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With preparations for the decisive battle complete, the allied forces, which could no longer even be called the Isus religion’s coalition army, had begun their advance in unison. Fritz was watching that from the top of a bell tower in a town located south of the battlefield.

Supreme General Orseus was positioned at the center of the battle line, taking overall command. The decisions about the battle were all entrusted to him. Fritz’s role was basically to watch over the situation, and if needed, to send out messengers.

From the top of the bell tower, the enemy army appeared extremely thin. While the distance made things appear smaller, the thickness of the formation clearly seemed overwhelmingly in their favor. Yuri Hou was certainly skilled in military strategy. There was no doubt about that.

With such a disparity in forces, could there really be a secret plan to turn the tide?

The Papal States army led by Gertrude was advancing on the left wing. He was wary of soldiers emerging from the wooded hills and was directing troops that way. On the right wing, the Dragonewt unit of the Kururuan was about to engage. Known for their high level of training, they would never rout like a cheaply hired mercenary force, no matter how elite their opponents might be. In the center, the main force of the Galilia Union was holding the line. Participating in this war to protect their homeland, they would likely fight more tenaciously than anyone else present.

And behind them, the walls of Kurtos stood. If the forces were to rout, even a mere 2,000 soldiers would open the gates and charge, attacking them from behind.

In the sky, 10 dragons spread their large wings, making the Eagles appear to flee in panic. The dragons’ intimidation seemed to be effective. No matter how one looked at it, there didn’t seem to be any opening to exploit.

So, why is Yuri Hou not breaking the siege and fleeing, but instead challenging this decisive battle?

According to Gertrude, there must be a reason. But Fritz still couldn’t figure it out.

Some Gods might favor Yuri Hou, and a giant iron fist could descend from the heavens and pierce their army. If that happened, they would certainly lose. However, in the history that Fritz studied, such a thing had never occurred. While it seemed common in the mythological era, where the imagination of people shaped stories, the closer history got to the present, the less such things happened.

On the front line, the Dragonewt unit was slowly advancing in step with the main force of the Galilia Union beside them. Finally, the spark of this battle was about to be lit.

They believed that shooting from a long distance was ineffective, only increasing the labor of reloading for no real gain, so they would summon their courage and advance to a closer range before firing. Perhaps the enemy would fire first. But they would march on undeterred, firing in unison at the signal. Soon, a cloud of white smoke from the volley should rise.

As Fritz waited with anticipation, he saw something fall to the right of the Dragonewt formation, raising a dramatic cloud of dust. At first, Fritz thought a small meteor had fallen from the sky. A few seconds later, the sound informed Fritz that he was wrong. A loud bang reached Fritz’s ears with a few seconds of delay. Within less than a minute, the next thing that fell rained down upon the Dragonewt unit. A few seconds later, a sound far louder than the previous one struck Fritz’s ears all at once.

Grabbing a high-magnification naval telescope made by the Euphos Federation, he hurriedly looked through it at the Dragonewt formation that had been rained upon from above.

Holes had opened up in the dense formation, causing major disarray in the ranks. Though small and hard to see through the telescope, the holes must have been torn open along with the people. Goosebumps rose on his skin, and his mind went completely blank.

“――Damn, a messenger!” (??)

Fritz couldn’t quite understand the words of the military officer next to him, who was leaning out from the bell tower and shouting. Looking over, he saw the officer frantically scribbling on a parchment, putting it into a tube, and then throwing it down below.

“Send a rider to the Papal States army! The fastest horse!!” (??)

Fritz adjusted his telescope again and looked to the left wing, where the Papal States army, which had been observing the enemy from a distance, was already on the move. Gertrude, even without observing the details, must have realized that something had been triggered by something on the hill. He decided to secure the hill with the forest without waiting for a report.

When Fritz pointed his telescope at the hill, he saw smoke drifting. However, it was far too little to be the smoke from a cannon. The cannons Fritz knew used a vastly greater amount of gunpowder than guns. A single shot should have produced a thick cloud of smoke. Moreover, if multiple cannons fired simultaneously, there should have been much more smoke than this.

“Impossible.” (??)

The reconnaissance officer who had just thrown the tube to the messenger said.

“For a cannonball to reach from the far left wing to the right wing—” (??)

“Isn’t it because it’s a large cannon?” (Fritz)

Fritz peered through the telescope and observed the hill. This time, he clearly saw smoke billowing from the top of the hill. Shifting his gaze to the right wing, he saw multiple cannonballs hitting the ground. The cannon smoke appeared, and the shells hit distant targets. It seemed that they were indeed using a type of cannon rather than a new weapon.

There were about 20 of them. The cannonballs appeared to explode as soon as they hit the ground. They might have been filled with gunpowder. Ordinary cannonballs, which are round and filled with metal, wouldn’t behave like this.

“Even a large cannon wouldn’t be sufficient. For a cannon to shoot that far, it would need a tube the size of this bell tower. Otherwise, the cannon would not withstand the gunpowder’s shock.” (??)

“I see…” (Fritz)

Fritz looked through the telescope at the top of the hill. Smoke was definitely rising from there, but aside from a high-built scaffold, nothing else was visible. It didn’t look like there was a cannon of such a huge size. While it might not be the cannon one would imagine, any secret weapon would need to be small enough to be hidden among the trees and light enough to be transported to the hill.

