Chapter 142: Chapter 142

Although each of the boulders hurled by the Pendian army’s catapults was as large as an adult man’s torso, unfortunately, they failed to tear down Duke of Licharzo’s castle walls.

This was because the walls surrounding the city were protected by defensive magic powered by the Mana Stones of powerful monsters.

Ruman was also a New Faith nation where magic was permitted, and thanks to the influence of pirate culture where human test subjects were easy to come by, its achievements in wicked magic surpassed even Pendia’s Magic Society.

Of course, actively employing such techniques was mostly limited to the most evil pirates.

“Arghhh-!”

“Priest! Fetch the priest!”

“There are none, you fool! Just wrap the bandage quickly!”

However, that did not mean the catapult bombardment was completely ineffective.

Several temporary structures, such as watchtowers erected atop the walls, were not counted as part of the rampart itself and thus received no magical protection, and there were also many boulders that slammed directly onto the walls or struck beyond them.

In the first place, an army reaching ten thousand could not all fit atop the walls, so the soldiers standing behind the ramparts became targets for the sudden incoming bombardment.

The result when a rock weighing tens of kilograms hurtled into a human body was truly horrific.

Those who took a direct hit had their entire bodies burst apart, scattering intestines in all directions, while those fortunate enough to be struck on an arm or leg had the hit limb torn away.

Furthermore, since the priests of Ruman had refused to perform healing in rebellion against Duke of Licharzo and the royal family, these wounds had to rely on extremely primitive treatments or medicines provided by mages.

Naturally, such treatments were inferior in every respect when compared to divine miracles.

A knight who was unluckily struck by a fragment of a shattered boulder groaned as he looked at his bandaged arm.

“Damn it, why isn’t it healing faster…”

Even though he had applied a generous amount of expensive remedy purchased from Pendia, blood seeped out continuously.

It was an injury that would have healed right away if only there had been a single priest.

After breaking the enemy’s spirit atop the wall with such continuous bombardment, Roden gave the order for an all-out assault.

“Charge-!”

“Glory to Pendia!”

“Long live Her Majesty the Queen!”

“Death to the pirate bastards!”

Shouting all sorts of battle cried, the soldiers carried various kinds of siege engines and dashed toward the walls.

The soldiers of the Ruman Kingdom likewise began firing arrows fiercely in response.

As they were shooting downward from atop the walls, range and power were easily secured.

“Kill all those Pendian bastards!”

“Never let them climb up! If we are pushed back here, your families will die!”

Thinking of their families who had evacuated inside the walls, the Ruman soldiers grit their teeth, shooting arrows and hurling stones.

From behind, even women and children continuously carried stones and arrows up to the walls.

“Ugh…”

“Those sons of bitches!”

The Pendian soldiers shouted irritably, covering their faces with small bucklers attached to the backs of their hands.

Arrows were fine so long as they did not strike exposed vital spots like the eyes or neck, but the stones could not help but be quite bothersome.

No matter how sturdy the armor was, it could not completely neutralize the impact itself.

Venon, the supreme commander of the Ruman Kingdom, shouted without pause from one side of the wall to direct the soldiers.

“Archers, make fire arrows and shoot them at the siege towers! Prepare the boiling oil and pour it in front of the gate! Infantry, use halberds to prevent the ladders from taking hook!”

Messengers ran in all directions, delivering his orders across the wall that spanned hundreds of meters in length.

Under his command, the Ruman soldiers moved quite efficiently and repelled the enemy’s attack.

Of course, if all such shouted were realized, siege warfare would not exist in the world.

From below, Roden likewise shouted at the top of his lungs, leading the counterattack.

“Splash the water stored on the siege towers to stop the fire from spreading! And archers, keep shooting arrows atop the walls to suppress them! We must prevent them from attacking our soldiers!”

For dozens of minutes, over ten thousand men in total moved about in response to the shouted of the two commanders.

“It worked!”

Finally, ladders began to hook onto the wall one by one.

It was not particularly because Roden’s command overwhelmed the opponent, but simply because the Pendian army was better trained.

In particular, among the Libert mercenaries who had joined this time, there were many who were adept at siege warfare.

Unlike Ruman, which was filled with islands, were they not people who had repeatedly engaged in siege battles in Libert for several years?

