Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Became the Greatest Genius in History
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"Hold the front line!!"
"Don't fear death!! If we retreat from here, our families will die!! Hold it at all costs!!"
The situation on the kingdom's eastern front was dire.
Even though Esther Tristy's observations had allowed them to predict the timing of the curse's polar anomaly in advance, there simply hadn't been enough time to respond effectively.
Amid the chaos of cold weapons and artillery raging on the battlefield, Craig Raymond spurred his horse toward the Steel Lion Knight Order Captain.
"Captain. The situation is bad. Communications report that the second defensive line in Richter Territory has collapsed. Lord Anke Richter has urgently requested our aid."
Oscar gripped his sword tighter, his expression grave at Craig's report.
The Steel Lion Knights were currently deployed to the Argent Autonomous Territory on the king's orders.
The knights, each worth a hundred men, were sweeping the battlefield, relentlessly blocking the assaults.
But the overwhelming numbers crashing in like waves had tilted the tide toward the demons.
*This is bad... If we leave our post here, Argent will fall without a fight.*
Argent Territory was the kingdom's central hub for food production.
The king had specifically ordered them to prioritize defending Argent above all other eastern regions—it was a vital stronghold they could not afford to lose.
If Argent fell, even if they somehow held off the curse, the kingdom would face a fatal food shortage.
"Tell Lord Richter we're sorry, but support is impossible."
"What about dispatching a small squad of knights?"
Oscar shook his head.
"Every knight is precious right now. We can't split our forces until the enemy offensive quiets down."
The basics of strategy were concentration of force.
In this unfavorable situation, dispersing their strength could turn a winnable defense into a disaster.
It was a famous tale in Yustina: a large army split in two to encircle and crush a bandit group, only to be defeated piecemeal by the bandit leader who saw through the plan.
"Understood..."
Oscar and Craig ended their talk and plunged back into the fray.
The enemy numbers seemed endless.
Even with countless corpses already littering the ground, the vile demons kept coming, throwing everything they had at breaking the defensive line.
The thought of enduring this grueling, nightmarish war of attrition for another month made his head spin.
The Steel Lion Knights were hardened by intense training and specialized in killing, but the territory's soldiers were not.
Seventy percent of the troops on this field were just ordinary commoners who lived day-to-day.
Blacksmiths, tailors, farmers—people whose lives had been far removed from war.
Each time one of these desperate fighters collapsed protecting family and home, Oscar felt a surge of grief and burning rage.
One day, when he reached Pandemonium beyond the eastern front, he would crush their king with his own hands.
"Captain, three giant demons have appeared at once!"
Oscar clicked his tongue at the massive giants looming in the distance.
"Pull the soldiers back and have the knights advance to draw their attention! Also, request artillery support from the Flame Tower mages immediately!"
"Yes!"
Even hearing bombs would rain down on their own heads, the knights' eyes didn't waver.
They had already resolved themselves to death on this battlefield.
As the knights charged toward the swarming demons,
Vroooom—
The hell tank's guttural engine roar echoed across the field.
"No need for that!! Hahaha!!"
The knights heard the Red Tower Master's booming laughter.
Erfs stood atop the hell tank like a tank commander, upper body exposed, barking orders at his crew.
"Fire on the giant demons!!"
The hell tank's infernal main gun spat fire.
KABOOOM—!!
The giants toppled one by one amid the explosion.
Their tremendous destructive power literally decapitated the giants.
Knights and demons alike couldn't comprehend what was happening.
"Fire!!"
The coaxial machine gun unleashed a storm of mana rounds at the demoralized demons.
Rat-tat-tat-tat—!
The knights and soldiers gaped in shock as demons screamed and fell.
"Hahaha!! Damn, what the hell is this hell tank?! It's getting me all fired up!!"
Oscar's eyes widened at the unexpected savior.
Shouldn't the Tower Master be buried in work at his office, suppressing the Insane Curse? What was he doing atop that bizarre mint-green machine?
"Lord Erfs!"
"Oscar Leonhardt. Long time no see."
"Shouldn't you be commanding from the tower? What brings you here? And what in the world is that weapon...?"
"Still as curious as ever."
Erfs smiled faintly.
Then he answered kindly.
"It's because the Red Tower has fewer duties now."
"What do you...?"
"Haniel Tristy and Esther Tristy worked a miracle!"
Erfs banged on the hell tank's hatch.
"Listen up, Oscar. This hell tank, designed by Haniel Tristy... it's an invention with performance thirty times better than a standard steam tank! It can take on demons large, medium, or small, and these amazing wheels let it traverse even rough terrain!"
He launched into a sudden speech about the hell tank's virtues.
"Mithril alloy stripped of its hardening properties and maximized for mana capacity... Do you know how revolutionary that is!? The most astonishing part is the power source. It requires a tedious process, but purifying the residual tainted mana from dead demon corpses as fuel and replenishing spent mana—it's truly groundbreaking! And Esther Tristy built this masterpiece in just three weeks. Isn't that incredible!?"
Oscar got the gist: this hell tank was extraordinary.
*So that genius boy and his sister teamed up to create this powerhouse...*
Haniel Tristy.
A girl said to have had transcendent talent, like Ethyl Badford before her illness.
Investigations showed Haniel, like Esther, was born to Porto's second wife.
Truly blessed siblings.
"With this invention, we can handle the polar anomaly. We can redirect resources and talent meant for the east elsewhere."
That's why Erfs could join the front lines, unless something urgent came up—his plans hadn't derailed much from the original.
Even if the hell tank's performance felt absurdly superior, Oscar wasn't thrilled to see the tower's leader on the front lines.
Of course, considering Erfs's moniker "Parade Mage Slayer," it made sense—he loved destruction and annihilation, if the situation allowed.
Still, opportunity knocked.
"Lord Erfs, can you hold Argent?"
"For Richter?"
"Yes. The situation there is grim."
He couldn't have left before, but Erfs and the hell tank had shifted the tide.
Oscar moved to ready his knights for a swift march to Richter, but Erfs stopped them.
"A hell tank has already reached Richter Territory. That should be enough support."
Erfs asked them to help gather demon corpses and refine them into fuel for the hell tanks instead.
Oscar nodded, eyeing Erfs's confident expression.
"Hell tank, huh..."
Unlike its shabby appearance, it was a game-changer.
Spewing hellfire and mana rounds, it shredded demons in droves.
*If this weapon floods the eastern front in mass production...*
It could tip the stalled war toward Yustina.
For the first time in ages, his heart pounded with excitement.
*The Yustina Kingdom must never let the Tristy talents slip away. Especially Esther Tristy—we have to secure her at all costs.*
Once this was over, Oscar planned to urge the king to meet Esther Tristy as soon as possible.
He sheathed his sword and walked with his knights toward the demon corpses.
***
I discovered a fatal flaw in the hell tank.
『It seems the hatch tried to close due to excessive mana reaction. I'll fix it soon.』
"M-My waist is stuck...!!"
I looked at Ethyl, caught in the tank's entrance.
She flailed her legs, groaning in pain.
What kind of situation is this?