They had hidden it. Naturally, they could have fired it at Kurtos. That would have pulverized the walls in an instant. The fall would have taken less than a day, or even half a day. But they didn’t do that. They likely used Kurtos as a decoy to draw them into the battlefield where the hill was perfectly situated.

“…Well, the battle has already begun. There’s no turning back.” (Fritz)

They had been trapped. That was clear. But if they retreated now, they would expose their backs to the enemy soldiers. The battle lines were already engaged. Not just a standoff from a distance, but full contact and fighting had begun. The die had already been cast. The sun had not yet reached its zenith. If they retreated now, they would face a fierce pursuit, and this allied army would collapse and never regroup.

“Victory is certain.” (??)

The military officer said.

“We have 80,000 soldiers! Even if those cannonballs hit, only a few of us will be affected. There’s no way we can’t push through!” (??)

It might be true in theory. But seeing unfamiliar weapons raining down from above, exploding and scattering the bodies of our allies, how many would be able to muster the courage to fight under such conditions?

“The Papal States army is also doing their best. They will capture the hill soon. We will definitely win!”

—

About an hour had passed since the battle began.

“On the left-wing hill, numerous enemy elite units skilled in close combat are hiding in the forest. Despite our best efforts, the hill has yet to fall. My apologies…” (??)

Fritz read the unfavorable battle report sent by Gertrude. The Papal States army had poured all their forces into the attack on the hill and had surrounded it partially. They had made repeated assaults but had been repelled each time.

The long-eared Shan army excelled in close combat. The fact that such a force could be repelled despite their aggressive assaults suggests they might be hiding their elite units, who had undergone years of close-combat training, in the forest. In the woods, firearms would not perform well. Everyone must fight with primitive weapons such as swords and spears. Other units were also fighting hard, but continuous aerial bombardments of explosive shells had hindered their advance. Morale was likely falling, and the incessant shelling was disrupting their formations, preventing coordinated assaults.

“What’s your name again?” (Fritz)

At that moment, Fritz asked for the name of the reconnaissance officer next to him.

“Clara Almster.” (Clara)

The officer replied with a bell-like voice.

“Clara, please ask the messenger to deliver this document to General Ilham.” (Fritz)

Fritz picked up a pen for the first time today and wrote a message on parchment. After finishing, he handed it to Clara.

“…May I read it?”

Clara asked. Normally, the military wouldn’t be in a position to stop Fritz’s actions, but as a professional in warfare, it might be a problem if an amateur acted recklessly. Clara was probably serving as a sort of overseer, tasked with monitoring Fritz’s actions and preventing hasty decisions.

“Can you read Arn language?” (Fritz)

“Ah, no.” (Clara)

If you can’t read it, then it’s pointless to show it. Of course, the document was written in Arn language.

“It’s just a note saying to send some dragon cavalry to the hill. I don’t think I can give such instructions to General Orseus.” (Fritz)

“Is that so?” (Clara)

Clara asked for clarification. Being young, she likely didn’t understand the subtleties of military politics. To order someone to “charge in” essentially meant to sentence them to death as expendables. Such orders were generally considered inappropriate when given to allies who have come to assist.

Fritz wrote a message that essentially said, “The hill is heavily fortified with numerous enemy soldiers, making it difficult to stop the bombardment. If we are forced to retreat, the safety of the prince will be at risk. Could we use dragons to attack from above?”. He wrote this in a somewhat indirect and humble manner. He also included a note that, due to the nature of cannons, if the dragons approached from the enemy’s side, they would likely not be shot at by cannonballs.

“Yes.” (Fritz)

“But… the dragon cavalry is currently engaged in preventing the eagle attacks…” (Clara)

10 dragons had been tasked with preventing the eagles from descending. Since the enemy apparently did not have immediate means to counter the dragons, most of the eagles had retreated, and five dragons were now controlling the skies. Dragons could not fly for extended periods, so initially, ten were deployed, but now they were working in shifts of five due to the eagles’ withdrawal.

“The battlefield is at a stalemate, and the bombardment continues to strike us. At this rate, we have no means to counter it. Only the dragon cavalry can break through and change the situation. Is my assessment incorrect?” (Fritz)

If the assessment was wrong and there were still alternatives, that would be good news. However, Clara remained silent.

“I… think your assessment is correct.” (Clara)

She seemed to be somewhat conflicted as he spoke in a hesitated voice.

“Then, please send the message.” (Fritz)

Clara took the letter, placed it in a messenger tube, and called out “Messenger!” with a clear voice to signal the waiting messenger below the bell tower.

Unlike the Eagles of the Shanti, dragons possessed combat capabilities on land as well. They can be used to penetrate enemy lines and attack, though they are not typically used to charge straight into the heart of enemy positions. Nonetheless, this approach could be considered a valid use of their capabilities. If a few dragons charged simultaneously, they might be able to destroy the cannons or, at the very least, kill the gunners. Either way, some temporary cessation of the bombardment could be expected.

A letter was also sent to General Orseus, instructing him to launch a full-scale assault as soon as the dragons charged. Whether they win or lose, this would likely be the final offensive of this battle.

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