Chapter 373
Chapter 373: We’ll meet again soon. (3)
Roderick’s Army panicked upon realizing they were surrounded.
“W-we’re surrounded?!”
“Stop them! Hurry and block them!”
“Get your formation right!”
The commanders shouted. But Roderick’s soldiers were paralyzed, gripped by the fear of being besieged, and couldn’t move properly.
They thought they were at a disadvantage despite having far greater numbers.
After all, they were already struggling to take down a mere 400 enemies. Now they were surrounded, their panic completely immobilizing them.
KWAAM!
“Uwaahhh!”
The mercenaries crashed into Roderick’s Army. Though their strike wasn’t as destructive as that of seasoned knights, their momentum and morale matched it.
Dominic swung his sword with more passion than anyone else and shouted.
“It’s time for our brothers’ revenge!”
The mercenaries who had joined from other regions might be feeling differently, but those belonging to the Drake Mercenary Group shared Dominic’s sentiment.
‘Finally, it begins!’
Dominic felt like his heart would burst. He never expected the chance to battle Roderick’s Army would come so quickly.
It was a chance to repay the grudge they bore for the family that had oppressed them, even killing their kin.
‘The Lord has such capabilities after all.’
In reality, Dominic and the mercenaries had no idea that such a battle was unfolding. They were solely focused on moving goods as per Ghislaine’s orders in their respective areas.
Then a strange crow appeared and suddenly spoke.
— Hey, Dominic.
— Wha?! You startled me! What the heck is this?!
— Gather all the mercenaries and come to Deiker Castle immediately. A battle is about to take place. It’s the order of my master, Count Penris.
— A crow… is talking?
At first, he was so startled he almost swung his sword at it. The crow was equally shocked and shouted.
— Treat me with respect as you would your lord! You rude brat!
— …Who do you think you are?
— My name is Dark. Just think of me as a spirit sent by my master. Anyway, no more chitchat. Gather all the troops in the west and come to Deiker Castle. Roderick’s Army has gathered 20,000 to besiege the castle.
— How can I… trust you?
He knew that the lord was attacking Deiker Castle, but it was hard to believe the words of such an unknown creature.
The crow continued as if it expected this reaction.
— Should I list out the X-rated items you’ve collected openly here? Starting with the lord’s secret…
— Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing?!
The crow was about to publicly reveal his precious items, and Dominic nearly lost it.
While the close aides of the Drake Mercenary Group were aware of their leader’s antics, there were also other regional mercenaries present.
Dominic was rallying the mercenaries with charisma and intensity. His private life definitely should not be exposed.
The crow laughed smugly, showing its arrogance.
— I’ll tell you the strategy my master devised. Split your forces to surround them from three sides. Once the Knights of Penris charge in, they’ll get caught up in the fray. That’s when you attack. Understood?
— Alright, I get it… So I’ll delay moving the goods…
— Exactly, you never know when the enemy will launch their attack, so move as quickly as possible. You can take what you can later when you retreat.
He couldn’t completely dismiss the crow’s words, but neither could he trust it outright.
Experienced Dominic immediately began to gather the mercenaries while quickly sending scouts nearby Deiker Castle.
— It’s true! Roderick’s Army is besieging Deiker Castle!
— Damn it! Move quickly!
Despite his initial doubts, the crow’s words turned out to be true. They needed to move quickly as they had no idea when the assault would begin.
Having been in this mercenary business for so long, Dominic was adept at rallying troops and moving them quickly. Thanks to Dominic’s efforts, the mercenaries soon sprang into action.
And since Dark confirmed that the mercenaries were approaching, Ghislaine felt assured enough to initiate the attack first.
— Good job, Dark. This is more convenient than I expected.
Ghislaine was now able to obtain battlefield situations and information faster than anyone. And she could contact the allies around her without delay.
In other words, they possessed a new eye and communication means to monitor the battlefield.
Anyway, Dominic and the Drake Mercenary Group entered the battle, fueled by the grudge they bore against the House of Marquis Roderick.
“Don’t let a single one live!”
“This is our chance to weaken the marquis’s power!”
“Don’t hold back! Our fallen friends are watching over us from above!”
Roderick’s Army couldn’t withstand the mercenaries’ fervor.
