Synopsis and Starting Chapter Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 38.5
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 57.5
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 87.5
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 108.5
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
Chapter 130
Chapter 131
Chapter 132
Chapter 133
Chapter 134
Chapter 135
Chapter 136
Chapter 137
Chapter 138
Chapter 139
Chapter 139.5
Chapter 140
Chapter 141
Chapter 142
Chapter 143
Chapter 144
Chapter 145
Chapter 146
Chapter 147
Chapter 148
Chapter 149
Chapter 150
Chapter 151
Chapter 152
Chapter 153
Chapter 154
Chapter 155
Chapter 156
Chapter 157
Chapter 158
Chapter 159
Chapter 160
Chapter 161
Chapter 162
Chapter 163
Chapter 163.5
Chapter 164
Chapter 165
Chapter 166
Chapter 167
Chapter 168
Chapter 169
Chapter 170
Chapter 171
Chapter 172
Chapter 173
Chapter 174
Chapter 175
Chapter 176
Chapter 177
Chapter 178
Chapter 179
Chapter 180
Chapter 181
Chapter 182
Chapter 183
Chapter 184
Chapter 185
Chapter 186
Chapter 187
Chapter 188
Chapter 189
Chapter 190
Chapter 191
Chapter 192
Chapter 193
Chapter 194
Chapter 195
Chapter 196
Chapter 197
Chapter 198
Chapter 199
Chapter 200
Chapter 201
Chapter 202
Chapter 203
Chapter 204
Chapter 205
Chapter 206
Chapter 207
Chapter 208
Chapter 209
Chapter 210
Chapter 211
Chapter 212
Chapter 213
Chapter 214
Chapter 215
Chapter 215.5
Chapter 216
Chapter 217
Chapter 218
Chapter 219
Chapter 220
Chapter 221
Chapter 222
Chapter 223
Chapter 224
Chapter 225
Chapter 226
Chapter 227
Chapter 228
Chapter 229
Chapter 230
Chapter 231
Chapter 232
Chapter 233
Chapter 234
Chapter 235
Chapter 236
Chapter 237
Chapter 238
Chapter 239
Chapter 240
Chapter 241
Chapter 242
Chapter 243
Chapter 244
Chapter 245
Chapter 246
Chapter 247
Chapter 248
Chapter 249
Chapter 250
Chapter 251
Chapter 252
Chapter 253
Chapter 254
Chapter 255
Chapter 256
Chapter 256.5
Chapter 257
Chapter 258
Chapter 259
Chapter 260
Chapter 261
Chapter 262
Chapter 263
Chapter 264
Chapter 265
Chapter 266
Chapter 267
Chapter 268
Chapter 269
Chapter 270
Chapter 271
Chapter 272
Chapter 273
Chapter 274
Chapter 275
Chapter 276
Chapter 277
Chapter 278
Chapter 279
Chapter 280
Chapter 281
Chapter 282
Chapter 283
Chapter 284
Chapter 285
Chapter 286
Chapter 287
Chapter 288
Chapter 289
Chapter 290
Chapter 291
Chapter 292
Chapter 293
Chapter 294
Chapter 295
Chapter 296
Chapter 297
Chapter 298
Chapter 299
Chapter 300
Chapter 301
Chapter 302
Chapter 303
Chapter 304
Chapter 305
Chapter 306
Chapter 307
Chapter 308
Chapter 309
Chapter 310
Chapter 311
Chapter 312
Chapter 313
Chapter 314
Chapter 314.5
Chapter 315
Chapter 316
Chapter 317
Chapter 318
Chapter 319
Chapter 320
Chapter 321
Chapter 322
Chapter 323
Chapter 324
Chapter 325
Chapter 326
Chapter 327
Chapter 328
Chapter 329
Chapter 330
Chapter 331
Chapter 332
Chapter 333
Chapter 334
Chapter 335
Chapter 336
Chapter 337
Chapter 338
Chapter 339
Chapter 340
Chapter 341
Chapter 342
