Giusto, the leader of a mercenary based in Labyrinth City, was looking at the battlefield from a surrounding distance.
“Viscount-chan is doing his best, but, well, I guess it’s still impossible.” [TN: -chan, usually used for girls, as it makes the name sound cuter. Means no respect for the viscount]
The fireball that killed the soldiers at the Corner Tower, surprisingly, came from a single magic user. Not only the power but also the mana hadn’t been exhausted even in the second attack.
A plan to cut down the corner tower at once with a barrage of fire and slashing was considered, but if the magic user somehow survived, the damage to the allies would be too great.
“This side, should be more famous than them, right? I wonder, from where is that strange guy?”
Giusto didn’t like work that wasn’t worth the effort. He preferred trampling the weak, rather than killing the strong enemies. Due to the dangerous firepower exerted by the dangerous magic user in the corner tower on the right, the surplus magic users were rampaging on the other walls. Giusto, who felt like he had been given extra work, decided to lash out his stress once the dangerous magic user who was protecting the corner tower got caught.
“Leader, let’s go kill them all.”
A hot-blood member couldn’t stand the wait, and so complained.
“Yeah, yeah. It’s about time.”
“Leader, is it finally the time?”
“So noisy. Shut up and listen to me, crush the corner tower on the left. They are busy killing those small fry soldiers. When they are within range, fold them up at once. Lycka, release your underlings at the timing you see fit. Rouvan, You’re the foothold. Match the others. And Digor, once it packed will people, kill anyone in your reach.”
The subordinates whose names were called by Giusto replied, but only Digor waited.
“Can’t I attack the right corner tower?”
“Hah? The magic user on the right is troublesome. Is there something wrong with those on the left?”
Digor distorted his lips torn by a sword. The ugly side of him stood out even more.
“On the right. There are people I like. I want them.”
Digor’s peculiar hobbies were well known to the members. He was a pervert muscular man, who liked males, especially those who were still a brat, and those with unsorted hair here and there were his favorite. He just loved to open the little peachy bottom and dig deep into the hole covered.
Sure, Giusto also liked to slowly kill others, and many of his mercenary members were crazy, in one way or another, but it was rare for someone as crazy as Digor. If he was other members, he would be not fed for a month and forced to be in a half-dead situation, but Digor was the best slasher.
Digor could make full use of《Strike》 and 《Iron Body》, but above all, Giusto was fond of the lack of screws on his head. Even in the dispute with the guild on the dark side of Labyrinth City, he was used as the leading role.
“Huff… What happened to the last one?”
“I’ve already used him up and sold him. Let’s attack from the right. Yeah?”
“No. If you want, break through the left and go around to the right.”
“Ah, aーh? …Ah, well, guess that’s also okay.”
Giusto was sick of the idiot who was troublesome to convince.
“Tell the people of Count Odilon. They’re supposed to come in after us. It’s annoying if not.”
“Bah, what about the Viscount?”
Attentive Lycka asked Giusto. She was a rare member. A smart woman, until she started killing.
“That Viscount… well, you don’t have to tell.”
Giusto’s employer was the Meisenav family, and he had no intention of caring for or obeying other human beings.
“A’right, Let’s join the front line. The count said that we can do anything we like to the people in the fort. Kill to your heart’s content, follow your desire.”
The members were delighted with Giusto’s words.
◆
Josh, who was entrusted with guarding the branch castle, felt a certain resistance from his soldiers. The castle had been attacked several times. and no soldier had crossed the walls, instead, Viscount Barnes’ soldiers kept being pushed back.
The retainers brought from his territory were also barely worn and continued to sharpen their fangs in the fort, in preparation for the coming counterattack. Josh’s biggest miscalculation was the hired magic user. Although the magic user was given the highest reward silver plate, he didn’t expect too much of the man.
“It’s a shame to keep him as a Highserk soldier.”
Even now, flames were still dancing outside the castle, riding the wind spreading to those evil Meizenav soldiers. Over the past year, Josh had no opportunity to interact with Highserk people. Certainly, as his Lord said, Highserk soldiers, including their magic users, were strong. Josh reluctantly admitted it.
However, Josh was ignorant of the growing influence of the Highserk army. Despite being a newcomer, Viscount Edgar relied heavily on them, and couldn’t help but resent the general as the man, made light of those who had been supporting the Dalimarx family.
It was they who brought the information about the magic silver mine, but the discovery was only a matter of time in the first place, and in the first place, Highserk people, which didn’t have specialists in mining and financial for funding the mine development, should have been able to mine only in a limited way, if they did it alone. And, those people, shamelessly asking for half.
Some people in a faction, called the anti-Highserk faction, shouted loudly that 7 to 3 was the correct rate. As for Josh? He still believed that 6 to 4 was a non-conflicting ratio.
