Editing Madan no Ou to Vanadis:Volume 06 Chapter 5

== Chapter 5 - The Fall of Fort Lux ==

When Ludmira Lurie visited LeitMeritz and enjoyed friendly chats with Tigre, she once said something about castle siege.

"Castle sieging is, in one sentence, psychological warfare."

While sipping the tea which she brought in the guest room of the Imperial Palace, she proudly launched a speech with glittering blue eyes.

"Even if you can make a hole in the rampart, you cannot destroy the entire rampart. How to keep up morale for the troops, how to dampen the enemy's, leading a large army surrounding the fort, as well as keeping it well fed. Everything is for that purpose."

"But, there are also examples of overwhelming the rampart, relying on sheer numbers and momentum, and of invading the Fort and altogether knocking down the enemy and occupying it."

In the strange attitude of Mira which stretches her moderate chest, if compared with Ellen's, and can somewhat be regarded as lovely, Tigre had a rebuttal. The {{furigana|Snow Princess of the Frozen Wave|Michelia}} was not particularly upset.

"Just as you said, there are also precedents of this, but only to a certain degree. Keep that in mind, Tigre. What to do to make the enemy's morale drop significantly. Whether subjugating the enemy's General, or burning out the enemy’s food, or also requesting reinforcements, it is just one of these means."

As he was kindly admonished, Tigre, scratching his head, had no choice but to feel ashamed of his own innocence. Though Lim too, it seemed that teaching Tigre was also a very pleasant thing for Mira.

"I wonder if it is because you are honest, unlike someone I know. Although it would be nice if you honestly accept my invitation, too."

The Vanadis of Olmutz revealed a pleasant smile. Tigre, up to now, had never considered a castle siege. Even such basic knowledge was very precious for him and he was thankful for that.

While recalling the conversation with Mira, Tigre rode forward. Beside him was Olga and right in front, Tallard's subordinate, Ludra, each respectively straddling horses.

The General Commander of those three thousand soldiers was Ludra. Not Tigre nor Olga.

Though Tallard said he would entrust the troops to Tigre, the young man requested that Ludra act as the General Commander. The three people, Tigre, Olga, and Matvey, were acting under the pretense of being Tallard’s close friends, and Ludra was responsible for supporting them as an adjutant.

Tigre and the others were heading to the Fort via the highway linking Fort Lux and Valverde. For the moment, there were no problems, and if they kept up this pace, they would probably see the Fort before noon tomorrow.

Thinking of that, Tigre immediately reconsidered. If he used the power of the black bow or Olga’s {{furigana|Dragonic Skills|Veda}}, it would not be difficult to capture the Fort Lux. After all, just blowing a hole in the rampart so that the soldiers could break into from there should be simple.

However, Tigre decided not to use the power of the black bow, at least in the battle for Fort Lux. He also asked Olga not to use her {{furigana|Dragonic Skills|Veda}}, except in an extreme emergency.

"How are the soldiers?"

"Knowledge of the traitor seems to be common. Lord Tallard has certainly betrayed Prince Jermaine, but before that, the fact that General Leicester went over to the enemy has a greater impact on them. In addition, they know that Lord Tallard hates General Leicester."

The reason that he requested Ludra to act as Commander was this. Even though there were under the pretense of being Tallard's friends, not only were they not of Asvarre, but would the soldiers really bring themselves to entrust their life to people whose identities were not apparent to them?

For Tigre, for example if it happens that an unknown person, who claims to be a friend of Ellen, commands the soldiers of Alsace, he wouldn't help but feel uneasy.

If Ludra acted as Commander, the soldiers would be relieved, and moreover, taper their vigilance towards the trio. Above all, this was their war. Tigre did not mean to meddle more than required.

''---First of all, I must solve the issue of the same number. And then, I want a military unit that will follow me. It would be impossible with the soldiers of Asvarre. Since there is almost no relationship of mutual trust between them and me. As such, I will ask Ludra...''

