Chapter 51

Chapter 51 - Medieval Bulldozer (3)

Eugene returned through the path opened by the mercenaries. Voices praising him vibrated everywhere, but he himself was nonchalant.

"You worked hard. You really were amazing, you know? With that level of martial prowess, it's no wonder the knights of Gord were smashed one after another."

Roxanne stopped short while trying to wipe his face with her handkerchief. Because not a single drop of sweat had formed on Eugene's forehead or cheeks. A slightly flushed body temperature was all.

Since he had unilaterally struck down the knights without tens of exchanges of offensive and defensive moves, it was not a strange occurrence.

"As a result, I gained nothing. Killing a few knights is all, and I have to do the siege warfare as siege warfare anyway."

"So that was the reason you were lukewarm? If it were another knight, they would have swaggered as if the whole world was theirs."

Smiling brightly, Roxanne lightly tapped Eugene's chest with her index finger.

"Even if the war situation is the same, it's not like you gained nothing."

"Pardon?"

"Has not your reputation grown even larger, Sir?"

Eugene felt that the grudges he would receive would grow as large as his rising reputation, but he decided to think of it positively.

"Then what should I do now?"

"From now on, it's the job other people will do. Squalid yet sweat-smelling work. You have toiled sufficiently, Sir, so stand by."

A moment later, a full-scale siege warfare commenced by Roxanne's order.

"Such crazy bastards! When did they prepare something like that?"

The mercenaries atop the castle walls spat out curses at the battering ram revealing its magnificent figure.

Starting from the vehicle body, it was extremely large, and iron plate protectors were installed without any gaps. To the point where the internal members could only be seen from the shins down.

Thanks to that, the imposing feeling was tremendous. With a long and sturdy log protruding even in the center, when Eugene first saw it, he was reminded of a tank.

"Wouldn't it be too heavy like that? Whether pulling it or striking with it, ultimately it will have to be done with human arm strength."

"No problem. Because it's a structure where wheels can be rolled with less force using gears and chains."

'Is it something similar to a bicycle transmission?'

Eugene also marveled at the technology he never expected to pop out here. There's a reason dwarves are called artisans of engineering technology.

"By improving the internal structure, all the personnel can move the ram. They attach something that heavy and hit the castle gates hard."

"With that level of technology, such a scale is understandable."

The image of a battering ram Eugene thought of in the past was repeatedly pulling it, slamming it with a boom! stepping back, and booming! again. However, that is a primitive method, and separating movement and striking was said to be the mainstream. After parking in front of the castle gates, striking it continuously boom! boom! boom! like ringing a New Year's Eve bell.

Due to the mechanical structure, it's standard for the people pulling the vehicle body and the people striking to be divided in half, but that new battering ram could reportedly have all personnel pulling and striking together.

"We depart! No arrows or bolts will ever be able to harm you, so rest assured and use your strength vigorously!"

At the words of Torim, the dwarf tank commander, the men powerfully pushed the movement handles.

They were all miners hired in exchange for high wages. Because their pure physical strength and stamina were stronger than mercenaries.

Roxanne's deployed troops stopped at the edge of the castle walls' arrow range. Only the archer squad escorting the battering ram followed beyond that.

'Please pierce it! Please!'

The attacking mercenaries prayed earnestly while looking at the castle gates.

Because even if it was advantageous, they did not want to continue the siege until winter. Depending on the situation afterward, they might have to do a highly dangerous all-out war while climbing ladders.

Conversely, from the defending side's perspective, it was a situation where they had to desperately thwart it.

"Fire! Absolutely do not let that approach!"

At the garrison commander's order, bolts and arrows poured from the castle walls, but it was useless. They all bounced off the iron plate covers.

"Where are those fellows shooting? Show them some spicy flavor!"

At the attacking mercenary captain's order, bolts and arrows flew from below towards the castle walls.

"Gah!"

"Ack!"

Only after some shooters on the castle wall nose-dived did the counterattack return. The numbers of the attacking side were double, but as counter-shooting took place, they actually began to be pushed back little by little.

It was due to the castle wall to take cover behind and the added power from shooting top-down. The castle was an existence that amplified the shooters' defense and offense in itself.

Some crossbowmen repeatedly loaded and shot while leaning with their legs stretched out on the castle wall. It was a luxury the besieging side could not imitate.

