Chapter 327

After wiping out the defending forces that had crossed the river and seizing their ships, the princess’s army swiftly took control of Odinel.

Count Odinel, who had attempted to flee in a panic, was captured and brought before Max, bound tightly.

“Ugh…”

Count Odinel trembled, his face pale with fear.

“S-Spare me!”

He begged for his life.

Miles, the captain of the Iron Lion Knights, who had also been captured, frowned and rebuked him.

“A count begging for his life from the enemy? How pathetic!”

“Oh, you want to die instead?”

Duncan, who was standing beside them, swung his twin axes at Miles without hesitation.

It had already been decided.

Miles wasn’t going to surrender, and even if they spared him, he would only come back to haunt them as an enemy.

*Thwack!*

Miles’s head flew off.

Blood spurted from his neck like a fountain.

“Eek!”

Count Odinel screamed, splattered with blood.

He trembled uncontrollably, on the verge of fainting.

Duncan grinned and leaned closer to him.

His menacing face and the grim atmosphere only amplified Count Odinel’s terror.

“G-Gaaaaah!”

Count Odinel screamed again.

Duncan said, ignoring his pleas, “Congratulations. Your head will be put to good use.”

“N-No! Please! Spare me! Spare me! Spare…”

*Thwack!*

Count Odinel’s desperate pleas were cut short by Duncan’s axe.

Duncan carefully collected the severed heads of Count Odinel and Miles, as if they were precious treasures.

There was a reason for this.

“So we’re going to use these to threaten the surrounding territories?”

Duncan asked Max, seeking confirmation.

“That’s right. We have to move before the rumors spread and Duke Cavern reacts.”

Max nodded.

They had conquered Odinel, but they hadn’t secured control of the Lime River basin yet.

They had to quickly subdue the surrounding territories, force them to surrender, and seize all their ships.

They had to leave the Crown Prince’s forces with no ships to use.

If they could achieve that, the Lime River basin would effectively fall under the control of the princess’s forces.

And,

‘Once we control the Lime River, the Crown Prince’s forces will be vulnerable in many places.’

Max’s strategy didn’t end with the conquest of Odinel.

He was already thinking several steps ahead.

There was a reason why Regina Erenbert, a brilliant strategist herself, was so impressed by his plan.

The Lime River, the lifeline of the central region, was connected to many other locations.

Even the Imperial City.

It meant that even the Imperial City would be threatened.

The tide of the war would surely turn in favor of the princess’s forces.

And the severed heads of Count Odinel and Miles were useful tools for intimidation.

‘There’s no better tool than fear.’

If they marched through the surrounding territories with those heads on display,

Countless lords would surrender.

And if anyone dared to resist?

They would crush them without mercy.

They didn’t even need forty thousand soldiers.

Ten thousand would be enough to crush the minor lords.

“Then go and sweep through this area.”

“Hahaha, leave it to me.”

Duncan, the most menacing-looking man in their army, led ten thousand soldiers and marched out, his face full of confidence.

* * *

Who would have imagined that the enemy would attack from Odinel, which was considered a safe zone?

The lords were terrified.

And it was an army of ten thousand.

The pressure was suffocating.

And to make matters worse, they were displaying the severed heads of Count Odinel and Captain Miles on their banners.

It was a sight that sent chills down their spines.

“Surrender, and your lives will be spared. Resist, and you’ll meet the same fate as these men!”

The red-haired beastman roared, his voice booming across the battlefield.

The lords, paralyzed with fear, had no choice but to surrender.

They opened their gates and submitted one after another.

The Celtrine army swept through the Lime River basin like a storm.

* * *

Baydeli.

The city, which had been stubbornly resisting, finally fell to the eastern army’s relentless assault.

The gates of Baydeli swung open.

Duke Cavern entered the city, leading his army.

“Congratulations on your victory, Grandfather.”

Arhin said with a smile.

“Congratulations on your victory, Your Excellency!”

The Cavern Knights, the strongest knight order in the east, roared in unison.

Their powerful voices shook the air.

Duke Cavern raised his hand, silencing them.

“It’s an important victory, but it’s just the first victory. Don’t get complacent. This is just the beginning.”

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

Duke Cavern wasn’t getting carried away, even though they had conquered Baydeli, a strategic location in the central region.

He was as cold as steel.

Because he was already thinking about the next step.

That was the kind of man he was.

His annihilation of the eastern pirates hadn’t been a fluke.

“Are you planning to attack them from the rear now?”

Arhin asked, curious about his grandfather’s plan.

They had already seen through Max’s strategy of luring them to a battlefield of his choosing and engaging them in a field battle.

The result was the fall of Baydeli.

