In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 306

Chapter 306: The Kukkoro Male Knight and an Elf-Made Trench

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As expected, digging the trenches ran into serious difficulties. Because the soil was mostly sand, it collapsed almost immediately unless reinforced with wooden frames, and in many places water seeped out even from shallow digging. On top of that, with the enemy closing in, there was no time to spare.

Still, nothing would come from complaining. We asked Lady Dalaiya to buy us time and threw ourselves into building the defensive positions with everything we had. As a result, after about an hour and a half, we had completed a frontline trench, a command trench, and a shelter trench for non-combatants. It was nowhere near enough to protect everyone, but it was better than having nothing at all.

“Looks like they’re putting on quite a show.”

Peering through a telescope, I muttered. Beyond my gaze, elf soldiers were fighting fiercely near the boundary between the forest and the riverbank. Lady Dalaiya’s unit was engaged with the Vanka faction’s troops. The sounds of wooden swords clashing, along with screams and curses, could be heard all the way here.

Lady Dalaiya’s unit was properly carrying out their delaying orders. In fact, it even looked like they were fighting on equal footing. At this rate, I almost wondered if we hadn’t needed to build defensive positions at all.

But I couldn’t let my guard down. Over the past few days, I had come to understand just how troublesome the elves were. Being overly cautious was just about right. If this concern turned out to be unnecessary, then all the better. It would just give us another amusing story to tell over drinks.

“Hmm. As expected of elves, they work fast.”

Turning my gaze from the battlefield, I looked over our own position. Trenches reinforced crudely with branches cut from nearby trees and simple earthen embankments. It was a terribly makeshift defensive position, but considering how quickly it had been constructed, it was more than sufficient.

Thank goodness for elven earth magic. If we had done this by hand, it probably would have taken three days. Of course, since it was improvised, there were plenty of rough spots, but if we obsessed over perfection and failed to make it in time for battle, that would defeat the purpose. We had to settle for good enough.

Even so, we didn’t yet have enough trenches to protect all personnel. That was only natural, since we had over a thousand people including non-combatants. Digging trenches to cover everyone would take not just until sunset, but at least another full day and night.

“Alright, let’s go on the offensive soon. Tell Lady Dalaiya to fall back a bit more. I want to draw the enemy in front of the firing points.”

That said, the enemy wouldn’t wait forever. Once we were ready to fight, it was time to begin the operation. The remaining trenches could be dug by those not currently engaged. Fortunately or unfortunately, the battlefield wasn’t large enough for a regiment-scale force, about a thousand soldiers, to fight at full capacity. After all, no matter how wide it was, it was still just a riverbank. It was too cramped for skirmishing with trenches unless fighting in dense formation. Since some people would inevitably be unable to participate in combat, it made sense to assign them to other tasks in the rear.

“Got it!”

The sparrow beastman messenger who received my order replied cheerfully and took off into the sky. Birdfolk really were incredibly useful. They strongly supported essential military operations like reconnaissance and message delivery. Truly reliable.

“Contact the Michael Collins. Have them support Lady Dalaiya’s retreat with smoke shells. Even if it’s just smoke, a direct hit on a person won’t be harmless, so make sure not to drop them on our allies.”

After seeing off the messenger, I spoke to the dragonewt engineers nearby. They were handling a strange device combining a hand-cranked generator and switches, with insulated copper wires extending from it to the river patrol ship Michael Collins anchored midstream.

This was a newly implemented weapon: a wired communication device. Its structure was extremely primitive, so it couldn’t transmit voice, only Morse code, but even so, it was far faster and more reliable than messengers or flag signals. It was essential equipment for modern artillery warfare.

“Fire support for Dalaiya unit. Ammunition: smoke shells. Understood.”

The engineer repeated my order and began tapping the key. Normally this would be the job of a communications officer, but since such roles didn’t exist in this world yet, we left it to the engineers familiar with new technology. Before long, the single main gun of the Michael Collins began to fire. Though “fire” might be an overstatement. It was only a 57mm caliber gun, so the sound lacked impact, more of a sharp, hollow noise.

