Chapter 76
Chapter 76: They’re Quite the Bunch After All. (3)
A sturdy barracks set close to the castle walls.
A few mercenaries were standing guard, keeping a sharp eye out.
Ghislaine confidently pushed open the barrack door and walked in. A group of people were lying on the ground with vacant eyes.
“Good job, Alfoy and friends.”
It was none other than the wizards, including Alfoy.
This was the reason Ghislaine could predict the enemy’s movements.
“Ugh, damn it…”
Alfoy raised his hand as if to protest, but then he collapsed again. He had exhausted himself too much.
Ghislaine smiled broadly at them.
“Thanks to you, we held out well. Very good. I look forward to your continued support.”
“Ugh, when is this war going to end…?”
In truth, the wizards had only intended to shoot fireballs lazily from the castle walls when war broke out and then make a run for it.
After all, if Perdium fell, their contracts would be void anyway.
As long as they kept the fact that the Mage Tower’s wizards were in Perdium a secret, there would be no damage to the Mage Tower itself.
They had been waiting for the right moment to escape since the war began.
However, the mercenaries that appeared as soon as the war started were sticking close, making it impossible to flee.
And today, due to Ghislaine’s request, they had to struggle immensely.
“I’m done with this… I really feel like my head’s going to explode…”
Alfoy sobbed in a dying voice. Ghislaine nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, you probably won’t need to use that spell anymore. I’ll ask you for something different next time.”
“Phew… That’s a relief.”
Alfoy replied in a weakened voice.
The magic they cast was, in fact, a large-scale detection spell.
Six wizards cast detection magic over all areas not covered by the castle gates.
In theory, it was the best method, but the problem was that there was a limit to the information a person could absorb at once.
It was no wonder they collapsed from a nosebleed, trying to cram dozens of perspectives into their minds all at once.
Still, thanks to this, Ghislaine was able to pinpoint the direction from which the enemy would come and their target.
“Vanessa, can we talk for a moment?”
“Uh? Yes!”
Vanessa, who was nursing the wizards next to her, quickly followed Ghislaine when he called her.
Although she had been taking care of the collapsed wizards while waiting in the barracks, she still feared Alfoy.
She had received plenty of scorn for trying to play mage even though she couldn’t use any magic.
Ghislaine climbed up to the watchtower next to the barracks and took in the dark castle walls.
“It must be uncomfortable being with those guys, huh? We have to move together when things get urgent, so it can’t be helped. Just bear with it for a little while longer.”
“…I’m fine.”
It was a pretty useless comfort, but for Vanessa, even empty words of encouragement were something to be grateful for.
After a while of silence from Ghislaine, Vanessa hesitated and asked the most pressing question on her mind.
“How did you know the enemy was coming today?”
The plan to identify the enemy’s location with detection magic was nothing new.
The enemies wouldn’t know there were wizards on our side, so they wouldn’t be prepared at all.
It was a peculiar scheme that one wouldn’t think of if they had a wizard with them.
But Vanessa couldn’t understand how Ghislaine could be so certain that the enemies would attack today.
Ghislaine grinned and replied.
“I’ve seen it before. That firework.”
“You’ve fought with them before?”
“Yeah.”
Every territory has its own signals they like to use.
In his previous life, Harold often used fireworks as signals.
Every time, chaos ensued within. Of course, everything got smashed to pieces before they could even do anything, thanks to Ghislaine’s overwhelming strength.
“It’s a No-brainer, really, even without having fought them before.”
Even if he hadn’t fought, he would have at least caught a hint of their intentions.
After experiencing countless wars and various events in his past life, he had a sense for these things.
“Still, if there were no wizards, we wouldn’t have been able to handle it this well.”
Even if he could guess their plans, accurately capturing their movements wasn’t an easy feat.
Thanks to the wizards, they could easily fend off the ambush and even have time to counterattack.
“By the way, how do you feel about experiencing war for the first time? Are you getting used to it yet?”
Ghislaine had created a watchtower beside the barracks for the wizards to observe the war situation.
Vanessa’s complexion darkened a bit.
The images of people dying still vividly played in front of her eyes.
“It was… scary.”
Ghislaine had told her to get used to it, but she had no confidence in ever becoming accustomed to this.
On the first day, her face had turned pale, and she had felt nauseous nonstop.
