Chapter 164
The Rebel
Army's Battle ⑦ - Showdown
at the New Gate (Turning Point)
Translator : PolterGlast
Viscount Hiyorimi
planned to conquer the unsightly New Checkpoint tonight.
In the night raids so
far, the various ravelins, which complemented each other and attacked from both
left and right, had been an extremely troublesome obstacle for the Viscount's
army. But now, he was convinced, the enemy lacked the forces to defend them.
"The number of
bonfires is the same as yesterday, but it took them longer to prepare them. It
is highly likely that the number of soldiers holed up in the fortress is
smaller than yesterday!"
He was satisfied with
the scout's report, which was just as he had expected.
"This is a bit
earlier than planned, but I suppose it's time for the finishing touches. If His
Highness the Prince arrives first, it would be a problem for Lugner as
well."
Saying this, he looked
at the gate's wall and offered a cold, freezing smile.
"I'll show you
that crossbows are not a weapon exclusive to you!
Dispatch decoy units
to the five ravelins. The signal will be the war cry from the southeast.
Begin the attacks,
staggering the timing slightly. Tell them to attack each position with their
full strength, as the defenders are few. If they think it will be the same as
yesterday, they will come to regret it."
And so, a portion of
their army moved silently under the cover of darkness.
Then, late at night, a
war cry rose from the vicinity of the ravelin southeast of the fortress.
New Checkpoint
(Fortress) Layout Diagram
Viscount Hiyorimi's Army
▼▼▼▼▼
▼▼▼▼▼
☆☆☆
☆ ☆
☆ 北丸 ☆
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
☆ ☆
☆ 北西丸
北東丸 ☆
☆
☆
☆ ☆
☆ ☆
☆ 南西丸
南東丸 ☆
☆ ☆
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
☆ 南丸 ☆
☆ ☆
☆☆☆
Teigoon Direction
北丸 : North Ravelin
北西丸 : Northwest Ravelin
北東丸 : Northeast Ravelin
南西丸 : Southwest Ravelin
南東丸 : Southeast Ravelin
南丸 : South Ravelin
※
"Reporting! A war
cry has been raised from outside the Southeast Ravelin! It appears the enemy
has resumed their attack."
Darek, receiving the
report, was calm.
"And what's the
size of the attacking force?"
"It's hard to
tell in the darkness, but we believe it's under 100."
"In that case,
the soldiers assigned to each position can handle them. Deal with it as you
have been."
Immediately after
Darek replied, reports of enemy attacks came in one after another, this time
from the Southwest Ravelin, then the Northwest, and the Northeast Ravelins.
"Hmph, such a
transparent trick.
They're trying to
disperse our forces, and in that opening, they'll throw their main force at the
North Ravelin, which they probably assume is wide open!
We'll pretend to fall
for it, and we too will secretly move our main force to the North Ravelin and lie
in wait. They have crossbows too. Be extremely careful of volleys from the
darkness!"
When Darek had entered
the New Checkpoint during the day, the first things he did were hold a meeting
to share information and have the soldiers who had been fighting rest.
During the day, they
could grasp the enemy's movements, and with soldiers resting in shifts, they
wouldn't be caught by surprise.
And so, the total
force of 700 soldiers, having eaten, slept, and rested sufficiently, was now
responding to the sporadic enemy attacks, their spirits and bodies refreshed
and their morale high.
After all the soldiers
had rested, the minimum necessary 100 defenders were assigned to each position,
except for the secure rear South Ravelin.
Because of this, they
didn't need to run around to respond to the attacks on each location; each unit
could respond calmly.
Now, the North
Ravelin, where the main force had moved, had 300 soldiers. Of course, the two
Wind Mages, Christoph and Gale, were also positioned at the North Ravelin, the
expected main target, with the expectation that they would use their powers as
mages.
After they took their
positions, time passed without incident at the North Ravelin for a while. But
among those stationed there, one person sensed the faint footsteps of enemy
soldiers secretly approaching under the cover of darkness.
"This sound, it's
definitely them."
Muttering this, she
ran to report.
"I believe a
considerable number are advancing on the North Ravelin! It seems they are all
on foot."
The one who brought
this report to Darek was Shannon, who had newly joined them as a Sound Mage.
"Just as I
thought. They'll likely rain down arrows on us with their crossbows! Gale, Christoph,
I'm counting on you for defense.
For a while, we'll
only defend. When they let their guard down, we'll counterattack. Then we'll
pause for a moment, so back to defense at that time."
On Darek's command,
everyone entered a state of battle readiness. And beside him stood a tense
Erol.
※
Viscount Hiyorimi was
satisfied with the progress of the battle. As planned, Baron Solis's soldiers
were desperately defending against his four decoy units.
Weakened by poison,
their numbers are likely well below 300. And those few soldiers must be
exhausted from last night's raids.
"This is the end!
Begin the simultaneous crossbow attack. Let a rain of a thousand arrows fall
upon their heads!"
