Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of war drums echoed loudly from the enemy camp.
The enemy forces were lined up in perfect formation, ready for battle.
Ian had been observing their movements from start to finish.
“Brother. It seems Count Filchner’s forces have joined, and they’re preparing to attack.”
“Of course they are.”
With the option of the two baronial forces joining to capture Dobina village now off the table, they had no choice but to push through Schrantz’s ambush and seize this mountain.
‘They probably think there aren’t many ambush troops here.’
After all, they would never expect the main force to be here.
“Young Lord Hubert. A knight, presumably, is approaching on horseback.”
As Oswell said, a knight from the enemy camp was rapidly approaching the mountain occupied by Schrantz’s forces, holding a white flag.
“Commander of this garrison, show yourself!”
The knight’s voice boomed loudly.
“It seems he has something to say. I can roughly guess what it is, but I’ll go out and see.”
As Hubert stepped forward, Ian stopped him.
“Why? Are you planning to go yourself, brother?”
“No. Neither you nor I are of the rank to deal with someone like that.”
The approaching knight was, at best, a mid-level knight.
If it were Count Erce or someone of Oswell’s rank, that would be different.
But for someone of Hubert’s or Ian’s stature to go out and listen to a knight of that level was a bit excessive.
Ian turned his gaze toward Dwayne.
“Dwayne. You handle that guy while acting as commander.”
“…Huh?”
Dwayne looked at Ian with a bewildered expression.
He didn’t understand what Ian meant by that.
“You’re of a similar rank, so you deal with him.”
The enemy likely had no idea the main force was here.
Even though they had defeated Duke Duser’s forces, the enemy still had an army of over 1,000.
They might not have expected Duke Duser’s forces, but they certainly wouldn’t expect the main force to be here.
Any rational person would assume that Schrantz was buying time with its troops here while preparing for a siege at the lord’s castle.
That would be the most logical and reasonable course of action.
Dwayne understood Ian’s words but still looked uneasy.
Still, what choice did he have?
It was Ian’s order, so he had to obey.
“What should I say to him?”
Ian chuckled.
“He’ll probably spout nonsense about offering you a position or promising great rewards if you surrender. Just respond appropriately. If you want to work under Count Erce, go ahead.”
“How could I ever abandon you, young lord, and join them?!”
Of course, Ian knew Dwayne would never defect, so it was just a joke.
But Dwayne seemed to take it seriously, as he jumped up from his seat.
“Alright, go ahead.”
“Yes, young lord.”
Dwayne immediately mounted his horse and rode down the mountain.
‘What is this? Why do I feel like I’ve been tricked?’
It felt like Ian had just dumped a bothersome task on him.
Chalking it up to his imagination, Dwain rode on and soon encountered the enemy knight.
“I am Dwayne, commander of this garrison and an honorable knight of Schrantz!”
‘A young knight, likely a junior one? And a commoner-born knight as commander?’
The knight from Count Erce’s forces sneered upon noticing Dwayne’s lack of a noble surname and his youth.
While Schrantz recruited based on ability, other territories were different.
Noble-born knights tended to look down on commoner-born knights.
No matter how skilled, a young knight being a commander suggested his leadership wasn’t highly regarded.
‘We could’ve just crushed them.’
But he was a knight. He had to carry out Count Erce’s orders.
“I am Allend Pol Lafron! Are you the one who launched the night raid?”
“I am! What business do you have?”
“I see. Count Erce highly praises your bravery! If you surrender honorably, the count will reward you handsomely and appoint you as a proud knight of House Erce!”
Dwayne was stunned.
Somehow, the knight was saying exactly what Ian had predicted.
“You are like a candle in the wind! We already have an army of over 1,000! In a situation where the outcome is clear, do not waste lives unnecessarily! You are merely sacrificial lambs buying time! Do not throw away your precious lives for the heir of this hopeless Schrantz and that brat of a young lord!”
It was a threat: surrender or be annihilated.
A classic carrot-and-stick approach.
Dwayne’s response was already decided, but…
‘That brat of a young lord?’
Dwayne’s eyebrow twitched as he realized Allend was insulting Ian.
Even before becoming a soldier, Dwayne had heard unfavourable rumours about Ian.
But after serving as a knight and observing Ian up close, he found the young lord to be entirely different from the rumours.
Ian cared for the people of the territory as much as the current lord and looked after his subordinates with genuine concern.
And in Dwayne’s case, he owed Ian a debt of gratitude.
It was thanks to Ian that he, a commoner, had been granted the honourable position of a knight.
‘I can tolerate being mocked myself, but…’
He had endured the sneer when he revealed his commoner status.
Unlike Schrantz, which recruited based on ability regardless of background, other territories discriminated between nobles and commoners.
But insulting Ian was something he couldn’t tolerate.
“The people you speak of are not ones you can disrespect so casually! Take back your words!”
Allend chuckled.
He hadn’t intended to provoke, but the sight of Dwayne getting riled up over his lord being insulted was amusing.
“I’ll say it as many times as I need to, knight serving those brats who haven’t even shed their baby fat!”
