Fun Territory Defense Chapter 232

[Another Viewpoint] The Start of the War

[Jalpa]

Two days after arriving in Centenna. Steady progress was being made in understanding the geography and preparing the knights for battle. Even though it was a fortress within our territory, the other side of Centenna was in another country. Just a few kilometers further on is Opel, a fortified city that is the pride of the United Republic of Shelbia.

The sun is setting and the walls of Centenna are turning red. Centenna, flanked by cliffs on either side, is casting its shadow earlier than the rest of the city. The sunset is blocked by the rocky cliffs, and the visibility is dimming.

Where will the enemy come from? Since they have lost so many battles in a row, they would not come at us head-on.

I put myself in the other side's shoes and thought of various ways I could make Centenna fall.

As I was doing so, I heard footsteps behind me.

"Your Excellency, please come in. There is someone in charge of patrolling."

It was Targa who appeared. I look behind me and see a large man standing there with an expressionless face, which chills me to the bone.

"I've already predicted Jiernetta and Shelbia's movements well enough and prepared for them. But I can't help but feel that there is something missing."

Targa looked at Shelbia's land with a glare and let out a short breath.

"...Hmm. Is that about that cannon or something like that?"

"Yes. It's one of our assumptions, but we don't have enough information about the cannon. If it can operate at such a long distance that we have no means of attack, we will have to challenge them to a field battle instead of a siege. If they occupy this land, there will be no end in sight. And If that happens, we will have to force the cavalry to crush the distance, or we will be prepared to crush the ball..."

As I was answering Targa's question, I suddenly heard a noise that lingered in my ears. The distance was so far away that it was difficult to tell exactly where the sound reverberated.

But it definitely sounded like it was coming from above.

"...What was that sound?"

Targa's brow wrinkled deeply as she looked up at the cliffs surrounding Centenna on either side.

"...I didn't think there were many people on those cliffs..."

Immediately after Targa grunted and mumbled, a heavy, earth-shaking bass sounded. Delayed, there was a series of sounds of hard, heavy objects colliding with each other and a violent sound of destruction, as if something was about to explode.

At the edge of my vision, I see a huge tower crumble. It is not a tall, thin spire, but a large tower that could have dozens of people forming a line on its rooftop. The top 30% of the tower had collapsed with a rattling sound.

"Damn you!"

I yelled unconsciously. It was definitely a cannon. I had seen black balls before, but they did not have this kind of power. It was more of a surface-destroying force of matter.

I stared over the surrounding cliffs as if looking for my parent's revenge. Then he spotted smoke on the cliffs to the east, a short-distance away. The sun was already setting, and it was getting darker, but for some reason I could see the gray smoke clearly.

We had to stop them from pursuing us. Focusing on attack speed, he quickly chanted and launched his magic.

"...Red Hot Flame Heat Bow...!"

As soon as he uttered the name of the magic, magical power gushed from his fingertips. As he waved his arm toward the cliff, the magic power, which became so thick that it could be visualized, transformed into a flame and flared up. The mass of flame that shot out like an arrow extended in a straight line to the top of the cliff.

The flames consumed all the trees on the cliff, including the area where the smoke was coming from.

Seeing this, Targa came back to himself.

"What? Sir, please go back inside the building. It is possible that they are being targeted from another location."

"I know! Damn, I should have checked that cliff in person too! I'm so pissed off!"

I yelled, punching the wall of the castle wall difficult to vent my anger. So angry that I didn't care about the bone-chilling impact and dull pain.

"It can't be helped. That cliff is not easy to climb, even for adventurers. There are magic beasts, and as the leader of the knights, even if I took the risk of sending a few of them up to the cliff, they would be annihilated by a magic attack from below the cliff, just like now."

I finally realize this when Targa tells me so. I had been so focused on the black balls and cannons that I had forgotten about the other new weapons of Jiernetta.

"...Oh yeah, that's right. They had a wyvern...!"

"Wyverns? Does that mean they have magic beasts with them, albeit medium-sized ones?"

"That's right. Using the magic of the lowly puppeteers. Even though it is a sub-dragon, a wyvern is a kind of flying dragon. That level of magic is not enough..."

Immediately after he answered, as if on cue, a large black shadow flew up from the cliff. It had huge wings similar to those of a bat. It was not that big, but it was still big enough to grab a horse by the legs and carry it away. And It is truly a wyvern.

Its scales are as hard as iron armor, and its wings cannot be damaged by ordinary bows and arrows or throwing spears. As long as the opponent flies in the sky, it must be a magician to deal with it.

"I just remembered something amusing at the same time, Targa."

"What? What is it?"

Targa asked as he approached the stairs from the rooftop to the lower floor. I snorted at that and thumbed at the wyvern flying in the sky.

"That flying lizard once dropped black balls out of the sky. Well, it's like bird poop."

"...That's not very classy."

Targa replied, his face scrunched up. Shortly thereafter, a hot wind blew toward the staircase with a ground shudder. A black ball seemed to have fallen to the ground right next to the castle wall. I don't know how much of it was packed in and dropped, but the sound of the fire burning up could be heard up here.

"Oh, my head is getting cold. I'm coming up with plans like hot water on how we should smash those idiots."

"That's good to hear."

I say lightly as I walk down the stairs, trying to hold back the occasional ground rumbling that makes me want to yell at him. Whatever his state of mind, Targa responded as if to follow suit.

It's no use joking around all the time. We must start by dragging that flying lizard down to the ground.