Chapter 54: Revolution Era - Breakthrough (1)
In the midst of our busy days spent making every possible preparation to fight
against the overwhelming enemy, news finally came that the enemy had begun
their march towards Reims.
At the gathering of the revolutionary army, numbering in the tens of
thousands, in preparation to confront them, letters that had been previously
received and busily sorted in the capital Lumiére were distributed among the
various units.
We had asked almost all of the soldiers’ families to send letters of
encouragement to bolster their spirits.
This was an idea to somehow make up for the morale that had plummeted upon
witnessing the enemy’s grand magic... more of a desperate struggle, really.
Seeing those who first received the letters tear up or rejoice, my chief of
staff, Louis Dezy, approached with a box in hand.
The seal on the box was all too familiar. The crest of Aquitaine...
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
I thought these were only sent to the soldiers, but it seems Christine has
sent one to me as well -
Dezy passed by me and handed the box to Eris, who was standing beside me.
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
Both Eris and I made such foolish sounds.
“This is from the Countess of Aquitaine for you, my lady. Oh, and for the
duke, this...”
After handing the box and a letter to Eris, Dezy handed me another letter.
“...”
What is this, what’s going on?
Even though I tried to convince myself it was fine since Christine wrote me a
proper letter, I can’t understand why she sent only a letter to me and a gift
to Eris as well.
Were they that close? I thought they were almost strangers to each other.
“Heh-”
Eris, narrowing her eyes, alternated her gaze between the letter in my hand
and the box and letter she received, causing me to feel an unexpected surge of
emotion.
“Eris, what’s that?”
“I don’t know~ A gift should be opened in secret!”
“Hey, Eris! Wait a moment!”
“Ahaha, it’s a gift just for me from Christine Unni-!”
Eris ran off with the box in both hands, looking thrilled.
Ah, that darn princess, just like that.
Since when did she start calling her so familiarly, as if she’s plotting
something.
...It’s definitely not jealousy.
Christine must have her reasons, after all.
Having just gotten engaged, I couldn’t help but wonder if her coldness was due
to my immediate decision to lead a charge into danger, risking my life.
Feeling a sense of foreboding, I took a deep breath and opened the letter,
expecting the usual flowery language. Instead, I was greeted by a sentence
written with striking clarity:
[ Pierre, I trust you’ve thought this through carefully.
I’ll only say what I can.
There’s no need to apologize for choosing a path that’s as good as dead,
even if you survive.
Because I trust you, and I’ll wait, believing you’ll honor that
trust.
Your Christine. ]
I quietly put the letter back into its envelope and slipped it into my coat
pocket, feeling foolish for worrying that Christine might resent me. She
understood everything—my fears, my choices—and her only request was simple.
“Ha.”
After hearing such words, I couldn’t let myself fail out of sheer guilt. It’s
time to face the challenge head-on, like a true knight.
***
After the letters had been distributed to the entire army and preparations for
departure were complete, the soldiers’ faces were a sight to behold.
Some were resolute, while others still had tears in their eyes. I glanced at
Dezy, who was beside me, questioning the wisdom of this idea.
The originator of this idea, Dezy, avoided my gaze.
“It should be fine, probably. At least no one looks like they want to run
away... It seems to me that even you, my lord, have found a new sense of
determination.”
He’s always been too observant for his own good.
With a sigh, I stepped forward and took hold of the magical device that
amplified sound.
Originally sent by the revolutionary government for the use of Ballian, who
couldn’t wield magic, it was now in my hands as the unexpected leader of a
desperate charge.
Ballian, down below, caught my eye and gave me a reassuring smile.
How audacious.
Suppressing a chuckle, I took a deep breath, and my sigh resonated across the
plains without filter.
After a moment of silence, scattered laughter broke out.
Ah, damn. That was embarrassing.
“...Alright, let’s keep this brief. My friends, we have nowhere to retreat.
This is Reims, with the capital Lumiére just a stone’s throw away. To lose
here means to turn Lumiére into a battlefield, and losing the capital means
nothing but defeat for the republic.”
There’s no turning back.
“Some may think it foolish to stand against such a formidable enemy. But I
assure you, if we stand together, we will prevail.”
I looked down at the knights watching me from below.
Gaston, Count Damien de Mirbo, and his knights, who were once symbols of the
old regime’s oppression, are now allies in our cause.
“I will lead the charge, and the knights of Francia will follow me. We will be
the tip of your spear, so follow us.”
Even if we carve a path, it’s futile unless they follow through and widen it,
or we’ll all be annihilated within the encirclement.
Without assurance of victory, I’m entrusting my life to the common soldiers
and leading the charge, something I would have never considered before.
Quietly, I looked at Eris, who stood beside me with her hands clasped
together, and spoke again.
“With the Saintess among us, the grace of God will protect you all.”