Absorbed too much in his thoughts, he seemingly failed to pay attention to the horse. The pace of the horse had been shifting to the side little by little, as Tigre was startled, he stopped right next to Olga. The Vanadis with light pink-colored hair looked up at Tigre with her deadpan expression.

He actually wanted to ask it earlier, but there were many things he had to keep track of even after leaving Valverde leading the army, and he accidently delayed it.

"In the audience hall after meeting Tallard. Since then, you have entrusted all of the decisions to me. That's what I'm concerned about."

He knew Olga's strength. It might be more reassuring than anyone if she fought at his side. But, on the other hand, he had a hesitation to take her to the battlefield.

"Though while bearing the title "Vanadis" it's not for me to say it, I, who fled from the land which I should govern, probably do not deserve to be called a Vanadis. However, while knowing Sophia Obertas's crisis, I cannot overlook it."

After answering so, Olga moved only her line of sight upward looking at Tigre.

"Tigre. As for me, I trust you. Whether having revealed to you that I am Vanadis, or still being here now, you may think that it is the proof to that. So-"

Olga was shy, with a slightly faster tempo, and slightly raised her voice as she continued.

Deliberately putting on a steep expression, Simon, scowled at Tigre and spoke with an irritated voice. In the slightly soiled camp, there were two mercenaries other than him. The three people including Simon were dressed in iron armor, and their waist was girded with a sword.

However, not only did Tigre show no signs of being frightened, but he also caught Simon's line of sight with a hearty expression. It was not a bluff, and he seemed rather satisfied.

''---Clothes and leather armor are also decent. He gives the feeling of a noble young master who lost his way in middle of the hunt... But the fact that he is scared neither by this atmosphere nor by my voice shows that he is quite brave.''

That was the reason Simon put on a steep expression and suddenly poured on a threatening voice on Tigre. He was not really angry, nor hostile towards the young man.

Simon did not answer immediately. Just like wild beasts, eliminating the presence of those who suddenly show up and observing the situation, he was sitting still on a plain chair staring at Tigre.

"Then speak to me with Brune language. I can't stand to hear your third-rate Zchted language."

As Tigre smiled and politely bowed, he once again repeated what he just said in Brune language. Simon looking at the young man did not ride on the provocation. He brought himself to hear the story just a little.

"Are you not a friend of Tallard?" As he implicitly asked so, Tigre shook his head. Erasing his smile, he put on a serious expression.

"What I need are soldiers who will go forward as long as they judge the command to be correct, even if it is a bit dangerous."

Tigre showed an attitude of thinking, it was just the time for about two breaths.

"I just got acquainted with Lord Tallard, by serving as a foreigner. Even if I persuade them with Ludra's help, I do not think that the soldiers will entrust their life to a person that they do not know well."

"Compared with the regular soldiers, it is easy to sustain your trust by money. Besides, the point of 'foreigners' is hard to be much of an issue. I thought so."

"Let's hear the story. If I can be convinced by your suggestion, I will accept the offer made a while ago."

In addition, Tigre had just felt an incredible urge to compete.

Just around noon the next day, the 3000 of the Tallard army led by Ludra stopped the lineup to the south of the Fort Lux.

Though there was no moat, it was endowed with high thick walls, it had two gates one to the north and one to the south. On the south side was the main gate, here was something sturdy which inserted the board of the oak into the thick iron plate.

The back gate on the north side was around two or so times smaller than the main gate and there was also only one small iron plate. The second gate directly next to the back gate had a size that could not safely be referred to as an iron door rather than gate. This gate was used when the main gate and the back gate must be shut.

On the other side, to the south was a flat prairie. The way this Fort highly rose above the forest over the back, appeared like a black giant was standing in the way, so the offensive army would lose morale.

"General Leicester and his followers. You probably already know, but Prince Jermaine, by who you took the banner of revolt, is dead. Now, General Tallard Graham became the Lord of the whole area centering on Valverde. Don't you think we should avoid unnecessary conflict, and join hands bid together?"

This didn't sound great, but could be heard clearly. His men also shouted the same thing toward the fort, and then after a short time General Leicester appeared on the rampart.

