Volume 11: New Front

Chapter 148: Desert

South of Europe, where the fiercest fighting raged along the fronts between the Kingdom of Lunoa, the Kingdom of Friez, and the Rosha Empire, lay Africa.

Africa was ruled by the colonies of the European nations, but it hadn’t yet seen intense fighting. The reason was simple: the Kingdom of Lunoa didn’t possess any major colonies there.

“At last.”

But that ended today.

Emma gazed upon the Orline Imperial Army encamped along the border of the Friez Kingdom’s African colony and smiled at the order to begin the invasion that had just reached her.

“Issue the order to attack to the entire army. Let us drive the Friez Kingdom out of here without delay.”

A desert stretched across northern Africa.

Even in winter, the days were relatively warm. There would be no difficulty fighting during the season.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Emma gave her order to Lieutenant General Rooks Ryuzart of the Orline Imperial Army.

The experience Lunoa had gained during the war had already been shared with the Orline Empire, and its troops had undergone several days of training. Obeying the command from above, the Orline forces began to move with a level of discipline not far removed from that of Lunoa’s current army.

■■■■■

Dust swirled across the desert battlefield.

The days were hot and the nights cold.

Under those harsh conditions, the Orline Imperial Army had launched an all-out assault on a Friez fortress.

“Fire! Keep firing! Use every last shell!”

The artillery batteries lined up across the desert roared, shaking the fortress walls.

The shells steadily broke apart those sturdy defenses, gradually reducing them to a pitiful ruin.

“Damn it… We can’t get close.”

But many soldiers of the Friez Kingdom were entrenched inside the fortress.

Under artillery and rifle fire from within, the Orline forces couldn’t advance as they wished.

“Damn it… It’s jammed already.”

The blowing sand made matters worse.

Desert sand worked its way into both armies’ firearms, causing malfunctions and preventing them from fighting properly.

The battle had unquestionably bogged down.

“Ugh!?”

Even so, the fighting remained fierce.

Unable to dig trenches in the desert, the Orline soldiers fought with their bodies exposed.

Whenever they raised their rifles toward the fortress, enemy bullets tore through them and dropped them to the ground. The Friez soldiers within were crushed by artillery shells or shot and sent tumbling from the walls.

Blood flowed. So much blood flowed.

Yet what weighed most heavily on the heart was surely the emptiness of it all. This front hadn’t existed before. It held little importance, and there was little chance that it ever would.

Now, blood simply flowed.