"Chalfont..!!"

Following the rude awakening of the explosion, Emperor Renardier's furious, sad cry resounded through the camp shortly after.

Although the blast radius of the second magic bomb had been about the same, it was much more destructive. This time, the soldiers caught in its explosion weren't so lucky; they were all reduced to ashes.

There wouldn't be any lucky survivors a second time. Only a large crater remained where the sick bay used to be.

"Dammit!"

Emperor Renardier pounded the ground at the crater's edge with helpless rage and bloodshot eyes.

The Holy Knight Empire had been too arrogant to think the Kingdom of Black Rose wouldn't strike back just because they stayed outside their spell range.

"Your Imperial Majesty, it is no longer safe here. We need to relocate our camp!" a lord quickly suggested.

"Relocate?" Emperor Renardier gritted his teeth and barked, "Relocate where?! If the Kingdom of Black Rose drops another magic bomb on our heads, do we have to relocate again?!"

"I want to know who was in charge of the night watch! Bring them to me this instant! How can they let the enemy fly over our camp and drop a magic bomb on our heads?!"

Emperor Renardier's thunderous words shook the earth and the hearts of men as they all trembled under his fury – the fury of an enraged Late-stage Aura King.

The sheer pressure suffocated the nearby lords and soldiers with fear and intimidation. Even brave when would feel their heart palpitate nervously within such proximity of the angry and powerful emperor.

As a result, no one dared to refuse Emperor Renardier's order, not that they would, even in normal circumstances.

"Right at once, Your Imperial Majesty!"

Shortly after, the night watchers were brought forward. Under the emperor's intense interrogation, they quickly confessed their negligence, which enraged the emperor further.

However, in their defense, the sky was too dark and vast. Therefore, they could easily overlook many details, even if they took their night watch duties seriously.

Nevertheless, the crime of negligence was inexcusable; it didn't quell the emperor's rage at all.historical

Still, the emperor didn't punish them with a quick and straightforward death sentence. Instead, he placed them in the vanguard for tomorrow's operations. Even if they had to die, they would be given a warrior's death on the battlefield.

After settling some matters and reinforcing the night watch duty with increased personnel and lighting, Emperor Renardier returned to the loving embrace of his twelve concubines in his big tent as they tried to soothe his pain and anger.

At the same time, the other lords, nobles, and commander-rank soldiers also returned to their tents to share a passionate night with their concubine, lovers, and slaves to relax.

All men of notable status had brought at least one woman along to keep them company.

However, these women weren't just tools to relieve their stress and frustration during wartime; they were witches that played a supportive role. Whether by choice or force, they were bound to the men by a contract.

"Ahh.. My lord, you are being so rough tonight~!"

Lovely moans escaped from one tent, causing nearby soldiers to feel both excited and envious. They were quickly motivated to rise up the ranks so they could also enjoy such privileges.

Meanwhile, many soldiers forced themselves back to sleep despite the fear of explosions on their minds. They eventually succeeded in falling asleep after one to hours.

But that was also when it came again..

Ka-boom—!!!

The thunderous roar of heaven's wrath resounded as another magic bomb exploded in each camp, shaking the earth and threatening to tear the sky asunder with its devastating and furious white flames.

As a result, the whole army was rudely woken up without a choice. They were kept up and busy for another two hours as they allocated more troops to the night watch.

Multiple beams of light shone from the wizards' staff as they directed it at the sky, searching for their bombers, but to no avail.

At the same time, the lack of further activity from the Kingdom of Black Rose allowed the empire's soldiers to fall back to sleep much easier—not because they got used to it but because they were tired.

The two rude awakenings put a strain on their minds.

Unfortunately, if god—ahem, if Vaan didn't want them to rest, they shall not and will not rest.

Ka-boom—!!!

Another round of magic bombing dropped on the central, western, and eastern camps, forcing everyone awake once more.

The repeated harassment made the soldiers' eyes bloodshot with anger, despair, and helplessness. The sense of powerlessness to do anything against the magic bombing was a strong blow to the empire's morale.

"I see them! I see the damned witches that dropped magic bombs on us! Don't let them get away!" a soldier roared furiously with red eyes.

"Oh, no, we've been spotted. Time to flee, girls," an Early-stage High Witch chuckled heartily as she ordered the retreat, angering the empire in the process.

After the third bombing, each taking thousands of lives, the Kingdom of Black Rose's aerial bombing squads was finally spotted—but only because they lost their cover of the night.

Seeing the first ray of sunlight appearing from the horizon, many soldiers felt depressed rather than happy.

After all, they didn't get a wink of sleep!

Meanwhile, the wizards gave chase under Alistair's lead, but they failed to catch up to the fleeing witches in the sky.

The aerial bombing squad was wholly comprised of wind and fire dual specialists. Thus, their flight speed was quicker than others.

When Alistair and his wizards chased the witches to the fort, a volley of spells fired their way from the walls, forcing them to give up their pursuit and retreat.

..

"First Bomber Squad has returned from its third successful bombing!"

"Second Bomber Squad has returned from its third successful bombing!"

"Third Bomber Squad has returned from its third successful bombing!"

After the three groups of four battle witches returned from their mission in high spirits, Vaan acknowledged their accomplishment with a nod.

"Un. Good work."