The Fortress

"A hole?"

"That's right. A trench, to be precise."

The siege of Maladus Fortress began with surprisingly unglamorous work.

They would approach the fortress situated on high ground by digging zigzagging trenches.

It was a tactic that had never existed in this world until now.

The siege of Maladus Fortress would go down in history.

And it all began with such mundane labor.

"Now that we're actually doing it, this really does seem like a good idea. How did Your Majesty come up with this?"

Reyas asked admiringly, but she could hardly tell him it was cheat knowledge from her previous life. She simply exchanged glances with Serge and laughed.

Still, it was strange that trench fortifications hadn't been developed long ago. She wanted to have a word with those Japanese reincarnators about reflecting on their actions.

"It's not just digging straight down—digging at angles is key. That way, even the enemy's magical attacks will have their power reduced."

Ah, so that was why. Simply digging ordinary trenches wouldn't protect against things like magical flames or wind.

That's why the concept of crisscrossing diagonal trenches had never been conceived.

Normally, it would be easier to just use earth magic to create walls. But walls of that caliber couldn't withstand catapult attacks.

Now then, Cordova's tactics were refined.

Refined, but not innovative.

Though they were proficient in the deployment of weapons, they were lacking in weapon improvement. Technology was the sole weakness in Cordova's military might.

As they closed the distance, despite the difference in elevation, the disparity in weapon performance meant both sides' losses were roughly equal.

And when losses became equal, how well each side could recover became crucial.

They had Carla for that.

Though she wielded tremendous healing magic, Ria had her regulate her usage so that she always kept more than half her magical power in reserve.

Even if someone lay dying right before their eyes.

Even if there were those who could still be called back from death's door at that very moment.

There was a limit to how much magical power could be used in a single day.

"The Viscount has fallen in battle!"

"Carla! Resurrection magic!"

This was precisely why.

The loss of a senior commander could, depending on circumstances, be more painful than losing 1,000 soldiers.

Especially the one who had just died—he was an old man renowned as a fierce general.

For times like these, Carla's magical power was kept in reserve.

While drinking magical power restoration potions, Carla revived the viscount.

On this battlefield, death was given equally. But life was not.

Gradually, day by day, the fortress's defensive capabilities were being worn down.

"Should we use that?"

Ria spoke these words about a week after the fortress siege had begun.

"That" referred to a weapon that had been prepared for a previous siege but ultimately went unused.

Since she had conceived it herself and even tested it, she knew it would be quite effective.

That weapon was gunpowder.

Because magic had developed in this world, scientific progress was slow. Even fundamental fields like mathematics had developed in a distorted manner.

Ria could produce the raw materials for gunpowder with her magic. After all, they weren't magical substances.

Make black powder, attach a fuse, add iron fragments and scraps to increase lethality, and you have a proper bomb.

They launched these into the fortress using their catapults.

Magical flames or magical wind could be neutralized by dispersing the magical power itself, eliminating their effects.

But there was no magical power involved in a gunpowder explosion.

Setting aside magic that could block all physical effects, magical defenses designed to diffuse magical power couldn't negate the shockwave of an explosion.

It took the enemy mages a little time to realize this fact.

And on the battlefield, a little time was more precious than anything.

Ria's hesitation was brief.

She would launch an all-out attack while the enemy was in chaos. The original plan had been to wear down their morale and forces over more time, but this might be the perfect opportunity.

"Intensify catapult and magical attacks on the enemy's rear, then commit to a full army charge."

Ria's orders spread throughout the entire army.

Leading the charge as always were the hot-blooded ogre warriors.

Raising their battle cries, they burst forth from the trenches.

Enemy arrows pierced through the warriors.

Yet trampling over the fallen, allied soldiers reached the castle walls.

Long ladders were placed against the walls. Soldiers trying to climb over were doused with boiling oil.

The casualties were turning out heavier than expected.

But once she had made her decision, and with victory in sight, she couldn't give the order to retreat.

"Nee-chan, want me to at least break the gate?"

The steel castle gate was sturdy enough that even considerable magic probably couldn't breach it. If they could break it, soldiers could pour in all at once.

The problem, however, was that using such magic would draw attention.

"I can't credit you for it. And it would be bad if you stood out."

"I know. So, can I?"

"… Please do. Irina, guard him too."

"Okaaay."

The potential danger that might come for Serge in the future versus the military gains right before her eyes.

Thinking rationally, she should prioritize Serge's safety above all else.

But Ria wanted Serge's strike.

"Roger."

And so Serge and Irina burst out of the trench.

He faced the fortress's main gate. It was reinforced with magical defenses, a formidable barrier. Even if a hundred ordinary mages gathered, they likely couldn't scratch it.

