Volume 5, Chapter 88: Ghazalia Civil War
Volume 5, Chapter 88: Ghazalia Civil War
On the onset of the battlefield.
Blood spilled on the earth and flesh ripped apart. The barbaric voices of the soldiers echoed high, and the chaos of destruction made them lose their sanity. The tip of their spears pierced the flesh, and the flying arrows crushed the skulls.
The battlefield. This whole scene was the unmistakable scene of a battlefield.
It didn’t matter if it were a battle of humans, or a battle of elves. Race was something that didn’t matter on the battlefield, since its core remained unchanged. How so? The lively color from the soldiers’ eyes disappeared entirely. The enemy in front of someone with those eyes was slaughtered without empathy. Bodies swayed around. And lifeless bodies fell to the ground. This was hell. A wonderful and terrifying hell. Whenever someone stepped forward, he or she painted the soil of the earth with a bright reddish hell.
Eldith suddenly made a noise and swallowed her raw saliva. She gazed at this terrifying scene from the top of her horse, a little further away from the place where her soldiers battled with the enemy’s soldiers.
She realized that a few elves who were beyond her field of vision, died horribly on the battlefield. On the other hand, the soldiers who killed them were also slaughtered by the blaze of other weapons.
Death led to more death. The battlefield didn’t tolerate the breath of life. In the midst of the echoing of the barbaric voices, the soldiers repeated their offensive assaults over and over again.
“This is what I created with my hands. This is what I should carry on my shoulders”. Her heart was full of fear and confusion mixed with utmost pressure.
It was indeed correct that Eldith’s personal commanders were the ones carrying the fight on the field. These commanders guided her soldiers. However, Eldith was undoubtedly the one who created this terrifying scene.
“I want to escape. I want to run away from here if possible”. The Princess Eldith’s true nature lied in her cowardice. She didn’t have the courage to step forward. But, she didn’t have the courage to give up either.
However, Eldith only came to realize her cowardly heart when she brought herself to the main conflict. Yes, when she stood on the spot where everything unfolded right before her eyes. She felt enough dizziness to cause severe nausea. Unintentionally, Eldith’s body weakened slightly and she almost fell down from the horse.
“I am the person who created this hell. The sight ahead of me only has blood, death, and pain. I don’t want to see it. I never wanted to see this horrifying scene”.
However, the eyelids of her blue eyes couldn’t close. Eldith’s eyebrows swayed in distortion. Some of those soldiers died in what they believed in. They carried their strong wills to their graves. These soldiers were like heroes, who stepped forward to die for the sake of a new world.
Unacceptable. It would be unforgivable for Eldith to look away from them. She couldn’t ignore them when they fought so bravely and fearlessly. Eldith’s heart understood it painfully.
Eldith was weak. There was no difference between being a coward and a weak-hearted person. However, there was no doubt that Eldith was a princess, and that she had enough pride and devotion in the depths of her heart.
It was a decisive moment. How much easier would it be if she could divert her gaze away from here and pretend not to see anything? The desire to forsake everything was tempting her despite her pride and devotion of a princess. It tried to darken the light inside of her chest.
However, Eldith understood that if she seized the choice to escape, she wouldn’t forgive herself. Then, she could no longer be worthy of accompanying “that man”.
While looking at the battlefield, suddenly, Eldith began to look for Lugis. His green clothes couldn’t be seen anywhere.
“…Now this is the moment. Let us both fulfill our responsibilities on the battlefield.”
That’s right. After saying those words, Lugis disappeared into the battlefield on his own.
No more was said on his departure. However, Eldith wanted things to be different.
Ah, how much did she want him to leave? Actually she didn’t want him to leave at all, in fact Eldith truly wanted to chase after his back.
How long did she want to stay together with Lugis while sitting patiently on her horse? Eldith thought, “If I could do that with you by my side, I would have achieved happiness even if I had to gaze at hell.”
Still, Lugis said that he should fulfill his duty. And Eldith had to fulfill her responsibility as a princess and as a leader of her people.
Yet, her heart was full of chaos and doubts. What would she do if he died on the battlefield? Who would stand by her side? Who would comfort her? Who would reprimand her for doing stupid things?
Or, perhaps, would her people abandon her because of her unworthiness in being their leader?
“I hate it. I absolutely hate this scenario. I have to be a Lady and a leader in order to make him proud. Yes, in order to be as good as Lugis. In that case, I mustn’t allow myself to escape.”
Lugis’ words were bound to Eldith forever. That’s why she had to force herself to remain there. Escape was not an option even though her feelings were wavering since the beginning of this war. She had a cowardly heart. Still, Eldith continued to force herself to stand firm on her position. These feelings were worse than she thought they would be.
