Shadowed Gaze: The Highserk War Saga - Chapter 19

Two months after seizing Aidenberg, the Highserk Empire directed its focus towards the main territory of Felius. They formed the Mayard Front Army which centered around three depleted battalions. Excluding two units that had advanced earlier, four battalions began an invasion towards the Felius border. Neither Commander Berger nor the higher-ups of the military were lenient enough to overlook a weakened enemy or let expensive soldiers idle.

The defense of the Felius border area, emptied of the main field army and surplus forces, was fragile, to put it mildly. It appeared to Walm that the Felius army was avoiding attrition at the border, pulling back inland to consolidate forces and repel the Highserk army. In contrast, the Highserk Empire, with only two battalions, had subdued the border area and was rapidly overtaking surrounding farmlands and towns. This approach deliberately avoided areas heavily fortified with defense facilities, focusing solely on diminishing the enemy’s war capabilities.

Among the soldiers, there were rumors that Highserk wasn’t out to kill Felius but rather to make them bleed. Even the notorious Highserk Empire was avoiding siege warfare, which would lead to severe exhaustion. Sent as reinforcements were four battalions, including Walm’s Reglia Battalion. The six battalions sent against Felius were planning further invasions. Of these, two battalions, including Reglia, aimed to besiege a mine located 15 km from the border.

“The retreating Felius forces didn’t abandon this place, did they?” Jose commented, looking up at the Felius army holed up in the mine. Highserk’s rapid advance was somewhat stalled there.

About 3,000 Felius soldiers were entrenched in the mine, determined to defend it. The multiple layers of defense lines, coupled with the control of the mountain’s summit, meant that a forceful attack would deplete troops more than a siege. The mining attack strategy employed by Highserk at the Mayard border was ineffective against the solid bedrock. It was presumed that the mine had enough food supply for half a year to a year, necessitating a lengthy wait for a starvation strategy. However, sparing troops for this siege risked allowing the enemy to launch a surprise attack from the rear, leading to two battalions being committed to surrounding the area.

They continued to sporadically attack day and night, causing annoyance, and carefully chipped away at the outer edges. However, if they weren’t careful, it seemed that Walm would be stuck with the people at the mountaintop for over half a year.

“Shout now!” the squad leader commanded, and the troops yelled in unison, clashing swords and shields. Some even added trumpets and percussion, creating a cacophony that served as the worst possible wake-up call for the enemy. Such provocations and annoyances had been ongoing nightly, with actual attacks occurring one out of five times. Last night, Walm had participated in a fire attack with Wilart. The enemy’s defenses had been thrown into disarray, no doubt leading to significant wear and tear.

After some time of spreading noise, enemy insults and stones began to fly from their camp. Although they fell far short of effective range, some occasionally came close. Still, they lacked the power to cause death or serious injury. After about 30 minutes of harassment, Walm’s task was completed, and the troops began to retreat contentedly to their camp.

“When did we become a choir?” Barrit joked, causing Walm to burst into laughter. The enemy’s reaction to the sound further agitated them.

“Even Barrit can say something good once in a while. Look, the Felius guys seem to want an encore,” the squad leader said satisfied, as he banged his war axe against his shield.

“We’re not running a charity here,” Walm said, feigning seriousness, which Jose playfully joined in.

“Then we should at least get some tips.”

“They only give us stones as a gift. Stingy bastards.”

Compared to previous battles, simply surrounding the enemy and waiting for them to starve was relatively easy for Walm.

Few days prior, the enemy had launched a counterattack out of desperation, but as soon as they left their camp, they were attacked from all sides and had to retreat back to the mine without any success. The mine was suitable for defensive pullback but limited in terms of offensive launch points, making it easy to anticipate the enemy’s moves. The Felius soldiers were being steadily cornered.

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Two weeks after the formation of the battle lines, the siege continued without any major combat. Walm was busy alternating between harassment and provocations, while intensively training with Wilart in magic and his skill “Demon Fire”.

