The Bitter Taste of Failure
The night before the full moon promised in our agreement.
All the warriors of the Ibin Tribe, the Irayte, and the other allied tribes had gathered in one place.
Even the Ises Tribe, which had been secretly scouting from the shadows this whole time, finally joined after being stirred by the Ir-ent Rebellion and our overwhelming victories. They brought hundreds of warriors with them.
The result was that the western plains' united army swelled to a staggering eight thousand strong.
“UOOOOO!! Temur! It's boiling with blood!!”
“Why don't we just attack right now?!”
“Our wives really like the jewelry of the western lords! So we have to grab more as fast as possible!”
Eight thousand warriors raged with bloodlust, screaming about smashing the walls and chopping off the heads of those lord bastards.
Their boiling blood and heat made the cool night air of the plains suddenly warm.
I stood on the platform and swept my gaze over the tribe chiefs and warriors who were spewing killing intent and a bit of mana.
Then I delivered the first words meant to pour cold water on their boiling excitement.
“The morale soaring through the heavens is wonderful, but there's one fact we must be absolutely certain of. Our first siege will definitely end in failure.”
“…… What?”
The noisy camp fell deathly silent.
“No, the second and third attacks are likely to fail too.”
With my confirmation, Kasar furrowed his brows and opened his mouth.
“Temur, why are you spouting defeatist nonsense? With eight thousand soldiers and those giant weapons the caravan brought, we could tear down the walls in a single blow!”
“No, I do think that and plan to do it that way, but not yet.”
I gave a bitter smile and recalled a piece of history from the Mongol Empire of my past life.
If sieges were that simple, Genghis Khan would never have spilled so much blood before the walls of the Khwarezmian Empire.
Even the Mongol army, renowned for its overwhelming mobility and field supremacy, suffered massive losses and was repelled dozens of times in the early phases of sieges.
And if a high school student like me, who had only skimmed military books to understand how past empires operated their armies, was commanding a barbarian horde... how much worse would it be?
I had learned mana breathing and swordsmanship from Amira, but sieges were about breaking my brain open and learning through real blood and sweat.
I shouted at the warriors with a firm voice.
“It is pure arrogance for us, who have never once climbed a wall or operated those massive mana machines, to claim we can storm a fortress in a single blow! Therefore, the purpose of this battle is not victory!”
“But we should still aim for victory...”
“No. If we win this single battle, we will suffer even greater defeats later. So just as we humbly learned how to wield mana from these foreign soldiers, this battle is to give us time to learn how to firmly crush our eternal enemies—the western lords, the kingdom alliance, and the Ir-ent!”
“……”
The warriors' eyes, which had somewhat calmed, began to burn with new resolve again.
Not for death, but for the eager battle that would lead to complete revenge in the future.
They would retreat a few steps back if needed.
Even if the result was just a single step forward.
“For tonight's first attack on Sel Mircont, only fifteen hundred warriors will be selected to form the expedition force, centered around me and Chief Toghrul. Not for resources, but for those with exceptional mana sensitivity and who can quickly master the use of siege weapons during training. I personally selected them.”
I drove the nail in further for the warriors who looked ready to burst out in complaint.
“Don't feel bad about not being chosen. Your true battlefield will be the real war where you crush those damned Ir-ent and the main force of the Itheon Alliance!”
“UOOOOO!”
They were seemingly too simple-minded to think deeply, yet their nature was utterly simple.
Well, thanks to that, my plan would proceed smoothly....
***
The next night.
The beautiful light of the full moon illuminated the sturdy walls of Sel Mircont.
“Fire!”
BOOM―!
Small mana cannons condensed with mana roared like dragons, striking the upper sections of the walls.
More small rocks fell than expected, but the fortress walls were only scratched—they didn't budge an inch.
“Damn it! Just as I expected, the defensive barriers protecting the walls are thick.”
After firing two more mana cannons, Beike shook his head in resignation and approached.
