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Translator: Cinder Translations

...

Lieutenant Beluga sat on his horse, gazing at the approaching troop in the distance.

The formation was orderly and imposing; without a doubt, it was the regular army of Alden.

Where did they come from? The garrison of Alden Town couldn't have returned so quickly. Could it be that one of the units remained nearby?

Beluga's mind was beginning to ache from the intensity of his thoughts.

At first, he had felt confident about the forces he commanded—after all, he had nearly two thousand militiamen who had received basic military training.

However, as the army drew closer, his confidence began to waver.

Every soldier was armed with firearms, and trailing behind the troop were at least ten artillery pieces.

This made the situation somewhat severe.

When the garrison of Alden Town set out, they took all the active artillery with them.

What remained in the armory were outdated pieces, some of which were even "antiques" from the time of the pirate suppression. They were kept for potential sale by Paul Grayman when the time was right.

When Earl Grayman first conceived the idea of cannons, the technology for casting them was still experimental. Both the inventor, Earl Grayman, and the craftsmen who brought it to fruition were working under the premise, "I believe this will work; thus, it should be done this way."

From a contemporary perspective, the quality of those early cannons was concerning, even though they did play significant roles in the early military operations of the Alden army.

Another issue was that after being decommissioned, these cannons had been stored without maintenance.

God knows what would happen if they were pulled out again and fired; they might just explode.

An explosion could severely affect morale, especially for a group of poorly trained militiamen, as it might undermine their trust in the newly issued firearms.

Moreover, teaching how to fire artillery wasn't something that could be accomplished in a day or two. Beluga's training unit was only responsible for conventional training; artillery training had its own system.

For all these reasons, Beluga did not allow the militiamen to handle the cannons.

As the approaching army came to a halt, Beluga recognized one of the officers among the horse riders—Chief of Staff Schroder.

It wasn't just Beluga who recognized him; there were militiamen in the ranks who had seen Schroder before, and the appearance of the old knight caused a slight stir in the ranks.

What's going on? Why is the esteemed army chief of staff standing across from us?

Many began to doubt.

At that moment, Beluga suddenly shouted, "Everyone! Raise your guns!"

There was a clatter as those who didn't recognize Schroder raised their firearms, which were already loaded, in response to the command. Even those who recognized Schroder followed suit.

An officer beside Schroder slowly approached to about two hundred meters from the militiamen before stopping, prompting Beluga to curse under his breath.

That officer held a tin horn to his mouth and shouted, "Brothers of the militia! You have all been deceived by Beluga and his ilk. In reality, he is the greatest rebel lurking in Alden Town. Taking advantage of the lord's absence on a hunt, Beluga pretended to transmit orders, attempting to use the militia to control the command center. His accomplices have already attacked the lord in Babol, but they were eliminated by the lord's valiant guards. Now only Beluga and a few of his confidants remain in Alden Town, desperately struggling. He even dares to drag you down with him—this is truly wicked! You must see his true nature and correct this mistake early."

What's happening? Beluga was immensely shocked. How did they know about the events in Babol? He immediately feared the worst: If the forces in Babol had succeeded, Schroder wouldn't have received information so quickly, as the signal tower there had been secured. However, if Paul Grayman had triumphed and regained control of the signal tower, he could send information to his loyal supporters immediately.

So, did the lord really eliminate the attackers?

If the lord sent out this news, then it must be true!

Beluga's mind was in chaos.

In fact, Beluga's assumptions were correct. After regaining control of the signal tower closest to him, Paul immediately tried to contact the stationed troops, and fortunately, he managed to reach District 50.

No matter what, he had to fight for survival now!

Beluga quickly retorted, gathering all his strength to shout, "Brothers! Don't listen to the treasonous remarks of the enemy! I know that seeing Schroder across from you raises doubts in your minds. Why is the chief of staff on the opposite side? But I regret to inform you, just as some of you clever folks have guessed, Schroder is no longer the respected chief of staff. He has been seduced by the rebels and has joined their side."

"Look, he's brought an entire army with him! It's well known that all four infantry battalions from Alden Town are out on field training, and the nearby militiamen have gathered in Alden Town—meaning you! So what else could possibly stand before us other than rebels?"

"Now, I command you, in the name of the highest military authority in Alden Town—completely, thoroughly, and mercilessly annihilate the enemy!"

The militiamen were uncertain who was right, but they habitually obeyed their superior's command and raised their guns.

At that moment, a thunderous sound erupted from behind them, coming from the direction of Alden Town!

Beluga was startled again, a dreadful premonition enveloping his mind.

Was something happening in Alden Town? Why else would they fire cannons?

Moreover, where did Alden Town even get cannons? Aside from those old pieces gathering dust in the armory, he quickly thought of one place—the cannons mounted on the castle gate of the lord's estate!

One phrase could describe Beluga's feelings at that moment—like falling into an ice pit.

"All troops, listen up!" A nerve seemed to have been triggered, and he lost his rationality. "Advance!"

The militiamen exchanged glances but ultimately obeyed Beluga's orders, lowering their guns from their aim and stepping forward toward the opposing army.

Advance to the most advantageous position for aiming, fire! Then charge forward with bayonets!

This was the only thought in Beluga's mind!

...

The officer who had been sent out by Schroder to speak shook his head helplessly and turned back to the chief of staff.

"It won't work, Lord Schroder. Without direct evidence, the militiamen cannot free themselves from Beluga's lies. Are we really going to open fire on them?"

Schroder shook his head and looked at the officer, saying, "I remember there's a new type of firearm that aims very accurately."

(End of the Chapter)

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