Chapter 361
(Kyle Calendar Year 515: Age 22)
Southern Front ⑤ The Fall of Ende
Translator : PolterGlast
The defense captain,
seeing the suspicious movements of the First Prince’s army, felt a sinister
foreboding and hurriedly turned on his heel. He felt the absolute necessity of
shifting to their pre-arranged course of action to order a retreat.
As he moved from the
outer moat back toward the demilune,
he purposefully walked with slow, measured steps, raising the command baton in
his right hand high into the air, tracing a large, deliberate circle.
At that exact
instant……
「 Ooh!
Ooh! Ooh! 」
The 1,500 soldiers
hidden within the northern demilune raised a simultaneous, thunderous
battle cry. That roar reverberated heavily all the way across the moat,
reaching the encampment of Glorious, who was preparing his assault.
「 Tch,
so they really intend to fight. It seems Grat's arrogance has thoroughly
infected even his lowliest subordinates. Excellent—we no longer need to hold
back. Wipe them out completely! 」
「 Your
Highness, should we not at least launch an initial warning strike to prompt
their submission before—? 」
「
Absolutely not! Those wretches are clearly bursting with hostility. To be
looked down upon by such a pitifully small force would severely compromise my
dignity! Grant them their wish and execute them for their insolence. 」
With even Harry
finding the First Prince a handful to manage lately, it was utterly impossible
for the aides to restrain him.
Of course, this
massive roar from the defenders was a calculated provocation meant to convey
high morale, while simultaneously serving as the secret signal to initiate an
immediate retreat.
However, the
attacking Imperial forces had absolutely no way of knowing this.
「 Do
it! Reduce anyone who dares block our path to ashes! 」
Glorious
swung his arm down in a grand arc. Simultaneously, countless cracks of thunder
boomed like explosions across the cloudless sky. Searing lightning bolts and
blazing spheres of fire raced through the air, relentlessly assaulting the demilune.
The blinding flashes
of lightning swept across the city walls, raking the defenses, while the
cascading fireballs submerged the entire area in a raging inferno.
As the soldiers of
both armies shuddered at the sheer terror of this merciless, one-sided
onslaught, the First Prince wore a thoroughly satisfied smirk, watching the demilune
being scorched, shattered, and torn to pieces.
Even after the
initial volley, intermittent magical bombardments continued from well outside
the defenders' counterattack range. The demilune protecting Ende's
outer perimeter was utterly helpless, reduced to cinders and collapsing into
ruin.
Presumed dead
alongside it were the 1,500 garrison troops who held the line……
「
Buhahaha! Fragile! Utterly fragile! Before my presence, the clever little defense
grid of that petty fox is nothing more than a castle built on sand! 」
In stark contrast to
Glorious's booming laughter, his aides twisted their mouths in grimaces,
averting their eyes from the sheer devastation.
Naturally, they too
had marched into this campaign with considerable resolve, and they fully
understood who their true enemy was. Had it been a proper, legitimate battle,
they would not have hesitated, even against allied forces. But what had just
unfolded before their eyes was nothing short of a one-sided massacre of
defenseless allies.
To laugh
boisterously like their lord was something they could never bring themselves to
do.
「 Even
so, that bastard Harry managed to prepare quite a magnificent trump
card. I was completely under the impression that they had been scattered and
lost during the previous conflict. 」
Indeed, the asset
entrusted to him by the elder who ruled the darkness was the remnant of the magic
corps originally provided by the rebel army of the Fearalt Principality—roughly
30 surviving Mages out of the original 50. In the midst of the chaotic
retreat from the prior war, they had been secretly sheltered by the Clan of
Darkness, escaping capture by Takuhir and his forces.
Following that war, Takuhir
had thoroughly investigated the Demon Territory to ascertain their
whereabouts, and had even requested confirmation from the Imperial Third
Prince and the King of Fearalt, but their status had remained entirely
unknown.
Given that the
conflict had taken place within the treacherous Demon Territory, if they
had been ambushed and slain by monsters, confirming their deaths would have
been virtually impossible anyway. Furthermore, the post-war period was a
relentless cascade of consecutive campaigns, leaving absolutely no luxury for a
prolonged investigation.
With the rebel
forces of their homeland completely annihilated, these Mages no longer
had a country to return to. Consequently, they had chosen to gamble their
ultimate fate on the fortunes of the First Prince.
「 Now
then, utilize the rubble to fill in the moat, secure our path forward
immediately, and advance. If they continue to resist us after this, we shall
simply burn the entire city to the ground as well. 」
This ruthless
command from Glorious, however, was never executed. Whether entirely
demoralized by the overwhelming, one-sided magical assault or executing a
planned withdrawal, the soldiers guarding the perimeters outside the northern
sector fled.
In their stead, the
remaining resident representatives of the city voluntarily opened the gates and
welcomed them in. The massive gates of the city of Ende were thrown wide
open.
With this, the base
city of Ende, belonging to the Third Prince Grat, had fallen.
The army of over ten
thousand soldiers marched through the city gates, loudly proclaiming themselves
the saviors who would protect the Empire and Ende. Yet, it was a
victory utterly devoid of welcome. And exactly as could be expected, their
savior masks were stripped away almost immediately.
