94 - Chapter 20: Shut Up, I'll Hit You With Love
In the wars of this world, siege warfare is extremely rare.
After all, firepower that could be compared to modern weaponry is available through magic, which can be operated on an individual level. Of course, there are defensive means against it, but once damage is taken, reconstruction is necessary, and the economic loss associated with that is far too great.
Damage caused by firepower on the level of firearms would be acceptable. In that case, repairs might keep up. However, as seen with the Triad family, skilled mages can even change the terrain. No matter how sturdy a fortress is, it is a castle built on sand if the foundation ground is collapsed. And attempting to rebuild it would cost too much in terms of time, manpower, and above all, money.
Facing a mage capable of large-scale carpet bombing, it was obvious that a medieval-style old castle would be turned into a vacant lot in less than a night.
Therefore, the common sense of this world is that it is somewhat cheaper, whether you win or lose, to venture out into field battles rather than fully preparing defenses to deal with such threats.
Thus, the Royalist faction led by Lumilia set up camp on the Rakata Plains before the royal capital and waited for the Prime Minister's faction's troops to emerge. Of course, they did not just wait. There were various things to do, such as spreading word in the surrounding areas that the royalty had returned to let it be known that the cause was on their side, and having idle soldiers help with farm work in nearby villages to encourage the provision of food. In another country, they might have been able to requisition supplies, but this was within their own country. If they pushed too hard here, it would affect future governance.
After about two days had passed, the Prime Minister's faction finally began to set up camp. In response to this, if there were no restrictions, the basic practice of this world would be to conduct night raids and morning attacks.
If Geoglyph were fighting a normal war, he would have spent the waiting period setting multiple layers of traps, and moved to reduce the enemy's troops through provocation while cutting off their retreat and encircling them for annihilation.
However, the Royalists are acting under a banner of righteousness. In this world, where even the Triad took time for a change in consciousness, since there is no foundation for such doctrines to be accepted, they have no choice but to fight fairly and head-on.
And so, once both armies are gathered and begin a standoff, a war of words begins, and once that is finished, they clash────that is the correct way of war in this world.
In fact, the Royalists' 40,000 troops and the Prime Minister's faction's 60,000 troops are now engaged in that standoff. Normally, after this, the respective commanders would advance their forces and the battle would begin.
"Gardel-sama.────It appears Lord Lebrun has moved."
As Gardel was proceeding with a plan to set up the formation and strike the backs of allied nobles as intended, such a report came up from a subordinate, and Gardel frowned. Turning his gaze to the right, there was the main camp where the Lebrun family's flag was hoisted. If the master was not there...
"Is the camp an empty shell? Is his destination the altar?"
"Yes."
"Honestly. If he is ignorant, he should just be ignorant and stay quiet in fear."
He had known for some time that there were suspicious movements. The reason he had kept him alive until today was because he had value as a sacrifice for the rebirth of the nation. Two old-fashioned heads, Fritz Lebrun and Gardel Vertex, are heavy enough to end an era.
However, to maximize that effect, the procedure of Lumilia executing him herself must be followed. For Lumilia, who lost her centripetal force due to the failure of the ritual four years ago, that is difficult.
Therefore, Gardel's blueprint was to divide the country, allow the Royalists to accumulate power, and finally give that to Lumilia to lead her to the coming end.
But whether he lost his nerve at this point, or whether he is trying to do something unnecessary in the name of a secret plan, he does not know. Regardless, the fool has moved.
"At worst, just the head will do... Now then."
"Hmph. Then, I shall go."
The one who spoke from the side was Gardel's guest general────Beosteral. Gardel nodded to him as he spoke while munching on a tomato, perhaps obtained from the supply materials.
"Can I rely on you? This is the final stretch, so we have few manpower to spare for unnecessary things."
"If it is a request from an ally, I have no objection. In short, you just need that fool's head or his person, right? I'll borrow a few people as guides."
Saying so, Beosteral left the camp.
"Is it alright? To entrust it to someone of unknown origin like that."
"It does not matter. He is a True Ancestor vampire. Even if he fails, he will survive and at least bring back information."
