Under the Oak Tree

Chapter 331: Chapter 92

“We’ve waited long enough. We can’t afford to waste any more time,” Breston snarled, wolf-like. He turned his scowl onto Kuahel Leon. “If you are unwilling to give the order, my men and I will ride into battle ourselves if necessary.”

Kuahel stepped closer to Breston with the swiftness of a jaguar lunging at its prey. His voice rumbled with authority as he said, “I am the supreme commander of the coalition army. I will not condone unsanctioncd operations.”

Breston, a towering figure at nearly seven kevettes(Approximately 2.1 meters) tall, leaned forward threateningly. “I take orders only from my father, Geyhart Breston, and the King of Balto, Heimdall VI.”

The commander of the Temple Knights did not even bat an eye despite the hulking knight looming a full head over him. “I am an apostle of God and the right hand of the pope. This is a holy war waged by the church, in which you have a duty to obey the apostle’s will.”

“Obey?” Breston scoffed, then began hooting with laughter. As his amusement died down, he brought his face closer to Kuahel’s. “Why bother when I can have a cleric absolve me of any sin of disobedience as soon as I return to Amasek?”

With that, he pushed past the Temple Knight commander. Raising his voice for the hundreds of soldiers gathered to hear, Breston declared, “The enemy knows we are here! If we don’t strike now, this whole journey would have been for naught! Now is our chance. We cannot give these monsters time to fortify their defenses!”

His subordinates raised their weapons and hollered in unison. Like ripples spreading over a lake, their insurgency swept through the camp.

Maxi watched the scene unfold, her face pale. Hastily stepping in front of Breston, she cried, “W-We cannot advance now! Not when we do n-not know what has happened to the unit we sent to infiltrate the city. Once we start advancing, the monster army will fortify its defenses. I-If the unit is currently inside the city or in the process of slipping in… it w-will only endanger them further!”

“Look here, little miss mage. Did I ask for your opinion?” Breston sneered, clicking his tongue.

Maxi’s face flushed with anger. “L-Let me remind you that you agreed to Riftan’s plan during the strategy meeting. If you were against it… y-you should have voiced your objections then!”

“If you wanted your husband’s plan to succeed, you should have done a better job with the barrier,” Breston retorted, his voice low and intimidating.

Maxi summoned all of her courage to stand firm. Even for a northerner, Richard Breston was exceptionally large and had the disposition of ten barbarians combined. Standing up to him was a dangerous thing to do. Nevertheless, the thought of Riftan being thrown to the wolves because of this man’s egoistical judgment quashed her fear.

She desperately feigned calmness and said, “We can still track down the goblin. If we slay it before it can—’¹

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” said a disheartened voice.

Maxi whipped her head around at the interruption. Albern and Lucain forced their way through the crowd of soldiers.

“It appears magical devices that negate magic are in place. Master Anton has tried to track the goblin several times, to no avail.”

“H-How could that be…?”

“It’s decided, then. The Knights of Phil Aaron will ride into battle,” Breston spat before shoving past her to join his subordinates.

When Maxi tried to go after him, Kuahel grabbed her shoulder. “No amount of persuading is going to work on that man.”

“B-But…!”

“His judgment is correct. If we are unable to catch the goblin, we have no choice but to strike.”

Maxi pushed his hand away, her eyes shining with betrayal. “Are you saying… you don’t care what happens to the people who left for the city?”

“We are here to wage war. Sacrifices cannot be avoided.”

Animosity surged within her at his callous words. She wanted to lunge at him for daring to utter such a statement to her face, but she knew she needed to maintain her composure. Creating a scene would do nothing to help her cause.

“Th-Then… I only ask that you buy me some time,” she implored, suppressing her outrage. “I will send the fairies back to Riftan. They should at least be informed that the plan has failed.”

Kuahel’s clear green eyes regarded her for a long moment. “Then do so quickly. But we will not wait for a response.”

With that, he strode away toward the Osiriyan soldiers. Maxi watched him disappear before tearing her desperate gaze away to look at Albern.

“I shall send word to Geoffrey,” Albern said first as if anticipating her words. “And we should also inform Miriam of the situation.”

“P-Please hurry,” Maxi mumbled hoarsely.

