XVII

In the early morning of August 4, 1666 (Mday +125).

Blenheim-sur-Metz

The Figota Army position, set up on the north bank of the Mez River, was organized around two small farming villages. The lords of the Upper Russell and Lower Russell estates were responsible for the supply of food to Blenheim, and their grain was also supplied to the wine-rich Jena Narrows.

Before the arrival of the Imperial Army, the food stock was almost empty, and it was not until the Free Army moved north that the villagers returned to supply the army, and the Free Army recruiters moved even faster than their attacking troops. For the people of Figota, this is a land of malice.

However, none of this seems to be a threat to the eldest son of the Figota family, Atlas von Figota. His headquarters was set up around the mill outside the village of Lower Russell, under a huge windmill.

"I want to say, this scene is so peaceful! This is the charm of real fighting!"

Through two finely polished telescopes, Atlas looked across the river. In the middle of the night, the south bank was asleep, and only the recruits of the Free Army logistics unit occasionally escorted carts quietly past the river.

Ten hours earlier, fifteen hundred of his men who had remained on the South Bank had been devastated by the Luthers. The network of more than forty self-propelled guns, one hundred and sixty fixed guns, and two hundred strategic mages was extremely powerful, and the furthest attack even extended north of the Mez River, and the magic cannonballs filled with poison gas and acid exploded directly in front of his headquarters......

But he is still full of fighting spirit. With 32,000 men against 50,000 men, such a large disadvantage in troops did not make him fall into despair.

"Logically speaking, we should be organizing a retreat, right? If it were us in the past, we would naturally choose to refuse to engage in battle, and draw the enemy away, so that we can finally form a flanking attack on the battlefield we have chosen...... That's why we have a surprise attack! It's a surprise attack that even Conti Fox would have surprised for! Wait, are you listening, Cavendis?"

Atlas's exaggerated version of the aria abruptly stopped. His younger brother, Cavendish von Figota, pushed his glasses and continued to read the book in his hand. On his chest shone not the mage badge or the priest badge, but the coat of arms of the Royal Society of Science. Cavendish's troops are completely insulated from things like "standard" or "art of war", and his troops have their own set of methods of operation, from weapons to magic.

"The Third Army of Figota is all ready. I know that the commander-in-chief will definitely choose to fight head-on, and the Third Army has been conducting decoy operations since the afternoon. Blucher's Second Army should have been preparing for the attack by this time. ”

The eldest son of the three Figota brothers was speechless for a moment. "When are you two ......?"

"Of course, it's when you're busy fighting on the front line, big brother. Even if you're the third-ranked person in the history of the Mediced Knight, you can't rush to the south bank without hiding the whole army, do you know how many southerners there are on the other side?"

This time it was a handsome young man who had just walked in with two maids. All the officers around him were women, and they all wore the only uniform of the family, the maid's uniform. It was not so much that he was forcibly putting uniforms on these female officers, but that he was trying to make his maids outstanding officers. Judging by the results, his troops cannot be said to be very efficient, but they are no worse than others'. Many Imperial soldiers thought that Bluchervon Figota was a great military strategist who was delayed by his hobby—if he had been willing to run his army in ordinary ways and use ordinary officers, the Second Army would have been on a par with the Guards.

"So, presumably the Second Army has already crossed the Metz?" Atlas hurriedly changed the subject.

"Catalea, prepare strong black tea and add two spoonfuls of sugar. "Not yet," said Blucher, instructing his maid lieutenant to make tea, sat down in a comfortable armchair, "not yet, but the vanguard has crossed the Metz east of Upper Russell." It is expected that by the time the fog rises, it should be able to engage the enemy's left flank. I transferred his science team from Cavendish to him. ”

Cavendish closed the book: "By the way, my troops moved east on the north bank, lighting torches, as a second-line reserve. ”

"Pretending to retreat...... Speaking of which, you're all done, do you have anything left for me to do?" Atlas stood up with some anger.

"Defend the North Shore. Cavendish replied.

"Also, don't forget to prepare for artillery fire. The artillery brigade is in your hands, big brother. Blucher added, "Of course, I've sent Villera over to inform them. The time of firing was set at 4:45, using twenty bases. ”

Hearing this number, Atlas's facial muscles spasmed. "Twenty, don't be kidding, we've run out all the shells, what will we use to supply His Majesty ......the Emperor?!"

