Chapter 73 - Mountain Position Defense Battle
The mountain range, illuminated by the full moon, rises like a silhouette.
The night forest is silent; only the crackling of the bonfires lighting the position can be heard.
The field fortifications are mostly finished, and people can already move in to defend.
Until now, the sky was protected only by Paul-san's Wind Barrier, but now the number of roofed buildings has increased.
Tonight, Paul-san is not a defensive asset but an offensive one.
When the moon tilted slightly past due south, a howl was heard from the east.
I have only ever heard dogs howl, but it surely isn't a dog.
"It's a Fenrir."
The Jaeger I was paired with to handle the Fireflies told me.
A Fenrir is like the boss of wolves; it uses high-level ice and lightning magic. It's not a monster out of another country's mythology, but it's supposedly quite strong.
"Shall I send the Fireflies out?"
"No, let's wait a little longer."
I had jumped the gun, whereas usually, we wait for the lookout's signal. I'm nervous, even to myself.
We are on a rocky ledge halfway up a cliff at the very rear of the position.
Taking advantage of the full moon, we've left aerial surveillance to the Jaegers atop the cliff, providing light exclusively for the ground.
I am paired with three Jaegers. Two are magic soldiers who manipulate the Fireflies with wind magic, and one is a scout Jaeger.
As guards, Beowulf with her silver sword and Will with Katherine-sensei's spear are to my left and right, and behind me is Hanna-san on aerial watch.
Hanna-san has one quiver of silver arrows on her back and another at her feet. It's expected that her sniping effectiveness will increase in coordination with the Fireflies.
Besides them, several archers and Jaegers clutching silver short-spears for close combat are on standby.
The howls that had been gradually approaching suddenly ceased.
"Sending them out."
"Yes."
Four Fireflies drift out into the midnight. I increase their speed toward the target point just enough so as not to lose sight of them.
I hold both hands lightly forward, tilting my palms slightly downward.
When a muffled growl was heard from the front of the position, the ice rampart Angelica-san had built on the forward slope vanished. It had been dispelled by the Fenrir.
"Now! Light them up!"
As I increased the output of the Fireflies, several tall figures emerged. They were about the height of the surrounding trees, with human-like shapes and skin tones, clubs, and a single eye.
Cyclopes.
"At their feet. Light up the feet of the big ones."
When I changed the angle of my palms to illuminate the ground, there were several beasts about the size of a small shack. They had silver fur.
Red eyes, slit-like mouths, long tongues. A wolf-like appearance.
The Fenrir raised its head and let out the groan I had heard earlier.
Immediately, the ice on the slope melted, revealing the bare earth.
Several fire arrows flew from our allies, and a wall of flames rose before the monsters.
The four vertical trenches and one horizontal trench dug into the slope had been filled with oil-soaked dry grass and covered with ice. Instead of securing the safety of their giant allies' footing, the Fenrir had faced fire—a weakness—instead of the ice it was compatible with. At the same time, it ended up exposing its allies' forms under the light of the flames.
"Front of the position! Five Cyclopes, eleven Fenrirs, and approximately two hundred armored Orcs confirmed!"
The scout shouted. The commander was below the ledge. He announced it loudly to the surroundings while simultaneously completing the report to the commander.
Even so, to grasp the enemy's numbers in an instant... as expected.
The monster horde must also be where the trees remain, so the full picture is unknown. There are probably a few more. The fact that the Orc count was given as an approximation is proof of that.
Gargoyles must be flying in the sky as well.
Against them, our forces consist of one hundred from the Higashinohara Jaeger Corps and one hundred from the Nakanohara Jaeger Corps, combining those above and below the cliff. And then there are the eight of us in the support group requested by Adolf-san. The remaining forces are guarding the pass.
The horizontal trench lies in front of the monsters, and from there, four vertical trenches run up to the fence of the position.
The monsters must have hesitated on how to proceed. Their feet have stopped. Into that gap, stones launched from two catapults flew.
The catapult range was already adjusted, and the big ones were being sniped while their feet were scorched by flames. Protecting their faces with both arms, they let out groans higher-pitched than a Troll's.
Silver bolts loaded into large ballistae flew out and pierced beautifully into their bellies. They collapsed just like that. One down.
However, because that body fell over part of the horizontal trench, a breach appeared in the fire barrier.
Leaping over the corpse of the fallen Cyclops, one Fenrir came running toward the position. A horde of Orcs followed behind it. The other Cyclopes also crossed the horizontal trench, stepping over their kin's corpse while brushing aside the allies at their feet.
They intend to break through all at once.
Hanna-san fired an arrow toward the sky. A Gargoyle, perhaps? The archers must be shooting them down. Occasionally, lumps of stone fall and clatter against the roofs of the buildings on the ground. If hit directly, it wouldn't end with just an injury. Everyone seems to understand this, staying under the roofs as much as possible.
