NOVEL NEXT Chapter 370
Chapter 370: Can Everyone Hold On? (3)
The overall commander of the army camped outside the castle, Howard, chuckled as he watched the closing castle gates.
“Fools, you’ve finally fallen into my trap.”
Even when Count Penris struck elsewhere to catch the enemy off guard, he deliberately avoided any provocation, letting them think they could escape.
He only waited for Count Penris to gather his forces and come here.
Sure enough, following the strategy set by the retainers of the Marquis, those guys had boldly come here to seize the castle.
“Well, I’ll hand it to them. I heard they only had about 400 men, yet they dared to take a castle defended by 3,000.”
It crossed his mind that perhaps the Daker army might still be able to stop them. However, it was indeed impossible for the knight-less Daker army to defend against them.
For a bunch of fools, their military strength was quite impressive. If engaged carelessly, he worried even 10,000 soldiers might find it dangerous.
Of course, among those 10,000 were numerous knights, so they wouldn’t fall easily like the Daker army.
But the issue lay with Count Penris’s overwhelming force.
“Certainly, this much seems in line with the rumors that he’s nearing Master level. They’re of superior knight quality.”
If they weren’t careful, even if they captured the Count, they might suffer near-total casualties. That was not what Howard wanted.
Even with an army of 10,000, hefty losses against a mere 400 would be a disgrace for a commander.
No matter how exceptional Count Penris was, it wouldn’t serve as an excuse. He still lacked the renown necessary to be acknowledged as a superhuman within the kingdom.
“I intended to starve them for about a week, but that seems a bit risky. Maintain the siege for at least a month.”
He was a rather cautious commander. To win with minimal losses, he decided to stall for more time.
No matter how close to a master one might be, a month of starvation would inevitably weaken them.
Still, someone at the master level would likely retain considerable power, but subordinates who hadn’t reached that state would definitely weaken and struggle to fight.
After pondering a bit more, Howard issued a new command.
“Bring in more catapults from the surrounding territories.”
While they already had some catapults, having more couldn’t be detrimental. If there was ever a need to draw Count Penris out, he was prepared to strike them hard.
Alternatively, they could focus their attacks when they jumped out of the fortress.
He exerted all effort to catch the weakened beast. It was clear he was recognized as a commander within the Marquis’s house.
For a while, both sides maintained a standoff without a single skirmish.
A week passed, then another, and by the third week, Howard grinned.
“There’s still no response; they must be scared. They’re probably trying to scavenge for food wherever they can.”
The enemy hadn’t even attempted to flee. They must know that if they came out, the besieging army would swarm them.
Just in case, they set up thorough surveillance around.
“Count Penris might try to escape alone. Keep a close watch and make all soldiers memorize his face.”
Howard diligently maintained the siege, heightening the soldiers’ tension.
When the month mark came, gazing at the still-silent castle, Howard finally burst into laughter.
“Fools, if you wanted to fight, you should have come out on the first day. You’re probably just eating rats by now.”
Given the lack of any reaction, it was clear they had all collapsed while searching for food.
No matter how strong Count Penris was, it was obvious he wouldn’t dare come out alone.
Feeling that the time was right, Howard commanded his entire army to attack.
The catapults began to move, and the soldiers formed ranks.
“The divine being of the North and the great lord, Count Penris, is about to fall foolishly here.”
Howard wore a pleasant smile. His reputation throughout the kingdom would surely soar as a result of this battle.
Count Penris may have gained fame in the North, but it was hardly comparable to the advancement seen in the West. Come to think of it, he hadn’t shown any limitations.
As a bunch of people who could only fight brutishly, they seemed incapable of grasping such high-level strategies.
“Army, prepare to attack the castle… Hmm?”
Howard turned around. A fresh troop bearing the flags of Marquis Roderick was approaching in the distance.
He paused the commands momentarily to wait. Soon, a knight rushed over, bowing his head as he spoke.
“I come with reinforcements under the command of Tenant.”
“Reinforcements? How many?”
“10,000.”
Just a glance was enough to tell that they matched the force already present there. Wondering why they suddenly sent reinforcements, Howard asked.
“Those guys have already gone a month without food. They’re only 400 weaklings; isn’t that overkill?”
“New information has come in.”
“New information?”
The knight looked at Howard with a tense expression and said.
“Count Penris single-handedly killed the 7th Circle Mage, the lord of the Tower of the Bloody Flame, before coming here.”
Howard’s expression hardened immediately at those words.
