Volume 2 Chapter 3 – The Second StepThe Second Step
Part 1
Let us go back in time a little to explain the actions of Naga and the witches.
That night, when the Kasandora Army made camp near the Schweiz River.
Part 2
A thin layer of cloud covered the night sky, the moonlight shone through the gaps in the clouds, helping visibility greatly.
It was already the wee hours of the next day. Near the Schweiz River, six figures could be seen to the southeast.
These darkened silhouettes were followed by a small army of short wooden puppets that barely reached waist height.
Naturally, Harrigan was the one controlling the puppets.
The puppets were arranged in four rows as they marched forward.
Just ordering the puppets to advance didn’t require any complex commands from Harrigan. However, the burden of supplying mana for such a large group of puppets was quite taxing for Harrigan.
Naga walked beside Harrigan.
He was wearing the Hakama the witches had given him that night, and some light armor covering it.
The armour was taken from the soldiers who had died in the previous battle. It was about Naga’s size, so he wore it after making some minute adjustments.
With them were four other witches, Lela, Kay, Cu, and Selena. Including Naga, everyone brought along a shield as a precaution.
The shields were for defence if the enemy came within bow range.
Naga and the others moved through the barren lands by cover of night, so they could transport and arrange the 280 wooden puppets on the river’s right bank..
The enemies hadn’t sent out any scouts tonight, so there wasn’t any need for extra caution.
Even if the enemy sent out reconnaissance troops, the witches would be able to know beforehand and take countermeasures ─ At a time like this, Selena’s magic, Heaven’s Eyes, was very effective─
However, there were other problems.
According to Naga’s prediction, that would be the very first battlefield.
If the enemy scouts crossed the Schweiz River in the morning, then they would attack with the wooden puppets.
Naga would carry out a preemptive strike on the scouts with an ambush. If the enemy moved in larger numbers than expected, some would get away, and they would need to be prepared for the enemy’s counterattack.
If possible, it would be better to observe the battle from a safe distance away. But Harrigan needed to control the puppets with magic, so she had to be within visible range.
And there was a ma.s.sive amount of puppets this time. In order to supply mana to all the puppets, she needed to be closer than the time when she controlled just one giant puppet.
Due to these constraints, they had to hide themselves extremely close to the battlefield.
If the ambush failed and the enemy broke through the puppets, they would immediately be within bow range of the enemy.
That’s why they’d brought shields to block arrows.
Naga, who was stuck in a place where arrows might fall, wasn’t as nervous as expected. It was the same for Harrigan too.
“This is how a war should be.”
Harrigan didn’t seem too concerned after Naga said this, which surprised Naga.
The other witches were more or less tense, but no one shivered with fear. Naga was once again impressed by their courage and determination.
It was the same for him too.
“I don’t like such an all out bet.”
He said expressionlessly.
Harrigan had a surprised expression when Naga said this after they’d gotten this far.
“This doesn’t sound like the words of the bold, proud, and fearless Dragon King.”
Harrigan commented without any disdain or sarcasm, which made Naga reply with a troubled face:
“Personally, I prefer quant.i.ty over quality. If possible, I will gather a force that far outnumbers the enemy, and devastate them in one go. That is more my style.”
“For us, that is nothing but a daydream.”
“That’s true.” Naga replied calmly.
“I can’t hope for more numbers from all of you. Willing or not, this type of ambush is the only way left. Don’t misunderstand and think I like this, alright?”
“I am a bit surprised.”
“How so?”
“You, well, I thought you were a man who would prefer a tougher challenge.”
“Hey, don’t judge me so hastily.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Harrigan narrowed her eyes.
“However, you being not as lecherous as you look… is that possible?”
Naga clicked his tongue and replied:
“Don’t turn it into a question. I am not lecherous at all.”
When they heard what Naga and Harrigan said, Lela, Kay, Cu and Selena retorted immediately in their hearts.
(That’s, a lie.)
(Lie.)
(Liar?)
(He is… lying.)
“W-What, why are you all looking at me with gazes filled with doubt!?”
Lela continued staring at Naga coldly and answered:
“These are not gazes filled with doubt, but eyes full of absolute certain-ty.”
“Ahhh, is that so? Since you put it that way, I’m fine with being called lecherous.”
Naga brought his hands to his chest, opening and closing his palms in a groping motion.
“Since you all already labelled me as such, I will grope to my heart’s content.”
“You already did that before being labelled, right? I heard you groped Onee-sama’s b.r.e.a.s.t.s immediately after coming to this world, ri-ght?”
Naga turned stiff immediately.
Harrigan→Ais→Lela, that seemed to be how the rumours circulated.
It was difficult to know who was responsible at a time like this.
Ais heard it from Harrigan, Lela heard it from Ais. However, the one who groped Harrigan’s b.r.e.a.s.t.s was him.
(No, I didn’t do anything wrong. Not at all. If I have to say it, it was Harrigan’s fault for bathing nude at a place like that.)
But Harrigan didn’t think so. She frowned and glared at Naga.
“Right, I remember, such a thing did happen.”
Harrigan’s hair rose above her head, and took the form of a giant mallet.
“Should I return the favour for groping my b.r.e.a.s.t.s back then?”
Naga twisted his body away, putting his hands between him and Harrigan and waved them around.
“No, wait, wait.”
