Chapter 360
My Villains Episode 360
61. art of war(2)
High Castle is a fortress protecting the western frontier and also the capital of the Highlands region..
It is not very common for the most important city in a province to be on the front line. The fact that High Castle stands in a place like this was the result of the great-grandfather of the current Margrave, who laid the foundation of this walled city, showing his courage by saying he would not leave the border..
From then on, brave and stubborn margraves guarded High Castle. Although it was attacked by the empire and burned down or even fell, trade flourished in times of peace..
In addition, the pre-war king of Milan - also known as the King of Knights - used this High Castle as an important attack base every time he attacked Mitergeland. In addition, the previous king, also known as King Jun-eom, who boasted of outstanding martial spirit as a man of the Jeore family, sent a huge amount of gold and silver to expand the castle..
Therefore, today's High Castle can be said to be a city created by numerous wars, active trade, and royal investment..
Perhaps thanks to its background, High Castle boasted an incredibly majestic and majestic appearance, making it difficult to believe that it was a city built on a barren plateau..
The city was built on a low hill, and at the bottom of the slope was a solid outer wall about 7 or 8 meters high and 5 meters thick. The exterior wall is oval-shaped
It surrounded the hill in a close dodecagon, and at each vertex was a round, fat bastion..
There was only a steep slope between the outer and inner walls, and it was an empty lot without a single blade of grass. It was probably an arrangement to comfortably hunt down enemies who had crossed the outer wall..
The inner wall, built on the slope of a hill, was not much different in appearance from the outer wall. The difference was that in addition to the middle forts built like the outer walls, the palace towers with pointed roofs topped with red clay tiles were built closely together..
The scale of the outer and inner walls alone was so enormous that even if all 4,500 soldiers led by Prince Ulkar were mobilized, it would not have been possible to fill the entire double wall..
“……It's huge.”
I was amazed and slowly drove the bicorn along the cavalry line..
Apart from the majestic appearance of High Castle's double walls, there was a procession of refugees surrounding it, so it was impossible to speed carelessly..
But where is everyone running away? Are we unreliable??
As if answering my question, Ulkar, who was looking back at the refugee procession with a heavy expression, opened his mouth..
“This must be the action taken by Lord Lyam..”
“Lord Lyam.?”
Lyam Summerson, also known as Lord Lyam the Arrogant, is the fourth knight of Ulkar. It is said that he was originally guarding Oduenne Port, but when the fishman army suddenly withdrew, he joined High Castle..
“Highcastle is a well-defended city, but the enemy's strength is three times that of ours. “If the battle becomes more intense, we may have to abandon the double wall.” “That’s why you’re evicting the residents..”
“exactly. It would be better to kick them out in advance rather than waiting for them to be looted.……
I heard that more than half of High Castle's residents have already evacuated. Those who left were mostly serfs, especially women, the elderly, and children..
It is said that there are still quite a few merchants and artisans left..
The merchants probably planned to sell off all their goods and flee before the city was surrounded. On the other hand, the artisans cannot leave because they have to produce supplies needed for the war..
“Ulkar, this is Prince Ulkar..”
“Really…….
Some refugees recognized Prince Ulkar, who was at the head of the cavalry, and spoke to him..
“Your Majesty, please protect High Castle..”
An old man bowed his head and chanted as if praying. Ulkar nodded silently, lifted the reins, and passed them by..
“charge, charge.”
“May the Lord of Light remain by your side!”
“Prince Ulkar!”
The murmur grew louder..
Ulkar made eye contact with the refugees with a calm gaze and nodded. I didn't wave my hands or open my mouth..
This is just my guess, but Ulkar seemed to be feeling something akin to guilt. Do they feel responsible for the destruction of their peaceful daily lives?.
The people who started the war were the Empire's two Electors, Strom's Avilambus and Alzenver's Burcard. There is no need for Ulkar to feel responsible..