"Well, if we lose miserably here, we won't have to worry about that...... Moreover, we should trust that His Majesty will be able to settle the Southern question once and for all before the convergence. ”

Ignoring Yu San's taunt, Atlas pulled out his pocket watch and glanced at it, and hurried out of the camp to find a herald to stop him—but it was too late.

A network of forty-three shells and fifty-one magical rays of fire gradually appeared in the air, and smashed decisively into the south bank of the Metz, hitting the enemy's right flank camp. Even from this distance, you can see the sea of torches that suddenly lit up there, and the artificial day created by the illumination.

"Enemy attack! The troops on duty are lined up!"

"The companies of the first-level security retreat according to their own judgment, and the companies of the second-level security are deployed!"

"The third level of security has a report of receiving the enemy!"

A mixture of Rulok and Interret roars spread out along the front of the light, and the Free Army posts were all alarmed. The sleeping non-commissioned officers braved the artillery fire to pull their men out of their beds and let the yawning men put on their uniforms and rush out of the barracks.

Just after the last change of guard before sunrise, the absolute strength of the Lenny Army's outposts was not small, but they lacked sufficient vigilance. Under the fierce onslaught of the 2nd Fegota Army, the six camps at the far right end of the Free Army were directly ablazed, and screams and gunfire rang out one after another. The waves stirred up in the crowd swept through the farms, watermills, and fairs outside the city, and headed for the Freire command in Blenheim itself.

"General! General! Enemy attack! If you don't take action, the right flank will collapse!"

The door to the hut was kicked open, and the herald rushed in, gasping for breath.

In General Pluto Luthor's bed, the quilt looked unusually fluffy and wide. The man in the quilt squirmed comfortably on the bed, rolled over, and complained in a coquettish voice. The herald hesitated, not knowing what to do—but his commander gave him the answer with decisive action. Luthor sat up from the darkness, and without hesitation pressed the head of the woman beside him into the pillow with his left hand, turning the whining and gasping into an inaudible muffled grunt. The woman's body struggled, but it didn't affect Luthor in the slightest to give orders.

"Inform Chief López immediately. The units of the right flank, in their own judgment, delayed the enemy and held out at least until sunrise. The backbone units organized elite forces as reserves, and counterattacked on all fronts at sunrise. Get everybody moving!"

"Yes, Your Excellency!" the herald glanced at the quilt and gave another military salute in a panic, "I'm sorry, Your Excellency!

Bonnie watched him walk out of the tent, relieved, letting go of the hand that was pressing the woman beside her, the first thing was to hide her breasts with magic, and the second thing was to find herself as Luther's general's uniform.

"You—do you want to suffocate me?!" the woman coughed and got up, giving a stern protest, "I'm almost just—"

What awaited her was a directed silence.

"Wait a minute. I remember it well. Last night I had a pre-operational meeting, then read the intelligence, and then went to sleep. Alone. Bonnie put on her uniform and snapped her fingers to unravel the silence, "You can explain it now." Please—ask—why are you in my quilt, sister?"

Anne yawned and began to fumble with her uniform, and began to reminisce in the manner of a running account.

"Let me think about it, I was sleepy last night because I stayed up late to organize supplies for two days in a row. Sporadic magical attacks from enemies encountered on the camp by the river, possibly as hired adventurers. I was annoyed, so I froze them into ice and threw them down the river. There are a lot of mosquitoes, and there seems to be a paralyzed variant near the river. It's itchy on the calves. I didn't bother to use magic, so I recited a teleportation spell and went back to my location accessory. Then I touched Chuang and went to sleep. ”

"I remembered. A few days ago, you said that you are afraid of danger when you put the positioning jewelry there, please keep it for me. That's really ...... Forget it, it's not a scandal in this day and age anyway. Bonnie pressed her forehead, "The key question is how many more people we can squeeze out to help Jena." ”

Anne was repeatedly trying to put her arm into the sleeve of her military gown with a glazed gaze, and suddenly woke up when she heard this sentence, and her eyes returned to normal: "Wait a minute. Why do you want to divide your troops to Jena?"

