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Chapter 77: Those Guys Are Quite Something (4)

Dum! Dum! Dum!

As the day broke, the enemies began to swarm again.

Unlike before, they moved all at once.

Were they seriously planning to breach the castle now, even bringing along a mobile ladder?

The soldiers of Perdium tensed up, frozen in fear at the sight.

Thanks to holding out against the siege for two days, their morale was high, but witnessing the enemy’s large-scale advance was undeniably pressuring.

“Stay strong! We can hold them today too!”

Hearing Zvalter’s encouragement, the soldiers took their positions and began to fire arrows valiantly at the enemies.

Thud! Thud!

The arrows were less effective against the advancing enemies at the front, shield soldiers leading the charge.

Still, from time to time, the rear infantry and archers managed to hit a few enemies, causing them to tumble.

After plowing through the suppressive fire, a group finally reached the base of the castle wall.

The crumbling wall had already been filled with wood, dirt, and stones.

The enemies, however, ignored that and set their ladders up against various points of the wall.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The enemies began climbing up the ladders leaning against the castle walls.

“Stop them! Push the enemies back!”

Following Zvalter’s orders, the soldiers dumped various weapons down the ladders.

They rolled down spiked cylinders, continuously pouring hot water and molten metal upon the invaders.

“Uwaaaah!”

The enemies pushing up with shields couldn’t withstand the violent retaliation and fell down one by one.

The soldiers of Perdium found themselves dodging arrows aimed at them from below, fighting hard just to stay alive.

Fortunately, the enemy’s assault wasn’t overwhelming, so the damage wasn’t too severe.

‘What’s going on? Why isn’t the siege tower moving?’

Zvalter’s mind grew troubled.

If the attacker used ladders to scale the wall, they would inevitably incur more damage than if they used the siege tower.

But why were the enemies only using ladders and not moving the siege towers at all?

It was suspicious that the enemies weren’t pushing aggressively either.

It felt as if they were indifferent, considering the possibility of taking the castle.

However, with the sheer number of enemies, there was no way to relax and fend them off like they were.

Zvalter continued to ponder the enemy’s intentions.

‘Are they planning to dig down the foundation of the wall? Or are they thinking of tunneling in?’

He thought of various alternative strategies commonly used in sieges, but nothing came to mind.

There were no signs of work being done beneath the walls and, on their side, there wasn’t enough time to dig tunnels either.

Eventually, the enemies failed to breach the walls and retreated when the sun began to set.

“Waah! We held them off again today!”

The soldiers cheered, but it was yet another unsatisfactory victory like the day before.

Zvalter’s worries didn’t last long. As night fell, it quickly became apparent what the enemy was planning.

“Waaaah! Attack!”

The enemies were attacking relentlessly through the night, but only about half of their forces.

Even half was more than the entire army of Perdium.

“These bastards are trying to wear us down completely!”

Zvalter gritted his teeth and shouted.

‘If we pull back our troops, we’ll end up leaving gaps everywhere!’

The difference in troop sizes made it hard to adopt the same strategy as the enemy.

While the enemy was cautiously attacking, the casualties were manageable, but fatigue was piling up.

The next day, the rest of the forces that had rested at night would come crashing back in.

Zvalter tried pulling back his troops, half-heartedly imitating the enemy.

But the enemy immediately noticed the retreat and struck at the weak spots.

‘Even if they’re the enemy, their commander is impressive!’

If Ghislaine and the mercenaries hadn’t been active, one side of the castle wall would have already been captured.

“Brother! The soldiers are too exhausted.”

Randolf delivered the message cautiously. However, there weren’t any good measures to take.

They were trying to pull back the soldiers a bit at a time so they could rest, but the ratios were vastly different compared to the enemies.

The next day was the same. The enemy forces had rested well, while the morale of the allies visibly dwindled.

“Ah, no… I’m exhausted to death.”

“Are we really going to have to keep fighting like this?”

“When in the world will it end? Didn’t we say they were out of supplies?”

The soldiers of Perdium were rapidly losing morale.

They hadn’t slept properly for three days.

War itself brings immense tension and fatigue.

But having to fight through the nights without rest, their stamina plummeted.

Ghislaine took a desperate leap from the wall again, but the enemy’s strategy remained unchanged.

