Chapter 370: Can Everyone Hold Out? (3)
The commander-in-chief of the army stationed outside the castle, Howard, smirked as he watched the gates close.
“Fools, they’ve finally fallen into the trap.”
Even when the Count of Fenris struck elsewhere, Howard deliberately refrained from interfering, ensuring the enemy wouldn’t feel cornered or attempt an escape. They had merely been left alone, unthreatened, to lure them in.
All they had done was assemble their forces and wait for the Count of Fenris to arrive.
Indeed, the enemy had fallen for the strategy devised by the marquisate’s retainers and recklessly occupied the castle.
“Still, I must admit, they’re impressive. I heard they had only about 400 men, yet they managed to take a castle defended by 3,000.”
Howard had briefly considered the possibility that the Daiker’s forces might hold them off. However, without any knights, it had been impossible for them to stand against the invaders.
Despite their foolishness, their combat prowess was extraordinary. Engaging them carelessly might have put even an army of 10,000 at risk.
Of course, an army of 10,000 included not only soldiers but also a significant number of knights, so they wouldn’t crumble as easily as the Daiker forces.
But the real problem was the Count of Fenris himself.
“Rumors that he’s close to becoming a Master seem accurate. He’s at the level of a top-tier knight.”
If they weren’t careful, even capturing the count could result in devastating losses for their forces. That wasn’t the kind of victory Howard sought.
Taking heavy losses against a mere 400 opponents, even with a force of 10,000, would be a humiliating failure for any commander.
No matter how skilled the Count of Fenris might be, it wouldn’t serve as an acceptable excuse. He lacked the recognition to be regarded as a transcendent figure by the kingdom.
“I originally planned to starve them out for a week, but that seems too risky. Maintain the siege for at least a month.”
Howard was a cautious commander. To secure victory with minimal casualties, he opted to prolong the siege.
Even someone as formidable as Fenris would inevitably grow weaker after a month of starvation. While a near-Master like him would still retain considerable strength, his subordinates, who hadn’t reached such heights, would be too weakened to fight effectively.
After pondering further, Howard issued new orders.
“Bring in additional trebuchets from the surrounding estates.”
Although they already had some, more siege engines wouldn’t hurt. If they needed to draw the Count of Fenris and his men out, they intended to pummel them thoroughly.
Alternatively, they could use the trebuchets to launch a focused assault when the enemy attempted a breakout.
Howard was determined to capture the weakened beast. He was indeed a commander deserving of recognition from the marquisate.
For a time, the two sides remained locked in a standoff without any battles.
A week passed, then two, and by the third week, Howard grinned.
“Still no response? They must be terrified. They’re probably scouring the castle for any remaining supplies.”
The enemy made no attempt to flee. They likely knew that any breakout attempt would be crushed by the surrounding army.
Nonetheless, patrols were kept vigilant to prevent any secret escape.
“the Count of Fenris might attempt to flee alone. Keep strict surveillance of the area and ensure every soldier memorizes his face.”
Howard maintained the siege meticulously, ensuring his soldiers stayed alert.
When the siege entered its fourth week, Howard finally allowed himself a derisive chuckle as he gazed at the silent castle.
“Idiots. If they wanted to fight, they should’ve come out on the first day. By now, they must be eating rats.”
Judging by the lack of response, the defenders must have exhausted their supplies and collapsed while searching for food.
No matter how strong the Count of Fenris might be, it was unthinkable for him to emerge alone.
Sensing the time was ripe, Howard gave the order for an all-out attack.
The trebuchets were loaded, and the soldiers formed ranks.
“Here falls the so-called Holy Star of the North, the Count of Fenris, brought low by the might of the marquisate.”
Howard smiled with satisfaction. This victory would cement his reputation throughout the kingdom.
Though the Count of Fenris might be celebrated in the North, that was a backwater region. Compared to the West, with its advanced development, the North was no match.
These men only knew brute force. They couldn’t possibly comprehend the intricacies of such a sophisticated strategy.
“Begin the assault on the castle. Wait… what?”
Howard turned around, his gaze falling on a new army approaching from the distance, bearing the banner of the Marquisate of Roderick.
He paused his order and waited. Soon, a knight galloped forward, bowed, and spoke.
“We’ve come as reinforcements under the orders of Lord Tennant.”
“Reinforcements? How many?”
“Ten thousand.”
At a glance, the reinforcements appeared just as numerous as Howard’s own forces. Puzzled by the sudden support, he asked.
“But the enemy has been starving for a month. They have only 400 men. Isn’t this overkill?”
“We have new information.”
“New information?”
The knight, with a tense expression, looked at Howard and spoke.
