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Vol 02 Chapter 66: The Seven-Day War III

「Wow, I slept well. What a wonderful morning. Well, I guess the enemy hardly got any sleep.」

「You have a terrible personality, Tonino. So, how soon do you think we can take them down?」

「Well, considering the enemy’s fatigue, I think they’ll fall in a week. Two weeks at most. We can just resupply our soldiers, siege weapons, and provisions as long as the supply line with our home country is intact, but the enemy can’t. Man, the enemy is stupid – holding a siege without any prospect of resupply.」

Carlo and Tonino left the camp. They’d been attacking Teria Fortress continuously since last night. The enemy should be exhausted by now.

「Alright, let’s stay energetic today too!」

◇

Second day of the siege.

「Damn, I’m sleepy…」

Gram yawned.

「They didn’t let us sleep last night, after all.」

As Gram and Ron had predicted, the Domorgal army launched a night attack. However, there was hardly any attack on the walls; the enemy just beat drums and yelled from a distance where their arrows couldn’t reach them.

Still, the Rosais’ army couldn’t just ignore them, so in the end they hardly got any sleep last night. As a countermeasure, they divided the soldiers into two groups to alternate between day and night… but even so, it was impossible to sleep soundly while the enemy army was attacking the walls.

「Ah, the accuracy of the arrows is dropping…」

Gram sighed as he observed the trajectory of the arrows fired by his subordinates.

But it couldn’t be helped. Their concentration was dropping due to lack of sleep.

However, as the hit rate of the arrows dropped, more enemy soldiers were able to climb up. This put more pressure on the infantry.

Naturally, the infantrymen were also sleep-deprived.

「Ah, I’m so irritated! Bring me the flamethrower. We’re going to burn them.」

Finally, Ron decided to use the flamethrower. One after another, enemy soldiers were set ablaze.

But the flamethrower only lasts for ten seconds. It needed to be refueled immediately, so the enemy took this opportunity to climb up. There was no sign of the enemy’s offensive weakening.

「Damn, I’m tired, but this is the critical moment. Promotion, here I come!」

Yosef swung his sword while loudly proclaiming his desires. If you ignored his personality, he was clearly more talented in battle than the other centurions.

「I can’t lose to him.」

Ron held a spear in his right hand and a sword in his left.

「Let’s make this a bloodbath.」

◇

Rosais’ army’s catapults and ballistae roared as they launched black powder projectiles. They hit the siege tower… but it didn’t break in one hit.

It finally collapsed after four hits.

「They’ve soaked them with water to increase their fire resistance… It seems to be reinforced physically and magically as well. I thought it would be easy thanks to the secret medicine of fire, but…」

Bartolo sighed.

The enemy’s siege tower was reinforced with iron in places. The surface was completely covered with animal skins, and it was evident that water was dripping down.

The most troublesome thing was the physical barrier conjured on the siege tower. Apparently, three magicians were attached to each siege tower, to maintain the physical barrier and repair it if needed.

「Hey, call a magician. We need to break the barrier, or we’re getting nowhere.」

「Understood, breaking it now.」

As he said that, Tetra appeared. When Tetra swung her staff, particles of light scattered from the siege tower. The barrier was destroyed. Bombs concentrated on that spot, and the siege tower was destroyed.

「Amazing! As expected of Tetra-dono, to be able to break such a strong barrier in one shot! But you are in danger here, enemy soldiers can appear at any moment… Be careful!!」

Just as Bartolo warned Tetra, a soldier who had just climbed the wall suddenly leaped and attacked her. However, Tetra swung her staff calmly.

Blood splattered, and the enemy soldier’s head flew through the air.

「Uh… is that a hidden blade?」

「Yes. Cool, isn’t it?」

The sheath at the tip of Tetra’s staff came off, revealing a blade. It was clearly made of iron.

「Do you also know swordsmanship?」

「Of course. I learned from Almus.」

「Impressive… We’re counting on you.」

「Understood.」

Tetra gave a thumbs up.

◇

「Hey, Ron!! They’ve placed a bridge over the moat!! The battering ram is coming! Blow it up with the explosive lance quickly!!」

「Wait a minute! I’m busy right now!!」

In a rush, Ron slashed through the surrounding enemies while ordering his subordinates to blow up the battering ram. Blast javelins were immediately launched at the battering ram.

