novelraw Chapter 142: Iberica - The Fall of Porto
Chapter 142: Iberica - The Fall of Porto
The long Iberica War concluded the following spring.
The southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, near Porto.
The allied forces of the tribes allied with Porto were facing an enemy like a tidal wave.
The artillery brought by the Revolutionary Army roared to life, unleashing an earth-shattering din as they fired in unison.
Porto had brought its own artillery, but it was child's play compared to the Revolutionary Army's artillerymen, systematically trained through the Grandecole system and seasoned by wars against the Germania Empire and in Iberica.
With overwhelming accuracy and rate of fire, the Revolutionary Army's artillery mercilessly battered the allied forces' already faltering battle line.
“Forward, brothers! The liberation of Iberica is at hand! Al-ardho!”
“Akbar!”
The one-eyed Karok urged them on from the front. The army, a mix of Orcs, Goblins, and Humans, was united after the long war and roared back in one voice, boosting their morale.
Beside them, men in the blue uniforms of the Revolutionary Army advanced together.“Attack, forward! Only attack! Show them the valor of the Revolutionary Army!”
Nicolas Nere rode his horse just behind the battle line, shouting encouragement, while the Line Infantry of the Revolutionary Army marched forward in neat ranks and files.
“The 5th Regiment is falling behind. Have the 6th Regiment move in to fill the line.”
“Yes, Your Excellency the Count!”
The Revolutionary Army moved as one under the command of Damien De Millbeau, who observed the formation through a telescope and issued timely orders, and Giselle Davi, who flawlessly advised him and executed his commands.
And above all else.
“Uahahahaha! Let us wash the influence of the demons from this land! Follow me!”
With a thunderous cry, a colossal Orc charged across the earth, stomping with a speed that rivaled the cavalry. It was King Kroxx, whose very presence bolstered the morale of the Brothers of Iberica.
All of this caused the allied forces to shrink back.
The generals of Porto and the chieftains of the allied tribes, pushed to the point of no retreat, watched the battlefield with worried faces.
The moment arrows flew toward each other's lines and muskets spat fire.
“Uwoooooh—!”
With a great roar, Kroxx leaped high into the air and slammed down on the ground, instantly shattering the allied battle line. The very next moment, the earth trembled and the sound of thousands of galloping hooves began to fill the air.
“The-The cavalry is already here!”
“What is the meaning of this! What happened to Chieftain Croakan, who was supposed to stop their cavalry—”
The allied command was thrown into instant chaos.
“At this rate, our flank will be hit and we’ll be routed immediately! We have to do something!”
“How? What do you mean how! We have no reserve units or anything left, what are we supposed to do!”
“This is why I said Porto should have handled the cavalry!”
“What? Are you blaming us now? Wasn't it Chieftain Croakan’s job to block them in the first place? Where did that barbarian bastard go!”
The questions of the allied command, on the verge of splintering, were answered in a flash by the cavalry's appearance.
Because Marquis Lafayette, leading the cavalry charge, held Chieftain Croakan's flag.
“Ah, ahh….”
All the allied command could do was sigh in despair.
Overwhelmed by helplessness, they could only watch as Marquis Lafayette's cavalry charged into the flank of their main force, already deep in battle.
With the Heavy Cavalry, led by Marquis Lafayette and Gaston, tearing into the flank of the allied forces, already struggling against the fierce frontal assault, their battle line quickly began to collapse.
Witnessing this, the allied commanders fell to their knees, their faces devastated.
“It’s over….”
“W-we have to run.”
Finally, from the resigned allied camp, the sound of a retreat horn echoed, and the commanders began to prepare their hasty escape.
However—
“H-Hiiik—!”
“Kraaaang—!”
“Uwaaaak!”
Led by Ostel, a group of Beastmen suddenly appeared, charging on all fours and instantly tearing into the guards. Soon after, Chasseurs emerged from the hill, leveling their carbines to block their path.
“Whew~ Where are you all off to in such a hurry.”
“This can’t be….”
“I am a kind gentleman, so I shall give you a choice. Will you surrender, or will you die with honor?”
Anyone who sought honor would already have died on a previous battlefield.
Facing the men who threw down their weapons and raised their hands, their morale completely broken, Jerome Morelle glanced at the shattered and routed enemy's main force and smirked.
