3 bar menu

Vol 05 Chapter 170: The Third Southern Campaign VI

「It’s not falling… It’s hard to believe that a city defended by hastily gathered volunteer soldiers can endure this much.」

Kepka was fiddling with the pieces on the board. In front of Kepka was a model of the battlefield.

The model of Lezado’s walls was surrounded by pieces representing Pofenia’s soldiers.

Kepka held the piece that represented himself and his unit.

「I should be in control from start to finish. But somehow, they are countering every move. What’s going on?」

In warfare, the strategic advantage lies with the attacking side. Of course, if you only consider a single battlefield in tactical terms, the defending side has the advantage.

However, the situation changes when you consider the entire battlefield. The attackers have the freedom to choose where they will strike.

The attackers have the freedom to select the battlefield, while the defenders do not.

Between invading other countries and defending your own, defending is far more challenging.

Therefore, preemptive strikes, speed, and rapid decision-making determine the course of war.

Kepka’s decision-making ability surpassed that of an average general. There was no way he could lose to some mediocre commander.

Kepka pondered.

(Why is the enemy able to perfectly predict my actions to this extent?)

Then, he reached a conclusion.

「Summon the magicians.」

Kepka ordered the guard.

◇

「This blessing is exceptionally well-suited for siege warfare.」

Alexios touched his right eye.

Alexios possessed two blessings: [Blessing of Borrowed Sight]  and the [Blessing of Lent Sight]. As the names suggest, these blessings allowed him to borrow or lend someone else’s vision.

Currently, Melia was flying a hawk over Lezado. Borrowing Melia’s sight, Alexios was able to get a bird’s-eye view of the entire battlefield.

Moreover, Lezado’s magicians had cast a concealment spell on Melia, ensuring her presence remained undetected for now.

「Oh, they’ve moved. Now they’re attacking the southwestern wall. As always, he cleverly exploits our defensive gaps. Even the mercenaries are quick to move. To maneuver mercenaries, who typically dislike siege warfare, so effectively… He is indeed a formidable opponent.」

Alexios laughed with delight. He felt a mixture of joy from battling a great general and satisfaction from damaging the hateful Barca family.

Surveying the battlefield comprehensively, Alexios responded to each enemy movement. Under his command, the Lezado volunteer soldiers efficiently repelled the enemy’s attacks with minimal movement.

As a result, he eliminated wasted movements and maximized the utilization of his forces. This reduced wear and fatigue, contributing to sustained combat capability.

「Hmm?」

Suddenly, Melia’s vision changed. She spotted several hawks in her line of sight.

「Oh dear, it looks like we’ve been discovered.」

Alexios dispelled the blessing. From now on he wouldn’t be able to use it to his advantage.

「Well, we managed to hold out until the afternoon of the second day, so let’s stay positive.」

Alexios immediately altered his commands. He sent the resting soldiers back into the fray, bolstering the overall defense.

Until now, he had been able to reinforce his forces before the attacks hit. But from now on, he would have to react after the attacks began, since Alexios didn’t have the ability to foresee the future.

「That was tough…」

「Melia, thank you for your help. Are you alright?」

Melia, having returned safely, walked up to Alexios.

「Yeah, my hawk is large, so it’s easy to outfly the small ones. Lezado magicians helped me too… But we’ve been found out.」

「Indeed, it’s troublesome. This means Kepka has realized I’m the commander, right?」

Alexios shrugged.

◇

「General, as per your orders, I observed the skies over Lezado closely. There was a hawk concealed by magic… What was that?」

「Melia Cranstahl. A magician from the Cranstahl Orphanage, known as ‘The Falconer.’ You all should be familiar with her.」

Hearing Kepka’s words, the magicians’ eyes widened.

「That means…」

「The enemy commander is Alexios Barca… No, he doesn’t deserve the Barca name, the enemy is Alexios!! That man not only abandoned the Barca family and fled, but now he bares his fangs at Pofenia!!」

Kepka slammed his fist on the table. The glass cup on the table shook, fell to the floor, and shattered.

The sound of breaking glass echoed through the tent.

「That’s why Searl-niisan and I said we should have strangled that heterochromatic brat at birth! Those eyes will inevitably bring disaster to the Barca family… No, to Pofenia!」

In Pofenia, it had long been said that children with different colored eyes brought misfortune to their families. As a result, such children, like those born with physical or intellectual disabilities, were often strangled at birth.

Alexios faced a similar fate; the midwife and surrounding adults tried to strangle him at birth, but he was spared thanks to his mother’s desperate pleas. However, Alexios’ mother died when he was five years old.

This misfortune was widely attributed to the curse of heterochromatic eyes.

This tradition originated from the coastal regions of the eastern Thetys Sea, the ancestral land of the Pofenians. In Kirisia, while the degree of superstition varied by region, heterochromatic eyes were generally regarded negatively as well.

It was a common belief among people closely related to the sea. Therefore, the Adernians, Gallians, and Germanis, who weren’t as fixated on the sea, were not familiar with this tradition. This is the reason why the Germanis mercenaries did not harbor much animosity towards Alexios.