“Damn it, it hooked!”

“Smash it!”

The soldiers of the Ruman Kingdom quickly destroyed the ladders with axes or pushed them away with wooden poles.

Several Pendian soldiers who had been hastily climbing up screamed and fell into the moat.

However, the ladders… which were not roughly improvised, but made of high-quality willow with metal hooks attached at the ends… were difficult to break or push away easily.

Once several people climbed onto them, the weight alone made them even harder to push back.

Thanks to that, before long, soldiers began setting foot atop the walls here and there.

Among them were many knights with superior physical abilities and high defensive power thanks to plate armor.

“I am the first to ascend! Remember Ur of the Quindel family-!”

The one roaring lustily was a knight-errant hired from Libert.

Having lost his lord in the civil war and fled, he planned to throw himself into Pendia’s service to start a second life.

He had heard that the Queen of Pendia was not stingy with knights who achieved military distinction.

If he only distinguished himself here, he too would eventually be able to deck his entire body in magic gear like those Pendian knights.

Before his delusion even finished, a flash of light gleamed before his eyes, and his neck flew into the sky.

“Huh…?”

“You shouldn’t lose focus.”

Cutting down the knight who was the first to ascend the wall in an instant, Count Robut, the top expert of Ruman, flicked the blood off his scimitar and kicked the opponent’s body over the wall.

Slaying an ordinary knight like that was hardly a difficult task.

Of course, had the knight crouched without lowering his guard at all, it would have been somewhat harder than now.

The target he had to pay attention to was someone else.

‘Where is he…’

Count Robut’s eyes rolled about, scanning below the wall.

The enemy troops looked like a swarm of ants crawling over the carcass of a dead animal.

Somewhere among them, that monster bastard had to be present.

Because unless that guy took action, even if Pendia won the siege battle, they would suffer tremendous casualties.

His current mission was to prevent that bastard from coming up by whatever means necessary.

While blocking him indefinitely would be impossible, holding him back even a little longer would allow his allies to inflict heavy damage on the enemy.

Yet no matter how much he looked, he could not see the guy.

Not on the ladders scattered everywhere, nor in the siege tower burning far away after being hit by fire arrows.

It would be best if he had been riding in one of those siege towers and burned to death together, but surely that could not be the case…

‘Damn it!’

Just then, about a hundred and several dozen meters away, a knight in golden armor was seen climbing a ladder.

Unlike others who held a shield in one hand and crawled using their other hand and two legs, this monstrosity was climbing a ladder over ten meters tall taking long strides with only his two legs while maintaining astonishing balance…

There was no possibility of it being a body double wearing similar armor.

Because that was an act impossible for anyone other than him!

Robut ran hastily, requesting support from the knights nearby.

“The Silver Snake is coming from the north over there! Follow me to repel him!”

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

*

Count Robut and the knights ran urgently, but regrettably, the top of the wall was far too crowded to run freely.

Civilians busily carrying stones and arrows, shooters taking them to throw and fire, and warriors confronting the ascending enemy were all tangled together and shouting, so even orders to clear out had no effect.

It was clear that the bastard had deliberately started out a bit late instead of rushing over at the start of the siege with this in mind.

Because as the battlefield became more chaotic, he could avoid concentrated suppression…

Thanks to that, by the time the knights arrived, Shan had already scrambled up the ladder swiftly, cut down a few soldiers in front of him, and stepped onto the wall.

“Oh, we meet again here… ugh!”

Count Robut, who had opened his mouth to stall for time, pulled his body back in shock at the thrust that immediately came plunging in.

If his reaction had been even a moment slower, he would have died.

Shan had no leeway to waste time chatting trivially with the fellow.

For such traditional siege warfare was an affair where the attacking side had to grind down human lives.

Only if he performed even slightly better to quickly seize initiative atop the wall would the soldiers’ casualties decrease.

Count Robut, realizing the opponent’s attitude, quickly retreated and ordered the knights following behind.

“Push him back! Knock him down off the wall!”

“Uaaaaah-!”

Surprisingly, the knights in the back were all armed not with weapons, but with massive shields that required both hands to hold.

It was a setup armed solely with the single determination to subdue one powerful enemy, throwing away all knightly pride and the like.

