404

Episode 404: War is like X. (4)

The knight who arrived was a member of the 2nd corps of the Earl of Glasgow.

Marquis Rodrik, who recognized him, asked stammeringly.

"My, my castle was taken over? Linderstein was taken over so quickly?"

Marquis Rodrik continued to say the same thing with an expression of disbelief.

The knight spoke with a somber expression.

"Yes, Linderstein was taken by Earl Fenris and the garrison was destroyed."

"I left 20,000 men! What about the 2nd Corps? What happened to the Earl of Glasgow's 2nd Corps? Surely the 2nd Corps has arrived!"

"Our 2nd Corps was also… … annihilated by the Earl of Fenris. The Earl of Glasgow was also captured by the Earl of Fenris and beheaded."

"Ugh!"

Marquis Rodrik fell to the ground with a scream.

"Your Majesty!"

Tennant quickly helped Marquis Rodrik up. Marquis Rodrik's face twisted with anger as he finally got back up.

"What the heck! How on earth could an army of 60,000 men be defeated by 10,000 cavalrymen? And so quickly! What did they do to capture Linderstein so quickly?"

Marquis Rodrik glared at the messenger and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Tell me! What kind of man is it? What kind of traitor opened the gates?"

"Destroying the castle with a catapult… … ."

"Inom! Talk sense! The entire army is cavalry, what catapults are you talking about! If you drag catapults, you'll never get to the west at that speed!"

It was an unbelievable speed. If that were possible, there would be no way to stop Fenris' surprise attack anywhere.

"I, it's true. They took over the castle by destroying it with catapults. After that, we were also hit by those catapults."

The knight, as if he were being aggrieved, eagerly described the bone slinger he had seen.

But the expressions on the faces of those who were listening were unsettling. It was hard to believe even when you saw it with your own eyes, so how could those who only heard about it believe it?

But looking at the article, it seemed that it was true that the 2nd Corps had been annihilated and the castle had been taken. I couldn't help but believe it.

Marquis Rodrik asked again, breathing heavily.

"So, is Earl Fenris sitting in Linderstein?"

"Probably… … That's true. We've taken a lot of prisoners, so we can't just leave them behind and move on."

The knight had come running north immediately after losing the battle, so he was unaware of the current situation in Linderstein and the West.

Marquis Rodrik took aim at Tennant this time.

"Tenant! An army of 60,000 men was annihilated by the Earl of Fenris and our home base was captured!"

"… … ."

Tennant couldn't say anything, because he was the one who suggested the diversionary operation.

But the result was so absurd that I felt a sense of injustice.

Who would have thought that such a fast-moving army would have siege engines?

I had a feeling something was wrong, but I didn't know exactly what it was, so I was going crazy.

"Ugh… … . Those pathetic guys!"

Marquis Rodrik finally spat out a curse.

Including the garrison, the army numbered a whopping 120,000 men. But now, only 30,000 men remain.

They all got hurt without even being able to put up a proper fight.

"How can this be called the strongest army in the West!"

No one said anything even though Marquis Rodrik was running wild.

"Deneshi! What on earth are the wizards doing! Were they unable to use any power in this battle?"

The arrows turned towards the poor wizards. There were three 6th circle wizards and six 5th circle wizards, but no results were achieved.

Dennehy made an excuse, sweating profusely.

"It seems that there is a very good wizard on Fenris' side. We are all trying to stop him… … ."

"Who the hell is that! Are you saying there's a 7th circle wizard in Fenris?"

"… … ."

No one could answer that statement. A 7th Circle wizard is a superhuman. If he were that level, he would have already become famous throughout the kingdom like Count Fenris.

The vassals of Marquis Rodrik were all going crazy. Everything seemed to be shrouded in fog. They had no idea what was going on.

Now, even if you win, it's not a win. In reality, it's the same as losing.

Marquis Rodrik, who had become haggard in an instant, opened his mouth with difficulty.

"Distribution… … . How will distribution be done… … ."

Half of them disappeared in an instant, but the remaining 30,000 were not a small number. The amount of food consumed each day was enormous. If things continued this way, there would not be enough food to return home.

