Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 436 - 435: Fire Moon 57th—A Good Day to Bombard the Fortress

As they approached the rocky ridges Fortress, the battalion led by Sir Philip suffered several attacks—both nighttime raids and daylight disruptions. As Byron lamented, those aristocratic foes finally started learning how to fight a proper war, but alas, they learned too late.

The commanders at rocky ridges Fortress could only devise attack plans based on outdated military paradigms—they imagined the Cecil Combat Corps to be another aristocratic private army equipped with powerful magic weapons, thus extrapolating the discipline, marching style, camp setup, and command responsiveness of the Cecil Clan from this assumption, and then formulated various attack strategies. The outcome, of course, was unsurprising.

Sir Philip acknowledged that the commanders of rocky ridges Fortress were indeed actively engaging in combat, but unfortunately, they failed.

Fire Moon 57, on this hottest day of summer, the banner of the Cecil Combat Corps advanced into the southern plain area of rocky ridges Fortress, a day earlier than initially planned.

The enemy within rocky ridges Fortress seemed to have finally given up on proactive strikes. As the Cecil Clan drew closer, they began to withdraw entirely into the fortress, abandoning the various outposts and watchtowers around it. These were set ablaze before the Cecil Clan arrived, and when Sir Philip set foot on the plain, his camp was situated in a forest the enemy had burned away.

In the new main camp, Sir Philip left his quarters and rode on horseback, surveying the newly established camp. He looked northward, where he could clearly see the towering and majestic walls of rocky ridges Fortress amidst the continuous mountain ranges. Those walls were dark and somber, yet under the sunlight, a dreamlike magic shimmer danced across them. At the top of the fortress, several massive mage towers were in operation, with the giant runes hovering above them reflecting off the walls below—a sight rarely seen in the barren southern territories.

Sir Philip then turned his gaze to a hill behind the camp—the location of the artillery positions.

The tech soldiers were transporting the main components of the Giant Cannon to the hill and assembling them into fixed siege platforms there. With temporary magic effects like Weight-Reduction aiding, the heavy "Justice-I" rail accelerator cannon was set to be swiftly installed, posing a deadly threat to the fortress’s first wall. Meanwhile, the remaining heavy and light acceleration cannons would be positioned on a second high ground in the northwest after the main artillery positions were established, forming a more comprehensive fire coverage.

Advancing positions with artillery coverage, moving forward one position at a time, as outlined in the leader’s "Artillery Basics," is the most basic and effective part of firepower application. Although this was Sir Philip’s first time putting it into practice, he knew it would be highly effective.

The rocky ridges Fortress was now within the Cecil Clan’s field of view. In other words, the Cecil Clan was also under the nose of rocky ridges Fortress.

The sides were a bit too close for comfort, at least in terms of the "Justice-I" rail accelerator cannon’s range. Sir Philip was well aware of his cannons’ capabilities; under the right conditions, they could strike beyond visible range—it’s all about calculating the trajectory. Here, it meant he could attack the rocky ridges Fortress from the outskirts of the hills without stepping onto the plain.

But in this battle, there was no need to maintain such a long distance, nor could he afford to.

Returning to the tent, the young knight looked at the military map hanging in the main tent—a map personally drawn by the leader with astonishing accuracy. On it, he could clearly see the rocky ridges Fortress and his position, as well as the terrain around the fortress. He noted the Duoergong river flowing south from the Plains of the Holy Spirits, passing through a pass on the west side of the fortress, splitting into two. One branch, becoming the White River, flowed southwest, and the most suitable area for mooring battleships and setting attack points was an open region in the western part of the plain.

This area must be entirely within Cecil Corps’ support range, so Sir Philip deemed it necessary to push the positions onto the plain while establishing a second high ground closer to the White River. He didn’t consider this proximity inappropriate—how far could a Catapult reach? How far could a Mage throw a fireball?

To put it bluntly, even if he moved his positions halfway closer, the defenders of rocky ridges Fortress would remain helplessly idle.

The tent flap was lifted, and a young female knight, clad in silver-white magic-conducting armor with a Melting Sword at her waist, walked in. She stood at attention before Philip and saluted, "Sir! The scouts have returned, the surroundings are secure!"

Philip sighed, "They’re just watching us establish positions here..."

The young female knight—Margarita from the Kant region—couldn’t help but remark, "Their reaction is quite normal."

Philip glanced at Margarita—he had a notable impression of this female knight. Lord Wald Peric of Kant, held her in high esteem. He knew Margarita was a knight with extraordinary talent like himself, though due to her short period of allegiance with the Cecil Clan, her traditional aristocratic thinking hadn’t entirely shifted. But Philip didn’t mind this much.

"Why do you say their reaction is normal?" Philip asked casually.

