Chapter 152
Eastern
Border War ⑫ - The
Conquering Banner Flutters
Translator : PolterGlast
※※※ 11th Day of the War
"Even so... where
in the world did you get something like that?"
The Margrave's
question was perfectly understandable. I had been frequenting the Lord's Manor
kitchen since childhood, involved in things like developing dried noodles. And
that's when I learned that this world also had super-spicy chili peppers that
would put even the Bhut Jolokia to shame.
※
It was knowledge I had
stumbled upon by chance when I was five years old.
"Young master,
that's not something a child should handle."
That day, I saw
something resembling a chili pepper placed in the kitchen and instinctively
picked it up. Chef Miguel appeared and scolded me.
"This is... used
in cooking, you see. Just a tiny bit can make even an adult sweat profusely
from their head. But there are even more amazing things in the world. There's a
fruit called Naga; just one lick of it can make an adult roll on the floor in
tears from the pain in their tongue!"
I remembered that
story when I was developing the Magic Cannons in Teigun. I then commissioned
several merchants to gather a large quantity of Naga fruit from all over the
Kingdom. Many merchants, unaware of the circumstances, were puzzled by the
sudden surge in prices for Naga fruit, which was almost worthless in the
market. And some, seeing that there were almost no buyers other than me for
Naga fruit, rushed to monopolize it at high prices, suffering enormous losses.
Weapon development
began by drying the acquired Naga fruit and grinding it into powder using a
watermill. It goes without saying that several individuals involved in this
manufacturing process ended up writhing in agony. Furthermore, it's a notorious
item that, even in its prototype stage as a weapon, similarly produced
casualties. In the end, it failed during a test firing, leaving Commander Weiss
and me writhing in agony.
When I was Nishida, I
once removed my contact lenses after cooking, with hands that had touched chili
peppers, and suffered terribly. Even a slight touch of chili pepper caused such
intense pain; the Naga fruit's power was immense. Of course, Nishida later
researched emergency treatments for capsaicin online, for reflection and future
use. Thanks to that, all personnel who became "victims" during the
weapon prototype development only suffered to the extent of writhing in agony.
※
"The red smoke
is... super-spicy chili powder. The whitish stuff is a mixture of spices like
pepper. The white is just flour, though... We adjusted the ratio differently
for the ramparts than for inside the fort because our allies would be affected
when they scaled the walls."
"Turning something
used in cooking into a weapon?! I'm beyond surprised, my jaw just won't
close!"
Saying that, the
Margrave chuckled.
On the ramparts in
front of the fort, sandbag stairs were constructed in an instant, and soldiers
climbed the walls one after another. Among the leading group were Wind Mages,
deflecting sporadic counter-arrows from the Imperial Kingdom. They were there
for a more important, true role.
The Imperial Kingdom
soldiers stationed inside the fort were terrified by the red wind and white wind
blowing down from the ramparts. This was because the powder scattered on the
castle walls, carried by the wind, attacked the enemy soldiers occupying the
walls even before their arrows did.
Thanks to the Wind
Mages' efforts, the ramparts were secured without significant counterattack.
Crossbowmen who had advanced from the forest deployed on the ramparts and began
firing at the enemy soldiers within the fort. From atop the rock wall,
crossbowmen, supported by Wind Mages, were still raining down arrows.
At this point, it was
expected that they would soon completely occupy the ramparts and the walls
extending from them, then open the gate. Once that happened, the cavalry led by
Commander Hoffman would charge into the confused enemy army. The soldiers of the
Istoria Imperial Kingdom Army had already lost enough cohesion to mount any
organized resistance.
※
"What's
happening?! Report! What in the world...?!"
Cardinal Castro, who
was in a room near the eastern defensive wall, closest to the Istoria Imperial Kingdom's
territory within the fort, found his thoughts unable to keep up with the sudden
change in events.
"The western wall
seems to have already been occupied by the enemy. Many of the soldiers deployed
inside the fort are incapacitated by the enemy's smoke. We will serve as the
rearguard and buy time. In the meantime, please take God's messengers and
retreat to our homeland. Hurry!"
Urged by the general,
he began his escape. The general told him the fort would fall soon, and he
became agitated, fleeing in disarray. He had completely forgotten about God's
messengers.
He had brought two
messengers (Wind Mages) to the battlefield for this war. In addition, he had
requested one of the three Holy Mages to accompany him to the battle for
treating the wounded. However, the Imperial King (Pope) did not grant that
permission.
These Holy Mages, who
secretly performed the divine miracles (magic) of the Imperial King, were
treated as precious tools to demonstrate the Imperial King's authority and
guide the populace, never allowed to leave the cage of the Royal Palace.
Therefore, he brought two messengers (Wind Mages) instead of the originally
planned one.
The messenger
forgotten by the Cardinal and left behind in the fort was the one who performed
the miracle of long-range shooting on the third day of the battle, boosting the
soldiers' morale. However, he unfortunately took the brunt of Takuhir's
subsequent counter-attack, suffering several broken ribs and severe bruises all
over his body. He lay on a bed inside the fort, incapacitated and near death.
And the other
messenger had gone out into the fort's plaza to support the longbowmen
launching a counter-attack, having heard the bell ringing in what seemed to be
an early morning enemy raid. There, he was hit by the Kyle Kingdom army's
attack and was writhing in pain, clutching his eyes. Fortunately, he was
carried by a fleeing soldier and managed to join the group escaping the fort.
※
From atop the rock
face, Takuhir looked down at the battlefield, which seemed to have already been
decided.
