Unification of the South

by Hyougetsu

  “Puny humans. I suggest you do not keep me waiting.”

  I was just spouting whatever clichéd lines came to mind, but the moment I said that, the spearmen instantly leveled their spearheads at me. It seemed they really thought I might charge them alone. I couldn’t help but laugh at their excessive caution.

  “Hahaha...”

  Crap, I’m still using voice amplification magic. However, it seemed the soldiers interpreted my chuckling as derisive laughter. The spearmen faltered, and their commander started shouting at them, telling them about how high the bounty was on my head, and how proud Meraldian warriors didn’t flinch in the face of the enemy. But no matter what he said, no one stepped forward. At this point the soldiers doubted the Senate would even pay a bounty, considering they’d ordered the assassination of a viceroy. And of course, there was nothing to be proud of in serving an employer who would do something like that.

  To my surprise, the engineers finished assembling the catapults faster than I expected. As they began loading stones into the baskets, I thought back to the time I’d been launched by a catapult. Thanks to that experience, I had a better grasp of ballistics now. I’m sure I can handle a few catapults no problem.

  There were eight catapults in total, and it took two hundred men to operate them. Because of the huge distance between them and their target, the engineers could only load the catapults with light stones. Heavier ones wouldn’t reach the buildings.

  The head engineer gave the order, and the eight catapults launched their payload. Or rather, seven of them did. One of them appeared to have misfired. That one’s stone flew only a short distance through the air before landing among the infantry. I knew it, these guys are inexperienced. Stopping shots like these’ll be a piece of cake.

  I backed up a few steps and observed the trajectory of the incoming stones. From what I could tell, five wouldn’t even reach Zaria. Of the remaining two, I decided to deal with the one with the more accurate trajectory first. Using my magic-enhanced muscles, I jumped as high as I could. A normal werewolf could easily jump three stories high. With my magic, I jumped higher than a five-story building.

  I soared through the air, heading straight for the rock. While it would be cool to punch right through the stone, that would also hurt. All I needed to do was make sure the stone didn’t hit any buildings, so I decided to knock it to the ground instead. I put my weight behind a powerful roundhouse kick and knocked the stone away. You’re not reaching Zaria on my watch.

  I landed elegantly, striking a pose as I did so. I kinda feel like I’ve become an action game character. Anyway, time for some more taunts.

  “Is this the best human weaponry can do? Pathetic.”

  In response, the engineers fired a second wave of stones. This time only four catapults fired. It appeared they were planning on launching alternating shots, four at a time. This volley was more accurate than the last. But the stones were also lighter than before. I could tell because their trajectories were different.

  However, I only needed to stop any shots that would reach any of the buildings’ upper floors. Because it was only the upper stories that were made of brittle brick. All of the buildings’ lower floors were made of sturdy stone. Both so they could support the upper floors, and so that they wouldn’t get damaged during any fighting that occurred in the city. They wouldn’t break easily.

  I leapt into the air and caught another stone, which I summarily threw onto the ground. The rest wouldn’t hit anything fragile, so I left them alone. I know I’m buffing myself with magic, but this is still easier than I thought it’d be. Perhaps I was being a little overconfident, but this was easy as playing catch. The stones Meraldia had fired this time were about as light as Airia. As for how many kilograms that was, I tried not to think about it, for her sake. Whoops, almost forgot to throw in some more taunts.

  “Do you truly believe such puny pebbles will be able to topple the legendary city of Zaria?”

  Naturally, the only response was a third wave of stones. These guys sure are persistent. Fortunately, I was getting better at reading trajectories with each successive wave.

  While a catapult had a lot of power, it wasn’t stronger than a werewolf buffed with strengthening magic. You know, if I used both legs I might be able to kick these back at the enemy instead of straight down. I raised both feet and kicked diagonally down at the next stone I needed to deflect, executing a perfect dropkick. A dropkick was the best choice to utilize all the strength in my muscles. As I applied pressure on the stone I also cast another strengthening spell, Power Burst. This spell momentarily raised my strength exponentially, but because its duration was so short, it was difficult to utilize effectively in a fight.

