Chapter 233: Recapture of Fort Orlando
The liberation of the Abysspania continent began with a spark in the small harbor town of Kalos on the eastern peninsula, just across the harbor from the city of Avana.
Though the Abysspanian army quickly reclaimed the port town from the demon forces, they had only two thousand soldiers. Meanwhile, the demon army occupying Fort Orlando, the key defense point of the peninsula, boasted nearly five thousand troops.
To make up for their lack of manpower, they hastily gathered recruits from nearby villages to form a volunteer army.
「We have the know-how.」
Louise’s confident assertion seemed almost reckless to Barland at first, as he doubted whether these hastily armed peasants could make any difference. But his doubts were dispelled within three days when the makeshift militia easily repelled a suppression force sent from Fort Orlando, thanks to the power of the muskets.
The musket shots fired by these once timid peasants proved to be on par with the attack magic of the demon army’s mage corps. The deafening sound and the invisible bullets that claimed lives left the demon forces in shock and disarray, witnessing firearms for the first time.
「We can win! We can really win!」 「Hah, look at them! They’re terrified! Serves them right for treating us like slaves!」
Astonished by the effectiveness of their muskets, the volunteer soldiers were thrilled by their unexpected victory, and their morale soared. The demon forces had always held the advantage on the Abyss Continent thanks to their ability to wield powerful demon magic that humans struggled to master.
But with the introduction of muskets, that advantage was swiftly overturned.
Watching the peasants’ success with firearms, Barland became convinced. 「Louise-dono, this will work… We can win this!」
「I told you, didn’t I?」
Then, appearing before them was an officer from the Abysspanian volunteer army, distinctly different from the ragged peasants. He wore a blue uniform adorned with shining gold buttons. The officers of the royal cavalry were still young, but their presence carried an undeniable gravitas, the air of battle-hardened warriors who had seen countless bloody encounters.
These officers were tasked with leading the still-awkward peasants in their use of muskets. Muskets required time to reload after each shot, a vulnerability that could be disastrous if the demons mounted a counterattack. But the elite officers made sure that didn’t happen.
Alongside them stood four gleaming, black cannon—newly fashioned and lethal.
「Load!」
At the officer’s command, shells were loaded into the cannons.
「Set positions!」 「Aim!」 「Prepare the fuse!」
To Barland’s trained eye, the officers moved with the precision of mages casting a powerful spell as they expertly handled the artillery. These cannons, with their fearsome power, outclassed even the demon army’s magical attacks.
「Fire!」
The thunderous roar of cannon fire echoed across the battlefield, making even the seasoned Knight Commander Barland rise from his seat.
Seeing the cannons up close was nothing like he’d ever experienced—the sheer force was not just a sound, but a massive pressure wave of air.
The demon army, encountering cannon fire for the first time, crumbled under the assault.
「Check the targets!」
The officers of the volunteer army moved to inspect the results of the first cannon fire ever used on the Abyss Continent. Ensuring the accuracy of their aim in different environments was crucial to securing victory in future battles.
As there were few officers, the eventual goal was to train the local militia to handle the artillery themselves. While Barland stood in stunned silence, Louise approached him.
「Shall we proceed, Barland-dono?」
「Oh, yes! Everyone, pursue the enemy!」
The enemy army, shattered by the force of the cannons, was pursued from behind, further reducing their numbers. Although the seasoned soldiers of the Abysspania Liberation Army had played their part in the victory, it was Louise who stood out with her exceptional skill.
Riding on horseback, Louise wielded the Orichalcum Greatsword she had unsheathed from her back. Her seemingly effortless swings brought down powerful demon knights, one after another, sending them to blood-soaked graves.
In this remote corner of the Abyss Continent, there was no knight who could rival Louise. She cut through anything in her path with reckless abandon.
Her fiery red hair and unstoppable presence were like a whirlwind of death, a demon goddess in the midst of the battlefield. Beside her, Suzanne and Claudia galloped on their swift horses, expertly using their pistols to pick off the knights Louise had missed.
Following the landing battle, the first engagement on the eastern peninsula ended in a decisive victory for them.
Near the harbor town of Kalos, the Abysspania Liberation Army continued to recruit and grow their forces. Before long, their numbers swelled to nearly four thousand. Having repelled the demon army’s repeated attempts to suppress the peasant revolt, the balance of power was beginning to shift.
「Louise-dono, we can make it here.」
「Yes, that’s exactly our next target. They say the best defense is a strong offense. Takeru told me not to overdo it, but taking down at least one of their smaller fortresses should be fine.」
Barland pointed to their ultimate goal—Fort Orlando, the largest defensive position on the peninsula. If they could take it, the peninsula would be freed.
Fort Orlando, built of sturdy stone, should have been impenetrable. However, against the might of the latest cannons, it was on the verge of crumbling. With muskets and cannons at their disposal, the Abysspania Liberation Army seemed poised to wipe out the five thousand-strong demon army stationed on the peninsula.
But then, the enemy commander emerged.
「You won’t get past me!」
Roared the commander of Fort Orlando, Gomory.
Gomory, a bird-like demon with a long beak, was a non-magical demon who had risen from the rank of a mere soldier to a general commanding five thousand troops. A hero in the demon army, Gomory had achieved his position through sheer determination.
