CHAPTER 7: A CHERFLAMMEN WORTH FIGHTING FOR

**Greg**

Honestly, the wait for the results of the Lord Tenguri’s testing of our gun design was nerve-wracking. I mean, after all the work Shevaun and I invested in that concept? It’s hard to be indifferent once the answers came out. As such, I found that it was hard to catch a sleep while my mind was thinking of all the possible outcomes.

“…”

By contrast, Shevaun was as calm as ever. She sat on a nearby table, beside the bed she once shared with Princess Noir. I watched her read the letters stacked on her workspace, and she would pen some replies to some of those occasionally.

“Are you having a difficult time sleeping, milord?” she asked without even looking at my direction, which kind of creeped me out.

“How’d you know?”

“We Usarveds have sharp instincts than other demons,” the demon chamberlain explained. “I can feel your stares from here.”

“Sorry…”

“No, it’s fine, milord. I have no issues about it.”

Then, silence. For some reason, I don’t know what to say after that, but I could feel that Shevaun wanted to say something to me. Well, as it was futile for me to sleep, I sat on my bed, waiting for the demon chamberlain to speak.

Soon, Shevaun broke the ice, “You want to ask something to me, milord?”

“Nothing, actually…” I told her, but soon, I changed my mind. “Right, I suddenly remembered. Why did Her Highness the Princess Noir leave for Darkmoor?”

“Our ambassador in Chersea, Lady Kalen Grattiani, wrote to her about her brother, the Lord Haya of the House Usarved.”

“Oh right, I remember she did tell me that she has other siblings.”

“Yes…and apparently, the Lord Haya did something to offend the Human Saint, so she ordered her paladins to hunt for him.”

“The Lady Madelaine? What happened?”

“We don’t know exactly; the Lady Grattiani told us that he was involved in some activities and members of the ‘Knights of Cassandra David’.”

I didn’t reply after learning that. Deep inside, I was wondering…Lady Madelaine was normally a laid-back, nonchalant person. And for her to order her paladins to search for Princess Noir’s brother, it must mean that the guy did something worse to piss her off.

I can’t help but think that it may involve me…or ‘Kuro’, somehow.

“Lord Kuro?”

“Hm…?”

“Oh, my bad…I should refer to you as Lord Greg, right?”

“No, it’s okay, milady. You can call me ‘Kuro’ as well; I won’t mind. It’s just that, this ‘Kuro’ guy felt like a distant memory to me, though I know he is also me…” I heaved a sigh, “I don’t know…but give me time. I’m sure I’ll get used to being ‘Kuro’ again.”

Shevaun chuckled, “I sure wish to see that moment again, and I’m sure, Her Highness would love to have you back.”

“What?” I jested, “Princess Noir’s got her brother!”

“Eh…she hated him,” the chamberlain revealed, never hiding her disgusted expression. “Not only her; every one of us in Castle Darkmoor hated the Lord Haya. That’s why milady returned to our city. In case her brother reappears there after escaping from Chersea, she can come up with countermeasures so he can’t take a foothold of Usarved territories, and secure his strength with his supporters.”

“But why?” I was taken aback by the new information. As someone who grew up in a close-knit family, hating on my sibling was something extreme, though not uncommon. But then, I remembered; Cherflammen valued males more than females, so maybe her brother was Princess Noir’s number one rival over the throne. I asked Shevaun about my hunch. However, her answer disturbed me even more…

“The Lord Haya doesn’t care much about the demon lordship. What he wants the most is his sister herself.”

“What?”

“He wants to connect with her.”

I couldn’t say anything to that. The fact that it was normal for the demons to form sexual relationships with their own family members slipped my mind until I was reminded of it once again.

“Nevertheless, the Lady Herriane, Her Highness’ human mother, raised milady in human culture and values,” Shevaun elaborated. “Also, it didn’t help the Lord Haya that he takes after his father, who is notorious for kidnapping human females for his sexual pleasure. Even to us demons, they are deviants.”

“Err…” I just realized something, “…isn’t it even more dangerous for Her Highness to return to Darkmoor alone?”

