I Don’t Need a Guillotine for My Revolution

Chapter 216: Abyssal Holy War - Sunless Island (1)

Episode 216. Abyssal Holy War - The Island Where the Sun Doesn't Rise (1)

A mere two hours after departing from the naval port of Bretagne.

In that short time, we had gone from safe territory to the domain of demons, shrouded in a purple mist.

At the sight of the ominous coast, enveloped in the purple mist, everyone, even the Paladin Order Commander Alejandro, swallowed dryly.

It was also why, despite Christine and Admiral Lee having scouted the coastal terrain as much as possible, they had failed to grasp anything beyond the shore.

The mist fundamentally limited visibility, and stepping onto a battlefield with limited visibility was a burden on the soldiers in itself.

What was fortunate was that the mist seemed to thin as it approached the coast, so at least visibility was properly secured on the shoreline...

But conversely, the problem was that we wouldn't know what it was like just a little way past the shore.

"Hmm, can't that mist be dispersed somehow with Admiral Lindsay's celestial magic?"

"We tried, but it was only for a moment, and it was quickly covered in mist again.""Tsk, how annoying."

Nevertheless, what covered this coast today was not that terrifying fleet of demons.

The sight of the ships-of-the-line from Francia, the Eastern Empire, the Iberian Brotherhood, and the Northern Allied Kingdom virtually blanketing the coast showed our clear superiority.

"Prepare for bombardment!"

"All gunports open, prepare to fire!"

Dureng repeated Christine's order, and the flag signal was transmitted to each ship.

As if my concerns were not misplaced, a considerable number of Drones were lined up on the coast, but—

"Fire!"

Before the naval guns, a caliber different from the Army's cannons, and the barrage from hundreds of guns fired simultaneously by the ships-of-the-line, such things were meaningless.

As rockets were added to the successive bombardments, flying with a Pshooo- sound, the Drones, incapable of even taking cover, were instantly blown to pieces.

"Oh, ooooh...! What a magnificent sight!"

This was definitely fine.

If the soldiers had first seen Drones rushing at them right after landing, even if they knew about them from intelligence reports, seeing that grotesque movement for the first time would have immediately filled them with visual terror.

However, the soldiers currently on the landing craft are witnessing with their own eyes the Drones being torn to shreds by the barrage from the ships-of-the-line.

Seeing beforehand that they are an enemy that can be destroyed will greatly reduce their psychological fear.

Ten-odd minutes passed, preparing for the landing while the ships-of-the-line continued their shore bombardment.

"His Excellency the Marquis Lafayette, the first landing unit is ready!"

The first landing unit.

Damien De Millbeau and the Paladin Order Commander Alejandro would lead the landing.

"Brother, are you truly alright with yielding the glory of the first landing?"

"Of course. I will go with the second landing unit for the sake of making judgments in an emergency. It would be a disaster if I landed rashly and there was a delay in relaying orders to the Navy."

"Ooh, such a sense of responsibility...! I will be sure to remember you yielding this glory. Then, I shall trust you, brother, and go first."

What kind of glory is there in just landing? Victory is the only glory.

It was simply that I couldn't be on the front lines when I had no idea what might happen, as it would make it difficult to command the whole.

Thanks to my record of defeating Barbatos single-handedly, at least no one thought the Commander-in-Chief was a coward for not taking the lead.

Should I consider this fortunate?

I turned my gaze to the distance, seeing Damien De Millbeau, who looked anxious even from here, and beside him, Giselle Davi, diligently scanning the shore with a telescope.

Then I turned my gaze to Christine, who was also busy scanning here and there with a telescope, and spoke softly.

"Louis will land with me."

"Ah, yes."

Christine flinched slightly, then gave an awkward smile.

Louis probably wanted to land with Davie, but the first landing unit was quite high-risk, so the entire Magic Corps was moved to the second wave.

If we lost the Magic Corps, the construction of the gate would be a failure from the start, so there was no choice. Of course, I also didn't want to make Christine experience loss again.