In the worst case, by the time Lebrun takes some kind of action, the tide of the war will have already been decided. People will flow toward Lumilia, who has the cause, and without people, a useless small-fry like that can do nothing. In any case, it is decided that he will go to hell along with Gardel.
"More importantly, the Princess. The formation itself hasn't changed particularly, but what is that?"
"Yes, it does indeed look like a watchtower... but it is too large for that."
As Gardel pushed the fool out of the corner of his mind and gazed at the Royalist deployment with his subordinate, there was a long, horizontal thing at the deepest part. As the subordinate said, it had a shape resembling a watchtower, but it didn't seem to have functions like arrow-blocking, and the people standing there were clearly visible. Rather than being clearly visible, it was a shape that seemed intended to show them, a shape that did not suit a battlefield at all.
What on earth do they intend to do? As they tilted their heads in unison, suddenly, the face of a blonde boy appeared floating in the sky above the watchtower.
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Naturally, there is no way they would fight a normal war────not while the Three Idiots are involved.
"Mic check, one two... Ah, ah, the weather is clear today but the waves are high. Amenbo akai naa aiueo."
On the clear plains, what was projected in the sky was the state of the watchtower. The voice of Geoglyph, who was in the center, resonated. He was at the rear center of the camp. Perhaps to have a wide view of the battlefield, he seemed to be adjusting the amplification magic tool provided by Marianne on a watchtower built to a considerable height.
Yes, a watchtower────that is the only way to describe it in this world. It was about ten meters high. It was made of wood, but it was built wide horizontally, and the floor space was quite large, unlike a normal watchtower. Furthermore, wheels were installed in the scaffolding, making it possible to move. Moreover, because Marianne had created a magic tool for image projection, it was possible to project the state of the watchtower in the air.
It would be unnecessary to explain further, but I will do so for the sake of argument.
To put it plainly, it was a mobile live stage.
Furthermore, the operation of the stage was being handled by the Rubes family. They already had the dignity of promoters, and their subordinates worked like veteran staff.
On the stage, in addition to Geoglyph, Lumilia, Julia, Shannon, and Marianne were waiting. Each was dressed in costumes made by Marianne, waiting for their turn.
Julia's costume was like a magical girl costume from Earth, but overall it was tight and bursting. Moreover, the color scheme was yellow, the color of a protagonist's senior. When worn by a woman who has given birth, it looks like nothing more than a suggestive costume from a suggestive shop. Probably, the yuri-pig targeted a slightly smaller size on purpose. Still, the fact that she looks strangely fitting is perhaps due to her dignified behavior.
Marianne, unusually for her who prefers red, was wearing a calm green-based costume. Although the skirt was slightly short, it was a quite modest costume compared to her usual self.
Shannon's costume was a more ornate version of the blue costume she wore on the way to the Radock territory. Incidentally, she was hanging her head with a soul-less expression, saying, "To think I'll have to wear this and sing again..."
And Lumilia was wearing a costume of the same design as Shannon's, but in red. Incidentally, this is the reason why the yuri-pig did not choose red for herself. Immediately after the costumes were completed, she had her wear it and lined her up with Shannon, and while having a nosebleed, she was immersed in pleasure, saying, "Beautiful girl yuri symmetry... it is precious..."
Now, after Geoglyph finished adjusting the audio by reciting the articulation training from his original world for a while, he handed the megaphone to Lumilia, who was beside him.
"Alright. Now, Princess Lumilia, please."
"Yes."
Receiving the megaphone and standing in the center of the stage, Lumilia took a deep breath.
Beyond her gaze, the lords and soldiers were there. With their backs to her, they were glaring at the Prime Minister's faction's soldiers.
What they were about to do was a killing match. Normally, a qualifier would be attached, but. The strategy proposed by Geoglyph, who had taken the position of strategist, was something that made even Lumilia anxious. However, after experimenting with a scaled-down version of that strategy and realizing it was not entirely a fantasy, the anxiety of Lumilia and the lords decreased.
They also understood. If they uselessly slaughtered everyone here, it would require tremendous effort to rebuild the country. It would be fine if it were just a matter of time and fatigue, but when national defense is added on top of that, it makes one dizzy. To top it off, the magic stone veins they relied on were depleted. It would undoubtedly be a payout from their own territories. The burden of reconstruction would, naturally, be an astronomical figure.
