Dragon Raid (1)
Dragon Raid (1)
I reported this fact to Hildea via radio.
-I'm coming immediately! Don't move rashly! You must not be exposed to the Dragon!
「I will stand by.」
Yuzel, who was always preoccupied with food without any interest in her surroundings, watched together with me.
It takes something on the level of a Dragon to barely tear her away from food, I see.
「Uwaaa, Officer-nim! I've never seen a magical device like this! It's amazing!」
Of course, she was still diligently eating an apple even in the midst of this.
'She's a lost cause for a normal marriage too....'
The battle continued to rage fiercely.
I moved the UAV closer to see the actual appearance with the high-magnification camera rather than the long-range thermal imaging.
One mage casting large, spectacular flame spells particularly caught my eye, so I increased the magnification on that pinpoint.
「Count Yunes-nim? Why is the Count over there?」
Yuzel's face turned pale.
「It seems he joined the Allied Expeditionary Force.」
「No wonder! He hasn't sent me the allowance I've been diligently saving up!」
「...That's why you were shocked?」
Luna spoke with a serious expression, her arms crossed.
「I never thought I'd see a Dragon in my lifetime. So its lair was in the Oridan territory.」
Just what does a Dragon eat to maintain that kind of physique?
'There wouldn't be much to eat in the Elf Forest. Does it photosynthesize like the Elves? Or does it hunt and eat other monsters?'
If the Dragon had been roaming around to hunt for food, it would have inevitably been spotted from afar.
Shortly after, Hildea and Rebecca finally arrived.
They didn't come alone.
They brought most of the knights, including the Mortar Knight Order.
They also brought over ten thousand soldiers.
「Hildea-nim, you're not planning to join the battle, are you?」
「If the expeditionary force exhausts the Dragon's strength, we should consider a surprise attack.」
So she's suggesting we steal the last hit.
But from what I could see, there was no chance of that.
「Hildea, the Dragon is toying with the expeditionary force right now. The situation you're hoping for isn't going to happen.」
「Is that so? I hope it doesn't come into our territory if possible.」
The explosions transmitted by the UAV could be heard vividly from the monitor.
I had the knights check the Dragon Raid footage one by one as well.
It was to steel their resolve and prepare themselves mentally in advance.
「This can't be. Such a clear video magic tool...」
「It's showing real-time video from a long distance? Good heavens, just what is the Marshall family...!」
「I also think the Dragon is toying with the expeditionary force. It's not even using its Breath!」
Hildea, Rebecca, and Luna sharply analyzed the raid footage as they watched.
「It's not flying, and it's not breathing its Breath either.」
「Its combat intelligence is at least above that of a human, isn't it? It's clearly aware of the mage corps in the rear, but it seems to be deliberately ignoring them.」
「Wait, both of you, look closely at the Dragon's scales!」
I quickly increased the camera magnification toward that area.
I realized why Luna had pointed it out.
「Luna, what's the reason the expeditionary force's attacks aren't reaching the Dragon at all?」
Hildea calmly explained that part.
「Colonel Piel. This is a type of mana shield, similar to Aura Armor.」
「Like the Wyvern Lord?」
「That's right. But that Dragon's mana shield is far thicker.」
「Piel, can we see it a bit more closely? I want to check the thickness of the mana shield.」
「Understood, Rebecca-nim.」
I moved one UAV a bit closer.
The Dragon's form was enlarged on the monitor at a higher resolution.
「This is insane. The mana shield is over one meter thick?」
Rebecca and Hildea were horrified, and Luna let out a groan.
I don't know much about mana or aura either, but I understood why they were reacting that way.
'With a mana shield that thick, mortar attacks wouldn't stand a chance.'
「With a mana shield of that level, how much defensive power does it have?」
「I don't know.」
「Pardon?」
Hildea chewed on her lip and continued.
「Since nothing has been recorded about it, no one can know how much defensive power it has.」
「That's...」
「If I could manifest an Aura Field Dome at that thickness, I can't even begin to imagine how much it could withstand. It would be better to just wait for its mana to run out.」
「....」
Rebecca and Luna's expressions were also grave.
「Piel, cannon magical devices are weapons that neutralize multiple enemies with scattered fragments. Against a Dragon clad in a thick and powerful mana shield, it'll be difficult.」
「Carlton Marquis-nim, if we use the Steel Cannon of my 155mm artillery, we should be able to penetrate the mana shield to some extent.」
Luna added a word with her arms crossed.
「Hildea, it won't be penetrated in a single shot, you know? Your howitzer's rate of fire needs to be faster than the mana shield's recovery speed, and you need to keep hitting the same spot.」
「The aura bullets from my anti-materiel sniper rifle could at least annoy the Dragon. They have better penetration than explosive shells, after all.」
We earnestly discussed how to deal with the Dragon.
Because if the Dragon ever came attacking later, we would have to fight back.
But we decided not to help the expeditionary force.