I wanted to drive the bicorn next to him and offer words of comfort, but the castle walls were already just around the corner..
“-It's a prince! Prince Ulkar has arrived!”
“open the gate!”
Despite the grandeur of the outer walls, there were only three gates. Among them, it was the northeast gate that we approached, and the soldiers standing at the gate seemed to recognize Ulkar, who had long flowing silver hair, so they quickly opened the gate..
“The lord has arrived! Prince Ulkar has returned!”
Baaaam-
A low trumpet sound flowed through the bright midday sunlight and the cold wind blowing from the east. Is it to welcome the returning lord, or to wake up the city that has been sleeping so far?.
“Prince Ulkar and his knights have arrived.!”
“The Silver Prince and his cavalry arrived.!”
The shouting that spread from the gate tower was transmitted not only to the outer wall connected to them but also to the inner wall. Like ink spreading through a river, the unrest spread in all directions..
“Welcome, prince.!”
“Long live His Highness Ulkar!!”
Beneath the soldiers shouting on top of the gatehouse, I passed the short drawbridge and entered my walls..
Noise filled the world. For a moment, I felt like I had gone deaf..
The soldiers pounded their iron helmets, stamped their feet, beat their horns, and hit the ground with their spears. Shouting with no clear meaning was the norm..
The city surrounded by inner walls also became noisy. Residents poured out of buildings large and small, and the narrow street, perhaps 4 meters wide, quickly filled with people. The draper and the tailor, the blacksmith and the apprentice, the bard and the monk, the pimp and the prostitute, the horse dealer and the peddler.…….
prince, prince!
His Highness Ulkar has arrived.!
We lived, we lived!
My eardrums were so clogged that I could barely filter out a few voices..
Residents also shouted with unknown meaning, wondering if the soldiers were infected. There were people who climbed the building and scattered dried flower petals, and there were also people who approached the knights and cavalrymen and handed them beef jerky, bottles of alcohol, etc..
People poured out of the three castles that stood tall within the inner walls, ‘Axode’, ‘Angal-Viren’, and ‘High Castle’. Lords and knights, priests and wizards, officers and sergeants, deacons and emissaries, scribes and stewards, heralds and scribes.…….
I've been waiting, Your Majesty.
This way, I'll set up the meeting right away..
We have news from the Bay of Blades, Your Majesty. The steel fleet has finally arrived..
Prince, the enemy is scouting the perimeter of Asag. A messenger must be sent to Past immediately..
People poured out urgent news. While the air trembled with all kinds of noise, Ulkar listened intently and shouted out an answer..
Grumpy Esson and heavy prosecutor Umberta appeared from somewhere and started talking to me. I thought it was something like 'angal-viren, inn, lodging', but I couldn't hear it properly..
As I was gradually getting used to the gloom, I looked around at the people surrounding Prince Ulkar..
Their eyes were all filled with all kinds of bright things, including hope, trust, and respect. In particular, the eyes of some knights, officers, and non-commissioned officers were closer to faith..
Most people seemed to have forgotten their worries, as if all their problems had been solved now that the prince had arrived. And instead of landing on the empty land, all those worries and worries were lifted up on Ulkar's shoulders..
An ordinary person would certainly have been crushed by that enormous burden, but Prince Ulkar's shoulders and back were still upright. To be honest, I was a little respectful..
Dark blue eyes scanned the people screaming..
Eventually, the prince raised the corners of his mouth and smiled confidently, then raised his hand..
Wow!
Finally, a united shout echoed through High Castle..
Immediately after taking care of the city's urgent matters, Prince Ulkar headed to the western outer wall. I also had to figure out the situation, so I followed him..
As I was walking and checking on the well-being of my colleagues and other subordinates through Esson and Umberta, a group of people approached..
“......It's been a while.”
He was an impressive middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard and a fancy helmet on his side..
“Ah, Sir Lyam. It's been a really long time.”
