Chapter 404
Chapter 404 The War is Fed Up (4)*
The arriving knight belonged to Count Glasgow’s 2nd Corps.
Marquis Roderick, recognizing him, stammered a question.
“M-my castle has been captured? Linderstein has been taken so quickly?”
Marquis Roderick kept repeating the same words, his expression one of disbelief.
With a sorrowful look, the knight replied, “Yes, Linderstein has been occupied by Count Penris, and the defending forces were annihilated.”
“But I left 20,000 troops! What about the 2nd Corps? Surely Count Glasgow’s 2nd Corps has arrived!”
“Our 2nd Corps was also… annihilated by Count Penris. Count Glasgow has been captured and executed.”
“U-uagh!”
Marquis Roderick shouted and collapsed from his seat.
“Marquis!”
Tenant hurriedly supported Marquis Roderick. As he clumsily got back up, his face twisted in rage.
“How could 60,000 soldiers fall to just 10,000 cavalry? And so quickly at that! What the hell did they do to capture Linderstein so fast?”
Marquis Roderick glared at the messenger, shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Tell me! Who did it? Which traitor opened the castle gates?”
“They… they broke the castle with siege equipment…”
“Are you kidding me? What sense does that make? The entire army is cavalry! How could they possibly use siege equipment? There’s no way they’d make it to the West that fast with those!”
The speed seemed impossible. If they could do that, there would be no way to thwart Penris’ ambush from any direction.
“I swear it’s true! They broke the castle with siege equipment and occupied it. We also fell to that same siege equipment.”
The knight fervently explained about the siege engine that resembled a skeleton.
But the expressions of those listening showed no signs of relief. If it was hard to believe even seeing it firsthand, how could those merely hearing it trust it?
Yet looking at the knight’s demeanor, it indeed seemed that the 2nd Corps had been annihilated and the castle captured. They couldn’t disbelieve it.
Marquis Roderick exhaled harshly and asked again, “So Penris has taken up residence in Linderstein?”
“Probably… They captured a lot of prisoners, so they wouldn’t be able to move without them.”
The knight had rushed north immediately after the defeat and was unaware of the situation in Linderstein and the West.
Marquis Roderick shot a glare at Tenant.
“Tenant! 60,000 of our men were annihilated by Count Penris, and our base has been captured!”
“…”
Tenant couldn’t say anything. After all, he was the one who suggested the flanking operation.
Yet the result was so nonsensical that resentment bubbled up inside him.
Who would think an army moving so swiftly would also have siege equipment?
Something felt wrong, but he couldn’t pinpoint what exactly, driving him almost to madness.
“Ugh… what a pathetic lot!”
Marquis Roderick ultimately cursed.
Including the defending forces, they had 120,000 soldiers. Now only 30,000 remained.
They hadn’t even fought properly, and they were all taken down.
“How can this be called the strongest army in the West!”
While Marquis Roderick threw a tantrum, no one dared to speak.
“Drenesh! What the hell were the wizards doing? They didn’t contribute anything to this battle!”
The witch hunt shifted to the unfortunate wizards. Three 6th Circle mages and six 5th Circle mages, yet they produced no results.
Drenesh, sweating profusely, offered an excuse.
“It seems the Penris side has an exceptionally powerful wizard. We were all trying to stop him…”
“Who the hell is that? Is there a 7th Circle mage on Penris’ side?”
“…”
Nobody could answer that. A 7th Circle mage would be a superhuman. If that were the case, Penris would have already made a name for himself throughout the kingdom.
Roderick’s retainers were all losing their minds. Everything felt shrouded in fog. They couldn’t fathom what was what.
Winning now felt like losing in reality.
The utterly exhausted Marquis Roderick finally managed to speak.
“What about supplies… how are we going to supply ourselves…?”
Just like that, half of their forces were gone, but the remaining 30,000 was not a small number. The daily consumption of food was massive. At this rate, they would soon run out of rations.
No, right now, they had nowhere to return.
