51. Chapter 51
After removing the aftermath of the deadly fight with the crawler, Walm’s group set off for their destination, the old castle called, “Dandurg Castle”, on the border between Myard and Highserk.
Apart from the army on the border with Liberitoa, 12,000 Highserk soldiers, composed of those sent to annex Myard and those located near the border, were stationed in the castle.
All around the wall, the corpses of soldiers and people lay on the ground. Even before the main wave of monsters arrived, the death toll had reached several hundred.
In addition to the water moat around the wall, a new empty moat and an embankment were built on the outer edge. There were three castle gates, and in addition to the lifting bridge, there were two-story gates.
Walm looked at the eye-catching stones around the castle gate, which was the borderline with Highserk. In addition to the embankment, there were horse fences. There was even a place where tombstones were stacked.
In one corner of the castle, food like soup was served, and those who had escaped with little baggage formed a long line.
It was a familiar sight to Walm, who had experienced the battlefield many times, but the scale was unusual. The entire former area of Myard was being run over by the outbreak. It was inevitable that a large number of refugees could be seen there.
Walm, however, felt uneasy, even if the situation in the castle looked calm. For although it was a famous old castle, suitable for a defensive battle, hundreds of monsters were approaching.
Even though the refugees couldn’t go any further, they looked as if the bad situation had calmed down a bit, maybe they were relieved about the castle and the soldiers who were symbols of power. And believed that it should be safe here.
――The wagon and the escort team passed through the castle gate, and were guided to the castle tower, where originally one of the lords of the Myard territory resided.
A room in the living quarters was made of stone and furnished with furniture. There were 5 escorts, including Walm, and in total 7 people, including Maia and Ayane, but the room didn’t seem cramped.
After placing the tools for treatment on the shelves, Walm headed to the brigade headquarters where he was ordered to appear. He left the place after leaving the rest to Moritz, convinced that there would be no problems.
Through a long corridor, Walm entered a hall that was closed by a heavy door. Six guards kept watch at the entrance.
After confirming his identity with the guard, Walm entered the room.
“Excuse me. I am the Escort Captain, Walm. I’ve brought the healing magicians from Sarajevo Fortress according to the order.”
Walm corrected his posture and waited for the man in front of him to reply.
The old man with gray hair was Sigismund, the Brigade Commander of Highserk Army, who was in charge of Dandurg Castle. He had a lot of old wounds that indicated he had been on the battlefield many times.
“Thanks for your hard work. It seems that there was a battle on the way, but to have killed a crawler alone, as expected of the one controlling 《Fire of Hell Gate》.”
Walm received compliments and praise, but denied it.
“It’s a great honor to receive such a praise. But I didn’t do it alone. I just hugged the crawler and kept burning it while the others helped me in stopping its movement. Besides, I was seriously injured and had to receive medical treatment.”
After a short silence, Sigismund suddenly laughed as if he couldn’t stand it.
Walm wondered if he had said something wrong.
Sigismund told the soldier in the room.
“Did you hear that? This fellow just hugged and burned a crawler. I’ve heard of subjugation with a magic attack, spear, or great sword, but I’ve never heard of subjugation by hugging and burning. As expected of someone favored by Gerard.”
After laughing a lot, the old general continued his words.
“The escort of the healing magicians will be continued by your group, but I must ask you, to appear on the frontline. We’ve recruited volunteers from refugees and prisoners, still, there’s not enough manpower. So far, we’ve defeated nearly 1000 monsters that have come here. It would be easy if the small waves continue, but I’m sure the main wave will come soon. I will have you and one of the “Three Heroes” of Craist, work hard. As for today, you should rest and recover your energy for the upcoming battle.”
“Thank you very much… Excuse me but, could you please tell me one thing?”
“Alright.”
“It’s just a foolish thought from someone like me, but the number of refugees in the castle is higher than the battlefields I’ve experienced so far, it might become a hindrance in the battle.”
Seeing countless Myard people gathered in the castle, Walm thought it would be difficult to deploy soldiers and evacuate in case of emergency.
At the end of the statement, Walm sensed that some of the HQ soldiers had changed their facial expressions and the atmosphere had turned tense.
“…Sadly, many people don’t want to leave their homeland. But, you don’t need to worry about that now. Focus only on the task in front of you.”
“Understood. Thank you for your answer. Then, please excuse me.”
Walm withdrew quietly in response to the compelling answer. But, he had no doubt he had touched on a topic that shouldn’t be touched.
Walm walked down the hallway and turned his thoughts.
It must be information known only to a limited number of generals.
Walm had been given authority power albeit small, to lead a squad scale unit. And even though he was an Escort Captain who held the title “Knight”, he still, had no real power in the military.
Walm didn’t deny that the limbs must follow the head and fight. Nor could he do so unless the head favored him. But as a member of the organization, it would only lead to the downfall of the organization if he stopped thinking and thoughtlessly followed the head. Even if his thoughts didn’t have much importance, he thought that he had to keep trying to be productive.
What’s the purpose of holding a large number of refugees at the frontline?
――Securing volunteers and civil engineering-related workers in the base. For sure the benefits aren’t just a few.
But, the consumption of food by citizens, which is greater than the number of troops, will put a heavy burden on logistics. Also, in an emergency, soldiers must be dispatched to guide people…
“No way, perhaps they won’t properly guide them? There’s also a need for a lot of provisions after the emergency――”
Wait… refugees from other countries, soldiers from Highserk, the robust Dandurg Castle…
Connecting the words, Walm came up with one possibility.
“Is it… a cage disguised as a shelter?”
As he said this, Walm held his breath. He wanted to believe that the army wouldn’t go that far, but the madness of war, the madness of people with the justification called “reason,” would be forever muddy.
TN: Join my discord channel if you want.
Yesss!! Update!! Thanks for the chapter 🙂
Thank you very much for the chapter, and it’s been awhile kino-san
Anyone know what this ‘cage’ means? Are they planning to make the refugees as monster bait?
Bait should be part of it. A very powerful fortress isn’t worth much if the monsters aren’t interested and just go around it. I think the bigger thing though, is the intention for the refugees to die. Squeeze out their value, then have the fortress “tragically” be overrun without a chance to evacuate… In part exactly because of the additional fortifications that have been erected. A move that greatly reduces the logistical strain Highserk faces without having to visibly compromise on their stated values of how they handle prisoners of war and civilians.
So those refugee are bait? Damn
As expected. Using the refugees as bait for the monsters. This story is so good