Chapter 227
(Kyle Calendar Year 512: Age 19)
Anti-Magic Combat Training
Translator : PolterGlast
After the wedding ceremony and the accompanying festive
uproar ended, we moved our base to Ishtar via Aegis and through
the Demon Territory for exercises. The group consisted of the 2,000
members of the Frontier Knights branch led by the Commander, the Magic
Knights and attached archers totaling 2,350, and the entire Solis Magic
Corps.
The first thing we did was reorganize the subordinate Mages.
Ideally, I would have liked to assign everyone to the
southern front defense, but I needed to place trustworthy people as guards for Yuka, Chrisia, and Her Highness Clarice
to solidify the headquarters.
Therefore, I assigned a portion of the Mages there as
Her Highness's direct unit:
- Wind Mage:
Gold
- Holy Mage:
Rosa
- Earth Mage:
Mary
- Fire Mage:
Crawla
- Water Mage:
Ayla
- Space-Time Mage:
Kaul
- Guard Swordsman:
Carla
- Guard Archer:
Altena
Gold not only
has combat experience but can also act as a commander on site, and he is
well-connected with the Royal Capital Knights Third Army. Being at
headquarters, he should demonstrate his strength in the operation of Mages
and coordination with soldiers.
Count Gorman had already assigned one female Wind
Mage as a guard for Yuka, but he also assigned one of the two
additional Sound Mages here.
As a result, a total of 10 Mages, including Yuka
and Chrisia, along with 5 guards
including those under Her Highness, became the core of the headquarters unit
aligned with our intentions.
In addition to these, the breakdown of each deployed corps
was as follows:
|
Attribute |
Western Sector |
Northern Sector |
Eastern Sector |
Southern Transfer |
|
Wind Mage |
50 |
10 |
20 |
4 |
|
Holy Mage |
10 |
5 |
5 |
— |
|
Earth Mage |
30 |
10 |
6 |
— |
|
Fire Mage |
32 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
|
Water Mage |
32 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
|
Lightning Mage |
45 |
5 |
5 |
2 |
|
Ice Mage |
20 |
5 |
2 |
— |
|
Sound Mage |
24 |
5 |
2 |
— |
|
Dark Mage |
2 |
1 |
— |
— |
|
Light Mage |
3 |
2 |
— |
— |
|
Space-Time Mage |
2 |
1 |
— |
— |
|
Total |
250 |
50 |
50 |
10 |
For the Western and Northern sectors, we consulted and
allocated placements from the 300 personnel available.
The Eastern sector consisted of Royal Command Mages dispatched by Margrave Hamish and Count Model
for eastern defense.
Then, we assigned Gold and his group to headquarters,
and in exchange, transferred 10 members from the Magic Knights to the
Southern Right Wing camp.
They are scheduled not only to cover the gap in Wind
Mages necessary for southern defense but also to continue researching countermeasures
against the Fearalt Principality's Mages under my supervision.
Regarding the Fearalt Principality's Magic Corps,
I had heard an overview during a secret conversation with their King when I
visited the Principality, so there were ways to take countermeasures.
I heard that in that country, Fire, Lightning,
Water, and Ice Mages are mainstream, and the Magic Corps
is composed mainly of Fire and Lightning Mages, specializing in
attacks.
Against this, the primary issue is how to defend against
this rain of fire and lightning strikes; if we can withstand this attack, a
path to victory will emerge for us.
- Construct
effective defense means.
- Determine
the range of their attack.
- Construct
means of attack from outside the enemy's effective range.
We thoroughly discussed these three points with the
Commander.
And the conclusion we reached was...
For Fire Magic countermeasures, specifically against
fireballs raining down from the sky, we would construct a defense method by
combining two types of magic.
We had already been conducting experiments on this amongst
ourselves.
Originally, it was an application of something constructed
as a countermeasure against enemy fire arrows. Although it requires
coordination between both Wind Mages
and Water Mages, as well as advanced
fine-tuning, we have somehow managed to make it take shape..
This research was led by the Fire Mage Crawla
and Water Mage Ayla, who were originally from the same hometown
and close friends. With the cooperation of Wind Mages and through trial
and error, they arrived at constructing a nearly perfect anti-fireball defense
formation.
With this, we can at least protect the main camp.
All that
remains now is to conduct relentless training and ensure that every single Water Mage and Wind Mage masters the technique.