We stood on the deck of the ship-of-the-line, which shook with each bombardment, and maintained our silence for a while.

The Drones on the shore had almost all been shattered, but we could still sporadically see some getting destroyed as they approached the coast.

"...This is tense."

As I watched the landing craft almost reach the shore and spoke quietly, Christine slowly turned her gaze to me and replied.

"Me too."

The landing craft finally touched down, and while Damien De Millbeau hesitated, Paladin Order Commander Alejandro leaped out with the flag of the Holy Theocracy and planted it in the beach.

Only after seeing that did Millbeau and the Revolutionary Army hastily disembark, plant Francia's flag, and erupt in cheers.

"...Hah."

It's only the beginning, and they're already making such a fuss.

A bitter laugh mixed with relief escaped me at the absurdity.

Even as the first landing unit finished disembarking one after another, there were no suspicious signs at all.

It seems there were no particular traps on the coast, at least.

"His Excellency the Marquis Lafayette, the first landing unit has completed its landing!"

"Right, good work. We shall land as well."

"Yes, sir!"

The staff officer ran off.

"...Pierre."

Christine called to me softly.

She seemed to be trying to smile at me, but it was clear she wasn't succeeding.

What should I do?

Politician, merchant, and Admiral. She had performed every role she took on better than anyone could have.

Starting with the Northern Allied Kingdom she brought in, there were fewer parts of the Revolutionary Army's war effort that her hand hadn't touched.

She had won a naval battle against a formidable foe from Abyss Corporation, and she had helped me by neatly resolving not only the landing operation that was stalling due to political issues but also the problem of command authority after the landing.

Nevertheless, to her, who in the end could do nothing but wait while sending me into a death trap once again.

How am I supposed to reassure her?

After thinking for a moment, I gave a wry smile and spoke.

"I wonder if Leon and Fleur will even remember our faces."

Christine's eyes widened, then she let out a small laugh and replied.

"I wonder."

Dumont and the nanny are surely raising them well, but as for us, their parents, we were so busy with public and private affairs that we rarely showed our faces.

"Still, Christine. When those children are a little older, don't you think they'll be able to be proud of us?"

-If I have children, I want to let them hear good stories, so they can grow up being proud of me.

The goal she had set when she married me, having lost her mother early and grown up unloved by her father.

Christine must have recalled it too, as she smiled softly and answered.

"And you loved me."

-You don't have to console me, Pierre. Instead, please love me.

"Yes. I will love you more in the future. Our children, too. So..."

I pulled Christine into an embrace and gave her a light kiss.

As I pulled away after just brushing my lips against hers, which she had naturally closed her eyes for, like two birds tapping their beaks, Christine slowly opened her eyes with a slightly dissatisfied expression.

"When this is over, we'll continue."

Christine looked at me for a long moment with a dumbfounded expression, then replied softly.

"Then I'll scold you."

I smiled at her, then leaped down to the landing craft.

*

Christine and Admiral Lee truly kept their promise, pouring down shore bombardment until the entire force had finished landing.

Thanks to that, besides sporadic engagements with a few tattered Drones that managed to reach the shore through the rain of shells, the landing force was able to complete the landing safely.

To be honest, I had been prepared for significant troop losses during the landing phase.

There is nothing more vulnerable to attack than a unit in the middle of a landing.

And yet, succeeding in the landing so absurdly easily was all the more questionable.

The demons of Abyss Corporation couldn't have been unaware of how effective it is to attack a landing force.

It wasn't for nothing that Christine had diligently scouted and chosen the battlefield best suited for shore bombardment support, pouring in expensive shells indiscriminately.

So why did they allow the landing so easily?

Was it because they were concerned about damage from the shore bombardment?

"Well now, even if we had landed the warhorses first, there would have been no opportunity for a glorious charge. The demon bastards must have fled in fear of our Paladin Order! Hahaha!"

That's what Alejandro thinks, but there's no way that's true.

