Chapter 89: Hector's Star (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 89: Hector's Star (3)
Immediately after cutting the magic communication, Count Donald contacted the rear base.
"...They aren't responding."
"Damn it."
At the communications soldier's report, Count Donald's expression stiffened.
They had attempted to connect several times. If there was no response for over an hour, he had to assume the worst—just as Roman Dmitry had warned. His heart sank, a faint tremor taking hold of his hands. The capture of the Warp Gate was not a matter he could simply brush aside.
'With this, the Southern Front is completely isolated. Even if the kingdom sends reinforcements through the closest Warp Gate, it will take them at least fifteen days to march that distance. The war is practically over. It's a total defeat for the Southern Front. From now on, it's a battle for survival.'
He was caught in a dilemma.
There was absolutely nothing he could do. If he abandoned the fortress and fled, he would likely starve to death in the barren mountains.
The steep, rugged terrain was entirely unsuitable for an escape route, and the guerrilla tactics Roman had suggested were completely out of the question. Of course, staying in the fortress wasn't a great choice either. Though there was no guarantee how long they could hold out while surrounded from both the front and the rear, he still believed cowering behind the castle walls was his best option.
And...
'I'm highly likely to be reprimanded for my initial complacency. But if I abandon the fortress and run away, I'll surely face execution once the war is over. For the sake of my future, I have to fight to the death right here. If we can just hold out until reinforcements arrive, we still have a decent chance of winning.'
In truth, that was his real motive.
Even after confirming that the Hector Kingdom was crossing the border, Count Donald had downplayed the threat instead of immediately reporting it to the capital. That alone had led to their current predicament. Had he responded even a little earlier, the Cairo Kingdom might have faced a different outcome, but his initial blunder had completely doomed them.
It was an undeniable truth.
Since countless soldiers had witnessed it on-site, Count Donald knew his incompetence would eventually be reported. He needed a justification to absolve himself. A commander who remained on the battlefield, fighting to the bitter end—wasn't that a perfect excuse?
He saw this as an opportunity to turn misfortune into a blessing; a way to save his own skin while masquerading as a brave commander.
'Roman Dmitry probably babbled about guerrilla tactics without even knowing how rugged the terrain of the Southern Front truly is. His judgment is utter garbage. He was barely assigned to the Southern Front, yet he dares to advise me—a man who has served as the commander of the 1st Defense Line for years—to flee into the mountains? This is exactly why knowledge gained solely from military manuals is so dangerous.'
He fell deep into his own self-rationalization.
Roman Dmitry. Even if he was the youngest ranker, on the battlefield, he was nothing more than an inexperienced greenhorn.
At that moment, Count Donald truly believed he was right.
* * *
His hope did not last long.
Barely four hours later, the 1st Defense Line spotted the soldiers of the Hector Kingdom advancing from both the front and the rear.
Roman's words were true.
The Warp Gate had been captured, and the Hector Kingdom had boldly sent their troops through the Warp.
"Everyone, prepare to attack!"
"Prepare to attack!"
Clack! Clack!
The soldiers notched their arrows.
During the nerve-wracking wait, they finished preparing for the siege. The repairs on the castle walls were fully completed, and they had secured plenty of defensive supplies to avoid repeating their previous mistakes. Furthermore, their defensive siege weapons had been repaired. Having finished loading massive weapons like the ballistas, the soldiers firmly believed they wouldn't be defeated so easily this time.
Count Donald shouted, "Soldiers of the 1st Defense Line, hear me! The Hector Kingdom has captured the Warp Gate. Because of this, we are completely isolated on the Southern Front, and we cannot expect reinforcements from the Cairo Kingdom for at least fifteen days. But we are still alive! Just as we repelled the heinous devils of Hector in our first battle, if we trust each other and fight, we can hold out until reinforcements arrive. Trust in me, Count Donald! We will survive to the bitter end!"
"Uwoooooh!"
"Follow Count Donald!"
The soldiers of Cairo cheered.
They didn't know the truth. They believed Count Donald's words, and with their limited information, they genuinely thought defending the fortress was their only option.
However, they soon witnessed grim reality.
Beyond the border, the soldiers of the Hector Kingdom swarming toward them were incomparably greater in number than during the first attack.
"...This is insane."
"Just how many of them are there?"
There were at least several thousand troops.
It was a sight that proved the initial preemptive strike had been mere child's play. The densely packed forces swarming in looked like a horde of ants. The Cairo soldiers, numbering only a few hundred, felt their legs begin to tremble. But that wasn't the only problem. When they spotted the siege weapons being dragged forward by Hector's soldiers, their hearts sank.
"Heavens..."
"It's a Flare."
The disaster of siege warfare—the Flare—had appeared.
Cairo had no way to stop it. They lacked modern defensive siege weapons, which meant they had no choice but to take the Flare's devastating attacks head-on.
The courage sparked by the commander's speech quickly withered away.
The soldiers all shared the same thought: It's over.
And just as they feared, the moment the Flare spat out intense flames, the disaster of the 1st Defense Line began.
Boom! Rumble!
"Aaargh!"
"Ack!"
Flames erupted.
The castle walls they had painstakingly repaired crumbled in an instant. Soldiers caught in the blazing inferno screamed as they plummeted from the ramparts. The actual assault hadn't even begun yet. They had merely fired the Flare from a distance, but the 1st Defense Line was already losing all functionality.
Beholding the apocalyptic sight before him, Count Donald stood dazed.
Only moments ago, during his speech, he had felt like a grand hero. Only now did he realize the sheer gravity of his mistake.
[I assure you, we can no longer withstand Hector's attacks. The Hector Kingdom did not fail to capture the frontline defense post because they lacked the strength. They simply needed a decoy to draw attention while they attacked the rear base. Count Donald, think realistically. Do you truly believe they gave it their all?]
