“What?!”
“It’s an ambush! The enemy’s ambush!”
Suddenly assaulted by a barrage of arrows, Brans’ army began to scatter in disarray.
I quickly assessed the situation.
Soldiers I had never seen before were attacking Brans’ army from both sides.
‘…What?’
The number of these new soldiers seemed to be about the same as Brans’ 8,000 men. A large force had appeared out of nowhere, launching a surprise attack on Brans’ army.
“This is…!”
Kane, unable to grasp what was happening, looked around in shock.
At that moment, a man approached us swiftly from the direction of the attacking soldiers. His attire was similar to that of the soldiers who had ambushed Brans’ army, not Brans’ own.
The man stopped in front of Kane and asked,
“Are you Kane of Lunarien’s army?”
“Yes, but…”
“Indeed, just as I’ve heard.”
The man removed his helmet and introduced himself.
“I am Kalle, vice-captain of the Raven Mercenary Band.”
‘Raven Mercenary Band?’
A familiar name popped out from the man. The Raven Mercenary Band, known for their ‘Raven Archers,’ a special unit. To employ them, you had to clear specific events and meet certain conditions, then pay a substantial sum. Although their absolute numbers weren’t high compared to the cost, their attack and defense capabilities were much higher than ordinary archers, making them a valuable asset once hired.
There were other mercenary bands in the game besides the Raven Mercenary Band, but the problem was their appearance at this timing.
‘My memory serves correctly, these aren’t the guys who should be appearing now.’
The first condition to hire the Raven Mercenary Band was capturing three castles. In a situation where not even the first step had been taken, here they were, aiding us.
Kane asked in disbelief,
“But how did you recognize me?”
“I’ll explain later. Aren’t you currently being invaded by Brans’ army?”
“Yes, we are.”
“We will assist you.”
Leaving those words behind, the man departed. As soon as he left, I shouted as loud as I could.
“All troops, charge!”
Waaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!
With the sudden support of the reinforcements, our morale soared, and we began to fiercely attack the 8,000-strong enemy army. Already disordered by the ambush, Brans’ army began to falter and fall.
Considering the total number of our soldiers, it was slightly less than 8,000, but joining forces with the Raven Mercenary Band made it a fight worth taking on.
Moreover, the man had said to Kane, ‘just as I’ve heard,’ suggesting something significant. It was beginning to make sense why I had sent Kane to lead the interception squad.
Just then, Kane slowly turned to me, his voice trembling with disbelief.
“Swen… did you anticipate this would happen?”
“…”
I closed my eyes slowly, pretending as if I had expected all this.
“It’s fortunate they arrived in time.”
Even as I spoke, I inwardly scoffed at the convincing nature of my words. To anyone, it would appear as if I had predicted everything like an incredibly smart strategist.
“Impossible… How could this be? Swen, you are…”
Kane was likely astonished. And in his mind, the thought, ‘follow Swen’s words,’ must have been taking root. Even if it wasn’t, I was confident in continually proving and showing it. My predictions are 100% accurate, after all.
So, maybe –
We could also win this war.
If it had been a battle we were destined to lose, I would have concluded that we should flee.
Confidently, I shouted again to the soldiers.
“Victory is ours! Fight with all your might, without fear! Let’s protect Jelant with our own hands!”
* * *
“Stay calm! Maintain the formation! Prioritize taking out the archers!”
Despite being caught off guard by the sudden ambush from both sides, Brans’ army managed to reorganize under Calintz’s attempts to regain control.
‘Damn it!’
The number of archers was much greater than he had anticipated. The fear that these soldiers, potentially more than 8,000, were surrounding them was palpable.
“Damn it!”
“General Calintz, retreat!”
“What are you…!”
One of Calintz’s aides was struck dead by an arrow, prompting Calintz to retreat momentarily.
‘I can’t just run away without conquering Jelant Castle…!’
This expedition, aimed at conquering the central part of the continent. They had already neatly handled Walnut’s army, which had once mocked them. How could they struggle against Lunarien’s army, which was a third of Walnut’s strength? Calintz, who hadn’t achieved significant merit compared to his elder brother and his lord, his younger sister, felt an unusual
sense of urgency.
Yet, instead of recklessly charging in anger, he quickly strategized. He figured that if they could just eliminate these archers, they could easily overpower the interception squad. Calintz shouted once more.
“Do not panic! Reorganize the formation into three directions and prioritize taking out the archers on the flanks! We have the advantage in numbers! Break them down one by one!”
Retreat was not an option. At Calintz’s command, the soldiers split into three groups and charged at the archers on the sides and Lunarien’s army at the front. Despite some losses, he felt they could win if the fight continued like this.
‘Where did these guys come from?’
These archers didn’t bear Lunarien’s insignia. External forces, then… mercenaries? But how could a small army like Lunarien’s afford such a large mercenary force? And their skill was evidently not average. Reluctantly, he had to admit that if his infantry numbers were slightly less, they might have been the ones getting overpowered.
