Chapter 68
Teigun Defense Battle ⑤
(Day 3 of War)
Claire's
Decision
Translator : PolterGlast
The enemy's assault
was successfully repelled for the time being.
At the checkpoint, key
personnel gathered to discuss future countermeasures.
The participants were:
·
Checkpoint Defense Commander: Christoph (Wind Mage)
·
Checkpoint Defense Strategist: Vice-Commander Kira
(Twin-Headed Eagle Mercenary Corps)
·
Mage Commander: Claire (Fire Mage)
·
Engineer Unit Commander: Elan (Earth Mage)
·
Logistics Officer: Caul (Space-Time Mage)
"Christoph,
what's the current battle situation? I think you, having seen it from above,
would be the most accurate."
In reality, Claire and
the others couldn't see the overall battle situation.
"Out of the 3,000
enemy troops, 1,000 are certainly dead or incapacitated. Their effective
strength is probably around 1,500 to 1,800."
"Nearly half,
that's incredible. By conventional standards, it's damage that should warrant a
retreat."
"Only if the
enemy commander is a man capable of sacrificing his pride, Kira."
"Claire is right.
I spoke with enemy soldiers before the battle, and even the soldiers were
arrogant and haughty."
"So, are you
saying the enemy is unlikely to retreat?"
"Caul, I think
the enemy is in a precarious situation where they can't carelessly retreat even
if they want to." Kira, who was commanding the battle at the checkpoint
alongside Christoph, responded.
"If we send back
many soldiers here, won't it increase the burden on Takuhir-sama at Southern
Gate Fortress?" Claire replied to Caul's words.
"We believe we
must be of some use, even if only a little.
However, the biggest
concern is that their handling of wounded soldiers is the worst in this land.
Sending them to a safe
rear, that is, placing the wounded near the Demon Realm, will definitely
attract monsters.
Lured by the smell of
blood emanating from hundreds of wounded soldiers, large numbers of monsters
will surely gather from the Demon Realm.
The Gryphonia Empire
has no Demon Realm within its territory. Naturally, they don't know the threat,
habits, or taboos of monsters.
If they continue this
standoff at the checkpoint like this... they will probably be annihilated by
monsters.
Staining the path to
Teigun with blood..."
"What?!"
Caul and the others
were reminded once again.
It was a very
dangerous situation; the enemy of the defending force was not just humans but
also the threat of monsters, which they also needed to counter.
"The sun will set
soon. We must act early once the sun rises tomorrow.
If we are attacked desperately
by enemy soldiers while facing the threat of monsters at our backs, we will
also suffer great damage.
And we will be faced
with a difficult choice. To save the enemy soldiers from monsters, or to use
them as bait...
If we choose to save
them, we must open the checkpoint, but it is uncertain whether the enemy
soldiers will appreciate it as kindness.
Whichever we choose, a
continuous battle with monsters will surely come next, and I do not believe
this will end without sacrifice.
We, who are in charge
of the defense, must avoid this situation."
Having said all this,
Claire spoke with determination.
"We will use that
plan. May I have the commander's (Christoph's) permission?"
"Claire's point
is reasonable. I've been careful, but... we live on the edge of the Demon
Realm, and it seems we sometimes forget that.
I'll leave the
execution of the plan to Claire. I just need to lure them in front of the
checkpoint and hold them there for a while, right?"
"Yes, please hold
out for just a little while.
The problem is that it
takes some time after activation. If we miss the timing, there won't be a
second chance.
We will position
several flag bearers to time it. For the execution, I will borrow Mary, Sasha,
and Aira."
"Understood. Kira
and I will cooperate with Elan and Krolla to drive them forward."
"It may seem
cruel, but it cannot be helped.
I believe it's
important to make them never want to attack Teigun again.
To do that, we need to
inflict damage that forces them to decide to retreat immediately, and to
encourage their retreat.
Tomorrow, we will
settle it all at once!"
Claire, with resolute
eyes, made her decision.
It might seem cruel,
but it was to protect the people of Teigun.
※
Climbing a cliff with
no visibility in pitch-black darkness... no one would do such a reckless thing,
normally.
"You who
undertake this dangerous mission in such a difficult situation are heroes! By
all means, accomplish it and leave your names in our homeland!"