It was a brutality she couldn’t bear to look at with her own two eyes.
The sight of soldiers collapsing in pain made her forget the anguish of her own unfortunate fate that had always shadowed her.
What crime did they commit to deserve to die like this?
Such thoughts filled her mind.
“How can you fight like that, Your Highness?”
She had watched from a distance as Ghislaine went on a rampage.
Seeing him slaughtering enemies without reserve had shocked her greatly.
He was someone who provided such significant grace that she could never repay him.
A noble who was always playful and sometimes whimsical, so different from the usual nobles.
She had never suspected such a brutal nature lay hidden beneath that facade.
It was a question that could sound like a condemnation, but Ghislaine opened his mouth with an air of calm.
“The territory, its residents, family, retainers, knights and soldiers, and the mercenaries following me… They are all people I love. I must protect them, no matter what.”
Vanessa couldn’t reply.
She had only been in this place for two months.
During that time, she had been training and preparing the tasks Ghislaine assigned her, leaving no time to bond with others in Perdium.
While she deeply admired Ghislaine, she still felt no sense of belonging to Perdium.
Thus, whether they were allies or enemies, to her, they were just poor souls dying on the battlefield.
As if to understand her feelings, Ghislaine continued speaking.
“But it’s different for you. That’s why I have no choice but to force you.”
“…”
“They are people you must kill.”
His tone was resolute. Vanessa trembled as she asked.
“Is there no way to win other than that?”
Ghislaine was preparing a terrifying trap.
If the plan succeeded, not a single one of the enemies would return alive.
At first, she simply wanted to help Ghislaine, not thinking too deeply about it.
However, after witnessing the brutal reality of slaughter firsthand, she understood what she had to do.
After a moment of silence, Ghislaine continued.
“If the enemy spreads their forces and surrounds the three gates, we can win without you. I’d just pick them off one by one. There would be some damage, but even if we lose the castle, we’d have the upper hand being familiar with the terrain.”
If the enemy’s forces were divided, they might win as things stood.
“But the enemy isn’t stupid. If they move carefully and stick together… Even if we win, we’d suffer devastating losses.”
“…”
“In the end, if one of us has to be annihilated to end this, it’s better if we win, right?”
“…”
Vanessa nodded silently.
Ghislaine’s words were right.
Though she hadn’t had the time to make friends while busy learning magic, those few short months in this place had been some of the happiest times of her life.
If Ghislaine lost the war, he would die, and if he surrendered, he’d die as well.
To save Ghislaine, the person she admired, they had to win the war.
He met her gaze and smiled.
The smile reflected in the moonlight wasn’t pure and bright at all.
It was filled with an unknown intent to kill and ferocity.
His eyes showed a determination to kill anyone who got in his way.
“Can you do it?”
It was not a question but an inevitable command, an absolute order that could not be refused.
Only then did Vanessa get a vague understanding of his true nature.
“Your Highness…”
It would be a lie to say she hadn’t suspected his essence at all.
Vanessa still couldn’t forget the threats from when she first met Ghislaine at the Mage Tower.
But at the same time, she wanted to be his strength.
Whether it was out of sympathy or necessity, or on a whim, he had resolved her despair. She wanted to help him, even if just a little.
But that wasn’t blind loyalty to a savior.
‘I…’
Despair weighing down on life. Mockery of being unable to do anything. Frustration from achieving nothing despite effort.
‘I don’t want that anymore.’
She could no longer hide and merely watch others.
She had to step forward, overcoming her despair and into the world.
To overcome pain and conquer her frustrations, she had to take that step herself.
Choosing her own life.
Helping Ghislaine was the first decision Vanessa made for herself.
For the place she would spend her life moving forward. For the one who acknowledged her. And, for herself.
She no longer wanted to live her life in avoidance.
“…I’ll try.”
*
Viktor sat inside the barracks, frowning in deep thought.
‘I can’t stand this.’
He didn’t think they would lose the war.
That would be obvious. With a full-scale attack, it would be easy to capture Perdium.
However, it was humiliating to have been continuously thwarted by such enemies.
‘Should I just go and kill them all myself?’
If he took the lead, he could unleash tremendous destructive power.
He was that strong a knight.
‘No, then I wouldn’t get the recognition I deserve.’
While he had to use force if necessary, knights demonstrated their true power more effectively in the field than in sieges.
