Chapter 70: An All-Out Attack Already?
In the Daltone Army’s main camp, an inappropriately cheerful voice echoed.
“Now then, the Daltone Army has no path left to retreat! You understand that this is no longer a situation where we can afford to worry about the injured or the dead, don’t you?”
Count Estoc asked the Duke with a smile.
“That is, certainly true, but…”
He put his arm around the mumbling Duke’s shoulder, pulled him closer, and asked, “Well then, what should we do now?” his tone slightly lowered, his gaze cold.
“Hey, hey, Estoc, that’s far too rude.”
“Lord Ignat, didn’t we have an agreement that you wouldn’t interfere…?”
“Well, if you put it that way, I have no words to retort,” Marquis Ignat said, shrugging as if giving up. He gestured with his hand for Count Estoc to proceed and then fell silent.
“I understand that we won’t get anywhere unless we advance our troops. And naturally, we cannot retreat. However, sending the entire army is out of the question. Five hundred… I’d like to see if they’ll take the bait with that many.”
“Of course, I don’t mind. But if they don’t take the bait with that, you’ll have to double the number.”
“Alright?” Count Estoc said with a grin.
“It cannot be helped. I understand this is a battle we cannot afford to lose…”
“Yes, excellent! As promised… you’ll have spears pointed at any allies who try to flee, won’t you?”
The promise from the other day. Was this the reason he’d emphasized that it must be kept? Duke Daltone felt a chill run down his spine.
However, as he himself had said, it was a battle they could not retreat from.
If they didn’t win this, it would be ruin. The backlash within Mildrad for having the royal family killed was already severe, but if their entry into the Empire fell through and they lost their backing, even Duke Daltone, who possessed power surpassing the royal family, would lose everything.
Naturally, they hadn’t announced who the culprit was, but if the Duke, at a time like this, allied with the Empire that the King of Mildrad had detested, forcibly conscripted soldiers from all over the country, and went to war, it was obvious who would look suspicious.
“Under…stood…”
Seeing the Duke agree, though his head was hung low, Count Estoc laughed cheerfully, “We’re just having the commanders point spears. Let’s take it easy. If we win, your life and position will remain. Probably, right?”
Marquis Ignat, who had watched the entire exchange, showed a dejected face after the two left, saying, “Has Estoc fallen this far into villainy? I’m increasingly worried about the future of the Empire…”
The Daltone Army, having lost ten units from those it had advanced, immediately retreated to its main camp.
After confirming this, the bridge was quickly lowered, and the generals returned to the fort.
Soldiers surrounded them, cheering as if for the triumphant return of heroes.
“That was a battle worthy of a fierce god. I wish I had been chosen to be there.”
“Stop it, stop it. If you went, my deployment would change. Don’t take my spot.”
Laughter erupted as the general waved his hand dismissively in response to Viscount Dora.
“General, I apologize. No matter how I looked at it, there was no timing to fire, and I ended up just standing there.”
“What are you talking about! Someone who did well shouldn’t be bowing their head! If you had fired, I would’ve punched you. That was fine. Just like that.”
Count Stahl apologized for ending up not using the landmines, but the general, on the contrary, praised him for not using them.
Just then, a person descended from the sky.
“S-Sorry for being late!! I’m late… What’s with all that blood?!”
The prince of the Kingdom of Belfast, appearing by flying freely through the sky.
He noticed the Phoenix Unit was covered in blood and cried out in surprise.
Wait, wait, wait!
It’s fine that they attacked. But didn’t we have an agreement that the units outside wouldn’t engage in combat?!
While thinking this, I activated several dozen magic circles to cast healing magic on them. It doesn’t look like there are any missing limbs, so Elixirs probably aren’t needed.
That’s what I thought, but…
“Your Highness, there are no dead, of course, and no injured either! It’s all splattered enemy blood!”
One of the soldiers informed me, and I immediately dispelled the magic circles, sighing in relief, “I-Is that so? Thank goodness…”
“But, what incredible power. How many spells can Your Highness activate at once…?”
“Umm, at a level usable in combat… about twenty, I suppose?”
“””Oooooh!”””
They got super excited, but maybe I got a little too carried away.
It’s true I can use that many, but I’ve hardly ever fought in person-to-person combat, so it might be impossible against strong enemies.
Well, the time for me to use that many spells while engaged in close-quarters combat will probably never come, I thought, and let it slide without correcting myself.
Then, when I had them immediately tell me what happened, I was relieved to find out that a situation we had anticipated had occurred, and they had acted within the scope of our plan.
I was also happy to hear the good news that the Phoenix Unit alone had slaughtered thirteen hundred enemy soldiers.
I still wondered if the enemy had really sent out as many as thirteen hundred troops in small increments like that, but the result was all good.
I expressed my gratitude for their perfect work, and then it was my turn to report on the work I had done.
“For now, we’ve also finished placing the ambush units. Let’s share that information as well.”
