Chapter 141: Entangled
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 141: Entangled
The walls of Wolfenheimer were so high you had to crane your neck back as far as it would go just to see the top.
Making ladders long enough to reach them was one thing, but climbing them was an even bigger problem.
“Originally, Wolfenheimer was a bastion that defended the front lines against invasions from the East. These massive walls were built for that purpose.”
A mercenary from the Northern Continent explained. I had sought out and brought along a mercenary whose hometown was nearby.
“A fortress city meant to fend off enemies from the sea? Yet its inland defenses are quite formidable.”
“Gods, don't even mention it. The seaward side is even worse. The walls are much higher, and dozens of large ballistae are positioned on the wall towers.”
The mercenary added that if the plan had been to attack from the sea, he wouldn't have accepted the job.
“Their forces are considerable as well.”
The tops of the walls were packed with human heads, appearing as small dots. There were so many it seemed they would have trouble moving.
“According to some men who joined us recently, the Alliance has swept up every mercenary in the Northern Continent. They say they offered double, even triple the usual pay.”
The scorched-earth tactics, raids on our supply lines, and their limitless hiring of mercenaries revealed the Alliance's true intentions.
The only saving grace was the absence of a moat. Without that, I wouldn't have even dared to approach.
“So why did you join my side instead of the Alliance? Considering the nature of mercenaries, shouldn't you have gone with them?”
“Hehe. Money is good, but is it worth more than my life? Can't take it with you to the afterlife. Besides, while you, my lord Baron, have been racking up easy victories, the Alliance has suffered defeat after defeat, haven't they?”
“He must be regretting his choice by now, then?”
The attacking side needs three times the defenders' numbers to have a proper go at a siege. But right now, our forces were about equal.
Worse, our supplies had been cut off, and we only had two days of food left. We couldn't fight on empty stomachs, which meant we had to settle this within two days.
The problem was that in our focus to reduce travel time, we hadn't brought any siege weapons.
And what about Duke Signir's reinforcements, which could appear at any moment? Every condition favored the Alliance.
“Not a chance. If favorable conditions guaranteed victory, would any mercenary ever die? The head of the army is what's important. You know the saying, ‘An ally can be scarier than an enemy’? If some shit-for-brains pretends to be a commander and messes around, you're bound to lose even a battle you should have won.”
“And the Alliance commanders are like that?”
“Weren't they the ones who just stood by and watched like it was someone else's house on fire while the war in the West raged for five years? They're bound to lack real combat experience. Bokum falling to a surprise attack is one thing, but giving up Saifran so easily must have been a blunder resulting from that inexperience.”
Despite all the terrible conditions, the mercenary genuinely believed in my victory without a shred of doubt.
“Do all the mercenaries think the same?”
“If they didn't, they would have deserted long ago.”
“I will reward your faith. This battle will be a victory you'll be able to brag about for the rest of your lives.”
The mercenary glanced at me cautiously and asked.
“If it's not too rude to ask, may I know how you plan to take Wolfenheimer?”
“A simple frontal assault.”
“Huh…?”
The mercenary's face went slack-jawed. A frontal assault without siege weapons? He looked as if he was thinking, Does that even make sense? But only for a moment.
“Ah… my apologies. I was getting ahead of myself. Of course you wouldn't tell a mere mercenary your military strategy. No, it would be a disaster if you did.”
The mercenary bowed his head and retreated. He'd mistaken my words for a lie meant to hide the truth. In fact, I was being 100% sincere.
The next two days were a flurry of activity. We gathered wood from the surrounding forest to make shields for the mercenaries and barely managed to complete a single battering ram.
“They say they need time to discuss it!”
Meanwhile, the envoy I'd sent to recommend their surrender returned with an answer that was clearly just a stalling tactic.
The Alliance couldn't have thought it would work. Both they and I instinctively knew that battle was unavoidable.
Time passed, and around noon, after our final meal, I sat on my horse before the assembled troops and raised my sword high.
