Chapter 93
It wasnt long after a distant shout had echoed.
A sneak attack in the rear tunnel by the enemy forces! About 20 enemy knights!
The soldiers urgent report followed.
Upon hearing the report, Logan broke into a smile.
Twenty, you say Good.
What?
The soldier who had reported the attack looked at Logan with a confused expression. Logan then turned his eyes to the battlefield and bellowed loudly.
All troops!!
As the eyes of the Maclaine soldiers focused on him, he commanded:
Charge!
Drawing his sword, Logan pointed toward the enemys fortress.
What?
The soldier who had reported the rear attack looked alternately at Logan and the rear, with a bewildered expression.
Uwaaaaah!
After more than half a day of tedious standoff, the Maclaine knights charged forward at that instant.
Following closely were the crossbow cavalry and infantry, and even Logan, who had given the command, joined in the charge.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
The base camp left behind hurled itself entirely towards the front.
What the Ah, never mind.
The soldier who had reported the ambush beheld the front and rear interchangeably before he, too, began sprinting toward the front.
Naturally, chaos ensued among the enemy forces as the significantly larger Maclaine forces began their charge.
Block them! Block them!
The sight of the enemy commander shouting from atop the ramparts looked pitiful compared to the panic of the enemy soldiers.
Despite the enemys frenzy of longbows unleashing arrows, they could not stop the charging Maclaine knights.
Ratatatatang.
A mere force of around 500 could not unseat even a single Maclaine knight with their haphazard volleys of arrows against over a hundred knights.
Watching the scene, Logan breathed a sigh of relief.
Half of their knights have pulled to the rear. This should be enough. Heinkel will handle them well.
Undoubtedly, he could at the very least tie down their forces here if not eliminate them entirely.
That was all that was needed for Logans stratagem.
We will dig tunnels to collapse the walls. To simply break the support beams from below with earth magic is not that demanding of a spell.
Although Clayton had proposed using earth magic and golem combinations to dig tunnels, which was a charming strategy, it seemed a bit rushed for the punctual end needed before Biprost reinforcements could arrive.
Even calculating optimistically, it seemed they might only collapse the walls right before the enemy reinforcements.
Therefore, Logan decided to use the tactic of revealing his hand in order to lure the enemy forces.
While making a mere show of shooting crossbows to divert attention.
What would you have done if the ploy failed to attract them?
Looking to the side, Logan saw a middle-aged magician exuding the aura of a valiant warrior, wearing armor suited for a soldier instead of his usual robe. He made a better magician in this attireClayton.
There was no way it wouldnt. They were too anxious facing vastly inferior numbers and trembling walls. Only a fool would remain idle in such a circumstance.
The vibrations of the wall were nothing but a bluff, a result of Claytons magic.
It was bait to lure the enemy, and the bait had succeeded splendidly.
Now we just have to seize the stronghold.
Logans fiery red eyes watched the Maclaine knights who had just reached the fortress walls.
Thump.
The first knights to arrive dealt a blow to the gates.
However, a forbidding grid of metal bars emerged from behind the slightly shattered gate debris.
The knights immediately turned back, seeing the barrier of iron bars designed to block the gate.
Rather than breach that, it would be easier to collapse the walls.
It was only a test thrust from the knights to begin with.
They quickly retreated and looked to Logan for direction.
There. There. There.
Sensing points beyond the ramparts, Logan pointed out three spots to the knights who had just arrived at the wall, showing three fingers.
It indicated the locations of the higher-ranking knights.
Just as promised, his men avoided those places and began vaulting up onto the wall.
Thirty or more knights are returning to the north wall!
Fifty to the south wall!
Madness erupted among the enemy on the walls.
Surveying the movements of enemy forces now struggling to intercept Maclaine knights, Logans gaze quickly shifted.
Now, we just need to capture it as swiftly as possible. Please assist.
Thats what Im here for.
Logan watched as a twinge of power surged within Clayton, who bore a wry smile, before shifting his gaze briefly to his father who had handed him full command and was waiting for a signal.
Nodding at his father, Logan refocused his sensations on the wall.
A top-tier knight and the strongest advanced knight.
Two of Maclaines most formidable powers began to exploit gaps in the enemys defenses on the ramparts.
In Logans field of vision danced two knights who were fervently making their mark.
Good grief
Both were dear to him, and both were now dangerously drawing the enemys attention.
Yet, he could not dampen their achievements on the battlefield.
It was neither fair nor proper, considering their growth and the fact that they were handling the situation very well indeed.
Logans face broke into a smile while alternately watching the ginger-haired male and female knights frolicking atop the wall as if they owned it.
I can do this!
Eileen steeled her determination as she gazed at the wall in front of her.
The grueling training from the past few months had been for this damned siege.
Though there were safety measures in place, like a lord or a knight commander, or occasionally young master Logan, the cliff itself was even taller than these walls.
In contrast to that cliff, where finding footing was tricky, the dirt jutting out from various places on the wall served almost like stepping stones.
Eileen could tell, with her particularly acute senses, that this small miracle was the handiwork of a single person near Logan, dressed in soldiers armor.
The magician. Likely that one
At this distance where arrows could barely reach, the only one capable of lending such aid would be that grim middle-aged man, the head of the wizards tower.