“Why should I wait?”
“You see, back then, I came to a different world out of the blue and was confused okay? A pair of voluptuous, beautiful b.r.e.a.s.t.s suddenly appeared before my eyes and tempted me. Any man would want to grope them, right?”
“You are spouting nonsense again.”
Harrigan was still staring at Naga, but the anger had vanished from her eyes.
At this moment, Cu said an explosive sentence.
“Strange? Naga, so you won’t feel anything unless the b.r.e.a.s.t.s are huge?”
“Ah? No, I am not that…”
“For example, small b.r.e.a.s.t.s like Lela’s won’t do?”
“Saying my b.r.e.a.s.t.s are small is rude, C-u.”
Lela glared at Cu, and Naga shift his gaze onto Lela.
“Ah… It’s fine, don’t worry. The value of a woman is not decided by her breast size.”
“That’s an insult, ri-ght?”
“Hahaha, that’s great Lela, small b.r.e.a.s.t.s are fine too.”
“Like I said, stop saying my b.r.e.a.s.t.s are small. Your b.r.e.a.s.t.s are small too right, Cu?”
“Ahahaha, what strict standards. But you are right, the only one who could win in terms of b.r.e.a.s.t.s is Harrigan-Nee.”
“Kay, how rude.”
Cu puffed her cheeks.
“Erm, I think it is only natural for kids to have small b.r.e.a.s.t.s.”
Selena interrupted stiffly.
(These girls, don’t they feel any fear before a battle? What astonishing nerves… No, is the opposite true? They are chatting in order to relieve the fear and tension?)
Naga felt this was very possible.
The witches might possess great battle prowess, but they were still young girls.
They were probably lacking in combat experience.
On top of that, there were two thousand enemies this time.
They had every reason to be nervous.
It was impossible for them to be unafraid.
That was why they were chatting to ease their tension and fear.
(How thoughtful.)
The actions of the witches before him impressed Naga.
On the other hand, the experienced Harrigan was acting normal.
“We are going to reach the battlefield soon, don’t make any unnecessary noise.”
She reminded them.
“Ah, sorry~~”
Cu apologized with her usual att.i.tude, but it was obvious that she was only going through the motions verbally.
“How is it, Selena? Any sign of the enemy?”
“A moment please, Onee-san.”
Selena turned her face towards the night sky, stopped in her tracks, and opened her eyes wide.
Her pupils turned red and glowed for a moment.
(I see, so this is ‘Heaven’s Eyes’.)
This was the first time Naga saw Selena use her Heaven’s Eyes.
(She is not like the other witches who chant a spell before activating their magic.)
Selena’s pupils turned back to their original colour.
After reverting to her original expression─
“No signs of the enemy in the vicinity.”
She answered.
When she heard the report, Harrigan looked towards Naga.
“In that case, should we start arranging the wooden puppets?”
Naga scanned the surroundings quickly and nodded.
“Yes. Let’s begin after getting closer to the river.”
Part 3
Harrigan manipulated the wooden puppets, and arranged them into four rows on either side of the road. Naga and the others picked up the wooden flat-tipped hoes they’d brought along and started digging.
After Naga dug a shallow trench, just big enough for one person to lie inside, he set his flat-tipped hoe aside.
“Will this do?”
Aside from the armour he looted from a dead enemy, Naga was also wearing the clothes the witches gave him. That’s why he didn’t really want to go into the trench, but war wasn’t that pleasant.
No matter how unwilling, one had to strive on. That’s what Harrigan said, so he had to pretend he didn’t mind the dirt and lie down in it.
“Anyway, just lie down, it will be good enough if you are just below ground level.”
Naga then took out a blanket from his bags.
It was reddish brown in colour, which blended in with the surrounding ground.
He burrowed under the cloth.
“How is i-t?”
Lela asked. She was digging just like Naga, but she stopped and looked at him.
“… No problem. After covering the top with earth, it is hard to see you from afar.”
“Is that so? Then mine should be good eno-ugh.”
Naga removed the cloth and stood up, then reached for the hoe.
“I need to dig one for Harrigan too.”
After saying that, Naga picked up the hoe and started digging.
“If it’s for her, it would be problematic if the trench isn’t deeper than mine.”
“Let me think why… it’s because Onee-sama has big b.r.e.a.s.t.s and she can’t hide properly if the trench is too shallow, ri-ght?”
“You don’t need to explain.”
Lela looked down at her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
Today, once again, she was wearing clothes which exposed much of her skin, and the talismans she used as a skirt hung down from her waist.
This was a dangerous attire for battle, but armour would affect the witches’ magic if they wore it, so they had no other choice.
The other witches also wore revealing clothing.
No matter how Naga looked at it, such attire didn’t make sense.
Well then, what does your common sense tell you, Naga, you who has lost your memory?If someone asked him that, he wouldn’t be able to answer either.
(At least my clothing is closer to my common sense… right?)
As if she had seen through what Naga was thinking, Lela turned her face away with an unhappy face.
“It’s true that Onee-sama’s trench has to be deeper than mine in order for her to hi-de.”
“Isn’t that right? She can’t hide if I don’t dig deeper, huh?”
Naga spread his arms with a smile.
Donk!
“That hurts!!”
Naga squatted down and cried out after being hit on the back of the head by Harrigan’s hair.
