Chapter 74
Chapter 74
“Ugh! Here of all places!”
Viktor couldn’t contain himself.
The troop casualties weren’t severe, but losing a single expensive and precious siege tower was a colossal blunder.
On top of that, his pride was seriously wounded because they weren’t retreating strategically; they had to pull back out of sheer necessity.
“Huff, huff…”
Next to the huffing Viktor, Tamos wore a doubtful expression.
‘Is this guy just a complete failure?’
He had strutted around acting like he was some big shot with strategies and sieges, but in the end, they barely inflicted any damage and were forced to retreat.
Nonetheless, it wasn’t that hard to understand.
The black knights that had burst from the castle gate looked incredibly strong, even to someone who was devoid of combat experience like himself.
Had they attacked without Desmond’s help, they would have been pulverized before even starting the siege.
“Ahem. By the way, those black knights seemed quite formidable. Is that alright?”
“Not knights. Their movements didn’t involve mana utilization.”
“Not knights and yet still that strong?”
“They’re well-trained and organized, that’s possible. If they had hundreds of knights, they would’ve just stormed the castle gate without hesitation. There’s no way Perdium has that kind of troop strength.”
“Cough, so what do you plan to do now? Are you thinking of just waiting around like this? It doesn’t seem effective, so let’s just charge in.”
At this, Viktor glared at him with a terrifying gaze. Tamos sweated nervously and raised both hands.
“Just a suggestion, a suggestion. I’m sure you’ll handle it well.”
Viktor scoffed and turned his head away.
But Tamos didn’t stop there; he looked around cautiously and then slyly asked again.
“I’ve heard there are two 4-circle mages here. Why not enlist their power?”
“It’s not time yet.”
His tone was blatantly displeased.
Tamos smirked silently as if to say he expected as much.
‘Tsk, tsk, proud even if not a knight…’
From Tamos’s observations, it was evident that the relationship between Viktor and the mages was quite poor.
Though Tamos might not be good in combat, he understood the insidious political landscape well.
He could see the discomfort and awkwardness that arose every time Viktor encountered the mages.
‘Well, knights and mages don’t typically get along.’
A 4-circle mage could very well serve as the exclusive mage for any decent territory.
Even if Viktor requested their assistance, it was doubtful that those proud mages would follow his orders obediently.
Tamos shook his head and quietly exited the barracks.
Staying there would be nothing but pointless exchanges and jibes, so he had no reason to linger.
Left alone, Viktor exhaled sharply, muttering to himself.
“Damn…such humiliation.”
What stung even more was the fact that he had dismissed Perdium, thinking he could handle it easily, only to be caught off guard.
The image of that black knight who had mercilessly wiped out his troops and demolished the siege tower kept resurfacing in his mind.
‘They were strong in combat, but…there’s no way they made such quick judgments in that brief moment. They likely just relied on their strength and came out blindly.’
To defend his pride, Viktor sought to belittle his opponent in any way he could.
He rationalized that they probably rushed out in a panic, feeling overwhelmed.
When too many thoughts cloud one’s mind, sometimes you get unexpectedly stomped by the ignorant and lucky ones.
Anyway, he couldn’t just stay idle. He slowly calmed his anger and decided to formulate a new plan.
“They looked down on us.”
Viktor admitted that his opponent was stronger than he had anticipated.
Though it was a trifling rural territory, those who had been fighting in the north for a long time were certainly not to be underestimated.
“I’ll shake things up from the inside.”
Secretly, Viktor summoned ten knights and issued new orders.
“Tomorrow night, sneak into Perdium and take over the eastern castle gate. I’ll have five hundred cavalry and a thousand infantry standing by nearby. Once you secure the eastern gate, send up a signal. We’ll move in immediately.”
The knights looked at each other with puzzled expressions.
“Is that really possible with just us? They’re bound to be well-guarded.”
Even if Perdium’s forces were few, the defenses would surely be tight.
