Chapter 20 - In Front of the Main Gate
After confirming that the vigilante corps had begun guiding the townspeople's evacuation, the three of us headed to the main gate. When we reached the second gate, Paul-san was standing in front of the gate with his arms spread, muttering something. When I asked Angelica-san, she said he was protecting this area from enemy arrows with arrow-warding magic.
"Are Revenants using bows and arrows?"
When I thought of Revenants, I thought of things that just mindlessly advanced, trying to strike or bite.
"I don't really know, but it seems to depend on the caster. For now, Revenants equipped with axes and bows have been confirmed," Marcelo-san told me. He said that unlike axes, which are swung, bows and arrows require advanced skill, so there are probably Revenants of soldiers who died in the previous war mixed in.
As expected of a former researcher of corpses, he had analyzed it thoroughly.
"What are they doing now?"
What Beowulf was concerned about was the guard unit. The guards were carrying quite large stones and timber onto the town walls.
"Arrows can't be used from this side either because their trajectory is interfered with by the wind magic, but there's no problem with just dropping heavy stones, so it seems they'll be attacking with those for a while."
Hearing that, Beowulf ran off, saying, "I'll help."
"They intend to buy time until our allies return," Beatrix said. The allies she meant were likely Bishop Catherine and Mayor Adolf.
"What are you two going to do?"
For now, the two of them didn't seem to be doing anything.
"We're thinking about how to stall them until the second gate in case the first gate is breached."
"I'm thinking of digging pitfalls with earth magic, but since there are so many Revenants, they might get filled up immediately."
"How many Revenants are there?"
"Apparently about four thousand."
Four thousand... Beatrix and I reflexively looked at each other. Four thousand is the same as the current population of Nakanohara. If a Revenant and a normal human fought one-on-one, the human would likely lose. Weapons are ineffective against them, and they don't know fatigue. They just mindlessly attack. One can finally win if they can use purification magic, but purification magic is a basic holy magic that only priests or former priests can use.
"Wait a minute. Then, what's happening to the church's backyard?"
"Hans-san said it's fine because five priests, including the Archbishop, are protecting it, but..."
"Marcelo. That was before we knew the opponent's numbers."
"We're going to the orphanage!"
As Beatrix and I were about to run off, we heard a voice say, "Wait a minute."
"Where do you think you're going?"
It was Hans-san. After quickly conveying what Owen-san had said, I was about to run off, saying we were going to check on the orphanage.
"Now, wait. Just now, I received word from the vigilantes that the evacuation of the children from the orphanage has been completed safely. I've assigned five guards to them, so if anything happens, a messenger will come. You stay here."
"But the backyard has fewer people than here, right?"
"No need to worry. There are five church priests and three orphanage priests. It might even be safer than here, where there's only Marcelo. Just stick to being messengers."
Beatrix looked at my face and nodded. She seemed convinced by Hans-san's words. Looking at her dangerous eyes, she was probably angry at being called a hindrance.
"Then, what should we do?" she said, as if snapping.
"We have to stall them between the first and second gates. For now, we'll remove this slope so they can't come up. You go to the workshop and tell them to think of a way to remove it."
Hans-san didn't seem to mind at all. Is it because he's used to the battlefield?
"Understood. Jeanne, let's go."
I was pulled away from the spot by Beatrix. Atop the first gate, the guards, protected by arrow-warding magic, were dropping stones larger than a human head toward the outside of the gate. The town must have entered a combat state, as the church bell and the guard station bell had already stopped ringing.
When we arrived at the guard unit's workshop, the old man was there alone. When I asked what happened to the apprentice, he said it was "personal business."
"What on earth is that man? He's strangely knowledgeable about various things, and the Mayor and Hans-san seem to hold him in high regard," Beatrix said, and the old man beckoned us over. As we approached and leaned in, he said while looking around.
"My hunch is, he's probably a Special Security Officer."
"?"
"Don't tell anyone."
The old man held his right index finger to his lips.
"Um, what is that? Special... what was it?"
Beatrix also didn't seem to understand and tilted her head.
The old man made a face as if he couldn't believe it and waved his hand.
"Then, it's fine. Forget it. Anyway, don't tell anyone."
I didn't know what it was about, but since it was someone else's business, I decided not to care. More importantly, I had an important job as a messenger.
I conveyed Hans-san's words.
"Remove the slope, huh... It would be easy if I could use gunpowder, but I don't know the right amount."
"Why not just use a lot for now?"
"You idiot! What do you think would happen if the wall under the second gate broke?"
"What would happen?"
"That whole area would be covered in excrement."
Ugh... I felt like I was going to vomit.
It would be hell on earth. Revenants might actually look and smell better.
"Why is the gate in a place like that!"
