The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 243

177. The Duchy Civil War (8)

“That must be it.”

Liliana said in a low voice, looking ahead.

‘What the hell are these guys…?’

The march, which was expected to take a week, took only five days, and despite the forced march, the barbarians showed no signs of fatigue.

Rather, Fran, who had been riding with them, could only stare at them with a disheveled face.

“It’s much bigger than I thought.”

The vast plain unfolded before their eyes.

And the dense forest surrounding the giant fortress, blocking the enemy’s advance, enveloped Moon Eter like armor.

“The scouts report that it will be difficult to bypass through the forest behind us.”

“It looks like a miniature White Bunker.”

“I see why they only placed one fortress as a shield to protect the rear. It is truly a royal gate. At that height, it must be over 18 meters.”

Considering that the walls of Tatur, a fortress capable of withstanding the attacks of the three kingdoms, are 12 meters high, the walls of Moon Eter in front of them were like looking at a giant tower.

Even within the Empire, it was rare to see a fortress built to that height, except for the Imperial Capital.

“Patun, can you really climb that wall with just daggers?”

Karyl asked.

“Give me five, and I will climb it.”

Patun answered his question without the slightest hesitation.

“This is a race against time. Thanks to our haste, they haven’t noticed our presence yet.”

“Indeed… If we delay, there is a risk that the troops that have advanced will return and strengthen the defenses of the White Bunker.”

Kuntai of the Hopyo tribe nodded in agreement.

“That’s not it.”

“Huh?”

Kuntai looked at Karyl at his words.

“We must cross the walls of Moon Eter before Yoman and Frau Hat are captured.”

Then, he slightly raised the corner of his mouth and said,

“I can’t let my subordinates steal the show, can I?”

Looking at him, the four slowly nodded.

“Hashir.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Do you need my help?”

“Just watch.”

Hashir replied with a confident voice to his question.

“I will open the gates of Moon Eter.”

* * *

The next day.

Moon Eter was in utter chaos at the sight of the barbarians who had appeared like ghosts at the same time as the sun rose.

“Re, reporting!! Enemy forces detected outside the fortress!!”

“Their numbers are estimated to be around 10,000!”

“What the hell is going on! Wh… where did all these barbarians suddenly come from!!”

Lord Giles, the lord of Moon Eter, wiped away his cold sweat and shouted at his subordinates’ report.

“That’s… we are currently investigating…”

“You mean you haven’t found out yet? You incompetent fools!! What were the sentries doing!”

“My lord, it is unexpected that the barbarians have moved south, but what are you worried about? Rather, this is an opportunity. Moon Eter is the most important gateway to the White Bunker, but you have always been dissatisfied because there has never been an opportunity to gain merit since it has never been attacked.”

Unlike the lord, who was trembling with anxiety, the knight next to him welcomed the sudden attack.

It was Giltian, Giles’ aide.

“……What?”

“It is an opportunity to catch the eye of His Highness Tuli.”

Giles’ eyes flashed at Giltian’s words.

“You know that the units stationed at the White Bunker have been投入 [invested/committed] to the front lines. Now, most of the Duchy’s defense forces are gone. Even if you report the barbarian attack, you will not be able to receive immediate support.”

“So? Are you saying I shouldn’t report it? Are you telling me to break military law?”

“No, you must report it. However… delay that report by just one day.”

“One day?”

The lord frowned slightly at the knight’s words.

“If you report a victory instead of an attack, His Highness Tuli will surely call you to the Duchy after the civil war to commend your achievements.”

“Me… summoned by His Highness Tuli?”

But even though Moon Eter was a peaceful zone where no battles had taken place, the border was still the border.

Despite his subordinate’s tempting proposal, the lord could not hide his uneasy feelings.

“There is some truth to your words… But delaying the report like that…”

“They are just barbarians. Useless trash with no magic. Besides, they are only 10,000 strong. One day is enough. You can’t stay in this remote area forever. Shouldn’t we… enter politics now?”

The lord’s worries disappeared as if washed away by the last words.

‘Politics…….’

Something he had longed for for many years.

But there was never an opportunity. He smirked as if he had already arrived in the Duchy.

“Goo…….”

He nodded to his subordinate and replied.

No,

He was about to answer.

Kwaang──!!

It was then.

The door to the office was roughly opened, and a soldier hurriedly knelt down and shouted.

“Re, reporting……!! The barbarians in front are advancing towards the fortress!”

“……Wh, what did you say?!”

They did not know.

Moon Eter had never been attacked before.

That is why they had forgotten the fact.

How much the peace they had enjoyed had dulled their swords.

* * *

[What a sight.]

Raminue unknowingly murmured with a low exclamation.

[It’s a shame Duat can’t see this. He would have been happier than anyone else if he were here.]

He said, lost in thought as he looked at the plains of Moon Eter.

The barbarians were heading towards the fortress.

He closed his eyes as he listened to their shouts.

[Isn’t this the first time since the Mythic Era?]

But even among the 10,000 barbarians, he could not take his eyes off one place.

[The black eyes are sprinting.]

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!!

Waaaaaaa—!!

“Fire!! Fire!!”

“Don’t let them get close to the walls!!”

