“This is Curling… The land in which I was
born and raised.”
Ansandra sounded somber as she peeked out
the carriage’s window to see her homeland after the long journey back there.
The scene before her eyes was not the one
from her memories.
The Bastore Plain was blessed with
plentiful grains, but Clanaria’s thorough endurance strategy had rendered it a
wasteland nearly void of green.
When she had left this place, she had never
even dreamed it would ever look like this.
So very much had changed in the past two
months – a mere two months.
(And it is all my fault. This is the sin I
must bear…)
“So it is not over yet.”
Lorent spoke to himself when he saw the
famous Curling Castle.
“…Indeed.”
Stephan, the Domos military’s Chief of
Staff, agreed with bitterness in his face.
Curling Castle was well-known for its magic
walls which were as impressive as a heavenly palace of the gods and glowed with
a brilliant white light.
It all matched the reports from the spies
they had sent out ahead of them.
But large trenches had been dug around it,
the dirt from that had been used to construct earthen walls, and a triple fence
had been built on top of that. Those complex defenses were entirely different
from that report.
“This is sure to have raised the morale of
the soldiers in the castle.”
Lorent was an experienced commander for his age, but not even he had seen a
castle with such largescale fortifications.
“The best tactic would be to starve them
out.”
“It would indeed, but we are short on
provisions ourselves. We could overcome that if the nearby villages have
supplies worth taking, but if not, we would be the ones to starve. Our Domos
soldiers could endure the meager provisions, but if we show an opening we are
sure to see a rebellion from the cities and prisoners we just took or from
Celeste and Sulbey.”
Stephan, the experienced aide, gave a
serious reply to young King Lorent’s casual comment.
As they had invaded deeper into Clanarian
territory, they had taken in the guards of fallen cities like Ramlese as well
as mercenaries who wished to side with the apparent winner, so Domos’s forces
had grown to 40,000.
The ones truly from Domos only numbered
8000, so it was clear that one wrong decision would lead to disaster.
And this number also proved that Clanaria’s
army had not used their full numbers in the Battle of Corlal Field. If they had
been truly worried about Domos’s invasion, they would have prepared a greater
force.
A moment of carelessness had placed
Clanaria in serious danger. But that also meant that a moment of carelessness
could send Domos into the abyss as well.
The mercenaries were one thing, but the
soldiers from the regional cities would not be willing to put up a real fight.
They would only do the bare minimum.
They had only betrayed their kingdom out of
fear of Domos’s military might and with Princess Ansandra’s presence giving
them an excuse. The instant Domos seemed at a disadvantage, they would not
hesitate to side with Clanaria once more.
The young king nodded and accepted his
former tutor’s assessment.
“We have to bring down that castle before
we starve.”
Lorent sighed, but he did not actually find
this that serious.
He had absolute confidence in his strategic
ability to determine his enemy’s weakness and use that to break through.
He knew the goddess of fortune would not
always be on his side and that it was dangerous to overestimate his own
ability, but that just meant he had to rape the goddess of fortune and make her
his.
If he was to become a true conqueror, he
needed the great economic power of Clanaria.
“Thinking isn’t going to solve this. We can
start by sending out a messenger demanding they surrender. Dominic, you do the
honors.”
Dominic was a proud strategist and one of
Lorent’s mistresses, but ever since the Burns incident, she had become known as
a “ball-devouring demon woman”, so she had become a target of fear and respect
from the Domos youth.
At this point, there was an extremely high
risk of a messenger being killed to send a message back, but when Dominic
received the order, she set off for Curling Castle with no hint of fear.
Even while surrounded by hostile
Clanarians, she boldly relayed the message.
“With all due respect, King Baldwin’s
Second Princess Ansandra is now the Queen of Domos and mother of our kingdom.
Thus, Domos and Clanaria are like brothers. There is no need to prolong the ravages
of war. We hope you will make the just decision for a just future. If you will
cooperate, we will provide Queen Ansandra’s father Baldwin with the special
position of Marquis of Clanaria. In the future, Curling will be ruled by Queen
Ansandra and we will do our absolute utmost to avoid any unneeded confusion for
the people of this land. We will also prepare 100 gold coins for the families
of each man who died in the previous fighting.”
This was an unexpectedly generous offer from
a supposedly barbaric kingdom, but Princess Virginia scoffed loudly while
surrounded by Prime Minister Stuart, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dubuc,
Minister of Finance Madeley, Former General Zoral, the current commander
Uldarg, and high officers like Lucy.
“Ohhh ho ho ho. Could you not tell at the
first glimpse of our castle? We have no intention of capitulating. If you
insist on having Clanaria, try taking it by the sword. I will crush you with my
magic and send the remains of your army back to Domos!”
With her offer refused, Dominic bowed with
a spiteful boldness and urged them to reconsider.
