I Became the Commander in a Trash Game Who Copies Skills

Chapter 44. The Pale Moon (4)

After finishing negotiations with the Princess of Blood.

I met Alina, who was waiting near the city gate, and returned to Gunterburk.

Perhaps because I had made her wait for quite a long time, Alina's expression was on the verge of tears.

It was an expression that made even me, who didn't usually tease people, feel an itch in my mouth, but…

“My lord…”

I held back because it seemed like she would really burst into tears if I poked her even a little.

This wasn't the time to waste crying and laughing.

“Sir Ash? Why have you returned!”

The first person I sought out was the Bishop of Gunterburk.

The Bishop with his abundant white hair came running out as if he were putting on his socks in a hurry upon hearing the news of my arrival.

“I have returned in deep reflection. I realized that turning a blind eye to the crisis of the church and the Empire is, in no case, the way of a holy knight.”

“Y-you, really…”

I didn't expect him to well up with tears.

He was quite a pure person.

Anyway, I seemed to have raised my favorability quite a bit with this.

Now for the main point.

“I will place this item in the lord's castle vault.”

“The lord’s castle? Why on earth would you put the church's treasure there? It would be better to have it here in the cathedral…”

“You know, don't you? The church is the primary target for the beastmen.”

It was true.

When beastmen attacked settlements of the Empire, their top priority target was religious facilities.

The bigger and more splendid they were, the higher the priority.

The most splendid church in Gunterburk was this cathedral.

If Kashutal’s Amulet were placed in the cathedral, it would be burned down along with the church by the beastmen who would rush in as soon as they broke through the walls.

“…You are right. I was momentarily excited.”

The Bishop nodded his head as if he was convinced.

That the lord's castle vault was the safest place in the current situation.

Of course, I understood his feelings.

The lord of this Gunterburk was a person close to the Anti-Imperial Faction.

He wouldn't want to hand over the church's treasure to him.

The Anti-Imperial Faction had a stronger tendency to check the Imperial Church compared to the pro-Emperor faction.

As faith was one of the three great powers of the Empire, they couldn't openly be hostile, but depending on the outcome of the civil war, one never knew what would happen.

“Bishop, no one can covet the church's treasure. If anything happens, I will take responsibility and get it back from the Count.”

“Thank you. It seems I was overly anxious because of the times.”

“…By times, you mean?”

“It’s not something to worry about now. I’ll tell you after we safely defeat the beastmen.”

Was it about the civil war?

There was no problem in hearing it later.

After storing Kashutal’s Amulet in the lord's castle vault, I went to see the lord with the Bishop.

It wasn't for any other reason.

I was thinking of demanding a part of the command authority.

The obstacle was his reaction.

“Command authority?”

“Yes, as an honorary holy knight, I intend to protect the city center, including the cathedral. Think of it as insurance in case the walls are breached.”

“Well, I’ll be. Some beggar-like fellow comes crawling in and the first thing he says is….”

“He is Mercenary Commander Ash, my lord. The Mercenary Commander who defeated Count Calvenia and made a great contribution in the Battle of Wolfskrig.”

The Bishop, who had probably maxed out his favorability with me, defended me from the side.

In effect, it was tantamount to an indirect request for support from the Bishop.

If it was a request from the religious leader representing the city, it was an ambiguous situation for the Count to refuse.

However, the Count of Gunterburk's reaction was lukewarm.

“So, Bishop.”

“…Yes?”

“So what am I supposed to do? Hand over the command of the Imperial army to a commoner who is not even a noble?”

No, it was beyond lukewarm and at a hostile level.

Muttering with a scowl in an incomprehensible pronunciation was a clear expression of hostility.

I couldn't tell what he didn't like.

He might not have liked the fact that I was a holy knight itself.

Or he might be jealous of my achievements in Wolfskrig.

I briefly searched my memory.

‘Count Edgar Gunterburk.’

If my memory was correct, he had the traits [Bottomed-out Patience], [Jealousy], and [Atheist].

Not as bad as Baron Burken, but one could say he was a typical example of an incompetent noble.

But the fate of the city was at stake.

I would not use the opponent's incompetence as an excuse.

“My lord, I am not asking for much.”

[[Lord’s Unyielding Mind] is activated.]

Because I had the power to push through my demands.

“Two crossbow units. One spearman unit. Construction materials and laborers. The leftover gunpowder in the armory.”

As I’ve said many times, the reason [Lord’s Unyielding Mind] was an overpowered trait was due to its hidden effect.

The ability to dramatically amplify the power contained in one's words.

When commanding troops, it boosted morale.

At the negotiation table, it swayed the opponent's heart.

Persuasion, threats, lies, appeasement, and even words of praise or curses were made to exert a more intense effect.

“It is merely a hundred soldiers, some labor, and a portion of leftover supplies. If you invest just that, I will show you the miracle that protected the walls of Wolfskrig once again.”

Like in the barracks where I had roasted Baron Burken.

Like in the inn room where I had turned Archduke Gabir's suspicion into goodwill.

“Why should I….”

“As you know, the reason I came here is for a secret mission.”

I asserted my opinion more resolutely than anyone.

“I am a person who is not here. All the credit will go to you, my lord.”

I gently tempted him with a result that was pleasing to his ears.

“You will become a hero.”

The Count's wrinkled jowls twitched.

If it didn't work even after all this, then it couldn't be helped.

There was a way to save the city, but it was not something I could do alone.

It was a battle against nearly twenty thousand beastmen.

It meant that it was not a fight that could be changed just by adding a holy knight and a priest.

