novelraw Chapter 136: Iberica - The Defense of Dilrus (2)
Chapter 136: Iberica - The Defense of Dilrus (2)
With the defensive battle at Dilrus decided, Paimon, whether from patience or incomplete adjustments, did not make a rash move.
During that time, the offensive from Port Harbor and the allied tribes continued, and the number of refugees only grew.
Eventually, even the fortress of Dilrus could not accommodate all the refugees, and forcing them into the barren lands of Northern Iberica in winter was out of the question.
Kroxx was particularly troubled by those too young or old to be mobilized for labor in the city battles, so I devised another solution.
“It’s been a while, Colonel Ocon.”
Because he hadn't ignored Kroxx when he came to negotiate and properly reported it, Jean Ocon, now overseeing the entire Southern Mountains defense line, saluted me respectfully.
“It is an honor to see you again, Your Excellency Marquis Lafayette!”
“Yes, thank you for coming on time. I trust you will do well in the mission of taking in the residents of Iberica and temporarily sheltering them.”
“Yes, sir! The Southern Mountains Garrison will never disappoint Your Excellency!”
I gave a slight smile to Ocon, who replied with considerable reliability.It felt like just yesterday I'd seen him trembling before Kroxx, but that was already several years ago.
“Yes, I’m counting on you.”
I watched as Ocon, after saluting me again, inspected the residents who had already been prepared and issued various instructions.
In the end, the choice I made was to evacuate them to the Southern Region of Francia for temporary shelter.
I couldn't just tell them to get through winter in the wastelands of Iberica after being driven from their homes. It was better for Francia, which had the capacity, to protect them temporarily.
I was a bit worried about the National Assembly’s reaction, but thanks to Eris and Christine's strong advocacy, it seemed to have been passed just in time.
I turned my back on Ocon and the refugees, and looked out at the massive urban area of Dilrus.
Humans, Orcs, Goblins, Beastmen.
Various races, soldiers and civilians alike, had all rolled up their sleeves and were bustling about, engaged in construction throughout the city.
With the work of the past fortnight, Dilrus was becoming a single, giant fortified city centered around the fortress.
It was quite a sight, almost making me think this is what it would look like if the entire Lumiere urban area were to be fortified.
Despite the concern on their faces, I felt a novel sensation seeing them filled with more determination and fighting spirit than worry.
If Lumiere faced such a crisis, would the people of Francia unite and confront it so resolutely?
Was Kroxx's popularity that great, or was it the will to protect the nation and freedom they had built with their own hands?
Or perhaps it was a solidarity possessed only by those who grew up in the harsh lands of Iberica.
As I was lost in thought, a yellow butterfly approached me, flying through the sky as if dancing.
As it drew closer, I saw it had brilliant wings mixed with yellow and black.
I chuckled. A butterfly in the middle of winter.
When I held out my hand, the fluttering butterfly came and landed on it—and I felt the surrounding air change.
I glanced around. It was the same urban area of Dilrus, but the residents who had filled it were gone.
No, it wasn’t that the residents had disappeared, but that I’d been brought to a different space.
She was clearly far away, yet I had wondered how she could hide so well in my dreams. So this was how.
To think she could pull me into the world of dreams even while I was wide awake.
A high-ranking demon of CEO-level, indeed.
“Guess who~ Ack!”
I snatched the two hands that stretched out from behind me, trying to cover my eyes.
“O-Ouch, that hurts!”
Hearing the scream behind me, I let go of the arms I’d roughly grabbed and turned around.
“If you’re going to sneak up on someone from behind, you should be prepared to get hurt yourself.”
At my words, the golden succubus looked aggrieved, her eyes welling with tears.
“I was just trying to have a little fun, you’re so mean……”
Seeing her like this, she looked utterly pathetic for someone with such authority.
I deliberately spoke with a stiff expression.
“It doesn’t look harmless, and it’s not cute, so why don't you stop.”
At that, Gremory pouted and grumbled.
“……. Such a dry and cold-hearted human……”
“Ah, I’m only kind to my own people.”
When I replied with a smirk, Gremory narrowed her brow slightly and complained.
“I wish you’d bestow even a quarter of that kindness upon your temporary business partner……”
I lightly ignored her.
“So, the fact that you’ve come means.”
Hearing my words, Gremory finally nodded her head, and with a serious face, she spoke.