Chapter 343
Chapter 344
Chapter 345
Chapter 346
Chapter 347
Chapter 348
Chapter 349
Chapter 350
Chapter 351
Chapter 352
Chapter 353
Chapter 354
Chapter 355
Chapter 356
Chapter 357
Chapter 358
Chapter 359
Chapter 360
Chapter 361
Chapter 362
Chapter 363
Chapter 364
Chapter 365
Chapter 366
Chapter 367
Chapter 368
Chapter 369
Chapter 370
Chapter 371
Chapter 372
Chapter 373
Chapter 374
Chapter 375
Chapter 376
Chapter 377
Chapter 378
Chapter 379
Chapter 380
Chapter 381
Chapter 382
Chapter 383
Chapter 384
Chapter 385
Chapter 386
Chapter 387
Chapter 388
Chapter 389
Chapter 390
Chapter 391
Chapter 392
Chapter 393
Chapter 394
Chapter 395
Chapter 396
Chapter 397
Chapter 398
Chapter 399
Chapter 400
Chapter 401
Chapter 402
Chapter 403
Chapter 404
Chapter 405
Chapter 406
Chapter 407
Chapter 408
Chapter 409
Chapter 410
Chapter 411
Chapter 412
Chapter 413
Chapter 414
Chapter 415
Chapter 416
Chapter 417
Chapter 418
Chapter 419
Chapter 420
Chapter 421
Chapter 422
Chapter 423
Chapter 424
Chapter 425
Chapter 426
Chapter 427
Chapter 428
Chapter 429
Chapter 430 Part1
Chapter 430 Part2
Chapter 431
Chapter 432
Chapter 433
Chapter 434
Chapter 435
Chapter 436
Chapter 437
Chapter 438
Chapter 439
Chapter 440
Chapter 441
Chapter 442
Chapter 443
Chapter 444
Chapter 445
Chapter 446
Chapter 447
Chapter 448
Chapter 449
Chapter 450
Chapter 451
Chapter 452
Chapter 453
Chapter 454
Chapter 455
Chapter 456
Chapter 457
Chapter 458
Chapter 459
Chapter 460
Chapter 461
Chapter 462
Chapter 463
Chapter 464
Chapter 465
Chapter 466
Chapter 467
Chapter 468
Chapter 469
Chapter 470
Chapter 471
Chapter 472
Chapter 473
Chapter 474
Chapter 475
Chapter 476
Chapter 477
Chapter 478
Chapter 479
Chapter 480: Alteria Decisive Battle: Defeat The Famed General
Chapter 481
Chapter 482: Loveless Embrace
Chapter 483: Distressed Queen
Chapter 484: Those Who Are Squeezed Dry
Chapter 485: A Short Break
Chapter 486: The Banquet Continues
Chapter 487: Celestina’S Tears
Chapter 488: Unreasonable Demand
Chapter 489: Golden Sortie
Chapter 490: Unconditional Love And Respec
Chapter 491: Unclean Passage
Chapter 492
Chapter 493
Chapter 494
Chapter 495
Chapter 496
Chapter 497
Chapter 498
Chapter 499
Chapter 500
Chapter 501
Chapter 502
Chapter 503
Chapter 504: Mortal Combat In The Rain
Chapter 505: Nine Fortresses
Chapter 506: Grand Assembly
Chapter 507: Find The Hell
Chapter 508
Chapter 509
Chapter 510
Chapter 511
Chapter 512
Chapter 513
Chapter 514
Chapter 515: The Place Where It Ends
Chapter 516: My Name Is Wilhelmina
Chapter 517: I Am A Thinking 〇
Chapter 518: Unconventional Means
Chapter 519: An Elf Development Plan
Chapter 520: Fair Trade And Zwei Mothers
Chapter 521: Postwar Road
Chapter 522: Boring Domestic Affairs
Chapter 523: Three Individuals, Three Desires
Chapter 524: Wild Evening Party
Chapter 525: False Debauchery
Chapter 526: Slapstick Side Story 1 Pipi
Chapter 526-2: Slapstick Side Story 2 Pirate
Chapter 526-3: Slapstick Side Story 3 What About The Dual Crater?
