Chapter 159
The Rebel
Army's Battle ② - The Start of the War of Nerves
Translator : PolterGlast
"Hmph, they must
be in a panic right about now. The attack was never going to come from just one
direction. In the end, they are nothing but pawns on a board that we control.
Let them dance in their madness and entertain us."
Lugner sneered as he
spoke.
"Use the
conscripted citizen soldiers as arrow fodder and deploy them in front of the
gate! Make sure they are thoroughly warned to be careful of the enemy's
crossbows. Just have them carry shields and pressure the gate; that alone is
enough. That's all it will take to throw them into disarray and make the other
side even more vulnerable."
With these words,
Lugner sent 100 of his elite cavalry and 300 conscripted soldiers to advance through
the pass toward the gate.
He himself,
considering the worst-case scenario, remained on standby at the entrance to the
pass on the demon territory side with 100 of his elite soldiers. He suspected
that the under-construction fortress on the demon territory side, which they
had bypassed on their march, might still have some soldiers.
"We shall wait
here for the victory my father will achieve. We will soon have the important
duty of escorting a person of high nobility, after all. Now, give the order to
the front line: begin the provocation!"
Lugner's messenger
galloped toward the front.
※
On the watchtower of
the demon territory gate, two women stood facing them, discussing their
defensive arrangements.
"Kira-san,
honestly, with 50 mercenaries and 100 members of the self-defense force, how
long can you hold out?"
"Let's see... we
can see about 500 enemy soldiers from the watchtower. Normally, we would be
fine. I would like to answer that way, but first, we are severely short on
soldiers for the defense. We have no replacements, and everyone is currently
exhausted from dealing with the plague. If they engage us in a war of nerves
for several days and then push with all their might at the peak of our fatigue,
disregarding casualties, it will be very tough...
Also, if the infection
were to spread within this gate as well, the situation would become
disastrous."
"I see..."
Claire closed her
eyes.
After calming Miseri
down at the command center, she had somehow managed to rally herself and come
here. While she was exceptionally talented in administration, military affairs were
outside her expertise and she was vulnerable to changing situations.
Still, as the one
responsible for holding the fort, she had been performing her duties with
hardly any sleep recently. Claire knew that the pressure and expectations
placed on her were greater than anyone else's.
Claire had told her
that their last resort would be to wash away the enemy soldiers with the water current,
and had moved to the gate to stand on the front lines herself.
But in reality, both
of them knew. They had little water to create the current they were relying on,
and no Water Mage to control it.
The water level in the
moat had been considerably lowered when they had released water to flush the
sewers during the plague outbreak. Without a Water Mage, they couldn't control
the flow, and they couldn't launch an effective attack in terms of either
volume or quality.
Witnessing Claire's
resolve, knowing all this, Miseri had also steeled her own resolve and returned
to her usual self.
"Kira-san, please
command the defense with the sole objective of buying as much time as possible
and holding this position. I will assist with my fire magic."
Claire bowed her head
to Kira.
Right now, the New
Checkpoint was also fighting at its limit and could not send reinforcements
here. In terms of defensibility, the gate on the demon territory side had a
clear advantage due to the terrain.
Sensing Claire's
determination, Kira also resolved herself.
"Report! The
enemy is on the move. About 300 infantry with shields raised are advancing
toward us!"
As the setting sun
dyed the land red, their attack began.
"Here they come. We
won't let them pass for free. Contact the self-defense force! We will begin
suppressive fire. The mercenaries will focus on eliminating any enemy soldiers
who reach the gate!"
Kira's orders flew out
instantly. And so, the battle for the demon territory gate began.
※
Carrying shields made
of woven bamboo, the soldiers of Viscount Hiyorimi's army, looking as if they
were possessed, closed in on the gate.
"Vengeance for my
wife (daughter/son/parent)! You bastards of Solis will pay!"
Their anger surpassed
their fear, and they paid no heed to the rain of arrows pouring down on them.
"That's no
ordinary morale. And with those shields, the self-defense force's crossbows
won't be effective. Drop stones on the enemy who reach the gate!"
