kscans

Chapter 127 - Chapter 14: First Half – Caged Bird

Klang, klang.

A shrill bell, like a scream, rang through the fortress.

Kicking up clouds of dust, an otherworldly host closed in. They were a legion clad entirely in black, from their mounts' harnesses to the knights who rode them. They maintained a perfect trapezoidal formation as they drew ever nearer. The sight of monsters, beings from outside the human world, moving as a clearly organized force was nothing short of terrifying.

Let's see, add the top and bottom bases, divide by two, then multiply by the height... gives me a little over 160. Considering they must have left garrisons and messengers in Morant and Cazel, they've likely mobilized almost everyone they can.

The man on the especially large horse-dragon at the center of the front rank, could that be the Black Prince, Dagobard?

By contrast, looking down at our own defenses, the nearly square stone walls were cracked in places, and the wooden gate with its rounded corners looked unreliable. It reminded me of my past life, where forts were nothing more than historical landmarks.

Even knowing this place is meant to be breached, it's still a blow to morale.

Inside the fortress, the final preparations were underway just inside the gate. The planks had been removed from the path that Alfina’s carriage and Craig’s knight order had just used to enter. The Bertold craftsmen who had helped with the construction had already scattered into the surrounding forest. Now, the knights were erecting barricades. A makeshift camp had already been established in the center of the fort, walled in by the transport unit's wagons.

My own fingers, clutching a bag of purple powder, were stained with dirt. The time was nearly dusk. It seemed we had made it just in time.

"All that's left now is to pray they take the bait."

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"All forces, halt."

Dagobard stopped his troops before the fortress.

While waiting for a shipment of horse-dragon fodder in the town he had occupied as a base for conquering Bertold, he had received information from an informant. The Oracle Princess was in Bertold and was attempting to evacuate to the Royal Capital. What's more, she was reportedly being escorted by Craig's knight order.

Dagobard scoffed at the disgraceful sight of two royals ‘fleeing together’ and decided to turn his forces east.

"So this is as far as Craig can run."

Dagobard recalled his recent one-sided victories that could hardly be called battles. The forts surrounding the river crossing had been reasonably well maintained. He had even been impressed by their decision to make the town of Cazel their main headquarters.

But once the fighting began, it was all over in an instant. As soon as he crushed the fort of Morant, the Kingdom's main army had swiftly retreated to the Royal Capital. Not only did Cazel fall easily, but the defensive line south of it was extremely weak.

Only Craig's knight order had managed to evade them skillfully, as if they knew his movements perfectly.

But that too was over. Craig was merely a bonus this time, but crushing the hero would be effective for pacifying the west and for his future rule.

"Still, what do they hope to achieve by holing up in a place like this?"

Dagobard felt a sense of unease at the prospect of a siege with no chance of victory.

Judging by the soldiers standing at the gate, it didn't seem to have been abandoned. But it was in an awkward location, unlikely to be of any real strategic value for the defense of Bertold to the west.

"Perhaps they realized we would catch up to them and intend to buy time until nightfall."

"Thinking they have a better chance of escape under the cover of darkness, is that it? What is Bertold's status?"

"Sir, we've received reports that there is a great deal of activity within the city walls."

"So they can't abandon two of their royals... Even so, the Kingdom's magic detection is remarkably precise."

Dagobard thought for a moment before quickly looking up.

"Alright, we will divide the force into three. The first unit will take position with me at the front. The second unit will circle around to the rear. On my signal, you will storm the front and rear gates simultaneously. The third unit will split to the left and right outside the fortress and encircle it. Do not let a single person escape."

Once he swiftly captured Craig and the Oracle Princess, he could turn around and crush the reinforcements from Bertold, and the western campaign would be over. Dagobard's lips curled into a smirk as he imagined the frustrated face of his rival, Maytyl.

At his second-in-command's order, the force split into groups of sixty, fifty, and fifty.

Dagobard waited for the second unit, led by his subordinate, to move into position behind the fortress.

Gong, gong.

As Dagobard raised his arm, the gongs signaling the start of the attack rang out. The Sorcery Gold battering ram began to rotate. The horse-dragon legion, surrounding it, charged toward the fortress. A token volley of arrows flew from the walls.

He could see the arrowheads glowing, so they were likely imbued with magic. But they posed no threat to the horse-dragons' scales or the thick armor designed for mounted combat.

Crack! Screeeech... CRASH!!!

The old wooden gate shattered before Dagobard's eyes with surprising ease. His men rushed into the fortress, vying to be the first inside. But in the next moment, the two lead riders suddenly vanished.

"It's a pitfall!"

The ground around the gate suddenly gave way. Behind the pitfall was a barricade, apparently built from the wreckage of the fort's other buildings. Arrows rained down from beyond it.

"Insolent tricks."

