Chapter 56
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: A Desperate Gambit
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“Aaaaaaaah!”
“Block them! Block them! Kill all these bastards!”
Crimson blood sprayed from between the clash of weapons.
Someone fell, their life extinguished.
Before they could even mourn their fallen comrade, an enemy's sword and spear found their flank.
“These bastards…!”
“Push them off!”
The border guards shoved back the enemy soldiers who had scaled the base walls.
But the guards began to lose ground as the enemy used their comrades as springboards to scale the walls.
*Thud!*
Just then, Demian rushed over and plunged his spear into the side of an enemy soldier climbing the wall.
*Pshuk!*
“Go down.”
Demian then swung his spear sideways, sending the man flying.
Demian watched the man fall to the ground before turning his gaze elsewhere.
“Hmm…”
The border guard base was small but built to be quite sturdy.
The only drawback was that the walls were not high, making them easy to scale.
‘More and more of them are starting to get over.’
Since the defenders were positioned above, the attackers had started charging with a resolve to die.
Demian immediately turned to the Kaion Unit members and spoke.
“Dianal, Kyle! Jerka, Terka! The rest of you, form a third squad and defend the left wall. I’m going to the right wall.”
“Understood.”
Dianal replied and quickly began climbing toward the base wall.
Like a miniature fortress wall, the top of the base wall was too narrow to accommodate many people.
This could be advantageous for the enemy who made it over.
After all, it meant fewer defenders could come to stop them.
But if they prepared in advance, the advantage was theirs.
‘They can only come up one or two at a time, anyway. If we work in pairs, we can definitely hold them off. In that case…’
*CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!*
At that moment, a loud pounding echoed from the main gate of the base.
A sound like that meant one thing.
‘Have they already prepared for a siege?’
Demian peeked over the wall to look down.
The enemy was pounding on the gate with a battering ram—a large log with a sharpened end.
Demian’s expression twisted.
“Sons of bitches. They came thoroughly prepared.”
Then again, these were the same men who had lain in ambush here for some six months.
Was this level of preparation to be expected?
Fortunately, the ram was being swung by men using ropes, so it seemed it would take some time.
‘Though it’s still just a matter of time.’
They couldn't win just by fending off the men climbing the walls.
*Tap!*
Demian quickly began to run along the right wall.
Here, the border guards had already formed teams of three and were holding back the enemy.
‘A bit slow, but their response isn't bad.’
It seemed their long experience defending the border was paying off.
In that case…
‘The real problem is the men outside.’
Reinforcements would arrive at sunrise, at the earliest.
That meant they had to hold out for several more hours.
Demian looked at the border guards.
“Pour it on their heads!”
“You bastards! Die!”
*Swoooosh!*
In their haste, they dumped boiling water, but that alone wasn't enough to stop them.
A few men collapsed under the scalding deluge, but others took up the battering ram and began pounding the gate again.
Demian shook his head.
‘That won’t work.’
It might be different if they poured oil and set it on fire.
But doing so risked burning down not only the base but the entire forest.
Demian went to Vincent.
“Sir Vincent. It seems the enemy intends to destroy the gate with a battering ram.”
“I know. But for now, all we can do is hold on.”
He knew the situation was dire, but there was nothing they could do.
Demian frowned.
Pereron was busy commanding the other border guards.
But he, too, had not found a way to stop the main gate, which was already showing cracks.
“Bring heavy objects! Block the main gate with anything you can find!”
“Uwaaaaaaaah!”
“Don’t let it break!”
They dragged over carts used for moving food supplies and braced them against the gate.
*CRASH!*
“Kuh!”
*CRASH!*
“Gah!”
Each time the ram struck the gate, the guards holding it back were jolted.
Demian looked at Vincent.
“Commander.”
“...?”
Vincent’s expression hardened at Demian’s next words.
***
“...Dammit.”
Pereron’s face crumpled in frustration.
Although they were defending from within the base, it was never designed for a siege.
Thus, overcoming such a significant numerical disadvantage was proving difficult.
‘It’ll be a while before reinforcements arrive…’
They had prepared for an attack.
Even so, they were lacking in many areas.
It was unavoidable.
Fending off a force one and a half times their size from this base was no easy task.
They had no magic scrolls or gunpowder suitable for defense.
Worse, the terrain made it impossible to use oil and fire, making the situation all the more frustrating.
But just then.
“Captain Pereron.”
Pereron looked at Demian, who had suddenly approached him.
The highly skilled vice-captain of the Kaion Unit.
Pereron said.
“What is it?”
“I have something to report.”
“Can’t you see the situation we’re in? For now, help defend the walls from the men climbing over.”
“It’s not about that. Is there a secret passage to sneak out of the base?”
“...?”
Instantly, Pereron’s eyes turned menacing.
If the Kaion Unit was thinking of secretly escaping in a situation like this, he was ready to lop off Demian’s head right then and there.
“...Why do you ask?”