「I cannot let my precious subordinates lose their lives for the Oridan Kingdom.」
「Same here.」
「Of course.」
On that point, all three female generals were in agreement.
Even while we discussed counter-tactics, the Dragon Raid, whose defeat was already certain, continued to unfold.
There were no visible fatalities.
The Dragon was truly and thoroughly toying with the expeditionary force.
-Hihihihing!
While everyone was in a serious mood, Yuzel and the Unicorn were eating apples as if competing with each other.
「Yuzel, sprinkle some protein powder on the apples HIMARS is eating too.」
「I tried to sprinkle it, but the Unicorn blocked my hand with psychokinesis.」
「Unicorn. If you don't put protein powder on just because it tastes bad, you'll lose weight.」
-Hihihihing....
Yuzel took out a protein container from the bag the Unicorn was laden with and sprinkled it evenly over the basket of apples.
The expeditionary force's raid finally came to a halt.
「It's over. Total annihilation.」
「But there seem to be almost no dead people?」
「I told you, the Dragon is playing with them. It's no different from a Wolf before a flock of chickens.」
That was when it happened.
-Kuoooo!
A deep, weighty roar resounded from afar.
The roar also came through the monitor at the same time, but it was drowned out by the roar that traveled through the air medium.
My body involuntarily tingled and stiffened, and Hildea quickly supported me.
Yuzel was also paralyzed in the middle of eating an apple just like me, and Rebecca quickly tended to her.
「Dragon Fear!」
「Everyone, circulate your mana and resist!」
The soldiers were freed from the paralysis after just a few seconds, but I couldn't move a single finger, as if I were suffering from sleep paralysis.
'It should be dozens of kilometers away, yet the sound arrived this quickly? Almost simultaneously with the roar from the monitor?'
It was right then.
The Dragon on the monitor suddenly turned its head and looked in one direction.
「It's looking our way! It noticed us from that roar just now!」
「Luna, what do you mean by that?」
「It wasn't just a simple roar! It was a wide-range Detecting Spell infused with mana! It's recognized us!」
Luna, her face now pale, looked around at the knights and gave an order.
「Battle preparations! The Dragon is coming here soon!」
「Battle preparations!」
「Battle preparations!」
Hildea desperately gave me a mana massage.
Perhaps because the situation was urgent, she clung to me with her entire body, not just her hands, pouring a mana massage over me and struggling to release my paralyzed state.
On the monitor, the Dragon spreads its wings and soars into the sky.
V-Bat UAV Unit 2, floating at a high altitude, displayed the entire map.
The Dragon was flying toward us.
Thanks to Hildea's full-body massage, my fingers finally twitched, and the paralysis began to subside.
'Flight speed is about 120 km/h. Not that fast, then. No spatial teleportation magic or anything.'
Soon, within tens of minutes, the bastard would arrive.
The knights and soldiers dispersed by unit, each taking their positions.
Soldiers prepared for ranged attacks with throwing weapons like bows and stones.
The 60mm Mortar knights scattered in all directions from the rear, having completed their firing line deployment and standing by.
Hildea, carrying me in her arms, pulled back to the very rear.
Luna packed up the Ground Control Station and moved with us.
Yuzel followed, carried along by HIMARS with psychokinesis.
"Piel Colonel-nim, bring out the 155mm, quickly!"
"I'll summon it."
The moment the 155mm Howitzer, left under auto-repair maintenance, was pulled out and its firing line deployment was complete.
At last, far in the distance, it became visible to the naked eye.
The form of the Dragon flying in majestically, flapping its massive wings.
"It's here...!"
Hildea said in a low voice.
I handed Luna a large number of M183 Demolition Bags and remote detonation switches.
"Luna, use them appropriately at your discretion."
"Got it!"
I also packed Rebecca's arms full of heavy machine gun belts and anti-materiel sniper rifle bullets.
Yellow eyes, with vertically slitted pupils, arrogantly surveyed us from the sky.
An immense downdraft of wing-beaten wind slammed into us, like a large transport helicopter unit moving overhead.
The Dragon arrogantly and slowly descended to the earth and folded its wings.
"Piel Colonel, I will support the gun with Aura Armor and fire it in a direct shot."
"...Understood."
In this urgent situation, a momentary worry crossed my mind about how much of Hildea's chest meat would be lost.
"HIMARS! It's time to earn your beans!"
-Hihihihing!
The Unicorn also sprinted out, levitating twenty 120mm Mortars with its psychokinesis.
"Rebecca! Leave your body to me!"
"Got it, Luna Duke-nim!"
Luna lifted Rebecca with Flight Magic and quickly began a gliding maneuver.
The Dragon's eyes tracked Luna and Rebecca.
Dududududu! Dududududu!
Aura Bullets poured from the Browning Heavy Machine Gun, raining down upon the Dragon's mana shield.
After exhausting the entire ammo belt, Rebecca switched to her Anti-materiel Sniper Rifle and started firing.
In the meantime, Luna reloaded Rebecca's heavy machine gun belt.
