Genjitsushugisha no Oukokukaizouki - Volume 18 - Chapter 5.1

Chapter 5: Intense in the South, Quiet in the West

The first group to advance was one positioned along the border with the Euphoria Kingdom. It was led by Shuukin and composed of members of the Great Tiger Empire Army and high elf volunteers. However, the core of this attack consisted of commanders and nobles who’d defected from the Gran Chaos Empire to the Great Tiger Empire.

Fuuga was not found on this front, so it was concluded to be a diversion. But since it was the first move of war, the Kingdom of Friedonia sought to defend the Euphoria Kingdom. Failing to do so would risk leaving a negative impression on the people of the Euphoria Kingdom. Losing face here as the head of the Maritime Alliance could very well affect the ability of the two nations to coordinate their actions. In response, Souma immediately broadcast that two island-type carriers were en route to the Euphoria Kingdom.

In the war room at Haan Castle, Hashim listened to reports corroborating that the carriers had indeed left port.

“So, what do you make of it?” Fuuga asked.

“I believe those carriers are empty,” Hashim replied, his face calm. “Being able to use the air force at sea is an advantage in sea battles, but it has no effect when the battles are being fought inland. This is a way for them to put up the appearance of supporting the Euphoria Kingdom. It will ultimately have no influence on this war. Their wyvern cavalry was likely left behind in the Kingdom of Friedonia to shore up their defenses.”

“So they avoided our diversion, huh? Of course it was never gonna be that easy.”

“Naturally. We knew that from the outset. It’s why we only sent a token force to face the Euphoria Kingdom in order to keep them in check.” Hashim pointed to the south of the continent. “The real collision will happen with the Republic, I’m sure.”

◇ ◇ ◇

The fighting between the Maritime Alliance and the Great Tiger Empire began on the southern front, in the Republic. Kuu had renamed the two cities he’d snatched from Zem to Tarus and Leporus. (Naming the cities after his darling wives was a very Kuu thing to do.) Leporus stood at the tunnel that connected the area to Sapeur, the capital of the Republic, and Tarus was positioned to back them up.

With Tarus on the front line, only fifty thousand soldiers from the former Zem were attacking the city. Mercenary State Zem originally had a hundred thousand soldiers, but their numbers dwindled during the annexation by the Great Tiger Empire. Even with more men from the Great Tiger Empire’s main army reinforcing them, this was all they could field. However, as their strategic objective was only to take two cities, this amount seemed sufficient.

Meanwhile, the Republic had twenty thousand men garrisoned in Tarus and another ten thousand in Leporus. The Republic had around seventy thousand soldiers, but only a portion could be fielded here. Unlike the Great Tiger Empire, who didn’t have to watch their backs, the Republic was at risk of the enemy bypassing them and going straight for their homeland, so the rest were kept back. Everything was set up so reinforcements could be sent as necessary, but Kuu was prepared to hold the cities with just these thirty thousand men.

“Aw, yeah. We’ve got nothing but enemies as far as the eye can see. I haven’t seen anything like this since the demon wave.”

Kuu looked down at the enemy camp from the high walls of Tarus with a dauntless smile. His second wife, Leporina, and his buddy, Nike, both sighed over their lord’s behavior; neither was overly enthused.

“Oh, Master Kuu. How can you sound so carefree? You realize we have to fight all of them, yes?”

“Looks like Big Brother Hashim is ready to take on the world too... Ugh, what a pain.”

Leporina was dressed in her archer outfit from when she was Kuu’s bodyguard, while Nike had his favorite spear resting against his shoulder. Despite their grumbling, they’d long since resolved to fight.

Kuu smirked at the sour looks on their faces. “Ookyakya! Don’t worry so much. We had Taru give this city a crazy makeover just for this occasion—even calling in a guest from the Euphoria Kingdom to help. You really think a bunch of mooks who aren’t even being led by Fuuga Haan will be able to take this place?”

“Surely not!” came an energetic voice.

The three turned to the new arrival. It was Maria and Jeanne’s younger sister, Trill, the third daughter of the House of Euphoria. She’d been called in from the Euphoria Kingdom for technical assistance.

