Four days after all Ancient Classes mastered Traveling, we finally arrived at the Klagen Plain, which is adjacent to Deseo.
Well, since it’s also adjacent to the Praia Desert, there are plenty of desert monsters even though it’s a plain.
Furthermore, the Solemne Army has come out in full force to greet us on this Klagen Plain.
I can see about 30 Steam Battleships on the sea side, and the army is more than 10,000 strong.
“As expected, with the Imperial Capital just a stone’s throw away, it’s no wonder Solemne has deployed the entire army.”
“That’s true. The army seems to have cannons, but it’s not as many as I thought, isn’t it because development hasn’t caught up?”
As Prince Maruca and H.R.H. Elis said, it’s only about two days from here to Deseo, so the Klagen Plain is by no means an exaggeration to call it Solemne’s final defensive line.
That’s why they’ve truly committed all their forces.
Based on the number of Steam Battleships that appeared here, I estimate that Solemne has developed around 250 in total.
There might still be some left in Libertà, so perhaps around 260?
I don’t think they have 300, but it takes a considerable amount of time to build even one ship, so they must have been preparing for years.
Conversely, the army’s cannons visible within this range are about 100.
With 100 cannons for 10,000 soldiers, it’s a small number, so they probably prioritized equipping the Steam Battleships with the cannons they developed.
Or, perhaps they were only recently able to miniaturize them, and haven’t produced many yet.
“I am Prince Airgaitz Ruin Solemne, the first prince of the glorious Solemne Empire!! I shall slay the fools who impudently and arrogantly invade our country!”
“Oh, the first prince of Solemne? Hilde, this is where we should step in.”
“Yes. I am Hildegard Minato Torencia, Queen of the Torencia Phantom Kingdom. You were the one who declared war and dispatched your army to occupy our country first, were you not? This is simply your turn.”
“I am Reinhardt Ray Amister, King of the Amister Kingdom. At the request of our friend Torencia, I am accompanying you to destroy this barbaric nation.”
Prince Airgaitz turned his gaze of surprise towards Emperor Reinhardt and Hilde.
He looked as if he hadn’t expected the King of Amister and the Queen of Torencia to be here, but he quickly curled his lips into a vulgar smile.
“I didn’t expect the King of Amister and the Queen of Torencia to be here, but it’s convenient for us. After all, if we defeat you both, it’s as good as defeating both your kingdoms.”
Prince Airgaitz sneered, confident in his victory, and it would seem normal to think so.
“As expected, you are barbarians. We haven’t had a single casualty on our side up to this point, have we?”
“Hmph. You may have repelled our army near Laofen, but it’s not impossible if you have many High Classes. However, here we have 12,000 elite soldiers of the Solemne Army, and 30 Steam Battleships, the strongest weapon of our navy! There is no one in this world who can defeat such a force.”
There are 12,000 of them.
Some might be attacking Libertà, but even so, it’s more than I expected.
Well, it’s within the margin of error.
“Soldiers beneath Demi-humans are nothing. If that’s your elite, then I can see the true caliber of Solemne, which was said to be our equal.”
Our side has a little over 600 people, so there is more than a twenty-fold difference in numbers.
However, we have 16 Ancient Classes as our core fighting force, and over 200 High Classes.
Among those High Classes, nearly ten are on the verge of becoming Ancient Classes, and their weapons are made of alloy, so they can be used without worrying about magic degradation or fatigue, giving them power comparable to Solemne’s High Classes and above.
In other words, Solemne’s only advantage is numbers.
“It appears the new King of Amister is an idiot unlike any seen in history. It is unfortunate for the people of Amister to have such an idiot as their king. It is only right that our Empire should rule and manage this continent.”
“To think that Solemne, which has abolished guilds and even gods, would claim to manage our country is the height of delusion.”
“You speak grandly, but in the end, you desire to rule not only the Philia Continent but the entire Helios Orb, do you not? You are starting this war solely to satisfy your lust for power, so it is rather the people of Solemne who are to be pitied.”
We have confirmed the oppression of ordinary Solemne citizens by nobles and the military in the towns and villages on our way here.
Although we didn’t hear detailed stories, according to the people of a town whose garrison we repelled, their already high taxes were further increased in the past few years, forcing some to work while sacrificing sleep.
As for food, there seems to be no shortage due to the abundance of meat brought from dungeons, but clothing is scarce, making it difficult to even have spare clothes, and many residents did not even own houses.
They said they often used tents made from monster hides, which are water-repellent and breathable, obtained cheaply from dungeons, and in some cases, they had to sleep outside the town, fearing monsters.
Nobles have mansions, and soldiers can stay in military facilities, so the disparity is quite stark. Furthermore, they said that even when residents had to sleep outside the town for their convenience, no patrols were conducted.
This is why soldiers are a popular profession in Solemne, and there are many of them.
However, for that reason, the quality is likely far inferior to Amister’s.
“Do you have the luxury of thinking about your citizens? We possess not only Steam Battleships but also 150 portable cannons! No matter how many High Classes you have, such a force would be annihilated in an instant.”
“It is certainly more than I expected, but none among us in the Allied Forces would lose their lives to such weapons. I look forward to seeing the look on your face when you realize these magnificent new weapons are ineffective.”
This is tough talk, especially for Normal Classes, and particularly for non-combatants.
When the Steam Battleships and the army’s portable cannons combined unleash a simultaneous barrage of over 500 cannons, it’s uncertain if even High Classes could fully defend against it.
