Chapter 369: Can Everyone Hold Out? (2)
The swordsmanship manual Ghislain had given me long ago included techniques for dual-wielding swords. Surprisingly, those techniques suited Kaor quite well.
“Sure, it lacks some impact, but the movement itself feels so much more natural.”
Defense was never Kaor’s focus—his combat style revolved around targeting the opponent’s vital points with razor-sharp precision. For someone like him, dual-wielding added another attack route, making it an excellent technique. He felt as though his life had been lacking until now for not knowing about this sooner.
Kaor moved faster than anyone, wielding two blades to cut down his enemies.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
“What is this guy?!”
“He’s so fast!”
“That’s the Count of Fenris!”
The average soldiers couldn’t hope to block Kaor’s attacks. Mistaking him for Ghislain was understandable.
In the dark of night, blue streaks flashed in the air as enemies’ heads fell in an instant.
Overusing mana caused Kaor’s eyes to glow with a flickering blue light, resembling a predator stalking prey in the dead of night. His aggressive advance pierced through the enemy lines like a sharp awl, creating a temporary path forward.
“Hey! Jump down already! Use everything you’ve got now!”
Kaor didn’t descend immediately but stayed at the edge of the wall, wildly swinging his swords. His body was already drenched in blood.
Bzzz—!
The knights’ armor activated simultaneously, emitting bursts of light from the seams hidden beneath their cloaks. Their movements became exponentially faster.
Boom! BOOM!
“Arghhh!”
The suddenly enhanced knights slaughtered the surrounding soldiers in an instant. Clearing the path ahead, they leapt from the wall one by one.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Employing the “survive with only one broken arm” landing technique, the knights, reinforced by mana, landed safely on the ground.
However, the fight wasn’t over. The enemy commander shouted upon seeing them.
“Stop them! Don’t let them open the gate!”
The soldiers climbing the wall turned back immediately, charging toward the knights. The soldiers packed tightly along the wall rushed down the stairs in a hurry.
After jumping down, Kaor shouted as well.
“Block them! A few of you, come with me to open the gate!”
All the knights moved to open the gate with Kaor, leaving no one to hold the line.
“Hey! You lunatics! You two, come with me! The rest, block them! Block them, now! They’re coming!”
Kaor hastily designated individuals to join him, and only then did the knights reluctantly turn back.
“Waaahhh!”
As the enemy soldiers rushed forward, the knights gritted their teeth and stepped up to meet them. The situation on the ground was even more dangerous than it had been atop the wall. The open space made it easier for the soldiers to surround them.
BOOM!
When the two sides collided, screams and blood erupted in every direction. A few enemy soldiers used their numerical advantage to slip past the knights and head toward the gate.
Although the knights quickly dispatched those who bypassed them, gaps inevitably formed in their defense. No matter how skilled the knights were, they couldn’t hold back such an overwhelming number of enemies.
Fortunately, during the brief interval in which the knights held off the soldiers, Kaor and his group reached the gate. They quickly began cranking open the portcullis.
Creak, creak, creak…
The gate’s bars rose slowly. Meanwhile, enemy soldiers, having evaded the knights, closed in.
Kaor darted out, slashing through the approaching soldiers as he shouted.
“Open the gate already!”
Slash! Slash! Slash!
His swords moved with unprecedented finesse. After countless battles against monsters, Kaor had become a man perfectly adapted to chaotic skirmishes.
While Kaor held the line, the remaining knights finally opened the gate.
Boom!
From a distance, Ghislain saw this and raised his hand with a smile.
“You’ve all improved a lot. Let’s go.”
Hiiiing!
As Ghislain tugged the reins, the Black King let out a long, resonant cry. That sound might as well have been a declaration of defeat for the Barony of Daiker.
The Black King galloped forward, merging with the darkness. Behind it, the Fenris Knights advanced in formation.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The sound of hooves shook the earth. Distracted by the Fenris strike force, Daiker’s soldiers failed to notice Ghislain and the knights closing in.
By the time they realized it, the commanders’ faces went pale.
“C-Close it! Close the gate now!”
The commanders atop the wall screamed frantically, but the soldiers, still blocked by the strike force, couldn’t respond.
Even those who managed to reach the gate were unable to close it. The red-haired demon blocking the entrance refused to fall, no matter what they tried.
