“Bring the arrows, bring the arrows!”
“You idiot, are you making arrows? Hurry up and bring them!”
“S-sorry!”
“If you’re sorry, bring more! Who do you think this is for?!”
The defensive line was in the midst of a fierce battle.
At first, the soldiers had been terrified by the overwhelming numbers, but once the battle began, their spirits changed.
It seemed they thought they had a chance, as their fear had vanished.
However, as the battle dragged on, casualties began to pile up.
Not from the Greenskins’ attacks, but from the strain of the bowstrings tearing their hands or from stepping on rocks carried by their comrades.
‘I designed the traps, but they’ve done well.’
The Greenskins, charging into the cleverly laid traps, were struggling to advance.
“The Greenskins have broken through the second trap zone and are entering the third!”
But with their sheer numbers, it was inevitable that they would break through.
“Don’t hold back on the arrows! We need to buy as much time as possible here and inflict damage! Keep fighting until the retreat order is given!”
It had already been three hours since the battle began.
Contrary to Ian’s expectations, the battle had lasted quite a while.
‘Since no messengers have arrived yet, it seems the left and right flanks are holding up well.’
There were paths on the left and right sides of the mountain that animals used.
Ian had set up new traps there, guided by Dwayne and the hunters, and stationed twenty soldiers in ambush.
The fact that no messengers had arrived after the initial reports suggested they were still holding their ground.
At the start of the battle, the Greenskins had hesitated due to the narrow paths filled with traps.
But after about two hours, they began charging forward, undeterred by death.
“Are they insane? They don’t even care about the traps!”
“Look over there! They’re filling the traps with their own dead comrades!”
“Ruthless, absolutely ruthless!”
It seemed they had realized that hesitation would only lead to more casualties.
“Young Lord!”
At that moment, messengers hurriedly approached Ian.
They were the messengers assigned to the left and right flanks.
“The ambush team on the left animal path is running out of arrows!”
“The ambush team on the right animal path is in the same situation!”
“The Greenskins have broken through the third trap zone! This is the last one!”
“We’re almost out of arrows!”
Reports flooded in to Ian.
Just as the Greenskins broke through the third trap zone, the arrows were nearly depleted.
Ian had initially thought they would retreat before running out of supplies.
He had planned to retreat if either the left or right ambush team was breached.
‘They fought much better than I expected.’
They were now at a point where they couldn’t continue the battle due to the lack of arrows.
He had thought holding out for half a day would be an achievement, but they had actually managed to endure that long.
‘This should be enough.’
While the exact number of enemy casualties was unclear, a significant number had been killed or injured by the traps and arrows.
‘At least dozens, possibly over a hundred, have been killed.’
Thanks to that, Ian had even levelled up once during the battle.
Name: Ian von Schrantz (Lv.8)
Race: Human
Class: Noble
Profession: Lord
Title: Troublemaker Tyrant
Strength: 41
Agility: 31
Magic: 19
Leadership: 7
The fact that he had levelled up just from shooting arrows spoke volumes.
Moreover, his leadership had risen to 7 from continuously commanding the troops.
With his low leadership stat, it increased quickly.
It would rise rapidly until it reached 20-30.
This battle was nothing short of a great victory.
Ian considered pushing for more, but…
‘We’d only end up taking unnecessary casualties.’
The soldiers’ hands were already too battered to shoot any more arrows.
Greed at this point would only bring disaster.
As much as it pained him, it was time to retreat.
“Messengers, inform the ambush teams on the left and right to retreat. We’ll give the enemy one last gift before we fall back.”
Ian’s serious gaze turned toward a pile of oil barrels prepared to prevent the enemy from pursuing them during the retreat.
Return to Vilcen
“Long live Young Lord Ian! Long live Schrantz! Victory is ours!”
Ian returned to Vilcen after the battle.
As he arrived with the soldiers, the villagers welcomed them with a intensity akin to a triumphant celebration.
At the village entrance stood Oswell, fully armed.
“Young Lord. You’ve returned.”
“Yes, I’m back. But why are you in full armor?”
As Ian had said, Oswell, who had been waiting in the village, was fully equipped.
Ian had left Oswell here as a reserve force while he fought on the front lines.
“I was prepared to rescue you if you didn’t return on time.”
“You didn’t trust me?”
“Of course not. It was just a precaution. If I’ve offended you, I apologize.”
“No need to apologize.”
Ian shook his head and asked, “That aside, why are the villagers like this? Did you order this?”
He was referring to the grand welcome.
Oswell smiled warmly and replied, “Of course not. The soldiers who retreated first spread the news, and everyone came out voluntarily.”
The news of an unexpected victory.
‘About 70 soldiers faced an army of over 1,000 monsters and achieved a great victory without a single casualty.’
It was understandable why they were so excited.