Rumble, rumble, rumble.

The problem was the part where the battering ram constantly advanced even amidst that.

"Halt!"

At Torim's shout, the miners repeated the order. Torim appropriately adjusted the gears to match the ground condition and slope ahead.

"Adjustment complete! Three. Two. One. Forward march!"

"Forward!"

Because they had to move in unison from a standstill for the gear shift, united movement was necessary.

"Damn it! At this rate, it will reach the castle gates! What is everyone doing?"

To the garrison commander, the battering ram approaching looked like a beast of steel. A monster that would break the castle gates with its large head and bite him with its terrifying teeth.

"There are no openings! We absolutely cannot see a place to shoot!"

"If you're going to build a castle, build it near a river, why build it in a place like this of all places."

While the mercenary captains grumbled, the monster finally reached the castle gates.

"You came well up to here! Finally, it is showtime!"

At the excited Torim's shout, the miners let go of the movement handles and grabbed the handles connected to the ram. Everyone pulled simultaneously and then pushed forward powerfully.

"Hwiiiiii!"

Boom!

They were people united by a miner's life where systematic movement is important. Matching inhalation and exhalation all together, they thrust the ram as one body.

"Hwiiiiii!"

Boom!

The giant hammer reinforced with steel at the front continuously pounded the castle gates. Along with a loud sound, the castle gates shook precariously as if they would break.

"The doors are much sturdier than expected!"

"Keep hitting! Do not stop! If we hit just a little more, it will surely collapse!"

Despite the strikes more powerful than ordinary ones, the reinforced castle gates with iron cores driven into them barely held out.

It was another reason battering rams died out. It's difficult to even reach the castle gates, but ultimately having to break it with human strength is like crossing one mountain only to face another.

"Pour it!"

At the garrison commander's instruction, boiling oil was poured down from atop the castle gates.

"Step back immediately!"

At Torim's order, the frontline miners hastily pulled back. Since it was a dangerous place, it was a position receiving three times the pay.

Sizzle!

"Gaaaaah!"

Even sturdy armor plates were insufficient to block liquid. Several miners suffered burns on their arms and legs. Because the oil that splashed inside was little and they pulled back quickly, they at least avoided severe injuries.

"Fire!"

The problem was the flaming arrow attack that followed. As luck would have it, the wind blew right then and the fire spread. Due to that heat and smoke, the miners also had to escape by that much.

"Ugh!"

"Ack!"

The auxiliary soldiers who came running with water to put out the fire collapsed from the arrows and bolts pouring from the castle walls.

"Damn it!"

Torim sighed. It was barely holding up even when everyone struck it, but like this, breaking through the castle gates was impossible.

At the sight of the burning battering ram slowly retreating, the garrison shouted cheers. Because it was a small victory that gave hope in a situation where adverse conditions overlapped.

"Codon Castle will not fall! Look! Are those fellows not retreating!"

With morale rising at the garrison commander's encouragement, the shooters atop the castle wall poured out bolts and arrows even more fiercely.

Even the archer squad fighting with the battering ram at the forefront started to be pushed back by that momentum.

* * *

"As expected, is breaking through the castle gates impossible? We'll have no choice but to go with a boring siege warfare."

Roxanne also did not place high expectations. Her thoughts were just at the level of it being great if it works, and unavoidable if it doesn't.

"Please wait a moment. I will try stepping forward."

"No matter if it's you, Sir, in this situation..."

Eugene ran forward without listening to Roxanne's answer. Because his instinct as a warrior showed Eugene a scene of the future.

'I don't know if it will work or not, but I still have to try.'

Eugene was gradually coming to trust the voice of his instinct. Watching from behind, it looked like the castle gates would break if hit just a little harder.

"Follow the Knight!"

Behind Eugene, the direct subordinate mercenaries holding large shields chased after him. They dashed out of respect and belief in their employer even without orders.

Splash!

Sizzle!

When the retreating battering ram stopped, they sprayed water from all directions to suppress the fire.

"Sir Knight! I apologize, but it seems breaking through the castle gates will be impossible!"

Torim said to the arriving Eugene with a sorrowful face.

"I will judge after trying."

"In the current situation, there is absolutely no way..."