He looked like he could collapse any moment, yet the enemy reinforcements were rapidly approaching.
“What… what should we do?”
“We have to kill him.”
“Hurry, strike him down!”
The soldiers muttered among themselves, shifting responsibility but not daring to step forward.
The sight of Kaor, drenched in blood and wearing a savage grin, was simply too terrifying.
Even though he just stood there, gripping two swords in his hands, no one dared approach him.
Closing the gate while avoiding him was equally impossible. There was no way that man would just stand idly by and watch.
As they stood frozen, unsure of what to do, Ghislain, leading the charge at the front, extended his hand.
Fwoosh!
Crimson mana spears materialized in the air. In moments, dozens of spears flew over the gate and pierced the enemy soldiers.
Paf-paf-paf-paf-paf!
“Aaargh!”
The soldiers hesitating awkwardly near the gate were skewered and killed instantly.
“It’s a mage! A mage has arrived!”
The soldiers who witnessed this chaos screamed in panic. They needed one of their own mages to counter this, but their army’s mage hadn’t been seen in days.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Meanwhile, other soldiers noticed more enemies charging through the now-open gate. They were still struggling against a smaller force and hadn’t even gained the upper hand. And now, the gate was open.
Finally, the soldiers made a decision.
“The enemies are flooding in!”
“Run! We can’t win!”
“It’s over here!”
At someone’s desperate cry, the soldiers turned and fled. Some even discarded their weapons to run faster.
But the Knights of Fenris, who had already reached the gate on horseback, were faster.
Boom!
“Arghhh!”
The fleeing soldiers were mere infantry. Naturally, they couldn’t escape the pursuit of mounted knights.
The 350 knights pressed forward, trampling hundreds of soldiers in an instant.
Rumors had long circulated that the marauders of Fenris never spared those who surrendered. Stricken with terror, the soldiers scattered, screaming.
Seeing the Knights decimate the enemy, Kaor finally collapsed to the ground.
“Ugh, I’m exhausted! Did we really have to go this far?”
Though he spoke to himself, everyone knew who his complaint was directed at.
The knights who had participated in the operation also slumped to the ground, panting heavily.
“Man, that was tough. This training is insane.”
“Haven’t had an injury in a while, but today broke the streak.”
“I swear, if we’d been just a little slower, I’d be dead right now.”
They lay sprawled on the ground, cursing and laughing. They’d exerted themselves significantly, but were still alive.
They had believed from the beginning that failure wasn’t an option. If things truly became dangerous, the lord would step in personally.
Since the lord had deemed this a training exercise, it meant success was possible. After all, this grueling, relentless approach was his training style.
Dealing with demoralized soldiers was a simple matter. The Knights of Fenris, who had stormed the castle, quickly eliminated the remaining enemies.
Most of the soldiers were killed, and only a few managed to escape.
“Waaaahhh!”
“We’ve won!”
“Time to plunder again!”
The knights cheered and laughed. Those who hadn’t been part of the strike force were especially relieved.
Amid the celebration, Ghislain pointed at the gate and spoke.
“Close the gate.”
Everyone knew they were being pursued.
The knights quickly regained their composure, closed the gate, and climbed onto the walls.
Before long, they spotted an army approaching from the distance, holding countless torches.
This was the force sent by Marquis Roderick and nearby lords.
Their swift arrival indicated that they had been monitoring the situation all along.
“They really want to trap us and starve us out, don’t they?”
“More like they want to ensure the lord can’t escape.”
“So, they’ve all gathered at last. This won’t be easy.”
Armies approached from three directions. Unlike the forces they had faced earlier, these included many knights.
However, the enemy forces didn’t attack. They merely surrounded the castle, set up their camps, and waited.
Seeing everything proceed as expected, Ghislain smirked.
“So, they plan to starve us out, huh?”
Their strategy was clever enough. It was almost impressive how boldly they were willing to use a castle and 3,000 soldiers as bait.
Such decisiveness was worthy of a renowned high lord of the kingdom.
“For now, check the castle’s food supplies and search for any remaining officials,” Ghislain ordered.
Seeing that an immediate battle was unlikely, he began making preparations.
The knights scattered and combed through the castle. After hours of searching, they returned, dragging a few individuals with them.
“Please, spare us!”