Regarding Lightning Magic countermeasures, we decided
to construct defense means utilizing modern knowledge.
However, since we have no Lightning Mages among us, this had been nothing more than a desktop
theory until now.
Therefore, I developed only the devised tools in advance
and, upon the arrival of the Magic
Knights, began full-scale experiments.
"Even so, as
always, where do you find such things, Takuhir-sama..."
"Commander,
let's just say this is... well, an application of book knowledge. Still, it was
helpful that we could accommodate a large amount of copper from Count Gorman..."
"Originally,
Count Gorman's territory had copper mines and also performed casting.
Now it depends on the timing of the Mages... If this succeeds, the enemy
soldiers will be considerably surprised."
"Fufufu, unlike
fireballs, lightning doesn't fly straight. They will surely be flustered. And
if the position construction by the Earth Mages and the coordination of
the Water Mages go well, it can instantly become a means of
counterattack."
"Hahaha, the
enemy forces will self-destruct with the magic they fired themselves; that's
the gist of it."
"Yes. On the western front, our only
objective is to hold the line. If we construct defensive positions guarding the
highway to the Royal Capital and
fight a defensive battle, the front will fall into a stalemate. Furthermore,
when combined with the Third Army of
the Royal Capital Knights, our
archers total 12,000 men. In the previous battle at the eastern border, we
lacked sufficient Wind Mages and had
to rely on improvisation. However, as of now, we can allocate 50 of them to the
west. Numbers are power. I daresay this is a very significant advantage."
"By simple calculation, that is a
responsibility of 240 men per mage—or 80 men if we use a three-line formation.
I will be drilling them hard for the next six months with that goal in
mind."
"Yes, please
do."
From there, the
demonic special training began.
"Wind Mages,
you are the keystone of defense and attack! Deploy the Wind Wall in the
designated range like your life depends on it! If you can't perform defense
like a pro, you can't move on to attack training!"
"Is... is such
a thing possible? How can Yuka-dono and the others expose themselves to
arrows like torrential rain and do that so calmly?"
"Water Mages,
do you intend to take a bath on the battlefield? Do you think you can prevent a
rain of fire with that? You'll suffer major burns along with the Wind Mages
if you keep that up!"
"How do we
perform such a difficult activation? Are you saying we... don't even reach the
feet of Sasha-dono or Ayla-dono?"
"Fire Mages,
don't hold back! Even the attack of all of you combined is nothing compared to
the battlefield! Do it with the intention of burning the opponent to death! In
the first place, your range is too short. Do you want to be unilaterally burned
to death by the enemy!?"
"Th...
That's... Why can Claire-dono and Crawla-dono engaging from such
a distance, and moreover, how utterly merciless..."
"Earth Mages,
your construction is
slow! The battlefield is different from civil engineering work. Understand that
this is work to protect the lives of allies!"
"Why? Why can
the Demon Territory Count's Mages change the terrain so quickly
and so easily?"
"Lightning Mages,
attack squad, show no
mercy! Defense squad, what is that sluggishness? If you slack off, I'll make
you train at the direct hit position. We're switching offense and defense after
this, so both sides be prepared!"
Yeah, the
Commander's angry roar never ceases, but it seems some excellent ones are
already starting to grasp the knack. With this, will it go according to plan?
"Holy Mages,
your treatment is slow,
and think about where you heal. What's the point if you get caught up and
injured yourselves?"
"Eeeek!
Y-Yes!"
"Ice Mages,
your deployment is slow
and the Ice Wall is too weak! Such a thin plate of ice won't be of any
use!"
"Kinia-san,
why? Why can't we match that child at all?"
"Sound Mages,
what are you doing with that? You'll blow yourselves up! From here on, everyone
remove your earplugs. If you don't want to rupture your eardrums, respond
desperately!"
"What on earth
should we do? Like Shannon-san and the others..."
"Light Mages,
Dark Mages, Space-Time Mages, you are support classes, but what good
are you if you can't protect yourselves? Acquire the optimal movements suited
to each attribute!"
The Commander's
merciless training drove them into a corner without hesitation. On the other
hand, Gale and Gold were thoroughly teaching controlled shooting
to the 2,000 archers.
"Drill it into
your bodies until you can react naturally to both flag and bell signals! And
don't misjudge the firing timing! It's meaningless if you can't fire
simultaneously! Acquire more efficient movements so that anyone can handle any
role in three shifts. At your current speed, you'll just be annihilated by a
cavalry charge after one shot!"
