The Lord of Rosen
Hugo sat in his office with a troubled expression. It was the darkest his face had been since Ian left for Vilcen. The time was approaching when Vilcen’s food supplies would run out. However, the Greenskins had cut off the supply routes, making it difficult to take any action. To make matters worse…
“Father, Count Erce is pouring oil on the fire,” Hubert continued, his words only deepening the gloom. In Hugo’s hand, filled with worry, was a report. It detailed how Count Erce had set up checkpoints on every road leading to Schranz, obstructing the arrival of reinforcements.
‘They’re trying to finish us off without getting their own hands dirty this time,’ Hubert thought, gritting his teeth. He could almost picture Count Erce sipping tea, praying for Schranz’s downfall, and it made his blood boil. Yet, they had no strength to protest, and even if they did, Count Erce would surely come up with some plausible excuse. The thought was infuriating.
Knock knock.
At that moment, Jurdan entered the office. “My lord, we’ve received a strange report.”
“A strange report?”
“A group of about three hundred mercenaries is heading toward Vilcen.”
“Mercenaries? Why is that…?”
It wasn’t unusual for mercenaries to come. With the family on the brink of collapse, they likely saw an opportunity to make a profit. But…
“Wait. They’re heading to Vilcen, not Rosen?” Hubert was the first to notice something odd.
“Yes. That’s why I said it’s a strange report.”
Hugo tilted his head in confusion. “Why are they going there instead of here?” The lord who could hire them was here in Rosen, so why were they heading to Vilcen?
“I’m not sure either…” Jurdan blinked, equally puzzled.
The Greenskins at the north gate had gathered at the east gate. Observing their movements, Oswell predicted they were preparing for an all-out assault.
Boom boom boom—! Hooooo—!
“Kyaaaaak!”
“Groooar!”
Just as Oswell had anticipated, the sound of war drums and horns echoed across the battlefield. The Greenskins let out fierce cries and charged forward.
Clang clang clang—!
“The Greenskins are charging!”
“If they’re launching a full-scale attack, it means they’re desperate! This will be their final assault! Fire arrows! Throw stones! Don’t let them reach the walls!”
Their tactics were always the same: set up ladders, cross the ditch, and try to scale the walls. But this time was different.
“Are they… spreading sand?”
“They’re determined to take the castle this time!”
Unlike before, instead of focusing on the ladders, the Greenskins were trying to fill the ditch with sand.
“Stop them from filling the ditch! Concentrate your fire!”
The soldiers on the walls threw stones and shot arrows to hinder them. But the Greenskins were just as relentless. Those hit by arrows or knocked out by stones were thrown into the moat to fill it.
“Those… those madmen!”
The Greenskins were utterly ruthless. The soldiers defending the walls were horrified by their brutal methods. Dead or unconscious, they were all thrown into the moat.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“What’s that noise?”
“Th-they’re trying to break the walls with axes!”
The Greenskins weren’t relying solely on ladders. Since the walls were made of wood, they were attempting to chop through them.
“Focus on the ones trying to break the walls!”
The soldiers and villagers shot arrows and threw stones, but it wasn’t enough to stop them. Some Greenskins were already climbing the ladders.
“We’re all going to die…”
The soldiers were gripped with fear at the sight of the relentless onslaught.
Crash!
“Groooar!”
“The wall’s been breached! Push them back and repair the wall!”
To make matters worse, the Greenskins had broken through the wall. The soldiers who had held out so far were now overwhelmed as the enemy poured in like a flood. The archers and stone-throwers tried to push them back, but it was futile. More Greenskins kept pouring in, and the defenders were quickly outnumbered.
“Young master,” Oswell called to Ian.
“I’ll buy us some time…”
“No.”
“Young master!”
Ian didn’t need to hear the rest to know what Oswell was suggesting. He wanted Ian to flee while he held the line.
“Even if we retreat, we’ll just run into an ambush. There’s no way out.”
“But there’s still a chance…”
“Enough of that.”
Ian knew the truth. If the Greenskins took this place, even holding the lord’s castle would be futile.
‘If we’ve inflicted this much damage, maybe we can hold the castle.’
The lord’s castle walls were made of stone, not wood, and they were much taller.
‘But what happens after that?’
Once the Greenskins entered Rosen, they would pillage, burn, and destroy the city. That would mean the loss of almost all the foundations in Schrantz. The territory would be devastated, and progress would come to a halt. Rebuilding would be impossible—rebuilding required funds, but the livelihoods of the people who could provide those funds would be gone. No, before that, they’d have to worry about starvation as all the crops were burned or looted.
‘We’ll just be waiting to die.’