“Taru and I have made every effort to make Kuu’s absurd idea a reality. This city is a symbol of the changing Republic. No country with rigid and ossified values will be able to take it from us,” Trill said, sounding confident.

She was supposed to have gone home before the outbreak of war, but she wanted to see if the systems she’d built functioned as intended. Plus, her own nation might be exposed to the fires of war too, so Jeanne had allowed her to do as she pleased.

Trill’s distinctive side-tail hairstyle shook as she cackled. “Hee hee, I’ll use my mechanisms to make all of these fellows from the Great Tiger Empire cry for mercy.”

Despite her great self-assurance, a messenger raced over to speak to her.

“Lady Trill! As we were testing the mechanisms, there was a malfunction! The technology team is urgently requesting that you come!”

“Heavens have mercy!” Trill shouted. “Excuse me, I have to go!”

She quickly took off, following the messenger. It wasn’t a good look for the princess.

“Is she gonna be okay like that...?” Kuu wondered aloud. Leporina gave an exasperated shrug.

“It’s because your requests were all so unreasonable, Master Kuu. It would be cruel to blame Lady Trill.”

“Nah, it’s not like I’m holding it against her... Nike. Sorry, but could you guard Miss Trill for me?”

“Yeah, yeah. Sure thing,” Nike casually accepted, then followed behind Trill, carrying his spear over his shoulder.

Left behind on the wall, Kuu and Leporina looked at the enemy army.

As he cracked his knuckles, Kuu said, “All right, time to make the enemy pay for underestimating the Republic.”

“Yes, I’d say it is.” Leporina nodded in agreement. “I’d like to focus on raising our children, but it’s these people’s fault I’ve had to return to the battlefield instead. That makes me so mad! Let’s work hard for our children, Master Kuu!”

It hadn’t been that long since Taru gave birth to her first child, and Leporina gave birth to her first three. Kuu had intended to leave Leporina behind in the capital too, not just Taru, but Leporina had chosen to fight by his side rather than wait at home. Taru had even told her, “I’ll look after the children. So you look after Master Kuu, Leporina.” The families of both Taru and Leporina were also pitching in to watch over the kids.

Hearing Leporina’s words, Kuu readied his cudgel and put on a dauntless smile.

“Sure thing! All right, kiddos, Daddy and Mommy are gonna show you how strong we are!”

“Yes!”

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, in the Great Tiger Empire’s camp, Moumei, the Hammer of the Tiger, was encouraging his soldiers. Moumei was a man of few words, but his deep voice resounded in the bottoms of the men’s stomachs.

“While we fought the Gran Chaos Empire, the Republic came in like burglars and snatched those two cities away from us. O heroes of Zem! The time has come for you to rescue these cities from the hands of those lowly thieves!”

“““Yeahhhh!!!””” the soldiers cheered. Most were from the former Zem, so their morale was high when facing the Republic.

There was one voice among them that was louder than all the rest.

“Aww, yeahhhh! It’s finally time to fight!” shouted Nata Chima, the Battle Ax of the Tiger. “Yeesh, I was pissed when they sent me away from the decisive battle against Friedonia, but here I can go wild to my heart’s content! The guys in the Empire were a bunch of sticks in the mud who weren’t worth their bluster. I’ll bet I can find some guys who’ll keep me entertained here!” Nata let out a boisterous laugh.

Fuuga and Hashim were looking to make the war with Friedonia quick and decisive, which required mobility and adherence to orders. The forces of the Great Tiger Empire had always had a high degree of mobility, but they’d lose time if they stopped to fight strong enemies that they didn’t have to or got distracted with looting. If they couldn’t stay focused and bypass stronger cities, they wouldn’t be able to maintain their highest mobility.

There wasn’t much time to bring along every single soldier they came across or gather provisions from one fallen city before moving to the next. Given what they were trying to do, Nata, who just wanted to fight strong guys, would be in the way. If Nata charged the enemy’s defenses where they seemed strongest, then insisted on dragging the whole army with him to break through, that would waste time for no good reason. This was why he’d been sent to the Republic front, where he could go wild to his heart’s content.