In order to save the city, I needed at least the resources to make the plan in my head a reality.

If that was difficult, then unfortunately, I would have to give up on Gunterburk.

No matter how important this city was in the long run, it was not as important as my own life.

I had people to protect.

People I had to protect in order to survive.

“…I’ll trust you.”

I didn't like the way he said it with a face full of suspicion, but.

“You will not be disappointed.”

Let's throw in a nice word or two.

What I got in exchange for a hollow compliment were two crossbow units, one spearman unit, a large amount of gunpowder, laborers who would work in shifts all day, and construction materials to build barricades.

All the conditions were met.

It was time to prepare for battle.

***

“We will lure the beastmen who have broken through the walls into the square.”

I explained the gist of the plan.

The priest assigned by the Bishop nodded his head vigorously.

“A good plan, Sir Ash. How do you plan to lure them?”

Was his name William?

He looked to be in his late 20s and had a different impression from the image one usually thinks of for a priest.

His facial features were strong and his build was good.

The smile on his lips was not so much gentle as it was the good-natured smile of a man from a construction site.

“First, bring all the double crosses from the churches in Gunterburk.”

“I understand.”

William was worth his appearance.

He took charge of the laborers and, in a few hours, had removed the double crosses from all the churches in Gunterburk.

“Are you sure this is alright? No matter what, it's the sacred symbol of the church……”

“It's fine. In the presence of the holy light of Luark, I, a priest, will guarantee it.”

He even personally persuaded the laborers who were hesitant, perhaps thinking they were committing sacrilege.

Well, in normal times, it might be sacrilege.

But wouldn't Luark overlook it now?

“Pile them up inside the cathedral.”

“I understand.”

“And next is….”

The construction proceeded smoothly.

The combination of skilled laborers and a smart priest was admirable.

The entrance to the cathedral was blocked by barricades.

Torches were hung in various places in the square facing the church.

Sharp caltrops were also laid at the entrance to the square, and a large amount of gunpowder was also placed in the pre-arranged locations.

“By luring, do you mean this square?”

The clever priest immediately caught on to my intention.

The entrance of the cathedral faced the square.

The symbols of the Luark Church filling the church were a tempting target for the beastmen.

They would eventually have to pass through the square to get to the church.

“Ah, then the reason you installed the gunpowder is also…!”

He was smarter than I thought.

For reference, William also knew how to handle gunpowder.

He said he worked as a technician before joining the church.

I wonder if he’d consider quitting being a priest and joining the Mercenary Band?

“However, I am concerned about how much damage the beastmen will actually take. I’ve heard their hides and bones are several times tougher than humans’.”

He was right.

Their skin was no different from the tough hide of a beast.

But even a hide that was hard for swords and spears to pierce would not be an invincible shield.

After the construction was finished, I shared the details of the plan with the unit members and arranged each unit appropriately.

First, the two crossbow units were placed on top of the barricades.

The spearman unit was placed right behind the firmly closed main gate of the church.

Alina and William were inside the church.

The priests who were originally here had gone to other churches to take care of refugees or to support the walls.

The children from the orphanage attached to the church were also all evacuated.

“My lord, please be careful.”

I left Alina's worried gaze behind and climbed onto the roof.

I took my place on the flat pedestal where the double cross, the symbol of the Luark Church, was erected, right in the center of the steeply sloped roof.

I laid out the mana potions and regeneration potions I had brought like goods on a street vendor's stall.

After putting down the last potion, I gave a bitter smile.

This was a scene I had seen somewhere before.

Neatly arranged potion bottles.

A location overlooking the battlefield.

‘Burken Fortress.’

The place where I had made a life-threatening gamble called mana overload.

Not the hometown on my forged documents, but my real hometown where I had woken up in this land without knowing why.

Terren and the soldiers who died there remained as an indelible mark in my heart even now.

“Hoo.”

I let out a light sigh.

Unlike that time, it was night now.

I looked up at the sky.

‘It’s about time.’

The night sky was blue.

Not metaphorically, but literally.

An ominous, dark color.

The source of that strange color was the moon hidden by the clouds.

The moon was being dyed with a pale light.

The clouds parted.

The pale blue moon revealed itself.

“The pale moon…!”

One of the soldiers shouted.

Kwagwagwang!

Kwang-

Cannon fire roared from the direction of the city wall.

***

Choosing the battlefield is one of the most important virtues for a commander.

The battlefield I chose for this battle was not on top of the walls.

It was difficult to do anything on the walls with only a hundred soldiers, and it was also because I was sure the walls would be breached.

Gunterburk was a city steeped in peace for a long time.

The exchange with the neighboring Theocracy and the City League had fattened the city while at the same time dulling its blade.

As a border city, on paper, a standing army of nearly eight thousand was stationed here, but…

The qualitative decline of the soldiers, especially the private soldiers of the Count of Gunterburk, was at a serious level.

It was uncertain if they could withstand the invasion of over fifteen thousand beastmen.

The existence of the Beastpriest of the Full Moon, Rishubak, drove the final nail in the coffin.

‘[Chosen of the Moon].’

One of the overpowered traits on the list in my head.

Especially when playing as the beastmen, it was an overpower trait that was unconditionally in the top three.

Originally, it was a trait that could barely be obtained by passing through numerous rituals and trials, and by putting a hero's life on the line.

The Beastpriest of the Full Moon started with this as a base.

The ability of the trait could be summarized as follows.

‘Area-of-effect buff for all allies.’

Its range was the entire battlefield.