However, it was a breech-loading gun, loaded from the rear rather than the muzzle like older cannons. The loading speed was on a completely different level. Calling it machine-gun-like would be an exaggeration, but it could still fire in rapid succession.

“It’s running smoothly. Looks like the malfunction has been fixed.”

Hearing the gunfire, Sonia sighed in relief. This cannon had once broken down during an earlier ambush on the way to Runga City. Thankfully, the engineers had managed to fully repair it. Honestly, I was glad it was working again. Without it, we’d have to fight with just rifles and bows. Going into battle without even a single cannon would be a nightmare. 

After all, I’m a firm believer in pure firepower.

“Impact! Now!”

Before long, the smoke shells began raining down into the forest with whistling sounds. White smoke rose from all over, making it look like a forest fire. These were simple smoke shells, not tear gas, but they still caused coughing and obscured vision when inhaled. Panicked enemy elves began rushing out of the forest.

“Alright, bonus time! Fire! Fire! Fire!”

Holding a megaphone, I shouted orders. Soldiers leaned out from the embankments and began firing rifles and bows. The riflemen were fine, but the elf archers using elven bows looked extremely cramped. That was only natural. Bows weren’t meant to be used in trenches. In narrow, semi-underground spaces, it was hard to take proper shooting stances. Archery required far more precise posture than firearms, and shooting awkwardly could cause arrows to veer off or even injure the user.

“…Not bad.”

Despite the harsh conditions, the elves still landed hits. Enemy soldiers struck by the barrage fell one after another with cries. Then, the birdfolk unit led by Uru launched a diving attack. The iron talons attached to their feet flashed as they tore through enemy soldiers. Their efficiency resembled birds of prey hunting, and I couldn’t help but admire it.

“Flushing them out with smoke and wiping them out with a concentrated attack… It’s like pest control.”

Sonia’s inappropriate comparison made me chuckle. When you looked at it that way, it really did. Meanwhile, the battle continued to shift. While the enemy was pinned down by the barrage, Lady Dalaiya began withdrawing his unit. Some soldiers tried to stay and keep attacking, but he shouted loudly enough for us to hear and forced them back. High morale could be a double-edged sword, though better than having none.

“Oh… they’re firing back.”

The enemy wasn’t just taking it. They switched from swords to bows and launched a counterattack. But this was where the defensive position proved its worth. The thick arrows characteristic of elven bows struck the embankments and overhead covers, causing no damage.

“Trenches are effective not just against guns and artillery, but also arrows.”

We returned fire with rifles and bows. A fierce firefight broke out. But we had sturdy defenses, while the enemy could only hide behind trees. Compared to our fortified positions, they were at a disadvantage both offensively and defensively.

Of course, archers could fire upward and rain arrows down from above. That technique, known as indirect fire, was common among archers. Still, its accuracy was extremely low. To be effective, it required massed volleys, which the Vanka faction likely couldn’t afford under fire.

Additionally, the trenches had overhead covers made of wood frames and sandbags to block incoming arrows. They weren’t perfect, and many sections were still incomplete, but we could expand coverage during lulls in combat.

“Hoho, I thought hiding in holes would be dull… but this is quite entertaining.”

An elf soldier nearby spoke with clear delight. She seemed to be enjoying herself immensely. 

Do elves in this world also dislike dwarves like in typical fantasy stories? 

The thought briefly crossed my mind, even in the middle of battle.

“Not bad, right? War is best when you can beat the enemy one-sidedly.”

Shaking off the pointless thought, I grinned as I replied. Elves might be willing to throw away their lives, but under my command, life came first. Lives were the most valuable resource. They couldn’t be wasted.

“…If we can keep pounding them from a distance like this, we could win effortlessly. But I doubt Lady Vanka would make such a poor tactical move. Let’s see how the enemy responds.”

My smile faded as I murmured. The enemy forces were steadily being drawn into our defensive positions, just as planned. The opening phase had gone well. Everything was proceeding according to plan. And yet… it felt like things were going too well.

A very bad feeling crept over me.

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