Chapter 526-4: Slapstick Side Story 4 Strange Ecology
Chapter 526-5: Slapstick Side Story 5 Pregnant Party
Chapter 526-6: Slapstick Side Story 6 Merchants
Chapter 526-7: Slapstick Side Story 7 Non-Humans
Chapter 527: Should Overturn The Board
Chapter 528: Should Overturn The Board Ii
Chapter 529: A Landmine Larger Than You Can Imagine
Chapter 530: Think Of One’S Sister
Chapter 531: Worthless Trouble
Chapter 532: Disarm The Second Landmine
Chapter 533: The Two Who Me
Chapter 534: I Love My Sister
Chapter 535: A Resourceful General’S Misconduc
Chapter 536: Justice Power
Chapter 537: A Competent Worker
Chapter 538
Chapter 539
Chapter 540
Chapter 541
Chapter 542
Chapter 543
Chapter 544
Chapter 545
Chapter 546
Chapter 547
Chapter 548
Chapter 549
Chapter 550
Chapter 551
Chapter 552
Chapter 553
Chapter 554
Chapter 555
Chapter 555.2
Chapter 556
Chapter 557
Chapter 558
Chapter 559
Chapter 560.1
Chapter 560.2
Chapter 560.3
Chapter 561
Chapter 562
Chapter 563
Chapter 564
Chapter 565.1
Chapter 565.2
Chapter 565.3
Chapter 565.4
Chapter 566.1
Chapter 566.2
Chapter 566.3
Chapter 566.4
Chapter 566.5
Chapter 567
Chapter 568.1
Chapter 568.2
Chapter 569
Chapter 569.2
Chapter 569.3
Chapter 569.4
Chapter 569.5
Chapter 569.6
Chapter 570.1
Chapter 570.2
Chapter 570.3
Chapter 570.4
Chapter 570.5
Chapter 570.6
Chapter 570.7
Chapter 570.8
Chapter 570.9
Chapter 571
Chapter 572
Chapter 573
Chapter 574
Chapter 575
Chapter 576
Chapter 576.2
Chapter 577
Chapter 578
Chapter 579
Chapter 580
Chapter Ss1: Special Chapter: Pumpkin Festival
Chapter Ss2: Special Commemorative Story 2
Chapter Ss3
Chapter Ss1: Special : Pumpkin Festival
Categories Genre: Action, Adult, Adventure, All, Fantasy, Harem, Ongoing, Seinen Status: Ongoing Alternative names: Road of the Kingdom, Road to Kingdom, 王国へ続く道, ______
Total Chapters in book: 624
Estimated words: 3278060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 16390(@200wpm)___ 13112(@250wpm)___ 10927(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 3278060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 16390(@200wpm)___ 13112(@250wpm)___ 10927(@300wpm)
______
LIST OF LAST 10 CHAPTERS:
Page No. 624 Page No. 623 Page No. 622 Page No. 621 Page No. 620 Page No. 619 Page No. 618 Page No. 617 Page No. 616 Page No. 615 Page No. 614 Chapter 440
Chapter 440: 440
「Lord Hardlett . Are you listening?」
Leopolt’s voice enters my head like he’s right up against my ear .
Hearing a monotonous voice like his so suddenly makes me flinch .
「Yeah, I’m listening . I’m just pondering how we should attack . 」
In actuality, I was reminiscing about the intense sex with Pamela last night .
She went back in a carriage, unable to stand since we did it until morning, though I’m worried that her husband would discover her infidelity from her hole not closing up properly .
「Haa…… Aegir-sama . I’ll fix your armor . 」
Celia sighs and adjusts my armor……she pretends to do so and inconspicuously hides the bulge in my pants .
「……」
「Leopolt, why are you staring blankly? The attack is beginning . 」
Not caring that Leopolt’s already narrow eyes narrowed even further, I gallantly set my own eyes in front at Trisnia .
Trisnia isn’t an established fortress city like Arkland, its walls’ thickness and height being average . The place is not difficult to siege .
「The enemy has positioned many ballistae and a few cannons on top of the walls . It appears they are using the city as a stable high ground rather than an impenetrable defense . 」
Leopolt reports .
Okay, he’s going to ignore my erection .
「They have a moat outside the walls . From what I saw, the gate wasn’t opened, so it’s likely an underground tunnel connects the city to the outside . 」
Tristan chimes in .
「Wouldn’t that render the walls meaningless?」
Celia’s right, digging through the ground is an attacker’s strategy .
I’ve never heard of the defending side doing it .
「Even if it is an underground passage, if it’s probably only wide enough for a single person to fit, we can’t reasonably aim our attack there . Well, it takes courage to deliberately create a way to bypass the walls…… that’s why we should assume the inside is also highly-guarded . With that in mind, the walls play an important role . After all, we don’t know what’s inside until we check, whereas our camp is completely visible to the enemy . 」
Just when Tristan was satisfied with what he said, a trumpet signalling the start of the attack sounded from headquarters .
