Ch.196The Army of the Dead (5)

Bzzzzzzzz…!

The lightning sphere emitted such an intense light that it threatened to burn even me.

Since it was thrown, I suppose it counts as a projectile.

Crackle-zap!

-Gwaaaaaak!-

With pitiful screams, the ghouls began to fry crispy, while the lucky survivors among them died impaled on the trenches and stakes inside the walls.

And the exceptionally fortunate ghouls managed to land successfully, crushing soldiers beneath them in the process.

“Ghouls! Spearmen forward! Protect the archers!”

“Show these monsters the power of humans!”

My soldiers were holding back the ghouls, swinging their spears like hedgehogs extending their quills.

Being experienced veterans, the soldiers tenaciously engaged the ghouls despite their struggles, allowing us to focus on the golems charging toward the walls.

“Berkman! Hawkman!”

“I know already!”

I thrust my sword infused with aura, and the thinly projected aura destroyed the golem’s core.

-Uoooooooh!!!-

“Oh seriously! It’s deafeningly loud! Be quiet!”

Lucia furiously fired arrows in a frenzy.

The fact that none of her arrows missed despite such rapid firing truly proved that her archery had reached its peak.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

“More ghouls incoming!”

“Don’t those bat-like creatures ever get tired?”

I gritted my teeth and filled my Purifier with aura.

Indeed, this divine weapon made of orichalcum… it absorbed aura endlessly like a drain.

“Hup!”

Crash!

As my sword strike flew toward the sky, the ghouls caught in its path were severed like noodles bitten in half.

Filthy entrails that lost their support began raining down from the sky, and severed limbs brushed past above our heads.

The lightning spheres dealt with the survivors, and any remaining ghouls were appropriately handled by the archers behind the spearmen.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Ugh!”

Startled by the sudden impact, I looked down.

Flesh golems that had somehow arrived were pounding on the barrier, and with each punch from over twenty golems, the barrier began to undulate and shake.

“Damn it…! Berkman! Take care of those things!”

“But the barrier!”

“It’s fine! There’s an automatic repair spell! Blast them away!”

After giving that order, I looked ahead.

In the distance, I could see groups of necromancers grinning maliciously, followed by tens of thousands of ghouls and thousands of golems.

“Damn it! What was the counterintelligence agency doing to allow this quantity? This isn’t the kind of force that comes from just dozens of villages!”

Whether reinforcements had arrived or not, their forces had grown much larger than before.

For there to be so many ghouls, which feed on corpses, they would need at least hundreds of thousands of bodies…

Damn. Either way, it wasn’t a hopeful scenario.

Bang! Bang!

Crack! Crunch!

“Ugh!”

As I was cutting down a ghoul that had climbed onto the wall, a wooden splinter from Berkman’s wall-blasting flew past, grazing my helmet.

Without the helmet, it would have struck my cheek directly, leaving a long scar.

I trembled momentarily, overwhelmed by the battlefield’s pressure, as I beheaded the ghoul and moved to the center of the wall to avoid further explosions.

*

That night.

Though corpses don’t feel fatigue, the sorcerers who control and train them do, so when night fell, the enemies retreated.

Thanks to that, we were able to eat and sleep… but the situation hadn’t improved.

“Are reinforcements really coming?”

I asked the inspector.

He looked at me, then removed his helmet before answering.

“This Route 34 isn’t just used by Zirconia, but also by other inland city-states and coastal territories. Even if Zirconia burns, they’ll eventually have to pass through this road. Help will definitely come.”

“I see…”

I deliberately didn’t voice the question, “But when?” It was a problem without an answer anyway.

I looked at the militia members helping the quartermasters with food distribution.

There were those older than Simon, and some even younger than me.

If they could hold firm, it wouldn’t do for a knight like me to complain.

“Are you using them as combat troops too…?”

The inspector cautiously asked as he noticed me watching the militia.