“I thought the same as well, milord…” the chamberlain admitted. “However, Her Highness is stubborn. And she also didn’t want to pass on the opportunity for the Usarveds to wrest control of the Conclave from the Biornos…or at least, install a neutral Head Scholar in his place.”

“Which I did.”

“Yes…I apologize if it sounded like we’re using you, milord.”

“Well, it’s fine,” I told her. “It’s not like I’m not aware of your plans. I went along with it because I guess an Usarved ascendancy with the Princess Noir at the helm is the best course for Cherflammen. Although, let me be clear; I’m here to help, not to be controlled.”

“We fully understand you, Lord Greg. That’s why, Her Highness threw her full support on you. In any case, if you’re worried about milady, I received her letter just now. I guess Her Highness is doing fine back in Darkmoor; it wouldn’t be long before she returns. For now, we’ll have to continue implementing your reforms.”

----------

Shevaun continued responding to the letters she received, while I—since I couldn’t sleep—took the time to read some books in the small library we had in our dormitory room. After the hours of the long sleep, I’m thinking of immediately heading to the Lord Tenguri to ask him about the gun design. I’m pretty excited about the results of their evaluation, see?

Though, it is highly likely that they are not yet done with building a prototype based on our blueprint…

“…”

Well, whatever. I’d just burn my available time reading until my eyes were heavy.

“!!!”

Just as I was about to open the book I picked, I suddenly heard a terrible sound. It was a faint boom, like a cannon being fired from a distance. Then, a loud ‘screaming’ noise, followed by a loud explosion and cries of horror. Shevaun and I stared at each other; as veterans of several wars, we both knew what those sounds were…

Those are artillery being fired.

The booming noises immediately became a chorus of similar sounds. We both raced towards the windows, which were covered by curtains, to see what’s going on. Much to our horror, the Biorno forces and the Goblin-Usarved army on the walls of the Conclave were now engaged in battle.

The war has begun…

----------

Amidst the bombardment, we rushed from our dormitories and into the office the Head Scholars, where we thought the others had gathered. It was empty, so Shevaun and I separated ways. She went to command the Usarved contingent of the allied forces protecting the Conclave, while I went around looking for the Lord Gracchio and Tenguri, and the Ladies Capaldi and Baraquiel.

“Stay in the lowest level!” I bellowed to the students, who were disturbed from their long sleep by the artillery fire. “Don’t go in the middle of the school grounds!”

At once, the children—led by their seniors—were herded back into the buildings. Since the shells fell on the upper floors, the lowest level could serve as a ‘makeshift bunker’ for the non-combatants, especially the students. The pillars of the structures inside the Conclave were thick enough to withstand bombardment. I saw it with my own eyes during the Goblin Legion’s bombardment of the Head Scholar’s office back when we forced Emile Biorno to step down. So I’m pretty confident that they were safer there instead of running aimlessly outside.

“Has anyone seen the Lord Tenguri?” I asked a random goblin soldier who happened to pass by.

“He’s at the walls, leading the defense!” he replied in haste.

“Lead me to him!”

The goblin soldier agreed, but before we go, I asked for an available weapon. He handed to me his sword, which—though I doubt its effects against long-range artillery—I took, anyway. It’s better to face an enemy armed with a dagger, than to be completely unprepared at all.

As we headed towards the walls of the Conclave, I encountered the Goblin Legion’s artillery crews setting up their guns in the middle of the school grounds. When they saw me, their commander immediately ordered his goblins to pack up. But I stopped them,

“This is war,” I reassured the crews. “As head scholar, I understand and I can make exceptions! Blast those fuckers to smithereens!”

With permission granted to them, the goblin resumed their preparations.

----------

The Lord Tenguri was a goblin of courage, I’d say. When we arrived at the walls, it didn’t take long for me to find him. He stood atop the parapets, leading his goblins on the defense against the Biorno pickets taking potshots at them. To his side was his wife, the Lady Baraquiel, serving as a standard bearer. Both were obvious targets for the enemy, yet they bravely showed themselves to the enemy, as if trying to draw the fire on them on purpose.

“Milord! Milady!” I called out to them, “It’s dangerous! Take cover, please!”