Roman's words.
They were the absolute truth.
Hector had deliberately held back; they possessed the power to overrun the Southern Front whenever they pleased.
Regret came too late.
Rumble!
The walls collapsed completely.
And then:
"Attack!"
"Charge!"
Waaaaaaah!
The enemy surged in from both the front and the rear.
His mind going completely blank, Count Donald collapsed onto the ground.
* * *
No matter how early regret comes, it is always too late.
Due to the commander's foolish decision, a one-sided slaughter ensued.
The walls and gates had lost their function from the very beginning, and the soldiers of the Hector Kingdom violently surged in from both sides.
In the end:
"The commander's head has been taken!"
Count Donald, who had been frantically trying to flee, had his head severed.
There was no escape for him.
Edwin Hector's forces had completely blocked the rear paths. Count Donald, trembling like a drenched rat, met a pathetic and miserable end. It was the end of the battle. The forces of the 1st Defense Line, which had seemed poised for a grand war, were completely wiped out in less than an hour.
A perfect victory.
Stepping through the wide-open gates, Edwin Hector, escorted by his knights, received Jackson's report.
"Thanks to seizing the initiative with the Flare, we were able to capture the fortress without major casualties. What are your orders now? The other commanders have also begun attacking the Southern Front. Since their defenses against the Flare will be just as inadequate as the 1st Defense Line's, we should be able to completely seize control of the Southern Front in no time."
His voice was laced with excitement.
An operation everyone had deemed impossible—they had turned it into a perfect reality. At the thought of this historic moment unfolding right before their eyes, Jackson could not hide his joy.
Edwin Hector spoke, "For now, focus on completely securing the 1st Defense Line. Time is on our side. To prevent any unnecessary variables, bind all surrendering soldiers and confine them to one place. Depending on the situation, we can use them as hostages or bargaining chips. We need as many weapons as possible for our negotiations with Cairo."
"Understood."
Edwin Hector was meticulous.
Even in the face of a massive victory, he showed no signs of letting his guard down. Although he could afford to relax a little now, he strangely felt an ominous premonition.
'The plan is perfect. What on earth am I missing?'
He did not know.
The minor signals—the fact that the soldiers remaining at the Southern Training Camp had not returned, and that contact with Baron McCleary had been cut off—kept nagging at his sharp instincts.
It was then.
A knight came running in, completely out of breath. With a pale face, he reported to Edwin Hector, "We have a major problem!"
"What is it?"
"Baron McCleary is dead! The reason we couldn't establish communication was because he fell in battle!"
At those words, Edwin Hector's expression turned ice-cold.
* * *
The one who brought the truth was a defeated soldier.
Having barely escaped the battlefield, the soldier had rejoined the main army and was immediately summoned before Edwin Hector.
"Explain the situation at the time," Edwin Hector commanded coldly.
Bowing his head, the soldier spoke.
"At first, it was a highly favorable battle for the Hector Kingdom. The 5th Defense Line was completely unprepared for war, and we breached the gates as soon as the attack began, without even needing to use the Flare. Baron McCleary ordered the soldiers to capture the fortress. And then... that monster appeared."
"...A monster?"
"Yes. He was undoubtedly a monster."
For a moment, the soldier trembled at the memory. He had only survived because he was far away from the monster, but he had clearly witnessed the man slaughtering Hector's soldiers.
"The monster's martial prowess was unbelievable, even seeing it with my own eyes. A single man... slaughtered countless allies all by himself. Dozens of soldiers vanished in the blink of an eye, and even Hector's Aura Swordsmen couldn't withstand his strikes and died. It wasn't that the 5th Defense Line showed any particularly outstanding defensive capabilities. It was solely because of that one existence. The moment Baron McCleary's head was severed, we had no choice but to run for our lives."
A monster.
It was an unexpected variable.
Suddenly, a name crossed Edwin Hector's mind.
'Cairo's youngest ranker. I heard he was assigned to the Southern Front.'
Even when he first heard that news, Edwin Hector had not believed a single individual could alter the course of a battlefield. According to rumors, Roman Dmitry was merely a 3-Star Swordsman, not yet at a level to exert such an overwhelming presence.
That was the beginning of the variable.
A year of preparation.
They had thoroughly investigated the Southern Front, dissecting its every weakness. The problem was that Roman Dmitry's sudden arrival was an unexpected variable that could never have been foreseen during their year-long investigation.
'A variable has arisen.'
Baron McCleary was dead.
That meant there was a force they had failed to eliminate roaming the Southern Front.
"When our standby forces checked the 5th Defense Line, there were no Cairo soldiers left. It seems they fled into the mountains. Just give the word, Your Highness. If you order us to capture them, we will form a pursuit squad and bring Cairo's monster right before you," Jackson reported, relaying the new information.
It left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Although a hole had been punched in their perfect plan, Edwin Hector had no intention of overextending.
"No. The tide has already turned. The forces of the 5th Defense Line are meager. With that kind of strength, they cannot affect the overall situation, nor can they accomplish anything on their own. We will proceed according to plan. Once we have seized all five defense lines, we will turn the Southern Front into an impregnable fortress that Cairo cannot breach."
That was the core of the plan.
If they completely occupied the Southern Front, they could take the lead in negotiations with the Cairo Kingdom.
Edwin Hector's decision was swift.
Just like that, a day passed.
The Hector Kingdom had occupied the Southern Front.
And then, Edwin Hector issued an order.
"Now, it is time to negotiate with the Cairo Kingdom. Establish magic communication with the Cairo royal court."
Hector's true objective—and the desperate reality of the Southern Front—was delivered to the Cairo royal court.