The Returned Sword King Decided to Become a Tyrant Episode 22
Coming Dark Clouds (3)
War is always accompanied by terrible fear and chaos.
That’s why those who were standing had no choice but to move their bodies to join the swirling excitement.
But neither the killer nor the killed ever backed down.
Some say it’s to protect their families and their country.
Some for survival and pleasure.
That was the belief.
“Stop it!”
A scream-like shout echoed through the walls, and soldiers running from afar, carrying barrels of boiling oil, quickly poured them out.
Although this was done without even checking the situation under the walls, it could be said to be an effective strategy against the barbarian warriors who had already gathered like a pack of dogs.
“Kyaak!”
“Kuaaaah!!”
The barbarians, who had been climbing the ladder with their weapons drawn, fell to the ground.
When the last words of the men were heard from the Nine Heavens that had descended upon the present world, the centurion who was commanding the soldiers shouted again.
“Archers, move faster so they can’t get over here!”
As if in agreement with this, the sound of arrows being shot could be heard here and there.
But the barbarian warriors weren’t easy either.
As soon as the archers stepped outside the walls, axes that had been waiting for them began to fly in from all directions.
These were axes thrown from a whopping 25 meters down.
“Ugh… … .”
“Ah, Aspis!”
“shit!”
Scattered blood covered the walls.
The bodies of the soldiers looking at this stood still as if they had made a promise.
And the corpses of our comrades falling down the gaping abyss brought an indelible, primal fear to everyone’s hearts.
“… … I don’t want to die.”
This was by no means a war game or a training exercise.
The corpse rolling on the floor was that of a close friend who had been sharing a drink with him just a few days ago, and it was clear that he would be next.
It was clear that if I ran away from now on, there would be at least a slight chance of saving my life.
It was at that time that the soldiers stood there in a stunned state.
“Don’t stop!”
A voice that straightened my foggy, hazy mind echoed throughout the battlefield.
Not only that, but all the eyes that had been glancing at the corpse of his colleague were focused on that thunderous voice.
Standing there were the Northern Margrave, who had come running to the castle walls with his aged body, and members of the Order of the Sun.
His tightly shut lips moved slowly between his whitened beard.
“We will be together in this battlefield.”
The sword in the Count’s hand fell to the battlefield, and the soldiers grasped their weapons as if in a trance, realizing once again the significance of their standing here.
“For my family… … .”
Gulp-
Someone swallowed and stepped forward onto the wall, followed by those with spears.
Who could go against such a determined spirit?
With the momentum becoming stronger than before, the fear that had been prevalent on the battlefield had disappeared, and only the will to protect remained.
“If we hold out for five more days, Esteban’s main force will arrive! We must never let them overtake this land!”
“Just hold on until the sun sets!”
“Prepare the next arrow… …!”
“They’re trying to break through! Hurry up!”
Boom! Boom!
Soon the ballista was loaded and began firing rapidly at the men.
And its power was truly enormous, enough to easily cut through two or three barbarians.
Even though they were barbarian warriors who were known to be unyielding even against knights of the kingdom, they were unable to block the fierce attacks fired from the ballista.
* * *
The place where the Count of Change stayed was a training camp located not far from the castle walls.
The reason was simply that it was easy to deal with emergencies.
Even just looking at the fragmentary appearance of him choosing this place over Yeongju Castle, one could sufficiently guess his stubbornness and personality.
“Things are not good.”
Count Romert nodded briefly at his subordinate’s report.
The darkness that covered his wrinkled face seemed to represent the feelings of the Count.
“I wish I could just stop it like this… … .”
Five days have passed since the battle began.
And there are only five days left until the troops arrive.
Looking at the overall flow, it only took ten days to raise troops and join them, but even that was an incredibly frustrating pace for those guarding the northern front.
“The morale of the soldiers continues to drop. If we continue like this, we won’t be able to hold out until the main force arrives.”
“The biggest problem is combat supplies. Starting the day after tomorrow, we may not even be able to use arrows carelessly.”
“Did you use up all those arrows… … .”
The hand of the Count who was placed on the desk was clenched tightly.
This is what happened because they had not anticipated a battle this long from the beginning.
If only the northern territories had just fulfilled their obligations… … .
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“Have you heard from the lords of the North?”
“They said they are urgently organizing their troops. They also said they will take measures to deliver combat supplies as quickly as possible.”
“Phew… … .”
The Count held his throbbing forehead with both hands that were resting on the desk.
Although they dressed it up with all kinds of excuses, in the end it didn’t help in the short term.
Moreover, it was not clear how long a period of time they meant by “as soon as possible.”
“… … Is it that we have no choice but to rely on the activities of the Sun Knights?”
The Knights of the Sun were guarding the walls of the border area with activities befitting their reputation.