"To be exact, it's the division of troops to stay here. Defend with minimal forces and let the main forces turn back to Jena. ”

Anne didn't bother to get dressed, took a deep breath, and asked, "If I'm not mistaken, the enemy forces are attacking outside, right?" The logistics department will resolutely oppose all attempts to arrange for the enemy to retreat. ”

"Yes, and violently. Half of the right flank is broken, and even if the cavalry can be organized from the central part, it will be tomorrow to counterattack back. Bonnie meticulously put on her epaulettes, "You are a logistical staff officer, and you know that it is impossible to organize a counteroffensive now." ”

Anne nodded: "At this time, the cavalry should be feeding the horses, and the logistics troops have already set off to collect forage." If you call it with a trumpet cannon, it may already be too late. We can only use infantry...... By noon, you're unlucky enough to lose 5,000 men, right?"

"The estimate of 5,000 is a bit conservative. Bonnie listened to the sound of cannon fire outside the camp, "The loss should be more than a thousand by now." The four regiments in the rear of the right flank were newly mobilized, and the veterans accounted for only 20 percent, which was unreliable. If I'm not mistaken, the enemy should have prepared a central breakthrough after that, just waiting for the moment when I threw my reserves into the right flank. Of course, if we retreat in front of the enemy, the result will be the same. ”

"Under these conditions, you still insist on sending your troops to Jena?" Anne asked again, hearing Bonnie's argument, "that would be a disaster for the battle here." ”

"If I had any other choice. There is no doubt that the enemy will launch a full-scale attack on Jena within twenty-four hours. Even if all the non-combatants were included, Jena's garrison would not have exceeded twenty thousand—" Bonnie's tone tensed unconsciously, "and you know what's in Jena, Miss Logistics Staff." ”

Anne took a deep breath. As the morning mist gradually rose, the Free Army artillery began to return fire. The artillery of the two armies mingled together, and the sharp howls came and went.

"A lifeline for 65,000 people. But listen to the sound of this cannon, like Deran in the Continental War, without stopping! Do you really judge that the enemy still has the strength to attack Jena?"

Ignoring her sister's mention of the war hundreds of years later, Bonnie Seiffel pushed open the heavy curtain of the camp and walked out. There were no more sentries or officers in the nearby tents, and everyone had dismounted to prepare for a counterattack after sunrise. Even the enemy knew that it was a Southern Church overlord who was in command here, and that they had not wasted precious shells here.

"During their time at Phates, the Figotas never offered to fight. Even in the face of the same number of Fates, never. The act of fighting 35,000 against 50,000 men is not called courage, but only madness. So, what do they want to do?" Bonnie spun around, her — his, I should say — arms waving in the air like a real congressman's orator.

"They want to defeat the strongest Western army in history? This is absolutely impossible! It is impossible with night attacks! It is still impossible with new weapons! We will defeat them! Moreover, they know this, and I know it. Well, there's only one reason why they're so desperate. Enemy reinforcements are coming. No, maybe it's already there. ”

The humidity of the early morning invaded the tent, bringing a slight coolness in the midsummer dawn. Anne licked her lips, seemingly able to smell blood and sulfur in the air. She looked at her sister, who was reasoning, and thought, maybe not air......

"Third-rate military strategists show off their strategies, second-rate military strategists calculate troops, and first-rate military strategists ensure logistics. We must go to Jena, even at the risk of being defeated here. ”

With a stiff smile on her lips, Anne raised her eyebrows and voiced her objections.

"It's too risky. No, I can't agree with such an unrealistic opinion. After all, there are still you and me here...... Let's join forces to quickly end the battle here and go to the rescue of Jena with a full army. ”

"Even with the addition of two high-level magicians, we can't end the battle in two days. Do you think Jena can hold out for two days?" added Bonnie cautiously, "...... Moreover, the man was still in Jena. ”

Anne was silent for a moment. She picked up her military hat with the wand in her hand, swirled it slightly, and did not speak for a long time.

The embarrassing silence continued. When Bonnie begins to wonder "Am I bringing up something I shouldn't have brought up?" Anne finally puts on her military hat. The brim of her hat obscured her vision, preventing her from reading her sister's expression.

"I don't give up my responsibilities easily. If he really was that man, he would have kept Jena. And our duty is to win here...... Nothing more. ”

"I thought you'd go to Jena by yourself......" Bonnie muttered to herself, laughing suddenly, "you really trust him, sister." ”

"Why!" Anne reflexively denied, "I just think that with Marshal Fawkes there, Jena wouldn't have fallen so easily!"