Occasionally, Paul-san fires wind magic toward the sky. With a whoosh, a Gargoyle falls and has its body shattered by the silver short-spears held by the Jaegers.
The enemy is closing in steadily.
One Fenrir approached the fence all at once, but it fell prey to a ballista equipped with silver arrowheads and bolts soaked in holy water. It stopped moving, looking like a hedgehog.
The monsters avoid the fire in the vertical trenches and come through the ground between them. There's no way the Jaegers would miss enemies charging from the front at close range. There are three paths, so to speak, between the four vertical trenches, and archers and ballistae are waiting directly in front of them.
The Orcs following behind also fell one after another, and a mountain of corpses was formed.
Seeing this, the other Fenrirs opened their large mouths and roared from a distance away from the fence. They must have cast magic. However, the magic only went as far as freezing part of the fence. This is because the Jaeger Corps' magic soldiers are deploying double and triple layers of magic defense. The Fenrir stopped for a moment and roared in frustration.
It paced around growling, but when silver arrows flew its way, it leaped back and retreated to the rear. Instead, the Orcs became prey to stray arrows, and several more became corpses.
A Cyclops approached, pulling up two or three short trees as if weeding them, and holding them in front of its body as a shield. The stones from the catapults and the silver bolts from the large ballistae were all deflected.
"Aim for the eyes with the Fireflies!"
I adjust the angle of the Firefly I'm controlling with my left hand to keep the area near its feet illuminated. On top of that, I temporarily weaken the light intensity of the Firefly I'm controlling with my right hand to aim for the single eye, then suddenly increase the intensity.
The Firefly is the holy magic Light. That light acts on the monster's nerves, saping its will to fight.
"GWAHHHH!"
It was hit by a sudden blinding flash. It groans and covers its face with the tree in its hand. Its torso is wide open.
When the archer unit aimed for its legs all at once and several arrows pierced them, it fell to its knees and dropped the tree.
As if this were the moment, arrows, ballistae, stones, and even the silver bolts of the large ballistae concentrated on it. They hit one after another, and it fell forward with a thud. Seeing this, the monsters retreated into the forest.
Cheers are rising from the vanguard.
I send the Fireflies even further to chase the monsters, and when I illuminate the Cyclopes' heads from above the forest, several stones launched from the catapults fly out. It's guesswork. They probably won't hit much, but they might have taken out a few Orcs. The point is a pursuit. Even for monsters, they must lose heart when retreating. We must crush their morale as much as possible. The battle has begun at our pace.
I extinguish the Fireflies for a moment and take a breath. There is a wall of fire in front. The light is sufficient. There must be more than three hours until dawn. I'll have to take a breath three more times.
I massage my arms to loosen the stiffness. I could use Heal, but I must save it for the second half of the battle. Hanna-san rubs my shoulders to work out the tension. When I thank her, she replies, "Not at all." Before I knew it, we've developed this kind of coordination.
At this point, we've defeated two Cyclopes and one Fenrir. The price was only the breach in the horizontal trench. We can consider the initial strike evaded.
"We managed to repel them for now."
"Umu. I wasn't able to be active, but that in itself is a good thing."
"It's still just beginning. Let's do our best until dawn."
Hanna-san had fired several arrows with silver heads toward the sky and the Cyclopes, but so far there are no notable results. It's not just the distance; it's a sign that the position is being maintained that well.
"Next, they'll probably fill in the trenches."
A Jaeger told me.
"Will we be okay?"
If the trenches are filled, the fence is next. Since we didn't set a gate facing east to begin with, that's a relief. However, the height of the fence is only about up to a Cyclops's waist. They'll be able to step over it.
"It's a matter of how many big ones we can take down before the trenches are filled. The Orc horde will run away once we wipe out the Cyclopes and Fenrirs."
The Jaeger nodded strongly.
"When the current Demon Lord was resurrected, the first battle was the defense of the Higashinohara fortress. Lord Roberts held out for a month until reinforcements arrived. During that time, the Higashinohara Jaeger Corps, along with reinforcements from the Nakanohara Jaeger Corps, fought a defensive battle against the enemy's detached force centered around the mountain fort. Leave mountain defense to us."
The three members of my quartet smiled at me. I've never heard this. It's likely a story not known to the general public. Regarding the defense of Higashinohara, only Lord Roberts's struggle has been passed down. I remembered the Jaeger Corps' motto I heard from Angelica-san.
"What are you all fighting for?"
I asked, just to see.
The three looked at each other and then turned a collective 'nice smile' toward me.
"It's decided. For our Madonna, Jeanne."
Dammit, you old guys. You heard that from the Nakanohara Jaeger Corps, didn't you? Lately, I get teased wherever I go. My face has turned red.
"Time to send them out."
"Ah, yes!"
I create two small lights in each palm. Watching the Fireflies that began to drift, I heard the three guards giggling.