The Betrayed Master Betrays In Turn

When the first cannon blast echoed across the battlefield, a brief silence also fell over the Crimson Dragon Legion.

Even though the artillerymen had buried the cannons in pits, built dirt walls behind them to muffle the sound, and taken proper precautions like wearing earplugs, the simultaneous roar of 25 cannons shook the ground and weighed heavily on the soldiers.

"..."

The artillerymen, somewhat accustomed to the deafening noise through extensive training, quickly recovered their composure.

Zeke, a member of the Crimson Dragon artillery unit, grabbed a bucket of water and ran into the thick smoke.

-Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.-

The impact of his boots on the ground reverberated through his body, dulled by the earplugs blocking his hearing. Still reeling from the aftershock of the blast, he moved in a slightly dazed state to perform his duty.

He approached one of the faintly visible cannons and poured water over the barrel.

"..."

As the cold water hit the heated barrel, steam billowed upward, briefly obscuring Zeke’s vision.

His comrades, who had also approached, followed suit, pouring water over their cannons. When the steam dissipated, they pulled out oiled cloths and rods to clean the barrels. Despite the swirling dust and smoke obstructing their view, the soldiers relied on their instincts and touch to carry out their tasks.

Months of rigorous training for this moment ensured that the artillerymen of the Crimson Dragon Legion performed their roles seamlessly, even without hearing one another’s voices.

-Clang! Scrape!-

Zeke grabbed a shovel handed to him by a comrade and began realigning the cannon and pit, which had shifted from the recoil.

"...Done!"
"..."

Hearing a faint voice through the haze, Zeke looked up. The thick fog of smoke that had obscured his view began to clear, and for the first time, he caught sight of La Leon Fortress.

-Thud.-

"...Wow."

Though the fortress was still a distance away, it wasn’t far enough to obscure the devastation wrought by the barrage.

Gaps marred the parapets, which had once been densely lined with enemy soldiers. The walls bore several scars from where cannonballs had struck.

-Thud.-

"Ah..."

Momentarily stunned, Zeke snapped back to his task when his squad leader signaled to him. The sight of their success lifted his spirits, and the shovel in his hands felt lighter.

Working with his comrades, Zeke brought fresh gunpowder, cannonballs, and fuses to reload the cannons.

When the next firing order came, he eagerly ignited the fuse, watching the spark take hold before retreating to a safe distance.

-BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!-

The deafening explosions once again shattered the silence.

"..."

Zeke glanced at his comrades, his heart pounding as though it might burst, before turning to look at Victor.

Unlike the soldiers, who were visibly elated by the destruction they had unleashed, Victor stood on a temporary platform, his expression stiff as he observed La Leon Fortress. He looked as though he were deep in thought.

Then—

"Huh...?"

Victor tilted his head slightly, meeting Zeke’s gaze.

"…!"@@novelbin@@

When their eyes met, Victor gave him a small, reassuring smile.

Feeling as though Victor’s smile conveyed encouragement and approval, Zeke grabbed his bucket with renewed energy and sprinted back to the cannons.

Once, twice, three times. As they repeated the cycle of reloading and firing with relentless focus—

-Cease fire!-

The order to stop firing finally came, signaling their task was complete.

Zeke and the other artillerymen looked up.

"Whoa..."

What met their eyes was a completely destroyed section of the fortress wall, and above it, a white flag fluttering in the wind.

---

When news arrived that the Empire’s forces were on the move and strange sounds were being reported, Count Jordi Iglesias climbed the watchtower himself to monitor the situation.

"Unidentified forces spotted advancing from the direction of La Leon Fortress!"
"...What?"

Alarmed by the report from a sentry, Jordi hurried to the watchtower overlooking La Leon.

As the report stated, thousands of armed soldiers were running toward Adense Fortress, but—

"…Hmm?"

Narrowing his eyes to observe them more closely, Jordi quickly discerned their identity.

"…They're allies. Open the gates."

The flags and their equipment revealed them to be the garrison troops from La Leon. Jordi ordered the gates opened and descended from the watchtower to question their reason for coming to Adense.

Soon, soldiers in a disheveled and nearly ragged state flooded into the fortress.

"Stop! Who is in charge here?"
"…!"

Jordi’s shout halted the soldiers in their tracks as he sought out their commander.

Some soldiers stared blankly at Jordi, while others who understood his command relayed it to their comrades. The group erupted into chaotic murmurs, and after a long exchange, a man in armor emerged from among them.

