Chapter 143
Eastern
Border War ⑦ - Secret
Plan vs. Secret Plan
Translator : PolterGlast
※※※ Third Day of the War
"Brave soldiers,
there is no need to be agitated by the enemy's deceptions. We are always with
God. And by your side, God's messengers have descended!"
"Ohh!"
"The Cardinal is
on the front lines..."
"God's messengers
have descended!"
With Cardinal Castro
and God's messengers (Wind Mages) coming to the front, the morale of the
confused Istoria Imperial Kingdom army instantly recovered.
"We will not let
those rascals have their way like yesterday! Make them regret it with your own
hands!"
The Cardinal muttered,
unheard by the surrounding soldiers. Yesterday's mocking actions by Kyle
Kingdom's cavalry, the construction of defensive walls in the forest, and this
time, the construction of a one-night castle—his patience had reached its
limit. For him, striking a blow here and boosting his allies' morale was
absolutely essential.
The Cardinal had
deployed a special selection of longbowmen, the top 2,000 elite archers out of
18,000 longbowmen, in front of the fortifications from the first battle. They
had performed as expected in the first battle, exceeding the Cardinal's
expectations. Their specialty was ultra-long-range shooting using strong bows,
which had brought down many Kyle Kingdom soldiers. And now, he had summoned 10
longbowmen, renowned as the most skilled in the Imperial Kingdom army, who were
particularly outstanding among them. They notched their arrows, aiming at the
enemy's small castle for a coordinated attack with the Wind Mages.
"Everyone,
behold! This is God's will!"
Concurrently with his
words, the 10 longbowmen loosed their arrows. At an almost horizontal angle,
unexpectedly, considering they were aiming at a target 600 m away. And the
released arrows, riding a fierce gust of wind, flew an impossible distance and
powerfully pierced the wall of the small castle erected by the Kyle Kingdom
army. The arrows' destructive power was tremendous; the planks forming the wall
of the seemingly flimsy small castle were spectacularly shattered and sent
flying, visible even from the Imperial Kingdom army's fortifications.
"Behold! A mere
facade of a fortification is no match for us! Fear not, gentlemen! Our arrows,
blessed by God, can even shatter enemies at that distance!"
"Ohh!"
"It's God's
divine skill!"
"We are also with
God!"
A great cheer erupted
from the Istoria Imperial Kingdom army's camp.
※
At that very moment,
the Kyle Kingdom's camp, conversely, fell silent. The arrows loosed by the
Istoria Imperial Kingdom army had deeply pierced not only the small castle but
also the hearts of the soldiers.
"Hey! They can
hit from this distance?!"
"Impossible...
absolutely impossible. If we go out there, we'll be killed."
"How... how are
we supposed to attack?"
Some soldiers,
especially those positioned behind the small castle, began to become extremely
agitated.
"Commander, it
seems Wind Mages have appeared on the front line. Perhaps we should switch to
the second plan for today's operation?"
"Indeed. That range
and power are not to be underestimated. But they probably didn't notice the
planks deliberately laid on the front and thought it was just a flimsy
makeshift structure, didn't they?"
Unlike the pale-faced
soldiers, we were operating normally even in this situation. The presence of
Wind Mages in the enemy army was one of the things we had anticipated. And
despite it being only a single volley, we somehow managed to infer its
characteristics.
It was probably a
specialized type focusing on range and power. In the Solis Mage Corps,
Christoph was the closest to that. He struggled with wide-area responses, but
within a limited range, he could unleash remarkable power and range. In the
past, Christoph also struggled considerably to be able to provide wide-area
support. As a result of extensive training, he could now provide wide-area
support like other Wind Mages, but it required considerable time and personal
effort.
"Then, Commander,
shall we prepare a return gift? Prepare for firing on both flanks! Aim, center
of enemy fortifications. Send the red flag as a signal to the cavalry and
allies hidden in the forest to begin the operation!"
"You all! Don't
just be surprised by the enemy's firing; burn our upcoming attack into your
minds! And once you've seen it, take your positions with confidence!"
Commander Weiss and I
each gave our instructions.
"Left flank of
the forest, confirmation flag is up. Followed by the right flank."
"The main force
in the rear also has a red flag up. It seems the activation of the second plan
has been confirmed."
Yes, the second item
Commander Weiss had secretly given to Bart was a Magic Cannon (catapult), which
was being mass-produced under Foreman Karl for deployment at the fort under
construction in the Demon Realm and the New Checkpoint. We had brought two
completed and test-fired, yet undeployed, units this time.
Since Yoltia was
absent, the strongest mode of the diffusion magic cannon, which uses metal
spheres, could not be used. However, by using lighter stone projectiles, and
with Wind Mages providing support and guidance, they could exert sufficient
power at around 600 m. Furthermore, Lilia, who was skilled at guiding the Magic
Cannon second only to Carleen, was also here.
