The Country of the Fallen Dragon King and the Perishing Witches

Chapter 17

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Vol 3 Prologue 1

With barely 20 people, Harrigan and Naga’s party had managed to prevent Kasandora’s army from their attempted invasion of the black forest. From the witches’ perspective, it was already a great victory worthy of shouting for joy; nevertheless, it still wasn’t enough for Naga to be content with.
For the sake of creating a world where both the witches and humans can coexist, it was necessary for him to a.s.sume an increasingly aggressive att.i.tude. So as to carry out that principle, he decided to begin with the capture of Fort Ein.
Gathering the witches, who were the center of his plans, Naga held a strategic meeting for that purpose, or rather, what he referred to as military a.s.sessment.

Since Naga planned to use the 1st fort as their frontline base, he continued to hole himself up inside of it.

“Guess we’ll have to observe the Schweiz River.”

Saying that, he looked around at the witches who had gathered inside a single residential room in the 1st fort.

Harrigan asked him while looking doubtful:

“Are you saying that Kasandora’s army might cross the river once again so as to attack us?”
“No, the chances for that are slim. It might even be possible to ignore them altogether. Still, the purpose of this observation is to find out whether or not they will start any new movement.”
“Is there any need for us to continue doing tactical movements since they probably won’t cross to attack us?”

Not just Harrigan, the other witches also turned and looked strangely at Naga, whose words weren’t understandable to them.

(Ah, so it was about that? It won’t do unless I explain the details of this plan to them? Should I say… maybe this is too harsh on them because they don’t have much experience? Or maybe, it’s due to them having fought in peculiar battles so far?)

“For instance” – Naga explained to them once he gave a concrete example.

“Establishing a defensive position to prepare against the witches… seems to be the best they can do, right?”
“I see.”
“However, them crossing the river is not very likely to happen. But at the same time, they can’t help but want to protect themselves by guarding the path into their territory. What’s more, I think that Kasandora, who sustained heavy damage from the last battle, won’t have any spare power to establish any major defensive positions or build new forts.”
“And yet, they are going to watch over the river?”

“Of course.” – Naga nodded and replied once Harrigan asked.

“Despite saying that the probability is low, it’s not impossible, you see. Therefore, we can’t eliminate the possibility that they will send new troops to this side of the river. Considering all the possibilities and taking the right measures beforehand are essential for our final victory.”

“I, Is that so? Since we trust you on that matter, it’s not like we doubt you, but…”

Harrigan, who relied on Naga’s extensive knowledge regarding battles, said so while consenting. Following that, Ais raised her right hand.

“In that case, how are we supposed to watch over the river? It looks like we would need to mobilize all our members, were we to observe the whole area from upstream to downstream, though….”
“There’s no need for such an extensive coverage. It should probably be fine as long you just watch over a fixed area where the path leads through. Besides, we have Yuuki, who can fly and scout regularly.”
“True. Seriously, no matter how busy I am, scouting is something I never neglect. I’m quite the hard worker if I do say so myself.”

Saying that, Yuuki stood up, puffed up with pride.

“I wonder how she can talk about herself like that.”
“As expected of Yuuki, the self-praising witch.”
“Rather than self-praising, wouldn’t it be better to say self-centered?”
“Doesn’t she just want to be praised by Naga-san?”

Starting with Nonoel and Kay, the other witches whispered to each other secretly.

“You there! Do you want to say something?”

Yuuki, whose eyes narrowed, pointed at them with a snap. Kay and the rest averted their eyes in a hurry.

“No no, Yuuki’s work is a big deal, and we acknowledge that fact.”
“Guess that’s an obvious thing.”
“Right? Harrigan, don’t you think so?”
“Hm? Ah….well….I guess so.”
“I can’t feel the slightest bit of enthusiasm coming from Hari-nee’s words though?!”

As the witches around chuckled, Yuuki sat down on her folding stool with a red face.

“Then, I wonder if we should return back to the topic at hand. Like I said, It’s fine to watch over the place near the path’s intersection with the river. As for who should be in charge of that task, perhaps Nonoel will be suitable.”
“Ah, yes, I’ll do it.”
“After that, Kay will be Nonoel’s guard.”

Moving his face toward her direction, Kay raised up her right hand.

“Um, that’s fine.”
“I wonder whether or not I should appoint 1 more person….”

“Ah, in that case, I, will go.”

Because Ixine lifted up her hand following Kay, Naga decided to entrust the observation to the 3 of them.

“Ixine, bring a horse with you. But hide it in an unnoticeable place, okay? If something unusual happens, ride it back and report to us.”
“Understood.”

Like that, he sent out Nonoel, Kay, and Ixine to observe the river.
Naga was simply choosing the right people for the right job. However, not even he could dream that his simple decision would yield such a great influence over the future of these witches.

Vol 3 Prologue 2

The new general, Guiscard, who was in the position of governing Kasandora’s army, stared at a large map attached on the wall of his office.

It was a map of Kasandora Kingdom’s surroundings and borders. Fort Ein was located along the main road stretching from the royal capital. Ahead of the fort, there was a wasteland that unfolded from the other side of the river with a vast black forest drawn on top of the great cliff.

Will the witches end up launching an attack on our side of the river? This was a big problem, which troubled Guiscard.

(Despite our army getting pummelled during the battle, it’s hard to consider the witches attacking this side of the river. I can’t believe that such a small group would deliberately risk such danger.)

That’s right. As long as the witches can continue to live in the black forest peacefully, there shouldn’t be a reason for them to willingly attack humanity. That’s why Guiscard thought there was no need to fear. However, as the new general, he couldn’t neglect his defenses.