‘Damn it!’
But as long as they could be defeated, that was all that mattered. If they could just conquer Jelant Castle, the loss of a few thousand soldiers would be acceptable. With this thought, he fought on until –
“General Calintz! From behind! The enemy is attacking from behind…!!”
“What’s happening!”
A soldier ran frantically towards Calintz.
“From behind… the enemy’s ambush…!!”
“What?!”
Calintz’s face betrayed his disbelief. Not only had they been ambushed from both sides, but now they were also under attack from the rear? If troops continued to push in from behind, it would be a fatal blow to his soldiers, who had been divided to counter attacks from different directions.
Realizing what had happened, he understood the strategy: this sequential ambush was precisely orchestrated! Recognizing that he had been played like a pawn, Calintz’s face twisted in frustration.
“Damn it…! Where did it all go wrong?”
Intelligence had confirmed only about 3,000 enemy soldiers. Had they been hiding this massive force all along, waiting for the invasion?
Reflecting on it, it had seemed odd that despite the proximity of Brans’ army, there was no sign of battle readiness. Despite devouring nations like Walnut’s, and surely the news reaching Lunarien, they remained seemingly unbothered, not even conscripting additional troops.
But now, it all made sense as a ploy to lull Brans’ army into complacency. The fact that his army was now in crisis was the biggest proof.
‘Lunarien Iniange… a formidable woman…!’
“Retreat! We must retreat! We face annihilation. Make a decision, General Calintz!”
Another aide implored Calintz, who, after a moment’s hesitation, decided to retreat. First, the ambush from the sides, and now from the rear. There was no guarantee there wouldn’t be more surprises.
“Retreat! All troops, retreat! Relay the order quickly!”
“Yes, sir!”
Calintz turned his horse around, grinding his teeth in anger.
‘Lunarien…! I will repay this humiliation with my own hands…!’
* * *
Near the walls of Jelant Castle.
“Haah!”
Tifa, wielding a huge axe, was slaughtering enemy soldiers at the castle gate alongside her troops.
“Don’t come at me one by one! Attack all at once, you cowards!”
“Haaah!”
Beside Tifa, Lunarien, the lord, was at the forefront, skillfully dispatching enemies with her sword. Both high in martial prowess, they presented a stark contrast to Kane and Swen, who were commanding from a safer position.
The force attacking them at the castle was from the nearby Hoero Castle, ruled by Garammil’s troops. Garammil Letas, the lord of Garammil’s army, watched the battle with a bitter expression.
The fight was at a stalemate. Garammil’s troops numbered 4,000, fewer than those defending the castle. Despite the lower difficulty of defense over offense, they had no confidence in breaking through the gate guarded by those two formidable figures, especially since their attack was contingent on Brans’ army’s cooperation.
Garammil’s troops were merely probing the defense, not fully engaging.
“My lord, how long must we continue this meaningless attrition?”
Responding to his strategist’s question, Garammil slowly nodded.
“Soon we’ll hear that Brans’ army is attacking the castle. That’s when we’ll make our move.”
It was essentially a bluff to rally his troops. There was no need to fight hard and risk everything. They could join the fight after Brans’ army reached the castle.
But the prolonged stalemate was unexpected. Intelligence had suggested only about 3,000 Lunarien troops. The prolonged resistance suggested a split to form an interception force, but even so, 8,000 soldiers should have overwhelmed them. Moreover, Brans’ army was not a ragtag force but a major player in the central continent.
‘What’s happening?’
Just then.
“My lord!”
A scout sent to observe the front lines was galloping towards them.
“What is it?”
“Brans’ army… Brans’ army is retreating in defeat!”
“What?”
Brans’ army lost? To a mere 3,000, or less, interceptors? Considering the number of defenders he saw, it seemed impossible that 8,000 Brans’ troops were repelled. Plus, wasn’t Lunarien’s formidable female general fighting here? That left only an old man as the remaining general on their side.
It was bewildering, but a decision was needed now.
“My lord, what shall we do?”
“Hmm…”
With Brans’ main force retreating, there was no reason for Garammil’s troops to risk their lives further. Garammil quickly made his decision.
“Pull back the troops! We’re returning to our territory!”
“Yes, sir!”
Garammil’s army swiftly organized their withdrawal from the battlefield.
Witnessing this, Tifa approached Lunarien and asked,
“What’s going on? They’re retreating without a real fight. Should we pursue?”
“…No. Let them go.”
Lunarien sheathed her weapon, assessing the situation. They had held them off
.
‘We’ve… defended Jelant Castle?’
A cheer erupted from the defenders as they watched the enemy retreat.
The grand siege of Jelant Castle by Brans’ and Garammil’s armies.
The victor was Lunarien Iniange… herself.
