Chapter 360: Towards Independence ③ (1/2)

The top of the walls had wide pathways.

Many of the units that gave up on Aion and had joined Tsige were sent there, and were made to participate in the attack.

Today is the first day of war.

In other words, there’s the most people, the most equipment, and the time when magic is the most ferocious.

For Tsige that was at a disadvantage in numbers against Aion, the ideal would be to hit them one-sidedly with firepower at the start dash, but practically no one thought that it would be as clean as this.

The barrage of ritual spells, bow skills, and spells, didn’t show any signs of ending from morning, noon, and even when the sun went down.

If you were to only look at the results of this one day, you wouldn’t even be able to call it a war.

It was basically as if the Aion army was enduring a slaughter that was being passed by as war.

Moreover, more than half of the people who were shooting arrows and spells from the walls were comrades from their own army that have been strengthened with the Blessing, so they had higher firepower than the soldiers of Tsige.

It can’t be compared to a number of highly skilled adventurers, but it showed plenty enough power.

Right now the walls of Tsige were shining brilliantly.

There’s no rule that says you can’t fight at night.

But most wars between hyumans would be paused as dawn arrives.

Both sides need their time to rest so, at some point in time, it must have become a silent agreement.

“Even though tomorrow we will be killing each other again…what’s with this ruckus?”

Someone from Aion…no, someone that was formerly from the Aion army muttered this.

The state of the two armies that were divided by the walls were like night and day.

The Aion army was exhausted, surrounded by the corpses of many of their comrades, and most of them were sleeping as if they were dead.

The commanders were clashing opinions for tomorrow and were not getting any sleep.

It is still the first day, but it seemed like it was a tragic meeting where there were even opinions about giving the retreat order. However, there were many opinions stating that the enemy has already used all of their cards, so they are still managing to maintain their fighting will.

Even when they have faced casualties and betrayals in the tens of thousands, they still have plenty enough fighting power.

Also, even if there’s a silent agreement of not attacking at night, there’s nowhere that states they must not do anything at all at night.

They will finish preparations until morning, and tomorrow they will surely show a different result from today, is how they maintained their fighting spirit.

The soldiers on the other end have had their morale drop down to the ground already, and there were some who were thinking about deserting, but that was a minority.

The advantage of numbers still hasn’t been shaken.

There was still fire in their war councils.

On the other hand…

At the Tsige side, the former Aion soldiers, the Tsige soldiers, and the mercenaries were making a whole lot of noise and amusing themselves.

As the light of the day went off, there were simple stands set up, and a variety of food was offered.

Smoke that stirred the appetite, which isn’t something you would smell in a battlefield, overwhelmed the Aion soldiers.

They were also treated to alcoholic beverages that was said there wasn’t, and finally, even stages were set up.

A performance with lights and sound by bards with the same arrangement as the time when Rembrandt made his speech in the morning.

Cheers, applause, and interludes.

It was like a festival.

“What’s the matter, Aion person? You managed to arrive here with your life still in you, so drink drink. If you don’t drink, eat. The food and drinks are free of cost for all soldiers. You would be missing out if you don’t eat.”

“No…me saying this is weird, but…aren’t you guys a bit too loose? Cases where you would have a sweeping win only on the first day with your plans isn’t rare, you know? In a war, there’s no point unless you are the last one standing.”

“Hahahaha! Well, this isn’t Aion, but Tsige. The city at the ends of the world, and the city that faces the wasteland. It would be easier on you to think that there’s some screws loose. Ah, you said something about getting a sweeping victory only on the first day, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“So, if that situation happens for several days, wouldn’t it end in a complete victory? That’s the kind of thinking the people here work with!”

“That’s just reckless. I understand the food, and even the alcohol…I could understand as well. But what are those performances?”

“? Don’t you know what performances are? See, it is like that stage over there with the cool and beautiful ones singing and dancing. That’s a performance.”

The adventurer-looking man teaches the Aion soldier.

He was misunderstanding here.

Of course he knows what it means.

He was asking why they are doing something like that when in the middle of a war.

“Don’t take me for an idiot. I know that. What I am asking is the point of doing something like that in the center of a battlefield. I would understand if it were in the middle of a long time march to express their sympathies though…”

“Hmm, sympathies. Is that how it looks? That increases fighting spirit, strengthens unity, and pushes on restoration in the early stages. It is quite the practical stuff, you know?”

“…Huh? The singing and dancing of women, children, and thin men?”

“Yeah, there’s a variety of skills within adventurers. Look properly at the vicinity of the second stage. Can’t you tell that there’s a specially high amount of mages there?”

“As if I could tell the difference between adventurers, mages, and normal soldiers from a distance.”

“What, so you can’t tell. Fumu, that’s the usual, I guess. Well, what I am trying to say is that they are within the effective range of the magic power restoration from that stage.”

“?!”

“By the way, for the first stage it is vitality, and the third stage is the detoxing and healing one.”

“?!?!”

“The last stage is an idol one. Well, don’t worry too much about stuff and just try entering one of those. Don’t think, feel, boy. Then, survive tomorrow too.”

The adventurer-like man was speaking to him with a leisure tone as if they were in the middle of their daily life, and left with that same mood.

“…Is he sane or was that a madman? I can’t tell at all. Can I even do well here?”

The Aion man said this as if on the verge of tears.

Who knows how many years have passed since he has passed the threshold of being called a ‘boy’, and it made him remember the past.

“That’s bad. The shadow of death is looming on you. You are still young, so you gotta keep moving on. Can’t be helped. I will do you a special favor and teach you about how to enjoy live events. Ah, I’m Rokuya. If you win and survive, go ahead and have Tsige treat you a whole lot! Now, let’s go!” (Rokuya)

He thought the adventurer, Rokuya, had left, but he returned to him in the blink of an eye.

“W-Wait, oi!”

The faint uneasiness, despair, slight regret, and doubts.

The young man, who had those negative emotions welling up from the depths of his heart, was pulled around by Rokuya.

One hour later.

“ASHES!!!!”

At the spectator seats of a certain stage, there’s the young man waving lightsticks with both hands energetically as he dances madly with energy.

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“Fumu, looks like everyone is having fun. Now that I think about it, how is alcohol treated in the battlefield, Noma-kun?”