Chapter 43
Chapter 43
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Earthen Rampart
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A few days after Luna departed from the fortress.
Jin reported while looking at the paper.
"The supply wagons have set off smoothly. Unless something unexpected happens, they'll reach each army in about three days. And..."
Jin continued, his face twisting in a frown.
"There's a report that the base construction is delayed more than expected. Even a short fence gets raided by a handful of orcs who burn it down?"
They were currently trying to build supply depots between the fortress and the army.
To store large quantities of supplies there all at once and distribute them quickly when needed.
Seeing things go wrong from the very start was starting to grate on my nerves a bit.
"Tsk... Guess orcs have some brains after all."
"Pardon? Of course they do. Orcs make weapons and even form alliances with other species."
I looked down at the map after hearing Jin's words.
"Hmm... Without a base camp, this could throw the whole schedule off..."
The soldiers I'd received from Luna weren't numerous.
They were meant for guarding the supplies.
"How long does it take to put up a fence?"
"I heard it takes about three days."
Three days... That's way too long.
I racked my brain for a clever solution, but nothing came to mind.
What now? It'll be a real problem if we can't build the base...
For now, early in the reclamation, shipments from the fortress would suffice. But once the expedition truly began, a base camp would become crucial.
If our forces needed urgent supplies, responding from an intermediate base would save far more time and cost than sending everything from the fortress.
That said, moving supplies to a spot without even a basic fence would be sheer madness.
I pondered ways to resolve this, but no ideas surfaced.
Guess there's no helping it.
"Shall we go check it out ourselves?"
"Pardon? Isn't that too dangerous? The reclamation isn't complete yet—plenty of other species hiding in the forest."
"Nah, I can borrow some escort troops from General Joseph."
Jin gave me an annoyed look at my words.
"True... but do we really have to? We haven't even rested long at the fortress."
"Honestly, I don't want to go either..."
The distance from the fortress to the planned base site was three days' travel.
I was loath to go that far, but I dreaded the thought of things going awry and getting an earful from Luna all day.
"Better to go than get chewed out by the Grand Duchess."
But Jin looked puzzled.
"Your visit as secretary won't change anything, though?"
His words stung a little, but actually making the trip would count for something important.
The gap between "We went all that way, got a report, and it's still no good" versus just hearing "No good" was huge.
At least we'd shown effort, so we'd likely get some leniency if problems arose.
But I couldn't voice such opportunistic thinking, so I brushed it off.
"You never know? Maybe I'll get a brilliant idea once we're there."
"Ugh... Well, if you're ordering it, no choice."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The time when Aiden set out to visit the base camp.
"Listen well, officers. Our 1st Army will strike the orc village. Once we've stirred them up, the 2nd Army will burn it to the ground."
-Yes!
Luna nodded at the resounding reply from her commanders and stepped out of the tent.
Mounting her pure white steed, she led her cavalry toward the village...
-Waaah! Drive out the humans!
-Protect our homes!
As burly orc males with dark green skin charged with weapons in hand...
Luna drew her sword and unleashed a blade aura.
-Screee!
The moment a faint, sharp whoosh pierced the air...
-Slash!
Orc bodies began spilling blood and splitting apart, soon overwhelmed by the charging cavalry.
Several hours later...
Luna watched as the orc village was engulfed in massive flames.
Gazing at the burning orc corpses and blazing tribal huts, she fell deep into thought.
'Not many orc soldiers here... Does that mean they've moved their forces somewhere?'
Orc males boasted strength and numbers superior to humans.
That was why she'd targeted this village first, but the scarcity of able-bodied males worried her.
It had been far too easy a victory.
'I hope it's nothing serious...'
An inexplicable unease gnawed at Luna.
But she didn't let it show.
Her anxiety would only spread to those who trusted and followed her.
That was when it happened.
Massive roars erupted from all directions.
-Waaaah!
-Avenge our kin!
-Exterminate the humans!
Luna whipped her head toward the shouts echoing from afar as she watched the burning village.
Hundreds... no, thousands of orcs.
"Of course."
Only now did Luna allow a faint smile to grace her lips.
Her feared variable had appeared, right on cue.
"Whole army! Prepare for battle!"
Gripping her white horse's reins tightly, Luna raised her sword high and charged toward the orc horde.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The base site, several days' journey away.
The snowy ground was pitted around the edges, scattered with patches of black ash here and there...
Looked like they'd been raided just recently.
"Greetings, Secretary Aiden. Thank you for visiting in person."
I replied to the base defense captain's salute.
"I've received the situation reports."
I spoke as I surveyed the surroundings.
"Orcs attack every night when you try to erect a fence?"
The captain nodded slightly at my words.
"Yes. It seems less about attacking us directly and more about preventing us from building defenses. And... I don't think the enemy commander is an orc."
I questioned the detail from the report.
"But... why not an orc? Just because they're only targeting the facilities?"
Jin stepped in at my question.
"Ah? Orcs are brave, but they don't think in complicated ways. They're fixated solely on the defensive structures, ignoring our troops entirely. Must be an elf or dwarf in command."
"Ah."
Only then did it click.
Orcs went for total slaughter... but these foes struck specific targets and withdrew. So the commander wasn't an orc?
Then why not go for annihilation? Why just the defenses?
One question led to another.
But no clues to unravel it.
"In that case... we need to pile up an earthen rampart first."
The captain spoke cautiously to my murmur.
"However... building a proper fortress takes years. And we don't have the manpower even for that."
"Nah? Won't take that long. We can have a fortress up in two days."
On the way here, I'd agonized over defenses that didn't rely on flammable wood... and concluded that, if done right, we could even build a fortress.
"Pardon? How?"
I laid out my plan to the wide-eyed guard captain.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A blond elf man.
He spoke to the blond elf woman lying on a thick tree branch, her eyes closed.
"Lady Elishia. The humans are piling up dirt."
At the elf man's words, the elf woman asked without opening her eyes.
"The ground must be frozen solid in winter, no?"
The elf man described what he'd seen, in her sweet voice.
"They were breaking the soil with pickaxes, building it up like an earthen rampart."
Perhaps due to the unexpected report?
Her eyes snapped open, sapphire gaze sharpening fiercely.
"An earthen rampart?"
An earthen rampart built from soil.
Easier to construct than stone walls, but far weaker in defense. It required prolonged tamping to solidify properly—an obsolete method nowadays.
'They can't make it sturdy in short order. So striking when it's partially built will deal a heavy psychological blow to their commander.'
Ruining a painstakingly built rampart just shy of completion would hit hard.
With that thought, Elishia closed her eyes again.
"What fools."
If they were building an earthen rampart, there was no need to attack tonight.
"Three days from now... we'll go collapse it. Tell the soldiers to rest well until then."
The man bowed to Elishia as she issued the order.
"Yes. I'll relay that."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Day two of digging and piling the earthen rampart.
It still looked flimsy, but once we poured water on it, things would change dramatically.
I felt satisfied watching the progress nearing completion.
The defense captain watched the soldiers hauling dirt to pile the rampart and pouring water over it, his eyes filled with worry as he looked at me.
"Will this... really work?"
"Don't worry. It should go fine."
I spoke with firm conviction, but the two men looked uneasy.
"I've never even heard of building a wall like this, with dirt and water."
"Me neither... first time hearing about it."
I clicked my tongue inwardly at the pair, ignorant of science.
What a backward medieval mindset...
By this world's standards, both Jin and the captain were elites.
Yet they lacked even this basic knowledge.
It was disheartening.
"Heh... Just watch. By tomorrow morning, we'll have a splendid wall."
I gazed up at the towering rampart.