Nata’s eyes were sparkling with battle lust. “If I crush these jokers from the Republic fast enough, I’ll be able to join up with the main force! Once the enemy’s been broken, Moumei can defend the place himself, so my bro Hashim can’t really complain!”

The battle maniac’s shortsighted thinking was on full display. Moumei, meanwhile, was keeping a level head, observing the Republic’s forces with all due caution.

I’ve heard that our enemy, Kuu Taisei, looks up to Souma like a big brother. If he’s learned his lessons from Friedonia, then he will not be a simple opponent. I’ll have to wait and see what his first move is.

The former Zem had never been a wealthy country, nor did it have expensive troops like an air force or those who used gunpowder weaponry. But the Republic didn’t have those things either, and their only counter to the Great Tiger Empire’s wyvern cavalry was to stay put in their fortresses and use the antiair repeating bolt throwers against them. In short, the air force couldn’t be a decisive factor in this war.

This is why outdated weapons can come in handy.

Moumei raised his hammer, then swung it down in the direction of Tarus. “All forces! Rush towards that city! Move forward with the siege weapons! Infantry, defend the rhinosauruses pulling the weapons as you move forward!”

And so the assault on Tarus began.

Rhinosauruses pulled the trebuchets and siege towers from their camp. They’d been brought out by Moumei from the warehouses in Zem City, where they had lain dormant. These were useless on a battlefield dominated by air power, but they still had utility during a battle devoid of an air force.

Moumei watched closely as his anachronistic weapons advanced.

Lord Fuuga is approaching this battle as if it is his last on the path to hegemony... It’s as if he is seeking one final glory, like those siege weapons... Quite sensitive despite his rugged exterior, Moumei’s thoughts were with his distant lord. Even if that is the case, we will follow you to the end! My lord, may you accomplish your long-cherished goal!

◇ ◇ ◇

“Ookyakya! The enemy’s brought out something interesting!” Kuu said with a hearty laugh, sticking his head out from the ramparts.

The siege battle had begun, and the Great Tiger Empire was flinging arrows and magic at them from below.

“Master Kuu! It’s dangerous to stick your head out!” Leporina thought he was going to give her a heart attack. “Ah! Now!”

Leporina found a moment to stand up and loose her arrow at the enemies swarming the walls. Her shot flew straight, piercing the throat of a man commanding the soldiers from horseback. The commander fell from his horse and lay motionless.

Kuu whistled with admiration. “Whew, you’re as good as ever.”

“Of course I am. I couldn’t use my bow while I was pregnant, but I’ve been training ever since I gave birth in order to get back into practice... Oh! But...”

Leporina had been staying alert and watching for the enemy, but now she turned a bright shade of red.

“Hm? Is something up?”

“Well...after giving birth, my figure changed. So, um, my breastplate’s size doesn’t feel quite right...”

“R-Right... That sure sounds tough...”

This was too much information, and Leporina looked cute when she was embarrassed, so Kuu turned red too.

“Whoa! Look out!”

Suddenly, Kuu jumped to shield Leporina with his body as stone tiles fell from the wall. Leporina’s eyes widened as she watched an enemy’s fire magic fly past them.

Once they were both sure of their safety, Kuu let out a sigh of relief.

“That wasn’t a conversation we should be having on the battlefield, huh...?”

“No, it wasn’t...”

“And if we don’t stop that thing, we’re in for some trouble.” As they spoke, a siege tower guarded by soldiers approached. “All right, Leporina! Send Trill the signal!”

“Okay!”

Leporina drew an arrow from the quiver on her back, selecting one with a different arrow head than the others. After nocking it to her bow, she fired it at an even higher angle towards the enemy. The arrow whistled as it fell.

“Here it is...” Trill tensed as she heard Leporina’s signal arrow.

“What direction?” Taru asked.

“The messenger kui just came in! They’re on the north side!”