“Uwaahhh!”
The soldiers of Roderick’s Army crumbled one by one, consumed by fear.
When engulfed by terror, accurate judgment becomes impossible. Roderick’s soldiers could only think they were being besieged by forces equal to their own.
“Get a grip! Counterattack!”
“We have the numbers!”
“Even if surrounded, we can hold our ground!”
A few commanders shouted, but their voices barely reached the soldiers.
Even the overall commander, Howard, was tied by Ghislaine, and there was no one to command Roderick’s Army.
However, with their overwhelming numbers, they didn’t crumble immediately. The longer the confrontation lasted, the more damage the Penris side would suffer.
That was why Ghislaine unleashed her full power.
KWAAM!
As Ghislaine brandished her spear, cloaked in crimson energy, the attacking knights were torn to shreds along with their weapons.
A power completely different from before.
The knights who had been relentlessly attacking were stunned and halted in their tracks.
“Not coming? Then I’ll go to you.”
As the Black King surged forward in an instant, the knights raised their weapons.
KWAAM!
“Kuh-huh!”
But before they could even lift their weapons, Ghislaine’s spear took off a few heads.
Whoosh!
Around Ghislaine, dozens of spears made of crimson energy began to form. She had no intention of conserving mana any longer.
BAM!
The spears of mana burst forth in all directions. The nearest knights were instantly pierced through.
Those a bit further away dared not even try to block it and fled. A few knights managed to defend themselves from the spears, but it was only because they had already been weakened after breaking through their own allies.
Ghislaine laughed at the sight.
“I’m not weak after all.”
When she had first used this technique in a real battle, it was against Delmood. He had effortlessly blocked dozens of spears with a mere flick of a hand.
To be honest, she even wondered if this technique was subpar because of that. But now, she realized that he was strong, and that this technique worked plenty well against ordinary knights.
— Master! You’re consuming mana too quickly! You’ll faint again!
Dark shouted urgently. Dark figured if they just took their time, they would eventually win. He couldn’t comprehend why Ghislaine was pushing herself this much.
However, Ghislaine shook her head, ignoring Dark’s pleas.
“I always say this.”
With every movement of her spear, knights lost their heads.
“Finish it before it drags out.”
KWAAM!
As Ghislaine unleashed all her power, Roderick’s knights couldn’t stop her at all.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The spears of mana following Ghislaine wreaked havoc all around her.
A handful of knights gritted their teeth and charged at Ghislaine, trying to attack the Black King, hoping to take her down by killing her horse.
WHAM!
“Crazy…”
The attacking knight cursed as he felt a strange sensation in his fingertips, as if hitting a dull cotton ball.
Naturally, his attack was entirely ineffective. Before he could even draw his spear, his head exploded.
KWAAM! KWAAM!
Knights charging at Ghislaine fell like flies. Howard, too, realized just now that he had been mistaken.
“This…this is the true power of the Master…”
It had been amazing before. He had thought managing to hold off a hundred knights was the threshold of mastery.
But that was a gross misconception. No, those assembled knights were in over their heads, even higher-ranked knights couldn’t hold her back.
KWAAM!
“Uwaahhh!”
Roderick’s knights were utterly decimated. Howard saw the red-eyed demon rushing directly towards him.
“I—I must stop him…”
Though his mind commanded such, his body wouldn’t move. Howard, a high-ranking knight, was more dazed than others.
It was precisely because of his high rank. Only Howard was captivated by Ghislaine’s displayed power, getting an inkling of the realm she had attained.
“Uwaahhh!”
Yet, true to his status, Howard quickly regained his composure and thrust his spear at Ghislaine.
Even Howard didn’t expect his attack to be effective. It was merely a flailing act born out of sheer panic.
To him, Ghislaine softly remarked.
“Attacks that lack belief in themselves can never reach their desired destination.”
“Ah…”
WHAM!
Howard gained a realization in the moment his head shattered.
It was a statement so obvious, so plain. What enemy would fall to a haphazard attack that lacked intent?
He should have committed fully, putting everything on the line in his assault.
It was a matter of will.
That difference led to Howard collapsing far too easily for his skill level.
Rumble.
The remaining knights froze in place, unable to move at what they had witnessed.
“H-Howard has fallen.”
