Chapter 354: 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 (1)

How to Live as a Wandering Knight

“Way to go! It was worth all the effort, don’t you think?”

“R-Right.”

Achladda had missed his chance to say something because the young duke spoke too happily. The elf knights also responded positively, seeing how pleased the duke was.

“Your Highness’s strategy worked perfectly!”

“The enemy was completely fooled.”

“Thank you all! But we’re not done yet, so please stay focused.”

“. . . . . .”

Achladda endured it, though it frustrated him. Sometimes, a subordinate must hold back what they have to say.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Johan or the elf knights were like fish in water, as long as they had broken through the gates. No matter how well-trained and well-equipped the guards were, they were no match for knights on horseback.

Especially if they were caught off guard.

“Run! The enemies have entered!”

“The pagans have made their way inside!!”

“How did they manage to get past the gates?!”

Some captains hurriedly gathered their men and tried to stop them, but it was no use. The smoke rising from various parts of the base gave an idea of the situation.

Those who were quick-witted hid or even fled the base. They mistakenly thought that the enemy’s main forces would soon be upon them.

“Mohado-nim! I think I see them over there! Shall we head there?”

“No! I think that looks better. It’s an inner fortress that looks like it could be where the commander is staying, don’t you think!?”

Mohado’s men urged him on, excited. Being rogues by nature, they found the current situation of plundering to be irresistibly enjoyable.

This base was full of treasures, from the items used by the Sultan himself to all sorts of riches. Most of them would have to be burned and destroyed before escaping, so how well they managed to pack things away in the short amount of time they had would demonstrate their abilities as rogues.

“Shouldn’t His Highness be taking care of that?”

“. . .W-What do you mean?”

The rogues looked at their chieftain as if he had gone mad. The duke might be getting rid of the remaining enemies in the base right now, but what did that have to do with the rogues?

The duke’s job was to wipe out the enemy honorably, while the rogues’ job was to fill their pockets with treasures like proper rogues.

“Don’t act rashly. Protect His Highness! Be wary of surprise attacks or stray arrows!”

“But, over there, the knights are. . . they’ll do a better job than us. . .”

“Be quiet!!”

Mohado’s men grumbled less after he whipped one of them with the whip he was holding. They stayed near the duke, still muttering under their breaths.

It seemed like the old Mohado had been better.

‘𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸.’

After a battle, Johan looked at Mohado with a puzzled expression. He thought Mohado would have been off looting with his men by now, but he didn’t expect him to stick around.

“What are you doing instead of looting?”

“. . .Y-Yes! I’ll go loot now!”

Johan’s men made effective use of the short amount of time they had. They looted everything they could find since there were no more enemies in sight, and they burned and destroyed the rest.

When the commander belatedly heard about the commotion at the base, he hurriedly returned to find the base already engulfed in flames.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“His Majesty has returned!”

“W-What?”

“Waaaahhhh?”

Although their reactions were a beat late, the nobles still pretended to be happy at the good news. The knights and nobles from the kingdom who had been part of the expedition were overjoyed, but the nobles from the empire were somewhat puzzled.

━𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

━𝐈𝐭 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐥𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲.

━𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭? 𝐈’𝐦 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐲.

The expedition nobles and feudal lords clapped, but their expressions showed something like, ‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘮,’ and ‘𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯?’

The elf king nodded gratefully and exclaimed,

“This brave young duke came all the way to the enemy camp to rescue me. If it weren’t for the duke, I might have fallen to the enemy’s vile assassination attempt!”

The nobles who heard this murmured in disbelief.

“A vile assassination attempt?”

“I heard the Sultan tried to kill the elf king.”

“Oh my! Such a despicable act?!”

“I don’t understand. . . why would they kill a prisoner?”

“His anger must have exploded after a series of defeats. Are you saying that His Highness the Duke is lying?”

“N-No.”

Regardless of what the nobles were saying, the elf king fervently exclaimed, stomping his feet. Fortunately, the elf king’s pride, which had fallen to the ground during the attack on the base, had been somewhat restored.

“We attacked the enemy’s fortresses in the rear together! We cut off the vile monsters that the enemy had under their control, trampled their forces, and burned the supplies they were guarding!”

“. . . . . .”

“. . . . . .”

The expressions of the expedition nobles who had been listening intently began to turn grim. Even the elf nobles from the kingdom were looking at him with clouded faces.

‘𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘫𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱. . .’

