However, setting aside their doubts, the faces of Count Filchner and Darion brightened.
“They must have realized they couldn’t hold out any longer despite their efforts.”
“This is actually a good thing. We can advance without suffering further casualties.”
Though it was suspicious that they retreated so easily, they decided to take it as a positive development.
“Let’s secure that mountain first.”
Despite the sacrifices made over the week of fighting, they could now safely ascend the mountain.
The soldiers, believing the enemy had finally realized they were no match, proudly marched to the summit.
But when they reached the top, they couldn’t celebrate.
After the arduous climb, they were met with an endless expanse of mountain peaks stretching to the horizon.
“This isn’t the end of the mountains?”
“There are this many mountains?”
“And we have to cross all of them…?!”
Having lived only in plains or flatlands with forests, they were left speechless by the sight of the vast mountain ranges before them.
Only now did they truly understand the meaning of the phrase “a labyrinth of mountains.”
—
* * *
—
Meanwhile, Ian had retreated to the mountains near Dobina village, where Den’s bandits had once camped.
Ian’s retreat wasn’t due to any grand strategy.
They were simply running out of arrows for the battle.
Although arrows were being replenished, the rate of consumption far outpaced the supply, forcing Ian to make this decision.
‘Still, they fought well.’
He had expected to hold out for three days, but they managed to last a week.
Ian was satisfied with that.
‘No wonder that place is called “Tonggo.”’
In the game, it was officially named “Bataman Mountain,” but to Koreans, it was better known as “Tonggo,” short for “The Heights of Lamentation.”
For enemies approaching from the east, there was only one path, and it was ridiculously narrow and treacherous.
That’s why it earned its name.
“Brother. What’s our next move?”
At Hubert’s question, Ian snapped out of his thoughts and met the gazes of many around him.
Hubert and the other knights were looking at him with expectant eyes.
‘I have to live up to their expectations.’
Seeing their trust in him, Ian stood up and turned his gaze to Oswell.
“Sir Oswell. Things are about to get very busy.”
“When have they not been busy? What do you need me to do? Just give the order.”
“Give the order!”
The knights’ responses were resounding.
“Select 50 men who are skilled in horseback riding, archery, running, night vision, and knowledge of the local terrain.”
“Are you planning to use another detachment?”
Ian nodded without hesitation.
It seemed that being around him for so long had allowed them to anticipate his thoughts without him having to explain.
And they didn’t ask why he wanted to use a detachment.
If it were the first time, they might have questioned it, but they had never suffered a loss by following his orders.
With Ian leading them to victory in every battle so far, they believed that as long as they were with him, they would surely win.
‘You all think I’m holed up in a siege, don’t you?’
In his previous playthrough, Ian had chosen to hold a siege.
But he had learned the hard way that it wasn’t the best strategy.
He realized that using Schrantz’s harsh natural environment to inflict greater damage on the enemy was the way to go.
Overcoming the numerical disadvantage with aggressive tactics was the answer.
The experience from that time was now paying off.
Of course, there was another reason why a siege wasn’t an option.
‘They’ll definitely try to replenish their funds by capturing settlements.’
That would render it pointless.
With the resources from the settlements, they could sustain a siege for days, months, or even years.
In the end, Schrantz would be the one to collapse.
‘Welcome to Schrantz.’
Those who dared to set foot in Schrantz would soon regret it deeply.
He would make sure of it.
—
* * *
—
At that moment, in the lord’s castle.
Jurdan, who was overseeing internal affairs in Ian’s absence, heard a commotion outside.
‘Who’s running around the hallway?’
It was impossible for him not to be annoyed.
The maids wouldn’t dare run in the hallways, knowing they’d be scolded by the head butler.
‘…Could something urgent have happened?’
As the footsteps grew closer to his office, his heart began to race.
There were two possibilities.
First, something had happened to the young lords who had gone to repel the anti-Schrantz alliance.
Second, Hugo, who was on the brink of death, had finally passed away.
Neither was good news.
‘Or perhaps the young lord has achieved a great victory.’
He hoped for a victory report, but he doubted it could happen so quickly. He waited anxiously.
“Advisor!”
The office door burst open, and someone rushed in.
It wasn’t a messenger or a maid attending to Hugo, but Sera.
Relieved that it wasn’t the news he feared, he was still puzzled.
Why had she come to see him directly?
“What is it, Sera the Alchemist?”
“I-I’ve completed the potion to cure the lord’s illness.”
“R-really? The potion is really complete?!”
Jurdan shot up from his seat without realizing it.
He had heard from Ian that Sera was working on a potion to cure Hugo’s illness, but he hadn’t held out much hope.
She had only been here for a few years and was still a novice alchemist with just two years of training.
Hugo’s condition hadn’t improved despite expensive medicines and doctors’ treatments.
Though Ian had assured him that she could create a potion to cure Hugo and had asked for his full support, Jurdan had remained skeptical.
‘Did she really succeed?’
How could he not be overjoyed?
Yet, for some reason, Sera’s expression lacked confidence.
“But I’m not sure if this is a success or a failure.”
“…So we won’t know the result until we try it?”
