Chapter Volume 3, 219 - The Attack of Zeilduk (3/3)

Volume 3, Chapter 219 - The Attack of Zeilduk (3/3)

Normally, they’d line up soldiers atop the walls and make them throw stones at the enemy or man the siege weapons, but the only soldiers Saldin could position there were the scouts. He believed that as long as he could figure out from which direction the enemy would be coming from, everything would be alright.

“General! They’re attacking from the south.”

“How many?”

“From what I can see, about 4,000!”

“We better give them a warm welcome then!”

“Yes sir!”

As they thought up a defensive plan throughout the entire city, the forces of Fatina and Saldin prepared to meet the enemy forces. Compared to them the goblin and Cultidian forces were fighting with a solid strategy.

In other words, they were using a large number of siege weapons.

“Oh, so these are the human siege weapon I’ve heard so much about.”

Gi Jii walked around the catapults as he stared at that giant weapon with eyes full of curiosity.

“Goblin-dono, are you interested in siege weapons?”

As Vilan thanked the engineers that quickly built giant wagons to transport materials from Cultidian, he noticed Gi Jii from the corner of his eyes and called out to him.

“I am Gi Jii Yubu. You are the famed general of Cultidian, Vilan-dono, yes!? It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Gi Jii had approached him eager to shake his hands, causing him to be confused, but he still remembered to return the gesture.

“Y-Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you… I’m not actually on the level of a famed general just yet.”

“A man of humility, I see. That aside, this siege weapon. How do you move it?”

It was not good for Vilan’s heart to have a goblin, who was much stronger than him, approach him so enthusiastically like a child who’s found a toy. Just half a year ago, they were enemies.

“If you turn this handle, the recoil from the ropes will send the stone flying. The point is for the stone to hit the walls.”

“What about that one!?”

Gi Jii pointed at a direction and Vilan’s eyes followed it. When he saw what he was pointing at, he nodded.

“Ah, that would be an aeris. The roof protects from enemy attacks and pushing the staff will allow it to break through enemy walls.”

“Hmm… What a strange weapon. I wonder if the Ganra tribe could make it.”

While Gi Jii groped about on the aeris, Vilan, who was nervous at the start, was gradually getting less nervous.

It wasn’t intentionally time it, but it was then that two giant shadows suddenly appeared behind him.

“As expected of the human general-dono.”

“A spectacular thing. We most certainly must put it to use.”

“H-Huh!?”

Before Vilan could open his mouth, Gi Gi and Gi Ji had lifted him by his armpits and were bringing him to another camp to have a meeting. The strength by which they picked him up was definitely not something a human could resist.

“Gi Jii, we’re having a meeting!”

“Huh!?”

“Ohh, Gi Gi-dono and Gi Ji-dono. Vilan-dono, I see you’re coming too!”

Gi Jii excitedly ran to them.

“Now then, Vilan-dono. Let’s take that city down together!”

“Umm, we’re just support.”

“Please, general. There’s no need to be humble.”

“No, umm, that’s not what I mean!”

“Ha ha ha ha.”

Gi Gi’s laugh caused Vilan to draw cold sweat.

“Ha ha ha ha.”

When Gi Ji laughed too, Vilan started to have a bad feeling.

In the end, Vilan had no choice but to set up a large-scale operation and take command of it.

◆◆◆

Each time the stones launched from the catapults hit the walls, it was like an earthquake was shaking the city. Under the support of those powerful weapons, the goblins moved out with the aeris and broke through the castle gates.

“…It seems they’re not fighting back.”

“Seems like it.”

As Vilan muttered that, he nodded to Gi Gi’s words without much thought.

“I wonder what they’re thinking,” he said.

“I don’t know, but thinking about it now won’t help. Ohh, the castle gates are almost broken.”

When Vilan heard Gi Ji’s response, he sighed and agreed. With that he renewed his focus. They were the ones on the offensive and their attack was going well. But in the last battle, Vilan suffered at Carlion’s hands, so he couldn’t help but be suspicious that there was a scheme here somewhere.

“We could send some monsters in first to take the charge,” Gi Gi said.

“But then they’ll attack even non-combatants,” Gi Ji replied.

“We’ll deal with it when the time comes. Losses are a natural byproduct of war.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Vilan was troubled as he listened to Gi Gi and Gi Ji talk, so he proposed an idea.

“Please wait. I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Vilan said.

“Hmm, why is that, tactician-dono?”

Seeing how innocent the goblins seemed, the young tactician couldn’t help but sigh.

“It will have an influence later when managing the city,” he said.

“Is that how it is?” Gi Gi asked.

“Who knows?” Gi Ji replied, just as confused.

Gi Gi and Gi Ji both titled their heads in confusion. These two goblins hadn’t the slightest interest in ruling cities. As far as they were concerned, managing cities was a job for the humans or the elves.

“Let’s use Gi Jii-dono’s regiol and my soldiers to suppress the enemy inside instead.”

“Hmm, if you insist, then…”

“I suppose it can’t be helped.”

Despite being teary eyed at how these two goblins nodded to him, he still forcefully persuaded them and led the army from the frontmost lines.

“But now my monster army doesn’t have a part.”

“Don’t worry. Since the enemy has holed themselves inside, they’ll surely try to run away later. We’ll make use of your beasts then.”

When Gi Ji happily said that, Gi Gi deeply nodded.

“As expected of you, my friend!”

“Hahahaha!”

As the two goblins behind him laughed like devils, Vilan headed into battle.

◇◆◆

In the end, because of how much Vilan hated losses, it took him 10 days to deal with Saldin, who had cooped up himself in the city. But because he prioritized minimizing losses, the people of Fatina and his subordinates, the Kushain Believers, praised him.

Gi Gi’s monster army and Gi Ji’s assassin unit pursued the forces of the Red King when they ran away, and in only half a day, they were able to get results.

Vilan showed an exhausted smile to the two goblins that laughed like demons, but his devotion was rewarded in an unexpected way.

When the Goblin King heard of the details of the battle at Fatina, he frowned and sent a messenger, announcing that the management of the city would be left to the Kushain Believers under the condition that they would give priority to the goblins in taxes and food. Although the Goblin King also demanded other conditions such as the construction of a base for supplies and the dispatchment of siege weapon engineers, it could be said that he’d basically given away Fatina to the Kushain Believers.

This was a decision that the Goblin King came to after reading the accounts of Gi Jii Yubu, as he came to believe that it was still too early for Gi Gi to be entrusted with a large human city.

Unbeknownst to Vilan, when word of the Goblin King’s decision was brought to the Kushain Believers, Mira and the rest of the upper brass danced in joy. They were hoping that Vilan would be able to get some kind of result and that would be good enough, but when it actually came to it, he went far and above their expectations.

Moreover, because of how little damage his army received, when he came back to Cultidian, the people welcomed him with a storm of praise.

From the warm welcome of Saint Mira at the city gates of Cultidian to the brilliant and difficult achievement of receiving her kiss on the cheek, although he knew that he was not truly deserving of his fame, he walked bravely in order to match the public’s perception of him.

After that Mira vigilantly waited for an opportunity to demand even more unreasonable things from him.

Although Gi Gi lost his rights to rule Fatina to the humans, he just laughed it off with Gi Ji, saying that it was great that he didn’t have to do deal with any troublesome things.

“As expected of our king. He knows exactly what we want!”

“You said it! Our king is great indeed!”

On the feudal lord’s mansion at Fatina, the flag of Zeilduk (twin- headed beast and axe flag) stood tall alongside the flag of the Kushain Believers.