CH 255

T/N: I don’t suppose I need to say more than “Wartime brutality and violence ahead.”

Flora activates Wind magic. All the inhabitants of Glaudens were enveloped in a mysterious wind, but only those with superior magical skills were aware of it. Other normal people didn’t even notice that a spell was activating around them.

“People of Glaudens, how does the day find you? I am Baron Floto von Caan, of the Royal Guard Division of the Kingdom of Ploiss, and I have been entrusted with the command of the counter-invasion of Koenigsvelg against the Kingdom of Polsky. This war began with Polsky’s undeclared invasion of Ploissian free city. We have been compelled by royal decree to defend Koenigsvelg, and to liberate the cities of the Kingdom of Ploiss that were once stolen from us…”

The residents of Glaudens were greatly surprised by the sudden voice they heard in their ears. It wasn’t that there was a terribly loud noise. It’s a mysterious experience of a beautiful angelic voice speaking like it was in their ear, it shook them.

“There are many of our Plossian brethren living in Glaudens and we don’t want to harm them. Nor do we want to make collateral damage to other unsuspecting civilians. However, in order to capture Glaudens, we must eliminate the Kingdom of Polsky soldiers nesting here. I hope that the Polsky Royal Army will fight fair and square without using the city or its residents as shields. If they do not emerge to fight, then I have no choice. We will rush into the city and battle in its streets.”

A shiver runs through the residents. But they can’t say they don’t know or have nothing to do with it. Of course, they knew. They knew that the invasion of Koenigsvelg would also capture Danzij, in some of the plans. Glaudens was in charge of transporting supplies and soldiers for that purpose, and their economy was booming because of this war. They can’t have been ignorant.

“Citizens, please think carefully. Do you accept the rule of the unjust Kingdom of Polsky, or do you wish to be liberated by the Kingdom of Ploiss? Polsky has barricaded itself in the city and will be responsible for all the casualties that arise from this. I wish the Polsky Royal Army and the citizens of Glaudens wisdom in their decision. The attack will start half an hour from now. Also, if there is an attack from the Kingdom of Polsky by then, or if even one person leaves the city, war will break out immediately. Send a messenger to the harbor as a response to this declaration of war.”

After that explanation of the conditions, the mysterious voice disappeared.

After finishing the formal announcement by magic, Flora let out a sigh, “Fuu.” She’s not exhausted from using this level of magic. It’s just that she’s feeling a little depressed thinking that it’s probably going to be urban warfare after all.

“Are you sure everything is in place?” Flora asked.

“Aye,” Ramor said. “Everything is as planned.”

To begin with, the Kingdom of Ploiss and the Kingdom of Polsky were already at war. There was no need to make an announcement here. In terms of strategy and tactics, it is possible to force surrender by showing overwhelming force. No matter how much power you have, having the other party surrender would be less costly and less burdensome than fighting in vain.

However, on the contrary, it is more effective to surprise the opponent without informing them. Even if you urge them to surrender, they won’t necessarily surrender.

Still, Flora did not force this surrender. If the main fleet approached and suddenly bombarded the harbor, hitting the enemy’s forces while they were anchored, and then firing naval gunfire toward the city, victory would have been almost certain. However, Flora did not give up on issuing an ultimatum after appearing so proudly. This was the last line that Flora could not yield in this battle before it turned to war in the streets.

Of course, if they don’t surrender with this, or if they try to send a messenger outside the city, Flora will immediately attack as if it was their declaration of resistance. This is the only step before they roped civilians into the violence.

The enemy is moving hastily because she has made an ultimatum with dignity. Naturally, they will try to send messengers outside the city. Therefore, some land forces that had already landed downstream were deployed around Glaudens. This is to let the other party know that even if they try to send a messenger, they are surrounded and being watched.

If the enemy sends a messenger, they must stop it and contact the fleet to tell the enemy wished to fight. There are not many besieging forces on land, so it is possible that the enemy will charge to break through the siege. However, because of the danger of failure, the morale of the landing force was high and no one was about to abandon this mission.

“Lord Caan, there was a signal from Glaudens that they will send a messenger to us.”

