SWNOVELXO Chapter 416
Beyond the fortress lies the land of beasts, where there lurked individuals worse than mere beasts. It seemed they had no intention of showing us even a single strand of hair. Aside from a few small skirmishes, they moved even more cautiously since the kingdom’s forces had gathered in the north.
Finally, the patterns of the cult’s behavior began to change.
“News has arrived from the Central Fortress! They discovered land being eroded by magic beyond the open fields of the fortress! This mirrors the incidents near the Academy, and it’s reported that the monsters have grown even more cunning and powerful!”
“We’ve received word from the fortress in the extreme east as well! An even more severe erosion was found in the coniferous forest area ahead! Every tree has rotted away, exposing strategic facilities that were supposed to be hidden, prompting combat!”
It was uproarious that erosion of the land was reported from every fortress.
The cult, which had been holding its breath, seemed to have completed, to some extent, the preparations they desired.
The land, tainted by energy that voraciously sucked away vitality, was exceedingly troublesome. Their territory had turned into the cult’s stronghold, a situation that could hardly be considered favorable.
Amidst this, the order finally came down.
“We can no longer sit by while the enemy expands their territory. Inform the surrounding fortresses. Before their spells are complete, we must immediately eradicate them.”
Epheana Alenarr, who held the overall decision-making authority at Kisia Fortress, placed two red beast-shaped tokens on the tactical map.
“There are two locations where they’ve been observed. Thus, the left side shall be handled by the regular army together with the Kalia Marquis Family. The right point should be dealt with by the Karpel Baron Family and our Alenarr family’s battle wizards. What does everyone think?”
“Our regular army will follow the conduct of the magic. It’s not as if the east point won’t also have a considerable number of anticipated enemies. However, with Alenarr family’s battle wizards alongside, it should be manageable.”
“The Kalia Marquis Family feels the same. However, the rear of the eastern point has an escape route for the enemy, making it somewhat problematic…”
If it’s easy to escape…
There wouldn’t be no options if Kalia Baron Family took charge.
“There’s an open area over here to circle from the rear. If we hide the baron’s cavalry there, we should be able to chase them down and take care of everyone.”
Upon hearing this, a knight from the regular army checked the map and added, “The distance to the eroded area in the rear isn’t too far. It won’t be as easy to chase them down and eradicate them before they hide within. Though the Baron is famous for his superior martial arts, it wouldn’t be simple.”
“My assault brigade will charge with the help of my wind spirits. Given the speed of horses blessed by two wind spirits, it should suffice.”
When the knight wore an ambiguous expression, it was precisely then that Epheana chimed in at the right moment.
“I’ve had the opportunity to see the spirits that the Baron handles. If we call upon their power from this distance, time shouldn’t be too pressing.”
“The spirit magic that the Baron displayed at the Marquis Family had already surpassed a certain level. Just beside lies the Great Forest of Zila, and having interacted with elves on occasion, I can tell you… the Baron’s spirits possess a grace far more refined than that of any average forest guardian.”
With the aid of Abel, who had excellent insight, even the knight from the regular army seemed to have been convinced.
Well, that person has never seen me in action, so I can understand if they feel apprehensive or find it hard to believe.
Having smoothly transitioned the discussion without anyone turning red in the face, they concluded the operational establishment.
Our roles were now confirmed, and determination radiated from everyone’s eyes.
“Well then, this meeting shall conclude here, and let’s begin the next meeting by celebrating our small victories.”
Epheana skillfully organized the place.
“Well then… I wish you all good luck.”
We quickly returned to our respective armies.
There was a mountain of things to confirm before a good brawl could commence.
*
The soldiers from the Baron Family had never truly experienced a proper war.
Soldiers who had never seen the horrors of battle carried different sentiments before deployment.
“…I never thought I’d be dragged off to war.”
“Seriously, that’s quite something to say for someone who volunteered to be a soldier.”
“When I first enlisted, it was incredibly peaceful. I thought I’d just be hitting goblins near my territory and that would be my steady gig. If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have enlisted at all…!”
With fears of putting their lives on the line before even stepping onto the battlefield, some despaired.
“This is an opportunity. It’s a chance to rise up, at least not to the level of a knight, but to get higher up.”
“Ah, I’ll be the one who slays more of the enemy than you. You just help me out over here.”
“Do you think a girl who can’t wield an axe properly can swing it around?”
“…I suppose I’m just curious to see how well I manage with an axe.”
Among those aiming to use war as a stepping stone to climb higher.
