Chapter 189
Chapter 189: It’s Time to Show Our Strength (3)
Before the attack began, Ghislaine asked Vanessa.
“What’s the enemy troop deployment status?”
Vanessa, who had been sitting quietly with her eyes closed, opened them. Beside her lay a wizard, frothing at the mouth and collapsed.
“Just as you expected, my lord, they’ve all congregated at the target point of the tunnel. There are less than half the soldiers remaining around the castle gate and walls.”
Thanks to reaching the 6th Circle, Vanessa was able to scout a much wider area than other wizards.
She resolved her insufficient mana by absorbing it from other wizards. There were more than a few wizards who had passed out from being drained by her.
Even as wizards fell, Ghislaine had Vanessa continue to use her scouting magic.
Whether they could scan the entire battlefield, even for just a moment, was a crucial factor in determining the outcome of the war. Wasn’t it thanks to using wizards in the last war that they caught the spies?
Confirming that the enemies were moving as she had anticipated, Ghislaine nodded and continued speaking.
“Alright, it’s time to start.”
“Are you… really sure about this? If things go awry, it could lead to great danger.”
At Vanessa’s worried words, Ghislaine chuckled.
“If we succeed, we can capture the castle without major damage.”
“How about I use the wizards’ mana to attack the soldiers on the walls instead?”
“No. It’s not time to reveal the wizards’ existence yet. Plus, that method would cause damage but wouldn’t allow us to seize it easily. The enemies will try to hold out until reinforcements arrive. You know we don’t have time, right?”
“Still…”
“We go in, take out the enemies, and open the castle gates. How simple and good is that? They’ve been starving for so long, they won’t be hard to deal with.”
At Ghislaine’s resolute response, Vanessa lowered her head.
It was risky, but if they succeeded, the rewards would be great. To seize the castle in a single day was worth taking the risk.
She could only hope they would succeed without too much damage.
“Understood. Please take care of yourself…”
“Right. Now let’s start preparing.”
Ignoring Vanessa’s concerns, Ghislaine called the knights together.
“When night falls, we’ll charge into the enemy’s castle in hot air balloons. Afterwards, we will seize the walls and open the gates.”
“…”
The knights, who had been boasting just moments ago, finally wore expressions that said the inevitable had arrived.
The supplies that had arrived included dozens of hot air balloons; far too many for reconnaissance.
Seeing this, the knights recalled the falling techniques they had learned not long ago but still couldn’t shake their apprehensions. But who would have thought that their unease would become a reality?
Now that the lord had spoken, the operation wouldn’t be canceled. The knights, knowing their lord’s stubbornness from past experience, felt a weight in their hearts.
At that moment, one knight asked in confusion,
“Then why did we dig the tunnel? Are we not going to attack from there?”
“That’s a decoy. The enemy’s main force has gathered at the tunnel exit to launch a counterattack against us.”
“Are you saying…”
“Yes, if we board the hot air balloons and enter the castle, we can swiftly target the gates.”
The knights fell silent and swallowed hard.
Their lord was manipulating the whole plan effortlessly. It sent shivers down their spines.
The real deal was the hot air balloons. Not preparing siege equipment or digging tunnels had all been just to induce complacency in the enemy and draw their gaze.
‘That’s why we trained in the falling technique.’
‘This was the plan all along.’
‘Well… our lord wouldn’t do anything without a reason.’
Looking back, their lord had always been like this. There wasn’t a single act done without significance.
From the Forest of Monsters to the Perdium Workshop battle, he would do anything to achieve victory.
He had a style of slowly preparing while deceiving both enemies and allies alike.
They couldn’t believe it simply because his methods defied common sense, but the results showed he had always planned everything.
Seeing the terribly tense knights, Ghislaine spoke.
“I know what you’re worried about. No matter how much we’ve prepared, jumping into the enemy’s midst isn’t easy. It’s an exceedingly dangerous operation, and life and death cannot be guaranteed.”
“…”
That was true. No matter how much they were knights, they were just half-way knights with a limited time to fight.
If they couldn’t quickly subdue the enemy and fail to open the gates, they would surely be surrounded and unable to escape.
That was something Ghislaine, who planned the operation, understood better than anyone here.
In the thick tension, Ghislaine slowly opened her mouth.
“We are still weaker than the enemy. The foes we will face in the future are far more powerful than Count Cabaldy.”