“Paimon has made his move, Marquis-nim. Prepare for the decisive battle.”
“Right, good. Now where……”
I'll know whether our ‘temporary business partner’ is truly trustworthy or not after this battle.
Though I hadn’t even said it out loud, Gremory, who had been blowing on the arm I had grabbed just a moment ago, puffed out her chest triumphantly and stuck up her nose.
“After this battle is over, you’ll treat me a little more gently and preciously.”
To this ridiculous succubus I replied with feigned regret.
“That’s not going to happen, someone has already claimed the spot for being treated gently and preciously.”
*
“There are too many people at the north gate! Disperse them to the west and east gates!”
“We’re short on spears! How many axes are left?”
The city of Dilrus, filled with an army of 50,000 including troops and civilian volunteers, was in a state of utter busyness.
Damien de Millbeau, Southern Army Commander of the Francia Revolutionary Army and deputy commander of the Iberica expeditionary force, watched the scene with a troubled expression.
“Do not be afraid, King Kroxx will lead you and be with you! For the freedom of our brothers! For the liberation of Iberica!”
At the shout of King Kroxx’s first confidant, One-eyed Karok, countless humans and barbarians roared in one voice.
“Long live King Kroxx!”
“Al-ardho Akbar!”
As Damien stared blankly at the scene his aide, Giselle Davi, who was following behind him, commented.
“What wonderful morale.”
But Damien de Millbeau just shook his head.
“They all look crazy to die.”
Giselle Davi looked a little displeased, but she kept her mouth shut.
She had learned from experience that saying one more word at times like this would only irritate her superior.
“To say they’ll stay and fight even after seeing those horrifying things, they’re all really not in their right minds……”
Damien muttered under his breath.
Whether he wanted it or not, he had played a major role in the war against the Empire.
In Francia, he had become something of a hero of the Revolutionary Army, and the title of Master of Defense had pleased him.
He had even regained some confidence he had lost after suffering consecutive defeats to Marquis Lafayette.
Even so, the ‘Drone,’ that thing the demons wielded, was an enemy he never wanted to see again, not even in his dreams.
It had been so horrifying that even he, with his extensive experience on numerous battlefields, had fallen into a complete panic and had been unable to make proper judgments.
The thought that he might end up like that if he were ever captured by the enemy gave him the chills.
Honestly, if he had his way he’d abandon the barbarians and infidels and bolt back to Francia.
But oblivious to Damien's troubled heart, an orc approached him cheerfully, his voice loud enough to shake the city streets.
“Oh, there you are! Hahahaha!”
Watching the giant orc approach quickly with thumping steps, Damien forced his face, which was about to crumple, into a smile.
“My, my, welcome, Your Majesty the King.”
“Mm! Count Millbeau! This Kroxx has heard of your great fame many times. I am glad to be able to defend our capital with you once again! Hahahaha! Let us fight an honorable battle together!”
“O-Of course, there can be no question……”
“Hahahaha, I look forward to seeing your prowess on the battlefield!”
Kroxx laughed heartily and walked away, thumping loudly again.
Watching the residents welcome Kroxx cheerfully, Damien clicked his tongue.
That damned Lafayette. He's leading a detached force again, and the most dangerous city defense is his lot once more.
Damien’s mouth twitched, and he called for Giselle.
“Hey, Davie.”
“Yes, Your Excellency the Count!”
“……Aren’t you scared? To fight those horrible things again.”
It was a question asked more out of habit than because he expected an answer from a mere officer, but Giselle seemed to think for a moment before answering bluntly.
“I am scared, Your Excellency.”
This impudent officer never minced her words. Damien, inwardly exasperated, asked again.
“Then why are you so composed?”
“Those things are scary, but ending up with nothing to show for it is scarier. That's why I want to achieve my dreams and gain honor.”
Hearing Giselle’s answer, Damien furrowed his brow slightly.
He had been like that once.
Count Millbeau.
The position he had wanted to seize his entire life, having been born the second son.
That position, which he had completely given up on after being repeatedly defeated by Marquis Lafayette, had ironically fallen into his hands because of Marquis Lafayette.
By killing his father and his brother.
Although the countship he had obtained that way became a mere title after he joined the Republic with that same Marquis Lafayette.
Giselle Davi is a commoner, and still very young.
That's why she says such things, not understanding the value of her own life.
