Fun Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord (Novel) - Chapter 87 - Retreat Battle
Chapter 87 – Retreat Battle
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Translated by Sylph
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Though they had lost most of their wyverns, the soldiers of the Kingdom of Yerinetta turned around and came at us with their whole army.
“All right!
We’re retreating!
Put the wagon shields back!
The ballistas can still be used, so keep aiming at the wyverns while we fall back!”
When I gave that order, Orto opened his mouth with a look of reflexive surprise.
“We’re retreating!?
If we can just deal with the wyverns, it looks like we might win, you know?”
Not just the other adventurers, but even the former villagers now serving in the knight order looked at me with similar expressions.
Till and Dee, though, seemed to understand what I was thinking and said nothing.
“I said it at the start, didn’t I? The biggest goal is for every single one of us to come home alive. If we face that huge army, we’ll be wiped out for sure. Even if we won, we’d be in tatters too. Anyone who wants to die can stay behind, but I’m going home, okay? Anybody want to die?”
When I checked, everyone shook their heads all at once. Their reaction was so honest that I raised one hand with a laugh.
“Then we’re retreating! The highway is wide, so line the wagons up in a single file and have the knight order guard both sides! Adventurers, I’ll leave the skirmishing to you! Oh, and the ballistas and bows will be attacking from the wagons, so don’t run around too much, okay!”
At my words, everyone moved at once. Each armored wagon was quickly restored to its original form, with only the ballista protruding and aimed backward. Inside each one, the people holding repeating mechanical bows were on standby, ready to fire out the windows at any enemy who got close.
On top of that, some members of the mechanical bow unit were riding behind the cavalry with bows in hand, and Arte’s puppet had returned from the wall as well.
“The challenge is not letting them get close, I guess.”
When I muttered that inside the wagon as we began our retreat and started running, Kamushin poked his head out the window and spoke.
“They’re already closing in! It looks like the ballistas aren’t having much luck hitting the wyverns either!”
“Are they flying in zigzags? Then have the ballista crews keep firing by predicting where they’ll move next. As for the tip of the enemy force that’s getting close… let’s leave that to Arte.”
When I said that, Arte put her face to the window, looked behind us, and answered.
“Understood. I will handle the rear defense.”
Arte said that firmly, then moved her lips slightly as she poured magic into them.
The next moment, Arte’s puppet, which had been standing on top of the wagon, drifted lightly to the ground and dashed to the rear like the wind. Arte watched the puppet’s back with a serious expression as it grew smaller in an instant the moment it kicked off the ground.
The puppet ran straight into the advancing vanguard as if colliding with them head-on, then swung its arm.
It was no more than a horizontal slash with a sword, but the enemy soldier who took it on his shield was flung backward and tumbled down while taking two or three others with him.
Then, struck by a greatsword that came back around, several more enemy soldiers sprayed fresh blood and collapsed to the ground.
The puppet then plunged by itself straight into the enemy ranks and vanished from sight. But even if it could no longer be seen, voices of astonishment, angry shouts, screams, and heavy impact sounds were ringing out from among the soldiers.
The enemy’s marching speed clearly slowed.
“Good! Ballistas, mechanical bow unit, fire all at once! Now’s our chance while they’ve stopped moving!”
When I hurriedly gave that order, the scattered arrows that had been fired here and there were loosed all at once.
Thanks to the power of the mechanical bows, which could fire ten shots in succession, arrows flew like rain.
“All right, let’s run! Full speed retreat! Mechanical bow unit, reload the next set of arrows!”
A loud response came back to my order. Mm, full of energy. Run, run.
“The cavalry is coming!”
“Let’s leave that to Dee and the others.”
“Ah, they took them down instantly.”
“Of course they did.”
Till and Kamushin kept reporting the situation one after another like live commentators, but Dee and the others surrounding us, along with the adventurers, were too ironclad.
And then, while all that was going on, the mechanical bows finished preparing, and the tide turned in an instant.
“Arte. Can you cut down the trees on the left so they fall across the road?”
“I’ll try!”
Arte answered my order at once and manipulated her puppet. The puppet that had been fighting enemy soldiers far to the rear returned to the wagon’s side with windlike speed.
After confirming the puppet’s form, Arte pointed her palm toward the woods spreading just off the road.
Then the puppet launched itself into the grove right beside the highway as though it had been fired from a spring.
The trees were cut down one after another, as though bamboo were being chopped with a hatchet.
Those fallen trees across the road hindered the enemy soldiers’ pursuit.
After that, various things happened, like some of the enemy we had shaken off drawing close again, but somehow we escaped trouble thanks to Arte’s puppet and the ballistas and mechanical bow unit.
We forced our way down the highway for a day, rested for about five hours, then ran at full speed toward the village again. After that, our days consisted of twelve hours of travel and twelve hours of breaks and camping at night.
And so, at last, the sight of Seat Village, my second hometown, spread out before our eyes.
“…We did it. We made it back…”
I heard someone mutter that, and I raised the corner of my mouth and nodded.
Moving up onto the driver’s seat of the wagon and standing up, I thrust one hand into the sky.
“We’re back! Feast time! We’re having a barbecue party!”
The instant I declared that, a mighty cheer rose up like a rumbling earthquake.
Perhaps they noticed that shout, because the figures atop Seat Village’s wall also raised both arms and shouted something, and with cheers the gates began to open.
The people who had remained in the village came out from the gate and waved their hands. Espada was at the very front.
“I’m home!”
When I said that and reached the gate, everyone came crowding in at once. Surrounded by smiling faces, I spoke first of the most important thing.
“Everybody made it back safely! No dead and no seriously injured!”
When I told them that, relieved sighs were followed by cheers of joy and applause.
“Welcome home. I am glad to see you returned safely.”
To Espada, who bowed deeply as he greeted us, I answered with a smile.
“Thanks. Good work to you too, Espada. Anything happen while we were gone?”
“Yes. This time, people flowed in from villages in the marquis territory. Because of that, our population has increased by another three hundred or so.”
“Oh? Then Seat Village has finally hit the thousand mark, I guess? What about housing?”
“For now, they are staying in the soldiers’ barracks. We are in the middle of having them learn work, but I would like you to take a look at them once.”
“Yeah, good idea. All right. Then let’s make it a barbecue party for the welcome-home celebration too.”
As I laughed and we talked like that, the older-sister-like woman who served under Espada and had become something like his disciple opened her mouth.
“U-um, t-the war…”
Asked that timidly, I nodded with a troubled smile.
“We lost. Well, losing the fortress city hurts, but we came back without a scratch, so let’s call that good enough.”
When I said that with a cheerful laugh, everyone there knit their brows in worry.