Now, he revealed the trump card he had received directly from the Great Demon King Ifriil—the Blue Dragon.
「Like I’d let some lowly peasants defeat me! Come forth, Blue Dragon!」
Gomory was no ordinary foe. As a seasoned warrior, he had carefully observed the weaknesses of the new weapons—muskets and cannons. He knew they took time to reload after each shot, and he cunningly used Fort Orlando as bait to strike at the enemy’s vulnerable moments.
This keen instinct was what had made him a rising hero, and in this situation, it was the best decision he could make. In fact, the appearance of the enormous Blue Dragon, standing over four meters tall, sent the volunteer soldiers—many of them mere peasants—into a panic. The tide of battle seemed to be turning.
These inexperienced farmers, who had been intoxicated by the power of their muskets, were no match for the overwhelming shock of facing a dragon. The fragile formation they had cobbled together seemed ready to collapse under the pressure. Gomory’s judgment was sound.
His misfortune, however, was that the opposing hero was none other than Louise, the Dragonslayer. He had no idea that using a dragon against her was a fatal mistake.
「I’ll handle this.」
Was she actually pleased to be facing a dragon again after so long? A faint smile crossed her lips as she slowly drew the Dragonslayer Greatsword from her back.
「Hah! What can a mere human knight do against a Blue Dragon…」
Gomory’s words were cut short.
The dragon’s long fangs, poised to tear Louise apart, were sliced clean off in an instant.
In the next moment, the dragon’s thick forelimb was severed as well.
Though dragons are formidable creatures, they are still living beings. When the beast felt its supposedly impenetrable scales sliced apart so easily, it must have realized that it could not win.
「Gruuuh…」
With a howl, the Blue Dragon flapped its wings in a desperate attempt to escape, but its movements were sluggish. What was once a roar that struck fear into all living creatures now sounded more like the whimper of a large lizard before Louise.
The sight of the dragon fleeing with its tail between its legs was almost laughable.
「Oh? Running away already?」
「Gyaaaah!」
Without missing a beat, Louise hurled her Dragonslayer Greatsword. The massive blade pierced the Blue Dragon’s back with a heavy thud, sending the beast crashing to the ground.
The dragon died almost instantly, never even getting the chance to unleash its deadly breath attack. This turn of events—an overwhelmingly powerful creature being defeated in mere moments—was beyond anything even the demon hero Gomory could have imagined.
「Wh-What…?」
Louise gazed down at Gomory from atop her horse as she slowly withdrew her Orichalcum sword. Without giving him a chance to react, she decapitated him. The long-beaked demon’s head fell from his shoulders before he even realized what had happened.
Their last hope, the Blue Dragon, was slain. The fortress commander, Gomory, had fallen in battle. And Fort Orlando, once a formidable stronghold, now lay in ruins.
With the fall of the fortress, the complete annihilation of the demon army on the Eastern Peninsula was assured.
Victory! An overwhelming victory!
When Louise returned to the main camp, only briefly pursuing the fleeing enemies, Barland couldn’t help but ask,
「What’s the matter, Louise-dono?」
「Just wondering… can we eat that dragon?」
「You’d eat a demon beast? I thought about salvaging its parts, but… well…」
Ignoring any protests, Louise began hacking away at the Blue Dragon with a rugged knife, intent on preparing a dragon stew for dinner. It was typical of Louise to eat any new species of dragon she encountered.
And so, that night, a stew made from Blue Dragon meat was served.
「This really warms you up, Louise-sama.」 「Tastes good.」
「Hmm, I think the taste of the dragon’s breath sac is a bit too mild. Should we add more salt?」
Only the veteran officers of the volunteer army joined Louise in sampling the stew. Though the flavor wasn’t bad, most couldn’t get past the idea of eating a demon beast. Barland and the other knights stood at a distance, watching cautiously.
「Barland-dono, how about you try some?」
「O-Oh… alright…」
Barland hesitantly took a sip.
「How is it? Dragons do make for fine dining, don’t they?」
「It’s… well, it’s…」
「It doesn’t suit your taste?」
「No, it’s delicious!」
Barland forced a smile, trying to hide his discomfort.
Though the stew wasn’t bad, the taste of the dragon’s breath sac left his tongue tingling uncomfortably. Barland broke into a nervous sweat, wondering what kind of palate a Dragonslayer like Louise must have to find this flavor mild.
With their leader, Barland, having tasted it, some of the Abysspanian knights reluctantly followed suit. However, their faces all showed signs of bewilderment at the strange taste.
It seemed that Louise’s unconventional appetite was too much for the newer volunteer soldiers to handle.
Yet, in moderate quantities, the dragon meat strengthened their bodies, while the breath sacs provided increased resistance to fire.
The knights who reluctantly ate Louise’s dragon stew that night would go on to survive the next battles with remarkable resilience.
※※※
The victory at Fort Orlando gave the Abysspania Liberation Army a crucial foothold for liberating the province of Linmon. As they solidified their gains, new supplies and reinforcements arrived at the port of Kalos.
「I’m so glad we brought a ship that can carry the horses.」
「You’re always so relaxed, Berenice. Meanwhile, I can’t stop trembling with excitement.」
At last, the two elite knights of the royal guard, Berenice and Clementine, had arrived to join the ranks of the Abysspania Liberation Army.