Day Three.
On the third day of the defensive battle, the first wall had been battered into ruin.
Resistance lessened at night, but that did not mean attacks ceased entirely.
We had deployed three units of three thousand soldiers, rotating them to face the enemy, but we were reaching our limit.
Many soldiers and knights had been sent to the rear.
The limit had been reached once nearly half of them were pulled back.
Moreover, these numbers included personnel providing rear support. It wasn't just combatants; many of those in support roles were also being sent back.
However, almost everyone sent to the rear consisted of our primary fighting strength.
Nei, the somewhat disheveled commander of Zayin's Holy Knight Order, came to report to me.
His expression was grim, and he looked as though he might collapse at any moment.
"We've reached our limit. We should abandon this position," Nei said.
Hearing the words of the dispirited, exhausted Nei, I nodded with a tired expression.
Clara had been using Damian's large Porter to transport soldiers and supplies, but I decided to have the cannon crews withdrawn immediately.
I instructed Clara to stop bringing in supplies and to begin the withdrawal. However, if we did that, the enemy would break through the wall and pour in while we were pulling back.
"We will begin preparations for withdrawal. Wake everyone up. And... let the troublesome Monsters through."
I had my own preparations to make. After seeing off the exhausted Nei, I called for May.
"May, your turn is coming soon."
May, who had been lying down in human form, appeared to be quite drained.
"…Understood."
Rubbing her eyes and rising wearily to her feet, May used the wall for support. Even as a divine beast, May was significantly drained.
From the Jewel, the Fifth Generation's voice could be heard. For some reason, it was deeply moved.
'May, you've worked so hard…'
While thinking that I wanted my efforts to be evaluated just as highly, I looked at the sky where dawn was about to break.
We had been defending steadily, but from here on it was going to get more difficult.
I turned to look back at the second wall—
"Just too early compared to what I thought."
—Thus I grumbled.
—At dawn.
On the third day, Clara came to the second fortress to report that the first wall had been abandoned.
Clara, who moved frequently between the fortress and the front lines, had developed dark circles under her eyes.
Aria woke up in a room within the second wall and confirmed Riel's orders from Clara.
"Weren't they saying they could hold out for at least five more days?"
Clara looked at the sleepy-eyed Aria with envy.
"The plan has been changed. Besides, there are more of them than we anticipated. And Eva can't move anymore either."
Eva had already retreated back to the fortress.
With Miranda and Riel holding the line, more than half of the forces at the first fortress had been sent to the main fortress; they could no longer sustain the position.
Aria sat up and began preparing.
"So I just need to go out? I'm already ready here."
Clara began conveying the information she had seen at the front lines to Aria.
"Large Monsters are gathering. Please be careful."
The powerful Monsters that had been lurking in the rear had trampled through the stalled army and made their way to the front lines.
Giant Monsters like Land Dragons, Trolls, and Ogres.
Sand Golems had also been spotted, and the enemy strategy involved deliberately letting such Monsters through to advance their plans.
Aria changed her clothes and stepped outside the room.
"Well then, it's our turn."
Stretching her back, Aria set about her preparations. Seeing her from behind, Clara wished she could hurry back to the fortress, relay Riel's orders, and get some rest.
(Riel's Connection cutting out the moment I take a break is a problem. I'm the only messenger, after all.)
Clara wasn't the only one who could operate a Golem, but neither Riel nor Damian had any interest in kissing another man.
Both agreed on this, and since Damian also had work to do, the role of messenger inevitably fell to Clara alone.
(Sigh... if the first wall gets breached, we'll just have to move to the second wall and the fortress... but the frequency is only going to increase. I wish someone—anyone—would learn the Golem magic.)
Clara wanted to rush back to the fortress and collapse into bed immediately. But there was also the problem.
(The fortress is hell in its own way, so whether I can actually get any rest... I really need to secure more manpower as soon as possible.)
Having work was fine, but Clara wanted to do something about the situation where there was no one else around——.
Between the walls, there was a wide open space——.
This was designed to serve as a killing ground for any Monsters that broke through. The ground was sloped to put the attackers at a disadvantage.
Earthen walls had also been constructed, so preparations to meet the enemy were fully in place.
