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Chapter 207: Sent to Paradise

The walls were twenty-five shaku high——the eight-shaku deep moat in front of it had lost its water level due to the damming of the Alzrene River, presenting a scene reminiscent of a mass graveyard.

The remaining water, below knees-level height was dyed bright red, and there were numerous corpses.

The nauseating stench of death lingered in the air.

"Keep going! Set up more bridges!"

The width of the trench was about four ken at most.

The Holy Empire of Elsren mobilized its engineers in the moat that had become a mass grave.

Bringing logs soaked with water and tied them together to build countless bridges.

Once the bridges were built over the moats, the area under the bridges was transformed into a covered workshop.

At the same time making it even easier to attack the top of the walls, it also allow them to dug under the walls to create moleholes that would collapse the walls, thus capturing the Wulfenite walls from above and below.

Wulfenite walls, which were built with high-quality rock, couldn’t be easily toppled with a mere trebuchet.

The stone walls built on thick mounds of earth are nothing short of artistic.

This city, which was renovated and invested with a huge amount of money during Alberan\'s heyday, was still the strongest fortress on the continent.

Even though it was a city of only 100,000 people, it was surrounded by walls like this one.

There were no gaps whatsoever.

It would have been madness to attack this fully defended fortress city without large trebuchet.

Given a few months, isolating and capturing it would have been possible.

However, time was a luxury that Elsren did not possess.

The advantage gained through the simultaneous invasion of the three nations had crumbled, and they were already feeling pressure from the south.

They would have to overcome this wall even if it cost them 90,000 lives.

“Damn it, what is the vanguard doing even though the ladder is set!!”

“It looks like it’s tougher on the walls than I thought.…The presence of that Alberinea is definitely a big factor.”

Bearded and sinister——An old adjutant, Tig Magnus, answered the words of Orkana Rekarish, commander of the Elsren Holy Empire.

They were right in front of Alberinea.

And they could clearly see the Alberinea from here.

Inside the fortress walls——sitting flat on the red roof of a high clock tower, wearing a black cloak and pulling a bow while holding bread in her mouth.

She was leaning her back against Suiko\'s body, looking very unmotivated.

And yet a battalion commander, a magic possessor who jumped from the ladder, easily fell from the wall from two arrow she shot, and cheers echoing from above.

It was clear that her presence was increasing the enemies morale in this area and hindering their invasion.

The value of magic possessor in a siege battle was much greater than in open-field.

A limited space on the fortress wall.

No matter how many tens of thousands of troops one have, on the fortress walls, it was a battle between few soldiers against few soldiers.

In battles there, individual strength was more important than cooperation, and those with magical power were able to forcibly seize victory in small battles.

However, Alberinea persistently shot down these magic possessor.

Destroying two defensive towers on the walls with trebuchets the previous day, they had gained an advantage by collapsing the walls.

Several bridges were built overnight, and relay points were established within the moat.

The construction had been progressing smoothly.

However, after Alberinea appeared this morning, there was no change in the situation.

On the contrary, the trebuchets were easily destroyed by Alberinea, worsening the situation. Despite having enough strength to conquer this north wall, they had not achieved it yet.

Wulfenite also had an inner wall, though not as large as the outer wall.

There were four sections that generally divide the east, west, south, north, and west, and a central section that broadly encloses the fortress in the center.

If they couldn\'t secure the outer wall first, the capture wouldn’t progress.

"Damn it, I will-"

"Hahaha, Commander Rekarish, I thought you would think so."

Appearing on a horse, a man with an eye patch spoke to him.

Although he looked a little old, he had a clean-shaven beard and a fearless face even on the battlefield.

"...What do you want, Mirkos?"

It was Meade Mirkos, who was ordered to attack the same north wall and commanded the corps right next to him.

He was a former General, and a true warrior who rose from a centurion——Personality wise they didn’t match, and Orkana hates him.

"You are the same corps commander as me. You no longer have the right to give orders."

“Of course not. I don\'t give orders, I just want to made a suggestion.”

"……suggestion?"

Meade nodded and smiled.

“As long as that Alberinea is there, it will be difficult to break through this wall even if we continue to push forward. We should try to break through by force while we still have the advantage in numbers. You think the same——am I right?"

“...But with that said, what are the advantages of teaming up with you?”

"I\'ve already got permission from the general. You and I will attempt to breach this wall together. It\'s an order."

Orkana frowned.

The general who commanded Orkana and Meade was the son of a duke.

The young man who bought the general\'s seat with his money and family background——Meade had tamed him well.

“......I hate that about you.”

Using authority to take advantage of others.

Meade himself was a great warrior, but he was also a schemer.

"I know. But this time, I swear by name, the credit will be equally shared. I may deceive people, but you should know I don\'t lie."

"...That’s even worse. Well, I can\'t refuse anyway. What\'s the plan?"

“You\'ll be pleased. ...... you and I will forcefully open a way.”

Orkana scowled and glared at Meade.

"This doesn\'t sound like you."

