Chapter 307

The monstrous arrows that had practically annihilated the mage unit were now before Vinchel.

“These arrows are made of orichalcum alloy,”

said the elderly craftsman, the leader of the artisans accompanying the Crown Prince’s army, cautiously.

“Orichalcum, you say. But could they really be this powerful just because they’re made of orichalcum?”

Orichalcum was indeed the strongest metal in the world.

But the mages’ shields weren’t ordinary shields. They were reinforced shields cast by high-level mages.

It was hard to believe that they had been pierced through like glass with a single shot.

“It seems like they maximized the power by increasing the size. And the craftsmanship of these arrows…”

“What about the craftsmanship?”

“It’s… perfect. The sharpness, the precision, the balance… Honestly, it’s beyond my ability to evaluate.”

“Beyond your ability?”

Vinchel narrowed his eyes.

The elderly craftsman was a renowned artisan in the Imperial Capital.

It was hard to believe that even he would praise them so highly.

“Orichalcum alloy is an extremely difficult material to work with. Only a handful of artisans can handle it properly. And the larger the size, the more difficult it is to maintain the quality. But these arrows… They’re flawless.”

The elderly craftsman continued to express his admiration.

To his artisan’s eye, they were works of art, beyond impressive.

“I don’t understand. Does the Celtrine family have so many skilled artisans?”

“No, sir. This is the work of a single person.”

“A single person?”

“Yes, sir. I’m certain.”

At that moment,

Vinchel’s eyes flashed.

“Ah, I see.”

“What is it, Captain?”

Marius, Vinchel’s longtime confidant, noticed the change in his expression and asked.

“It’s good news.”

“Good news?”

“Yes. Honestly, I was at a loss as to how to counter these monstrous arrows.”

The monstrous arrows that pierced through reinforced shields, shields, and even armor like glass, and had an incredible range.

It would be difficult for anyone, even Vinchel, to find a way to counter them.

“So you’re saying you’ve thought of a countermeasure?”

Marius’s eyes widened.

“Didn’t you notice?”

“Huh?”

“They can’t possibly have many of these monstrous arrows. Only one person can make them.”

“Ah.”

Marius’s face brightened as he understood.

“I-I see. Then indeed…”

Justino’s face also brightened.

Vinchel turned to the elderly craftsman.

“Can we use these arrows against them?”

The orichalcum arrows they had captured.

It would be the perfect revenge if they could use them against the enemy.

But the elderly craftsman shook his head.

“I’m afraid not, sir. These arrows can’t be fired with ordinary ballistae. They require a special mechanism…”

“Can we build it?”

“It’s beyond my abilities, sir.”

“I see.”

Vinchel gave up on the idea of using the arrows against the enemy.

It was wiser to give up than to waste time and effort on a futile attempt.

“How are the siege weapons?”

“They’re all in perfect condition, sir. Ready to be deployed.”

“Good. You’re dismissed.”

“Yes, sir.”

The elderly craftsman left the tent.

Only the Imperial Knights remained, except for Saya, who had been demoted to a common soldier.

“No matter how I look at it…”

“Huh?”

“Even if they don’t have many of those monstrous arrows, I think it’s best to destroy those ballistae first. They’re a serious threat.”

“Y-Yes, sir. I was also thinking…”

Vinchel nodded, cutting Marius off.

“Good. Then let’s use that.”

They had lost most of their mages, who could bombard the enemy on the walls, but they still had other options.

In the worst-case scenario, they would have to use siege ladders and send their soldiers over the walls, but that was truly a last resort.

They still had a trump card.

“Yes, sir!”

Marius replied, his voice filled with determination.

* * *

“It’s been four days, and there’s still no movement, Young Master. Something feels strange…”

Hank, the knight captain, said, his face filled with suspicion.

It was understandable for the enemy to take a day or two to recover from their losses and regroup.

But four days was a bit too long.

Especially when they were probably furious after their humiliating defeat.

“What else could they be doing? They’re preparing.”

Max, on the other hand, seemed relaxed, as if he had already anticipated the enemy’s next move.

“Huh? Preparing…?”

“What’s the most troublesome thing for them right now?”

