Volume 4, Chapter 4 – Wrath of The God of War, Part 3
At the same time, the battle for Fort Mitte was becoming more fierce and was about to reach its climax. A large number of arrows were released from the archers and spread out in a fan shape. However, it seems that the results are not as good as expected, perhaps because the command system of the Grantz army is solid.
Even if they could get over the breastworks, the ladders would be immediately intercepted and knocked down.
“It was my fault for underestimating them. Maybe I was too confident in my abilities.”
She had started so well that she had not been aware of the siege at all. She thought that she would be able to take down the fort where the exhausted enemy had fled in three days.
No, if it weren’t for the War Maiden, they would have taken the fort down long ago.
And by now, they might have had a decisive battle with the third prince Blutar and driven the Grantz army out of this land. With that much thought, Skaaha dropped her shoulders and shook her head.
“I must not become timid. There are many soldiers who believe in me and are fighting instead of running away.”
Thanks to the efforts of the soldiers, the fort was finally on the verge of falling.
“If we had met differently, we could have discussed tactics with the War Maiden.”
“Skaaha-sama, it seems that it’s impossible to bring the fort down today.”
Rach stared at Fort Mitte with his mouth agape in frustration.
“I don’t think it’s going to fall… Is it impossible to attack with such ferocity?”
What kind of magic is used to endure this much? The number of opponents, including the wounded, is less than five thousand and counting the damage done so far, there are only about two thousand soldiers who can fight. And all of them are wounded.
“The sun will be setting soon. We could launch a night attack, but there’s a good chance it would be… useless.”
Every night, the enemy is always on the alert, with bonfires burning in large numbers and lining the walls and soldiers patrolling the area. Skaaha had no idea what kind of training would allow them to stay awake and keep fighting. If they were to plant themselves in such a high-security place, the attackers would be at a distinct disadvantage. They would lose soldiers for nothing, and they would not have the strength to fight the Third Prince Blutar.
“But it’s not a situation where we can afford to waste time.”
Skaaha was in a hurry. There was no time left for a leisurely drop.
“How long will it take for the Third Prince Blutar to get here?”
Earlier today, she had received a report from the spy that the Third Prince Blutar was on the move.
“It depends on the work of the separate unit, but I’d say four days at the latest, two days at the earliest. The Third Prince Blutar has narrowed the number to fifteen thousand in order to hasten the rescue.”
Rach, the senior vassal next to her, looked unwell. It contains obvious irritation.
“We have less than 13,000, including the wounded ― no, less than 10,000 if we exclude the extra troops, and we are finally outnumbered.”
The Felzen remnants thought they had cornered the enemy, but it was actually them who was cornered.
The result might have been different if they had not stuck to the War Maiden and challenged the Third Prince Blutar to a decisive battle when they could still maintain their 30,000 troops.
“No, the War Maiden used us as bait to lure us in to prevent that from happening.”
It’s a shame, but the enemy is one or two steps ahead of them. It’s a great strategy that makes one want to applaud it, no matter how much one has read about it.
“But if the Grand Duchy of Dral had not fled, we would have captured Fort Mitte.”
“It can’t be helped. They have a country to protect, so there’s no way we can hold them back.”
The descendant of the God of War is marching on the Grand Duchy of Dral ― closing in on the capital at breakneck speed. Please return home as soon as possible. It was four days ago that they received the news.
Puppchen, who was begged to return from his home country, was dismayed. The enemy was the One-Eyed Dragon, the descendant of the “God of War,” so it could not be helped.
Not wanting to lose his home country, Puppchen immediately decides to return home. As a result, the wall that would hold back the Third Prince Blutar was lost.
Although they have ordered a separate unit to disrupt the situation, it is unclear how much time they will be able to buy.
“At any rate, we need to take down Fort Mitte by tomorrow or the next day…”
If they don’t take down this fort as soon as possible, it will be their side that will be annihilated by the pincer attack.
Skaaha would like to avoid letting Felzen’s soldiers die needlessly without being able to take revenge.
Skaaha looked down at the blue spear in her hand.
If she used her power as she did back then, she would be able to bring down this fort. She thought so, but…
“Please don’t.”
Rach stopped her.
“If you lose consciousness as you did back then, we will lose our commander. That would be like giving them more time. After all, you were in a coma all day.”
“But if I use my power, I can bring down Fort Mitte. That way, we can prepare for the confrontation with the Third Prince Blutar.”
“If you use it this time, you might sleep for two or three days. If that happens, it will interfere with the upcoming battle against the Third Prince Blutar. Please don’t do that.”
“Then what should we do? If we can’t force it down, then all we can do is to attract them out…”
After saying this much, a plan flashed through Skaaha’s mind. But it was also something that the Felzen royal family did not want to use.
“Skaaha-sama? What’s wrong?”
Rach is worried about Skaaha, who has suddenly fallen silent and calls out to her. But Skaaha, who did not show any reaction and was hesitating what to do, said
“I’ve decided!”
She turns her determined eyes to Rach.
“So you are against the use of force?”
“No. First of all, today’s battle is over. Get all the troops back.”
“What? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Skaaha began to explain to the suspicious Rach.
“I’ve come up with one plan that I don’t like to use, but it’s a way to demoralize and discourage the enemy.”
“…What is it?”
“I’ll tell you later. Anyway, tell the whole army to fall back. Then please give the soldiers some rest. I’ll even allow a little alcohol. Tomorrow they’ll have to work harder than today.”
“Very well. You will have to explain it to me later.”
Rach said as if to remind her and gave instructions to the whole army, turning around several times.
Skaaha lowered her head towards his back.
