Chapter 360: Towards Independence ③

The top of the walls had wide pathways.

Many of the units that gave up on Aion and had joined Tsige were sent there, and were made to participate in the attack.

Today is the first day of war.

In other words, there’s the most people, the most equipment, and the time when magic is the most ferocious.

For Tsige that was at a disadvantage in numbers against Aion, the ideal would be to hit them one-sidedly with firepower at the start dash, but practically no one thought that it would be as clean as this.

The barrage of ritual spells, bow skills, and spells, didn’t show any signs of ending from morning, noon, and even when the sun went down.

If you were to only look at the results of this one day, you wouldn’t even be able to call it a war.

It was basically as if the Aion army was enduring a slaughter that was being passed by as war.

Moreover, more than half of the people who were shooting arrows and spells from the walls were comrades from their own army that have been strengthened with the Blessing, so they had higher firepower than the soldiers of Tsige.

It can’t be compared to a number of highly skilled adventurers, but it showed plenty enough power.

Right now the walls of Tsige were shining brilliantly.

There’s no rule that says you can’t fight at night.

But most wars between hyumans would be paused as dawn arrives.

Both sides need their time to rest so, at some point in time, it must have become a silent agreement.

“Even though tomorrow we will be killing each other again…what’s with this ruckus?”

Someone from Aion…no, someone that was formerly from the Aion army muttered this.

The state of the two armies that were divided by the walls were like night and day.

The Aion army was exhausted, surrounded by the corpses of many of their comrades, and most of them were sleeping as if they were dead.

The commanders were clashing opinions for tomorrow and were not getting any sleep.

It is still the first day, but it seemed like it was a tragic meeting where there were even opinions about giving the retreat order. However, there were many opinions stating that the enemy has already used all of their cards, so they are still managing to maintain their fighting will.

Even when they have faced casualties and betrayals in the tens of thousands, they still have plenty enough fighting power.

Also, even if there’s a silent agreement of not attacking at night, there’s nowhere that states they must not do anything at all at night.

They will finish preparations until morning, and tomorrow they will surely show a different result from today, is how they maintained their fighting spirit.

The soldiers on the other end have had their morale drop down to the ground already, and there were some who were thinking about deserting, but that was a minority.

The advantage of numbers still hasn’t been shaken.

There was still fire in their war councils.

On the other hand…

At the Tsige side, the former Aion soldiers, the Tsige soldiers, and the mercenaries were making a whole lot of noise and amusing themselves.

As the light of the day went off, there were simple stands set up, and a variety of food was offered.

Smoke that stirred the appetite, which isn’t something you would smell in a battlefield, overwhelmed the Aion soldiers.

They were also treated to alcoholic beverages that was said there wasn’t, and finally, even stages were set up.

A performance with lights and sound by bards with the same arrangement as the time when Rembrandt made his speech in the morning.

Cheers, applause, and interludes.

It was like a festival.

“What’s the matter, Aion person? You managed to arrive here with your life still in you, so drink drink. If you don’t drink, eat. The food and drinks are free of cost for all soldiers. You would be missing out if you don’t eat.”

“No…me saying this is weird, but…aren’t you guys a bit too loose? Cases where you would have a sweeping win only on the first day with your plans isn’t rare, you know? In a war, there’s no point unless you are the last one standing.”

“Hahahaha! Well, this isn’t Aion, but Tsige. The city at the ends of the world, and the city that faces the wasteland. It would be easier on you to think that there’s some screws loose. Ah, you said something about getting a sweeping victory only on the first day, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“So, if that situation happens for several days, wouldn’t it end in a complete victory? That’s the kind of thinking the people here work with!”

“That’s just reckless. I understand the food, and even the alcohol…I could understand as well. But what are those performances?”

“? Don’t you know what performances are? See, it is like that stage over there with the cool and beautiful ones singing and dancing. That’s a performance.”

The adventurer-looking man teaches the Aion soldier.

He was misunderstanding here.

Of course he knows what it means.

He was asking why they are doing something like that when in the middle of a war.