“Looks like we’ll finally be saying goodbye to this peninsula’s awful weather.”
*
The final decisive battle of Iberica ended anticlimactically.
It was hardly surprising, given their heavy reliance on the demons, but I was quite relieved, secretly worried about further demonic intervention.
It would have been a headache to fight Paimon or Gremory again.
It seems Abyss Corporation decided it was a lost cause and pulled out the moment the Drone army collapsed. Those bastards are ridiculously fast when it comes to cutting their losses.
…Or perhaps, Gremory's influence played a part.
“Good work, General Morel.”
“Whew~ Well, wasn’t it the easiest and sweetest role? Hahaha!”
I gave a slight smile to the witty Morel and looked down at the captured generals from Port Harbor and the chieftains who had colluded with them, all bound and scowling.
Kroxx would decide their fate, I figured.
Just then, a voice filled with indignation called out.
“Marquis Lafayette, have you no shame?”
I turned my head and asked.
“About what?”
“Are we not brothers who share the same faith! Instead of helping your brothers in faith, you became a puppet for the infidels and destroyed the last bastion that protected our faith in Iberica!”
“Hah.”
I looked the man up and down. He was a mess, but clearly clad in expensive clothes, and shouted with veins bulging on his neck.
“That's strange. Was there a teaching in the scripture that told you to sell humans to demons?”
“They were infidels! Unbelievers who betrayed their brothers in faith deserved to be among the demons!”
“Hmm….”
In him, I saw the shadow of those who shouted that anyone opposing the National Assembly was an enemy of the Republic.
In the end, are people all the same, no matter where you go?
Seeing my silence, the man grew bold and shouted.
“Iberica will now become a den for corrupt infidels and lowly barbarians!”
“I’ve heard enough!”
“Ugh!”
The man fell screaming.
The funny thing was, it wasn't my subordinates who had struck him.
An Orc from Port Harbor’s allied tribes had headbutted the man and fumed as he shouted.
“Don’t you dare call us barbarians! Do you think we wanted to fight alongside the likes of you! If not for what our ancestors did, I would have preferred to be with them!”
I smirked.
What a mess.
As I dismounted, the Orc chieftain who had shouted so boldly flinched and stepped aside.
It seemed that after leading the cavalry on countless rampages, my name had become well-known to them too.
“If you truly thought so, you should have corrected the mistakes of your ancestors long ago. The King Kroxx I know would not have refused a man who sought to take responsibility for his misdeeds, however late.”
“Th-that is…!”
Seeing the Orc unable to answer properly, I said.
“Crying out your belated anger at your own side only after being defeated here makes you no different. If you truly had the courage, you should have defied the demons long ago.”
I walked past the speechless Orc and approached the man groaning on the ground.
“Ugh, ughh….”
I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, lifted him, then set him down. As the man struggled to regain his balance, I whispered to him.
“I know from experience that whether you can trust someone or not has nothing to do with their lip service about faith or whatever. You have to look at their actions.”
“B-Blasphemous—Hiik!”
Seeing the man make a strange sound, I glanced to the side.
Kroxx, his muscular body covered in blood and still breathing, was approaching with a vicious smile.
Oh, even I think that's a bit scary.
I smirked and whispered again.
“In my eyes, they were simply better. Even as infidels, they were consistent and kept their honor, unlike you lot who act like bats, doing anything for money. And here’s a piece of advice: if you want to live, you’d do well not to use words like 'barbarian' or 'infidel' in front of that fellow.”
Though judging by his expression, he probably wouldn't dare utter a peep to Kroxx.
I patted the shoulder of the man, who was now completely terrified and stiff as a board, and turned away.
*
With its main force annihilated and having lost the will to resist, Porto avoided a siege and surrendered immediately.
While Kroxx entered Porto and intimidated its leadership into signing the surrender documents, Kroxx's confidants and I entered as the vanguard and freed the slaves held captive.
And a short while later.
Amid the cheers of the liberated slaves from Porto and the Brothers of Iberica who had entered first, the troops who had finished clearing the battlefield began to arrive one by one.
I was smiling faintly at the magnificent procession of those who had successfully led the entire Iberica campaign to victory when the next person entered, and my brow furrowed slightly.
