Chapter 302

“Yawn.”

The guard yawned, his weapon resting beside him as he dozed off, the picture of relaxation.

“Hey, aren’t you being a bit too careless? The world’s in chaos right now.”

His fellow guard chided him.

“What does that have to do with us? The Crown Prince controls this entire region, and our territory is on his side. It’s perfectly safe. What could possibly happen? Do you think someone’s going to attack us or something?”

The sleepy guard scoffed, as if his colleague was being ridiculous.

But then,

“G-Gasp?!”

His reaction was unexpected.

His eyes widened in shock, and he let out a startled gasp.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“O-Over there, a-an a-army…”

“Seriously? What army? Don’t try to scare me with your lousy acting…”

The sleepy guard, annoyed, followed his colleague’s gaze.

And then,

“Huh? W-What? A-An army?!”

He exclaimed in shock, his eyes mirroring his colleague’s.

“T-The blue forget-me-not crest! It’s the Celtrine army!”

His colleague shouted, his face pale.

“C-Celtrine? But they’re on the princess’s side! They’re the enemy!”

“R-Ring the alarm and light the beacon!”

“R-Right!”

The guards scrambled to their posts.

And so, chaos erupted in the peaceful Fillmore Barony.

* * *

The messenger from the Fillmore Barony, pleading for help, arrived at the Imperial Capital after a nonstop ride.

The news of the princess faction’s first attack sent shockwaves through the Imperial Capital.

They had suffered their first defeat recently, but until now, the Crown Prince had been the one on the offensive.

No lord who had sided with the Crown Prince had ever been attacked.

But now they had been attacked?

It could be a sign that the princess faction was starting to make their move.

So the Imperial Capital’s response to this incident was crucial.

Everyone would be watching to see what they would do.

“Haha, this is interesting. They dared to launch a preemptive strike? That fool. I heard he was a delinquent in the past, and it seems like he still doesn’t know his place.”

Adolf chuckled, amused.

The Imperial Knights, who had been preparing to depart, were also present in the throne room.

“How large is the Fillmore Barony, teacher?”

Adolf turned to Galbraith.

“They can raise an army of about a thousand. It’s not a large territory, but they have a decent castle that can withstand a siege.”

“So they must have brought a much larger force if they’re attacking a territory like that.”

“The messenger didn’t know the exact size of the enemy force, as they were caught by surprise. But it’s reasonable to assume that they brought a much larger force, especially if they’re planning a siege. Even more so if they want to end the battle quickly.”

“That’s right. They can’t afford to waste time.”

Adolf nodded.

The enemy knew that reinforcements could arrive from the Imperial Capital at any time.

So they would try to capture Fillmore Castle as quickly as possible and end the battle.

“So that means the Celtrine territory is empty right now?”

Adolf’s eyes gleamed.

The enemy would have mobilized at least four or five thousand soldiers for a siege.

It was a number that the Celtrine Earldom, located in the prosperous central region, could easily muster.

But that was it.

If four or five thousand soldiers had been dispatched, the Celtrine territory would only have one or two thousand soldiers left to defend it.

And they would be low-quality troops.

It was the perfect opportunity to attack their undefended territory.

Galbraith, sensing Adolf’s thoughts, said, “Focus on the long-term, not the immediate gains. We have to prioritize rescuing our allies. If we prioritize attacking an empty territory over rescuing our allies, which lord would be willing to follow you, Crown Prince?”

It was a wise advice, straight to the point.

If they ignored a lord who had pledged his loyalty and was under attack, other lords would think,

That the Crown Prince wouldn’t protect them, even if they were loyal.

It would create dissent among the lords who had already submitted, and it would discourage those who were still undecided.

“Hahaha, I know that, teacher. But it would be foolish to miss this opportunity. Let’s take both. We can split our forces, attack the empty territory, and rescue Fillmore Barony at the same time.”

“A wise decision, Crown Prince.”

Galbraith agreed.

If they could kill two birds with one stone, they should.

“Good. I’ll give you two thousand more soldiers. Depart immediately, rescue Fillmore Barony, and burn the Celtrine territory to the ground.”

“As you command!”

The Imperial Knights replied in unison.

* * *

Vinchel, the Sword Saint, was the commander of the eight thousand soldiers, the original six thousand plus the additional two thousand.

He was personally leading the army because he couldn’t tolerate another failure.

“Sir Marius, you’ll stay behind in the Imperial Capital.”

“Yes, Captain. I’ll maintain a tight defense and ensure that no unrest occurs.”

Marius, the Black Knight, replied firmly.

He could be trusted.

He would handle any situation that arose.

Vinchel’s gaze shifted to the other Imperial Knights.

“We’ll split our forces.”

It was only natural.

They had two destinations, and they were in opposite directions.

“Rescuing Fillmore Barony is our top priority. The enemy’s main force will be there.”

Even with a larger force, a siege wasn’t easy.

Judging by the time it had taken for the messenger to arrive, Baron Fillmore would still be defending his castle with all his might.

That was Vinchel’s confident assessment.

“The Celtrine family doesn’t have any decent siege weapons anyway. I thought he was a cunning one, but it seems like he’s still a reckless fool, just like the Crown Prince said.”

Sayanoid sneered.

Fools who had no experience in siege warfare thought that they could capture a castle just by throwing a large number of soldiers at it.

But a siege without proper siege weapons?

It was like going to war without weapons.

It was a foolish move, a path to certain defeat.

“…He’s not someone to be underestimated, senior.”

Justino said, scratching his head.

“Oh, come on! Are you questioning my judgment just because I lost once? I’ll crush that bastard this time, and you can watch!”