"You understand the reason, right? We suffered a blow in the previous defeat. It was a close call, hanging by a thread."

In the previous battle, this man had been entrusted by Baszlar Lukazan with the defense of Wulfenite.

But with the defeat of Aleha and Baszlar and their retreat, Wulfenite was isolated.

Although he abandoned Wulfenite due to starvation tactic, they also suffered heavy losses in the pursuit, and as a result, he was now serving as a corps commander instead of a General.

In that situation it was not Meade’s failure, and he can\'t help but pity him.

A person’s position in the Holy Empire army depended on how much gold and troops they could provide.

Meade who lost his noble followers and gold and troops, would likely only decline further if things continue like this.

It was certain that this man sought achievements.

Whether he could be trusted or not——it was not a bad idea to listen to him first.

"What we need to do is simple. Gather the elite of these two corps, mainly magic possessor, and force our way through. The castle walls are high for commoners, but not for us. ...And once I get inside, I know the structure. Opening the gate itself is easy.”

“So it’s a gamble.”

"It\'s worth a shot right."

Orkana thought a little.

At least the few elite were just as the word expressed.

He would not be able to Orkana as a sacrificial pawn.

There was no such luxury.

"Not bad. Our side can provide around twenty magic possessors at most... Assuming battalion commanders level will also be used as pawns."

“Same as our side. There are about 10 from the general\'s main camp, making it a total of 50. All that\'s left to do is replace the skilled soldiers with the engineers in the trench. We will take advantage of the confusion, control the top of the castle wall, and capture this north wall in one move.\'\'

"I don\'t dislike the boldness. Though It\'s not your typical strategy,."

Meade laughed at those words.

"It’s just a rumor, but it seems that the Alberinea Century who were active in the civil war were all elite consisting of only magical possessors. I thought it was a pretty interesting idea, and I wanted to try it out someday."

He had heard the rumors and thought they were interesting, but he was not sure if he could actually do the same thing.

Those with magic power were usually nobles and commanders.

If he tried to create such a force, the military would not be able to operate properly.

"It\'s difficult in a field battle...but it\'s not impossible to do in a siege."

However, as far as sieges were concerned, the problem was not that big.

There was no need for judgments to intercept the enemy\'s attacks. The initiative was with the attacker.

Capture the fortress walls and kill the enemy.

The soldiers only need to think about that, and if they simply wanted to attack, they didn\'t need to have the brains to formulate tactics; anyone could do it as long as they could issue instructions.

“I see. ......Well, let\'s talk about it over a drink after we take the credit, shall we?”

"Oh? You, who dislikes me, drinking together?"

“If we can agree on something, it\'s not a bad thing. We agree on leading the elite to a breakthrough. ――Messenger!”

Meade Mirkos breakthrough was successful.

A total of 50 magical possessor managed to overcome the fortress wall and break through to one point.

The enemy was frightened and immediately retreated.

The magic possessors trained on the battlefield――although they might be improvised troops, most of them were commander-level soldiers.

In the first place, their instantaneous judgement was different from a mere soldier.

Despite being a temporary formation, they were able to quickly overwhelm the enemy who stood in their way thanks to their highly coordinated efforts.

Meade was in overall command, and Orkana was in charge of charging in.

It was probably a good thing that Orkana stepped back and obediently handed over the command of this unit to Meade.

There was no problem at all

The night sky with the moon high in the sky.

The northern section of Wulfenite was filled with Elsren soldiers in just a short time.

Only in the northern section――on the inner wall that separates the east, west, and center, the enemy army that noticed them formed a battle line, and the appearance of archers on the castle wall.

However, the Empire soldiers had already penetrated the inside of Wulfenite’s strong outer walls.

With military superiority, there was no chance of losing this battle.

“Mirkos, Rekarish! Well done, you can expect a reward!

The general in charge of the north wall who appeared on horseback――Duke Aare Caincrus spoke in a boyish voice unsuited for the battlefield.

He appears to be more of a handsome young boy than a young man, wearing a thin, elegant armor.

He was in his mid-twenties, so he must have stopped growing much earlier.

There was no trace of dignity in the air.

"Ha! It was the general\'s wise decision!"

Orkana and Meade salute without letting out a trace of their inner scorn.

A genuine young master, although he was not new to the battlefield, he had never actually killed anyone with a sword.

He was a man who had not achieved much in battle, but had bought the seat of general with his family status and money.

He had poured a lot of money into this war and is participating as a general.

He was an incompetent man who was neither a poison nor medicine.

Though fickle and lacking in wit, it was commendable that he listened to the words of experienced adjutant commanders and warriors like Meade and responded sincerely.

He could be said to be a good general, ‘for a decorative general’.

"But, to think it\'s going this well...Mirkos, what do you think? Do you feel that we should continue attacking like this?"

"Yes sir! I think it would be better to continue attacking the eastern section and assisting Archduke Lukazan."

The Holy Empire\'s army was attacking in the north, south, and east.