"Alright, alright. Let's go, the central line of defense is still waiting for us to regroup. ”

They went to the central line of defense, north of Blenheim, on the banks of the Mez River: there more than 3,000 counter-attacking troops were massing. Just across the river, the right flank company of the Principality of Figota's proud Knights Medicary was ready.

10 a.m. on 4 August 1666 (Mday+125).

General Headquarters of the Jena Free Army

Everyone knew that by this time the fighting on the Metz front had reached its most intense moment.

But now, apart from those operational staff officers who have to work day and night and logistics staff officers who are busy organizing transportation, few people have the leisure to care about the situation on the other front.

This is not because there is an enemy preparing to attack Jena, nor because they now have more important work to do. The situation on the outskirts of Jena was calm, the enemy was at least a hundred kilometers away, and the routine report forms of all reconnaissance and logistics units were scrawled with the word "Security".

This was purely due to an inappropriate routine test of the new weapon, "Dragon Slaying Melody". Now every Freikorn fighter is immersed in infinite anguish, staring at the central air defense tower with resentful eyes.

Broken sound. Tear sound. Bounce sound. Chords that are completely out of tune, and fast strumming and unfolding full of "creativity". The pulls of the stops are haphazard, sometimes ahead and sometimes lagging, and the timbre from the double bass to the oboe is constantly switching.

Some passages sound like an anachronistic combination of death metal and hymns: perhaps the performer is a genius ahead of his time from the perspective of rock music history, and percussion with an organ is not something that everyone can do.

Toads and ants began to move, the fish in the King's River gathered unusually, and even the two Italian beagles raised by Marshal Conti Fox began to foam at the mouth.

Although people of this era did not yet know what death metal was, they instinctively resented this kind of music. The detection mages on duty have said that their magic weapons and magic circles have been greatly disturbed by the music and are unable to work properly. The entire Jena command began to panic. Field Marshal Fox, who felt deeply threatened, personally hired a professional who "knew how to stop the cacophony" as a special adviser to the General Staff, and went up to the central air defense tower to carry out emergency rescue.

“...... That's probably the case. Your commander's commander's command's demands, keep you away from this organ at all costs. Personally, I couldn't agree more. ”

Thus, Miss Méti Crosso, the most professional organ player in the armies of the republics, Temporary Major Adviser (non-combatant), stood on the central air defense tower, and lectured the perpetrators of everything in a mocking and arrogant tone.

"Theoretically, it's not an organ, it's a 'magic cannon dragon slaying melody'...... Uh, Sir. Namen Soleton rubbed his hands together and reluctantly added the other party's title, his voice didn't sound very confident, "Since it's a magic cannon, then you will be proficient in practice, right?"

Méty tapped the keys lightly, and there was a smug look in her voice: "You don't know how to play the organ, Mr. Captain?"

Hanging out with women with aggressive personalities all day long, Meti seems to have become aggressive as well......

Thinking so in his heart, Naimon still grabbed a thick roll of music from the side. At the top of the score, the signature of Handel, the great magician of music, is written, along with basic instructions written in scribbled italics.

"Dragon Slaying Melody is a device that transforms the power of music into magic. As long as you play according to the record on the score, you can theoretically trigger the automatic interception system of the magic cannon......"

"It's not okay to play the wrong game. First is accuracy, then contagion, and finally expressiveness. When it comes to music, Méty looks confident, "I'm sorry for this outstanding instrument when you play like this. It's small, but it's pitched accurately, and the bellows have a lot of power, and it should be in the top three of all the organs I've played. Incidentally, the alto section is 37 percent more expressive than the one in the Cathedral of Lenny Vertila. ”

"Such delicate data...... How did you say it?" Naimon complained in his heart, but he didn't dare to say it. He thought for a moment and changed the direction of his defense: "In any case, it is also a volley and long-range strike weapon, and chords and playing are only the means to stimulate them, the means, not the ends. ”

Mette's eyes widened, and she asked in surprise, "How is that possible? The power of musical magic does not come from the magic itself! The power of this instrument comes from the pleasure of the player and the listener! When the melody is smooth and pleasant, its attack frequency will also increase." Second Lieutenant Sseefer told me that musical magic is a system that transforms the listener's feelings into magic, and of course the ability to play is the most important ......"