“Our food is gone! Enemy reinforcements could appear at any moment! We will not get another chance! This means we must succeed in a single attack!”
The mercenaries' faces were stiff with tension and excitement. They were about to charge without proper siege weapons. Many of them were probably regretting their decision to work for me.
At this rate, we'd be defeated before the battle even began. Of course, I wasn't about to let that happen. First things first.
“You know I am stingy when it comes to plunder! But this time is an exception! The chance to loot a city said to have mountains of gold and jewels, a city where they sleep on treasure, is right before your eyes! Will you back down now?!”
“NO!!!”
Every native of the Northern Continent knew of the Coastal City Alliance's wealth. If they could just plunder such a metropolis, they would gain enough riches for three generations to live in leisure.
“Those who want to be rich, fight! Only those who fight will gain everything!”
“Fight! Fight! Fight!”
“And I promise you this! I will never push the most dangerous tasks onto you! I will stand at the very front! I swear to you, whenever you look forward, you will always see my back!”
“Waaah-!”
Riding the momentum, I turned my horse toward Wolfenheimer. Raising my sword, I spurred it forward.
Bwooo—
With perfect timing, a horn blew, and my army advanced behind me.
Meanwhile, Wolfenheimer also noticed our movement and began sounding drums and alarm bells. The walls grew busy, and soon, archers nocked their arrows.
Thanks to my excellent eyes, I spotted this ahead of time and raised my voice loud enough to shake the world.
“Shields! Raise shields-!”
My men hurriedly raised their plank-like shields. They were crudely made, just to block arrows.
Fwip-fwip-fwip.
Soon, with the twang of bowstrings, the sky turned black. The enemy commander was targeting the troops behind me. An excellent decision.
The arrows, which seemed to hang in the sky as if time had stopped, soon rained down like a sudden shower.
Thud-thud-thud-thud.
“Aargh! My arm-!”
Archers are an expensive type of soldier to maintain. Even for the Coastal City Alliance, they couldn't have recruited many in a short time. So, it was natural that their accuracy was terrible.
The problem was that they had fourteen hundred soldiers. That meant even a rough aim would hit something. Besides, demanding a precise shield formation from mercenaries was nonsensical.
Arrows slipped through the gaps between shields and struck my men. Still, an overwhelming number of arrows hit shields or the ground.
“Don't stop! Keep the sky covered with your shields and follow my back! I will lead you into Wolfenheimer! Don't let this chance to get rich slip away!”
“Shit-! It's do or die!”
“You bastards! Once we get inside, I'll kill you all!”
My timely intervention had the opposite effect; the arrows only made the mercenaries run faster. Now, it was Wolfenheimer's side that grew desperate.
“Fire arrows-! Shields up again!”
Seeing little success because of the shields, the Wolfenheimer defenders shot fire arrows.
But having experienced it once, my mercenaries raised their shields as if they'd been waiting for it. The formation was much faster and tighter than before.
Fwoosh-thwack.
“I-I'm alive!”
The fire arrows were less effective than the regular ones. In truth, that was to be expected.
It's rare for a fire to stay lit on a fast-moving arrow, and even if you coat it with flammable material like pine resin, the effect isn't that great.
Anyone who's tried to light a fire with wood knows it's not easy. Don't they struggle to light fires even with a torch on those variety shows?
Moreover, the mercenaries' shields were made from trees felled only two days ago, meaning they were still full of moisture, making it even harder.
Thanks to that, they were twice as heavy as normal shields, but still lighter than the price of a life.
‘It's meaningless unless you've already doused the path of advance with oil or some other flammable liquid.’
I had confirmed during my reconnaissance over the past two days that the Alliance hadn't made such preparations. Just as the mercenary said, they were inexperienced.
“Don't panic! They have no siege weapons! If we rely on the walls and calmly shoot our arrows, we will win! Fire at will-!”
Before I knew it, we were close enough to hear the voice of the Alliance commander. Dodging the now sporadic arrows, we advanced further until the wall was right in front of us.
