Chapter 109: Flames Over the Shield
The situation in front of Mageford, situated alongside the newly established city built by Dion and Aria, grew increasingly tense. The Northgard forces pushed forward, attempting to break through the magical shield generated by the magic towers within the city.
They were forced back by a series of warning shots from the watchtowers that blasted holes into the earth right in front of their ranks. Naturally, they didn’t dare charge blindly, while Dhorga, mounted on his horse, observed everything from atop a distant hill.
Recognizing that a direct assault was impossible and having already received input from Gred, who had explained the terrain beforehand and anticipated this outcome, he turned to the troop commander riding beside him.
"Pull everyone back for now. We’ll use our catapults to break through that magical shield," Dhorga commanded.
"Understood, General," the commander replied.
Without hesitation, the commander blew his curved horn, releasing a piercing blare that signaled a retreat. The barbarian vanguard, numbering roughly 1,000 men, pulled back to gather near the hill where Dhorga waited. Dhorga glanced behind him at the reserve force of roughly 2,000 soldiers, three catapults, two ballistas, and three siege towers standing ready at the rear. It was abundantly clear he had brought his entire army to crush Dion’s territory. Dhorga smiled, then turned to the commander beside him.
"Load the catapults with firebombs and fire continuously. Move!"
"Yes, General!"
The commander blew his horn three more times in sequence. The troops in the back began cranking the catapults, loading stones coated in oil and setting them ablaze. Moments later, three massive burning boulders soared through the air, heading straight for the flank of Mageford, which currently served as the primary fortress wall.
Blam!
All three boulders shattered against the magical shield. Though the barrier held, the impact clearly rocked the shield, creating a temporary tear that snapped shut almost instantly. Seeing his attack take effect, Dhorga grinned. He turned back to his commander.
"Hurry back and tell them to concentrate their fire on a single spot continuously. Don’t scatter your shots, target their magic tower!" Dhorga ordered, pointing toward the magic tower near the rampart.
"Yes, General!"
The commander dismounted and sprinted to the rear. Shortly after, psiuuu, three boulders flew through the air in rapid succession toward Mageford. The first stone slammed into the shield and was neutralized, but the second boulder struck the same spot, punching a hole straight through the barrier. Before the shield could seal itself back up, the third boulder flew partially through, blam! striking the magic tower. Flames instantly engulfed the structure, though it remained standing.
"Again... keep firing! We’re breaking into that city tonight!" Dhorga bellowed.
"Uooooooh!"
The troops cheered wildly, their morale soaring as they witnessed the success of their barrage. Meanwhile, inside the basement of Olga’s mansion, which served as the command bridge, panic erupted. For the first time, their magical shield had been breached, a feat even dragons hadn’t managed.
"Hey... hurry up and put out that fire on the magic tower! Boost the magical auto-repair! Fast, fast!" Johan shouted.
"Understood, Sir Johan!" two soldiers called back.
The two soldiers rushed out of the bridge to deliver the orders. On the primary monitor ahead, panic rippled through the townspeople. Mages scrambled to extinguish the flames, channeling their mana to speed up the automated repairs. Guards and escorts climbed the ramparts, drawing their bows to rain arrows down on the incoming forces. Seeing an enemy force that relied on raw brutality rather than magic manage to pierce the city’s protective canopy through sheer stubbornness and catapult fire, Johan turned to Olga and Astrid.
"I’m heading out to intercept them with my undead army," Johan declared.
"No... don’t. You shouldn’t blindly engage them alone. Even as an SS-rank, it’s far too risky," Astrid countered.
"Astrid is right, Johan. Stay calm. I’m certain reinforcements are on the way," Olga added softly.
"But Lady Olga, if we leave them be, they’ll tear our shield apart," Johan argued.
"We must hold out. Just a little longer. My gut tells me they’re returning with... a new city," Olga smiled.
"That is correct."
Hearing the voice from behind, all three turned instantly. Olga, Johan, and Astrid stared in shock as two Shadow Hand operatives stepped forward, holding a magic mirror displaying Haruto’s face.
"Hey... how did you two manage to get in here?" Johan asked.
One of the Shadow Hand operatives answered by flashing a thumb behind his back, implying they had slipped in from behind the city by piercing through the protective magical canopy. Before Johan could question them further, Haruto spoke through the mirror.
"Greetings, Lady Olga of Mageford. The Shadow Hand is currently en route to your location to help defend your city from enemy attack. Furthermore, Lord Dion, the calamity dragon Gina, Princess Mei, Luna, Sheila, Aria, and Cleo are all heading your way alongside the city of Treevalley. The knight order from Thetor is also on its way to your location. Please hold out just a little longer," Haruto said, bowing his head inside the mirror.
