Volume 6 Chapter 76 I Think Magic and Creativity Should Both Be Free
The many soldiers surrounding Blankfurt, Waldner's capital, faced its strong walls and lost their will to attack, as dawn arrived.
Attacks under the cover of night weren't very effective, so they had to settle for a full-scale attack at dawn.
It couldn't be helped.
Although there were many soldiers around the walls, their minds weren't together.
The Duke Rothheim's army, the Empire's army disguised as them, and the Kingdom Knights who were mistaken.
They spent the night confirming their cooperation and deciding on a plan.
There were exactly 3 gates in the walls surrounding Blankfurt.
These were the 3 gates, excluding the north, which had a huge mountain range. But Waldner's walls and defenses weren't weak enough to be broken by an uncoordinated attack.
First of all, it was known that the entire army had gathered at the south gate.
An attack without coordination wouldn't work against Waldner, who was always on the battlefield, especially with their perfect defense using the walls.
And so, the two armies that were apart - actually 3 - decided on the gates they would attack, the methods, the time, and the order... By the time they finally decided on the siege plan, dawn had arrived.
The rising sun began to brightly illuminate Blankfurt's strong walls.
At the same time, the soldiers and Knights surrounding the walls began to arrange their formations.
Among the armies preparing for the siege, the Duke's original army was deployed at the west gate.
They weren't as strong as the Empire's army, but everyone was infatuated with a certain person, maintaining an unusual morale.
Of course, they weren't infatuated with the commander of the army.
It was a poisonous woman who had ingratiated herself with the Duke's family.
That woman, who could be called a poisonous woman, was sitting on a young soldier in the Duke's main camp, looking at the walls.
Her waist-length blonde hair and burning red eyes were indeed captivating, not only to the opposite sex, but even to the same sex.
However, her revealing dress, which was unsuitable for the battlefield, and her small staff, which was only for show, didn't make her look like someone who could fight.
The Kingdom Knights are led to believe he is Duke's top mage, but this woman is actually an executive of <Pilgrim of Truth>, one of the Four Saints, named Lucy, also called Lucia Redgreaves.
"As expected, I heard that sound──probably Waldner. To retreat without hesitation at that timing..."
The soldier, holding a tray with fruit and serving as a table for Lucy as she gazed at the city walls, nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, exactly."
"Well, I got Knight Captain under my control now, so it's a perfect timing to crush them."
Lucy didn't know about the Prime Minister family's betrayal, but she had gotten word that the Knight Corps headed north out of the capital.
That's why she used illusion magic to show the imperial flag.
But that's not all.
The imperial flag sent to Waldner's side was the trigger, so to speak.
The suspicion that arose from those rumors, combined with Lucy's pre-placed mind-control magic spreading disinformation on the battlefield, made it worse.
In this harsh environment of the battlefield,
those rumors that had once circulated,
and the visual shocks,
alone, wouldn't have much effect on mental manipulation.
But with all these conditions overlapping, she could make people believe the information──or at least make them distrust it──by creating a convincing psychological state.
It's likely that Lucy's quick thinking made good use of her previous tactics.
By the way, the young Waldner soldiers and knights that were acting all flustered──they were also affected by the perceptual magic Lucy had spread.
In any case, unlike Waldner's young lions, the Kingdom Knights' forces, completely trapped in the trap, now see Waldner, the strongest in the kingdom and allied with the Duke and the imperial army, as their enemy.
With overwhelming numbers.
And the biggest concern──facing Rolf von Waldner, the person they worried about most.
Lucy and her team are now confident they will win.
"Well then. It's still too early for a solar eclipse──"
As Lucy whispered this, a messenger burst in yelling, "South gate, opening!"
The message quickly spread through the army, and everyone instinctively turned their gazes toward the south gate, out of sight behind the city walls.
The Duke's forces were momentarily distracted, but their original commander called everyone's attention back.
"Our goal is to conquer the West Gate."
The soldiers fired up with the command from their leader.
Even if they were captivated by Lucy, the chain of command seemed to still hold strong.
With such a command, Duke's army began to march toward the West Gate.
Slowly, still in a defensive posture to guard against attacks from the castle walls, they advanced.
Suddenly, a deluge of water came pouring down as if to intimidate them from above the walls.
The soldiers showed momentary confusion at the water that rained down like a storm, rather than arrows or magic.
They were still quite a distance from the castle gate.
The enemy hurriedly launched boiling water, but it was too far away... doubts began to solidify right when the West Gate swung open with a loud sound.
"Oh? Could it be they're surrendering?"
Despite her words, Lucy rose with her beautiful face twisted into an evil grin.
"But too bad. You are precious sacrifices."
Lucy with her wicked smile raised her staff.
"Everyone will be slaughtered here──"
'Charge!!!'
A voice echoed from far ahead, shaking the entire battlefield.
It was just a command, but it resonated deep within their guts.
Just when Lucy was surprised by the unfamiliar feeling, she caught sight of an ally soldier soaring high in the distance.
* * *
Time briefly went back as Waldner's entire army gathered inside Blankfurt before dawn, preparing for the operation.
"The enemy's formation is just as Your Excellency said."
Airen and Irvin exchanged glances at the information brought by a soldier.
Rolf had insisted that the Knight Order would definitely occupy the South before the enemy completed their formation.
"It's a bad move, no matter how you look at it?"
Irvin, with a bitter smile, nodded along with Rolf, "That's true."
Normally, either the Duke or Empire forces, which had formed an alliance, should occupy the South.
After all, the Kingdom Knights were still being deceived and used.
For both armies, it felt like a wall had formed that separated them from cooperating.
Still, Rolf predicted that the Kingdom Knights would take the South because he understood Knight Captain Bruno's personality very well.
"Now that the Kingdom Knights have come, they believe they are at the center. There's no way they would give way to anyone else."
Rolf laughed with his nose and kept explaining that the Duke's army wouldn't be able to complain too much.
If they were stubborn, the Knight Order would suspect them.
They had to avoid the Knight Order siding with Waldner.
That's why they predicted the Knight Order would take the south.
"Those guys think they're winning, but they haven't realized they're divided!"
Rolf smiled and stood up, looking down at the soldiers and Knights, saying, "We'll break through them all at once!"
"Alright. You all rested well and regained your energy, right?"
Everyone pounded their armored chests in response to Rolf's smile.
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