Torose fortress.

The enemy was closing in on the west gates."

West gates...... meaning they’re attacking from the closest gate.

It looked like they’re mounting a standard attack without any tricks.

"Shields and archers have stepped forward!"

"Archers, nock!"

We have 300 archers and a loaded ballista.

They probably had more than double our archers.

"Loose!"

"Looseーー!"

Each side gave the order at the same time.

Arrows crossed in midair and rained down on opposite sides.

"Gyah!"

"Guwahー!"

"Gueh!" "Higya!"

Screams and groans alternated as soldiers fell one after the other.

"Next volley, looseー!"

"Don’t lose!"

The shootout lasted for a while.

"Both sides seem to be firing at the same pace."

"The Montfort..they’re well-trained."

If the opponent was equally as skilled, they couldn’t be a motley crew.

They’re not as fast as the bow cavalry though. The Dalish tribe are a special kind of fast.

"The third volley is being exchanged!"

"Fumu......"

Our allies were not suffering many casualties with the defensive structures protecting them, however the same could be said for the enemy archers firing from behind their large shields.

To begin with, the firing of arrows was the prelude for a fight and not something meant to settle it.

"They’re going to do it soon. Get the infantry ready."

Just as Myla anticipated, the fourth volley wasn’t aimed at the archers on the ramparts.

The arrows flew in a higher arc and dropped in the city.

Not only that, the tips were wrapped with a burning cloth.

"Using flaming arrows to cause panic in the city......"

Myla obviously foresaw this would happen and already made the necessary preparations.

"They can’t see what’s happening on our side. Stay calm and douse the flames with water!"

"Just be careful of the wooden structures. This is nothing to worry about."

Soldiers scattered throughout the city ran around with buckets of water to put out the fire before anything could happen.

"In terms of performance, our bows have the advantage."

That volley was probably the furthest they could shoot.

Regardless of the flaming arrows being heavy, they couldn’t shoot further than the Montfort archers, much less the composite bows used by my Dalish archers.

The enemy archers stayed to check on the situation, but when they couldn’t see any soldiers on our side acting flustered or any fires rising into the air, they slowly retreated.

"They’re pulling back."

"As expected. Now what will they come at us with next?"

"We have enough soldiers to defend and we also prevented the fires. The only option is for them to break down the gates."

So they’re attacking for real next time.

"Infantry, line up in front of the west gate. Cavalry, wait in the middle of the city."

We’re in a position to immediately launch a counterattack on anybody who crossed the walls if the gates do get broken.

"The enemy is starting to set up siege weapons. Multiple battering rams confirmed!"

Defense was annoying because you had to constantly match the opponent’s moves.

"Myla, isn’t it bad if the enemy sets up their catapults?"

"It’s not a problem. Recklessly leaving now would result in more casualties...... it’s best just to sit back."

Is that so?

I could hear the sounds of crushing.

The enemy has finally fired their catapults.

They’ve begun to attack for real.

Myla had already prepared by having sandbags piled on the outside of the steel gate and stones stacked high on the inside.

Even catapult would have a hard time shooting through.

It’s hard to tell what’s going on if we couldn’t see anything.

"I’m going to look."

"Ah, geez!"

Mirai voiced her concerns as I left the headquarters and climbed up the walls.

When I showed up on the battlements, soldiers of the Montfort-Doucy army seemed surprised.

"Eh, Mister Hiro!? It’s dangerous here."

"I can’t see from down there. Besides, I won’t get taken down easily by arrows――"

I could hear the whoosh of air.

Myla ran towards me.

Her sword got drawn and swung in the direction where the sound came from, encountering a powerful force before metal fragments and wooden shards scattered everywhere.

"Why do you come here?" She told me off.

I thought that was a bolt aimed at soldiers on the walls.

"――anyways, I can’t do anything without seeing the enemy."

"...... She just repelled a bolt like it was nothing."

"She is a beauty too!"

"And that speed...... I couldn’t see his sword at all."

"See, Hiro-sama, it’s dangerous! Please go back down!"

I soothed the fussy Mirai and pushed her head down so she wouldn’t get hit by stray arrows.

From what I could see, the catapults were being focused on the west gates while arrows were targeting the soldiers on the walls.

Archers were providing cover fire so the battering rams can get hits in.

"Leonheardt said there are no problems...... I see, their catapults are small."

Those things were about the same size as our ballistae.

A simple fort with a wooden door could easily be destroyed by them, whereas a stone wall and a steel gate would be more difficult to take down.

Modern canons in my previous world cannons were capable of breaking through no matter how much the gate may be reinforced and bazooka could blow huge holes in the sturdiest of walls.

Good thing for us, we were living in different universe with medieval technology.

"Enemy catapults, incoming!"

Their metal balls flied into the sandbags and slightly shook the wall.

"Guh......"

"Uuu......"

Our gates didn’t break.

However, some soldiers seemed rattled.

Catapults might be a medieval technology, but these balistic weapons weren’t just fearsome for their destructive ability, they also served to overwhelm the opponents with showy sounds and thunderous booms.

"Calm down, just plug your ears up if you think it’s too noisy and intercept the other enemies. None of the shells will come at you anyways."

It’s not like they could do anything if a cannonball flied directly at them either, so there’s no use thinking about it.

"I-If they continue to shoot, it doesn’t matter if the gate is made of steel. It won’t hold......"

"We have to do something about those cannons......"

"No, it’s not necessary."

"Yeah."

I understood how painful it was to endure attacks at a range out of your reach.

However, tunneling too hard on dealing with them was something the enemy can exploit......nevertheless, we had no need to do anything in the first place.

"It’s an issue we agonize about all the time during practice. Look over there."

A few cannons stopped firing altogether.

The men operating the cannons were scrambling.

"They really break too easily."

"Yes......"

Our ballistic weapons which were improved by Cass Brankovic broke relatively easily too.

Being shot at until they run out of ammunition is purely fantasy, whereas in reality, their catapults will fail way before that.

"This battle isn’t the last for our enemies. They aren’t going to use up all their catapults by firing them here. They will use battering rams and ladders for sure."

"This isn’t the time to be frightened!"

Myla and I inspired the soldiers.

"Understood! We won’t act cowardly in front of Mister Hiro !"

The middle-aged commander gave his subordinates a fierce encouragement.

"I’ll show you a brave fight too! Ah, for the girl’s sake......"

A young soldier blushed when he saw Mirai.

I could forgive him because she’s cute and there’s nothing he could do about that, but I was not giving her up.

The enemy’s attack ramped up and various projectiles got flung at the walls, ranging from countless arrows, ballista bolts and pots of oil hurled by catapults.

"Ballista, take out the group on the right! Don’t let them shoot freely!"

"Only fire extinguishing personnel can hide! If I see anybody hiding with a bow, you’ll be kicked off!"

Our allies responded by launching the ballista installed on the walls and firing arrows or dropping pots of oil.

A giant bolt threw off the balance of the enemy catapult enough for it to collapse.