Chapter 81: An Unprepared Disaster (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 81: An Unprepared Disaster (2)
One hour ago.
The sun hung high in the sky.
The Cairo soldiers on guard duty at the 1st Defense Line stared out toward the border with their usual idle expressions. Guard duty was an endless stretch of boredom. Not a single ant was in sight, and standing watch alongside a taciturn junior soldier only doubled the monotony. There was simply nothing to talk about.
Eventually, the senior soldier couldn't bear it any longer.
Slumping against the wall and sitting on the ground, he grumbled, "I'm going to catch some shut-eye. Wake me up if someone comes or when our shift ends."
"Understood, sir."
It was a routine occurrence.
On the Southern Front, where visitors were practically nonexistent, there was no need for two people to fight off sleep just to stare at an empty border.
How much time had passed?
The junior soldier urgently called out to his senior.
"W-wake up, sir! You need to see this!"
"Damn it. What is... gasp?!"
Waking up groggy, the senior soldier was about to snap in anger, but the moment he looked beyond the castle walls, he was struck speechless.
In the distance, a massive force was approaching the 1st Defense Line. Even at a glance, they were heavily armed. At the front of their ranks, flags bearing the crest of the Hector Kingdom fluttered in the wind.
His brain completely short-circuited.
After staring blankly at the sight for about ten seconds, the senior soldier finally snapped out of his daze and screamed at his junior.
"Contact the commander right now! Hurry!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
A fire had been lit beneath their feet.
Even though they were at the absolute front line, it took a considerable amount of time for the news of the enemy's approach to reach the commander.
By the time the hostile forces had drawn dangerously close, the commander finally rushed up to the walls, not even properly armed.
"What on earth is going on?!"
The commander of the 1st Defense Line, Count Donald, stared out at the border with a pale face.
It was exactly as reported.
The Hector Kingdom was marching toward them. At this rate, they would reach the castle walls in no time. According to protocol, he should have ordered an immediate attack. Utilizing the defensive siege weapons mounted on the walls to halt the enemy's advance was the standard response. Yet, even as the soldiers rushed to their posts and nocked their arrows, he hesitated to give the order.
...Is their intention really to declare war on Cairo?
Hector and Cairo did not have bad relations.
In particular, he knew that the Hector Kingdom's domestic situation had deteriorated recently. There was absolutely no reason for them to wage war under these circumstances. Perhaps it was simply a military exercise, or they had some other objective. If they truly intended to start a war, there was no reason to march so openly in broad daylight with their flags flying high.
Furthermore, the Hector Kingdom lacked justification.
Just as justification was crucial in noble society, a casus belli was absolutely necessary for a war between nations.
His mind grew tangled.
The tautly drawn bowstrings awaited the commander's order, but Count Donald ultimately swallowed his words.
If I give a reckless order, it might trigger a war. That is not something a mere noble can take responsibility for. Given that the Hector Kingdom is approaching with their flags raised, it can be interpreted as a sign that they are willing to negotiate. Let us speak with the commander of the Hector Kingdom first. It won't be too late to make a decision then.
Count Donald was a typical puppet commander who had never experienced a single war.
In the end, he made his decision.
"Lower your bows for now! If we show that we have no intention to fight, the Hector Kingdom will agree to talk."
He had made a truly foolish mistake.
* * *
The Hector Kingdom had no intention of talking in the first place.
As the distance to the walls closed, the war drums thundered, ordering an all-out charge.
Boom! Boom!
"All forces, charge!"
"Attack!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
It happened in an instant.
Hector's soldiers rushed forward, spearheaded by their siege weapons. Caught completely off guard, the Cairo soldiers panicked, scrambling without knowing what to do. War had begun. Because this was a sight they believed would never happen on the Southern Front, they could not easily accept the reality unfolding before their eyes.
Belatedly, Count Donald snapped out of his daze.
What he had dismissed as impossible had become reality. From this moment on, he had to prevent the enemy from scaling the walls if he wanted to survive.
"All forces, loose arrows!"
"Fire!"
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Hundreds of arrows soared high into the sky and rained down upon the enemy.
Yet, contrary to the threatening display, very few of the enemy fell. The soldiers of the Hector Kingdom were well-prepared, raising their shields overhead in tight formation. Meanwhile, the accuracy of the Cairo soldiers' archery was embarrassingly poor. Most of the arrows fell short, embedding themselves in the dirt, and the few that did reach the enemy were easily deflected by shields.
This was not just a matter of poor training.
While they had indeed neglected their drills, some of the soldiers on the walls had flushed faces from drinking in broad daylight. Had they known a war would break out, they never would have touched a drop of alcohol. But the attack was sudden, and there was no way soldiers who could barely stand straight could aim their arrows properly.
It was an absolute mess.
They had barely killed anyone during the enemy's approach, and other problems began cropping up all over the walls.
"We're out of arrows!"
"Hurry up and bring more!"
"The magic weapons aren't working!"
"Damn it all!"
It was a total disaster.
Because they hadn't stocked up on arrows in advance, soldiers had to abandon their posts to run back and fetch them. The magic weapons, purchased over a decade ago, were covered in dust and refused to function. It was a scene that perfectly illustrated how complacent Cairo had become. Unlike the Western Front, where a single moment of carelessness could cost a life, the Southern Front was steeped in comfort. They had neglected even the most basic duties of a frontline border defense.
Eventually...
Clack. Clack.
