Chapter 67: The Opening Blow
Unexpectedly, we didn’t find a single scout, and as dawn broke, Uncle and I returned to the fort.
Normally, they’d definitely send some out, but perhaps it’s thanks to the Old Belfast army making their move…
Or maybe they were just really good at hiding, and we didn’t notice them.
While harboring such anxieties, I proceeded with preparations for battle with the soldiers stationed at the fort.
Standing on the outer wall of Fort Fondale, I checked the numbered map once more. This showed the bomb placement locations. The Mithril wires we’d run to the fort were also numbered.
The construction work they’d done all night was long since finished.
I was relieved about that, but an unexpected situation arose, making my cheeks twitch.
“Um, I’m pretty sure I said two hundred?”
I looked at the soldiers who had gathered from Belfast, but no matter how I looked at it, there were easily over five hundred.
Probably, including the soldiers stationed at the fort, it was around eight hundred in total.
No matter how you looked at it, it was too many.
“Everyone gathered because they heard Your Highness would be on the front lines,” Razbel, General, said with a smile and a nod.
No, no, even if you say that so proudly.
If I entrusted you with command, then follow my orders!
That’s what I thought, but what’s done is done.
I could send them back through the hidden passage now, but I can decide that after seeing how the traps fare.
There’s a chance we might need the manpower, after all.
…Is there really?
No, if it’s Magic Combat from atop the fort, then maybe it has meaning…
Honestly, I only intend to send out the hundred high-ranking Knights wearing the new equipment.
Even those high-ranking Knights, in the worst-case scenario where they can’t lower the bridge connecting the deep moat and the gate and get stranded on the battlefield, as long as I don’t make them charge, they should be able to return from the forest side without using the hidden passage.
With their new equipment, they shouldn’t fear fire magic, which is said to be commonly used.
We should be able to get through this without reducing our forces.
While I was thinking that, the enemy army’s advance began to come into view in the distance.
“If we hadn’t heard Your Highness’s warning and rushed out at dawn, we would surely have been in a dire situation.
A follow-up report just came in; it seems it was truly a sudden and forced decision.
This sudden change of plans, without even adequate supplies, is apparently due to interference from the Empire.”
Razbel, General, stood beside me, relaying the new information.
I don’t know the reason, but the information that they’re rushing their advance, even if it means forcing it, is something I should know.
There’s even a possibility they might ignore damage from the fort’s attacks and just keep pushing through.
The thought of them pushing through by sheer numbers, ignoring damage, sends a shiver down my spine.
Well, even so, all routes leading into the forest-enclosed road are planted with bombs.
At the very least, as long as the traps are there, it’s not an attack they can ignore.
There shouldn’t be many people who can advance undaunted after seeing such a massive explosion, I calmed myself.
The enemy army was forming ranks about three hundred meters away.
The Belfast soldiers were overwhelmed by the sight of them continuously marching up from behind.
“Um, is there like, a pre-battle speech or something?”
“No, Lestall might do such a thing, but Daltone doesn’t possess that much intelligence, I’m afraid.”
Hearing the General say they can’t even declare the start of a battle, a laugh escaped me at how foolish the Daltone Army must be in his eyes.
“H-His Highness is laughing!!” someone shouted loudly.
Huh…?
So what if I’m laughing?!
“Ooh! Even seeing this army, His Highness’s spirit remains unshaken!”
“Follow His Highness! What good will it do if we lose heart!”
“Let’s laugh off the Daltone Army!”
S-Stop it!
What are you going to do, laugh along with me?!
We’ll look like a bunch of lunatics!
My cheeks twitched, but it seemed they were just psyching themselves up.
I was relieved they weren’t actually going to laugh.
I also began final preparations, having the Musketeer Corps take up their Guns, and checked on the soldiers below the outer wall.
“Everyone in position? Numbers!!”
One, two, three, up to fifty, the soldiers waiting below called out.
“Don’t touch the Mithril wires until I give the order. Not even to channel Magical Power.
The moment your number is called, and only then, remove the insulation seal and stand by. When I say ‘ignite,’ supply Magical Power with all your might!”
I’d already explained it, but their tension was palpable, so I went over it again just in case.
“Are there still more reinforcements coming…”
Was each group about two thousand strong? About four battalions had formed up.
Behind them was a single unit, likely their main camp.
I could see figures mounted on demonic beasts riding around, organizing the men.
They are indeed numerous. But I also felt that if the landmines worked, that number wouldn’t be an issue.
Perhaps because I was protected by the fortress and had an escape route secured, I strangely didn’t feel that much anxiety.
And then, the enemy army finally finished forming up.
After that, a speech began, and roars echoed.
“‘Our victory is assured,’ huh.”
A phrase from the speech I heard from the enemy army. Looking at their numbers, that certainly seemed to be the case.
We have less than a thousand. On this battlefield alone, they outnumber us easily more than ten to one.
Because of that, our soldiers had quieted down.
“Do they have Enhanced Hearing over there too?”
“No, probably not… It’s a secret known only to those in the central command even in Belfast.”
