episode_0041

Time flew by quickly, and before we knew it, it was the day of the battle.

In the early morning, I was able to receive what I had asked the bishop for.

“Normally, it’s common for each person to take one, but the bishop said that you have the skills and responsibility, so I entrust it to you.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“The bishop has high expectations of you. May God watch over this battle.”

I strapped what I received from the bishop’s representative to my waist and headed towards where the other knights were waiting.

Of course, it wasn’t just fifty knights going to storm the city walls. We also had soldiers and squires to assist us.

“Hey, you.”

“What’s up?”

“Is that thing strapped to your waist… what I’m thinking it is?”

I didn’t have a squire, but I had a reliable friend.

I took off a holy pinecone hanging like a Christmas tree and offered it.

“Do you want to use this?”

“No, I have one myself, so it’s okay.”

If there was a mage, the caster could directly aim at the target, so it didn’t matter. But when a magical relic like this pinecone was created, it was impossible to identify the caster.

That’s why, since the caster couldn’t be identified anyway, this pinecone was created to enhance its power.

However, the holy pinecone didn’t have enough power to penetrate armor.

Unless it exploded in the opening of the helmet, it was difficult to have a significant effect against fellow knights.

But the foot soldiers of the enemy without proper armor didn’t have weapons that boasted such restrained power.

In a one-to-many melee situation, it was practically the best choice. Also, because mages still didn’t disappear on the battlefield.

Of course, it wasn’t something to carry around casually. The pinecone was something I picked up to use when opening the door and getting caught later.

So, I asked for it to hold out until our allies completely occupied the inside of the door… that’s what the bishop would guess.

In reality, he wouldn’t know that.

I wanted to try exploding a bunch of them at once.

It’s one of the few romances you can feel in this barbaric medieval fantasy world.

I felt a bit uncomfortable asking Licia to make such cruel items, so I asked the bishop instead.

“Please come back safely.”

“Sure. You have the necklace you gave me, too.”

“Don’t rely too much on that alone.”

Licia saw me off until the end. The gazes of the surrounding bachelors were heavy.

I reassured the girl and climbed onto Sanchu’s back. Since I had already unloaded all the luggage I usually carried, his steps were light.

“Shall we depart?”

“Yes, we’ll have to take a longer route.”

The knights all ran to the opposite side of the castle. The squires and soldiers also rode horses and circled around the castle.

Until I was hidden by the trees, the girl watched me as I left for the battlefield.

*****

I hid in the bushes and looked at the castle walls.

The bandits on the castle walls occasionally looked around, but there was nothing unusual.

It wasn’t long before I could tell that the siege had begun.

The shouts and clashing of metal from afar couldn’t be hidden.

The actual clash began, and after waiting a while, I saw the guards on the castle walls hurriedly running to other places.

The situation was still going according to plan.

After spending a little more time and feeling that the castle walls were somewhat unguarded, the weary knight gave the signal.

Being the direct knights of the viscount and having the most experience in war, he naturally took on a leadership role.

Of course, knights were all prideful individuals, so in the chaos of battle, they didn’t listen to orders other than the start and end of the operation.

Still, in operations that were a matter of life and death, like this one, they acted with caution.

“May the Lord have mercy on their souls.”

A priest, whispering a prayer along with a signal, released a light from his palm. It wasn’t fast, but its power was undeniable.

Somewhere, a bright light appeared, catching the attention of two thieves leaning against a wall, curious to see the cause. Their brows furrowed as they witnessed the light, and before they could even scream, their bodies fell to the ground, powerless.

It’s why soldiers should always carry helmets on the battlefield.

Of course, if a mage had been with them, they could have detected and responded to the threat, but the rebellion in Filah went against the church’s teachings. So, there was no way to seek the mage’s assistance.

However, perhaps now they could attempt a plan that would be impossible in a typical siege.

“I can only assist up to this point. I will pray for the peace desired by the Lord to come to Filah.”

“Then, let’s go.”

The priest blessed our weapons and stepped back. The range of magic could only reach up to the castle walls.

While it might be useful for sniping if taken along, an unarmored clergyman would be perfect for dying in the chaos of close combat, as long as they didn’t become a burden.

I checked my necklace one last time.

Without the protection spell active, it didn’t shine. But I trusted in its effectiveness, so I tucked it inside my armor before putting on my helmet.

The soldiers quickly placed the ladder against the wall.

As they held the ladder to prevent it from falling, according to the agreed-upon plan, I and the other knights climbed up first.

In case combat broke out above, it would give the others time to climb up.

I cautiously scanned the area around me as I peeked my head over the wall. The spear that had just been patrolling was lying on the ground.

As expected, there were only two of them down below, and no one else was in sight.

“No one’s here.”

“Good, let’s keep going up.”

But we couldn’t keep the infiltration a secret forever. It was inevitable that we would be discovered when we reached the device to open the gate. We had to make the most of this time.

After confirming it was safe, we carefully descended the wall to avoid making noise with our armor.

A few soldiers and squires followed, and the remaining soldiers below removed the ladder to avoid the risk of being discovered.

This meant there was no turning back. We had to succeed in the mission to leave.

Of course, if captured, knights and squires could be ransomed back to their lord.

If they were of noble birth, their parents could also be negotiation targets. In other words, knights were a form of loot.

In that sense, the soldiers who had come this far had truly put their lives on the line.

If we wanted to spare them and send them back, the knights had to work hard. Their lives were also on the knights’ shoulders.

“We’ve achieved our first goal. We need to move before we’re noticed.”

Drawing our weapons in case of any unexpected situations, an exhausted knight whispered softly.

“The device is on the ground. We need to find the stairs leading down.”

“So, which way should we go?”

There were several doors leading out of the castle walls. Which one should we choose?

Just as I was about to turn to the soldier who knew the castle’s layout well to ask, a voice interrupted.

– Clang.

“Yeah, that’s true. We’re about to make our move in Filah… Wait, who’s there?”

“What are you talking about? We just switched shifts-”

“Huh?”

Thieves poured out of one of the doors, chatting amongst themselves.

The remaining individuals who were muttering to themselves, wondering if they were left behind due to the shift change, realized that they were not just two people, and fell silent.

A heavy silence descended on both sides for a moment.

Even with the war machines armed to the teeth gathered in a circle on the opposite side of the door, it was hard to imagine the situation proceeding smoothly.

The bandits probably suspected that the viscount had mobilized his knights, but they clearly hadn’t anticipated climbing over the wall, as all they had in their hands were crude clubs and makeshift spears.

Judging by their lackluster armaments, they were likely inexperienced foot soldiers at best.

With such shoddy weapons, they must have only learned the basics of combat and the art of feigning death.

There was no way the knights had climbed up here just to exchange pleasantries.

Furthermore, even if they were to ask for help here, would they still be alive by the time that help arrived?

In this medieval fantasy world, people seek the power of supernatural beings in such irrational situations.

One of the bandits who had realized his fate muttered, “Oh god.”

As someone who came from the modern world, I also prayed to a supernatural being, “Save.”

Isn’t it irrational to be exposed from the beginning?

Where is my save data?