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Chapter 147: Ardius Fortress Siege Battle – End of Day One

In the end, the first day of the fortress siege concluded with a relentless exchange of heavy fire and the interception of drones. From the crack of dawn, the Dragon Roar Cannons had been continuously firing, and though the outer walls were being repaired, they were still in a sorry state. However, it was impossible to completely breach the outer walls in just one day.

No one had ever expected the fortress siege to conclude in a single day. Even punching a hole in the outer walls within a day was deemed a difficult feat. However, the damage to the outer wall was considerably less than everyone anticipated. This was undoubtedly due to emergency measures taken by the enemy. The Republic’s military technology continued to prove as troublesome as ever.

“Alright, my disciple! The strategy has been decided!”

On the central front, after moving the soldiers to what appeared to be a safe position, they convened a military council. Naturally, the discussion revolved around how they would proceed with the battle.

Retreating at this point was not the only option. That was because if they retreated now, it was almost certain that the Republic’s military would have made countermeasures against the Dragon Roar Cannons with their formidable technological prowess by the time they launched their next assault.

In such a situation, the first decision to be made was whether to go for a short-term battle or a long-term one. If they chose a short-term battle, it would entail not only relying on the Dragon Roar Cannons but also launching infantry assaults to forcefully breach the outer walls. While it might quickly neutralize the fortress, it was obvious that it would result in a mountain of dead allies.

On the other hand, in a long-term battle, there was a higher likelihood of keeping human casualties in check. Of course, in a war, it was impossible to avoid all deaths, but the plan was to at least minimize casualties compared to a reckless rush in a short-term battle.

However, sustaining this battlefield for an extended period presented its own challenges. Even if the troops were elite, morale would decline as the battle dragged on, and logistical issues would inevitably surface. Soldiers needed food as long as they were alive, and while the army had brought plenty of supplies up to this point, it was impossible to keep feeding the soldiers who had been here for months.

Moreover, the consumption of arrows and weapons could not be ignored. The ammunition for the Dragon Roar Cannons was irrelevant since it was crafted using spiritual power, but the real concern lay with the soldiers’ equipment. They would need to replenish damaged gear from intercepting those drones. While they could make makeshift equipment using the remains of destroyed drones, elite soldiers would likely find it unsatisfactory.

If there were a scarcity of weapons, transporting supplies from the rear could have been a viable option, but the enemy was not stupid. Undoubtedly, they would devise a plan to attack our supply wagons, just as we had done before. Allocating sufficient forces to prevent this would potentially affect our offensive. This, in turn, could further prolong the siege… it was difficult to even predict how long it would take.

“So, what are we going to do?”

“Hmm! In essence, we shall continue firing the Dragon Roar Cannons and gradually chip away at the outer walls! Charging head-on would certainly result in our forces being crushed by their defensive weapons! If only we could attack from below! How frustrating!”

It seemed that the commanders had opted for a long-term battle. As soldiers, it was a much-appreciated decision. If ordered to charge, demons like us would be the first to be used up.

By the way, even if a long-term battle had been chosen, the strategy of digging underground tunnels to launch a surprise attack from below, as in the case of Carnela Port, would no longer work. After all, the enmey had laid countless traps not only on the surface of their base but also underground.

After recapturing Carnela Port, it seemed that the Imperial Army had developed a taste for underground attacks, as they began mass-producing demons suited for digging through the earth, using the Earth Moles and Ground Beetles beasts. This led to the recapture of several strongholds. However, I heard from Marcellus that during a certain operation, they were literally wiped out.

The traps set by the Republic’s forces were quite malicious. They had concealed colorless, odorless poison gas in the ground. What made it worse was that the poison gas had been trapped in containers disguised as ordinary stones….and was deliberately mixed into the ground, ensuring the demons would be crushed during the digging work.

As a result, poison gas filled the underground passageways, and the demons engaged in digging work succumbed to poisoning. Only a few demons with resistance to poison gas managed to survive.

The Republic’s terrifying aspect lay in its technological skill and the variety of its abundant weaponry. They had mixed both poison gas and flammable gas into the containers disguised as stones. When Imperial soldiers, alerted to the disturbance within the underground tunnels, descended while taking precautions against poison gas, the flames from the lanterns they carried ignited the flammable gas. The underground tunnels were consumed by a raging inferno.

The flammable gas ignited rapidly, causing a violent explosion that led to the collapse of the underground tunnels. It might have been possible to withstand it if the walls had been reinforced with spiritual arts, as I had done before. Unfortunately, the demons engaged in the digging were specialized for underground work. They could safely endure some collapses, so tunnel reinforcement had been delayed.

As a result, it was reported that only a few demons survived that underground ordeal. After sacrificing the lives of numerous demons and a few Imperial soldiers, all fronts learned that future underground assaults would be difficult.

“What about nighttime?”

“Of course, we’ll conduct nighttime raids as well! And they’ll be unpredictable! Gahaha!”

