Fun Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord (Novel) - Chapter 79 - Those Who Were Overrun 2

Chapter 79 – Those Who Were Overrun 2

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Even as they drew closer, nothing happened.

No, there were certainly figures like soldiers moving atop the walls.

And yet they did not attack at all.

We were now at a distance where, if it were longbows, it would not be strange if they could reach us. Yet the fortress city continued to keep its silence.

Keeping our formation in order so that we could block arrows with our shields if they came, we advanced cautiously.

And at last we reached a distance where we could look up at the gate itself.

“Could it be that this fortress city does not function either?”

The moment I said that, a voice called down from atop the walls.

“This is Baron Van’s territory, Seat Village! Please tell us your affiliation!”

Unexpectedly, it was the voice of a child. And on top of that, the content was absurdly lax.

Before I could laugh, the soldiers, who had until then been wearing grim expressions, burst out laughing.

It could not be helped. They had been tense over storming a fortress with only a small force, and then this happened. To tell them not to laugh would be too cruel.

But we could not simply keep laughing either. This was a distance from which longbows could reach.

“We have come to investigate this village! This village was not supposed to have walls like these, so why has it become such a fortress city!?”

I asked about the situation while mixing in a lie. It was to make it appear as though we bore no hostility.

“It was only just completed very recently! Magical beasts appear often too, so we’re strengthening the defenses! Also, soldiers, why did you come all the way here from the Kingdom of Yerinetta?”

“H-How did you know we were from Yerinetta!?”

We had raised no banners, and our armor should not have been so very different. How had they seen through us as men of another country?

While I was still stunned, an exasperated voice came from the sky.

“…Well, we were only fishing, though. But considering that you came straight here from Espa Town and aimed directly for this village, you don’t seem terribly bright, do you?”

“A-Are you mocking me!? Come down here! Don’t think you’ll be shown mercy just because you’re a child!”

Furious, I shouted back. Then laughter came from the wall.

The soldiers atop the walls were clearly laughing at us.

“I-It’s an idiot! There’s an idiot down there! Wahahaha! If every enemy were like this, war would be easy!”

“Quite so indeed.”

And then I even heard voices sounding utterly contemptuous.

“G-Grrrr…!”

I was so furious I nearly grew dizzy.

But all of this was because they were atop the walls and felt safe. They were surely getting carried away because they thought they could not be attacked.

I drew in a deep breath and shouted again.

“The fools are you! A wyvern can attack from the air! Walls are meaningless against it!”

At that, the voice from the wall fell silent.

I spoke to the soldier standing diagonally behind me.

“Send instructions to the puppet mage controlling the wyvern. Have it make a low pass and frighten them. Once fear takes hold, we’ll issue a demand for surrender.”

“Prince Unimog, that may be reckless…”

“Why!?”

When I glared at the soldier for objecting, he furrowed his brow and opened his mouth.

“If they have Four Elements mages, there is a possibility the wyvern will be attacked.”

“Are you an idiot!? Even if it is a lesser dragon, a wyvern is still a dragon!”

“…Understood.”

The soldier answered grudgingly.

If a dragon is in high-speed flight, the chance of striking it is small.

And even if it took one or two magical attacks, it would not die. More than that, it would be a good way to gauge the enemy’s fighting strength.

Why is something this simple beyond their understanding?

“The order has been passed to the puppet mage.”

“Mm. If they panic, they may act rashly. Be on your guard.”

Saying that, I glared up toward the wall.

People seemed to be moving atop the wall, but they could do nothing. At most, they would shoot longbows. That was not worth worrying about.

Now then, let us see how badly they panic.

Thinking that, I watched as the wyvern made a broad arc and came flying toward the wall at the speed of the wind.

“Go! Let them taste a dragon’s terror!”

The instant I threw back my head and shouted that, a voice came from atop the wall.

“Fire!”

At that voice, black rain fell from the sky.

The fan-shaped spread of black rain widened as though to envelop the wyvern itself.

There came the sound of cutting wind and the wyvern’s groan, and the creature lost strength and dropped in altitude. The wyvern smashed headfirst into the wall about halfway up and then fell to the ground.

A moment later, the black rain slowed and then began falling down over our heads.

“S-Shields! Raise your shields!”

Someone shouted, and I hurriedly hid behind the heavily armored soldiers. The next instant, fierce metallic crashes, wet impacts, and countless screams rang out from every direction.

Not understanding what was happening, I crouched down and curled in on myself.

After several seconds, the rain finally ceased, and I cautiously opened my eyes.

Then I realized the state of the area around me, and was overcome with shock.

“I-Impossible…!? What is this…!?”

My soldiers were sprawled all around me. They were groaning and screaming; perhaps few had died.

But they were in no condition to fight.

“W-What happened… was it magic!?”

I shouted to no one in particular, but there was no answer. There were many besides me who had escaped without injury, but they too seemed not to understand what had happened.

When I checked the fallen soldiers, their armor did not appear badly damaged. Then had it really been magic after all?

So I thought, until I suddenly noticed a strange object lying on the ground and knelt.

It was a flat piece of metal, palm-sized and thin, with something like knife points sticking out in four directions.

Looking more closely around, I saw countless such metal plates scattered everywhere.

“…What is this…!? Was this the true nature of that attack just now!?”

At my shout, a child’s voice answered.

“That’s a four-point shuriken. A type of flat shuriken. Since it’s thin and light, I tried stuffing in a whole lot of them and making a four-point shuriken bomb. I fired a lot, so they hit, and that’s great, operation success. Well, I still only have two of the special-use ballistas that can fire one shot of them, so I still can’t deal with a large number of enemies yet.”

At that voice, I turned around.

At some point the drawbridge had silently come down and the gate had opened halfway. In the gap stood a child even younger than I had expected.

“The test was a more-or-less success, I guess. Though the attack range was narrower than I expected. Also, some of the shuriken that burst apart in the air came back this way, which was dangerous. I’ll have to improve it or I won’t be able to use it next time. What a shame.”

The child saying such things with a wry smile walked toward us as casually as if taking a stroll through town.

To his left, right, and rear, armored men stood lined up with swords and shields at the ready. There was no sign of an opening, but at this distance, perhaps…

The thought had scarcely crossed my mind before I moved.

“Burn and die! Flame—”

I began chanting for a spell. Even my fastest magic would take less than ten seconds. The soldiers raised their shields and grew wary, but it was already too late.

“Water.”

But there was someone who invoked magic even faster than I did. At that low man’s voice, a great volume of water flooded the surrounding ground.

“…Freeze.”

And with that next word, all the water froze solid. My feet were frozen to the ankles, and shaken by that sudden turn, the spell I had been on the verge of unleashing dispersed.

“Earthen wall.”

“Wall of wind blades.”
Immediately afterward came the voices of an older man and a middle-aged man, and in front of me there appeared a gigantic wall of earth and a wall of wind like a tornado.
“Wahahaha! As expected, I am first after all. Experience makes the difference, does it not?”
Saying that, a gaudy man with a beautiful, alluring woman at his side appeared from beyond the wall.
There was also a child behind him, but my gaze could not leave that man’s face.
“Y-You are…! Surely you are the king of the Kingdom of Scuderia…!”
At my words, the man furrowed his brow and looked down at me.