“Long live His Excellency, Count Damien De Millbeau!”
Damien De Millbeau was marching with his nose held high, a broad smile on his face as he waved to the crowd.
“The Master of Defense, General Millbeau….”
“The second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army who defeated even the Germania Empire…!”
I could see Demian's nose rise even higher at the praise coming from all sides.
Alright, up to that point, it's more or less a fact, or at least ambiguous enough not to deny.
He had certainly performed brilliantly and made significant contributions, and according to the reports from Giselle Davi and his subordinates, Demian's performance in Iberica was worthy of high praise.
He had surprised me by actively contributing his opinions in strategy meetings, and had even rushed into a dangerous allied battle line to personally encourage the troops, buying time for the unit to regroup.
Seeing him change so drastically, to the point where it was hard to believe he was the same man steeped in laziness and self-preservation, it seemed he had undergone a change of heart...
“Ooh, the Guardian of Dilrus…!”
At that damned title, the corner of my mouth twitched involuntarily.
Strictly speaking, all Demian did was hold his ground as instructed in the operation I planned, and it was I who defeated Paimon and subdued the Drones.
But all the residents of Dilrus saw of me was my unconscious form being carried away after being swept up in the Mana Storm following the suppression of Paimon. The one who had actually fought alongside them in the city streets was Demian.
Perhaps because of that, at least to the residents of Dilrus, Damien De Millbeau had become a more popular figure in the Revolutionary Army than I.
I felt an unbearable sense of displeasure.
…It stung. Badly.
My thoughts were short-lived, however, as Demian, spotting me while marching, promptly leaped off his horse and scurried over.
“Oh, Your Excellency the Marquis! Congratulations on the victory! I, Damien De Millbeau, have been praying only for the safe victory of Your Excellency the Marquis!”
…Since when were you so concerned about me.
“My victory and the victory of the Revolutionary Army were only possible because of Your Excellency the Marquis! All this praise being showered upon me is also praise for Your Excellency the Marquis, is it not? Hahaha!”
Regardless of my sour expression, Demian shamelessly heaped on the flattery, his face blooming with a wide smile.
Right, there are people watching…
I, too, forced an awkward smile and patted his shoulder.
“Yes, you’ve worked hard, Count Milbeau. Your brilliant dedication in Iberica will be an example to the Revolutionary Army.”
Demian grinned from ear to ear and chattered on with almost burdensome friendliness.
“However great my contributions, how could they possibly compare to those of Your Excellency the Marquis! I, Damien De Millbeau, will continue to place my faith in Your Excellency the Marquis to lead us to victory and offer my loyalty!”
In the past, he would heap flattery on my face while slacking off behind my back, his reluctance to fight painfully obvious, allowing me to use him as I pleased. But with him now fighting hard while acting this way, it was awkward to treat him harshly.
In the end, I could only nod with an awkward smile.
“Ye-yes. I look forward to your future endeavors...”
“Yes! Your Excellency, Marquis Lafayette!”
Damien De Millbeau turned away, and with a look that screamed, 'Did you see that? Did you see? This is how I became Marquis Lafayette's right hand, you bastards! Worship me!', he preened and waved to his cheering subordinates.
I glanced at Giselle Davi, who was watching Demian with an incredibly complex, subtle expression, then let out a small sigh.
You can't spit on a smiling face.
That bastard Demian… he’s grown stronger in a strange way.
At that moment, a roar of cheers erupted.
I turned my gaze to see Kroxx holding the signed surrender document high and shouting.
“Brothers of Iberica, Brothers of Francia! We are victorious!”
“King Kroxx! King Kroxx!”
“Today, we have finally liberated Iberica from the demons and the traitors who colluded with them!”
“Waaaaaaaah—!”
Amid the cheers of the crowd, Kroxx grinned at me, and I answered with a small smile of my own.
-Next time we meet, I trust we will do so under the proud name of the Brothers of Iberica.
-Uahaha, excellent! Farewell, my brother!
It was a long way around, but in the end, it was achieved.
Kroxx took a deep breath and shouted so loudly that the entire city of Porto reverberated.
“Brothers! Your king speaks! From this day forth, we shall call this land the Iberian Brotherhood!”
The goal set for the two years Krafte had given.
The Iberica War was over.