「It’s time . 」
A few seconds later, a large fully set-up catapult launches a boulder in an arc .
It easily flies over the walls and drops in the city, although the damage dealt to the enemy is unknown .
「Alright, advance! Get to the walls!」
Our ally infantry took that as their cue to slowly march forward with their shields .
Unfortunately, all of us except the cannon squad are on standby .
「Now the enemy should also……there . 」
The enemy’s retaliation came in the form of rocks, iron balls, and flaming shrapnel seconds later from somewhere inside the city .
Those projectiles were at least the size of human heads .
Catapults are not tools requiring precise aim, so having their loads fall on your head would mean you were really unlucky……
「If you get hit, you get hit . It’s the fault of your own actions . 」
Giant metal orbs crush a soldier under his shield and blow the head off a shouting commander .
「In that case, Aegir-sama is also in danger . I will protect you . 」
Celia stands in front of me to guard against incoming fire .
Well, I doubt anything will reach us .
Even if it did reach, Celia’s way too short to block anything . I’ll pat her head because she’s so cute .
「Waah! We’re in the middle of battle! Please don’t do that!」
「Hahaha, the fight has yet to begin . You don’t have to put on such a bold front from the get-go . Besides, if we’re this far away, I can even take on a dragon……」
「Achoo!!」
「……hey . 」
Irijina’s sneeze ruined the cool line I was about to say .
「Wahaha, sorry!! Some dust got in my nose!!」
Irijina is overly accustomed to the battlefield and seems too relaxed .
「……man, you made me forget what I was about to say . The point is that it’s not going to reach us . 」
All of a sudden, when I was about to tilt my head and remember what I was thinking about, a large shell veers off and falls slightly in front of us .
A rock happens to be sticking out at the landing spot, which sends the sphere sideways, bouncing twice before directly hitting a staff officer observing the state of battle beside us .
「Woah . He exploded . 」
Brutal . It’s horrible enough that we don’t have to confirm whether he’s alive or not .
「It reached . 」
「Please step back . 」
Leopolt and Tristan say as they also retreat .
Celia becomes more energized to complete her duty, but since I don’t want to put the cute girl in danger, I have Yakov stand in front of her .
「By the way, Yakov, you’re wearing an awful lot under your armor today . Isn’t it too thick?」
Normally, Yakov and I only wear a sleeveless shirt and underwear . For some reason, he decides to layer more . It’s summer right now, so wearing more will only whittle away at your stamina .
「Well, because of that one kick in the ass you gave me, it doesn’t close tight enough and occasionally leaks out when I tense up…… It might spill out if I’m just wearing underwear . Having an accident in battle wouldn’t be very cool . 」
That’s the reason?
「Sorry about that . I should have held back a little . 」
「You reap what you sow!」
Celia repeatedly kicks Yakov’s thigh .
「Hieeh! The chief finally……」
「He’s already unfaithful as it is, now he’s going after the same sex, what a sex beast……no, a sex demon……」
Luna is squealing and at a loss for words for some reason . Myla is also shuddering .
Is it nervousness before battle? Well, it’s better to be somewhat tense than too lax .
「Let’s stop the chatter here . 」
I compose myself and turn back to the battle .
Our allies are heading toward the walls while the catapults fire back and forth .
「It’s about time…… there it is . 」
Almost simultaneously to Leopolt’s prediction, there was a low-pitched hum which resulted in the frontlines of our allies being blown away .
That must be the enemy ballistae .
Although catapults have range and a more explosive impact, their haphazard accuracy is less of a threat than the ballistae . Not to mention their powerful shots can not be blocked by the shields held by the infantry .
「Our own catapults can’t conveniently hit them back either . 」
Even though we actually destroyed many ballistae earlier, the enemy has enough to fill the confines of the walls, so it didn’t actually seem like our attack reduced their numbers at all .
「And our ballistae are outmatched…… the difference in height gives them the advantage . 」
Shooting down is more preferred than shooting up as it gives more power and range .
If we continue this shootout, we’ll waste our precious siege weapons .
「That’s why we brought those . 」
I nod when Leopolt glances at me .
