MTLNOVEL Chapter 209
209. The Perception Of Danger Is A Talent, Isn’t It?
At Golden Dawn, the first large-scale conflict between humans began after the collapse of the old civilization.
Of course, there had been wars involving hundreds of people before, but this was the first time both sides had forces exceeding tens of thousands.
First, let’s take a look at the imperial army that survived.
A white dove flying around Golden Dawn moved to a bald old man and perched on his hand.
“This is bad!”
The one who shouted softly was Merdula Duras, a bald old man preparing a group ritual magic at the very rear of the imperial army.
He had been observing through his familiar, the dove, but the moment the familiar approached Golden Dawn, it was caught by the enemy’s detection magic. And it was a pretty powerful one at that.
The next moment, he thought the familiar would be killed, but it was left alone.
There was only one reason why they noticed but let it go. The enemy wanted to show off their strength. The fact that the familiar was a dove with no offensive capabilities probably played a big part too.
Merdula shuddered.
Because surrounding the young lord of Elixir were some seriously dangerous people.
First, there was the woman in an old-fashioned mage style who easily detected his familiar, bearing a crest he had never seen before.
Though Merdula wasn’t a herald, he had memorized most of the crests discovered so far, but he had no recollection of hers. Moreover, judging by its brilliance, it undoubtedly harbored terrifying power.
“That’s definitely a top-tier crest… probably of the legendary class.”
He had heard that the enemy had a Twilight Alchemist. That alone was a threat, but the fact that there were two top-tier crests terrified Merdula.
It was safe to say that the alchemist of twilight was involved in building this absurd castle and bridge. At this point, their chances of winning were already slim. And now, with a legendary-class mage added to the mix…
“This is bad.”
Merdula unconsciously muttered again.
“Master, wh-what should we do?”
One of his disciples, who had also been observing the enemy with a small animal familiar, turned pale and pressed Merdula for an answer.
“There’s only one answer to that. The problem lies with that bee man.”
Merdula sent the dove flying again, this time to observe the bee man, who was on their side. And he shuddered.
The bee man had declared himself a “demon.”
Fortunately, the bee man quickly left the front lines, so Merdula didn’t hesitate.
“We’re surrendering. I don’t know if they’ll really spare us, but staying here means certain death! And that troublesome bee advisor is gone too!”
“Yes! We will follow you, Master!”
“Stop with the brave talk. You just don’t want to die.”
“Of course, that’s part of it.”
“Good. Honesty is appreciated. Now, everyone, use enhancement magic and retreat across the bridge!”
“Yes!!!”
Thus, the magic unit stationed at the rear quickly retreated, and the imperial soldiers, who had been hesitating, ignored the charge order and fled, following the magic unit.
After running back across Dawn Bridge for several hours, they were met by a group of Mizuho warriors.
Thinking they were about to be ambushed, Merdula understood everything when he saw the person waiting at the front.
“If I’m not mistaken, you are Masamune St. Clair. So, your betrayal was part of the plan, wasn’t it?”
When Merdula sighed and extended his hand, Masamune, the one who had led the empire to Dawn Bridge, shook it.
“Few records remain, but in the era when humans fought each other, there were some truly vicious strategies. The Mizuho region was filled with small states, so I’m somewhat familiar with such tactics.”
Psychological warfare was something you could never learn by only fighting monsters.
“Now, Masamune. What will become of us?”
“Kyle-sama is merciful to those who surrender. We’re currently transporting food by steamship, so please wait here quietly until the war ends.”
“Understood.”
Thus, the lives of over ten thousand soldiers were spared.
Meanwhile, the imperial army that had begun the attack on Golden Dawn was in chaos.
First, a third of their forces deserted. Right from the start, they lost ten thousand soldiers. And the magic unit, their strongest force, was the first to go.
Even though they knew it would be difficult to take the castle, losing the unit capable of breaking through the gates must have thrown the commanding general into a panic.
Still, the general swallowed his emotions and reorganized the troops.
“Send the catapult units (mobile siege weapons) that are already assembled to attack the gates! Hurry up with the assembly of the Trebuchet (stationary large siege weapons)! Bring out the battering ram!”
Judging that a prolonged battle was impossible, the general deployed all available siege weapons.
But neither the battering ram made from a giant log nor the catapults launching multiple head-sized stones could break through Golden Dawn’s gates.
The walls were made of some mysterious stone, so they had given up on destroying them from the start. But the gates were wooden. There was a chance.
“Maybe if the Trebuchet is assembled…”
The general muttered.
He convinced himself that the Trebuchet, capable of launching boulders the size of a man, could break through even the sturdiest gate.
Most of the siege weapons were carried by those with “spatial storage,” dispersed among the troops. Though not as absurdly capacious as Craft’s, the elite magic corps had several mages with significant storage capacity.
Of course, those mages were the first to flee, but at least they left their cargo behind, which was a small mercy.
In such a situation, even the competent general failed to notice. Not a single arrow was flying towards the desperate imperial army.
★
In the castle’s command room.
Dozens of clerks were busily analyzing the battle situation.
At the very back of the room sat Kyle, the lord, flanked by King Vaindeck and Muten, the living god of the Mizuho Divine Kingdom, both grappling with the flood of documents.
Kyle picked up one of the documents.
“So, about a third of the imperial army has retreated, right?”
Zaid, the lead clerk, responded.
“Yes. Currently, Masamune-dono is in command.”
Zaid maintained his formal tone as a clerk, not his usual brotherly demeanor, which made Kyle slightly uncomfortable.
“Are there any imperial soldiers likely to surrender?”
“None.”
Zaid stated firmly.
He had to be firm to move forward.
“…Understood. Tell Alphard to begin.”
“Understood.”
Zaid bowed and instructed the messengers, then returned to his desk piled with reports.
Alphard, the supreme commander, acted immediately upon receiving the order.
“They must realize they’re trapped, yet they still attack. I admire their resolve, but they’ve wounded our Golden Dawn. They must face the consequences.”
Alphard looked down at the imperial army, lightly brushing aside the arrows flying towards him.
“They don’t seem to realize why we paved the square, where the enemy is expected to gather, with cobblestones.”
Why cobblestones instead of alchemically hardened stone?
Cobblestones are sturdy, but with tens of thousands of troops marching, they sink slightly and shift. It’s only natural with heavy siege weapons. Moreover, most imperial soldiers carry heavy equipment.
Every time the cobblestones shift slightly, a highly viscous substance seeps out from the gaps.
It was the large quantity of birdlime Craft had mass-produced.