Naimon stopped pleading. He pondered, repeating what Meti had just said.

"Wait a minute, Metty. You say that musical magic is a system that transforms the listener's feelings into magic?"

"Of course. Those magically sensitive animals can't afford it, and that round of 'playing' you just now may have created a massacre among the nearby goblins. You really don't know anything about the workings of musical magic, Mr. Captain. ”

"Wait a minute, Meti. I think the person who doesn't know anything about the magic of music is Danika, and she plays at a very average level. I've read books in Lenny's library, and Master Bach, the Empire's first musical magician who completed the law of equalization, pointed out that the power of musical magic comes from its natural beauty and mathematical structure, which will propel the ether to power, just as we can use magic by faith. Master Handel agrees with this, and he also believes that the power of musical magic is inherent in music. If my playing is really getting in the way of the animals, it's probably because the wrong melody I'm playing has a dangerously aggressive melody in it. ”

Méty shrugged, "Ah, but Sister Anne did a convincing experiment. At least I personally think it's the masters who are wrong. She also said that if the taste of the person listening to the music changes, the power will also change...... Of course, I personally doubt this statement. ”

The captain snorted disdainfully from his nostrils. If this is true, then she can surpass Bach and Handel as the first master of musical magic. She obviously only knows sheet music, and she doesn't know how to play it. ”

"Let's do this experiment. Méty brushed her hair, turned to the keyboard, put her foot on the pedal of the bellows, and spoke faster and faster, "First, make a new tune that no one has ever heard before." Then, play it without knowing the magical effect. It just so happened that this month I composed a new tune, and it's my favorite tune so far. Personally, I think this piece will be a powerful defensive sonata given the fear in the listener's mind at the moment. ”

The graceful and slender ten fingers slammed into the keyboard at the same time, and the powerful major chords brought a rousing prelude. This piece is completely different from the ordinary "Acura God's grace" and "God bless" style of opening, but it is like a revolutionary hymn. The main theme of the first movement is taken from the famous war song "Bloody Battle Flag" from the three wars of freedom, and the chorus is a rapid polyphonic variation that is repeatedly raised.

"Tremble, tyrant and his lackeys! All those who trample on the people, their heads will roll in the mud! Pursue, warriors of freedom! Raise our banner and stain it red with the blood of the enemy!"

Naimon Soleton hummed and looked up at the top of the hundreds of cupola Mithril tubes. Just like the teaser of this song, a great magic power surrounds the "Dragon Slaying Melody" and begins to turn. Routine scans began, but this time the scope seemed particularly enormous. Soleton could only scan a two-kilometer range when he operated it himself, but now ......

"Within twelve kilometers, fluctuations in five mana units seem to be detectable. He crossed his fingers and counted the red dots on the magic array under his feet, "Twenty-eight sentry posts, six detection lines, and four defensive circles nearby...... Wait a minute, four?!"

The defense system plan was formulated by Soleton himself, and he remembered the location of each circle and each sentry very clearly. On the high ground three kilometers to the west, there should only be one sentry post, and there should definitely be no anti-detection array. More precisely, when he designed the outpost, he had the intention of exposing enemy patrols to attack the outpost - in the field of tactics, Captain Naymen Soleydon was at least as bad as the rest of his peers.

But he now felt like he was being calculated. The sentry's reaction was still there, but around the sentry was a circle of extremely difficult to detect anti-detection magic arrays, capable of blocking all ordinary magic detection, even the dragon-slaying melody he operated.

"Cut-down your playing, Mette, stop provoking possible enemy scouts on the high ground to the west—"

Ignoring Namen's appeal, Méti's performance uncontrollably enters the second movement. The organ was supposed to be the perfect instrument to depict the beauty of the heavenly kingdom, but now it is playing with repeated chords that render the sorrow of the whole world. The song-like adagio brings the ruins of the burning war and lies quietly under the mournful starry sky.

Everyone who hears the second movement has a different scene in their minds: some see Kengler, some see Lenny, and some see Gistov...... But all the sights have the same characteristics. In the ruins of the city, small flowers bloomed, watching the army pass by, and the army was destroyed. Blood flowed, corpses decomposed, and tiny flowers still bloomed. In the chords of the big time, the small sub-theme begins to recur from three or five familiar scattered notes. As the main key becomes heavier, the scattered notes gradually become stronger and more continuous.

