CH 353

The Galleon fleet had been hidden in the shadows of the castle and waited in a position where Guillaume’s army could not see it, and now it finally made its appearance. And as soon as it appears, it fires its mounted guns.

Don! Don! Don!

The siege force that was trying to approach the castle was blown away every time the sound resounded.

“What kind of power is this to be how they usually are…?”

Harold and his retainers were watching the situation from the top of the castle wall and started trembling when they saw the devastation on the plains below.

They knew that magic of tremendous power would be released from that huge ship. However, they had also built defenses hidden on the coast, but a large amount of magic was being fired from there, as well. Its power and projectile strength are comparable to those of a giant ship, and one fears how many great magicians there are in the Flora army.

“That’s all their power!” one of Guillaume’s commanders yelled. “They can’t shoot near the castle wall to avoid friendly fire! Mount the castle walls!!”

“Houh… It seems that some people remain quite calm,” Harold said, narrowing his eyes.

It’s certainly powerful magic. If you release it to defeat the enemy who is attached to the castle walls, you’ll bring down the walls, too. You won’t be able to use that great magic if the enemy is too close. Harold knew that too.

However, there is a limit to the number of people who can stick to the castle walls. Not all of this siege force can approach the castle walls, and those in the back will be exposed to that great magic attack the entire time. In the midst of that, will the rear unit be quietly waiting? It is clear to anyone that they will abandon those who cling to the ramparts and run away.

And it is not safe to be attached to the walls. Flora’s Army, stationed on the coast, has already planned that out. If you approach the castle wall poorly, you will only become prey to them.

“We’re almost to the castle walls! Don’t be afraid! CHARGEEE~~~!”

Guillaume’s army had approached the castle walls, relieved that they could finally escape from that hellish magic. But…….

“Arrange the Rifle Squads! FIREEE—!”

Papapapapan!

“Guah!”

“Gyaa!”

“Iteeh!”

Cylinders protruding from the gaps in the battlements spewed out small amounts of smoke. Then, the siege force that was trying to cling to the ramparts collapsed. It was a finished flintlock musket that was finally completed the other day and deployed in combat.

Improvements were made one after another before it was even mass-deployed, and the flintlock musket that finally reached its perfected form knocked down those who were trying to cling to the ramparts. As long as the hit wasn’t unlucky for the target, it wasn’t enough to kill instantly, but it was enough to cut off the soldiers’ fighting ability and willingness to fight.

“Second Firing Position! FIREEEEEE—!”

Papapapapapapa!

“”””Gyaaaa!”””””

It takes a long time to reload, so its rapid-fire performance isn’t great, but by separating the tasks of loading and shooting with two soldiers and replacing each gun one after another, it is possible to fire quickly.

According to Flora’s idea, each team will have three men with a musket each. One is the shooter, one is the bullet loader, and the third helps hand over the rifles in between firing and loading. These three roles can be interchanged. All were trained to play the roles of shooters and loaders, so it was easy to switch if something went wrong.

Thanks to this method, the time between loading and firing the next bullet, which is the weak point of the musket, is greatly reduced. It feels very good in the sense of a continued assault.

However, this method only works if there are three times as many guns as normal. Even if there are 900 guns, this method can only attack with 300 guns at a time. Even if you attack with 900 guns at once and it takes a long time to reload, it’s hard to tell which one is better, attacking with 900 guns at once, or being able to shoot continuously with 300 guns at a time, instead.

Above all, if you’re an ordinary person, it’s not easy to prepare hundreds or even thousands of muskets, and you probably want to use the powerful weapons you get as much as possible. Even if it is momentary, this method of reducing the actual number of effective soldiers to 1/3rd cannot be deployed by ordinary people.

However, if the enemy is charging cavalry like this time, it may be necessary to shoot continuously without a break. If you think about it, this 3-person team system also has advantages, and it can be said that there are advantages and disadvantages depending on various factors such as the situation of enemies and allies, the terrain, and the formation. This time, it was just that this three-person team system was just right for this battlefield.