“…I know that you decided on taking responsibility as well, but it’s also your duty to come back to me alive, Lugis.”
Yes, Eldith spoke those words right when he departed to the battlefield. However, she wondered if Lugis heard her words or not.
That was Eldith’s only regret.
—
Initially, the Revolutionary Army led by Eldith seemed to have the upper hand.
This happened because her army was able to operate in a flexible manner. Summing up, her army divided the soldiers into two groups to fight against Lagias’ soldiers, which continued to encircle the palace grounds.
This encirclement was probably just a defense device. At least, that was what it seemed at first. In fact, the roads in Ghazalia were too narrow, and the passageway to the royal palace was no exception. That meant that it was too narrow for soldiers to advance. Even if Eldith decided to bring in a large army, only a few soldiers could advance and attack the royal palace.
Therefore, Eldith’s army was divided into two groups. One of the groups was tasked to the sidelines, while the other moved forward to the narrowly passageway. The effect of this strategy was good. Two sides surrounded the enemy, so that it would weaken its forces. That’s right. The odds were looking good, and this could turn more effective once Eldith’s army increased their offensive stance towards the walls of the royal palace.
Yes, that’s what it seemed on the surface. No battle was simple. No war was quick. Eldith’s commanders knew that Lagias would continue to hold inside the royal palace until the end.
At first, the odds were looking good. Yes, they were. But, one had to examine the enemy’s current condition. With that said, the enemy still had some favorable conditions working on its favor. Although the palace was not as strong as the walls around Ghazalia, it was still equipped with a sturdy stronghold of protection. Summing up, it had a strong structure suitable for protection against the mountain cliffs.
The more they endured the attacks, the better the situation would be for them.
There were pros and cons. Eldith’s army had two disadvantages. One. Part of the enemy inside the palace walls could ambush Eldith’s army concentrated on the narrowly passageway. If that happened, Eldith’s army could be half-destroyed. That would mean a severe loss on Eldith’s side.
Two. The Gharast soldiers could arrive in time to save the enemy if the battle took too long. If that happened, this small-scale war would end immediately in favor of the enemy.
In order to accomplish victory, Eldith knew that she had to do it with different means.
“That’s why I made this decision on her behalf. There’s no way that the enemy will come out from the palace walls. Lagias will stay in the royal palace and harden their defense mechanisms. Therefore, we must do our best against Lagias’ troops from outside” Lugis thought.
After a deep breath, Lugis released his sword. A sword with a dark purple blade that once appeared in Garoua Maria. It came out of his hand and he could easily held it with his fingers.
“This is really convenient, huh. I think that Caria once said that I reached the greatest climax during Garoua Maria. My sword was probably the reason why I was successful back then.” Lugis distorted his cheeks as if mocking himself.
The tip of a spear ran in front of Lugis. The elf’s eyes holding the handle of the spear had a darkish color. His mind was probably engulfed with the madness of the battlefield. He tried to slash Lugis by holding the spear straight at him. However, Lugis took a half rotated with his body to avoid the hit, and at the same time, he moved the purple blade towards the enemy. The tip of his sword pierced the enemy soldier holding the spear.
This attack did enough. This soldier couldn’t move anymore.
“I can’t show any mercy. I can’t back down now. Even if they’re elves, they still belong to the enemy side. Therefore, they are threats. And they will see me as a foe. I finished one now, but in front of me stood many more threats ready to be annihilated.”
The momentum of the battlefield was endless. It couldn’t be stopped. Once on the battlefield, a soldier would only stop his legs for two single reasons. After his or her life was forcibly taken away, or he or she achieved victory.
Right now, the enemy was overwhelmingly large. Lugis thought that he had no time to rest here. On the narrowly passageway, the soldiers from both sides fought against each other fiercely. Blood spilled dramatically, and flesh torn apart consecutively.
“Ah, c’mon. I thought that the odds were in our favor. But, it seems that I am the idiotic one here. The enemy has the upper hand right now. How did things turn out like this? Perhaps, Lagias is good at strategy.” Lugis blinked his eyes while using his glittering purple sword.
Lagias already experienced the taste of war. He has targeted us ever since the beginning. That man was ruthless. He won’t give up easily. He’d try to drag Eldith’s soldiers to hell, even if he has to fall as well. “We are the ones who are foolish, indeed.” Lugis’ mind kept swirling inside.
Because of Eldith’s strategy, Lagias sent more troops to the side roads in an attempt to increase the effect of the division of force.
Then, suddenly, the enemy opened the gate of the walls surrounding the royal palace, and was ready to assault the weakened main unit that stood on the narrowly passageway.