At the very least, the Great Demons I had encountered were not beings who would fear mere human knights.

"His Excellency the Marquis Lafayette! The entire force has finished assembling!"

I stared at the land shrouded in purple mist, where the visibility was barely 100 meters at best.

...At this point, racking my brains over it wouldn't yield any answers anyway.

The soldiers were already anxious because of that strange mist; if I acted indecisively, they would only become more agitated.

"Hmph, alright. Our destination is the hill designated for the rendezvous. Advance."

"Yes, sir! Relaying the order for the entire force to advance!"

The sound of a trumpet echoed, and the military band began to march, beating their drums.

"This is an unpleasant land, brother."

Hearing Kroxx's words, I lowered my gaze to the utterly desolate earth.

Perhaps because of the faint purple mist covering the sky, there was almost no proper vegetation on the ground, which looked purple as if it were contaminated.

The moss-covered earth gave off an unsettling feeling that was somehow chilling just to look at.

"Commander Millbeau, let's dispatch a messenger first. Since we can't confirm with the naked eye because of the fog, let's keep in constant contact and coordinate a time to join up."

"Ah, I understand, Your Excellency the Marquis!"

Damien De Millbeau immediately gave the order, and soon a mounted messenger was dispatched, overtaking us and disappearing beyond the mist.

And 30 minutes later.

There was no news.

...The Navy couldn't see this far inland, but the terrain didn't require any major detours.

Looking at the map, the hill we set as our rendezvous point was a distance that could be reached within two hours of landing at the latest, from either their side or ours.

The commanders on that side are Jill von Leonhardt of the Germania Empire and General Scharnhorst of Krafte.

It's a shame that King Heinrich I himself couldn't come with the vanguard, but Jill is one thing, and I'd heard General Scharnhorst was also a young, promising talent.

They weren't the sort of people who couldn't complete a march on time just because of a little fog.

Perhaps because of the ever-present mist, an unpleasant stickiness kept irritating my throat.

"...Commander Millbeau. Send another messenger."

"Ah, I understand. Your Excellency the Marquis Lafayette."

Damien De Millbeau sent another messenger, his face slightly frightened.

This messenger kept looking back at us as he galloped away, before disappearing beyond the mist.

And a moment later.

A terrible scream echoed out.

"Hup!"

"W-what was that!"

Oh, damn it!

"Do not waver! All troops, into battle formation! Prepare for battle!"

"P-prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!"

The soldiers, who had been stretched out in a marching formation, scurried about, and the artillerymen frantically set down their cannons, creating a scene of chaos.

Damn it, what the hell is happening on this damned island!

I immediately spurred my horse and moved forward a little.

"Gasp, Y-Your Excellency the Marquis! It's dangerous!"

I narrowed my eyes, but even with a knight's eyesight, I couldn't see beyond that damned mist.

My range of vision just increased a little—

Thud.

But my sensitive ears caught a distinct noise.

From afar.

Thud.

Familiar and regular.

Thud.

An unpleasantly precise sound, the likes of which a living army's march could never produce.

"All Artillery Corps, prepare for grapeshot fire!"

"Y-yes?"

Thud.

"All Artillery Corps, prepare for grapeshot fire!"

While Millbeau was panicking, Giselle Davi quickly repeated my order and readied the artillery corps.

"Louis d'Aquitaine!"

Thud.

"Y-yes! Your Excellency the Marquis—"

"Summon wind to the front!"

"Ah, I understand!"

As Louis frantically drew a magic circle and focused his mind, a wind like the one that had blown away the debris in the city of Barua scattered the mist.

And then, the forms of the enemies were finally revealed to everyone's eyes.

Thud.

"H-huuugh!"

The military forces of what looked to be at least several thousand Drones, stepping out from beyond the mist.

The regular footsteps stopped all at once, and in the next moment.

"Brace for a charge!"

As soon as I shouted, the Drones began to sprint at full speed, swinging their arms.