As I finished speaking, Eris spread her clasped hands towards the heavens.
In response, beams of light stretched across the sky like an aurora, cascading
over the heads of the assembled soldiers.
“Oh...”
“By the gods.”
“The Saintess...”
The soldiers looked up in awe, mesmerized by what seemed like a miraculous
blessing, although it was merely a display of magic dispersing holy power.
It might seem like mere deception, but it instilled much-needed confidence in
the soldiers at that moment.
I reminded the now buoyed soldiers of their grievances.
“I trust you all remember well the deeds of King Louis before the revolution,
and what he might do now, having sought the power of foreign forces.”
Many here have seen family or neighbors sold to demons.
“Each one of you has someone to protect behind you, as do I. Therefore, it
matters not whether one is nobility, knight, or commoner. We all fight for the
same cause, to protect Francia!”
Behind us are families we must protect, including Christine, whom I must
protect. That alone is sufficient.
“I trust in you and will lead the way, so trust in me and follow! For all for
one, and one for all! For your loved ones, for the freedom you have won, for
Francia!”
“For Francia!”
The soldiers shouted, their voices thundering across the plains.
I glanced at Eris, who was shaking slightly, drew my sword, and cried out.
“Revolutionaries, march!”
***
Several days later:
As summer gave way to early autumn, the battlefields near Reims were once
again covered by tens of thousands of soldiers from both sides.
Archduke Leopold peered through his telescope at the Francia revolutionary
army and clicked his tongue in dismay.
“What kind of formation is that?”
The conventional setup would have infantry in the center, cavalry on the
flanks, and artillery at the rear.
But their cavalry was positioned behind the central infantry line.
And even more baffling.
Leopold squinted in disbelief at what he was seeing.
“Is that, artillery?”
Right in front of the cavalry, there were mounted artillery units dragging
small-caliber cannons.
“...It appears so, Your Grace.”
His aide, also observing through a telescope, looked equally perplexed.
“Have you ever seen such a formation?”
Placing cavalry and mounted artillery in the center, just behind the
front-line infantry?
“Perhaps, after witnessing our grand magic, they’ve lost morale and are
resorting to desperate measures.”
While the aide’s suggestion seemed plausible, the Archduke frowned.
“Ballian and Lafayette, their generals, aren’t the type to resort to such
measures.”
There was a precedent for the 'Great King' of Krafte to demonstrate mobile
artillery warfare using horse artillery.
But the essence of mounted artillery lies in quickly moving to the right
position for bombardment.
Firing directly behind friendly lines with direct-fire cannons, and placing
them in the center at the front?
The Archduke sighed lightly before issuing his command.
“Whatever their intent, it would be impolite to refuse a gift. All artillery,
focus your fire on the enemy’s central artillery and cavalry.”
“At once!”
After giving the order, the Archduke glanced sideways at the old witch,
exhaling smoke from her pipe.
“Frau Weinfeldt.”
“Ah, I’m aware, Your Grace. Once the enemy is within engagement distance, I
shall cast the spell.”
“Please make sure to protect it. The enemy knows how dangerous your magic can
be, so they might try to provoke its use and then flee. Wait until they are
close, then sweep them away in one go.”
Wilhelmina chuckled softly and nodded in agreement.
“Of course, Your Grace.”
***
Raphael Ballian, peering through his telescope at the enemy lines, clicked his
tongue in frustration.
“Tch, Plan B is a no-go.”
Despite the proximity of the two armies, the Witch of the Storm showed no
signs of casting her grand magic.
The strategy was to retreat temporarily if the witch began her spell before
effective combat range was reached.
Having set this as Plan B, it seems the enemy isn’t foolish enough to fall for
it. At this distance, a hasty retreat would lead to immediate pursuit and
severe losses.
“No choice then. We stick to the original plan. I’m counting on you, Sir
Dezy.”
“Understood, I’ll take command of the southern forces.”
As Dezy, who took over command in place of the charging Duke Lafayette, moved
away, Ballian clenched his fist, feeling a tingling sensation at his
fingertips.
The thrill of putting everything on the line in a gamble, the exhilaration of
trying a tactic never before seen.
Amidst all these sensations, Ballian licked his lips looking towards where
Duke Lafayette would be.
'If I knew it would come to this, I wouldn’t have just focused on military
studies; I should have learned enough magic to at least protect myself.'
“Well, Archduke Leopold, let’s see how you handle this. It can’t just be me
getting screwed over, right?”
Ballian smirked.
***
Beyond the veil, a wave of white uniforms crested along the horizon, drawing
nearer.
Eris struggled to steady her increasingly rapid breath.
The strategy to retreat if the witch cast her spell before reaching effective
combat distance was likely a failure.
Eris slowly raised her hand towards the sky.