He had killed one of the only two superhumans in the kingdom, a 7th Circle Mage?
Reaching master level and being a confirmed master was completely different.
If Delmood, the 7th Circle Mage, and his disciples were in that castle, he wouldn’t even dare to engage them with 10,000 troops.
The renown of the superhumans was utterly astounding.
Suddenly overcome by a thought, Howard hurriedly gazed back at the castle.
“Why didn’t they come out on the first day?”
Had they emerged to fight, they could have easily lost. By his estimates, the opposing forces undoubtedly had over 50 knights.
He judged the rest of the soldiers to be at elite levels as well.
If each of those knights killed just 10 soldiers, they could take down 4,000. And if Count Penris were genuinely a master, he could slaughter thousands by himself.
“Perhaps fighting before starving would have been the best course of action…”
He simply couldn’t understand why they hadn’t come out on the first day.
As the knight with the new army approached Howard, who was deep in thought, he asked.
“It’s fortunate that I arrived before the attack begins. If we’re fighting now, I’ll prepare for battle immediately.”
After pondering for a moment, Howard squinted at the castle.
“If he really possesses the prowess to defeat a 7th Circle Mage alone, they’re still not ready. We’ll starve them a few more days.”
Given that he had already starved them for a month, 400 soldiers were merely a bonus; this was a battle of one against 20,000. No matter how much of a master the enemy was, he didn’t think they would lose with this many troops.
However, the amount of damage taken was a different story. If luck ran out, almost half of the 20,000 could perish.
The cautious commander decided to keep the rats holed up in the castle hungry a bit longer.
*
“Wow, they’re definitely not idiots.”
As Ghislaine observed the swelling forces of the Marquis from outside the castle, he clicked his tongue.
In the meantime, sending in an additional 10,000 troops. The strongest lord of the West was indeed different from the rest.
Count Desmond had managed to raise a force of 30,000 by gathering all of his retainers’ armies. That was a substantial number, but here it seemed to grow by 10,000 at a time.
Certainly, unlike the barren North, there was plenty of money and a surplus of population, making it easy to reinforce their ranks.
Rumors that Marquis Roderick’s strength matched that of other kingdoms weren’t exaggerated.
Gillian spoke with a slightly stiff expression.
“Facing 20,000, it seems winning easily will be tough.”
That was putting it mildly. With 10,000, he thought it might still be possible given Ghislaine’s master-level strength, but 20,000 changed the game entirely. Even if they triumphed, Ghislaine would likely be the only survivor. They might even be the first to get exhausted and wiped out.
Unless, of course, they did not expend any force or stamina while fighting, but given they were humans, that scenario was absolutely impossible.
Ghislaine nodded.
“Right, they’re people too, so they’ll surely be thinking of ways to win. Seeing their forces grow, it seems they’ve caught wind of the rumor.”
“What rumor?”
“The one about me killing Delmood. They probably hurriedly sent more troops as soon as they heard it. That’s why they’ve arrived now.”
“I see. They must have felt 10,000 was insufficient.”
Gillian had seen Ghislaine fight Delmood directly.
He had grown far stronger than when they first met, so much so that it seemed impossible for a human to achieve such rapid growth.
Ghislaine had undoubtedly risen to the rank of superhuman. And within this kingdom, there were only four individuals who had reached that level, including Ghislaine himself.
Thus, Marquis Roderick would surely want to kill Ghislaine in this battle.
“They may be gathering even more soldiers. We should attack before they multiply further.”
“Sure, if we had just about 10,000 more, victory would be assured. Yet, it’s not advisable for us to go out now. 20,000 isn’t something to underestimate either.”
“What do you plan to do?”
At Gillian’s worried question, Ghislaine chuckled softly.
“We also need to call our allies.”
“Allies…?”
Gillian tilted his head. Ghislaine had brought only knights for raiding purposes, so he had been stirring trouble here and there from the start.
No supply routes exist, and it was already too late for reinforcements from the North.
In a nonchalant tone, Ghislaine responded.
“Aren’t our mercenaries waiting nearby?”
“Oh!”
The mercenaries had gathered to transport the goods of the surrounding territories. Currently, there wasn’t a military force to stop them.
Dominic, active in the East, had led the Drake Mercenary Group back to the West.
They were the ones who understood this region best.
Moreover, many of the mercenaries recruited from the North and East had come to the West alongside the Drake Mercenary Group.
