Chapter 20

* * *

As promised by Lieutenant Chrombert, the bombardment from the fortress began. Colonel Alther frowned.

"I don't like the feeling of being shot at by our own side. By the way, where is the lieutenant?"

Sergeant Hanna pointed to the western wall with a puzzled expression.

"He's... right there."

"What?"

That was the spot closest to the fortress's bombardment, a place clearly visible to the Bluj soldiers who had occupied the fortress.

"What is he doing?"

"I was asked to bring him tea, so I brought it to him. He was sitting in a chair, reading a book at the time."

"Huh!? ...What do you mean? What is that?"

The usually calm and composed Colonel Alther was now confused, which was extremely rare.

This was only the second time Hanna had seen the colonel lose his composure. The first time was when he first saw Hanna tied up in the mill. And now, this was the second time.

Hanna explained to the colonel.

"He said that since he proposed a dangerous plan, it was his way to be in the most dangerous place."

"That's admirable, but I'll be in trouble if he gets killed. Bring him back."

Hearing this, Hanna hunched his large body.

"Right now, Major Dumble is trying to persuade him."

* * *

"What are you thinking!?"

Major Dumble raised his voice to be heard over the deafening sound.

"You know the power of the fortress's cannons, right!? Even a near miss can kill or injure people!"

I placed the teacup on the sideboard. The water was rippling due to the impact of the shell. It must have landed quite close.

Then I stood up and smiled.

"There's no need to worry, Major."

I waved at the fortress, though they probably couldn't see me.

"This bombardment is being carried out by amateurs. They're not trying to adjust their aim."

At that moment, Major Dumble, a artillery officer, looked startled.

"Indeed..."

Dumble looked around from behind the parapet.

"There's no correction of fire. It's not even preparatory fire for an attack. This is not by the book."

"Yes. It's either infantry or engineers trying to fire by imitation, or the fortress's defense is too intense for them to focus on the bombardment. In any case, the threat level of this bombardment is not much different from a lightning strike."

There's no need to be overly afraid. In fact, staying calm and enduring is the battle now. That's why I'm putting my body on the line and performing this act.

Major Dumble seemed to calm down a bit and looked at me intently.

"Still, I'm surprised you know about 'bracketing.' You're an infantry officer, right?"

"Infantry can't fight without artillery support. I've studied the basics of artillery."

"That's admirable. I'd like to show this to the infantry officers in my division."

"Bracketing" is a method to correct the errors in artillery fire, which is also a practical application of statistics. You gradually adjust the aim, and once the impact points straddle the target, you fix the aim and continue firing.

Amateurs might want to tweak the aim a little, but this is the most rational method.

The enemy who captured the fortress's cannons is not aware of this bracketing. This means the fortress's cannons cannot achieve their intended accuracy.

The cannons in this world are not very accurate to begin with, so it's a waste to be scared of such bombardment.

However, every time a shell lands near the fort, there's a tremendous noise. Our female infantry have been screaming non-stop since then.

Major Dumble also looked pale, but as an artillery officer, he understood my words.

"So that's why you're doing this?"

"Pretty much. With amateur bombardment, the hit rate is the same no matter where you are. There's no mathematical sense in hiding."

"I didn't expect to hear artillery tactics from an infantry lieutenant."

Major Dumble scratched his head and looked at me closely.

"But still... I've never seen anyone as fearless as you."

"It's an honor."

Sitting in a chair and drinking tea on the top of a fort under bombardment would make anyone think that.

But I have the 'Scythe of Death,' so I can tell if I'm about to die. For now, I'm safe. Still, why do I have this kind of precognition?

I offered the major a chair and said,

"As long as the bombardment continues, the enemy won't send out infantry. If there's no infantry and the bombardment doesn't hit, we just need to wait for reinforcements calmly."

"Only if it doesn't hit..."

Major Dumble looked pale, which was understandable. He doesn't have my precognition.

"Aren't you afraid of this bombardment?"

"Of course, I'm afraid. But if the officers show fear, the soldiers can't fight with peace of mind. I'm just pretending to be fearless while trembling inside."

I don't know if the 'Scythe of Death' is always accurate. So far, it hasn't betrayed my trust, but I can't be sure about the next time.

But Major Dumble smiled wryly.

"You're a bad liar. You look like you're enjoying the battlefield. ...Ah, I see. You're that 'Death Chrombert,' right? I heard you were in the Fifth Division."

Why does someone from the Third Division know about me?

Major Dumble scratched his head.

"We have a classmate of yours in our division. Ha, I see. You're even better than the rumors."

What kind of rumors...?

I was more curious about this than the bombardment, but Major Dumble seemed satisfied and looked much more relaxed.

"I see you're not just anyone. Do as you please."

"Thank you."

I saluted, but I was still curious about the classmate in the Third Division.

Who is it?

* * *

"Who is that guy!?"

A Bluj infantryman shouted at the Goddo Fortress's gun platform.

"Look! That Schweider officer is having tea on the wall!"

"No way! What kind of nerve does he have!"

Inside the fortress, the sound of intense gunfire echoed. The courtyard of the fortress was piled with the dead bodies of Schweider and Bluj soldiers, and more were being added.

"Hey, he's waving at us!"

"Damn, what a joke! Kill him!"

The fortress's cannons roared. The shell missed the fort below and landed in the wasteland behind, raising a cloud of dust.

"Right, right! More to the right!"

"We just corrected to the right!?"

The trajectory of the cannonball changes rapidly due to the amount of gunpowder, wind direction, and the temperature of the barrel. Even if fired under the same conditions, the trajectory will be slightly different. Hitting the target by aiming the sight is not guaranteed.

But the enraged Bluj infantrymen could only think of blowing away the "arrogant Schweider officer."

"Why isn't it hitting!?"

"How should I know? It's just that the Schweider people can't make proper cannons!"

The next shell was slightly to the right of the previous one but flew much farther back. Even farther than before.

"Enough, let me do it."

His voice was cut off, and the Bluj infantryman who was shouting fell to the ground, bleeding from the head.

"What!?"

When the Bluj infantrymen turned around, they realized a Schweider artilleryman was standing in front of them, covered in blood and severely injured.

Had he been hiding somewhere, or had he fallen with the dead bodies?

"You, you bastard!"

As everyone raised their guns, someone noticed.

"Wait, he's holding explosives! Don't shoot!"

The surviving Schweider artilleryman had small barrels of gunpowder strapped to his chest and waist.

Fuses were attached to all of them and were about to burn out.

The area around them was filled with barrels of gunpowder.

"What!?"

The bloodied Schweider artilleryman smiled at the frozen Bluj infantrymen.

"Let's see who can fly higher."

* * *