Episode 73: Offense is the best defense. (4)
“Wow!”
The enemies, who had lost their place to go, gathered in front of the collapsed wall under the knight’s command.
Kwah! Kwah!
The hole in the wall was densely covered with shields by mercenaries. The enemy pushed against the shields with all their might, but the mercenaries gritted their teeth and held on.
Fight!
The mercenaries’ shields shook like waves as the enemies pushed.
The moment the enemy soldiers blocked by shields put down their weapons, Giselle shouted loudly.
“attack!”
The mercenaries slightly spread their shields apart.
Before the enemies who missed their timing could defend themselves, dozens of long spears shot out from between the shields.
Phuuk! Phew! Phuuk!
“Kwaaaaak!”
It was a spear stabbed by the mercenaries waiting in the second row.
As soon as the enemy vanguard fell, Giselle gave the order.
“Close it!”
Clank!
The shield was again attached without any gaps.
But the enemy was still numerous.
“Go forward! Keep going forward!”
“Archers, what are you doing? Cover us!”
“Don’t stop, go in!”
Under the command of the knights, the enemy soldiers charged again with their weapons at the forefront.
Boom! Boom!
The mercenaries shook them off with their spears a few more times, but they could no longer open their shields as the enemy continued to surge forward.
The attack coming down from the top of the wall was what broke the tense situation that seemed impossible to break through.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Jiselle climbed up onto the wall and threw the debris that had piled up around her, as well as rocks fired from catapults.
Every time he threw it, the enemies at the front started dying one by one.
The soldiers, who had become difficult to approach, hesitated and retreated.
It seemed like the side where Jiselle was wouldn’t be easily penetrated for a while.
Zwalter, who was checking the situation, quickly made a decision.
“Leave only the bare minimum number of people behind and move the rest this way!”
The Ferdium soldiers on the wall quickly moved towards another siege tower.
“Wow!”
Although Ferdium’s army was outnumbered by the other side, they rallied their forces and began to push back the enemies coming out of the siege towers.
Eventually, the enemy was pushed further and further inside the siege tower. This was the result of the difference in morale.
The support of enemy archers firing from the side of the siege tower was also of no use.
This was because the number of soldiers of Ferdium had increased and they were holding up their shields to block the attack.
“Eww! How dare these guys!”
Victor trembled and ground his teeth.
The tactics he used were classic and there was nothing wrong with them.
I believed that we could capture the castle as early as today, or at the latest, as late as tomorrow.
If some strange guys hadn’t suddenly appeared, it would have been just as he had expected.
‘Where did such an elite force come from?’
The ones coming out of the gate were surprisingly fast and strong.
He took advantage of the momentary gap and destroyed the friendly forces’ formation.
It was difficult to determine exactly because of the distance, but judging by the fact that the siege tower had been completely destroyed, it seemed that there were several knight-level personnel mixed in as well.
While we were confused by their appearance, the battlefield became a mess. We moved the remaining troops belatedly, but we were unable to capture them.
Whether their tactics were luck or skill, he had hit hard.
‘An all-out attack right now… ‘
He trembled and thought about it, but eventually gave up.
The enemy’s morale has been raised, and the friendly forces are in disarray, unable to come to their senses, in front of the castle walls.
Even the remaining siege towers are being pushed back.
In this situation, launching an all-out attack will only increase the damage.
Victor sighed and reluctantly gave the order to retreat.
“Give up your troops.”
As soon as the order to retreat was given, all the remaining shield bearers rushed forward and began to protect their allies.
In particular, they gathered around the siege tower and raised their shields densely.
After all the troops had left, the knights used their mana to pull the siege tower back.
“Hey! Throw it! Throw it!”
Randolph filled the surrounding area with mana and threw stones the size of human heads at them.
I saw Giselle throw it out of the corner of my eye and copied her.
Boom! Boom!
As the shield bearers fell after being hit by stones, arrows flew through them.
It didn’t cause much damage, but it was effective in raising the morale of the allies.
The knights nearby also threw stones while spewing out mana.
“Stop it! Save the stones too!”
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Zwalter stopped the knights’ actions because even a single stone was precious.
You never know when your enemies might use the ladder. Just in case, you should save as many stones and arrows as possible.
The enemies were well trained and their retreat was orderly.
As all enemies retreated, Zwalter raised his sword and shouted loudly.
“The enemies have retreated!”
“Wow!”
Ferdium’s soldiers also raised their hands and shouted.
They stopped the onslaught of enemies that seemed unstoppable.
