Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: I'm Still Hungry (3)
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With the Mage Corps taking charge of one axis of the battle, the nature of warfare underwent significant changes.
Among those changes, the most dramatic was undoubtedly the transformation of the frontline fortresses.
Traditional fortresses—structures like towering walls stacked as high as possible—could no longer fulfill their roles in the face of magic bombardment, whose power dwarfed siege weapons like trebuchets.
It was inevitable that fortresses with tall, thin traditional walls vulnerable to magic strikes vanished from the borders, replaced by walls that sacrificed height for thickness, reinforced with earth for durability.
Bastions exposed to bombardment were eliminated, and in their place, arch-shaped defensive structures called casemates—built thick with stone and soil to withstand strikes—were installed throughout the ramparts.
That had happened over fifty years ago, so for a long time now, fortresses and castles with traditional walls and structures had devolved into mere displays for rear-line nobles to flaunt their heritage and power.
By now, most border fortresses faithfully adhered to the polygonal form: thick walls 5 to 8 meters high equipped with casemates.
The Renkamp Fortress before my eyes was a textbook example of a modern fortress.
An octagonal structure with 7-meter-high walls.
The surrounding moat had been nearly filled in by the 8th Legion during the siege, but the walls themselves were so intact that it was hard to believe they'd withstood three months of our army's pounding.
Gates existed on all eight sides, one each at the cardinal directions, but excluding the small posterns near the west and east gates, the proper gates were the north and south gates.
Naturally, our army's primary targets were also the north and south walls, where troop ingress would be easiest via those north and south gates.
And today, the north wall was the first assault target, so our army's main force was concentrated there.
I, however, was on the opposite side, at the south wall.
"Looks like we've got our positions set."
I nodded to the messenger waiting beside me as I watched the shadows slowly crawling toward the south gate.
Tat.
The messenger bolted toward the north.
Wuuuung.
Soon after, faint waves of mana surged from afar.
It was the Mage Corps positioned to the north.
Queeeeeek.
Before the unpleasant ripple could fade, a roar echoed.
The sky behind the south wall turned red.
A man-made calamity was raining down on the fortress.
Boom, boom.
The roar arrived a beat later.
Semitransparent barriers appeared here and there above the fortress.
That was the beginning.
Queeeeeek. Boom.
Roars followed one after another, the sky above the fortress igniting intermittently.
From here, I couldn't tell which lights were our army's magic and which were Astoria's.
It didn't matter anyway.
I just had to wait.
Wait for the magic lights staining the sky to fully die down.
Purrruk.
The royal gift horse snorted roughly.
It was already fired up.
"Just a bit longer."
I lightly patted its neck a couple of times.
In the meantime, the relentless roars suddenly ceased as if by magic.
Silence descended.
But it didn't last long.
Bwooo, bwooo, bwooo, bwoooo.
The horns signaling advance blared.
Soon, our army would launch its assault on the north wall.
Of course, the gate that hadn't opened after three months of pounding wouldn't open today either.
Our army knew that, and so did I.
This was a classic diversionary tactic.
The only difference from a standard feint was that we weren't hiding our intent.
"They're probably overthinking it. Can't take their eyes off us."
After all, we were blatantly targeting the south gate right in front of them.
"Wondering when we'll strike."
Especially since our assault began right after delivering the prisoners.
It was a situation bound to breed hesitation.
-......!
-...!
Faint shouts and screams began drifting from afar.
The Astorians atop the south gate remained utterly still.
"Expand assault range to include the left wall."
The messenger dashed north without hesitation at my words.
Soon, the horns blared again.
"Expand the assault."
Another messenger vanished.
Now the battlefield had expanded beyond the north wall to the two adjacent walls.
"More, more, more."
I kept requesting escalation of our army's assault.
As we'd discussed in advance.
"Tell the Mage Corps."
Pour everything into a total assault, not leaving a scrap of mana behind.
Soon after the messenger departed, bombardment resumed above the fortress.
Even fiercer and more numerous calamities rained down than before.
The Astorians weren't taking it lying down.
Fwaaah.
Dozens of semitransparent barriers appeared in the sky behind the south wall.
Judging by the scale, the fortress's Mage Corps seemed fully committed to the north.
Thud, thud... kurrr.
The relentless explosions tapered off only after considerable time had passed.
Occasional blasts still sounded, but sparsely, not enough to change the tide.
It meant our mages had exhausted their mana.
But the Astorian mages, who'd focused on less mana-intensive barriers over offensive spells, likely had reserves left.
Boom, boom.
A distinctly different roar echoed.
The sound of the 8th Legion's mere two trebuchets hurling boulders.
Queeek. Thud.
A few landed inside the fortress, but most were deflected by barriers back outside.
No need for disappointment.
Inflicting damage on the fortress wasn't the goal anyway.
Draining the remaining mages' mana was plenty.
While the trebuchets diligently pounded away, our assault continued.
Time flowed on, and the night waned.
The fires we'd kept burning all night had long gone out.
The pitch-black darkness began to retreat bit by bit.
The dim eastern sky grew hazy with dawn.
And the world hidden by night finally revealed itself.
-......!
-...!
Around that time, the Astorians atop the south gate grew rowdy.