“It's only been 8 months to say it's been a long time... … . A lot has changed since then.”
“haha.”
Sir Lyam, who pushed Esson and Umberta back, walked side by side with me and introduced the people next to him..
“Let me introduce you. From this side: Lord Salton, Lord Steed, Lord Bolsom, Lord Edbert, and Lord Hendry.……
They were none other than Ulkar's direct knights. Sir Lyam was considerate of me as I met him after a long time and tried to make a name for myself among my colleagues..
They were all knights under the prince after me, the seventh..
There were six knights, including Sir Langbold, who were loyal to Ulcar before me, and ten knights who were part of the cavalry that roamed the plateau. And now here I have met seven more people, twenty-four of Prince Ulkar's direct knights, no, twenty-three, not counting myself..
“Nice to meet you. I have heard of the honorific title of the Lord. You are really tall..”
“I can finally see you. It's an honor.”
I'm sure I've become famous, but my fellow knights knew me well even though we were meeting for the first time..
There was nothing wrong with becoming friends with them, so we were exchanging greetings appropriately when Lord Ankir, who had been serving Prince Ulkar three or four steps behind, glanced in this direction. Then he noticed the prince talking with the lords and slowly approached him..
“This, this, I was a step late. I was going to introduce Sir Phoenix to the social world..”
“Why are you so lucky to be a socialite when you can't even dance? Go and stay by your master's side..”
“I'm big so I can't join in a crowded place like that. Sir Gisella is perfect for this kind of mission. “Look over there.” Sir Gisella, the falcon knight, was guarding Prince Ulkar's side as usual. The sword handle was sticking out through the lily-patterned cloak, with both hands resting on it. Even though he was not big, he felt very intimidated..
I felt like her eyes were overly sharp, so I asked Lord Ankir..
“……Today seems particularly harsh. Why are you so guarded??”
“well? It's probably not because of him.?”
What Sir Ankir was pointing at was a man with a gentle appearance who appeared to be in his mid to late 30s. It was clear that he was a high-ranking nobleman, as he wore a blue chaperon with long flowing ends, a velvet tunic with a four-sided pattern, and a high-quality coat..
Next to him stood a boy in his late teens with a scrunched-up face. He probably looked like a son or a nephew, but unlike the previous man, he was quite large and armed with light armor..
“Who is that??”
“You are the Margrave of Landry..”
“……Margrave of Landry?”
That guy who likes men?
……Oh, maybe I was a little biased. He doesn't look gay at all.
“What about the kid next to him? He looks like a son.”
“He is the son of His Excellency the Margrave..”
“yes?”
I blinked, lowered my voice, and asked.
“From what I heard,……
When he said that, Lord Ankir laughed and shook his head..
“Don't be too swayed by reputation. His Excellency Baek Kyeong-baek is a sturdy man. He is an ordinary, good man who respects his wife, cherishes his son, and loves his daughters..”
He shrugged his shoulders and added:.
“Well, of course I have a few male concubines, but who cares? It's not like I'm courting you..”
“……Don't say that. Because I imagine a scene where Gyeong is being wooed..”
As I was frowning because I felt nauseous, Lord Ankir laughed and tapped my shoulder..
“Even if it's disgusting, don't show it. Regardless of the unusual walls, there are many people in this city who respect the Margrave..”
“Yes, be careful... … . Then, is it possible that Sir Gisela is doing that?.”
“It's because of your reputation. Anyway, she's a woman who can't manage her facial expressions. Still, I'm glad that the rumors have disappeared thanks to Sir Gisella..”
“What nonsense are you talking about??”
The giant knight's face was distorted grimly, as if he didn't want to even think about it..
“That unpleasant rumor about you, my lord..”
“ ah.”
“If Landry tried to do something dirty, Sir Gisella's sword would cut off his head before my lord could step forward..”
By the time the trivial story was over, we stood on the outer wall..
For me, it was my first encounter with the Mittergerand army..
Comments