Chapter 275
Chapter 275 – I’ll Buy Some Time. (2)
Fortress, Stonehaven.
The largest and sturdiest fortress guarding the south of the Territory of Penris.
Gillian was managing the trainees from the southern region centered around this place.
“Is everyone gathered?”
“Yes, all assembled as the instructor said.”
The one answering playfully beside him was Lucas, who called himself ‘a genius in spear techniques.’
Having rapidly recognized his growing skills, he was currently assigned as Gillian’s deputy.
Gillian had sent all important resources like trainees and iron ore to Ghislaine. He also gathered the scattered troops and food from the southern region here.
“Hmm.”
Gillian nodded while looking at the soldiers and knights on the castle walls.
Now all that remained here were the thousand soldiers and a hundred knights who had completed their training.
The soldiers were all clad in calm silver armor. At first glance, they looked like knights.
These were the elite among the elite, having participated since the Cabaldy War and undergone rigorous training until now, so the evaluation of them resembling knights was not unwarranted.
And all of the hundred knights were clad in new black armor. They were granted the status of captains, meaning each knight led ten soldiers.
Gillian knew that with just these, they could easily sweep away a significant territory.
But…….
Gillian’s gaze turned to the outside of the fortress.
‘Desmond…….’
The thirty thousand troop army camped in front couldn’t be compared with them.
Desmond was rightfully called the strongest in the North. His territory was filled with numerous elites and highly skilled knights.
Gillian knew he couldn’t defeat them, but he absolutely could not retreat.
With a heavy voice, Gillian spoke to everyone.
“Our goal is not to defeat them. It’s to buy as much time as possible for the Lord to complete his remaining preparations.”
Instead of answering, the knights nodded. Gillian calmly continued.
“If this place falls, the enemy can swiftly reach the heart of the territory. We must do everything we can to hold them back.”
A road connected the entire city and fortress of the territory. If this fortress was breached, the thirty thousand army would rapidly advance to the Lord’s Castle.
Lucas, who was salivating beside him, spoke up.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just retreat? Knowing the Lord’s character, he probably doesn’t want us to die. Even though he’s grumpy, he cares for his own people, right? Can’t we reclaim it later?”
Gillian shook his head firmly.
“No, this place has developed too much while we are here. If Count Desmond establishes his presence here, it will become unmanageable.”
“Won’t the Crown Prince faction help us later on?”
“Then they’ll use that as an excuse to take over. We might not be able to get it back. The Duke faction might even provide military support to Desmond before that.”
Lucas fell silent, having nothing to say.
Originally overflowing with iron ore, the Cabaldy Territory had developed beyond compare. The standard of living for the people had risen, and the population had greatly increased by accepting immigrants.
No lord would simply consume and spit this territory out. As the state of the territory became clear, they would only engage in pointless battles with those aiming for it.
Gillian looked around at the knights with sharp eyes and spoke.
“This place holds the Lord’s dreams.”
“…….”
“We have come this far together with the Lord. Think about how much preparation we have made to lay claim to this land. If we lose it now, all our efforts will be in vain.”
A knight raised his hand and asked.
“Can those who want to run away go?”
At that, Gillian grinned menacingly.
“No, you all will die here with me for the Lord. Hold the enemy’s foot with your lives.”
Then the knights chuckled and chimed in one by one.
“Ugh, he really is such a killjoy.”
“What’s with the loyalty? So cheesy.”
“You must have honored contracts perfectly as a mercenary. You really have a lot of loyalty. So loyal.”
“I want to run away and live well somewhere else.”
Seeing the chattering knights, Gillian smiled again. Though they all were mocking, none would actually run away.
They were no longer just subordinates. They were ‘companions’ who had grown with Ghislaine’s grace and shared much together.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The sound of drums echoed. The enemy began to move.
Thud thud thud thud…….
The first to act was the catapult, with a total of twelve.
The knights and soldiers looked a bit dazed at the sight of the catapults surrounding the fortress.
Gillian raised his hand and said.
“Combat preparation. Spread out and brace for catapult attacks.”
As soon as he finished speaking, massive stones began to fly toward them.
Bang! Bang! Boom!
The stones relentlessly battered the castle walls. Several stones fell inside the fortress, smashing the stored supplies and buildings.
With the merciless incoming attacks, the Penris Army could do nothing. Everyone was busy dodging frantically, just trying to avoid the stones.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Stone fragments flew, and the relatively weaker upper parts of the castle walls began to crumble bit by bit. However, they had reinforced them solidly over time, making it hard for them to collapse easily.
Watching that, Harold stopped the catapult attacks and said.