Master laughed heartily while saying such things. Currently, we were both beyond each other’s firing range, but under the cover of darkness, we planned to stealthily approach and launch attacks on the outer walls.

Nighttime raids posed no significant challenge to demons, as they had light sleep and abundant stamina. Actually, some demons were even more agile at night.

However, for ordinary humans, being unable to sleep at night proved to be a great source of stress. Even if they managed to doze off, the incessant rumbling and tremors from outside made sound sleep nearly impossible to attain. Insufficient rest led to diminished judgment and concentration, potentially affecting one’s ability to defend himself.

What made it even more difficult was the inconsistent nature of these nighttime raids. After all, if attacks occurred daily, the Republic army might anticipate them and devise defensive strategies accordingly. They might even consider reducing daytime personnel to bolster nighttime vigilance if necessary.

However, the situation would change when the nighttime raids were irregular. Even if individuals remained on high alert throughout the night, the feeling of wasted effort that accompanied an attack-less night would weigh heavily on them. Yet letting their guard down could result in a more focused assault, potentially breaching the outer walls. So, despite the uncertainty, the enemy soldiers couldn’t afford to relax their vigilance.

On the other hand, the central front had the luxury of resting at night when they decided not to launch nighttime raids. Of course, they were also prepared for potential night attacks. This is when individuals like us, with keen senses, would be mobilized. Demons with night vision were highly valued as nighttime watchguards.

“What should I do?” I asked.

“Well, tonight, I’ll entrust you with the night watch. I said I would do it, but they told me there’s no room to spare for letting a demon laze around.”

I’m sorry; Master started to apologize while bowing his head, but I shook my head, indicating that there was no need for him to apologize. I had long grown accustomed to this treatment. Besides, In my case, I hardly needed sleep; I was well-suited for night watch duty.

Moreover, I didn’t dislike the role of a night guard. It served a purpose in fulfilling my mission. As someone who had to survive for 100 years, I needed to sense danger before anyone else. In that sense, night watch duty could be considered beneficial.

“I’ll take care of the night watch. Master, get some rest for tomorrow.”

“I don’t know if I can sleep with me barely moving around today! Ah, yes, take this!”

Master handed me handed me something small, wrapped in cloth. I was confused, but he urged me to unwrap it quickly. Since I judged that master wouldn’t give me anything dangerous, I opened the package.

Inside was a black, round object. Each piece was small, with a wrinkled surface that made it clear that it was something that had been dried. Most importantly, there was now a faint but pleasant, sweet aroma wafting from it.

It was my first time seeing this, but there was no mistaking that scent. Dry fruits. In the presence of this rare treat, one of the few things I truly enjoyed, I couldn’t help but swallow hard.

“T-this is…?”

“I asked Lady Altissia to prepare your midnight snack! She heard you liked sweet things and sent this over! It’s some kind of fruit that can only be found in the Myuuri Something Republic! Can’t remember its name! Gahaha!” (TN: Muruli Republic, which is Altissia’s country.)

“Is it really okay for me to have such a rare item?”

“Don’t worry about it! Lady Altissia herself sent it! She was really pleased with the improvements in her spiritual arts, and this is her way of showing gratitude. Eru people can be quite arrogant, but they’re not ungrateful! Gahaha!”

Improvements in her spiritual arts…? Ah, it must be about her concealment spiritual art I had uncovered by sensing her horse’s vibrations. Knowing how I had uncovered it probably led to advancements in her spiritual arts. With her likely having taken measures against vibrations, there might be a chance I couldn’t detect her if she used it again.

If it was a gesture of gratitude, then I’d accept it without hesitation. However, I also wanted to set some aside for my comrades. Since there wasn’t enough for everyone, it would have to be limited to the children and women. That meant I could probably have about five pieces myself. I decided to savor each one slowly, one at a time.

After bidding farewell to master as he departed for his tent, I decided to spend the night a little away from our campsite for my night watch duty. Sitting alone on the ground, I immediately indulged in some dried fruits.

“…!”

The moment the dried fruits entered my mouth, I was completely at a loss for words. That’s because my mouth was filled with an unknown and exquisite sweetness.

The texture was unexpectedly moist for dried fruits, and with each bite, it mixed with saliva, spreading a rich sensation in my mouth. Despite its intense sweetness, the aroma was refreshingly light, making it seem like I could eat an endless amount.

Because I was so engrossed in chewing, the first piece disappeared from my mouth in an instant. Some of them had seeds inside, and I continued to suck on them until their taste was completely gone from the surface.

After swiftly devouring the first piece, I started to eat the second piece without delay. With this thing tasting this good, I might end up consuming all of these delicious treats in a single night. Trying to restrain myself with just five pieces seemed like a tough challenge.

“This is going to be a battle of desires.”

As I basked in the afterglow of the first piece’s taste, I sharpened my compound eyes and heightened my overall senses to fulfill my duty as a night watch guard. In any case, I resolved to savor these dried fruits as slowly as possible. With that determination in mind, I continued to move my mouth, savoring every bite.