“Well… The large ballistae?”

There was no other answer.

They were the weapons that had wiped out the mages in an instant.

“That’s right. So it’s only natural for them to try to counter them, right?”

“Ah, yes… I see…”

Hank muttered, finally understanding.

“But what kind of preparations…”

“They won’t just destroy the ballistae and then charge at us with ladders. That would result in heavy casualties.”

“Y-Yes, that’s true.”

“And they can’t use magic.”

“Yes, because we eliminated their mages…”

“So they’ll use another method. A safe and effective method.”

“I-Is there such a method…?”

“There is. Catapults.”

“C-Catapults?”

“Yes. Catapults are large and heavy, so it takes time to transport them.”

Hank’s eyes widened.

Catapults.

Siege weapons that launched large boulders.

He had never seen one in person, but he had heard that they were powerful enough to destroy castle walls.

If those boulders rained down on them…

“W-What do we do, Young Master?”

Hank was already panicking, looking at Max for guidance.

But Max just chuckled.

“Follow me.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll show you what to do.”

* * *

The center of Celtrine Castle.

A massive object, covered in black cloth, stood in a restricted area, guarded by soldiers.

Hank had seen it before.

But he only knew that it was something Max had prepared for the war.

It had been kept top secret.

But the fact that Max had brought him here meant…

‘C-Could it be…?’

Hank blinked repeatedly, his eyes filled with curiosity.

“Hey.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

The soldiers guarding the object bowed to Max.

“Remove the cloth.”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers placed ladders against the massive object.

It was too large to remove the cloth without them.

The soldiers struggled to remove the cloth.

And finally,

*Flap!*

The massive black cloth fell to the ground.

“Gasp?!”

Hank’s eyes widened in shock.

It was a shape he had never imagined.

A turtle.

A giant turtle, standing on two legs like a bear.

It was a bizarre sight.

“W-What is this…?”

“A catapult.”

“H-Huh?”

“Come on, Max. It’s not just a catapult. It’s an angry turtle catapult that’s been flipped upside down.”

Someone interrupted them.

It was Ran.

“…Yes, yes, that’s right. But ‘angry turtle catapult that’s been flipped upside down’ is too long, so I shortened it.”

Max replied, sounding tired.

He understood.

It was indeed too long.

But how could she call that giant turtle cute…? What kind of aesthetic sense did she have…?

“Anyway, the fact that you’re here, Max, means that it’s finally time for our angry turtle catapult that’s been flipped upside down to shine, right?”

Ran’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“…Can you please shorten it?”

“Nope.”

“Alright, I’ll call it the Turtle Catapult from now on.”

“Hmm, alright. I guess that’s fine.”

Ran smiled.

Even Max couldn’t win against her. She was something else.

“A-Ahem, Young Master, and Lady Ran. But no matter how I look at it, it doesn’t look like a flipped turtle…”

Hank, who had been watching cautiously, interjected.

“Huh? That’s because it hasn’t been flipped yet. Isn’t that obvious?”

Ran looked at him as if he was an idiot.

“I-Is that so?”

“Yes. Those ropes are for flipping the turtle.”

“Ah, I see…”

Hank pretended to understand, even though he didn’t really. He asked another question, “So you’re saying we’re going to use this to destroy the enemy’s catapults…?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Max nodded.

But Hank still had a question.

“I-I’m sorry to say this, but… Will this be enough…?”

Even if they had the same range, the enemy wouldn’t have just one catapult.

It meant that they could fire multiple shots while we could only fire one.

And catapults were heavy and slow, so they couldn’t dodge.

If the enemy located our catapult and fired at it, it could be destroyed.

That was his concern.

But,

“Oh my, that’s so rude. You’re underestimating our angry turtle catapult that’s been flipped upside down.”

Ran puffed out her chest and clenched her fists.

“…Please shorten it.”

Max pleaded.

“Nope. It’s my creation.”

Ran smiled and approached Hank.

Hank flinched for some reason.

Ran said, “Our cute turtle is really angry. So it’s going to unleash its fury. You don’t want to make a cute turtle angry.”

Hank nodded repeatedly, overwhelmed by her aura.