No, there's no place to go back to now.

The Earl of Fenris tried to make it so that they would have no place to return, but they ended up like that themselves.

"If we don't take that place, we are dead."

You must capture Silverlight to regroup and fight Earl Fenris.

But even with an army of 60,000, it was not possible to capture this place. Even the siege weapons were all stuck in the mud and ruined.

"Can the wizards come out and dry up all that mud?"

"… … ."

The wizards couldn't answer those words. It was clear that if they tried to do anything, the other side would block it.

And now, what good will it do to dry the mud? As we advance, we will die as soon as we reach the enemy's arrows and catapults.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Find a way! Find a way!"

Even with an army of 30,000 men, he was in danger of death due to lack of supplies. Marquis Rodrik could not accept this situation.

Eventually, Tennant stepped forward cautiously.

"I think it would be better to first loot the surrounding villages to secure some food."

"Please continue speaking."

"It is impossible to attack that castle right now. Even if we succeed, the damage will be enormous. If we do that, it will be difficult to fight the Earl of Fenris when he returns."

"Are you saying that we can conquer by plundering?"

"The Earl of Fenris is known for caring for his people. If we razed and pillaged the surrounding villages, those hunkered down in that fortress would have no choice but to come out."

"Umm… … ."

"Even if we go back right away, we have to fight Earl Fenris, who has taken over Linderstein. It would be better to drag those guys out and fight them while Earl Fenris is tied up there."

Earl Fenris will not be able to easily give up Linderstein, even if it means cutting off the supply line here.

For now, the best course of action was to draw out the enemies from the fortress as Tennant had suggested.

Marquis Rodrik said with a cruel look in his eyes.

"Bring 10,000 troops immediately and scorch the surrounding area. Don't leave a single one alive. The rest of you stand by and engage the ones in the fortress when they come out."

Rodrik's army regrouped and took up a position a short distance from the fortress. They believed that if they looted and destroyed the surrounding area, Fenris' army would surely react.

The 10,000-strong army that had spread out in all directions returned after two days. The commander who had led the army spoke with a face as black as death.

"No, there isn't a single village."

"What? Does that make sense?"

"It's true. There isn't even a small town around here. I've traveled far and wide, but there are only castles and fortresses."

"… … ."

This territory was really so strange. Everyone was beginning to feel a sense of foreboding.

* * *

The muddy battlefield was filled with the corpses of Rodrik's army. It was a great victory for Fenris.

At first glance, it seemed as if half of that army had been wiped out. It was an incredibly brilliant performance in just one engagement.

Fenris's vassals looked around the battlefield with bewildered expressions.

'Wow, this works?'

'You're crazy, thinking of making a mud pit here.'

'So you're not acting like a general for nothing. I thought you were just a regular person... ... .'

People looked at Claude with renewed interest. When the lord entrusted him with the post of commander-in-chief, they were hesitant, but he really had the ability to do so.

It wasn't like the strong ones came forward and fought fiercely. They literally lured the enemy into traps that they had prepared step by step and inflicted fatal damage. The war was easy, but it seemed too easy.

Of course, it was possible because Vanessa had sealed off all the enemy wizards. But that was also something Claude had instructed.

By taking advantage of Vanessa's powerful attacks in the other direction, the enemy is not given a chance to counterattack.

Excluding her, half of that army was wiped out by ordinary people and what they had prepared.

Wendy, who always felt ashamed because of Claude, had a proud expression on her face for the first time in a long time.

'I said, 'When it's time to do something, it's time to do it.'

Claude is a character who is considerably undervalued in the realm compared to his abilities. This is because he has caused many unfortunate accidents and has no authority at all.

However, in a crisis situation like this, he definitely shows his ability. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that the smooth running of the territory is thanks to Claude.

'It's different from Alpo.'

Although he is undervalued because he is lumped together with Claude, Wendy thinks Claude is a little better. Now that she looks at it, she thinks his shabby appearance is better than Alfoy's.

Although Alpoy has been active recently, shouldn't we say that Claude is the one who does the big things?