“Lady Virginia, you are Queen Ansandra’s
sister, so Domos would never treat you poorly. Someone of royal Clanarian blood
would rule Curling. Even if you capitulate, you will retain your pride as a
kingdom, so please give it more thought. It is obvious Domos would emerge
victorious if we fought now. Please consider the wellbeing of your people.”
Dominic’s comment about Domos emerging
victorious wounded the pride of Clanaria’s military commanders.
“Woman, don’t get cocky! The wellbeing of
our people!? You are the ones who have inhumanely invaded us! I will remove
your head and hang it over the castle gate to signal the beginning of
hostilities!”
The one who roared angrily, drew his sword,
and approached was Uldarg.
Even with a drawn blade pointed at her,
Dominic’s expression remained so aloof it seemed frozen in ice.
“Stop it! What pride have you as a warrior
if you would cut down someone who has not drawn a weapon of their own?”
Lucy did not speak loudly, but Uldarg drew back as if she had thrown cold water
on him.
“Messenger, you have nothing more to tell
us. Please leave.”
Dominic’s dark emerald eyes coldly observed
the female knight who had apparently been in an indecent relationship with
Queen Ansandra. But she must have accepted her words. She said nothing more and
obediently left the castle.
Lorent accepted that.
“Good work, Dominic.”
It had all been for show and he had not expected
Clanaria to accept.
You could say he had given such a generous
offer because he had assumed it would be rejected. But it was true he had
wanted Clanaria to capitulate.
But not because he was concerned about the
psychological burden on his wife Ansandra. He had simply wanted Curling Castle
undamaged.
Curling was a trade center where rivers and
roads intersected, so it had a large population and economic power. It would
clearly be the most important fortress in his quest to conquer the continent.
“I see. So they refused, did they? It is a
sign of generosity when the strong reach out a helping hand to the defeated,
but it is a sign of pettiness when the defeated reject the offer and walk down
the path to destruction. So let us fight and measure this strength they feel so
confident in.”
After Dominic reported on the situation
inside the castle, Lorent gave the order to attack.
“Carnap, give them a taste of what we can
do.”
To reach Curling Castle’s walls, the Domos
army would have to break through the defensive formation in the field outside.
They sent in a group of 1000 that was
primarily composed of mercenaries armed with metal axes and hammers meant to
break through the fences.
The Domos army itself was not equipped with
siege weapons. Their focus on this expedition had been to move with lightning
speed, so slowing themselves down with that kind of equipment had been out of
the question.
“Whoever gets inside the castle first will
be richly rewarded. Don’t hold back!”
General Carnap was a former mercenary, but
Lorent had recognized his talent and selected him for his army.
His long and glossy black hair was neatly
combed and he had dark, deeply-sunken eyes. The daring look on his narrow and
noble face and his long and slender arms and legs left enough of an impression
to tell at a glance this was not your ordinary man. His skill on horseback was
not the same as a pure Domos general, but he had excellent leadership and he
commanded his troops in a bold but almost cowardly careful way.
“Crush those stray dogs of Domos!”
Commander Uldarg was in charge of Clanaria’s
defense and he had magic bullets and arrows fired from behind the earthen
walls. Long spears were stuck through the gaps in the fences to fight back.
Long spears crossed with metal axes and
both sparks and magic light burst out.
Arrows were fired from the rear of both
armies to support their allies, so they blotted out the blue autumn sky. The
attack and defense on either side of the fences was quite intense.
“I was right. They just threw together
whatever troops they could. They aren’t fighting on the level they should with
those numbers.”
After about two hours of fighting, Lorent
smiled coldly while keeping his troops fighting.
Clanaria was being pushed back by Domos’s
fierce attack.
Individual warriors had breached the enemy
formation. When they climbed over the fences, the demoralized Clanarian
soldiers fell back within the castle. The Domos soldiers’ feet thundered along
the ground in pursuit as they tried to defeat the tail of the enemy troops and
charge inside the castle.
But the castle gate closed when Domos was
just a step away from getting in, so Carnap was forced to attack the castle’s
white walls instead.
“Release the fire.”
Fire arrows and fireballs dyed the white
walls a bright orange.
While the Clanarian troops inside the
castle ducked back, the Domos soldiers used grappling hooks and ladders to
climb the walls.
Almeida’s troops had been held back as a
second wave, but they advanced once they saw that. They fired from horseback to
support Carnap’s troops. That cavalry unit was made up of Domos’s greatest
warriors outside of Lorent himself, but just as they approached the castle
walls…
“Ohhhh ho ho ho ho. You fools can apologize
to my beloved in hell. Apologize for attempting an attack far out of your
league, that is.”
Atop the castle wall, Virginia let her cape
flutter behind her, spread her legs wide, gave a snort, and laughed with
intoxicated zeal.
