Volume 7 Chapter 9 The Capital Battle Begins
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The opening of the capital city battle was heralded by the Gertroud army’s Living Dead charge and a large-scale magic attack on the city walls.
The walls of Capital City Eternita were blown away by a massive earth attribute attack magic, ‘Super Gravity (Gravidity Hole)’, believed to have been unleashed by Gertroud, creating a 30-meter-wide breach right at the start of the battle.
The blown-away wall, located near the east gate, unfortunately collapsed and filled in the outer moat.
Observing this, my father-in-law issued instructions to gather troops under his command at the east gate, where the enemy’s offensive was expected to concentrate.
I also received a message to lead my troops and prevent enemy soldiers from approaching the east gate.
”Right at the start of the battle, they destroy the defenses! Magicians, I need you to maintain the barriers to prevent breaches elsewhere! Lana, strengthen the magic barrier at the east gate with your Barrier Magic. Attach Ane’s cavalry unit for protection.”
”Understood.”
Lana, who was nearby, led her disciples to reinforce the barrier at the east gate, riding 2 to a horse from the cavalry unit as they set off.
Since Gertroud’s first strike had not been anticipated at all, the defending forces were caught off guard and were in disarray.
I quickly issued instructions to the various commanders to stabilize the situation.
”Fristoph! Defend the south gate with 2 thousand men!”
”Understood.”
”Akebus! Kerstin, take your guns and bows and head along the walls to support the east gate! If there are other troops, make sure they know they are part of my army and get priority passage.”
”Understood!”
”Got it! I will commence the operation.”
”Garvey, I grant you independent command. Do not let the enemy forces infiltrate the town/street!”
”Got it, General.”
”The rest of you, come with me to repair the destroyed walls! There are plenty of enemy soldiers, so don’t rush for achievements.”
”””Alright!”””
After finishing the instructions, each army began to act according to the instructions.
Reports came in that the allied forces stationed at the East Gate, which had been attacked, were still in chaos, and the first wave of Gertroud had already approached the base of the castle walls.
Originally, my South District army, which was the main force, was supposed to defend the East Gate, but Lord Velis, along with the nobles belonging to his faction, insisted on defending it, so my father-in-law conceded and entrusted the defense to them.
Velis, who was in charge of the defense, had lived only for courtly struggles for many years, so he seemed to lack confidence in Combat Command and had entrusted the commander position to his vassal, Letticia.
It seems that Letticia had commanded monster subjugation before, but this was her first time in a defensive battle like this.
For Letticia, being destroyed along with the castle walls by an Attack Magic attack right from the start was probably not something she had considered.
Fortunately, the residents of the tenth-layer castle walls had been given the choice of evacuation to the ninth layer, Aldo’s territory, or the South District, by invoking Shifa’s strong authority, so the area was deserted.
The people living on the tenth layer belonged to the lowest stratum of Capital City, and they were residents of a slum town where people who had been driven out of various parts of the Kingdom had gathered, aiming for Capital City.
The people living on the tenth layer exceeded a total of 30,000, but since most of them had no assets, the evacuation went smoothly.
The most common choice was to evacuate to the ninth layer, with about 20,000 people, and they ended up staying in inns and taverns bought by Shifa.
Reports had been received that the 8,000 people who chose to evacuate to Aldo’s territory and the two,000 people who chose to go to the South District had arrived in Aldo’s territory as of yesterday.
We strive to grasp the situation of the war while running straight through the deserted slum town.
Living Dead were penetrating from the destroyed castle walls in front of us, but Letticia’s army, which was defending the east side, still seemed to have a confused command structure and was unable to launch an effective counterattack.
Oh man…I don’t have enough soldiers, so I can’t even put reserve troops inside the castle walls.
If they break through and take the gate, we’ll be in a real bind.
My father-in-law expected the castle walls to be breached, but he didn’t think they would blow them up with magic from the start.
He never imagined the enemy army would penetrate the castle this quickly.
I planned to gradually descend to the ninth floor while inflicting damage on the enemy army at the walls.
This timing is the worst possible scenario.
”Ludmila! Reinforce the East Gate with ‘Black Wing’! Equip with stone bullets! Form a dispersed formation! Watch out for large-scale wind magic! Don’t stay in one place for too long! Anyone who receives magic attacks must retreat immediately!”
”Understood. I’ll strike once and then return promptly. ‘Black Wing’ will take the lead! Everyone, equip with stone bullets! Fire one shot and run!”
As Ludmila gave the orders, the Dragonewt flew to the stone bullet stockpile and took off.
This time, ‘Black Wing’ had mobilized almost 4 hundred Black Dragon warriors, all who were able to fight.
To avoid heavy losses from the large-scale wind magic, they were not using a dense formation this time.
Instead, they were using a dispersed formation, where each individual was spread out widely, to attack.
Naturally, their attack power would be reduced, but the enemy was a massive army of 50 thousand.
