Half an hour after the first battle, Marie received the news that she had already lost one hundred and eleven people in her unit. They took the lives of two times more enemies and also got their horses, but it would take a while for those to be used properly. Besides, the enemy was learning more and more about the defender's hands. Things were getting complicated from the very beginning and since Marie didn't seem like the patient type, after all.
Things weren't going the way Marie had envisioned because the enemy was being too composed. It was only natural… Nevertheless, things on Gerald's side also went relatively well. With his huge sword, he could split rider and horse together, so the enemies on their side were a lot more meek when they went to face them. Billy stopped looking at her and then looked at Alexander's face. Sixty of his students died in that fight. So, he stayed silent while receiving the names of those that died, and his expression darkened when he recognized some.
"Things already aren't looking good, huh," Drew said. "It is just the first day of battles, and yet…"
"Well, we were facing cavalry with infantrymen. We fought well despite that," Billy said. "The only problem is the fact that the enemies think that they can afford to lose some men now. They aren't planning to send any of their captains yet, so they won't lose morale for quite a while."
"We have to surprise them… but not when they are attacking," Drew said.
A night raid that is what they were thinking, but that also would be the most obvious answer, so the enemies would be waiting for that. They couldn't use that… while Billy was thinking about what to do, he saw some carts passing nearby carrying those three rare fruits. Edish was among them… while they were expensive, a lot of them apparently had been sent to quench the hunger and thirst of the soldiers. Billy could use them, but how? His magic had a limited range, and the enemies wouldn't let him eat while he fought. Revealing too much of his skills wasn't a good idea either…
"What if I build some watchtowers with earth magic?" Billy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We can put some archers there, and I would be able to make them pretty high since it won't have to be large as a hill…"
That would put his allies in a safer position. The enemy's arrows would have to be Shot a lot closer for them to hit them. Not to mention, the enemies would frown at the sudden arrival of those. Aside from that use, Billy could use Earth magic to make the enemies panic when he fights close to them… Splitting a battalion into several sessions and blocking their retreat path would also guarantee their total annihilation. The only problem is the fact that Billy will have to eat tons of Edish. While not as skilled, Alexander could use Earth magic too, so he would be able to help.
It was a pain to have to report his ideas and actions every single time, but Billy realized the importance of that since many lives were on the line there. When he heard another of Billy's weird plans, he frowned. Watchtowers were used to repel and fight minor invaders, not armies. Besides, the people of that world could build high enough structures that were at the same time pretty thin. Still, he decided to go with his plan again.
"You can have free access to those fruits and as for the watchtowers, build them at night," Jean said.
Billy nodded and smirked. It would be fun to imagine the surprise on the enemies the next day. Nevertheless, during the afternoon, the enemies only prepared minor skirmishes to make the enemies stay on guard and get more tired mentally since they had no idea when a real attack would start.
Billy wanted to make the watchtowers last at least for a month while they withstand the weight of ten archers and their gear. So, he had to increase the durability of those. In the end, after creating a mental image of those, he began to work. The base was a bit larger than expected, but that gave stability for when he tried to climb the stairs. They were the meters long and wide, but it was also over forty meters in height. It was quite the structure. However, climbing down was a problem, so Billy put a platform on the side and hoped there for the archers to go down and grab arrows if necessary. The first guys who tried burned their hands a little since they weren't wearing gloves and didn't watch their speed, but soon they got the hang of it.
In the end, with all his mana, Billy managed to make five of those. However, when he was making the second, he had the idea of adding wheels to the watchtowers. Could he make wheels made of Earth that could withstand so much weight? It would be better if he had some materials that resembled plastic, like the wheels of massive trucks. Still, he managed to make some wheels that seemed like concrete, and while their durability wasn't high, he could always repair them later.
"That is a weird watchtower that you built," Drew said when Billy finished his work. "In any case, you should get some rest, it is already past midnight, and I am sure the enemies won't give us the chance to have breakfast again."
Billy didn't have to hear that twice; he slept throughout the night, even though some of the enemies faked some night raids. Still, the next day, when the enemies saw the watchtowers, they frowned. They kept a close watch on the defenders' side, so they didn't see anything like that approaching. Moreover, the watchtowers were way too big… in any case. Those bought them some time since the enemies were wary of it.