Ossan Saikyō Chapter 14 Part 19
The next morning, once the sun had risen, the Marquis’ army formed up and advanced to a position about 500 meters from the city walls.
Apparently, that was just at the edge of the effective range of the large ballistae and other weapons.
As in the previous battle, a cavalry unit of around 100, including the Marquis, rode toward the city walls.
Evidently, this was the custom of formally announcing oneself before a battle in this world, but I couldn’t help feeling anxious that something might happen to them.
After all, it was essentially like having the commander-in-chief ride defenselessly into enemy territory.
So I asked the Marquis to let me accompany them. Since Arslin was leading the group, there was no particular problem with allowing me to join.
The group advanced to within 50 meters of the walls and stopped. We were directly in front of the city gate, with the drawbridge raised.
Standing atop the walls was a man who appeared to be a high-ranking noble, surrounded by around ten attendants.
I thought his mustache looked familiar, and then I realized he was Count Meltone, the man who had been shouting at the Guildmaster in the Royal Capital’s Guild.
The Marquis proclaimed our cause, just as she had before. In response, Count Meltone, standing arrogantly atop the wall, raised his voice.
“Raghantz and Durack, you filthy rebels! Heaven shall pass judgment upon traitors who disregard the will of the King and the hearts of the people! There is no need for a battle declaration against traitors! His Majesty commands that your corpses be left to rot in the fields as criminals!”
When the nobleman raised one hand, around 30 former adventurers suddenly appeared atop the walls. They were carrying bows and staffs, clearly rearguard attackers. It was obvious what they intended to do.
“Take out the leaders of the rebels!”
At the nobleman’s shout, the former adventurers launched their attack all at once. 10 arrows and more than a 100 flaming spears came flying toward us together.
I had already taken my mace out of my【Item Box】, so I stepped in front of the group and unleashed【Shockwave】. Before the overwhelming wall of energy, the arrows and magic were smashed to pieces and blown away.
“Soushi-dono, my gratitude to you!”
“Arslin-dono, take the Marquis and get away from here. I’ll begin the operation now!”
“Understood. I’m counting on you!”
The Marquis and the others turned their horses around and raced back toward our army at full speed. Since I didn’t want them to be attacked, I continued running forward while using【Shockwave】to keep the enemy at bay.
There was a moat about 10 meters wide beneath the walls. But once I reached its edge, they were already within range of【Shockwave】. From the edge of the moat, I fired【Shockwaves】repeatedly at the former adventurers standing atop the walls.
Whenever the invisible【Shockwave】hit, circular sections of the upper part of the wall were carved away and blown apart. Naturally, there was no way the former adventurers standing there could remain unharmed.
“Wh-What a monster! Run! Retreat! Get down from the walls!”
The large number of ordinary soldiers atop the walls fled as fast as they could.
Count Meltone was still on top of the wall, sitting helplessly on the ground. His attendants tried desperately to get him back on his feet, but when I used【Shockwave】to intimidate them, they abandoned the Count and ran away.
I also blew away the nearby ballistae, catapults, and other large weapons so that they could not be used to pursue the Marquis.
By this point, the section of the wall around the city gate was already in ruins. For the defending soldiers, it must have been something close to a nightmare. Now it was finally time to climb over the wall.
First, I had to cross the moat.
I took the large amount of wood I had obtained in Orz out of my【Item Box】(though it was really just broken trees) and threw it into the moat to make a bridge. I crossed over the piled-up wood and reached the wall.
I could have destroyed it, but the surface was uneven enough that I could climb it quickly. I put away my shield and mace, then climbed the roughly 10-meter-high wall using only the strength of my arms.
The top had originally been designed with an overhang to make climbing difficult, but I had already destroyed that with【Shockwaves】.
When I climbed onto the wall, Count Meltone was still sitting on the ground, desperately trying to escape from me. I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to his feet.
A commotion broke out on the inside of the wall. Below the wall, behind the city gate, the main street ran straight through the city from the gate to the second set of walls, and several thousand defending soldiers stood in formation.
They looked up at me, seemingly unsure what to do, watching in silence with bated breath.
“I have captured your commander! If you value this man’s life, open the city gate and lower the drawbridge!”
The soldiers began murmuring even more loudly. Some soldiers started moving toward the gate, only to be stopped by their officers.
Judging by the atmosphere, their morale really was as low as expected. I unleashed a restrained【Shockwave】from atop the wall. I struck it down beside the officer who had stopped the soldiers earlier, lightly blowing away around 10 people.
“If you won’t do it, I will. But then I'll slaughter every one of you. Choose whether you will rely on the Marquis’ mercy or incur my wrath!”
A threat like that was probably necessary in this situation. They probably just wanted a “reason to surrender”. All they needed was a little push…
Around 20 soldiers ran toward the gate and began removing the enormous crossbar. Several others rushed to the machinery beside the gate and began lowering the drawbridge.
With creaking, clanking and clunking noises, the drawbridge descended and the enormous gates were thrown open. At that point, the battle for the walls was already decided.
“Put down your weapons and move back! Kneel on the ground! If you do not resist, your lives will be spared!”
Despite their low morale, the soldiers discarded their weapons and knelt with astonishing ease. Come to think of it, Have I somehow acquired a skill that intimidates my opponents?
If not, I was starting to find myself frightening.
Looking behind me, I saw that the Marquis’ army had already approached the walls. As I watched, the vanguard crossed the drawbridge, passed through the gates, and entered the street.
Arslin was riding at the front.
When he saw the defending soldiers kneeling with their weapons discarded, he looked at me in surprise for a moment. Then he grinned and continued down the street, leading the soldiers.
“…Wh-Who are you…? Why is an adventurer like you… serving under someone like Raghantz…?”
When I released him, Count Meltone dropped to his knees and looked up at me with a terrified, twisted expression.
“Why? Perhaps it was the will of Heaven, as you said yourself earlier.”
(E/N: 😂)
“Don’t mock me…! You’re nothing but an adventurer…! Do you know who you’re talking to!?”
“A coward who forgot the rules of war. What you did should be punished severely, am I correct?”
At that, Count Meltone was left speechless and could say no more. As a defeated commander who had also violated the rules of war, he could very well face the death penalty. Given that, his attitude was only natural.
After a while, the main force, including Marquis Raghantz, Ryūsha, and General Durack, entered through the city gates.
I noticed that people were beginning to gather along the streets as spectators. When they recognized the Marquis, the boy, and the General, their eyes lit up and they scattered.
They soon returned with even more people. Apparently, the Marquis’ army was being welcomed.
Just how unpopular is the King… for things to turn out like this?
Even as an outsider, I could only be astonished.
Now that the main force had arrived, I had to move on to the next step. I grabbed the collar of the dejected Count Meltone and lifted him up.
“Eek…! Wh-What are you…?”
“Could you tell me how many soldiers remain in the Royal Castle and what sort of plans they are preparing? I’d also like to know how General Durack’s family is being treated. If you answer honestly, I can put in a good word for you with the Marquis.”
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E/N:
Meltone whimpering at Ossan's mercy is just 😂! Anyway, thank you for another dose of Testosterone, Ossan!
Stay tuned!
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