From the walls, arrows infused with knightly aura and massive fireballs from the mages flew without pause, covering our camp.
At that, Old Man Toghrul charged forward himself, leading the iron rams to batter the gates.
But boiling oil and rock fragments blocked them, and they were forced to retreat repeatedly without even landing a proper hit.
“Tilt the mana cannon angles slightly upward! Focus on the nodes of the defensive magic circles!”
Amira, who had joined me on the battlefield, raised her voice and directed the clumsy siege weapon operations of the warriors.
Thanks to her advice, we managed to wound the wall defenders and took down a few watchtowers.
But once again, that was all we achieved.
“Hoo... It really was no joke.”
I, who had stabbed arrows into the foreheads of two enemy-looking officers, shook my head even more dejectedly than Beike.
Eventually, just before dawn, we sounded the retreat signal so cleanly that no notable casualties occurred.
As expected, the result of the first siege was a miserable failure.
But the fifteen hundred warriors returning to camp covered in dust had eyes that remained unflinching.
Instead, before the battle heat had faded, they gathered in small groups, discussing the vibrating iron rams and the burning walls, their voices rising as if they had understood something.
And because of that, it seemed they had grasped the technique of reading the battlefield to a degree.
At what angle to strike this massive rock to shatter it.
When the gaps in the magic and arrows raining from above would open.
In a corner of the camp, warriors who hadn't even removed their helmets were sitting together, drawing the shape of the walls on the dirt floor with branches and engaging in heated debate.
Amira stood before them with arms crossed, her harsh voice pouring out the problems and points to criticize from the battle just moments ago.
“The angle for lifting the shields when the aura arrows flew was terrible! I told you multiple times not to just throw brute strength at the ram but to synchronize your breathing with the mana vibration of the wall defenses!”
“Kueet... I will remember, Katun!! Next time, we will definitely turn those damned rocks into powder!”
“K-Katun? What does that mean?”
“The title we created to call our future queen, Amira-nim!! Katun-nim!! Next time, our squad will stand at the front of the iron rams and shatter the gates!”
“…… Focus more on that useless title!”
Despite Amira's scolding, the warriors remained unflinching and instead kindled even greater resolve for the next battle.
They had every right to be disappointed and doubtful after experiencing defeat again so soon after just three victories.
Yet they poured out even more heat.
I watched this scene with a satisfied smile, then the fatigue came rushing in and I plopped down on an old wooden box in the corner of the temporary shelter.
At that moment, familiar footsteps sounded behind me, and someone carefully sat down beside me.
“How was it?”
It was Sarnai.
She tapped my shoulder, where a bit of blood was seeping from the arrow she had stabbed into it, and asked.
“The feeling of a siege where you first headbutted one of those massive rocks.”
“……”
I glanced up at the full moon rising in the night sky, gently touched my wound, and gave a smirk.
“Well... It's too exciting to be true, and it might drive me mad.”
“Exciting? Yeah, you looked pretty excited even during your first battle.”
“Yeah. Now I feel like I've taken my first step as the hero who will devour this entire western plains. The more we fail and bleed, the more solid we become—it hits me right in the body.”
Sarnai let out a little laugh at my somewhat boastful sincerity, looking utterly incredulous.
Then she glanced around once, carefully pulled something from her pocket, and held it out.
It was a plump, nicely roasted leg of lamb dripping with rich oil and looking delicious.
“Here, eat it.”
Sarnai whispered in a low, solemn voice.
“I specially packed this just for you before the other starving beasts smell the scent and come running.”
“……”
“Hah.”
I was giving her just a piece of lamb, yet she acted so solemnly.
Her serious attitude and thoughtful consideration were so absurd and amusing that I couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha... Thanks. It's a truly splendid trophy from today's hunt.”
I snatched the meat from Sarnai and took a huge bite.
With the hot, savory juices flooding my mouth, the bitter failure of the first siege was washed away by satisfaction that night.