He gave a command to his horse-dragon through the reins. Its scales began to glow, deflecting the arrows. One of the riders who had fallen into the pit managed to climb back out, but the other horse-dragon seemed to have injured its leg. He saw the soldier who had released his reins hastily cover the beast’s mouth. White smoke was rising from the leg of the horse-dragon that had escaped the pit.

"Commander, it looks like acid."

Looking closely, he could see a pool of water at the bottom of the pit.

"Such a pointless gesture."

The battering ram was now stuck in the bottom of the pitfall, but a flimsy log fence like that would be useless. At Dagobard's command, four riders galloped away from the gate. After getting a running start, the four knights leaped over the pit in perfect unison. The spears they brandished in mid-air struck the barricade blocking their path. The wooden structure was blown apart with ease. The knights and soldiers behind the barricade scattered like spiders.

Dagobard nonchalantly leaped over the pit. He heard the sound of splintering wood from the other side of the fortress.

His view now clear, he could see a makeshift defensive wall in the distance, constructed from a line of wagons. He caught sight of a girl in a white dress with silver-blue hair, and his tongue darted across his lips.

"Well now, to think the Hero Prince himself would try to flee alongside the Oracle Princess."

Dagobard looked at Craig, who stood protectively in front of Alfina, his sword pointed toward them.

His prey was completely surrounded in the center of the fortress. The soldiers on the walls were desperately trying to clear the barricades they themselves had built on the stairs.

Though he had been wary at first, ever since he learned that the dragon subjugation had been accomplished with poison, he had nothing but contempt for the man.

"If you surrender, I will spare your lives and promise you will be treated as prisoners of war."

In response to Dagobard's words, Craig silently opened the bag in his hand. It was filled with a purple powder.

"Kukukuku... Ahahahahahaha! I see, so you're finally playing your trump card."

Dagobard burst out laughing. An urn was brought before Craig. Surely it wasn't his final drink. For whatever reason, Craig tossed the contents of the bag into the urn.

"What is he doing..."

A faint purple smoke rose from the urn. Was it some kind of device for spreading the pollen? No, on closer inspection, he could see a slight wisp of smoke drifting from the windows of the wagons surrounding Craig's group as well.

Dagobard was exasperated by the worn-out magic trick.

"I don't care about the prince, but do not harm the Oracle Princess."

Just as Dagobard gave the order to his men, the two riders at either end of the line swayed unsteadily.

"Commander. The horse-dragons!"

He realized that purple smoke was now emanating from the surrounding buildings as well. He saw a horse-dragon on the outermost edge of the formation buckle at the knees. The way its jaw moved up and down as if gasping for air reminded him of the dragon subjugation from half a month ago.

The image of a horse-dragon that had fallen ill after being exposed to the dragon's desperate, dying breath flashed through his mind. His reason told him, It shouldn't be dangerous. His instinct screamed, This is a threat. Torn between the two, he chose to trust his instinct.

"Make the horse-dragons hold their breath. We're getting out of this fortress."

He conveyed his will to his mount through the reins, forcibly overriding the powerful instinctual resistance to a command that went against its survival, a resistance far stronger than what was needed to make it endure pain. His horse-dragon spun around swiftly. With only a slight delay, his men all followed suit.

A unit that could switch from attack to retreat in an instant. Under any other circumstances, he would have boasted of their training and discipline.

"Why..."

Dagobard bit his lip as he retreated along the path he had come. Looking around, he saw that the faint smoke was rising from many of the buildings inside the fortress. And behind him, one by one, the horse-dragons were collapsing.

As he approached the gate he was aiming for, he saw small objects being dropped from above. He heard a splash.

Purple smoke began to rise lazily from the pitfall. He ordered his horse-dragon, still holding its breath, to increase its speed. But its footing became unsteady. The wooden planks from the barricade they had just destroyed were now arranged like rollers on the ground.

"So this is what they were for."

Dagobard realized with a start that the trap had not been set to keep them out, but to keep them in. He heard the heavy thuds of his men collapsing behind him. His own horse-dragon, trying to obey his command to the very end, finally opened its mouth wide. The sound of hoofbeats was closing in from behind.

Beyond the gate, the third unit had gathered, having noticed the situation. But between him and them...

"Do not enter. Retreat to Cazel!!"

Dagobard shouted to his men, who were about to charge in through the pale purple smoke.

The next moment, his horse-dragon's legs buckled. Dagobard was thrown to the ground. The sudden severing of his link to the beast disrupted the flow of his magic, and a backlash of tremendous pain shot through his arm. He peeled the reins from his arm, which clung to his skin, and pushed himself up with a bloodied hand.

"If you surrender, I will guarantee your treatment as a prisoner of war."

The tip of a greatsword was pressed against the side of his neck. When he slowly turned his head, he saw that the army he believed to be the fastest and strongest was lying utterly defeated on the ground. Dagobard glared at Craig.

"Why? That poison shouldn't work on horse-dragons."