Chapter 261

Chapter 261 - Navy SEALs (1)

Although she hadn't conducted a precise investigation yet, Cassandra obtained rough information just from observing the surroundings. Due to the nature of her missions, she is also adept at surveying.

"Rampage. Several tributaries merge, but the water current isn't strong. Since it's not a sea with sea breezes either. The accumulation of foreign substances or water volume fluctuations during the rainy season being somewhat large would be all."

"Are you saying there's no problem swimming to approach?"

"Probably. My Lord. As for precise details, we'll have to scout more though."

Thinking that attacking from the river side was the key was the same for Eugene. Naturally, he had no intention of riding a boat to approach the castle walls.

Because Eugene possessed divine power granted by heaven, the act of driving thick iron stakes into the stone walls while climbing was also possible for him.

Cassandra and her special fOrces were the best rock-climbing experts of this era. In climbing, physical flexibility and light body weight are just as important as muscle strength. In missions like this, they were an asymmetric fOrce that male warriors couldn't catch up to.

Taking it as a given that their liege would step forth as well, the people holding him back increased. The one who mainly puts the brakes on in matters like this is Hind.

"What do you plan to do if we get discovered and attacked while climbing the wall?"

"That point being dangerous when scaling a castle wall is all the same. We already succeeded once at Sludge Hold. In some ways, there are points better than that place."

"What points are those?"

"If we think we've been discovered while climbing the wall, we can just let go of our hands, right?"

At that moment, the faces of people who had expressions of 'What?' turned into 'Ah!' faces a few seconds later.

"If we did that at another castle, we'd be planted into the ground just like that and shattered to pieces, but here it ends with a splash!. Even if crossbow attacks come in afterwards, since it's a late-night infiltration, it's at most the attacks of a few sentries. We can block that with the shields we will carry for camouflage and swimming assistance."

"You said what I was going to say instead. It seems you had the same thought from the start, My Lord?"

Cassandra smiled and slightly pushed Eugene's shoulder.

"But Your Excellency. Still, climbing the castle wall from the river side is a difficult task. Compared to Sludge Hold, it defies comparison in terms of garrisoned troops and internal size."

"Therefore, if I think it won't work, I'll immediately jump down outside the castle. After throwing Cassandra and the other team members into the river."

"...We'll immediately escape outside the crossbow firing range, I see."

At a claim that sounded somewhat nonsensical but made one accept it, Hind smiled bitterly.

Though he spoke like this, Eugene also had no thoughts of rushing in fOrcefully. He intended to equip whatever needed to be prepared to the maximum extent before doing so.

"Jackal. How much do you know of the internal structure of that place?"

Even small castles operated for military purposes possess supplementary passages. Much more so for a city whose main product is pleasure. Operating over a long period, backdoors for various purposes inevitably increase.

"I will bring my subordinates all here too. Because we all came on vacation togAAether before entering under Your Excellency the Count. If we piece our memories togAAether, a fairly plausible blueprint will come out. However, you must consider that the information is from 4 years ago."

"I know. During that time, we plan to search the vicinity for people who might know the inside too."

They definitely wouldn't have been able to clear out everyone in the city to the outside.

* * *

For a while, investigations in the light and shadows were conducted simultaneously.

They completed the rough map of the city interior first, and what Eugene placed his highest expectations on were the sewers leading to land routes.

As long as people live, sewage indispensably occurs. For a city, not a small castle, it's impossible to discharge all sewage through a single passage.

They must bundle several internal blocks togAAether and make several discharge outlets. Otherwise, it would frequently get clogged, and a hell of stench, pests, and epidemics would unfold in the city.

And such sewers are one of the causes of a castle falling. However, Eugene sighed.

"As expected, there are none leading aboveground?"

"Yes. Everything is drained through the waterways."

"Indeed. They border a river, it'd be strange not to utilize it."

"Originally, there were two connected aboveground. Ones that existed since the city was built. However, the current mayor, who pledged to reorganize the city, blocked them all. He installed new sewers and connected them to the river. He promised to do it with his private funds, so he got re-elected."

By being cleaned every moment with river water, the stench decreases significantly. In the early days when the city was created, they couldn't construct it due to a lack of technical skills, and now the costs are high, plus it's a lower-class district that has no impact on elections, so it had been a neglected place.

"He's a devoted guy to the city. Indeed, that's why he got elected, though."

Jackal bowed his head as if losing face.

"Your Excellency. I brought someone who cleaned the moss off the castle walls last year."

