Chapter 48 is out! Double release today to make up for not posting anything last week.
Anyway, here"s the chapter, I hope you"ll enjoy it!
Chapter 48
【"―― Looks like they got there first."】
Looking at the pillar of light in the sky, Cabernard had a presentiment that his plans had once again been thwarted.
Maybe it was a simple natural phenomenon, like some type of aurora borealis, but as a realist and as a military commander, Cabernard had to antic.i.p.ate the worst.
That aside, how in the world had the enemy arrived before him?
They may have been initially closer to the city, but Cabernard"s army had started marching many days ahead, it should have been no easy matter to get ahead of them.
【"Oh, I see, they must have used their griffons."】
That was the conclusion Cabernard ultimately reached. Given the average speed of Lapland"s soldiers, this was the only explanation that mathematically made sense.
And if it was right, it would mean the only enemies currently present in Berglund were Frigga and the very few elites that could ride griffons.
―― Perhaps that mysterious man would be there, too.
Cabernard was wavering. Was he supposed to keep on marching or to retreat and prepare better for a future a.s.sault?
He had brought along many magic canons and ballistas this time.
He figured even the mysterious man would probably not be able to fight against such weapons.
However, if he was wrong, it meant he was only leading the fourth squadron to yet another crushing defeat, which would very likely push some of the neighboring countries to start backing Lapland.
Though Cabernard was a military commander, he was also a diplomat, and he knew that such after-effects could not be ignored.
Besides, if the light he saw really was a magic attack, then perhaps Berglund was no longer a viable supply base.
The large forces of the Asgard army were a heavy burden on supplies. If they did not replenish their reserves in Berglund, they would end up lacking provisions.
In the worst case scenario, the troops could end up having to completely withdraw due to thirst and hunger.
Having weighed the political impact of a hypothetical failure, as well as the different military aspects of the situation, Cabernard decided to withdraw.
【"―― Your Excellency! There is a griffon-rider approaching from Berglund!"】
【"Ready the ballistas! Prepare to intercept the enemy!"】
However, it looked like the enemy was not going to let him withdraw peacefully. Even so, the fourth squadron"s army was not that easy to deal with.
As he stared at the griffon that seemed to be gliding through the sky, Cabernard smiled ferociously.
『You just have to threaten them a little bit and they"ll withdraw.』
If the Asgard commander was not incompetent, he should have understood by now that occupying Berglund was not worth it.
He could no longer count on the provisions and supplies he was expecting to obtain from the count.
Even if he decided to sustain his army solely through the pillaging of resources from the city"s residents, that would most certainly limit his squadron"s range of action in Lapland from here on out.
However, that choice would also put Lapland in a troubling position.
Following their victory in Crowdagen, what Lapland wanted the most now was to keep a flawless winning streak against Asgard.
Despite Lapland"s triumph in Crowdagen"s battle, their overwhelming losses in the battle that preceded it were still making them seem to be at a disadvantage.
In order to gain the support of the neighboring countries, they needed an achievement that would make their allies think "Lapland has won again, the flow of this war has actually changed". But losing Berglund would have the opposite effect.
Considering all this, Bernst could guess that the the commander on Asgard"s side was currently swaying between two options. He could either choose to take on the difficult task of occupying Berglund, with the resolve to take some losses, or he could wait for a better opportunity and keep his losses to a minimum.
(Hold on, you"re saying that we have to provoke them so that they won"t counter-attack? Shouldn"t it be the opposite?)
『If we get their commander to think that our aim is to exhaust his troops, he will withdraw. Any decent commander would do so. How do you not understand that? You meathead!』
Seeing that Kurats was as clueless as ever when it came to psychological tactics, Bernst felt his head hurt.
Granted, this was the precisely the reason why Kurats was so easy for him to manipulate, but somewhere, in a corner of his heart, this weak point still made Bernst feel helpless.
『Don"t lose your focus, they"re attacking!』
【"Oh s.h.i.t!"】
The Asgard army"s huge ballistas all aimed at the griffon and started firing simultaneously.
Rather than using traditional bowstrings, each of these shots were powered by the explosions of magic gems.
The ballistas were created to destroy ma.s.sive ramparts, they were far too powerful to be used against mere humans.
Although Kurats would not die from these attacks, one hit would be enough to kill both Frigga and her griffon.
But before they could be hit, Kurats barely managed to change the trajectories of the shots with the use of a defensive barrier.
【"Sorry about that, Kurats. You saved us there."】
【"No, I"m the one who should apologize for having you come along in such a dangerous place."】
While Kurats and Frigga were having this conversation, they were shot again, but this time, by sh.e.l.ls of magic energy.