“That’s where Kuu and Leporina are... We’ll activate the weapons on the north side,” Trill commanded. “Contact those we have standing by. Don’t activate the equipment all at once, but as the situation calls for it, based on directions from the observers.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Watching the messenger run off, Trill prayed for Kuu and Leporina’s safety, then hurried to adjust the mechanism before her.

The siege tower rattled forward. The archers riding on top of the tower fired at the tops of Tarus’s walls to keep them from attacking the soldiers and rhinosauruses pushing the tower below. Kuu, Leporina, and the others protected themselves with shields or hid behind the ramparts. The soldiers at the tower’s base pressed on through intense resistance by the forces of the Republic, fighting their hardest to somehow make it to the wall.

“Listen! There’s no need to stop them from approaching! Lure them in as close as you can!” Kuu ordered.

This ran counter to the expectations of the soldiers on the siege tower. He wasn’t ordering them to keep them away at all costs, but to bring them closer. As a result, there were only sporadic attacks on the siege tower, which made rapid progress towards the walls. Eventually, they got so close that the defenders on the walls and the archers on the tower could see each other’s faces clearly.

“Okay! Once we make contact, climb the siege tower onto the walls, and establish a bridgehead for our allies to—” As the commander was giving orders, Kuu suddenly leaped out from behind the walls to stand on the ramparts. His eyes met those of the siege tower’s commander. Kuu’s dauntless smile gave the man chills, and he forgot to finish his command.

“Thanks for coming all this way,” Kuu addressed the siege tower’s soldiers. “I’d love to congratulate you, but this is as far as you go.”

He raised his cudgel...

Boom!!! Crash!!!

A thick square pillar shot out of the wall, smashing right through the center of the approaching siege tower. The walls of Tarus were made of square blocks, and one of the big ones had suddenly been propelled outward.

“Ahhhh!”

“I’m falling! I’m falliiiing!”

Its supports smashed, the siege tower crumbled, raining debris on the soldiers below. The other approaching siege towers could also be seen being crushed by stone pillars from the wall.

Kuu smiled at the sight. “Ookyakya! Did you see that?! Our walls aren’t just defensive!”

When Kuu gave Tarus and Leporus a makeover, he’d had Taru, Trill, and the other technology team members implement many of his ideas. One of them was installing these massive pile drivers that shot out of the walls. The basic technology for the pile driver had already been established, as one of the pieces of equipment used in the fight with Ooyamizuchi.

“Why did they have to be actually useful...?” Leporina said with an exasperated sigh.

The idea of walls that fight back was amusing, but the pile drivers were completely useless unless some kind of massive enemy approached—like the siege towers or perhaps a giant monster. Also, now that they’d been seen, the enemy would come prepared next time. As they were weapons that only worked on those who hadn’t seen them, even Taru, who had built the things, questioned their utility. Maybe the fact that he’d gotten results from such a bizarre weapon was part of what made Kuu so amazing.

“But Master Kuu? I wouldn’t expect them to work next time, you know?”

Kuu blew off Leporina’s comments with his monkey-like laugh. “Well, think of it like stage magic. Once they know how the trick works, the audience gets bored. That’s why you’ve got to change your act regularly. Make ’em think the pile driver’s coming, and then... Nope, nothing! Wouldn’t that be funny?”

“Just what are you fighting against, Master Kuu...?” Leporina gave him an exasperated shrug.

It was reassuring to see him able to engage in casual banter like this while facing a superpower like the Great Tiger Empire. Despite being shorter than her, he looked so reliable, and Leporina wouldn’t have had anyone else as her husband or the leader of her country.

Kuu stretched his arms and then clapped his hands together.

“All right, let’s show these folks from the Great Tiger Empire some more fun!”

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, the Great Tiger Empire’s trebuchets were attacking another front. These weapons lacked the range of cannons but had the advantage of being able to throw anything from cannonballs to rocks to explosive barrels to grapeshot. The big thing, though, was that they were a low-cost option, so Mercenary State Zem had collected quite a number of them.

Trill and her technology team were working on the final adjustments to the portion of the wall that was facing a fierce attack.