"They say this fisher has a record of supplying fish to the city."

Afterwards, they scoured the surroundings, scraping up those who might know the castle interior to supplement the rough map.

When night fell, female warriors wearing the tribe's specially made diving suits explored the outskirts of the city holding long tubes in their mouths.

- W-what is this?

- Hahaha! My Lord, this is so cute? Flap~! Flap~!.

They wore new swimming equipment developed upon Eugene's instructions last year.

- Ah, this is called a flipper.

It's an item that makes underwater activities nearly twice as fast. A simple idea and easy to make, yet surprisingly a tool that took very long for someone to invent. However, its efficiency is tremendous.

Thanks to the Dark Elves' unique dark vision, the fact that observation was possible even in the dark was very significant. And they brought back something useful.

"We found Plan A and Plan B."

Dripping water, Cassandra clutched her chest and reported. During this time, she repeated sleeping during the day, being deployed at night, and returning at dawn.

Eugene wiped Cassandra's face and hair with a towel.

"Thank you."

"I am the one who should be thankful."

"Plan A is a method that does not involve climbing the castle wall."

"Oh?"

"As you know, there are several waterways on the side of the castle wall bordering the river. They are sewers discharging sewage and garbage, and sluice gates ships pass through."

Cassandra marked various spots on the roughly hand-drawn map.

"Infiltrating through the sewers is difficult. It's not just a hole drilled, but its own technology is applied. First of all, it's almost fully filled with water normally."

It is a system that performs natural discharge and cleaning utilizing the flow of the river water. Usually, it's used in a submerged state, and only when cleaning and inspecting do they drain the water for a structure they can walk in.

"I looked into this too, but the connecting passages are too long, and the structure gets entangled once inside. It got to the point where it would be hard to know which part of the city we'd come out from."

Getting lost in poop water and suffocating is genuinely something to decline.

"Yes. On the other hand, the sluice gates ships pass through are much more intuitive. Since all there is, is a single grated steel wall blocking intrusions."

"How thick is it?"

"Kuk."

At Eugene's attitude of abruptly thinking of breaking it with strength first, Cassandra laughed. She herself who took that as a premise and established a plan was funny too.

"If it's you, My Lord, it's sufficiently bendable. Coincidentally, there is a place I've got my eye on where security is weak and accessibility is good. I asked Walker to modify a tool useful for door breaching."

Eugene nodded in satisfaction. Handling anything with major and minor insurances in place thoroughly suited his taste perfectly.

"Plan B?"

"I found a few places with no moss and good for surveying the castle walls. If we execute the operation, we can choose the more lax side depending on the situation of the day. Only..."

"Hmm?"

"What we can know is only external information. Exactly where the people captured in the castle are located is absolutely..."

"That's fine. If you get greedy for everything, you're bound to lose it all. Let's think about dropping the city first."

Eugene called Rampage.

"There's work for your subordinates to handle."

"Please give your orders."

"It's nothing particularly difficult. Even for a night infiltration, someone needs to divert their gazes, you see."

"A diversionary tactic, you mean."

Planning a fake attack to deceive the enemy's nerves is a standard among standards.

"It shouldn't be ordinary. Because the enemies will be in a state of high tension too. It needs to be extraordinarily loud and draw attention remarkably. To the point they can't help but react."

* * *

Meanwhile, in Hesed, a city council was urgently convened due to the siege.

- We are loyal to the noble and mighty Emperor! We don't even want to share words with rebels, so get lost!

The man who had shouted at Eugene from the top of the castle walls is the mayor of Hesed. That position cannot be taken by a merchant who only does well in number games.

It is a position where one must negotiate with prominent nobles over ransom issues or suppress and control war-stained mercenaries.

Fitting for a city living harboring deep shadows, power struggles with political opponents also frequently involved bloody tasks.

A mayor who pierced through that and reached the top, but right now he could not control the fierce debate happening before his eyes. The guild representatives and city nobles were pointing fingers at each other.

"This is why I opposed joining hands with the Emperor! Blinded by immediate profits, didn't you plunge the city into danger? You were already eating well and living well, your greed became too excessive!"

"But the enemy numbers aren't that huge. Compared to past invading armies..."

The attacking side requires 3 times the troops of the defending side and several months of siege weapon crafting time. Even that is the minimum standard.

The nobles who came attacking due to troubles that arose over ransom issues uniformly dragged a bunch of vassals along. Because they had to at least fill up the headcounts first.

