“Yes, that truly was the organization of my dreams.”
“Ah, ahhh. No, not like that. Unfortunately, my country is not such a group. Still… kuku.”
The Sorcerer King went quiet, and then he laughed warmly,
“It would be interesting if it was.”
“Interesting, you say?”
Part 2
They had decided to adopt the Sorcerer King’s suggestion of attacking the prison camp by the shore which was as far from their base as possible. It would be easier to hide their tracks by the sea, and given the distance, they would be able to buy some time before the enemy verified the location of the Liberation Army after the attack.
However, there was a problem.
If it was too far, the chances of being spotted by enemy scouts was very high.
Therefore, they decided to attack the furthest prison camp within their travel range.
Neia asked a question of the Sorcerer King, who was riding a horse beside her.
“Your Majesty, we will be making our approach on horseback until we reach the village. Are your preparations complete?
“Ah, but of course. However… I did not hear much about the operation details. What sort of tactics will they use? I do look forward to it.”
“You look forward to it?”
“Kuku, I’ll be able to see some of the Holy Kingdom’s tactics at work. What abilities will they use to break down the camp gates? Or will they fly over the walls and infiltrate through the air? I doubt they will be so unwilling to let me see that… The thought that they might have an ability I have not encountered excites me.”
The Sorcerer King will surely be disappointed, Neia thought uneasily.
The Holy Kingdom’s basic siege tactic was to launch a two-pronged attack with angels from the air and infantry from the ground. They would probably do the same thing this time round. Or rather, they did not have the manpower to do anything else.
Neia looked at Remedios.
Practically all of the Liberation Army’s fighting power was now advancing.
The Captain raised her lance, from which the Holy Kingdom’s flag fluttered in the wind.
“Let’s go!”
“Ohhh!”
The Captain spurred her horse, which began to move, and the paladins followed behind her. They were still some distance from the village, so they could not go at a full gallop, but a trot.
“The paladins are carrying freshly-cut logs; are they battering rams?”
“Yes. Our Liberation Army only has paladins and priests. Nobody is skilled at opening doors or other infiltration skills. Therefore, all we can do is mount a frontal assault. Our Captain is a skilled swordswoman, but for breaking down gates, tools like that would be faster.”
“So they’re not using magic, but seek to physically break it down with a battering ram? Aren’t they going to use ladders or the like? Can the magic of paladins carry them over walls?”
From what Neia had seen and heard, there were no spells which let them make ladders.
“I apologize, but I have never heard of such magic before.”
“Neither have I. That said, I have heard that there are some paladin spells which allow them to fly, although those are of quite a high tier.”
“Is that so? You even know about paladin spells…”
Truly, he was the Sorcerer King. He possessed great knowledge even about spells he could not cast.
“That’s because the enemy might use them. It took a lot of effort to memorize every spell there was. Since I was not talented, I had to make up for it with hard work. The more you know, the closer you are to victory, although that was what a friend told me, hm.”
She could not believe what he said about having no talent. However, there was something more important that she had to say.
“Your Majesty, if you have any strategies to recommend, I will relay them to our Captain.”
It was quite likely that someone as capable as the Sorcerer King had already come up with a more effective plan than what the Liberation Army had. That was why he was acting this way.
“Eh? No, no, I shouldn’t. Ah, well— about that. Liberating this prison camp is not my job, but yours. Attacking these prison camps is the first step in finding a better way to do things. They need to realize that themselves, which is why it must be done this way.”
The Sorcerer King was right. Or rather, everything he said was right.
However, just for today, Neia wanted to borrow the Sorcerer King’s strength. That was because their war was fought to save the suffering masses, and she wanted to choose a path which was faster and which could save more people.
“I fully agree that what Your Majesty said is correct. However, I pray you will still lend us a hand.”
She immediately knew she was being very rude. However, Neia still bowed her head and pleaded with the Sorcerer King anyway,
The Sorcerer King looked forward for a while before speaking again.
“Umu… Neia Baraja. Don’t make me repeat myself so many times. Failure is the mother of success. The consequences of not relying on me and instead thinking for yourself, even if they should end up being failure, should not be feared, but embraced. This is because they are the failures necessary for success.”
The Sorcerer King’s words stabbed at Neia’s heart. She could not keep asking the Sorcerer King to help. The Sorcerer King was saying that the consequences of planning on their own were a necessary sacrifice for the recovery of their nation.
Indeed, it was as His Majesty said.
But with the power of the Sorcerer King, they might be able to save more lives.
Would sacrificing them for the sake of self-reliance be justice?
What was justice, anyway?
Was saving more lives justice? Or—
Her thoughts went around in circles, and she could not find an answer.
“Now then, let us look forward to their skills.”
Right now, Neia was simply praying that the many sacrifices they would make would not be wasted.
The group advanced towards the prison camp in a straight line.
The terrain around the village was uneven, but there were watchtowers. If they made a direct approach, they would definitely be spotted. However, it was also a fact that this was the only way they could attack.
Soon, they spotted the village.
There seemed to be sentries on the watchtower above the gate. They banged on the alarm bells, and a commotion arose from within the village.
Neia narrowed her eyes, and stared at the watchtower.
The demihumans there looked like bipedal goats, wearing chain shirts and carrying large spears.
If Neia recalled them correctly, those demihumans were known as Bafolk.
They were a demihuman species who lived in mountainous regions, and their legs were every bit as capable as a mountain goat, making them fearsome warriors who could scale even city walls if they had so much as the slightest bump or depression on their surface. In addition, their fur tangled on slashing swords and steadily blunted their edges, so after killing one, it was important to clear the fur off the blade, or so her father had taught her.
She mused that things would be troublesome if they immediately strengthened their defense. However, they did not seem that well drilled, given how they were running around wildly and giving their side a lot of time to prepare.
The priests dismounted, and immediately summoned angels.
The paladins also dismounted, and raised their shields. This was probably to protect the people carrying the battering rams from attacks.
However, not all the paladins were like that. About ten or so people remained mounted and began circling around the village.