“You think I’m a t.i.tty monster!!?”
Naga nursed the back of his head as he looked up, and waved his palm in front of his face.
“Ah, no, I think they’re wonderful b.r.e.a.s.t.s.”
“But isn’t the size too big?”
“They won’t get any bigger even if I talk about how t.i.tillating they are, y’know.”
In response to Naga’s joke, Harrigan made an unpleasant face.
The other four witches looked as if they had eaten something rotten and averted their face awkwardly, then returned to their digging quietly.
“Ara? You can’t take this joke?”
“I know you are a smart man, but you don’t have any talents in telling jokes.”
“Ughh, what a harsh critique.”
“Not at all. I did acknowledge that you are smart.”
“But… Never mind, thanks for the compliment.”
(How should I put this, I don’t think my wits are worth mentioning. It’s just that the people and witches of this world are too righteous. Well, I will accept this evaluation since I received it.)
Naga just rolled with it.
(Not many people acknowledge me anyway. In that world, the only one who did was my dad… Ah? Who was my dad?)
Naga thought to himself.
In the end, no clear images came to mind.
“What is it? Are you worried about something?”
Harrigan asked when she saw Naga acting that way.
“Ahh… No, it’s nothing. I just thought of something, and was trying to remember.”
“Fufu. So, what did you remember?”
Naga shook his head weakly.
“I see. It’s fine, don’t be too anxious about it.”
“Yup. I can’t remember it anyway, so I just have to wait patiently.”
Naga replied and continued digging, but Harrigan stopped him.
“Hey, this should be enough right?”
“Hmm?”
After checking the depth of the hole under his feet, He lift his head and looked at Harrigan’s b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
“L-Like I said! Don’t look at my chest with such eyes!”
After receiving Harrigan’s fierce glare, Naga shrugged.
“True, this should be good enough.”
Naga stepped out of the shallow pit, and Selena interrupted:
“Naga, mine’s done too.”
Selena’s hole was right next to Naga’s
She had to observe the movement of the enemy and relay them to Naga, so their holes need to be within earshot.
And since they were hiding, they couldn’t be too loud.
That’s why Selena dug her hole right beside Naga.
“Alright, give it a try.”
After Naga said that, Selena stepped into the hole and laid face up.
Naga and the others will be lying p.r.o.ne, but Selena had to lie face up in order to use Heaven’s Eyes.
After covering her body with a cloth like a blanket, only the top half of Selena’s face could be seen, with her eyes wide open, looking at the night sky.
Her pupils turned crimson again.
“… It’s good. I can see clearly.”
“Is that so? Then it’s fine. Any movement from the enemy?”
“I will adjust my view.”
Selena answered and the glow in her eyes became brighter.
“I can see the other side of the river, the Kasandora Kingdom has set up camp there. There are about five or six hundred people. There are groups heading towards the camp. The numbers… It’s hard to tell, there should be more than a thousand. However, there is no sign of the enemy on this side of the river.”
“Oh? Thank you for your hard work.”
In response to Naga’s voice, Selena’s pupils reverted to their original colours.
“No problem.”
Selena pulled herself up and got out of the hole.
“I’m done here too, Naga.”
“Mine to-o.”
“Job’s done.”
Kay, Lela and Cu answered after digging their holes.
“Harrigan, how much time til dawn?”
“Let’s see, probably about a watch later.”
One watch was about two hours.
“There’s nothing that needs to be done until dawn. Everyone, go into your holes and rest. You mustn’t sleep, but lying down with your eyes closed will help you recover your fatigue.”
Harrigan nodded her head in agreement.
“But Selena needs to keep her eyes open.”
“Yes, I will work hard.”
“I’m counting on you. If worse comes to worst and we need to run away, I will carry you to the horses if you’re too tired to move.”
In order to stop the horses from making noise, a bit was stuffed into their mouths, and tied to a wooden stake on a hill nearby.
“Erm… Sorry, I will be counting on you when the time comes.”
“Hey Selena, your entire body would be touched all over if he carries you okay? Are you fine with that?”
“I won’t do that! Think before you speak, Cu!”
“Hahaha.”
Cu laughed innocently as usual, even after Naga glared at her.
“Then, piggyback me too.”
“I won’t be able to walk if I piggyback you too.”
“Huh~~ I’m not that heavy okay?”
“Everyone is light, but two of you will be heavy together, isn’t that so?”
“How boring. The t.i.tle of Dragon King will cry if you complain about the little things, y’know?”
Naga couldn’t help smiling wryly.
(This girl gets along with others easily. A rare case among the witches.)
Cu couldn’t hide her nervousness when she first met Naga. But after chatting with him a few times, she could talk with him easily, like old friends who had known each other for years.
(Everyone has their own unique character, how interesting. Painting these girls to be the incarnation of evil that needs to be purged, the people from the church are twisting the truth.)
But Naga learned about all of this from Harrigan.
Humans should have their own opinions too. But the Church’s opinion that Harrigan and her witches are the sworn nemesis of humanity was hard for Naga to accept.
Or rather, Naga found it hard to accept religion influencing politics.
Humans affiliated with religions just need to worry about religious matters.
But, why did he think this way? Naga couldn’t understand.
Sympathy for the witches? Resistance against the forces of the Church?