Sera nodded slightly, her face filled with uncertainty.
Jurdan stood up.
“Even if the potion doesn’t work, we have to try. Let’s go.”
Hugo’s condition was such that he could pass away at any moment.
They were desperate to grasp at any straw.
And.
‘If Sera completes the potion, have my father take it. Even if it fails, do not punish her. This is an order.’
Before leaving for the campaign, Ian had left this order with Jurdan.
Clutching the vial containing the Half Elixir, Sera followed Jurdan to Hugo’s sickroom.
—
* * *
—
Ten squads of five members each harassed the anti-Schrantz alliance forces from multiple directions at irregular intervals.
They attacked relentlessly, day and night, whenever there was even the slightest opening, driving the enemy to the brink of madness.
To make matters worse for the enemy, it was currently raining and foggy.
Despite this, the enemy forces maintained their marching speed.
It seemed they were determined to push through to Rosen, even if it meant enduring heavy losses.
The grueling forced march had even led to desertions, and Ian was gathering information from the captured deserters.
“According to the deserters, everyone is exhausted from fatigue.”
They were battered at Tonggo, and now, as they marched, they were constantly ambushed by the detachment in the mountains.
Having achieved no significant victories and only suffering defeats, their morale had inevitably plummeted.
“Moreover, it seems the soldiers don’t trust Count Erce much.”
There were several reasons for this, but the biggest was Count Erche’s execution of a knight and soldiers who had faithfully carried out his orders to cover up his own mistakes.
This had made both soldiers and knights reluctant to follow his commands.
“That explains why the enemy’s response has been unusually passive. Their morale must be in shambles.”
The enemy’s morale was worse than expected.
“Young lord! The enemy has reached within 5 kilometers!”
A scout rushed into the tent to report.
Despite their low morale, the enemy’s forced march had paid off, as they had arrived faster than anticipated.
“Sir Oswell. Order the detachment to halt their actions and await further instructions.”
“Yes, young lord!”
“This is the final battle.”
Oswell’s eyes shone brighter than ever.
This was the battle that would settle the score with the families that had tormented his lord.
Whether the outcome was good or bad, the fate of Schrantz would be drastically altered by this battle.
“Even though the enemy’s morale is low, they still outnumber us. Are you prepared to see this through to the end with me, Sir Oswell?”
“I’ve been counting down the days for this. I will stand by your side until the end, young lord.”
“We will too!”
Oswell and the knights focused their gaze on Ian with unwavering determination.
Having such reliable knights by his side was truly reassuring.
“Good. Then let’s prepare to face the enemy. Ah, Sir Oswell. How is the placement of the banners coming along?”
“We’ve placed as many as you ordered, but… the enemy isn’t foolish. Do you really think they’ll fall for it? Should we reduce the number of banners to make it more believable?”
The plan was to deceive the enemy into thinking they had a larger force by placing numerous banners.
But no one believed the enemy would be fooled, especially since Ian had requested an absurd number of banners—enough to make it seem like Schrantz had double its actual troops.
No one would fall for such an obvious trick.
“No, proceed as planned. I’m counting on the enemy not being fooled.”
“Huh?”
The goal was for the enemy not to be deceived?
No one could understand what Ian was aiming for.
—
* * *
—
“Once we cross that mountain, we’ll reach the village! The enemy who retreated might be lying in ambush there! Unlike the first battle, this mountain offers many paths, so we can easily sweep them aside! After the battle, we’ll rest in the village for a day, so give it your all!”
Count Erce planned to regroup in the village for a day before advancing to Rosen.
“Y-yes…”
The soldiers’ responses were lackluster.
After the declaration of the territorial war, the soldiers, haunted by the fear of ambushes, hadn’t been able to sleep properly.
They were utterly exhausted, their fatigue evident on their faces.
‘We have about 700 troops left, and roughly two weeks remain.’
Once they crossed the mountain in front of them, they would reach the plains.
From there, it would be easy to reach Rosen, and the open terrain would make it difficult for the enemy to conduct guerrilla warfare.
‘We have about ten days left.’
It seemed they could barely achieve their goal.
‘If things had gone according to plan, we wouldn’t have suffered like this.’
If Duke Duser and Darian had joined forces to capture the village, those resisting would have had no choice but to retreat.
But since things had gone wrong and they had come this far, there was no turning back.
They had to see this through, no matter the cost.
“Count Erce!”
At that moment, a scout came galloping toward Count Erce in a panic.
The scout dismounted and reported.
“We’ve spotted the enemy’s main force!”
“What?”
“The enemy’s main force is blocking the path to Dobina village!”
Count Erce’s eyes widened.
The main force was blocking the path?
“Are you certain?”
When Count Filchner pressed for confirmation, the scout replied.
“The banners symbolizing the Schrantz family are planted on the mountain peak, and the enemy is lying in wait! Judging by the number of banners and the rising smoke, their numbers seem to be at least 500!”
“What? 500?! How is that possible?”
Everyone was shocked.
They had estimated Shrantz’s total troops to be around 200 to 300.
Where could such a large force have suddenly appeared from? It was as if they had fallen from the sky.