"It's a last resort."
"?"
According to what I heard, it's a last resort to protect the second gate when the first gate is breached. It seems they would call for a suicide squad to break through the wall under the gate... hoping that the enemy would lose their will to fight and retreat.
"Does that mean it was originally built that way?"
"Seems so."
The sewage system was designed by Paul-san's grandfather, if I recall correctly. I see.
"I can't do such a thing without the Mayor's permission."
"Even if the Mayor permitted it, I wouldn't allow it!"
While listening to the old man and Beatrix arguing, something suddenly occurred to me. I immediately spoke to Beatrix and the old man.
"Hmm. That's interesting. But, what will you do after that?"
"For now, we just need to stall them, right? We'll think about what comes after later."
"You really come up with nothing but strange things. I'm impressed in a way."
Was that a compliment? Well, let's assume it was.
While we were talking, the apprentice came in.
"Oh, is your personal business finished?"
"Yes, thanks to you, she has evacuated safely."
"Do you realize what the situation is right now?"
"I'm sorry. But I did get permission, for now."
When I looked at the old man, he averted his eyes.
"Well, fine. Anyway, there's a message from Hans-san. And a plan from Jeanne."
Beatrix and I explained.
"That's interesting. But, what will you do after that?"
"That is, for now, we'll just stall them..."
The apprentice told me the same thing as the old man, but he said, "Let's try it." We immediately loaded tools onto a cart and the four of us ran to the second gate.
When we arrived at the gate, the arrow-warding magic had been deactivated, perhaps because the opponent's arrows had run out.
"You're here. What's the plan?"
When the old man briefly explained my idea, Paul-san and Angelica-san joined in and reinforced the plan. Hans-san also agreed.
"First, we'll blow up the slope. We'll set the gunpowder, so please tell everyone."
Following the apprentice's words, Hans-san ran along the outer wall to the top of the main gate.
Atop the main gate, several guards were dropping stones, and other soldiers were carrying stones. When I looked for Beowulf, she seemed to be in charge of dropping stones, and was dropping them while Bridget-san supported her waist at the top of the gate.
When I asked Marcelo-san about the situation, he said that since the Revenants had begun prying up the floor stones in front of the main gate, they were dropping stones to obstruct them. The main gate was a thick one covered with iron plates and driven with large iron studs, but if a hole was dug underneath, no matter how sturdy it was, it would be meaningless. The Revenants didn't stop digging even if stones hit them, and there were many following behind. He said they would eventually break through.
The old man and the apprentice went behind the slope and were doing some kind of work, but they soon came out and told us to hide behind cover. Beatrix was pulled by her sleeve to the front of the gate because they wanted her to light the fuse.
"Evacuate! Evacuate!"
When Hans-san shouted in a loud voice, everyone on the outer wall hid behind the parapet. I decided to hide behind the gate pillar with Marcelo-san and Angelica-san. Beatrix chanted a spell and let flames drift for a while, then she ran and hid behind the opposite pillar with the old man and the apprentice.
For a while, there was the crackling sound I heard in the underground passage... and then a roar echoed beyond the gate.
Since the sound of falling objects had stopped, everyone went to see how things were.
The slope was gone without a trace, and a large amount of splintered timber remained against the wall.
"We're moving the timber. Help us!"
When the old man, who had climbed down using a ladder, shouted toward the guard unit, Paul-san climbed down the ladder before the guards could come down from the outer wall.
"Where should I move it?"
"Gather it behind the first gate. We'll pour oil on it, and when those guys come out, we'll set it on fire."
"Well, leave it to me."
The old man and Paul-san climbed up the ladder and moved to the edge of the second gate. When Paul-san spread his hands over the timber, he began chanting and cast magic.
"Tornado Wind!"
ROAR!
Making a sound like the one I heard on a stormy night, the wind whipped the timber into the air. It even sucked up stones and sand and moved them to the first gate, then the wind slowly calmed. There, a large amount of timber was piled up in a more crushed state than before it was moved. Everyone was watching in amazement.
It was high-level magic.
I felt like the way it was used was somehow different, though.
Normally, one would generate a tornado in the middle of an enemy group, sucking up many soldiers and neutralizing them by hacking them with blade-like winds. He arranged that to use it as a means of transporting rubble. Moreover, he even had the thoughtfulness to crush it to some extent so that it would catch fire easily.
"How's that? I'm quite something, aren't I?"
Paul-san winked at me.
"It certainly is amazing. To whip up that much timber without causing any damage to the surroundings at all. That level of perfection is something to be emulated," Beatrix said.
Beatrix, please don't fall into darkness by being too particular.
"Alright. Moving on to the next task. Come down."
At the old man's words, everyone, having come to their senses, began to move.