What Naga was thinking right now would deeply affect his beliefs and ideas in the future. But right now, he hadn’t noticed.
“If you can’t walk, why not let Cu carry you all to ru-n?”
Lela suggested to Cu suddenly.
“Cu?”
Kay turned towards Cu, and the front end of her belts squirmed in the air.
“It will work, Cu. Just wrap your belts around and you can carry the-m.”
“No, that’s a bit…”
“Compared to giving a piggyback, the field of vision is, clearer.”
Several belts extended out from Cu’s body, raising high up above her body as they wriggled.
“No, no thank you.”
“Really?”
“No, really. I will walk on my own.”
Naga pointed at Cu.
“Then walk on your own from the start! And you just need to lie p.r.o.ne after the battle begins. You won’t be as tired as Selena!”
“Ah, is that so?”
“What a pain.”
Naga had a troubled expression, then turned to face Cu.
“What?”
“I had been thinking after seeing you carry the logs, those things on you,”
Naga stopped and pointed to Cu’s belt.
“…Can carry heavy loads, too.”
“If I can maintain balance, it doesn’t matter how heavy the thing is.”
Naga then looked at Kay’s body blatantly.
“Then, carrying Kay would not be a problem too.”
“Wait! If you put it that way, it sounds like I am incredibly heavy, don’t do that!”
“That’s right. Kay is not heavy.”
Cu said.
“Ain’t that right?”
Kay agreed.
“Because her b.r.e.a.s.t.s are the smallest here.”
“Pfft─”
Kay spat out the air in her mouth on reflex.
Cu and Selena laughed heartily.
Lela smiled too.
Their nervousness before the battle was more or less relieved.
That was probably not what Cu and Kay were after, but their conversation should be improving the atmosphere before the battle.
“What a sharp tongue this Cu girl has.”
Kay looked up into the sky with a lamentable face, and Harrigan, who had been watching over them in silence, finally interjected.
“Stop playing, hurry and get into your holes.”
“That’s right. Stay in the holes obediently and wait for the enemy to make their move at dawn.”
Naga urged them, and everyone got into their trenches.
Naga stretched his legs out in the trench and covered his body with a cloth. After piling earth from around the hole on top of the cloth, he laid there p.r.o.ne.
Only his face was uncovered, facing forward.
Because of the thick clouds, light from the moon and the stars didn’t reach the ground and the surroundings were pitch dark.
Even Naga, who had good night vision, couldn’t see clearly.
(Now, I can only see how things play out. I hate putting all my eggs in one basket, but that’s the only viable strategy this time. Besides the execution of the plan, luck will play an important part too.)
Naga’s body shivered inside the trench.
He shivered, not only from the cold before dawn, but also from the excitement of a battle about to start.
Naga and the witches hid in their dark trenches and waited silently for the battle to begin.
Part 4
The sounds of battle finally started.
The ambush by the wooden puppet mob succeeded perfectly, the entire scouting unit that crossed the Schweiz river was wiped out.
After Naga and the others confirmed this, they got out of their holes and moved the wooden puppets forward.
At the same time, they kept their distance from wooden puppets and advanced towards the river.
Harrigan, who was controlling the puppets, walked in front along with Naga, followed, in order, by Lela, Selena, and Kay.
While Cu turned back to retrieve Naga’s and her horse.
Out of the five witches here, Cu and Ixine, from the 3rd group, were more proficient in horsemanship, so Naga a.s.signed the task to her.
However, though she might be more proficient, she was actually ‘not that good after all’ (According to Naga).
Naga moved cautiously as Harrigan watched the sides carefully.
In order to not leave any wooden puppets out, she had to focus on watching them.
All the wooden puppets could move at the same time, but one or two puppets would mess up their movements and fall out of the ranks occasionally.
That’s why Harrigan had to identify the puppets that moved strangely as early as possible, and return them to formation.
(The controls are smooth so far.)
In order to not disturb Harrigan, Naga said this to himself in his mind.
(However, the next phase will be the critical point. The second stage of a two stage shot, or rather, whether the second arrow can hit the target perfectly. That will decide the battle.)
Shortly after, the 2nd battalion of Kasandora’s kingdom entered the river and started crossing it.
According to the observation of Heaven’s Eyes by Selena, they numbered about four hundred, and must not be allowed to all cross at the same time.
There were 260 wooden puppets that could still move, and even if they committed this entire force, the opponents were fully equipped troops.
Their morale was high, and they outmatched Naga and the others even if they relied on numbers alone.
But Naga’s second arrow was to weaken the units crossing the river and separate them.
Yuuki, who left the battlefield earlier on the air hoverboard, finally unleashed the second arrow.
If the plan proceeded smoothly, Naga would be able to cut off part of the Kasandora kingdom’s army and rout the units crossing the river.
It would be difficult to predict how their main force would react after this. But after suffering heavy losses, it was unlikely they would continue their march towards the great cliff, in order to avoid further losses. That was Naga’s aim.
(I’m counting on you, Yuuki.)
Watching Yuuki, who turned into a small dot in the distance, Naga stared at her as if he was offering a prayer.
Part 5
Yuuki’s air hoverboard appeared in the air upstream of the Schweiz River where the dam was.
“She’s here!”
Ais shouted as she stared at the sky, the other witches also looked up.
