Chapter 179: The Kingdom's Guard (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 179: The Kingdom's Guard (4)
The first siege of my life was pure chaos. Unlike the wars I knew from history, it wasn't a rain of arrows but a rain of magic that poured down, while the capital’s barrier strained to deflect the spells.
Siege engines designed to breach the barrier appeared. To intercept them, the kingdom’s archmages stepped forward, summoning rains of fire. The Imperial Army, in turn, deployed their own defenses against it.
Soldiers stationed on the walls busily drew their bowstrings. Perhaps because magic had stunted scientific progress, there were no rifles. Instead, objects like automatic repeating crossbows powered by magic filled the role of machine guns.
In the midst of the confusion, I quickly evacuated Rena and Mehya, fearing they might get hurt. I then stayed close to Bucom and Serina.
“Don’t be afraid! Pull those strings! Their catapults cannot breach our barrier! Defend the walls! Don’t let the enemy reach us!”
“Mages, destroy the siege engines! Out of range? Then intercept those boulders!”
“Aaaargh!!”
Mages screamed as they unleashed spells at the massive stones flying overhead. Caught in powerful gusts of wind, the stones lost their momentum and plummeted.
Imperial soldiers crushed beneath the massive rocks were reduced to bloody smears. Watching arrows bounce off the barrier right in front of my nose, I offered some advice.
“Isn’t it too dangerous here? You should command from somewhere safer.”
“The staff officers are monitoring the battlefield from a safe location,” Bucom replied, tapping a crystal ball in his ear. “They are transmitting information to me in real-time.”
When I focused my mind, I could hear a faint, constant stream of voices.
“The enemy has almost reached the walls! Activate the traps!”
With a massive explosion, clouds of dust billowed from the ground, stretching from just before the walls to the vicinity of the siege engines. As the dust settled, piles of corpses were revealed.
“Ugh.”
A few soldiers with weak stomachs gagged. Curiously, I felt nothing. It had been the same when I committed my first murder. Was this a perk of being a transmigrator? Or had I simply become that accustomed to this world?
While I pondered, the Imperial Army moved again. Most of the previous corpses had been poorly equipped, carrying nothing but ladders, but this new wave consisted of regular troops with uniform equipment.
“The main force is finally coming out. It seems they’ve already run out of prisoner soldiers.”
“Already?”
“Our kingdom is quite lenient, but the Imperial Army is famous for its strict punishments. Usually, in war, they enjoy the tactic of throwing tens of thousands of prisoner soldiers forward to drain the enemy’s stamina, mana, and supplies before striking with their regulars.”
I was flabbergasted by Rainie’s explanation. Our kingdom’s penal code was lenient? If a kingdom where guards wielded absolute power was considered lenient, the Empire probably arrested people just for stepping on a guard’s shadow.
“You’re right,” she said.
“Wait, the Empire really arrests people for stepping on a guard’s shadow?”
“Uh... not quite that far. But theft gets you conscripted, domestic violence gets you conscripted—after all, isn't enlistment the greatest punishment of all? That’s what I meant.”
So conscription was a more horrific punishment than the death penalty. Then again, seeing the state of the Imperial Army, conscription was basically a death sentence anyway.
The Imperial regulars used the corpses as shields to avoid the rain of arrows and magic as they approached the walls.
“They’re trying to raise the ladders! Stop them!”
I tried to lend a hand in defending the wall, but Rainie stopped me.
“You stay here.”
“Shouldn’t I at least help a little?”
“This is the first assault; they won’t try to end the siege today. They’ll pull back after doing a moderate amount of damage. And then they’ll call for a duel again, so preserve your strength for that.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Still, sitting still made me restless. Rainie added further explanation.
“And I’m also thinking of the future.”
“The future?”
“It’s said that there is no generation that hasn't experienced war; they break out that frequently. Lord Bucom experienced a siege when he was your age. You’ve become a High-Rank Aura User at a young age, so the probability of you becoming a Sword Master is high. A Sword Master who has experienced a siege, a guard who will be here even if the capital is invaded...”
“That would be me.”
She was feeding me leadership experience to prepare for the future. Right. There was no way my Rainie would have called me here just to have me fight a single duel.
Just as she predicted, the siege ended quickly. The Imperial Army withdrew, and a few soldiers came out to recover the bodies.
The soldiers glanced over here even as they cleared the corpses.
“Is it okay to just leave them be?”
“It’s a waste of supplies to stop them. If they tried to overtly clear a path for advancement, we would attack, but they aren't showing that yet. We can leave them alone.”
Once the corpses were sufficiently cleared, that same Imperial knight appeared. After provoking us intensely, he stepped back to let someone else forward.