“Those who use those strange magic wands…… they’ve been using magic for a while and still don’t run out of power……”

“Is Lord Flora’s army full of monsters…?”

It was incomprehensible to Harold’s Vassals. Flora’s magical army attacking from above the ramparts has been using spells for a long time. Even so, no one has run out of mana and continues to attack.

Guillaume’s soldiers fall under the walls every time that dry sound rings out. It’s beyond the realm of comprehension, such as not getting tired or running out of mana even though a fully armed soldier wearing armor is getting knocked down by each spell.

The rear is blown away by the attack from the huge ship, and even if they approach the castle wall, it is shot with magic from between the battlements. The siege force had already disintegrated, they could not properly control it, and each of them moved around according to their judgment. Victory and defeat had already been decided, and Harold’s army did not even have a chance to take to the field.

Guillaume could not comprehend the scene in front of him. The siege force was mowed down by a huge ship that emerged from the shadows of the castle, and the troops in the main force went towards the enemy attacking from near the coast. However, this one was also unilaterally annihilated by a magic attack fired from an invisible position.

They don’t know what is going on. The 6,000 soldiers quickly turned into dumbfounded lumps of meat.

“What… what should I do…?

Guillaume was just trembling in the headquarters and his mind was no longer working properly. His legs were numb and he couldn’t move. Fortunately, the enemy has not attacked the main camp yet, but it seems to be only a matter of time.

“Please run away, Your Grace!”

“Ru-Run away…? To where…?”

The trembling Guillaume just speaks the staff officer’s words with a dumbfounded face.

“To the forest!

“”””Sire!”””””

The soldiers respond to the staff officer’s words and try to escape with Guillaume.

“Ho-Hold! Engelbert! You come too!”

“But Your Grace…then who will take command of this place…?”

Engelbert von Marc intended to let Guillaume escape, but to remain here and take over the command. In order for Guillaume to escape safely, someone must act as the Lord.

“That doesn’t matter! You protect my person!”

""

“………… Sire.”

Engelbert reluctantly accepts. Guillaume is the current master, even if it’s not the master he wanted to serve. And if that Guillaume instructed him to escort him, he had no choice but to obey. Engelbert gathered his guards and began to retreat into the woods, taking Guillaume with him. He has no escape but to go back the way he came.

The party gathered the soldiers remaining in the main camp and headed for the fort at full speed without looking away. They don’t intend to shut themselves up in the fort, but they thought of returning there first. But…….

“Gyaa!”

“Guah!”

A soldier running in front suddenly collapses. There was a spear sticking out of a bush on the side of the road.

“Enemies!? Impossible…… When did they know…?”

Engelbert instructs the whole detachment to stop and try to get into formation. However, it was a unit that fled in a hurry when it looked like it was going to be defeated, heading to the battlefield on a narrow road and starting combat without rest. Fatigue reaches its peak and morale is at its lowest. It is no longer possible to act in proper organization.

The soldiers followed Guillaume and Engelbert’s instructions because they thought they could safely leave the battlefield. And yet, in a place like this, when it comes down to fighting once more, nobody listens to anyone.

“Uwaah! Run away! Gyaa!”

Fearful of the enemy soldiers coming out from the side of the front, the friendly forces who tried to flee into the forest were defeated one by one by the enemy soldiers that came from here and there. A considerable number of enemy soldiers were lurking in the forest, and Guillaume and the others were already completely surrounded.

Battles are taking place here and there, but the levels of training are too different. The number of soldiers remains the same. Hundreds of each other. However, the enemy was so well-trained and organized that it was too different from Guillaume’s army, which was already trying to escape in tatters, even though the number was the same.

The enemy had placed elite troops on this retreat route in anticipation of their withdrawal. Realizing this, Engelbert realized they’d just tricked themselves.

“Fumu… so this what the new recruits brought from the Knights Nation are like… they still don’t have enough practice…”

“………… Huh?”

