Chapter 126: Shira Fortress
After successfully returning to the Coalition Army’s territory without alerting the Republic forces, we emerged on the surface and immediately sprinted towards the frontline. We had been running for about three days since entering the Coalition Army territory, and we were getting close to reaching their base.
Though rushing like this took a toll on our stamina, we couldn’t ignore the messages from that man urging us to return daily. Wanting to avoid hearing his voice any longer, we decided to hurry once we were above ground, disregarding the challenges of the underground journey.
However, the children were not as fast as us, and some individuals like Sharl couldn’t run as swiftly. To ensure they could keep up, Shuu and Apao played a crucial role.
“Everyone, be careful not to fall off, Bumoo~”
“””Yes”””
“Hiiin~! Running feels amazing!”
“If you get carried away and drop Sharl, I’ll beat you to a pulp,” Tigar said.
“Well, well. Calm down, dear.” Sharl added.
Both Shuu and Apao had transformed into their beast forms. Shuu gathered the children, allowing them to ride on his back, while Apao carried Tigar, who, in turn, held Sharl, now pregnant and unable to run as fast as before. This arrangement considered each of their strengths and weaknesses in their beast forms.
Shuu had a broad and powerful back, making it possible for him to carry many comrades and supplies at once. However, he wasn’t particularly fast. On the other hand, Apao could carry fewer things at a time but was capable of running at a considerable speed.
Both of them had no qualms about carrying something on their backs. In fact, Apao seemed to enjoy running with his comrades on his back. Tigar tried to warn him not to get carried away, but Apao didn’t seem to understand and continued running as usual.
“Mika, do you sense anything in the surroundings?”
“Yes. It’s faint, but I can hear the sounds of hooves and conversations. We’re in luck. They’re our friends.”
“Our friends… the Dragonblood Knights, I presume. Let’s join up with them. I’ll leave the lead to you.”
“Understood.”
As we continued running, I asked Mika about the surroundings and any signs of activity. Mika’s enhanced hearing and scouting abilities allowed him to sense things even in places beyond my reach. While there were others with keen senses, none could match Mika. Thanks to him, we were able to accurately ambush the supply wagons.
According to Mika’s senses, there was a group of Dragonblood Knights, which meant they were a cavalry of Alexander’s subordinates. Since this area was close to Republic-occupied territory, they were probably out on a reconnaissance mission.
Alexander’s unit and our unit had fought side by side numerous times. We knew many of each other’s faces, and, like their leader Alexander, they didn’t shy away from us just because we were demons. Returning alone could potentially lead to trouble, but being with them made such worries unnecessary.
Apologies for using you guys this way, but I would like to join you after all. If they’re still on a reconnaissance mission, we might be able to contribute with our senses. It wouldn’t be a bad deal for them either.
Since I still didn’t know their exact location, I decided to let Mika take the lead. Following his guidance, we altered our course and ran through the grasslands. Even I could sense the sound of the Dragonblood Knights’ hooves right now. Others with similar abilities also seemed to pick up on it, as their expressions indicated understanding of the change in direction.
“Hmm, they seem to have noticed us too.”
“It appears so. Should we continue this way?” Mika asked.
“Yes, let’s not have them come to us.”
The Dragonblood Knights were friendly towards us, but Mika believed that we shouldn’t take advantage of their kindness. We were, after all, the Imperial Army’s possessions. If we grew accustomed to misconstrued behavior, it might unintentionally manifest in our actions, especially among the children who were more susceptible to misunderstandings.
And I, as a leader, wanted to avoid the whole group suffering due to a single misunderstanding. Mika’s opinion was correct, and I agreed with him. That’s why, instead of waiting for the Dragonblood Knights to come to us, we should run and join them.
“Gahahahaha! Long time no see, my disciple!”
As we approached the Dragonblood Knights at a quick pace, I got down to my knee, bowing my head in respect. Alexander, with a booming laugh, dismounted his horse and placed his hand on my shoulder, forcefully pulling me up to stand.
“It’s been a while, master.”
“Aye! I bet you’ve been sneaking into enemy territory, haven’t you? Tell me what you saw along the way!”
“You were on a reconnaissance mission, weren’t you?”
“What? It was just a training ride under the guise of reconnaissance! Don’t tell the others, alright? Gahahaha!”
Alexander laughed heartily and gave my back a strong pat before mounting his horse. As my martial arts master and a hero of the Helk Kingdom, his free-spirited and straightforward nature earned him the admiration of his subordinates, but sometimes he would act too freely like this. All I could do was respond with a wry smile.
After that, while running alongside the Dragonblood Knights, I summarized the destruction we caused in the occupied territory, the approximate number of enemies we defeated, and the enemy’s use of wagons as a countermeasure. Alexander seemed to enjoy the conversation until I mentioned the part about the wagons, and then he furrowed his brow.
“Oh, that. They’ve been lurking around the borders for about a month now. The enemy scouts, riding horses instead of those iron-mounted… two-wheeled things, you know?”
“They’re doing the same here? Not using unmanned reconnaissance drones?”