Cavalry charged
through the open gate, and flanking Commander Hoffman at the lead were Gold and
Alar on horseback. With the cavalry's charge, they unleashed strong winds from
both sides, blowing the red powder scattered on the ground towards the waiting
enemy forces.
Those waiting were hit
by the final barrage of powder, writhing in agony one after another, losing
their ability to resist. The fall of the fort was now only a matter of time;
everyone felt it.
"There's new
enemy movement!"
Receiving that report,
I moved with the Margrave and Commander to the back of the fort, to a place
overlooking the Istoria Imperial Kingdom side.
"Indeed, their
will to fight hasn't been crushed yet. Judging by that formation, it seems they
are planning a formidable counter-attack against us, who intend to pursue them
after they exit the fort. The infantry in front will act as a defensive
barrier, and the longbowmen in the rear will attack from both sides. It seems
they intend to support their escape as the rearguard, and simultaneously launch
a powerful counter-attack against us, who are chasing them."
As the Commander
pointed out, the Istoria Imperial Kingdom army had begun to form a V-shaped
formation facing the eastern gate (exit) of the fort. From what I could see,
approximately 4,000 infantry and 4,000 longbowmen were deployed. It seemed to
be a deadly formation that would unleash a crossfire of arrows as soon as we
exited the gate in pursuit. If we were to be hit by a concentrated crossfire of
longbows immediately after exiting the gate, this time we would be annihilated.
"Bart, do you
still have a lot of stored rocks and rubble?"
"Yes, plenty.
Would you like me to send them their way?"
"Yes, I'm sorry
to ask, but please do. It may seem cruel, but I don't want to expand the war
further, nor cause any more casualties to our allies. It would be best if they
simply retreated quietly after this..."
I asked Bart to
execute the final maneuver.
※
Meanwhile, the
Imperial Kingdom's general, who had volunteered to lead the rearguard, had
deployed a deadly formation and was waiting for the enemy to emerge from the
gate.
"You, Kyle
Kingdom rascals! This won't end here. We'll take as many as we can with us! If
you come out intending to hunt us, this time, you will be our prey! Infantry,
do not let their cavalry pass! If you do that, we have a chance to win!"
The Imperial Kingdom's
general shouted, inspiring his allies. Many soldiers responded to his voice,
their morale still relatively high.
As they focused on the
fort in front of them, a soldier suddenly pointed to the rocky mountain on
their left and cried out. A strange sight was visible above the rocky mountain.
At first, it was just human figures, tied to ropes and half-suspended, swaying.
But then, suddenly, with a thunderous sound, a large quantity of rocks began to
roll down the slope, raining down on them from above.
"Whoa!"
"Rockslide!
Retreat! Retreat!"
"No
good...!"
As the unit was
deployed in a V-formation, the left flank panicked and fled in disarray from
the sudden, unnatural rockslide. Some rocks, too large to be carried by human
hands, tumbled down the steep slope. The rocks flattened several soldiers and
continued to roll, burying others. The infantry, having been densely packed to
thicken their defensive formation, suffered greatly.
Thus, the left flank
routed, and their formation was severely disrupted. Seizing the opportunity,
Commander Hoffman gave the order, and the cavalry charged. The Imperial Kingdom
Army's right flank was also dragged into a rout by their fleeing allies.
Thus, the Kyle
Kingdom's banner once again fluttered over the Eastern Border fort, and the
border war concluded here. A historical great victory for the Kyle Kingdom
army.
<Kyle Kingdom
Army>
◆ Participating Forces
Hamish Frontier
Count's Army: 4,000 personnel
Eastern Front Noble
Army: 10,000 personnel
Other Reinforcements
(Baron Solis): 1,000 personnel
Royal Capital Knights:
20,000 personnel
Total: 35,000
personnel
◆ Losses
Hamish Frontier Count's
Army: 400 personnel
Eastern Front Noble
Army: 2,600 personnel
Other Reinforcements
(Baron Solis): 0
Royal Capital Knights:
200 personnel
Total: 3,200 personnel
<Istoria Imperial
Kingdom Army>
◆ Participating Forces
Longbowmen: 18,000
personnel
Infantry: 6,000
personnel
Light Cavalry: 6,000
personnel
(Mages: 2 personnel)
Total: 30,000
personnel
◆ Losses
Longbowmen: 15,000
personnel (including 3,000 captured)
Infantry: 2,000
personnel (including 1,000 captured)
Light Cavalry: 1,000
personnel
(Mages: 1 personnel;
captured)
Total: 18,000
personnel
The Kyle Kingdom army,
though losing 10% of its forces, defeated a large enemy army and successfully
recaptured the border fort. They also eliminated over half of the enemy forces
and acquired nearly 4,000 prisoners, achieving what could be called a
historically great victory. The reason for acquiring so many prisoners in the
battle within the fort was that many had their eyes damaged and lost their will
to fight due to the intense pain, losing their ability to fight or flee.
The Istoria Imperial
Kingdom army suffered a devastating loss, losing 60% of its deployed forces,
and its prized longbow corps was annihilated. Furthermore, they made a grave
mistake by losing one of their most valuable assets, a God's messenger (Wind
Mage), and the border fort they had so painstakingly captured in the previous
campaign was retaken by the Kyle Kingdom army.
Cardinal Castro, who
fled back from the border, was held responsible for the defeat and imprisoned.
Although it was a crushing defeat worthy of immediate execution, the secret
ritual for confirming Mage aptitude was still in his hands, and because of
this, his life was prolonged.
This time, he himself
became a bird in a cage.
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