Magic Gems Gourmet Chapter 187

Chapter 187

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ED: LonelyMatter

Chapter 187 – The Mercy of the Past Does Not Appear

The country of Rockdam was surrounded by a strong, solid wall of rock.

It had protected the country since ancient times, and even if it was surrounded by Heim’s large army, it could hold out for a while.

If that were the case, an attack by sea would be an option.

However, the Rockdam’s naval equipment was not bad at all, perhaps due to the fact that they have regular s.h.i.+pping to Ishtalika.

Perhaps Heim did not like that and avoided a sea battle where they would not have freedom of movement.

“Lloyd-sama. All s.h.i.+ps, magic weapons… and the horses for the cavalry have been unloaded.”

“How are the horses?”

“There were some horses that were nervous, but there are no problems worth mentioning.”

“That’s good to hear. Nevertheless, we will march forward as if we were crus.h.i.+ng them under a wall. The cavalry won’t be the main force, though.”

Lloyd’s plan was to advance steadily, step by step.

However, the speed of those steps would be very fast.

“W-wha… Lloyd-dono. Can I ask you something?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Randoll, the commander of Rockdam, called out to him.

“If I heard correctly, the light attack a while ago was also from Ishtalika. …Then why not use it to wipe out the people of Heim all at once?”

“Oh, that’s what you mean.”

“After all, the people of Heim were camped outside the castle walls. Since they have a large army, the range of their camp is very large, but wouldn’t it be more effective to launch that attack than to go out and meet them?”

It’s only natural that Randoll would have doubts, and he wonders why Ishtalika wouldn’t.

“Considering the distance, even the front of the castle gate is out of range. If we have to deal with Heim, who has already started to move, it probably won’t be very effective. That’s why we need to move forward.”

“Hmm… I see. That’s how it is.”

This was only possible because the first battles.h.i.+p Lloyd was on was closer than the others.

There was no longer any hope of an effective attack on Heim, who had hastily moved away.

“If we could have prepared the next round of sh.e.l.ls a little earlier, we could have struck another blow. Well, there’s no point in regretting it now.”

Lloyd gave a wry smile.

“By the way, Randoll-dono. I apologize for this sudden visit, but is it difficult to meet with the head of state? I believe his name is Zaud-dono?”

“I’m terribly sorry, but that’s not possible.”

How should he negotiate now… Lloyd was lost in thought, but Randoll continued hastily.

“Oops, I’m sorry… The reason is that Zaud-sama is not in a condition to meet with people.”

“Mmm… Does he have some kind of illness?”

“No, it’s not like that. It’s not something I should tell people from other countries, but he is mentally unwell. He’s been lying on his bed all morning, scared, thinking about tomorrow.”

“O-oh. That’s the situation.”

Behind Lloyd, who looked worried, the Royal Knight put his hand to his forehead in dismay.

It’s a little pitiful to think that the knights on the battlefield can’t be at peace with themselves when the head of state is like this.

“I’m sure the knights of a country like Ishtalika have their own opinions, but Zaud-sama is a kind person.”

Seeing Lloyd’s confusion, Randoll defended Zaud.

“Oh, no… I see. I took a strange att.i.tude. I’m sorry.”

“Haha, it’s okay. …Okay, we’re here.”

Randoll said he didn’t mind and stopped at a certain place.

“As you can see, there are still Heim soldiers here. …What do you think?”

They had arrived at a high point from which they could see the entire area outside the castle gate.

Even though they had launched a wide-area bombardment, there were still many Heim soldiers outside the castle gate.

“I see. I see… Hey, what do you think?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

Then Lloyd called to the nearby knight who had accompanied him.

“If they are as strong as they seem, we should be able to destroy them in four days… or drive them back to Birdland. It doesn’t look like they have any of those pesky monsters in their possession either.”

“W-what did you just say?!”

Randoll approached the knight.

Even though they were on the verge of destruction, he was surprised to hear that they could be dealt with in four days.