The black dot became larger, and came close enough to distinguish Yuuki’s face.
Waving her hands on the air hoverboard, she yelled:
“Success success success!”
Ais and Nonoel, who were watching Yuuki’s hoverboard intensely, showed cheerful expressions.
Yuuki, who was heading straight for the river dam, shouted once more:
“Do it!”
Ais was standing on the river bank and had thick ropes coiled several times around her waist.
The ropes extended out behind her, and were tied to the logs used to block the river flow and build the dam.
Ais used her strength to take a step forward.
According to the plan, the ropes would shift the logs, and unleash the water that was held back, and the water pressure would break the dam… That was how it should go.
However, despite using all her strength and her entire face turning red, Ais couldn’t move forward.
“A-Ais?”
The moment Nonoel looked at Ais worriedly, the ropes tied to Ais and the dam snapped loudly.
“Hyaa?”
Ais who was leaning forward with all her strength fell forward just like that.
She steadied her footing with some effort and avoided falling onto her face, Ais saw that the ropes tied to her body had snapped and had a troubled face.
“To think the rope would snap. We made the dam too st.u.r.dy.”
Yuuki, who was flying on the air hoverboard, landed hastily.
“Wait, what happened, Ais!?”
Ais looked at her with a troubled expression.
“As you can see, the rope snapped.”
“The rope snapped, what should we do!? If we don’t break the dam soon, all the enemy forces will cross the river!”
“G-get the backup rope.”
Nonoel looked anxiously at the other witches, but Ais’ voice was faster than the witches action.
“Wait!”
She stopped her comrades.
“We won’t make it even if we retie it with the backup ropes. If the ropes have the same toughness, it is very possible that it will snap again. If it snaps again, we definitely won’t make it.”
“T-then what should we do!?”
Yuuki pressed.
“There’s no other way, I have to dive underwater and break it directly.”
“Huh… Huhh!?”
Not just Yuuki, the other witches were also staring with their eyes wide open.
“B-But…”
“Nonoel!”
“Y-Yes.”
“I will dive into the water. You need to control the water from upstream, and let me go along with the flow to break the dam.”
“Ah… But…”
“There is no time to think. If we don’t break the dam now, Naga will lose the battle. That means we will all lose the battle.”
“But… Ais…”
“Don’t worry, look, my body is tough, I’ll be fine even if the water hits me. Ah, but remember to fish me out after this.”
Ais winked.
She might lose her life, but now was the crucial moment between victory and defeat. Ais acted as if she was at ease, forcing Nonoel to make her decision.
“I understand, Ais. I will give it a try.”
Nonoel replied with a pale face.
“Yuuki, return to the battlefield immediately after the dam breaks. Everyone else stay put and wait for Onee-san and Naga’s instructions. Understand?”
The rest of the witches─ Yuuki, Genius, Elenortha, and Mimone nodded stiffly.
“Well then, let’s begin.”
Ais walked upstream, and Nonoel followed.
After a short distance upstream, Ais leapt into the air and dove into the water.
At the same time, Nonoel began chanting her spell.
“In the name of the wild river G.o.d, may the water rise, stand, align, destroy, flourish, swell, surge. The G.o.ds, the insubordinate, those who strife, those seeking vengeance, wash all of them away with this flood!”
The still lake water in the dam started rippling.
Bubbles appeared and a wave surged.
A flow could be seen, which turned into a whirlpool.
The water around Ais seemed to have a will of its own, flowing rapidly downstream and slamming into the dam.
Riding this wave, Ais bent her knees and straightened them explosively, her feet kicking the logs heavily.
The logs cracked, and large amount of water flowed through the opening.
Cracking noises could be heard all over the dam, and with a tremor, it collapse under the weight of the water.
Unable to resist the pressure of the water flow, the dam broke into pieces.
With an ominous cracking noise, pieces of wood and splinters gushed downstream together with the wave.
The water surging through the dam engulfed the shattered logs along with Ais’ body, flowing downstream mightily.
The sound of logs colliding with each other and the roar of the river flowing reverberated throughout the area.
No matter how tough Ais’ body was, if she got caught in the stream with those logs, she wouldn’t come out of it unharmed.
“A-Ais!”
Yuuki cried out nervously as she watched this scene.
“Follow her!”
After instructing her comrades, Nonoel jumped into the water.
Her voice disappeared into the water in no time.
Yuuki looked downstream with concern. At this moment, Mimone patted her shoulder.
“We will take care of the rest, Hurry on back, Yuuki.”
“Ah, yes… Yes.”
“I will help to search for Ais.”
“Huh? Can we? Shouldn’t we stay put here…”
“I can’t just stand here idly after seeing Ais in danger right? Just leaving one person here will be enough.”
“I understand!”
Yuuki ran towards the place she left her air hoverboard, jumped onto it, and began chanting her spell.
Her air hoverboard floated straight up.
“I’m leaving Ais to you─!”
Yuuki waved from the air, Mimone, Genius, and Eleonortha waved in response.
“Leave it to us!”
Yuuki rode on the air hoverboard and flew downstream.
Part 6
The second battalion of Kasandora, minus the 80 men of 2nd company who fell under the attack when they crossed the river in the beginning, still had four hundred odd men left. The first company finished the crossing in no time and proceeded to spread out onto the plains.
