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“Fire!” (Gin)

At Gin Toga’s command, 200 soldiers, formerly part of the Second Army, opened fire simultaneously. The deafening sound of gunfire filled the air.

100 aimed at the enemy formation beyond the tent, while another 100 targeted the enemy ambush hidden in the snow ridges. The enemies on the snow ridges were distant, but those beyond the tent were only about fifty meters away. They fell in droves under the barrage of bullets.

Meanwhile, those who had flanked onto the snow ridge began firing, mowing down those who had hidden like moles.

“Reload!” (Gin)

The soldiers hurriedly worked their rods, poured in gunpowder, and loaded bullets. But they couldn’t synchronize this action uniformly. It was chaotic.

“Ready!” (Gin)

As Gin Toga commanded, the soldiers aimed their guns in unison.

“Fire!” (Gin)

The guns erupted again.

‘I had been watching my pocket watch the whole time. Thirty-five seconds for the first volley. Not bad for hastily trained soldiers, right?’

“Reload!” (Gin)

The reloading process began again. The guns held by the 200 soldiers were flintlocks, which didn’t require match preparation, making them convenient, but they had their drawbacks. While the flint, the spark-generating stone, was securely fixed to the mechanism, it often fell with considerable force. Rubbing against iron, it sparked, igniting the priming powder in the pan, but the flint was directly exposed to the explosion of this powder.

The downside was that due to these impacts, the flint’s fixation frequently shifted. They must have been meticulously inspected beforehand. There were no misfires in the initial volley, but there were about two misfires in the next. That person, too, seemed accustomed to it, calmly adjusting their setup during the reloading time. It was important to calmly realign the gun barrel upwards during this time, as rushing around could lead to the gun pointing towards allies or accidental firing, which was crucial.

“Ready!” (Gin)

In response to Gin’s command, they aimed their guns at the enemy.

“Fire!” (Gin)

Again, a tremendous sound deafened the ears. It felt like my hearing was deteriorating. And there was gunpowder smoke drifting everywhere, making the air unbearable.

“…Hey, Yuri-dono, aren’t they charging at us?” (Liao)

Liao Rube, who was leading the 100 close combat unit, spoke up. Their role was to protect the gunners when the enemy charged.

“Hmm… they’re not much of a threat.” (Yuri)

The 300 who had been hiding in the snow ridges were being picked off by the 50 gunners, quietly encircling them from higher ground. They were being torn apart from above and below. The ones below, after taking the first volley, had attempted to charge after a while, but before making contact with us, they faced a second volley and were forced into retreat.

Truly, it might be tough if they were to be charged by the snow ridge group like a raging torrent, but Liao’s unit was said to be the elite force of the Rube Household, so they should be able to buy some time for a retreat. However, as expected, it seemed it wouldn’t come to that.

“This is nauseating. Did the Noza Household’s forces fall to such scum?” (Liao)

Seeing the soldiers becoming fodder for bullets rather than charging, Liao expressed his disgust openly. Indeed, they looked more like bandits than soldiers. There was no discipline.

“They look pathetic, but if they manage to turn the tide, they’ll become troublesome. In a losing battle, they’ll retreat.” (Yuri)

“Still, it’s disgraceful.” (Liao)

“If Vilan Tomin took direct command, it might improve slightly.” (Yuri)

‘People like these tend to get carried away when they’re on the winning side. But they don’t have the ideology of death as honor, nor are they fighting to protect the nation or for the honor of their family. They’re simply fighting to fulfill their desires. If it turns into a losing battle, they lose the will to fight. Because their motivation disappears.

With no prospect of gaining rewards through plunder, that’s how it goes. In other words, they’re the kind of people who would flee if they received a powerful punch to the face right from the start. Still, I thought that perhaps they were enamored by the charisma of the leader, in other words, they fought not because of personal popularity but out of respect. So, while cautious, I harbored such thoughts, but it turned out to be unfounded.

“If you want to fight, you can go ahead. There are still about 200 left, but you should be able to win.” (Yuri)

“I’ll go.” (Liao)

‘It seems like he wants to do it.’

“Actually, it would be less damaging if they returned and trampled the ones who’ve retreated, but…” (Yuri)

“Let me go.” (Liao)

‘If Liao said so, there was no reason to object. It seemed they also wanted to gain practical combat experience. Since it’s the army of the Rube Household, there’s no reason to stop Liao if he’s willing.’