This would not end the war, but the fact that at least one attack had been repelled had a major impact on morale.
While the soldiers cheered, Zwalter turned his head slightly and looked at Giselle.
‘What the hell are you… … ‘
The son who is still smiling and patting the shoulders of the mercenaries who are still stunned.
It wasn’t much different from his usual appearance.
‘Was it a gamble, or was it a certainty? Did you come up with it, or was it a thought?’
Looking at the results that Giselle produced, you can see how amazing her split-second judgment was.
Enemy forces, route of advance, disposition of siege weapons and remaining forces, intentions and complacency of the enemy general.
But that’s a strategy that only works when there’s a chance of success.
If Giselle’s judgment had been even slightly off, not only Giselle and the mercenaries, but also the soldiers of Ferdium would have suffered great losses.
How can you move with such certainty on the battlefield, where the flow of battle changes in the blink of an eye?
Neither he nor Randolph… no, no commander would be able to make such a decision in an instant.
Besides, I thought I’d go and destroy that siege tower by myself and actually succeed at it.
‘Even on the battlefield, you act as you please.’
Zwalter shook his head without realizing it.
‘It suits you, but… … it’s too dangerous.’
Perhaps this behavior fits perfectly with Giselle’s personality.
He called Giselle and asked her.
“… …Why did you act so dangerously?”
“I thought the enemy would let their guard down since it was the first battle. I just didn’t want to miss the opportunity.”
“Moving instinctively on the battlefield is good for making clever moves. However, wild beasts that remain only in their wildness will eventually be caught in traps. You only have one life, so always act cautiously.”
“All right.”
Jiselle, who could not say, ‘I have more experience in war and life than my father,’ simply nodded.
Randolph, who had been cheering excitedly, came over and pretended to have a solemn expression.
“Ahem, I’m a little surprised by the Archduke’s actions. However, it’s problematic if he moves like this every time.”
This is the most ambiguous case. When someone achieves something without following orders. It is difficult to be angry or praise them.
Randolph never dreamed that the Archduke, whom he had always ignored, would be this capable.
‘Are you perhaps stronger than me?’
Suddenly, I felt uneasy, but I also felt like I could do it if I tried.
Of course, I can’t guarantee success.
Giselle answered, bowing her head slightly to Randolph.
“The situation was so urgent that I couldn’t help it. But if I just block it out like I did today, it’ll be fine.”
I’m not saying I won’t do it in the future.
Randolph clicked his tongue in disapproval, but Zwalter simply nodded.
“Yes. It would be perfect if Count Rogers could just send reinforcements.”
I thought we could win if we could get some strength from Rogers.
My heart was anxious, but I was disappointed because I still had not heard from the messenger.
But thanks to Jiselle’s performance today, that feeling seemed to have eased a little.
“Anyway… …you never know what might happen in war. So always move cautiously.”
No matter how good your skills are, believing in them is a different matter.
Giselle always took serious risks and acted on her own.
Looking at it today, it seems like he has some skills and good judgment, but war is something where one mistake can cost you your life.
Zwalter couldn’t help but look worried.
Of course, Giselle’s thoughts were completely different.
‘You can never win with a half-hearted attitude.’
The Duke of Delphine is an enemy that you can only hope to defeat, even if you risk your life and give it your all.
In order to win, they, who were at a disadvantage, always had to push themselves beyond their limits.
But there is no way other people would understand this fact.
Jiselle simply said she understood and tried to back off.
“Wait a minute, Giselle.”
Zwalter turned around and grabbed Giselle again.
He looked awkward for some reason and coughed in vain, carrying his bag behind his back.
“Ahem, but thanks to you, we were able to win. Please take care of me in the future. Good job.”
I wanted to compliment her, but maybe because we weren’t on good terms, the words didn’t come out well.
Until just before the war, they were talking about who to kill and who to spare.
In the strange atmosphere, Randolph also scratched his head and said.
“I didn’t know that the Archduke could command mercenaries like that. And he even built a siege tower all by himself… … Ahem, in any case, your skills have improved a lot.”
It was the first time in my life that I praised Giselle, and he smiled slightly embarrassed.
Jiselle smiled slightly at the two and bowed her head.
“No problem.”
Leaving the two awkward people alone, Jiselle returned to the mercenaries.
The mercenaries were gathered together, still blinking.
It’s good to win, but I don’t know why I won.
I understand that destroying the siege tower gave us the advantage, but why on earth did the enemy’s army fall so helplessly?
