Dragon Knight Chronicles ~ From a mere mercenary, rise to success through tactics! A small harem with the princess and the lord's daughter!? I'll also develop my territory! ~ - Chapter 95

Chapter 95   Conquering the Checkpoint, Come Rock Golem!

The next morning—

The kingdom’s army, led by General Alcock, launched an attack on the checkpoint blocking the road. While it was true that healthy soldiers could bypass this checkpoint, this was a losing battle. Many of our comrades had become wounded, some of them so severely that they had to be transported by cart. For this reason, it was crucial to break through this roadblock.

General Alcock, determined not to abandon those who had been injured in the fight, gave the order to charge.

“Men, advance!”

At General Alcock’s command, the dirty and exhausted soldiers rushed toward the well-fortified checkpoint. Arrows were fired in response from the tightly closed gates.

“Don’t falter!”

A non-commissioned officer shouted at the frontline troops. Normally, soldiers equipped with shields would lead the charge, but we were a defeated army. Many had discarded their shields and other equipment in their retreat.

Although we outnumbered the enemy, they were much better prepared and fought with far greater skill.

“Damn it!”

Our frontline comrades fell one after another under the enemy’s arrows, the difference in readiness between the two sides painfully apparent.

…This isn’t good.

At this rate, our men will only pile up as corpses. I shouted to Nataraja, who was commanding from atop her dragonet mount.

“Please, grant me 500 soldiers! I will capture the high ground to the north of the checkpoint!”

“Granted! Go!”

“Yes, captain!”

With 500 Rillburn soldiers under my command, I dashed up the slope to the high ground north of the checkpoint. This elevation was a key tactical position, and, as expected, enemy soldiers were stationed there, unleashing a volley of arrows upon us.

“Fire back!”

I ordered the troops to return fire, but in a battle between archers on high ground and those on lower ground, we didn’t stand a chance.

“Take out the archers! Ignore the others!”

Though it seemed impossible, infantry armed with large shields inched forward, and thanks to the skilled longbow unit led by Momiji, we managed to drive the enemy off the high ground.

“What do we do now? The checkpoint is still some distance away,”

Momiji asked me after we had secured the high ground. We had used a significant number of arrows in the earlier skirmish, and we lacked siege weapons that could effectively attack the enemy from this position.

“Pull the troops back!”

“Understood.”

After ordering the troops to retreat, I began the long incantation required to cast a powerful spell.

“In the name of Shinker, Hero of the Great Demon Realm, I command you! Mighty Rock Giant, Rock Gaia, arise!”

After the incantation—

The magic circle drawn on the ground glowed white, and nearby stones and rocks gathered, forming the body of a giant. I had successfully summoned the rock giant, the Rock Golem.

“Rain rocks down upon the enemy!”

“Graaaaoooorrr!”

Obeying my command, the 16-meter-tall rock giant picked up surrounding boulders and hurled them at the distant checkpoint. The massive rocks crashed down on the checkpoint’s fortifications, causing great chaos among the enemy forces.

“Now! Take out the emerging priest!”

“Yes, sir!”

The golem I had summoned was vulnerable to the holy magic wielded by the enemy cleric. However, the priest who appeared at the checkpoint became a prime target for Momiji’s longbow unit, which rained arrows down from the high ground, turning the priest into a pincushion before he fell dead.

…Yes, we had saved our arrows precisely for this moment.

“There are no more enemies! Keep hurling those rocks!”

“Graaaaoooorrr!”

While there were still priests among the enemy, few could effectively wield holy magic. With the enemy neutralized, the Rock Golem continued to bombard the checkpoint, shattering the fortifications and further demoralizing the defending soldiers.

“Now! Launch a full assault!”

At this moment, General Alcock gave the order for a full-scale attack, and the Kingdom’s army surged forward.

Though low on arrows and with their horses exhausted, the sheer numbers of the Kingdom’s forces overwhelmed the enemy. They knocked down the multiple layers of barricades at the checkpoint and crossed the moat.

“Break down the gate!”

The soldiers used a large tree trunk tied with ropes as a battering ram, slamming it against the checkpoint gate. Unlike a castle gate, it wasn’t as sturdy and soon gave way, allowing the Kingdom’s forces to pour inside.

However, by that time, the enemy soldiers had already fled, leaving the checkpoint deserted.

“Did the enemy escape? Don’t pursue them! Celebrate our victory!”

“Eii, eii, oooh!”

General Alcock quickly secured the entire fortified checkpoint, and the troops raised a victorious cheer.

◇◇◇◇◇

Two hours after securing the checkpoint—around early afternoon—General Alcock’s Kingdom forces began preparations to continue their march eastward, deeper into the Kingdom’s territory.

“Will you be staying behind, Baronet?”

“Yes, that’s correct!” I replied to General Alcock’s question.

The reason I chose to stay at the checkpoint was to help more of our allies escape. While General Alcock’s unit had successfully retreated, the main force led by Marquis Clock was still trapped in enemy territory. My decision to remain here was to ensure their safe return to the Kingdom’s lands.

“I’ll stay too!” Nataraja declared.

“No, you cannot. You are responsible for the Rillburn family’s troops. You must not stay behind!”

“…Hmm.”

Nataraja frowned but quickly came to a resolution.

“…Then I’ll leave Momiji’s unit here. Use them as you see fit!”

“Understood.”

With that, Momiji’s longbow unit of fifty soldiers remained under my command, while the rest of the troops continued their retreat eastward.

“Lord, why did you stay behind? Normally, you’d be the first to flee from a losing battle with no gain,” Momiji quietly asked when we were alone.

“Hmm, I’m not sure. I used to think I became a duke solely through my own achievements. But that was a lie. I realized, after hearing the story about the Chad family, that the Queen and the former Prime Minister probably vouched for me a great deal.”

“…I see.”

“That’s why I believe I need to help our allies, even just a little, out of gratitude to the Queen and the former Prime Minister. Besides, I’m not powerless anymore. I’ve been granted the power of magic. The strong should protect the weak—I’m sure of that.”

I briefly removed the pendant I had received from Io, revealing the red crest that appeared in my eye for Momiji to see.

“That’s so cool!” Momiji said with a shy smile.

“…No, that’s not it. I’ve just been running away too much until now—I’m a coward,” I murmured oftly to the setting sun, making sure Momiji couldn’t hear.