It was something Venon had prepared in advance after hearing rumors of Shan’s overwhelming combat ability.

As several knights clad in plate armor brandished such gear and charged in unison, it felt literally as though a wall made of steel was pushing forward.

However, Shan remained unfazed even by an attack that would make anyone else recoil in horror.

‘What kind of childish trick is this…’

The moment five or six knights charged with Fighting Spirit to shove him off the wall, Shan shaped A Thousand Shapes into a long pole, planted it against the rampart, and leaped upward.

Then, landing behind them, he kicked hard, causing one knight who could not overcome momentum to tumble straight off the wall.

If lucky, he might survive by falling into the moat, but with high probability, his entire body would be crushed to death.

“Injel!”

“Focus on him! Surround him and press forward!”

While one knight was shocked by the sight of his comrade falling to the ground, the other knights raised their shields in unison at their commander’s order and surrounded Shan.

Knights holding long spears aimed at Shan from behind them, waiting for him to leap as he had done earlier.

Even Count Robut aimed at Shan with a long spear in hand while wearing his favorite scimitar at his waist.

He secretly cracked a bitter smile at his own appearance.

‘What on earth is this sight!’

Each of them was a knight capable of fighting dozens of soldiers alone, yet they themselves were acting like common soldiers devoting all their strength to battle a single knight.

If this battle were recorded in history, they would likely become laughingstocks for the rest of their lives.

The terrible thing was that even while enduring such humiliation, they might restrain Shan, but could not subdue him.

Even while squeezed by the shield wall, that monster-like Altoan dodged thrusting spears by merely twisting his head lightly, and at times rammed with his torso to knock down two or three knights, creating space.

His occasionally swinging his longsword with full force to slice through opponent and shield alike did not even permit a laugh.

Cleaving a shield made of magical metal originating from the South Sea and infused with Fighting Spirit (even if not a magical artifact) as if it were butter?

At least the tactic of splitting into shield-bearers and spearmen to suppress him was effective in itself.

The skill of the knights present here was several levels below those who had participated in the surprise raid on the coast, so had they fought properly with weapons like those knights, they could not possibly have held out as they were doing now.

While holding Shan in check by repeating such advances and retreats, the sky gradually darkened.

Plop. A small water droplet struck the face of a soldier lying sprawled on the ground with his heart pierced.

Those who realized the situation looked up at the sky in surprise.

“Huh…?”

“It’s raining now?”

A short while later, torrential rain began to fall atop the castle in the middle of the siege.

It was a downpour peculiar to the South Sea in summer… one that, once started, poured uncontrollably.

In all likelihood, such weather changes had a high possibility of working as a disadvantage to the besieging side.

Stored rations were prone to damage, and above all, the chance of slipping while scaling ladders was high.

However, the defending side was not comfortable either.

Not only were the fire arrows used to suppress siege towers neutralized, but as rainwater fell into the prepared boiling oil, oil splattered everywhere, creating burn victims.

As the top of the wall became slick, those carrying stones and arrows also slipped to get injured or fell off the wall to their deaths.

And above all else, the balance of the knights barely holding Shan in check was broken.

“Keo-heok!”

Slip. A knight whose foot slipped, exposing an opening, had his neck slashed by a blade and fell backward screaming.

The shield he was holding rolled fruitlessly across the ground.

Walking in metal boots atop wet stone walls was no easy task.

When footing became unstable, skill was naturally bound to diminish.

In contrast, Shan maintained his balance as nimbly as a cat while devastating the knights surrounding him.

The sight of him intentionally letting his body slide while swinging his sword was enough to elicit admiration from any knight.

While this side floundered after slipping in rainwater, that side moved perfectly, so there was no match to be made.

Gritting his teeth while watching the casualties mount one after another, Count Robut soon heard the faint sound of a horn trumpet reaching his ears.

It was the scheduled retreat order.

“Retreat!”

Issuing the order, he hurled his spear at Shan and fled straight down off the wall.

The sight of him tumbling halfway down the stone floor was so absurd beyond hideousness that it inspired awe.

Shan pondered for a moment before deciding to pursue that fellow instead of finishing off the other knights.

Though the man was merely annoying to him, he was skilled enough to threaten other royal knights, and above all, his willingness to throw pride out the window and pull off any number of despicably foul deeds grated on Shan.