Perhaps Logan and the lords werent leading from the front to protect that magician.
But there was no time for such petty concerns.
I will distinguish myself!
If anyone in the current Maclaine knights yearned for valor, it was surely her.
This was a chance to rid herself of the tail of her gender and be recognized as a knight.
Her teeth clenched, Eileen leaped onto the wall with more force than anyone else.
Her legs took a few steps, jumping upward with ease, swiftly reaching the top of the wall, but she was greeted by the scalding rain of enemy oil.
Hiss!
She had anticipated some kind of attack, narrowly twisting to dodge the oil. Then, in front of her, a knight swung his sword.
In mid-jump, with no foothold, and a sword falling upon her from above.
Luckily, she had practiced for such situations during her training.
Hyap!
With a shout, Eileens body seemed to find an unseen stepping stone in mid-air, allowing her to pivot and vault even higher.
What?!
Surprised, the enemy knights voice leaked through his helmet as Eileen acrobatically dropped behind him.
Due to her forced aerial maneuvers, the landing was rough.
Crash.
Uh!
Amidst her poor landing, the enemys sword aimed at Eileen sent her helmet flying, revealing her long hair to the winds.
That moment created a golden opportunity.
A woman?!
The dumbfounded brutes sword hesitated, and that instant was decisive.
Her sword cut through the enemys neck.
Whoosh.
Gah You mangy cur
The eruption of blood.
The dying curse and the mans glinting eyes were starkly imprinted on Eileens sight.
Ridiculously, it was in this moment that Eileen truly realized that she was on an actual battlefield.
Crunch.
A wavering heart and fear burst forth from within, almost overcoming her.
To suppress these emotions, Eileen swung her sword without thought.
A blind flurry of sword strikes.
Luckily, only enemy soldiers surrounded her.
Whoosh!
Around the spot where she stood, a clearing quickly formed, and Maclaine knights began to fill in.
Well done!
Passing beside her with a brief exclamation was the intermediate knight, Lecton.
He had always looked down on her in the knight order.
You have grit, but real combat is different. A woman, huh Since youre the young masters fiance, we should protect you, right?
After today, she likely wouldnt hear such words again.
That single thought helped Eileen recover from her brink-of-panic state.
Huphh
Releasing a deep breath, she quickly regained the fierce light in her eyes.
I can do this.
The moment her emerald eyes glowed with resolve, her sword moves became fiercer and wilder than in training, sweeping through all the enemies around her.
Oomph.
Witnessing the faint orange energy streaming from his own sword, Ronian smirked.
A power barely attained just before the battle.
Since you are the masters sibling, I gave it a try. Though not quite like the masters craft, my skill, coupled with the pure mithril material, should offer you better function than what most low-grade artifacts can provide.
It was time for his cherished sword, Mane (Morning), named to mimic his brothers sword Lux (Dawn), to showcase its value.
Im one step ahead now.
He had originally thought of Victor as nothing more than a good friend to spar with, but the pressure from him had now become easier to shed.
This feeling of his past efforts shining gave Ronian a heart full of confidence.
Thats why he was able to charge unhesitatingly toward the ramparts.
Wait, young master
Leaping ahead of other knights, despite his somewhat smaller frame, Ronians belligerence as he dodged two descending swords and landed on the ramparts was palpable.
And then.
Wave Cutter.
Whoosh.
Four layers of orange waves born from his sword blew away the two knights that had barred his path as if they were nothing.
Come at me!
Though still slightly smaller than an average adult, Ronians presence in this moment was more than enough to draw the attention of all around.
That kid!
He had overdone it.
It might be commendable that hed improved so much within such a short time, but putting on such a display was excessive.
Yet, due to him, the opportunity they had been waiting for arrived sooner than expected.
Two advanced knights moved toward Ronian, and another rushed towards Eileen and her joined allies.
The positions were at both ends of the ramparts.
Thanks to this, no advanced knights guarded the center at the moment.
The moment Logan confirmed this, he sprang into action, and his father too began rushing towards the wall.
Faster. Even faster!
He maximized the power of the Boots of the Wind God and Shadow Ghosts might as he closed the distance in a single stride, ascending to the ramparts with only two leaps.
Knights below the intermediate level couldnt defend against such movement.
Whoosh.
Settling on the wall like the wind, Logan blew away the necks of two enemy knights in an instant.
Logan was tense.
The plan had been successful, but that decoy was his younger brother.
As his presence flared in an attempt to attract the enemys gaze.
I am Padraig Maclaine!
Closer than Logan expected, his fathers voice burst forth, gathering the focus of all on top of the ramparts.
Padraigs cry was more than enough to draw all eyes, changing course of the advanced knights who were targeting Eileen and Ronian, converging towards the center instead.
Two of them were taken aback by the two-meter-long Forceblade soaring over Padraigs sword, quickly retreating with pale faces in the face of the one-sided onslaught that followed.
Another advanced knight rushing from the opposite side didnt fare much better.
Ooomph.
Earth Splitter!
A grand golden blade sprung from Logans sword, slicing through the incoming foe and nearby troops entirely.
Sssshhh.
A vertical swing would likely have even split the ramparts. A single strike devastating enough to fill the nearby 20 meters with nothing but collapsing corpses.
And at that moment, the morale of Tomodo Fortress plummeted completely.
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