Early in the next day, hours before the sun had even risen, we were already
on the move.
Using the remaining mana of our magic communicators, we repeatedly
shared plans with the others, ensuring that things will happen at the right
place and the right time.
Then, we prepared and waited, and soon, the time came. We did a final
check to ourselves before heading out to our respective destinations.
After checking that the area around the safe house is safe, we finally headed
out.
The first place Lucy and I went into was the barracks where our men were.
As expected, the military police were on the lookout, but Lucy was able to
neutralize them instantly.
Once inside, I found that everyone was armed and waiting, as we had
agreed beforehand.
"All troops, form up! The commander has arrived!"
The non-commissioned officer who had been entrusted with the leadership
of the soldiers shouted, and the approximately four hundred troop members
formed a line.
The line was not with a single stitch of disorder, indicating the high level of
skill of the troops we have now.
We have truly come this far.
Lucy stepped forward and ordered the soldiers.
"From this point onwards, our team will move into action. Our targets are
Marquis Krall and his son Count Luke, who are now currently holed up in
the castle."
After taking a breath, she continued.
"If it is still unclear to you, Our objective is to overthrow the current regime
and establish a new one. Do you have any questions?"
Since the unit was under Lucy's direct control, they were probably
informed of the general details beforehand, but this was probably the first
time they were given the detailed information.
As expected, they were confused… or so I thought, but the soldiers
remained upright and motionless.
Even so, there was a guy who raised his hand as if he was the only one who
had something to ask.
"Yes, what is it?"
Lucy asked, and the soldier asked in a loud voice that could be heard by
everyone around him.
"From what I've heard, this is not an official military order. So, I'm here to
ask. Are we still getting paid on this?"
The soldier's words were met with laughter and agreement from those
around him.
These men are all thick-skinned now, as they have fought many battles in
the past.
But, of course, the soldier's questions were not left unanswered.
"As for compensation, it will be a bonus to each and every one of you
straight out of my own pockets and a full week's vacation at a later date."
The soldiers cheered at these words.
Their will to fight increased dramatically when they realized they would
receive a real benefit. If yo u a re ab le to re ad this mes sa ge, yo u are r e
adi ng fr om an un auth ori zed aggr eg ate si te. Re ad at my Wor dPre ss at
s tab bi ng wi th a syr i nge. ho me. bl og to su ppo rt me and my trans lati
ons.
"Really, these guys…"
While I thought they were such a group of cash cows, I also perceived that
Lucy, who knew her subordinates well, had become even more of a brilliant
commander than before.
She completely motivated the soldiers herself by the announcement of the
reward.
As for the Herderites, who participate in wars because of their unique
religious concept, they seem to have been motivated by the knowledge that
the marquis is doing evil. I was really glad we have gained their
cooperation, as without them, our power to break through enemy lines
would be as different as heaven and earth.
"While it is true that we are going too complacent, we have to do this as in
the end, we are still soldiers on the side of the usurper. How can we rely on
them if their morale is not this high?"
As I agreed with Lucy's remark, I saw that the unit commanders who had
evacuated to other safe houses had arrived to join the group.
Tilda, Anastasia, and Krone were also present.
They seemed bewildered by the sight of the soldiers, who are now filled
with the will to fight.
"Yuushin, what's going on?"
Tilda, who was fully armed, asked this question.
This time, as the leader of the assault team, she will spearhead the entire
force against the marquis's forces.
"Yeah, about that, Lucy did a little something to get them all motivated."
She nodded and withdrew.
She's known Lucy for a long time, so she must have realized the general
gist of the situation.
"What in the world did she say to them that would cause such a festive
atmosphere?"
"She was just talking about the reward afterward."
"Reward? Wait. Don't tell me she will pay for this in her own pockets
again!?"
Krone, who is also involved in the unit's accounting, gave me a concerned
look.
"It's fine. 'Our wallet' is where we are headed to after this, so…"
The castle will definitely have a fortune saved from the marquis's 'trading'
with merchants and nobles. We will give it to them.