Controlling “Demon Fire” was exceptionally challenging. A slight mishandling could engulf even allied squads, so Walm practiced in abandoned mine tunnels. Adjusting the firepower was difficult, blackening every part of the inner walls with soot. By now, Walm had managed to direct the skill to some extent, but it was only by luck that there had been no friendly fire incidents during the battle at Aidenberg.

The most challenging aspect was maintaining the skill. It consumed a tremendous amount of magical power, draining Walm’s reserves in just 40 seconds. Losing magical power meant he couldn’t use “Strong Strike” and his physical abilities would significantly diminish. Misjudging the usage time in battle could be fatal.

Training for Nohl and Barrit was also underway. The squad members, led by the physically unfit squad leader Duwey practiced grappling and striking. Barrit, after taking a wooden sword hit to his head, once tried to attack the squad leader while shouting, “Just kill me already!” This incident became one of the squad’s inside jokes.

Of course, within a second of Barrit lunging, he found himself in a bear hug on the ground, and even Nohl got caught up in the scuffle.

After 30 seconds of “Demon Fire,” the mine shaft turned into a burning boiler room. Bats that originally inhabited the shaft had either fled or were steamed alive due to repeated skill use.

Though Walm still had the energy to move, he was extremely fatigued. Just as he was about to let his limbs fall in weariness, he heard a familiar voice at the mine entrance. It was Jose.

“Yo, Walm, you done?”

“Yeah, any more and I’ll collapse.”

Walm started moving out of the tunnel. It was a bit of a hassle, but he collected the mess tins and pottery that were hanging along the way.

“I was worried since you were late.”

While Jose smiled, Walm didn’t take his words at face value.

“You were worried about this, right?”

Walm was holding dried fish and meat. Initially, the food was burned to ash due to being too close to the “Demon Fire,” but through trial and error, they found the right distance and position.

Now even people outside the squad were bringing food to cook. Some even made steamers to enjoy steamed dishes. Despite his protests, squad leader Duwey, platoon leader Cozul, and even the company commander, treated Walm as an excellent cooking appliance. The company commander even claimed it was “a proper reuse of the magical power used in training” and he emphasized this point with conviction.

Squad Leader Cozul also endorsed it, stating that ‘using scent to demoralize the enemy is a crucial task.’ Walm was convinced that it was purely about satisfying their culinary desires no matter how they tried to spin it.

After using “Demon Fire,” the high temperatures in the mine shaft killed pests, and the area near the entrance became a comfortable gathering place for the troops.

Not only Walm but also Wilart was performing exceptionally as a human water supply during the siege, albeit grumpily.

“Don’t say that, Walm. You enjoy my cooking too, right?”

The Highserk Empire’s supply lines were well-maintained, with food transported from Mayard and systematic looting locally. Still, personal efforts were made to enrich the somewhat bland diet.

Famished squad members had become avid bird hunters. Among them, Nohl had the highest catch rate. This came as a shock to Walm. She excelled in capturing prey using traps, slingshots, and a bow. It seemed her grandfather had been a hunter, and she often went into the woods to earn a living.

Barrit, who was determined to improve his status among his peers, had a tough competition ahead, and Walm watched it with a sense of futility.

“Well, yeah,” Walm admitted as Jose handed him some of the steamed bird. The salty, tender meat became more flavorful with each bite. Though a privilege, it was a necessary calorie intake due to the intense magic use.

“Well, this life might be ending soon.”

Jose muttered softly, finishing the rest of the meat.

“What do you mean?”

Responding to Walm’s question, Jose paused to chew before speaking again.

“Apparently, there’s been an increase in enemy deserters lately. It seems like more of their soldiers are seeing surrender as inevitable. Our harassment tactics and the enticing smell seem to be working.”

The young man with dark skin laughed heartily and slapped his leg.

“Think about it. They’re surrounded, constantly under attack and noise. Despite their diligent fighting and frugal meals, the enemy sees us enjoying delicious food.”

Walm imagined the scenario: continuous attacks day and night, with limited food, while the enemy indulged in appealing meals. It’s understandable how morale could eventually falter.

“…True that.”

“That’s why. Let’s enjoy the rest of this life while we can.”

Jose’s thick-skinned attitude was something Walm secretly aspired to learn.