As long as they scattered the enemy’s attacks, it would be enough.
The Dragonewt grabbed the stone bullets with their claws and took off one after another.
In the meantime, I advanced towards the East Gate and finally reached the vicinity of the gate.
The gate hadn’t fallen to the enemy yet, but a considerable number of them had broken through the heavily damaged walls and were fighting Letticia’s army.
Ane’s Cavalry unit, which had been reinforcing the walls, was also fighting the Living Dead that were overflowing along with Letticia’s forces, but they hadn’t reached the walls yet.
”Sir Kent! I’m sorry. There were too many enemy soldiers, and we couldn’t reach the walls!”
When Ane found me, she apologized.
It was an appointment based on the expectation of the gun cavalry and heavy cavalry’s breakthrough power, but the enemy density was too high, and we became caught up in a chaotic melee, unable to fully utilize the mobility of the cavalry.
Many members of the cavalry squad were injured, and Lana was instructing her disciples on first aid.
”I’m sorry. I should be the one apologizing. I didn’t expect it to be this infiltrated. From here on out, Kondrad and I will push back the enemy! Fall back for a moment to regroup.”
”I’m counting on you! The cavalry squad will withdraw for now!”
Ane quickly gathered her forces and retreated to the rear, planning to reorganize the squad.
In the meantime, my direct unit, the Hunting Group, and Kondrad’s Estfort Army began to engage in battle to push back the enemy spilling out from the castle walls.
At the same time, it seemed that the Akebus squad and Kerstin’s Hunting Group had arrived on the castle walls, and as gunfire started to echo, the number of enemies entering through the breaches began to dwindle.
”Alright! Let’s push them back all at once!”
In coordination with the advance of the Estfort Army, members of ‘Crimson Bride’ and ‘Red Valkyrie’, led by Giuliana and Lydiane, joined the battle as a cutting edge unit.
I also switched my Explode Gunlance to shooting mode and started providing covering fire for the assault troops.
Thanks to the information gathered from the two battles against the Living Dead, we were able to efficiently decapitate them and incapacitate others with fire-type magic.
The nearly 1,000 Living Dead that had infiltrated from the walls were quickly defeated, their bodies turning into black mist and disappearing.
Having succeeded in eliminating the enemy soldiers, we hurriedly approached the castle walls.
Upon reaching the destroyed walls, I chanted and activated ‘Creation of the Universe’.
The earthen wall quickly formed before our eyes, successfully sealing off the breach.
”Lana! I’m sorry, but please cover at least around the east gate with the earth attribute ‘Element Barrier’. If we keep getting hit like that, the walls will be full of holes.”
”Yes. I will take care of it immediately.”
Lana began deploying Barrier Magic around the castle walls with her disciples, who were holding the barrier stones.
In the meantime, I climbed up to the east gate and joined Letticia and Velis.
”Lord Blackdagger, your assistance has been invaluable… I never expected the enemy to attack the castle in such a manner… I panicked.”
Letticia had been caught off guard and was overwhelmed in defense, losing a significant number of her forces.
Velis, the faction leader, was in shock from being involved in such a large-scale battle for the first time.
”Lord Lawrence, it’s fortunate that you arrived in time, but with Lord Velis in that state, I cannot leave the defense of this east gate, which is the enemy’s main target, to you.”
I pointed at Velis, who was paralyzed by the shock of being thrown into the battlefield, and pressed Letticia for answers.
”However, it is us who have been entrusted with the defense of this east gate by Lord Arbalest or His Majesty. While we appreciate Lord Blackdagger’s assistance, your post should be at the south gate.”
Letticia laid out her argument without regard for the situation.
Even the nobles from Velis’s faction seemed to think that I should take command, and they all wore expressions of surprise.
”Since the enemy’s focus has narrowed to the east gate, there should have been a provision that our elite troops, the South District army, would take on the defense.”
I had added a special clause when my father-in-law yielded to Velis’s demands, anticipating any eventuality.
It was a promise that if the enemy’s target was confirmed to be the east gate and Velis’s forces were likely to retreat, command would be transferred to me.
”That applies when we are likely to retreat…”
”But I can’t believe that the Velis army, having lost nearly 3 thousand of their 5 thousand troops, can maintain the defense of the gate.”
”Ugh… So you say we should come under Lord Blackdagger’s command…”
The Letticia faction, under the banner of Velis, seemed eager to secure their merit in this battle and solidify Shifa’s trust; their morale was high, but ultimately, their forces were a motley crew, and once they faltered, their lack of coordination led to widespread damage.
For Velis’s sake, the Letticia group was reluctant to withdraw from this position.
I approached her and whispered into her ear.
”That’s not what I’m saying. I’m merely suggesting that we yield this ground. The Veris faction can guard the south gate. However, if you wish to earn merit, let’s invite Lord Lawrence as a guest commander. That way, the Velis faction can also claim victory.”
Letticia pondered my words, but eventually nodded in resignation.