With some brown hair bequeathed on the left and right ears, he was almost a bald man. As Ludra, he was probably not more than 35 years of age, but he gave a different impression (vibe). His physique (build), though medium, was easily wearing a heavy armor, and one could see that he was trained (well forged).

"The likes of a hunter born in a fishing village shouting for Generals really makes me laugh. We have inherited the royal bloodline of Prince Elliot as his peers. If you bastards do not want to be known as the vanguard of traitors, you should throw away your weapons and prostrate yourselves to the seedling of the castle gate. From then supplying wives and daughters in order, I will convey to Prince Elliot."

The soldiers on the rampart also repeated Leicester's words aloud. Matvey, twisting his tough look, which seems to say "It's helpless" shook his head. For Tigre, too, the mood was unpleasant.

When he finds young girls of his liking, he kidnaps them and brings them back to the Fort. As for Tallard, who was fighting for people to live in peace, even a temporary joint cooperation could not maintain long-term friendly relations between the rivals.

Like that, the sun set while both armies were on alert at each other, and on the first day, without major incident, it was gradually approaching night.

In the commander's tent, there were four people Ludra, Tigre, Olga and Matvey. They were sitting around a map of the vicinity around the Fort.

"It is within the scope of expectation. This side and the enemy have the same number. Therefore, I expected them to come strongly attacking, but it should be said it's as expected of General Leicester. However, there is something that I learned."

"Today's provocation was to check General Leicester's actions. If he opened the gate and came out, I was planning to break through in the prairie. However, they firmly shut the gate. I'm afraid that they won't come out until Prince Elliot's troops appear."

At Tigre's words, Ludra could not help but leak a sound of admiration.

"Just by looking at the map, you were able to think of that, eh?"

Tigre just smiled and did not answer. In addition to the knowledge he learned from Mira, he also made his judgement after getting Matvey's careful analysis of the 3000 soldier army. Receiving reports that only some kinds of siege weapons such as castle mallet fracture (battering ram) and catapult were missing, Tigre held his conviction.

"It's just as you say. Waiting until the cave is connected to the underground waterway, we will perform a flashy castle attack as a diversion, and with that chance, a squad will sneak into the Fort to open the gates."

"Will that go well for you?"

If they believed the information that Tallard spread, it would be better for Leicester to strike this army of three thousand before it's too late for him. Besides, only the capitulation declaration was carried out here, the troop’s deployment being also away from the Fort, there was a lack of motivation, such as "don't do anything until the army of Tallard arrives".

Ludra, after hearing the main points and the proposed amendment from Tigre, was speechless for a moment, and then patting his knees with a delightful expression, he accepted the suggestion.

Four days passed after, then Tallard army took up their lineup in front of the Fort Lux.

There were dozen people of Tallard army who suffered minor injuries, but injured persons also hardly appeared on the fort side. There were too few arrows which reached the top of the wall.

Walls exceeding 10 alsins were very rare. Not only did they swell highly enough to spend an extraordinary amount of time and materials, but it was also because they lacked stability. Walls of five or six alsins were common.

"Since I increased their pay, it would be troubling if they don't make better work than usual."

"Last - Tigre-dono's squad will get down the walls and open the back gate in the north, and the squad sneaking into the forest will break in from there."

Ludra which was half-rising to his feet sat again on the carpet, revealing a wonderful expression. During these three days, even though they held the war council every day because they needed to confirm the situation, Olga never spoke.

"These four days, I asked Matvey to do a little investigation. About the type of girls that General Leicester likes. He seems to like girls my age."

To Tigre's surprise, Olga gave up easily.

After finishing the war council, Tigre and the others visited the mercenary camps, and prepared adjustments and props for the force attacking from the west.

Matvey, whom he said that he had something to discuss, and Olga who suddenly disappeared were missing. Asking Simon, he replied that he did also not know.

As he only asked that, and confirmed that Ludra nodded, Tigre depressedly left the tent.

"Just in case. You watch him so that he doesn’t do something suspicious."

