and returned to her usual self. After a while, messengers arrived at
the main camp in rapid succession.
"Catapults 1 through 8, line of fire change and loading
complete! Flags are up saying ready anytime. 9 through 12 seem unable to
respond in time!"
"Messenger from Central Catapult! Annihilation rounds
ready!"
"Messenger from Corps Commander Schultz! Will
now support the retreat of allies."
"Messenger from Signal Corps! Balloon is up!"
"Red Orbs have
begun to flow downstream!"
"Far Right Wing, Wind Mages are gathering."
"Your Highness, it seems we cannot wait any longer.
Please, your order to commence counterattack..."
"Yes, change bells from rapid fire to three strokes,
commence counterattack!"
At Clarice's command, suppression rounds were fired,
raining down on the center of the Principality's
forces, which were in the midst of launching a fierce assault on the Right
Wing. The effect was dramatic. Bathed in the suppression rounds and enveloped
in red and white smoke, the soldiers in the affected area were incapacitated in
droves. Soldiers writhed
in agony, clutching their eyes, while others were overcome by uncontrollable
sneezing and retching.
This
suspicious smoke rode the wind, engulfing everything from the middle army all the way to the rearguard. Then, targeted at
the Principality's rearguard which was anchoring the formation, the secret
weapon was fired from the central catapult—the same annihilation rounds that had struck the Mage Corps on the opposite bank.
For those who took direct hits from the annihilation rounds,
a hellscape equal to what unfolded before was unfolded.
Since this included 50 members of the Mage Corps who were about to launch magic attacks, they also met the same fate as their
comrades who were annihilated before.
"From the second shot onwards, switch to stone bullets!
Henceforth,
commence fire at will as soon as ready, until further orders! Instruct units 9
through 12 to adjust their aim and strafe
the enemy forces
swarming our vanguard. Sweep them away along with the
front-line positions! Second-line
Archers, provide
cover for our allies’ retreat!"
By Gord's instruction, the Kyle Kingdom Army
was pushed by the enemy army and lost the first line facing the floodplain
closest to the river. However, they reorganized their formation and began
stubborn resistance relying on the strong second line built on higher ground.
At first
glance, this looked like a sign that the Principality Army, despite sustaining casualties, was inching
closer to victory, while the Kingdom Army was sliding toward defeat. However, receiving Gord's support, Clarice
regained her spirit and resisted stubbornly against the surging enemy army.
Before battles commenced,
the party led by Elan and Mary, who had left the battlefield by Clarice's command, had moved to the mountainous area upstream from the
battlefield, near a large embankment built there.
However, in
a stroke of bad luck, they stumbled into a reconnaissance-in-force unit
dispatched by Lugner, triggering an
immediate skirmish.
"Kuh, This is going to be tough. We left so many
liaison personnel behind along the way..."
Elan was not merely a Mage and civil
official. For nearly ten years, he had received combat training from the
Commander and had even ventured into the Demon
Territory alongside Takuhir. As
a result, he possessed a respectable degree of swordsmanship and combat
experience. Mary, on the other hand,
was entirely inclined toward civil administration and was wholly unsuited for
battle.
Although the
unit had originally numbered around 200, they had dropped off observers and
liaisons along their route, leaving Elan
with fewer than 100 soldiers at present.
"Enemy is few! Since our figures were seen, let none
escape!"
"Surround and slay them!"
Saying so, they surrounded Elan and his group and intensified
their attacks. The enemy trying to chip away at the combat power of Elan
and his group, who formed a circular formation and were purely on the
defensive, was about 200 cavalry.
"Mary,
forgive me, but I need you to raise defensive barriers where our line is thin!"
Elan, fully occupied with fighting personally while
simultaneously commanding the entire unit, had no spare capacity to deploy
earth magic to halt the enemy cavalry.
Mary gripped the reins tightly with trembling hands, steeled herself, and desperately manipulated the earth to
impede the enemy's advance.
However,
caught in an encounter battle with absolutely no preparation, the numerical
disparity was simply too great to turn the tide. One by one, soldiers shielding
her were struck by enemy blades and arrows, falling from their horses in
succession.
"I'm sorry, if only I could fight at least..."
Muttering so, she desperately suppressed the feeling of
wanting to cry at any moment. She cannot fall into enemy hands now. Just before
this encounter, she had received a report from an observer that a balloon was
rising from the main camp.
Allies are struggling and have reached the point where they
must take the last resort; she understood that too. And that the only ones who
can execute it are Elan or herself.
"Mary! We will hold them here. Go ahead and
fulfill the mission!"
Elan said so
with a face of resolve and smiled slightly. To Mary, it looked like the
face of someone entrusting themselves with a mission at the risk of their own
life, a face bidding farewell to a companion with whom he had fought together
for many years.
"Elan! No!"
Mary screamed
at Elan, who was deploying earthen walls to shield Mary and those
following around her. But as if to cut off that scream, a wall that could not
be crossed by horse spread between her and Elan's group.
"Idiot! Elan... please don't die..."
Muttering so while shedding tears, Mary turned her
horse's head, struck her beloved horse once with a whip, and ran. To bear the
role imposed on herself to save over 20,000 allies and Her Highness the
Princess of this country from their predicament.
[Postscript]
Supplement regarding Catapult Attacks
Since there were points raised, I will add one supplement.
Regarding catapult attacks...
- Normal
Rounds: Attacks using fist-sized stone
bullets.
- Suppression
Rounds: Rounds blended with Naga fruit
(super spicy chili peppers) and spices, bringing effects like tear gas.
- Annihilation
Rounds: Items similar to fireworks
using gunpowder. Cannot be thrown without igniting the fuse in advance,
and handling is difficult with the risk of self-destruction if handled
incorrectly. Mainly scatters caltrops with the blast, a wide-range attack
with high killing power. Since magic cannons cannot be brought to the
Western Front, Takuhir entrusted this secret weapon only to limited individuals.
- Magic
Cannon: An attack established only by
combining a special catapult with Gravity Mages and Wind Mages,
a secret weapon. Killing power is extremely high; convergence mode is used
for base destruction, diffusion mode for wide-range attacks.
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