Then, there was a thunderous boom .
「Fire――!!」
A cannon’s roar echoes across the battlefield .
Its intense force is tremendous even compared to ballistae and catapults .
Soldiers who don’t know what a cannon is would flee in terror .
The first cannons fired were the Royal army’s cannons .
I know Erich cautioned his subordinates to carry these things carefully because they are as fragile as glass .
I believe they had about 20 cannons .
「Hit confirmed!!」
In an instant, cannonballs crashed into Trisnia’s walls .
Half of the shots completely missed their mark . Only seven landed on the walls and among those, only three hit the top of the walls .
The normal accuracy of cannons is as poor as that of a catapult, but instead of a parabola, the trajectory of a cannon is a straight line, making it easier to hit .
「Fumu…… passable, I guess . 」
Celia adorably puts her hand on her chin .
The enemy ballistae break, and enemy soldiers fall off the wall or turn into red paint on the wall .
「It’s the enemy’s turn next . 」
Without delay, the enemy cannons fire back .
They have 30 cannons, which is more than the Royal army, and the same aim .
It didn’t take long for three ally cannons to be blown away, and even if the cannon itself wasn’t damaged, the exploding fragments of metal and earth wounded the soldiers in the area . Erich’s tearful face comes to my mind .
「In the end, we don’t have the height advantage in cannon warfare . 」
「Nevertheless, they still have to target a particular point since they’re shooting downward . To that degree, they are still loose with their aim . We can aim in a straight line at the wall, so in a sense, we might have the upper hand in terms of accuracy . As for power…… well, you know . 」
A cannonball takes out an ally cannon right as Tristan finishes his sentence .
The flimsy metal sheet propped up in front of the cannon as a makeshift defense was torn apart like paper, allowing the cannonball to crush the cannoneer behind it, as well as some noble further back .
That was truly a bullseye .
「That was a nice shot . A flashy one too . 」
「Please don’t praise the enemy’s attack……ah, now it’s our turn!」
Having finished reloading, the Royal army cannons fired again .
The vibrations travel down to my stomach…… somehow, it seems weaker than before .
「That’s lame . What happened?」
「Out of the initial 20 cannons, only four should have been destroyed, however, only 12 cannons were fired . That’s four short . 」
Upon careful inspection of the cannons that did not fire, I see the cannoneers panicking .
「There is a crack in the barrel―― I can’t shoot it like this!」
「The gunpowder residue has dried up! I’ll need some time to clean――」
I see .
Although cannons are powerful weapons, they’re so weak that they break after every shot .
In surface warfare, if the battle drags on, the firepower of cannons decreases even if the ship is not being bombarded .
「Still, three quarters is pretty bad……woah, the enemy is firing again . 」
「Waah, pphh . 」
I push Celia’s head down and keep her body closer to the ground .
Yes, we may be outside the range, but things could still go wrong .
When Celia insists on staying in front of me, I scratch the underside of her chin to get her to obey me .
The enemy cannonfire assaults our allies――
「There are fewer of them on their side too . 」
「Umu . I didn’t have time to observe from the water, but it’s clear when facing them like this . 」
The enemy’s cannons have been reduced by a greater number than what we destroyed .
There doesn’t seem to be much difference between the fragility of the Royal army cannons and the South Yuguria cannons .
「Lord Hardlett . 」
I nod when Leopolt calls my name .
「It’s merely a stopgap since I’m not as rich as the kingdom, please forgive me . 」
I peek behind me and a messenger from headquarters turns back after confirming I moved the cannoneers . An order to move would have been given right away if we dawdled any longer, I’m sure .
At the same time, my personal army comes from behind the Royal army waving my flag…… among them, the cannon unit steps forth .
A cloth covers the heavy-looking wagon to prevent dust from falling on it so the enemy can’t see exactly what is coming, however, they should be certain it is some kind of siege weapon in a situation like this . I can tell their cannons and ballistae are desperately trying to change their aim .
「Someone else is coming! That flag…… it’s the demon army!」
「Now then, do they have battering rams or catapults……no, they might have cannons! Look alive, you guys!」
「Stay strong, we’re up against a demon . Some of our friends might get their arms and legs chopped off or some women may be impaled from their crotches all the way to their throats . If you look away, you’ll be playing into his hands!!」
I won’t do something so ruthless to a woman .