This musical theme is familiar to every Southerner.

"Under the banner of freedom, united forever, the great federation will always stand ......"

People couldn't help but hum softly, using the passionate national anthem to set off the main tone describing the sorrow of the war. Huge points of magic light began to gather in the sky above the "Dragon Slaying Melody......

Naimon subconsciously clenched his fists and stared at the magic detection circle under his feet. If his inference is correct, then the other party can also see the great magic. If he had commanded it, he would have decided to retreat before this unknown magic was complete-

"In the name of His Majesty the Emperor, remove the masking magic array! All firepower is urgently ready to be launched, the target is Jena!"

In the song "The United Provincial Republic will surely transcend the era, and all citizens will be proud of it", the symbol representing the anti-detection circle on the magic circle at the foot of Naimon suddenly flickered and disappeared.

He was completely stunned, and there was only one thought left in his mind: it wasn't a scout.

Because instead of the detection circle, there is a sea of light spots as dazzling as the stars in the sky.

"A large number of mana fluctuations detected!At eight o'clock, four thousand mana units ......"

The alarm bells of the entire camp were all sounding. Even the dullest magic monitor sensed something was wrong.

"At eight to nine o'clock, the number of targets exceeds 1,000, and 5,000 mana units are fired at the same time...... No, seven thousand units?!"

As the one who had the most accurate measuring tools for the entire camp, Naimon Soleton looked at the detection magic circle at the foot of the "Dragon Slaying Melody" and muttered to himself the estimated value.

"Twelve thousand units. No way...... That's an outrageous amount. ”

The runes with magical power flickered, and all the red fluid on the circle gathered to form a huge arrow pointing to the hills not far to the west.

He picked up the binoculars and looked in that direction—

Countless parabolas came into his eyes. Smoke from the fire covered the entire hillside, and iridescent meteors rose from it, and countless rays of light pointed at the headquarters of the Free Army in Jena at the same time.

By definition, a standard unit of mana is the fluctuation that occurs when a beginner mage uses a beginner to practice magic. A mid-level mage—two bronze insignia, including bronze and brass, by Imperial standards—has a mana reading of between twenty and thirty units when using powerful magic.

Based on this calculation, behind the enemy's masking magic, there are at least 500 mages of medium rank or above or magic cannons of equal power firing mana.

At the moment when the vast masking magic array was withdrawn, the eyes of three reconnaissance mages in the Free Army headquarters were blinded by this dazzling volley. The magic light transformed by the "detection magic" is more dazzling than the midday sun.

There are a total of seventy-two lightweight magic cannons on the hillside, and more than 800 spellcasters of the Royal Guard Magic Regiment. A third of the magicians loyal to His Majesty the Holy Korman Emperor had gathered on this hillside, projecting their spiritual power for the same purpose.

At this moment, whether it was the Freirean army fighting in Blenheim or the Royal Guard further south, all the spellcasters stopped their actions and looked in the direction of Jena in surprise.

The "mobile artillery bombardment" was a means of warfare that appeared earlier than the Seffirs knew about it. It was a tactic of concentrating a large number of bulky artillery and magicians that could only be used for siege and defense purposes to make a powerful breakthrough. Just as the free-reveling Free Army, which had been losing in the last Freedom War, thwarted the Reich's strangulation net with concentrated artillery bombardment, the Imperial General Staff, which was on the verge of bereavement, evolved new tactics.

"Defend the magic troops!

Amid the hoarse roar of a staff officer, the first batch of real-system magic arrived. The first artillery blast of Ice Missiles, Flaming Meteors, and Mithril Impact Javelins was tasked with draining the opponent's defenses, breaking through the Free Army's defensive magic, allowing their stress magic to be wasted in the magic that swept over the camp at high speed.

Naimon grabbed Metie's shoulders and shouted, "Come me, Metie!

"No need. With a flick of her right hand, the young virtuoso pushed away Namen's hand, "I can feel the magic, they're calling me." ”

The second movement fades and the pathetic bouncing fades away. Suddenly, ten slender fingers smashed on the keyboard at the same time, forming a deafening chord, and the huge magic mass above his head also shook. The powerful three bursts followed, and Naimon could tell what it was.

This is the second stanza of the national anthem of the United Provincial Republic. The rousing march is unstoppable. He could hear the women's choir humming softly to the sound of the organ.