「Inform the entire army. Capture Alexios and Melia Cranstahl alive! Whoever captures them will be rewarded with a hundred gold coins!」

Kepka’s insides boiled with anger. With fury burning in his eyes, Kepka contemplated the punishment for Alexios and Melia.

「I’ll thoroughly humiliate them before killing them. Yes, those two are such close lovers they eloped to get married… Very well, I’ll have their limbs cut off and turned into living stumps, then give them to the mercenaries. They both look appealing enough. The lustful mercenaries will be delighted to rape them. How would they feel, watching their lover being raped right in front of them while they suffer the same fate? After that, I’ll strip them naked, mount them on donkeys, and parade them throughout Pofenia. Finally, I’ll bury them in barrels filled with excrement and urine, and let them suffocate to death.」

(Betrayers deserve an appropriate punishment.)

Blood dripped from Kepka’s clenched fist, staining the carpet with red.

◇

「Kepka must be absolutely furious. Right now, he’s probably raging about how he should have strangled me back then. He’s likely planning to capture me alive, humiliate me, and then kill me.」

「Are you going to be alright?」

「There’s nothing to worry about.」

Alexios wrapped his arm around the worried Melia, pressed his lips to her cheek, and smiled.

「Actually, this is exactly what I want… That man tormented me relentlessly. He kicked and punched me countless times when I was a child. He even pushed me into the sea, poured boiling soup on me—the scars from those burns are still there. Even after I became a soldier, he harassed me endlessly. Without the support of those opposing the Barca family, he could have easily killed me under the guise of an accident…」

Alexios’ voice was filled with deep hatred and anger.  Then, he smirked.

「Seeking revenge for past torments might seem childish, but I won’t be satisfied otherwise. Kepka Barca deserves a fitting retribution… a gift called death.」

Melia looked at Alexios with concern.

「I won’t interfere. This is an issue between you and the Barca family. I think you should carry out your revenge until you’re satisfied. But please, don’t let it consume you… You’re a father now, remember?」

「I know. You and our son are my top priorities. Then comes the defense of Lezado. Personal grudges are secondary.」

His wife, child, and sense of duty barely kept Alexios’ resentment in check. This was fortunate for Alexios.

There is nothing more foolish than losing sight of present happiness due to being consumed by revenge.

◇

Night of the second day.

「Ugh, it’s so noisy.」

「Well, this is a classic tactic during a siege.」

Alexios and Melia stood on the castle walls, watching the Pofenia army that surrounded them, shouting continuously. Torches blazed, drums and flutes echoed through the night, infantrymen screamed, and cavalry made loud noises as they circled the castle walls repeatedly.

This strategy aimed to disrupt the sleep and exhaust the Lezado volunteer soldiers, who were not accustomed to prolonged combat.

Though an actual night raid often results in heavy casualties for the attackers and is rarely executed, pretending to prepare for one is common.

Siege warfare is a battle of psychological endurance. The side whose morale breaks first loses.

「For now, let’s tell everyone in Lezado to try and sleep through this. We’ll be prepared for any eventuality, though.」

However, human minds aren’t simple enough to find reassurance just because they’re told to be calm. The Pofenia army’s psychological tactics were undoubtedly wearing down the people of Lezado.

◇

Day Three.

「Third unit, move to the sixth location immediately. Seventh unit, proceed to the twelfth location! Ninth unit, that position is secure. Head to reinforce the thirty-second location.」

Alexios issued commands one after another. In front of him was a model representing the entire battlefield.

With every piece of reconnaissance or messenger information received, the positions of the enemy pieces on the model shifted. Responding to these changes, Alexios moved his own pieces and issued new commands accordingly.

The battlefield was in a state of constant flux.

Any slight opening would allow the Pofenia army to infiltrate.

「Sixth unit! Move to the twelfth location!」

「Commander! The sixth unit cannot move!」

「What do you mean?」

「They’re too far out… The messengers can’t reach them!」

The soldiers on the ground were doing their utmost to hold their positions.

Thus, accurate judgments couldn’t always be made.

This often resulted in overextending forward.

Even in well-trained armies, this happens frequently. It’s even more common among volunteer soldiers with insufficient training.

「Damn… There’s no choice. Contact the second unit! …Our defenses will weaken, but it’s a necessary sacrifice!」

By now, parts of the city walls had been occupied by the Pofenia army. Even Alexios wasn’t infallible. He made several small mistakes.

Kepka had exploited those mistakes and managed to breach their defenses.

However, what deserved praise was Alexios’ skilled command, maintaining defense despite the overwhelming disparity in numbers and training. A mediocre commander would have lost the fortress on the first day.

「Sir, urgent news!!」

「What happened? Which position has fallen?」

The messenger answered Alexios’ question.

「A flag has been sighted!! The flag of King Rosais’ Country!! It’s heading straight towards us!!」

「…They made it.」

Alexios closed his eyes briefly. Then he stood up and raised his voice.

「Don’t let your guard down. Inform the entire army. Reinforcements are almost here. Hold out until then!!!」

Thus, Lezado was spared from the plundering hands of the Pofenian army.