—I am V-moni, the eldest son of the House of Ex and a senior member of the Order of Tra Knights! Is there anyone brave enough to face me?!
“V-moni is known to be a High-Rank Aura User. Sma, it’s your turn.”
“Yes.”
“Wait. Are you planning to go out in that outfit?”
“What’s wrong with my guard uniform?”
It was even the new uniform I’d been issued along with my Certificate of Commendation, making it several times sturdier than my old one. Prince Rominas had said its defensive power was comparable to a standard knight’s armor.
Rainie, knowing this well, explained to Bucom.
“Indeed. It’s a uniform that can withstand several hits from an Aura User. There’s no need to give him armor.”
“Suddenly wearing armor would just be cumbersome. Since I’m not used to it, there’s a high chance it would hinder my movements,” I added.
“You’re right. Go as you are.”
“Wait a moment.”
Rainie handed me her own sword.
“The live blade you used during training is the same shape as my sword and has the same center of gravity. The sword I gifted you is the same. However, the quality of the materials is different, so take mine.”
Rainie hesitated for a moment, then added with a blush, “I hope you think of me when you look at that sword. You must win and return.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll use it carefully so the blade doesn't get nicked.”
“It’s fine if it gets damaged. No, it’s fine even if it breaks, as long as you come back alive.”
I gave Rainie a tight hug. This woman, who always seemed so strong except for when we were having sex, was trembling.
“I’ll make sure to win and return, if only for the sake of our child.”
Was that too much of a death flag? No. I’m a transmigrator. If there’s such a thing as protagonist armor, it was given to me, so there’s no way I’d lose.
I marched out of the city gates with confidence. I stood facing V-moni at a spot between the capital and the Imperial camp, where the magic from both sides barely reached.
“Who are you?”
“A guard of the kingdom. Sma.”
“Hahahaha!!!”
V-moni suddenly burst into boisterous laughter.
“How lacking in talent must you be to send out a mere guard! Listen, everyone! They’ve sent a nameless guard to face me, V-moni! How terrified must they be to send someone who isn't even a knight! A mere guard!”
The Imperial Army mocked me. Hearing the laughter echoing through the air made me a bit pissed off.
A knight dares to mock a guard? Do you know what the most unkillable professions in an eroge are?
The innkeeper. The old man. The heroine. And the guard.
“Hey, V-mon.”
“What? My name is V-moni!”
“V-mon or V-moni, whatever. Why did your parents give you such a stupid name?”
Insulting someone's parents is an effective way to piss them off. It worked perfectly on V-moni.
“You—you—!!”
“I don’t have a hobby of talking long with a guy who’s about to die. Draw your sword so I can finish this and go home.”
“A mere guard dares!”
The enraged V-moni drew his sword.
“I, V-moni, will make sure you never spout such nonsense again!”
“If you say so.”
“Gah!”
V-moni lunged at me, extending his aura by a full meter. However, his strike was far duller than Rainie’s and slower than Akiko’s attacks.
I brought my sword against his. I slightly twisted the blade that had been blocked before it could reach my pommel.
“Hup!”
Startled, V-moni tried to retreat. But humans are creatures that walk forward. Unless one is moonwalking, moving backward is much slower than moving forward.
I pursued him with ease. I swung my sword as if aiming for his chest, which was wide open as he scrambled back.
“Got you!”
I shifted my body slightly to dodge V-moni’s overhead slash. Then, I sliced through his completely exposed wrist.
“Uh...?”
My aura tore through his gauntlet and severed his wrist. V-moni stared blankly at his own falling hand.
If you lose your focus during a duel, you deserve to die. I harvested his head right then and there. Catching the falling head, I shouted at the top of my lungs.
“I! Sma, a guard of the kingdom, have taken the head of V-moni!”
I’d seen that line so often in Romance of the Three Kingdoms that I’d always wanted to try it. I held it up for a few seconds to show off before tossing it toward the enemy camp.
To others, it looked like I was returning to the capital with leisure, and I was greeted by cheers so loud they shook the air.
“Guard Sma!”
“Sma! Sma! Sma!”
“Sma, the one who killed the High-Rank Ninja!”
“Sma, the Hero of the Kingdom!”
This was it. This was the attention given to the winner of a duel. I loved it. It was electrifying.
I returned to where Rainie and Bucom were and bragged.
“How was I?”
“Well done.”
“You were magnificent. As expected of my disciple... and my husband.”
Wasn't that the first time Rainie called me her husband? I’m glad I went out for that duel. I feel like I could cut down a hundred more right now.