“Battering ram! Forward-!”
I had a single siege weapon of my own. A cart-like battering ram on wheels, which had been hidden among the mercenaries, now moved to the front.
It was a battering ram with walls and a roof to protect the soldiers from the enemy's attacks raining down from above.
They threw arrows, hot water, and stones from the top of the wall, but the steeply sloped, triangular roof skillfully deflected them.
“Get it right up against the gate-!”
As the ram pressed against the gate, a small sliding peephole on the gate opened.
“Uh… the ram has no spike!”
An enemy soldier's voice echoed from beyond the gate. Indeed, the battering ram only looked the part; inside, it had no pillar or protruding spike.
Why? Because there was no need for one.
“Out of the way-!”
At my shout, the mercenaries who had been pulling the ram from inside hurriedly moved aside.
As the eyes of the enemy soldier I met through the peephole filled with confusion, I gripped Trollsverd.
“Wh-what…?”
“I am the spike.”
As I spoke, I thrust Trollsverd through the peephole. With the sound of splintering wood, the sword dug into the peephole and widened the opening.
“You crazy bastard-!”
I've brought down a castle wall before, so what's a weaker gate to me! Not satisfied with just one strike, I pulled the sword back and thrust again.
Like using a needle to cut out a shape in a dalgona candy, I intended to connect the holes and create an opening in the gate large enough for a person to pass through.
“Fire! Shoot fire arrows-!”
The defenders of Wolfenheimer didn't just stand by. They shot fire arrows at the roof of the battering ram.
“My lord Baron! It's on fire!”
The roof, which had just been doused with hot oil, caught fire instantly. It was holding on somehow, being as waterlogged as the shields, but it didn't look like it would last long.
“Throw water and sand on it! Hold on! Until I open this gate! Victory is not far!”
Following my orders, the mercenaries began to throw waterskins and sand.
Meanwhile, I put more strength into my sword and thrust it into the gate. After some time, creak. An ominous sound came from nearby.
“I-it's collapsing-!”
The sound came from the pillar of the battering ram I was in. It was finally about to collapse. In contrast, about a third of the gate remained.
If we lost the ram now, I wouldn't be able to focus entirely on breaking the gate as before. Both the enemy and my allies knew this.
“Waaah! We've won-!”
The Wolfenheimer defenders, judging our failure to be certain, cheered. They were convinced of their victory before we had even crossed blades.
Conversely, the eyes of my allies, who had been watching only my back, trembled with anxiety. A suffocating silence dominated them.
“My lord Baron! You must get out of there now!”
shouted a mercenary, glancing at the burning roof that looked ready to collapse at any moment.
“You never know until you try!”
If I retreated now, the chance to capture Wolfenheimer would be gone forever. The Alliance, now on high alert, would use their full strength, and facing them then would not be easy, even for me.
This was the only chance. Instead of heeding the mercenary's words, I raised my sword high. Then, I brought it down with every last ounce of my strength.
KRAAANG!
The moment the sword struck the gate, the entire wall seemed to shake with the impact. The gap I had been carving widened even further. Thanks to that, I could see the shocked faces of the enemy soldiers inside.
“N-no-!”
“What do you mean, no!”
The moment I trusted my Stamina Stat and slammed my shoulder into the half-dangling gate was almost the same moment the roof of the battering ram collapsed.
CRACK.
This time, the sound came from the gate. Unable to withstand my assault, it had finally been breached.
Carried by my own momentum, I tumbled to the ground with the gate's debris, but I immediately got back up and aimed my sword. The shoulder I had led with throbbed as if it were dislocated.
But it had been worth it.
“Insane…!”
“H-how can a human being break down a castle gate!”
The Wolfenheimer defenders were so stunned that they didn't even raise their weapons, despite my entry. I suppressed the pain and grinned.
“Entire army! Ravage the city-!”
Soon, my troops began to pour through the hole in the gate I had made.