“Before the Count of Fenris came here, he single-handedly killed the 7th-circle mage, the Master of the Scarlet Tower.”
At those words, Howard’s expression hardened.
He had killed one of the kingdom’s only two superhuman-level 7th-circle mages?
There was a vast difference between being close to becoming a Master and being a confirmed Master.
If Delmud, the 7th-circle mage, and his disciples had been inside that castle, Howard wouldn’t have dared to consider taking them down even with 10,000 men.
Such was the power and reputation of a transcendent being.
Suddenly struck by a thought, Howard quickly turned to the castle.
“Why didn’t they come out on the first day?”
If they had fought then, his forces might have lost. Based on his calculations, the enemy had at least 50 knights.
It was also certain that the remaining soldiers were elite fighters.
If each of them could kill ten of his soldiers, they could deal with 4,000 on their own. And if the Count of Fenris was truly a Master, he could slaughter thousands single-handedly.
‘Fighting us before starving would have been their best option….’
He couldn’t fathom why they hadn’t come out.
The knight who had brought reinforcements interrupted Howard’s thoughts.
“It’s fortunate we arrived before the attack started. If you plan to assault the castle, I’ll issue orders for battle preparations.”
Howard, after briefly deliberating, stared at the castle and spoke.
“If he truly has the ability to defeat a 7th-circle mage single-handedly, it’s still not enough. Let’s starve them for a few more days.”
Having already starved them for a month, the 400 enemies were nothing more than a bonus. This was now a battle of one against 20,000. No matter how strong the Master-level the Count of Fenris might be, losing against such overwhelming numbers seemed implausible.
However, the potential casualties were another matter. At worst, nearly half of the 20,000 could die.
As a cautious man, Howard decided to let the rats trapped inside the castle grow even weaker.
—
“Wow, they’re not complete fools.”
Ghislain clicked his tongue as he observed the now doubled forces of the marquisate outside the castle.
Adding 10,000 troops in such a short time—indeed, the strongest noble of the West had to be on a different level.
Count Desmond had managed to assemble 30,000 troops by mobilizing the armies of all his vassals. That had been an enormous number, but here, they simply increased their forces by 10,000 at will.
Unlike the impoverished North, the West was wealthy, abundant in population, and easily replenished its armies.
The rumor that the Marquisate of Roderick rivaled entire kingdoms in strength wasn’t baseless.
Gillian, wearing a slightly grim expression, spoke.
“With 20,000, it seems unlikely we can win without significant losses.”
Even that was an optimistic statement. Against 10,000, they might have managed a difficult victory, especially with Master-level Ghislain on their side.
But with 20,000, the odds shifted. Even if they won, Ghislain might be the sole survivor. They could also tire out first and face annihilation.
Unless they could somehow avoid fatigue and loss of strength during the fight, which was impossible for humans, the situation was grim.
Ghislain nodded in agreement.
“Right. They’re only human, but they’re smart enough to try everything to win. Seeing how they’ve increased their forces, they must’ve heard the news.”
“What news?”
“The information that I killed Delmud. They probably sent reinforcements as soon as they heard. That’s why they managed to arrive just in time.”
“That makes sense. They must have realized 10,000 weren’t enough.”
Gillian had witnessed Ghislain fighting Delmud firsthand.
Since then, Ghislain had grown exponentially stronger—so much so that it was hard to believe a human could improve so quickly.
Ghislain had undoubtedly ascended to the ranks of those referred to as superhuman. Within the kingdom, there were only four such individuals, including Ghislain.
This was why the Marquis of Roderick would go to any lengths to kill Ghislain in this battle.
“They might even be gathering more troops. We should strike before their numbers increase further.”
“Right. With another 10,000, they’d be sure to win. But it doesn’t benefit us to go out now either. We can’t underestimate even 20,000.”
“What’s your plan?”
At Gillian’s worried question, Ghislain chuckled lightly.
“We’ll call for reinforcements of our own.”
“Reinforcements…?”
Gillian tilted his head. Ghislain had come with only knights, raiding various places as if prepared for pillaging.
Naturally, they had no supply lines. Any support from the North would arrive too late.
Ghislain responded nonchalantly.
“We’ve got mercenaries waiting nearby, don’t we?”
“Ah!”
The mercenaries had been gathering resources from the nearby territories. There was currently no army available to stop them.
Dominic, who had been operating in the East, had also brought the Drake Mercenary Corps back to the West.
They knew the region better than anyone.
Additionally, many of the mercenaries recruited from the North and East had followed the Drake Mercenary Corps into the West.
“By now, their numbers should’ve increased. With all the resources they’ve been relocating, I told them to regroup after their tasks were done. By now… I’d guess we’ve got at least 3,000 to 4,000.”