The argument had drained her last reserves. She tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear and rubbed her throbbing temples. She needed to keep her wits about her. As long as word reached Riftan’s unit in time, they would be able to remain hidden.

Desperately clinging to that hope, she squeezed her eyes shut. Lord, I beseech you… please keep them safe.

The camp now bustled around her, with soldiers loading wagons and knights saddling horses. Maxi steeled herself and stepped into the flurry of activity.

The infantry began their march out of the ravine in strict formation, followed by the cavalry. Hundreds of soldiers pushed and pulled the siege weapons on either end of the procession. Riding behind a wagon carrying a ten-kevettc(Approximately 3 meters) pile of lumber, Maxi ceaselessly glanced around. Ulyseon and four of his subordinates rode to her left while wagons flanked by spearmen sped past her right.

Her heart pounded painfully against her ribs at the dread, fear, and excitement mingling in the air. All around her, the soldiers’ faces were flush with determination and hunger for victory. She took a deep breath and tried to match their spirits.

“Please be prepared to cast a barrier at any moment!” Ulyseon cried, steering his horse closer.

Clutching her reins, Maxi regarded the young knight.

“My lady, the enemy will begin their attack from the outer wall once we close in on the city,” Ulyseon said, his purple eyes grim. “Since we do not know when or how the attacks will come, you must be alert at all times.”

“I-I know,” Maxi barely managed to squeak out.

She was unsure if he heard her above all the noise. The racket of clanging armor and stomping hooves surrounded them, while the deafening rattle of the siege towers’ wheels reached them from the back.

Practically in a trance, Maxi kept her eyes fixed ahead. The coalition army eventually reached the gentle hills at the end of the ravine, and the soldiers’ excitement swelled as the hazy outline of the monster city emerged above a snowy hill.

As the army picked up speed, Maxi felt as though she were being carried by a massive wave of steel plates. It was like being swept away by a current without knowing where it was taking her. She did not know how long she was trapped in this state, but a strong gust eventually roused her, followed by a violent squall of snow.

Maxi quickly covered her face with her cloak as a veil of snow turned her vision white. Just then, a roar tore through the air. Her heart racing, she instinctively cast a shield around the wagons. A chill ran down her spine as she looked to the top of the hill. When the sudden snowstorm died down, she instantly grasped what was happening. Massive balls of fire hurtled toward them from the city’s ramparts like hail.

She heard Kuahel Leon’s commanding bellow from afar. “Cast a barrier in front! Prepare the catapults!”

Regaining her composure, Maxi looked behind her. “Ben! Please maintain the barriers around the wagons with the others. A-Anette and Armin, with me!”

Maxi spurred her horse and shot through the soldiers. This time, a shower of flaming arrows replaced the fireballs. She faltered briefly, but Anette urgently pressed her from behind.

“There’s no time to waste! Hurry!”

Maxi turned her reins and gazed up at the top of the ramparts to gauge the distance. To her horror, they were now close enough to get a clear view of the outer wall surrounding the city and the monsters stationed above it. Maxi held up a hand to signal to the soldiers moving the catapults.

“H-Halt!”

Her voice must not have been loud enough as the men continued pushing. Ulyseon noticed and loudly repeated her command.

The soldiers promptly began positioning forty catapults in a long row. Maxi swiftly signaled to Anette and Armin before dismounting and placing her hands on the frozen ground. A moment later, a faint tremor rippled through the earth as the ground beneath the catapults began to rise. She did her best to keep it level, knowing that an uneven or shaky foundation could topple the huge structures.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Maxi looked up to assess the distance once more. When her gaze landed on the top of the ramparts, she saw the trolls along the outer wall, their giant crossbows aimed right at them.

“F-Fire!” Maxi yelled, diving behind a catapult.

The soldiers released the iron hooks holding the catapults’ arms in place. The sudden release of torsion in the twisted ropes propelled the massive beams upward, sending large rocks flying in a wide arc.

Maxi instinctively closed her eyes to avoid seeing the destruction. A moment later, she peeked around the catapult’s legs to assess the damage. The trolls were still hiding behind the battlements, taking cover from the attack. The soldiers took the opportunity to charge the gate..

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