Ladders hooked onto the top of the walls.
Watching the enemy scale the ramparts with terrifying speed, Count Donald finally realized the gravity of his mistake.
At this rate, we won't hold out for long.
His face turned deathly pale.
The situation was overwhelmingly disadvantageous.
Realizing that the 1st Defense Line could not hold on its own, he screamed at his soldiers at the top of his lungs.
"Contact the Reserve Unit right now! Tell them to send every single person stationed there to the 1st Defense Line! And report to the royal court that the Hector Kingdom has launched a surprise attack! Every second counts! Move, move!"
A fire had been lit beneath their feet.
War was now a brutal reality.
From this moment on, they would pay the price for their complacency in blood.
* * *
At that exact moment, upon hearing the news that the 5th Defense Line was under attack, Henry and his soldiers were moving out quickly.
"Pant, pant."
He was completely out of breath.
They had already been walking for a long time, and trying to sprint at full speed without any rest made his head spin. The distance between the Reserve Unit and the 5th Defense Line was greater than expected. According to the officer's explanation, it took about two hours on foot. That meant they had to run like hell for at least an hour, starting right now.
Are these Southern Front bastards completely brainless? If the purpose of the Reserve Unit is to quickly reinforce the defense lines in an emergency, shouldn't it be located less than an hour away? Damn idiots.
Curses welled up inside him.
Just a day ago, Henry had thought it was fantastic that the Reserve Unit was located in such a peaceful, secluded spot. He had conveniently forgotten his own past thoughts.
Reality was simply too harsh.
However, Roman and his forces were already nowhere to be seen in Henry's line of sight.
If it's Roman Dmitry, he'll arrive in no time, right?
Immediately after receiving news of the war, Roman had led his troops and dashed forward.
It took less than three minutes for him to vanish from Henry's sight. Henry had tried to grit his teeth and keep up, but Roman's pace was so absurdly fast that he disappeared in the blink of an eye. For some reason, Henry felt a sudden pang of shame. While resting in the shade with the other nobles, he had mocked Roman Dmitry as a fool for training so diligently. Yet, the moment war broke out, the sheer difference in their physical stamina was glaringly obvious from the very beginning.
In contrast, not only Henry but his soldiers were panting just as heavily.
Everyone looked like they were on the verge of death.
Trying to run without rest under the scorching sun made his mouth completely parched. He felt like he was going to die of dehydration.
Ultimately, Henry collapsed onto the ground.
His shame was only temporary.
Compromising with reality, he gasped for air and waved a hand. "Pant, pant. Everyone, stop! Pant... Let's take a quick break!"
If they didn't hurry, the 5th Defense Line would be in grave danger.
But what was he supposed to do?
His heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest right now.
As he always did, Henry simply sprawled flat on his back and gave up.
* * *
The first place to be attacked was the 1st Defense Line.
However, the place that faced the imminent threat of falling first was the 5th Defense Line.
Crash!
Rumble!
"The gates have been breached!"
"Hold them back!"
The gates were shattered.
The steel gates had grown incredibly weak from years of neglect. After Hector's soldiers battered them a few times with their siege weapons, they swung wide open. From that moment on, all hell broke loose. Along with the enemies scaling the walls on ladders, a tide of enemy soldiers poured through the broken gates. Screams echoed from all directions.
The commander of the 5th Defense Line, Baron Bruce, stumbled backward with a pale face.
It's over.
The "Paradise of the Southern Front."
There was a reason why this place had earned such a nickname.
Baron Bruce was corrupt to the core. In exchange for bribes, he had provided comfortable lives for the personnel of the 5th Defense Line, completely exempting them from their duties as soldiers. The risks of doing so? Why would that matter when a war was never going to happen anyway? Even this time, he had accepted a request from Viscount Veil to assign nobles who were utterly useless to the war effort into the Reserve Unit of the 5th Defense Line. Just this morning, he had been in a fantastic mood, eagerly anticipating the rewards he would receive for his favors.
Therefore, he knew the truth better than anyone.
Even if the Reserve Unit arrived, they would not be able to turn the tide of this battle.
Staying to defend the 5th Defense Line to the end is suicide. To survive, I must abandon this place and flee.
His decision was swift.
Hesitating for no reason would only cost him his life.
Baron Bruce shouted, "Hold your positions to the bitter end! If this place falls, the lives of innocent citizens will be in danger! Risk your lives and never retreat!"
He screamed until the veins in his neck bulged.
He had absolutely no intention of risking his own life, of course.
But he needed meat shields to buy him time, didn't he?
After sending those who didn't know the truth to their deaths, Baron Bruce quickly fled, slipping away from everyone's sight.
"Commander! Where are you going?!"
"I intend to contact the royal court myself! Buy me some time!"
Some tried to stop Baron Bruce along the way.
He lied through his teeth.
Regardless of how their testimonies might come back to haunt him later, saving his own skin was the absolute priority.
Baron Bruce was an obese man.
Normally, he would be gasping for breath after running for just a single minute.
But today, he was incredibly fast.
Having quickly escaped the 5th Defense Line, Baron Bruce ran without stopping, his entire body drenched in sweat.
I have to flee all the way to the rear. Once I reach the rear base, I'll be safe from the Hector Kingdom.
How long had he been running?
It was then.
Baron Bruce spotted a group of people sprinting rapidly toward him.
At their head...
Was none other than Roman Dmitry.