The Celtrine-Erenbert allied forces were now trapped.

Their rear had been cut off.

Crushing them in this state would be as easy as pie.

But,

It seemed like Duke Cavern had a different plan.

“No, a cornered rat will bite a cat. If we attack them now, we’ll also suffer heavy losses.”

“But we have the advantage in every aspect?”

“Remember that the enemy isn’t a ragtag bunch. They’re elite soldiers. If they fight with the determination to die, our casualties will be high.”

“I see. Then…?”

“The battlefield is here. We’ll fight them here. They’ll be forced to come to us, and they’ll be crushed against the walls of our fortress.”

Duke Cavern’s voice was cold.

It was a sound and cautious decision.

The Lime River was behind them, and Baydeli Fortress was in front of them.

They couldn’t retreat across the river because they didn’t have any ships.

Their only option was to break through Baydeli Fortress.

Their attempt to lure him out by abandoning Baydeli Fortress had backfired.

If they could somehow engage him in a field battle, they might have a slim chance of victory.

It might have been possible if Arhin was the commander.

But their opponent was Duke Cavern.

He wasn’t going to play along.

That’s why he had chosen to defend Baydeli.

He would keep them trapped and wear them down with his ironclad defense.

Their supplies would dwindle, and they wouldn’t be able to receive reinforcements.

And then, he would deliver the final blow when they were exhausted and demoralized.

It was the perfect hunting strategy.

Duke Cavern was certain.

The battle was already decided.

But he didn’t know,

That there were people in the world who could defy certainty.

He didn’t know how much time his decision to wait at Baydeli would give the enemy to seize control of the Lime River basin.

“The north. Reinforce the palisades in the north and dig moats.”

He gave the order to strengthen their defenses, his voice unwavering.

* * *

One week.

It might be a short time for some, but it was a long time for those who were waiting.

Especially for those who were waiting confidently.

“Why aren’t they moving?”

Duke Cavern frowned.

He had thought that they would come out within three days.

Because their situation would only worsen if they stayed holed up.

But,

There wasn’t a single sign of the enemy before Baydeli.

Not even a single scout report.

“What are the scouts doing?”

“Well… We’ve sent several scouting parties, but none of them have returned…”

“Do you think that’s possible?”

“I-I apologize. But every time we send a scouting party, we lose contact… It seems like they’re setting traps and targeting our scouts to prevent information leaks.”

*Bang!*

Duke Cavern slammed his fist on the table.

“They have the time for that?”

Capturing every single scouting party they sent?

It was possible.

For a week or so.

But the problem was that the enemy wasn’t in a position to be leisurely hunting down scouts.

They were trapped, their very survival at stake.

And yet, instead of desperately attacking Baydeli, they were just sitting there, capturing scouts?

It didn’t make sense.

It was then that,

“U-Urgent report!”

A messenger rushed in, his voice filled with urgency.

Duke Cavern narrowed his eyes and sat up straight.

“What is it?”

“It’s from Howell!”

“Howell?”

Duke Cavern was puzzled.

It was a completely unrelated location.

Howell territory was on the other side of the Lime River.

It was a safe zone.

“Why Howell?”

“T-The princess’s forces…”

“The princess’s forces?”

Duke Cavern’s eyes widened.

“What about them?”

“T-They’ve conquered Howell!”

“What?!”

Duke Cavern jumped to his feet.

It was an unbelievable report.

“What nonsense is that? They conquered Howell? How could the princess’s forces even get there?!”

“C-Celtrine and Erenbert…”

“Nonsense! Do you think that’s possible?!”

*Crash!*

Duke Cavern kicked the table over.

It was logically impossible.

They had clearly marched north of Baydeli.

There was no way to reach Howell from there.

The Lime River was blocking their path.

How could they… Wait.

His eyes widened in realization.

Had they been building ships all this time?

No, no.

It was impossible to build ships in such a short time.

And even if they could, the lords on the other side of the river wouldn’t just stand by and watch them cross.

Then how could this be…?

“W-We’re in trouble!”

Another messenger rushed in, even more flustered than the previous one.

His face was pale with fear.

“What is it now? What happened?”

Duke Cavern’s face hardened.

“O-Odinel… Odinel…”

“Odinel?”

Duke Cavern’s mind was in turmoil again.

And then, he was hit with another bombshell.

“Ugh… Odinel has fallen to the princess’s forces!”

Silence.

It was as if time had stopped.

No one dared to breathe.

It was that shocking.

The fall of Howell, a minor territory, was nothing compared to this.

Odinel was the Crown Prince’s main supply base.

It was a place they couldn’t afford to lose.

And yet…

“O-Odinel has fallen…?”

Duke Cavern’s voice was hollow.