Engelbert couldn’t believe his ears at the words of the enemy commander standing in front of him. The situation is certainly unfavorable to the Guillaume Army. The remnant soldiers who left the fort and entered the battle without rest, and escaped after being defeated in the battle over there. It’s the worst for morale. They’re also exhausted. That’s why even if you have the same number of soldiers with the same level of proficiency, you’re in a state of losing one-sidedly.

However, even if that is subtracted, the strength of the enemies here is different. Enemy forces that are clearly strong enough to make you think of the elite of the Frasian Army… are just new recruits brought from somewhere…?

He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. It’s not even deceptive information to upset them. That commander just said that purely from the heart. He didn’t mean to tell Engelbert, but just leaked his true feelings… if this is an inadequately trained recruit… then just how elite is the enemy’s main force?

Here… Engelbert’s heart broke. He can’t help it. Any more fighting is pointless.

“All cease! Stop fighting! Surrender! Surrender! All stop fighting!”

“Wha?! What are you talking about, Engelbert! Are you going to betray me!”

There is no betrayal or other such despicable horse’s shit. There is nothing more that can be done. If you fight here, almost everyone will just be killed. The army does not have the strength to break through this siege.

“Your Grace… there is nothing more we can do… Let’s surrender…”

“Are you going to sell me out?! ENGELBERTTTTTT~~~!”

Guillaume may have lost his mind. Still, Engelbert remained loyal to the Lord to the end.

“I see you are the commander of this place. We don’t care what you do. This is His Grace, Guillaume Noln. At least treat him as he deserves to be treated.”

“Understood,” the commander said. “Lord Janzicka, I’ll leave this place to you. I’ll take this… Lord Engelbert, was it…? And Lord Guillaume, as well.”

“Understood! Leave it to me, Captain Armand!”

One of the monsters who was tearing the soldiers apart and throwing them around like toys was smiling. Janzicka is a strange name. Maybe further to the East than Frasia. While thinking about such things, Engelbert was bound and taken away by a man called Captain Armand and his subordinates.

And when they returned to the battlefield where Harold’s castle was located, the battle was over. Almost none of the 6,000 soldiers remained, and only those who had turned into lumps of flesh or lay groaning in pain here and there remained. Some may have scattered and fled, but judging from the number of people who were lying down, most of them would have been wiped out.

Guillaume and Engelbert were muttering something and were taken to the castle. How could they have thought that they could win this war if they calmly looked at the gigantic ship you could easily see in the distance? They laughed at themselves, too.

The gates of the castle opened and they were let through, and when they were kneeling in front of the throne… it was not Harold who was sitting there. A beautiful girl with blond hair and blue eyes they’ve never seen before is sitting there, instead. Harold, whom Engelbert also knew, was kneeling before her as she sat on his throne. He doesn’t know what’s going on.

“Well done, Armand. Is that Duke Guillaume?”

“Sire! Your words are wasted on me… Yes, this is Duke Guillaume, and this is Lord Engelbert, one of Guillaume’s staff officers.”

It’s a distinctly different atmosphere. Harold and his vassals, who Engelbert had known for a long time, were just kneeling before the throne as if they were outside observers of this scene. Only a girl he’s never seen and a young armored man he’d never known was doing anything. Even though he didn’t understand the situation… Engelbert gradually began to understand.

According to reports from the unit that had attacked Harold’s group earlier, reinforcements from unfamiliar ships suddenly appeared on the eastern sea, saving Harold and his Vassals. In other words, the girls and foreign soldiers here are probably the reinforcements. And it was these men who showed overwhelming power in the previous battle and defeated Guillaume’s army. That’s why the power relationship with Harold and others was obvious.

“Untie these ropes~~! Who do you think I am? I am the Duke of Noln! And the King of Wessek, Guillaume Norn!”

While Engelbert was thinking about such things, Guillaume was kneeling in front of him and began to shout such protests.