Rebecca alternated between the heavy machine gun and the anti-materiel sniper rifle, pouring down fire.
Hildea narrowed her eyes and observed, then let out a low murmur.
"With the machine gun and sniper rifle, we're not penetrating even 10cm. And even that little damage is instantly restored."
Pung! Pung! Pung! Pung!
The 60mm Mortars launched shells sequentially from all directions.
As if coordinating through real-time radio communication, they attacked in an irregular rotation from multiple directions.
The Unicorn also ran around the rear, delivering direct fire attacks with the 120mm mortars.
-Kuoohhhhh!
The Dragon roared.
It wasn't charged with mana, so it didn't cause paralysis, but my legs still trembled violently.
With the shell loaded, Hildea supported the spade of the howitzer with her Aura Armor, making the gun barrel angle horizontal.
It was a Training Steel Shell, not an Explosive Shell.
Because this offered superior penetration power.
Receiving air maneuver support from Luna, Rebecca poured bullets from the sky, disrupting the dragon's vision.
60mm mortar shells unceasingly hammered into the Dragon's torso.
Amidst all this, it was astonishing that there was absolutely no friendly fire against Luna and Rebecca.
Suddenly, Luna flung Rebecca far away, widening the distance.
Even while falling toward the ground, Rebecca continuously launched bullets toward the Dragon, then landed on the ground in a magnificent pose.
'Heroine landing!'
The landing pose was so sexy, I almost exclaimed in admiration involuntarily.
At that moment, Luna, having left the Dragon's field of vision, flew overhead and used wind to throw a Demolition Bag, then immediately detonated it.
It was precisely at the spot where the Unicorn's twenty 120mm mortars were delivering a simultaneous burst of fire.
Kuahhhng!
Along with an ear-splitting roar of explosion, Hildea murmured lowly.
"Now."
Kuaaaahhhng!
The howitzer barrel, aimed for a direct shot, launched the Training Steel Shell with a deafening roar and tremendous force.
The shell accurately struck the exact point where Luna had detonated the Demolition Bag.
"It penetrated... no?"
Hildea quickly reloaded the next shell, grinding her teeth.
"What happened?"
"Just now, with the concentrated firepower of Luna, the Unicorn, and myself, the bastard's mana shield was gouged to about a third of its depth. But it was instantly restored."
"What? Then..."
"Now that it's come to this, rapid fire is the only answer!"
As if Hildea and Luna's minds were in sync, the coordinated shell impacts following the Demolition Bag continued.
Rebecca, quickly circling the Dragon and pouring bullets, the Unicorn's direct mortar fire, and the 60mm mortars kept pulling its attention from all sides.
Luna also obscured its vision, stirring the scattering fragments with her wind.
Thanks to this, the Dragon couldn't pinpoint the location of Hildea, its most powerful main attacker.
"Damn it! Luna, even when we hit the exact same point almost simultaneously with the Unicorn, we can't pierce more than half of the mana shield!"
Hildea set down the howitzer and drew her machete.
"If that's the case, then I have no choice but to cut through the mana shield myself with an Aura Blade...!"
"That's not allowed! Close combat is too danger... Hildea-nim? Hildea-nim?"
Thud!
Hildea dropped the machete and collapsed limply.
I quickly laid her body straight. Her complexion was pale, and her breathing was ragged as if she might pass out at any moment.
'Damn it, why now of all times!'
Her period must have hit her.
My vision went dark.
At this critical moment, my precious tank had fallen into a state of inoperability.
Then who fires the 155mm?
Clutch. Hildea's trembling, shuddering hand grabbed my elbow.
"Pi, Piel Colonel... my withdrawal... absolutely... do not tell my subordinates..."
The fact that Hildea becomes inoperable during her period is a secret known only to me, Yuzel, Rebecca, and Luna.
It's not just a woman's shame, but a military secret that must be strictly guarded as the Commander-in-Chief's weakness.
'Damn, what do I do about this?'
Hildea desperately tore the rank insignia from her shoulder and placed it in my hand.
What does this mean?
"Hildea-nim?"
"F, from now on... Piel Colonel... you are the acting... Commander-in-Chief of the Ainshuvan Army... bring us... victory..."
【In a total war situation, the Commander-in-Chief has withdrawn from combat due to incapacitation.】
【It has been confirmed that military command authority has been temporarily succeeded through just and proper procedure.】
【Piel Marshall】
【Unit Affiliation: Ainshuvan Combined Forces】
【Rank: General (Temporary Acting, restored to original rank after combat ends)】
The sight of the 'Request Unavailable' seals vanishing from countless weapon supplies was truly ecstatic.
"No, Hildea-nim! Lie down, please!"
"Pain that cannot kill me... only makes me stronger... if I can't use an Aura Blade... and I can't command... I must at least fire this cannon from here..."
Hildea stood up, trembling and shuddering, deathly pale, and stood before the howitzer—then collapsed.
But she gritted her teeth and ultimately rose again.