His order was
immediately carried out. To be precise, since 200 men were dispersed as decoys
in four locations, it was a rain of 800, but...
The massed volley was
not fired just once, but twice, then three times, aimed at the presumably
undermanned North Ravelin.
Their plan was to
sweep the enemy soldiers from the walls, then, while 500 archers provided
covering fire, 300 men would storm the walls and conquer the North Ravelin.
※
On the walls of the
North Ravelin, Darek and the other defenders were taking cover from the pouring
rain of arrows.
However, from the
second volley onward, Christoph and Gale had put up a shield of wind magic,
causing all the arrows to lose their momentum, leaving them without enough
force to even cause a scratch.
Darek himself was
already standing boldly exposed to the arrows.
"Everyone,
prepare for a simultaneous volley. The target is the enemy's main camp only.
Prepare for maximum range. The mages will guide them, so all you have to do is
shoot. Let's blow their minds!"
With that, Darek first
turned to the two mages.
"Christoph, Gale,
I'm about to fire a beam of light to the north, so I need you to confirm the
enemy's main camp. That bastard is probably sitting smugly in a safe spot
outside our range anyway.
It's fine if we can't
kill him. Just getting the arrows there will be effective enough, so I'm
counting on you. I'll leave the timing of the launch to you."
Saying that, he next
turned to Erol, who was beside him.
"Now then, we
will prepare the stage. I will ask you to persuade them to open their eyes. In
the unlikely event they refuse to listen, we will move to annihilation. I ask
for your understanding on that point.
Also, even if enemy
arrows come flying, the Wind Mages will protect you, so please speak with
confidence."
When Erol nodded,
Darek left the spot for a moment to take some distance, then summoned three
trusted men from among his subordinates and spoke to them in a low voice.
"From now on, you
are not to leave Lord Erol's side for a moment, even after the battle is over.
The way I see it... that serene, almost enlightened look of his is likely an
attitude that only one who has thrown everything away can have.
He probably intends to
take responsibility for this rebellion and either choose death himself to plead
for the lives of the soldiers who joined, or to uphold his honor as a kingdom
noble, he's prepared to strike down his father and die with him.
A person cannot change
that much unless they have a will strong enough to abandon their attachment to
life in order to protect something. It would be a waste to let the man he is
now die. Do not, under any circumstances, let him do anything rash."
Darek had seen men die
with such expressions in the past. In the last war with the Empire, when they
were surrounded and cornered by Margrave Goth's army, his subordinates risked
their lives to protect him.
They had protected
Darek, becoming his shield and falling, but they had all faced death with
serene expressions, throwing their lives away to fight. Looking at Erol's face
now, he couldn't help but be reminded of their final faces.
Darek entrusted this
concern to his subordinates, returned to his original spot, and then spoke in
turn to the two who were waiting there, slightly tense.
"Shannon-san, was
it? I need you to use your sound magic to amplify his speech so that his
persuasion can reach them. The Wind Mages will protect you from incoming enemy
arrows, so don't worry."
With that, he had her
stand by Erol's side.
"And you were
Leia-san, right? Please handle the light projection. The procedure is as I
explained earlier. Make it so that Lord Erol is clearly visible to the enemy
below. Then, when we move to the second stage, I want you to light the path we
will advance on."
He smiled at the two
of them, easing their tension, and then addressed all the soldiers deployed on
the walls of the North Ravelin.
"Alright! The
show is about to begin. We will now commence our counterattack against the
rebel army! Let's show them what we're really made of!"
"Yeah!"
After taking the third
volley from the Hiyorimi army, Darek declared the start of the operation.
※
Viscount Hiyorimi
smiled as his plan entered its final phase. The last attack had cleared the
enemy soldiers from the walls.
If he gave the order
to storm the walls now, the fortress would fall before long.
Then, all that would
be left was to storm Teigoon with his entire army, and the occupation of the
land said to be impregnable would be complete.
Viscount Hiyorimi was
certain that the strategy he had long envisioned was about to be completed.
But the turning point
came suddenly.
A band of light
appeared on the battlefield, and a beam fired from the fortress walls
illuminated them.
"Hii, hih, light?
He's here? The light is here? Why!"
As he let out a
panicked shriek, a volley of several hundred arrows from the enemy army
assaulted his main camp.
"Th-there's no
way arrows can reach this far! That's three times the range of our
arrows!"
But the reality was
that the arrows were, in fact, reaching them.
Fortunately, the
arrows' momentum was weak, and only a dozen or so men in the main camp were hit
and wounded, but this series of events caused his soldiers to turn their
attention as one to the fortress wall from which the light had emanated.
There, illuminated by
a bright light despite it being night, stood a single man.
"Soldiers of the
Viscount Hiyorimi's army, cease your attack! And please, I ask you to listen to
my words. My name is Erol, Hiyorimi von Erol!"
Erol's voice, which
should not have been able to reach them, echoed in the ears of the attacking Hiyorimi
soldiers.
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