But Serge had spacetime magic. And a new skill granted by Valis.

[Chant Discard]

It was neither chantless nor abbreviated casting—it was the ultimate close-combat weapon for mages.

Amplify. Accelerate. Accelerate. Accelerate.

Serge's magic was amplified, with acceleration stacked on top.

And then—Explosive Transfer.

The current Serge could invoke that spell with room to spare.

With a thunderous roar, the main gate warped and was forced open.

Once opened, the gate was too bent to ever close again.

Through that gap, fearless soldiers charged in.

The battle's outcome had been decided.

Inside the fortress, where formations couldn't be maintained, individual combat prowess was everything.

And that was the ogres' domain.

With bladed weapons, with blunt weapons, with bare hands.

They slashed, bludgeoned, and crushed the enemy soldiers.

Limbs were severed and sent flying, teeth scattered, faces caved in.

Blood flowed like a river, and some soldiers slipped and fell in it.

The frenzied ogres couldn't distinguish friend from foe. Everyone scrambled to flee from their vicinity.

The enemy commander was a rational man.

Because he was rational, he didn't push his luck. When it came to this, he fled the fortress along with his staff officers.

"The enemy general has fled!"

"The enemy commander has escaped!"

Such cries rose from the beastkin reconnaissance units.

Because it was true, it drained the remaining fortress soldiers of their will to fight.

Even units that had been fighting bravely on their own threw down their weapons upon hearing it.

"Surrender!"

"Don't kill those who surrender!"

"Don't kill those who surrender!"

Thus concluded the siege of Maladus Fortress.

Looking only at the results, it was an overwhelming victory for the attackers with minimal casualties.

Rather, the postwar cleanup was more troublesome. Starting with the broken main gate, many facilities had become unusable.

They needed to repair them and prepare to intercept the enemy who would almost certainly counterattack soon.

The siege weapons could be repurposed as defensive weapons, but the problem was disposing of the corpses.

This time, because the ogres had gone a bit too hard, there were many enemy casualties.

Carla had also used considerable magical power, so she naturally had no capacity left to revive enemy dead.

"If I had to find fault, I suppose it's a shame we let the enemy leadership escape."

She knew she shouldn't expect perfection in war, yet Ria couldn't help dwelling on it.

For instance, they lost eight ogre warriors this time.

Should she say "only eight" or "as many as eight"?

For Ria, it was the latter.

Even after several days passed and the fortress repairs were on track, no enemy recapture force came.

"This region was only recently annexed by Cordova, so they may be having trouble gathering soldiers."

One of the staff officers offered this explanation. Indeed, even Cordova, which prided itself on iron discipline, might be seeing its chains weaken after suffering defeat after defeat.

"Let's ask the beastkin to increase their scouting. Also, if they find beastkin settlements, try negotiating to see if they'd join our forces."

So far, Cordova's army was composed entirely of humans. That was fortunate.

If cat beastkin came on a meowing march with spears, even Ria didn't think she could bring herself to give ruthless orders.

To prevent such psychological warfare from being deployed against them, they needed to liberate the beastkin as quickly as possible.

Beastkin were sent running to the settlements, and forces were dispatched to nearby human villages as well. After giving her instructions, Ria decided to return to Manesh for the time being.

She left Reyas as the fortress commander with the staff officers remaining as well. Only her personal guard and secretary accompanied Ria.

If assassins showed up here, it would just add another tale to her story, but they arrived at Manesh without incident.

Ria had business with Guinevere.

It was about Carla.

In this battle, Carla had used her magical power to near exhaustion, consuming restorative potions in such quick succession that they stopped being effective.

Restoring that much magical power, she healed not only allies but even wounded enemies.

Of course, Ria had no objection to healing enemy prisoners after battle.

But this time, with the enemy casualties being so severe, her devoted treatment bordered on self-sacrifice.

Come to think of it, Ria didn't really know the person called Carla.

Dragon slayer. Wife. A holy woman who didn't believe in gods.

She could list characteristics in words, but none of them seemed to capture Carla's true essence.

Carla didn't show her heart to others.

If she showed anything, it was the kindness of worrying about someone. And that wasn't merely for appearances.

And she was strong.

Strong of heart. She was unshakeable. She accepted everything. Even Ria herself.

Ria felt there was something inhuman about that.

She needed to know about Carla.

Simply asking her directly probably wouldn't get answers. Or even if she answered, it might not be the answer Ria was hoping for.

So Ria needed to speak with Guinevere. With that queen who was supposedly Carla's best friend.

Sensing this would be a tougher negotiation than any battle, Ria's lips curled into a wry smile.