“I see. That’s a shame.”
They were spouting so many foolish words, I wanted to taunt them back, but it seemed our voices wouldn’t reach them.
Well, even one landmine hit should boost the soldiers’ morale.
Thinking that, I waited for the enemy army, but grew impatient as they didn’t advance.
I thought about launching some magic at them, but they were still too far. Since they went to the trouble of making that Staff for me, I want to use it when it’s truly necessary.
As I was thinking that, the Daltone Army began to advance slowly with their entire force.
Then, they advanced about a hundred meters and stopped again.
The enemy army was now less than two hundred meters away.
Hmm? Are they idiots?
If I pour a lot of Magical Power into it, isn’t that just barely within magic range?
Besides, they’ve clustered right in the spot where the landmines would be most effective.
“Number twenty-five! Number thirty-two! Number thirty-nine! Number forty-five! Number fifty! Remove the insulators and stand by!”
“””Hah!!”””
I looked at the General and asked, “May I begin?”
He placed a hand on his chest and said, “As you wish.”
“Igniteeee!!!”
At that moment, the ground shook with the sound of explosions, and the surroundings were filled with dust and sand.
After about ten seconds, a gust of wind slowly began to clear the dust.
The Belfast soldiers on the outer wall stared intently at the scene in silence.
The group hiding in the forest ducked at the sound of the explosion, covering their faces while still staring at the epicenter.
“Wh-What the… hell just happened?”
“I didn’t see any Magic Circles, but that could only have been magic…”
Kakaka, small pieces of shrapnel flew by, one hitting Royce’s shoulder and bouncing off.
“This is… some kind of metal?”
He picked up the fallen shrapnel, and as he spoke, tension crossed Yurisia’s face.
“An explosion… that scatters shrapnel?” she said, standing up with killing intent.
“Hey, don’t just stand up! Where are you going!” she was restrained by Evelyn, the leader of the Wind Chime Mercenary Group.
“This… This is Rui’s Technique! No one else is allowed to use it!!”
“This isn’t a child’s playground! If you leave here, His Majesty will be put in danger!
If you understand that and still intend to go, I won’t allow it!?”
“Ah,” she muttered and sat back down.
Immediately after, as if something more important had come up, Royce muttered under his breath.
“Hey, look… What in the world is that?”
“Eh… They’re… annihilated…?”
As the dust was carried away by the wind, what came into view was a scene where more than half of them were lying on the ground.
I could see them getting up one after another.
Still, looking at the crater at the epicenter, at least ten percent casualties were confirmed.
It was a situation where over thirty percent would likely be unable to fight.
Even Yurisia, who had been filled with killing intent, was stunned by the sight.
“Kuhaha… What the hell! If you had something like that, you should’ve used it from the start!
Not bad, Randolph!!”
Royce, delighted like a child, pumped his fist towards the fort.
What… is this…
Estoc lay prone on the ground, looking up at the fort.
They had just finished forming ranks and were about to commence the attack on the fort.
He had no interest in attacking the fort and was sitting on a chair at the rear of his unit.
Suddenly, with a deafening roar, a blast wave erupted, and countless pieces of shrapnel flew through the air simultaneously.
He, along with the commanders and even those who were seated, couldn’t possibly avoid what was blasted towards them and were thrown to the ground.
He touched a finger to his cheek, which had been cut by shrapnel.
“Is this… the shrapnel from that time?” he muttered.
“Count Estoc! This… Do you know something about this!?”
“Silence…”
His usual teasing demeanor vanished, replaced by a gaze as sharp as a knife.
Seeing this, the commander couldn’t continue speaking and turned his gaze back to the disastrous scene, his expression contorting.
This is no good.
This isn’t a battle.
In tactical history, it’s often described as ‘a massacre due to an overwhelming difference in Magical Power,’ and that’s exactly what this is.
Should I retreat here…?
Huh?
Retreat in a battle of twenty thousand against two thousand?
If I did that, I’d be a laughingstock. And that would be getting off easy.
I’d be condemned for deeply damaging the Empire’s prestige.
Fortunately, I left my unit in the Duct.
Nominally, I was pressured by their words that it would be bad if the Daltone Army didn’t go out first, but accepting that has paid off.
But if they fire that thing many more times…
No, it’s impossible for them to fire that many times.
Even a rough calculation of the Magical Power consumed, based on the damage radius, shows it’s on a level that’s unbelievably immense.
In that case, the only option is to make the Daltone Army launch a suicide attack and exhaust it.
But it’s still too early for that.
I need to create a situation where I can call my unit and have them join the battle first.
He stood up, brushed off the dust, and smiled at the commander.
“Alright, let’s pull back for now. We need to discuss how to counter that, don’t we?”
“Eh, yes, indeed. Advancing without a plan is the height of folly. Let’s have them withdraw!”
And so, they had their troops withdraw, but this was a disastrous scene immediately after they’d been told victory was assured.
Their fighting spirit had plummeted to rock bottom.
Uwaah…
Even I, the one who made them fire it, was taken aback by the effect.