Knights were said to be prideful and honorable, but that didn’t necessarily mean they always spoke the truth. Knights tended to exaggerate when talking about their exploits. They would make a big fuss about slaying a dragon when all they had done was clear out a goblin’s den.

Thus, what the elf king was saying sounded absurd. He must have escaped, taken advantage of the enemy’s confusion, and returned after making a long detour. How could they have attacked a fortress and burned supplies?

The elf king was quick-witted when it came to things like this. Realizing that the people present didn’t believe him, he exclaimed, filled with a sense of injustice,

“Do you dare doubt my testimony now?”

“No! Your Majesty! We all believe Your Majesty’s words!”

“. . .As I thought! You don’t believe me!”

“We do believe you!”

The nobles responded with things like, ‘𝘞𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰,’ as if they were tired of it all, and the elf king became even more aggrieved. The elf king looked at Johan with eyes that seemed to be asking for help.

“Your Majesty’s words are true. We happened to come across an enemy base, attacked and looted it. You can confirm it by checking the spoils of war.”

“!!”

“Is that really true?!”

“. . . . . .”

The elf king glared at the expedition nobles. Those who had doubted the king’s words just moments ago were now changing their reactions with just a single word from the duke.

The nobles from the empire were inherently mean-spirited and lacked faith, but even the elf nobles from the kingdom reacting like that was infuriating.

“If they have suffered such a blow, the enemy is bound to waver!”

“God is on our side!”

Although he would have normally calmed them down, Johan nodded and agreed with the nobles.

Indeed, with things going this well, it was natural to gain confidence that they didn’t have before. It was like they had easily cut off the enemy’s arms and legs.

If all their forces were fully gathered here, it seemed like it would be okay to go on the offensive once after scouting out the enemy.

The cautious duke, who would have unconditionally chosen to remain defensive, was now taking the initiative, which surprised people like the castellan and Ulrike.

They felt intuitively that the end of this battle was approaching.

To think that they would be able to win without giving up an inch of land against that enormous army.

It was hard to believe, even for them.

‘𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺. . .’

Ulrike, who wasn’t particularly religious, felt a sense of awe that was almost like a miracle.

However, things in the world didn’t always go smoothly.

A harsh cold arrived, along with the early winter.

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“There is no need to worry. The enemy will suffer more, Your Highness.”

The old castellan spoke unflinchingly. Despite the sudden cold, the castellan, a veteran of a hundred battles, remained unshaken. She gave out thick furs and wool to the soldiers and had the fires lit throughout the camp increased several times over. It was an extravagance that was possible because there was an abundance of supplies.

In contrast, the enemy outnumbered them and would be short on supplies. Their morale must have been low due to the misfortunes, and this cold weather could not be good for them.

However, Johan’s expression remained grim.

“Why do you say that, Your Highness?”

“I am worried that the river will freeze.”

“This river has never frozen since my parents’ time. The water is deep and wide, so it won’t freeze with just a little bit of cold.”

“But there are always exceptions.”

The castellan listened attentively to the duke’s warning. To be honest, she would have listened seriously even if the duke had said, ‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳.’

“I am concerned that the enemy wizards might be at work.”

“You mean there’s a wizard who’s powerful enough to change the weather?”

“They may not be able to change the weather at will, but they might be able to make the coming cold even harsher.”

If the river began to freeze, it would be a golden opportunity for those who had been waiting for a chance to cross it. Johan blamed himself for his lack of ability as a wizard.

‘𝘐𝘧 𝘊𝘢𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦.’

Caenerna herself would have thrown up her hands in disbelief if she had heard that. No one, except for a god, could perform such a miracle.

The duke, who rarely showed signs of worry, was acting like this, so Ulrike seemed to be quite worried as well. Ulrike opened her mouth to comfort Johan. It was a very rare thing for her.

“But there’s no need to worry too much. The enemy’s morale is greatly weakened after being ambushed several times, and they won’t be able to pull themselves together properly.”

“But they outnumber us several times over.”

“. . .And they’re probably suffering from the cold with their supplies cut off?”

“But the merchants will still be coming even in this cold weather, and the supplies stockpiled in the camp seem to be quite a lot.”

“. . . . . .”

When Ulrike fell silent, lost in thought, Johan gave a wry smile.

“Thank you for trying to comfort me. I understand what you’re trying to say. It’s true, there’s no use worrying about it here. I’ve sent someone to tell the assembled forces to hurry, so let’s do what we can.”