However, the battering ram withstood the blast. It was protected by an iron roof. Moreover, the roof was infused with dozens of barriers and magic stones, which meant that the shock was barely transmitted to the soldiers below.

「It has an iron roof? You’ve got to be kidding me!! Okay, shoot at their feet!! Destroy the bridge.」

Following Ron’s order, the blast javelins were thrown and hit the bridge accurately. The bridge was easily destroyed, and the battering ram sank into the moat.

That was a relief. But…

「There are still so many battering rams left…」

Seeing the row of battering rams on the enemy camp, Ron felt like crying.

There was a decent stock of blast javelins, but there was a limit. This time, a significant quantity of black powder had been allocated to the flamethrowers.

「What will we do if we run out of blast javelins…」

Moreover, the siege tower’s attacks were becoming more intense. Occasionally, enemy catapults would destroy their ballistae and catapults.

◇

「Okay, the barrier is disabled. Quickly, use the secret medicine of fire!」

Following Lulu’s instructions, blast javelins were fired from the ballista, hitting the siege tower. The siege tower crumbled, and the archers on it fell to the ground.

Then, arrows concentrated on them. Their strategy was to reduce the enemy archers as much as possible. If the archers were eliminated, it would be easier for them to defend the fortress.

◇

The morning’s battle showed Rosais’ army at a disadvantage at times, but overall, they were in a superior position.

「Hmm.」

Almus was reading a letter that had been delivered by a hawk. From the relaxed expression on his face, it was clear that the news was good.

「Call Bartolo-dono, Perm-dono, and Ordobis-dono for me.」

Almus instructed Tetra to call the three patricians. Soon, the three arrived at the command room.

「What is it, Commander-in-Chief?」

「The first phase of our strategy was a success. It seems to be a great success. The enemy didn’t notice at all.」

Hearing Almus’s words, the three also relaxed their expressions.

「If things continue like this, we should receive the second report tonight, Commander-in-Chief.」

「Yes, if the second phase is successful, our victory is assured.」

◇

Meanwhile, three hours later, bad news reached Carlo and Tonino via hawk.

「What?! Dress Village has fallen?!」

Tonino received a report that Dress Village, their supply base, was taken by surprise and captured by 500 cavalrymen of Rosais’ army.

Tonino’s hands trembled. This meant their supply line was cut off. But Tonino tried to calm himself as much as possible.

The enemy seems to be cavalry. The question is where they came from, but they probably crossed Romalia Forest. There’s no other plausible route.

To Tonino, crossing such a forest was inconceivable. It was said to be the forest where the Griffon lived and anyone who entered the forest would be cursed by it. In King Domorgal’s Country, all children were taught to fear the Griffon since childhood, and it was even used as a sort of Boogeyman, the parents would even say to their children: ‘If you’re not a good child, the Griffon will come to eat you.’

It was surprising that the soldiers had dared to cross the forest. He had heard that the lord of Aris territory and commander-in-chief of the Rosais’ defense forces was called the son of the Griffon, but he thought it was just a rumor and kept the watch around the forest lax. It was entirely his mistake.

But what concerned him the most was why Dress Village fell so easily. Three hundred soldiers were stationed there, and the village had strong defenses. The village defenses should have fallen so soon.

Given the importance of the supply line in this war, Tonino had ensured that Dress Village was well-fortified to prevent any mishaps. With the difference in troop numbers being five hundred against three hundred, it would be unusual for the village to fall in less than three days.

Furthermore, five hundred cavalrymen were too much. King Rosais’ Country was known to have, at most, around one hundred and fifty cavalrymen. Something was amiss.

Tonino quickly summoned the patricians, the other generals, and the tribunes to discuss whether to retreat.

The decision was reached swiftly: they would not retreat. Although losing a supply line, even temporarily, would usually dictate a retreat for safety reasons according to military strategy, political factors made this option untenable. Most of the patricians involved in this war were supporters of Carlo. The outcome of this war, crucial for Carlo’s succession to the throne, was not something they could simply walk away from.

Defeat in this battle would determine the future of these patricians. The likelihood that a king other than Carlo would treat them favorably was slim to none. At best, they could hope their territories would be preserved. Some of the weaker patrician families would undoubtedly be crushed.

They knew they would do the same if the roles were reversed.

The stakes were too high: their lives, territories, wealth, and honor could all be jeopardized by a retreat. Therefore, retreating was not an option.