Having been nothing to begin with, she wants to become something.
But he is different.
He wants to live, no matter what. That’s all that matters.
“You just don't know anything yet. None of that matters.”
To his surprise, Giselle, who he thought would immediately retort sassily, didn't reply. Damien turned his head to look at her.
Giselle Davi herself looked puzzled.
“But, Your Excellency.”
“What is it?”
“When you were praised for a victory, you were always very happy.”
“No, who doesn’t like that?”
“Then, if I may be so bold, Your Excellency, what do you plan to do when you leave the Revolutionary Army?”
“Huh? Well, that is…”
Once I'm out of the clutches of that damned Marquis Lafayette and Countess Aquitaine, what I want to do is... Damien, who was about to speak, stopped short.
He had never thought about it.
“As your messenger and aide, I have assisted you for a considerable amount of time, but I have never seen you enjoy any particular hobbies or do any other work outside of your military duties.”
Damien felt a little dazed.
He had often lazed about, neglecting his military duties, but if you were to ask if he really had any other hobbies or things he wanted to do outside of his military duties, the answer was no.
He had competed with his brother and tried to curry favor with his father, all because he wanted to become Count Millbeau.
All he had ever learned was the life of a lord and a knight of the Knight Kingdom.
But the countship he had obtained wasn't due to his efforts, and the power of the lord he had coveted did not even remain.
After that, he had just been dragged along by Marquis Lafayette all the way here.
As Damien stood there blankly, Giselle Davi asked again, with a genuinely uncomprehending expression.
“The position and fame you have in the Revolutionary Army are the envy of many soldiers, but if you were to lay down your fame as a Commander of the Revolutionary Army, what would be left, Your Excellency?”
Damien couldn’t answer at all.
*
On the outskirts of the Dilrus urban area.
Along the horizon, a wave, like the ocean, rolled in.
A truly unnatural and bizarre sight: the mechanical steps of an army that was neither living nor dead.
Encamped in the city, the Iberica-Francia Allied Forces swallowed hard, every last one of them.
The defenses of the city, sturdily fortified by tens of thousands of soldiers and residents, were as good as they could be.
The approaching ‘Drones’ numbered about 40,000.
Numerically, our side had the advantage, but we had a large number of citizen volunteer soldiers. Everyone was concerned that drones, which even warriors struggled to fight, were swarming in such numbers.
“Don’t be afraid! We have something to protect, so if we unite as one, we can surely do it!”
“Waaah!”
Amidst the soldiers' shouts responding to One-eyed Karok's encouragement, who was trying to salvage the atmosphere of the city even a little.
Looking down at the scene with a telescope from a watchtower on the fortress wall, Damien de Millbeau instructed Giselle Davi.
“Relay the order to the artillery to commence firing.”
“Yes, Your Excellency the Count!”
Giselle Davi ran down, and not long after, the cannons placed on the fortress wall began to spew fire, and the bombardment began.
Damien observed the Drones with his telescope.
Even seeing it again, it was a bizarre sight, a chilling, completely unified movement without the slightest error.
It was a horrifying sight, approaching as if nothing was wrong, even amidst the continuing bombardment and the pouring fire from our archery unit.
Licking his dry lips as he observed the scene, Damien frowned slightly.
“What is this, they have no siege weapons?”
In the previous battle, the Drones hadn't used any weapons like guns or cannons, only their bare hands.
Their bare hands were powerful enough, so maybe that was fine in a decisive battle.
But what they were trying to capture was not just a city, but a huge fortress.
To attack a fortress, shouldn't you have at least something, whether it be ladders, a battering ram, or cannons to break down the walls?
Whether Damien was lost in his question or not, the battle continued below the fortress walls.
Arrows were shot, muskets spewed fire.
Despite this, not many Drones fell; they steadfastly approached before assuming a sprinting posture in unison.
Watching the soldiers who had been guarding the barricades retreat like an ebbing tide, Damien swallowed hard.
The Drones came sprinting.
Fast, at a speed incomparable to the retreating soldiers.
But at the moment the rapidly approaching Drones had half caught up with the soldiers.
“Pop.”
As Damien made the sound with his mouth, the city buildings exploded along with the barricades, and pillars of fire shot up.
Many Drones charged through the flames, but their pursuit was delayed by the barricades, and as Kroxx’s army retreated, another explosion occurred.