Watching their
training, there was a muscle-brain smiling happily.
"Fufufu, as
expected. The Mages led by the Demon Territory Count are all simply in a league of their own.
Their resolve and their training... This makes the drills in the Royal
Capital or the academy look like child's play."
"Her Highness Clarice,
there is a reason I am having you
observe their training, you know. No matter how much delight you take in
watching them, I will not allow you to participate."
"Demon
Territory Count, I understand. You want me to burn their movements and
timing into my eyes so I can command on the battlefield, right?"
"I am awed by
your insight. Also, please encourage them occasionally. Naturally, morale will
rise. Also, as opportunities arise, I will explain the usage points of several
secret weapons, so please remember them well."
"I understand.
Even so, Demon Territory Count, I understand now more than ever why
Father calls you『The one who brings wisdom to the Kingdom』and
evaluates you so highly. That Sound Mage weapon... I nearly fell off my
horse."
"For all of
these things, the timing of use is important. Once known, the effectiveness
decreases."
"Right... Even
so, regarding the catapult training the Wind Mages of the eastern sector
are doing—are we not using that thing I heard about from the Margrave?"
"We won't use
it now. Unless we are upwind or have Wind Mages perfectly positioned, we
who use it carelessly would see hell. I don't want to incur the notoriety of
being the one who made the Princess of the Royal Family writhe in agony, after
all."
"Is going out
to the Demon Territory to subdue monsters... also no good?"
This muscle-brained
girl! She doesn't understand at all that she is a princess. Really, talk about the gender she was
born with...
"Absolutely not.
First, you must become able to take a point from me. Your Highness's sword is
too straightforward."
Yes, certainly this
tomboy has talent for sword skills and is extremely excellent, but her form is
too clean. Her opponents until now probably only engaged in clean sparring.
Because it's dojo swordsmanship, the attack moves are easy to read.
What the Commander teaches is something entirely
different. It is swordsmanship designed to kill—premised on a life-or-death exchange where,
at times, absolutely anything goes.
As she is now, a
life-or-death exchange against monsters is too dangerous. Besides, if by any
chance she got injured...
Yes, even I was
covered in wounds at first and was taken care of by Holy Mages
extensively. There were many times I felt the danger of death.
So, I dismissed Her
Highness by saying, 『Still
insufficient ability』, and pushed her away.
"More
importantly, Your Highness, please use your free time to memorize the topographical map of the
western part of the
Kingdom, received from the Minister of Military Affairs, into your head
completely. I will conduct a Q&A regarding military deployment later. Once
the training here settles down, I will arrange guards, and you are scheduled to
actually inspect the site."
"Oh my, I can
go out to the western region as well?"
"It is not an
'outing', it is an inspection! Normally,
when Your Highness moves, those around you get dragged along. So you will move incognito, for a short
time. Understood?"
"Fufufu, the
only one who speaks to me so unreservedly is the Demon Territory Count.
But I won't give up on the Demon Territory."
"Please keep
your promise. We are long past the point where we can afford to fuss over rank
and status at every turn. If there aren't people like the Commander and myself
who can speak frankly, Your Highness will rush in like a wild boar regardless
of the place."
Her Highness Clarice
seemed to want to go to the Demon Territory considerably, and she
polished her sword skills daily against Carla. Carla was quite
hesitant at first, but...
『Breaking her
nose will contribute to Her Highness's future safety, and that itself is a
display of loyalty. 』I convinced Carla by saying that.
I myself, in the
very first match, mercilessly beat Her Highness down with sword attacks that
ignored form and kicked her away with foot techniques. The people around us at
that time turned pale and were taken aback...
Fighting enemy armies
or monsters is not a match with rules.
To make her
understand the meaning of going to the battlefield and its severity, neither
the Commander nor I have words like 'reservations' or 'special consideration'
anymore.
Seeing Her Highness
smiling with satisfaction despite being beaten down, soiled with dirt, and
frustrated, I strengthened that thought.
Although there are
various worries and uncertainties about the future, the strengthening training
of the Magic Knights has thus begun.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
-
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
Corey Hicks
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Matthew Fraser
Xavier O'Donoghue
Alan Sharman
Anton Lim
Austin Lorenzo
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Didntpassit
nick nasca
openope
rads
SD Fox
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