Viktor had no intention of being merely a knight who possessed outstanding individual power.
Such people would only rise to become knight commanders at best.
His goal was to ascend to a high-ranking command position in the kingdom.
To gain recognition for his leadership, he needed to capture the castle with minimal losses.
Feeling a headache coming on, Viktor let out a deep sigh.
‘How did they figure out there were traitors? Did someone betray us?’
That was unlikely. If anyone wouldn’t fail to manage traitors, it was Count Desmond.
‘Is there really a smart staff member like that in Perdium?’
Grinding his teeth.
It felt like someone was playing with the top of his head.
His plan had failed, and they had been hit back instead.
It was difficult to bear the humiliation wrapping around him completely.
“There’s nothing I can do.”
He was angry, but he didn’t intend to continue this tactical struggle any longer.
Given the scarcity of supplies, it was not a situation where he could afford to be complacent.
If he didn’t capture this place this time, he would be treated as incompetent.
Just as Viktor was resolved to launch a total assault, two middle-aged men entered the barracks.
They looked down on Viktor with arrogance.
“Count, you had two days to capture this place. Yet, two days have already passed.”
“I cannot understand your plan.”
Viktor did not hide his displeasure as he replied.
“I have some thoughts. The war will soon come to an end.”
The two were wizards Harold had assigned to him.
He had sent two 4th-circle wizards to prepare for any contingencies.
However, these wizards didn’t have the best relationship with the knight Viktor.
“If capturing a territory of this level incurs significant losses, you would be rather disappointed. You know the Count’s personality well, don’t you?”
“Why not split the troops and simultaneously attack the other gates? We should have more men after all. Wouldn’t that mean fewer defenders over there?”
The wizards were giving unsolicited advice, but Viktor frowned and shook his head.
“Splitting up won’t be effective. It would be no different from now. At least we’d have to split into three for their troop numbers to noticeably decrease.”
“Then we can do that, can’t we?”
“One of the enemy divisions seemed quite capable. If we lose just one section, we will lose the advantage of having a large force. Even if we captured another gate, we’d have to engage in street combat again.”
Viktor had recognized the black-armored unit as formidable.
Hadn’t he just been bested by them today?
There are opponents with whom one can engage and others they cannot. The black-armored unit was in the latter category.
If they split up their forces and weakened them, the enemy would lie in wait for opportunities to intercept them.
That was the only way for Perdium to have any chance of victory.
“Originally, if I had more troops than now, I would have surrounded them on three sides and fought. But right now, it’s better to gather together.”
There was only one Viktor; he couldn’t keep watch in all directions at once.
Though his words were logical, the wizards did not take him at his word.
They thought he was making excuses out of fear.
Quietly mocking Viktor for being timid, the wizard asked again.
“Then are you just going to toy with us? They say there’s no wizard over there.”
“If there’s no wizard, the two of us could kill hundreds.”
As the wizards constantly nagged him, Viktor replied irritably.
“Prepare yourself, we’ll be going out soon. Your magic will be used for the final battle.”
“The final battle?”
When Viktor explained the plan, the wizards finally seemed intrigued.
“Indeed, they said you are not only skilled in swordsmanship but also strategy.”
“If that’s the strategy, I’ll support it. After all, you’re a knight favored by the Count. Ho ho ho.”
With the insincere flattery, Viktor frowned instead.
He could tell they were looking down on him.
They regarded him as a rookie who was inexperienced at commanding such a large army.
‘Hmph, just wait. If I win this war, I’ll rise even higher.’
Though it was his first time commanding a great army, he never thought for a second that he would lose.
Harold’s trust was synonymous with self-belief.
Viktor had never seen anyone as thorough and cautious as Count Desmond.
And Viktor was essentially the embodiment of everything he had learned directly from Harold.
Harold had provided him with thousands of elite soldiers, wizards, and siege equipment. It was an overwhelming force.
Just before heading out, Harold had said that with his swordsmanship, he could win even with any unexpected variables.
“Tomorrow we’ll begin. The supply scarcity means a resolution will come soon anyway.”
The wizards nodded and exited the barracks.
Left alone, Viktor stared coldly at the map.
‘I will achieve victory with minimal losses.’
As much as the other side would give their all, they had to give their all as well. Then, they would surely not lose.