Count Penris had intended to make it impossible for them to return, but they had ended up in that very situation.
“If we can’t seize that place, we’re as good as dead.”
They needed to occupy Silverlight to regroup and fight Count Penris again.
But it was a place they couldn’t capture even with 60,000 troops. All the siege equipment was stuck in the mud and ruined.
“Can the mages drain that mud?”
“…”
The wizards couldn’t respond to that. Whatever they tried would undoubtedly be blocked by the enemy.
And now that they were set to dry up the mud, what good would that do? They would keep getting picked off by enemy arrows and siege equipment along the way.
“Why is no one saying anything! Find a way! Find a way!”
With 30,000 troops under his command, they faced death due to starvation. Marquis Roderick couldn’t accept this reality.
Finally, Tenant cautiously stepped up.
“It might be better to raid the surrounding villages and secure some food.”
“Go on.”
“Attempting to assault that castle immediately is too ambitious. Even if we succeed, the losses would be tremendous. We wouldn’t be able to fight Count Penris when he returns.”
“So you’re saying we could start raiding?”
“Count Penris is known for cherishing his territory residents. If we completely wipe out the nearby villages and carry out plundering, those entrenched in that fortress will have no choice but to come out.”
“Hmm…”
“Eventually, even if we were to retreat now, we would have to face Count Penris, who has seized Linderstein. It would be better to draw him out while he’s stuck there.”
Count Penris was unlikely to easily abandon Linderstein, especially to sever their supply lines.
As it stands, drawing the enemy out of the fortress was indeed their best option.
Marquis Roderick spoke with a cruel glint in his eyes.
“Take 10,000 men and raze the surrounding area. Leave not a single one alive. The rest should wait until those in the fortress come out and engage.”
Roderick’s army reorganized and took position a bit away from the fortress. They believed the Penris troops would surely react while plundering and destroying the surroundings.
The 10,000 men reported back after two days. The commander who had led them returned with a blackened expression.
“T-there aren’t any villages left.”
“What? How could that be?”
“It’s true. There’s not a single small village left in the vicinity. I went far and wide, and all I found were castles and fortresses.”
“…”
This territory was truly too strange. Unease began to envelop everyone.
*
The battlefield, now a muddy mess, was littered with the corpses of Roderick’s army. It was a resounding victory for Penris.
At a glance, it seemed they had obliterated half of that massive army. They had achieved an incredible victory with just a single skirmish.
Penris’ retainers gazed around the battlefield, their expressions a mix of disbelief.
“Wow, this actually worked?”
“Using mud to achieve this? They must be insane.”
“Turns out being a chief officer isn’t just for show. I thought he was an idiot, but…”
The people looked at Claude in awe. When the lord appointed him the chief commander, they had been uncertain, but now it was clear he had the capability.
It wasn’t necessarily that powerful figures had stepped forward to fight fiercely. Instead, they had deftly prepared a trap to lure in the enemy and inflicted devastating damage. This war looked too easy.
Of course, it was made possible because Vanessa had blocked all of the enemy’s mages. But that too had been Claude’s order.
She used her formidable offensive abilities to prevent the enemy from retaliating.
Without her, mere ordinary people and their strategies had managed to wipe out half of that massive army.
Wendy, who had always felt ashamed because of Claude, wore a proud expression for the first time in a while.
“Just when it counts, he delivers.”
Claude was considerably undervalued in their territory compared to his abilities. He had often caused mischief and exhibited little authority.
Yet in a crisis, he showed undeniable capability. In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the territory was running smoothly thanks to Claude.
“Alfoy is not much different.”
Though they were grouped together as ‘Clopoi,’ Wendy thought Claude was a bit better. She now felt that his shifty appearance was even preferable to Alfoy’s.
Recently, Alfoy had been quite active, but it seemed that big accomplishments came from Claude.
Excluding Vanessa, this battle’s most remarkable contributions had come from Claude, who devised the strategy and Alfoy, who cast spells.