At the time of the magical ultimatum earlier, Flora also told them how to send out a messenger for negotiations. Since ancient times, the safety of envoys and diplomats has been guaranteed to some extent, but it still depends on luck. In modern times, the difference in national power and military strength is clear, so if you kill a messenger or diplomat to provoke the wrath of the other country, you will be in trouble, so the possibility of harming diplomats has become extremely low.

However, even in modern times, messengers and diplomats can be harmed depending on the difference in national power between the other country and the countries concerned. Moreover, going back in time, it was common practice to kill messengers and send their corpses back as the surest answer of “No.” to a diplomatic solution. Being a messenger is a dangerous role, and it was considered that the other side would not be able to send reliable messengers unless their safety was guaranteed.

However… they thought that sending a messenger to the Caan-Carruthers forces was only to buy time, anyway. And it was. Even though the messenger arrived sooner than later, once they sat down at the negotiation table, the messenger would just ask them to wait, avoiding any explicit statements, and just speaking to delay. The Caan-Carruthers officers don’t think he’s really serious about negotiating.

“This is enough!” one of the Carruthers commanders at the negotiating table yelled, slamming his hands on it as he rose from his seat. “Lord Caan! Clearly, these people have no intention of surrendering or even negotiating! How long do you intend to continue this farce?!”

It was obvious to everyone this was a delay tactic. But Flora doesn’t panic. She looked at the Carruthers officer and spoke quietly,

“Either way is fine, as far as I am concerned… I should have told you at the beginning that I would attack in half an hour…. I will return you to port, even if I have to do so by force, and when the time is right, I will begin the attack. You are not buying yourselves time. You are wasting precious time in this dire situation. So there is nothing to worry about. Now, let us continue this farce, shall we?”

“-!?” the Glaudens messenger went, frozen from the menace and the lack of emotion in Flora’s voice. “Pl-Please hold a moment!” he sputtered. “Are you saying that you will start attacking while we are negotiating!? That is a cruel act that ignores customs!”

But, Flora’s expression does not change at all. She just speaks indifferently:

“As I must make it clear, I am saying that the negotiations will be terminated 10 minutes before the time runs out. We are not negotiating. We are only confirming that the negotiations have already broken down. Of course, you have enough time to return to port so as not to be a messenger taken hostage. Well… if you’re too slow to get back to port, the battle may start the moment you arrive, but according to my calculations, that should be enough for you to get to safety.”

“–!–!”

The Glaudens messenger tried to say something but couldn’t make out the words. It was so blatantly pointed out that Glaudens’ strategy of delaying attack under the pretense of negotiations had failed. Negotiations may not come to an agreement, or they may be in the process of hashing out the details, but in 10 minutes the talks will be terminated and the attack will be launched. In that case, there is no meaning for the messenger to try and delay them here.

“It looks like the messenger intends to return to his superiors,” Flora said. “Send him on his way.”

“Sir!”

There is nothing to talk about with this emissary when the delay tactic is failing. Even if the messenger stays here any longer, he will be attacked by the enemy the moment he returns and he will be among those killed first. Certain that would happen if he acted otherwise, the Glaudens messenger acted according to Flora’s advice.

“You idiot! Is that why you’ve returned?!” a Glaudens commander yelled.

“But it’s pointless to delay them! If that’s the case, it might be better to return to inform you that they won’t hesitate…”

“Don’t you dare apologize!”

“Hii!”

The commanders of Glaudens were angry with the messenger who fled back. They have no intention of surrendering from the beginning. They just wanted to buy some time by sending a messenger outside to prepare for battle. However, the anger exploded because the messenger returned as he was ordered to by the enemy.

But the messenger is right. It would have been better to inform the upper ranks who believed that they could buy time during negotiations that there was no point in the strategy and give them more time to prepare instead with hostilities forthcoming.

However, they didn’t think that the messenger would also put his life on the line to convey the information and that they would be angry if he returned. If he stayed close to the enemy ship until the last minute, he would be the first to be killed, so he just wanted to return as soon as possible and secure a safe place. Of course, there is no longer a safe place anywhere in Glaudens…

“If this is how it’s playing out, it can’t be helped… let those who remain on the ships secretly continue preparations for launch, and the rest of the sailors will be hiding in wait nearby. Have them jump on the ships at the last minute and board the enemy.”

