Published: January 15, 2026
Watching carefully from a safe distance beyond the range of artillery fire, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes at Viscount Panamera’s outrageous actions.
What kind of guts did he have? Amidst the massive explosions and raging fires that would freeze anyone in place, Panamera slapped the butt of his horse and charged straight into the thick, billowing smoke.
“…If it were me, I’d split the bombardment into two or three waves,” I thought.
Was he a reckless show-off who didn’t fear death? Or was this the moment to bluff with his life on the line?
As I pondered this, Kamushin, who had slightly recoiled from the explosions, spoke up.
“Lord Van… Viscount Panamera has gone in alone. The other cavalry don’t seem able to move yet.”
Kamushin reported with concern, but Panamera’s plan had always been for him to advance alone. Even if the flow of the battle was different, the essence of the plan remained unchanged.
“It’s fine. Let’s trust Panamera,” I said, continuing to watch the battle unfold.
Panamera’s strategy was simple. The key was that Panamera, who wielded fire magic, would use his horse to confuse the enemy.
Right now, he was putting that very plan into action.
The smoke gradually cleared, revealing the scene before us. Explosions from cannon fire continued to ring out all around, and although we were out of their effective range, I was secretly nervous about any stray shots.
In response, Panamera’s knights and the knights led by Stradale seemed to have been waiting for this moment. They followed Panamera, charging out onto the battlefield where cannonballs rained down.
“Follow Viscount Panamera!”
Stradale shouted loudly, and the knights answered with fierce cries as they surged forward.
At the front was the armored carriage I had prepared, with knights running behind it. The cavalry spread out, making it difficult for the cannons to aim easily.
After the cannons fired at the ground Panamera had just ridden over, Panamera timed his chanting perfectly and unleashed a fire magic spell. A powerful fiery arrow, unbelievable for being shot from horseback, soared toward the ramparts, instantly igniting part of the wall.
Not only was the power impressive, but the precision to hit such a distant target was simply remarkable.
Controlling a horse at full speed while doing that—hitting him even with a rifle would be almost impossible.
“Ha ha ha! What’s wrong, Yelinetta? What’s wrong, Shelvia? Did you not need more than two thousand troops!? Were you just a collection of weak nations that can’t even take down one person like me!”
Panamera laughed loudly, spurring his horse onward as he began chanting another spell.
“Uoooooo!”
“Lord Panamera!”
“Keep going, keep going…!”
Inspired by Panamera’s overwhelming fire magic and his confident, dignified demeanor, the knights shouted and pressed forward toward the enemy lines.
Panamera himself didn’t really think he could capture that fortress city alone. His goal was to bluff and sow doubt among the Shelvia Confederation’s knight orders.
As Panamera provoked them, the bombardment clearly intensified, with cannonballs fired one after another. Yet every shot landed where Panamera was not. His dashing figure cutting through the flames kept up the morale of our troops, while the enemy’s morale steadily declined.
But the battle couldn’t remain one-sided forever. After all, the enemy had far greater numbers and weapons we lacked—cannons and Black Orbs. The situation still definitely favored them.
“...Arrows!”
Someone was the first to notice the abnormality and shouted out. Looking up, I saw an arc of countless arrows fired from the ramparts—hundreds, thousands of them. An astonishing volley shot high into the sky before plummeting down in a deadly rain.
Even from a distance, it was an unbelievable barrage of arrows.
Panamera would have to use a trump card.
Just as I thought that, Panamera completed his chant and activated his magic.
“Flame Chain Net.”
Immediately after casting, flames burst fiercely from the palm of his arm as it swung from right to left. The fire spread, almost burning up the sky, forming a wall of flames over a hundred meters in radius. The arrows that touched the flames instantly burned to ash.