“Greetings, Lord Greg!” the Lord Tenguri had a smirk on his face. “These Biorno bastards have finally done it; they lit the sparks of war!”

“Why? What happened?”

“They opened fire with their artillery to our positions, unprovoked,” the Lady Baraquiel replied. “And the pickets also started shooting at us.”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with Castrio’s head, but I swear I’ll whip his buttocks once I get to him!” the goblin lord quipped.

I was about to say something, when I heard a shrill whistle echoed throughout our defenses. I asked, “What’s that?”

“We’ll show these incubi the mettle of us goblins!” the Lord Tenguri bellowed to his goblins soldiers, “Fix bayonets!”

“Milord, don’t you think it’s dangerous to—”

“Small but brave goblins! These deceitful Biornos wanted to taste our blood, then we shall give it to them!” ignoring me, the goblin lord pulled out his sword; his wife also followed suit. “We shall take those pickets in front of us! Glory to the Legion!”

Another blowing of whistles, though this time, it was a chorus. It was soon followed by the artillery barrage from our side, which crashed into the positions of the Biorno soldiers. However, even as our own cannons were still firing, the goblins began their charge. It was a quiet, slow march, though the goblins presented their crack horns and bayonets towards their enemy.

It was a magnificent sight, watching that red line close in the pickets that harassed our positions, but now without losses. Nevertheless, I’m worried for the Lord Tenguri and the Lady Baraquiel, who never tried to hide themselves while leading the attack.

“…”

If I can do something to help them, it’s my god-powers to control the weather.

I channeled mana into my hands, which glowed golden-yellow. Then, a soft wind began to blow, which gradually turned into a powerful gale in a matter of minutes. It whipped up the sands from the nearby desert, and the huge dust cloud inched closer to the Biorno position. Hopefully, the weather I created would reach the enemy in time to screen the goblin advance—

“!!!”

I felt myself suddenly flying into the air, then my ears was almost deafened by an explosion. At first, I was disoriented on what had just happened. But then I realized that an artillery shell fell near where I stood. I had to shield my body from the falling chunks of stone and concrete.

I thought it was just a stray shell. However, a few more near-misses, and I knew the enemy was targeting my position. See, while the god-power of the Beastman Saint to control the weather was a powerful ‘area-of’effect’ spell, the golden-yellow glow of my hands could be seen from afar, thus an obvious target to the Biorno artillery crews.

“…”

My head was still dizzy from the shock, but I tried my best to drag myself away from where I fell. I was also forced to stop ‘fueling’ the god-power, since it attracted the artillery fire. Corpses of our goblin allies littered the streets of the city of the Saint’s Tower: those who fell while charging the pickets, and those who were unlucky enough to be caught when the cannons attempted to kill me.

“!!!”

Another sound whistles, once again, coming from our side. As I was pinned in the ‘no man’s land’ between the Biorno pickets, and the walls of the Conclave, I got a good vantage point where I could see both the enemy movements and our own. Just as the sandstorm I created earlier enveloped the Biorno forces, the Usarveds—led by Shevaun Ilkes—rose to support the goblins who charged first.

The chamberlain was in front, the banner officer carried their flag beside her. Following behind were the Usarved magic-users, with their magical barriers up. However, bullets rained on them, putting a strain on the barriers, and some of the Usarved soldiers were inadvertently hit. But they continued on their march, as if oblivious to the lethal projectiles shot at their lines.

“…”

I was torn between supporting the charge, and attending to the wounded, who were only a few distances away from my hiding spot. In the end, however, I decided that the injured required my attention first, so I went to their side to heal them.

“!!!”

Still, the god-power of the Human Saint drew fire from the enemy, this time, small arms fire. The white glow of my hands could be seen even inside the sandstorm, so I had to stop. Not only am I putting myself in danger; the injured soldiers could also be hit by the bullets intended for me. So, as I had no other option, I stopped my healing magic, and dragged the wounded away from the open battlefield.

----------

It was a dangerous task, as the enemy artillery kept on their barrage, while I was being sniped from the other pickets. Nevertheless, I kept on my work, and soon, help came from the Conclave…

“What are you doing?” I blurted out when I saw some of the students from the senior levels coming out to assist me in evacuating the wounded. “It isn’t safe for you guys to be out here!”