When mercenaries clad in black armor appeared, the soldiers retreated while the knights went after Ghislaine to contain him.

In the end, Ghislaine couldn’t deal significant damage and returned.

Yet a strange smile lingered at the corners of his mouth.

‘Yes, you’re doing well. Viktor. Keep it up a little longer.’

Behind that, Ghislaine and the mercenaries focused wholly on defending the fortress.

“Your Highness, if we continue like this, we’ll surely face defeat. We need to find a way out.”

Gillian whispered worriedly, but Ghislaine nodded while wearing a cool smile.

“Indeed, they seem determined. But it’s not time yet. Just hold on a little longer.”

Such strategies don’t work well if the defenders have enough troops and supplies. It only wastes time.

If things go wrong, the attacking side could take significant damage instead.

However, this was a very effective strategy against Perdium in its current state.

Zvalter was again suspecting who was behind this war and what their purpose was.

‘Since when have they been preparing for this?’

It’s widely known that Perdium lacks resources, so there’s no need to hide that. But…

‘Those ladders. They must have been prepared long before the war.’

The walls of Perdium are rather low compared to others.

Even the bridge of the siege tower would be a downhill incline when placed against those walls.

Yet, the ladders brought by the enemy were all custom-made to perfectly match the height of the walls of Perdium.

That implied they had been eyeing Perdium and preparing for at least a few months.

‘So this wasn’t planned from the moment the traitors crossed over. Did they start preparing as soon as the Runestone was discovered?’

It seemed that spies had been lurking in the territory for a long time.

‘Count Loges won’t be able to come.’

It seemed wise to give up on any hope of reinforcements.

The reason communication with Count Loges had been cut off was obvious.

‘The messengers must have all been captured by those guys.’

Now the only hope left was that the enemy would retreat due to supply issues.

The day the stationary siege tower moved would be the day of the final battle.

‘Will we be able to hold out until then?’

Zvalter gazed tiredly at the distant siege tower.

*

Meanwhile, Viktor too was gauging the final battle.

Although he was leading the battlefield to their advantage, he couldn’t help the troop depletion.

The increasing damage was unwelcome. He needed to reduce losses to be acknowledged for his command ability.

But he couldn’t just sit still either; he had to move carefully.

“Are we alright with resources running low?”

Tamos asked worriedly from the side.

They had to settle things and acquire the Runestone, or else Digald wouldn’t be able to recover from the losses incurred during this war.

If they were to be attacked in return from Perdium in the meantime, Digald would be utterly doomed.

“Don’t worry. It’ll be over soon.”

Viktor replied firmly.

The truth that Perdium would end, and so would Digald, remained buried deep in his heart.

‘Can we hold out for two more days? It’s about time problems arise on their side too.’

If he could press just a few more days, it would be ideal, but they didn’t have enough supplies for even that much leeway.

“Push a bit harder.”

Viktor decided to endure some damage and extended the battle time a little longer.

The soldiers of Perdium, barely holding on with little sleep, were finding it increasingly difficult to withstand.

In the meantime, Ghislaine had the mercenaries alternate shifts for proper rest.

The problem was that for every bit of rest the mercenaries got, Ghislaine had to move even more.

“Young Master! Are you crazy? You’ll die at this rate!”

“Your Highness! You need a little rest too!”

Belinda and Gillian pleaded, but Ghislaine was the type to push through once he made up his mind.

“It’s fine. It’s better than resting forever after dying, right? I need to keep moving now.”

Belinda clutched her chest at his stubbornly nonchalant response.

Two days passed like this.

The soldiers of Perdium faced an even graver problem.

“Our arrows… they’re all gone.”

“We’re out of defensive supplies too.”

As the reports from the knights continued, Zvalter eventually hung his head in defeat.

They had used up all their resources trying to fend off the incessant enemy attacks.

Baron Homern worked hard to gather supplies from the territory, but that was limited too.

‘They must have anticipated this.’

The enemy commander had exploited their weaknesses perfectly.

Even Randolf, who was usually brimming with energy, now only blinked with tired eyes, and the soldiers were all exhausted.

‘It’s the end.’

It was surprising they had held out against such careful enemies for this long.