“Ra-Randoll-dono, please calm down!”

“Ah… I’m sorry. But are you serious?”

“We are serious, Randoll-dono.”

While the knight was wondering what to say, Lloyd answered for him.

He nodded several times in satisfaction as he looked at the Heim forces camped outside the walls.

“We asked you to show us the way here as a final check, but this is enough. Then we will go and slaughter them.”

“Lloyd-dono? Are you really going to fight now? It will be dark soon, and it will be inconvenient to fight…”

“That goes for them too. Besides, we will prepare the camp before it is completely dark.”

――This is absurd.

After chasing away Heim’s large army, it’s hard to believe that they would be making camp preparations there.

As he watched Randoll open and close his mouth like a fish, Lloyd called out to the knight.

“I think the magic weapons have been transported to the vicinity of the castle gate by now. The preparations for the cavalry should also be finished by now. …Well then, let’s go and join the battle.”

＊＊＊

The capital of Rockdam. Outside its walls, the shock of the sudden attack had not yet worn off, and there was growing restlessness among the Heim soldiers.

The Heim camp stretched far in front and behind. Still, the anxiety of the knights in the front had spread to those in the rear.

“General Lance! As expected, there are many casualties…”

“There is no need to worry about me. You can just say that they are dead if you want.”

“I apologize. Due to the attack earlier, there are many casualties… and in addition, there are many who have no hope of survival.”

“So those on the front lines have almost all been wiped out?”

His name is Ricardo Lance.

He was a knight who had been taken care of by Logas, and his son was Livain, Grint’s attendant.

The command of that area was not in the hands of Logas but in the hands of this Livain.

Rockdam would have fallen tomorrow.

That was to be the case, but with this sudden blow, the atmosphere of constant victory has all but vanished.

Right now, they are busy confirming the situation.

“No ground was torn up, and nothing big fell from the sky. I can’t put it into words, but it was a shock wave like I’ve never seen before.”

They had no idea what was going on, but they knew they had taken a huge hit.

What were they going to do about the battle tomorrow? That was what Ricardo was thinking.

“Hey, is the gate open…?”

“What? W-why are they opening the gate?”

Suddenly, the city gate began to open.

Was it time to attack, or was the enemy trying to take advantage of their confusion?

Ricardo thought about it, but it seemed to be nothing more than the last fart of a weasel.

Sensing that something was wrong, Ricardo walked over to the horse he had kept at his side and quickly mounted it.

“Form a line! Form a line! Leave the dead and wounded for later!”

He shouted as he set the horse in motion.

Hearing Ricardo’s voice, the men quickly rea.s.sembled their weapons and armor and formed a line with those nearby.

“s.h.i.+eld bearers, forward! Archers, quickly behind them!”

When the enemy attacks, they can simply tighten their defenses and shoot their arrows.

When Heim’s men are ordered to take their standard positions, they all prepare at once.

“General, what about the spearmen?”

“Of course! Get behind the s.h.i.+eld bearers! If they come this way, kill them with your spears while protecting yourself with the s.h.i.+eld!”

“Yes, sir!”

Ricardo quickly continued to give instructions.

Then, the gate finally opened.

What on earth was about to start? As he stared at the distant gate, something strange appeared.

“What is that… Is it a crossbow?”

A completely white bow lying on its side.

However, there were also a number of pipes and cannon-like tubes connected to it, and Ricardo couldn’t figure out what it was.

“What’s that noise? Is that…?”

“A-ah… what is that pounding noise?”

Then, almost simultaneously, a sound full of intimidation echoed through the air.

It traveled along the ground and reached the place where Ricardo and the others were standing.

It grew louder and louder, making the Heim soldiers uneasy.

“Archers, prepare! Do not fire until you get the signal!”

Ricardo gave instructions to the archers, trying to drown out their fear.

Though it was impossible to hear his voice from one end to the other, the archers watched the movements of the archers next to them, and all raised their bows almost simultaneously.