The Fenris Mercenary Corps currently boasted nearly ten thousand members, a result of steadily recruiting mercenaries from various regions over time.
When they first began raiding, they operated with only around 500 men. However, with each new territory added to their conquests, they continually requested reinforcements.
If those mercenaries could be gathered here, they would stand a good chance of victory. They could either strike at the rear of the Marquisate’s forces or merely set up a defensive front to disperse the enemy’s strength.
But it wasn’t as simple as it sounded.
“If they come, it will be a great help. But aren’t they all scattered? To bring them here, they would need to gather in one place first, and that’s the problem.”
The estates attacked this time were among the smaller ones in the west, but looting even one entire estate wasn’t an easy feat.
The mercenaries, divided into groups of hundreds, were busy transporting their spoils. There was no practical way to communicate with them and have them consolidate their forces and head to this location.
The encirclement was tighter than anticipated. Even if one person tried to slip out, the massive enemy army wouldn’t stay idle.
Ghislain smirked and nodded.
“Dominic should be nearby. Send a message to him and have him gather the mercenaries. It’s not too far, so they’ll assemble quickly and come.”
“How on earth…?”
Without answering, Ghislain reached out into the air.
Swish…
Suddenly, black smoke began swirling in the air, coalescing into a single point.
The knights watching alongside Gillian recoiled in shock, stepping back instinctively.
The smoke soon took the form of a raven.
“Heheheh… Master, are you seeking my power again?”
As the raven spoke, the onlookers gawked, their mouths agape.
While they were aware that Ghislain had started using magic, none of them had imagined he could create a creature like this.
Even the usually stoic Gillian stammered in surprise.
“M-My lord! What is that?”
“Hmm, how should I explain it? Just think of it as one of the spirits I can summon.”
“A-a spirit? Are you saying that you can use spirits as well, my lord?”
“Well… it’s sort of like magic.”
It didn’t seem prudent to reveal the true nature of the entity inhabiting his body. Arel had witnessed the entire process, but for these men, it would be beyond belief.
Ghislain planned to reveal things to them gradually. For now, he gave a vague explanation, but the raven arrogantly tilted its head and interjected.
“My name is Dark. You’ll see me often from now on, so make sure to bow in reverence whenever you do.”
Kaor tilted his head skeptically and muttered, “What’s with this guy? Acting as cocky as the Clpoie of Fenris?”
“Clpoie” was a derogatory term coined by combining the names Claude and Alfoi, used to refer to the most insufferable individuals in the estate. That Kaor casually used the term indicated just how arrogant the raven appeared.
Of course, Dark, now living within Ghislain’s body, feared no one else.
“If you wish to avoid utter ruin of your soul through my curse, remain silent. You must be Kaor. I already know all about you.”
Dark had delved into Ghislain’s consciousness and pilfered his memories, so he naturally knew everything. But Kaor, curious about how the raven knew him, asked in amazement,
“You know me? How?”
“You’re famous.”
“I’m famous?”
Kaor grinned smugly, evidently pleased. Being known was always a gratifying thing. But Dark, mirroring his head tilt, continued with a smirk.
“Yes, you’re famous for being a fool.”
“You little bastard!”
Kaor immediately moved to draw his sword but was stopped by Ghislain’s intervention.
Dark cackled mischievously.
“What do you think? As an immortal entity under my master’s protection, I’m — Ack!”
Ghislain clenched his hand into a fist, and Dark’s body convulsed violently, emitting a high-pitched scream. The immense pressure bearing down on him was undeniable.
“M-Master! I’m sorry!”
Dark immediately issued a groveling apology. Having been dormant for a while, he had gotten carried away with excitement.
Ghislain clicked his tongue.
“There’s no time for jokes. Go to Dominic and tell him to gather the mercenaries and bring them here immediately. Can you deliver the message clearly?”
“Y-Yes. But will he believe me? What if he thinks, ‘Who’s this crazy raven?’ Or maybe he’ll be intrigued by a talking bird?”
“Mention the artifacts he reveres. He’ll come running.”
“Alright. I’ll deliver the message. Everyone, wait here.”
Though small in size, Dark had been infused with ample mana from Ghislain. He quickly set off to deliver the message to Dominic, who was in a nearby estate.
A week passed, and Howard finally resolved to launch the assault.
“This should be enough.”
An army of 20,000 tightly surrounded the castle. By now, almost everyone except for the Count of Fenris himself would be too weak to fight effectively.
Meanwhile, their own forces had been well-fed and rested. With their numerical superiority, morale was at an all-time high.
“Prepare the troops,” Howard ordered, raising his hand to signal the attack.
Creaaaak…
But before the signal could be given, the castle gates began to open.