"Hooray, hooray, hooray! Our free motherland, which was built on the hands of the people......"

The chords cascade down like a waterfall and seem to have reached the ultimate in humanity. The mana mass in the air spun around quickly, turning into a whirlpool, and every trace of mana was quickly thrown out. The route to be thrown out may seem chaotic, but the magic used by the enemy to attack can't help but be drawn to it.

"May the gods bless them with unity and freedom, and may the four-color cross flag fly for a long time!"

The humming sound seemed to be louder, and a rainbow rain of magic covered the sky. The ultra-long-range striking magic that flew from afar was drawn to the vortex, colliding with the scattered lines of mana that flew around the vortex, and a beautiful firework erupted. The popping sound of the magic colliding came rhythmically, like the drumbeat of an organ tune.

The magic in the hands of the Free Army officers gradually ceased, as no attack could pierce the vortex. They were all immersed in the beauty and the rousing music in front of them, looking at the sky with their mouths half open.

The notes get higher and higher, the rhythm becomes clearer and clearer, sweeping away the melancholy of the second movement. The fireworks display lasted ten minutes before it slowly ended.

The vast vortex of mana was almost consumed, but so was the huge amount of mana of the opponent. The last chord pulsed powerfully, turning into a gust of wind in a great climax, propelling the remaining vortex of mana towards the enemy position.

"This world is so beautiful. The captain rubbed his eyes and wiped away the tears of emotion, "This is an amazing performance, Miss Crosoau—"

The maiden virtuoso's hand remained at the position of the last note, without any movement. Naimon suddenly felt something was wrong, and quickly stepped forward to hold her.

The moment his fingers touched her shoulder, the girl's fingers rubbed a set of soft notes on the keyboard, falling into the crook of his arm.

"Mette, Mette, are you alright?"

"Ha ......" the performer yawned and barely opened his eyes, "I'm so tired...... I'm so sleepy. We've won, right?"

"Hmm...... Well. ”

He looked away, his teeth clenching unconsciously. The shelling did stop for the time being, but Naimon also knew that they were preparing a second batch. Generally speaking, after destroying the opponent's basic magical defenses with covered shots, the artillery unit will put in the main attack live ammunition to concentrate the attack on the opponent's artillery, headquarters and living forces.

"Didn't you win...... Ha...... Then if the dragon slaying melody stops attacking, we will all die, right?" the girl's voice was weak, but it was straight to the point.

According to the law, every time you hit with this instrument, you will feel a trace of energy being pulled out of your body. For a young girl performer whose magic has not yet fully formed, such a powerful magic power is too much of a burden. Naimon shook his head: "No, it's okay. The enemy doesn't have much strength left, and I can stop them. ”

"Why don't I try again...... But...... You can't keep a virtuoso or a mage at their top all the time...... You want...... You have to be able to play this piano well...... Can't sleep ......."

Méty bit her lip hard, but it seemed that she couldn't bite it because she wasn't conscious enough. Naimon sighed, dispelling the distraction of "she's so cute like this" out of his mind, separating his right index finger between her little tiger teeth and lips. The slight stabbing pain was felt at all, and a "woo" snort came from the girl's mouth.

"If there's a problem, you'll be able to give me some more advice. Anyway, it's just to intercept some shells...... What a big deal to dedicate all my magic to this thing?" Naimon picked up the sheet music that had been left aside by Meti, "Well, this is the tune, right? Oh, by the way, there's an emergency evacuation plan to be organized. It's this switch, right?"

Naimon pushed a hidden plug, and Anne Sefir's pre-recorded voice immediately echoed throughout the camp. "All personnel are reminded that the enemy's general offensive is about to begin, and all units are scheduled to urgently regroup according to Plan No. 7. ”

"That's impossible!" Méty cried hysterically as she bit his finger hard, "there's no way for a novice to master the essentials of the organ at once! Mr. Handel wouldn't make that evil magic weapon that drains the lives of others to complete magic, the power of this thing depends only on the level of playing...... Ha, I'm sleepy......"

Naimon stood up, picked up Meti, and placed her on the camp bed she had used on duty. The girl's feet kicked weakly, but those who used up all their magic power didn't have the will to do anything. He thought about it, and prepared another of the highest level of magic he could ever do: Featherfall to use on her, so that he could at least ensure that he could kick her out of the tower that was bound to be the main target of attack in case of danger.

