episode_0015

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15. Struggling in the Siege

About a month had passed since then.

First, the good news—thanks to the stove I built, it wasn’t cold despite the harsh winter.

Perhaps because of that, even though we were in the middle of a winter field campaign, there were no casualties from freezing or frostbite.

Moreover, the frozen river we had crossed had melted, eliminating the risk of water shortages.

The bad news was…

“Aaah—!! I’ll split that bastard Penrose’s head from his body with my crescent moon blade!!”

“Shift change, yawn…”

Vivian stormed into the tent with a grumpy face, violently flipping the flap aside, while Adele, as if accustomed to it, rose from her makeshift bed.

Despite the situation, the luxurious fur coat and eye patch she wore clearly showed she was wealthy.

Vivian snatched my newly poured cup of water and downed it roughly like cheap beer.

“Didn’t go well?”

“Don’t even ask. Provocations don’t work. Every time we try digging tunnels, arrows and rocks rain from above. And Penrose himself comes out to wreck our ladders. Hardworking bastard.”

It seemed none of Vivian’s physical siege tactics were working.

Adele, freshly awakened, stretched and in a sleepy voice relayed the results of her own scheme:

“The ones we bribed or threatened—gone. No word from any of them. Penrose must’ve executed them all.”

“Ugh, everything in this world can be solved with money, but this is just frustrating…”

“Luna, what about you?”

“The ground’s frozen—earthworks won’t work. And our lord rejected the supply support plan.”

“Well, if word gets out that we’re struggling despite committing everything, more traitors will pop up…”

Tunnels, ladders, taunts, bribes, earthworks, starvation tactics via siege—all failed.

The three women, playing the role of generals, sighed deeply and warmed themselves inside the tent.

Then Vivian, seemingly in a petty mood, pouted her lips and began grumbling.

“Honestly, we already took out one of the Penrose brothers. That alone should’ve been enough, but Big Sis had to go and declare a siege without even securing food…”

Like a soldier whispering complaints behind the commander’s back, she warmed her hands by the stove and kept muttering.

In response, Luna, Adele, and I—doing our best to defend Lady Erika—fell into deep contemplation.

“Come on, though… The walls are just one layer. It’s not impossible to breach them—maybe we’re just not strong enough.”

“I agree…!”

“Vivian, even as a joke… Please don’t say things like that…!”

Noticing that even I was defending Erika, Vivian tilted her head in confusion.

But whether it was due to the endless frustration of the failed siege tactics, she didn’t stop talking.

In a crouched position, she huffed and puffed as she spoke.

“Look, even these already-shrunken assets of hers are getting smaller…”

We shook our heads furiously, signaling her to stop.

But once the tomboyish big sister got going, there was no stopping her mouth.

And behind her stood a certain petite warlord…

For the next 30 minutes, Vivian’s cries echoed through the command tent.

After thoroughly scolding Vivian,

Erika, seeming drained, left the kneeling Vivian behind and slumped into a chair.

“Sigh… So, nothing to report?”

“Vivian and Luna’s physical assaults failed, and I haven’t gotten any replies yet.”

Adele shrugged as she answered, her face still radiating the confidence of a tycoon as she reported to Erika.

Presumably, she expected responses to the letters she’d sent urging defection.

But, to put it bluntly, no replies meant failure either way.

Essentially, it was over—Erika sighed and looked at me.

“How about our fox maiden? Made any inventions to surprise me again?”

Her joking tone contrasted with the eager glint in her eyes.

Of course, I hadn’t been idle for an entire month.

But we weren’t in a safe, well-equipped mansion—we were smack in the middle of a war.

So I wasn’t exactly in a position to boast about prototypes…

In my hands was a rough blueprint.

I’d done the calculations thoroughly, just in case—but theory and reality don’t always align.

At the very least, I didn’t want accidents caused by my mistakes, so I hesitated to show it to Erika.

Just then, a knight burst into the tent, panting heavily.

Erika, not even hearing my answer yet, glared at the knight who disrupted the mood.

“You’re one of Adele’s knights. What is it?”

“Oh, did something arrive?”

Recognizing her own subordinate, Adele brightened up as well.

The knight began his report hesitantly.

“Uh… The lord of Penrose Castle has gone missing…”

“What?”

Elioid Penrose—fighting tooth and nail with us, holed up in his castle—had vanished.

That was the news.

——————————————————————

One week later.

More spies had aligned with Adele, and finally, we grasped the full picture.

“Turns out the siege wasn’t just bad for us.”

Our supplies lasted a month.

With rationing and foraging during the return trip, we could stretch it another ten days.