Johan ordered his men to check the river for freezing every day. Whenever and wherever it froze deeply, the enemy’s attack would begin.

The wait wasn’t long. Seven days later, the enemy began to flock to the riverbank.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“Why do you have to lead your men to the front?!”

Ulrike shouted from atop her horse. The first to step forward to block the enemy’s crossing were not the other nobles, but Johan and the elite soldiers he led.

She couldn’t understand why he insisted on being at the forefront when there were still many who had yet to listen to him.

“Putting together a rabble like that will only demoralize them. I have to show them something, at the very least.”

It wasn’t that Johan didn’t want to order others to do it. No, he actually wanted to desperately.

However, the expeditionary forces were disjointed, and the chain of command was in shambles. This wasn’t just a problem for the expeditionary forces. The enemy would be the same.

There were those who fought well, so they would be valiant when they won, but if they suddenly became frightened, it would be impossible to recover. Even so, there were already a few nobles who were terrified when the river suddenly froze over due to the unexpected cold.

In this situation, the most reliable people were those who had been with him for a long time.

“Let’s go! Show them how strong you are against those who have crossed the river!”

“Yes!!”

Johan and his men formed ranks at the river crossing. Next to them and behind them, the soldiers brought by the other nobles and the expeditionary forces prepared for battle.

If Johan and his men were pushed back, they would have to rush in and fight.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬.’

Johan vowed to never show weakness.

With the enemy’s overwhelming numbers, they had to inflict as much damage as possible, even if they were pushed back to some extent, and force the enemy to retreat once. That much was necessary to prevent his own forces from having wild thoughts.

“Here they come!”

The enemy began to charge across the river. Their morale was low, but they were still fierce. The enemy must have sent their elite troops to the front, and more importantly. . .

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.’

He could imagine how frustrated they must have been. Johan raised his sword and encouraged the men beside him. The men on the other side already looked terrified.

“Even if we’re forced to retreat, kill at least ten men for every one of you!”

The first battle lasted about eight hours. When the enemy could no longer hold on and retreated, Johan’s men looked at each other in disbelief.

They were still standing in the same position they had been in at the start.

“Way to go! It was worth all the effort, don’t you think?”

“R-Right.”

Achladda had missed his chance to say something because the young duke spoke too happily. The elf knights also responded positively, seeing how pleased the duke was.

“Your Highness’s strategy worked perfectly!”

“The enemy was completely fooled.”

“Thank you all! But we’re not done yet, so please stay focused.”

“. . . . . .”

Achladda endured it, though it frustrated him. Sometimes, a subordinate must hold back what they have to say.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“Make way!”

Johan or the elf knights were like fish in water, as long as they had broken through the gates. No matter how well-trained and well-equipped the guards were, they were no match for knights on horseback.

Especially if they were caught off guard.

“Run! The enemies have entered!”

“The pagans have made their way inside!!”

“How did they manage to get past the gates?!”

Some captains hurriedly gathered their men and tried to stop them, but it was no use. The smoke rising from various parts of the base gave an idea of the situation.

Those who were quick-witted hid or even fled the base. They mistakenly thought that the enemy’s main forces would soon be upon them.

“Mohado-nim! I think I see them over there! Shall we head there?”

“No! I think that looks better. It’s an inner fortress that looks like it could be where the commander is staying, don’t you think!?”

Mohado’s men urged him on, excited. Being rogues by nature, they found the current situation of plundering to be irresistibly enjoyable.

This base was full of treasures, from the items used by the Sultan himself to all sorts of riches. Most of them would have to be burned and destroyed before escaping, so how well they managed to pack things away in the short amount of time they had would demonstrate their abilities as rogues.

“Shouldn’t His Highness be taking care of that?”

“. . .W-What do you mean?”

The rogues looked at their chieftain as if he had gone mad. The duke might be getting rid of the remaining enemies in the base right now, but what did that have to do with the rogues?

The duke’s job was to wipe out the enemy honorably, while the rogues’ job was to fill their pockets with treasures like proper rogues.

“Don’t act rashly. Protect His Highness! Be wary of surprise attacks or stray arrows!”

“But, over there, the knights are. . . they’ll do a better job than us. . .”

“Be quiet!!”

Mohado’s men grumbled less after he whipped one of them with the whip he was holding. They stayed near the duke, still muttering under their breaths.

