Chapter 67: Chapter 67
The name of Duke of Morayen, a great lord of eastern Libert, was quite famous even in Pendia.
After all, as a feudal lord ruling a region adjacent to Pendia, there were historically many entanglements between them in one way or another.
It was only because the knights here were all from Palles; had there been anyone from the west, they would have realized his identity immediately just from hearing the description of the flag emblem.
“Duke of Morayen…?”
“Could he have sided with Conrad?”
The one ruling the western part of Pendia was Duke of Ranpel, Prince Conrad’s maternal grandfather and patron.
It was obvious that without forming an alliance with him, the duke could not have brought such a large force through western Pendia all the way here to the northwest.
Moreover, since they were both Old Faith forces, there was naturally a high degree of affinity between them.
The one who cleared up the confusion was Baron Yurk of Rugen.
“For now, rather than guessing the reason, thinking of how to cope is our priority. Whether to stand and fight, or to retreat.”
“If we retreat, we must abandon almost all the supplies we carry. Otherwise, we will inevitably be caught.”
Shan’s army had patrolled all the neighboring cities and secured useful strategic resources, starting from Mana Stones to vast amounts of iron ingots, timber, leather, textiles, and food.
Expecting to flee from an unburdened army while carrying all this was pure greed.
Listening quietly to the knights’ discussion, Shan asked the messenger.
“What is our distance from the enemy?”
“It seems to be about four kilometers.”
Shan closed his eyes and drew a map of the surroundings in his mind.
Estimating their current marching speed and the typical marching speed of an army of about a thousand men, a rough calculation emerged.
“First, let’s enter the city.”
“By city, do you mean Zerkan?”
“Yes. I think if we head there right now, we have enough time to enter it. Let’s wait there and ask them why they are chasing us.”
At the suggestion of entering the city to defend it, the knights looked at each other and nodded.
If it could be done, it was the best method available at the moment.
Strategically, they could secure the upper hand while simultaneously keeping their spoils without abandoning them.
“Although the enemy’s force is almost double ours… generally, a two-fold difference in troop numbers during a siege is plenty holdable.”
“Besides, we have Sir Shan on our side.”
“Anyway, there are no supplies nearby to sustain an army of that size, so if we hold out just a bit, they will have no choice but to march back.”
Shan’s voice, which had already been strong, had now reached an indisputable domain after demonstrating superhuman martial prowess.
Moreover, as long as the order was reasonable, there was even less cause to object, so the army’s direction was set according to the commander’s decision.
*
As a result of their rapid march, just as calculated, Shan’s army succeeded in reaching Zerkan City by a hair before Duke of Morayen’s pursuing force arrived.
Fortunately, there was no need to struggle to open the gates.
Since all the family members had been abducted, the ones running the city right now were merely low-ranking bureaucrats.
They possessed no such nerve as to reject the returning conquerors.
As soon as Shan entered the city, his very first instruction was to reinstall Mana Stones at the gates to reinforce them.
Magic Society President Orum proved to be of great help here.
“No, not that way, you fools!”
“I told you to close that side first!”
“Tsk, it’s not like this old man can do it himself…”
Although he spewed sharp tongue-lashings that naturally infuriated anyone listening, thanks to his direction of the mercenaries, the installation of Mana Stones that would normally take nearly an hour finished in just a few minutes.
Shan expressed genuine admiration looking at the result.
“I didn’t realize reinforcing gates with Mana Stones could be done so quickly.”
“It is possible because there is a library of truth in my mind, and because enchantment magic is the field I have researched all my life. Ordinary mages would have taken several days.”
Of course, installing them in such a hasty rush was not very good in the long run, the old man added grumblingly.
Since they would dismantle and take them away once this battle was over anyway, it did not matter.
Meanwhile, beyond the city walls, an army finally began to be seen approaching.
The army of over a thousand men striding closer deployed at a distance out of arrow reach and commenced siege preparations.
By now, there was no need to bother asking whether the other side had approached with goodwill or not.
Before long, a figure who appeared to be a knight rode out from Duke of Morayen’s army and shouted.
“I am Baron Quiros of Todt, serving His Majesty Conrad, the true King of Pendia!”
With someone openly declaring himself Conrad’s vassal stepping forth, their identity was completely confirmed.
Whatever the detailed circumstances were, it was clear Duke of Morayen had decided to throw his weight behind Conrad.
“Foolish ones following Princess Cheryn, the lewd witch who profanes the Goddess with wicked powers and disrupts the kingdom! Change your minds even now, obey the Goddess’s will, and swear loyalty to Pendia’s true king! His Majesty has promised that if you do so, he will forgive all the outrages you have committed until now!”