Among them, those who attempted frontal assaults were smashed to blood, and those who safely attempted enveloping pressure collapsed on their own and had to retreat.

"Those are the Hammer Brotherhood and the Blackhand Mercenaries! It would be an emergency even if only one came, but both came!"

"That is also purely the directly conTrolled army. Hearing from informants, it's said both signed lifelong contracts with the Count. They won't be pressed for time due to mobilization periods expiring like vassals."

"Why is no one talking about the Count? Did we not all hear the stories of the mercenaries who followed Duke Walter on the pagan subjugation?"

Because it was an overwhelmingly shocking experience, quite a few didn't extend their contracts. Those mercenaries sought peace of mind and came to Hesed, spreading various rumors.

Humans corrupted into devilish shapes. A hellish giant slaughtering knights and Wargs like catching bugs, and effortlessly dispatching even scary Trolls and minotaurs. The Knight Count who sent it back to hell.

Those stories swept across the entire city in an instant. Through the embraces or lap pillows of prostitutes, taverns, and mercenary recruitment offices alike.

"That's just the mercenaries bluffing..."

"To say that, there aren't just one or two guys chattering about it, right? The detailed descriptions are all exactly the same too."

It was an incident that properly put a period on Eugene, who already had terrifying achievements hanging from him in droves.

Because of that, the city was experiencing setbacks in recruiting additional mercenaries. Feeling uneasy with just the Mad Dog Mercenaries, they put up notices, yet not a few refused.

- I saw His Lordship the Count strike down a hellish monster in one blow. That is tremendously strong! It wasn't a simple thing to be explained by such concepts.

- This friend is right. The moment a giant lance pierced the giant's heart, that Count was everyone's knight. Regardless of factions. Shall I say it felt like all humans were being protected behind that knight's back? I don't want to face him as an enemy if possible.

It wasn't merely not wanting to fight a dangerous enemy. It was a reason mixed with as much reverence as fear. Mercenaries who were at the site of the pagan subjugation refused the commission without exception.

- Have you seen the ladder carts the Hammer guys make? A road wide enough for several wagons to pass gets perched on the castle wall.

- A guy who fought at D'vier Castle before said it when he got drunk. After the siege ended, 90% of the dead guys were ones with arrows stuck in their faces atop the castle walls. He said they didn't even let them lift their heads due to arrows?

The same went for those who hadn't been at the pagan subjugation. At the unprecedented experiences, the city council couldn't help but be flustered.

"It is not too late even now. How about changing sides?"

"Surrendering should be done in advance. After the battle starts, there's no answer. Aren't both the Hammer Brotherhood and the Blackhand Mercenaries blood-related groups? They'll run amok like crazy to exact the blood price of their fallen relatives."

When the Mayor raised his hand unable to just watch, the guard captain mobilized his subordinates to fOrcefully quiet the council members.

The Mayor unfolded a letter stamped with the Emperor's seal. And asked the Mad Dog Mercenary Captain, who participated with a temporary member status.

"Captain. His Majesty said he could support us with troops up to 3500 via the river. When they land in the rear of the Count's army, if you sortie and attack from both front and back, is there a chance of victory?"

"I'll decline."

The mercenary captain cut it off sharply.

"Looking at His Majesty's situation, it doesn't seem likely that numbers can all come on time?"

"..."

One cannot play the boss for long just by fighting well. One must also be able to read the political situation to some extent.

"Even if those troops arrive intact, it won't work."

The mercenary captain drew the edge of his hand across his neck.

"If we go out, we all die. Whatever about the bearded midgets, but there were two thousand-man units of the Black Ghost Troop. Taking them on in an open field is impossible."

The Blackhand Mercenaries had several nicknames, one of which was the Black Ghost Troop. Those who despised them called them Black Ears as a derogatory term, while those who respected their power called them meaning Black Ghosts.

Surprisingly, the mercenary captain belonged to the latter.

"How about negotiating using the nobles captured in the city?"

"I heard Count Mayer is a knight who highly values honor. If we tell him to withdraw in exchange for releasing all captive nobles, he might accept."

"Let's each of the council members contribute money on top of that. Think of it conceptually as a shield tax. If he can take both gold and honor without shedding blood, would the Count surely refuse?"

However, this also means abandoning the Emperor. The Mayor who formed a close relationship, and the ones who deeply sympathized with him, basically receive a political death sentence. Some would also physically die.

"There is no need to worry too much. The opponent is formidable, but we are also elite soldiers and hug an impregnable fortress among impregnable fortresses."

