Chapter 3 – Story 109: Holmenia Battle 2 – Invisible Enemy
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After receiving Darius’s legacy, Piarta had hurried to Holmenia with the intent to join Romania’s main force which she suspected to besiege the royal capital of Holmea, but when she arrived there, a spectacle completely different from her predictions was unfolding.
Although it had been a chain of victories thus far, the soldiers were extremely exhausted from the long march and the series of battles. In such a case, it was the common strategy to build a camp outside the attack range of the enemy and have the soldiers rest up while negotiating a capitulation and preparing the siege in the meantime. It would be the height of stupidity to suddenly start a siege battle right after arriving at the enemy’s stronghold.
My father and our marshal should know as much. And yet, the entirety of Romania’s army is currently launching a furious attack, trying to take Holmenia. I thought maybe they spotted a good opportunity to take the capital easily when I wasn’t here and decided to exploit it, but it seems that’s not it either.
Even from a distance, she could see that the soldiers were lacking their usual motivation as they attacked the city. Their movements were sluggish and their war cries lacked unity. At this point, it was obvious to anyone that they had reached the limit of their stamina. It was unthinkable that they’d be able to scale the sturdy walls of the capital in such a state.
Moreover, they apparently haven’t finished preparing the siege weapons such as catapults and rams. Thus the attacks with those weapons are sporadic too. It’s going to be impossible to achieve the expected effect with the few siege weapons we have. Rather, you can tell the superiority of the capital’s catapults from the wreckages on our side.
In contrast to Romania’s troops, the counterattacks by Holmenia were so relentless that you could think they weren’t planning on saving any energy or resources for later. Not only were they using their arrows and catapults without holding back anything, but the spirits of the soldiers using those were soaring as well. It was only natural for the exhausted Romanian army to be unable to even touch the wall when faced with such fierce resistance.
“Your Highness! Please take a look at the flags on the wall!”
As soon as Piarta shifted her attention in response to Demetria’s yell, she spotted the flags with a weird crest, scrawled on the fabric with red paint, flying atop the wall. And the one standing out the most among those was a big, jet-black flag which was fluttering furiously as if it was emphasizing its own existence on the tower gate.
Of course, Piarta knew that flag.
“That crest. ――Divine Son of Destruction! He’s here!?”
The extraordinary tactician who had even bested General Darius, whom she had secretly admired. The formidable enemy who had scared Holmea’s strongest general. And her arch-enemy whom her master never managed to defeat, even after risking his life and honor to do so.
A shiver, which could stem from either fear or delight, traveled down Piarta’s spine as she realized that such a mighty foe was nearby.
“Just what crooked scheme did he use to take Holmenia before our army could!?”
Piarta could only shake her head and answer Demetria, “I don’t know. I was certain he’d either attack us from behind as we besieged the capital or cut our supply lines.”
Piarta didn’t expect that the Divine Son of Destruction would be spectating Holmenia’s siege battle from the other side of the wall. Because of her predictions, Piarta had been traveling here while sending out Lala and the others to scout the area, checking whether enemy troops were trying to circle into the back of Romania’s army.
However, she never anticipated that the Divine Son of Destruction would directly march into Holmenia.
“I see. This is why His Excellency Darius had such a hard time. He completely betrayed my expectations!”
Piarta said, but in her mind she thought, The military forces available to the Divine Son of Destruction should amount to something between seven and eight thousand soldiers. Moreover, I’ve already heard he won the battle against Holmea’s royal army in front of the Conte. Now that he managed to take full control of Holmea’s west, his entire military force might exceed ten thousand soldiers. But, he cannot move all of them.
Many among the western lords and the remnants of Holmea’s army, who have joined under his flag, likely aren’t following him out of conviction. On top of them possibly betraying him at a beck’s call, he probably didn’t have any time to teach them about their new military command, even if he consolidated the chain of command. It’s hard to imagine that he’d mobilize such risky elements.
Considering things based on that, he might be lucky if he can actually move five thousand as he also has to spare some of his soldiers to guarantee public order in the western regions.
Those were Piarta’s predictions. That alone led Piarta into reaching a certain question.
“Does the Divine Son of Destruction plan to hole up in the capital?”
