CHAPTER 70: Attack is the best form of defense (1)

The main army of Digald had arrived before the gates of Perdium's castle.

They positioned themselves in front of the southern gate and wall, setting up a camp a short distance from the castle. As Zwalter watched them prepare, his vision grew hazy with worry.

'Can we really hold out?'

Hearing about their strength was one thing; seeing it in person was another. The sight of the long rows of tents and the massive troops made his heart sink.

'No, I must. We must hold them off, somehow.'

Not just for himself, but for the people of the territory, he had to stand firm.

While Zwalter steadied his resolve, the soldiers and knights on the wall swallowed nervously, some trembling slightly.

'How are we supposed to stop this?'

'We're done for. They'll break through the gates immediately.'

'Even if they just charged in, we'd all die.'

Neither experience from the north, camaraderie, nor loyalty could make a difference at this moment.

This was the effect of overwhelming force.

Just standing there, the enemy's sheer presence seemed to drain their will.

The troops stood stiff, unsure of what to do, watching the enemy's every move.

But Digald's army didn't attack immediately. After posting sentries, they began assembling their siege weapons.

In less than a day, four enormous siege towers and a catapult were complete.

The sight of these engines of war filled Perdium's soldiers with an indescribable dread.

"It's… it's a siege tower."

"I've never seen one of those before."

"They're bringing that here? Against these weak walls?"

Though they knew what siege towers were, they had never seen one in real life.

Watching his soldiers' anxiety, Zwalter's face darkened.

'This is bad. They're terrified before the fight even begins.'

Just the sight of those towering siege engines was enough to drain the Perdium forces of their fighting spirit.

Meanwhile, Tamos was smiling with great satisfaction.

"So it's true—Count Perdium really did focus only on the northern fortress. This castle is in even worse shape than ours!"

Viktor had told him not to worry, but it was hard to control his nerves.

By nature, Tamos was a cautious man, and he hoped the war wouldn't drag on.

With their overwhelming numbers, he'd prefer to end this with one decisive blow.

"A castle in such poor shape. Hahaha! How fortunate. We can finish this quickly, don't you think?"

Viktor only glanced at him without much response, but Tamos continued laughing and chattering on his own.

Once the troops were in place, a knight approached Viktor to deliver a report.

"The troops are ready to advance."

"Start with the catapult."

At Viktor's command, the catapult to the left launched massive stones.

They only had one due to a shortage of stones, but even one was enough.

BOOM! CRASH!

"Ahhh! Take cover!"

The Perdium soldiers, caught off guard, scrambled to dodge the unexpected attack.

Usually, a messenger would ride up to demand an "honorable surrender" before a battle started.

But the enemy had launched a sudden attack with no warning, clearly intending to annihilate them.

Swinging his sword, Zwalter shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Everyone, take cover!"

Since the enemy forces hadn't advanced, they had no way to counterattack.

Fortunately, catapults were slow to reload and hard to aim, making it relatively easy to avoid the attacks.

BOOM! CRASH!

Watching the walls crack under the assault, Zwalter bit his lip.

'If we had our own catapults, we could return fire.'

The enemy seemed sure Perdium had no such weapons, showing no signs of caution.

'A traitor probably informed them.'

BOOM! CRASH!

Eventually, the catapult fire ceased. They had run out of stones.

But even that brief attack had left the walls of Perdium's castle in ruins.

Watching the crumbling walls, Viktor raised one corner of his mouth in a smirk.

"A good start."

The fallen rubble was so high that they could climb up without ladders.

As Viktor raised his hand, the troops finally began to move.

Doom! Doom! Doom! Doom!

With the deep beat of war drums, Digald's forces moved in perfect unison.

"Prepare yourselves! The enemy is advancing!"

At Zwalter's shout, the soldiers readied themselves for battle, trembling with fear.

The sight of the trained soldiers advancing in formation was intimidating.

Not to mention, the enemy greatly outnumbered them.

"Steady! We can hold them! We have the castle walls on our side!"