“Lady Trill! The enemy’s attacks are intense, and the damage to the walls is growing!” screamed an engineering team member.

“I already know!” Trill shouted. “Just a little longer... And this goes...here!”

With her work done, Trill pressed the button, and the cursed ore battery that was also used in the Little Susumu Mark V began sending energy to the walls. After she ensured that it was working, a sense of relief washed over her.

She murmured, “Kuu certainly comes up with some surprising ideas. Like, ‘You know how the walls get attacked by siege weapons, right? Well, why don’t we have them move to avoid it?’”

With a rumble, the wall before her began to move, catching those on the other side off guard.

“Wh-What?! Why is the wall moving?!” shouted a soldier.

“The wall! The wall is coming right at us!” yelled another.

This nightmarish scene threw the attacking soldiers from the Great Tiger Kingdom into utter disarray. Additionally, fist-sized balls of lead rained down from the wall, piercing the soldiers’ armor and speeding up the descent into chaos.

In order to withstand enemy attacks and allow the men to traverse across them, the walls of Tarus were built thick. The idea was that a section of about half their thickness could detach and attack like a self-powered siege tower using the principle of the drill. This wall-type siege tower also had lion-dog guns (small cannons) from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago installed to fire down at enemies.

The Republic, much like the former Zem, was not a rich country. However, thanks to trading medical equipment and marine products with other countries of the Maritime Alliance, its economy had grown to be much larger than the former Zem’s. They could afford to operate these kinds of gunpowder armaments now.

The wall-type siege tower advanced through the center of the fleeing Great Tiger Empire troops, moving right up in front of the trebuchets. Trebuchets and cannons were powerful weapons, but took a lot of time to change targets. And aiming at something on the move was essentially impossible.

As the soldiers guarding the trebuchets ran away, oil pots and hot coals were thrown at them, burning all of the trebuchets until they fell apart.

“Thank goodness. It seems to have gone well.”

Trill and her team watched the wall-type siege tower do its work through a gap in the wall. The detachment of the siege tower left a square-shaped indentation behind, but not a hole that went all the way through.

“But we can’t simply stay and watch. We must head back at once!”

This spot, which had been inside the wall just a little while ago, was exposed to the outside now that the siege tower had detached. The forces of the Great Tiger Empire were in disarray for now, but if they attacked, she and her team of noncombatants would be helpless.

Trill urged her group to quickly evacuate through a little door that had been installed for that purpose.

Whoosh... Slash! There was a sound like something cutting through the air, and then one of the fleeing technicians was neatly bisected.

Trill stared in shock at the sudden splash of blood as a berserker carrying an ax appeared on the other side of the slumping body.

“Was it you people?! Are you the ones trying to pull all these little tricks?!” they snarled. It was the battle maniac of the Great Tiger Empire, Nata, with eyes like a starving beast’s, oozing the desire to kill, and reeking of bloodshed.

This was Trill’s first time on a battlefield, and her knees gave out underneath her. This is crazy! Totally crazy, Big Sister Genia! She teared up, trying to back away as she sat on the ground but cowering so hard that her body wouldn’t listen.

Nata continued striding towards her.

“You Maritime Alliance types all try to be so tricky! Just let me enjoy a pure battle, would you!” he roared at her, raising his ax to strike.

I’m going to die, Trill thought as she screamed, “Save me, Big Sister!”

The faces of Maria, Jeanne, and Genia, whom she looked up to like a sister, flashed through her mind. Trill shut her eyes tight, imagining this was what the moment just before death must be like. But then...

“At least call for someone who can come save you!” came a voice from above her.

Trill’s eyes snapped open, and Nata jumped backwards just as he had been about to swing the ax down on her. There stood a young man with a spear in his hands, having thrust it into the ground where Nata had been standing. If he’d reacted any slower, she’d have been skewered through the brainpan.

Nata’s eyes flashed with rage as he recognized who’d just dropped in. “Why, you! Nike!”

“It’s you, Nike!” Having recognized her rescuer, Trill cast a pleading glance at him.

Ignoring his brother Nata, Nike looked at Trill and nodded.