“Do it.”
She gave the signal by swinging down a
colorful fan decorated with peacock feathers. The 30 witches who acted as her
personal guard appeared on the castle wall in black robes.
They spread their arms toward heaven. Giant
magic orbs appeared there and dropped almost straight down from the wall.
This was one magic technique Virginia had
developed in the course of her research. It could not fly like magic bullets
could, but it allowed them to create those great orbs of magic power and drop
them.
Depending on how you looked at it, this was
simpler than magic bullets, but it was a truly effective attack against a foe
closely gathered together and clinging to the castle wall.
With a deafening explosion, Carnap’s troops
fell from the wall. And Almeida’s troops were below.
With more and more masses of magic power
falling in that concentrated area, confusion filled the Domos army and archers
sent a rapid stream of fire arrows down at them.
Carnap and Almeida attempted to draw back
their troops and allow them to spread out, but the earthen walls and trench
they had crossed earlier got in the way and they could not regroup properly. They
instead wandered aimlessly in that narrow space and were quickly picked off by
the arrows.
It seemed the earthen walls and trenches
had not been for defense. They were to restrict Domos’s movements once they had
been drawn in to the castle’s walls.
“Give the order to withdraw. No more attack
is needed here. Have them temporarily withdraw.”
Even Lorent sounded concerned as he
commanded a withdrawal. Because he could guess what the enemy would do next.
“Pass a message to Stephan and Naja. The
enemy is going to make a counterattack, so they need to cover for the
withdrawing troops.”
On Lorent’s instructions, the armored
cavalry and flying dragon soldiers waiting in the rear of the Domos army began
to move. But that command proved to be too late.
“The enemy is like a trapped rat! Don’t let
them leave alive!”
The closed castle gate reopened and a War
Goddess in a pure white uniform descended upon the battlefield.
Lucy wielded a long spear and she was
followed by Clanarian soldiers driven mad by a desire for revenge.
They were not great in number, but they
were enough to make a difference in the narrow land between the earthen walls,
trenches, and castle wall.
The Domos soldiers were packed in too tight
to swing their weapons while the Clanarian soldiers could swing their weapons
and hit an enemy without even aiming.
Trapped between attacks on the ground and
from above, Domos was crushed and cut down.
This was not a battle; it was a slaughter. They
were unilaterally swept aside.
“Ahhh, what are you doing? Fire.”
Naja’s flying dragon unit rushed to their
allies’ aid and fired arrows from even higher than the castle walls.
But unlike during the Battle of Corlal
Field, they did not bring a major change to the battle. This time, Clanaria had
thought up a flying dragon countermeasure.
“That is wind magic. With these distortions
to the air currents, your dragons cannot fly.”
When Virginia saw the dragons approaching,
she immediately set up wind barriers around the castle walls.
Several layers of distorted air defended
against the archery attack and affected control of the dragons, so this magic
killed two birds with one stone.
“Tch, what a pain.”
Naja and her dragon knights nearly lost
control, so they quickly pulled back.
However, the Domos troops on the surface
had succeeded in withdrawing while Clanaria’s attention was briefly on the sky.
Then again, calling it a withdrawal sounded
nice, but it was more like Carnap, Almeida, and the rest fled for their lives.
“No further counterattack is necessary. Do
not leave the fences. Return to the castle.”
Lucy ordered her soldiers to withdraw. Outside the fences and trenches, Stephan
had his cavalry prepared for the enemy. Heading out there would only get Lucy’s
soldiers killed.
Clanaria’s advantage was limited to the
narrow space between the castle wall and those trenches and fences.
But a win was a win.
“Raise a cry of victory, for we have won.”
“Hip hip hooray!”
This was Clanaria’s first strategic victory
over Domos after a long string of defeats.
Not only did the soldiers cheer, but
Virginia launched colorful magic into the sky from atop the castle wall.
“Ohhh ho ho ho. As long as I remain with
you, our victory is guaranteed♪”
The first attack had ended in failure, so
Lorent quickly gathered his commanders and discussed countermeasures.
They had sent in 2000 soldiers and received
400 casualties, while the enemy had taken almost no damage at all. That was
only a small part of their army, but it was still a crushing defeat.
“It would seem they still have quite a
tactician among them.”
Those sexy sanpaku eyes, which were said to charm the female heart with the
visible white on the bottom, were directed at Almeida whose prized beard was
half burned and at Carnap whose pompously neat black hair was a complete mess.
Lorent was not as much of a cruel tyrant as
his public image led one to believe, but he was not a foolish leader who gave
important positions to incompetent people, so he was known to purge commanders
as an example to others.