“You’ve apparently made a lot of money, and you’ve also invested a lot into reinforcing the fortress. Even the soldiers are wearing such armor. Quite a decent amount, I see.”
All visible enemy troops were armored like knights. However, Harold didn’t think they were real knights.
Having so many knights didn’t make sense.
Yet seeing the different colors of their armor reminded him of something he had forgotten.
“Are those the Black Brigade that made a name for themselves at the Perdium skirmishes? Their numbers have increased since then.”
He had received reports of about fifty before, but now they looked to be around a hundred.
Even without mana, he heard their skills were quite remarkable, and it seemed they had made money to increase the size of the Black Brigade.
They were probably the ones acting as knights in this territory, implying they were elite soldiers, not real knights that used mana.
“Let’s take a break from catapult attacks and resume afterward. Mages and archers, prepare yourselves.”
An old man with white beard standing behind Harold stepped forward. He was Willow, Desmond’s exclusive mage, who had reached the 6th Circle.
“What shall we do?”
“Since they’re going to mount the siege tower anyway, let’s inflict as much damage as possible before that. Confirm if there are any traps in the ground as we advance.”
“Understood.”
Waving his hand, Willow led around twenty mages behind him.
Since the distance was too far, the mages needed to get closer to use their spells effectively.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The drums sounded again, and the Desmond army’s heavy infantry began to advance slowly while protecting the mages and archers.
The mages swept the ground with their mana to check for runestone traps. Having experienced it once, they were extremely cautious in their movements.
“It seems there are no traps. Speed up.”
At Willow’s words, the movement speed of the Desmond army increased.
Gillian, gauging the distance and eyeing the approaching enemies, shouted.
“Fire!”
Whoosh!
In an instant, thousands of arrows filled the sky as they were shot upwards.
The Penris army was trained to utilize all types of weapons. Naturally, all the soldiers left here knew how to shoot a bow to some extent.
Tatata tatang!
The heavy infantry hastily raised their massive shields to block. Caught off guard by the sudden influx of arrows, their feet paused momentarily.
Harold was equally surprised.
“Hmm? What’s going on? Were they all archers?”
By his reasoning, no matter how elite a force was, they shouldn’t be able to handle every weapon.
The time it took to train was one thing, but the training costs increase exponentially. There was a reason other lords divided troop types to cultivate specialization.
“Well, this is good. They’ll all be weak in close combat, so we’ll quickly mount the siege towers. Move immediately. And before we approach, restart the catapult attacks. Hammer them relentlessly.”
Eight siege towers started to move slowly. Simultaneously, the mages protected by the heavy infantry began their assault on the fortress.
Whoosh!
From between the heavy infantry, massive fireballs shot out.
The fireballs accurately targeted the areas where the soldiers were gathered. They were far more precise than the catapult’s attacks.
“Fall back!”
The knights of Penris stepped forward, raising their huge shields made of Galbarium.
The soldiers assigned beneath the knights either hid behind their captains or sought cover entirely.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“With every fireball we deflect, my insides feel shattered, and I’m getting pushed back involuntarily.” But the knights enveloped their shields with mana and gritted their teeth to endure.
The Desmond army’s assault didn’t stop there. The archers advancing alongside the heavy infantry unleashed a torrent of arrows.
Simultaneously, the catapults renewed their assault as well.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Evade! Evade!”
“Scatter! Raise your shields above your heads to avoid the arrows!”
“Shit! Are we really going to withstand this?”
The knights were at their wit’s end. They couldn’t even make contact and were only busy dodging and blocking.
Despite being a strong force themselves, they felt utterly powerless before the Desmond army.
While numbers matter, their retreat was not simply due to the numerical disparity. The Desmond army relentlessly pressed them without allowing the fortress soldiers a moment to breathe.
They couldn’t find the time to do anything. At least because of the Galbarium shields, the soldiers felt some consolation knowing they could block the arrow attacks.
Ghoooooooo!
Even as the attacks poured down relentlessly, they felt an overwhelming mana gathering in the sky. A precursor to high-circle magic.
As the knights, busy blocking or dodging the Desmond army’s barrage, lifted their heads and mumbled.
“Shit…… This is no joke……”
“Our Lord wanted us to fight these bastards?”
“They’re on a whole different level from those we’ve met until now.”
The knights’ grumbles didn’t last long. Mana began to consolidate in various places in the sky.
Having completed his casting, Willow waved his hand casually and mumbled.
“Fire Rain.”
Fwoosh!
From the air above the fortress, hundreds of gigantic fireballs erupted. They started pouring down in an instant.