The third company, which followed right after, finished their crossing too.
The units left on the left bank started moving towards the river, and some of them had already started crossing.
“Naga, the third group is crossing the river!”
Selena, who was observing the enemy’s movement, reported this in a near scream.
“Oh no, this is bad. It’ll be too late to activate the trap if this continues, we’ll have to face four hundred foes!”
In the face of this dire situation, Naga’s expression turned gloomy.
Harrigan looked hastily upstream, and then at the enemy forces crossing the river.
“How slow. Yuuki flew over and should have already reached them. Now is a good time to flood them too. Did something happen?”
Harrigan muttered to herself. “Very likely.” Kay replied:
“Ais and the others engaging the enemy scouts… Is that possible?”
Naga refuted Kay’s worries.
“No, that shouldn’t be. The dam is set in a place the enemy scouts couldn’t reach right?”
“If not, why isn’t the water coming?”
Kay asked and Naga stammered:
“No, that… I don’t know.”
“What should we do, Naga? If we wait any longer, the entire enemy force will cross the river.”
When he heard Harrigan’s question, Naga reviewed the situation once again.
It wasn’t clear why the trap hadn’t activated yet, but the water would come if the dam got broken, it didn’t matter how.
The probability of the enemy discovering the trap was low, and spending more time than expected to break the dam was within expectations.
(If so, it should be just a matter of time before the dam breaks and the water comes. Waiting here idly will just let them cross the river and form up successfully. It’s a bit dangerous, but we need to confuse the enemy, so let’s attack now.)
To be honest, it wasn’t just a little dangerous, but very dangerous. However, no matter what, they couldn’t sit idly by.
There were two choices.
Advance? Escape? What should he choose?
If they escaped, they could avoid dying in battle, but the chances of victory in the future would be low.
No, there would be no chance at all.
(The only option is to advance then.)
Naga concluded.
(And Ais is a reliable witch. If she’s there, it will definitely work.)
Naga lifted his head and told Harrigan with determination.
“Attack the units that have crossed to this side of the river.”
“… Will that be fine?”
“The breaking of the dam has probably been delayed due to some circ.u.mstances. If we attack the enemy now, the water will come midway. That way, we won’t stray too far from the plan.”
With two hundred enemy troops already across the river and more units to follow, the situation had already deviated from the plan, but Naga remained committed to it.
Even though the witches were far stronger than the humans, if they fell into doubt and unease, they wouldn’t be able to display even half of their true strength.
That’s why Naga strengthened his tone.
“Also, the one in charge of that place is Ais right? She won’t fail a mission on the level of breaking a dam.”
“Is that so? Alright, let’s go to war.”
Harrigan was resolute too.
“Lela, send the signal. There won’t be time to send a smoke signal after we attack. Call forth Ixine and the others from the back.”
“Yes, Onee-sama.”
Lela wrote on a talisman swiftly and burnt it.
A blue flame erupted from the talisman, sending bluish white smoke into the sky.
“Alright, advance. Kay and I will stay on the frontline. Lela will be Harrigan’s guard. Selena will continue observing the enemy. Remember to tell Cu when she comes back too.”
“Yes.”
Kay waved her hands.
“I got, it.”
Lela picked up the shield to block arrows.
Part 7
With the first company of the 2nd battalion as the target, the wooden puppets began their a.s.sault.
That might be so, but their speed was anything but ‘a.s.sault’ like.
And of course, the Kasandora army noticed.
“Something is coming!”
“What is that!?”
“That’s them! The puppets that attacked our recon team!”
“They’ll attack with arrows!”
“Archers, we’ll return fire with arrows too!”
“Maintain formation!”
The enemy became tense, with roars and shouts everywhere.
“Attack!”
Naga said to Harrigan behind him. She stopped and issued the order to the puppets to fire a volley.
Sixty arrows were loose in the first volley, followed by fifty more that shook the air.
Cries resounded from the enemy.
Dozens of arrows flew from the enemy, hitting many of the wooden puppets.
But each puppet was only hit once or twice at the most.
It was not enough to stop the puppets.
Harrigan did her best to supply mana to the puppets and keep them moving.
A short distance behind the puppets were Naga, who was holding a shield and down on one knee, and Kay, who was standing motionlessly in place.
Behind the two of them, Harrigan continued supplying mana, with Lela standing beside her with a large shield.
The shield Lela held was made from wood, so it was lacking in hardness─ Metal shields were heavy and would weaken magic, so it was out of the question─ So she pasted talisman all over it to increase its toughness.
Arrows flying from afar won’t be able to pierce it then.
At a distance between 40 to 50 yards, the puppets and the 1st company of the 2nd battalion fired arrows at each other.
The 3rd company behind also joined the fray.
The 1st and 3rd company numbered almost two hundred men altogether.
Troops other than archers also picked up bows and retaliated with their arrows.
The number of soldiers that fell and puppets that were silenced increased.
Naga estimated that 60 to 70 puppets had stopped moving.
Less than two hundred puppets remained.
On the other front, the casualties from the two companies numbered about 30 to 40.
About 160 to 170 men remained.
It would be great if the exchange of volleys could continue, but the enemy still has reinforcements.
If the other unit crossing the river, and the 4th company was to join in, Naga’s side wouldn’t be able to keep up with just the puppets.