“I recognize that you did your absolute
best. It was my mistake to carelessly attack those solid walls. But I expect
you to fight valiantly to prove I am not mistaken about you. We will make an
all-out attack at a later date, so work to regroup your troops before then.”
Lorent’s voice remained entirely calm, but
that made it an icy blade that stroked across the kneeling generals’ necks.
He was implicitly telling them they must
make up for this failure in the next battle and, if they did not, they would
lose their heads.
They next discussed a plan of attack on
Curling, but they could not reach a consensus.
Lorent and the rest of the Domos commanders
had never before attacked a castle as large as this.
There was a suggestion to attack in waves
of 1000 to exhaust the enemy, but there was a greater risk of the repeated
defeats sending Domos into full retreat before the enemy tired. Domos’s staff
officers were not so foolish that they failed to predict that.
“Hopard, what do you think? Have you never
considered how to attack this castle?”
When Lorent’s interest turned in his
direction, the defeated general paused to think with a complicated look on his
face.
He could have refused to answer by saying he
did not serve Lorent until Curling Castle had fallen, but Hopard was drawn in
by the conqueror’s charisma.
“I have thought day and night how to defend
this castle,” he began. “The defenses of Curling Castle’s walls must be among
the greatest on the continent. But it is an economic city, so many waterways
flow into the city. That may be a weakness.”
“…Waterways.”
It seemed castles here were indeed built differently from the ones back in
Domos.
Water supply and sewage infrastructure were
maintained and they formed a labyrinthine structure belowground, so Hopard said
it was possible for people to pass through there.
Lorent nodded as he viewed a map showing
the shape of the walls surrounding Curling.
“Understood. I will take your idea into
consideration.”
With that, Domos’s basic strategy was
decided.
“Anyway, I can see now why Lucy and
Virginia are known as great women,” sighed Stephan.
Lorent smiled like a proud man-eating
tiger.
“If they are beautiful women, I would love
to make them mine. Taming a stubborn and intelligent woman is amusing in the
same way as conquering a kingdom.”
Ansandra had been drawn to her husband’s
shining ambition, but she was unsure how to respond when he said he wanted her
sister and friend as his mistresses. She simply blushed and nodded.
Then she changed the subject.
“I will use what connections I have.”
She prepared herself for what was to come.
There was no going back now.
Quickly conquering Curling was the fastest
way to end this series of tragedies.
To accomplish that, she wrote letters
asking her acquaintances to betray Clanaria and had them attached to arrows
that were fired into the city. Virginia and Lucy would assume she was being
forced to write them and ignore what they said, but Ansandra still put her
heart and soul into writing the letters.
The following day, the Domos army had
Kubdai, Vatistuta, and Lumishas’s units work together to remove the trenches
and earthen walls constructed around Curling Castle’s walls.
Of course, Clanaria was not going to let
them do that, so they sent a downpour of magic bullets and arrows from the
castle walls and sent out foot soldiers armed with long spears.
Fighting while filling in the trenches was
extremely difficult.
Domos did not push themselves too hard, so
they would pull back when Clanaria’s resistance grew too great and approach
again once the enemy left. They kept up the fight between the plain-looking
trenches and earthen walls.
They were like cats greedily walking around
some hot porridge.
After keeping up that seemingly ineffectual
attack for ten days, the Domos soldiers looked anxiously up at the unshaken
Clanarian capital of Curling.
“Are we going to waste a few more days like
this and then retreat when our supplies run out?”
It was while they began whispering those concerns late at night that a visitor
came for Ansandra.
“Mimi’s brother!?”
Ansandra immediately authorized the visit when Head Maid Granmars whispered who
it was in her ear.
The person who appeared was fairly short
for a man. He was a young man named Legins.
“Thank you very much for the letter asking
after my foolish sister. Mimi went missing a few days ago, so I hope you are
not offended that I read the letter in her place.”
“I see… So Mimi isn’t there.”
Ansandra was worried, but this was an age
of war. The girl could have lost her life anywhere. But knowing that girl,
Ansandra had a feeling she would show up as cheerful as ever once everything
was over.
“I have a lot of influence as a merchant. I
could even get inside the castle.”
“Eh…!?”
Getting inside that fortified castle was no small feat, but this young man must
have known a secret way. The look on his face urged her not to inquire further,
so she did not. It may not have been a route that anyone other than him could
use.
“You seem to be asking around for traitors.
Well, I have a suggestion there. Please provide a document ensuring the safety
of Miss Frangese, who once served as your maid.”
“…”
Ansandra gasped at this unexpected
suggestion.
Frangese was a little girl of only 4. Contacting
her would not accomplish much of anything. The political significance was found
in her father.
He was Clanaria’s Minister of Finance
Madeley. He was known as a financier, but he had such perfect integrity that no
one had ever found cause to talk about him behind his back. Ansandra highly
doubted he would betray his homeland.
