Becoming a Swordmast Chapter 118 : Chapter 118

Chapter 118. A Motley Crew (4)

“Is it okay to leave them like this? They seem to be overdoing it.”

Chevalier spoke, observing the three company commanders who were in a eting with serious expressions from a distance.

“There’s nothing we can do if they don’t want our help. All we can do is trust them as their superiors.”

“Still, it seems the casualties on our side are getting too high……”

“Even if the Special Task Force Company had stepped in, the result would have been the sa. The reason Harschu isn’t falling isn’t because the plan is bad, but because they are more desperate than us.”

That was right.

The reason for the difficulty in capturing Harschu, which was more than usual.

It was because Harschu’s resistance was stronger than expected.

At this, soone might ask.

Were the other cities the main battalion had captured until now weak in resistance?

The answer was yes.

Relatively speaking, those cities indeed had weaker resistance.

This was because, compared to Harschu, the other cities were less reluctant to be occupied by the Allied Forces.

It was only natural, as they were cities bordering the Allied Forces.

The people of these cities had long observed and knew well that the Allied Forces were not the terrifying demons portrayed in the Empire's propaganda, but ordinary people.

For that reason, they were less afraid of their city being occupied by the Allied Forces.

On the other hand, Harschu was a city located very far from the Empire's border.

As a result, they had never even imagined it.

What kind of beings the Allied Forces were, and what would happen if their city was occupied by the Allied Forces.

They could only think that the Allied Forces were demons, as the Empire's propaganda claid, and that a living hell would unfold if their city was taken by them.

This was the reason why Harschu's resistance to the Allied Forces was much stronger than that of the other cities the main battalion had faced so far.

Moreover, Harschu had a much larger number of city defense troops than usual.

This was because Harschu was not a border city, so relatively fewer troops had been conscripted by the Imperial Army.

Unlike the border cities, Harschu was not a direct domain of the Empire, so the lord could maintain his own private army.

Of course, with the start of the war, many troops were sent to the battlefield according to the Empire's conscription, but the number from Harschu was on the smaller side.

This was because, being a city located in the heart of the empire, it had been pushed down in the priority of troop conscription.

Thanks to this, a considerable number of troops still remained in the city, and they were engaged in its defense.

As a result, the resistance of the city defense force felt much stronger to the main battalion.

Thus, this battle was not sothing that could be finished in three days from the beginning.

It was a battle that had to be fought for at least two weeks.

This was the reason why Roden had only encouraged the three company commanders until now, without blaming or scolding them.

“It's a situation where we can only take Harschu by tiring out the city defense force by pounding on the gates every day. What more can I say in this situation?”

“But isn't it also true that the number of injured is gradually increasing because the three company commanders are overdoing it? Most of all, I'm worried about tomorrow. If their impatience reaches its peak and explodes, a bigger problem could arise.”

Chevalier was right.

Roden was also worried about a similar problem.

They had been barely maintaining the line so far, but it seed they would not be able to endure it much longer and would explode soon.

This was also the reason why Roden had been wary of the three company commanders' confidence.

The greater the confidence, the greater the impatience when things didn't go as planned.

So, as Chevalier had said, it was possible that sothing that crossed the line would happen tomorrow.

“The Deputy Battalion Commander has a point. I was thinking of watching for one more day out of consideration for their pride, but it can't be helped. Prepare the Special Task Force Company for tomorrow.”

***

The next day.

The main battalion and the city defense force entered into battle as usual.

It was the sa picture as always: pounding the walls with catapults, and when all the prepared boulders ran out, the Infantry Company and the Cavalry Company would stick to the walls with ladders.

Of course, there were a few things that had changed in the anti.

First, the Infantry Company and the Cavalry Company were being directly led by Heinrich and Otto, respectively.

“Don't be afraid of the arrows! Arrows can't do anything to us!”

“Trust

and climb the ladders! I'll hold the ladders so they don't fall!”

Certainly, with a 3-star knight leading the troops at the forefront, the montum was trendous.

Even though it was a sight they had been seeing for several days, it was enough to make the city defense force feel fear.

Moreover, it didn't end there.

“Let's go fight too! Climb the walls!”

The Archery Company, led by Günter, also let go of the catapults and rushed towards the walls in an instant.

With shields in one hand to protect themselves from arrows, it was enough to make one doubt whether they were really archers.

It was a mont that once again showed how desperately the main battalion was trying to capture Harschu.

However, this situation had now beco a rather familiar sight for the city defense force.

