The primary reason Ian attacked Duke Duser’s forces first was that now was the easiest time to deal with them.
Ian withdrew his gaze from the knights and smiled faintly.
“Yes, I’ll count on you then. Escort Duke Duser. And treat the prisoners well—take them to the detention camp!”
The knights and soldiers looked at him strangely as he spoke so calmly.
Even though Ian wasn’t the type to lose his temper easily.
‘This isn’t like the young lord.’
If anyone had been insulted, Ian was the type to return it tenfold.
In truth, Ian was already planning to repay the insult in his own way.
‘Originally, I only planned to reclaim Schrantz’s former territories after the war, but now I’ll make sure to squeeze a hefty war reimbursement out of this guy. Maintaining his dignity will cost a fortune, so I’ll have my advisor meticulously record all expenses and present him with the bill later.’
Of course, he planned to add a little extra to the bill.
But that was only if they succeeded in stopping the Schrantz raid.
He couldn’t wait to see Duke Duser’s face when he received the bill after being released from captivity.
* * *
Darian, one of the lords in the anti-Schrantz alliance, was shocked by the urgent news he received while in route to Schrantz.
“What? Duke Duser has been defeated?”
“Yes, the messenger sent to confirm when we could join forces saw Duke Duser’s forces being taken as prisoners. He clearly saw Duke Duser himself among them.”
“Was it an ambush? How many enemies were there?”
“We don’t know the exact number, but to annihilate Duke Duser’s forces, they must have had a considerable force.”
This was a misjudgment on their part, unaware of how pitiful Duke Duser’s forces truly were.
“Considering the time it would take for our declaration of war to reach Schrantz, they must have set out immediately upon receiving the letter. How is that even possible!”
“We’re not sure about that either…”
Preparing dozens of soldiers for battle takes time, after all.
‘And they fought in the field?’
Since the letters from the four families arrived simultaneously, everyone expected Schrantz to fortify their defenses.
No one anticipated they would fight in the open.
Darian’s plan was to join forces with Duke Duser, move to and occupy the village of Dobina, and open a path for the forces of Count Erce and Count Filchner.
The west and south were covered in forests, but the east was mountainous, making it highly likely for an ambush.
Their goal was to cut off supplies for any ambushing Schrantz forces while securing a safe route for their advance.
But now, that plan had gone awry from the very beginning.
“Wait. If a hundred enemies attacked Duke Duser’s forces, that means Schrantz’s next target is…”
Realizing they were next, Darian was startled.
This was Schrantz’s territory.
With no way of knowing when, where, or how they might be attacked, they could easily end up like Duke Duser’s forces.
“Quickly change direction and head northeast!”
Darian decided the original plan was no longer feasible and hurriedly chose to join forces with Count Erce’s army instead.
* * *
At the mountain encampment near Dobina village.
“You’ve arrived, young lord.”
“Yes, I’m here.”
Ian had arrived and immediately headed to the strategy room, where Oswell and Hubert greeted him.
Hubert had left all administrative duties to Jurdan and joined Ian on the battlefield to fight alongside him.
Ian had opposed it, saying he could handle it alone, but Hubert insisted, so he gave in.
Noticing Ian’s troubled expression, Hubert asked, “You don’t seem to be in good spirits. Did something happen?”
He worried there might have been unexpected losses, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Ian’s displeasure stemmed from something else.
“It seems Darian’s forces are trying to join up with Count Erce’s army.”
Ian had planned to annihilate Darian’s forces just like Duke Duser’s.
But when they didn’t follow the expected route, he grew suspicious.
Scouts soon reported that Darian’s forces were heading northeast.
By the time Ian received the report, they were already too far to pursue.
“Yes, I was about to report that. According to the scouts, Duke Duser’s forces are also moving toward Count Erce’s army. They’ll likely join forces soon.”
“Tsk! They’re annoyingly quick to catch on.”
Ian clicked his tongue and slumped into his seat.
He had been outmaneuvered, although unintentionally.
Oswell tried to console him.
“At least we don’t have to worry about being attacked from behind now. We’ve achieved our objective, so don’t be too upset.”
The western threat, Duke Duser’s forces, had been repelled, and the southern threat, Darian’s forces, had changed course to join the counts.
Now, they only needed to focus on the eastern front without worrying about attacks from other directions.
“Oswell is right. You can’t expect to win everything from the start, brother.”
‘Although the plan to annihilate both forces early failed, they’re right.’
Still, one objective was achieved, and the frontlines were consolidated.
The core of this strategy was to reduce the number of fronts, so it could still be considered a success.
However, failing to further reduce the enemy’s numbers was regrettable.
“But Count Filchner’s forces haven’t joined yet, right?”
“No, given the distance, it will likely take them three more days to join.”
“Is that so?”
Ian smiled.
Based on his experience observing Ian, Oswell was certain he had come up with a brilliant plan to aid their forces.
“Then I’ll lead a detachment before they all join forces.”
“A detachment?”
Ian’s plans always defied expectations, sparking curiosity among his men.
* * *
‘It’s so bright…’
In the pitch-black night, where even moonlight barely illuminated the surroundings, Dwayne could see as clearly as if it were daytime.
He could even make out the faces of the three others in the detachment with him.
