“It’s best to let him learn horsemanship slowly on the way.”
“Yes, I was planning to do that anyway.”
In truth, it would be more accurate to say that the horse was carrying him rather than him riding it.
Going into battle in that state?
‘It’ll be a miracle if he doesn’t fall off.’
The image of him struggling to hold on to a galloping horse was already forming in Ian’s mind.
Even if he brought Dwayne along, he’d likely only be useful as a guide.
Still, it was reassuring to have someone who knew the terrain well by his side.
“Is that all about Dwayne?”
“Thanks to his past as a hunter, his patience and perseverance are something even other knights could learn from.”
It meant that even Oswell acknowledged his mental fortitude.
“And though I’ve only heard it from him, he claims to be confident in his archery. He says he can even hit a flying bird.”
Ian chuckled.
‘Still full of bravado, I see.’
Back when he was a soldier, he boasted about taking down five orcs and whatnot.
‘Well, knights are a proud bunch, so maybe he’ll fit right in.’
Oswell seemed to share Ian’s thoughts, smiling faintly beside him.
“Of course, as you know, Young Lord, the total capacity of his mana vessel and how well he handles aura could completely change his current evaluation.”
Mana vessel—essentially, his MP pool.
The larger the MP pool, the longer he can fight and the more he can enhance himself.
Mages expel mana to wield supernatural powers.
Knights, on the other hand, keep mana within their bodies to strengthen themselves or their weapons.
Even among knights of equal skill, the size of their MP pool can determine the outcome of a battle.
Swordsmanship, spearmanship, and horsemanship can be learned through training, so they’re not major concerns.
“Well, that’s true.”
Since there was no way to know for now, Ian decided to wait and see.
Arrival at Vilcen
“Welcome, Young Lord. We’ve been expecting you. Welcome to Vilcen.”
After two days of marching, Ian arrived at Vilcen with his hundred-strong force.
The village’s defense captain and a group of about thirty soldiers greeted them at the entrance.
“Is this all the troops you have?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Ian surveyed the village.
A village fortified with a ditch and wooden walls.
Located close to the untamed lands, it was frequently attacked by monsters, hence the defenses.
Ian looked inside the village.
He could still see villagers moving about.
“Have the villagers not evacuated yet?”
The defense captain sighed deeply.
“We told them to evacuate, but they wouldn’t listen. We even told them about the number of monsters advancing, but they refuse to give up their home to mere monsters.”
It seemed they wanted to contribute to defending the place where they were born, raised, and planned to live.
Now that he looked closely, everyone was carrying something that could serve as a weapon.
Axes, sickles, clubs, long wooden sticks—even women had bows slung over their backs.
Children around ten years old were gathering stones in one place.
‘They’re dependable.’
Most of them had experience fighting monsters.
Vilcen was a village that, like it or not, had to live close to monsters.
‘Among players, it’s rumored to be the village of the strong, even within Schrantz, where only the strong survive.’
Even a ten-year-old kid would be a big help.
“Then let’s defend it together. How many villagers are left?”
“About 130.”
Including Ian, the troops he brought numbered 107, the village defense force 30, and the villagers 130.
‘Total of 267. Still outnumbered.’
But each of them would pull their weight.
Ian turned to Oswell.
“Do we have enough supplies to arm them?”
“I thought the villagers might need them, so I brought as much as I could. We can arm more than half. We also have enough food to last about a month, including the villagers.”
“Good. Then let’s start distributing supplies to them immediately.”
“Yes, I’ll relay your orders, Young Lord.”
“Young Lord, please follow me.”
After that, Ian followed the defense captain into the village.
Inside the Village
The village was bustling with activity.
Despite the looming threat, the villagers were preparing for battle with determination.
Ian couldn’t help but feel a sense of respect for their resilience.
“This is the central command post,” the defense captain said, leading Ian to a sturdy wooden building.
Inside, a map of the village and its surroundings was spread out on a table.
“We’ve set up defenses here, here, and here,” the captain pointed out. “But with the numbers we’re facing, it’s going to be tough.”
Ian studied the map carefully.
“We’ll need to reinforce these areas,” he said, pointing to the weakest points. “And set up traps here and here to slow them down.”
The captain nodded, impressed by Ian’s quick assessment.
“We’ll get to work right away.”
As Ian stepped outside, he saw the villagers arming themselves and preparing for the battle ahead.
Despite the grim situation, there was a sense of unity and determination.
‘We’ll hold the line,’ Ian thought, his resolve firm.
The battle for Vilcen was about to begin.
“Young Lord, what brings you here? Shouldn’t you be resting?”
Those were Oswell’s first words upon seeing Ian, who had gone straight to the command center after checking his temporary quarters.
Oswell looked surprised that Ian had come here.
‘I’d like to rest too.’
Staying on a swaying horse for a long time is more exhausting than one might think.
‘But what can I do? I’m exhausted, but there’s no time to waste.’
That’s why he had come straight to the command center.
“Am I not allowed to be here?”
“That’s not it, but…”
“Then there’s no problem.”