Count Desmond is one of the strongest in the North. The Duke Faction was stronger than any single force could compare.
Everyone already knew they would have to fight such enemies in the future.
“So this war needs to end at a pace the enemy can’t even imagine. If we can’t easily subdue even this level of enemy, we won’t have any hope. Let me ask, have we been unprepared?”
At her words, the knights exhaled through their noses and puffed out their chests.
They had risked their lives to master mana. They had trained with the resolve to break their bodies.
They had worked harder than anyone else and had grown at a pace no one could imagine.
That undeniable fact filled them with pride and confidence far beyond before.
The knights shouted in a thunderous voice.
“We are not lacking!”
They weren’t short on preparation; they had only become cautious because the enemy they faced wasn’t someone they could underestimate.
“Although we’ve been starving, the Cabaldy army’s level of armament is considered the best in the North. We are dropping right in the middle of them. Are we afraid of that?”
Ghislaine’s subtle provocation made the knights snort and laugh.
“We’ve defeated Desmond’s army before, after all.”
“And we captured those monstrous beasts in the Forest of Monsters.”
“Why would we fear those punks?”
The knights’ gazes began to ignite with fervor. Ghislaine smiled widely.
“Fear belongs to those unprepared. We’ve done our best until now.”
The enemies are not prepared at all. Now it’s time to unleash everything they have built up against them.
Ghislaine lightly punched her chest twice, filled with laughter.
“I want a perfect victory.”
This was a victory ritual performed by mercenaries serving the goddess of war.
Since most knights were from mercenary backgrounds, they mirrored Ghislaine and pounded their chests in laughter.
Those not from mercenary backgrounds understood the meaning and followed the ritual.
Before long, the fear and tension had completely vanished from the faces of the knights.
With a confident demeanor, Ghislaine continued speaking.
“This time, I will be at the very front.”
Just as always, Ghislaine had been first in the most dangerous spots, making the impossible possible.
This was the source of the power that leads everyone and provides belief.
“Follow me with all your might, just like before.”
That would be enough. If they did that, victory would be theirs once again.
The knights wore expressions resembling Ghislaine’s and brought their fists to their chests as a military salute.
Moments ago, they had wished for victory as mercenaries; now, they pledged to risk their lives as knights following their lord.
Looking briefly around at the knights, Ghislaine turned with a cruel smile.
“Let’s go, it’s time to show our strength.”
*
The personnel working on the tunnels also joined the main force under the cover of night.
It would be great if all 400 of them could board the hot air balloons, but no matter how much they filled them, everyone couldn’t fit.
To adjust altitude and direction quickly, wizards had to ride one by one, so they could not increase the number of balloons beyond their count.
The knights argued fiercely to assert their pride, insisting on who would go. They had no choice but to select forcibly.
“Aw, I wanted to go.”
“Why can’t I go? I’m stronger!”
“Hah, I’m sick of hearing about the ones who’ve already gone.”
A little over 100 knights were selected, while the remaining knights licked their lips and marched with the soldiers.
While their danger level was lower, their role was not light. They had to rush in and rescue their comrades the moment the gates opened.
They would draw the enemy’s attention, and then once the gates opened, they would charge in.
Soon, dozens of hot air balloons soared high in the sky. The wizards used wind magic to set their course toward Cabaldy Castle.
Throughout their approach to the castle, those aboard the hot air balloons remained tense. Regular arrows wouldn’t reach them, but capable knights or wizards could intercept them at that height.
However, the knights and soldiers at Cabaldy Castle did not spot the hot air balloons in time.
It was dark, and they were too focused on the approaching Penris army to look up at the sky.
“Huh? What’s that?”
A soldier from the outskirts noticed the hot air balloons just as they rose above the castle walls.
At his signal, the waiting soldiers and commanders at the walls also saw the balloons.
“What, what is that? What’s in the sky!”
“It doesn’t look like a monster?”
“Why is it coming toward our castle?”
The people forgot the approaching Penris army and stared blankly at the hot air balloons.
When a person is too surprised, they struggle to make accurate judgments. They were bewildered, staring at the bizarre shapes they had never seen before.
The common belief that humans can’t fly was so strong that they couldn’t even imagine someone could fit inside that large basket.
“Is it stopping?”
“Huh? It’s coming down, coming down. Isn’t that a real monster? It’s fat and has something hanging beneath it!”