The soldiers who tried to rush from the underground waterway, however, did not succeed breaking in.

"You guys do not have to quietly sneak anymore! Give me a war cry! Scare those guys with your voices!"

After Simon shouted these lines, the roaring of the mercenaries holding up their weapons overlapping rang throughout the Fort. Simon and the others did not miss that the guards were confused. They bravely continued to attack, cutting down the enemies one after another.

Nocking two, three arrows at once and shooting, the guards shivered to the feat that he hit every soldier he aimed at. Roaring, scream and agonizing cries whirled here and there on the walls, the persons invading (intruders) and the persons invaded wielding their weapons, and getting closer, killed each other in a situation in which they could not even clearly know the enemy’s face.

''---No matter how easy it is to aim at them, if they are so numerous…''

Finally, the sky of the east began to dawn, and even though the air was still so cold, some drops of sweat floating on Tigre's forehead were drifting. His first quiver was already empty, and now it was the second. This, too, would be empty soon.

Originally, everyone was lightly dressed in order to climb up the walls. There were even those not wearing leather armor. Such persons almost certainly lost their life by a stroke of the spear. Even if they endured it, they would lose their balance because of too much pain and fall down from the walls.

Nobody would be safe falling from a height of 12 alsins. Even if luckily saved, he would certainly be surrounded by enemy soldiers, and die. They would even be mistaken as guards and be killed.

Receiving the support of his companions, Tigre safely got down on the walls. Quickly setting up his bow, he nocked an arrow, and shot. The soldiers who were the closest were pierced under the nose and died.

Tigre camouflaged the number of soldiers deployed to the front with collar people to deceive them, but thereby he infiltrated here with more than thousand soldiers.

They could not deploy a large army to the North woods. The setting of siege weapons was also impossible. However, it was possible if they divided the squad into dozens of units and lie hidden in the forest. Even Leicester did not think of this blind spot.

By attacking from various directions, the deployment of the guards was fully dispersed. There, 1000 soldiers newly surged. They spurred the guards’ confusion.

"That's if Olga has not yet taken it."

As he responded to a joke with a joke, Tigre and Simon ran respectively in opposite directions. Tigre ran up the stairs leading to the top floor, and Simon, while commanding his mercenaries, went to intercept the guards.

With the sound of clashing weapons behind, Tigre ran.

He heard a roar which would possibly not be that of a human coming from the inside - the Commander room. Olga’s figure flashed across his mind, and while his chest was tightened with uneasiness, Tigre ran through the corridor.

"Attracting our attention by making commotion on the surface, and using that opportunity to invade from the underground waterway huh. You should miserably fail."

It was a movement, in which it could be said that the speed and the timing were perfect, but the shock transmitted through the {{furigana|Dragonic Tool|Viralt}} was totally different from what she expected.

The single blow of the blade which could easily cut armor was caught with bare hands by Leicester. Moreover, black blood was dripping from the palms of his hands. Only this exception could be used to describe the scene.

『I cannot seem to use the rest period as an excuse. Perhaps it is because I have spent too much time in a human's skin or... because you looked too delicious.』

Leicester without even glancing at the soldiers overlooked Olga. Similarly, Olga could not afford to glance at them. If she showed an opening even for an instant, she would become just like those soldiers.

Immediately after, Leicester let loose an earsplitting roar. A moment later, an invisible shock wave was released from the monster's body. The ceiling and the walls were crushed by the blast. Although Olga managed to minimize the damage, she still could not withstand it and was flung towards the back door and crashed down on the ground. The sheer force of the blow caused her to gasp for air.

He was running low on arrows. There were only four remaining. If he returned till the place of Simon and the others, he could replenish in arrows since there should have been some bow user.

He couldn't help but swallow his saliva. He had only felt this nauseating sensation once before. It was after repulsing the Muozinel army which invaded Brune, no more than six months ago. A monster which declared itself Vodyanoy appeared, and Tigre and Mira fought him together. There was no doubt that Tigre by himself, or Mira by herself would have been killed, it was a formidable foe.

