Chapter 347
Chapter 347
The Iron Emperor — Chapter 347
The voice continued. What he spoke of was undoubtedly the Battle of Gaemunsanseong Fortress.
"Senior Nel, whom I told to save himself since he was being sent as a messenger anyway, drove his horse back like a madman, only to collapse and die on his return...."
"......."
Inside the barracks, only Avilrun's low voice echoed quietly.
"Do you know why we fought with rice balls caked in enemy blood clenched in our teeth, dying mid-chew without even finishing them?"
"......I'm sorry."
Hans hung his head. He hadn't been ignorant of their struggle, but the thought of survival had made him briefly elated, and now he felt guilty for it.
"You sons of bitches."
Avilrun, who had turned his back to leave after those words, paused briefly at the entrance.
"Do you know what Great General Eulji Buru said at the last?"
No one could speak. They only stared at the massive great axe strapped to Avilrun's back.
"He called for his wife, Lady Sara."
At the unexpected answer, everyone's eyes widened, and then Avilrun left one final remark and vanished out of sight.
"Even that great man was human, just like us. You fools."
Ben, who had been staring blankly at Avilrun's disappearing form outside the barracks, kicked the ground and shouted.
"Goddammit!"
"We all have just one life...."
Hans, standing vacantly, muttered as he listened to Ben's curses. People who staked that single life and refused to retreat.
Only then did Hans and the soldiers realize it.
The difference between the men Avilrun had spoken of, and themselves.
They felt that it wasn't a difference in military strength, but a difference in the very heart with which they faced war. And they all wept in shame.
So they buried their shame in their chests and withdrew from the front line.
Chapter 120: The Beginning of the Imperial War
Human greed traversed the vast, seemingly endless sea.
At first, they likely built ships to survive and catch more fish.
Those early ships must have changed over time to satisfy human curiosity about what lay beyond the horizon. And so, ships evolved to be better suited for traveling far, unlike their original purpose.
Through such change and development, the vessels crossing the sea now had been transformed by a greed designed to reap countless lives.
Swoooosh!
Roughly shattering the rhythm of the waves tossed by nature's flow, the allied fleet of the Maritime Empire and the Federal Empire surged forward.
"In just two more days, we are scheduled to reach the shores of the Holy Empire."
A nobleman hardened by the sea, proudly displaying his bronzed skin, approached and made his report.
"A smooth voyage without a single rough wave. Excellent! The sea is blessing our future."
The corner of Duke Shuo's mouth twitched as he received his adjutant's report in his capacity as fleet commander-in-chief.
"Duke Shuo, what of our reconnaissance of the enemy fleet?"
A man who looked like a scholar approached and posed the question, a stark contrast to Duke Shuo of the Slegian Maritime Empire, who was gaunt and appeared almost sharp-edged.
"Ah, Marquis Millium. How is your seasickness faring?"
"Heh heh, thanks to your concern, I've adjusted a bit."
Despite his protests that he was fine, a pallor hadn't quite left his face. At that sight, Duke Shuo pulled up one corner of his lip. It was a sneer.
"Anyway, the Holy Empire has dispatched the bulk of its fleet for the Gauri expedition, so even if they manage to scrape together a fleet, it is unlikely to be a great concern."
"Still, shouldn't we consider the possibility of an ambush?"
Marquis Millium, representative of the Federal Empire, frowned slightly and retorted, perhaps displeased by Duke Shuo's tone.
Feeling a touch of remorse for his words, Duke Shuo clapped him heartily on the shoulder and replied.
"Hahaha! I understand your meaning. However, there's little terrain around here suitable for an ambush. At least, there are only a few islands near the landing site. But worry not. When it comes to the sea, is the Maritime Empire not the strongest!"
At his boisterous laughter, Marquis Millium joined in with a laugh of his own, sensing there was nothing more to gain by showing his displeasure.
"Hoh ho, it seems I worried for nothing. I must have briefly forgotten that the Maritime Empire has no equal on the sea."
Duke Shuo, laughing along, had to stifle a bitter smile at the words Marquis Millium tacked on at the end: "on the sea." The fact was that their land warfare tactics were, after all, somewhat lacking compared to other empires.
With the Holy Empire as their common objective, the ships of the two empires raced unimpeded across the water.
* * *
The Gauri army, with Go Jin-cheon at its head, had begun withdrawing first. It had paused its march and was resting.
In stark contrast to the noisy and laborious packing of a few days prior, once the withdrawal actually began, they looked as if they carried nothing but their equipment and simple rations. The vast baggage train was nowhere to be seen.
"It's damn comfortable, but...."
"Well, they say it's because we're the advance guard, so what does it matter?"
"They said it'll be brought along in wagons at the rear anyway, so let's just forget about it."
The soldiers chatted among themselves with bewildered expressions at the incredibly easy withdrawal march.
"We really did go through a lot these days, right? With the diversionary tactics and everything, we're the ones who ran the most."
"That's true."
Some soldiers took it easy and simply lay down to catch some sleep. At first, they had a grim sense of foreboding that they might be suddenly attacking the Holy Empire, but fortunately, the path they took was clearly a route heading to the rear.