“Well then, go ahead.” (Yuri)

When I said so, Liao mounted a Galloping Bird. In this situation, riding a Galloping Bird to protect gunners is rather inconvenient, so I would otherwise go on foot.

“Gin! Liao’s going in. After the next volley, switch your aim.” (Yuri)

“Understood. Fire!” (Gin)

As the roar of the volley passed…

“Let’s go!! Knights of the Rube Household, follow me!!” (Liao)

Liao brandished his spear and charged in.

At that moment, there were shadows running out from the tent on the other side. It was Vilan Tomin.

‘Oh? Did they win?’

Right after, Dolla, dressed ridiculously, came out.

‘It seems they did win.’

“Hey, Gin.” (Yuri)

“Reload! …Yes?” (Gin)

“They’ve closed the gate on the other side, right?” (Yuri)

“That’s correct.” (Gin)

I checked my pocket watch again. It had been about three hours since the messenger returned.

It wouldn’t be good if they escaped through the gate, so I immediately dispatched two messengers to the messenger, sending them through the opposite side of the mountain with eagles, to inform the head of the guard of the situation. According to the returned messenger’s report, they were able to discuss closing the gate until the facts were confirmed.

So, I asked them to confirm it right away and sent one of the messengers with an Eagle for on-site assessment. The head of the guard was a knight who could ride an Eagle. The messenger who dismounted from the eagle was still at the gate. The other one returned and reported to me.

‘If they’re not dead over there, it wouldn’t be strange if they’ve already returned.’

“They won’t be defeated just like that, probably.” (Yuri)

Watching from amidst the thin white smoke, Dolla swung her spear with tremendous force, splitting a hapless soldier’s body in two from head to toe. After that, he continued swinging his spear around, and people fell like dominoes.

Liao’s unit, which had been caught off guard by Dolla’s spear, would charge in soon. It seemed like it was almost over.

“Should we encourage surrender?” (Gin)

“They won’t surrender as long as Vilan is there.” (Yuri)

‘Decision-making seems to be monopolized by Vilan Tomin. This could be inferred from the fact that the troops, without Vilan, neither attacked nor hid behind the tent, but rather floated around aimlessly. There was a lack of leadership to grasp the collective will and lead them.’

“Hmm… If they held out a little longer…” (Yuri)

I glanced back at the extending road. The 700 who had retreated to the ridge were returning upon hearing the gunfire. But they were still far away.

‘They were only coming back with Galloping Birds separated, but would it be enough? If the Galloping Birds could be used, they could swiftly encircle the enemy from behind by traversing the gentle slope. Ideally, I wanted them to hold out until the Galloping Birds arrived.’

“Oh well, seems not.” (Yuri)

Despite being somewhat clever, it seemed that before Liao’s unit arrived to clash, Vilan Tomin grasped the situation and decided to retreat.  It was swift and they fled in a mad dash. Their manner of fleeing without regard for a rear guard seemed quite like bandits and garnered my favor.

‘The terrain here is conveniently gentle, allowing for running along the slope, but it gets steeper further ahead. Once it gets steep, we can pursue, but we won’t be able to encircle or blockade them.’

“…Looks like we’ll have to go straightforward to the gate. Tedious, but necessary.” (Yuri)

“Yes. What about us?” (Gin)

“Once we merge, take turns with the remaining troops and keep the ones on the snow ridges as target practice. It’ll be good practice shooting people.” (Yuri)

The ones on the snow ridges had attempted to charge down, but after being hit by volleys from above and below, they hesitated and retreated. Since the snow ridges were slightly concave, there was nowhere to hide.

“What about encouraging surrender? They’ll probably comply.” (Gin)

“No need. If they surrender on their own, accept it.” (Yuri)

“If we were to recruit them—” (Gin)

“No, hang them in Oregano.” (Yuri)

‘If they were plundering in wartime, it would be one thing, but those who raided villages without fear of being pursued within their own territory were like beasts that had acquired a taste for human flesh. They are uncivilized and untrainable. While it might be satisfying to put them in front of the Crusaders and let them die, allowing them to die without resistance would only lower morale, and it would be wasteful to use them for gun training. Moreover, the citizens of Oregano, who were subjected to plunder, wouldn’t be pleased if they were kept alive.’