“Can you pull something off with that?”
“I can.”
She was doubtful, but the young man would
not have made the offer unless he was confident.
She gulped once and held her head high as
she responded.
“Understood. I look forward to your
efforts. Once you succeed, you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.”
The final decision was hastened by news
from the rear. General Lumishas of former Sulbey royalty gave a report at a war
council.
“Early word has arrived from my father back
home. He says there are signs of a rebellion beginning.”
The military commanders fell silent.
They all knew the time limit had arrived.
All told, Clanaria was far more powerful
than Domos. They could easily imagine how Domos’s position would rapidly
decline in a long-term battle.
It was entirely possible that Clanaria’s
strategy had been to draw in Domos’s main force, send spies to Domos-controlled
territory, and foment rebellion.
Lorent had gathered a fanatic level of
faith in Domos itself, but he was no more than an invader in Celeste and
Sulbey.
It would surprise no one if there were
people in those lands that would believe a rebellion could succeed if they had
the cooperation of a large kingdom like Clanaria.
If the Sulbey region was sealed off by a
rebel army, Domos’s army would lost its path back home.
So if they lost here, they would be truly
eradicated.
(The standard choice would be to pull back
before the Sulbey rebellion grows and extinguish those flames. Either that or
go for an all-or-nothing bet on conquering Curling.)
The preparations for an all-out attack were
making progress, but there were no absolutes in war.
They should withdraw here. Continuing on
would be too risky a bet.
But they all knew their king’s temperament.
“…”
Lorent said nothing as he left the
encampment.
The outside was dyed blood red by the
setting sun.
Lorent mounted his beloved steed Black
Flame Hair, rode out to the front of his army, drew Fang of the Demon God, and
held that great sword toward heaven.
“We will now make an all-out attack.
Tonight shall mark Clanaria’s demise. Do not allow the Clanaria Kingdom to see
the sunrise.”
His black bronco, black breastplate, and
black blade glittered gold with the last rays of the sun.
He looked sinisterly beautiful and the
people were convinced anew that he was the conqueror who had the devil’s favor.
Then Ansandra walked out in a translucent
red dress and spread her arms before the troops.
“There is no good or evil in war. It is the
victor who continues writing history. It is the victor who defines justice. Much
blood must be spilled whenever the gears of history turn. We must use any means
necessary to build a lasting peace for the future. So win. Do so and the world
will smile upon you.”
Her plentiful blonde hair blew in the dust
of the battlefield and every curve of her body showed through her dress with
the setting sun behind her.
Her breasts had grown, her stomach was
slender, and her butt had filled in. She had a sex appeal no one would expect
from a girl still in her teens, but that may have come from how very much sex
she was having.
She had the divine beauty of a goddess. But
goddesses came in many varieties. This goddess accepted slaughter in the name
of mercy and she was overflowing with a frightening level of sensual beauty.
“As the wife of Domos King Lorent and the
legitimate ruler of Clanaria, I have but one command: bring ruin to Clanaria.”
She was a wicked woman who had turned on her homeland. Her beautiful body was
wrapped in cloth seemingly stained with blood, and nothing could have been more
appropriate for a conqueror’s wife.
Lorent smiled in satisfaction, reached an
arm down from his horse, wrapped it around that demon-charmed woman’s slender
body, and exchanged a passionate kiss with her.
“As you can see, Clanarian women are
beautiful nymphomaniacs. So go get one for yourselves, men.”
“Ohhhhh!!!”
After their king and queen’s encouragement,
the soldiers’ morale was sky high.
Domos soldiers were generally uninterested
in the finer points of strategy. They preferred all-or-nothing attacks.
“Every last soldier continue after me. We
will take Curling as the first step toward conquering the continent.”
The army led by a bloodthirsty demon king
began attacking the castle with its full strength.
“It appears Domos is making an all-out
attack. King Lorent has been seen in the lead.”
Lucy climbed to the top of a lookout tower
after receiving that report.
The western sky was dyed a brilliant orange
by the setting sun. When she looked down, she saw the entire Domos army spread
out lengthwise and widthwise and filling the air with shouts and war drums.
A forest of the Domos army’s Divine Wolf
flags rose up with an extra-large Golden Dragon flag in the center.
Next to it was a man on horseback whose
black armor shined gold in the reflected sunlight.
No one told her so, but she instinctually
knew that was Domos King Lorent.
Upon realizing that, Lucy nocked an arrow
in her bow and loosed it.
(Hit him!)
This was at the farthest reaches of a bow’s
range, but it was worth trying for Lucy who was skilled enough to be known as a
divine archer.
“Wha-…!?”
She was dumbfounded when she saw what had become of her arrow as it flew right
on target.