Therefore, the strategy he showed was a godsend if it worked.
(It is a bit embarrassing... but)
She remembered the events of that night.
When asked by Marianne if there was any unreasonable thing she wanted to destroy, Lumilia nodded and pulled the trigger. From the perspective of this world and a fourteen-year-old girl, it might have been a modest resistance.
However, she had no way of knowing at the time that the trigger, which was far too light, would launch a special nuclear warhead that was incredibly heavy despite its lightness.
That is why Lumilia asked Marianne. Why she was being so helpful.
"In a word, regret, the consolation for it. It is by no means for the sake of others, or such goodwill. I do it because I have my own interests."
With the moonlight at her back, Marianne, who was concealing her true self, spoke with a slightly lonely look.
"It has been a very long time, but there was a child who could not say they loved someone because they loved them. Whether it was because they were embarrassed, or lacked courage, I do not know now."
To say she could not be honest, in a word, seemed to Lumilia as if many emotions were overlapping.
"Just because they could not convey their love, that person has already gone to a far place where a child's hand cannot reach. The wound obtained then has certainly become a scab over time, and at first glance it looks like nothing is wrong."
The idea that time heals all wounds is both correct and wrong.
"If it is peeled off by chance, it suddenly bleeds. Even if one has grown accustomed to the pain and become an adult, and thus can no longer shed tears, it can never be as if it never happened. Even though time cannot be turned back, even though one cannot return to those days, even though one cannot start over, one is still dragged back by the past. A single bitter conclusion reached at that time sticks to the heart and will not leave."
Trauma that could not be resolved as desired can only be looked away from, and will always remain in a corner of the memory. One can distract oneself, give up, or temporarily forget, but it remains in the chest as a scar.
"I know that solving it for others will not heal the wounds of childhood. However, even I, who failed to become something beautiful, feel that if I can protect it, I can acknowledge myself a little────I feel that way."
Therefore, her meddling is just a compensatory act. Nothing more than the soothing of an unchangeable past. Because for him, who can no longer return to that day, a beautiful tomorrow will never come.
"Until now, it could not be changed, but from now on, it can be changed. However, opposing the flow means that many walls will stand in the way, and they will try to return things to the flow they should be."
That is fate, or society, or common sense────great flows that an individual cannot resist become waves and come to snatch away the spirit of rebellion.
"That is a joke. I will never lose to such incomprehensible things again."
Therefore, they raise their middle fingers to the unreasonable, as they always do.
"That is why I keep destroying the serious, to save the me of that day, next time."
As she said this and smiled, Marianne overlapped with the image of Shannon before she was cursed by the magic spear, and Lumilia decided her resolve.
Yes. The mistakes of that day cannot be corrected.
Through her own whim, Shannon was cursed, the ritual failed, and she experienced being cast out of the capital.
She is now at the absolute bottom of the bottom.
Then, all that is left is to climb up.
Let us raise it as high as possible.
The signal fire of counterattack against this malicious fate.
"L-Listen to our song────!!"
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As mentioned before, there is a technology in this world called Ensemble Magic.
By overlapping several spells when activating one magic, the power can be enhanced, or the effect can be distorted to make it a separate magic. Geoglyph could do this alone by using Magazine Chant as the base and performing Overlapping Mutation.
However, in the first place, Geoglyph's stock of magic was not keeping up, so it was difficult to achieve army-scale enhancement on his own. He spent all of the four days of preparation and the three days including the movement to the royal capital on chanting, and even then, he might only reach half of what was needed.
As mentioned before, deaths in a civil war lead directly to a decrease in national power. For the Three Idiots, who are foreigners, they honestly feel it does not matter, but once they decided to be allies, they consider at least the wishes of their client.
Therefore, it was necessary to scatter them literally with an overwhelming super-enhancement with room to spare.
Then, what is needed here? The answer is enhancement magic.
So-called buff magic is not that difficult. In terms of rank, it corresponds to the ninth magic formula, and if one is born as a noble, it is naturally acquired, almost as part of their general education.
