Chapter 264: |
The conflict between Bagran and Galisto reached its peak, making a full-scale war inevitable.
Prince Barak of Bagran sent a red letter to warn Leobold, but he did not seem to have any intention of stopping the war.
The war would begin as soon as one side declared it.
But the person who came to inform him of that was not a diplomat from Zaium or Galisto, but the saintess Veronica of the Holy Church.
“First of all, I congratulate you on ascending to the throne of Bagran.”
“Thank you.”
“The halo on your head… You have obtained a divine power, I see.”
“Didn’t you also obtain a divine power? Didn’t Hermine, the god of dreams and illusions, teach you?”
“So you knew. Hermine told me this. The hero who came from another world is the only one who can change the whole of Astera. We have to cooperate with him to achieve our goal.”
He asked this because he guessed that their goals were different.
The current pope was a frustrated man who could not spread the influence of the church.
The Holy Church was also a respectable state that needed revenue, which was understandable, but it became a problem when it was excessive.
At this very moment, priests and knights sent from the Holy Church were roaming around various places, forcing donations and conversions.
Who would believe in gods who had all perished and could not grant any power?
She hesitated for a moment and then said.
“What I want is peace in Astera. The pope also wants the same, and the whole church wishes for peace.”
“That’s good to hear. I also want peace in Astera.”
“I’m not joking. Where can you find peace in your actions?”
“Can’t you tell from unifying Bagran? If you listen to the priests, you’ll know that Bagran’s public order is much better than other countries. The income is also high, and it is developing vigorously. What more peace do you want than this?”
“It’s evil to invade other countries for that!”
“I never invaded anyone. They just hostilely treated me unilaterally.”
“Then why did you injure Galisto’s envoy and assassinate Elbrangde’s princess?”
“The former was just holding him accountable for his arrogant attitude. The latter, I won’t answer.”
He could bring Margareta in front of him, but he didn’t need to persuade the Holy Church.
They could only nag anyway.
But Veronica said something unexpected.
“…I know your strength well. It must be hard to deal with you with Goliath’s troops. But this time is different. You must not fight.”
“That’s interesting. Did they dig up something good from the ground?”
Veronica was speechless as if she had hit the mark.
But the saintess’s training was not a joke, so there was no change in her expression.
“I don’t know what you mean. I just came to stop this meaningless fight…”
“Saintess.”
Leobold straightened his posture and looked at her squarely.
“I don’t know why the Holy Church is acting as Galisto’s puppet…”
“Puppet? That’s harsh!”
The saintess blushed and jumped up, and Leobold snorted.
“Then why did you bring a letter from Falchus II in your bosom? You bet everything on that letter being an ultimatum.”
“…”
She nodded weakly and took out the letter from her bosom.
It was an ultimatum and a declaration of war.
Leobold glanced at it briefly and put it down.
“So can I assume that the Holy Church is moving with Galisto and Pangral Archduke?”
“There are also many kingdoms that are supporting us. This war must not happen. I will mediate, so please bear with it this time.”
“I will not see you again after this.”
Her lips trembled at his sudden declaration.
“Can I ask why you say that?”
“This is the third time, right? Yes, it is. Anyway, meeting with you was not very enjoyable or beneficial. So there’s no need to meet anymore.”
“Do you always treat people like this?”
“I do my best for those who need it. I can’t find a reason to meet someone who only demands me to do this and that while hiding their god.”
“I tried to tell you about your hometown…”
“I don’t need it.”
Leobold waved his hand.
“I’m sick of your attitude of trying to control me as if you caught my weakness. We met three times but we couldn’t find any common ground, so I think it’s better to stop here.”
She didn’t know what to do at his firm attitude and got up.
“That’s a narrow-minded judgment that doesn’t suit the halo on your head. I’m disappointed.”
“You’ll continue to be disappointed. So it’s better not to see each other.”
“Excuse me…”
Veronica opened the door of the reception room and then said.
“I don’t know what kind of artifact you have from a god. But you should give up the idea that it will protect you.”
“That’s a threat from the saintess of the Holy Church. But remember this.”
Leobold hardened his expression and said.
“I don’t care what kind of power or god you bring. Bring them all. I’ll kill them.”
“That’s blasphemy…”
“If it was real blasphemy, lightning would have struck my head by now. Right? Why do you leave alone a lowly being on the ground who insults you?”
The answer was simple.
They were not real gods.