Demian answered Pereron’s question.
“At this rate, we won’t last an hour. Once the gate is breached, defending the walls will be pointless.”
“So?”
“How about we send some troops out of the base to strike their rear?”
“...!?”
Demian’s words made Pereron’s eyes waver.
Strike the enemy’s rear?
Seeing Pereron’s unconcealed surprise, Demian continued.
“A good number of enemy soldiers have already died trying to scale the walls. At a rough glance, I’d say forty to fifty of them are already dead.”
Of course, even considering that, the enemy still far outnumbered them.
“If we can take some troops and attack their rear, we can throw them into chaos in an instant.”
“But if you fail, we all die.”
“We’ll cause chaos and then immediately retreat and hide. Then, we’ll look for another opportunity to strike.”
“...You intend to wage guerrilla warfare against them?”
“Yes.”
If they could pull it off, the enemy would be unable to focus solely on the front, never knowing when they might be attacked again.
“And if we can somehow destroy the handles of their battering ram, they won’t be able to pound the gate anymore.”
“...”
If only it could be done, how wonderful that would be.
But it wouldn't be easy.
To them, that battering ram was a lifeline.
‘However…’
If they could reduce the enemy’s numbers even a little with a surprise attack, they might stand a chance in a full-on battle later, even if the gate was breached.
If they formed a semicircle around the gate and fired arrows, they could thin the enemy ranks even further.
“And if we station archers at the rear to pick off the enemy one by one, we can definitely hold them off.”
“The risk is too great. And we can’t spare many troops.”
The entire border guard unit numbered only about two hundred men.
Moreover, a dozen had already fallen in the current battle.
How many men did he think he could use for a guerrilla campaign?
Demian’s plan was a clever stratagem.
At least, it sounded clever.
But they lacked the manpower to execute it, and crucially…
‘Who would even do it?’
It was like carrying firewood and jumping into a fire.
A single mistake by the commander could lead to annihilation.
But just then.
“I will take the lead. Just give me thirty guards. They don’t need to be exceptional fighters. Just support me with men who are fast on their feet.”
Thirty men was a sixth of the third branch’s entire force.
It might seem like a small number, but considering their total manpower, it was significant.
“You?”
“Yes.”
There was no hesitation in Demian’s reply.
Pereron’s eyes wavered.
“Can you do it? It will be too dangerous.”
“We’ll all die if we just stand here anyway. Shouldn’t we at least put up a fight?”
The attacking Spenian Kingdom had its back against the wall, too.
And nothing is more fearsome than a cornered enemy.
So, they had to be reckless as well.
Pereron considered it. But…
“Is this a plan approved by your commander?”
“I approved it.”
As if on cue, Vincent came up beside them and answered Pereron’s question.
Pereron turned his head and shouted.
“Michael! Quickly, gather thirty of our fastest men!”
“Sir? All of a sudden!”
“Hurry!”
“Yes, sir!”
The officer called Michael, spurred by Pereron’s intensity, rushed to action.
A few minutes later, thirty guards stood before Pereron, looking as if they’d been dragged there.
“Will these men suffice?”
“And… I’ll be taking those men with me as well.”
Demian pointed to the Kaion Unit members fighting for their lives atop the wall.
Pereron nodded.
“Michael, move our troops over there. Leave the main gate.”
“B-But…”
“Just follow the order.”
“Yes, sir!”
As Michael hurried away, Pereron looked at Demian.
“Then I wish you luck. You must succeed.”
“Yes.”
Pereron and Vincent quickly rejoined the battle.
Demian stood before the troop of roughly forty men and spoke.
“We’re going out the back gate to strike the enemy’s rear.”
“What? With this many men?”
“Isn’t that too reckless?”
Kyle and Jerka asked.
Demian nodded.
“It is reckless. But what can we do? If we aren’t, we’re all going to die.”
Demian grinned.
His sudden smile made everyone’s expression stiffen.
They wondered if he had gone mad.
“Just remember this one thing.”
Demian’s expression suddenly turned serious.
“If anyone is to die, I will be the first. I will fight at the very front and be the last to retreat… so you all just trust me and fight with everything you’ve got.”
And in a few hours, we will all return here.
Every single one of us, without a single death.
At Demian’s words, Kyle let out a low laugh.
“Heh heh, don’t you worry. I’ll be watching our vice-captain’s back.”
“I’d be better at it than you.”
“Hahahaha, but Vice-Captain. If we succeed in a mission like this, will the reward be hefty?”
“I’ll empty my own pockets to reward you handsomely, so just make it back alive.”
“Yeah! Our vice-captain is loaded! You better be good for your word, sir!”
At Kyle’s words, the other men’s eyes gleamed.
This was coming from Kyle, who was from the same unit as Demian.
His words carried weight.
Thanks to that, the mood lifted considerably.
Demian continued.
“From this moment on, you are designated the Special Operations Unit.”
Demian turned his body.
“Special Operations Unit, move out.”