As Ricardo continues to give instructions, a knight… he is well dressed, so he is probably not a common soldier.

He comes over to Ricardo with a weapon in his hand.

“Thank you for your hard work. I knew I couldn’t do without it.”

“It’s also the symbol of the Lance family.”

Ricardo nodded deeply at the knight’s words.

What he received was a large silver lance.

This lance was not Ricardo’s family name but the lance used by the cavalry.

As soon as Ricardo received it, he lifted it high into the sky with great force.

“Ah, that’s right. This is proof of my strength, proof that I am the strongest spearman in the Kingdom of Heim! Although my spearmans.h.i.+p is second to the guest general’s, I am still the best spearman in Heim!”

When the Heim soldiers heard Ricardo’s voice, they were very excited.

…but only for a short time. They all looked surprised and then turned their attention to the Rockdam Gate.

Sensing their mood, Ricardo turned his gaze back to the gate.

And what he saw was the Silver Army gradually deploying.

…Fuh…! …Ha!

The sound that echoed through the ground was the sound of the Silver Army’s spears. .h.i.tting the ground.

At the same time, their powerful voices reached Heim’s group as if to threaten them.

“White Knights…? The Rockdam Knights should be wearing dark green armor. Then who are these white knights…?”

In a word, it was order.

The movements of the white knights are so well coordinated that they keep up the pressure like a single living being.

Then, the huge crossbows they had just confirmed were lined up side by side, and they realized that there were ten of them.

“They certainly look huge and have a lot of firepower. But at this distance, they won’t do much damage, will they?”

By eye, the distance between them was estimated to be around 500 to 600 meters.

If that was the case, then a single shot from the crossbow would not cause much damage. Ricardo felt relieved.

However, what he could not understand was why the white knights continued to deploy. In terms of numbers, Heim’s forces easily outnumbered them three to one. However, the fact that they were unknown continued to cause problems.

“Hey, is anyone around?”

“Ha!”

“Go up to those white knights carrying the Heim banner. Ask them who they are and what their goal is.”

“Understood!”

When he called out to a suitable soldier, the soldier listened to Ricardo’s instructions and galloped off on his horse.

Ricardo looked at him admiringly, thinking that the way he ran, waving the flag, was just like Heim, the ruler of the continent.

After a short time, the soldier on horseback reached a distance where he could be heard.

As he called out to them while waving the flag, a tall man appeared from among the white knights, leaning against the huge horse but not overpowered by it.

“…Mm?”

“General Lance, what is it?”

“N-no… I think I recognize that man.”

Even though there was quite a distance between them, it was impossible to identify the man’s face in detail.

Ricardo’s eyesight was not bad, but even when he squinted, he could not see the man’s features clearly.

When he replied to the knight who had just brought Ricardo’s lance, the knight tilted his head in a way that suggested he was not sure.

“Well, never mind. I’m going to check the middle guard for now. Call me if anything happens, okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

Ricardo went to where the archers were waiting and rode his horse to check on their situation.

If he handles it calmly, there won’t be any problems. He thought to himself and looked around, carrying his precious lance.

It was at that moment.

“General Lance!”

“W-what is it…?”

The knight from earlier calls out to him after only a few seconds of his horse moving forward.

“Our soldier is returning… but something seems strange…”

“What are you talking about? Something seems strange? Huh. What is all the fuss about?”

He looked back at his horse with a look of annoyance, and what Ricardo saw were the figure of the Heim soldier running for his life.

This was not an ordinary situation. Sensing this, Ricardo was about to move forward when…

“…Hmm? Is it snowing?”

If you were to compare it to anything, it would be a scene you might see on a cold day in the middle of winter.

Yes, like diamond dust, a pale light danced down around them.

Ricardo saw it and muttered as he stretched out his hand.

But that’s a strange story. After all, it’s only the beginning of summer, and the sun will soon be setting.

Nevertheless, the area begins to glow softly.

The only thing that can be said was that this was the last scene Ricardo saw.

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