It seemed like the old Mohado had been better.

‘𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸.’

After a battle, Johan looked at Mohado with a puzzled expression. He thought Mohado would have been off looting with his men by now, but he didn’t expect him to stick around.

“What are you doing instead of looting?”

“. . .Y-Yes! I’ll go loot now!”

Johan’s men made effective use of the short amount of time they had. They looted everything they could find since there were no more enemies in sight, and they burned and destroyed the rest.

When the commander belatedly heard about the commotion at the base, he hurriedly returned to find the base already engulfed in flames.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“His Majesty has returned!”

“W-What?”

“Waaaahhhh?”

Although their reactions were a beat late, the nobles still pretended to be happy at the good news. The knights and nobles from the kingdom who had been part of the expedition were overjoyed, but the nobles from the empire were somewhat puzzled.

━𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

━𝐈𝐭 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐥𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲.

━𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭? 𝐈’𝐦 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐲.

The expedition nobles and feudal lords clapped, but their expressions showed something like, ‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘮,’ and ‘𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯?’

The elf king nodded gratefully and exclaimed,

“This brave young duke came all the way to the enemy camp to rescue me. If it weren’t for the duke, I might have fallen to the enemy’s vile assassination attempt!”

The nobles who heard this murmured in disbelief.

“A vile assassination attempt?”

“I heard the Sultan tried to kill the elf king.”

“Oh my! Such a despicable act?!”

“I don’t understand. . . why would they kill a prisoner?”

“His anger must have exploded after a series of defeats. Are you saying that His Highness the Duke is lying?”

“N-No.”

Regardless of what the nobles were saying, the elf king fervently exclaimed, stomping his feet. Fortunately, the elf king’s pride, which had fallen to the ground during the attack on the base, had been somewhat restored.

“We attacked the enemy’s fortresses in the rear together! We cut off the vile monsters that the enemy had under their control, trampled their forces, and burned the supplies they were guarding!”

“. . . . . .”

“. . . . . .”

The expressions of the expedition nobles who had been listening intently began to turn grim. Even the elf nobles from the kingdom were looking at him with clouded faces.

‘𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘫𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱. . .’

Knights were said to be prideful and honorable, but that didn’t necessarily mean they always spoke the truth. Knights tended to exaggerate when talking about their exploits. They would make a big fuss about slaying a dragon when all they had done was clear out a goblin’s den.

Thus, what the elf king was saying sounded absurd. He must have escaped, taken advantage of the enemy’s confusion, and returned after making a long detour. How could they have attacked a fortress and burned supplies?

The elf king was quick-witted when it came to things like this. Realizing that the people present didn’t believe him, he exclaimed, filled with a sense of injustice,

“Do you dare doubt my testimony now?”

“No! Your Majesty! We all believe Your Majesty’s words!”

“. . .As I thought! You don’t believe me!”

“We do believe you!”

The nobles responded with things like, ‘𝘞𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰,’ as if they were tired of it all, and the elf king became even more aggrieved. The elf king looked at Johan with eyes that seemed to be asking for help.

“Your Majesty’s words are true. We happened to come across an enemy base, attacked and looted it. You can confirm it by checking the spoils of war.”

“!!”

“Is that really true?!”

“. . . . . .”

The elf king glared at the expedition nobles. Those who had doubted the king’s words just moments ago were now changing their reactions with just a single word from the duke.

The nobles from the empire were inherently mean-spirited and lacked faith, but even the elf nobles from the kingdom reacting like that was infuriating.

“If they have suffered such a blow, the enemy is bound to waver!”

“God is on our side!”

Although he would have normally calmed them down, Johan nodded and agreed with the nobles.

Indeed, with things going this well, it was natural to gain confidence that they didn’t have before. It was like they had easily cut off the enemy’s arms and legs.

If all their forces were fully gathered here, it seemed like it would be okay to go on the offensive once after scouting out the enemy.

The cautious duke, who would have unconditionally chosen to remain defensive, was now taking the initiative, which surprised people like the castellan and Ulrike.

They felt intuitively that the end of this battle was approaching.

To think that they would be able to win without giving up an inch of land against that enormous army.

It was hard to believe, even for them.

‘𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺. . .’

Ulrike, who wasn’t particularly religious, felt a sense of awe that was almost like a miracle.

However, things in the world didn’t always go smoothly.

