[Another Viewpoint] War Part 1

Borra PoV:

The sound of whistles and gongs were echoing from Scudetto while they were forming up, but from the outside nothing had changed.

However, I could certainly feel the air of growing tension.

“Captain, the preparations are perfect!”

“Yes, I understand. Be ready to move at any time.”

After replying, everyone returned to their posts. Two men each for the ballista and five men each for the catapult stood around them, ready to move at any time.

The past ten days had taught me the strictness of normal knightly discipline, and I had learned a little about the pride of being a knight.

Until now, we had only had one feeling: to fulfill the mission given to Van-sama, but now it is different.

We realized that our actions and our work would be appreciated by Van-sama.

“We can’t lose, guys. Not if we die, but even if we die, we’ll go with the spirit of winning.”

“Yes!”

Everyone responded loudly to my words. With their voices behind me, I turned to face the battlefield.

“Let’s go!”

Count Venturi shouted angrily at the center of the cavalry in the front row.

And so, as the advance guard, Count Venturi rode his horse to the gates of Scudetto.

Then, one by one, the figures of soldiers appeared on the ramparts, some of whom seemed to be carrying staffs. At the sight of them, the knights of the Viscount Panamera, went into action.

Even with the new fighting style, the threat of the four elemental magicians was still the same.

It is only natural, since depending on how they are used, they can rival thousands of soldiers.

“Let’s open the windpipe!  Water stream bullet Aqua Pile!”

Count Venturi shouted as he flipped his horse around, staff in hand.

Then, countless drops of what looked like water began to form at the tip of the staff, and eventually, it created a stream that became a whirlpool.

The vortex of water then unleashed from the tip of Count Venturi’s staff. At first, a small vortex, the water magic, grew larger the further away it went.

Finally, it crashed into the gates of Scudetto, scraping away at the ground.

The soldiers on the ramparts rushed to their crouching positions at the violent sound and impact, as if the ramparts were shaking.

“Follow them!  Our role is here!”

“Ha!”

At Count Venturi’s command, the cavalrymen all picked up their staffs at once.

Seconds later, a flurry of fire, water, wind, and earth magic flashed through the air. All of them concentrated on the castle gates.

It was an unorthodox use of magic, but thanks to it, the castle gate, which was supposed to be strong, collapsed spectacularly. Even the surrounding walls had partially collapsed.

“Oh, wow, that’s the famous Count Venturi’s cavalry unit!  How could he have so many first-rate magicians?”

I looked at the ballista squad while hearing the voice of some soldier who was impressed.

“The ballistas are close enough to attack, but don’t get ahead of them. Our target is only the wyverns.”

I confirmed this, and everyone nodded silently.

I don’t know how the other knights will move, as I haven’t heard from Viscount Panamera, but both Marquis Fertio and Count Ferdinand have already begun to move.

The movement of the two knight corps, which deployed to the left and right as if spreading their wings, was beautiful and well controlled, even in a battlefield scene. Everyone was moving smoothly and without waste, changing shape as if they were a single living organism.

Then, the Kingdom of Jiernetta made its move.

Countless soldiers peeked out from the top of the walls and readied their bows and arrows. Then, from behind the collapsed walls, a huge shadow appeared.

The noise spread to every corner of the battlefield in the blink of an eye. Even from this far away, one feels a sense of cowering fear. It is not difficult to imagine the emotions of the soldiers on the front lines.

Dark reddish-brown, rock-like scales and four legs like the trunk of a large tree. It is a huge frame that can squeeze through a gate that even a large carriage can pass through comfortably.

And its sharply shining eyes and fangs that seem to embody its ferocity.

It was the unmistakable appearance of a full-grown dragon.

“What the…?”

“Get away from it!  Attack only with magic or bow and arrow! If you get too close, you will be crushed!”

The line that had been moving to encircle the citadel became greatly distorted as frantic voices of instruction were heard from all sides.

The soldiers moved away from the dragon all at once, their shapes changing as if they were rippling.

It was no wonder.

They were not expecting to fight a dragon. The equipment was the same, but above all, the resolve was different. Wyverns, which are a subspecies of dragons, are not comparable to large dragons.

“No wings! It’s a red-bronze earth dragon!  Never stand in front of it!  Breath breath breath is coming!”

Count Venturi’s orders echoed across the battlefield. Thanks to his instructions, the line was somehow prevented from breaking apart, but they were still on the edge.

“…This is not good. If we are attacked from both sides now, we will be destroyed for sure. Everyone’s consciousness is being taken away by the dragon.”

Immediately after Viscount Panamera said this with a hint of irritation, shouts rose from the left and right sides of the front line.

It was the Marquis Fertio and Count Ferdinand’s knights.

“The enemy is not only dragons!  The dragons will be held back only by sorcerers!  Beware of arrows from the ramparts and enemy soldiers circling!”

“Move with your defenses up!  Lead the main army away from the dragon’s front!”

The left and right began to move independently, each trying to respond to the rapidly changing scene. In line with this trend, Count Venturi also began to move his own knighthood.

“If the wyverns appear, we will guide them!  If the Royal Army of Jiernetta appears, do not engage them head-on!  We will keep our distance so that we can move at any time to return fire!”

All of them are experienced warriors, so even when the situation is unplanned, they move as if they are following a predetermined course of action.

The encirclement is now set up between the dragon’s left and right flanks, and the soldiers on top of Scudetto’s walls are being checked.

“…Hmmm, that’s a good move. I don’t think we’ll be in a position to retreat anytime soon. So…”

Viscount Panamera muttered to herself as if speaking to herself, then turned to face me and approached.

“I hear that the earth dragon is second only to the continental tortoise Zaratan in its stubbornness, that it dwells in the great sea. It is common knowledge that no blades can penetrate it, and that it takes more than a hundred first-rate magicians to defeat it…. Can you pierce those unusually hard dragon scales with a ballista?”

“…I’ve never done it, but I believe in Van-sama.”

When I told her this, Viscount Panamera nodded and looked at the ballista.

“You should not be too optimistic, though.”

She then said that before turning her attention back to me.

“I think so, too.”

Viscount Panamera chuckled happily as she heard my words.