Chapter 141: Chapter 141
A feint operation was easy to say, but executing it in practice was far more difficult than expected.
After all, this was an era where the only ways to contact a distant target were messengers, torch signals, and carrier pigeons.
If the timing was off, it would result in simply splitting a perfectly fine force into two and feeding them to the enemy one after another.
In that regard, the feint operation by Benon, the commander of the Ruman Kingdom, was worthy of fairly high marks.
At the moment they attacked the landing unit on land, Pendia’s fleet had been lured away by Ruman’s fast vessel squad all the way to the horizon.
Even if they sent their fastest ship to report the news and return, it would easily take dozens of minutes, and during that time, the surprise attack force would be able to destroy the siege engines being unloaded and burn the supplies.
That was, if Shan had not stayed behind here without boarding the ship, following Giznu’s advice.
“Ah…”
The dozens of knights specially selected by the Ruman Kingdom for this raid saw the golden-armored knight approaching from the opposite side.
Seeing the silver longsword held in his hand, someone muttered.
“The Silver Snake…!”
The people of Ruman called A Thousand Shapes by that name.
They said that Pendia’s Lord Protector freely wielded the silver snake to bite and kill his enemies.
By now, it was common knowledge that he possessed a mithril magic artifact capable of changing shape at will.
A treasure, the most powerful in the world, fitting for the most powerful warrior in the world.
Had Shan not been the strongest knight and the Lord Protector of Pendia, there would have been countless attempts to steal this treasure from him.
“Kill him!”
“For Her Majesty the Queen!”
The moment the charging troops hesitated at Shan’s appearance, the soldiers on Pendia’s side shouted and instead rushed toward their enemies.
Soon, hundreds of warriors became entangled atop the rocky terrain.
Standing at the front, Shan cut straight into the enemy lines, elongating and swinging A Thousand Shapes.
A knight glared with wide eyes and raised his shield to block it.
“Khhk…!”
The soft sword wrapped around the shield, tearing into the forearm holding it as if biting into it.
At that, the knight groaned and stepped back.
However, Shan saw that the retreating opponent’s injury was not very deep.
At most, was it just a light skin cut?
Although the soft sword form was much faster and had a longer reach than an ordinary weapon, its light weight made it difficult to penetrate solid armor.
This was even more so because the knights of the unit leading this surprise attack had cast reinforcement magic on their gear.
It was a traditional method where power was not permanently maintained by embedding mana stones like Pendia mainly used, but it allowed armor to become far stronger and tougher than normal armor, if only temporarily.
‘Tsk.’
At this, Shan put away A Thousand Shapes and drew Guardian of the East, which was strapped to his waist.
Unlike the former, which merely had the ability to transform freely and was otherwise just a mithril weapon, this historic longsword was imbued with magic that enhanced its stabbing and slashing power.
It was a weapon far more efficient for overpowering enemies clad in enchanted armor with brute force.
“Kehek…”
As expected, with just a touch of Fighting Spirit imbued into it, Guardian of the East slipped past the shield, easily piercing the armor and penetrating the heart.
Since the tendons in the hand holding the shield were already damaged, he could not block the follow-up attack.
“I’ll kill you!”
“Mirko of the Aymen Family shall take your head!”
At this, the surrounding knights rushed in with rage.
Every single knight participating in the surprise operation was a renowned expert in the Ruman Kingdom.
Since the direction of the war would depend on how much of Pendia’s siege weapons and supplies they could destroy with this attack, they had literally mobilized the best force available.
Clearly, even a fairly outstanding knight would have fled in terror or helplessly surrendered his neck if all of them charged together.
However, whether it was an expert who had defeated a pirate band accompanied by only a few squires or royal knights sworn to the King of Ruman, all of them thought of something similar the moment they clashed with Shan.
‘What is this guy?’
Shan, who bent his body to dodge an attack with quickness and flexibility unbelievable for someone wearing plate armor, immediately carved into his opponent’s flank with his sword and kicked him away.