  “You can have this one back!”

  My boosted dropkick sent the stone flying back to the Meraldian army. Please reach... I somersaulted backwards to absorb the recoil of my kick and landed on my feet. The stone I’d kicked away crashed among the spearmen’s front ranks. Men shouted in surprise and the unit’s formation grew disordered.

  It seemed no one had been careless enough to get hit, but the spearmen seemed to be yelling something still. From what I could make it out, it seemed they were telling the engineers to stop firing. First they wanted the catapults firing, now they didn’t. Those spearmen sure were a temperamental bunch. Of course, I had no intention of letting this chance slip past.

  “Is this the extent of your power? Your pathetic display has left my warriors bored!”

  I raised a fist, and the werewolves I’d had hide on the roofs all rose to their feet. At least, I hoped they did. I couldn’t see, since I was facing away from them, but I imagined they did as we’d rehearsed. Like me, they were all wearing capes with Zaria’s emblem emblazoned on them.

  If it came down to it, I’d planned on having them throw those capes at the oncoming rocks to deflect them. Most of Zaria’s citizens had evacuated to the lower floors of the southern buildings. If any stones had managed to fly that far, my werewolves would have needed to stop them with those capes. But since they hadn’t, they were wearing them instead. Thanks to that, they looked even more imposing than usual. After the werewolves rose, Zaria’s soldiers raised all of the flags Shatina had been able to find. Smiling confidently, I shouted, “Come, throw as many stones as you wish. But once you’ve had your fun, know that it will be our turn. When that time comes, I hope you’re as willing to provide us your flesh as you are your stone. Mwahahahaha!”

  It was true that werewolves loved flesh. But we preferred our meat drained of blood and properly cooked, not raw.

  In the end, the Meraldian army decided to stop firing their catapults. I kind of wish they’d fired another wave. I would’ve made sure to hit someone with the next stone I deflected. Well, I guess that’s exactly why they stopped. But now the Meraldian army was out of options. Because they’d set up their catapults too far back, they were of little use. And even if their shots did reach the city, I’d just send them right back. However, invading the city while it was still intact would lead to massive casualties. In truth, the Meraldian army still held an overwhelming advantage, but they didn’t realize that.

  The soldiers’ formation began to break down. The archers on the flanks started to back away. While the spearmen were still holding their ground, their shields were trembling. And while they maintained formation, they were clearly beginning to panic.

  “We marched toward Zaria, and as ordered attempted to wear down the city with stones and arrows before invading. However, our strategy was rendered ineffective because one of the demon army’s werewolves repelled our ranged attacks. Due to that, we deemed the plan a failure and judged it impossible to successfully conquer Zaria.”

  If the soldiers gave a report of that nature to the Senate, they likely wouldn’t be punished for their failure. And it was for that reason I believed they’d retreat. Most of the rank and file soldiers were already on the verge of deserting. Though their commanders were shouting at them to show so
me grit, it was too late. Finally, one of the officers seemed to get fed up with his men, and rode out alone toward Zaria. He was a knight clad in thick armor, and he had a massive greatsword strapped to his back.

  “Whoa, look at that sword! Could he be—”

  “It’s Sir Volsaav! The great demon hunter!”

  Judging by the excited shouts coming from the Meraldian soldiers, this guy was famous. The knight unsheathed his greatsword and lifted it high above his head.

  “My name is Volsaav, Hundred-Man-Commander of the Meraldian regular army!”

  That’s not really an impressive rank... Most of the army’s higher-ranked generals were wizened old men, so the only people you saw demanding single combat were middle-ranking officers like these.

  “Don’t, you’ll only be throwing your life away.”