On Kira's command,
stones were dropped all at once from the top of the gate.
The shields that had
stopped the crossbow bolts could not repel the heavy stones.
For some, their
shields were shattered; for others, the impact of the stone injured their
wrists; and for others still, the recoil of the stone caused them to be struck
down by the very shields that were meant to protect them.
"Make them
retreat for now. We've instilled some fear for the time being. Let them spend a
sleepless night until tomorrow morning."
When the order came
from Lugner's direct commander, Viscount Hiyorimi's army withdrew from the
front of the gate all at once, leaving behind the corpses of several dozen
citizen soldiers on the battlefield.
"There is no need
to rush. Time is on our side. Later, under the cover of night, we will take
turns conducting night raids! I wonder how long their spirits will hold
out?"
The commanding officer
looked toward the gate and smiled coldly.
Following his orders,
the Hiyorimi army retreated once more behind the cliff and took turns resting,
using their shields for cover. All to conduct harassing night raids in units of
100 after the sun went down.
Once the sun had
completely set and the area was shrouded in darkness, their attacks resumed as
if they had been waiting for it.
Cloaked in darkness,
they advanced close to the fortress while blocking arrows, let out a war cry,
launched sporadic attacks with their bows, and then immediately retreated. A
short while later, another unit would attack in the same manner.
Claire, too, rushed
about the defensive line without rest, using her fire magic to repel the
advancing enemy forces. As a result, this began to drain the stamina and erode
the spirits of Claire and all those defending the gate.
※
As night fell and the
defensive battle raged at the demon territory gate, on the opposite side at the
New Checkpoint, the Hiyorimi army was also preparing to attack.
"Report from the
watch! Since before dusk, the number of sentries on the fortress walls has
visibly decreased! There are more bonfires than yesterday, but they are being
lit little by little. It's clear that a small number of people are making the
rounds to light them."
Viscount Hiyorimi's
lips curled into a smile upon receiving the very report he had been expecting.
"It seems that
did the trick. Looks like they're only capable of superficial responses. As
planned, conduct night raids in shifts of 300! You don't need to overdo it.
Just draw their attention all night and make sure they get no sleep."
His orders for night
raids began that evening, and the defenders were condemned to a sleepless
night.
The soldiers of the Hiyorimi
army snuck to the base of the walls under the cover of darkness and launched a
variety of attacks.
Sometimes, they would
fire a volley of arrows at the sentries on the walls or into the fortress.
Sometimes, they would
place long ladders against the walls, throw grappling hooks to the top, and
attempt to climb.
And other times, they would
launch no attack at all, simply shouting war cries to intimidate.
The soldiers defending
the New Checkpoint were thrown into confusion by each new tactic, and the small
force was forced to run back and forth along the top of the walls.
※
Holed up in the
fortress and dedicated to its defense, Gale and Christoph could clearly read
the enemy's intentions.
"This is bad...
they're using their numbers against us. At this rate, we'll get nowhere. What's
the plan, Christoph?"
"It's tough, but
let's split our forces into two groups as well. Their attacks are still just
harassment. Let's make them think that we, with our reduced numbers due to
their strategy, are desperately running around defending all night. At night,
you and I, Gale-san, can take turns commanding, and one group can rest. What do
you say?"
"Understood. By
the way, are we not using that yet?"
Gale said, pointing to
the magic cannon installed on the fortress walls.
"We have few Wind
Mages left here, so I was thinking of using it all at once when the enemy lets
their guard down. When they move their main camp further forward..."
"Got it. You're
one of those precious Wind Mages. Get some proper rest and be ready!"
You too, Gale-san. Christoph
started to say but stopped himself. He understood that Gale was being
considerate in his own way.
And so, Viscount Hiyorimi's
army's attacks continued throughout the night.
Those entrusted with
defending Teigoon in their lord's absence could not yet see a ray of hope from
within the vortex of this seemingly endless battle.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
-
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Good or Hype
Matthew Fraser
Anton Lim
Ctdela
Curious Panda
nick nasca
SD Fox
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