Facing the indiscriminate falling fireballs, the knights yelled in shock.
“Everyone gather!”
What flew towards the front was something they could block no matter what. But nothing could protect them from falling from the sky.
Even with the Galbarium shields, the soldiers couldn’t withstand high-circle magic effectively.
The knights infused their armor with mana.
Zing!
Light burst forth from the gaps in their black armor. The magic formations engraved on the armor activated, creating a translucent barrier around them.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The fireballs struck down everywhere, destroying everything. Even the solid stone floor crumbled under the ferocious attack.
As expected of high-circle magic, it had terrifying destructive power.
However, the knights and the soldiers emitting barriers remained unscathed.
Slurp.
The falling fireballs scattered before even hitting the barrier.
The castle walls and the watchtowers were obliterated, leaving a mess, but the knights and soldiers survived intact.
And watching this intently, Willow muttered.
“Dispel? Could there be a 6th Circle mage?”
He felt the waves of mana dispersed across various areas shattering his magic. Being a 6th Circle mage himself, it implied there was at least an equally skilled mage present to disperse the mana.
But something felt off. If there had been a 6th Circle mage, it would have been dispelled before the magic activated.
Moreover, the mana sensed from various places was relatively small compared to his magic.
“Did they set up a magic circle using runestones? They must have quite the surplus of money. But where did they find a 6th Circle mage to summon for this?”
Clicking his tongue, Willow prepared his magic again. If it was magic tools that blocked his spells, then he could just attack until those tools were utterly destroyed.
Whoosh!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Once again, as he tried to cast magic, the same phenomenon occurred.
“Hm…… I don’t know what it is, but it seems really well-made?”
Irritated, he prepared his magic once more. Since it was 6th Circle magic, the mana would drain heavily, but he could afford to keep trying until his mana ran out, given his safety.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
But just before he could cast magic again, the siege towers moved. Willow clicked his tongue and stepped back. Feeling as if he hadn’t dealt any substantial damage stung his pride significantly.
Harold watched the scene with indifference.
In reality, he could exhaust the Penris army by continuously employing ranged attacks over several days. He wanted to do that but couldn’t afford to.
‘The Kingdom Army must be moving.’
He had already wiped out the 2nd Corps. Marquis Branford must have sent his troops.
And…… Ghislaine wasn’t here.
‘He’s someone who could do unknown things while buying time.’
With the pressure of the Crown Prince faction and Ghislaine’s ambiguous motives, he couldn’t afford to prolong the battle here.
He had to push forward quickly, with overwhelming force, to conquer Penris. That way, he could set up the game board he desired.
In other words, Harold, too, was pressed for time, similarly to Ghislaine.
Thud thud thud thud thud.
So, he poured his forces in an instant. To conquer this place today.
As the approaching siege towers neared, the knights exhaled heavily.
Activating the abilities of their armor to block the magical attacks, almost half their mana had depleted.
“Huh huh…… why are we already so tired without even engaging in combat?”
The knights laughed at their own misfortune. Having used so much mana already made it obvious that future battles would only grow more difficult.
However, they would have suffered far greater damage without the armor made by the dwarves and mages.
Thud thud thud thud!
The siege towers advanced. Desmond’s archers unleashed continuous arrow assaults to keep them at bay. Archers on top of the siege towers also shot arrows toward the castle walls.
Lucas, who had been merely raising his shield, shouted loudly.
“Instructor! What are we going to do? There are so many siege towers! They’re coming in droves!”
“Wait. It’s better for the siege towers to stick to us.”
Ranged attacks were utterly ineffective. At this rate, they would just stand there and tire themselves to death.
But Gillian knew the enemy was in a desperate situation as well. The Penris army took a breath and waited for them to come closer.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Eight siege towers began attaching one by one to the castle walls. The Desmond army began climbing up them like ants.
Gillian looked with a fierce gaze at the approaching enemies and spoke.
“Get ready.”
Clank! Clank! Clank!
The knights and soldiers fully donned their helmets. Until now, they had opened their face guards to secure visibility, but that was no longer necessary.
With no arrows flying from Penris, the Desmond army moved with greater confidence.
More soldiers continuously entered the siege towers.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The siege towers’ drawbridge was laid across the castle walls. The Penris army stared at them. They could see the furious Desmond soldiers gathering inside the towers.
Zing—
Bright light burst forth from the gaps of the Penris knights’ armor again.
Their eyes began to bristle with the same ferocity as the Desmond army.
Gillian discarded his shield and drew two massive axes.
With his voice imbued with weighty intent, he opened his mouth.
“Welcome. Let’s fight properly now.”