“Sir Lord Scholar,” the leader of the students answered, “we can’t stay in the safety of our rooms while our teacher is exposing himself to danger!”

“Are you an idiot?” I couldn’t believe what I just heard from him. “It’s my—a teacher’s—job to protect you!”

“We’re proud demons, Sir! Even as we’re young and afraid of dying, we can’t have you—a human who’s risking his life for us—do all the work!”

“He’s right, Sir!” another student—this time, a familiar face—chimed in. It was Lady Srexe, “And I told them that if you die, then all the hard work we did for the Conclave will be wasted.”

“I appointed other like-minded head scholars for that!”

“Of course, it’s a bluff!” the goblin girl winked. “But, if you really die, no one’s going to stop me from becoming a delinquent again. I hate that to happen, see? You’re my favorite teacher, after all, Sir!”

The other students agreed to Lady Srexe’s words; they liked her current self now, than the one before.

“Good lord…you guys…” I could only scratch my head as I saw the orc, Tama’lee, and their werewolf friend, Nari, with them. “Alright then, if you guys are so adamant in helping, then at least, listen to what I say and stay behind the Conclave’s walls, close to it, so you’ll be shielded against the artillery bombardment. I’ll drag the injured to you, and you carry them off here. I don’t want any of you to die; not on my watch! Am I understood?”

“Yes, Sir Lord Scholar!”

At once, and with a new plan in mind, we got to work on the evacuation. Honestly, though it was chaotic, I could only admire these children. Orcs, goblins, werewolves, even the Usarved kids and several young succubi and incubi, all were cooperating to achieve what we had in mind, regardless of their clan allegiance.

I thought to myself, fuck, this is the Cherflammen I’m fighting for!

Soon, my focus was on helping the wounded instead of supporting the Goblin-Usarved charge. The work on searching for the wounded seemed endless; for each return that I did, I’d see two or more injured requiring immediate attention.

----------

For a while now, the battle raged. Though I was preoccupied with something else, I could tell in a glance that the Goblin-Usarved charge had bogged down. The Biornos cleverly put their pickets a few distances away from their main camps to lure any attackers into these positions. Then, then secretly created ditches in front of the pickets, so that their enemies would lose momentum, should they decided to charge.

…which actually happened earlier.

So, the momentum on our side was gradually lost, and the goblins of the first wave had to take cover in the ditches as the Biorno soldiers defending the pickets poured lethal fire on them. The second wave of Usarved soldiers fared no better than the legion; soon, they were pinned in the ditches as well, and the relatively narrow trenches became a ‘death trap’ for both.

Shit! These guys need to retreat!

Though I could hear bugle calls from a distance, I couldn’t determine if those signals were coming from the enemy or on our side. However, one thing was for sure. Whenever those played into air, the goblins tried to fallback, with the magic-users casting barrier magic to deflect the bullets. The Usarveds provided additional cover, but the Biornos got the high ground, and any attempt to retreat to the Conclave’s direction were met with overwhelming fire from the incubi soldiers.

My mind raced on what should I do to, at least, support their pullout. The sandstorm I whipped up earlier dissipated already. If our soldiers raised their heads, they’d attract Biorno guns on them. If they stayed there, a potential counterattack would swamp the trapped forces, and they would surely disintegrate.

“…”

I immediately thought of using the god-powers again. However, this time, I should look for a hiding spot, so I could see where I should direct the foul weather I’d create to help the goblins and the Usarveds. Nevertheless, the Biorno soldiers knew how to prepare well for their battles—they cleared the ‘no-man’s land’ of obstacles, and the craters created by their bombardment were shallow, it was useless as hiding spots.

I have no choice but use the corpses to my advantage.

Taking advantage of the battlefield smoke and chaos, I pulled any corpse I could reach and stacked the bodies high enough to hide, but low enough not to be conspicuous. I uttered a silent prayer to the dead, asking forgiveness for what I’m doing to their remains, and that I’d avenge their deaths. Still, it was a gory sight. Goblins mangled by the bombardment, wallowing in their black blood, their entrails out or missing. Usarved soldiers or their body parts (which could be identifiable by their uniform and pale color of skin). Or some occasional incubus dead, victims of the earlier charge.