Zwalter kept shouting, urging his troops on.

The soldiers, their hands shaking too much to grip their weapons properly, gathered their courage at their lord's call.

Thud, thud, thud!

The central troops halted at a certain distance, while two siege towers on the left and right began advancing.

Watching them approach, Zwalter shouted.

"Fire!"

A barrage of flaming arrows rained down on the siege towers.

However, covered in leather and soaked in water, the siege towers didn't catch fire easily.

To burn something that size, the entire tower would need to be drenched in oil—something Perdium couldn't afford.

Meanwhile, the enemy didn't sit idle as Perdium attacked.

Swoosh!

Archers, protected by shield bearers, advanced and unleashed a rain of arrows upon the walls.

"Aah!"

"Stay down!"

"Hug the wall and fire back!"

Several soldiers fell, hit by arrows. The rest did their best to keep their heads low and return fire.

But with the massive disparity in numbers, they could only hold them at bay for a moment.

Soon, one siege tower was positioned against each side of the wall.

Thud! Thud!

The drawbridges of the siege towers dropped onto the wall, and enemies poured out like a flood.

"Hold the line! Randolph, take the other side!"

Zwalter and Randolph split up, directing the soldiers on the walls as they fought.

"Charge!"

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A chaotic melee erupted on the narrow wall where it was hard to swing a sword properly.

"Hold them back!"

Zwalter and Randolph managed to push through, cutting down enemies as they went, directing their troops with precision.

Their skill in personal combat was formidable, and despite Digald's continuous reinforcements, they managed to hold the walls.

Watching them from afar, Viktor's eyes sparkled with interest.

"Impressive. Such talent wasted on this place."

Tamos, however, urged him on impatiently.

"Can't we just lead the knights to break down the gates? It'd be quicker."

Viktor shot him a scornful look, barely hiding his disdain.

To break through the gates, they'd need to concentrate their forces in one place.

They had already reached the walls, so there was no need to focus on another point of attack.

Moreover, using knights to breach the gate…

Knights were a precious asset. Even if hundreds of soldiers died, preserving one knight was preferable.

"If we break through the gates, the defenders will abandon the walls and converge on the gate."

"Then we can just sweep them away, can't we?"

"Perdium Castle is narrow. Even if we break through, only a limited number can enter at a time. We'd be forced to feed in our troops slowly."

The tactic of feeding in troops incrementally was known as a "sequential attack."

This could wear down the enemy, but with competent commanders on their side, they might hold the gate for days.

Viktor pointed at the walls again.

"It's the same for the walls, but if we create more access points and scatter their forces, we can destroy them gradually. We outnumber them considerably, so we must use our numbers to minimize casualties."

Viktor, barely containing his irritation, explained, but Tamos still didn't understand and asked again.

"So… can we finish this by today?"

'Should I just kill him now?'

Viktor's bloodlust began to rise.

He was going to kill Tamos anyway once the battle ended, so doing it now wouldn't be a problem.

Viktor sighed heavily, suppressing his thoughts.

Tamos's guards and knights still lingered nearby.

Killing them wouldn't be difficult, but creating a disturbance in the rear could lift the enemy's morale.

"When forces clash in confined spaces, the battle naturally takes longer."

Tamos didn't understand half of what he was told but nodded when he saw Viktor's displeased expression.

Just as Viktor had said, Perdium was in a dire predicament.

If they failed to hold the walls, it would be as good as defeat.

Once enemies breached the walls, they'd be forced to retreat while surrounded.

Yet, with such a long wall to defend, they simply didn't have enough troops.

Despite Zwalter and Randolph's efforts, Perdium's forces were growing tired of fighting off endless waves of enemies.

'But we have to hold out!'

Zwalter gritted his teeth. Before his soldiers wore out, they had to kill as many enemies as possible.

Viktor watched the walls as the battle lulled and smiled.

"Send troops to the breached wall. Divide their forces between the wall and the gate. Once we secure the breach, just hold the line."