Before I could even grasp the situation, it was over.
“What on earth did we do? How did we win? Is it really true that the captain destroyed it all by himself?”
“We just followed the captain and did what he told us, and we won.”
“Do you remember what the captain said during every training session?”
“By the time you think and understand, the enemy will know everything. So don’t talk back and just do as you are told.”
“Was it like that today?”
In the end, the conclusion was, ‘Just do as you’re told.’ They were mercenaries who couldn’t be expected to have any tactical acumen.
It is not difficult to familiarize them with strategic objectives or operations in advance.
This way, the soldiers can move more in unison without getting confused.
But in the fast-paced battlefield, it was impossible to explain and make everyone understand everything.
Moreover, Jiselle’s strategies were something he came up with spontaneously at that time, based on his experience as a mercenary king and his sharp instincts.
If you organize things in your head and explain them to others, you will end up missing the appropriate timing.
So, Jiselle taught her mercenaries to just follow her movements unconditionally.
The existing mercenaries were less shocked because they had experience in the forest, but the newly recruited mercenaries still seemed a bit bewildered.
“I guess it was because I was so out of it when I actually started moving that I felt okay.”
“That’s right. Thinking too much will only make you nervous. In times like that, the best thing to do is to just kill the guys in front of you without thinking.”
The anxiety I felt upon seeing the enemy’s large army disappeared at some point.
No, to be exact, it would be more accurate to say that I had no time to feel anxious.
They came back after swinging their weapons around for a bit and found out that they had accomplished something big.
“If I’m going to keep doing this, I have to be really careful. It’ll be a shame if I act stupid and end up dying.”
“By the way, the captain is really strong. You knights should go away.”
Jiselle encouraged the roaring mercenaries.
“Okay. Let’s keep this momentum going. Just do as you’ve trained. Keep following along.”
Kaor smiled and gave Giselle a thumbs up.
“It was quite fun. I welcome any operation as thrilling as this.”
The Cerberus mercenaries fought like mad dogs, biting and tearing all around to protect the retreat route.
For those who didn’t think deeply about it in the first place, it must have been really nice to just be thrown out there and told to fight.
Jiselle nodded with a smirk.
“Don’t worry. There’s still more to come.”
Kaor giggled and cheered, but Belinda was ecstatic.
“What? What could be more awesome? And then you’ll lose your life! Your Highness, do you really have to go this far?”
When the siege tower collapsed, I was so shocked that my heart pounded.
I followed the order because the situation was urgent, but I didn’t like it at all.
No matter how strong you are, there is a limit. Why do you run wild like that without sparing your body?
She was considering whether to run away with Giselle on her back right now. Of course, she was taking the runestone with her.
“It’s okay. I’m taking care of myself. Don’t worry, I told you.”
“Are you going to buy my body? If this is a sacrifice, then… … Next time, I’ll be charging into the enemy lines alone!”
“Hahahaha.”
“Why don’t you say no!”
Belinda screamed, but Giselle smiled nonchalantly and changed the subject.
“Okay, it’ll get busier next time, so everyone get some rest.”
At Giselle’s words, mercenaries shouted here and there.
“Captain, get some rest! You were acting the most wild today!”
“Gordon, isn’t that guy peeing because he’s scared? Didn’t he pee today?”
“This kid! I was the one who stopped him at the front!”
“Captain, is your knee okay? You said you were hit by an arrow before, and today it’s flying through the air?”
“I don’t know what it is, but just trust the captain and follow him!”
Now the mercenaries were ready to follow Giselle’s words even through hell.
I still didn’t understand the situation, but there was no need to worry.
All I needed was the belief that I could win if I just did what I was told.
Jiselle smiled and turned around, looking at the laughing and chattering mercenaries.
In that brief moment, his expression instantly turned cold.
‘They haven’t moved properly yet.’
Only two days have passed.
On the first day, we were too busy preparing to even think about attacking, and today’s attack probably wasn’t all-out either.
‘I guess he was thinking of checking the liver. Since the plan failed, he’ll do something different.’
Even after being hit once by Giselle, there was no way he could move the same way.
Now that he had a glimpse of the mercenaries’ power, he would take that into account when making his moves.
‘If they decide to commit all their forces, it will be difficult to stop them.’
They still have three siege towers and thousands of troops left.
The enemies will also be reluctant to fight a long war due to supply issues, so they will want to settle the issue as quickly as possible.
That was exactly the situation that Giselle had wanted and had created herself.
‘You only get one chance.’
The fight had barely begun.