From the moment they failed to stop the Greenskins here, their fate was sealed.
Ian looked up at the sky.
‘In the end, they didn’t come.’
If Duke Endran had decided to help after reading his letter, he should have arrived by now. Ian had thought he could persuade the Duke by offering to help him advance into central politics.
‘Maybe he thought it was just the ramblings of a reckless young lord.’
Ian chuckled bitterly.
‘What a damn miserable life.’
He turned to look behind him. Everyone was staring at him with anxious, fearful eyes. Yet, they hadn’t dropped their weapons. They were still waiting for his orders, their efforts not entirely in vain.
‘At least in this village, we’ve made some impact.’
Here, they no longer saw him as just a reckless young lord but as their commander.
‘What’s the point of all this if we’re just going to die?’
Still, in this moment, their gazes filled him with pride.
‘Then I should live up to their expectations, even if just a little.’
He decided to give them a final, memorable moment, ensuring that no sense of betrayal or disappointment would cloud their eyes.
“Do not retreat, for I will not retreat either! If we live, we live together; if we die, we die together!”
“Waaaaah!”
“Long live Young Master Ian!”
His determination to stand with them until the end was met with their cheers.
[Everyone in Vilcen bows to your bravery. The loyalty of all in Vilcen has increased by 3.]
[The morale of the defenders has reached its peak. Attack and defense power have increased by 5%.]
[Your resolve has swayed the hearts of the people. Command has increased by 5.]
[Your allies, moved by your determination, are making a final stand. They will resist until the last man.]
‘What does loyalty or command matter now?’
Still, the increase in attack and defense power, along with morale reaching its peak, was a small blessing. At least it meant no one would flee the battlefield.
“All troops!”
Ian drew his sword. Without realizing it, everyone tightened their grip on their weapons. They all sensed that this would be the final charge.
“Char…!”
<Everyone, get down!>
Kwaaaaang!
Suddenly, a booming voice, as if amplified by a loudspeaker, echoed across the battlefield.
—Thwoom!
A massive explosion tore through the air, engulfing the Greenskins near the walls in a blaze of fire and heat.
“W-what just happened?”
“Gr-groar?”
The sudden explosion left Vilcen’s defenders stunned. But the Greenskins were equally shocked. Both humans and monsters forgot they were in the midst of battle, turning their heads toward the source of the explosion.
There, the walls were burning fiercely, illuminated by the massive blast.
‘Magic?’
Ian immediately recognized that the explosion was caused by magic.
‘But who?’
There were no mages in Schranz, as far as he knew.
Just then.
“Y-young master! Look over there!”
Oswell urgently pointed somewhere, his voice filled with urgency. Ian’s gaze followed Oswell’s finger, and his expression brightened.
“Attack! Drive the Greenskins back!”
Hundreds of cavalrymen, appearing out of nowhere, were charging into the Greenskins’ rear.
‘Where did they come from? Judging by their attire, they look like mercenaries…’
Could Hugo have somehow scraped together funds or offered something in exchange to hire mercenaries?
‘No matter! This is our chance!’
With hope for survival right before their eyes, what did it matter whether they were mercenaries hired by Hugo or reinforcements sent by Duke Endran?
[The Greenskins’ morale is plummeting!]
A ray of light had pierced the darkness, and now was the time to seize the opportunity.
“Full assault! It’s our turn now! Wipe them out!”
“Uwaaaaah!”
Riding the momentum of the sudden shift in the battle, the Schrantz forces switched to the offensive, driving the Greenskins back.
When all seemed lost, and everyone had prepared for death, the timely arrival of hundreds of cavalrymen completely turned the tide of the battle.
[Monster Uprising Defense 1/1]
[The ‘Crisis of Schrantz’ quest has been completed.]
[Experience points have been awarded based on your contribution to the quest.]
[Player’s achievements: 47 Goblin Riders, 63 Orc Warriors, and 1 Orc Champion slain.]
[Allied casualties: 97 lightly wounded, 41 severely wounded, 27 dead.]
[Level has increased.]
[Level has increased.]
⁝
“Young master, the Greenskins are retreating! We’ve won!”
Oswell, forgetting his position as the knight commander, was overjoyed like a child at the miraculous victory.
“Long live Young Master Ian! Long live Schranz! Long live victory!”
The cheers of victory, absent for three days, once again echoed across the battlefield.
Stagger!
“Young master!”
As Ian’s body swayed and threatened to collapse, Oswell quickly caught him, alarmed.
“Young master, are you alright? Were you injured?”
Though Oswell’s voice was filled with concern, a smile spread across Ian’s face.
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