The dwarf's words trying to stop him were cut off. Because when Eugene and his subordinates attached themselves to the battering ram and started pushing, the wheels rolled at a tremendous speed.

It was a charge, no, a launch with a momentum where the sound Vroom! would suit it.

'The oil is all used up, and they have no leeway to refill it.'

Eugene confirmed that the danger element of the castle wall had disappeared. Boiling oil is a powerful weapon, but once used, it cannot be refilled quickly during battle.

"What is that agaaain?!"

The garrison commander, who thought they had retreated, shrieked at the battering ram rushing in as if running wild.

Boooooom!!!

A massive shock incomparable to just before pounded the castle gates. The adjutants, including the garrison commander, got goosebumps at the vibration touching the soles of their feet.

"Block the castle gates!"

The garrison commander gathered the elite infantry he had saved in front of the castle gates. They moved logs above their heads and supported them behind the castle gates.

Baaang!!!

However, along with a terrifying collision sound, the logs and the soldiers trying to support them were thrown off.

Boooooom!!!

Crrraaack!

Smaaaash!

With every single strike, the thick wooden castle gates split wide open, and the steel cores bent like taffy.

"Block! I said block it!"

"No, how do we block something like that?"

The mercenary captain looked at the spastically shouting garrison commander with a dumbfounded expression.

Fights involving castles are mostly boring siege warfare. When siege weapons are mobilized, they are mostly ladders, and rarely a siege tower or catapult appears. That is the common sense of this era.

Boooooom!!!

Crassssh!

That common sense and the castle gates were being broken together.

"Henry!"

"Maluda!"

The two infantrymen who were at the very front were hit by the ram that pierced through and went to a good place.

"It's all over..."

The garrison soldiers atop the castle wall unknowingly lowered the weapons they were holding. Since the castle gates broke in an exhausted and inferior siege situation, they lost their fighting spirit.

"Do not step back! If you step back, I will execute you summarily!"

The garrison commander drew his sword, came down, and aimed it at the elite soldiers lined up behind the castle gates.

Now that he broke the sacred duel promise, if the castle falls, he will meet the most terrible death.

"Damn it! If I knew it would be like this, I wouldn't have volunteered here!"

The mercenaries, who came thinking a castle defense mission would be comfortable, were resentful.

Boooooom!

Finally, everything maintaining the blockade of the castle gates was destroyed, and the doors opened wide.

"Defend it! Absolutely de..."

"Aaaaaah!"

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

The ironclad battering ram that broke through the castle gates was charging straight in.

"E-Evade!"

The beast of steel rammed straight into the infantry phalanx clustered in a square. The soldiers bouncing off in all directions evoked a scene of popping popcorn.

It was not only the garrison who was flustered by this bizarre situation.

"Uh-uh?"

"Captain, is it okay to just keep going in like this?"

As the appearance of the castle's interior became visible through the observation slits, Eugene's mercenaries also panicked. Because breaking the castle gates was fine, but going in deeper seemed dangerous.

"I don't know, you guys! Then are you going to drop out here? Wherever the Knight goes, we just shut up and follow!"

"Ah, whatever, I don't know!"

The mercenaries busily moved their feet while holding shields to protect Eugene. They prepared for enemy soldiers who might come in from the rear of the battering ram. Thanks to that, Eugene could also comfortably concentrate on driving.

However, in reality, it was not a dangerous situation at all.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The sound of something hitting the armor plates continuously echoed like hail falling.

"Run awaaay!"

What was visible through the observation window were the backs of those fleeing and soldiers flying through the air. No one dared to rush in and attack.

Moreover, right behind them, the sound of countless horse hooves and the shouts of heavy infantry could be heard.

"Charge! Charge!"

"The undefeated knight has pierced the castle gates, no, the castle!"

Knights and heavy infantry surged in like a tide through the wide-open passage. When the battering ram hit the castle gates making a sound like thunder, Roxanne immediately sortied the entire army.

Now, neither bolts nor arrows flew from atop the castle. The archers, pondering whether they should shoot outside or inside, were all fleeing.

"Find the commander bastard! To desecrate a knight's honor and the oath to the gods! I will tear him to death alive and grind his bones to drink!"

The knights who stormed into the castle shouted and glared fiercely. At that murderous intent, the adjutants also abandoned the garrison commander and fled in all directions.