Seemingly reading Wendy’s thoughts, Alfoy boasted, “What do you think? Did you see my skills? This is the level I’m at. I wonder what I’d be like when I reach 6th Circle. I’m scared. Should I not level up? Maybe I shouldn’t?”
“Damn… no, you did well. I believed in you, bro. We are the territory’s greatest intellects!”
Claude and Alfoy bumped fists, both wearing cocky expressions.
Those observing exchanged awkward glances.
“Those two actually succeeded…?”
“You really live long enough to see everything.”
“I guess I’ll have to keep watching their arrogant faces in the future.”
Unlike others, Wendy and Vanessa wore contented expressions.
Both had been caring for these somewhat lacking individuals, and when they excelled, there was a sense of fulfillment.
Belinda, grimacing as if she had bitten into rotten ginger, cleared her throat and asked, “Ahem, I didn’t know the chief officer had such talents.”
“Can you feel the difference in intelligence now?”
“…Anyhow, we won this time…”
“No, we didn’t.”
“Huh?”
Claude arrogantly cut off Belinda’s words, crossed his legs, and declared, “I won.”
Why is this guy so annoying? I want to slap him, but I can’t hit the chief officer in front of everyone.
“…Right. Anyway, the enemy numbers have decreased significantly. What are we going to do now? It seems like we’ll retreat since there’s no way to assault the fortress.”
All the siege equipment was stuck in the mud and couldn’t be used. Roderick’s army was barely able to escape with their lives, much less take their weapons.
In the meantime, trying to launch an attack with the remaining forces was impossible.
Though 30,000 men was a sizable force, there were still 10,000 Galbarium-equipped soldiers here. If they fought with the fortress in play, the unarmed men would be wiped out one after another.
“Hmm, depending on how the lord fared, their movements could change…”
Claude issued a wait order to the entire army. Their actions would depend on whether the lord succeeded or failed in the West.
As they waited, some of Roderick’s troops suddenly scattered in all directions. Seeing that, Claude smiled.
“Oh, did the lord succeed?”
Another staff officer observed Roderick’s movements and asked, “What’s going on? What are they doing?”
Claude casually responded, “They probably ran into supply issues. That’s why they’re moving so urgently.”
“Oh… In that case?”
“Right, the lord has succeeded. They’ve clearly captured Linderstein.”
Roderick’s army was likely scheming to plunder and destroy the surrounding area to obtain food and draw the local troops out.
However, Penris had no areas available for them to plunder. Long ago, the territory residents had all been forcibly moved to castles and fortresses in preparation for war. Not a single small village remained.
Claude smiled again and continued, “Seeing how they’re in a hurry to move, we’ll surely get news soon. From that Dark guy or whatever.”
Sure enough, after a short wait, a crow flew in and landed before Claude.
“Hey, Claude.”
“……”
“Sorry. I took a wrong turn on the way and got delayed. It seems they have already relayed the news. What’s with the scowl? I didn’t want to be late, alright? It’s not like I’m a map! I don’t know every road!”
“…Got it.”
Now everyone knew how cocky Dark was. Since he was somewhat of a summoned being, there was no way to land any real punishment on him.
So everyone had come to accept it.
Claude shook his head a few times and then asked, “What’s going on on the lord’s side?”
“They’ve occupied Linderstein and entrusted it to someone else. They’re coming back north soon. In the meantime, they told me to guard the area… You sure killed a lot of them, huh?”
Dark had seen the corpses piled in front of the fortress while coming here. Without needing any explanation, he understood it had been a great victory.
Claude nodded smugly and said, “Nothing special. Then they’ll start fighting back now. It’s about time to wrap this up. Dark, inform the waiting mercenaries.”
With supplies cut off, Roderick’s army would use any means necessary. But they only had two options left.
Either find fresh food and engage in a prolonged battle or retreat to the West and reclaim Linderstein.
Of course, whichever path they chose, they would inevitably fail. Claude was set on wiping them out in this North.
