Unlike the distant lotus flowers, Hilvy saw them more clearly.
Through the walls of the barracks, she could see soldiers working methodically, each performing a single repetitive motion. Yet when seven or eight of them worked in unison, they formed a fluid, intricate whole. Paper bags and iron balls piled behind the partitions were continuously fed into the thick iron pipe, then blasted out with a thunderous force.
Upon closer inspection, Silvi noticed the soldier first ignited a rope at the end of the iron pipe. Sparks leaped into the pipe, igniting the first paper bag inserted. The sudden flash of light made her squint, as the sparks rapidly expanded into an orange-red fireball that engulfed every crevice inside. With nowhere to go, the raging flames wrapped the iron ball and surged outward, as if a giant hand had forcefully hurled it away!
In a flash, the iron ball transformed into a dark shadow and charged straight toward the sailboat in the river. Its force was so immense that it pierced a fist-sized hole in the wooden planks forming the boat's side. Though the speed slowed after penetrating the planks, the impact remained devastating. An enemy attempting to climb out of the cabin was struck in the middle and instantly split in two.
This was the first time Silvi had witnessed such a scene—no sharp blades or swords were needed; even a simple, round ball could split a person in two.
Due to the extreme proximity of the line of sight, she even felt the blood and internal organs expelled by the deceased splatter onto her body. Subsequently, several individuals were struck by iron balls, resulting in either severed limbs or shattered skulls. For a moment, the cabin was filled with flowing contaminated blood and red-and-white mixed organs.
Witch suddenly felt a surge of nausea in her stomach, with a wave of acid rushing up to her throat.
"Ugh..." The cabin's view vanished abruptly—Hilvi's chaotic thoughts had failed to sustain the ability's activation, forcing him to sever the connection with the True Eye and exhale the emotion.
"What's wrong?" Startled, Lian rushed forward to support her. "Are you alright?" Your Royal Highness noticed her discomfort and offered a handkerchief. "If you feel nauseous, stop watching now. At least don't use your abilities to observe up close. Take a rest." "Thank you..." Sylvie wiped her mouth with the handkerchief. "I'm fine." This was likely the "incredible invention" Mace and Lightning had mentioned, though few had truly listened or paid much attention. After all, such a remarkable weapon was hard to imagine without seeing it firsthand.
She turned her gaze back to the battlefield, where Tefiko's fleet was advancing toward both banks—clearly having detected the storm-like assault originating from the low huts camouflaged as earthen mounds along the shore. Yet they remained unaware that the fortifications arranged by Roland Your Highness extended far beyond this single location.
Far from the V-shaped defensive line, bunkers overgrown with wild grass and vines lurked, their distance matching the fleet's column length. Unless they decisively turned their ships to withdraw, any landing attempt would leave them trapped between advancing and retreating forces.
The soldiers in the bunker likewise wielded long, round iron rods, but their projectiles were no longer spherical iron balls but sharp, tailless crossbow bolts. Though less formidable than the iron balls, their targets were now bare, unarmored flesh and blood.
Hilvy surmised the enemy was likely waiting to regroup after landing before counterattacking, but the bunker soldiers denied them this chance—just like their previous tactics, they didn't even need to expose their heads. Simply aiming at the target and pulling the trigger, the crossbow bolts rained down on the foes like rain.
Faced with this lightning-fast weapon that didn't even require a full draw, the enemy forces collapsed in a single wave. Those who had disembarked scrambled to reboard, while those waiting on the gunwale scattered in panic. The ship's violent rocking sent the gangplank into the water, and many drowning men were killed as they tried to climb back onto the deck—a scene of utter chaos.
"It's time," Prince finally lowered his scope and ordered the Iron Axe, "Take the reserve troops to clear the battlefield. If their leader, the Knight, survives by chance, capture him alive. I need to ask them some questions." "Yes," the Knight replied with a bow.
Then he turned to Sylvie, "You must go with Iron Axe too—don't let anyone slip away." Sylvie nodded and followed the First Army Commander out of the observation post. It suddenly dawned on her why Roland Your Highness dared openly shelter the Witches in a remote corner of the continent... With such overwhelming military might, even the Church's God Punishment Army might struggle to defeat him. If Lady Tilly could obtain such weapons, the Witches might finally have a chance to return home.
...
Roland breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the sailboat stranded on the riverbank.
When they attempted to counterattack by landing, the defeat was already sealed. Steering the boat with poles and oars was an extremely slow process, and the enemy likely chose not to turn and retreat under artillery fire precisely for this reason. Rather than enduring the assault in vain, it would be wiser to quickly reach shore and organize a drug-dealing squad for a counterattack.
The solid iron ball from a twelve-pound field gun would hardly sink a wooden sailing ship completely. Even if the hull was riddled with holes, it could still float on the water. Turning the ship around might cause heavy losses, but at least one or two sailing ships could escape. Landing, however, would result in total annihilation.
Unlike the previous assault on the fortress and town defenses, the enemy didn't even mount a proper offensive this time—probably because the pills were usually kept by the commander and only distributed to the militia before the battle, leaving them completely unprepared for an ambush.
The work of cleaning up the battlefield was not finished until the evening.
Iron Axe and the bodyguards took the two prisoners into the camp.
Before Roland could ask, a voice erupted, "I'm Sir Snack. Your Highness, allow me to write to the family—they'll surely pay a hefty ransom." "I'm Elvin Shedd, the second son of the Northern Shield family," another replied, "Your Highness. I'd gladly pay the ransom too." "So... you're the ones behind this attack?" Roland raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, no, the captain was Sir Vincent, but he's been killed," Sir Snark twisted his body. "Your Highness, could you have your men untie my hands? During the ransom period, I hope to receive proper treatment." "I don't need ransom," Prince shook his head. "Tell me everything you know about your purpose, plan for the West, and Tifico's intentions... I might give you the' treatment 'you deserve." "This... I'm sorry I can't tell you," Snark hesitated for a moment.
"I have pledged allegiance to His Majesty Tifeck," the young Knight of the Shield Family retorted, "this would violate my oath." "Indeed," Roland scoffed, "take them down first." After the guards departed, he glanced at Iron Axe. "I heard you served as a Clan Guard in Iron Sand City and were skilled in interrogating intelligence?" "Yes, Your Highness," Iron Axe replied, "few could conceal secrets from me." "Very well," Roland turned, "these two are yours to interrogate. Use whatever methods and means to gather sufficient intelligence." He paused. "As for the ransom..." "I said from the start I didn't need it," Roland's voice turned icy. "After questioning them, treat them as dead." That was the fate for those who plundered civilians and invaded the Western Lands. He added in his mind.