by Ao Jyumonji
The orcs had formed a line on the wall, bows and arrows at the ready. No, not just at the ready. They were firing.
“Oh, crap!” Haruhiro shouted. “Shields! There’re arrows! Everyone, get your shields up...!”
The arrows rained down. Haruhiro used his shield like an umbrella. It was difficult to carry the ladder while holding a shield, but he had no choice. While there weren’t that many arrows, sometimes one would come their way. If they took a hit, it might kill them.
“Ladders! Hurry!” the volunteer soldiers by the wall were shouting.
“All right!” Ranta shouted, but Haruhiro stopped him before he could charge.
“We’ve got to assemble them first!” Haruhiro shouted.
“—Oh! That’s right!”
“Merry, Yume, Shihoru, use the shields!” Haruhiro called.
He had the three of them line up with their shields next to each other, and assembled the ladders behind them. He had to fit the ladders together and pound the nails in. His hands were shaking. An arrow pierced one of the shields, and Shihoru let out a little shriek. Haruhiro couldn’t find the strength to do it.
“Give me that!” Moguzo snatched the hammer from Haruhiro, pounding the nails in one after another. He tried pushing and pulling on the ladder.
It’s good to go—I think.
“Okay, let’s go!” Haruhiro called.
The completed ladders were more than four meters long. They couldn’t be carried by one person. Haruhiro and Ranta formed a team, taking one of the ladders, while Moguzo and Yume formed a team and took the other.
The orcs were desperate. As they got closer to the wall, the number of arrows increased. The intensity continued to build. Arrows stabbed through their shields.
Hey, wait—aren’t we being targeted here?! Haruhiro thought.
“Ohhhhhh, crap, crap, crap crap!” he shouted.
“Whoooooooooa! This is scary!” Ranta yelled.
“Hunnnnnnnnnngh...!” Moguzo grunted.
“Eeeeeeeek!” Yume screamed.
“...E-Everyone, do your best...!” Shihoru called.
“It’s fine! We’ve got shields!” Merry hollered.
Don’t stop, Haruhiro thought. We can’t stop. If we stop walking for even a second, we probably won’t be able to move forward anymore. All at once. We have to do this all at once.
While screaming something in a loud voice, they charged forward, feeling like they might trip at any moment, then brought the ladder up on the spiky wall.
The volunteer soldiers roared as one. The air shook and trembled. It was like a cry of victory. The rush was even more intense than when he’d killed the orc.
How’s that? How’s that?! I did it! I really did it! Look! Look at that! Is this what they call a rush of endorphins?
“Move...!” Renji shoved Haruhiro aside. He was trying to climb the ladder. He didn’t have a shield. Even though there were orcs with bows right above.
Isn’t he afraid? Haruhiro thought. That takes some serious guts.
“Hold on, Renji!” they heard Bri-chan shout. “There’s no need to be in such a rush!”
Again, the air shook and trembled.
It didn’t come from here this time, Haruhiro thought. Where did it come from? Was it Wild Eagle Force on the west wall? Or was it—either way, those weren’t human voices. They were probably orcs. An angry roar. That mass of sound made the heavens and earth rumble. Could it have been...
“From the main gate?!” Haruhiro screamed.
Chapter 11: Warriors of the Frontier
His name was Anthony Justeen.
A proud warrior of the renowned Alterna Frontier Army 1st Brigade Warrior Regiment.
He was not just any old warrior. He was a master warrior.
Anthony had placed his honor as a warrior on the line, participating in Operation “Two-Headed Snake” in the glorious position of Platoon Commander. He was attacking Deadhead Watching Keep head-on, trying to take it fair and square.
Of course, if a warrior as great as Anthony was going to grace the battlefield, he belonged at the very front. At this very moment, he was leading his manly subordinates as they pressed towards the keep, but, in his heart, there was one thing that he found somewhat unpleasant.
Wren Water.