No need for a second warning.
Dwayne silently drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and…
Whoosh—!
Without hesitation, he released the string.
Thud!
Neighhh—!
“Huh? Wha—?!”
The arrow struck the horse, causing it to writhe in pain.
Allend tried to calm it, but the horse, now out of control, ignored its rider’s commands and bolted back the way it came.
Cheer—!
The cheers of Schrantz’s forces, who had been watching the entire scene, echoed across the mountainside.
Dwayne put away his bow, turned his horse, and returned.
“I’m back. I’m worried I might have provoked the enemy unnecessarily.”
“No, you did well. That was quite bold.”
Ian patted Dwayne’s back and laughed.
It was satisfying to watch, but it also boosted the morale of their troops, seeing the enemy knight flee in such a humiliating manner.
The enemy had come to demand surrender, only to end up boosting Schrantz’s morale.
Thud—! Doom—! Thud—!
Buu—! Buu—! Buuuuu—!
The sound of war drums and trumpets echoed rhythmically from the enemy camp.
It was the signal to advance.
“Brother. The enemy is beginning their march.”
“Well, of course.”
With the refusal to surrender, the enemy’s advance was inevitable.
‘Come. I’ll show you hell.’
Ian’s hand tightened around the hilt of his still-sheathed sword.
A week had passed.
Count Erce sat irritably in his seat at the head of the strategy tent, his frustration evident.
“We can’t even take that tiny mountain!”
Despite multiple attempts to capture the mountain, they had achieved little success.
Count Filchner sighed at the mounting casualties.
So far, they had lost nearly a hundred soldiers.
“The enemy’s resistance is fiercer than we anticipated. The roads are narrow, and the terrain is rugged. The soldiers say the paths are so narrow that only two or three people can move at a time.”
The paths available for attack were limited, and no matter how many troops they had, the narrow terrain made it impossible to achieve significant progress.
“What if we move to my territory and cut through the forest to attack Rosen?”
Darion also offered his opinion.
“Advancing toward Rosen from the south? Not a bad idea. It’s certainly better than this cursed terrain.”
Count Erce didn’t dismiss the idea outright, but…
“It would take more time to move to your territory, and we’d need to secure food supplies. Are you suggesting this because you can provide enough food for 1,000 soldiers during that period?”
“Ahem…”
Darion coughed awkwardly and averted his gaze.
Darion didn’t have the financial resources for that.
They had already squeezed their finances to the limit to launch this campaign against Schrantz.
They had expected resistance, but they thought it would take only a day or two to capture the mountain in front of them and advance to Rosen.
Lack of funds?
They had planned to compensate by capturing some settlements and using their resources.
But everything had gone wrong.
Being stuck here for a week was a massive blow.
Even if they could manage for now, dragging things out further wouldn’t help.
Time was not on their side.
“It’s surprising how fiercely the enemy is resisting, but there’s something else that worries me.”
All eyes turned to Count Filchner.
“What is it?”
“I suspect the enemy isn’t just a garrison defending the village. I think their main force might be here.”
No matter how narrow the terrain, it didn’t make sense for them to hold back a tide of troops so effectively.
But…
“That’s impossible. I’ve received reports that their main force is preparing for a siege.” Count Erce spoke with absolute certainty.
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve planted deep-cover agents in their territory. The information is reliable.”
His confidence came from Nea.
She had provided information that Ian had led an expedition to the west after the territorial war was declared.
There, he had defeated Darian’s forces, captured the lord, and was now preparing for a siege.
The numbers were around 150, so the troops holding the mountain couldn’t be more than 20 to 30 at most.
On the other hand, the terrain of this mountain was so ridiculously difficult that even that small number could hold out for a week.
“Even so, we can’t afford to waste any more time. We must capture that mountain by tomorrow.”
“But the casualties will be enormous. Are you sure about this?”
“We’ll have to endure it. The enemy is human too. If we keep pushing, they won’t be able to hold out. If anyone has a better idea, speak up.”
Count Filchner and Darion racked their brains but couldn’t come up with anything.
In the end, they had no choice but to agree with Count Erce’s plan to overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers.
“I’ll commit 200 troops to this attack. How many will each of you contribute?”
“I’ll also commit 200.”
“Then I’ll commit 50.”
They each agreed to contribute half of their forces.
This was to ensure they didn’t lose their advantage when it came to dividing the spoils after capturing Schrantz.
“Good. Let’s deploy them immediately.”
“Right now?”
“The enemy must be exhausted from fighting. We need to send in fresh troops and keep pushing so they don’t get a chance to rest.”
Count Erce was determined to press the enemy relentlessly.
Just then.
“C-Count Erce!”
A soldier burst into the tent in a panic.
He was a scout.
“What is it?”
“The enemy has retreated!”
“What?”
For a moment, they doubted their ears.
The scout repeated himself loudly, ensuring they heard correctly.
“The enemy has retreated! We’ve reached the summit, but there’s no sign of them. Only traces remain!”
“What on earth…?”
They couldn’t understand.
The enemy, who had fought so valiantly—why would they retreat now?
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