At least in Leobold’s eyes.
Veronica left and he asked Arma to do something.
“Watch the church’s movements. They’re not normal.”
“I’ll monitor the movements of 36 important figures, including the pope.”
He didn’t know what they were aiming for, but one thing was certain.
The interference of the church would become more persistent from now on.
“Every time I wage a war, they’ll bother me. Maybe it’s better to clean them up with a missile.”
“Do you want me to fire?”
“…No, let’s wait and see for now.”
Leobold’s patience, which he had trained for a long time, did not collapse at this point.
But if the church brought something they couldn’t handle and forced it on him, then they would have to be prepared.
***
The ultimatum contained what Leobold had to do.
—Explain and apologize for assassinating Elbrangde’s princess on the international stage.
—Explain and apologize for cutting off Galisto’s envoy’s arm.
—Explain and apologize for ignoring Pangral Archduke’s warning.
They were all explanations and apologies, and the last two required him to go directly to Pangral Archduke’s duchy.
He expected to be rejected, so the letter said that he could not guarantee Bagran’s safety if Leobold or Zigarion participated in the war.
“Is this a threat to use Meteor Strike? Right?”
“Yes. Pangral Archduke can activate Meteor Strike by himself.”
“He’s openly blackmailing me. Wouldn’t Pangral Archduke lose if he helped Barak Prince ascend to the throne? Why is he doing this?”
“He probably thinks that since the mainstream of Zaium supports Barak Prince, he should acknowledge his rule and secure his favor. As evidence, he is pursuing a strong exclusion policy against the Northwind Alliance.”
“He wants to join hands with the prince and crush them, then divide the empire? It’s not a bad idea.”
He might have calculated that he had a chance if he excluded Leobold.
Anyway, Galisto declared war with Pangral Archduke on his back.
The war had begun and could not be stopped.
Bagran completely reorganized its army before the war.
“The Royal Guard Knights are disbanded, and all Goliath units are assigned to 10 mobile units.”
Leobold’s goal was to create mobile units that could be quickly deployed by airships.
Five units of riflemen with ether bomb launchers were newly formed.
They would board the airships, infiltrate the enemy lines, quickly eliminate the enemy’s Goliaths, and retreat.
It was a fairly effective tactic when facing a country that had no concept of reconnaissance because they mainly used Goliaths.
The key was the number of airships.
Both Goliaths and troops had to use airships, so it didn’t work if the number was low.
Fortunately, they had been building airships in eastern Bagran for a long time.
Four ships had been built, and they were planning to expand the dock to produce 1,500-ton airships.
If they combined with the existing floating continent fleet, it would be over 20 ships.
Arma reported that the repair of the giant ship found on the floating continent was completed.
“It has a displacement of nearly 5,000 tons and can carry about 10 Goliaths. It is equipped with 50 large-caliber ether cannons and can transport 500 troops. The name is Hyperion.”
“Hyperion, huh? Is it from Gram Empire?”
“According to Valgard, it was the royal flagship. The current Gram Kingdom’s emblem is based on this ship’s emblem.”
“Well, it’s cool.”
It was not comparable to Settler ship, but it was the largest airship in the current Astera continent.
There was a fragment of Cain’s soul embedded in the ship, but it could not exert much power.
But since it was a divine power, it seemed to help with ether cannons or magic defense.
Arma used a dummy to bring Hyperion to his jurisdiction.
When the airship was fixed at the dock, everyone couldn’t close their mouths.
“It’s huge…”
“I can’t believe there was such a big ship…”
“Oh, it’s Hyperion!”
Valgard showed his joy as expected when he saw the airship.
According to him, it was the flagship of the mobile fleet that destroyed countless enemies during the Great War.
“The current airships are not even worthy of being called airships! If they taste 50 large-caliber ether cannons, even gods would have to run away.”
“How did such an amazing ship get sunk?”
“It must have been because it was a flagship, so it attracted a lot of enemy attacks. Do you understand if I say it faced half of Elbrangde’s fleet alone?”
“Then it might trigger trauma for Elbrangde’s old elves.”
“Are you not using it in this war?”
“There’s no reason to. I can sweep Galisto with just riflemen.”
Valgard crossed his arms and nodded.
“I guess so. The important thing is what happens after defeating Galisto’s army. It’s a pretty big country, so you might choke on it if you swallow it whole.”
“I don’t have to worry about that as long as I have Arma.”