The most I’ll do is skewer them with my thick rod .
Our cannoneers remove the cloths covering the wagons in unison .
Revealed from underneath were almost all the cannons I brought with me, 50 of them .
「They have more! Are they the main army!?」
The enemy gasps .
「Why does a single feudal lord possess more power than the Royal army…… isn’t this strange……?」
One of our allies is confused .
Without glancing at them, Leopolt issues his command monotonously .
「Back line, fire! Next, the middle row……fire! Front row…… fire!!」
The cannons, arranged into multiple rows, fired in succession starting from the back, each volley separated by an interval of a few seconds .
Leopolt thought of doing it this way, I’m not sure why .
Ooh, there goes Celia, stepping forward cutely with her chest puffed out .
「The delay is for――」
「Well, if they fired one collective volley, their aim would be concentrated on a single target, and other areas might be neglected . If they fire row-by-row, deviations can be adjusted for . Plus, splitting them up will mitigate smoke―― ow! Why did you kick me……」
Tristan explained the reasoning before Celia could .
Celia pouts and silently knees Tristan in the ass .
Meanwhile, a scene of carnage unfolds alongside their trivial dispute .
Enemy cannons, ballistae and soldiers get blown away with pieces of the walls .
Those cannons which fired just now are not too different from the Royal army cannons in terms of size .
No matter how many of them are gathered, a decent stone wall is…… not easy to obliterate .
「Eei, don’t falter, shoot back!!」
Despite having inferior numbers, the enemy’s morale remains steady .
One of my cannons takes a direct hit and the bent barrel twirls in the air before sticking into the ground .
「Muu . 」
Celia furrows her brow .
She must sympathize with Erich .
After all, it takes time, effort, and money to make the cannons .
To be specific, the cannon which got destroyed just now is worth half the price of one of Nonna’s necklaces .
「Which one is really the waste here……」
I pretend not to hear Tristan sigh .
The cannon warfare continued afterward, though the walls never really crumbled .
「Something is weird . 」
I put my hand on my chin and looked toward Leopolt .
A wall, even one built completely out of stone, should have started to fall apart by now .
「Answer, Tristan . 」
Celia copies me and pressures Tristan .
Tristan is unwilling, but when Celia lifts her leg slowly, he sighs and relents .
「I can’t confirm so I’m restricted to my imagination . 」
「I don’t mind, speak . 」
Leopolt says . We can’t afford to scout the enemy further at this time .
We have to rely on speculation .
「There is a high possibility that the inside of the walls are reinforced . Specifically, they must have attached iron plates or piled up sandbags to prevent the wall from toppling . 」
Fumu, South Yuguria also has cannons so they will naturally assume we will use them .
It isn’t odd for them to prepare accordingly .
Leopolt attempts to add something without cutting his words short .
「However――」
「That doesn’t explain everything . From the beginning, Trisnia’s walls aren’t even that great . If they had time and manpower to strengthen the walls, it would be more effective to set up additional small forts and camps in front of the walls . Otherwise, they wouldn’t have simply dug a moat around the perimeter―― eh? What?」
It felt like Leopolt glared briefly at Tristan, but he quickly turned back to the frontlines .
「Whatever…… let’s see, the way the surface is breaking is also strange . No matter how much the back is reinforced, it shouldn’t protect the front from damage . Yet the walls look unblemished from here . 」
「True…… the areas we hit with cannons are slightly scratched, however, none of the rocks appear to be split apart . 」
I refrain from squeezing Celia’s cheeks despite how cute she is when squinting .
「In other words, the stones are not normal . Either it is some kind of special material that is particularly durable or they have iron plates inside . 」
I’m not convinced from Tristan’s conclusion .
「That’s impossible . A few months prior, that wall was a regular stone wall . Replacing the materials or inserting metal inside is equivalent to rebuilding the walls . They shouldn’t have the time or manpower . 」
「Obviou――」
「It certainly doesn’t sound realistic . That wall is clearly not purely stone, however, we don’t have enough information to ascertain the truth . 」
This time Leopolt interrupts Tristan .
Tristan sips tea with a bored expression, which Celia grins at, at a closer distance than necessary .
「I don’t get it . But, it’s not like we have to uncover absolutely everything . We’re not detectives . 」
I shake my head once .
When in doubt, use raw power to breakthrough .
