A Man Caught In A Whirlpool Of Desire (2)

All-out preparations were complete. I had prepared several operations in advance, and since I had already confirmed that this fortress could not be overcome with ordinary strength, I began to plan the movement routes, anticipating that the Imperial Army would have no choice but to follow our lead.

However, the problem was the reaction of my vassals.

To be precise, the concern of Linda, Matilda, and a few others who worried about me going out to the battlefield was the issue, but I was out on the field by insisting that the operations required for the opening of the war could never be carried out without me.

“Is it finally tomorrow?”

“According to the reconnaissance report from the Ranger unit, they are currently camping and waiting behind the wall. They will likely prepare for stamina recovery today. Also, there is word that siege weapons are visible.”

“Siege weapons… I wonder if it would be better to follow the advice after all?”

I remembered hearing that because the Empire was rarely invaded, their siege weapons were much more developed than their defensive weapons.

The words of the vassals came to mind; they had speculated that because Balsen knew the circumstances of our domain, he would surely try to operate siege weapons even if it was unreasonable, and that might be why a 300,000-strong army came toward us.

“I believe that count is the best if we want to reduce damage. Otherwise, their power to target us will be drastically reduced.”

I nodded at Wijel’s advice and pondered. And the conclusion was, as expected, an operation to destroy the siege weapons; I was a bit concerned about the fact that damage might occur to the Birdfolk for this.

While there could not be zero damage, I wanted to end the war without any deaths if possible. Was that not why I prepared thoroughly and why I was here to lure the enemy?

“First, please split the Birdfolk Rangers into units of ten and have them stand by. Since the battlefield will form widely, handle as much as possible. And we will end the ‘bombing’ with a one-time limit.”

The items I had prepared were ‘Aerial Bombs.’ The Birdfolk could only carry and fly with one at a time, but the power was certain.

The explosion radius was approximately 30m; it was a powerful item that would reduce the area to ashes while emitting a strong explosion and flames.

Because the preparation time was relatively short, I could not make a large quantity, but I had secured enough for the Birdfolk Ranger unit to use for bombing about five times per person.

‘The catch is… that the manufacturing unit price is 2,000 Large Gold Coins.’

A lot of money was consumed to design the complex magic circles inside, but because I learned that war is waged with money, I had no intention of being stingy.

Because it would be an unnecessary item once everything was lost. No, once the war began, there wouldn’t be many occasions to use it additionally anyway. So I was in a situation where I had thoroughly made the preparations that could be done with money in advance.

Thanks to that, I felt like I wanted to convey my gratitude to Bolbeu; because he was the one who earned nearly 20 million Large Gold Coins this time as well, I had made the decision to splurge money without hesitation.

However, because this trade was done with ordinary demons, the price earned was a bit small(?) compared to the volume taken.

“As for the execution schedule… let’s let the Imperial Army check the range of the siege weapons tomorrow and then make the final decision.”

Wijel said he understood at my words and asked a few more things, and I had no choice but to spend that day busily discussing and deciding each one.

And on the long-awaited next morning, the Imperial Army, which began its march from the early dawn, crossed the Ingrad Wall and began to deploy widely.

Just how great was that number?

An exhausting number of soldiers were lined up in rows, and I could clearly see how well they had been trained.

‘Compared to the foolish Imperial nobles, it seems the Empress was thorough regarding military affairs; it is a bit disappointing.’

I was disappointed to find that they were elite troops. I had hoped they would be clumsy and a mess. I simply wanted to pin my hopes on the fact that the commander was a mess, and just then, the commander who came forward after completing the alignment that lasted several hours was visible.

He was a familiar man with a fat physique.

“That idiot Balsen is coming forward.”

I smirked at Demina’s sarcasm, and when I also stood on the fortress wall so that they could see me well, Balsen’s voice rang out loudly.

“Viscount Ingrad, I thought you would be trembling with your tail tucked, but this is unexpected. I shall make a proposal; I would prefer not to ruin this beautifully cultivated domain by resisting clumsily, so how about surrendering?”

I thought Duke Balsen was saying something amusing, but Hare, who was beside me, spoke to me.

“Shall I cast Amplification Magic for you?”

“No need. Let’s listen to the dog bark.”

The surrounding beastkin were chuckling and laughing, and did he think that reaction was a stir?

Duke Balsen’s voice was heard once again.

“With your talent and ability, the Empire will not hastily take your life either; since I will exert my influence so that you can be devoted to the Empire, I advise you to surrender while I am showing mercy generously.”

It was a foolish comment from the foolish Balsen. When I waved my hand after hearing it, he, not knowing what it meant, spoke.

“Is there not even a mage to cast a single Amplification Magic? How pitiful indeed; I shall propose now, if you intend to surrender, raise a white flag; I will give you one minute.”

After hearing Duke Balsen’s words, I spoke to the vassals.