"Get some sleep, I'll leave it to me. ”

The young officer muttered to himself, concentrating on the score in front of him. Beneath him, the Freers were busily reinforcing their defenses, reconstructing the defensive magic that had been bruised in the first attack, and preparing for the second round of shelling.

Magic is at work in the body. It seems to have improved, and if you practice it now, you might be able to use the magic of the third stage...... That should be able to defend a little longer, right?

"No one expected us to be able to defend ourselves against the second round of shelling anyway. ”

The red fluid flickered again, this time not a dazzling sea, but a scorching star.

"I miscalculated again...... Am I really a little unfit to be a combat staff officer?"

Naimon pursed his lips, simply stood up from the organ, picked up Méty Krosso and threw it out of the tower with great force. Under the effect of the feather falling technique, the girl's body flew gently like a feather to the depths of the camp.

He understood that he was not facing the usual second batch of attacks at all, but the usual third batch of attacks. Targeted killings with pure magical attacks, designed to kill and injure the living forces of the opponent's heavily defended areas. All the magic that came to the high platform was guided, and it seemed that the Imperial army was extremely afraid of the mysterious mage on the high platform, and did not hesitate to concentrate all their firepower to destroy him, leaving no hands at all, and the rest of the camp was not even attacked.

Soleton simply stopped resisting, knowing that resistance was useless.

"It's finally over. Anyway, even if I rank the martyr number, I can already rank almost six figures, so there's nothing to be afraid of...... Another world might just be there. ”

He stood up, his chest puffed out, and his head raised, trying to keep his eyes on the dazzling magical light in the last moments, and maintain the last of his dignity as a magician, albeit not of a very good level.

A black feather fell from the corner of his eye.

"Fulfillment of the contract. ”

The blood-red blade cut a semicircle in midair, forming an absolute magical line of defense, tearing through the blue sky and space.

"GateOpen!"

Without hesitation and unrelentingly, all the attack magic rushed into the dimensional rift and disappeared.

"It's still very simple. ”

It's a very familiar-sounding female voice. Two snow-white thighs and mesh stockings, a black lace-edged battle dress, and black six wings covered Naimon's entire field of vision. She flew down slightly, staying just above the keyboard of the organ.

"If you die, I won't get paid. The boss this time is really a good person, and the looks, figure, and personality that I use seem to be good, and my speaking style is also unrestrained. Just to defend the contract of a few bottles of wine, it's really a lot of money?"

"Contract, contract execution demon!, or incarnate demon?!" Naimon bounced up from his seat, "I—I won't give you a soul, and I shouldn't have any gems, knowledge, or life experience to give you!"

The blonde female demon chuckled. Like all incarnate demons, she looks almost identical to the summoner, except for her striking black wings and fiery red eyes.

"Don't worry, don't worry, someone has paid for it, you must know the owner of this face, right? What a generous boss, there is so much magic that you can't use it up. However, I don't seem to know much about summoning magic, so I tip a bit too much. "Anyway, my mission is to keep you safe at all costs, because you still owe my boss ten bottles of that wine." Oh, of course it's just to ensure that the contract can be fulfilled, as long as you pay the wine, she won't care if you live or die...... That's what the boss said, believe it or not. ”

Naimon didn't have time to listen to what she had to say, he was nervously recalling information about the legendary creature of the incarnate demon. Even in Lennie's library, there are only a few tabloids such as the "Spellcaster Sun Monitor" that mentions this legendary high-level demon when they write "urban rumors". Evil creatures that use the appearance and personality of summoners are very respectful of contracts, and earn gems, souls, and knowledge by working for various summoners, and their appearance is ever-changing.

The threat level is very dangerous, and all the information strongly discourages the summoning of ordinary mages - and of course, ordinary mages cannot summon them at all.

In other words, "the incarnation of demons is strong".

"Also, if you want to play this organ, I can do it for you......"

"It's good that you're staying here. ”

Naimon laughed, he saw a chance of victory for the first time in this desperate situation. The magic and firepower on the opposite side are indeed strong, but they are only lightly armed. As long as this demon who looks like someone is around, he can keep himself safe, and-

"Thank you for the opportunity, Annie. ”

It's finally another holiday, so I'll update a section......

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