”Very well. I shall commit about a hundred of my men to Lord Blackdagger’s command. The rest will reorganize and return with Sir Velis to guard the south gate.”
As Letticia issued instructions, Velis’s retainers, carrying their immobile lord, descended the castle walls.
”That was a wise decision. Let’s see how Lord Lawrence fares.”
I lightly tapped Letticia’s shoulder and started walking towards the outer wall to observe the battle situation.
* * *
The battle had taken a toll with nearly 3 thousand casualties due to Gertroud’s surprise attack, but I had managed to repel them by taking down an equivalent number of enemies.
’Black Wing’ also achieved considerable success with their scattered bombing formations.
Several times during the battle, we witnessed the wind magic spells, but the ‘Black Wing’ dragonkin always managed to escape after a single strike, and we couldn’t capture them.
Before long, Gertroud’s forces halted their offensive and retreated back to their encampment in the suburbs.
After the battle, my father-in-law and Shifa visited the east gate for an inspection.
I was to meet them at the makeshift command post.
”Kent, you repelled them well. I didn’t expect to be struck first. If it weren’t for your reinforcement, I’d probably be trapped inside the walls by now.”
Shifa had come for the inspection wearing a full set of armor made from Demonium Steel, the traditional attire for a Demon Lord ascending to the throne.
”Your Majesty. I have just changed the defense commander at the eastern gate to my foolish son. Now the enemy can easily launch a surprise attack.”
”I see… It was a bit too much for Velis and Letticia. It’s good for you to gain experience under Kent.”
”Your Majesty… I apologize for not meeting your expectations.”
Letticia did not raise her head, remaining with her face bowed.
”Kent, how do you view this battle? Why do you think Gertroud tried to take the initiative and finish it all at once?”
Shifa asked as she sat down on a broken chair she brought from the slum street.
”Hah, I believe it was a surprise attack aimed at rushing into the castle to turn the residents into Living Dead and make them fight against us. Without Your Majesty’s wise decision, the people of the tenth floor would have turned into Living Dead and attacked us by now.”
I’m not sure if it’s accurate, but when considering the worst-case scenario, I arrived at that answer just now.
It seems that killing each other among allies would cause the most damage.
”I see… As Kent and Aldo said, it was good to force a retreat using Geass. If I had to turn my blade against the people, my own life would be in danger… I’m glad we avoided that.”
”I nearly lost my nerve when the castle wall was blown away at the start. Thinking about the residents being there sends chills down my spine.”
”Indeed. For the time being, to avoid the same trick working again, I have instructed my subordinate Warlocks to set up earth-element barriers in sequence from the eastern gate, so please rest assured.”
I worked with Lana and the Capital City’s Magician Guild to gather the Rakshasa Clan’s Warlocks from the Capital City, spreading the earth-element barriers around the castle walls.
With this, it becomes nearly impossible for Gertroud to use the same trick again.
”That’s a relief. I don’t want to experience that surprise attack again either. So, how do you plan to respond to Gertroud from now on?”
Shifa looked at me and my father-in-law, questioning our strategy.
”Gertroud must have prepared countermeasures against surprise attacks, so a clumsy ambush or night raid could lead to our own defeat… In my opinion, it would be best to persuade the Duke of Fabulanova, who is retreating to the west, to join us for a pincer attack, or to encourage the Duke of Rashid, who is still watching, to enter the battle.”
My father-in-law has proposed a strategy to bring in external reinforcements.
It was thought that the South District army preferred to fortify and fight to minimize casualties, rather than engaging in open-field battles.
”Also, we have concluded a non-aggression pact with Nokin, who has defected from the Demon God Emperor’s realm in the east, so Gertroud’s forces should not increase any further. As long as we don’t lose any men, their numbers shouldn’t grow. I want to make sure that all deceased are cremated.”
I have no intention of opposing my father-in-law’s strategy, so I just advised on the key points to watch out for in the battle against Gertroud.
”Understood. Let’s send envoys again to urge the two dukes to join the battle. What bait should we use to lure them out? Those 2 won’t move easily.”
”The best option would be to include members of their bloodline in Your Majesty’s royal chamber, treating them as equals to the consort. Marrying a Black Dragon clanswoman and a True Demon Clan lady, with the status of a principal wife. Even though the throne is decided by the Grand Eight Tournament, a child born of a Demon Lord could be exceptionally talented.”
Indeed, since Shifa has publicly declared his card color to be [purple], excluding the incredibly rare [red] card, being a Demon Lord and coming from a long-standing noble family makes him the most desirable marriage partner in the Kingdom.
If a child is born, there’s a possibility that, like Gwain, they could control the Kingdom as an external relative.
”Although both are long-lived races… the Kingdom does not recognize the marriage of a Demon Lord from those 2 clans. This is due to the taboo clause established by the second Demon Lord, Bendavar. It was also taught that the duchy was granted autonomy in exchange for not participating in court politics.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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