If the enemy launched a large-scale invasion, they would immediately send for reinforcements.
But Viktor smiled as if to say not to worry.
“I have someone on the inside, so don’t fret. If you’re struggling to take the eastern gate, start fires around and create a commotion. And…”
With a glint of malice in his eyes, Viktor continued.
“Take the opportunity amidst the chaos to assassinate Zvalter. A knight from Perdium will guide you.”
*
The next day, Viktor’s forces attacked Perdium Castle once more.
However, their movements were far more passive than the previous day.
They simply pushed shield soldiers in front and shot arrows at the castle wall.
The Perdium soldiers took cover while returning fire.
After half a day of exchanging little damage, Viktor’s forces fell back.
“Woohoo!”
Though there was something odd about it, the soldiers of Perdium cheered as they had managed to hold out for another day.
The command staff wondered if their enemy had something up their sleeves, but with no clue about their thoughts, there was little to be done.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As night fell, several fireworks went off in the enemy camp.
Seeing this, the soldiers of Perdium looked on in disbelief.
“Are they already firing the victory cannon?”
“We won today, right? Was it a mistake?”
While the soldiers murmured about the fireworks, Ghislaine crossed her arms, lost in thought.
‘That…’
With a strange expression, she gazed at the night sky as the fireworks faded and quietly turned to head somewhere.
As the night wore on, some of Viktor’s troops began moving stealthily through the darkness.
The knights wrapped themselves in black robes to avoid detection and sought out the weakest points in the castle wall.
“Move quickly. This seems about right.”
It was unreasonable for the under-manned Perdium to have soldiers packed along every castle wall.
The knights easily found a spot with few patrols, using mana to leap over the wall.
Assassinations of key figures were often a method employed during wars, so they had experience.
Moreover, with an insider, there was no need for concern.
They’d already memorized the route to meet with their informant.
It wasn’t long before they came face to face with a knight waiting for them.
“Are you Dren?”
The knight standing in the shadows nodded.
He was one of Harold’s spies planted in Perdium.
The two traitorous followers had gone to Digald’s territory to establish a pretext for war, while Dren had remained here.
Count Desmond was a cautious and meticulous individual who considered numerous possibilities and prepared many countermeasures.
Dren was one of those precautions.
“Yes. We don’t have time, so let’s move quickly. With me around, the soldiers won’t suspect anything.”
Dren spoke urgently, looking tense as if fearful of being discovered.
Nodding, the knights began to follow Dren.
But after only a few steps, someone leaped down from the roof to block their path.
Thud!
“Whoa! Where are you all off to at this late hour? Did you skip dinner?”
Swoosh!
Dren and the knights quickly drew their swords.
Recognizing the face of their opponent, Dren stammered.
“Y-Your Highness?”
The Grand Duke, whom they always dismissed as incompetent, was showcasing his abilities in this war, and Dren knew he couldn’t defeat him.
But that was only if it were a one-on-one match.
Surely, no matter how mighty the Grand Duke, he couldn’t take on eleven knights all at once.
Dren urgently said.
“We have to silence him to avoid alerting anyone!”
Ghislaine raised one hand nonchalantly.
Clang! Clang!
As if they were waiting for a cue, figures clad in black armor surged out from the nearby houses.
Viktor’s knights screamed in horror.
“You knew all along! How the hell did you know our movements so precisely?”
“Dren! You sold us out, didn’t you?”
Dren, cold sweat pouring down his face, waved his hands frantically.
“No! I didn’t say anything!”
In an instant, mercenaries completely surrounded them, all drawing crossbows.
Zing!
Faced with hundreds of crossbows, the knights grimaced.
No matter how adept they were at manipulating mana, avoiding hundreds of bolts was simply impossible.
As everyone stood bewildered, Ghislaine dusted off her pants and said.
“Dren, you were a traitor too. Why are there so many spies in your territory? How much money did they all take?”
