Torose fortress.

Turn your backs to the enemy and have the shields face inside? That’s quite perplexing.

Our allies didn’t seem to be obeying the order.

"Turn toward the city and take defensive positions――!"

I strained my eyes to look closer and saw Myla shouting the same thing.

I was not sure of the meaning behind the instructions, but I was going to believe in her.

"All of you, do what you’re told. No complaining, just do it!"

The soldiers rushed and followed suit when I yelled at them.

That’s the result of popularity and benevolence.

"No, I think it’s fear."

I would poke around Mirai’s cheeks later.

"What are they doing, have they gone insane?"

"Their commander is probably crazy. Now’s our chance!"

Of course our allies were free to be cut in such a state.

However it wasn’t a one-sided massacre.

"Bow cavalry, loose your arrows! Fire everything you’ve got!"

Countless hits rained down onto the shields while the enemies behind us got riddled with arrows.

The eerie sound from the slicing of wind made by the arrows traveling through the air was almost like the cry of an unknown monster and it was followed by the rhythmic tapping of metal as they make contact with our shields.

"The bow cavalry are shooting! With us in the range as well!"

Our bow cavalry did not have a role in our siege defense so all 100 of them were preserved. 20 of my dalish archers and 30 of the Monfort-Doucy archers were included in that 100 men. 

I thought they were waiting in the main street just in case the city gets invaded, but they were actually lined up parallel with the north wall.

Myla must have aimed for this from the start.

"Don’t move your shields. If you get cut from behind, you get cut. Recklessly running would turn you into a porcupine on the spot."

Our allies made themselves as small as possible and hid behind their shields while our bow cavalry fired arrow after arrow.

Mirai didn’t have a shield so she wrapped herself in my cloak and curled up with me.

"What a staggering barrage!"

"Naturally. One volley had 100 arrows. While 50 men were shooting, 50 men on stand by. After the 50 shot, another 50 moved forward to shoot."

The Monfort-Doucy men as well as the Guiscard men were dumbfounded at Dalish archers.

Not only was their precision high, their rate of fire was beyond that of average archers.

Even more so when they’re prioritizing firing in succession.

"And they’re unexpectedly aiming well."

More arrows were hitting the enemy than they were hitting our allies’ shields.

Considering our positions, it would be normal to think the opposite was true, and that was another demonstration of the excellent skill of the bow cavalry.

The enemy soldiers who were looking to clean sweep our vulnerable allies ended up being vulnerable to a rain of arrows.

A storm of tens of thousands of arrows eradicated the enemies from the walls in no time.

"The squad which crossed the wall has been destroyed! They can’t maintain the attack!"

"Retreat! Retreat for now!"

Like the ebbing of the tide, the remnants of the enemy withdrew.

It could be considered a wiser decision than persisting.

"Injured soldiers move into the city, reinforcements move out."

"We can’t move the sandbags. Pile up something flammable and light it with oil. It will do for now."

As to be expected from Myla's men. They were trained to defend.

They were starting to make appropriate moves.

I shouldn’t interfere unnecessarily.

I guessed that’s the end of…… no, I can’t say that.

"Battering rams are approaching the north gates! They’re making contact!!"

The rams made a distinct boom as they shook the gates.

So they moved those things while we were fighting on walls?

"The gate has been destroyed!!"

The metal doors got dented in with a dull thud and slowly fell inward.

"Over here this time?"

I got down from the walls.

Myla was already standing in front of the gate where an encampment was constructed in a hurry.

"The gate broke down."

"It’s fine."

Myla smiled.

"Run into the city!"

"Rout the enemy! Now is the time to show our strength!"

Unlike climbing the sandbags, where they had to use their hands, the soldiers could freely charge forward through the open gates.

Cavalry could freely sprint forward too.

Myla simply raised her hand calmly.

"Annihilate them!"

A semi-circular space was created in front of the gates by tearing down a few residences.

Staring down the gates were a row of our 10 units of motorbikes driven chariots, which launched a volley of bolts at the intruders.

"Ugya!"

"Dowaah!"

"What are those wagons!?"

Torose’s gates were wide.

Nevertheless, it was still a restricting space.

There was nothing they could do if we concentrated fire in that narrow space.

"I thought chariots could only be utilized in a field battle, I didn’t know they were so easy to use in a defensive battle."

That's Myla, the defence specialist for you!

Since it took time for ballistae to be set up and taken down, it would be hard to deal with a mobile enemy.

However having ballistae pre-installed on the wagons of the chariots allowed them to move and changed positions quickly and accordingly.

Those enemies who initially ran in all ended up on the ground.

It didn’t stop the trailing soldiers from coming.

"Fire number two!"

The ballistae on the chariots roared once again.

"Guwaaaaah!"

"What happened!?"

In an attempt to trample through the city, the enemy sent their cavalry.

It just made for better targets for our ballistae.

Powerful bolts would impale the riders on horses and plunged into the large bodies of the war horses, killing them instantly.

If lucky, the bolts would pierce through the first target and stab into the enemy behind.

Every time the thick bowstring made a low-pitched twang, a cry of agony from the soldier and horse would follow, and then the sound of corpses hitting the ground.

Soon enough, the area in front of the gates was littered with dead people and horses.

A few managed to run past the rain of bolts and closed in on the chariots, only to encounter the crossbowmen and spearmen also riding on the wagons.

Whether it was the first or the second option, it resulted in the enemy dying.

"Crossbows, infantry, to the front. Move the battering rams out of the way and build a temporary wall."

Obstacles lined the ground so the cavalry couldn’t really build up momentum for a decent charge.

All that’s left is for the infantry to fight it out and the closing of the gates would be complete.

"I’ll go."

"Eh?"

A jostling match in front of the gates would come down to a collision between a select few.

It might sound strange coming from me, but there was no better person suitable for the job than me.

"If the commander goes personally and something happens――"

I gave Myla a kiss.

"I trust you to take command. I will defeat the enemy and seal the gate."

"Understood. I will leave it to you then."

Myla nodded.

"Take care of the rest for me, Myla-san."

"Wait right there. You will stay with me and provide assistance."

"No way! I’m going with Hiro-sama――!!"

Mirai was caught by Myla, which was fine.

Nobody knew what would happen during a chaotic melee in a tight space.

I was actually worried about Mirai in the earlier fight against the monkey guy.

"Don't worry. I will be with him."

Sekrit followed behind me.