「Bring out the trump card . 」
A new type of cannon is rolled forward on my orders .
There are 25 of them in total .
「W-what are those……」
「Huge…… are they also…… cannons?」
「How many does he have? How much money did Lord Hardlett spend on military?」
Commotion spreads among our allies .
These cannons which were created with the help from the dwarves are much heavier and larger than normal cannons .
Because of that, it takes more effort to transport and they also inevitably fall behind the rest of the army .
「Their power is on a different level . 」
The especially loud roar of this cannon pierces through the chorus of booms .
Several times more smoke than regular cannons shroud the barrel after sending the cannonball flying into the suspicious wall―― for once, a larger chunk of the wall shatters .
The stone directly hit by the projectile splits and the fragments crumble to the ground .
It also caused some of the soldiers on top of the wall to lose their footing and fall off .
「……」
We don’t smile .
Rather, our brows furrow .
「That doesn’t work either?」
I’ve seen the large cannons being tested and they easily destroyed walls double the thickness of Trisnia’s walls in one hit, even shooting through a wall with iron implanted inside .
Leopolt didn’t say anything when I looked at him .
Tristan also closed his eyes and shrugged .
I can take that as both of them not knowing what went wrong .
「……next!」
Fine, I’ll have to be stubborn then .
A large cannon was pulled along in a four-horse wagon .
This is a cannon made from an unknown metal known only by the dwarves, which we named “dwarven cannon”, and have a total of 16 altogether .
It is currently the weapon with the most power in my possession .
The earlier large cannons were built by craftsmen in Lintbloom with some advice by the dwarves, whereas these cannons are the creations of solely the dwarves, and honestly have many mechanisms I know nothing about .
The cannoneers also aren’t completely sure how they work and are merely following instructions on how to load and aim the cannons .
「Hey now, is stuffing so much gunpowder a good idea? That’s ten times more than what we put in……」
「Get back . The whole cannon might explode……」
Cannoneers from the Royal army distance themselves from the dwarven cannons .
Normal cannons would definitely blow up if that amount of gunpowder was used .
「But dwarven cannons can handle it, no problem . ――do it . 」
The boom and smoke from the dwarven cannons made the large cannons seem like toys .
In the corner of my eye, I see Myla cover her ears, Irijina become excited, and Tristan fall over .
Of course, the cannon’s target is the wall .
The sound of impact was like the sound of a mason whacking stone with a hammer……except it was several hundred times louder .
「I-it was penetrated!」
Celia bounces up delightedly .
As reported, the dwarven cannon literally punched a hole through the sturdy stone wall .
The inside of the city can be seen through the opening .
「So it worked . 」
「It should be over now . 」
The cute Celia nods in content .
From there, normal cannons, large cannons and the Royal army’s cannons fire in rapid succession .
Most of the cannons and ballistae left on the wall were blown away by the overwhelming firepower, but――
「……why won’t it fall?」
The dwarven cannon opened a hole with one hit .
The large cannons appear to be destroying the surface .
Experience dictates that the wall should have collapsed a long time ago .
「The Royal army’s siege unit is attacking!」
Seeing how it was impossible for cannons to clear the wall, the Royal army brings out battering rams .
Although most of the enemy ballistae and cannons were taken out, there was nothing we could do to stop the arcing iron balls and burning rocks from the catapults within the city or the occasional ambushing soldiers throwing pots of oil, which ultimately led to casualties .
Nevertheless, the battering rams arrived at the walls and were swung with force .
And――
「It’s not budging! It’s like a wall of steel!!」
The ram slams once and then twice against the wall .
After the fourth hit, it was the iron hammer that started to break .
Additionally, the enemy positions cannons and ballistae behind the hole blasted in the wall by the dwarven cannons and shoots at the battering rams .
The ram, specialized in breaking walls, could not withstand the attacks of siege weapons .
Multiple rams were destroyed instantly and the operating soldiers ran away .
「This isn’t good . 」
「Cannoneers, retreat . 」
Leopolt instructs the army to withdraw when I mutter .
「You still can’t figure it out?」
I ask Leopolt again .
「The wall’s construction…… no, the material itself, is clearly different . However, I don’t know the details . 」
「We could make a hole in the wall so there can’t be any iron mixed inside…… yet the wall won’t collapse even after taking such a beating…… it’s something that looks like stone . Unfortunately, nothing comes to mind……」
Tristan can’t figure it out either .