"With the
command, continuous firing from Number 1 and Number 2. After firing,
immediately re-aim at the flanks of the fortifications and load the next
rounds. Number 1, ready... Fire! Followed by Number 2, ready... Fire!"
In response to my
instructions, the catapults activated, and stone projectiles flew, cutting
through the wind with force, to shatter the cheering Istoria Imperial Kingdom
army's position.
※
"We have God's
blessing! The Kingdom's army is nothing to us!"
"Long live the
Istoria Imperial Kingdom!"
As the Imperial
Kingdom's camp, still buzzing from the longbowmen's divine skill, celebrated, a
sudden, eerie whistling sound cut through the air.
"What's that?
Wh-wha—gurk!"
"Hey, what's-?
Gah!"
The two who had just
praised God unfortunately took direct hits from stone projectiles to their
faces and died instantly. Many stone projectiles, flying in a gentle arc,
slammed into the center of the V-shaped fortifications, hitting the area where
the longbowmen were concentrated.
Unfortunately, the
soldiers, who had crowded together to witness the longbowmen's divine skill,
were swept away one after another by the stone projectiles—no, by what could be
called stone cannonballs.
"Wh-wha—what's
happening?!"
Cardinal Castro,
struck by the unexpected attack, collapsed from the impact and the deafening
roar. Miraculously, he himself was unharmed, but around him lay a gruesome
scene of bleeding, fallen men and others writhing in agony.
※
"Second volley,
report when ready! You all, it's our turn to win! Take your positions!"
At Commander Weiss's
shout, approximately 3,000 crossbowmen, selected from the Knights and deployed
in the trenches, ran in groups of three, disappearing one after another into
the tunnels.
It was only then that
the soldiers of the Kyle Kingdom army, who had been stunned, began to cheer.
What started as a ripple of cheers gradually grew louder and spread wider.
"Good heavens,
I'm glad they're not our enemies!"
Margrave Hamish,
utterly astonished, wore an expression bordering on exasperation.
"That's true.
Under His Excellency Gouras's command, we're also deploying catapults in
combat, but not like this."
Commander Hoffman
sighed, his voice filled with admiration.
"No, no, that's
an exquisite technique, highly coordinated with a Wind Mage. They must have
trained extensively. For us, imitating that would be utterly impossible. By the
way, shouldn't we start moving to our positions according to the second plan now?"
At his comrade's
remark, Commander Hoffman snapped back to reality and recalled his operational
orders.
"Oh, right.
Second Army! Separate into left and right from the rear of our camp and move to
your standby positions in the forest!"
"Third Army! Take
your crossbows and begin moving behind the catapults! Reconfirm your
operational procedures individually and proceed!"
※
"Number 1, second
volley ready!"
"Number 2, almost
ready!"
"Then, after the
second volley, continue continuous firing as each becomes ready, at your
individual discretion. Do not give the enemy time to think. Number 1 is to
cover the enemy's right flank, and Number 2 the left, as planned."
"Number 1,
understood!"
"Number 2,
understood! Number 2's firing preparations are also complete!"
"Number 1, Number
2, continuous fire! Ready! ...Fire!"
With the stone
projectiles successively fired at Commander Weiss's command, the Istoria
Imperial Kingdom's position fell into utter chaos. This time, the stone
projectiles assailed the V-shaped fortifications on the far right and left
flanks, targeting the areas where the longbowmen were concentrated.
The longbowmen,
prioritizing the ease of handling their bows and fighting from outside enemy
range, were lightly armored. However, this proved to be their downfall. Those
who took a direct hit either died instantly, had their bones crushed, and were
rendered unable to fight, or collapsed in agony. Even those not directly struck
sustained severe injuries from bouncing stone projectiles.
"Don't bunch up!
Disperse!"
Many of the confused,
fleeing soldiers no longer held the longbows they were supposed to use for
counter-attacks. They threw down their bows, covering their faces and heads
with both hands, scattering and fleeing in disarray.
"Send a messenger
to the soldiers hidden in the forest! Shoot to kill those soldiers operating
that accursed small castle!"
In the chaotic
situation, with their command structure in disarray, by the time they finally
obtained Cardinal Castro's understanding and issued that order, they had
already received the fourth volley.
※
"Report from the
forest lookout! A yellow flag is waving. It seems the enemy army is on the
move!"
"His Excellency
Schultz and the crossbowmen, who advanced from the rear, have completed their deployment."
"The trench unit
has completed deployment. Wind Mages are also in their designated positions.
And the signaling bell is ready at any time!"
Commander Weiss and I
received reports that all preparations were complete.
"Commander, shall
we move to the next stage?"
"Yes, the grand
play begins."
For us, this brief
exchange was enough.
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