Though still young in age, Shan possessed rich combat experience and knew that a cowardly bastard was a truly strong and dangerous adversary.

Leaving him alive would become a source of future trouble indefinitely.

Cutting down two knights holding him back and swiftly leaping down inside the wall, Shan saw Count Robut seize a nearby horse and gallop toward the interior of the walls.

‘Damn it…’

No matter how fast he sprinted, he could not be faster than a horse.

Fortunately, however, there were several more prepared horses beneath the wall.

They were likely courier horses prepared to urgently convey news toward the inner castle.

Shan mounted one of them and pursued Count Robut.

Through the pouring rain, his green eyes flashed with light.

“Euhu…”

Fleeing on horseback, Count Robut uttered a sound that was hard to tell if it was a groan or laughter.

He was terrified of that monster-like Altoan bastard who was probably pursuing him, yet at the same time, he felt jealous and enraged.

Would he, who had treated other warriors as dull fools all his life, not appear just like those other blockheads before that guy?

He could not possibly accept that fact.

By any means necessary, even by somewhat extreme methods, that bastard had to die.

Not only for the Ruman royal family, but for his pride as well.

Chasing Count Robut through the downpour, Shan saw him turn toward a house adjacent to the inner castle wall instead of riding for the inner castle gate.

Over there, not only he, but several other people were visible.

Nobles of Ruman in luxurious attire, and…

‘The commander!’

Shan’s eyes accurately captured the opponent’s identity even amidst the downpour.

Venon Robar, the ‘Admiral’ and commander of the Ruman army.

He and those who appeared to be attendants joined Count Robut and were entering the house.

If he succeeded in capturing them, there would be no need to fight a second battle at the inner castle.

Arriving one step behind them, Shan promptly leaped off his horse and stepped inside.

Looking carefully at the water-soaked floor, he noticed marks where a carpet had been dragged.

Moving it aside revealed a wooden secret door.

‘A secret passage…’

Seeing high-ranking nobles, including the commander, moving separately, it seemed to lead to the inner castle or outside the fortress.

Perhaps because the passage had been built quite some time ago, it was supported by half-rotting wooden beams, and several ropes of unknown purpose were also visible.

Pitch-black without a single torch, Shan’s glowing eyes pierced the darkness, guiding his way.

Running straight ahead, he heard footsteps before long.

“Is he coming?”

“Yes. He seems to be almost here…”

Senses expanded by his magic gear conveyed the opponents’ voices to him.

A short while later, he finally succeeded in catching up to their rear guard.

“You have arrived.”

Venon Robar, the enemy commander, spoke as he looked at him.

Why was it? The opponent’s demeanor upon discovering him was somewhat peculiar.

Something closer to resignation or resolve rather than fear or despair…

It was different from the other nobles who turned pale at Shan’s appearance.

“It was truly remarkable. To think the combat ability of a single person could render all strategy and tactics useless… I wonder if the Goddess made a mistake.”

“Praising me like that won’t get you anything.”

At Shan’s reply, he chuckled.

“I did not expect a reward. I simply… wished to say that you are something that should not exist. If a human like you runs wild among people, the world’s balance can never be maintained. You must be eliminated here.”

At the intent to kill in that voice, Shan instinctively tried to pounce toward him, but the opponent was one step faster.

In the first place, with Count Robut right beside him, blocking it would have been difficult.

For he was not a weakling who could be subdued in one or two sword strikes.

The moment the rope beside him was cut, a loud thud echoed from afar as something collapsed.

“Could it be…”

Who could have imagined that with one of the kingdom’s top knights and the supreme commander right by their side, they would employ such a measure?

That was how desperate the enemies facing Shan were.

Desperate enough to believe they would willingly lay down their lives to deal with that monster.

“Fortunately, we can take you with us at the cost of our lives. At least we will not have to witness those Altoan bastards ruling the world…”

“W-Wait. What do you mean by that? Count? Our lives…”

Before a noble’s words could even finish, the sound of collapsing gradually began approaching them.

Simultaneously, the Necklace of Vigilance fiercely warned of crisis.

The range of approaching danger encompassed this entire area.

“Farewell, valiant knight.”

With Venon’s words, earth and rock buried them all from every direction.