She had not expected to actually kill him,
but she had hoped to injure him and laugh at him if he fell from his horse. But
Lorent actually caught the flying arrow in his right hand.
Even if the arrow’s force had weakened at
the far end of its range, that was the kind of trick only a stage performer
would be able to pull off.
(Impossible…)
After performing that seemingly superhuman feat, Lorent nocked the same arrow
in his own bow and fired it.
The arrow stabbed deep into the castle wall
below Lucy’s feet.
(How powerful an archer is he…?)
Lucy’s heart was filled with awe and fear as she stared blankly at the enemy.
“Curse that barbarian king. It looks like
the shock has finally worn off. Does he think he can breach these walls if he
takes the lead to drive up morale? The fool.”
It took a fair amount of effort for Lucy to
muster a daring and cold smile.
“Let’s show him what Curling’s defenses can
do. Draw in the enemy, return fire with magic bullets and arrows from the walls,
and give pursuit when their ranks crumble. This must be a last-ditch effort for
Domos. Work hard, everyone.”
Clanaria’s army also raised their voices
and beat their war drums as they prepared to meet Domos in battle.
Lucy had been taught military strategy by
her father Albare, so she was confident she accurately understood Domos’s circumstances
and mentality. The one fear in her heart was that that fearsome man had no
strategy in mind and was simply making a straightforward all-out attack.
“Charge!”
When Lorent looked up at the towering white walls and roared that command, hooves rumbled along the ground and Domos approached.
They attacked through the areas where the
fences and trenches had been filled in over the past several days.
The cavalry changed direction when they
were about to run right into the white wall.
They circled to the left and right while
right up alongside the wall and they fired arrow after arrow from horseback.
Undaunted, the Clanarian soldiers launched
magic and loosed fire arrows.
After using the 20 arrows in each of their
quivers, Domos’s first wave left the castle wall and the second wave rushed in.
This time, they did not change direction in
front of the wall and instead fired or set up grappling hooks and ladders which
they used to climb up.
“Don’t let them up! Knock them down!”
On Lucy and Virginia’s orders, hundreds of arrows and magic attacks poured down
on the enemy.
The Domos soldiers clinging to the wall
were knocked down one after another, but the lucky ones continued climbing.
Then the third wave arrived.
They spread out to the left and right while
right alongside the white wall and fired arrows from horseback.
With their support, a few dozen of the
second wave successfully reached the top of the wall.
“Kill them!”
With a yell, the Domos soldiers let their
bared blades flash as they raced across the wall.
They were met by a dull and shiny wall of
spear tips. The Domos soldiers were skewered by that wall, gave off a spray of
blood, and fell back down to their allies on the ground.
But the Domos soldiers ignored their allies’
corpses and rushed to the wall.
Eventually, Domos had made five all-out attacks,
but Clanaria had successfully driven back each one.
The castle walls glowed white even at night
and they seemed entirely impregnable. Domos had to have already lost more than
2000. Clanaria’s losses were not insignificant, but they were thought to be less
than half of Domos’s.
“They just keep up this hopeless attack…”
Clanaria could sense Domos’s incredible intensity, but Lucy’s calculations told
her Clanaria could win this. But then during the 6th wave…
“Fire! Fire is flowing inside!”
Screams rose from the city.
Curling was a large city with highly-maintained
waterways. The enemy had apparently sent oil through one waterway and then
thrown a fireball in after it. Flames raced across the water’s surface.
“Oh, no!? Did Lorent take the lead to
distract us from this plan?”
The ten days of seemingly meaningless fighting had been a means of securing the
entrance to the waterways.
After realizing the enemy’s plan, Lucy gave
up any attempt to head outside the walls and took the soldiers under her direct
command back into the city.
The magic soldiers led by Virginia and the
archers could handle protecting the castle walls for a while.
The autumn sun was said to set quickly, but
even after it had fully set and stars filled the sky, the city was still lit by
the bright red flames.
Lucy raced to the scene on her white horse,
but the flames would not be put out.
The enemy was using wind magic to send in
oxygen and intensify the flames. And as the wind whipped, the fire would spread
to the wooden houses near the waterway.
“Put out the fire! Don’t let it spread to
the buildings. Immediately tear down any building that is burning or about to burn!”
Lucy barked an order that was strategically sound, but was nothing but trouble
for the people who lived there.
She wanted to set up a wind barrier to weaken
the fire, but Domos’s magic forces were apparently focused on this plan and the
wind barrier simply would not take.
“Wh-what is that…!?”
Human silhouettes appeared within the conflagration on the water.
Domos infantry had entered the castle after
the fire. They had traveled through the waterway even as their own armor was
set ablaze.
That suicide squad was led by Burns, the unfortunate
young man whose balls had been bitten off by the madwoman Dominic.