As the baron who came as messenger poured out words openly insulting Cheryn, the faces of the knights atop the walls flushed red with agitation.
Just as they were about to spew coarse curses fitting for countryside knights, Roden gripped the parapet to brace his trembling legs and shouted in a booming voice.
“I believe His Majesty Gizel is still alive, yet he claims himself to be king! Seeing this now, Conrad is truly an unfilial villain! For a man to be so pathetic, no wonder he isn’t recognized even by his own younger siblings! Do you lot know that your unfilial master calls prostitutes every night and asks them to whip his back?!”
Asking to have one’s back whipped was a representative mock insult used to deride the Old Faith believers.
Because the doctrine popular during the ancient Arman Empire era… that each self-inflicted pain brought one closer to the Goddess… resembled the habits of sexual perverts.
As laughter erupted atop the walls at Roden’s taunt, the baron whose lord had been insulted contorted his face in rage.
“How dare you insult the true king! All of you will die and burn in hellfire! Filthy wretches who betrayed the Goddess! And you who harbor them and submit to a harlot!”
As the baron’s screaming voice echoed over the walls, the Altoan mercenaries nearby whispered among themselves.
“Is it because they’re high nobles? Their cursing sure is refined. They could just say they’ll grab those motherless bastards and turn their testicles inside out.”
“Oh, you idiot. Their chief and our princess are full siblings. Calling him a motherless bastard is just spitting in your own face, isn’t it?”
“Aha…”
“Wait, don’t the two of them have different mothers?”
“You’re real smart. Knowing stuff like that.”
While they chattered idly, Roden cleared his throat a few times and spoke out again.
This time, it was an interrogation rather than insults and condemnation.
“And that flag over there clearly belongs to Duke of Morayen of Libert, so why have you interfered in Pendia’s affairs? Count Balik must still be waiting for you in the west! Stop suffering in a foreign land for nothing to gain, foreigners, and go back to your own country!”
“Foreigners, go back to your own country!”
Unlike all the complex flowery prose mentioned earlier, this line was fairly easy to understand, so the soldiers giggled as they shouted along with Roden.
After exchanging a few more words like that, once the messenger baron returned, movement stirred in the opposing camp.
Siege equipment was skilfully constructed by assembling several pre-crafted wooden parts.
Even at a glance, it was a level of proficiency on an entirely different dimension from the Palles soldiers or the Altoan mercenary band.
“Did they prepare those in advance?”
“They really look down on us. They must roughly know our troop size, yet launching an outright siege…”
“It might be that they lack leeway. If food runs short, they will have to retreat.”
While the knights chatted among themselves analyzing the enemy, Ravana, who was squinting at the enemy camp, called out to Shan.
“Sir Shan.”
“Hmm?”
“That man over there is Duke of Morayen.”
What she pointed to was a young man in his late twenties wearing black armor adorned with ornate gold decorations deep within the camp.
Due to the distance, his facial features could not be seen clearly, but his well-groomed beard was impressive.
‘So that is what he looks like.’
Since he was a target to either capture as a prisoner or kill if they fought in the future, Shan thoroughly engraved the man’s appearance in his mind.
*
The full-scale battle began a couple of hours after their fierce verbal dispute.
As soldiers carrying ladders rushed toward the walls shouting from afar, Roden yelled at the top of his lungs and extended his sword.
“Fire!”
Out of the five hundred soldiers, about a hundred archers who knew how to shoot bows fired a volley from the walls.
Under the pouring rain of arrows, soldiers running with both hands holding ladders without a single shield screamed and fell flat.
The attackers below attempted to counter in their own way, but it was not very effective.
Was it not a law of nature that going from top to bottom was easy, but going from bottom to top was difficult?
While arrows shot by defenders plunged forcefully with the aid of gravity, arrows shot by attackers quickly lost power limply and failed to fly far.
Furthermore, even those who could not shoot bows threw stones around at random, making the difference in firepower even larger.
However, the difference in numbers between the two armies was roughly two-fold.
On top of that, those charging from below were exceedingly persistent, as if knowing no fear.
Before long, ladders began leaning against the walls one after another.
A knight mingled among the soldiers brandished his sword and issued an order.
“Everyone, scale the walls! A hundred gold coins will be awarded to the one who takes the top of the wall first!”
Naturally, the defenders were not fools either, so they immediately tried to push away or smash the leaning ladders, but it was not as easy as expected.
Not only were arrows shot from below concentrated in that direction even if relatively weak, but sturdy, heavy ladders were also not easy to push or break.