Excluding Vanessa, the most notable players in this battle were Claude, who planned the strategy, and Alfoy, who fired off magic.

Alfoy spoke with a show-off tone, as if he had read Wendy's mind.

"How is it? Have you seen my skills? This is what I'm like. I'm scared of what I'll be like when I reach Circle 6. I'm scared, so I can't raise my circle. Should I not raise it any further?"

"Sick… … No, you did well. I trusted you, bro. We are the best intellectuals in the land."

Claude and Alfoy bumped fists with arrogant expressions for the first time in a long while.

Those who saw that sight once again had a puzzled expression on their face.

'Those two people can also succeed... ... .'

'You really have to live long to see it.'

'I guess I'll have to keep seeing you act like you're a know-it-all from now on.'

Unlike the others, Wendy and Vanessa had a somewhat pleased expression on their faces.

Since both of them took care of children who were lacking in some way, it was rewarding when they were active.

Belinda, who had a rotten ginger-chewing expression on her face, asked with a cough.

"Ahem, I didn't know the General had such talent."

"Do you feel the difference in intelligence?"

"… … Anyway, we won this time… … ."

"Not us."

"yes?"

Claude cut Belinda off and crossed his legs haughtily.

"I won."

Why is this kid so annoying? I want to hit him, but I can't hit the Commander-in-Chief in front of people.

"… … Yes. Anyway, the number of enemies has decreased significantly, so what are we going to do now? Since there is no way to attack the castle, I think we will retreat."

All the siege weapons were stuck in the mud and became useless. Rodrik's army barely managed to escape with their own bodies, and they were unable to properly collect their weapons.

In the meantime, it is impossible to attack this place with the remaining troops.

The remaining 30,000 are a large army, but there are 10,000 Galvanium-armed soldiers here. If we fight around the fortress, they will die as soon as they rush in without weapons.

"Hmm, depending on what the lord does, their movements will change… … ."

Claude ordered his entire army to stand by. Their movements would change depending on whether the lord succeeded or failed in conquering the west.

While waiting like that, suddenly some of Rodrik's troops scattered in all directions. Claude laughed at the sight.

"Oh, did your lord succeed?"

Another staff member observed Rodrik's movements and asked.

"What is it? What are you all doing?"

Claude answered nonchalantly.

"There must have been a problem with the supply. That's why they're moving so hastily."

"Ah… … . Then?"

"Yes, the lord has succeeded. He has clearly captured Linderstein."

Rodrik's army may be planning to pillage and destroy the surrounding area to obtain food and draw out their troops here.

But there was no place in Fenris for them to plunder. They had already prepared for war by forcibly relocating all the people of the territory to castles and fortresses. Not even a single small village remained in the vicinity.

Claude laughed again and continued.

"If we look at their haste, we'll hear from them soon. It's that Dark or something."

Sure enough, after waiting a moment, a crow flew in and stood in front of Claude.

"Hey, Claude."

"… … ."

"I'm sorry. I took the wrong route and am late. It seems like they already sent word. What's wrong? Why are you frowning? I didn't want to be late. Am I the one who's leading the way? How can I know all the directions?"

"...okay."

Everyone now knows that Dark is very arrogant. Since he is just a summoned creature, beating him up won't do much damage.

So now everyone was doing that.

Claude shook his head several times and then asked.

"What happened to your lord?"

"I took over Linderstein and left it in the hands of someone else. I heard that I will return north soon. He told me to guard it well until then… … Did you kill a lot of them?"

Dark also saw the corpses lying in front of the fortress as he came. He could tell that they had won a great victory even without hearing the explanation.

Claude nodded arrogantly and said.

"It's nothing. Now those guys are going to go crazy. We should wrap things up soon. Dark, send word to the mercenaries waiting."

With their supplies cut off, Rodrik's army will now resort to any means necessary. However, they are left with only two options.

The only options are to either secure new food supplies and fight a protracted war, or return west to reclaim Linderstein.

Of course, either way, it would not succeed. Claude intended to annihilate them in the North.