“By now, their numbers would have increased. As more goods need to be transported, I told those who had finished their contracts to keep joining. I reckon… at least 3,000 to 4,000 must have come.”
Currently, the Penris Mercenary Group boasted nearly 10,000 members. This result was due to their consistent recruitment of mercenaries from various regions.
When the raiding started, only about 500 were involved, but support requests increased with the expansion of territories.
If those mercenaries were to arrive here, they would stand a good chance. They could hit the Marquis’s forces from behind or merely create a diversion.
But it wasn’t an easy problem, as it sounded.
“If they come, it will be a great strength. However, they’re all scattered, right? We need to gather them in one place to bring them here, but that’s the tricky part.”
The territories targeted in this raid were still on the smaller side within the West, but completely plundering one domain wasn’t a trivial matter.
The mercenaries were busy moving treasures in groups of hundreds. There was no way to contact them all and have them unite to head here.
The siege was denser than expected. With the large army, they wouldn’t sit idly if even one person left.
With a smirk, Ghislaine nodded.
“Since Dominic has come, I can simply contact him to gather them. It’s not far, so they’ll come quickly.”
“How on earth…?”
Without further explanation, Ghislaine extended his hand into the air.
Sruuush…
Suddenly, black smoke rippled in the air and began to coalesce in one spot.
Gillian and the knights who were watching jumped back in surprise.
The gathered black smoke soon took the form of a crow.
“Crrr… Master, are you summoning my power again?”
As the crow spoke, those watching were left gaping in disbelief.
Though they knew Ghislaine could use magic, they had never imagined he could conjure such a creature.
Even the usually reserved Gillian was left speechless in awe.
“M-my lord! What is that?”
“Um, how should I explain? Just think of it as one of the spirits I can use.”
“S-spirit? Are you saying my lord can also utilize spirits?”
“Um… it’s kind of similar to magic.”
It seemed a bit awkward to mention keeping something of unknown origin as a companion. Arel had witnessed the entire process, but for these people, it would surely be impossible to believe.
He planned to gradually reveal bits and pieces to help them understand. But before he could say much, the crow raised its head haughtily and spoke.
“My name is Dark. You’ll see me often in the future, so worship me every time you do.”
At that, Kaor tilted his head and replied.
“What? Who the hell do you think you are, you arrogant little prick?”
“Clfoi.” – A derogatory term that blends Claude and Alfoy, used to refer to someone obnoxious in the territory. Kaor blurted it out carelessly, reflecting the crow’s haughty demeanor.
Clearly, Dark had become unafraid of others since living in Ghislaine’s body.
“If you don’t wish to suffer under my curse and face spiritual annihilation, be quiet. You’re Kaor, right? I’ve already known you.”
Having lived in Ghislaine’s consciousness and stolen memories, Dark would undoubtedly know everything about him. However, Kaor seemed intrigued by the fact that Dark claimed to know him.
“You know me? How?”
“You’re famous.”
“I’m famous?”
Kaor couldn’t help but smile proudly at the remark. Being famous was a nice feeling. Dark then tilted his head arrogantly and continued speaking.
“Yes, you’re a famous idiot.”
“That little bastard!”
Kaor was about to draw his sword, but Ghislaine stopped him.
Dark chuckled mischievously.
“How about it? As a master’s protected immortal being… Kkk!”
When Ghislaine clenched his palm, Dark writhed and screamed as if under immense pressure.
“Master! I’m sorry!”
Dark promptly apologized, having gotten carried away after being away for so long.
Ghislaine clicked his tongue in exasperation.
“This isn’t the time for games. Go tell Dominic to gather the mercenaries and come here immediately. You can deliver the message, right?”
“Y-yes. But will he believe me? What if he dismisses me as a crazy talking crow? Or perhaps he’ll be intrigued that I’m a talking crow?”
“Mention the items of the followers I’ve seen. He’ll come running without a second thought.”
“Alright, I’ll be right back. Tell everyone to wait.”
Though a small crow, Dark had received enough mana from Ghislaine. He set off to deliver the message to Dominic, who was in the nearby territory.
About a week later, Howard finally decided it was time to attack.
“This should be sufficient.”
20,000 troops were densely surrounding the castle. Given the starvation, it was likely that only Count Penris would still be able to fight.
They had eaten well and rested adequately. Their numbers were far superior. Thanks to that, morale was also quite high.
“All troops, get ready.”
Just as Howard raised his hand to signal the attack…
Creeeak…
The castle gates began to creak open.