That gutless milksop. Who’d made him a paladin? Who’d made him a brigadier general? He was a mainland-born sissy.
A proper paladin would stand at the front of his army, putting his life on the line to protect his comrades. At least, a frontier-born paladin with a backbone would, but that rotten paladin and fake brigadier general wasn’t like that. He had a hundred paladins and a handful of priests there guarding him while he sat smugly at the rear of the main force.
He was a fool. A damn fool and a coward. He was shit. This was supposed to be the scion of the famous Water family?
Like Anthony cared. He could go die. Die and rot.
Even if it was a given that General Graham Rasentra would be the one to lead the attack on Riverside Iron Fortress, ordinarily, the frontier-born, frontier-bred warrior among warriors, Brigadier General Ian Ratty, should have been the one to lead this main force of incomparable power to conquer Deadhead Watching Keep. Wren Water should have stayed in Alterna, crying and trembling like the freshly-hatched chick that he was.
In fact, even now, as Anthony had trampled the orc camps underfoot, pushed up to the walls through the rain of arrows, and was about to put the battering ram to the main gate, that wretch had contributed nothing.
At the beginning, he had ordered them forward. That was the only thing he had done. Even a brat could have done that.
The majority of the warriors in the Frontier Army were from the frontier. Frontier-born warriors prided themselves on their gruff manliness and looked down on the feeble mainlanders with utter contempt. That was because the mainlanders had a lot of pride and not much else. Unable to even wield a sword properly, they were a bunch of good-for-nothings entirely deserving of that disdain.
Honestly, from the moment Wren Water had been chosen as their commander, the warriors’ morale had sunk. Not to mention that, in this operation, Riverside Iron Fortress was the main objective, so every one of them must have been somewhat disappointed to be assigned to taking Deadhead Watching Keep, the fight it was a given they would win.
Of course they would complete their mission. They would take the keep, but Wren Water would take the credit for it. It was unthinkable that this would end in anything but a victory.
Curse Wren Water.
That piece of shit.
So, this was the power of a famous family, was it? Basically, that was what it had to be. He wasn’t here because of his talent. Even if he did nothing, the accolades would roll in to him and accumulate on their own. That was how it was all set up.
The man who could be called the symbol of the Frontier Army, General Rasentra, was turning 46 this year. He was still in the prime of his life, but there were persistent rumors that the mainland might want the general. It was also said he had repeatedly declined requests to take the position of Commander-in-Chief. However, someday, the general would be taken away to the mainland. Could it be that Wren Water was aiming to take his place when he left?
There were currently three brigadier generals who were next in rank after the general in the frontier. Brigadier General Ian Ratty, Wren Water, the piece of shit, and lastly, Brigadier General Jord Horn, who was always at the general’s side.
Common sense dictated that Brigadier General Horn would be the general’s successor, but they were much too close for that. The general might want to take Brigadier General Horn back to the mainland with him. If that were to happen, Brigadier General Ratty would be the next general.
In terms of talent, there was no doubt that was how it should have been, but Wren Water was a piece of shit, so he might be plotting to seize the position through the influence of his family.
It was possible. It wasn’t impossible, but with that piece of shit be
ing a piece of shit, he might have just wanted to get back to the mainland as quickly as possible.
He was welcome to go. Hurry up and leave. Shit belongs in a world full of shit.
On the other side of the Tenryu Mountains, in the mainland that Anthony had yet to see, there were tens, hundreds of human cities. The countryside spread out as far as the eye could see, and there were cattle leisurely grazing everywhere. There were barbarians in the south that had not yet submitted to the Arabakia Kingdom, but they were no threat to the kingdom. There were occasional wars, but it was rare for soldiers to die.
The barbarians mostly fought among themselves, the kingdom occasionally mediating. The kingdom was like a benevolent father, and the barbarian tribes his children.