“!!!”

As I was still in the middle of preparing my hiding place, another sound of battle emerged. This time, it was no bugle call, nor the shrill blowing of whistles. It was rather the terrifyingly familiar shots of a gun…but not just any gun; I’m sure those came from modern small arms. At a distance, I could see an incoming army of incubi, marching to outflank the bogged down goblin-Usarved forces. On their hands—at least the soldiers in front—were pistols; I guess those were the M1911s I’m afraid were in the possession of the Biorno clan military.

I didn’t expect them to use those modern guns in such way. The Biornos lined up, shoulder to shoulder, marching in unison and firing the pistols upon an officer’s command…similar to how the Napoleonic battles were fought.

I guess these guys are not aware of the true potential of the Earth’s modern weaponry. Got to be thankful for that, at least…

Nevertheless, something stirred on the side of our allies. Upon witnessing a flanking maneuver from our enemies, I saw the entire line of the goblins and Usarveds collapse. As they were pinned by the Biorno soldiers at the ditches, they were outgunned, outflanked, and outmaneuvered. Many tried to break out of the trap closing in on them, but they were cut down…either by the pistol fire from the incoming army, or the defenders at the pickets.

The shock of watching your friends and allies die is too much for me. I can’t describe the horror of the moment; I literally froze on my spot.

“Lord Scholar!”

I felt someone pull my clothes, and soon, I realized I was riding atop a horse. The Lord Gracchio was the one steering the animal across the deadly landscape of bullet fire and crater holes. And, around us, were the familiar armor and uniforms of the Orcish Knights, counter-charging towards the flanking army. Their magicians were quick to utter the barrier spell, in time for the enemy to fire their pistols on us.

“I can’t let you die,” the Lord Gracchio quipped, as we galloped back to safety. “You’re the human who cared for us demons! And your students are so worried about you, they’ve been pestering me to get you out of this mess of a battlefield.”

“But the Lord Tenguri, Lady Baraquiel and Lady Ilkes are still in the ditches!”

“That’s why the orcs counterattacked. They’ll create a diversion for the goblins and Usarveds to escape. Meanwhile, hold on to me!”

With my one hand clinging on the head scholar’s body, I told him, “Can your horse run faster?”

“Of course,” the Lord Gracchio proudly declared. “This war steed was gifted to me on my accession as the Discipline Prefect before. I’ve been training with him since!”

“Great! Continue galloping, though you should now expect the Biornos to kill us!”

“What?”

I never answered the demon scholar. Without a moment’s delay, I channeled mana into my hands, making it glow in golden-yellow light. I guess, with us riding on a horse, it’s harder for the enemy to aim their guns at me. Another powerful wind blew sand into the direction of the Biorno forces, together with terrible flashes of lightning and peals of thunder. However, I didn’t stop there; since someone was now taking care of my safety, I added another foul weather to my list.

“!!!”

Dark clouds gathered above the battlefield, with lightning and thunder now appearing and rumbling more often than before. Some of those eventually hit the ground, creating powerful explosions that intimidated those nearby. Still, I kept on pouring my mana to my hands, recklessly disregarding the amount of how much I was powering my ability. Soon, gray funnels of swirling clouds reached down to the ground, and wreaked havoc to anything it touched; ally or foe.

“Good saint! You’re using the god-power again!” I heard the Lord Gracchio shout amidst the chaos of the battlefield.

“Better now than later!” I replied. “Or our friends would be annihilated!”

“But you’re hitting them as well!”

I got no answer for that. I couldn’t possibly tell the lightning to hit only our enemies, nor I could do that to the sands and tornadoes I summoned. Nevertheless, the combination of sandstorm, lightning strikes, powerful gale, and flying debris made it impossible for the warring sides to continue on murdering each other. And since the fighting stopped, it created an opportunity for the goblins and Usarveds, as well as the orcs, to retreat to their defensive positions. The Lord Gracchio and I watched as our allies fell back to safety.

And when we realized that everyone who could move was back in the Conclave…

“!!!”

I called to the heavens to rain hailstones upon our enemies.