Certainly, if you have those 5,000 soldiers join the defenders behind the sturdy walls of the capital, taking the city with a brute force approach should be nigh to impossible. The Romanian army, which is currently running against this tight defense, will fear an attack from behind by Holmea’s northern lords, especially given the stretched supply lines. Knowing that it’s going to turn into such a difficult siege battle, Romania’s army soon will have no choice but to withdraw its soldiers from the capital and solidify its grasp on the territories it already conquered.
Once that happens, the Divine Son of Destruction will succeed in defending the capital. But, that will be all.
Piarta couldn’t believe that the Divine Son of Destruction would settle for something like that――just so little.
Just what is the Divine Son of Destruction’s aim here?
After watching Holmenia’s wall and the constant attacks of Romania’s army against it, she suddenly noticed something.
“What’s going on? I cannot see them anywhere.”
Piarta furrowed her eyebrows as she failed to spot a certain group of people who were supposed to be present. And thus she checked back with Demetria to make sure that she wasn’t making some sort of mistake or simply failing to see them.
“Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen anyone like that either.”
As expected, Demetria confirmed Piarta’s observation.
“Your Highness, should we send out Lala and the others?”
Piarta shook her head at Demetria’s suggestion, “No. We don’t have the time for that. I don’t mind limiting it to a range visible from here, but have Lala’s group search for them.”
A lower soldier ran off after receiving that order, just to return after some time to report to Piarta, “Your Highness, it appears there are only a few of them around the man considered to be the Divine Son of Destruction, and one among the elves who are stationed in one section of the wall.”
“As I thought…!”
If even Lala’s group couldn’t find them, it meant that they at least weren’t present within visible range. Piarta rather shuddered at the fact of herself not having been wrong.
I still don’t know what is happening. But, there’s no doubt that the Divine Son of Destruction has started some sort of plan.
“Your Highness, just what does this mean?”
It was only natural for Demetria to be confused. Considering it normally, this should be unthinkable.
“I don’t understand it either! ――But, we don’t have the luxury to brood over it right now. I have to meet up with Father as soon as possible!”
With those words, Piarta spurred on her horse. The destination of the Hundred Flowers was the rear of Romania’s army. Naturally, Piarta suspected her father, the supreme commander, to be over there.
She couldn’t tell what the Divine Son of Destruction was plotting, but she had decided that it was necessary to deal with it as quickly as possible. For that reason, she believed it would be the fastest to directly appeal to her father, the king.
However, the one welcoming her at Romania’s encampment wasn’t her father, but Marshal Daraios.
“Your Highness, Princess Piarta, it is a pleasure to see you return safe and sound.”
“Your Excellency…?”
Piarta raised an eyebrow in bewilderment upon seeing Daraios looking so relieved by her return. Once she calmed down and looked up to the flags fluttering at the encampment, she found Daraios’s flag being next to that of Romania’s national flag. Looking for her father’s flag, she was surprised to find it near the front line.
“Why are you in the rear, Your Excellency? And why is my father in such a place?”
Daraios didn’t have the leeway to answer Piarta.
“I will brief you on the details later. ――I feel sorry to ask you of this after you just came back, but I would like you to soothe His Majesty’s fury, Your Highness.”
Leading Piarta who had dismounted after entering the camp, Daraios personally escorted her towards the front line. On the way, Daraios gave her a simple explanation about the events thus far while quickly making his way in-between the soldiers.
“No way! For my father and the person called Aurelius to have such a history…”
Piarta had also heard her father mutter that name every once in a while, but it was the first time for her to hear about the past. Daraios looked as if he had swallowed a very bitter pill.
“Indeed. For His Majesty, Sir Aurelius must be a festering wound, which hasn’t healed yet, and a dark past he wants to keep hidden. Having this disclosed by the very person himself must have felt like having salt rubbed into an open wound…”
King Doldea was so angry that his body seemed to be on fire. He even ordered Daraios to fall back to the rear for the audacity of suggesting that he, the king, should at least withdraw to the troop headquarters and leave the fighting to the soldiers and officers. Instead, he personally took command of the siege battle.
At last Piarta understood why Romania’s army had started such a reckless siege battle. And at the same time, it convinced her that her own prediction had been correct, if one assumed that this was a move by the Divine Son of Destruction.
Piarta called out to Daraios while running.
“By the way, Your Excellency, there is something I would like to ask you.”
“What might that be?”
While looking up to the enemy soldier moving around atop Holmenia’s wall, Piarta asked Daraios, “Did you happen to spot any zoan among the enemy forces?”
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