Covered in dirt and soaked in sweat, he appeared to have traveled a long distance. His lips were cracked and parched.

"…Baron David Perea, formerly tasked with defending La Leon’s east gate!"
"Good grief. You can lower your voice."
"Ah, my apologies."

David loudly introduced himself, prompting Jordi to grimace in irritation.

"…You seem to be in quite a state. Before you rest, I must ask—why have you come here so suddenly without sending a messenger?"
"…"

At Jordi’s question, David paused, his face growing pale as his body began to tremble.

"…?"
"La Leon Fortress… the fortress…"
"What about the fortress? Was it captured?"
"…It’s been destroyed."

Struggling to control his trembling, David stammered his response.

"Destroyed? What do you mean—"
"It’s completely collapsed!"

David shouted, his voice breaking.

"What in the world…"
"Suddenly, the ground shook, and the walls came crashing down!"
"…?"
"The soldiers on the walls, even Viscount Mayo, who was commanding from above!"

David continued yelling at the bewildered Jordi before clawing at his own hair in a near-manic fit.

"They’re all dead! All of them, buried under the rubble! They must be calling out to us now… but we couldn’t help them! At least we survived… someone must avenge them, don’t you think?"
"Calm yourself."
"Ah… ahhh…"

Seeing his behavior border on hysteria, Jordi hesitated to intervene directly, choosing instead to speak gently.

"Rest for now. We’ll talk again once you’ve recovered."
"…Yes. My apologies, I’m sorry."
"That’s understandable. Go on."

Jordi arranged quarters for David and his soldiers, deciding to gather more details later.

"Are you feeling better now?"
"Yes. I sincerely apologize for my earlier outburst."

A few hours later, Jordi and the kingdom’s officers gathered with David and other survivors to hear their testimony. Most of them had been stationed in the rear and survived by chance, so their accounts were disorganized and scattered.

"…The fortress completely collapsed?"
"Yes. Reconstruction seems impossible."
"…"

One fact emerged clearly: La Leon had been utterly destroyed by a massive, dark siege weapon.

Recalling details from a letter sent by Theodore, Jordi suspected that the weapon was a "siege cannon."

"If you know anything about this siege weapon, speak freely."

With his scouts sent toward La Leon failing to return, Jordi pressed the survivors for information to learn as much as possible about the enemy.

"The preparation… ah! The preparation time was long!"
"Yes! They dug into the ground and then—"
"Keep your voices down."

Though the more informed soldiers had a tendency to speak loudly, Jordi paid it no mind.

"…I see. So it takes considerable time to prepare for firing and has a long interval between shots."
"…?"
"Hah…"

From the survivors’ fragmented accounts, Jordi pieced together a rough understanding of the siege cannon’s capabilities.

And if his assumptions were correct—

"This won’t do."

Remaining holed up in the fortress would be tantamount to inviting defeat.

"…What do you mean?"
"Regardless of how powerful these siege cannons are, we can’t construct walls strong enough to withstand them. If the enemy can destroy our walls, then the fortress becomes a prison trapping us inside."
"…"
"Moreover, the force that moved on La Leon numbered only ten thousand. The Empire still has twenty thousand soldiers remaining, and there’s no report of them advancing toward us yet. It’s likely they’re heading for Serona, which means we can’t count on reinforcements."

Jordi concluded that the attackers at La Leon were likely the Crimson Dragon Legion, given their use of this new weapon.

While the Empire’s troops were armed with firearms, making a field battle unpredictable,

"We will lead our forces out and strike before the enemy has time to prepare their siege cannons. If they manage to deploy them, we stand no chance."

To Jordi, fighting and possibly losing in the field was preferable to dying passively in the fortress or abandoning it altogether.

"From what we’ve heard, all their soldiers are armed with firearms. You’re familiar with what those are, yes?"
"…I’ve seen them before."

Adense Fortress housed ten thousand soldiers, with an additional three thousand from La Leon. As Adense’s primary purpose was to support La Leon and Serona, rather than serve as a defensive stronghold, nearly four thousand of its troops were cavalry.

"Let’s assume all ten thousand of their soldiers are armed with firearms and devise a strategy accordingly. They transported their cannons on wagons, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"Even imperial musketeers have struggled against our cavalry. Hmm…"

Forcing himself to find hope, Jordi began discussing countermeasures with his officers, determined to turn the tide.