Beside Go Jin-cheon, who had dismounted to briefly quench his thirst, Yeon Hwi-garam approached and raised a military salute.
"What of the soldiers?"
As he slowly stroked Gangsoe's mane and asked, Hwi-garam answered with a faint smile.
"They’re taking it easy. There were all sorts of rumors at first, but now everyone seems relaxed."
"Is that so?"
NEEEIGH!
As Jin-cheon slowly nodded his head, Gangsoe bared his teeth and let out a whinny, clearly pleased by his touch.
Even so, Jin-cheon's expression remained unchanged. Since Buru's death in battle, he who was already taciturn had become a man of even fewer words. There was just no drastic change otherwise, so others simply failed to notice.
"Y-Your Excellency! A message has arrived!"
The one who interrupted their conversation was none other than Risel.
He had, in truth, been wailing for days upon hearing news of Buru's death in battle. The affection built over time had been immense. Perhaps because of this, he seemed to be paying even more attention to Uru.
"From which side?"
When Hwi-garam asked Risel, who had come running in a hurry, he steadied his panting breath and answered.
"Huff... It’s a message from Sir Gerard."
At the mention of Gerard's name, Jin-cheon's eyebrows moved minutely.
"It is reported that the Empire Coalition and the Holy Empire have finally begun their naval battle."
"What is the situation?"
Jin-cheon cut in before Hwi-garam and posed the question. It was a departure from how he had been sparing his words until now.
"It is proceeding as expected."
At Risel's reply to Jin-cheon's inquiry, the look in Jin-cheon's eyes changed.
"Hwi. Rest is over. Increase our marching speed to the designated meeting point. And Risel."
"Yes!"
Risel drew near at Jin-cheon's summons.
"Move as planned. Mobilize all our magical forces."
"Understood."
At Jin-cheon's command, Risel dashed off to the rear without offering any further salute.
After watching that sight for a moment, Jin-cheon mounted his horse. Hwi-garam mounted as well, shouting toward the rear.
"Rest is over!"
Within Jin-cheon's black eyes, as he seized Gangsoe's reins and increased speed, the suppressed embers began to ignite.
* * *
Upon the sea where fish should play, humans floated in countless numbers, and on the ships that rode above them, black smoke spewed as flames surged high.
WHIZZ! WHIZZ!
"Bring water!"
Overhead, fire arrows whizzed past with an unsettling sound.
"Aaaagh!"
The sailors, faithfully following the captain's desperate shouts, either collapsed screaming or tumbled helplessly into the sea as arrows trailing fiery tails struck them.
Kaa-boom!
"G-Goddammit!"
As the ship heaved violently, the commanding captain momentarily lost his balance and stumbled. Into his ears came the despairing cries of the soldiers.
"We're taking on water!"
A soldier who stuck his head out from the deck screamed, his face turned pale blue.
But the very next moment, he could not say another word. An arrow launched with uncanny precision struck him in the head, and he tumbled onto the deck below.
"Where is the first mate!"
"Already dead!"
At the captain's shout seeking the first mate, someone answered back full of despair. Gazing out at the chaos of soldiers on the slowly sinking ship, the captain muttered as if his soul had left him.
"We're no match for them...."
For each Holy Empire warship, two Maritime Empire warships grappled alongside. Under the onslaught of the Maritime Empire soldiers, the flag of the Holy Empire was soon ablaze, and the soldiers were thrown overboard wholesale.
Whether dead, wounded, or unharmed....
All were thrown into the sea. That was the fate of those defeated at sea. Even the faint hope of becoming hostages vanished just like that.
Even more gruesome were the ships rammed repeatedly as if they were playthings.
Upon collision, the keel, the very spine of the ship, would snap. The vessel, broken in two, would suck everything around it down as it vanished into the sea. At the spot where the ship disappeared, only corpses and flotsam bobbed up to the surface a moment later.
"It's a spectacle."
Marquis Millium of the Federal Empire kept voicing his admiration. Accustomed mostly to land campaigns, he had rarely witnessed a naval battle on this scale. Perhaps that was why the vast slaughter unfolding across the sea felt so starkly unfamiliar to him.
There were Maritime Empire warships engulfed in flames too, but it was about one for every three or four ships. Even then, with numerous allies nearby, many of those soldiers were rescued onto smaller boats.
In contrast, Holy Empire soldiers who stretched out their hands begging for rescue were met only with the cold steel of harpoons thrown by the soldiers of the Maritime and Federal Empires.
"Hmm, though it is merely regrettable that we took heavy damage in the initial phase."
A hint of regret seeped into Duke Shuo's tone as he surveyed the wrapping-up of the battlefield.
"In truth, the weakness of our magical forces compared with the Holy Empire’s is unavoidable."
Marquis Millium chimed in appropriately, as if to soothe Duke Shuo's mixed feelings.
A considerable number of assault ships had been destroyed by the Holy Empire's ferocious initial magic attacks.
"At any rate, the landing should proceed smoothly."
All in all, Duke Shuo was expressing satisfaction with the result of the battle.