The only viable option was to recapture Dress Village immediately and reestablish the supply line. They had the advantage in terms of terrain and numbers.

「It’ll be alright. We’ll send two thousand light infantry and two hundred cavalry. This would be much easier if only we had more cavalry… King Domorgal only lent us so few because he fears the Rozel Kingdom excessively…」

The enemy may have more cavalry, but their side had two thousand infantry and two hundred cavalry, their numbers were overwhelming with a force ratio of more than four to one, they should have a clear advantage. There was little doubt Dress Village could be retaken. Cavalry wasn’t particularly effective in siege warfare anyway, and the cavalry of King Rosais’ Country was hardly formidable.

They would likely seek to battle in the plains, but Tonino’s forces included two hundred cavalry, which should have been adequate to support the infantry. In the Adernian Peninsula, the decisive factor in battles was heavy infantry, which the enemy lacked.

This war was too critical to simply retreat from. It wasn’t just about his personal advancement—Carlo’s succession to the throne and the future of King Domorgal’s Country were at stake.

The afternoon’s battle situation didn’t change much from the morning. It was worth noting, however, that the leaders of the Rosais army seemed slightly elated, while those from King Domorgal’s Country appeared dejected.

Then came the night.

「They’re still as noisy as ever…」

「Indeed, Tribune. By the way, did you see how I fought during the day?」

「Yeah, I saw it. Now be quiet, it’s irritating. I’m sleepy.」

Ron and Yosef watched the enemy forces, who were making noise with drums and loud voices but showed no signs of advancing.

Being surrounded by the enemy was mentally exhausting.

「Siege warfare is tough. Thank God we at least have enough food.」

It would be hellish if it turned into a prolonged conflict.

However, they didn’t plan on it becoming a long-term battle.

「By the way, I’m not aware of the strategy. What’s the plan, Tribune?」

「I’m not going to tell the details of a secret operation to a centurion. But you’ll find out tomorrow…」

An owl appeared before Ron’s eyes. The owl perched on Ron’s shoulder.

「It’s you, Soyon?」

The owl nodded quietly.

Though Almus had bought six owls, only Soyon had managed to control one using magic. Normally, it would take years to build the trust necessary for the spell to be usable, but Soyon seemed to have a natural talent for controlling animals and was able to use the spell on the owl in no time.

Ron removed the letter tied to the owl’s leg.

「Be careful on your way back. Well, it’s the middle of the night, so you probably won’t be found easily.」

The owl blended into the dark night and flew away.

「What’s that, Tribune?」

「Haven’t opened it yet. But I think it’s good news.」

Saying so, Ron took the letter to Almus.

◇

I read the letter brought by Soyon. After finishing, I carefully folded it and placed it in my pocket.

「Alright, our victory is assured. Tomorrow will be… probably a pursuit battle.」

I can feel my cheeks relaxing. Finally, the tedious siege is coming to an end.

「Ron. Contact the other patricians. Tell them we’re shifting from defense to offense.」

「Understood!!」

Ron dashed off. Bartolo watched him go and laughed.

「To think that strategy would really succeed… The enemy will probably get the news tomorrow morning. I want to see their faces when they receive the news.」

「Right. Tomorrow we’ll settle our grudges. Do you want a drink?」

◇

「Ah, what a beautiful morning. The enemy must be really sleepy right now. Carlo-sama, shall we continue the siege battle today?」

「Yes, Tonino. I want to return home soon, to be honest. I don’t want to be here another week.」

The two welcomed a very refreshing morning.

As they were getting dressed, a soldier ran up to them at full speed.

「What’s the matter? Why are you in such a hurry?」

「An urgent notice has come!! The city of Blouse has fallen!」

「Come on, stop with the bad jokes!」

The city of Blouse was located near the Aris territory and was the capital of one of the big patrician families of King Domorgal’s Country. The Blouse Family was among the top five patrician families of King Domorgal’s Country and was the leading supporter of the Carlo faction. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the Carlo faction was equivalent to the Blouse faction.

Haha, Tonino laughed and checked the soldier’s expression. It didn’t seem like a joke.

「Um… really? But if that information is correct, doesn’t it mean that the territory at our rear has been taken by the enemy?」

The morning was no longer refreshing.

AN: Blouse’s territory holds a position in King Domorgal’s Country similar to that of Aris’ territory in King Rosais’ Country.