The same applies to Ancient Classes, but wide-area spells from me and Mako would have no problem, and Prim and Meena’s Barrier Magic can also cover a radius of 200 meters if concentrated, so defense is not an issue.
Since they are just chunks of iron without magic reinforcement, Ancient Classes can simply deflect it by creating a headwind with wind magic.
“You can say anything with just words. However, in front of cannons, even Ancient Classes are like babies. Let me show you proof of that.”
Prince Airgaitz says such things, but it seems he doesn’t know that there are Ancient Classes on our side.
Prim and I evolved into Ancient Classes six months ago, and this information has been known to surrounding countries for five months.
I assumed Solemne had also obtained this information, but perhaps they became arrogant with their success in developing and manufacturing Steam Battleships and cannons, and decided it didn’t matter?
It doesn’t really matter to me, though.
“Then, let us see this proof you speak of at your leisure.”
Emperor Reinhardt wore a mocking smile, and I’m sure I had a similar expression.
After all, all the Ancient Classes had the same look on their faces.
“Watch to your heart’s content. However, the price will be your lives.”
Saying this, Prince Airgaitz raised his sword.
With that as a signal, all the cannons from the Steam Battleships and portable cannons fired simultaneously.
But those cannonballs did not reach the Allied Forces.
All of them were pushed back by the Barrier of Alfheim deployed by Mako.
“W, what is this!?”
“We can defend against cannons of that caliber, no matter how many thousands are fired. Ah, next, we’ll drop them on your camp, so be prepared.”
Mako deliberately refrained from returning the cannonballs to the enemy’s camp, but I think it wouldn’t have mattered if she had fired them back.
“Weren’t you able to treat Ancient Classes as mere babies? As it is now, it looks like something even Normal Classes could easily defend against, let alone High Classes?”
“It’s a fluke! Hurry up and reload the next round!”
In a way, this is also a weakness of cannons.
Once a full salvo is fired, reloading takes a considerable amount of time.
The cannons developed by Solemne fired iron cannonballs using fire and wind magic, but it seemed to be a bit of a burden for Solemne soldiers who cannot use Inn.
So, while loading the cannonballs into the turret is quick, preparing the magic takes time, making rapid firing impossible.
One might think they could divide the labor since there are many soldiers, but they probably haven’t thought that far ahead.
“This is under the assumption that we will wait, but do you understand that?”
“Don’t spout cowardly words! Fire from any cannon that’s ready!”
Oh dear, isn’t that the worst possible move?
With nearly 500 cannons, firing them individually means you lose even point suppression, let alone area suppression.
See, only about 10 cannons have finished preparing and fired.
“Hilde, Elis, Rosemary, Delfina, Wyze, Certina, Frau, Plum, Lark.”
The nine people whose names were called by Emperor Reinhardt stepped forward and, along with Emperor Reinhardt, intercepted one cannonball each.
Five more cannonballs came after that, which were dealt with by Prince Maruca, Miranda, Bout, Cliff, and Shazara, who were on standby.
“I-impossible…”
“As I said, none among the Allied Forces would lose their lives to such weapons. Rex, the battle has begun here.”
“Yes! Noble warriors of the Allied Forces! The fate of Amister and Torencia, no, the entire Philia Continent, rests on this battle! Defeat the cruel and inhumane Solemne and bring peace to the Philia Continent! All troops, commence your attack!”
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The Solemne formation consists of 30 Steam Battleships at sea and 12,000 army soldiers on the Klagen Plain, arrayed behind a line of portable cannons.
We had anticipated this formation and had already scouted it beforehand, so we have our respective roles assigned.
Covering fire from the sea would be difficult in close combat, but since we don’t expect Solemne to hesitate in sacrificing their own, we decided to eliminate them as a priority, and Muse, along with Mana, Lydia, Ludia, Eos, Faris, Saya, Slay, El, and Caesar, headed out.
We expected about 20 ships at most, so the burden on Mana and the others has increased, but even so, if each sinks 3 ships, it shouldn’t take too long.
Our Ancient Classes will take the lead in engaging the army, with all our forces fighting in return.
Most of the non-combatants are Hunters from the Amister Alliance, and there are also many healers.
However, among those non-combatants are High Classes like Yuri, Ed, Marina, Fiana, Mako, Viola, and Yuria. The 10th Platoon of the Order’s Guild has also been assigned as guards, with Rika taking command.
Archers are stationed in the observation decks of the Beast Carriages, also providing escort for the non-combatants.
Flam, the Ancient Undine, is also present, and since archers can convert elemental magic into arrows, the lack of arrows is not an issue.
The biggest problem is the escort of royalty. However, Emperor Reinhardt, H.R.H. Elis, and Prince Maruca have half of the Trial Hearts and the Royal Order, and Hilde has Certina and the Royal Saber, so there is no concern there.
Sayuri is with the non-combatants in the Beast Carriage, but like the 10th Platoon, she is treated as a guard.
Until recently, she held the highest level in Amister, so she can fight normally.
Finally, the Allied Forces will face the 12,000 Solemne army soldiers.
The right flank is commanded by Miranda of the First Order, leading the Royal Guard, while the left flank is commanded by Wyze, the Secondary Saber. The central main force is led by General Rex.
The 10 people assigned to the Steam Battleships will join us as soon as they are finished, but even so, with a twenty-fold difference in numbers, even the Ancient Classes cannot cover the entire battlefield.
However, we have nearly 200 High Classes, and the Normal Classes are experienced Orders, Sabers, and Hunters, so we will not fall behind Solemne.
Well then, let’s begin the battle!