It wouldn\'t have been a bad idea to attack the west, where it was weak, and capture it, and gain more credit, but the supreme commander of this army was Baszlar Lukazan.

It was only natural that they have to give him more credit than anyone else.

If he did not hand over to Baszlar the first merit of the war, the fall of the center of Wulfenite, he was sure to be faced with a difficult decision later on――even on the battlefield, politics as a nobleman was a major issue.

“Do you agree, Rekarish?"

“Yes sir! I agree with Mirkos, General.

Orkana answered immediately.

It was an elementary question for the Empire’s Nobles.

It was a conclusion that did not require much thought.

“I see. I am glad you have good subordinates. I was just thinking the same thing.”

He probably asked because he was anxious.

If they had said that they should attack the west, he might have said the same thing and gone along with it.

Although an opportunist, he\'s at least not stubborn.

They didn’t dislike that he understood his own incompetence.

"Just like your army, I have brought in the army of Lacrance and Rattle. You all return to your own army and prepare. Once that is done, we will head to capture the east."

“Yes sir”

They salute and immediately rush off.

The 40 soldiers of the special forces that they each led followed suit.

A total of four people were lost, and the damage was minimal.

Orkana laughed as he looked at the number of soldiers running through the city.

Four corps――20,000 soldiers were filling this northern sector.

"Hahaha, I didn\'t like you, but I changed my mind. Looks like we\'ll have some fun drinks when we\'re done."

"Kuku, I\'ve always liked you as a subordinate. That said, it looks like we can finally become comrades."

Meaded pointed his right fist and Orkana hits it with his left fist.

"However, I\'m concerned that it was that. ...I\'m sure the enemy\'s morale wasn\'t that low."

"There are no soldiers who are not afraid in this situation. War is about the flow――in that sense they are wise soldiers."

Orkana answered.

He slashed his way onto the wall, and in less than half a koku was able to reach the gate.

When the gates opened and their soldier poured in, the enemies who had been guarding the castle walls also fled as if they had realized what was happening.

They realized their disadvantage as soon as the gate opened and turned to defend the east and west sections――not a bad move if one thought about it that way.

Once the avalanche had swept through, any resistance would have been nothing more than a drop in the bucket.

“But well, I understand your concern. You think this might be on purpose, right?”

“Yeah, The north\'s strength was originally thin compared to the east and south. Considering that it might have been a strategy to conserve the city, the attack on the inner wall might be a difficult task.”

From the beginning, the enemy had assumed that it would be impossible to defend and that the outer wall would be broken through――that possibility was not impossible.

If that was the case, the attack on the inside side could be quite a challenge.

“If defense was impossible, then retreat without exerting yourself――this the easy breakthrough was reasonable if such orders were given beforehand.”

“We should be on the lookout for ambush soldiers.”

"Ah. The general can only see what\'s in front of him. We need――"

“――Corps commander”

It was a messenger from Meade\'s main camp who appeared on horseback.

In his hand he held something that looked like a round pot the size of a fist.

"... What\'s the matter?"

"Yes. These things are scattered all over the city... I checked, and it seems there\'s something like magic crystals and scrap iron inside..."

Meaded took it, and Orkana looked around.

On the wall of the road and in the alleys――similar jars are visible everywhere.

They hadn\'t paid much attention because Meade and the others had passed through the artisan district, but the word ‘magic crystals’ made Orkana frown.

He kicked over a nearby water jug, and from inside, nails and scrap iron appear, along with fist-sized magic crystals.

"What is this...?"

"...Very delicate engravings. A magician might understand something if shown, but I can\'t comprehend it――"

Just as he was about to say something, a scream-like voice rang out.

Hearing the word "Alberinea," he looked in the direction of the voice.

A silver-haired girl riding on a Suiko, wearing a black coat.

On the clock tower.

From there, the Suiko leapt into the sky, as if eating the moon rising in the sky.

The girl scattered something glowing blue from her bag on her shoulder.

"...!?"

Countless magic crystals flew out in all directions around her.

The crystals blinked and flashed regularly, their brilliance masking even the darkness of night.

The earth, too, gave off a blue glow as if in response.

The darkness of the alley, the main road where Meade and the other were.

And the magic crystal that they hold in their hands.

――All of them swelled with blue light.

In Elsren, there was a teaching called Leine\'s Paradise.

After death, the soul was led to a paradise in paradise, where it would be reborn and attains eternal happiness――a teaching handed down to the people through the paintings of the first emperor, Elsleine.

The fat and corrupt priests and the commandments conveniently created by them.

Everyday lives of oppression and exploitation, inequality and poverty.

There was no one who had no thoughts about it.

However, they still believe in the belief that they will be led to paradise after death.

If they endure suffering in this life, happiness would one day come to them after death.

They would be led to paradise.

Such teachings were their salvation.

That was why this scene was even a kind of sacred scene.

――The blue pillar of light reached up to the sky with a furious sound of explosion.

Nearly 20,000 soldiers entered the northern section of Wolfenheit.

In just a moment, she guided more than half of them to the paradise they believed in.