“Well, let’s say so. What do I do this time?”
“You don’t have anything to do for now. I have to destroy Goliath units stationed everywhere with riflemen.”
“And then rush into the capital as soon as Galisto’s army falls into chaos. I wonder if the remaining lords will surrender…”
“I’ll send Zigarion to crush them.”
There was no need to hold back since he decided to show his true colors.
He would crush Galisto, Pangral Archduke, and even Zaium and the Holy Church along the way, then destroy Elbrangde.
Once he achieved that, continental unification would be a matter of time.
The rest of the kingdoms would surrender on their own.
Valgard chuckled at this plan.
“It’s refreshing. But you said you wouldn’t use Goliaths anymore?”
“There’s no reason to. Goliaths are inefficient weapons from my perspective.”
“I’ll be unemployed if I get rid of Goliaths. What should I do…”
“You don’t have to worry about that for now. I have something planned for the Holy Church.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I don’t know yet, but they seem to be plotting to revive the gods from the Great War. There might come a day when I need your 100% power.”
“Hmm. It doesn’t sound like a good idea.”
The Holy Church’s goal was to firmly establish their influence in the whole of Astera.
But their influence shrank as many gods perished and their power disappeared in the Great War.
From the pope’s perspective, who used to have a voice over the entire continent, it was a fall from grace.
So they became desperate and dug up the land from the Great War to find something.
They were overjoyed when they found the fragment of Terahawk.
They provided it to Zaium and got something in return, which only the pope knew.
After that, the Holy Kingdom dispatched priests and knights to various places under the pretext of recovering history, and they were digging the land vigorously.
They seemed to have a special ability to find such things, as they found artifacts and traces of battles from the past wherever they dug.
But the most important thing was in the territory that Leobold acquired within Zaium.
The bones of Altima and many dragons, and the fragments left by the gods who vanished after fighting them, were confirmed to be there.
It was the core of the Great War, and now Camilla’s troops were guarding it.
Soon, a mock battle began.
It was a battle between the shocktrooper units that would be deployed in this war and the golems.
The golems were modified for heavy work, so they boasted a Goliath-class size and durability, and their mobility was also considerable.
The troops facing them wore lightweight armor, but their weapons were only ether bomb launchers and short swords that were too poor for frontal combat.
They were special units for destroying Goliaths.
Therefore, the training was intense and the dropout rate exceeded 40%.
But the soldiers did not run away because of Leobold’s speech.
“The enemies are Galisto’s nobles. On the contrary, you are commoners without titles. But titles do not determine combat power. What you have to do on the battlefield is to show that those arrogant beings called nobles are behind the times.”
It was not just a plausible speech, but he also offered a bounty for each Goliath, so they were eager to get a share in this war.
Money was not everything, but it was also true that nothing was better than money.
The mock battle began and the golems detected the shocktrooper units that had just landed on the ground.
It was quite a difficult condition for the golems to detect the shocktroopers.
The airships transporting the troops had invisibility cast on them over a wide area, making them hard to find.
They would notice them later, but it would be after Galisto was thoroughly destroyed.
Anyway, the battle was one-sided.
The shocktroopers calmly dispersed and took cover, smashing the golems despite having a big handicap of revealing their position.
The power of ether bombs was so great that they disabled them in one shot even if they exploded roughly at close range.
A few golems that barely survived started to run away according to the scenario, and the shocktroopers chased them on horned beasts.
Bang!
The last golem fell slowly after its chest was destroyed.
The commander glanced at Leobold and he nodded.
“It was an impressive battle that confirmed that you did not neglect your training. I will give you a reward, so loosen your belts tonight and eat and drink as much as you want.”
“Wow!”
“Long live King Leobold!”
As the shocktroopers cheered, Camilla’s face turned pale.
She had watched how they would deal with Goliaths with soldiers, but she was shocked by the power of ether bomb launchers.
“If golems are destroyed so one-sidedly, wouldn’t Goliaths be the same?”
“Unless they have living metal armor plates, they will be blown up in one shot. It will be hard to catch them if they run away on horned beasts.”
“Then what’s the point of Goliaths? And what about knights?”
“Goliath’s era is already over. People just didn’t know it and used it until now. This war is just an opportunity to teach them that. It’s not even a war in reality.”
They would complain if they faced those shocktroopers. Is this a war?
It can’t be helped.
If you don’t know, you have to learn it the hard way.