The second knight, armed with a hammer and shield, who leaped into the space created by that move, was instead crushed by force and pushed back, creating space that made it difficult for the following knight to attack.
Even though they clearly had numbers while the enemy was just one person, a situation continually arose where they had to fight one-on-one.
A terrifying quickness that caused him to disappear from sight the instant one blinked wrong.
Senses and reflexes that perfectly reacted and responded to attacks flying in from all directions.
Even the physical strength and martial skill to deflect blunt weapons diagonally with a long, thin sword.
Each of those was a talent that an extraordinary human in a specific field might possess, but how on earth could all of them be given to a single human being?
Unless he was a monster that the Goddess had carelessly sculpted and thrown together thinking, ‘I suppose making him like this will make him the strongest!’
“Damn it, he blocked that!?”
“Concentrate your Fighting Spirit as much as possible! His armor won’t be cut easily!”
On top of possessing such skill, Shan was even far better equipped than they were.
The armor he wore repelled even attacks imbued with fairly strong Fighting Spirit by deflecting them glancingly.
Had they known that this was relatively weakened due to being lightweighted for operating at sea, they would have been appalled.
On top of that, releasing the longsword he had held with both hands for a moment and drawing a spear with his free left hand to stab enemies or using it like a pole to move quickly was an added bonus.
Although he could not showcase three-dimensional movements using masts as he did aboard ships, simply using it like a pole that extended and contracted enabled maneuvers impossible for ordinary humans.
“Ugk…!”
“Fall back and regroup!”
“Thank you, Your Excellency!”
Clang! A knight who almost died shouted at the exclamation of his superior officer who stepped in front of him.
The greatest swordsman of the Ruman Kingdom, Count Robut.
Wielding a long curved sword with both hands, he was a swordsman who had built countless legends in the South Sea, able to clash blades with Shan over ten times.
While his swordsmanship was also outstanding, his natural reflexes and agility seemed to be far superior.
It also appeared that he wore multiple magic artifacts on his body, including his sword.
By feeling, was he slightly inferior to Marquis Abel, but a bit stronger than Lug?
While Shan could easily dispatch him if they fought head-on, instead of clashing head-on with Shan, he bought time against Shan by protecting his comrades or sometimes using them as shields.
Had it not been for him, even the elite knights of the Ruman Kingdom could not have held Shan off for long.
‘Prancing around annoyingly…’
Shan grimaced at the appearance of a troublesome adversary, but nevertheless reduced the enemies one by one.
After all, no matter how he acted, once he ran out of comrades to use as shields, he would have no options left.
Of course, with all those powerful knights attached to Shan alone, there was no way the main force would be fine.
“Dodge!”
“Damn it, what on earth is that bastard giant!?”
The knights of Pendia and Libert ruthlessly slaughtered Ruman’s other knights and soldiers, who were relatively lacking in skill.
“■□□□□□■■■■■-!”
In particular, Lug standing in the lead swinging his axe and Ravana stood out conspicuously.
That was natural, considering it would take at least two or three of the dozen knights currently holding Shan back to block just one of them.
A huge man two heads taller than others swung his axe, a raging rabbit-eared berserker ravaged the enemy lines, and behind them, Pendia’s army armed with magic artifacts widened the breach.
Glancing at this even while fighting Shan, Count Robut gritted his teeth and shouted.
“…Retreat! Retreat!”
At the commander’s order to retreat, the warriors of the Ruman Kingdom broke formation and ran backward all at once.
It was the moment in war when the greatest casualties occurred.
“Pursue them!”
Pendia’s warriors pounced on them like carnivores catching sight of fleeing prey.
Several spears plunged into the body of a Ruman soldier who tripped over a rock, while the body of a limping Ruman soldier with an injured leg was sliced apart by blades.
“I-I surrender! I surrender… kehak!”