The most relaxed one is the mercenary captain. Experienced, he knew well just how incredible Hesed's defensive power was.

"This place might fall. But the moment it does, that Count will also see his own downfall."

"I am only trusting you. Tell me whatever you need."

Seeing the mercenary captain speaking confidently, the Mayor gained comfort at least from that.

"Then send the newly recruited mercenaries under my command..."

Tang!

At that moment, the conference room door burst open, and a messenger ran in.

"The enemies have taken action!"

* * *

Front of Hesed city.

Pabababak!

Groups of 5 Vertigos matched shoulder to shoulder and dug the ground with a momentum where hands were invisible. Soil piles up at a speed that defies comparison with human shoveling.

"It looks like those bastards are relentlessly trying to dig a tunnel!"

"Where on earth did they get those beasts..."

The defense soldiers on the castle walls screamed. The existence of the Vertigos operated by the Armored Cavalry was already a huge topic of conversation.

Following the instructions of the Dwarves, working like oxen constructing trenches was at an awe-inspiring level. Tasks a skilled mercenary group would take 2 weeks to do, they whipped up in 3 days.

Naturally, there was no guarantee those monstrous beasts' digging skills wouldn't be mobilized for a siege.

"Do not panic! How many have tried to drop this castle with tunnels until now? Was there even a single time any of them succeeded?"

The decurions went around calming the soldiers. However, even they hardened their faces at the dirt piles stacking as big as houses every time they turned their heads.

"Now now! Group 1 return! Hurry and eat sweet potatoes!"

Rampage, supervising from behind, waved the red flags held in both hands. He even tied a headband on his forehead like a cheerleader.

The Vertigos reacted to the sound of sweet potatoes and came running. Every time the steel claws fitted on the guys' nails scratched stones or bedrock, the sound of breaking rocks rang out.

- Walker. I know you attach horseshoes to make horses run around better, but couldn't something similar be possible for the Vertigos?

- I will start working on it right away.

Befitting giant pangolins, those guys had basic nails the size of a person's forearm. Attaching even thicker and sharper forged claws to that, they were practically biological excavators.

"Group 2 deplooyy!"

While Group 1 ate the sweet potatoes given as a reward, Group 2 Vertigos rushed toward the tunnel.

Pubabababak!

"Those crazy bastards!"

"I-is this really going to get breached?"

The Vertigos standing by behind the construction site weren't small in number either. If they continued to be deployed in shifts, nobody knew what would really happen.

Ttuktaktteutak!

Kwang! Kwang!

Meanwhile, the Hammer Brotherhood Dwarves also entered into crafting siege equipment. Their trademark large ladder carts.

- Your Excellency. Because the castle walls are too high and protrude, it is difficult anyway. Unless we invite technicians from Khazad-dor en masse, that is...

- But the defense fOrces won't know that, right?

- You mean to properly give them pressure at least. I'm confident in that.

The engineers grinned and raised their hammers.

Kwang! Kwang!

"What kind of wheel is..."

The mercenaries on the castle walls were intimidated by the sight of 4m diameter wheels and cogwheels about half that size rolling around.

"We have to surrender right now!!!"

The closer it got to completion, the proportion of council members wanting to surrender increased by one every passing moment.

"Your Excellency. As expected, water is filling up in the tunnel. Some parts have collapsed too."

"Since it's as expected, continue the work. Just make sure the enemies don't notice."

Eugene looked up at the sky.

"Tonight is the dark of the moon."

"...I pray for your luck in battle."

"Let's see each other inside the castle."

Rampage took a military salute and withdrew. The enemies' nerves were concentrated on the front, and it was the time when the night deepened the most. It was optimal for executing the operation.

* * *

"The infiltration suit I wore last time was tight, but this is even more so?"

Eugene frowned at the diving suit compressing his whole body.

"It can't be helped. Sea slime is a very difficult-to-procure material, so there are no spares. It's a highly elastic clothing, so it will stretch a bit."

Cassandra massaged the muscles of Eugene's arms and legs clearly revealed.

Slimes have about 60 identified species, and most consume soil and leaf mold like earthworms to survive.

Some rare species are filter-feeding organisms floating inside water like jellyfish, eating moss and plankton.

Unlike land slimes, these do not secrete corrosive fluid and possess excellent waterproof outer skin. Processing those to make are the diving suits of the special fOrces female warriors.

"You'll get used to it soon. Rather, it applies proper pressure to major organs and muscles, increasing physical abilities."