Luckily, his balls had been reattached with
magic healing. There were rumors that the psychological scars had left him
impotent…but it seemed he was not that weak-willed after all.
“Daryaaaaah!!! I’ll hog all the glory for
myself again!!! And then I’ll be rewarded with a kiss from Lady Dominic!!!”
Burns advanced while swinging around a mace
that had to weigh as much as Dominic. He was foolhardiness itself, but his
actions had a great effect on enemy and ally alike.
He had made a name for himself (for better
or for worse) at the Battle of Corlal Field, so he had volunteered for this
dangerous mission so that he would no longer be known as the man who had his
balls bitten off by a woman. And he was achieving actual results here.
The large man seemed several sizes larger
than he really was. He was the type who grew more talented the more he accomplished.
What had once been a simple young man had grown into an incomparable hero.
“Ahhhhh… The enemy has made it inside the
castle walls.”
A few Clanarian soldiers uttered groans of
despair and collapsed, but Lucy swiftly provided new instructions.
“Use ice magic. Freeze the entire waterway.”
A chill soon poured down from all
directions and the waterway froze with the Domos soldiers inside it. Burns became
an ice sculpture out in front of the rest.
“Ohhh ho ho ho♪ This is a largescale magic experiment. There is no need to hold
back. Keep firing that magic like crazy!”
The defense of the castle wall had intensified
even further.
The Domos army had made eight waves of
attacks, but Princess Virginia’s heroic actions had saved and supported the
Clanarian army.
The deadly battle was primarily fought on
the north side of Curling Castle, so Clanaria’s focus was naturally turned to
the north. One woman smiled to herself as she looked up at the south wall.
The female knight was lightly armored and had
her red hair roughly tied back.
“Honestly, you’re so busy covering your
tits you’ve left your ass wide open♪”
Naja laughed cheerfully as she led her
flying dragon unit up into the night sky.
“Now’s the time. Jump onto the wall.”
Around 100 brave warriors had been clinging
to the backs of the flying dragon knights and they now jumped down onto Curling’s
castle wall.
“Okay, get going! Everyone in there is an
enemy, so kill them all!”
This suicide squad was led by Shigsal.
That extremely young member of the Pixy
clan led Domos soldiers who wore no armor and only wielded hand axes.
Of course, the Clanarian army had not left the
south gate entirely unguarded. But just as this attack from the sky caught them
unawares, veteran commander Stephan made an assault with his unit.
“Werner, you handle this.”
“As you wish.”
The man who took the lead was a long-time
hero of the Domos army. People referred to him as Werner the Decapitator.
He was not just now making a name for
himself like Burns. There was not a soldier in Domos who had not heard of his
exploits.
Thanks to the enemy’s confusion, Werner arrived
at the south gate without anyone stopping him and he swung his massive sword.
He broke through the great metal gate with
deafening sounds of destruction.
“Okay, we’re in. Follow after Werner!”
The encouraged Domos soldiers rushed in
with swords held high. The cornered Clanarian soldiers desperately fought back.
An intense melee developed and the outer
edge of Curling Castle was filled with a flurry of blades and spears.
The Domos army had a slight advantage in
this sort of battle. Screams of despair echoed across the walls. Nevertheless,
the Clanarian resistance intensified. Swords, spears, and other blades clashed
together while the stone pavement and stairs below their boots grew red and
slick with the blood of both sides.
“Minister of Finance Madeley has
surrendered to the enemy.”
Lucy glared silently at the castle wall
when that bad news arrived. Each gate had been breached in what seemed like a
chain reaction.
“That settles it…”
Ansandra breathed a sigh that could have
been relief or despair as she heard the new development while trembling in a
carriage at the rear of the Domos army.
The betrayal of one of Clanaria’s highest
officials would be a great shock.
She heard the screams of Clanaria’s people
and the cheers of Domos’s. Anyone could tell the victor had just been decided.
More and more of Clanaria’s soldiers were killed or ran out of strength and
surrendered.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Dubuc had been
banging his wooden staff against the castle wall to encourage the Clanarian troops,
but as the enemy pushed in like a tsunami and allies collapsed all around him, even
he prepared to jump to his death. But just before he could, Shigsal reached him
and took him prisoner.
“Do not fall back! This battle shall
determine whether we must flee to some other kingdom or not!”
Uldarg put up an impressive fight as he defended the north gate where fighting
was fiercest.
That former aide to the late General Albare
had 4 sword wounds and 6 arrow wounds, but he continued fighting back against
the gathering Domos army with the ferocity of a lion.
He had initially used a sword, but that
proved too unwieldy here and he began swinging around a large machete instead.
As he fought, he found he had been dragged
outside the gate. He saw the enemy commander named Almeida within that melee.
“He must be an important figure in Domos to
wear such fine armor. If I slayed him, I could die with no regrets.
