Fun Territory Defense of the Easy-Going Lord

【Jalpa】

It had been two days since arriving at Centena. We were steadily proceeding with the topographical grasp and combat preparations for the Knight Order. Even though the fortress was in my territory, the land beyond Centena was foreign soil. A mere few kilometers further lay Opel, the fortress city boasted by the Shelvia Confederation.

The sun was setting, and Centena’s walls were turning red. Centena, sandwiched between cliffs on both sides, fell into shadow earlier than usual. The sunset was being blocked by the rock faces of the cliffs, and the visibility was growing dim.

Where would the enemy attack from? Since they have suffered continuous crushing defeats, surely they wouldn’t hit us head-on.

I put myself in the enemy’s shoes, considering various ways I would attempt to capture Centena.

As I was doing this, I heard footsteps behind me.

“Your Excellency, please come inside. The designated personnel are handling the rounds,” Talga said, appearing before me. I turned around to find the giant standing expressionlessly, which chilled me to the bone.

“…I have already anticipated the movements of Yelenetta and Shelvia and prepared sufficiently. However, I can’t shake the feeling that there is a loophole somewhere.”

When I told him this, Talga stared out across the Shelvia territory and let out a short breath.

“…Hmm. Is that concerning the matter of those cannons?”

“It is. It is one of our assumptions, but the information on the cannons is insufficient. If long-range deployment is possible, rendering our counter-attack methods useless, we will be forced into a field battle instead of a siege. We have nothing left if this area is occupied. If that happens, we’d have to forcibly close the distance with the cavalry, or risk certain death and…”

As I was answering Talga’s question, I suddenly heard a distinct, lingering sound. It was distant, and the echoes made it impossible to pinpoint the exact location.

But it definitely came from above.

“…What was that sound?” I muttered. Talga pressed a deep furrow into his brow and looked up at the cliffs surrounding Centena on both sides.

“…Could it be that they have sent a large force up those sheer cliffs…” Talga groaned the words just before a massive, low-pitched boom shook the ground.

A moment later, I heard a continuous, intense sound of hard, heavy objects colliding, followed by something violently rupturing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a huge tower collapse. It wasn’t a slender, tall spire, but a large tower whose roof could accommodate dozens of soldiers in formation. The upper third of that tower was now crumbling down with a crash.

“Damn those bastards!” I shouted involuntarily.

It was undeniably a cannon. I had seen the black metal before, but it did not have this kind of destructive power. The black metal was more for destroying the surface of an object.

I glared at the top of the surrounding cliffs, searching for the culprit like an avenging father. I spotted smoke rising from the top of the eastern cliff, slightly further away. Although the sun had set and the surroundings were darkening, the gray smoke was clearly visible for some reason.

I had to prevent any pursuit. Prioritizing attack speed, I quickly chanted and activated my magic.

“…Red Hot Flame Heat Bow…!”

The instant the magic name left my lips, magical power burst from my fingertips. As I swung my arm toward the cliff, the highly concentrated magic transformed into blazing fire. A mass of flame, shooting out like an arrow, stretched directly toward the top of the cliff.

The fire completely incinerated the trees spread across the cliff top, including the area where the smoke had been rising.

Seeing that, Talga snapped back to attention.

“Tch! Your Excellency, please return inside the building. There is a possibility you are being targeted from another location.”

“I know! Damn it, should I have investigated that cliff directly?! Infuriating!” I yelled, slamming my fist hard against the castle wall, venting my anger. The anger was so intense that I barely registered the bone-jarring impact and the dull pain.

“It couldn’t be helped. Even adventurers would find that cliff face difficult to climb. There are magical beasts, and as a commander, if we had risked sending a small number of troops up there, they would likely have been wiped out by a magical attack from below, just as we saw now.”

Talga’s words finally made me realize my mistake. I had been so focused on the black metal and cannons that I had forgotten about Yelenetta’s other new weapon.

“…That’s right, I remember now. They had the Wyverns…!”

“Wyverns? Does that mean they have subjugated magical beasts, albeit medium-sized ones?”

“Exactly. Using base puppet magic. Even though it is a quasi-dragon species, the Wyvern is a type of flying dragon. That level of magic should be…”

Just after I answered, as if it were a signal, a large black shadow leaped from the top of the cliff. Giant wings resembling those of a bat. Though their bodies aren’t massive, they are large enough to snatch and carry away a horse. These were unmistakably Wyverns.

Their scales are hard, like iron armor, and regular arrows or javelins cannot even scratch their wings. Since the enemy flies, only mages can counter them.

“I’ve just remembered something else amusing at the same time, Talga.”

“Huh? What would that be?” Talga asked, turning back as we reached the staircase to the lower floor from the rooftop, but I spoke with a self-mocking laugh. I pointed my thumb at the Wyverns soaring in the sky.

“Those flying lizards have, in the past, dropped black metal from the sky. Well, kind of like bird droppings.”

“…That is certainly an inelegant way to put it,” Talga replied, his face twitching.

Immediately after, a gust of hot air rushed into the stairwell accompanied by a tremor. It seemed a black metal had landed on the ground right next to the wall. The sound of fire roaring was audible even here, showing how much was packed inside.

“Oh, my head is clearing up now. Strategies on how to crush those idiots are gushing up like a fountain.”

“That’s good.”

As we descended the stairs, I struggled to contain the urge to shout at the occasional tremors and spoke lightly. Talga, though I don’t know his true feelings, followed suit and replied in kind.

It was pointless to keep making jokes. We first needed to find a way to drag those flying lizards down to the ground.