In this situation, Kurats" lack of skill with magic became evident.
The fact that he could not segment his thoughts to control multiple spells at once also meant that he could not use a regular defensive spell and an anti-magic defensive spell at the same time.
Moreover, he could not fire any attack spells while he was defending himself.
(I told him this would happen!) At this very moment, Bernst felt like he was straight up chewing on sand.
If fighting against these kinds of enemies was already hard for Kurats, he could well imagine what would happen when an actually strong opponent would appear.
【"Kurats, leave the defense to me. Sh.e.l.lac and I won"t have any trouble dodging attacks of this level."】
Frigga was smiling with quiet self-confidence.
She was large flower brightening up the whole battlefield.
She was showing the courage of a warrior who did not fear death and did not mind losing her life in a fight.
Oddly enough, her beauty shined the most when she was in the middle of a battle.
Kurats gulped nervously as he faced this extraordinary beauty.
【"―― Alright, I"ll leave it to you."】
Embarra.s.sed, he barely managed to say these words before looking away.
【"Now then, which spell can I use?"】
『 "Altaic sun" would swallow up the princess, so don"t even think about it. Unlike the meathead that you are, she is a normal human being.』
Only someone like Kurats would suffer no consequence other than getting an afro after being swallowed up by a spell like Altaic sun.
If he was a normal human being, his body would have been burnt to a crisp, and the blast alone could have been enough to cut up his limbs and send them flying.
(I know, you don"t have to tell me!)
When fighting against an army of this scale, the only type of magic that Kurats had in his a.r.s.enal were spells like "Teinan"s thunder spear", which he has used earlier, and "Malaga"s wall".
His lack of control over his powers made him incapable of using other similar spells yet.
(If all I need is something powerful, then Teinan"s thunder spear would work but…)
『Is there something wrong with that spell?』
(Well, to be honest, I put too much power in the previous shot, I don"t think I can use it a second time…)
『Huuuh?! You couldn"t measure your magic"s consumption for such a weak spell? You amateur!』
In kurats" place, Bernst would have been able to suppress the waste of magic power by more than half.
He never imagined that Kurats would waste so much power.
『No helping it. Try to use "Malaga"s wall" then, we"ll see how that goes. And don"t uselessly waste your magic!』
(Yeah, yeah.)
As one would expect from a spell made by the magic king, even someone with an abnormal reserve of magic power like Kurats could not use it at no cost.
(Like I thought, attacking with rocks would have been much better.)
【" To the natural elements dwelling within this earth, heed the call of Kurats・Hans・Almadianos!"】
Cabernard was able to feel the enormous amount of magic power that gathered around Kurats as he started his incantation.
【"Something big is coming! Put up an anti-magic barrier, hurry!"】
【"The anti-magic emblem has been activated! The magic defense formation has been deployed! The barrier is now up!"】
Kurats could tell with one look that the enemy was preparing counter-measures.
His magic was certainly unmatched, but it was worth mentioning that he was currently trying to limit the damages to a minimum, which made it hard to predict the outcome.
Based on a protocol they had established beforehand, the Asgard forces prepared their defenses by setting up an anti-magic emblem and a special magic formation.
Despite the overwhelming superiority of his army, Cabernard had still carefully prepared such countermeasures.
It was not for nothing that he had gained the trust of the emperor as a squadron commander.
【"Restrain my enemies in an endless prison. May they slumber in a wall of eternal ice that shall freeze even the steel of their blades ―― Malaga"s wall "】
A high wall of ice rose from the ground, surrounding Asgard"s forces and advancing like a wave that was about to swallow them all up.
However, at the very last moment, this ice that could instantly freeze anyone who touched it was held back by the anti-magic emblem of the fourth squadron"s mage units.
(―― This is bad!)
At that moment, Kurats felt his b.e.s.t.i.a.l instincts alerting him.
Kurats and Asgard"s mage units were currently attacking each other and blocking each other"s attacks like they were playing a game of table tennis.
But he felt like he might be able to crush their defenses if he cast another spell right away and poured all his remaining magic power into it.
Even so, he did not hesitate for a second to follow his instincts instead.
【"Frigga, take us higher!"】
【"U-understood!"】
But just when he and Frigga were about to take more alt.i.tude, a blade came from behind them like a whirlwind.
It all happened in a flash.
The attack came from a lone knight in a white armor who had appeared out of nowhere, and who was about to slice Kurats" head open.
Translator"s note: Don"t forget to check out