“Even a high-ranking knight like that fell so easily…”
“We can’t stop them…”
One crucial element determining victory in battle is the survival of the commander. And just now, the overall commander of Roderick’s Army had fallen.
The knights realized that, no matter how hard they collaborated, they could not hold back this foe.
They began to understand that Ghislaine had been holding back power until now.
Still shrouded in crimson smoke, Ghislaine turned her head and shouted.
“The enemy’s supreme commander has fallen!”
“Whoaahhh!”
In response, a tremendous cheer erupted from the Penris army. They shouted even louder to demoralize their foes.
Zing.
Ghislaine pointed her spear at the remaining knights. The knights of Roderick staggered back, and those surrounding them had no choice but to retreat as well.
“Shall we continue?”
KWAAM!
Ghislaine dived forward again, cleaving the bodies of nearby knights.
“Run away!”
One knight shouted loudly and immediately turned his horse around.
For a knight to fight without risking his life would be to throw away his value. Yet, no one blamed him.
The other knights were also too busy running away.
“The knights are fleeing!”
“W-we should run too!”
“Retreat! It’s over!”
Even though half of Roderick’s army still remained, they began to crumble almost instantly.
Ghislaine quickly surveyed the battlefield.
Despite their dwindling forces, there were still many of them left. They could wipe out every last one, but they might tire from the fighting. Plus, there were many ways to make things more troublesome for the marquis.
Ghislaine announced loudly again.
“Those who throw down their weapons and flee shall be spared!”
It was a signal that the war was over. The Penris army echoed Ghislaine’s words with a loud response.
“Throw down your weapons and flee, and you shall be spared!”
The same message resounded across the battlefield multiple times. Every soldier in Roderick’s army heard that out.
“Uwaahhh!”
“Run away!”
“I surrender! I surrender!”
Once an army crumbles, it doesn’t matter how many they had to begin with. Roderick’s Army tossed down their weapons and scattered like a swarm of ants.
They would no longer be able to return to the marquis’ lands. In the overflowing west, there would be no chance they’d be spared.
A punishment had to be dealt so that soldiers would fight for their lives in the next conflict.
With over 10,000 losses, Roderick’s Army was dismantled.
Ghislaine chuckled at the sight of Roderick’s soldiers dispersing.
“May you all become raucous bandits.”
An army that couldn’t return home had very few options left. To survive, they would inevitably become raiders.
After all, they were originally a group that held no loyalty to any lord.
“Weak lords will be utterly wiped out.”
The vassal nobles of the marquis were also held in low regard. The issue was that they operated with very few soldiers by policy.
It would likely not be easy to fend off those scattering raiders.
In short, Ghislaine effortlessly caused a civil strife in the west.
Having returned to her original form, Ghislaine raised her spear and proclaimed loudly.
“We have won!”
A short and straightforward statement. But it was more than enough.
“Whoaahhh!”
“We did it!”
“Roderick’s army was nothing special!”
Dominic and the Drake Mercenary Group cheered the loudest, joyfully proclaiming their slight revenge against Roderick’s Army.
And the other mercenaries who had followed, somewhat trembling, were deeply awed by Ghislaine’s might.
There are many ways to lead mercenaries. But the most popular leaders among their subordinates are always those who are strong.
And Ghislaine had more than proven her strength to enchant the mercenaries.
“Our captain is the best!”
The mercenaries cheered and chanted Ghislaine’s name. Because of this battle, they began to trust her a little more.
And that rumor would spread far and wide, reaching other mercenaries.
Ghislaine smiled as she saw their adoration. After all, nothing unites mercenaries like proving one’s ability.
Little by little, they could all be brought together.
“Alright, let’s collect the spoils and head back! Let’s make sure to take an adequate amount this time!”
Even just the weapons and armor of the fallen soldiers were immense. They probably wouldn’t be able to carry it all, as there were still territories that hadn’t fully moved their goods.
Now they just needed to lead this army back swiftly while gathering the remaining treasures.
As the knights and mercenaries organized the battlefield, Ghislaine glanced in the direction of the House of Marquis Roderick.
“We’ll meet again soon, Marquis Roderick. This time, I’ll make sure we settle it for good.”
The fight against the House of Marquis Roderick had only just begun.