A harsh cold arrived, along with the early winter.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“There is no need to worry. The enemy will suffer more, Your Highness.”

The old castellan spoke unflinchingly. Despite the sudden cold, the castellan, a veteran of a hundred battles, remained unshaken. She gave out thick furs and wool to the soldiers and had the fires lit throughout the camp increased several times over. It was an extravagance that was possible because there was an abundance of supplies.

In contrast, the enemy outnumbered them and would be short on supplies. Their morale must have been low due to the misfortunes, and this cold weather could not be good for them.

However, Johan’s expression remained grim.

“Why do you say that, Your Highness?”

“I am worried that the river will freeze.”

“This river has never frozen since my parents’ time. The water is deep and wide, so it won’t freeze with just a little bit of cold.”

“But there are always exceptions.”

The castellan listened attentively to the duke’s warning. To be honest, she would have listened seriously even if the duke had said, ‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳.’

“I am concerned that the enemy wizards might be at work.”

“You mean there’s a wizard who’s powerful enough to change the weather?”

“They may not be able to change the weather at will, but they might be able to make the coming cold even harsher.”

If the river began to freeze, it would be a golden opportunity for those who had been waiting for a chance to cross it. Johan blamed himself for his lack of ability as a wizard.

‘𝘐𝘧 𝘊𝘢𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦.’

Caenerna herself would have thrown up her hands in disbelief if she had heard that. No one, except for a god, could perform such a miracle.

The duke, who rarely showed signs of worry, was acting like this, so Ulrike seemed to be quite worried as well. Ulrike opened her mouth to comfort Johan. It was a very rare thing for her.

“But there’s no need to worry too much. The enemy’s morale is greatly weakened after being ambushed several times, and they won’t be able to pull themselves together properly.”

“But they outnumber us several times over.”

“. . .And they’re probably suffering from the cold with their supplies cut off?”

“But the merchants will still be coming even in this cold weather, and the supplies stockpiled in the camp seem to be quite a lot.”

“. . . . . .”

When Ulrike fell silent, lost in thought, Johan gave a wry smile.

“Thank you for trying to comfort me. I understand what you’re trying to say. It’s true, there’s no use worrying about it here. I’ve sent someone to tell the assembled forces to hurry, so let’s do what we can.”

Johan ordered his men to check the river for freezing every day. Whenever and wherever it froze deeply, the enemy’s attack would begin.

The wait wasn’t long. Seven days later, the enemy began to flock to the riverbank.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“Why do you have to lead your men to the front?!”

Ulrike shouted from atop her horse. The first to step forward to block the enemy’s crossing were not the other nobles, but Johan and the elite soldiers he led.

She couldn’t understand why he insisted on being at the forefront when there were still many who had yet to listen to him.

“Putting together a rabble like that will only demoralize them. I have to show them something, at the very least.”

It wasn’t that Johan didn’t want to order others to do it. No, he actually wanted to desperately.

However, the expeditionary forces were disjointed, and the chain of command was in shambles. This wasn’t just a problem for the expeditionary forces. The enemy would be the same.

There were those who fought well, so they would be valiant when they won, but if they suddenly became frightened, it would be impossible to recover. Even so, there were already a few nobles who were terrified when the river suddenly froze over due to the unexpected cold.

In this situation, the most reliable people were those who had been with him for a long time.

“Let’s go! Show them how strong you are against those who have crossed the river!”

“Yes!!”

Johan and his men formed ranks at the river crossing. Next to them and behind them, the soldiers brought by the other nobles and the expeditionary forces prepared for battle.

If Johan and his men were pushed back, they would have to rush in and fight.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬.’

Johan vowed to never show weakness.

With the enemy’s overwhelming numbers, they had to inflict as much damage as possible, even if they were pushed back to some extent, and force the enemy to retreat once. That much was necessary to prevent his own forces from having wild thoughts.

“Here they come!”

The enemy began to charge across the river. Their morale was low, but they were still fierce. The enemy must have sent their elite troops to the front, and more importantly. . .

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.’

He could imagine how frustrated they must have been. Johan raised his sword and encouraged the men beside him. The men on the other side already looked terrified.

“Even if we’re forced to retreat, kill at least ten men for every one of you!”

The first battle lasted about eight hours. When the enemy could no longer hold on and retreated, Johan’s men looked at each other in disbelief.

They were still standing in the same position they had been in at the start.