ocean-life Vol 5 Chapter 17-1：Castle Siege Destruction Archery《Ballista》
Vol 5 Chapter 17-1：Castle Siege Destruction Archery《Ballista》
Vol 5 Chapter 17-1:Castle Siege Destruction Archery《Ballista》
Vol 5 Chapter 17-1:Castle Siege Destruction Archery《Ballista》
It’s been four days since we left Erucy. I hurried with Lucy, Yukino, and Roleau along the path to the Empire. Spotting some soldiers halfway there, we took some distance and hid in the forest while keeping close watch. The imperial soldiers seemed to be walking around comparatively loosely. Most of them were regular citizens who had volunteered, so I assume the light armor was because they couldn’t handle heavy iron armor, plus there wasn’t even enough armor for everyone. Making them wear heavy armor like that and having them march to Erucy would only guarantee that they drop out.
「Seems like our enemies here are taking a detour, just like you anticipated, Chief.」
Roleau remarked as he peered at the imperial soldiers from afar.
「So it’s just as I thought.」 「Why would they take the long route?」 「Because of Belle Erucy. Yes, only the Empire can topple such a durable fortress, but it would take time, and the casualties would be great. So they’re thinking that avoiding it would be quicker.」
After all, this supply depot of the Empire’s that we seized was originally built all the way up by the Empire as a fortress to hold back enemies on the Erucy border, so it was made to be extremely solid.
In addition, we even brought out the grenades in the last fight. I doubt they’re going to consider fighting from the front again.
「Thanks to Belle Erucy, huh. But hey, Chief, if they’re just gonna go around the long way, then it was meaningless to make Belle Erucy in the first place.」 「Not quite, Roleau. Even if they detour and avoid passing through Belle Erucy by traveling along the roads leading to Erucy and grouping up ahead, the distance they have to travel on foot would increase by 30%. Plus none of the detour roads have been properly paved. The path they’re about to travel is little better than an animal trail. Their feet will slow down, and they’ll get tired. That’s already a huge blow to the soldiers, since they originally were aiming for a decisive battle of brief duration.」
Indeed. Belle Erucy only needed one road in the direction of Erucy, so we had never gone to the trouble of spending so much money on paving a road that we wouldn’t even be using. The imperial soldiers weren’t used to the forest or the mountains, and would end up wasting both their time and their energy.
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It’s been three days. We continued our surveillance, but couldn’t detect Ashuno even once. Roleau’s discontent has accumulated a considerable amount, and he looks like he might explode at any moment. It’s gotten dark now, so the four of us are camping in the forest, sitting around a campfire.
「Cyril-nisama, I put the tea in.」 「Thanks Yukino.」 「Mm.」
Yukino poured in warm tea with her magic. The weather was getting warmer, but it was still chilly at night. The warm tea spread throughout my body. I motioned for Yukino to come, and she quickly ran over to me and sat on my lap with her small body. I caressed her head, and Yukino smiled in a pleased manner. 「Chief, I can’t take it anymore! I don’t even know why we came here in the first place if we’re not going to make any moves!」
Roleau stood up and yelled.
「Let’s calm down, Roleau. Cyril said everything has been set in place, so let’s trust him and wait.」
Lucy drank tea and made herself comfortable as she admonished Roleau.
「Then how frickin’ long do we have to wait? At this rate, those punks are gonna get to Erucy without so much as a scratch on them! Chief is the one who said that we can’t win if that happens.」
I regretted my decision a bit. It might have been too severe for the impatient Roleau to deal with this plan. However, I needed his help no matter what.