Upon entering the
city, Glorious instantly attempted to requisition the opposing
military's food supplies. But……
「 Are
you mocking me?! What do you mean there is absolutely no food? This is supposed
to be that bastard's primary logistics hub! 」
「
Report! The military supply granaries were completely empty. It appears they
fled while taking every last grain of food with them. 」
「 Tch,
it seems their master raised them well. Even when tucking their tails to run, their
very first thought is to secure the rations…… Then what about the civilian
storehouses? I was informed that a substantial amount of provisions and supplies had been amassed
there to support the military. 」
Indeed, the primary
reason Glorious had departed from Griffin so ahead of schedule to
seize Ende was precisely to lock down these supplies. By doing so, he
could bypass the tedious, roundabout process of procuring and transporting
goods from Griffin, allowing his army to procure locally on the front lines.
「 About
that…… we have thoroughly searched every single warehouse in the city, down to
the private storage vaults of the merchants…… but there is nothing. 」
「
What?! How can that be?! 」
「
According to the statements from the citizens' representatives, this city
ceased functioning as the primary logistics base the moment the fortress at Big
Bridge was constructed. Currently, local stockpiles are minimal, and any
surplus was entirely forwarded to the front lines in preparation for the
current conflict. 」
「 Even
so, there must be enough food for the common rabble to feed themselves
day-to-day! Several tens of thousands of people reside here, do they not?!
Simply requisition it from them! 」
「 Requisition
from the citizens……, Your Highness? 」
「 I
preferred the term 'procure.' Tell the citizens: 'Do you truly wish to be
trampled by the savages of the Sura Principality?' Use that to compel
their cooperation. 」
「 And……
for those who refuse to provide supplies? 」
「 To
cooperate with us, who have received the sacred duty to safeguard the Empire,
is the absolute obligation of every Imperial subject. Anyone who forgets this
and throws a tantrum shall be deemed guilty of aiding the enemy; arrest them
and throw them into the dungeon! I do not care if you must use a measure of
brute force. That ought to make them fall in line. 」
「 To go
that far…… 」
「 Ah,
but it is only natural. They are essentially the subjects of enemy territory.
They must reap what they have sown. Anyone who dares voice a complaint about it
will simply vanish in this war. 」
Following this
sequence of events, the inhabitants of Ende were subjected to the
crushing weight of the tyranny enforced by Glorious.
However, this marked
nothing more than the opening curtains of a grand game of deception between the
fox and the raccoon.
As if they had fully
anticipated this exact outcome, the citizens had meticulously hidden their food
supplies, acting flawlessly as though the entire city were completely destitute
and devoid of sustenance.
「 We
truly have no food to spare! Please, feel free to search until you are
satisfied. Besides, if the remaining food is requisitioned, we won't even have
a single meal for tomorrow! 」
Such were the
desperate cries they used to completely baffle and smoke out the First Prince's
soldiers. This was all possible because they had already enacted thorough
countermeasures based on a prior decree issued by Sieghart.
Decree
·
To ensure that Ende is not engulfed in
the flames of war in the upcoming battles, the logistics functions currently
held by this city shall be entirely transferred to Big Bridge.
·
Any surplus food that is not transported shall
be distributed equally among the citizens of the city.
·
Taking advantage of the confusion of war,
lawless individuals with wicked intentions may visit the city. Be thoroughly
prepared for this.
·
Every household must conceal their food supplies
in a secure location to prepare for requisition by military force.
·
In the unlikely event of an emergency, we ask
that you remain calm. The defending soldiers will secretly hide in the city,
dedicating themselves entirely to your protection.
Every single
resident of the city passionately revered the Third Prince, the savior who had
rescued their town after it was brutally overrun by an enemy nation and who had
successfully developed it into a thriving metropolis supporting the front
lines.
Therefore, when the
First Prince labeled the people of Ende as enemy nationals, he wasn't
entirely wide of the mark in terms of their allegiance.
Alongside the 1,500
garrison soldiers who had defended the northern sector—and were widely believed
to have been utterly annihilated—the citizens carried out a highly coordinated
campaign of sabotage under various plausible pretexts.
Though he had
technically occupied Ende, Glorious and his army found themselves
profoundly agonizing over a populace that was superficially submissive but
actively uncooperative.
They were left with
no choice but to scrounge for meager scraps and remain completely pinned down
in Ende, forced to wait until Harry arrived with his fully
supplied army of twenty thousand.
That being said, the
forces of the Third Prince, having lost Ende, were also left thoroughly
isolated within a flawless, suffocating encirclement.
To the First Prince,
who had already crossed the line, there was no longer any hesitation or
compunction toward those they
once called allies.
And as for Takuhir, whom the fully surrounded Sieghart desperately relied upon as his sole beacon of hope and vital lifeline—he was still only midway through his journey, rushing southward through the vast Imperial territory at absolute breakneck speed.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
-
[Gold]
B random
Nepheos
[Silver]
Corey Hicks
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Jake Seagraves
Matthew Fraser
Tbaum56
Xavier O'Donoghue
Anton Lim
Austin Lorenzo
Baelee
Bloodyemperor
Ctdela
Curious Panda
David Bankole
Enrique Miranda
nick nasca
SD Fox
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