Hearing Haruto’s words, a look of profound relief washed over the faces of Olga, Johan, Astrid, and everyone else on the bridge who had been visibly tense moments prior. But then Astrid stepped forward.
"The city of Treevalley?" Astrid asked.
"Ah, yes. Allow me to explain," Haruto replied.
Without delay, Haruto detailed everything that had transpired in Eredor, explaining how a city previously unknown to the world was now soaring toward their domain alongside their territory’s lord. Listening to Haruto’s explanation, a smile spread across Olga’s face before she burst into a delightful laugh, leaving Johan and Astrid staring at her as she sat in the chair between them. Once her laughter subsided,
"Everything aligns with the legends and prophecies. Now, permit me to ask a question. This might be an improper time to inquire, but what of the Kingdom of Minatheras?" Olga asked curiously.
"According to spies from the Kingdom of Lutherias who have been observing Minatheras due to their shared border, the kingdom has already fallen to the undead... Within a single day, a spire was erected in the capital, though it isn’t fully completed yet. We are still awaiting further updates from our operatives on the ground for confirmation," Haruto answered.
Upon hearing Haruto’s report, Olga’s expression turned intensely dark and grim, her brows furrowing deep and her jaw tightening.
"What is it, Lady Olga?" Johan asked, observing her reaction.
"Minerva... the daughter of King Theobald who was hidden from the public eye all this time... has finally made her move," Olga answered in a raspy voice.
"Mi... Minerva?" Hearing that name, Johan began to tremble. He turned to look at Astrid, who looked just as pale as he was.
Naturally, both of them knew exactly who Minerva was, having been in the same academy class as her. They could never forget the incident at the academy that had resulted in Minerva’s expulsion, after which she had vanished without a trace.
"It seems you are familiar with the figure responsible for whatever transpired in Minatheras. Could you enlighten me, Lady Olga?" Haruto requested.
With that, Olga and Haruto conversed privately, with Olga explaining the whole story to Haruto, who listened with a somber look on his face. Meanwhile, Johan and Astrid held hands tightly.
"Back then... there were three people who managed to stop Minerva’s rampage," Johan said with a quiver in his voice.
"Yes... you, Edward the SS-rank Phalanx, and... Cleo... But this time... the scale is clearly far greater than what happened back at the academy," Astrid replied.
"You’re right. Back then... it was horrifying. Just how many people did Minerva manage to turn into undead back then... Phobos City truly plunged into darkness that day," Johan said, his face pale at the memory.
Both fell silent, staring blankly at the monitor screen where catapult stones continued to batter the magical shield. The magic tower remained ablaze from multiple impacts while the mages scrambled to accelerate its automated repairs. Then Johan and Astrid turned to look at each other.
"This time... we have pretty strong backing, don’t we?" Astrid offered.
"Yeah... Dion. He can definitely handle this Minerva problem... especially with Cleo by his side," Johan replied.
"You’re right. For now, let’s focus on repelling the enemy forces right in front of us," Astrid said, pointing to the display ahead.
"Yeah... let’s get to work, Astrid," Johan replied.
Refocusing their attention, they set to work defending the city from the very real threat looming at their doorstep.
***
Meanwhile, aboard the flying city of Treevalley inside the mansion at the rear, achooo! Dion and Cleo sneezed in unison. Sruuk! Dion sniffed back what was trying to escape his nose. Naturally, their synchronized sneeze caused Luna, Aria, Sheila, Mei, and even Gina, who was currently perched on Mei’s head, to turn and stare at Dion and Cleo.
"How did you two just sneeze at the exact same time?" Sheila asked, pointing at both of them.
"No idea," Dion and Cleo answered simultaneously.
"Are you two coming down with something? Are you feeling okay?" Luna asked worriedly, reaching out to check Dion’s forehead beside her.
"Hmm... their faces don’t look sick. Maybe two people are talking about both of you at the same time," Mei analyzed.
"True, that could be it. I wonder when we’ll arrive. We’ve been completely out of the loop while flying like this," Aria remarked.
"Has the war already started? Did that scoundrel already attack our city?" Sheila asked, her temper flaring again.
"Patience... according to Master Faramir, we’ll get there tomorrow morning because our island moves quite slow," Mei explained.
"Uuuh... not until tomorrow morning?" Luna whined, slumping her head onto the table.
"Hungry... is there food?" a little girl’s voice resonated inside all their minds.
They immediately scrambled to tend to Gina. But in the back of Dion and Cleo’s minds, both were privately harboring the same thought.
"This has got to be either Johan or Astrid talking about me... They better not be spreading rumors," Cleo grumbled in her head.
"Okay... sneezing at the exact same time out of nowhere? Someone is definitely talking about me, and whoever it is knows Cleo too, since we sneezed together," Dion thought to himself.