  I’d planned to mutter that under my breath, but I ended up saying it loud enough for everyone to hear. I’m pretty sure there’s a way to temporarily turn off my voice amplification, but I can’t remember it anymore. Volsaav’s face was covered by his helmet so I couldn’t make out his expression, but his tone was furious.

  “You mongrel, who do you think I am!? I’m Volsaav the Boar Slayer!”

  “Never heard of you...”

  That wasn’t meant to be an insult. I just really hadn’t heard of him. I wasn’t very good at conversing with humans I didn’t know, so I decided to appeal to the whole army instead.

  “If this is the strongest warrior you have, you might want to send a few more people to fight me.”

  “How dare you! I am the Master Fencer Volsaav, the man who placed first in both Wilheim and Aryoug’s tourneys! Even you ignorant southern savages must have heard of me!”

  I mean there’s no internet or TV here, so it’s kind of hard for news to spread. This guy looked like he wouldn’t quit no matter how many times I told him I didn’t know him, so I decided to change the topic.

  “Foolish human, you’ve grown drunk on your meager successes. But you have no hope of besting me. Go home.”

  Volsaav really would just be throwing his life away if he fought me, so I’d prefer it if he gave up. Unfortunately, I still had to keep up the merciless werewolf act, so my warning came out more as a taunt. As I feared, Volsaav didn’t like that. He dismounted his horse and held his sword close to his chest.

  “As a soldier of Meraldia, I challenge you to a duel!”

  Honestly, I didn’t want to fight him, but I was a demon army general. I couldn’t refuse. However, I could try warning him one last time.

  “Do you believe yourself more powerful than a catapult?”

  “Wha!?”

  I was trying to subtly hint that he should reconsider, but thanks to the persona I was acting out, my message didn’t get across. Enraged, Volsaav charged forward.

  “My sword has cleaved wildeboars in two, a werewolf like you is no match for it! Die!”

  Werewolf children hunted wildeboars for fun, the two weren’t even comparable. While it was impressive that a human had managed to defeat one with just a sword, that wouldn’t be enough to take out a werewolf. That being said, I couldn’t just ignore him. He’d challenged me to a duel in front of my men, and I was the commander of this battle. Mercy on the battlefield was a luxury I couldn’t afford.

  “Know that I did warn you.”

  I brushed aside Volsaav’s swing and thrust my claws into his head. I punched through his helmet with ease, and chunks of it flew through the sky along with his flesh. I then ripped his head off, and Volsaav’s corpse fell to the ground. The battlefield fell silent. Though he’d brought it upon himself, killing him still left a bad taste in my mouth.

  “Who wishes to die next?”

  I took a step forward and the line of spearmen took a step back. The Meraldian army’s morale had hit rock bottom. Neither arrows nor stones had worked on me. And if the army tried to charge, they’d have to contend with both a hail of arrows, and my werewolves. The one knight with the courage to challenge me to a duel had been beheaded in one slice. Right now, the Meraldian soldiers were probably terrified.

  In reality, if they pushed forward with their army of 2000, I’d be crushed in a heartbeat. However, the first few dozen men to attack me would, without a doubt, die. No one wanted to be part of that first wave. Not with morale the way it was. Of course, I was pretty scared of an army this big myself, but if I wanted to come out of this safely I needed to act brave. I flashed the soldiers a feral grin and howled, “I ask you again. Who wishes to die next?”

  I continued marching forward, as if the mass of 2000 infantry didn’t intimidate me at all. Seeing my reckless actions, my werewolves began howling.

  “Oi, Veight, what the hell are you doing!?”

  “Stop! Get back here right now, Veight!”

  “The boss is trying to charge in alone, someone stop him!”

  “Dammit, we’ve gotta follow him, guys!”

  “Aye!”

  My comrades cursed my foolishness as they reluctantly followed after me. But while I could tell what they were saying, humans couldn’t understand the howls of werewolves. To the Meraldian army, it sounded like my men were eager for blood. My battalion of werewolves arrayed themselves behind me, their capes fluttering in the breeze.