With Aria at the front, Alette and her vice-commander took charge of the troops on the Rolfis side.
On Zayin's side, Crate and the Albano vice-commander combo joined the formation.
None of them used horses; they stood in formation, waiting for the Monsters.
Valkyries were acting as bodyguards around Aria, and Alette approached her.
"Well then, I'm looking forward to seeing your command, miss. You're the commander here."
Alette spoke to Aria as if joking. But Aria only replied:
"As long as we defeat the enemies in front of us, that's all there is to it, right?"
That was all she said.
Hearing that, Albano burst out laughing.
"Couldn't be more wrong! There's no coordination or anything with this ragtag army!"
At that, Crate cornered Albano.
"You! At a time like this!"
"Huh? Wanna go, blockhead?!"
Seeing the two ready to fight, Alette and her vice-commander shook their heads.
"You two really haven't changed a bit. You're a vice-commander now. Try to calm down a little, won't you?"
Just then, colored smoke rose from the First Wall. A signal flare.
"Time's up."
Alette looked at Aria.
When Aria nodded, Alette issued orders to her troops. Seeing that, both Albano and Crate were giving orders to their own units.
A five-thousand-strong force was about to battle under Aria's command.
Aria's hands clenched tight.
Looking ahead, in the distance, the gate of the First Wall was slowly rising.
From within, the Monsters surged forward like a crashing wave.
None of them were goblin swarms or the so-called weak Monsters — these were large, powerful ones. Land Dragons could be spotted among them as well.
Then, one of the Valkyries spoke to Aria.
"Everything is in position."
Aria nodded and aimed her spear toward the surging tide of Monsters.
"Here they come! Roll them!"
At Aria's command, the soldiers tipped the barrels onto their sides and lit the fuses. Using the slope to their advantage, they sent the barrels rolling — dozens of them tumbling straight toward the Monster horde.
Back at the First Wall, allied mages were blasting Monsters away with magic before slamming the gates shut.
The Valkyries standing beside Aria reported in.
"We're looking at approximately three thousand. They've sent their finest, as expected."
"Our Master is incredible."
"It's our turn to make a grand appearance too!"
Aria fought back the urge to clutch her head and stared at what lay before her.
Three thousand was less than a fraction of the total force. But in terms of quality alone, these were among the strongest the Monsters had to offer.
If these creatures had charged the wall, the First Wall might not have held.
Many of the rolling barrels were swallowed by the wave of Monsters before detonating midway, cutting down their numbers in the process.
The Valkyries continued their report.
"The second wave is ready."
"They'll fall right into it."
"A victory of gunpowder. But the dragons won't stop. It's completely unfair."
Even the gunpowder-packed barrels couldn't bring down dragons or the larger trolls. The ogres had been blown back, but even they were already trying to get back on their feet.
As the second wave of barrels rolled forward, a large lizard opened its mouth and lunged to attack.
Aria and the others dove into a nearby hollow to evade the strike.
A massive fireball slammed into the second wall—but—
The twin-tailed Valkyrie had one thing to say.
"Too bad. It's been reinforced."
The flames dissipated. Unlike the first wall, the second had been strengthened.
The explosion sent the monsters flying once more, and Aria emerged from the hollow with her weapon in hand. The Valkyries followed suit, each gripping their own arms.
Allied soldiers also surfaced from their hollows and began firing bows and crossbows.
A land dragon that had been scaling the slope advanced while deflecting arrows with its tough hide.
"This road is closed."
Aria slipped directly beneath the land dragon's head, swung her spear, and launched a slashing strike.
The land dragon's head hit the ground, and the Valkyries charged in with weapons drawn, cutting into the trolls. They struck, felled their prey, extended their arms to seize the next troll, and unlike when they'd ridden hippogriffs, they reeled in the wire to move themselves toward the target.
Using that momentum, they cut down yet another monster.
Their movements were so clean they didn't even get splattered with blood—as if they were dancing.
Aria dodged the log a troll brought crashing down, then leaped onto it, ran up its body, and drove her spear through its head.
As she jumped off the falling troll, Aria's red armor was further stained with monster blood.