Red eyes, twisted horns, a hideously gigantic body, and pale white skin. It could only be described as something not of this world. He cowered in fear just by confronting it. Like being lost in another world, and being attacked by the uneasiness, Tigre wanted to close his eyes and ears, and run away.

His heartbeat rapidly increased. there was also confusion in his breathing.

While moving his tongue which was about to get entangled, and exerting power to his belly so that his voice might not tremble, Tigre asked. In reality, rather than calling out, he should instead get away from here in a hurry. Call Simon and the others from downstairs, and stir up some confusion within the fort even if only a little, and run off to some place far away.

One reason was that he could not abandon Olga who seemed not to get up as she fell down onto the floor.

The other reason was the black bow which he tightly grasped. Since a while ago it gave off a burning sensation as if his left hand was on fire.

There was another thing that had been worring him. Since a little while ago Torbalan called Tigre "the bow".

Roaring many times. The floor crumbled, the mortar-like hole which ran countless cracks was drilled. In the rising sand cloud, Torbalan proudly standing was looking down on Tigre and Olga.

Tigre nocked an arrow, and drew the bowstring to the limit aiming at the monster. Maintaining his posture, he appealed to the bow. The black bow emitted a black light as if responding to him, converging to the arrowhead.

An unusual strong pressure attacked the young man's whole body. This was something that did not disappear even if he could handle the power of the black bow to some extent. From before dawn beyond the walls, by rebuking his body tired of the continuing fight, Tigre bears it.

Olga dealt with Torbalan’s attacks devoting herself to protecting her body, cleverly gaining time. And also the black light gathering in Tigre’s arrowhead increased its brightness.

After he realized that evasion was no longer possible, Torbalan stood firm. Inhaling, he gazed at the black arrow with his red eyes. A shock wave was released from his right hand and projected straight. Olga was blown off back.

The atmosphere trembled as the shock wave raised a storm. The monster's blast blocked the black arrow which Tigre had shot into the air. As it is, the shock wave and the arrow issued a screaming wind, and violently clashed against each other while scattering the black light.

Torbalan was laughing, but soon his mouth went agape as he was left dumb founded. Past the line of sight of the monster, Tigre nocked a new arrow with the black bow.

With the first arrow, Tigre was already worn out to the point that even standing was painful. The hand holding the bow was also paralyzed, and could not enter (access) the power well. He had a headache, and his vision was also swaying (shaky). Even so, the young man applied his shaking fingers to the bowstring, and drew it to the limit with power to his feet as hard as possible. Just as before, a black light gathered to the arrowhead. Tigre was surprised.

As he understood visibly, the convergence condition of the black light to the arrowhead was slow.

Torbalan's red eyes were colored in rage. The white giant swung his left hand, trying to hit Olga. At the same time, Olga with her petite body also swinged her axe. The handle of the axe lengthened, and the thick blade reminiscent of the half-moon increased its size and sharpness.

The blade of the Roaring Demon swung down with a tremendous speed grinded the demon's left hand, and moreover, cut his left foot encroached into the floor. Fresh black blood which sprayed from the wound uncannily dyed up the air, and Torbalan screaming felt to the ground.

At the tip of the double-edged axe, a crescent moon-shaped light was formed. While the light drew a spiral in the space, it flowed into the tip of the arrow that Tigre held. In addition, the small gray cloud of dust and pellets scattered on the floor was mixed in with the light and sucked up into the arrow.

Olga stood there with a dumbfounded expression and was looking at this scene as if she had been possessed.

At the instant it was fired from the bow, the arrow changed its shape. The cloud of dust that clung to the arrow formed a dragon head, and as it let his form become gigantic while absorbing rubbles scattered on the floor and, it went straight toward Torbalan. The dragon's eyes were shone with a pale red glow, and it was clad in a black light to the whole body.

The Commander room was filled with moats and cloud of dust, and completely obscured the vision of the two people. As the dust rose and the vision became clear, one could see the sky gradually brightened through the huge hole drilling through several layers of the ceiling.