A golden barrier appeared in front of the cannonballs hurtling towards the
center, causing them to fall powerlessly after impact.
A sharp pain shot through her heart.
The power she had claimed as a blessing.
In truth, it was probably divine power, gained after fervently praying to the
gods to see her mother, who was dying amidst endless sorrow and depression,
smile just one more time.
Unconsciously, Eris found herself reaching out towards a cannonball flying
past, but then she clenched her fist and lowered her hand.
The fallen cannonball struck the front lines, and the screams that erupted hit
Eris’s ears.
She closed her eyes for a moment, then turned her gaze to the cavalry lined up
beside her and the man leading them.
- And I am asking you, as a saint, to lead them into that very death
That was what Pierre had asked of her.
Eris glanced back briefly.
Waves of soldiers clad in countless blue uniforms were advancing.
Despite witnessing overwhelming natural disasters, the knights ahead and the
many who believed in her, who saw only the illusionary light she showed,
followed her.
Once again, a cannonball flew towards them.
Eris blocked it with her divine power, enduring the familiar pain.
It would take far too much power to heal and save those already gravely
wounded or dying from the fallen cannonball, yet it took much less to fend off
the attacks threatening them.
Healing those already broken was so difficult.
And yet, at the moment her mother, whom she had saved with her power, died,
Eris wasn’t there with her.
-What’s wrong with a saintess wanting to save people? It’s those who decide
who to save and who to kill that are in the wrong.
Forsaking those she could save with an outstretched hand, distinguishing
between those who must be saved and those who can be forsaken, she surely
didn’t deserve to be called a saintess.
Yet, she advances.
Because she vowed to do so.
Now, the enemies were visible, almost within reach.
As Eris took a deep breath, a tingling sensation surged through her, as if all
her magic was standing on end.
Reflexively looking towards the source, she saw a witch floating in the air.
Almost simultaneously, the sound of a horn blared from the front of the
cavalry.
The infantry in front parted to the sides, and the horses carrying
small-caliber cannons, along with the mounted artillerymen, began to charge
forward.
“Follow the mounted artillery! Keep formation and prepare to charge! Prepare
to charge!”
With Pierre’s shout, Eris spurred her horse into action.
Unlike the sporadic shots before, a tremendous number of cannonballs flew in
all at once.
- If you cannot trust in this nation, Duke Lafayette, then please trust in me.
She had said so herself.
Eris clenched the crystal she had been holding inside her robe.
A magic-amplifying crystal. A gift from Christine as a favor to Pierre
The swirling magic surged through her body, providing an immense sense of
exhilaration.
Ah, so this is what it feels like.
As she raised her hand, a barrier of unprecedented size unfolded.
The impact of the cannonballs hitting the barrier seemed to diminish the
sensation that reached her heart.
Feeling this sense of omnipotence.
Eris glared at the witch floating in the distance with eyes ablaze, as if she
was about to incinerate a bug.
The mounted artillery charged fiercely, and the enemy lines showed signs of
panic. Giant fireballs erupted from the enemy ranks and hurtled towards them.
“Eris!”
Hearing Pierre’s urgent call, Eris once again stretched her hands toward the
sky.
Giant fireballs crashed madly against the golden barrier, nearly unseating
Eris with the shock transmitted to her heart.
But she gritted her teeth and endured.
- Please fight, whatever the cost may be. Even if my body shatters,
Countless people had placed their trust in a baseless promise she had made,
standing here believing in her.
Eris knew that no matter what she did, she could never repay them with
anything more valuable than their lives.
Just a little further.
“The Saintess is protecting us!”
“Charge, charge forward! For victory!”
The mounted artillery and cavalry charged fiercely, followed by the full force
of Francia’s army.
As the mounted artillery reached just short of the enemy’s front-line infantry
and aimed their cannons, shock and horror spread across the enemy’s faces.
Almost in desperation, a barrage of fireballs flew once again in a volley.
Eris grasped another crystal in her hand. This was her last resort.
This item was prepared by the person who wrote a letter that seemed to be
pleading because she couldn't stop her lover who was heading to death.
-I will lead you all to victory
To keep that promise, Eris, with her heart pounding as if it would burst,
extended her other hand toward the sky.
Amidst the crashing sounds of cannonballs against the barrier and the
consecutive explosions of fireballs, Eris felt her vision turn white as she
fell from her horse.
When she regained consciousness, she was cradled in the arms of Sir Beaumont.
As Eris turned her trembling eyes forward, she saw the intact mounted
artillery unleashing a barrage of grapeshot at the dense enemy ranks, their
cannons spewing fire in unison.
Witnessing the calamity wrought by those she had protected, Eris’ eyes slowly
closed.
“You’ve done well, Eris. Leave the rest to us.”
Just before losing consciousness, a gentle voice reached her.
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