"Looks like they've finally caught on."
I chuckled.
Then glanced back.
Soldiers clutching extinguished torches, one in each hand, and hundreds of braziers reduced to ash.
Flags flapping vigorously, but the soldier count was pitifully low.
It was to be expected.
We'd made a racket with fires, but the force deployed at the south gate was just 400—barely battalion strength.
Bwooooooo.
The horns blared long right on cue.
As we'd planned, that meant:
"Our army's launching the total assault."
The all-out attack signal.
I looked toward the Astorians atop the distant south gate.
Too far to make out individual faces, but I could sense it.
Renkamp Fortress's commander was up there.
I didn't know his face, but I could picture his expression.
He had to be thoroughly flustered.
They'd figured it was a feint, but the revealed force wasn't up to the task.
Cavalry useless in sieges and scant infantry made for a laughable main assault force.
"Suspicious bastard."
Yet the south gate troops held full readiness.
To repel our army's dawn all-out push, they'd need to pour men onto the walls.
I could see it plainly.
What he was worried about.
The hundreds of prisoners we'd brought into the fortress just a day before the total assault.
If any were spies, now was the perfect time for them to act.
Reasonable suspicion, sound judgment.
In fact, the time our infiltrated turncoat knights and Doppelzoltner had agreed to move was right around now.
The only difference from their fears was that their target wasn't the south gate, but the north.
If I had to put a name to it, this was a feint within a feint.
-......!
Movement stirred among the previously motionless Astorians atop the south gate.
"Some wall troops are pulling out! Looks like Sir Otto and the Doppelzoltner are on the move...!"
"Got it. I have eyes too."
I shot a word at the excitedly shouting Captain Grap and turned back to the wall.
His presence was gone now.
As the captain said, headed to the north wall.
He'd judged the side responding internally as the main assault.
How bitter that must feel.
Guarding the south gate all night, only for it to be pointless.
A lean judgment.
He should've held position longer.
Swish.
I turned to look at the gate.
About 500 meters to the gate.
Too far to signal anyone.
Yet I was certain.
The mage who'd crept right up to the gate under cover of night was watching me.
"Natasha. Now."
I didn't doubt for a second that my intent reached her.
Wuuuuuung.
The familiar unpleasant ripple spread.
But the result was anything but unpleasant.
Queeeeeek! Boom!
A precision bombardment spell from a mad mage fixated on her target from point-blank range—a nightmare for any mage—struck the gate dead-on.
Clack.
I lowered my visor.
"Bluecoats!"
The word the Bluecoats had waited all night for.
"Advance!"
At that instant, the 400 troops behind me charged toward the wall in unison.
The vanguard, naturally, was the Bluecoats.
Someone might see this and say, what kind of siege charges with heavy cavalry?
That was knowing one side and ignoring the other.
The surest way to minimize casualties in a siege was to reduce exposure to enemy fire.
In that regard, Bluecoats were superb siege engines.
Heavy armor that shrugged off most arrows, and warhorses that reached the gate faster than any.
Dududududu.
We gradually picked up speed.
But still at a pace infantry could match.
400 meters to the gate.
"Maintain speed!"
Then 300 meters.
"Shields up!"
We passed 250 meters.
In seconds, we'd enter Astoria's range.
"Shields over heads!"
"Shields over heads!"
Jamal echoed my order.
Queeeeeeek!
Kaduk.
Arrows poured down like rain, scraping shields.
"Grap! Katya! This is as far as we can take you!"
I shouted to the infantry hugging our backs.
"We're going ahead!"
Then bolted toward the gate Natasha had flung wide.
"Canter!"
We accelerated.
200 meters, 150, 100.
The distance shrank in a flash.
The gate, shrouded in black smoke, came into view.
And beside it stood Natasha.
Her body stiff from lying prone all night, she couldn't even dance her favorite jig, just pounding her back relentlessly.
"Gallop!"
I spared a glance at her pitiful yet comical sight, then fixed on the smoke-choked gate.
Beyond it, I could almost grasp the Astorian hostility awaiting us.
I pictured them vividly: long spears bristling like thorns.
Just waiting for us to hurl ourselves into that thorny thicket.
The gate barely wide enough for five cavalry abreast.
Beyond: a forest of spears.
Not ideal conditions for us.
But not impossible to break through.
"Front rank, crossbows up!"
I drew the crossbow we'd babied on wagons and aimed into the gate.
Not much aiming possible.
Targeting anything through the thick black smoke was impossible.
Just picturing where an adult's torso would be.
"Loose!"
The five front Bluecoats fired in unison.
"Draw swords!"
I tossed the spent crossbow and drew my one-handed cavalry bastard sword.
"Hup."
I inhaled.
Then plunged straight through the acrid smoke.
Fwaaah!
My blackened vision cleared, revealing a phalanx of shallow pikemen.
-...!
Some pikemen crumpled from the sudden crossbow bolts.
The broken formation hadn't reformed yet.
I gripped the reins tight.
Leaning forward as if hugging the royal gift horse's neck, I swung the cavalry bastard sword fiercely.
Kaduk.
Long spears snapped and shattered.
The crumbling, breaking thicket of thorns.
"Charge!"
I plunged into that narrow gap.