It's money they had probably been accumulating for themselves anyway.
It's much better if we put it to good use.
"Oh my. Looks like you've got something bad on your mind again."
Anastasia giggled when she saw my face.
She has dealt with a lot of people, including me, so perhaps it was easy for
her to sense my thoughts.
"What? Putting money in the market is better for the economy and the
residents than storing them anyway."
Anastasia shrugged her shoulders as I said this.
"Putting that aside, I see that we now have prepared enough forces, so let's
not waste time and sortie immediately. I'm sure that the other units have
already started to act as we speak."
I said so, and the girls nodded.
I walked over to Lucy's side and motioned for her to go.
"We're all set. Let's go."
"Yeah, I know. All troops, advance!"
Along with her orders, a fully armed battalion departs from the base.
Right away, more than a dozen military police who arrived on the scene as
we left the base interfered, but the soldiers eliminated them without even
drawing their weapons.
Military police who have dealt with criminals in the city versus soldiers
with a history of dealing with monsters.
Although each had a different role to play, in terms of combat power, our
unit was by far superior.
"Commander Finlay, we will now head on our ways. The more we grab the
enemy's attention to us, the better."
"Roger. I'm still concerned about the skill level of the other units, though."
The plan is to saturate and destroy the enemy's ability to respond by having
the coup d'état forces rise up en masse. Th is cha pt er tr ans lati on is ma de
p oss ible by stab b ing wi th a syr in ge tra nslat i ons. ch ck on ly u p-to -d
at e tran sla ti ns on my W ordp res s si te.
Also, if possible, attract strong opponents such as the marquis's henchmen
here.
This is because one of the allied units plans to take advantage of the chaos
and rob the arsenal of siege weapons from the armory.
After that, they will join our forces and take the castle down in one fell
swoop.
"So far, no major resistance is present ... oops, there they are."
I saw a group of about a hundred people at the end of the street we were
following in formation.
They all have thick leather armor, shields, and batons.
"Looks like an anti-riot detachment of the military police. It was probably a
quick-response unit."
Then I turn my attention to Lucy.
"I know they're only doing their jobs, but we have no choice now. If
anyone gets in the way, crush them! 1st Unit, forward! Push the enemy out
of the way!"
The commander gave the order.
The 1st Unit moved forward, regrouped, and readied their shields.
"The rest of the units take up positions on the flanks and in the rear! All
units, begin advancing!"
Not twenty seconds had passed since Lucy gave the order.
I could see that the Military Police were shaken up by our rapidly changing
movements.
In the meantime, they advanced as well, and soon, the two units came into
contact with each other.
"Push, kick them out of the way!"
"Don't let them advance from here!"
The voices of the captains of both units rang out, filled with angry shouts
and the heavy bass of shields clashing against each other.
The military police, in their shields and protective gear, are also quite strong
in their defenses.
"Not good. This is going to take a long time. Tilda, can you help us?"
Lucy, who had assessed the situation, asked the religious fanatic at her side.
"Leave it to me. We'll kick their asses in no time."
And Tilda, who accepted the responsibility, jumped to the front line.
Several enemy military police were blown upwards where she had entered a
few seconds later.
The shield they were holding were smashed by Tilda's spear, and some of
the military police were slammed onto the cobblestone pavement.
At the same time, the rest of the Herderites rush in after Tilda tore a hole in
the enemy formation.
Among the confused enemy troops, Tilda focused on finding their
commander.
Then, she charged.
"Haaaaaa!!"
"D-deviill!! Aaaaaahh!!!"
Tilda's powerful spear pierced through the enemy commander's body
armor, and a drop of blood splattered her cheek.
"That was a good warm-up. Let me try it with you guys next."
She said as she wiped the blood from her cheek and swung her spear again.
Even after defeating the military police, we did not stop or slow down our
pace.
Soon, we arrived at the enemy's stronghold. Marquis Krall's castle.
After joining up with our allies who had already arrived before us, we took
up position in front of the enemy's main gate