Chapter 270: Continuation of the Review, and the Flustered Wash Girl (1)

"Then next is the formation."

This time’s battle would not go out to a wide place, but on the other hand would not do a siege war holed up in the city either.

They would set up camp immediately outside the outer wall, and be able to respond immediately to the enemy’s movements, I was told.

This was because the enemy’s numbers greatly exceeded our numbers, so going out was a suicidal act.

For us who could not expect further reinforcements, if we completely holed up food and combat supplies would run out and we would become gradually poor.

On the other hand, the other side was already not the Torrestia Kingdom army and leading demons and demon beasts openly without hiding, so they could do resupply and reinforcement from the demon realm, so a long war had a high possibility of being disadvantageous.

Maintaining the army’s numbers in this one month was also proof that the logistics were maintained.

Then as for the enemy side, whether they would join other armies or reinforcements would come later, that was unknown.

Because the other was the Demon Lord army, they could open a hole that could come and go with the demon realm, and from there throw in reinforcements.

When I came to this world I was able to escape from the collapsing castle of the demon realm through the hole the Demon Lord Gazer made, but that hole, probably.

But as for where this hole would be made, or whether the enemy’s reinforcements were on the other side, a means to confirm in advance this side did not have.

"At most, breaking this city’s barrier and making a demon realm tunnel is not possible."

Was Gejia’s words.

In this city they had put up a barrier to prevent attacks into the city, I was told.

They seemed to put it up constantly, and placed casters on the top floor of the assembly hall and in each watchtower of the city wall, and seemed to do it in ritual form regarding the whole city as a magic circle.

The barrier put up daily was not a powerful one, I was told, and if powerful strategy magic was hit it would be broken, but in wartime they increased the casters and made the barrier more powerful, I was told.

"So, using that barrier, stretch it to the vicinity of the outer wall."

Sophia explained.

Setting up camp immediately outside the city’s outer wall was also about logistics, but by using the city’s barrier the personnel necessary to maintain the barrier put on the camp could be lessened.

The barrier on the camp was necessary so that we would not be wiped out by having strategy magic applied.

"Strategy magic, is meteor strike that sort of thing?"

"Yes. There are also local earthquake and tornado and so on."

To my question Sophia answered.

Local meant there were wider range ones too?

"I will participate in this too."

The maintenance of this barrier, even so, would have most of the magicians participate and make it more solid, I was told.

From my place Sophia would participate.

This was because in the Demon Lord army there were ones who could use powerful strategy magic or ones who could do attacks equivalent to that, for example dragons that could spit fire breath, so our barrier had to be made solid too.

Then as for whether we would not fire magic from this side, that was not the case, and because Melchiorrea could fire strategy magic without doing the ritual that needed magician assistance, the strategy magic that was the set opening of exchanging at the start of the war would be left to Melchiorrea alone.

"But why did those guys oppose, I wonder."

Yanica tilted her head.

About this barrier and the use of strategy magic, the one who proposed was Melchiorrea, but against that Niagara and Froche who stood behind Melchiorrea opposed with an amazing force.

Melchiorrea soothed them, and in the end it was decided to go with this plan, but both seemed not convinced until the end.

"Who knows. There seem to be some circumstances, but we cannot stick our necks in."

"Kohon. As for the formation, we place the main camp before the east gate of Lübeck city, in the center Lord Giacomo and the Cardilia Kingdom liberation army, on the right wing the Dragon’s Fang mercenary band, on the left wing the Hufner mercenary band. Master and us, Lord Melchiorrea and them will wait between the main camp and the Cardilia Kingdom liberation army. Before the outer wall we place magicians evenly, and assist the barrier. The adventurers will guard those magicians."

"I will assist the barrier near the main camp."

Muriel explained, and Sophia confirmed her own placement location.

"The cult priests too, near the magicians. We will be near Sophia."

"Me too."

The priests would not act gathered, but the same as the magicians be placed dispersed.

This was also to treat the injured immediately, but if there was a necromancer in the enemy army, there were times a large number of zombies enough to fill the battlefield would head this way, I was told, and in that case the morale of the soldiers and mercenaries fighting on the battlefield would drop, and there were times they would rout in a region that should be winning.

If zombies appeared it was necessary to deal with them as soon as possible.

That was the dispersed placement, I was told.

The explanation about the formation ended, and Muriel began the next explanation.

"Next about strategy, first is strategy magic. Before the other sets up camp we release strategy magic."

Before setting up camp was synonymous with before putting up the barrier.

If the barrier was put up the power of the strategy magic would be reduced, or it would be nullified, so before the barrier was put up fire the strategy magic, that.

This would be done by Melchiorrea alone.

Then the strategy magic the enemy army fired would be prevented by the barrier made solid by increasing personnel.

"If there is leeway, they said they would use anti-magic."

Yanica inserted her mouth.

Anti-magic was magic that could erase the effect of the other’s magic.

For example if the other fired fire magic, if we fired water magic from this side the fire magic would be wiped out.

If our power was weak we would be erased, but if equal both magics would vanish, and if we were strong we could counterattack the other.

And there were also the very "anti-magic" that erased the power of magic, "reflect magic" that could bounce it back, "dispel" that made the effect of magic vanish, and so on.

Of course, the effects of these magics being exerted depended on the quality of the other’s mana and the quality of our mana, I was told.