But the situation wasn’t over yet.
“This is just the first battle. They’re making too much of a fuss.”
If the enemy had retreated, Ian would have felt relieved, but he knew all too well that they wouldn’t do so.
If they had, the quest would have been marked as complete.
The fact that it wasn’t meant they hadn’t given up yet.
In other words, the real battle would begin once the monsters reached the fortified village.
“I understand what you’re saying. Still, don’t the villagers and soldiers look wonderful? Why don’t you take a moment to relax, Young Lord?”
[The successful victory has boosted the morale of the soldiers and villagers stationed in Vilcen. Attack and defense power increased by 3%.]
[The loyalty of Vilcen villagers has increased by 1.]
‘…Should I?’
Seeing the various stats rise, Ian changed his mind.
It wasn’t like they were wasting food, so allowing this much celebration wouldn’t hurt.
Just as he was thinking this, he noticed something.
“Some of the villagers don’t look too happy.”
“……”
Among the welcoming crowd, Ian spotted a few people staring at the burning mountainside with somber expressions.
Oswell remained silent, but Ian could guess the reason.
“Are they the ones who used to gather herbs or hunt there? Or maybe the lumberjacks?”
If so, it made sense that their faces would darken as their workplaces burned to the ground.
“That seems to be the case. But I’m sure they understand there’s nothing they can do about it.”
‘I hope so.’
Ian suddenly looked up at the sky.
The slight fog in the air suggested rain would surely fall tonight.
The fire on the mountain would be quickly extinguished by the rain, but it would take a long time for the scorched landscape to recover.
It was unfortunate for them, but there was nothing Ian could do at the moment.
Except for one thing.
‘Somehow, we’ll stop the monster horde.’
That would be the only way to comfort them.
Clang clang clang!
At that moment, a soldier on the watchtower began frantically ringing the emergency bell.
“Greenskins! The Greenskins are coming!”
“No time to celebrate our first victory, huh?”
“Young Lord, you should rest. I’ll take command now.”
“With every hand needed, how can I rest?”
Ian climbed the wall with Oswell.
The Next Morning
The heavy rain that poured all night.
Thanks to it, the mountain engulfed in flames was naturally extinguished.
Fortunately, there had been no surprise attacks from the Greenskins during that time.
Perhaps due to fatigue from the long march and the need to recover from the heavy losses at the first defensive line, they hadn’t launched an attack.
The monsters seemed to have decided to focus their assault on the northern and eastern gates, splitting their forces between the two.
In response, Vilcen’s forces were divided into groups of 90 to defend the north and east gates, with Ian and Oswell commanding each gate.
The remaining troops were left at the west and south gates as a precaution.
Clang clang clang!
“The monsters are coming!”
The Greenskins launched their attack as soon as the sun rose.
The soldiers, having already sensed the impending attack, were fully prepared.
The monsters, carrying wooden planks, charged forward, likely to cross the moat.
“They’re trying to build a bridge! Focus your arrows on them!”
At Ian’s command, the archers began targeting the monsters carrying the planks.
“Kyaaak!”
“Kwooorr!”
But the monsters weren’t just standing still.
Their comrades raised shields to block the arrows, while the goblins behind them fired arrows in return.
Some fell to the arrows, but others quickly filled their places, continuing the charge.
Eventually, the monsters managed to lay a bridge across the ditch.
In an instant, they crossed the bridge and placed ladders against the walls.
“Push the ladders away!”
The soldiers used spears and poles to push the ladders off the walls.
For those who stubbornly tried to climb, the soldiers gifted them with spears and rocks.
Even the village maidens and women threw rocks in resistance, while the children gathered more stones to replenish the supply.
“Hey, bring the oil barrels!”
“I’m already on it!”
‘They’re fighting well on their own.’
Without needing orders, everyone knew what to do and acted accordingly.
This was a sight you’d never see in other territories.
Their seamless movements made it seem like they were a seasoned army.
‘Only the strong survive in this village.’
Ian once again thought that the meme about Schrantz wasn’t unfounded.
“Y-young Lord!”
At that moment, a soldier urgently approached Ian.
A messenger, marked by the insignia on his uniform.
He had come from the west gate.
“What’s the matter?”
The messenger knelt before Ian.
He was breathing heavily, having run in great haste.
“The west gate is in danger! The goblins have scaled the walls, and combat has broken out!”
“What? Where did they come from all of a sudden?”
“There’s thick fog on the west side. They must have used it to sneak up on us!”
Ian’s expression twisted sharply.
Attacking the north and east gates while also targeting the west gate?
“Bring my horse at once!”
“Huh? But who will command here…?”
“The defense captain will take over in my absence! Everyone who can ride a horse, follow me! We’re saving the west gate!”
“Yes!”
Ian immediately descended the wall and turned his horse toward the west gate.