After receiving an ultimatum, both countries entered into a de facto war.
Galisto summoned all of its Goliaths and deployed them on the border with Bagran, while mobilizing a considerable number of airships as well.
As more than 400 Goliaths were deployed in advance, their rear was wide open, but they had nothing to worry about.
Zaium was practically an ally.
Bagran faced them with a handicap of Leobold and Jigaleon not being able to participate.
The nobles didn’t know that, but seeing them not moving, they rated it as a war worth trying by Galisto.
-Black Knights are there, but they exported a lot of them, so they are not deployed to all knight orders. They picked a perfect timing.
—Galisto has more than 400 Goliaths, which is more than three times that of Bagran. It’s not a gap that can be overcome by superior performance.
—Didn’t they also have contact with the Holy Kingdom? Maybe they got support? The skills of holy knights are not inferior to elven knights.
Various speculations were exchanged as Galisto’s army succeeded in completely securing five axes connected to Bagran.
Among them, the southernmost axis was a very important battlefield as it was a passage for carriages to move between two mountains.
Of course, Bagran had airship transportation, but it was not a big threat as long as Leobold and Jigaleon did not participate.
—Dropping a few Goliaths into the enemy lines would only make them sacrificial lambs for isolation and annihilation.
—I don’t know what Bagran is thinking. They should destroy the Goliath units in the front, not invade the capital.
—They should give up on invading the capital. Galisto’s capital has a lot of ether cannons for anti-air defense.
Since the first fleet battle using ether cannons was established, each country had made a lot of efforts to increase their power and accuracy.
Now they were not perfect, but they had secured a considerable hit rate against airships.
It was the capital, and they would be exposed by any means, which meant being shot down.
Therefore, Galisto’s commanders expected Bagran’s army to attack head-on.
There was no other way.
Falx II expressed his satisfaction with the situation.
“War is not about fighting and winning, but about winning and fighting. Generals, keep that in mind and use the airships to thoroughly monitor the movements of Bagran’s army.”
Galisto’s army, stationed on five axes connected to Bagran, began to prepare for everything, such as building fortifications and setting up magic traps.
But Bagran’s army did not seem to want to move.
Did they give up because they had no way?
As the suspicion of the high command grew, the troops on the field, especially the knights stationed at Heston outpost, became careless.
They were bored of camping for two weeks.
“There’s nothing in this countryside. Should we have brought some maids?”
“Shh, if you get caught, it won’t end with expulsion.”
“Just pay a fine and it’s over.”
“By the way, this war is a bit strange. There’s no enemy.”
“Right, we should at least greet each other by now.”
“It’s already evening. I’m tired of guard duty.”
“Just sleep, no one will notice. The Bagran bastards won’t attack at midnight.”
There had never been a Goliath battle at night.
Most of the Goliaths were very vulnerable to darkness, even though they had sight stones installed.
So Galisto’s army at Heston did not pay much attention to night watch.
It was also because the core force was nobles who hated doing menial work.
And that decided the outcome.
On a dark night, an airship wrapped in invisibility and optical camouflage arrived near the outpost.
The ones who came down from the airship were about 20 shocktroopers and horned beasts.
The horned beasts had been trained in advance, so they walked cautiously and made no noise.
The commander, Granden, gave orders to his troops.
“There are five Goliaths used as fortifications and obstacles 800 meters ahead. First squad, take care of them. Second and third squads, scatter left and right and target those who come out. Fourth squad, go around the mountain and occupy the rear.”
Granden was going to take charge of the overall command from the rear, so he volunteered unexpectedly.
He was convinced after watching several trainings and mock battles.
‘Goliaths can’t cope with this tactic. The only answer is to train their own shocktroopers.’
But he still had doubts.
If soldiers became the main force, knights and mages who rode horned beasts and targeted them would also appear.
The battlefield itself would go back hundreds of years.
Granden thought it was not progress but regression.
‘But His Majesty is confident. I will see for myself what it is.’
The squads that scattered finished assembling their launchers and reported.
Granden held a new communication device that was made by the ether research institute.
It was so small that it fit in his pocket, making it very convenient to carry.
“Fire.”
Popopong.
The result was tremendous compared to the cute firing sound.
Flames burst from the five Goliaths that stood as fortifications instead of obstacles.
Bang!
As the ether stones exploded, a shock wave shook the ground and the Goliaths began to lose their balance and fall.