Doom! Doom! Doom!

With the sound of drums and horns, Digald's central troops advanced toward the breach created by the catapult.

Seeing the enemy reinforce the breach, Zwalter grew desperate.

With his forces occupied on the walls, he had few left to cover the gap.

'Randolph can't hold it alone! There aren't enough men on the walls!'

The enemy's central troops and rear cavalry had yet to move.

It was clear they intended to spread out Perdium's forces, but Zwalter had no choice but to counter.

If they lost the breach, the enemy would have a staging ground.

In a frantic voice, Zwalter shouted.

"Ghislain! Block the breach!"

Ghislain waited inside the gate with his mercenaries, all clad in black helmets and armor.

Near the gate mechanism, Skovan and the Forest of Demonic Beasts guards stood ready.

"Young lord! Lord Zwalter has given the order! You must go support them—the knight commander is in danger!"

Skovan shouted desperately, but Ghislain shook his head.

"We're not defending the walls."

"What?"

Skovan and the soldiers looked confused.

Ghislain had insisted on keeping command of the mercenaries, with plans to reinforce vulnerable areas.

But now he refused to defend the walls?

Skovan and the soldiers hesitated, wondering if they should go on their own.

The mercenaries looked at Ghislain, puzzled. If they weren't defending the walls, what was he planning?

Just then, Zwalter's voice echoed once more.

"Ghislain! Move! What are you doing?!"

Randolph bellowed as well.

"Young lord! Damn you, what are you doing?! The enemy's advancing!"

The enemy was already nearing the breached wall.

Ghislain gauged the timing and issued his command to Skovan.

"Open it."

"What? Open what?"

"The gate."

Skovan flinched, waving his hands in protest.

"N-no! Young lord, what are you saying?! Why open the gate?"

"This is the perfect opportunity."

"What opportunity? Stop saying nonsense!"

Seeing that Skovan wasn't going to follow orders, Ghislain signaled to the mercenaries instead.

After a moment's hesitation, they followed his command.

They rushed over, lifting the portcullis and swinging open the gate.

"No! Don't open the gate!"

Skovan tried to stop them, but the mercenaries pulled him aside.

Thud, thud, thud!

Through the slowly opening gate, the distant central forces of the enemy could be seen.

Still calm and motionless, they showed no signs of approaching.

"Perfect. The timing is just right."

Clank!

Ghislain grinned as he lowered the visor of his helmet.

His black helmet was reinforced with something layered meticulously on top.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

The mercenaries also covered their faces with their visors.

Though they had prepared as ordered, a sense of unease began to stir among the mercenaries.

Belinda's face was pale, sweat dripping down her brow, while Gillian wore a hardened expression.

Only Kaor's eyes sparkled with excitement, like a child awaiting a present.

At that moment, Zwalter shouted once more.

"Ghislain! What are you doing? Why haven't you moved yet?!"

Quickly glancing down from the wall, he saw the open gate, the mercenaries gathered, ready to charge out.

He stammered, horrified.

"You—you, what are you doing?! Why did you open the gate?!"

The gate was open, and his son and the mercenaries were poised to charge out.

He had explicitly ordered him to follow the command!

"Close it! Close the gate and get to the wall!"

No matter how loudly Zwalter shouted, Ghislain and the mercenaries didn't respond.

"You disobedient brat! This is an order from your lord! Go help Randolph defend the wall!"

Randolph, seeing the situation below, also shouted in horror.

"Young lord! Why did you open the gate, you madman?!"

Ignoring their yells, Ghislain lowered his body, gripping his massive two-handed axe tightly, gathering mana in his legs as he spoke.

"Defending the walls, huh… Skovan, did you know?"

Skovan, looking like a man who had lost everything, answered despondently.

"Know what? That we're all doomed?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"Attack is the best defense."

"What?"

"When you get the opportunity, don't hesitate—move."

Inside his helmet, a red light glinted in his eyes.

And then—

BOOM!

Ghislain launched forward at an incredible speed.

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