After Ian’s response, Oswell gave up his seat and moved to the defense captain’s position.
The defense captain was pushed further back.
Ian asked the defense captain, “Where do you expect the monsters to advance, and how is the village defended?”
“We were just about to discuss that.”
“Perfect timing. Glad I didn’t cause any unnecessary trouble.”
Ian listened carefully to the explanation, looking at the map on the table.
“So, there’s only one path from the untamed lands to this village, and we’ll defend from the top of this mountain. If we’re pushed back, we retreat to the village and defend there. Did I understand correctly?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Ian sighed inwardly, and Oswell remained silent.
‘Is this really the plan?’
The enemies are coming. We’ll stop them. If they break through, we retreat and defend the village.
It was the simplest defense plan imaginable.
“Will this work?”
“Yes, I think it’s sufficient.”
“What about the possibility of them flanking us?”
“Our enemies are monsters, not humans. They wouldn’t do that.”
The defense captain seemed to have unwavering faith in his plan.
‘He’s underestimating the monsters too much.’
The complacency of the plan was glaringly obvious.
“We need to revise the defense plan. We should station some troops elsewhere to block any flanking attempts.”
“What? Wouldn’t it be harder to defend if we split our forces when we’re already struggling to concentrate them?”
The defense captain looked at Ian with a face full of doubt.
‘He doesn’t trust me.’
It was similar to the look Jurdan had given him back at the lord’s estate, though without the disgust.
‘Well, all they know about me is from the rumors.’
His combat prowess during the monster hunt was well-known, given the chaos he caused.
But no one had ever seen him command or devise tactics.
‘Because I never did.’
All he did was charge in alone, fire arrows, and disrupt formations with mounted charges.
Oswell handled the rest of the command.
The troublemaker young lord, reckless and prone to causing trouble, but undeniably strong in combat.
That was Ian’s reputation in the territory.
‘And maybe they think the old way is safe because they’ve only dealt with small-scale attacks.’
That was probably it.
They’d never been flanked before.
But this time, the numbers were on a completely different scale.
“What do you think, Sir Oswell?”
“Huh?”
Oswell looked momentarily surprised, then shared his thoughts.
“It might work against small numbers, but against a force like this, it’s impossible. I also think we need to make improvements.”
“I see. Let me discuss this further with Sir Oswell.”
“…Understood.”
He said he understood, but his expression was far from convinced.
Ian could have explained everything in detail, but he didn’t want to waste time.
Every second was precious.
And more importantly.
‘Why should I go through the trouble?’
He could just give orders.
No matter how the villagers viewed Ian.
He was the one with full authority over the village’s defense, acting on behalf of Hugo.
“Alright, Sir Oswell. Let’s improve the current plan. I’ll share my thoughts, and if there’s anything lacking or unsatisfactory, please speak up.”
“Yes, Young Lord.”
As Oswell smiled warmly, Ian tilted his head.
‘Why is he like this?’
His gaze reminded Ian of how Hugo looked at him.
‘It’s a bit overwhelming… Ah, well. He’s been by the count’s side for a long time, so he must have picked it up. I’ll just ignore it.’
Meanwhile.
‘To see the young lord grow like this… He’s finally fulfilling his role.’
Oswell, who had watched Ian since birth, was moved by the sight of him now, reminiscent of his lord in his younger days.
Ten Days Later
Ten days had passed since Ian arrived in Vilcen.
He was now at the forefront, on the mountain bordering the untamed lands and the Schrantz territory.
Scouts had reported that the monsters were approaching.
The plan was to buy time and inflict damage here first.
Oswell had offered to go instead, but Ian’s stubbornness couldn’t be swayed.
Of course, it wasn’t out of some noble sense of duty.
‘I can’t miss out on the experience points based on contribution!’
The massive amount of experience points from completing the quest. How could he give that up?
‘But what exactly is the reward?’
The quest reward mentioned experience points based on contribution, as well as “rewards” based on contribution.
Ian was curious about that.
‘I’ll probably only receive it after returning to the lord’s estate…’
“Young Lord, the Greenskins are approaching!”
At a knight’s shout, Ian’s gaze naturally followed the direction of the pointing finger.
“They’ve come in such an annoyingly large number.”
Standing on the watchtower atop the mountain, Ian calmly remarked as he observed the approaching Greenskins.
Having faced armies of over a hundred thousand in large-scale battles, Ian wasn’t intimidated by their numbers.
‘…Even so, the fact that we’re overwhelmingly outnumbered doesn’t change. Holding out here for days is impossible.’
The steep terrain and narrow paths were advantageous, but the enemy’s numbers were still a problem.
If they came crashing in like a tidal wave, they’d break through eventually.
“Are we really supposed to hold out against that many?”
“Is it even possible?”
The soldiers’ expressions weren’t great either.
Even those who had been joking around earlier changed their faces upon seeing the reality.
Facing the sight of the approaching horde, they couldn’t bring themselves to make light of the situation.
The difference between hearing about it and seeing it with your own eyes was indescribable.
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