Chapter 60: Engineer Plus One

Alexander swung the Executioner's greatsword, blessed with both strength and agility, weaving a deadly dance of blades that shredded every enemy within reach into pieces, leaving none spared.

But his strength alone had its limits. This was a large-scale battle, and victory did not rest on the efforts of just one or two individuals.

"The banners of Saint Martin shall blot out the sun!"

"The iron hooves of Saint Martin shall tread over all!"

Suddenly, the sound of hoofbeats echoed through the streets, accompanied by a fierce battle cry.

Leading hundreds of Saint Martin cavalry like a sharp sword, the engineer named Hoover charged forward. With his arrival, the gates of Rorl City slowly opened, and the Lion Knights of the Bright Sun, as if anticipating the command, swiftly split apart to guard the sides of the gate.

Outside the city, the Veed army, who had been attacking with siege engines, looked on in surprise at the now open gates. However, their confusion turned to panic when they saw that it wasn't their own forces who had opened the gates.

"Run!"

One sharp-eyed soldier noticed the charging Saint Martin cavalry, mounted on armored warhorses ridden by ruthless Saint Martin tin men, their lances thrusting like the spines of porcupines. One cavalryman, then hundreds of cavalrymen, formed a flood of steel.

Hoover was also a ruthless man, once again using the same tactic: hiding away the elite hundred-man cavalry, waiting to strike at a critical moment when the forces were not in his favour. It was another gamble, this time with the entire city at stake.

This time, Hoover led the charge himself, wearing the glory of his ancestors' armor, leading from the front.

When the Veed men outside the city saw the masses of cavalry charging towards them, even the most inexperienced soldiers knew to turn and flee. Unfortunately, it was crowded outside, and those who didn't know what was going on rushed toward the open gates, while those who could see clearly near the gate frantically tried to escape, pushing outwards.

The situation was momentarily chaotic and out of control.

When the Veed army was in chaos, the Saint Martin cavalry galloped like thunder, their iron hooves like a speeding chariot of war charging toward the narrow gate.

For a moment, the narrow gate became a blood-red purgatory. The pitiful screams of those who were being killed, the neighing of the horses, and the sound of bodies being thrown into the air all mixed together. The Saint Martin cavalry charged forward with undiminished momentum, ruthlessly tearing apart and trampling all enemies.

Like a hot knife through butter, they cut a bloody path through the Veed army outside the city gates.

And it didn't stop there. Following the charge of the Saint Martin cavalry, the Lion Knights of the Bright Sun, covered in flames, emerged in a line behind them, their flaming maces mercilessly reaping the lives of the Veed soldiers.

"Damn those cunning and deceitful Saint Martin people," the King of Veed cursed vehemently. Having fought battles all his life, he naturally sensed trouble, especially with the forces outside the city. 

If Hoover led his cavalry out and then circled back to attack, they would be caught in a pincer movement between Hoover's cavalry and the Lion Knights of the Bright Sun. No kind of force could withstand the onslaught from two top-tier units from both sides.

The King of Veed wasn't worried about his outside forces collapsing; his concern was that the enemy might cut off their retreat, trapping them and leaving them with no way out.

With no other choice, the King of Veed reluctantly led the Veed troops, who had just managed to breach the city, back outside. This assault on the city had been in vain; the King of Veed wasn't foolish enough to attempt two consecutive attacks on the city. Retreating quickly was the sensible course of action.

On a hillside in the distance, King Hadeser, accompanied by only three hundred personal guards, witnessed the scene. He had heard about the siege of Rorl and hastily gathered his men, rushing to the battlefield. He saw Hoover and his Saint Martin cavalry charging straight out, followed by the sight of the King of Veed, that old man, descending from the ladders.

"Charge! Charge! Charge!" King Hadeser was as excited as a child, not at all like an old man nearing the end of his life.

Who wouldn't seize the opportunity to strike a blow at a weakened foe?

The unlucky King of Veed had barely descended from the ladders when he saw another unit charging out in the distance. When he saw Hadeser's smug and arrogant old face, a chill ran down his spine... It seemed like trouble was brewing.

...

In this siege of Rorl City, the Kingdom of Saint Martin paid a great price for victory. It was a 'barely' victory because in reality, both sides suffered horrifying losses. It must be said that the infantry of the Kingdom of Veed were indeed fierce; even though the warriors of Saint Martin held the advantage of the city walls, they didn't fare well. However, in the end, a large number of Veed soldiers were captured.

Unable to do anything about it, the army was scattered, and they could only follow their own lords or mercenary captains, running amok. With bad luck, they might encounter Saint Martin's cavalry.

In the midst of this process, Alexander quickly mounted his horse and joined the ranks of those striking at the retreating enemy. However, he only managed to capture one person.

After capturing this person and learning his identity, Alexander hurriedly brought him back to Rorl City with Viktor. It wasn't for any other reason than that this person was a highly paid engineer hired by Veed.

When this man shouted, "I'm not from Veed, don't kill me, I'm useful... I can build siege engines!" Alexander immediately bound him tightly, gagged him, and threw him onto a horse. Without even bothering to chase down any other prisoners, he and Viktor returned.

This engineer, named Herzog, with a monocle, was now bound unceremoniously to the horse's back. He worried about his fate. Where were these two bandits taking him? He had no way of knowing.

Maybe his life would end here.

Thinking about his bad luck, he sighed. He had been called a genius engineer since he was a child, but he had the typical problem of a genius—being aloof and strange. Because of his personality, he always clashed with others, so even in the Empire, where engineering was relatively valued, he wasn't well-liked.

What was worse, a while ago, due to a bad economic situation, he lost his job (commonly known as being laid off). After losing his income, his wife left him and ran off with a velvet merchant.

Facing hunger soon, someone told him he could try his luck in other countries. So he accepted an invitation from the Veed Kingdom and became an engineering consultant for the Veed army.

This battle was supposed to be his chance to shine, but instead of making a name for himself, he almost lost his head. He saw with his own eyes a man in grim armor, wielding a greatsword, instantly decapitate three Veed soldiers without hesitation.