Ran, satisfied, stepped back.

“Alright, I’ll get it ready.”

She raised her hand.

* * *

“W-What is that…?”

“Damn it, they actually have catapults.”

The Crown Prince’s army had deployed catapults on all sides of the castle.

It was clear that they had been waiting for the catapults to arrive before making their move.

“Everyone, everyone, don’t worry.”

Ran said with a smile.

“They can’t reach us from here.”

“Are you sure?”

Duncan asked, skeptical.

“Of course. Is there anyone here who knows more about catapults than me?”

“…”

No one answered.

It was the first time for most of them to be in a battle where catapults were involved.

“Of course, Lady Ran is right. But you have good eyesight, Lady Ran.”

Milia said, impressed.

She had said that because Ran was talking as if she could see the catapults clearly from this distance.

“Haha, of course. A good artisan needs good eyesight.”

It was true. Artisans often had to work with tiny details.

“So, I’m going to personally lead the operation and destroy those ugly catapults.”

“Huh?”

“Is there anyone else here who knows how to aim?”

Her words were filled with confidence, almost arrogant.

But it wasn’t strange coming from Ran.

After all, she was the one who had single-handedly created the large ballistae and the orichalcum arrows that had decimated the mages.

“Alright, show them what you can do.”

Max handed her a set of flags he had prepared beforehand.

“Of course.”

Ran took the flags.

Red, green, black, and white.

Four flags in total.

Ran raised the red flag.

The soldiers beside the Turtle Catapult were watching her intently.

“This way first.”

She waved the red flag.

The soldiers struggled to move the catapult to the left.

Ran lowered the red flag.

The soldiers stopped moving.

“Let’s move it forward a bit.”

This time, she raised the black flag and waved it.

The soldiers pushed the catapult forward.

“Good.”

Ran lowered the black flag, and the soldiers stopped.

“Now, let’s unleash the fury of our angry turtle catapult that’s been flipped upside down.”

She raised two random flags.

It was a signal to prepare for firing.

“P-Prepare to fire!”

Several nervous soldiers loaded a boulder into the turtle’s mouth.

The other soldiers prepared to release the ropes that were holding the turtle upside down.

“Ready.”

Ran smiled and lowered all the flags.

* * *

“All four directions are ready, sir.”

Marius reported.

“Good. Confirm the distance.”

Vinchel said.

The most important thing was to launch the boulders from beyond the range of the large ballistae and destroy the enemy on the walls.

So it was crucial to position the catapults at the correct distance.

“Understood, sir. I’ll position them at the edge of their effective range.”

“Good. Do that first. We can always move them forward if necessary.”

“Yes, sir.”

Marius was about to give the signal when,

A massive object suddenly shot up into the air from the distant castle.

It happened so suddenly that even Vinchel and Marius thought they were seeing things.

But,

Vinchel’s eyes widened in horror.

“W-What is that?!”

“H-Huh?!”

Marius could only utter a strange groan.

It was flying.

A boulder the size of a house.

It was too large to have been launched this far.

Yes, it was absurd.

It couldn’t possibly fly this far…

Everyone thought so.

But,

The boulder, as if mocking them, continued flying towards them, until it reached the Crown Prince’s army.

Right above the catapults.

“G-Gasp?!”

“I-It’s falling! It’s falling!”

“R-Run! Run! Run! Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Get out of the way!”

The soldiers screamed and scrambled to escape, like ants about to be crushed.

But,

The catapults couldn’t move.

Neither could the soldiers who were frozen in fear.

*Boom!*

*Crash!*

The catapults were crushed, their wooden frames splintering into pieces.

Debris flew everywhere.

The soldiers near the catapults were turned into bloody pulps, their screams swallowed by the deafening roar.

A pool of blood formed around the destroyed catapults.

“W-W-What is this…?”

Even Vinchel, the Sword Saint, was speechless, stunned by the sudden carnage.

“C-C-Catapults?! B-But this d-distance is impossible…”

Marius was also dumbfounded.

As if to mock them again, a second boulder shot up from Celtrine Castle.

At that moment,

Vinchel snapped out of his daze.

“M-Move the catapults back! Back! Back! Now!”