  “Boss, are you seriously planning on charging all of them!?”

  “I know you’re strong, Veight, but this is madness! We’ve gotta turn back!”

  “Wait, look. The enemy’s retreating!”

  “How’s this possible?”

  God, you guys are so noisy.

  “You guys, get back! It’s too dangerous to come with me!”

  Unfortunately, it seemed no one wanted to listen to me.

  “If it’s dangerous, then that’s all the more reason we can’t let you go alone, boss!”

  “Hey Veight, didn’t you just tell me you wouldn’t charge in alone? Well?”

  “When will you realize a commander can’t just rush in recklessly like this!?”

  “How many times do I have to tell you not to put yourself in danger!? I hope you’re ready for a scolding when this is over!”

  Me and my big mouth.

  Fortunately, from Meraldia’s perspective, it appeared as though a knot of 50 werewolves were howling battle cries as they steadily advanced. The soldiers’ morale was already as low as it could get, and the thought of facing a battalion of werewolves terrified them.

  “Th-These guys are monsters!” came a shout. That shout signaled the collapse of the Meraldian army.

  “The devil of Ryunheit’s coming for us! Run!”

  “Th-This isn’t what I signed up for!”

  “As long as that monster’s guarding the city, we can’t capture it!”

  The archers on the flanks slung their bows and started sprinting away from us. As for the engineers, they’d already abandoned their catapults and were running as fast as their legs would take them. At this point, there was no reason for the spearmen to hold their position. They no longer had ranged support to bolster their formation.

  “Get back here you cowardly archers! Dammit! Drummer, signal the retreat! Have the spearmen fall back!”

  The commander of the spearmen ordered a retreat, and the drummer beat out a steady rhythm. Now that an official order to retreat had been given, the spearmen had no reason to fight. They threw down their spears and shields and beat a hasty retreat. The faster they could run, the safer they’d be. Which was why they dumped all their heavy equipment like weapons and shields.

  “Everyone, run! Now!”

  “Retreat! Retreeeeat!”

  “Waaaaaaah!”

  The spearmen wearing full sets of armor started to panic. Even from this distance, I could tell they were way slower than their lightly armored counterparts. Hamaam walked over to me and casually asked, “Should we give chase, vice-commander?”

  I smiled mischievously at him and replied, “There’s no need to waste our energy. If we let them return alive, they’ll spr
ead more tales of our terrifying might.”

  “Understood.”

  I continued approaching the Meraldian troops at a brisk walk, and they scattered in every direction. Aren’t you guys a little too scared of me? They were running away twice as fast as they’d marched here. After the last soldier vanished beyond the distant hills, I stopped and scratched my head.

  “That was honestly kind of a letdown.”

  The werewolves around me grinned. Must be nice to be so easygoing. Had we actually fought, most of them would have died. It’s only thanks to the fact that they ran that we ended this with zero casualties. I doubted we’d be so lucky next time, but at least I managed to buy us some time. It’d be a problem if they found their nerve and returned to fight, so I decided to make that a bit harder.

  “Since the enemy was kind enough to gift us all these weapons, it’d be a waste to let them rot. Collect everything, including the catapults. Dismantle them and bring them into Zaria. If it turns out they’re too hard to disassemble, smash them up.”

  “Leave the catapults to my squad, boss.”

  Jerrick the blacksmith walked up to me. All the people in his squad were either blacksmiths, stonemasons, or carpenters. They were definitely best-suited to handling machinery. In the meantime, I should probably bury that knight. Hm? Wait a second, I can feel some mana coming from his sword. It’s not a lot, but his sword’s definitely enchanted. Normally a mere hundred-man-commander shouldn’t have had an enchanted sword. Curious, I decided to investigate.

  Upon returning to Zaria, I gave back Shatina’s father’s armor.

  “Your father’s armor protected me. It was this armor that chased away Meraldia’s forces.”