The water wasn’t here yet.
(We can’t continue!?)
With the battle plan in disarray, Naga muttered to himself in his mind.
If they wanted to flee, now would be the time.
Once the enemy breaks free and the battle becomes chaotic, some of his comrades would definitely fall.
The witch camp was extremely lacking in numbers, so both Naga and Harrigan wished to avoid any casualties.
Also, even if they were to run now, the chances of someone dying was very high.
(What should we do? Staying here is dangerous. Running is dangerous. Then…)
Naga, who usually make sharp decisions, was in a dilemma, which was a rare sight. At this moment, a roar came from the river and into his ears.
“It’s here!”
Naga unconsciously move the shield away, stood up, and looked.
Straightening his back and looking towards the river, Naga’s view was blocked by terraces and couldn’t see it directly.
(Of course.)
Naga clicked his tongue and knelt again as an arrow flew his way.
“Watch out!”
Kay, who was standing beside Naga, rushed before him and opened her arms.
Clank, a metallic sound could be heard and the arrow fell to the ground.
“Wait, Naga, it’s dangerous to lower your shield.”
“Ah… Ahhh, sorry.”
Naga apologized, glanced at the arrow and asked Kay.
“Are you fine?”
“Me? Look, I’m not hurt at all.
Kay turned back and pointed to her chest and belly.
Her skin glimmered a metallic glow.
Kay pointed to her skin that was gleaming silver with a smile, and tap on it, making a hard metal sound.
Kay, who stood boldly without a shield, could harden her body with magic.
After hardening her body, she would become tough enough to repel swords, spears and arrows.
Kay uses her hardened fists to beat up her foes and punt her adversaries with hardened feet, a rare physical type amongst the witches.
“So hard even the arrows couldn’t pierce through.”
Naga sighed in relief.
“I see. How should I put this, you are really amazing.”
“Hehe~~ That’s right.”
Kay turned her back towards Naga once more.
“In that case, Naga doesn’t need to worry and can just hide behind me.”
Kay’s c.o.c.ky att.i.tude made Naga smile wryly. He immediately returned to his serious expression and looked at the river terraces.
The sound of the arrows with the yell of the soldiers made it unclear, but there was a soft sound that was out of place.
It was becoming louder.
That’s right.
It was the sound of surging water flowing downstream.
“Just in the nick of time.”
Naga sighed in relief.
Part 8
The 4th company of the 2nd battalion was crossing the river.
An unfathomable sound came from upstream.
That should be the sound of water flowing.
Since this was a river, there was nothing strange about hearing sound of water flowing.
The strange thing was the roar of a river surging that should only be heard when there was a lot of water.
The depth of the river didn’t even reach a man’s waist.
It was cloudy in the sky, but there weren’t any thick clouds that would bring rain.
Upstream was the same, showing no signs of dark clouds that would herald heavy rain.
There weren’t any factors that would cause a surge of water that could make such loud noises.
But, the sound came anyways.
“What happened?”
“What is that sound?”
Several soldiers who were turning their head to search for the source of the sound scream unconsciously.
A tsunami-like wave roared down from upstream.
The sky high waves made it look like a completely different river.
Compared to the river that was just a yard or two at most, the wave was twice the height of a man, covering the surface of the river completely.
The water came at a speed that was never seen here before, surging down fiercely.
The troops that were traversing the river were engulfed in no time and washed downstream.
Not just the foot soldiers.
Even the cavalry couldn’t withstand the flow and was washed away.
Only the heads of a few horses could be seen struggling above the surface of the water.
The riders were forced to release their reins and were lost in the waters.
The fierce flood didn’t last for very long and the water level gradually dropped.
─ Even so.
For the Kasandora Army, the impact was intense.
The soldiers who made it across to the right bank, the lucky ones who had not started crossing, and the battalion headquarters staff officer and soldiers were all stunned silent and just stared at the catastrophe before them blankly.
Part 9
“Naga-san!”
Selena ran over with her shield.
“Oh, Selena.”
“The enemies’ third wave was washed away by the flood as they were crossing the river!”
Selena said in a higher pitch than normal, and her breathing was ragged because she sprinted all the way here… But that wasn’t all.
“Hyaa!”
Kay jumped at the news.
“Is that so!? How was it!?”
Naga’s reply also got louder.
“Of the number of troops that were crossing at that time, 50 to 60 of them were washed away. But the soldiers who made it across and those who haven’t are all sh.e.l.lshocked.”
Naga knocked his fist into his palm.
“Great! Let’s do something next!”
(However, there are more than two hundred who made it across, it would be troublesome if we don’t wipe them out.)
Naga shook his head to stop the uneasiness from gripping his heart.
“Harrigan!”
“I’m here!”
Harrigan ran to him with Lela who was holding a shield.
“Move the last row of wooden puppets forward. Maintain distance from the enemy, just attacking with arrows should be enough. Don’t let them notice how many puppets we have left.”
“I got it.”
Harrigan moved the puppets towards the river.
At this moment, the seven witches from the third group and Cu who went to retrieve the horses appeared.
“Oh, showing up just at the right moment.”
Naga took the reins of the horse from Cu, and Cu, who was riding on another horse, called out to him.
“What’s the matter?”
“Naga, can we ride together?”
It seemed that she wanted to ride together with Naga.