Even though they were carefully selected from loyal men, getting terrified in the face of death could not be helped, so there were many among them who surrendered.
Most stopped their weapons and captured those who declared their intent to surrender, but some were overly excited or harbored hostility toward the people of the Ruman Kingdom, failing to stay their hands.
Shan also pursued the fleeing enemies.
His target was Count Robut, the most troublesome expert.
It seemed that unless he killed that fellow here, things would become tedious.
“I am sorry!”
“Ugh! Your Excellency!?”
However, even while fleeing, he slyly used friendly knights or soldiers as shields to widen the distance.
A despicable method lacking any honor as a knight, something only a pirate would use.
Furthermore, he too seemed to possess some magic artifact that helped with running, as his fleeing speed was abnormally fast.
Shan had to make up for the disappointment of losing his opponent by slaying five or six more knights and fifteen more soldiers.
After pursuing them for several hundred meters, Pendia’s army went into reorganization.
Because it would be problematic if they were counterattacked in a potential surprise assault while pursuing to the point of breaking formation.
The reorganized army of Pendia verified that most of the corpses lined up behind them belonged to the Ruman Kingdom and shouted at the top of their lungs.
“We won!”
“Serves you right, you pirate bastards!”
After regrouping, counting the casualties confirmed that around a hundred had died on Pendia’s side, while at least four hundred or more had died on Ruman’s side.
Considering that most of Pendia’s casualties were mercenaries recruited from Libert and that all of Ruman’s soldiers were well-armed elite troops, it was an overwhelming achievement.
“Here, it’s Sir Golff! The ‘Pirate Hunter’!”
“Baron Entil of Thunder Hammer is here too!”
“At this rate, it feels like every knight of Ruman with a reputation came here to die…”
Being natives of the South Sea and thus well-acquainted with Ruman’s powerful knights, the people of Libert clicked their tongues while identifying the knights killed by Shan.
During the battle, everyone had been clinging together to keep Shan alone in check, so they hadn’t realized, but looking now, wasn’t every single one of them a powerhouse of renowned fame in the Ruman Kingdom?
At this, even those who had thought Shan did not yield as destructive a result as in naval battles marveled anew.
Because if they had targeted other knights or soldiers instead of being held back and dying to Shan, the sacrifices would have been far greater.
“Long live the Lord Protector!”
Needless to say, it went without saying which side claimed victory in the initial battle.
*
“…I have no face to show, Count of Nasrin. It is all my fault.”
The conference room of Licharzo Castle.
Commander-in-Chief Benon Robar, who delegated all military authority from the King of Ruman, let out a deep sigh at the words of Count Robut, who returned as a defeated general.
“Did I not clearly tell you? If by any chance the ‘Nightmare’ is there, do not fight and retreat!”
“I thought I could do it.”
Truly, he had never imagined that such a wall existed between himself, who could be called the strongest in Ruman, and the strongest in Pendia.
Still, he had believed that if he combined forces with capable figures, he could suppress or subdue him to some extent.
Seeing Count Robut speaking in such a sorrowful voice, Benon let out a sigh.
At any rate, there was no need to dampen the spirit of someone who had to continue fighting in the future.
As for cooling his arrogance, he was already beaten into tattered rags, leaving no arrogance behind.
“Very well. What’s past is past, so let us consider what to do going forward. Our knight forces were already at a disadvantage, and now they’ve become even worse… We have no choice but to attempt the second plan.”
“Another stratagem?”
At this, a noble beside him expressed dissatisfaction.
It was Duke of Licharzo, the lord of this island.
To the words of him, who was also a collateral royal trusted by the king, Benon answered quietly instead of ignoring him.
“I do not wish to use stratagems either.”
Originally, a stratagem was a gamble.
A method the opponent could not predict naturally meant that when it failed, one had to bear greater losses.
But right now, no matter what means they used, they could not gain superiority in terms of raw power.
As long as that Nightmare of the South Sea, the Silver Snake, stood before them.
