Chapter 88
“Are we not too late?”
Damian spoke quietly as he observed the Spanian Kingdom troops moving in the distance from the border.
Dianal, who had approached beside him, asked, “But this war... is it right for us to be involved?”
“Leave inter-kingdom diplomacy to the higher-ups. Our job is to faithfully carry out the orders we are given.”
“...Understood.”
Dianal nodded. He had spent much time reflecting on the journey here, pondering whether it was right to intervene in another kingdom’s war during this time of peace.
But Damian’s clear answer had given him direction: they were soldiers, and no matter the political motives, they were to follow orders.
Damian chuckled as he looked at Dianal. The troubled expression he had worn throughout the journey seemed a bit more relaxed now.
“We’ll advance along this ridge and flank the enemy from the side. The priority is to get close without being detected.”
“This terrain is much rougher than the rest.”
“So, is it too hard to traverse?”
Damian asked, and Dianal grinned.
“Of course not. If anyone finds this difficult, it would mean they’ve been slacking off during all our training.”
Dianal turned to address the rest of the unit.
“We’re moving along the ridge to flank the enemy. The terrain looks rough. Anyone who can’t keep up?”
The unit laughed heartily at his question.
“There’s no terrain here that we can’t handle!”
“We’d climb cliffs if we had to, so don’t worry!”
“Heh, you’re too heavy to climb, aren’t you? Don’t bluff!”
“Shut up, you idiot.”
With their spirits high and laughter all around, Damian nodded.
“Then let’s move faster than the enemy.”
As Dianal nodded in agreement, Damian gave the command.
“All units, move out!”
With Damian’s words, the Caion unit moved quickly.
* * *
“Phew.”
After swiftly navigating the long ridge, the Caion soldiers took cover and caught their breath.
Before them, soldiers in various armor stood near the Iren Kingdom’s border.
But then they noticed something strange.
“...!”
The catapults that had been hauled in earlier had suddenly disappeared.
Only the sound of the catapults moving could be heard.
Dianal approached Damian and asked, “Are they using magic? We can hear the catapults but not see them.”
Damian quickly scanned the enemy troops at the rear.
Imperial soldiers. But among them, no sign of any mages.
Damian bit his lip.
‘Could they be using an artifact?’
To completely conceal those massive catapults would require an artifact capable of advanced magic.
But to use such a thing in a small-scale battlefield like this...
‘This is why the Empire is the Empire.’
Their investment in war was on a scale unmatched by any regular army.
If the Iren Kingdom failed to detect the presence of the catapults...
‘They’ll be forced to retreat their formations instantly.’
Otherwise, they would have no choice but to engage in a chaotic melee with the Spanian soldiers.
“It won’t be easy.”
The worst case would be the Empire launching the catapults without regard for the Spanian soldiers, treating them as disposable.
From the Empire’s perspective, the Spanian soldiers were mere expendables.
Even if they died alongside the enemy, the Empire wouldn’t lose much.
Their ultimate goal was to breach the border and enter Fenrony.
“Relay this to all squad leaders: once the catapults launch, attack immediately.”
Once the catapults fired, they could no longer remain concealed.
When the invisibility spell broke, their primary target would be to destroy the catapults.
“Destroy the support struts of the catapults. If even one is broken, the catapults won’t function.”
“Understood.”
Dianal swiftly relayed Damian’s orders to the squad leaders.
Damian turned his gaze toward a commander charging at him with fierce determination.
* * *
Boom!
The boulders raining down from the sky were nothing short of a disaster for the soldiers of the Iren Kingdom.
“Dodge!”
“Brace yourselves! The debris scatters after impact—use your shields!”
“Shields up! Protect against the fragments!”
“Medic! Medic! We are wounded!”
Only a few boulders had fallen, yet the battlefield had completely turned chaotic.
The soldiers couldn’t even think of firing arrows at the enemy crossing the traps with ladders.
Amidst the turmoil, Acar knew a decision had to be made.
‘Engage.’
There were two ways to deal with the catapults: either pull the troops back out of their range or engage directly with the Spanian soldiers.
If they engaged, the enemy wouldn’t be able to continue using the catapults.
For Acar, retreating meant allowing the enemy to trample on their homeland.
“Drop your bows! Grab your shields and spears! Advance! The archers are up front! Charge!”
Acar led his troops forward, shouting orders. Even now, the catapults were being reloaded.
“Charge!”
“Run! Forward!”
With Acar’s command, the soldiers roared and charged at the Spanian troops. But then, suddenly—
Crash!
A tremendous noise caught Acar’s attention.
“...What?”
One of the towering catapults was toppling sideways. Next to it, a new force had appeared.
‘What... is that?’
Acar’s eyes wavered. The newly appeared troops—who were they?
Allied forces?
Given that they were destroying the catapults, they seemed to be allies, but their identity was unknown. Acar, the commander of the operation, knew nothing about this reinforcement.
Still—
“Reinforcements have arrived! Slaughter the enemy!”
“Uraaaah!”
Acar’s shout bolstered the advancing soldiers’ spirits. He turned to his rear troops, issuing new orders.
“Archers, draw your bows again and fire at the enemy! Shoot down as many of them as possible before they engage with our forces!”
The battlefield was fluid, but the soldiers quickly adapted to the revised orders.
“Front line, shields up to block the incoming enemies! Relay the command!”
“Front line, raise your shields! Block them!”
“Front line, shields up! Block the enemy!”
Acar’s orders spread swiftly.
“Archers in the rear, fire again!”
“Archers, fire!”
The command was passed on, and arrows once again rained down on the Spanian soldiers.
“Aaagh!”
“Move faster! We need to engage them!”
The battlefield was now a chaotic melee. The sudden appearance of new troops had shifted the tide of battle.
Watching the unfolding scene, Pakilonte roared in fury.
“How dare you disrupt the Empire’s affairs!”
Pakilonte, gripping his massive mace, charged at the newly arrived forces.
By now, one of the catapults had been completely demolished, lying in ruins.
Dead Imperial soldiers and the wreckage of the catapult littered the ground. Pakilonte fixed his murderous gaze on Damian.
“You will not die a clean death. I’ll grind you into mincemeat!”
His voice, dripping with rage, exuded a terrifying presence that overwhelmed the Caion troops. But in that tense moment—
“State your rank and name.”
“...?”
Damian’s cold voice cut through, directing the question at him. Pakilonte frowned, feeling a sudden chill run down his spine.
Ignoring his expression, Damian demanded again.
“Name and rank. I’ll tear you to pieces.”
Pakilonte could only swallow hard, momentarily lost for words.