Two sets of saddles were prepared just in case, so there wasn’t any problem with them riding together.
“If I’m here, there would be no need to fear the arrows of the enemy.”
The front ends of several belts wrapped around Cu squirmed in the air.
“That’s right. Alright, get behind me…”
“It would be better for me to defend in front. Is that okay?”
“Alright, let’s go with your idea.”
Naga got onto the saddle behind Cu with his left leg. Kicking off the ground with his other leg, he pushed himself onto the horse.
With both hands on the reins, Cu would be inside Naga’s embrace if he leaned forward a little more.
“Wait… This feels wrong. Never mind, as long as Cu is fine with it.”
Harrigan mumbled after seeing Naga holding the reins after mounting the horse.
“Naga!”
“What now?”
“There are less than a hundred puppets left! And they are being broken through!”
“The enemy’s number?”
More than a hundred.”
“It’s fine even if the puppets get wiped out, reduce their troops by at least half.”
“I will try.”
Harrigan returned to her task of manipulating the puppets after answering.
“The enemy who have broken through will be engaged by me, Cu, Kay and Ixine. Nenel and Harlequin will support us. Linna, Linne, and Nascissus, protect Harrigan and Selena!”
““Understood!””
Kay and Ixine mounted the other horse.
“Beware of stray arrows.”
When they heard Naga’s warning, Nenel and Harlequin picked up their shields to block arrows.
Cu was with Naga, so he didn’t need to use a shield.
Ixine was riding with Kay, so she didn’t need to raise her shield high up.
“Slowly advance, and stay behind me.”
Naga pulled his reins after saying that.
The horse he was riding with Cu, and the horse Kay and Ixine was riding started trotting forward, with Nenel and Harlequin following behind.
Part 10
Naga’s group engaged in a fierce battle with the two companies that had crossed the river. The rest of the second battalion on the left bank─ one hundred men from the battalion headquarters company, the twenty odd survivors of the 2nd company who were held in reserve and the twenty odd members of the 4th company who had yet to cross the river, finally came to their senses.
However, the remnants of the 2nd company had already lost their will to fight and couldn’t move.
It was the same for the survivors of the 4th company who lucked out and didn’t cross the river earlier.
If the commander and his staff from headquarters weren’t watching them, they would have run away.
“Commander, the 1st and 3rd company crossed the river and are under the witches’ attack! Please give your orders!”
One staff officer requested with a pale face, which made Sneijder’s face turn red from rage.
“Get the remaining soldiers from 2nd and 4th company to cross the river immediately! Headquarters will follow right behind! Head for the river!”
“Yes Sir!”
The staff officers immediately sent messengers to notify the company captains.
The 4th company was. .h.i.t by the water when they were crossing the river, and more than half of them were washed away.
About twenty soldiers made it across before the flood. The remaining soldiers on this side of the river was also about twenty.
That meant about sixty men were gone.
The company captain was nowhere to be found, he was probably washed away by the water along with his subordinates.
Since that was the case, the headquarter commander wanted the remnants of the 2nd and 4th company to hurry across the river to link up with the twenty odd soldiers stranded on the other side of the river, or they wouldn’t be able to save the 1st and 3rd company that were under attack.
The river had already subsided to the same level before the flash flood, so there wasn’t any problems with crossing the river so they should do it now.
At that instant.
The remaining dozens of soldiers from the 4th company who had witnessed their comrades being washed away by the river didn’t move even after receiving their orders.
It was the same for the remnants of the 2nd company.
The soldiers who stood at the river bank idly only got in the way of the battalion headquarters company that were moving towards the river.
“What are you all standing around for! Soldiers of the 2nd and 4th company, hurry up and advance!”
Sneijder roared, and the deputy commander reported in a voice as if screaming.
“T-That’s because the soldiers are scared out of their wits.”
Sneijder’s face flushed in rage.
“I don’t care, get the cavalry to run through them!”
“B-But…”
“If we dally around, the 1st and 3rd company on the opposite bank will be wiped out! If they don’t move, I’ll execute them on the spot!”
Sneijder placed his hands on the sword hilt on his waist. The deputy commander was shocked by this action and immediately dashed out.
The hundred odd soldiers from the battalion headquarters company squeezed pa.s.sed the surviving soldiers and headed for the river.
“The waters have subsided. Do not fear, follow my lead!”
Sneijder shouted at the cowardly troops and head straight into the river.
At this moment.
The water rippled and the surface of the river wavered.
“What?”
Sneijder stared at the disturbance, and water came flying at him.
Thin, sharp spears of water.
Before he knew what had happened, Sneijder’s abdomen was pierced by the water spears.
“Waarrgghhh!?”
Sneijder opened his eyes wide, and finally realized something had stabbed into his stomach.
“Wa… Water…?”
Sneijder reached out with trembling hands and grabbed the transparent water spear that pierced his armour and belly.
Shashasha.
His arm lost strength and the water spear lost its shape, and scattered to the side.
“Wi… Witch…”
Sneijder collapsed to the side.
And splashed into the water.
“Commander─!”
The staff officers, who were escorting him, screamed as if they were the one who got stabbed.
The one who attacked Sneijder was Nonoel.
While pursuing Ais, Nonoel came downstream and rescued Ais midway.
Ais was brought to the riverbank and was mostly u