“He’s giving us quite a lot of time? What shall we do for one minute?”

It was a joke, but the vassals burst into loud laughter; in the end, Duke Balsen, thinking that one minute had flowed by slowly and there was no movement, talked about something among themselves, said one word, and then withdrew.

“I will surely see your face full of regret.”

“Me too…”

Although it wouldn’t be delivered, I gave an answer. Afterward, seeing the majesty of the Imperial Army as Duke Balsen disappeared into the camp and the sound of horn trumpets immediately resounded and they slowly began their march, I could feel a pressure that took my breath away.

Soldiers marching in step with a ‘thump, thump’ sound; it was surprising how many troops could make a single sound if they were that well-trained, and Wijel, who was also beside me, spoke in admiration.

“It seems certain that the Imperial Army is the strongest army of the Central Empire, one way or another.”

“Ah, it seems so. But that is only until today.”

“I suppose so…”

“Strongest will become the modifier attached to us. Let’s begin.”

The marching Imperial Army came to a halt at a certain distance, and the formation began to split as if making a path. And through that space, siege weapons, including siege towers, siege ladders, catapults, and ballistae, began to come forward, showcasing their overwhelming majesty.

They looked like siege weapons that looked impressive just by glancing at them, or rather, whose level looked quite high; in the case of siege towers, there were more than 20, and the catapults and ballistae seemed to exceed 50.

Literally, it could be called an absurdly enormous force against a Viscount’s territory, and I wondered if it was a volume that would work even if used for intimidation.

However, looking at this, I raised my hand, and when I lightly clenched my fist, the Ranger unit led by Zorban, who was waiting behind me as the captain, began to fly into the sky.

And blackish blocks the size of an adult’s head were visible hanging from their feet; my mind was becoming complicated thinking about what kind of picture that would create.

I certainly thought that if 100 bombs fell onto the battlefield… a massive number of lives would surely fade away, and I thought that because of this one time, the Imperial Army would have no choice but to wage an all-out war.

“I am afraid. Of the situation afterward.”

Hearing my words, Wijel asked.

“What are you afraid of?”

“The fall of the Empire. And I am afraid of the world’s attention. A smooth life will probably become difficult. With this war as a turning point, the Empire will struggle to grasp our nature, and other nations will strive to establish a line with us. In the world that will change like that… if we cannot respond in step, we will be left in world history as just a domain that caused a small change.”

Certainly, it wasn’t as if other nations wouldn’t be able to make the items I made. For this reason, I was also afraid of the world that would face various changes.

‘It was an unavoidable, selective change. I have no choice but to believe so…’

My mind was complicated, and soon, soldiers were seen taking positions and operating a large number of siege weapons. They fed stones and loaded massive arrows. I thought a spectacular picture would unfold if those things cut through the air, but I only smiled bitterly while glancing up at the Birdfolk Rangers who had gradually begun to take positions above their heads.

“Wijel, fire the signal flare. I am a person who learned that a preemptive strike is victory. The start… shall be fired by us.”

Saying he understood, Wijel took out a small red bomb from his coat and threw it; the moment it exploded and red powder scattered, Birdfolk were seen dropping the blackish blocks toward the ground all at once and returning with such urgency.

And several Imperial Army mages, realizing that something was falling above their heads, were seen creating things like blue films, but those were not enough to protect the entire battlefield and stopped at protecting only above the heads where the leadership was located.

However, this only served as front-row seats where they could watch the hell more vividly.

The blocks fell to the ground making sharp noises; the moment they hit the ground and received impact, they expanded rapidly and then exploded with a roar.

Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwang!!!

I could understand what it meant to be a deafening noise, and the soldiers who were operating the siege weapons, as well as the weapons themselves, were all swept away by the explosion and flames, appearing to bounce and soar in all directions. There was not a single intact form among those shapes; I simply stared blankly as arms, heads, and parts of limbs were torn away by the impact and burned, soaring up and then falling down.

The explosions signaling the start occurred all at once across the wide battlefield.

Everyone was in a state of losing their minds at the horrific scene of hell created by the Birdfolk Rangers.

“Prepare the Mana Cannons. All 20… load Flame Shells. And the Birdfolk will prepare for one more bombing. The remaining personnel, send the supplies to the rear. After bombing one more time, we will not bomb anymore.”

It was a decision I made while looking down at the shapes of humans who could not die at once and were suffering while swept by the flames.

The fact that it was too cruel a weapon—I vowed that I would possess it for war deterrence, but I would not operate it if it could be helped, and I intended to seal the Flame Shells in the same form if I conducted one experiment and it produced similar results.

I thought even war has morality. Although it is a war of killing and being killed… I thought it was right not to perform too cruel an attack, and the leadership, who could not know such a decision, gathered their wits from losing them at the command I gave and began to move urgently.

“Balsen, what are you thinking while seeing this now?”

I was very curious.