Industry had developed in the mainland, and its people loved songs, dance and music. The blessings of the light god Lumiaris were strong there, filling the land with light. The currency in Alterna was all minted in the mainland, but things that cost one gold in the frontier could be bought for only ten silver in the mainland. The mainland was wealthy. Anything and everything was available there, and if the poor just bowed before the wealthy, they could find food, drink and clothing. It was said that even the poorest of beggars in the mainland lived better than the soldiers of the frontier.
It’s shit, thought Anthony. It’s all a bunch of shit.
Who did those pieces of shit in the mainland think it was who let them maintain their shitty lifestyles? It was Anthony and warriors like him, shedding blood out in the frontier. If Alterna were ever to fall, the Earth Dragon’s Aorta Road under the Tenryu Mountains, which linked the frontier to the mainland, would soon be found. The orcs and undead would come in force to invade the mainland. They would likely take control of it with ease.
The mainland was built on the sacrifices of Anthony and his men.
It was a tower built on sand.
So, no matter how wonderful the tales they heard of the mainland were, even if it sounded like paradise, it was nothing but shit.
If he were to speak frankly, Anthony wanted to take the place of the orcs and undead, conquer the mainland himself, and pillage it for all it was worth. He had every right to.
Because Anthony had worked hard in his duties, he was defending their property and making them able to amass a fortune. That fortune had been created thanks to Anthony. It was fair to say it was Anthony’s fortune.
Of course, he would never do it.
There was the fact it was an unrealistic goal, but Anthony also had his pride as a warrior. He also liked wine, women and good food, but those all existed because of men’s battlefields. Here in the frontier, there were battles for men.
“Drop dead, Wren Water!” Anthony shouted.
When Anthony shouted that to encourage them, the warriors who were getting ready to swing the battering ram smiled broadly.
“Drop dead, Wren Water!” a warrior agreed.
“Drop dead!”
“Go and drop dead!”
“Drop dead, Wren Water!”
“Drop dead already!”
“Drop dead, Wren Water!”
If the warriors’ voices carried back to the rear and Wren Water heard them, there would be hell to pay later.
Like I care? We’ll do our duties. Our duties as warriors. By our warrior pride.
“We’ll go on the count of three, two, one!” The warrior in charge of keeping time raised his sword. “Three—”
The rest was drowned out.
There was a roar. A roar fell down on them.
It was orcs.
“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhsh...!”
Orcs leaped down from the wall. They were falling.
The southern wall was six meters high. It was by no means low. But the orcs were brave. They leapt with no sign of fear, landing on the ground. Some orcs even crushed members of his army as they did.
Mainland-born pieces of shit tended to look down on the orcs and other hostile races, but frontier-born Anthony did not have that bad habit. He even felt a certain amount of respect for the orcs with their daring and integrity.
Orcs were robust, tenacious, and audacious. They appeared from practically right above the heads of the front line.
Straight at soldiers who had been expecting only arrows, ten—no, likely more than twenty—orcs came swinging at them. —No, flying at them.
It was over in an instant. The soldiers trying to man the battering had been mowed down by orcs before they could even register what had happened. While they had let their guard down, who could have predicted that experienced warriors would fall so easily? Still, it was nothing to be surprised about.
The front gate wasn’t open yet. Those orcs had launched an assault with no way to return. They were a suicide squad. Death troops.
On the other hand, his men had gone into this operation with the presumption of victory. They’d thought they were guaranteed to win. They’d thought there was no way they could lose. Everyone had thought that.
The enemies were ready to die. Yet his men had had no intention of dying here. It’d made a difference in how ready they were. The difference had been too great.
“Calm down!” Anthony swung at the orc.
Their blades locked, so he went for a Wind. But his opponent knew that would be coming. They jostled, then separated.
“Surround them! Surround them! There aren’t many of them!”
His subordinates tried to act on Anthony’s orders immediately, but many of the warriors were confused and panicking. They couldn’t move the way they wanted to.
Then, down came the arrows. The confusion deepened and spread.
“We should pull back temporarily!” someone shouted.