Despite the sudden attack, the morale of the Moon Eter soldiers did not falter, unlike what was feared.

“Only 10,000? Come, we will wash the walls with your blood.”

The commander guarding the walls shouted, raising his sword.

“Prepare to fire!! Annihilate those filthy barbarian bastards!!”

As if not hearing his cry, countless arrows began to cover the sky and pour down.

Seeing the rain of arrows flying towards them like black clouds, Kuntai, who was at the forefront, shouted as if he had been waiting for it.

“Tortoise.”

Tuwoong……!! Tung-! Tung─!!

Tududududung……!!!

“Combine!!”

At Kuntai’s command, the Hopyos simultaneously raised their thick square shields above their heads and connected them to each other, completing a dense wall.

The sound of arrows bouncing off the shields echoed across the battlefield like a downpour.

“Wh… what is that…….”

The commander who was firing arrows could not give the order to draw the next bow, and unknowingly stared at them in a daze.

Kugeugeugeugeu……!!

The tortoise formation, a shield tactic commonly used to block arrows or magic, uses a shield large enough to cover the entire body.

As large as the shield is, its weight is also enormous, so most shield bearers, except for knights, have difficulty moving and play the role of creating a defensive line and protecting archers in place.

“Don’t slow down.”

But the Hopyo tribe’s shield tactic was completely different.

They did not stop their momentum even while holding the huge shield in one hand.

The shields rushed towards the fortress in a semi-circular shape, like a giant tank running.

It was an absolutely impossible tactic unless one had the strength to withstand the weight of the shield with one hand, regardless of the presence or absence of magic.

“Fi… Fire!!!”

The commander belatedly shouted at the sight of dozens of giant shield tanks approaching.

“Slow. Slow. Compared to the mountains of the North, running on these plains is too easy.”

Kuntai briefly expressed his thoughts as he looked at the second offensive.

Tuk……! Tuk! Tuk! Tudududuk……!!

Unlike the offensive that had sounded the shields for the first time, the sound of thousands of arrows was drowned out by the sound of hooves to the point of being anticlimactic.

“Run!!!”

The speed of the Hopyos holding the shields was faster than the pouring rain of arrows, and they began to sprint even more, avoiding the offensive of Moon Eter.

“Good work.”

A low voice was heard from behind Kuntai’s back.

Surprisingly, although it was hidden by his huge bulk, there was another person on the horse he was riding.

Not only that, but on the horses of all the Hopyo tribesmen were warriors of the Red Moon tribe who had been hiding behind them.

“Spread out!!”

Kuntai shouted as Patun stepped on Kuntai’s shoulder on the horse. Then, the warriors turned the shields surrounding them to right angles all at once.

As the direction of the shields changed from vertical to horizontal or from horizontal to vertical, gaps were created, and the warriors of the Red Moon tribe jumped into those gaps as if they had been waiting.

Chak……!!

As they stood on the shields, the Hopyo tribesmen pushed the shields with all their might.

The warriors of the Red Moon tribe jumped into the air as if bouncing off the recoil.

“Wh, what?!”

Suuk……! Sook!!

Swasasasak──!!!

They were momentarily taken aback by the sudden appearance of the Red Moon, but only for a moment, as arrows flew towards the walls.

“It’s an enemy attack! Deploy the shields right now……!!”

The commander shouted in a hurried voice.

Swiis……!!

But before the last order could be given, the commander turned around with a bewildered expression as an arrow pierced his neck accurately.

“Ku…… Cough!”

Turning his head, he saw an arrow stuck in the floor.

With belated pain, red blood flowed down from his pierced throat.

“Co, Commander!!”

The adjutant shouted as he saw him collapse.

But only for a moment,

An arrow accurately pierced the adjutant’s forehead next to him, shattering the helmet he was wearing.

“Heok……!!”

The adjutant, whose head was thrown back with a dizzying shock, fell backward and sat down, falling on his butt.

He had shown an unsightly appearance in the middle of the battle, but that was not important.

He didn’t even know from which direction the arrow had come.

Swaaak……!!

Before he could come to his senses, an arrow was once again lodged in the adjutant’s forehead.

Peoeok……! Kwareureuk……!!

The arrows that were pouring in pierced through the back of the adjutant’s head and flew out, shattering his skull, and were lodged in the floor.

Unlike the arrow that had killed the commander a moment ago, the arrow stuck in the floor scraped the floor as if wailing, rotating in a spiral as if the adjutant’s life was not enough.

Cheujeujeujeuk…….

As the blood flowing from the adjutant soaked the floor, the heated arrowhead emitted smoke.

“…….”

Hashir drew his bow once again.

He did not waste time on orders.

Hundreds of wolf-foxes, covering their entire bodies with cloaks like clones, were aiming their bows at the walls.

The arrowheads were emitting a blue glow.

It was because they knew that the blue-green arrows would pierce through Moon Eter’s weak shields and pierce through the enemy.

“The barbarians… are that strong?”

Fran muttered in a low voice, looking at the offensive of the Moon Eter battle with an unbelievable expression.

It was truly a battle that defied common sense.

It was like a fight left to instinct, not the existing strategies and tactics he knew.