“It’s better for post-war stability. They’re going to die anyway, so make them targets without hesitation.” (Yuri)

“I was thinking, what about sending them to Isus? Maybe they could cause some disruption over there?” (Gin)

“Vilan becoming a big bandit and wreaking havoc in the rear, is that the idea? He’s over thirty, isn’t he? If he couldn’t create a better army after controlling a feudal territory for years, then it’s not a big deal. It would be more troublesome if he returned in a fit of rage.” (Yuri)

“I see. Well… yes, understood.” (Gin)

Gin Toga nodded in agreement. From behind, the army of 700 had arrived.

I mounted the Galloping Bird I had come on.

“Well then, I’m counting on you.” (Yuri)

—

Leaving 200 soldiers with Gin, we advanced for about an hour with five hundred. The checkpoint came into view. I had let Liao take the lead to give him some glory, but their advance halted. I walked through the ranks of soldiers and went to the front line.

“Liao, what’s wrong?” (Yuri)

“An arrow was shot.” (Liao)

A single arrow was sticking into the ground right in front of Liao’s unit. It was probably a warning not to come closer. There were shrubs around here, and the gaps between rocks were filled with soil.

Looking closer, Vilan Tomin’s diminished forces were making some commotion in front of the closed gate. Indeed, the promise not to open the gate seemed to be effective.

‘This road is built on a steep slope of about 50 degrees, with the right side going up and the left side going down. Well, if you try hard, it seems like you can’t pass by the cliff, but if you don’t have the climbing skills, there’s a high chance you’ll get injured. It seems like it takes a lot of courage to go through the checkpoint. Of course, sending the military through is unthinkable.’

I checked my pocket watch. It had been four hours since the head of the guard had departed. It was already three in the afternoon, and although the days were getting longer, it was about time to start preparing for the camp.

“Let’s send a military envoy.” (Yuri)

I said.

“What should be the content?” (Liao)

“If the facts are still uncertain, suggest capturing them and bringing them back here. If they’re rebels, they won’t comply with the capture out of fear of being judged for their crimes later. But if they’re innocent, they’ll likely comply, knowing that their innocence will be proven eventually. Once we see them surrendering, we won’t attack.” (Yuri)

“You think of everything. Hey, Ryuk. You were listening, right? Go and do it.” (Liao)

Liao said, handing a white flag from his bag strapped to his back to a knight named Ryuk, who responded with a “yes” and went off with the flag held high. Upon reaching there, he was talking about Vilan Tomin. We waited for a response, and time passed.

“By the way, how’s Myaro doing?” (Liao)

Liao said.

‘That topic again. I don’t like it. Is he still dragging that along?’

“She’s busy in the capital. Dealing with the Witches, putting them into the kiln for judgment.” (Yuri)

‘She’s also dismantling the guild, revitalizing the economy, re-employing the Witches, and restructuring the bureaucracy, but Liao wouldn’t know about that.’

“I see…” (Liao)

“Do you still have feelings for her? There are plenty of other women to choose from.” (Yuri)

“Sometimes the things we can’t have—” (Liao)

‘It’s serious. Well, marrying someone might fix that. Given his position, he can’t afford not to marry.’

“More importantly… are you planning to properly rebuild Mital?” (Liao)

“We plan to. Unlike those parasites who lived off half-rate tariffs, Mital is an iron-producing region. There’s simply demand for it.” (Yuri)

‘Mital is known as a gathering place for skilled craftsmen. I believe the spear I’m currently holding was forged by a famous Mital swordsmith in the past. The Rube Household territory is a source of iron ore, and it has developed by importing charcoal from the Boff Household’s territory and the Kilghina territory and the further north to produce iron.

Although there are coal deposits in the royal territory, they can’t be used for steelmaking because they can’t be converted into coke. If steel is produced from coal without being converted into coke, it results in poor-quality pig iron due to the mixture of sulfur and other impurities.’

“Have more confidence. Mital is a city located naturally attracting people. It will be rebuilt soon. And of course, we’ll keep our promise.” (Yuri)

“Make sure you do.” (Liao)

“Hey, they’re coming back.” (Yuri)

A messenger was running towards us. At the checkpoint, a rope ladder was thrown down from above and landed on the ground.

‘What, did they accept the terms?’