Around them swirled numerous sentiments, stirring their hearts, yet despite being a somewhat hesitant and inexperienced army, their morale was not terribly low.
“If you’re that scared, it’s obvious you’ll die like a coward, right? I assume that’s not your intention?”
“…Still, all the soldiers from the Count’s House keep saying that as long as you swing your sword until the end, it’s not a coward’s death. Didn’t our head of the family say something similar? Even if it’s a blind sword, we’ll still swing it, so don’t look at me like I’m some kind of mutt. Honestly, aren’t you a little scared too?”
“I’d say your blind sword is much scarier than the cult. Just don’t stick by me.”
The reason was that they had a modicum of courage to hold onto.
“How’s the morale of the soldiers? Knight Commander.”
“Not bad. While they fear death, I see no one taking flight or trying to run away.”
“Thank goodness.”
“…I heard that the head of the family had a brief chat with the soldiers the other day.”
If it’s that story…
It must be regarding the encouragement they received with Tania and Elvis’s assistance.
“Simply surviving and holding our ground is already a remarkable accomplishment, or so it appears that message resonated well with the soldiers. After engaging more actively with the seasoned soldiers from the Count’s House, their spirits have noticeably lifted.”
Nodding in satisfaction at Hanelrn’s words.
I set aside the gaze of our knight commander, who was peeking at me while pretending not to.
At that moment, I was glad I had joined when Elvis and Tania invited me to their conversation.
‘The longbow soldier back then was indeed someone I knew.’
At the start of the war, I had busied myself pouring oil into the cauldron and throwing torches. I’d shot the longbow dozens, hundreds of times, hardly caring about my battered hands. After a single healing from a priest, I would once again shoot arrows, continuing on until the very end.
Among the ordinary soldiers who had fought alongside me on the castle walls, nearly all had perished, with replacements constantly being made. One of the very few familiar faces to still be there amidst it all.
Naturally, since I recognized them, it was much easier to speak up.
“I heard from Lady Diolia that your swordsmanship is remarkable. It’s an honor to fight alongside someone of your caliber.”
“Really, you flatter me. I feel honored to be alongside the head of the family too.”
“Well then, let’s get moving. The battle wizards from Alenarr must be waiting in formation already.”
As I finished speaking, the fortress buzzed with excitement.
“Karpel Baron Family deployed!”
The sound of the announcement resonated through the fortress, and the massive iron gates swung open.
Even though we left behind a reserve force, there was now a significant number of soldiers moving out.
“Assault Brigade Captain, Theia.”
“Command away.”
“Stay hidden nearby, and when Dorothy signals with the sky, charge forward. Flank to hit them from behind through the open area.”
“Understood.”
After deploying Theia, we proceeded toward our anticipated location alongside the knight order, wizard troops, and the soldiers from the Count’s House.
“I found the enemies! If we cross those two low hills, there’s a small encampment right on the other side. There seem to be about 50 of the bad guys.”
“How about the scouts?”
“I wonder… just a bit up on the second mountain peak? But there are loads of monsters.”
“…This is troublesome.”
“Still, the enemies look incredibly busy right now? It felt like they couldn’t pay attention to anything except finishing some creepy magic.”
Though 50 seemed manageable for our side, there was a separate issue.
The last mountain was packed with monsters. While taking down the scouts and promptly unleashing a volley was the ideal plan, the sheer number of monsters posed a complication. Even if Elvis helped muffle the sounds, their numerous eyes would eventually spot us. If that happened, we’d likely be found out before neutralizing the scouts, resulting in rampant chaos against them.
‘Instead of letting the enemy flee or engaging them while pinned down up there…’
It’d probably be better to just topple the entire mountain and launch our follow-up attack as swiftly as possible.
I’d also prepared my special assault brigade, considering their potential escape.
Thus, I commanded Dorothy, the head of our wizard regiment.
“Dorothy, please tell the battle wizards to prepare bombardments at that mountain.”
“That mountain, you say?”
“Yes. Once the wizards’ area attack is complete—”
While everyone had witnessed the spirits delivering new information to me, the sudden request for bombardment bore a different weight. Those in the know were naturally curious about the reasons behind it.
At this time, regardless of what I said, unless they confirmed directly by checking the peak of the mountain ahead and its backside, it was only natural for them to doubt whether any enemies lay in wait.
I gave them fair warning ahead.
“We will strike at the dismayed enemies.”
We would scale the storm of magic-saturated mountains to engage in battle.