“Don’t take me for an idiot. I know that. What I am asking is the point of doing something like that in the center of a battlefield. I would understand if it were in the middle of a long time march to express their sympathies though…”

“Hmm, sympathies. Is that how it looks? That increases fighting spirit, strengthens unity, and pushes on restoration in the early stages. It is quite the practical stuff, you know?”

“…Huh? The singing and dancing of women, children, and thin men?”

“Yeah, there’s a variety of skills within adventurers. Look properly at the vicinity of the second stage. Can’t you tell that there’s a specially high amount of mages there?”

“As if I could tell the difference between adventurers, mages, and normal soldiers from a distance.”

“What, so you can’t tell. Fumu, that’s the usual, I guess. Well, what I am trying to say is that they are within the effective range of the magic power restoration from that stage.”

“?!”

“By the way, for the first stage it is vitality, and the third stage is the detoxing and healing one.”

“?!?!”

“The last stage is an idol one. Well, don’t worry too much about stuff and just try entering one of those. Don’t think, feel, boy. Then, survive tomorrow too.”

The adventurer-like man was speaking to him with a leisure tone as if they were in the middle of their daily life, and left with that same mood.

“…Is he sane or was that a madman? I can’t tell at all. Can I even do well here?”

The Aion man said this as if on the verge of tears.

Who knows how many years have passed since he has passed the threshold of being called a ‘boy’, and it made him remember the past.

“That’s bad. The shadow of death is looming on you. You are still young, so you gotta keep moving on. Can’t be helped. I will do you a special favor and teach you about how to enjoy live events. Ah, I’m Rokuya. If you win and survive, go ahead and have Tsige treat you a whole lot! Now, let’s go!” (Rokuya)

He thought the adventurer, Rokuya, had left, but he returned to him in the blink of an eye.

“W-Wait, oi!”

The faint uneasiness, despair, slight regret, and doubts.

The young man, who had those negative emotions welling up from the depths of his heart, was pulled around by Rokuya.

One hour later.

“ASHES!!!!”

At the spectator seats of a certain stage, there’s the young man waving lightsticks with both hands energetically as he dances madly with energy.

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“Fumu, looks like everyone is having fun. Now that I think about it, how is alcohol treated in the battlefield, Noma-kun?”

“It depends on the time and place, but there’s a bit too much considering there’s a battle tomorrow.” (Noma)

“So there’s a need to keep it down for tomorrow night, huh. Got it. I didn’t think about that.”

“You are already a splendid schemer that’s a waste to leave as a merchant. This strategy works exactly because this is a city where a variety of adventurers gather, but I am impressed that you can think of so many novel ideas.” (Noma)

“It is exactly because I am a merchant that I am good at scheming. And so, is this the stone throwing device you were talking about? This is a lot rougher than the one I saw before…”

At a part of the place where light doesn’t reach, where there’s only the darkness of the night and the noise of the soldiers, Patrick Rembrandt, the strategist of PRG, Noma, a number of mercenaries, Morris, and a group of adventurers were gathered.

Just as Rembrandt said, there was a stone throwing device of quite the size there.

Something like that wasn’t there in the daytime.

It was being built since the time the light of the day was leaving, and it was finished just recently.

Because there was also the need to confirm the situation of the Aion army and tonight’s formation, it was busy work.

“It covers plenty of distance and considers the sound it creates when it travels, so it ends up with a lot of parts. Well, our guys will be showing work worthy of their pay. We made it in time, so please cut us some slack.” (Noma)

Just as Noma said, it was mostly PRG who put together the stone throwing device.

“The other two points are also completely ready?” (Rembrandt)

“Of course. What’s left is to confirm the current status of the luggage and throw it in.” (Noma)

“How are the summoners and tamers doing?” (Rembrandt)

Rembrandt nods satisfied and then asks the adventurers.

“No problem. We have only sealed it just like you told us.”

The young man that seemed to be the leader answers without hiding his nervousness.

The fact that the person is Rembrandt, and that they have been given a time to shine despite their jobs being far from generic ones was making him feel pressure and making him all stiff.