That’s right, I had placed ambush units so that even if the enemy advanced through the forest or along the highway, we could somewhat ignore it.
This was originally planned, but the schedule had been moved up by more than two weeks, and the timing was such that it could be called a surprise attack, so we hadn’t been prepared.
I had allocated troops for this together with Roosevelt, Knight Commander, and Marquis Arbane.
“I’ve instructed the ambush units to launch two signal flares simultaneously immediately if they make contact with the enemy. A single flare is a distress signal. Of course, I’ve told them there might be cases where we can’t send reinforcements, but in a situation like the current one, I intend to send them.”
After finishing my explanation about the ambush units, I waited for comments from those around me.
“Indeed, knowing the enemy’s position is important. However, a thousand soldiers for ambush units… is it?”
Viscount Dora voiced his doubt.
He was a seasoned veteran who had fought on battlefields during the era of the previous King of Belfast, but this was his first time participating in this war.
It seemed he hadn’t heard about it because he had been preoccupied with setting up landmines and the operation in Fondeel.
“Yes. If we can evacuate all the soldiers here to Oldol, then combined with the permanent garrison there, we’ll have one thousand in the fort, one thousand in the forest, and three hundred in Belfast. This is as planned.”
I heard that up until now, the standard procedure was to not be too wary of the forest and to focus on guarding Belfast’s outer walls, but I proposed that it would be better to launch a surprise attack ourselves rather than be ambushed.
If they don’t pass through the forest, we can quickly call them as reinforcements for Oldol Fort.
Since Oldol also intends to dispatch troops, the reverse is also true. That said, with this disparity in numbers, sending reinforcements elsewhere would probably be impossible.
“I see. I was thinking we could just set the forest on fire, but indeed, that can be done later. It should be done after using it for a surprise attack… I’m convinced.”
“Well, even if we do it, it’ll be at the very, very end. The forest is important, after all.”
As we were talking, the Daltone Army began to move again.
Surprised that they were moving so quickly this time, I climbed onto the outer wall.
“Well then, we shall go forth again.”
“Um, is your magical power consumption okay? Do you think you can retreat to Oldol on your own strength?”
It was right after a battle. Worried, I looked up at the general’s face.
“There was some consumption, but retreating to Oldol should be well within our capabilities. Your Highness’s magic tools are simply too excellent.”
“It was a complete victory. The general even took down an enemy commander.”
Eh, what’s this, I haven’t heard about it!
Thinking that, I turned my gaze, and the general was glaring at the soldier.
“If you have any to spare, could we perhaps request a shield for the general as well?”
“Wha- I told you I’m fine! Don’t ask for the impossible! Seriously!”
Hmm, a shield… Ah, is it that thing I asked for at the very beginning!
I’d forgotten because I shaped light magic circles with mithril and tossed them to the craftsmen.
However, I don’t have any spares… I made a hundred for the time being and had them made into shields.
If I handed them out to a hundred people, then that’s all of them.
“Sorry, I don’t have any. If I did, I would have given them to you already.”
When I told him that, the general showed a somewhat relieved expression.
I wonder if it wasn’t very effective?
No, the soldier said he wanted one for the general, so that can’t be it… I wonder what it is.
While I was thinking about that, it seemed there wasn’t much time, as he said, “Well then, leave this to us,” and went out.
I also had to prepare, so I started creating guns and lining them up.
I expended all the magical power I had put into my Storage Magic, materializing about fifty guns and lining them up.
The soldiers loaded bullets into the magazines and attached them, just as they had practiced.
Assistants were assigned to load spare magazines as well, and the magic soldiers and landmine ignition units also took their positions.
By the time all our preparations were complete, the enemy soldiers were also ready.
“It seems there will be an opportunity to use them this time…”
Count Stahl narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the enemy army.
He probably wanted to fire. He had been eagerly preparing, after all.
“Alright, I’ll leave the landmines to you. I’ll be here, so ask me if you need anything.”
“Eh!? Y-Yes! Understood, leave it to me!”
In that case, I’ll shoot a gun, I thought, and prepared one for myself.
Just in case, I also kept my staff close at hand. With this, the contents of my storage magic were empty.
In that case, that strategy can also be used.
I wanted to test if it could be used in actual combat soon, so I waited for the enemy to advance.
And as everyone waited, wondering if it was time yet, the enemy soldiers began their advance once more.
Roughly five hundred-man units were advancing in several scattered formations.
If I counted them, there were twenty such units. Ten thousand soldiers.
An army of similar size was waiting in the rear, so this was likely their entire force.
Were they already launching an all-out attack?
This is bad. What’s bad is that the General’s unit is in danger.
They’ve stopped for now, ostensibly to observe, but they won’t charge in, will they…?
While I was harboring such anxieties, the enemy army had reached the vicinity of the landmines.
Count Stahl shouted a number, finishing the ignition preparations.