After tussling like that for tens of minutes, a soldier finally reached the top of the wall for the first time.
“Bwahaha! I’m the first! A hundred gold coins…”
Crunch! Before his words could even finish, the soldier’s body split in two and scattered outside the wall.
A giant woman smiled confidently, perking up the rabbit ears atop her head.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
“Slaughter Rabbit” Ravana smiled with supreme confidence as she swung her axe and smashed the leaning ladder.
Her prized magical weapon, ‘Rabbit Foot,’ absorbed its master’s strength and crushed the heavy ladder.
“Uaaaaagh!”
“Save me!”
Several soldiers climbing the ladder fell meters down and slammed into the ground.
Those near the bottom ended up with minor bruises or fractures, but those who fell seven or eight meters right before scaling were killed instantly or severely injured.
At Ravana’s appearance, the morale of the surrounding besieging soldiers dropped noticeably.
“Slaughter Rabbit…?”
“Dammit, why is that crazy bitch here?”
Having participated in Duke of Morayen’s army during the Libert civil war, a significant number of soldiers present had seen her before.
Watching her go wild after consuming the Berserker’s Elixir, they had thought it a relief she wasn’t an enemy, but now they encountered such a presence as their foe.
Below the walls, Duke of Morayen’s command center also noticed Ravana’s presence.
“Ravana? Why is that devilish wench suddenly showing up?”
“This might not be as easy as we thought…”
“What will you do, Your Grace? We can still retreat without heavy losses. Taking time to build catapults might be…”
Instead of answering his retainers’ questions, Duke of Morayen looked out over the battlefield with an expressionless face.
The sight of soldiers falling to their deaths below the walls, spilling blood, entrails, and brain fluid…
“Beautiful.”
“Pardon?”
“Continue the attack. By the looks of it, they aren’t accustomed to warfare between humans. If we push, we can take the initiative.”
Just as Duke of Morayen anticipated, before long, breakdowns began showing in various places.
“Y-You bastards!”
“Hehe… They’re here. You’re all dead, come at me!”
The Altoan mercenary band trained by Shan and Roden personally possessed solid organizational cohesion for their training period, but in the end, they were people whose practical combat experience was solely against monsters.
They were unused to the stress brought by hostile situations against humans who could speak and think complexly just like them.
Naturally, the direct forces Count of Palles and his subordinate barons, who were even worse off, went without saying.
Ones who had spent their entire lives in safe Palles, except at most when taking turned escorting merchant wagons venturing outside the domain.
A battlefield where arrows poured endlessly and the stench of blood and burst entrails vibrated rapidly robbed them of their minds.
“U-Ughhh…”
“Don’t fall back! Hold your positions!”
In contrast, to Duke of Morayen’s army, such a battlefield was a comfortable space no different from their hometown.
Because during the Libert civil war over the past few years, there was no form of combat (be it field battles or siege warfare) that they had not experienced.
Though Pendians often mocked Libertians as weaklings living in a paradise without monsters, Libert had few monsters but fought endless civil wars, causing spawned bandits to run wild everywhere.
It was a land where anyone living by the blade inevitably grew accustomed to killing.
If asked to hunt trolls, they would run away in sheer horror, but against Pendian soldiers who could easily hunt those trolls, they could rampage to their hearts’ content.
“Kugh…”
Amid the poor performance of the Palles army and the Altoan mercenary band, Ravana and her subordinates (who possessed rich war experience) shouted furiously as they blocked ladders coming up everywhere.
However, as enemies numbering twice, actually several times, their count surged up persistently, they were bound to grow overwhelmed.
Had they not preemptively occupied the overwhelmingly advantageous high position atop the walls, they would have been pushed back long ago.
The commotion occurred not only atop the walls but also down below.
Every time soldiers wielding a well-crafted battering ram joined forces to strike the city gate, the Mana Stones embedded inside the gate flickered and their light gradually dimmed.
The city gate enchanted with reinforcement magic could easily withstand a few such attacks, but if over a hundred soldiers struck it relentlessly in turned, the story changed.
All the more so because they were not Mana Stones of powerful monsters, but low-quality Mana Stones of mediocre ones.
“There! Yes, pry it like that! No, you pried it wrong! Argh, out of the way!”
The one who played an active role here once more was Magic Society President Orum.
Using hastily conscripted civilians as his hands and feet, the moment a Mana Stone lost power, he quickly pulled it out, inserted a new Mana Stone, and activated it.
Normally a task requiring dozens of mages to be mobilized, his magic skill having reached a lofty realm made it possible alone.