As everyone began to murmur in confusion, the commander on the castle walls frowned.
They had to identify what that was. If it was a monster, they would be in a dangerous situation fighting enemies on both sides.
“Penris forces have ceased their advance. It seems they’ve spotted that and are being cautious. Send a reconnaissance team to confirm what it is.”
The Penris army stopped advancing with shields raised to prepare for arrows, but not knowing Ghislaine’s plan, the castle walls commander made that judgment uninformed.
Soon, a small reconnaissance team was organized and carefully headed toward the direction of the hot air balloons.
In stark contrast to the cautious Cabaldy army, the knights aboard the hot air balloons were in complete disarray.
“Hey! We need to get down fast! Don’t you see the torches? The enemy is coming to check it out!”
The wizards urged the knights. They had to get down quickly so they could escape.
The wizards had expended a considerable amount of mana just to lift and move the hot air balloons.
In this impromptu chaos, they needed to escape as soon as the knights jumped down.
They couldn’t provide aerial support, and if they hesitated too long, they’d lose valuable wizards or hot air balloons.
But the knights felt a bit wronged.
“Hey! Quiet down! We’re too high right now! Let’s descend!”
“What? No! We can’t go any lower!”
They couldn’t lower the altitude of the hot air balloons too much. It would take time to lift them back up, making escape difficult.
The knights needed to jump down at the right altitude to retreat, so the wizards wouldn’t yield either.
“Are we not getting down soon? I’ll cut the rope!”
“Wow, just wait until the war is over. You’ll regret this.”
Even amidst the bickering, the knights and wizards didn’t have a terrible relationship.
In the past, arrogant wizards wouldn’t have mingled freely with mercenaries like this. They used to look down on each other like they were distasteful cattle.
But influenced by Ghislaine’s atmosphere, everyone had shed their pretenses and become like neighborhood friends.
The knights took a few deep breaths and executed the ‘only one arm gets broken and I survive’ falling technique they had trained for.
Thunk! Ka-pow! Thud!
“Oof! I didn’t break anything!”
“I’m alive! Nice! The training really paid off!”
“Ugh, I almost died before fighting.”
They all rolled on the ground, complaining.
However, thanks to the training and mastering mana, they managed to land safely without serious injuries.
Amidst that commotion, there was one quiet hot air balloon.
It was the one carrying Kaor and Alfoy.
Since the ‘hot air balloon drop incident,’ the two had been awkwardly silent and distant.
It was embarrassing to have tried to save each other, making their interactions uncomfortable.
In that awkward atmosphere, while holding onto the rope and descending, Kaor spoke.
“Hey, don’t mess around and fall again; just make sure to escape.”
Alfoy, with his arms crossed, turned his gaze elsewhere and replied.
“Hmph… just make it back safely.”
“Come on, don’t be shy.”
Kaor couldn’t help but chuckle and leaped off the hot air balloon in style.
Thud!
“Ow, damn! That hurts!”
Kaor was the last to jump, and one by one, the hot air balloons that had dropped off all the knights began rising in altitude. The remaining task for the wizards now was simply to swiftly exit the battlefield.
Inside the ascending hot air balloon, one wizard looked down and said.
“Hey, make sure you come back alive. Otherwise, I’ll fix those uncouth habits of yours.”
The knight, rubbing his arms, smiled and responded.
“You better wait and make sure your neck is clean. I’ll send you off comfortably.”
“Ha! One fireball and you’ll be trembling.”
The wizard chuckled as he heated the air pocket with magic.
As the hot air balloons shrank in the distance, soldiers of Cabaldy were approaching cautiously.
The knights of Penris, having dropped into the enemy’s stronghold, now had no way to escape.
What remained was nothing but success or death.
Ghislaine, who had jumped down first to scout ahead, looked back and said.
“Anyone left who can’t escape or jump down? I assume no one got hurt with this much height.”
“No, we’re fine!”
The knights laughed, rotating their sore arms.
Soon, a vicious killing intent began to arise among them.
Ghislaine drew her sword with a smile. It was the scent of battle she hadn’t smelled in a while.
“Everyone ready to spill some blood?”
“Ready as ever!”
With that, the knights also drew their swords, wearing cruel smiles identical to Ghislaine’s.
Their swords were wrapped in blue mana, not a single one left out.
