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Volume 1 Chapter 5 Part 5

Siluca then made a brief pause.

 

「The Lords of the neighboring allied nations will also be mobilized, but since there is nothing for them to be gained by sending out an army to help us, we should realistically expect that there will be few of them who will respond to our pleas. 」

 

「In other words, the opponents this time are Waldrind and the King of Selvis, right? 」

 

Moreno said in a light tone. Under normal circumstances, such an information would have instantly annoyed him, but right now, all that he was feeling was relief, most likely because he was that mentally exhausted. Nevertheless, Siluca also rebuked herself and tried to keep her heart strong.

 

「Even so, they still have more than ten times the strength of our combined forces. 」

 

Siluca followed in her father’s footsteps and tried to speaks with an indifferent tone of voice.

 

「The numbers are also a problem, but our main concern should be who we are dealing with here: the heavy knights of Waldrind. 」

 

Lassic just smiled wryly.

 

He was trained by his father, who was a famous mercenary, and is quite capable in one-on-one combat. The soldiers he leads are also subjected to rigorous training, and in the previous battle, the power of hos Crest increased even further, allowing him to further enhance the power of his 「Spartan」banner. That banner’s power raises the combat capabilities of each individual soldier who is being affected by it, turning even the least capable ones into brave fighters. Because of that, he and his soldiers are undoubtedly the strongest units under Theo, but his own strength could only be properly demonstrated and utilized in one-on-one combat, whereas the heavy knights of Waldrind always marched as a formation, placing him at an all-too-obvious handicap. If he were to challenge even one unit of Waldrind’s heavy knights, there would be no way for him to get out of this encounter alive.

 

「If we were to face them in open battle then we would not be any threat for them, but this is one of those times when it should be more beneficial to attack them from the castle, and if the opportunity presents itself, then it is going to be the time for Lord Lassic to strike from up close. 」

 

「Yeah, as soon as we see the gap in the enemy’s defenses, we will come at them any time! 」

 

Lasik responded with a lot of force and conviction in his voice. They are very fortunate to have someone like him with them, who specializes in physical combat and training his soldiers. He is one of the people who always shine the most during the times of war.

 

「Everyone should thoroughly learn the structure of this castle and the geography of the surrounding terrain before the enemy arrives. That knowledge is going to be our greatest weapon in the coming battle. 」

 

Saying that, Siluca turned to Theo and signaled him with her eyes, asking him to make a closing remark. Theo nodded and looked around, and then he said as he summoned a smile on his face.

 

「Let us create a miracle together! 」

 

At those words, his subordinate Lords expressed their agreement, each in their own way.

 

(A miracle, huh? Not exactly my favorite word right now.)

 

Siluca thought to herself. To her, miracles were more like coincidences, and the ones that had an especially low probability of happening at that, Siluca began to Silently pray for that one, tiny coincidence to happen during their next battle with her whole heart.

 

*          *          *

After ten days had passed since then, Waldrind’s forces, led by King Selvis’ army, arrived at Theo’s castle. The total number of troops that were stationed outside of the castle’s walls was more than 10,000.

 

However, by that time, additional allies have already gathered under Theo. They were the independent Lords from Selvis. They knew that if Theo loses this battle, then the outcome is going to be them having no choice but to swear loyalty to the King of Selvis and serve hi, losing their precious independence. None of them liked that idea, and that is why they have arrived to lend Theo a helping hand. And just like before the last battle, the common people living in Theo’s territories also came to help their Lord from all over the place, so in the end, the number of troops on Theo’s side increased to 3000 soldiers.

 

Prior to the start of the battle, the Head Mage of Waldrind and Siluca’s adoptive father, Aubest Meletes came to the fortress as a messenger to present Theo and his supporters with the terms of surrender that Waldrind and the King of Selvis would accept, but the conditions were severe to say the least. The terms s surrender included the death of Theo, the leader of the whole group, and also that all of the Lords who swore loyalty to him would have to completely abandon their Crests and all of the territories they were ruling over. These conditions were non-acceptable for Theo and the others, of course.

 

Siluca responded that they would only accept if all of the Lords of Selvis were to be from their current oaths to the King of Selvis and swear obedience directly to the house of Kraische. That condition was the one the Waldrind’s side was not willing to accept.

Usually, as the battle progresses, both sides present a compromise plan and a peace treaty is established sooner or later. While the complete annihilation of the opponent might happen, it is rarely the desired outcome, since it is not profitable to the either side of the conflict, and it is especially undesirable for the Mages Association, that aims first and foremost to stabilize the situation on the entire continent.

 

In this conflict, Siluca’s only goal was to have the enemy present them with the most preferable terms of acceptable defeat, since she knew that the possibility of victory was outright beyond their reach this time. But in order to achieve that, they need to fight as desperately as possible and deal as many blows to their opponents as they possibly can.

 

After the formal negotiations were over, the battle finally began.

 

The castle where Theo and his army have made their fortress had 3 gates in total. The main gate was on the south side of the rocky mountain, and there were 2 smaller gates on the east and west sides of the castle. The north side entrance was on a steep cliff with a river running right underneath it. The three gates were guarded by walls and bastions. Even if the initial defenses would be broken through, there are still many more layers of defensive facilities built up, leading all the way to the castle on the top of the mountain.

 

Falling off of the cliff would not be so easy, but if their enemy will force themselves to keep attacking, the casualties on their side will only keep increasing.

 

Siluca stood at the edge of the fortress’s main gate, watching as the forces of the opposing army were fanning out at the foot of the mountain. The formation consisted of Waldrind’s main forces in the center, a detached force in the east, and the army of King Selvis in the west. On the other hand, the main gate was guarded by Theo himself, the east gate is guarded by Neman, and the west gate is guarded by Lassic. Therefore, reinforcements were supposed to be dispatched from the main castle gate to provide aid to the battlefields that needed it the most. The main gate was also manned by Bettel, who acted as the entire castle’s keeper.

After a while, the heavy knights of Waldrind marched towards the main gate in an orderly manner. But their number was about half, and a good number of troops remained in the rear. It also looked like a formation prepared for an attack from behind.

 

Is it because they assumed that the Earl of Artuk would be coming to their aid? But word has already spread that the negotiations have failed, so why would they ever think like that? Did they spies sent from Waldrind did not deliver the message to Waldrind and its allies? If they knew that there would be no reinforcements from Artuk coming to help them, then there would be no need for them to be prepared for the possibility of a back attack

 

I thought it was a spy held by Waldrind who leaked it. Knowing that Artuk’s reinforcements won’t come, I don’t think he needs to prepare behind his back…

 

(Or are they just being overly careful…?)

 

Since Siluca knows that her adoptive father has a cautious personality, he probably made backup plans after considering every single possibility of how the battle could develop.

 

However, Siluca decided that if he was preparing for reinforcements that would not come, it should be more convenient for them, because the heavy knights that were marching to the front gate right now were not the entirety of Waldrind’s army.