While we are still perplexed, the enemy once again mount their ballistae and cannons on the wall .
We’ll have to start from scratch .
「The battle won’t be settled even if we continue to shoot our cannons……」
Regardless, we don’t know the set up .
If the enemy rebuilt the wall to be sturdier based on some kind of trick, they could have asked for more .
However, the enemy made the wall appear capable of being broken .
Don’t tell me, there is an unexpected reason why the wall suddenly got stronger .
That was when an allied soldier pointed to the river .
「That’s…… reinforcements! It’s a reinforcing fleet!!」
A familiar ship…… that of Ivanna’s, the Suvorov, leads a fleet of more than ten ships slowly toward Trisnia upstream on the river .
She must have mobilized all possibly operable ships post-battle .
I notice that the Suvorov has crude repairs done to the hull .
「A battleship cannon can destroy it, right?」
「Fumu……」
Suvorov’s cannons should be less powerful than the dwarven cannons .
However, the total of cannons on the ships following the battleship easily add up to more than a hundred . It might be possible if all those cannons concentrate on one point .
「I don’t think it will be so simple . 」
The enemy begins to intercept by shooting catapults and cannons, but the bombardment is not a problem for the battleship’s armor plating .
The thing is, Trisnia is a large city .
The harbor is the only part facing the river, while the central part of the city is still sufficiently separated .
Aiming from the ship would inevitably mean entering deep into the harbor, but……
I try to signal them with smoke to no avail .
The fleet doesn’t stop moving and a single small combat ship sails ahead of the flagship, taking the lead .
It was when the imaginary line of the harbor was breached .
「……was I too late?」
The ship halted suddenly, however, its momentum carried the entire vessel forward so much that the front tilted into the water until it gradually sunk .
「Trisnia’s harbor has giant chains to seal off entry . Once lowered, no fleet can pass through . 」
Thankfully, Ivanna was wise enough to send another ship as a decoy instead of charging forward with the flagship .
That ship which just sank probably got caught on the chains .
She can’t blast the chains out of the way with cannons since they’re underwater and the winding device is most likely somewhere inside the city .
In other words, we have to infiltrate the city on land in order to remove the chains, except we’re struggling to even clear the first step .
「I can see Ivanna getting angry . 」
A wry smile forms on my face, although the situation doesn’t change .
The only method left is……
「I guess I’ll have to bulldoze my way through . 」
The dwarven cannons use gears to change their angle of fire, while thick logs are stuck under the large cannons to allow a high enough angle to shoot into the city .
If I run for the gate while the cannons are providing covering fire, I might be able to force my way inside .
「It’s possible, though I don’t recommend it . 」
Leopolt says .
「I know . 」
If I do that, the casualties we suffer will be tremendous .
On top of that, the city will be messed up like Arkland .
Collateral damage to the city is unavoidable to a certain degree, but I’d rather not incur the wrath of the women of the city again .
「From what I heard in Arkland regarding South Yuguria, the possibility of them having a poor reputation is low . If we rampage throughout the city, we’ll be seen as the villains . 」
Leopolt continued after Tristan offered his thoughts .
「More important than popular sentiment is that we need to halt the city of Trisnia from functioning . Ample port facilities will serve as a base to recapture the west coast, and maintained logistics facilities will serve as a base for advancement to the south or possibly a form of containment for the city states . Forcibly attacking and turning the place into ruins would drastically hinder our future strategy . 」
An express messenger comes running in from Erich .
「Order from the Military Commissioner! Lord Hardlett is to refrain from attacking and to obey instructions from headquarters for a more reliable――」
So Erich is thinking the same thing .
Man, it’s impressive how well he knows me .
「In any case, we have to be smart in our approach of Trisnia’s capture . 」
This is definitely going to be time-consuming again .
「That would be ideal . ……But maybe we can finish it up quickly . 」
Leopolt looks up at the sky with half-closed eyes .
Beyond the west coast of the river, from the great mountain range, black clouds slowly drift in our direction .
Total Chapters in book: 624
Estimated words: 3278060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 16390(@200wpm)___ 13112(@250wpm)___ 10927(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 3278060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 16390(@200wpm)___ 13112(@250wpm)___ 10927(@300wpm)
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