Had it not been for Ghislaine, they wouldn’t have lasted this far.

“You seem to be doing a bit better than the others.”

At Zvalter’s words, Ghislaine shrugged nonchalantly.

“There’s still fighting left to do.”

In truth, Ghislaine looked tired, but not nearly to the extent of the others.

Zvalter hesitated for a moment before saying with a trembling voice.

“When the battle starts… you should take the mercenaries and leave this place.”

“What do you mean?”

Ghislaine looked puzzled at his father’s unusual demeanor.

He was always someone who emphasized noble duty and honor, and now he was suggesting fleeing.

“Go find Count Loges. He won’t forget about you since the Countess is your aunt. He will protect you.”

“But didn’t you say that isn’t the duty of a noble?”

“…I can’t help being human. It’s a father’s heart, not a lord’s. Take Elena with you as well.”

“Are you already expecting defeat?”

“The timing when your forces can make an impact has passed. If we win, we’ll win without you, and if we lose, we’ll lose even with you here.”

“……”

“Befriend Cain, but don’t provoke him unnecessarily.”

“……Haha.”

It was rare to see Zvalter joke. Ghislaine let out an unintentional chuckle.

Randolf came up and placed a friendly hand on Ghislaine’s shoulder.

“Your Highness, or rather, since you seem like a nephew now, let’s speak comfortably.”

“When haven’t you spoken comfortably?”

Ghislaine answered curtly, and Randolf flashed a grin showing his teeth.

“It’s been filthy being around you, so let’s never meet again. You’ve always been reliable, but still, in the end, you’ve truly acted like the Grand Duke and the heir of the territory. Go continue the family lineage.”

“I won’t run away.”

“Just go. You need to live if you wish to take our vengeance later.”

Vengeance.

Ghislaine answered with a sly smile.

“Vengeance has already begun.”

“What?”

Dum! Dum! Dum!

Before Randolf could even ask what he meant, the enemy’s drums began to sound.

Dududududu!

The remaining three siege towers were also on the move.

Everyone felt the time for the final showdown had finally arrived.

Ghislaine turned away from watching the advancing enemy.

“I’ll be moving according to my own plan now.”

As he headed down toward the castle gate, Zvalter and Randolf could only watch in silence.

Moments later, Zvalter sighed.

“Right, since when has that guy ever listened? Yet at the end, he’s still a noble.”

“Since it’s come to this, let’s see it through to the end. With the siege towers moving, it certainly seems like today is the last day. If we’re out of weapons, then we can just fight with our fists, can’t we?”

Seeing Randolf rekindle his enthusiasm, Zvalter nodded.

Then he shouted to the soldiers.

“Everyone, hold your ground! Today is the final battle!”

“Waaaaah!”

In response to their lord’s declaration, the soldiers raised their weapons and cheered loudly.

In truth, no one believed Perdium could win.

It was more like a scream uttered from a desire not to die.

Hearing the cries from Perdium’s side, Viktor chuckled to himself.

“It’s over now. Those annoying brats.”

Since yesterday, hardly any arrows had flown in their direction.

It was evidence that the enemy’s resources were almost depleted.

Now was the time to charge forward with overwhelming power and claim victory.

“Central army, advance and stand by near the castle gate!”

Especially, he densely arranged shield soldiers in the central army’s formation.

“If they get cornered, the enemies will surely open the castle gate and charge out. At that moment, let the mages strike the forefront.”

The mages beside Viktor nodded in agreement.

Viktor was certain that when the siege began, the thugs in black armor would inevitably charge out.

In the last moments, they would employ their strengths in a gallant charge.

‘They’ll consider that their last chance to win.’

However, if the mages were to strike out of the blue, they would crumble.

‘I had hidden the mages for this moment.’

Though it seemed there was someone who could think a bit in Perdium, that was as far as it went.

“All forces! Charge!”

With Viktor’s shout, all the forces began to move simultaneously.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The soldiers of Perdium were engulfed in despair, trembling.

They had managed to hold out until now. But today, it didn’t seem likely they would survive.

Only the mercenaries glared with sharp eyes at the enemy, burning with fighting spirit.

As Ghislaine briefly scanned the mercenaries, his gaze stopped at one nearby person.

“Vanessa, get ready.”

 

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