The commanders are looking for the best possible solution under the current circumstances. If they allow the enemy to land, there is no doubt that it will be a melee. Those who are familiar with the area will have an advantage in the city. However, they want to prevent unnecessary landings as much as possible. Therefore, in order to keep the enemy fleet in check, they will also send out their ships to block the movement of the enemy fleet.

If it becomes a naval battle, they will be unable to land. Because if you are the only one to anchor in the harbor while the enemy ships are moving around, you will be attacked unilaterally. So while Glaudens’ naval combat power is still alive, the enemy won’t land in vain. In other words, they wanted to buy time by using their ships as decoys.

In the meantime, the army that came out to the port will set up a defensive fence to prevent the landing of enemy ships. Blocking the water’s edge will stop them there. So even if they force their way to land, they should immediately drive them into the river.

“Okay! Get ready now!”

Soldiers hurriedly rushed around and prepared. And finally, the deadline came. Seeing the enemy fleet start to move slowly, the sailors who were hiding in the harbor rushed to their anchored ships all at once. At the same time, they carry out the defensive fences that the army has prepared to some extent and aim for the edge of the harbor. If the edge is blocked with a fence and the soldiers are waiting behind them, it won’t be easy to land. Landing in front of the enemy line is extremely risky, let alone landing right in front of their faces.

While Glaudens’ forces were rushing about, the enemy fleet slowly turned and began to face its flanks on the city. They don’t understand the behavior at all. What the enemy fleet should do here is to aim straight for the port and land there before Glaudens’s ships start to move. And yet, what are they thinking when they turn to the side…?

“Hey… what is that?”

And at that moment, as that sailor rushed to one of the anchored ships, it would end up becoming his last words.

Don! Don! Do-do-do-don!

Suddenly, the enemy fleet burst into flames, and water columns rose up in the harbor one after another. As Glaudens’s ships were boarded by their sailors and beginning to set sail, they were soon punctured, blown away, and shattered to pieces. Also, the army that was trying to build a defensive fence on the edge of the port was blown away by the cannonballs that rained down one after another, and most of those who were near the port were turned into ground meat before knowing what was going on, and those who managed to escape found shelter in the port warehouses. And then those were bombarded afterward, and as the buildings collapsed, they were crushed, as well.

Less than 10 minutes after the start of the war, most of the ships were sunk or rendered unusable, the harbor and nearby warehouses were destroyed, and sailors, soldiers, harbor workers, and everyone else were completely slaughtered.

All those who were optimistic about this battle can’t believe their eyes. They thought that a foolish person would show up proudly and land in front of the enemy and only get hurt. They were surprised by the gigantic ship, but they laughed and said that the enemy had no sense of tactics. Now, what happened? As the battle began, it was obvious who had been the fool here.

And the enemy’s attack never ends.

Don! Don! Don!

The fireballs that destroyed the harbor fired several shots at the city. The streets are in chaos. Even though it was supposed be solid buildings of brick, they punched holes in them and crumbled them in one shot as if they were made of brittler material. They are not unaware of why they shot the city. Compared to the onslaught at the port just before, it was just a few shots fired. What that means is…

“Unless you stop the Kingdom of Polsky’s army, the current attack will rain down on the city of Glaudens. Think about it, please. Will the city turn into a pile of rubble after our assault, or will the Polsky Army surrender first? Whether the Polsky army does not surrender or if there are civilians who cooperate with the Polsky army, all residents will suffer the same damage still. We will stop the attack just long enough for you to decide. Think about it, please.”

The voice they heard again was still as beautiful as the whispers of an angel. But it was terrifying. Before the war began, they despised what a weak enemy she was. However, after creating such a terrible scene, all the residents trembled at the cold voice, emotionless, even, and without a hint of the fury of battle.

“Search the city…”

“Find them! Hang any Polsky soldiers that haven’t surrendered yet!”

“I can’t stand being killed like this! Capture the Polsky army!”

“We are citizens of the Kingdom of Ploiss! Hang those soldiers from Polsky!”

The frenzied residents voluntarily hunted down the Polsky army. 5 minutes later, representatives of the Glaudens appeared with the hanged Polsky commanders, proclaiming their surrender to the combined forces of Caan and Carruthers.