“Damn it! How did you find out?”
Realizing escape was impossible, Dren didn’t bother denying it.
Ghislaine nodded dismissively.
“Hmm, well, I didn’t know who the traitor was. But I did expect someone would sneak in today. I mean, it’s not my first time going to war with you all.”
She had fought Harold Desmond many times in her past life.
Although it ultimately concluded with her smashing his head in order to settle the score.
“What…?”
For anyone unaware of Ghislaine’s secrets about returning to the past, it merely sounded like rambling.
While Dren was dumbfounded, Viktor’s knights, gripping their swords, approached slowly.
They thought to take the Grand Duke hostage to force their escape.
As the knights crept closer, Ghislaine squinted her eyes.
“Just like Desmond’s knights. They look quite capable, don’t they?”
The knights stiffened their faces.
They had sworn allegiance to Digald’s name.
Though they had suspected outside forces were involved given the sudden increase in numbers, how on earth could they have known they were Desmond’s knights?
Watching the panicking knights, Ghislaine smirked.
“Welcome. This is your first time in Perdium, isn’t it?”
“…Attack!”
Since they had already been found out, there was no reason to hesitate.
The knights all lunged at Ghislaine, swords drawn.
Clang! Clang!
Their attacks were intercepted by Gillian and Kaor, who appeared like lightning on either side of Ghislaine.
Whoosh!
Behind Ghislaine, several daggers emerged from the shadows, launching at the knights.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Argh!”
Three knights fell, their throats cut cleanly by the unexpected ambush.
Simultaneously, the mercenaries pulled the triggers on their crossbows, bolts filling the air and streaking toward the knights.
Thwack!
“Augh!”
Crossbows were powerful enough that, at close range, they could pierce armor.
The knights collapsed like hedgehogs, full of bolts.
Some still managed to deflect bolts with their swords and channel mana to protect themselves, but they only narrowly avoided critical hits.
“Ugh…”
In the end, only five knights survived, including Dren.
“Wow, five of you survived. Desmond really sent some serious talent, huh?”
Ghislaine approached them, impressed.
Even under these cramped conditions, evading the aim of hundreds of crossbows was impossible.
Though they were left incapacitated for battle, simply surviving such an onslaught was a testament to their skill.
“But standing is going to be tough.”
The knights bled and slumped to the ground.
Dren gasped as Ghislaine approached, pleading.
“Ugh… Please spare me. I was wrong. Your Highness, please…”
“Our territory already lacks knights… to have such a talented knight betray us is truly heartbreaking. What went wrong?”
Ghislaine, receiving an axe from Gillian, sighed as if genuinely disappointed.
Seeing a glimmer of hope for survival, Dren grasped at straws.
“Please spare me! I won’t betray you again! I-I know their plans…”
Crack!
Dren’s head split open as he fell lifelessly to the ground.
“Not needed.”
Ghislaine moved closer to the remaining knights, shaking the blood off the axe.
One knight, trying to judge the situation, desperately shouted.
“We surrender! Surrender! Treat us as prisoners! We can pay a ransom…”
Crack!
The knight who was speaking had his head split open too.
The brutal action left the remaining knights in shock, unable to speak.
It’s against etiquette to kill surrendering knights.
This was the first time watching someone kill a surrendering knight without listening to their words.
“Why? Do you think that’s too harsh? Did you think you’d just waltz in to kill me without consequences?”
Smirking, Ghislaine’s expression turned serious in an instant.
If one insists on following common sense, protocol, and law, they would merely end up being dragged along by these men.
What importance remains for pride or honor?
Ghislaine’s goal was revenge against them.
The only thing that mattered was the annihilation of her enemies.
She slowly crouched before the knights, whispering quietly.
“The first one to speak dies.”
“……”
“Just moving a finger will get you killed.”
“……”
Faced with her cold gaze, the knights fell silent.
“Answer only the questions I pose. If your replies lag, you die.”