In that case, the only thing one who lagged in capability could do was to somehow pierce the opponent’s heart, even if bearing colossal losses.
To do that, they had to produce results in the upcoming siege battle somehow.
Benon patted the shoulder of the dejected First Sword of the Kingdom.
“Your role is crucial, so please take care of yourself and wait, Count Robut.”
Whatever means it took, he would get rid of that damn devil… the middle-aged admiral gnashed his teeth.
*
After the battle ended, Pendia’s warships, which returned after repelling the Ruman Kingdom’s fast vessels, proceeded to pour supplies and siege engines onto the land.
As the sun was gradually setting, Pendia’s army pitched tents beside the warships, stayed for a day, and then moved inland while pulling supplies on carts.
Four thousand Pendia regular troops, about a thousand mercenaries, and a thousand Libert troops moved together, while the remaining thousand Libert troops guarded the warships.
Since it was not a proper harbor, the road was poor, requiring quite a long march to reach the central city where Duke of Licharzo’s castle was located.
Along the route of their march were several ordinary villages, whose residents stared at the invading army with hollow eyes.
Questioning a few people revealed the reason.
“They requisitioned all the supplies?”
“Yes. Please show mercy, milord. Unless we take out even small boats to dive and harvest, we cannot possibly make a living…”
That Duke of Licharzo’s soldiers had carried out large-scale plundering across villages throughout the island to coincide with Pendia’s invasion.
It was likely to hole up inside the castle for months or years.
Having already expected this, the Pendian knights, including Roden, grimaced but were not flustered.
Of course, devastating one’s own domain like this would result in huge tax revenue losses in the long term, but what mattered immediately was surviving right now.
Moreover, this also had the effect of cutting off Pendia’s army’s food supply.
Though they had secured a large amount of food with refrigerator magic artifacts, it would still be difficult for seven thousand men to besiege a castle for a long period without additional resupply.
Naturally, the strategists on Pendia’s side, including Roden, had no intention of dragging this fight out in the first place.
For the hired mercenaries, every single day spent breathing cost money, and the regular troops were also crucial manpower needed back home in Pendia for maintaining order and hunting monsters.
For every additional day these men remained on campaign, Pendia was losing its growth momentum.
“Over there!”
“It’s tall…”
Thus, after marching a full day past devastated villages, Pendia’s army finally arrived at Duke of Licharzo’s castle.
Situated in the east-central part of the island, the Duke’s castle was surrounded by a large village, positioned on slightly elevated hill terrain while blocked on one side by a large lake.
That lake would likely serve as the water source for those holding out inside.
“Can’t we poison that water or pollute it with feces and urine?”
“Even if seven thousand men took a dump in it every day, it probably wouldn’t make a dent.”
Roden chuckled absurdly at Shan’s suggestion and said.
If there truly were no other way, they might have had to try even such a thing, but fortunately, they did not need to.
Since they had already prepared multiple siege engines.
Whether the soldiers of the Ruman Kingdom poked their heads out from the ramparts to watch or not, the Pendian army openly assembled siege weapons in the open plain before the castle.
Wheeled ladder towers, catapults, battering rams, wooden fences to block surprise charges by enemy cavalry, and palisades to block arrows were erected one by one.
Conducting a full-scale siege required such cumbersome preparations.
After a day passed like that.
Pendia’s army slowly approached beneath the ramparts.
As they approached within arrow reach, the soldiers on both sides swallowed hard.
A situation where Pendia and Ruman, the two kingdoms, had poured in nearly all their forces.
The side that won this siege battle was clear to become the virtual victor of this war.
Staring quietly at the enemy lines, Roden swung his flail and roared loudly.
“Fire!”
Whoosh! With the sound of slicing wind, the catapult’s counterweight tilted downward, and the upper part loaded with a boulder surged upward from the recoil.
Flying from a distance of over a hundred meters, a large boulder struck a section of the wall with a loud thud, signaling the start of the siege.