Dawn Architect

Chapter 78: Main Fortress

The next morning, Lili had already returned to her task, as we continued our march. We had the next objectives and the army was moving forward with determination.

Along the way, we passed several fortresses that had been abandoned. Apparently, the defenders had been smart and were prepared for the siege in the last fortress.

Our army arrived in front of the main fortress. It was an imposing structure, made of surrounding materials such as trees and rocks it was noticeable that it had been built for a long time, 'I wonder how it was that only now the three kingdoms found out about this problem'.

We arrived at a point where the fortress was visible; I had already been here a few days ago, but no matter how hard I looked, this setting was made to be a very difficult battle.

Although at first glance it didn't look difficult to siege and a few shots from the cannons would suffice to bring it down, it wasn't that simple because of the runes etched along the walls.

My Eyes of Truth could see them clearly, and I must say that they spared no effort in their creation. There were runes of defensive, counterattack and attack spells, making this fortress that much more dangerous and impenetrable.

But one thing that would definitely be a problem was that the fortress was built on an island in the middle of a lake, which required crossing at least 40 meters of water to reach the foot of the wall, which could cause many casualties.

The situation was not favorable and it could be seen that only one kingdom, besides ours, had arrived. It was the Kazan Kingdom, which had apparently arrived a day earlier.

"Do you think you can do the same as in the previous siege?" asked Hayato as he looked at the fortress.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be that easy.

"I could try, but the defenses of this fortress have no comparison to the previous one. Besides, even with all the bombs we have, I don't think they would overcome the strength of the walls. They could be used to cause internal terror, but it's no use if we can't get through those walls."

I gave him my analysis of the situation and Hayato agreed. Still, it was the best option we had. Besides, there were many powerful beings in that fortress, and it could be discovered if they were alert enough .

As we observed the fortress, we could see that the enemy was well prepared. They had placed archers in the towers and mages on the walls, ready to cast devastating spells on any force that came too close.

They were too organized to be just monsters, and that only happens when demons are present, something I already knew but it was annoying nonetheless. The waters of the lake reflected the light of the setting sun, creating a deceptively peaceful landscape in the midst of preparing for war.

There was still waiting for the last kingdom to arrive. Two days passed, and finally, the Myong Kingdom army arrived. They looked worn out and in trouble; apparently, the battles to get here were very difficult.

I already knew the situation more or less, as I kept in occasional contact with the guys to let me know what was happening on their side. At the request of the representative of the Kazan Kingdom, we met at the Kazan Kingdom camp and there was a meeting there.

At that time, I could notice that Eirlys had become one of those who attended this meeting, which meant that we had influence in all three kingdoms, which meant that they did well.

The meeting was held in a large tent located in the center of the Kazan Kingdom's camp. Around a table, the leaders of the armies discussed their plans. The atmosphere was tense, with maps and strategies on the table, and each leader proposing methods of approaching the siege. The atmosphere was charged with tension.

The leader of the Kazan Kingdom, a middle-aged man with a graying beard and piercing eyes, named Kai was formerly a mercenary but in the Kazan Kingdom who appreciated strength more than anything else, he rose to become the leader of this expedition. He was the first to speak.

"I propose that we divide our forces keeping the pattern from before. We will attack from the south, the Tenjin Kingdom from the west and the Myong from the east. This will disperse their defenses and give us a better chance to penetrate their walls."

The leader of the Conquest Kingdom, a tall, stout woman with a scar on her face, nodded.

"I agree. However, we need a method to get across the body of water. I don't want to create a bridge with the lives of my people."

According to Eirlys, the female leader of the Myong Kingdom was the princess of the nation. Her name was Sakura, a cute name for someone with such a fierce appearance.

When she and the boys arrived in the kingdom, chaos was brewing over the recent death of the king and the approaching expedition, and the heirs were in the midst of a power struggle over the crown. There were eight children.

Eirlys said she was lucky enough to be recruited by the princess, interestingly enough it was one of the side missions of the Myong Kingdom, which they accomplished easily. She was allied with one of her older brothers to fight against her other siblings as she herself was not interested in the throne.

Eventually, they turned out to be the winners, which made her the leader of the expedition. From the beginning, she was not interested in the throne.

Eirlys and the rest didn't have a very big role in these events so they didn't stand out much, but some of the former princes' subordinates were having dealings with the demons, causing revolts and chaos in the army with many betraying the kingdom.

But thanks to that, Eirlys and the rest had room to stand out and gain the trust and appreciation of the princess enough to appear at this meeting.

I guess the mission that called for a solid alliance with a kingdom can be completed, since, without my intervention, I am not sure that even the Tenjin Kingdom would have been able to start the raid if the sacrificial ritual was completed.

In fact, it was thanks to Chris proposing to the leader of the Kazan Kingdom that we have a meeting before attacking, otherwise the aforementioned would have attacked without waiting for anyone. That was the influence Chris had gained, I even came to think that he has even more than me.

"Our kingdom can place bombs on the south, east and west gates and destroy them or at least cause chaos and casualties. So I ask that if you have bombs give them to us to cause more impact," Hayato suggested for me to repeat what happened earlier.

"That doesn't solve the lake problem," Princess Sakura said, still stoic. We had already agreed that we would propose that, so Hayato had already done his part, and just as I thought at the time, Kai spoke up to reassure the princess.

"Our kingdom has in recent times developed many types of potions. Among them are freezing potions that could freeze the lake completely," he said as he explained what he had in mind and how he was willing to share potions that would help the other kingdoms in exchange for some benefits during the post-war time .

This is the reason why Chris gained recognition. He said that immediately upon arrival he went to the authority that handled the alchemists in that realm, and to his surprise, they were far behind with the methods of creation and variety.

So the moment he started sharing his knowledge, he was quickly climbing the ladder and even got to see the king. In the Kazan Kingdom he is already recognized as a noble.

He may only be 11 years old, but in the labyrinths that doesn't matter for some reason; all the inhabitants ignore him even if he is only 5 years old and treat him as a normal adult. Even I don't have the need to be in disguise, but I feel more comfortable in my adult version.

The meeting went on for a few hours and, it ended without leaving me a chance to interfere in anything, but everything was perfectly planned by the leaders so I had no complaints.