I was thinking it would be great if a single blast could catch a hundred, but it looks like it blew away around five hundred.
It’s likely that two thousand were driven to their deaths.
Well, considering they were conveniently clustered and lined up right on top of the landmines, it was only natural, I suppose.
“They’re pulling back, aren’t they…”
“Y-yes… But what in the world was that?”
Even General Razbel, who had been thoroughly briefed about the landmines, asked with a stunned expression, but it was Count Connor who answered him.
“That’s why I told you, didn’t I?! His Highness’s creations are incredible!!
Hahahaha, just as His Highness said, the preparations for victory were already in place!
Belfast banzai!!!”
“””O-ooooooh!!!”””
At Count Connor’s voice, the soldiers finally grasped the situation and rejoiced at having made the enemy retreat.
“Your Highness, what are your orders for what’s next? Shall we press the attack as things are?!”
The one asking this was an old soldier, a Baron from the Old Belfast era, who wasn’t supposed to be here.
As nonsensical shouts like “Now’s our chance!” and “Let’s go!” flew about, General Razbel’s voice boomed, “Silence!!”
Ah, I’m glad the General is here.
I waited, thinking they’d quiet down upon hearing the General’s voice, but he tossed it to me, saying, “Your Highness, a word from you.”
Come to think of it, I did ask him to give me command authority.
“Everyone, the enemy still has eighteen thousand remaining. Please don’t forget that.
The trick we just used isn’t something we can use over and over.”
That’s right. This battle result was because they lined up in the perfect spot.
Honestly, I messed up.
I shouldn’t have thought of it as just a probe at the start; I should have used everything within range.
They probably won’t line up in such a favorable spot again.
Of course, it was a huge success, but I missed the chance for a god-tier victory.
I underestimated the fact that humans clad in Maso were standing there in formation.
I shouldn’t have been thinking things like ‘more than half are out of range, so it might be a waste.’
“With all due respect, Your Highness, their morale must be rock bottom right now.
There’s no doubt we can fight under advantageous conditions, right?”
The one who proposed this was Viscount Dora.
In this world where melee combat is the norm, those words probably sound correct to them.
Uncle Rudolf is also saying, “Wouldn’t it be fine to sally out and attack?”
But, in this situation, that’s a mistake.
“I understand how you feel, but if we get swallowed by that large army, we won’t be able to get out. So, at this fort, I still have no intention of clashing our troops head-on. The strategy I’ve prepared for victory would be ruined.”
At the words “strategy for victory,” they looked at me with expressions of “Ooh…” and interest.
“Did you judge it better not to reveal that strategy?”
Hmm? But I’ve revealed all of it?
Well, thinking there might be people who haven’t heard, I’ll explain it again.
It’s simple: the high-ranking Knights will feign a sally to draw them in, then we detonate the landmines.
Even if we run out of those, if we have the leeway that the fort hasn’t fallen, our Gun unit will shoot them down from here.
Of course, I intend for them to fire magic and ballistae as they please too.
If it looks like they’ll still breach the fort even then, the plan is to retreat.
“I see. But can we truly defeat twenty thousand with just that?”
“If you mean here, then no, it’s impossible. This is just the preliminary stage.
Here, we’ll use the fort’s advantageous conditions to reduce their numbers as much as possible without taking damage ourselves.
The place to make our stand is the next fort. Conversely, we can’t retreat so easily next time.
If they reach the town, the situation will worsen dramatically, as expected.”
Yes, a fort is a place where you can attack from an advantageous position, in a situation where you don’t have things like civilians to protect directly within it.
If they reach the town, we’d have to defend the entire perimeter of the walls, and even I can tell that’s impossible with only about two thousand soldiers for that kind of expanse.
If they get that far, we’d probably have no choice but to half-abandon defense and charge out to drive them back.
So, I considered whether we should take more risks here to stop them, but the next fort, Oldol Fort, still has a better location.
It’s surrounded by forest, so the approaches are narrow.
It’s easy to aim with both Guns and magic.
The enemy will likely shoot back, but our side at Oldol Fort has been stocked with a considerable amount of Magic Stones.
There’s also a limit to our bullets. So, if we’re going to dig in, it’s better at the other fort where accuracy will be higher.
Since the area around that fort is narrow, even a small number of troops should be able to hold them back if positioned well.
Inside the fort, if we limit the high-ranking soldiers to about three hundred and assign the rest elsewhere, we should be able to manage.
To prevent them from breaking through, I’ll have the Phoenix Unit guard the main road, and the remaining high-ranking Knights deal with any who enter the forest.
The other soldiers are a reserve force in case the enemy breaks through and heads for the town.
In other words, they’re a unit we won’t use unless we’re in a pinch.
That’s probably the way to achieve the lowest casualty rate.
However, it still seems like it’ll be pretty tough unless we crush more than ten thousand of them here.
Facing ten times our number is an impossible game from the start…
Another eight thousand… Can we really do that much?
Even though I said some pretty optimistic things, the sheer number of them makes me incredibly uneasy.