At Marquis Bradley's
instruction, 100 men, who had stripped off their armor to be light and strapped
their swords to their backs, lined up.
They were those who
had volunteered for what could be called a reckless mission.
As the operation
began, they started climbing the cliff from the blind spots of the corridor,
aiming for the top of the checkpoint.
Their movements were
invisible in the darkness, but many soldiers stared into the unseen darkness,
praying that as many of their comrades as possible would accomplish the
mission.
※
"Report from the
lookout post to Christoph-sama: it seems some enemy soldiers are attempting a
reckless climb."
He calmly responded to
the hasty report from the messenger.
"The staircase
passage and the lookout points are protected by anti-infiltration grates, so
there's no problem. If they approach within range, I permit everyone to fire at
their own discretion."
Christoph wanted to
avoid the lookout point being exposed as much as possible for tomorrow's
operation.
If he activated the
trap at the lookout point, he could annihilate the climbing enemy forces in an
instant, but...
He still wanted to
preserve that.
He believed it was
impossible for them to reach the lookout point or the stairs leading to it in
this darkness.
These were words that
Christoph, who had been involved in the checkpoint's construction from the
beginning and was intimately familiar with the checkpoint and its surrounding
terrain, could say.
If, by any chance,
they came close, they would be perfect targets.
※
"…!"
Letting out a silent
scream, another allied soldier fell from the cliff.
Having volunteered for
such a difficult mission, they didn't even utter a scream, let alone a sound,
even when falling to their deaths.
However, during their
fall, they dislodged rocks along the way, and the resulting falling rocks
rained down on those in the narrow pass.
Several individuals
were injured by these falling rocks.
"There's no way
an ordinary person could climb this cliff."
Masrool muttered to
himself with a sigh. He had always been good at mountain climbing.
He didn't care about
the honor (promotion) given to the volunteers of this suicide mission.
He had volunteered
simply because he didn't want to be stuck in this narrow pass and become enemy
fodder.
But this cliff was
truly dangerous.
Every route one tried
to climb was perilous.
He could climb any
natural mountain. When it was truly dangerous, for some reason, he always heard
a voice.
"You must not
proceed here."
If he heard this voice
in his head, he would immediately change his climbing route. But this cliff was
filled with those voices.
Somehow, he chose a
route where he couldn't hear the warnings and slowly proceeded upwards.
Several hours later,
he finally reached a spot near the summit of the checkpoint, from where he
could overlook it, and took a breather.
He was probably the
only one who made it here safely.
He was aghast at the
sight before him: the checkpoint illuminated in the darkness.
Many of those guarding
the checkpoint were clearly not soldiers.
Some were even women
who could easily be called children.
They were protecting
their town from invaders.
From themselves, the
invaders.
"But this is war.
Forgive me."
He muttered a word to
himself as if to convince himself, then returned to his duties as a warrior.
As he nocked an arrow
to aim at a Solis Baron's soldier at the checkpoint, a long-forgotten memory
flashed through his mind.
The town he lived in
as a child was near the southern border.
And one day, it was
ravaged by enemy soldiers who crossed the border.
Both his parents and
his younger siblings were killed by enemy soldiers.
Not just his family.
Many friends and lives were taken.
He survived because
the young Third Prince had come to their rescue with his army. At that time, he
resolved that he would someday join the Third Prince's army and avenge his
family.
After that, somehow,
he had made a mistake and ended up joining the army of Marquis Bradley, a
faction hostile to the Third Prince.
And now, he was doing
the same thing that had been done to him in the past: crossing the border to
attack another country's town and take lives.
To the town's
residents, he was an invader who had come to take their lives...
"I'm... no
different, am I?!"
He muttered to himself
and lowered his bow.
For some reason,
everything suddenly seemed ridiculous.
And so, the climbing
unit, which had challenged with a suicide resolve, was completely annihilated.
All except Masrool.
Aside from him, those
who fell in the darkness, those who managed to reach near the lookout point or
stairs through desperate effort and luck but were discovered and shot dead
where they couldn't move—none of them saw their efforts rewarded.
Struck by arrows, they
fell down the cliff, further entangling their allies deployed in the narrow
pass.
Thus, the efforts of
the suicide squad went unrewarded, and they waited for dawn.
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