But given the traitors and public opinion, requesting additional supplies wasn’t an option.

At first glance, it sounded advantageous for the Penrose faction, but…

“They didn’t account for the people.”

As Erika said, the people thought differently.

Though she hadn’t fully consolidated the nobles, Erika was undeniably Redmain’s biggest power.

Moreover, Penrose’s rebellion lacked legitimacy within Redmain.

But what about from the people’s perspective?

They didn’t care about legitimacy—their homes had become a battlefield because the Penrose brothers opposed Erika.

Even if they repelled this invasion, Erika could strike again.

So, calls for surrender had been growing.

“If that’s the case, Elioid Penrose’s strategy of holding out indefinitely won’t work.”

A kingdom toppled from the outside can recover, but one rotted from within cannot.

Especially when the rotten core—the masses—was weak in power but large in number and hard to control.

Even if he won this battle, people would flee elsewhere.

In the end, however he broke the siege, Elioid had escaped successfully…

It was logical, but Luna voiced caution to Erika.

“It could be a trap.”

“That too is a fair point.”

Elioid Penrose, the former lord’s son and inheritor of his brother’s wisdom—

This could easily be one of his schemes.

But for Erika, even if it was bait, it was irresistible.

“But if we stay like this, we’ll starve and lose. To turn this around, I—Redmain’s supreme commander and head of House Grace—must convince the people myself.”

Why would some still resist surrender despite the circumstances?

Because knights, under the guise of war, often pillaged villages for supplies.

Wives, husbands—raped or murdered.

Properties plundered, livestock slaughtered—the fear of inhuman atrocities lingered.

But flip it around—if safety was guaranteed, the castle could fall instantly.

No pillaging, no killing—just lop off the unpopular lord’s head, and it’d be over.

The decisive chance to end this grueling siege.

“I’ll go myself.”

Erika stepped out of the tent to sway the people.

Mounted on her sturdy steed, she looked every bit the commander.

I, her beloved “pet,” also saddled up beside her.

“Isn’t it dangerous for the supreme commander to go in person?”

“Hmph, what do you take me for? Deflecting stray arrows is child’s play.”

Truly, the master who once fought inhuman duels alongside Vivian.

Not as strong as Vivian, but arrows were nothing to her.

Leaving behind Vivian and Luna (who’d been sieging all night), Adele and I rode toward the castle walls.

Once we were close enough—arrows flew.

“Hah! Loyal knights indeed! Admirable talent!”

Erika and Adele drew their swords, deflecting every shot.

Even from over 500 meters away, the arrows flew with unnerving precision.

Clearly, magic enhanced both the bows and arrows for range and power.

Of course, I couldn’t block arrows.

Thankfully, Erika sliced down every one aimed at me.

Far stronger than those knights she praised, she seemed relaxed.

“They really dislike us approaching! They must know exactly how shaky morale is!”

Smirking at the opportunity, Erika pressed forward under the hail of arrows.

Then—disaster struck.

**Thunk!**

“—What?!”

A single arrow lodged into the neck of Erika’s horse.

No ordinary archer shot this—the sheer force was monstrous.

Caught off-guard mid-deflection, Erika couldn’t react in time.

The horse collapsed instantly, pinning one of Erika’s legs beneath it.

Shocked by the sudden attack, she whipped her gaze toward the walls.

“Elioid, you bastard…!”

Up on the archer’s tower stood a knight—

A young man, aristocratic in bearing yet clad in a seasoned knight’s armor.

Elioid Penrose, inheriting his brother’s prodigious mana and combat prowess.

His bowstring drew taut once more, the razor tip aimed at Erika, trapped under her fallen steed.

“Sister Erika!!”

Adele’s scream echoed—she’d ridden ahead as the vanguard.

Elioid, disguised as a knight, released the string.

A blue-tinged arrow, crackling with mana, screamed toward Erika’s face.

**—Bang!**

The impact sounded like flesh exploding.

Because it was.

Chunks of meat burst outward like bullet wounds—

And blood gushed down Erika’s face, staining her beauty crimson.

“Fox… Why…?!”

The moment Erika fell, I leapt in front.

Like those Secret Service agents diving in front of the U.S. President in movies—except messier.

A chunk of my shoulder had been blasted open like shrapnel, spattering Erika’s face.

I wanted to say something cool, but blood loss made me dizzy…

As my vision blurred, Erika’s enraged scream pierced the air.

Amplified by mana loud enough for even those inside the castle, 500 meters away, to hear:

**”I’ll slaughter every last one of you—!!”**