“We’ve done nothing wrong!”
“The lord and his closest aides have already fled!”
The captured officials wept and begged for their lives. Ghislain asked calmly,
“When did they flee?”
“Th-three days ago. They took all the valuables and left.”
“And they abandoned the soldiers?”
“Yes, yes, that’s right.”
“Then why did the soldiers stay and fight?”
The official hesitated, glancing around nervously before cautiously continuing.
“The soldiers didn’t know that the lord had fled. It was kept completely secret.”
“And what about you?”
“We… we stayed behind… planning to stay until the end…”
“Be honest.”
Ghislain’s expressionless gaze made the official bow his head deeply.
“We… we were planning to escape tomorrow. The food supply had already run out.”
Ghislain looked toward Gillian, who promptly responded.
“The food storeroom is empty. Upon investigation, it seems they distributed even tomorrow’s rations to the soldiers. If two more days had passed, they would have all deserted. There isn’t a single siege weapon left in the castle either.”
Turning back to the official, Ghislain asked another question.
“What about food for the civilians in the castle?”
“Almost everything was requisitioned. Most of the castle residents left with the lord.”
“Why would anyone follow a man like that?”
The official glanced cautiously at Ghislain before replying timidly.
“Rumors were spread… that the Plunder King would kill everyone…”
“The Plunder King?”
“Yes, that’s the nickname you’ve been given.”
Ghislain let out a dry laugh at the remark. While he had played the role of the Plunder King during his campaign, he hadn’t expected to be called such in earnest after arriving in the west.
The other knights also chuckled incredulously, unable to contain their amusement.
Shaking his head as if to brush off the absurdity, Ghislain asked again.
“And they just followed him because of a rumor like that?”
“They didn’t have a choice. Those who refused were taken by force. The more people the lord has when he returns to the castle, the better it would be for him…”
Even while fleeing, the man had been thinking about his future and hoarding resources. In some ways, it was impressive.
Of course, it was likely because he was confident he would win.
“And the soldiers just stayed quiet about all of this?”
“They thought the food was being requisitioned for the battle. They also believed the civilians were being evacuated to safety.”
The man was truly despicable, willing to deceive even his own soldiers to use them as bait.
The remaining officials had likely stayed behind to keep the soldiers calm and ensure they held the line before escaping themselves.
Just as Marquis Roderick had abandoned Baron Daiker, Baron Daiker had discarded his own people to save himself.
Satisfied with the answers, Ghislain nodded, and the knights began dragging the officials away.
“W-wait! Please spare us!”
Greedy men were often quick to beg for their lives. Ignoring their cries, Ghislain turned to gaze beyond the castle walls.
“Hmmm. Everything is proceeding as expected… I wonder when they’ll make their move.”
Kaor, wiping blood off his face with a cloth, chimed in.
“We’re going to fight them anyway, aren’t we? You knew this would happen.”
“Of course. This is the perfect opportunity to weaken them further. Opportunities to kill so many without worrying about justification don’t come often.”
“Then why not rest for a bit and attack at dawn? There’s no food here anyway,” Kaor suggested.
Ghislain shook his head.
“We wait for them to attack first.”
“What? Why?”
“So the mercenaries can safely transport the loot.”
“Ah!”
Ghislain had plundered seven territories thus far. Although there wasn’t much left to take from this eighth one, transporting the loot from the previous territories required significant manpower and time.
The mercenaries scattered across the region were rushing to move the goods, but less than half had been transported so far.
Ghislain glanced at the army encamped outside the castle and smirked.
“To loot as much as possible while ensuring safety, we need to exploit this situation. Their attention is entirely focused here.”
The Roderick Marquisate had allowed Ghislain to plunder other territories without interference, all to lure him to this castle.
Thanks to their plan, Ghislain had been able to loot freely and the mercenaries had moved the goods without issue.
The mercenaries, meanwhile, were cautiously working while scouting the surroundings. Ghislain had ordered them to flee immediately if the enemy appeared.
With the enemy’s focus on the castle, they could safely finish their work for now.
Having organized his thoughts, Ghislain addressed the knights.
“All right, everyone, let’s rest for now. We don’t need food, right? You can all endure hunger for a bit, can’t you?”
Ghislain’s cheerful tone contrasted sharply with the knights’ grim expressions.