Vinchel raised his hand, silencing the agitated Saya.

“Yes, he’s not an easy opponent, so I’ll personally lead five thousand soldiers to Fillmore Barony. Sir Justino, you’ll accompany me as my lieutenant.”

“Yes, Captain!”

Justino’s expression relaxed.

He had a strange feeling about Max, but if Vinchel, the Sword Saint, was personally leading the army, there wouldn’t be any problems.

Max was no match for Vinchel in any aspect.

“Lady Saya, you’ll lead the remaining three thousand soldiers and launch a surprise attack on the undefended Celtrine territory. I trust you. Regain your lost honor with this battle.”

“I will, Captain!”

Saya replied, her voice filled with determination.

“Good. Then let’s depart immediately.”

And so, two armies marched out of the Imperial Capital.

* * *

“Hit it.”

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

A monstrous object (?) slammed against the castle gate.

Baron Fillmore’s face turned pale with terror.

“W-What is that?! What is that turtle?!”

“…It-It looks like a battering ram, my lord.”

His subordinate replied, his voice trembling.

The Turtle Battering Ram.

A monstrous siege weapon, crafted by the genius artisan, Ran, and made almost entirely of orichalcum alloy.

Fillmore Castle stood no chance against the weapon that had easily shattered the undead’s fortress.

“S-Stop them! Don’t let them break through the gate!”

Baron Fillmore shouted desperately, but the arrows and magic attacks directed at the Turtle Battering Ram were deflected by its sturdy shell.

And finally,

*Crash!*

The gate shattered, collapsing with a deafening roar.

“G-Gasp!”

Baron Fillmore’s face turned white.

The morale of his soldiers plummeted.

They had lost their only advantage, the castle’s defenses, and they couldn’t possibly defeat the enemy’s overwhelming force of two thousand soldiers.

Yes, only two thousand soldiers.

It was a far cry from the five thousand that the Crown Prince, Galbraith, and the Imperial Knights had expected.

The reason why they had been able to capture the castle so easily, despite their smaller numbers, was the power of the monstrous siege weapon.

And the elite skills of the two thousand soldiers, which included three hundred residents and two hundred knights.

“Avoid unnecessary bloodshed and secure the castle as quickly as possible.”

Max ordered.

Duncan, the red-haired beastman, charged through the shattered gate and roared, “Surrender your weapons and surrender! We’ll spare your lives if you surrender! But if you resist, you will all die!”

If they didn’t give them a chance to surrender, they would fight to the death.

But Duncan, a former soldier, knew,

That soldiers would choose to live if they knew they couldn’t win.

Because most of them had families to return to.

His words seemed to have worked, as many soldiers dropped their weapons and surrendered.

They had decided that there was no point in throwing away their lives when defeat was certain.

The castle fell quickly, overwhelmed by the Celtrine forces.

“Y-You ungrateful bastards!”

Baron Fillmore shouted, unable to contain his rage.

“Tsk, if you had ruled wisely, your soldiers wouldn’t have surrendered so easily.”

Max said, clicking his tongue.

“W-Who are you?”

“Max Celtrine. The heir to the Celtrine family.”

“Ugh, you’re that bastard! Do you think you can get away with this?”

“That’s not your concern.”

“What?”

“If I let you live after capturing your castle, what would people think of me? They would think I’m a weak fool. You have to die as an example. Don’t you think?”

“Y-You…!”

*Slash!*

Before he could finish his sentence, Milia, who was standing beside Max, decapitated Baron Fillmore with her chain sword.

“Good job.”

“Congratulations on your victory, Savior.”

“Haha, it’s not over yet.”

They had won the battle, but they had to reap the rewards.

Eliminating one of the Crown Prince’s forces was a reward in itself, but it wasn’t enough.

Normally, they would have annexed the territory, but that wasn’t possible.

It was impossible to defend a territory this far away from the Imperial Capital against the Crown Prince’s army.

So Max came up with a plan.

“We’re going to kidnap them.”

Kidnap (?).

He meant it literally.

They would take the surrendered soldiers and the civilians to the Celtrine territory.

And for that, they had prepared spatial bags.

The same spatial bags they had used to transport a massive amount of supplies, food, weapons, armor, and other equipment during the underground raid.

Max had brought a large number of spatial bags with him, having anticipated this situation.

It was an impressive display of foresight.

“Yes, sir. We’ll start right away.”

“I’m counting on you.”

And so, the Celtrine army quickly kidnapped the people of Fillmore.

* * *

“It’s done, Savior.”

“Good. Then let’s move.”

It was a race against time.

I knew that.

‘We’re faster anyway.’

I was certain of it.

No one would have expected us to capture Fillmore Castle so quickly.

‘And at least half of them will come here.’

I couldn’t suppress a smile.

The Crown Prince’s army had no choice but to come here to rescue their allies.

If they ignored a plea for help, no lord would trust or follow the Crown Prince.

That was my plan all along.

To force the Crown Prince to send reinforcements by launching a preemptive strike.

‘We’ve divided their forces, now we just have to take care of the rest.’

The other enemy force, thinking that our territory was empty, would be approaching rapidly.

And I knew exactly where they would come from.

The Ataraxia Forest, of course, the fastest route.

They would have no choice but to use that path, even though they had already been ambushed there once.

Because they would assume that there wouldn’t be another ambush, and it was the fastest route.

“Those with spatial bags, head back to the territory first.”

Five hundred soldiers.

We could still win without them.

Why?

Because the enemy would definitely enter the Ataraxia Forest.

“The rest of us will intercept the enemy in the Ataraxia Forest.”

I smiled, anticipating victory.