Ch.272272. The Great Rebellion in the Marquis Territory (2)

Marquis Glios’ Castle.

Currently serving as the base for the revolutionary forces founded on the faith of vengeance, this place is surprisingly well-defended despite being occupied by an army composed solely of freemen and serfs.

Of course, this isn’t so much meticulously planned by someone as it is a case of circumstances aligning perfectly.

First, the Marquis of Glios’ castle has not only become considerably sturdy and robust thanks to extensive renovations by the war-loving lord, but it’s also well-equipped with various defensive systems. Anyone attempting a half-hearted attack would simply face one-sided annihilation.

Additionally, the serfs and freemen who form the core of this revolution have all been conscripted at least once and returned alive. While they certainly can’t match regular troops, this experience has at least taught them the basics of fighting.

Furthermore, most serfs take up poaching to survive, and through this process, a considerable number have become hunters with exceptional archery skills.

The underground storage of the Marquis’ castle contains a substantial quantity of weapons, allowing all 8,000 revolutionary soldiers occupying the castle to be well-armed.

Soldiers with combat experience could be equipped with chain mail and several plate armor parts, while even non-combatants could at least wear gambeson (quilted armor).

The castle also has considerable supplies such as stones for catapults and arrows, along with numerous bows and easy-to-use new crossbows… and of course, many spears.

Most importantly, the leader and military commander of these revolutionary forces, Snowbill, is a proper mid-tier warrior who once served as the commander-in-chief of a certain territory.

Thanks to this, he’s practically the only person capable of handling mid-tier opponents—knights—and simultaneously possesses at least average military talent.

While he might not be renowned as an extraordinary general, he’s competent enough as a leader of average ability, meaning there’s no reason they should be significantly disadvantaged in a defensive battle.

Anyway, about a week had passed since the revolutionary army occupied the lord’s castle.

“B-big trouble!”

“What is it… don’t tell me.”

“Yes! Those bastards are coming from over there!”

The Marquis of Glios’ army, having completed all siege preparations while scouting the surroundings, began approaching the castle with their troops and siege engines.

The Marquis’ army could be classified into three categories.

First, knights who showed little enthusiasm for fighting.

Even though they often disregard justifications, people ultimately need a cause to willingly engage in war. Few knights found honor in crushing civilians who had risen up because they couldn’t survive.

Second, serfs and freemen forcibly conscripted from the surrounding areas.

Of course, they were only dragged here because they feared death and had no will to fight, so naturally, most were burning with the desire to surrender and fight back against their oppressors instead.

And finally third, the standing army soldiers and some knights who still maintained their will to fight for the Marquis of Glios.

As vested interests who had stood by the Marquis and diligently exploited serfs and freemen, they couldn’t bring themselves to relinquish their privileges.

Therefore, they clamored for their sweet privileges and the right to use serfs like slaves. It was only because of these individuals that a siege battle could even take place.

Anyway, the Marquis’ army began slowly approaching with hastily assembled wheeled catapults, battering rams, siege towers, and siege ladders.

And the revolutionary army’s response to this was stones and flames.

“Intercept them!!”

“””WAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”””

The moment Snowbill gave the order while swinging his sword, the revolutionary forces began unleashing their ranged weapons.

Soldiers equipped with bows shot fire arrows—arrowheads wrapped with oil-soaked cloth and set ablaze—toward the siege towers. Some revolutionary soldiers with hunting backgrounds demonstrated their marksmanship by precisely targeting only the regular troops, showcasing the skills they had used for hunting beasts.

Soldiers operating siege engines on the castle walls aimed their catapults at enemy formations, siege engines, and catapults. Some loaded ballistae—deployed as a kind of squad support weapon—and rained bolts upon the enemy.

Considering that scaling walls approximately 10 meters high from the ground—15 meters when including the moat’s depth—would definitely require siege engines…

In this situation, with the revolutionaries occupying the high ground and pouring ranged attacks, the Marquis of Glios’ army could never capture the castle with infantry alone.

And the Marquis, having lived in this castle for a long time, surely knew this.

“KIRURUURURURU!!!”

Perhaps that’s why. With a roar that sounded like a bird of prey, one of the knights accompanying the Marquis mounted his hippogriff and charged toward the castle.

The knight, riding a massive beast with an eagle’s upper body and a horse’s lower body, advanced through the air wearing full plate armor and wielding a lance, just like other knights would.

At this rate, the knight could easily destroy the castle gate—a fact well known to Snowbill, who was once a knight himself.

“GET—OUT—OF—MY—WAY!!!”

Therefore, Snowbill leaped from the command post and quickly ran along the castle wall. When the hippogriff-mounted knight approached the wall, he seized the opportunity to jump off the wall and—

—SLASH!

—elegantly rotated his body upside down in mid-air, drawing his sword to create a crescent arc that cut both the knight and the hippogriff in half with a single stroke.

This was the result of combining Snowbill’s overwhelming skill with the power of his magic sword, Frost Fang, which he had acquired during his journey before dedicating himself to the revolution.

※ ※ ※

Despite Snowbill’s valiant efforts, as time passed, the tide of battle gradually shifted in favor of the Marquis of Glios.

About ten noble knights loyal to the Marquis occasionally reinforced the front lines, and the standing army’s elite troops had solid combat experience accumulated through frequent territorial conflicts.

Critically, the majority of the revolutionary forces defending the castle were essentially just militia with high morale.

No matter how high their morale, humans have physical limits, and excessive movement without proper pacing will harm the body. More than half of the militia were already exhausted from intense activity.

In contrast, the Marquis’ forces had preserved the stamina of their regular troops by using conscripted soldiers as arrow fodder, and they repeatedly constructed new siege towers through their mages and deployed them to the front lines.

So in this gradually deteriorating situation, Snowbill tried his best to move around and change the course of battle, but…

With only one body, Snowbill had been frantically dashing around everywhere. Now he was taking a brief rest during a lull in the battle.

Compared to the enemy formation, which seemed to have consumed most of its conscripted soldiers, most of the revolutionary forces were exhausted—

This resulted in the revolutionary army being unable to muster much firepower once the offensive resumed.

The tide had completely turned.

The Marquis’ army’s siege towers were drawing closer, yet the defenders couldn’t mount any response. Even Snowbill, who could still move, couldn’t recklessly attempt to destroy the siege towers because of the enemy knights.

“God, please grant us a miracle… a miracle to turn this situation around…”

“You’re asking God to grant a miracle?!!”

Suddenly, hearing the muttering of the serf—no, the adjutant—he had brought along, Snowbill shouted at him.

“Do you think the God of Vengeance would do anything for a coward who hopes for salvation without doing anything himself?”

He spoke thus, frustrated by someone who merely hoped for a miracle without thinking of improving the situation, but…

The adjutant was just staring with a dumbfounded expression, mouth agape, looking in Snowbill’s direction.

“…What are you looking at?”

And the moment Snowbill realized it wasn’t because of him but because of something behind him—specifically, something presumed to be in the air above—

Noticing that somehow the surroundings had become redder, Snowbill tightly gripped his magic sword and turned around. In his eyes appeared a sacred figure shining alone.

“…Huh, not even funny.”

What they had been longing for, a ‘miracle,’ revealed its shyly blushing red face before their eyes.