However, because the rank is not that high, the effect itself is not that high, and in normal use, it only gives a slight enhancement to a single target. At least, it does not make them two or three times stronger. But if this is performed as an ensemble, increasing the power and range to army-scale────that is the theory on paper.
Yes, the theory on paper.
As mentioned before, Ensemble Magic is a high-level technique that requires several people in sync, with severe timing adjustments. Because of their different beliefs and ranks, nobles who have spent many years together as siblings or spouses could barely make it practical. There is no way they could acquire it in such a short period.
Normally.
Yes, since the Three Idiots, who are not normal, are with the Royalists, the answer naturally becomes something not normal.
This is also mentioned before, but chanting is essentially a wave. While fixed spells are used because they are words of power, they are not inherently necessary. If concentration is at its limit, magic can be exercised with a single sound. As mentioned before, if one has talent, chantless magic is possible.
Now, here is a stage where two elements overlap.
Yes, the watchtower that has already turned into a live stage.
"Hehe, a good rhythm...!"
A unit consisting of a fairy princess, a reversible TS girl, a TS girl, and a woman who has given birth, which is far too heterogeneous, begins to sing according to the music. Geoglyph, receiving the singing voices and music, smiles. This time, he does not use his own stock. He uses magic power to chant with everyone each time. His role becomes that of the conductor.
"────Now, all personnel... draw staves!!"
At his words, the nobles drew the two short staves tucked in their waists and took their positions. Their faces were serious. From this moment on, they forget their rank. Before the King's stage, they are supporting roles, and at the same time, the protagonists.
Now, the conditions are met.
If the exercise of magic can be possible with a single sound, then it is possible with a call-and-response.
If the timing adjustment is severe, then just synchronize it with the music.
In other words.
"Alright, let's go────!!"
"Tiger! Fire! Cyber! Fiber! Diver! Viber! Ja-ja!!"
It is Ensemble Magic via Wota-gei.
The short staves swung by the nobles released dazzling magic power. Dancing like penlights, and by overlapping the chants known as calls, it transformed into Ensemble Magic and surged into the entire Royalist army of 40,000.
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Operation (Copyright-wise) Dangerous Borderline.
After sealing the super-spacetime type with a physical attack charge, this time he started proclaiming such a thing, and Later thought that this guy is already sick, and was appalled. However, he felt the effect at the front line of the army.
In the rear, the nobles were chanting with deep voices that shook the earth, such as "I'm in love with the Princess's eyes!" or "Ah, Shannon!" or "L, O, V, E! Lovely Julia!" or "Mary with Owning!"
Yes, it is a chant.
In the days leading up to this battlefield, Geoglyph had improved the existing buff magic chants and turned them into calls, and had the nobles practice them relentlessly. Thanks to that, it became a synchronized chant, an ensemble, and rained down on the allied camp.
The effect is focused on physical ability enhancement and automatic recovery. It has the same origin as the all-in-one buff magic handled by Ludglif, "My Experience is the True Treasure (Overlap Experience)," but it is further downgraded.
This is because, as Later mentioned before, Alberstein's soldiers are weaklings. Unless they are a gang of delinquents who have been trained to the bone, it is easy to imagine that if they are given an enhancement like "My Experience is the True Treasure (Overlap Experience)," their thoughts and reflections would not be able to keep up, and they would end up being swung around and unable to use it.
Instead, expanding the range and granting it to all 40,000 soldiers of the Royalists, one could say he is truly a Demon King.
But man, Later smiled wryly.
"A Demon King who does Wota-gei, I think it's too new an era. Sensei..."
While imagining the Demon King in his mind, who was probably performing Wota-gei while swinging two short staves like dual wields in a single-minded fashion.
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Meanwhile, at the Vertex mansion in the royal capital, the three girls who were under house arrest were witnessing the image of the stage projected outside the window.
"Ah... this is that, isn't it."
"Yes, undoubtedly."
Latia and Kazuha nodded, knowing that only those people could do something this flashy.
And finally, Lilitia found her figure.
"...Big Sister────!!"
In the image projected in the sky, it was a scene where Marianne was doing a side-peace and winking in a close-up.