“Kugh… Growing old makes even this no easy task.”
Stating that it was something he could by no means do twice, the old man gripped his heart and stepped back.
It was because excessive magic usage placed a heavy strain on his body.
At any rate, thanks to him, the city gate managed to hold without breaking despite countless poundings.
It was a remarkable achievement considering they had used Mana Stones of not very powerful monsters.
While the gate side barely held on, the walls gradually reached a dangerous level.
Soldiers half out of their minds from the shock of their first real combat were pushed back helplessly, surrendering nearly half the wall.
They were still fending off without major casualties for now, but at this rate, losing the wall was only a matter of time.
“Commander, how long must we hold?!”
“Hold out just a bit longer!”
Screaming back at her subordinate, Ravana pondered whether to use the Berserker’s Elixir again, but grit her teeth and resolved to hold on.
On top of the walls, losing her sanity might cause her to leap off if careless, and even otherwise, since it hadn’t been long since she last used the elixir, using it again was burdensome.
What reassured her most of all was that the commander standing behind, Roden, showed not the slightest agitation and wore a solemn expression.
It undoubtedly meant things were proceeding according to plan.
Of course, in reality he was merely standing there half-dazed by the spears and swords flashing in all directions, but at least to those around him, it felt that way.
That Roden didn’t even flinch despite several arrows flying past him was thanks to having consistently trained to dodge incoming projectiles.
Had it been before, he would likely have panicked and collapsed on the spot.
While holding out with trembling legs, Roden looked out over the battlefield and raised his hand.
At that, the soldier beside him vigorously waved a blue flag.
A minute later, dozens of cavalrymen appeared from one side of the walls and were seen charging toward the enemy.
The time for a counterattack had finally arrived.
*
In Zerkan City, there were secret doors located in various places besides the main gate.
These doors were elevated about two meters off the ground, so one could only pass through when opened from the inside with the drawbridge lowered.
Instead of fighting alongside the others atop the walls, Shan and the knights waited over there.
That number, including squires, totaled forty-one men.
This was a proposal Roden had brought up to Shan with a serious face before the battle, after seeing the opponent preparing for a siege.
‘A conventional defensive siege will likely be difficult.’
‘Why?’
‘Those guys, just by looking at them, their siege proficiency is far superior to ours. Holding off triple the force is only true when both sides are at a similar level.’
Ravana, a veteran of the Libert civil war, also expressed agreement with Roden’s words.
Since the enemy was far more adept at fighting between humans, it was difficult to rest easy in a defensive siege purely because of the current numerical gap.
That she hadn’t brought it up earlier to stop coming to this city was because there was no alternative solution.
Having not formally joined yet, suggesting to abandon all spoils was burdensome for her, nor was engaging in an open field battle a solution.
‘So, what is the solution?’
‘The greatest fighting power we possess is Sir Shan. And the best way to utilize a knight is to deploy him as cavalry.’
What Shan could do atop the wall during a defensive siege was merely striking down infantry climbing up ladders with spears and swords.
In Roden’s view, this was a considerable waste of power.
Every time he, who could slay even an ordinary knight with a single slash, expended energy against infantry, the opportunity cost of dealing with strong foes was wasted.
Short of receiving a Blessing of Vitality, no matter how great Shan was, he could not cut down all one thousand soldiers.
Above all, winning in such a manner would require suffering significant manpower losses.
For the Palles domain, which was particularly disadvantaged in combat personnel compared to other factions, preserving fighting strength as much as possible was necessary.
Therefore, the tactic they devised was none other than the Hammer and Anvil.
The wall becomes the anvil to draw in enemy soldiers, while the cavalry slipping out through the back door becomes the hammer to strike the enemy’s vital point.
If Shan stood at the vanguard, ordinary knights trying to block would be thoroughly crushed.
It would be best if they destroyed the command staff, and even if not, returning after dealing a heavy blow would prevent the opponent from focusing on their assault.
Since they wouldn’t know when the cavalry unit might sally forth again.
Such a proposal from Roden received strong support from the knights.
Was not achieving overwhelming military glory through a cavalry charge the very ideal they dreamed of?
At least, it was far more honorable than squabbling with infantry atop walls.
Inside the back door, Shan waited, quietly closing his eyes and releasing tension from his entire body.
Calming his body that sought to excite itself at the shouted and screams echoing from all directions, he conserved as much physical stamina as possible.
Before long, a scout ran over and shouted.
“The signal has come!”
“Good. Open the door.”
Clatter! As the door opened and the drawbridge descended, horses neighed and poured out in a rush.