Even after losing their homeland, they were still acting as if they were on equal footing. Rather, Viscount Edgar was taken as a weak man. Highserk people appeared to be greedy people who didn’t know any etiquette. People who had the character of not good at placing themselves on a political board. That was Josh’s impression of the Highserk people.
Perhaps the environment of the northern countries, which had been in war, killing each other for hundreds of years, changed them.
Before he came up with the further assumption, he abandoned his thought. After all, it wasn’t suitable to lose in one’s thoughts on a battlefield. Rather than making many assumptions, he warned himself to not be careless after getting more than expected.
“Josh-sama, where are you going?”
His guard stood up and asked so.
“Climb the observatory. It’s just there. I don’t need a companion.”
In the center of the branch castle, there was an observatory tower to look around the surrounding area. It was one of the reasons this branch castle that Josh was guarding, was chosen as an accumulation site of the mine.
At first, it had a poor defense that could be said inferior to even a rural area. Similar to a residential area, it only had several warehouses and a horse fence to prevent monsters. From there, the foundation was expanded, and although it was mainly made of wood and soil, walls surrounded it and even had a corner tower.
If the other party wasn’t the Meisenav family, it would have been possible to maintain it for several months. Unfortunately, there was no time to spare. The Dalimarx family was aware of their great wealth and the curse that magical silver mines might bring.
Including Josh, a small number of people made preparations to maintain confidentiality, gathered laborers, and proceeded with developing the mine. If a few months were given to them, the walls of the branch would have been further expanded and made of stone.
But it was a future that would never come.
Obstacles had been crushed and the empty moat had been passed. The enemy soldiers had begun to stick to the walls. From here, hand-to-hand combat would increase and soldiers’ energy would be consumed at a faster pace. At the same time, it would be the greatest opportunity to scrape off enemy soldiers. It was all up to Josh to decide whether to continue the siege until the limit was reached, or to take a chance and turn to a counterattack soon.
Josh, who walked alone and gathered his thoughts, arrived at the observatory tower. As he climbed the creaking ladder, he saw the whole battlefield that he hadn’t seen before.
“It’s too early for shift change. Why you came―― “
As Josh climbed up the ladder, the soldier on the lookout looked back. There was no doubt that he was being mistaken for the one next in the shift.
The soldier who saw Josh forgot to close his mouth, but soon regained his sense and kneeled.
“I-I’m truly sorry. For being rude.”
“Don’t mind me, I don’t need that kind of response on the battlefield. Keep on doing your good work.”
The soldier who stood up terrifyingly resumed the given work.
Josh also squinted and stared into the distance. The formation of the main units of both armies had not changed and there was no big movement. Turned the eyes to those under him. Although most of them were militias, it seemed that they had gained confidence after the first attack came, and the stiffness was removed from the movement, albeit not completely. Some people seemed to start losing their fineness based on their movement. Must be due to fatigue.
Josh thought that he must be careful in making any decision.
The current threat was the siege tower. As it seemed that the enemy was wary of the magic user, those on the siege tower kept attacking from outside the magic attack range. Since there was no effective means of attack, it couldn’t be destroyed. The archer was shooting back the arrow, but the arrow fired there was also not effective since they had taken measures for it. Based on the current situation, Josh thought that they could only endure.
“I can’t disturb your work for too long.”
After seeing the war situation, Josh turned his back and touched the ladder.
At that moment, a shock ran through the entire fort, with blasts and storms.
“What’s happening!?”
Josh looked back, but the dust that soared into the air made his vision unclear. Crushing sounds and dull impacts continued intermittently. Josh grabbed those identities.
“Guhh, is it a centralized operation with magic?”
“Ah, the corner tower”
A spectator soldier leaked his voice. At the end of the line of sight, there was a corner tower, half destroyed. The left and right walls were also severely damaged, and more than a few percent of the defending soldiers were killed or injured.
“Crazy bastards, don’t they care about friendly fire?!!”
It was an abominable attack involving even the soldiers who were supposed to be comrades. When the ground emitted a faint light, the surrounding ground was sucked up into one point, and finally, on the empty moat, a poor but single road was formed.
“Earth magic!? This is bad, immediately, SEND THE RESERVE TEAM!!! THEY’RE COMIINGGG!!”
Josh shouted as much as he could. The soldiers who had been waiting began to gather at the collapsed walls, but a group of people who had already climbed the wall had started spilling the blood of their prey.
“Mercenaries, huh?”
Josh realized that Count Odillon had sent the mercenaries, one of the decisive forces. Certainly, those who were crazy about war, wouldn’t care much about comrades, especially if those said comrades were only a bunch of small fry, it could only be thought of as a flesh shield to be exhausted. They would give priority to the surprise attack and casting magic, regardless of any other factors to ensure the success of the attack.
Josh, who grabbed both sides of the ladder, landed on the ground. He was approaching a dangerous choice.
