Chapter 621: Sleepless Night
“This is simply… divine punishment,” Tie Axe exclaimed. “We can’t even see the enemy’s shadows, only passively take the beating. If it were ordinary enemies, there’s absolutely no way they could endure the artillery fire and complete this mountain road.”
The commander-in-chief of the First Army had witnessed the power of howitzers and naturally knew the devastating effect they would have on densely packed troops. From the first shell landing to as far as five kilometers ahead of the position, the enemy would either have to sprint all the way, exhausting their strength before the main battle, or recklessly continue forward, dragging a battered and incomplete force to assault the position. Of course, the most likely scenario was a complete rout, a direct transition from marching to fleeing.
“Unfortunately, the enemies we have to face are not ordinary,” Roland smiled. “And the number of shells is also very limited. Otherwise, these two fortress cannons alone could annihilate the entire enemy force.”
Because the fortress cannons used self-contained ammunition, the rate of fire was as high as several rounds per minute. The efficiency of firepower delivery was absolutely insane in this era. Since the alchemists from the royal capital moved to Neverwinter City with a large group of apprentices, the production of double-base propellant had been steadily increasing, and the number of shells became the biggest limitation—the trigger fuses could only be produced manually by Anna at the moment, and the extremely precise mechanical structure restricted the production capacity of the howitzers.
“Your Majesty, all twenty correction shells have been fired,” Battalion Commander Vanna reported after several rounds of firing. “A total of six effective target data were obtained, generally distributed in the second half of the mountain road.”
“Very good, let’s stop here for today,” Roland nodded.
After all, the test shells also needed special manufacturing. Although they used solid warheads, the shape and weight were no different from the shells with fuses installed—only Anna could handle this kind of delicate work. Every day, she would take the time to produce a certain number of test warheads for the artillery battalion to calibrate.
“Do you need to go somewhere else to take a look?” Tie Axe asked.
“No,” Roland shook his head after a moment of thought. “I’ll go back to the camp first, you continue to arrange for the soldiers to train.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he saluted.
Back in the camp, Roland leaned back in his reclining chair and let out a long breath. He realized that there wasn't much he could do anymore, or rather, everything that needed to be done had been done, and all that remained was to wait and see.
Five days ago, the church finally responded. According to Maisie's report, the gates of the Holy City were wide open, and countless people and horses poured out of the city, marching in neat rows towards the Coldwind Ridge. The armor on the warriors shimmered with silver light, and from the sky, it looked like a sparkling river flowing through the mountains.
At the same time, the scouts stationed in the Old Holy City and the Hermes Plateau also sent back secret letters, stating that the scale of the church's operation was unprecedented, and even the number of people active in the city had decreased significantly.
Obviously, the enemy had come out in full force.
Upon receiving this news, Roland immediately rushed to the front line, and his arrival raised the morale of the First Army soldiers to its peak. A decisive battle that would determine the future of both sides was about to begin.
More than four thousand elite soldiers, a reserve knight team provided by the Duke of the Northern Region, a preliminary reconnaissance team composed of Lightning and Maisie, Sylvie's guidance without blind spots, and the combat witches distributed around the camp—this preparation could be described as complete. Even the church's actions completely followed the step-by-step implementation of the combat plan formulated by the staff. In addition, all the residents of Coldwind Ridge had been evacuated, so even if the other party wanted to use berserk pills, they could only consume the believers in the Holy City or forcibly conscript residents from other kingdoms.
This start could be considered perfect enough.
But Roland still had a trace of worry in his heart.
That was the Purified.
In what form they would appear, and what abilities they would use to interfere with the decisive battle, were all unknown.
In order to avoid casualties caused by the other party's sneak attacks, the witches who had been staying on the front line these days were sleeping in their clothes, and they were all concentrated in a large hall. Sylvie and Nightingale were divided into two groups to take turns guarding the night. As long as magic power was detected, the entire camp would be awakened by Echo's alarm.
As a result, until today, the church had not taken any further action other than sending troops to occupy Coldwind Ridge. Roland had not even seen the shadow of the Purified.
He didn't know if the enemy was planning a shocking conspiracy, or if they simply disdained harassment and intended to crush him directly on the main battlefield.
In any case, all he could do now was continue to wait.
……
After dinner, Roland went to bed early, but he couldn't fall asleep until the bright moonlight shone through the window cracks onto the bedside. Putting on his clothes, he had just walked out of the bedroom when Nightingale, who was waiting outside the room, flickered over immediately.
“What’s wrong, can’t sleep?”
“A little, probably because there’s too much straw under the bed,” Roland rubbed his neck and pulled a straw from his collar. “When I lie down, I feel like something is always pricking my back.”
“I think so too,” Andrea, who was also in the first half of the night watch, chimed in. “Not to say we need a big bed brought over, but at least we should have two more layers of silk mattresses. The Duke of the Northern Region is too stingy.”
“We’re at war, not on an outing, ladies and gentlemen,” Ashes said grumpily. “Having a house to shelter us from the wind and rain is good enough, why be so demanding?”
“Of course, for those with thick skin and flesh, there’s really no difference.”
“That’s still better than being weak and frail.”
“I think we need to duel again to see who is really weak and frail.”
“You’ll understand naturally after we’ve dealt with the church.”
“Wait… can I place a bet?” Savvy raised her hand.
Nightingale pulled him aside. “Don’t bother with them, this is a nightly routine.”
Roland shook his head with a smile. “I knew I shouldn’t have put them two together.” Since Nightingale's reconnaissance range was far smaller than Sylvie's, the combat mission for the first half of the night watch was handed over to the card-playing trio. Adding Nightingale, this was already the strongest offensive combination the witches could offer. The second half of the night watch was mainly for defense, with Agatha, Wendy, and Iffy as members, unrivaled in controlling and blocking enemies. “How are the others, are they still adapting?”
“The Sisters of the Cooperative Association are not as particular as you,” Nightingale winked. “They’ve experienced days of fleeing with meals on the wind and sleeping in the dew. They can close their eyes and fall asleep in this situation.”
Alright, it seems that he was the most impatient one… Roland sat on the steps, looking up at the stars, and remained silent for a long time. “What will happen when this is all over?”
Nightingale sat down beside him. “You’re nervous, aren’t you?”
“I’m just a little emotional,” he touched his nose guiltily. “If we fail to defeat the church…” Would Neverwinter City continue to operate under the current order? Would the kingdom be completely swallowed by the church, or would it return to the old road of aristocratic separatism? And Anna and the other witches… could they really safely escape to Sleeping Island?
Unknowingly, he had developed a strong affection for this land and the people he had put his heart and soul into building.
“Don’t worry,” Nightingale took his hand and said softly, “Just like I said before… as long as I’m alive, you won’t be harmed,” she paused. “And our story has just begun.”