Torose fortress.

Enemy troops spread out and pushed toward the north flank.

Shieldbearers were in front and infantry followed behind, just how they’d attacked previously.

"Do we have any ballistae left?"

"None! The bulwark has pretty much been destroyed too!"

We’d lost a lot of the advantage granted to us by the walls.

The guards would have to personally defend.

"Then we’re going to have to do it. If we win, I’ll arrange some nice girls for you."

I drew my sword and ready a short spear in my left hand.

"There, come on."

"Suzy..You can only shoot arrows. Retreat!" 

Suzy was hesitant for a minute but she ran away as Mirai and I stared at her. She stopped at the group of Montfort's archers.

I threw my spear.

Our ally archers took that as a signal to loose a volley.

"Guwah!" "Gyaa!"

"Don’t stop moving! This battle is for Her Majesty Selena!"

My spear pierced through the commander on horseback while the arrows took down the soldiers around him.

The enemy was quick to respond with their own archers.

This time was different since we’d lost the protection of the walls.

Instead of having an overwhelming advantage, a lot more allies got exposed to arrows and fell over.

"We’re suffering heavy casualties! The height advantage isn’t enough to win against their sheer number!"

I cut down the incoming arrow aimed at the shouting Mirai.

In doing so, my shoulder also gets hit by an arrow, although my body was wrapped in armor and the impact was all I felt.

Maybe it’s a coincidence or my imagination. Let’s go with that.

"We’re losing the shootout! We can’t keep the enemy in check!"

By the sixth round, our ally volleys had gotten much weaker.

Too many archers got killed so the barrage was too scattered.

"Get the injured and the dead off the walls and call for reinforcements."

There’s limited space on the battlements.

If people staying there couldn’t fight, they’re in the way.

"A squad is already waiting on standby below as ordered by Leonheardt."

"That guy is so prepared it’s almost annoying…… anyways, it doesn’t matter if you can’t fire as a unit. We just need as many arrows as possible."

With the arrival of backup, energy seemed to return to our allies and we started matching the enemy’s archers again.

Arrows and cannons weren’t the only things the enemy had.

They had shieldbearers in front, who made way for infantry by splitting to the left and right.

Their strategy was different this time.

"Enemy infantry are approaching the walls―― they aren’t holding any weapons! They’re piling up sandbags."

"…… I see. That’s why they were digging in the north."

The work they did in the north was for platforms which angled their large cannons upward and simultaneously for providing dirt for sandbags.

It’s simple for the enemy to prop up ladders to climb, and just as easy for us to kick them off.

On the other hand, piling up sandbags took a long time, allowing the enemy to be exposed to arrows longer and resulting in more casualties, however it wasn’t that easy to topple sandbags once they’d been stacked up, which in effect corners the defending side with a level of certainty.

"The enemy is getting serious now."

"Archers, aim at the infantry! Don’t let them pile!"

Competing with the enemy archers was already taking all their efforts so our ally archers couldn’t complete Mirai’s orders as well as she wanted.

Those throwing rocks couldn’t stop the infantry either.

"First squad is finished, retreat!"

"Second and third squad is on standby, getting ready."

The enemy stepped over the corpses of our allies and closed in on the wall, steadily growing the mountain of sandbags.

"The enemy has resumed their bombardment!"

"……with their allies this close?"

Balistic firing again meant we couldn’t lift our heads even more.

It also meant that the less precise catapult sometimes ended up firing on their own soldiers.

"Gyaaaa!"

"Do not fear! This sacrifice is necessary for victory. Believe in the empire, believe in Her Majesty, and advance!"

The enemy infantry panic briefly before quickly composing themselves.

"I thought an attack on their own troops would do more to ruin their morale. They’re stubborn."

Their morale and resolved were nothing to sneeze at.

A few losses here and there wouldn’t deter them from carrying out their duties.

"Yes…… I didn’t think it would be to this extent."

Mirai noticeably gulped.

It’s looking like we couldn’t stop them.

"Archers, get down from the walls. Infantry, halt your throwing and grab your weapons."

I could sense the soldiers gulp as well.

It was an order with the assumption that the enemy climbed over, so it made sense for them to be nervous.

Defending a siege in which the enemy crossed the walls was not the most hopeful development.

I would have to follow up.

"Do not worry. I’m better at cutting and thrusting than I am at throwing things."

I gave them a reminder while rubbing Mirai’s ass.

"L-like I keep saying, don’t do that! They’re going to misunderstand the thrusting part!"

A chuckle escaped my lips in part due to Mirai’s cute voice.

This was good, we would be fine if we laughed and fought.

Their cannons stopped when our resistance disappeared, allowing them to heap sandbags all the way to the top.

That wall of dirt was finally as tall as the city walls.

"Invade Torose! This battle is our―― gugh!!"

"Why hello there."

As the man with the appearance of a leader lifted his sword and shouted loudly, I ran my sword through his windpipe.

I twisted the blade while it’s still in his neck and then kicked the body down.

"How dare you do that to the commander!"

I brought up my sword to parry the spear thrust at me, turned the blade down and sliced the man in half from the top of his head to his crotch.

All his innards spilled onto the hill of sandbags and the two separated sections slide down the slope.

"You aren’t residents, but you’re welcome to come in."

"Bastard!"

I lowered my body to avoid a sideways slash and then stabbed him in the stomach from below.

While causing the man to scream loud enough to drown out the cheers on their side, I threw him directly above me and then cut through his body diagonally in midair.

A fountain of red internal matter sprayed down.

"Welcome to Torose "

I smiled at the enemy soldiers covered head to toe in blood.

"What is he……"

"Cutting apart the people like that…… what is he?"

The enemy soldiers yelling as they climbed up stop in their tracks.

Umu, I guess it was worth putting on a show and getting showered in smelly blood.

Killing people in such a brutal way isn’t something I liked doing, it just served to decrease the opponent’s morale while also increasing our ally’s morale.

"He is a monster."

"There’s a rumor that the war demon eats people if he hasn’t fought in a long time."

Hey now, I was doing this to help you guys.

Why were you guys scared too?

Hurry up and get in the fight, idiots!

A raging battle began on the walls that could not be considered wide.

Stopping the initial charge and letting my allies catched their breath helped them hold their ground better.

"Keep them out! Don’t let them enter the city!"

"We will win if we get over, push through no matter what!"

Well, a melee where we killed each other with swords and spears was exactly what I wanted.

A middle-aged soldier came at me.

"The guy from before was you!? Good timing, now become the rust on my spear――"

"That wouldn’t be possible."

Because everything from your shoulders and up were already dancing in the air.

"You can’t push us off anymore! The hill is already built."

A young unfriendly man poked his short spear at me.

"Aah, is that so?"

I let his spear bounced off my shield, and then kicked him in the chest.

The man flew into what’s left of the defensive walls and died when his head smashed into the rock.

"You can really feel how many there are from fighting them directly!"