“Don’t do anything too reckless. I’ve already got my hands full serving an eccentric master like Lord Kuu. If you heap more trouble on me, it’s going to give me stomachaches.”

“I-I’m ever so sorry!”

As the two of them talked, Nata got mad at being ignored. “Hey, Nike! You think you can oppose your big brother? Huh?!”

Nike pulled his spear from the ground and pointed it at Nata.

“Please, don’t worry. Big Sister Sami, Ichiha, and I all hate your guts. So I feel no hesitation about striking you down here.” He lowered his voice to a whisper and said, “Big Sister Mutsumi and Big Sister Yomi aren’t too fond of you, for that matter...”

“Bullshit!”

Enraged, Nata swung his ax at Nike with enough power to split a rock. Nike dodged like a matador evading a bull, then thrust at his brother’s flank. Nata knocked the swift thrust aside with just his fist. Then he swung his ax horizontally, intending to cleave Nike’s torso in two. Nike jumped out of the way, and swung his spear down on Nata’s shoulder. Crack!

“Guh...!”

The shoulder of Nata’s armor fractured, and he let out a grunt of pain. But as Nike landed, Nata sent him flying with a heavy kick squarely to the stomach. Thump!

“Urgh!”

It only took one kick to send Nike sailing high through the air. As he fell, he adjusted his position and maneuvered to land next to Trill.

“A-Are you quite all right, Nike?” she asked him, sounding concerned.

“Tch! Whew... For someone who brags about nothing but his strength, I guess this is about what I expected from my big brother,” he quipped, rubbing his stomach.

That kick could’ve taken him out of the fight instantly if it had hit him in the wrong place, so of course, his current casual demeanor was part bluff. Still, Nike managed to trade blows on an even footing with Nata.

“You think you can beat me?!” Nata spat.

“I don’t think I’ll lose. After all...”

Smack! This time, Nike kicked Nata. However, as Nata was built like a boulder, he didn’t move. Instead, Nike was sent flying backwards. But this was what Nike had been aiming for, and he hadn’t so much been trying to kick Nata as use him as a stepping stone.

He landed next to Trill again. “Okay, looks like everything’s ready...”

“Huh? Ready for what?” Trill blinked in confusion.

“I’ve got a brain, unlike my brother here!” Nike flashed a grin at Nata.

“Huh? What’re you on about...?”

“Big Brother. With the siege tower out, you realize this is a square indentation, right? You shouldn’t attack a spot like this!”

As he said this, Nike scooped the fallen Trill up in his arms, then kicked off the ground with his legs wreathed in wind magic. This jump carried them about halfway up the wall, where Nike thrust his spear and hung from it. As Nata stared in momentary disbelief, he heard the sound of wind moving around him. Looking up, he saw countless arrows raining down.

From above, Nike shouted, “That sort of square indentation is an easy target for concentrated fire from ranged weaponry! If you’re a man of the House of Chima, with our reputation for strategy and politics, you ought to know that!”

“Damn you, Nikeeee!”

Nata was enraged by his brother’s taunting, but not even he could withstand this hail of arrows. Though many pierced him, he swung his ax around to ward off fatal blows, then pulled out of the area.

After seeing his brother go, Nike let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you. You saved me,” said Trill, hanging in the air with him. “But I would appreciate you escorting me in a somewhat more elegant manner. I’ll have you know I suffer from a fear of heights.”

“What a demanding princess.”

“Complain all you like, but I find all this swaying most unsettling—ulp!”

Trill covered her mouth as she fought off a wave of nausea, causing Nike to panic.

“Aghhhh! I’ll do something about it right away, so hold it in a little longer!” He quickly used his wind magic to race the rest of the way up the wall.

Considering his losses in this siege battle, Moumei concluded it would be difficult to wrest the two cities from the Republic with just this army and shifted his strategy to encirclement. At the very least, he would keep the Republic out of Souma and Fuuga’s battle.

Kuu had prepared a defense, but he felt the risk of an attack was too great, so both sides ended up staring each other down. From there on, this front entered a stalemate.