“No. They’re useless as combat troops. Their combat abilities vary widely, their equipment is poor, and they haven’t received systematic training.”

“I see…”

I put the served garrison food in my mouth and began chewing.

The rough, crude taste of garrison food…

Actually, I could still produce much better food from the airship, but I deliberately refused to do so.

This wasn’t peacetime, and a field commander eating private meals because the food was rough could cause tremendous deprivation among the soldiers.

However, the sight of militia members always devouring the garrison food with relish made me feel conflicted.

How hungry must they have been at home to eat oatmeal boiled in milk with a few pieces of honey and meat as if it were a feast…

They probably didn’t want to come here either. They likely put their names on the militia list because they were tempted by the promise of more food.

Names… I wonder how many of them can even write their own names!

“Where did you learn to read and write?”

“At school. I heard some children learn from private tutors.”

“That’s how I learned. If those people knew how to write, they wouldn’t be here.”

The inspector quietly nodded.

Those who know that knowledge is power feel it more acutely than anyone.

And so, another day passed on the front lines.

*

“They’re not visible…”

“If they don’t show up even after we’ve scanned with the airship, maybe they’ve just left? Aura might be impressive, but it doesn’t give that kind of vision.”

Despite our resolve, the enemies had vanished without a trace by the next day.

Seeing signs of a hasty departure, I quickly launched the airship and thoroughly searched the area, but there were no enemies within communication range of the ground.

“…What do you think, Simon?”

When I asked Simon, he stroked his beard for a moment before sharing his opinion.

“The supreme commander probably ordered a retreat. Honestly, we killed a tremendous number of them. Probably to avoid further casualties.”

“Hmm…”

The number of enemies we killed last night reached between 20,000 and 30,000.

The enemies’ original plan was likely to break through our rear to disperse our attention and then overwhelm our weakened front-line defenses with sheer numbers.

However, contrary to expectations, the rear forces that should have been breached stubbornly held on and even slaughtered all the incoming ghouls, disrupting the basic strategy.

“Those necromancers underestimated my soldiers. They’ve probably lost their ability to gauge opponents after only dealing with pathetic village militias.”

“That makes sense.”

“Inspector. When the airship comes back down, contact headquarters again and ask what we should do next.”

“Understood, Lord Victor.”

Good. Now we’ll know whether they’ve truly retreated or joined forces elsewhere to strengthen another offensive.

With that thought, I asked the battalion commander about our casualties.

“Battalion Commander. Report.”

“Yes sir! 63 dead. 85 wounded, sir!”

Total casualties of 148…

An entire company wiped out in a single battle.

For me, with limited absolute numbers, this was a critical loss. Moreover, they were all experienced soldiers, making the impact even greater.

“Battalion Commander. What type of troops does our army need?”

I asked the battalion commander about our army’s deficiencies.

Having commanded a battalion functioning as a minimal tactical unit, he would clearly see our army’s weaknesses.

“First, we need to supplement our firepower. Without long-range weapons like cannons or catapults, we’re helpless if enemies attack from beyond our range.”

“Any recommended weapons?”

“At minimum, we need howitzers and mortars. Catapults and ballistas are good too, but for large-scale operations, gunpowder weapons are best.”

“Anything else?”

“Submachine guns… shotguns… they’re at least worth their keep when given to vanguard classes.”

“What about pure riflemen?”

“Those aren’t very effective. Arrows can be fired in an arc, but guns are direct-fire weapons. Grenade launchers might be worth trying, but personal equipment like assault rifles that ordinary people can handle is useless against large targets, though it might work for anti-personnel combat.”

“Indeed.”

The lethality of guns and bows is equal.

If we need to stop formations, machine guns; to support vanguard classes, submachine guns and shotguns…

Assault rifles, which can do all those things somewhat mediocrely, are only useful in anti-personnel combat.

Other armies might prefer assault rifles for that very reason, but my army isn’t one that kills people…