"Relying on sturdy fortresses and magic barriers to protect themselves, waiting for the right moment to counterattack or await changes from behind the walls, is a common strategy among many aristocrats, especially when proactive attacks prove ineffective," Margarita replied, standing tall, trying to leave a good impression on this commander from the "direct circle of the leader," "Their few proactive offensives have already surpassed expectations, and after several thwarted attacks, they couldn’t continue sending soldiers out to face the enemy. Hiding behind the walls is a reasonable and logical choice."

Pausing, Margarita continued, "In most cases, sieges of fortresses tend to be protracted affairs. The commanders inside rocky ridges Fortress likely think the same; as long as the magic barriers hold, they don’t mind what we do outside. Just like forty years ago, when Sust Castle was besieged, the enemy laid siege for three years without harming Sust’s leader, and most of the besieging soldiers fled. Eventually, the Sust leader awaited reinforcements, forcing the enemy to retreat. Presumably, the people inside rocky ridges Fortress are banking on a similar outcome."

Philip nodded thoughtfully, "So that’s the logic..."

Margarita curiously asked Philip, "Sir... Commander, aren’t you aware of these strategies?"

Her confusion was quite reasonable: Sir Philip also hailed from a traditional noble knight family, and the Cecil Clan, despite its decline, had its own castle. How could a knight like Sir Philip, who grew up in such a proper environment, not understand these basic aristocratic war rules?

Faced with the female knight’s puzzlement, Philip did not hide anything and confessed, "I understand the principles, but the Cecil Clan never fights like that. Even before the leader returned to the mortal realm, it wasn’t like this."

"Oh?" Margarita opened her eyes wide, "How does the Cecil Clan fight then?"

Sir Philip answered frankly, "We attack head-on. Unless necessary, we avoid falling into passive siege defense situations. Anyway, as long as we annihilate the enemy on the battlefield, the castle will naturally be safe."

"This..." The female knight was dumbfounded, "What a valorous atmosphere..."

"It’s not because of valor, but because there’s no choice," Philip spread his hands, "If the Cecil Clan gets besieged, no one will come to aid us. Once we are trapped in the castle, we are done for."

The atmosphere on the scene became a bit awkward for a while, but this awkwardness didn’t last long as Sir Philip soon intentionally shifted the topic, "According to the original plan, we conduct the first test firing before dusk—to liven up the evening banquet at rocky ridges Fortress."

The female knight immediately saluted, "Yes, sir!"

...

The giant sun slowly moved across the sky, finally nearing the western mountain range.

On the first highland, the technical soldiers were completing the assembly and debugging of the last "Justice-I" railgun.

"Technical soldiers" emerged along with various Magic Weapons, also known as "artillery scholars" or "battlefield mechanical scholars." They themselves were well-trained soldiers but also possessed mechanical knowledge and magic-technology expertise beyond ordinary soldiers. These battlefield mechanical scholars were equipped with specially crafted Magic Transmission Terminals, allowing them to use these terminals to cast simple spells like Weight-Reduction and Traction. Through engineering components within the terminals, they could assemble, weld, adjust, and repair weaponry and equipment. Their presence symbolized the ongoing specialization development of the Cecil Clan’s magic weaponry.

After the last "Justice-I" railgun was debugged, there were fifteen minutes left before firing.

The giant sun was sinking toward the western mountains, and the bright daylight gradually turned dim, orange-red. The steel monsters crouching at the cannon emplacement gradually glowed with a layer of golden-red light.

Though Wald Peric, who was already past middle age, could be considered even officially old, stood on a rock platform beside the cannon strike position, he pressed the monocular telescope to his eye and observed the activities at rocky ridges Fortress in the distance.

Middle-ranked knights also possess excellent vision, but it can never compare to spells like Eye of the Mage. However, with the assistance of the "telescope," he could see far, just like those mages.

He could see that on the walls of rocky ridges Fortress, several knights walked around, and many soldiers defended the parapet. Evidently, those knights pacing around could vaguely see the situation over here, occasionally stopping to point and discuss.

Though the distance was so vast, the telescope made it appear as close as if it were right before his eyes, an experience that "extraordinary vision" can’t provide.

Knight Wald Peric remained uninterested in what those distant wall-moving people talked about.

The arranged time had arrived.

The old knight put down the telescope and, for the first time, personally directed those immensely powerful Magic Weapons to commence firing.

Just as he had previously told Margarita, the knights of Kant territory were ultimately put to use.

The Rune Trigger was forcefully pulled down, and colossal energy instantly surged into the giant cannon’s base, utilizing magic energy relay from the Obelisk and driving these fearsome weapons powered by the magic energy from Carol territory’s Magic Web, making them roar. With sharp, piercing sounds, the heavy Magic Crystal Shells burst from the acceleration tracks, charging toward rocky ridges Fortress afar, enveloped by pale green energy spheres.

To the southern territories nobles within the fortress, the long-lost familiar sounds finally arrived.