"That's right. We often wear it in land operations too. Stretch your legs a bit. Doing it here and loosening your shoulders like this should make you feel somewhat better."

"That's enough, so just bring the anti-stab pads."

Eugene closed his eyes.

"...You all hurry and attach your pads too."

"Ahahahaha!"

"Hohoho!"

Clothes like this naturally fall behind armor in defensive power. Hence, they attach specially processed leather pads to supplement their defensive power. Except for diving suits, pads were needed in another sense as well.

Because the outer skin of sea slimes was weakly translucent. It was already a form tightly squeezing the body, so it was embarrassing in several ways.

"It's now."

Cassandra, who had been looking up at the sky all along, sent a signal.

The night when the moon became its thinnest. The cloud that found them just in time was covering even that scarce light.

* * *

The river dyed pitch-black by the night was darker than the night sky. Eugene and the special fOrces members slung black-painted wooden shields on their backs and swam out under the surface.

The tubes bitten in their mouths helped them breathe underwater, and thanks to the buoyancy of the shields and the flippers, they could cruise smoothly without difficulty.

Upon reaching the castle wall, Cassandra pointed in one direction with hand signals.

'That's it.'

A tunnel pierced like a cave below the castle wall is visible. One of the waterways ships can pass through. Passing through there, they can infiltrate into the city.

Due to the nature of penetrating through the castle wall, a blind spot in surveillance inevitably occurs. Instead, as a countermeasure against intrusion, a grated steel sluice gate was installed.

Eugene pulled out the door breaching equipment attached to his shield. It took on a unique form, like combining 4 very large crowbars and cutters.

- It was difficult to make.

- You worked hard. Walker.

The 4 crowbar hooks caught onto the grid of the sluice gate. The special fOrces female warriors covered its surroundings with the cotton they brought, covered it again, and covered it.

'Beginning.'

Eugene nodded and started the door breaching.

Bbadeuk.

The faint sound of cracking piercing through the cotton.

Cheolsseok.

That was buried by the sound of river water continuously hitting the castle wall and the sound of wind, and vanished.

Cassandra, who was monitoring above the castle wall from outside, drew a circle with her thumb and index finger. Eugene applied more power.

Kkudeudeudeudeu.

'Seriously crazy.'

'...'

The eyes of the female warriors holding the cotton grew big as full moons.

To be sure, if it was the Human Ogre Lord of the castle, it seemed possible. However, the story is different when directly seeing a steel barrier getting torn off like a rotten branch.

Bbadeuk.

Kkudeudeudeu.

Going through the work 2 more times, a passage wide enough for a person to pass was created. Inside it, Eugene and the female warriors secretly entered.

'Ahead, two at the city pier.'

Entering the city, Eugene sent a hand signal. There is a pier connecting from the sluice gate and two mercenaries chatting above it. A situation where they cannot leave the water without dealing with those guys.

'My Lord.'

'Cassandra.'

The man and woman, who nodded looking at each other, submerged and went beneath the pier.

"By any chance, did you bring any alcohol? We are in the south, but because it's winter and by the water, it's cold."

"Crazy bastard. If caught, it won't end with whipping, you know?"

"You just have to not get caught, right? I know all about you secretly filling your canteen and bringing it."

"Ah, shit. This bastard's wits are fast... Drink just a little, alright? Make sure to rinse your mouth with water when leaving."

The two sentries belonging to the Mad Dog Mercenaries were quite loosened up.

Unlike the front side defense fOrce where blood-drying scenes unfold every day, because this is a relaxed sector. Since it is impossible to infiltrate from the river blocked by the steel sluice gate.

Throughout the history of Hesed receiving attacks, there wasn't a single precedent of that happening.

'Preparation complete.'

Eugene, who arrived first, sent a hand signal.

'Have arrived. We will deal with them simultaneously.'

'Give the signal.'

Cassandra's 3 fingers folded one by one. And the moment fingers all folded.

"Eup?!"

"Eut!"

Pungdeong! (Splash!)

Cheombeong! (Splash!)

Hands suddenly popping out from underneath dragged the two sentries into the water.

Kkororororok.

The flustered sentry tried to shout, but river water fiercely filled his lungs.

Udeuk! (Snap!)

Eugene broke the neck bone just like that, then tied the mercenary's corpse to the pillar below the surface with the straw rope he carried.

On the opposite side, Cassandra, who stabbed the neck with a dagger, was tying the corpse beneath the pillar too.

The two people, whose eyes met underwater, shrugged their shoulders at each other.