Carrying Shan, Arwin proudly stood at the lead and took brisk, light strides.
“Let’s go, Arwin.”
Though Arwin had previously fought monsters or small groups of people as a warhorse, this was her first time participating in full-scale, large-scale warfare between humans.
Yet this exceedingly ferocious Mount Horais warhorse paid no mind to the bloody stench and loud roared wafting from all around, instead huffing excitedly in eagerness.
Calming the beast, Shan took the lead and led the cavalry unit around the curve of the city wall.
The moment the enemy camp was finally revealed, the enemy also noticed the cavalry emerging from the flank and erupted into chaos.
“Pick up the speed!”
From here on, it was a battle against time.
If the enemy recalled the infantry units committed to the wall to encircle them, their side would suffer devastating damage.
Before that happened, they had to deal a heavy blow quickly and return.
“Knights are coming!”
“Spearmen!”
At that moment, surprisingly, Duke of Morayen’s soldiers who had seemed chaotic instantly aligned and formed ranks.
A dense formation where even if one line was somehow pierced with Fighting Spirit, the charge would be blocked at the second line, while simultaneously being attacked from left and right to be encircled.
A movement absolutely impossible to adopt on the spot, one that could only be executed if prepared in advance.
Seeing this, Shan instinctively realized the enemy had seen through Roden’s scheme in advance.
‘We’ve been caught!’
Should they turn back here?
Their path of retreat was not yet completely cut off.
If they turned around quickly, they might preserve their force with only minor losses…
That worry was brief; Shan’s sharply awakened instinct informed him.
Though their defensive wall looked formidable, because it had been formed in haste, gaps were located in various places.
If he became the spearhead to break through the enemy, then that defensive wall would instead become the opponent’s mistake.
Because having pulled defensive troops outward made the main camp even more neglected…
As Roden had praised in the past, his brain (which ran rapidly only during combat) instantly derived the answer.
“Charge!”
Issuing orders to his hesitant comrades, Shan spurred Arwin and dashed forward rapidly.
An infantry rank blocking the way ahead, bristling with blades like a hedgehog.
To ordinary people, it was an iron wall that seemed utterly seamless, but Shan’s two green eyes rolled rapidly left and right, spotting fissures in an instant.
‘Sixth and seventh from the right, one hand injured so the shields are sagging.’
‘The next line, eleventh from the left, too far from the guy beside him.’
‘The last line, center right, all three spears worn out and right on the verge of breaking…’
Along with the thoughts, a virtual line formed before his eyes.
A path that, as long as he moved along it, allowed him to breach the enemy’s dense defensive line.
As Shan, galloping along the path, thrust his long lance, a roaring sound and an explosion erupted.
*
“They fell for it.”
“Obvious.”
The moment the cavalry unit led by Shan appeared and was instantly encircled by infantry, Duke of Morayen’s strategists let out contemptuous laughs.
Whoever the enemy commander was, he had rolled his brains in his own way, but perhaps because he lived in a place without war, his standard was shallow.
If there were excessively few knight-level powerhouses atop the walls, could one help but suspect they were up to some trick?
The strategists of Libert, who had lived their entire lives on battlefields of deception, immediately deployed forces to be ready to defend in an instant no matter whether an ambush came from the left or right.
And the opponent had fallen completely into the net they cast.
“Huh?”
A question from a noble who witnessed the sight unfolding before his eyes represented everyone’s mind.
The encirclement that no one should have been able to escape was being torn apart by a single knight.
Collapsing the first line with an exploding lance, precisely capturing the gap to dig in and collapse the second line, and breaking spears by receiving them with his bare body to collapse even the third line.
In the process, a knight who stood in his way was impaled and killed in a single bout, then cast aside.
Even the horse the guy rode was like a monster.
Not only were its strength and speed unreasonable, but it even dodged spears thrust at its exposed legs or kicked them away with its hooves.
As the trailing enemy cavalry plunged into the gap thus created and broke through, the main force (the camp where Duke of Morayen was located) became exposed in an instant.
Even that infamous Black Spear, Feonil Alten, could not unleash such power on the battlefield!
A retainer of the duke spoke as if dumbfounded.
“What on earth is that… Does Pendia produce not just humanoid monsters, but even knight-shaped monsters?!”
“Is now the time to talk nonsense?! Your Grace, quickly flee!”
Although there were a few knights in the main unit, since a significant number were dispersed, there was no capacity to handle such a monster.
Being dragged away by his astonished retainers, Duke of Morayen looked at the charging Shan and muttered softly.
“Beautiful…”