“Yes. After you guys left, the Coalition Army developed a spiritual art that disrupts the functionality of those floating unmanned reconnaissance drones. Thanks to that, the enemy relies on their own scouts. They’re quite skilled at hiding their presence, and it’s been giving us a hard time.”
The Coalition Army, including the Empire and other countries, stole and reverse-engineered technology from the Republic, coming up with ways to counter it and even developing new weapons. However, it was evident that the Republic Army was also adapting flexibly to the coalition’s countermeasures.
It was unreasonable to think that the enemy, who had been ravaging the continent unilaterally since the war began, would be an easy opponent. As we continued galloping across the grasslands, we reaffirmed this fact. The Dragonblood Knights’ horses were imbued with spiritual arts, making them less susceptible to fatigue, allowing them to keep galloping without rest.
During this time, both our group and the Dragonblood Knights arrived at the coalition army’s base. This stronghold was located even farther north than the fortress I had previously fought in, and it wasn’t captured by the Republic but built with the cooperation of the coalition forces.
This place was originally the capital of a small nation, but it seems that it was destroyed by the Republic’s army and turned into a food storage facility, which we once infiltrated. After intense battles, they managed to seize the food storage and then transformed it into a fortress. Although I wasn’t involved in that battle, I heard it was so fierce that Alexander suffered serious injuries.
Unfortunately, that small nation’s royal family was extinguished in the war, and the surviving citizens were scattered, effectively leading to the demise of the country. There were several other countries that met a similar fate due to the Republic’s invasion. It was a tale that truly conveyed the scale of the damage caused by this war.
This fortress with such tales was named Shira Fortress, apparently taking the name of the fallen nation in consideration, an act of compassion from the coalition army to at least preserve the country’s name.
It was surrounded by deep and wide moats and had a splendid outer wall made of white stone, giving it a sort of shabby appearance compared to the Republic’s fortresses. However, the outer wall was inscribed with spiritual circuits, adopting the three-dimensional spiritual circuitry that Orvo had studied. This reinforcement made the outer wall far more robust than ordinary metal.
Furthermore, there seemed to be some mechanism at the bottom of the moat that was said to be able to repel any invasion by the Republic’s army. I didn’t know the details of this mechanism, as Alexander was the one who could enlighten me about it, but even he wasn’t familiar with its specifics.
“Open the gates! Open the gates! The Dragonblood Knights and the Imperial Special Operations Unit have returned!”
Alexander shouted at the fortress with a booming voice that could split ears, causing a bit of commotion before the metal-reinforced drawbridge was lowered. The Dragonblood Knights crossed over first, and we followed suit.
It had been a while since we returned to Shira Fortress, and the gazes directed at us were a mix of curiosity and disdain, as usual. However, no one displayed overt hostility toward the Dragonblood Knights at the forefront.
Afterward, we parted ways with Alexander and headed towards the barracks where that man was supposed to be. We had to hear the reason for being called back and give a report of our return.
After instructing everyone, except for me, Tigar, and Zald, to return to the temporary tents reserved for the special operations unit, we informed the barracks guard of our business and obtained permission to enter. After a short wait, we surrendered our weapons to the guard and then entered the room where that man awaited us.
“You’re late! What were you doing!?”
…That was his first greeting to us upon our return. He berated us while simultaneously throwing a porcelain cup filled with drinks at us. The cup struck my face directly, shattering and splattering its contents all over my face and clothes.
There were no visible scars on my face…. but my already scarcely provided clothes had gotten stained. Despite feeling annoyed inwardly, I kept a blank expression and chose not to say anything.
“Oh! This cup is expensive, you know! It broke because of you!”
“I’m sorry…”
I thought his temper might subside after my apology, but it only seemed to anger him further, as he claimed it was all my fault that the cup broke. Seriously, he’s the one who threw it, right? What does he expect me to do?
However, I decided not to argue and simply apologized sincerely. I knew that resisting would only lead to more trouble.
“Do not speak without my permission! You filthy, lowly demon!”
Once I apologized, it didn’t end there. He continued berating me and then swung his fist at my face. If I didn’t respond, I might have been hit anyway. Well, it didn’t matter. I knew that if I dodged, I would still get scolded. So, I took the punch without flinching. His slow and light punch didn’t hurt at all.
Even though I understood that, I could feel Tigar and Zald, who were standing behind me, seething with anger. If I were in their place and saw a comrade facing such unfair treatment, I’d probably show my displeasure too. But for now, I had to hold back. If we displayed too much hostility, the binding spiritual art might react.
Fortunately, the man in front of me seemed oblivious to the anger of my two comrades. After venting his frustration on me, he regained his calm and returned to his chair, still breathing heavily.
It seemed I had avoided the worst of it. Now, for what purpose did you call us back? Let’s get this over with and find out what he wants from us.
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TN: mc calls Alexander master now because he is teaching him martial arts; he’s like a mentor or teacher to him and the master here is not like the master that Mika used to call Orvo with.
TN: mc and his friends call their “commander” by “that man” “or that guy”.
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