“Bullshit!” Anthony shouted while deflecting the orc’s slashes. “Have you forgotten your pride as warriors?! Listen here! This is all because of that damned incompetent, Wren Water! It galls me to do it, but we need to wipe his ass for him! We, the warriors of the frontier, will turn this around! Let’s do it! Warriors, follow me!”
Chapter 12: Later
On the southern wall, where the main gate was, something was very clearly wrong.
What on Earth is happening there? Haruhiro thought. I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Actually, I’ve got nothing but bad feelings about this. Are we in trouble?
Regardless, Green Storm Force had no choice but to keep assaulting the eastern wall. The enemy was mounting a defense. If they didn’t wipe out the orcs on the walls, the rain of arrows was going to make things dangerous.
“First, we take the east wall!” Bri-chan shouted, pointing to the top of the wall with his sword. He wasn’t carrying a shield.
It looked like the four ladders had made it to the walls intact. Not just Haruhiro’s party, but Choco’s party were alive and well, too.
Haruhiro pressed himself up against the wall, holding up his shield. What’s going on up there? I can’t see, so I can’t tell. Though Renji and the others who went up first must be raising some hell up there. Maybe that’s why? Somehow, it feels like the rain of arrows has let up a little compared to before...?
While he was under his shield, catching his breath, someone grabbed him by the collar.
“Gwah!”
“Hey! Quit wasting time! We’re going too, Parupiro!”
It was Ranta. Stupid Ranta. Didn’t he realize that hurt?
Haruhiro brushed Ranta’s hand aside. “...What’re you calling me Parupiro for? And, wait—Huh? Where are we going...?”
“Up the ladders, over the wall! Obviously!”
“No, but...”
“No butts, no farting around, none of your crap! We’re going!”
Ranta tried to pull Haruhiro by the arm. Seriously, give me a break, Haruhiro thought angrily before tripping Ranta.
“Whoa...?!” Ranta fell over, but quickly jumped to his feet. “—You ass!”
“Wha...?!” Haruhiro exclaimed. “Man, you’re seriously trying to punch me?! At a time like this?!”
“Yes, it does! If you’d just think about it!”
“I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t let common sense get in his way! You could call me a revolutionary!”
“While you’re spouting that nonsense, everyone else is going up the ladders!” Haruhiro shot back.
“What’d you say? Whoa! You’re serious!”
They could see Choco’s group getting ready to climb the ladder. Even Haruhiro was starting to think it would be best to get moving at this point.
“L-Let’s get going already!” Moguzo stammered.
When Moguzo said that, Haruhiro made up his mind. “Okay, let’s go! Moguzo and I will take the lead! Everyone else, follow after us!”
“You moron! I oughta be first!” Ranta shoved Haruhiro aside and started up the ladder.
“Fine, have it your way...!” Haruhiro fastened his shield to his back, continuing up after Ranta.
Moguzo was going up a different ladder. Yume was behind Haruhiro, while Merry was behind Moguzo. Shihoru came last.
The rain of arrows had already stopped.
It was a chaotic melee up on the walls, but their side had the clear advantage. There were no orcs near Haruhiro and the others.
In a place near the northeast corner of the wall, there were stairs leading down. The enemy looked ready to defend them to the death, but a group centered around Team Renji were pushing them hard.
“Go!” Ranta screamed.
That probably wasn’t what caused it, but Renji cut down one orc and kicked another off the wall.
The enemy defense was breaking down, and the volunteer soldiers rushed forth.
“We’re going in!” Bri-chan shouted. His voice carried well.
Renji and Ron descended the stairs. The orcs were massed on the stairs, trying to impede their advance.
How are they going to get past that? Haruhiro wondered. Oh, that’s how.
Renji and Ron rammed themselves into the orcs.
“Push...!” Ron screamed.
No way.
Seriously?
Team Renji and the other volunteer soldiers pushed Renji and Ron from behind. They pushed like crazy.