The wild warrior brandished his large
machete, kicked his horse, and raced straight toward Almeida.
“Very well. I will send you to the
afterlife.”
Almeida was forced to raise his spear
against Uldarg.
Sparks flew from their weapons and their
horses crashed into each other.
The impact was so great they both wobbled
in their saddles.
Uldarg’s fierce courage was no less than
Almeida’s iron courage, but their horses were a different matter. The front
legs of Uldarg’s steed crumbled and he was thrown to the ground. Domos soldiers
rushed in to cut him down.
A pillar of blood erupted…but from the
Domos soldiers.
Uldarg had rolled along the ground while swinging
his large machete to slice through the enemy soldiers. He hopped to his feet
and clicked his tongue in disappointment when Almeida was nowhere to be seen, but
then he spotted a new target.
“General Hopard!? You were honored with the
position of Left General and yet you sold out your kingdom, you immoral traitor!
How dare you set foot in the land of your ancestors once more!”
Hopard was surprised to hear his name shouted with such rage.
The wild warrior had no horse or helmet and
ran over with nothing but a bloody machete.
Hopard could have argued his case, but he was
not given the time. More importantly, Lorent had graciously not punished him as
a prisoner of war and he had come on horseback to see the final moments of his
doomed homeland. It was obvious what that would look like.
Hopard caught the bloody blade on a metal
fan, but the difference in intensity was even greater than the difference in
combat skill. After the third exchange, he abandoned the metal fan and turned
his horse around. Uldarg prepared to swing the large machete down on the fleeing
man’s back, but then an arrow flew in from the side and pierced his left eye.
“Hgh.”
Even that berserker came to a brief stop.
But then he forcibly pulled out the arrow. His eyeball came with it, but he
threw it aside all the same.
He was more frustrated that a second target
had escaped him.
His remaining, bloodshot eye raced around
in search of another target, but then the wall of cavalry opened up to either
side.
“What…?”
He saw a large black horse ridden by a tall man with perfect proportions. His
face was made from deep, graceful lines and his sanpaku eyes gave off an intense light He looked unreal in the
light of the magic and fire flying all around them.
He was accompanied by a woman with notably
large breasts for her slender frame who rode on a chestnut horse. Uldarg
recognized her as the one who had come to Curling Castle to demand they surrender.
“Your Majesty…”
Dominic gave a warning when that bloodshot
eye reached her. Lorent silently nodded and drew his great sword.
“…Domos King Lorent.”
Uldarg gasped at his incredible luck.
While wandering the melee, he had happened across
the enemy’s supreme commander who he had sworn revenge against. Taking this man’s
head would change everything. It would cost Uldarg his life, but no opponent would
be more valuable.
“Your head is miiiiine!”
Uldarg gave a roar and raced across the
ground. He raised his large machete overhead with an arm soaked to the elbow in
blood.
Thick blades crossed, a rainbow light
flashed, the heavy clashing of metal rang out, and it was all absorbed by the
autumn night. The force of the impact knocked Uldarg’s entire body back and he
collapsed to the ground.
“Gh…”
He was a great warrior. Not as great as
Lorent, but the gap was not so great that it should have ended in a single
exchange. However, Uldarg had already used up too much of his stamina.
He tried to get back up when another attack
was incoming, but that was when he made a mistake.
He normally thought of his armor as no different
from normal clothing, but it now felt unbelievably heavy.
The badly injured warrior glared at his
sworn enemy with regret burning fiercely in his one eye.
Lorent asked a question from horseback.
“What is your name?”
“Uldarg.”
The exhausted man spat back the answer and
then gathered all the strength remaining in his body to roar up at the other
man.
“But I am also known as the man who curses
Domos King Lorent. Barbarian, do not think your cursed luck will last forever. Your
path is paved with blood and you will one day pay the price for your evil
deeds. I will become a vengeful spirit that will destroy Domos. Wa ha ha ha ha
ha!!!”
Uldarg laughed like a madman and swung his
machete down at his own throat.
The fountain of blood reached as far as
Lorent’s cheek.
“Hmph. Say whatever you like.” Lorent
looked disappointed because he had hoped to capture the man and have him fight
for him. “I will soon have thousands of vengeful spirits cursing me, so I can’t
let a curse from the likes of you bother me.”
Just then, Lorent’s left cheek reflected a
bright light. Dawn had arrived. The light rose from the distant eastern horizon
and it illuminated the white castle wall which had been scarred by magic
bullets and arrows.
With so many of its blades broken and quivers
empty, the Clanarian army was losing the ability to fight in an organized
fashion. When Lorent received word that all four gates had been taken, he gave
an order.
“Okay, enter the castle. You are free to
take what riches and women you find. But kill no one who surrenders. Now go.”
No comments:
Post a Comment