Summoners don’t only use Spirits, they can also use demonic beasts, undead, mythological beasts, and pacts to summon and make them their fighting force.

Tamers don’t summon, but actually capture and domesticate them personally.

Both are not considered as reliable fighting forces, and are treated poorly like how the rounin job was treated previously.

What they were looking at was a treasure chest-looking thing that was the size of a suitcase.

It was open, and it was filled with colorful gems and crystals.

“Then, share this with the party too. Counting on you.” (Rembrandt)

After saying this, Rembrandt turned around.

“Noma, is it okay?”

“Yeah, go ahead.” (Noma)

After letting out a short sigh, Noma responds to a comrade mercenary.

The treasure chest is set at the stone throwing device.

“Well then, I will be going to the other places to tell everyone the plan.” (Morris)

“Please do.” (Noma)

Morris disappears into the darkness, following his master.

Noma was thinking that the advantages of Tsige are fearsome.

That Aion had made a stupid decision and made an enemy out of someone that they shouldn’t have made an enemy out of.

He looks at the wall.

PRG was also involved in the breakneck creation of this outer wall through the request of Tsige.

There’s several special materials in it, and there are parts that are purposely made to have holes which are covered up with illusion magic.

If they were to put more work in it, it could be used as an actual outer wall.

The problem is the special materials.

The insides are filled with the wisdom of Tsige.

In other words, the experience and knowledge that this city has gained facing the wasteland.

Many traps and gimmicks that would make even strong mamonos feel like they shouldn’t get close to it.

They have fended off attacks from the wasteland time and time again, and this amalgamation of experiences was without a doubt an asset of Tsige.

Rembrandt is using all that Tsige has accumulated from continuously trying to conquer the wasteland in crushing Aion.

(How fearsome. We wouldn’t be beaten up as easily as them, but…honestly, I wouldn’t want to fight them.) (Noma)

He looked at the set up treasure chest, and then the sound of wind passing by was made as it was shot towards the Aion army.

(Using the Skills of summoners and tamers to capture wasteland mamonos alive and throw them into the enemy lines.) (Noma)

When it comes to mamonos that are living in the wasteland, even summoners and tamers of high level find it quite hard to control them, and of course it is difficult to secure them in numbers.

They could slowly gather successfully controlled mamonos to use, but it wouldn’t make it in time for this occasion.

But Rembrandt said this carefreely: ‘There’s no need to control them. How about we have Aion learn about the threats that Tsige has been stopping until now?’.

There were opinions saying ‘leaving aside the Aion army, it would bring harm to the surrounding settlements as well’, but he responded straight with a ‘just have them temporarily take refuge’.

That in the case they don’t get their cooperation, to take it as them siding with Aion.

The Tsige outer wall was made hastily, but even with that, the wasteland monsters don’t get close too often.

Especially when there’s going to be a whole ton of food closeby.

Mamonos that were gathered from strong to weak, and concentrated mainly on the nocturnal ones.

If later the settlements ask for help, Tsige could dispatch a subjugation team, or the Aion army could use those prided numbers of theirs to wipe out the monsters, which would help Tsige out too.

If soldiers were to fight day and night, they would exhaust themselves, but if they have others fight at night, the only ones getting more tired or die would be the enemy.

In a sense, it is an idea that only a merchant would think of, and the first time Noma heard about this idea, he shuddered even when he is in that line of work.

(Using a massive amount of small catalysts to interfere with thought transmissions, his way of using mamonos; this man doesn’t have taboo in his dictionary. That, or he is purposely tearing that notion apart and showing it off…) (Noma)

‘The Aion army also uses demonic beasts through beast riders’.

‘Lorel uses dragons’.

‘What’s the difference?’

Noma was reminded of their exchange at that time, and he lightly shook his head to the sides.

There’s also Raidou’s plans which were reckless ones that only people with overwhelming power can take.

This place called Tsige is truly a land of wicked people.

After confirming with sense enhancement that the Aion army was in utter mayhem at the other side as expected, he nodded to everyone there.

The plan has been implemented.

Noma stretched widely with both arms as if nothing had happened, and he returned to the banquet with his comrades.

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