Wielding a greatsword, Alette carved through the surrounding orcs and ogres in the blink of an eye. Seeing Aria's display, she remarked—
"Truly valiant. That's the kind of talent I want."
Her aide, meanwhile, issued orders to subordinates to clear out the monsters converging on Alette—
"We're short on hands, after all. Those lean days were something, weren't they? But now—"
When Alette hefted her greatsword, a faint smirk crossed her face.
"I know... [Multi Air Blade]."
When Alette swung her greatsword, countless invisible blades of wind sprang into existence, slicing through the monsters before her one after another.
It was a particularly effective skill against tightly clustered opponents, and Alette and the others carved through the monsters with ease.
That was when they spotted a monster preparing a large-scale spell.
"Annoying. Everyone, get into the depressions right now!" Alette called out.
Just then, a single knight charged forward and activated a skill.
It was Crate.
"Leave this one to me! [All Shield]!"
Crate raised the spear he'd been carrying, and a multitude of enormous shields materialized, deflecting the enemy's attacks. They blocked both physical strikes and magic, even halting the monsters' charges in their tracks.
Alette looked at Crate.
"You could've used that from the start, you know! Actually, if you had it, you should've told me first!"
She was lodging her complaints.
After all, she'd had no idea Crate possessed such a useful skill. She'd assumed he could only conjure shields enough to defend the party and nothing more.
Crate let out a hearty laugh.
"I've been growing every day, you know!"
He wasn't cowed by the scolding one bit.
Once we'd dealt with the elite monsters they'd sent our way, we decided to pull back from the first wall.
Many of the soldiers and knights were dragging themselves along, and fatigue had slowed our movements considerably.
My withdrawal came last, since May was with me, and I still needed to confirm the fortress's destruction.
There was even a skill to confirm if anyone had been slow to escape, but above all, I wanted to maintain the image of a commander who stayed until the very end.
It was an image strategy.
Actually, this was something that couldn't be dismissed as trivial.
On the battlefield, a commander should be positioned in the rear. I was genuinely that type myself, but starting that way from the beginning was problematic.
Without any proven track record, the soldiers would grow anxious.
No matter how capable you were as a commander, many of the soldiers were commoners. Even knights would sometimes look down on a commander who didn't move to the front, so what would happen if someone like me, a young upstart, did the same?
It was the Seventh Generation who taught me that.
The Third Generation would understand, but even by the Seventh Generation's time, that tendency was apparently strong.
'Indeed, a fine display of command. When fighting, you lead from the front; when retreating, you hold the rear. That alone is enough to embolden the soldiers.'
The Fourth Generation seemed displeased.
'If we were prioritizing efficiency, Laiel should be stationed in the center. But given the image strategy and everything else, let's have him put in a solid effort this time.'
While I was wishing they would worry about me a bit more, the soldiers were using Aria's unit's support to pull back.
"Looks like we'll just make it in time."
Monsters were attacking the crumbling First Wall. As spells flew toward me, I thrust out my left hand and blocked them with a Magic Shield.
The battered First Fortress, on the verge of collapse.
"You've served your purpose. Thank you."
With those words, I mounted May in her Kirin form, and we soared into the sky. My magic reserves were nearly depleted, leaving me with few options.
Exhaustion and poor sleep meant my condition was far from optimal.
It was truly tough, but I needed to buy time for my allies to retreat.
Once we were airborne, I confirmed that my allies had gained sufficient distance, then nocked a silver arrow. Flames licked at its tip.
"Sorry about this."
I fired the arrow of light into the wall, and it ignited the spot where gunpowder had been stored, causing the wall to explode.
Rather than being blown apart in a spectacular fashion, it crumbled slowly.
Monsters that had clung to the collapsing wall were caught in the debris and crushed.
Up in the air, I watched the scene unfold while barely staying conscious.
May spoke.
"The allies have gotten past the wall."
As she said that, I collapsed onto May's back.
"Then please… carry me. And try not to drop me if you can."
Mireia, at my words and behavior—
"I wish he'd stay composed until the end… but well, that's just Rael for you."
She was exasperated, but I think I did my best.
(Shouldn't she evaluate me a bit more generously?)