Judging from the witches’ behaviour thus far, the fact that the witches had initiated an a.s.sault on the Kasandora Kingdom’s forces at the Schweiz River was, in itself, an extremely unlikely scenario.
Despite that, there wasn’t much Guiscard could do.
Even though he was the general of Kasandora’s army, as long as there was no orders coming from the group directly under the command of the royal family, he could, at most, mobilize 1500 soldiers on his own.

Not to mention, the n.o.bles felt like withdrawing following the loss and were hesitant about deploying their troops for one reason or another. Were Guiscard to propose raising another army for the extermination of the witches, even those soldiers, whom he was able to deploy, may possibly retire.

With his baton in his right hand, Guiscard lightly tapped a single point on the map, it was the path near the Schweiz River where both sides intersected.

(Should we at least build some sort of defensive facility? Like a fort near the river…..no, we don’t have any spare soldiers. In the first place, if the witches learn about that, they will probably come and destroy it. What’s more, we might lure them to this side. Even if we were to protect the river more than before, it would be meaningless. Since the river can be crossed from anywhere along it, perhaps, we should set up defensive camps or positions instead of forts…….?)

For that to happen, they would need to invest lots of time and soldiers; nevertheless, the kingdom had no spare budget for that. Guiscard, who was the former treasurer of the army, knew more than anyone else the amount of funds available.

(…..Wouldn’t strengthening Fort Ein and increasing the number of guards be a more realistic countermeasure?)

It was a counterplan that was no different from maintaining the current situation, however, even this had its benefits, as Guiscard could avoid provoking the n.o.bles and the soldiers who felt uneasy.

Nonetheless, this plan wasn’t that simple.

Following the great defeat they had suffered, soldiers continued to retire from active duty one after another. The n.o.bles, officers, and soldiers became frightened, and even a disturbance broke out inside the group under the direct supervision of the royal family. Just punishing the soldiers and dispatching them to the river would be a big mistake.
For the time being, Guiscard managed to send in Raibach’s troop, whose fate was of little importance to him. Still, the numbers in Raibach’s troop wasn’t sufficient to set up a defensive position along the river.

(a.s.suming that guy’s troop continues to carry out their duty without any problems, those cowardly n.o.ble officers and their men should also gain enough courage to approach the river, but…)

Because it didn’t seem like the witches would immediately cross the river and a.s.sault them, for now, Guiscard could only bear with that much.
For him, there was something of bigger concern.
They had to replenish those soldiers who had promptly resigned with new ones.
Besides the fact that a whole battalion was crushed, resigning soldiers continued to appear. With the kingdom’s military force cut almost in half right now, unless they resolved the problem of their numbers, no further invasion could be considered.
However, if another battle against the witches is expected to take place in the near future, Guiscard might not be able to recruit fresh soldiers unless he increases their salary.

As the former treasurer, the budget constraints were the greatest type of headache for him.

“d.a.m.n.”

Clicking his tongue sternly, Guiscard threw the baton against the map.
No matter how hard he pondered, no good ideas came to him. He could only come back to the conclusion that they were cornered.

“General.”

The voice of his adjutant, Ligaya, emerged from the doorway.
Picking up the baton from the floor in a hurry, Guiscard quickly returned to his seat and answered.

“Enter.”
“I apologize for the interruption.”

The tall Ligaya, whose body was wrapped in a strong bitter tea colored military suit, entered inside.
Ligaya was a cool and collected man who would rarely show his emotions. Nevertheless, today, his footsteps were noisier and faster paced. Guiscard, who understood that something had happened, straightened himself unconsciously.

“Could it be that the witches attacked?”
“No, they haven’t.”

At his reply, Guiscard breathed out a sigh of relief. Then he relaxed himself to keep up appearances in front of the adjutant.

“Then, what’s the matter?”
“For some reason, it appears that various neighboring countries are arming themselves with weapons and army provisions.”
“What on….earth?”

Guiscard thought about the meaning behind Rigaya’s new report.

“Those guys, could it be that they intend to a.s.sault our country?”
“……That’s unlikely to happen. After all, we are under the custody of Cardinal Aiba.”
“I wonder about that.”

(To begin with, that Cardinal Aiba is an eyesore for our country, but…)

The other day too, Aiba went through the trouble of paying a visit to the royal capital in order to offer his congratulations to Guiscard on his a.s.sumption of the office. However, putting that aside, Aiba expressed his sarcasm toward the major loss, which Kasandora suffered at the river on his way back.

If the Kasandora Kingdom were to just accept their defeat and remain idle, they might lose favor with Aiba. If that happened, then a major deterrence would be removed and other countries may move to wipe Kasandora right off the map.

(Truly, my head is killing me. If only I didn’t take up the position as general….)

Guiscard desperately tried to endure the urge to hold his head between his hands.

(That’s right, I’ve got to do it despite all this. In order to make my wish come true, I will obtain the throne.)

“For the time being…….. for the time being, we will strengthen the defenses of Fort Ein and a.s.sign Maglev to command it. Rigaya, please make the estimations for the necessary materials.”
“Understood.”

Exactly at that time, Naga and the witches began to move as they set their eyes on Fort Ein, while watching vigilantly for an opportunity to prey upon it. Nonetheless, not antic.i.p.ating that that would happen, Guiscard could do nothing but throw his hands up in despair, even if he had known beforehand.
If this only concerned the witches and Naga and Kasandora Kingdom, the witches would already be on the side of victory.

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