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Chapter 349 – Unsettling Shift
First on the agenda was the report by the Adventurers Guild—the attack on the city.
Ten percent of the barrier was damaged. While they had spare magic items to cover it up, they were running out of stock.
Having no spares was too alarming, so it was suggested that they would contact Ville Zentra and ask them to deploy the second batch as soon as possible. However, Bios and Forestia objected. They still hadn’t been able to secure a satisfactory amount of dragon stone.
「Can’t we make the magic items here?」the Forestian Army Minister suggested.「As luck would have it, we have dragon stones, which can be used as substitute for spirit magic stones.」
「The majority of the technology used to create the magic items belong to Dream Maker.」the interim guildmaster answered.「Perhaps we can ask their permission.」
「Yes. Speaking of which, where are the people of Dream Maker? I don’t see any of them.」
「Well, you see
」
The interim guildmaster explained everything. Dream Maker wanted to reclaim their home as soon as possible. Their desire burned so strong that they all left without leaving any messenger behind. As they departed earlier than expected, none of the top-ranking officials here were aware of it.
Dream Maker, of course, wasn’t too far from here, so leaving a messenger behind wasn’t really necessary. They thought there wouldn’t be any problem if they all left. Unfortunately, monsters attacking Lands Harvest right after their departure caused certain thoughts to cross people’s minds. That they left not because they longed for their home.
「I don’t wish to think about it, but what if they knew of the attack, and that was why they left?」the Vice Commander of the Quinbland Imperial Knights said.
A silence descended. Perhaps the discussion wouldn’t have steered to such directions if Gerhardt or Lawrence were here. But they didn’t attend, opting to send proxies instead. Gerhardt hated meetings, and Lawrence was busy revitalizing his kingdom’s weary army. Even more unfortunate was that Gerhardt’s proxy was not Gotthold, but a hot-tempered Beastman.
「What the hell? So they tricked us? Our hunt for dragon stones has been getting worse too.」
「I won’t go that far, but given the circumstances
」
「Dream Maker is guilty, no doubt. Without them, we cannot move our ships. In other words, we have our backs against the walls.」
「In any case, staying here won’t do us any good.」the Army Minister continued.「The situation will only get worse. We’ll have to move to Dream Maker. We have no barriers and our ships cannot move. If Dream Maker wish us harm, then we have not a moment to lose.」
「What are you suggesting we do?」
「It’s simple, Vice Commander. We move our base of operations while numbers are still in our favor. It’s only been less than a year since the city was abandoned. It shouldn’t be too uncomfortable.」
「Yes
」
Quinbland’s vice commander let out a low groan, and the others pondered it over. With their mind focused on Dream Maker, they failed to notice the faint hint of madness lurking in the Army Minister’s eyes.
Too eager for glory, flustered in times of emergency. Unaccustomed to expeditions, the Forestian Minister was far from composed.
「Then we have no choice but to go! I’ll go tell His Majesty!」The Einbeast proxy bolted out.
「Wait!」
「Sending the whole allied army is too much. Half will suffice.」the vice commander suggested.
Everyone nodded in agreement. For a moment, an indescribable anxiety flashed in their heart.
It was dawn, and two large warships and five medium-sized ones were floating on the great river south of Dream Maker. Scouts had already inspected the city in the late hours of the night. Their findings: only few enemies in sight. The corpse-eating monsters were sleeping soundly.
At daybreak the army would make their move. Every single one of them were ready to put their lives on the line in order to take back their homeland.
The soldiers on the deck were staring intently at the eastern sky. Wordlessly, they stayed up all night, waiting for the light of dawn, chilly wind brushing against their skin.
Then someone let out a soft grunt. The eastern sky was beginning to brighten. But Grucel waited. The light still wasn’t enough. It would be no laughing matter if the troops halted their advance because a soldier had accidentally fallen into the river.
There was only about a quarter of an hour left before day broke. The sky grew brighter, their hands now clearly visible.
『All men, prepare for landing!』Grucel ordered through a magic loudspeaker.
Small boats descended from the warships, and soldiers streamed onto the vessels. Just as they were ready to move, the first light of the day touched the men’s face.
『Onward! Reclaim our home!』
Soldiers roared in unison, their cry like a beast’s howl. They were no longer afraid. The only thing on their minds was retaking Dream Maker.
The small boats sailed forward. Even on the water, the men never broke formation, a result of winter’s rigorous training.
The first boat approached the harbor, quickly followed by the others, all docking on the barely serviceable wharf. Not all boats could dock however, as many parts of the wharf was damaged, so instead they fastened the other vessels close to the others.
Once all soldiers were on land, two medium-sized ships entered the harbor, the maximum number the wharf could allow. The vessels moored, and five enormous cargo were lowered on the landing. Five was the most they could unload. Covered in waterproof cloth, the cargo was integrated to wagons.
Heaving, several soldiers pushed the cargo to move.
『It looks like a large ship can’t dock.』a scout told Grucel, who remained on the command module.
The collapsed docks prevented huge ships from entering. All they could do was stay anchored as close as possible in case they needed to retreat.
『All we can do now is wish them good luck.』Grucel said.
『Indeed, sir.』
The soldiers that landed first waited for the “wagons” at the exit of the harbor. The city was quiet, with no signs of monsters coming.
『Set it up so we can fire any time.』
『Understood, Captain Gin.』
Worked hard as always, Gin was appointed as the man in-charge of the wagons. The cloth covering was removed, revealing a metal tube with gold ornaments—a mobile blast cannon.
It was lighter and more portable than the ones Dream Maker used before, a result of the research done by Ludend and Magic Item Specialists from Vireocean. The former head of the Sorcery Department wanted to join the expedition, but his wish was denied, given that he’d staged a rebellion before.
『First round loaded. Ready to fire in ten seconds.』
『Good.』
Gin glanced over at the scouts at the end of the main street. The hoisted white flag indicated there were no problems.
The soldiers advanced, protecting the blast cannons. Dream Maker lay as still as a grave. Eventually they spotted a small hill at the end of the street, and the men swallowed hard. They knew what it was from Gin’s report.
The giant monster groaned drowsily and got up its feet.
『Blast cannons at the ready! Shields to both sides!』
At Gin’s orders, soldiers lined up five blast cannons next to each other and placed stoppers behind the wheels to stop the weapons from moving backwards. Soldiers lined up on both sides, holding shields as tall as they were.
『Ready to load!』
『Load!』
As the shells slid into the blast cannons, the monster noticed the presence of the intruders and howled. Then smaller creatures—the monsters’ children by the looks of it—emerged from the hill.
『All five cannons locked and loaded! Angle of elevation adjusted!』
『Fire!』
Gin gave the order before the monster even charged.