He looked at me, so I nodded in return, and the Count yelled, “Fireeee!!” turning his palm towards the enemy army.
“How cool is that?!” I thought, observing Count Stahl’s stance even as I heard the explosions.
I, on the other hand, was just bracing my hand against the inner side of the outer wall, facing the landmine ignition squad.
While thinking such tension-less thoughts, I looked at the enemy army and could hear voices shouting, “Advanceeee!”
“Your Highness! May we use the rest as well!?”
“Yeah. Leave only the ones in front of the main road and use the rest as you like!”
That’s right, we had to leave a few rounds there for when they ignored the fort and for a last resort escape.
Count Stahl knew that too, so he nodded and shouted another number.
A second ignition occurred immediately, but the enemy soldiers didn’t stop.
Enemy soldiers made a desperate charge out from the dust clouds kicked up by the exploding earth.
Apparently, they’d been told it was safer near the moat and were ordered to run through with the resolve to die.
From then on, explosions echoed repeatedly, but there was no way we could stop all the enemies, and numerous Rock Bullets were flying towards us.
As for the large rocks flying in, I stored as many as I could reach into my Storage Magic to keep them.
Soldiers who stopped due to our gunfire or bombings had magic fly at them from the enemy’s main camp, forcing them to run.
We relentlessly fired our guns from atop the outer wall.
Ah, where are the General and his men now? I wonder if they’ve properly fallen back…
When I checked, they were still near the dismantled bridge, fighting while surrounded by the enemy.
“Whoaaa! What are they doing?!”
“W-What is it, Your Highness!?”
“Rui! Did a problem occur!?”
Asked by the Count and my Uncle, I was about to jump out while telling them that the General was surrounded over there when my Uncle stopped me.
“Wait, Rui, look closely. The General is fine against that level of opposition.
He’s scattering them without consuming much Magical Power, isn’t he?”
Now that he mentioned it, that was indeed the case.
But he can’t keep that up forever, right?
Because if he could, they would have already won back in Razbel’s era.
“How long can he last?” I asked, but neither of them seemed to know.
“Well, if the enemy’s skill level is around that, he can handle a thousand with ease, but three thousand would be impossible. His Magical Power wouldn’t hold out.”
Viscount Dora gave me the information I wanted, adding, “That’s assuming they only shoot fire magic, though.”
“Magic Tool soldiers, Gun squads, prioritize supporting the General and his men!
It’d be bad if you hit them, so just aim for the surroundings! Thin out their numbers even a little!”
Right after we started supporting the General and his men, a soldier came running up from below.
“Consumption suddenly spiked, and the Magic Stones for the barrier have fallen below seventy percent!!”
“Eh, it’s already down by thirty percent!?”
Ah, I was distracted by the General and forgot.
I started storing the incoming rocks with Storage Magic again, but of course, I couldn’t get all of them.
For it to consume thirty percent with just that… it means we’ll have to consider retreating soon.
Ah, I see.
If magic is also fired from the main gate’s direction, the fort will fall instantly, so that’s why the General’s unit is staying put.
Can’t be helped, I’ll have to somehow provide follow-up support.
“Report again when it drops below thirty percent! We’ll begin the retreat at that line!”
“Sir!”
The sound of explosions had long since stopped.
I asked Count Stahl how many they managed to catch in the blasts.
“We still have five remaining near the main road and eight others, but I believe we’ve whittled them down by four thousand.
If you include the injured, the total should be around six thousand.”
Two thousand initially, another two thousand by the General and his men, and nearly a thousand by guns.
Adding the four thousand from the bombs, it looks like we can easily exceed our target of ten thousand here.
“Perfect! Then, Count Stahl, please prepare to command the retreat!
The Magic Stones for the barrier will probably fall below half soon!”
When I told him I wanted him to call out to the soldiers, he immediately had his attendants go around and do so.
“Your Highness, can’t we fight?” some hot-blooded soldiers asked, looking a little dissatisfied.
“Yeah, it’s impossible here anymore.
It’s a situation where I’d want even the General and his men to retreat right now if they could.
It’s truly dangerous even for high-ranking Knights, so no!”
When I told them clearly, they backed down, saying, “Understood. Our apologies.”
“But, you’ll get your turn in Oldol.
It’ll be soon, so conserve your strength.
I’m counting on you, okay?”
“””Sir!!”””
They saluted, quickly descended the stairs, and the surplus soldiers began to line up under Count Stahl’s command.
“Alright, it seems like there won’t be any pointless rampages. Now it’s just a matter of whether the General and his men can escape safely…”
Yes, that unit is our lifeline.
It’s precisely because it’s them that they can do something so reckless.
It’s like there are many lesser versions of Mr. Owen.
People like that clad in Ape hides… It must be a nightmare for the enemy.
No wonder they’re steamrolling them.
That’s exactly why I have to make sure they survive, I thought as I pondered.