“Sorry. It’s all necessary for us to win.”
Skaaha pulled the reins of her horse, jumped on its back, and headed for a place. It was the main camp of the Felzen remnant army, next to the tent where Skaaha was sleeping.
Skaaha dismounted from her horse and tried to walk past without saying a word to the guards.
“How can I help you, Skaaha-sama?”
Normally, the guard would just salute her, but the guard called out to her because of the thoughtful look on her face. Skaaha felt guilty, so she looked down.
“I’m here to check on the prisoners. Is there a problem?”
“Ha, there is no problem!”
“That’s good. Then let me pass.”
Skaaha went through the entrance of the heavily guarded tent. She walked in silence and eventually arrived at her destination. It was a strange room with a cage in the middle.
“How are you feeling?”
Skaaha approached the cage and spoke to the red-haired girl resting inside.
“Thanks to you, I’m feeling much better.”
The bandaged figure was still as painful as ever. But thanks to the treatment, her blood color is getting better.
“So, what do you want?”
Her carefree smile was dazzling. She is an attractive girl who was born in the Grantz imperial family.
Yes, she is the Sixth Princess Celia Estrella.
Why is she here? ― Because she has taken custody from Pupchen, who decided to retreat. Of course, he resisted the idea of letting her go, but Skaaha silenced him with her strength.
“What’s really wrong with you? You look so scared.”
“I’m sorry. I know I won’t be forgiven for something that I will do.”
“Yeah?”
Liz tilted her head in wonder as Skaaha bowed her head with a heartfelt apology.
“I’m sorry.”
For some reason, she couldn’t get the words out of her mouth. It was as if the words “I’m going to kill you now” had vanished from her head, and she couldn’t get them out of her throat.
“Oh… so that’s what you mean.”
Liz seemed to have realized something from Skaaha’s behavior. And… without asking any questions, she smiled, which was surprising.
“Thank you for rescuing me from that man.”
She didn’t seem to be completely over it. She must have a lot of regrets in this world. She must have had some things she wanted to accomplish. She is trying to keep her composure, but the fear of death must be occupying her mind. And yet, she smiled at her cheerfully.
“I was prepared for this when I chose this path. So feel free to go ahead and do it.”
Unbelievable. It can’t be true. If she had just spit out one word of resentment, she would have made Skaaha feel better, but why would she say thank you?
“Oh, it’s hard to do when you’re staring at me.”
She waved her hand adorably and let out one last smile, then closed her eyes and became expressionless. As a member of the imperial family, she will not show her disgraceful appearance, and she will be noble to the end without any dismay. Touched by Liz’s heart and soul, Skaaha felt so small that she turned her gaze away from her as if to flee.
“――Ice Emperor, grant her eternal sleep.”
When Skaaha held up her blue spear, the “Ice Emperor,” a strong cold air spread inside, it was freezing cold, and the inside of the tent turned white. The cage in which Liz was trapped gradually began to be covered with ice.
Just as her feet began to freeze, the protection of the “Flame Emperor” was activated. However, perhaps out of concern for Liz’s safety, the flames were not strong enough to melt the ice.
In the blink of an eye, Liz is immersed in ice, and the flames quickly dissipate.
“Skaaha-sama!”
She heard her name called from behind her. She didn’t have to turn around to see it. It was probably Rach standing at the entrance.
“You’re not desperate, are you?”
“…Yeah.”
“Just because we’re outnumbered doesn’t mean you want to kill her, does it?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then I want you to explain exactly why you did this.”
The tone of his voice was filled with anger. She couldn’t look Rach in the face.
There was no way she could criticize Puppchen while she was like this. She was no different from Puppchen since she was the one who ended up killing her.
“I decided to expose the iced sixth princess in front of Fort Mitte to shake the holed up Grantz army.”
“…Indeed, they may be eager to retrieve her corpse.”
“Even if they don’t, anger, grief, either way, the Grantz army will not be able to keep their cool. That way, we will be able to take advantage of the battle.”
Without turning to face Rach, Skaaha approached the weapon stand in the corner of the tent. She made a running start with a single sword in her hand and plunged it into the icy Liz with great force.
“Skaaha-sama! What are you doing? You can’t just humiliate a corpse like that!”
A voice flies to stop her. Even so, she doesn’t care and thrusts her spear and sword into the iced Liz one after another. But all of them stop just before they touch Liz.
“I know that I can’t dishonor a corpse. However, seeing the sixth princess in such a state, the enemy would probably be agitated. They can imagine how she was treated and tremble with anger.”
That’s what happened to Skaaha when she saw the corpse of her family. She didn’t want to think about it, but she couldn’t help but picture it in her mind.
“I’ll take whatever abuse and slander come my way. I know I’m being cowardly myself.”
Even if the road ahead is difficult, she has no intention of stopping until she avenges her relatives. Even if the end of the road is hell, she is prepared to push forward with the Ice Emperor.
“My country was destroyed, my people were oppressed, my soldiers were scorned, and my family was tortured.”
Compared to that, the damage to her self-esteem is not a big deal.
“I don’t care if my pride is shattered as long as I can redeem the humiliation they have suffered.”
Finally, she thrust the Ice Emperor into the ground and smashed her forehead against the ice wall.
“I won’t ask for forgiveness. I do not fear death. What I fear is that the firestorm of revenge will be extinguished.”
As Skaaha began to sob, she bent her knees as if in prayer to the gods.
“It is the only thing that my family has left for me…”
If she lost, she would lose everything. But if she won, she would enjoy semi-permanent happiness. One of two things, the front and the back, that’s the only difference.
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