-If my brothers remain, the city can be rebuilt even if it is destroyed!
The King nonchalantly uttered words that no one in Francia could have, and the residents obeyed, placing absolute trust in him.
Thanks to that, the gunpowder explosions, set to completely shatter the capital city, instantly incinerated the Drones.
We laid out many barricades in the city, deploying as if to fight a street battle while defending them, but the barricades were merely obstacles hindering the Drones’ pursuit.
As soon as the Drones started sprinting, Kroxx’s army ran without looking back, and the Drones pursuing them at full speed became sacrifices to the sequentially exploding conflagration, turning to ash.
-There is a clear limit to the number of Drones they possess.
That’s what Marquis Lafayette had said.
-The fact that those bastards, who had been acting as if they wanted coexistence with humans until now, deployed such a horrific weapon means that they are in a desperate situation. If we can avoid engagement with them as much as possible and inflict losses without anyone getting captured, their total forces will inevitably continue to decrease.
Damien sincerely prayed that was the case.
“……It’s hot.”
The heat from the consecutive explosions rocking the city was so intense that he could feel it even on top of the fortress, beyond the moat.
As Damien watched Kroxx's army flee the burning city and rush toward the fortress, he instructed Nicolas Nere, waiting beside him.
“I don’t know about humans, but those Drone bastards could probably break through those flames and follow. Order the Line Infantry to prepare covering fire from atop the fortress walls. Make sure they aim properly so they don’t shoot our allies.”
“Leave it to me, Your Excellency the Count!”
Nicolas Nere immediately ran down, and Damien anxiously watched as Kroxx’s army fled the burning city into the fortress.
Fortunately, after a few more explosions, the Drones also stopped their pursuit and halted.
The fortress gate was lowered beyond the moat, and seeing Kroxx and his soldiers safely flee into the fortress, Damien wiped his sweat-drenched forehead with his hand.
“Whew, it worked out somehow.”
The first phase of the operation, luring the Drones into the city and inflicting losses by delaying them with barricades and setting off explosions, had worked reasonably well.
He wasn’t sure of the exact number, but it seemed quite a few Drones had been burned, and if they hadn’t prepared siege weapons thinking they would be fighting a protracted street battle, they might be able to buy more time than expected.
A fortress of this size should buy them at least a few days, so all that was left was for Marquis Lafayette to do his part well—the moment Damien thought that.
“Uhhh?”
“Huh?”
Startled noises came from below.
“What is it?”
As Damien looked down, a scene that could only be described as bizarre was unfolding.
Beyond the flames that had barely subsided, the Drones were sprinting.
Towards the fortress wall.
“Wh-What—”
Since there was a moat right in front of the wall, what were they planning to do by charging at it?
As Damien watched, bewildered, the Drones sprinted and fell into the moat.
Splat-
Only the horrifying sound of bursting flesh echoed.
But the Drones’ charge did not end.
By the time the horrifying sounds of flesh hitting the ground, bursting, and another body hitting and bursting on top of it, echoed in succession.
“H-Hoo-eok……!”
It was only then that everyone realized what was happening.
The dolls, once human, once orc, but now the demons' puppets, ceaselessly sprinted, fell, and piled up.
They piled up, and piled up, and piled up.
And began to form a mountain of corpses.
“This is insane! Open fire! Tell the artillery to fire grapeshot! Shoot everything, guns, whatever! Stop that thing somehow!”
The soldiers, staring in a daze at the mountain of flesh being built by the infinite, suicidal chain of puppets—a sight that denied all human dignity—finally snapped to their senses when Damien screamed, and began to shoot.
“Fire! Fire!”
“Hurry up and reload! Don't let them get close!”
The non-commissioned officers and officers roared at the top of their lungs—
“All men to the walls! Prepare for battle!”
At Kroxx’s shout, the Orcs who had just barely made it inside the fortress came rushing back in a hurry.
The Drones' charge didn't stop, even when those in front were hit by grapeshot and blown to pieces, or when they fell to the hail of gunfire.
Even as they made a horrible crushing sound under the weight piling on top of them, the mountain of corpses, painstakingly built by the Drones, grew higher and higher, finally reaching the top of the fortress wall.
“U-Uwaaaaaaah!”
With a scream colored by terror, the Drones that had run up the mountain of corpses began to pour into the fortress all at once.