It wasn’t just because he had good night vision.
No matter how sharp one’s night vision was, seeing as clearly as daylight was impossible.
The reason for his clarity was the magical item he wore: the “Blessing of Lycanthrope.”
It was a spoil of war obtained after defeating Den, the leader of the bandit group.
“I’ll lend this to you, so make good use of it.”
“What if I lose it?”
“Then you’ll have to pay for it. So take good care of it and return it safely.”
“……”
Dwayne fell silent.
The magical item Ian had lent him was priceless.
He didn’t know its exact value, but he’d heard it was worth at least a fortune in gold.
It far exceeded his annual salary.
‘Though it’s a joke.’
Ian didn’t actually expect him to pay for it.
Losing weapons on the battlefield was common, so losing a necklace wouldn’t be unusual.
He only said it to instill a sense of responsibility.
Still, Dwayne vowed to himself that he would protect the magical item with his life.
“Let’s move. Dwan, you lead the way.”
“Yes, young lord.”
Moving cautiously to avoid detection took some time, but they managed to get close to the enemy camp without being noticed.
“The enemy camp is in sight. Distance is 50 meters.”
“Good, let’s begin.”
At Ian’s command, the cavalrymen dismounted.
A soldier carrying an oil canister lit a torch with flint.
They then set fire to the prepared flaming arrows and pulled them on their bows.
“Fire.”
At Ian’s order, the flaming arrows flew toward the enemy camp.
“Enemy attack! Enemy attaaaaack!”
As the flaming arrows rained down on Count Erce’s camp, frantic shouts erupted.
Soldiers who had been sleeping rushed out of their tents, some trying to extinguish the flames while others formed ranks to prepare for the assault.
Soon, they advanced slowly, shields raised to block the incoming arrows, moving in the direction the arrows were coming from.
The enemy cavalry also began to mobilize, although slowly.
“That’s enough, retreat.”
At Ian’s retreat order, they immediately extinguished the torches and mounted their horses.
“The enemy is fleeing! After them!”
The enemy cavalry tried desperately to pursue, but it was futile.
Dwayne, still on horseback, pulled an arrow and twisted his body backward.
It was reminiscent of how nomads shot arrows.
Using only the strength of his thighs to maintain balance, Dwayne began firing arrows at the pursuing cavalry.
Whoosh—! Thud!
With each shot, a cavalryman fell.
Ian watched in awe as three cavalrymen were taken down.
‘He must have practiced a lot.’
He had heard that accuracy drops significantly when shooting from horseback.
Yet, Dwayne’s skill was nothing short of artistry, hitting his targets with unerring precision.
“You cowards, where do you think you’re running!”
“Stop running away like cowards and fight us head-on, you spineless fools!”
The enemy cavalry, fearing more arrows, halted their pursuit.
They shouted angrily, but Ian and his detachment had already vanished into the darkness.
After riding for a while, Ian stopped his horse when it was clear they weren’t being pursued.
“Halt. We’ll rest here for a while.”
At Ian’s order, everyone let out sighs of relief and gulped down water from their canteens.
As Ian was about to rest like the others, Dwayne approached.
“Young lord, are we retreating now?”
“What are you talking about? We’ll attack again after some rest.”
“Huh? Again? Are you planning to charge this time?”
Dwayne looked at Ian with uneasy eyes.
The rest of the detachment’s gazes weren’t much different.
Ian was the one who had charged alone during the monster subjugation and fought on the front lines during the monster uprising.
He was the kind of person who would always lead the charge, no matter the danger.
To them, he was like a moth flying into a flame.
‘Is this the time? What do they even think of me?’
Unaware of how they perceived him, Ian could only look at them with a bemused expression.
“We’re avoiding direct confrontation and focusing on harassing the enemy like we did just now.”
His words came as a fresh shock to his companions.
“Drink the potions we were given. They’ll restore your stamina. We’ll keep harassing the enemy whenever we get the chance tonight.”
The potions Sera had been brewing to improve her alchemy skills.
There were still plenty left after distributing one of each type to the soldiers and knights.
And true to Ian’s word, the night raids continued several more times.
* * *
“Those rat bastards.”
Count Erce gritted his teeth, unable to hide his anger.
In just two days, they had been raided five times, with the enemy archers fleeing as soon as his soldiers formed ranks.
This had resulted in 20 casualties over two days.
From what they could gather, the raiding force numbered less than ten.
For Count Erce, who had brought 500 soldiers, this wasn’t a significant loss, but the fact that a mere ten enemies were causing such havoc and humiliation was infuriating.
“Those cowardly Schrantz bastards are launching sneak attacks under cover of darkness! Stay vigilant! Pick out those with sharp night vision and hearing! Deploy light cavalry throughout the camp to pursue the enemy immediately if they appear!”
Already sleep-deprived due to the raids, the soldiers sprang into action at Count Erce’s orders.
They set up thorough scouting patrols and deployed light cavalry to crush any raiding parties.
The effects were evident that very night.
“My lord, enemies are approaching from the southwest!”
“They’re attacking earlier than usual, not at dawn. Good, how many are there?”
“It’s unclear, but it seems their numbers are greater this time.”
“Oh ho. They must be feeling confident after their little successes.”
