All signs pointed to the army of Seitz engaging us in the field rather than holing up in their castle. Considering we had the airship to work with, that was probably a good decision on their part. It seemed that they’d already finished setting up formation in a strategic location where they’d chosen to stage their attack─specifically, a point along a prominent highway that we’d need to travel in order to reach Castle Kuat. A massive number of enemy troops were supposedly stationed there.
We could, in theory, have taken an alternate route through the mountains, but it seemed there were enemies waiting for us along that path as well. That path was much narrower, as well, and only a small number of troops would be able to use it. Its defenders would have to deal with that same problem, of course, but Couran still chose to send his whole army along the direct route and plow through any defensive forces that wound up standing in his way. Splitting our forces would diminish our strength in numbers, and that, it seemed, was an advantage that Couran wanted to capitalize on.
The Seitzan encampment along the highway featured an astonishing number of large catalyzers, lined up and ready to fire upon our troops. I expected that they’d brought together all the most powerful mages throughout the whole duchy for the sake of this battle. Magic was better suited to defense than offense as a rule, thanks to large catalyzers’ limited mobility─they were pivotal in sieges, but dragging one of those out into the field when you were on the attack tended to be an awful lot of trouble.
If we’d had to break through their ranks using ordinary tactics we would’ve been in for one hell of a hard time…but we had an airship to work with instead. As long as we could take the large catalyzers out with a bombing run, our enemy’s defenses would be diminished. Our accuracy in a bombing run still wasn’t the greatest, and I didn’t know if we’d be able to wipe their catalyzers out or not, but the way they’d arranged them all in a convenient line felt like it would give us much higher odds of pulling it off, or at least taking out a few of them at once.
Also, even if we missed the catalyzers altogether, we’d still probably hit a fair number of their soldiers in the process. An explosive spell landing in a cluster of men could do unfathomable damage in the best case. Part of me even hoped that we’d get lucky and blow up the enemy commander, though I knew that was a little optimistic on my part.
Couran led his army closer and closer to the enemy encampment before calling his men to a stop.
“We’ll send the airship on the attack first. It’s time for you to give us a taste of what it can do,” he said.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” I replied.
We’d arranged for the airship to take off a short period after we began our march from the fort. It had been following us ever since, and was currently floating right above our army. We had it hovering at a lower altitude than it had flown at while assaulting the two forts. Shots fired from towers or other high places were a threat during a siege, but in a field battle with no such terrain available, it could fly a little lower without risking coming into the enemy’s range. The lower it flew the easier it would be for Charlotte to land her spells where she wanted to, so generally speaking, our goal was to stay at as low of an altitude as the circumstances would safely permit.
We considered landing the airship briefly so we could give its occupants specific instructions on what to target, but in the end, we’d decided that it would be too risky to do so. We’d already ordered them to target any large catalyzers the enemy brought out if it came to a field battle, so it seemed safe to assume they’d know what to do.
Before long, the signal for the airship to begin its assault─a burst of sound magic─was sent out. The lower altitude the ship was flying at meant that we were able to give it direct instructions in that manner. The airship sprung into action immediately, flying over the enemy lines and raining explosions down upon them.
“Yes, impressive indeed… There is nothing that they can do to counter the airship’s attack. Their large catalyzers are devastated without ever being used, and their infantry are thrown into a panic, sending their formation into a state of chaos,” Couran observed from the high ground he’d taken position on. He seemed very impressed with the airship’s exploits.
Before long, the airship’s attack came to an end.
“I see. It’s not an especially large ship, so the number of spells that can be cast from it is limited by its weight capacity… But if we could produce more of them and field them en masse…why, we’d never lose a battle again,” Couran muttered.
In a battle against an enemy force as massive as the one we faced, one airship had unfortunately proven insufficient to turn the tide on its own. That wasn’t to say it was ineffective─at a glance, it looked like we’d managed to destroy more than twenty of the enemy’s large catalyzers, and throw their chain of command into a state of chaos as well. The ship had clearly played its part, and played it well.
As it turned out, the damage we’d done to their command structure was a more pivotal factor than I’d given it credit for. Being bombarded by a foe that you couldn’t reach had done a number on them, psychologically speaking. The Seitzan troops were left in a state of terror─it was like a localized natural disaster had touched down right on top of their heads. Who could blame them for being too scared to put up a fight?
The airship turned around and flew off into the distance, making its way to Fort Sokan where it would be restocked with aqua magia.
“The enemy force is all but routed! Now is our chance! Charge!” Couran saw that this was his moment to strike, and gave the order to go on the attack at once. His men let out a roaring battle cry and surged forward, bearing down on the Seitzan line. For a moment I expected that line to crumble, leading to a crushing victory…but in the end, I was surprised.