It was only natural, as they had been watching the main battalion fight in this way for several days.

And because of that, they thought that this battle would end uneventfully with the city defense force's victory today.

But then, an unexpected variable appeared.

“Out of the way! I'll climb the ladder!”

“I'll take the lead, so follow !”

“Today, I will personally cross the walls of Harschu, even if I have to do it alone!”

Heinrich, Günter, and Otto had started to climb the ladders.

For a company commander to personally climb a ladder was a very dangerous thing.

This was because there was no guarantee that a ladder would not be pushed away just because a 3-star knight was climbing it.

Of course, if a 3-star knight used aura to hold on, it would be impossible for a few ordinary soldiers to push the ladder.

However, the city defense force did not consist of only ordinary soldiers.

There were not only 1-star and 2-star knights, but also 3-star knights.

In other words, if they decided to push the ladder, they could push it.

And it wasn't just pushing the ladder that was possible.

Even a 1-star knight could easily cut off the top of a wooden ladder.

For that reason, they could easily stop the movents of the three company commanders by using this thod.

In the end, it was a aningless act.

But the reason the three company commanders were personally climbing the ladders, even though they knew it was aningless, was simple.

It was because they were unbearably impatient and frustrated.

In the end, the thing that Roden and Chevalier had been worried about had happened.

Moreover, the city defense force did not stop the movents of the three company commanders by pushing or cutting the ladders.

They intended to not miss this golden opportunity by using a third thod.

The enemy commander shouted.

“The Allied Forces have let their guard down! Shoot the arrows and pour the hot oil!”

If they were at the level of a 6-star and could use an aura shield, it would be a different story.

No matter how much of a 3-star knight they were, it was impossible to dodge all the arrows on a ladder without a shield.

It was not an easy task even with a shield.

And they were going to pour hot oil on top of that.

There was no way to block this even with a shield.

Even if they blocked it, the hot oil would flow into the gaps in their armor.

Thus, Günter, who belatedly realized the gravity of the situation, quickly jumped off the ladder.

Although he had climbed up to about 3 ters, as a 3-star knight, he was able to absorb the shock with aura.

On the other hand, in the case of Heinrich and Otto, they had climbed up to almost 6 ters, so it was impossible for them to just jump off the ladder.

The risk of injury was too high.

Still, should they jump?

While the two were hesitating, arrows flew from the top of the walls.

And Otto blocked these arrows with a shield he had picked up from the ground in case of an ergency.

Then he deliberately shook the ladder from side to side.

Rattle. Rattle. Woosh.

Eventually, the ladder began to tilt and fall, and the enemy, who noticed Otto's intention a step late, rained down arrows.

But all of them were narrowly blocked by the shield.

Thus, Otto jumped off the ladder just before it completely fell and hit the ground.

Thanks to this, he was able to overco the crisis without injury.

However, Otto's thod was a feat that could only be perford with a shield.

Heinrich, who had climbed the ladder without a shield, was busy blocking the arrows by swinging his sword in a way that was close to a stunt.

In other words, he did not have the leisure to block arrows from a tilting and falling ladder.

On the contrary, he could have turned into a porcupine if he had tried to do so.

“Ugh.”

In the end, Heinrich allowed an arrow to hit his thigh.

It seed the arrow was embedded quite deeply, but there was no ti to look at it.

Hot oil would soon be poured on his head.

‘Is this it…….’

Just as Heinrich, who had sensed the future, thought of the word 'give up' in his mind.

Swoosh!

Finally, the oil was poured.

But,

Sizzle!

Heinrich felt no heat at all.

This was because soone had suddenly pressed close to Heinrich's back and blocked the oil.

Surprisingly, with an aura shield.

“Are you alright?”

Thus, Heinrich's gaze turned towards Roden, who was pressed against his back.

Heinrich, with a bewildered expression at the unexpected situation, answered.

“I-I'm fine.”

“For soone who's fine, you're bleeding a lot from your thigh. I'd like to take you down with , but that seems more dangerous. Let's do this instead.”

Roden slid his arm under Heinrich's armpit.

As a result, Heinrich naturally ended up on Roden's back.

“I'm going up, so hold on tight.”

Thus, Roden climbed the ladder with Heinrich on his back.

In the anti, the city defense force shot arrows and poured oil, but it was all useless.

It was blocked by Roden's aura shield.

Thud.

In the end, Roden succeeded in climbing the entire ladder and stepping onto the walls of Harschu.