So much so that it’s clear what would have happened if they weren’t there.
ha-
The Count, unable to hide his dejected expression, stood up from his seat.
Then he picked up the documents on the operation table and said.
“I’ll stop here for today and rest. Right now, it’s best to keep your body in the best condition possible.”
“Is it okay for Your Majesty to not sleep?”
“As you get older, even the sleep you had tends to run away.”
“……All right.”
The subordinate who had been bowing like that left.
As he said, it was clear that the battle would continue tomorrow and the day after.
The expression on the face of Count Romert, who was left alone, turned bitter.
The moonlight streaming in through the old window of the training camp seemed unusually clear today.
“What a useless act.”
That was the moment.
Bam!
“Come, Your Majesty! I think you should come outside for a moment!”
“What’s going on?!”
At the urgent voice of his subordinate, the Count suddenly stood up from his seat.
Could it be that an attack occurred at this late hour?
He hurriedly put the sword he had left on the desk on his belt, pushed aside his subordinates, and went out the door of the temporary quarters.
Then I doubted my eyes.
“This, this is… … !”
A large number of arrows and cold weapons are being unloaded from the carriages lined up in front of the training camp.
That wasn’t the end.
The next carriage was lined with bandages and potions that felt like a welcome shower in a drought, and then a huge iron shield appeared on the next carriage to protect the allies.
The ones moving it were none other than the royal soldiers.
“How on earth do all these things… … .”
Didn’t you say there were five days left until support arrived?
So where on earth did these materials come from… …!
The Count, who had been looking at the supplies in disbelief, hurriedly ran over and checked the types of supplies.
“Huh, huh huh… … .”
Soon a laugh of excitement and hope burst from his mouth.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that we have gathered all the supplies needed for this front line.
As if someone had known all this and prepared for it… … .
That is why Count Romert could not move even one step from his seat.
Until fate, which had been at a standstill, played a trick on him.
“I’m glad I arrived on time.”
He trembled for a rare moment at the man’s words heard from behind him.
It was because I couldn’t suppress my surging emotions.
“From now on, I will personally conduct all the commands.”
The man’s silver hair shone brightly even in the moonlight.
* * *
The wall defense battle that lasted ten long days reached a temporary easing as the barbarians withdrew.
Because the reinforced troops stopped their offensive.
Perhaps, without the hard work of countless soldiers and the devotion of the Knights of the Sun, waiting for a week would have been impossible.
George entered the command post’s temporary barracks, scratching his head.
“The general organization is finished.”
“hmm.”
I put the documents detailing the damage on the table and stood up.
Then he followed George, who was in the lead, and climbed up the wall.
Just yesterday, it was a battlefield writhing in pain and screams. Now, the dark clouds had cleared and things had settled down, which seemed to indicate that the current situation was in a lull.
But it seems there was no way to hide the bloodstains stuck here and there.
“The bodies inside the castle were gathered together and cremated. However, the bodies outside the castle have not been organized yet.”
“Have you confirmed the movements of the retreating barbarians?”
“Yes. Rather than continuing this pointless war of attrition, it seems they are heading to the eastern plains where there is plenty of food.”
“I see.”
It’s the east.
It was the land of the Federal Empire.
I suddenly stopped walking and turned my gaze to the crematorium where black smoke was rising.
“No matter how hungry they were, they managed to stop that large number.”
“The blocking was just a result. In the process, we lost Esteban’s children, who are irreplaceable.”
“But if you hadn’t sent the Sun Knights, wouldn’t the damage have been even greater? And Your Majesty, you joined five days early.”
I laughed bitterly.
“If we had sent troops here from the beginning, we could have stopped them with less damage.”
“Isn’t that the result?”
“… … .”
From George’s perspective, who knew my plan from the beginning, he couldn’t help but think that way.
If he had tried to send troops instead of the Knights when no information was revealed, he would have known that the whole thing would have fallen through due to opposition from the nobles.
“I guess so.”
That’s why I had to become a tyrant.
It was a trivial story.
After walking along the walls for a while, I saw a knight in golden armor running from afar.
The knight of the Sun Knights who came running bowed his head and spoke.
“Your Highness, as you commanded, all command staff have gathered.”
“I’ll go now.”
The place the article led them to was the training camp where the Count was staying.
Inside, his men, including the Count of Change, and the Knights of the Sun were gathered together.
“Your Highness, Prince. Are you here?”
“hmm.”
I nodded at the Count’s polite greeting.
Then he walked towards the makeshift operation table.
But the moment I passed by the Duke of Chang, something suddenly caught my eye and stopped me in my tracks.
“I guess you have something to say.”
It was a word said to the Count who, to anyone who saw it, seemed to have a lot to say.
As expected, the Count nodded and expressed his will.
However, the Count, who had been silent for a long time, only said a few words.
“We were able to stop them because Your Majesty joined us before Esteban’s main force and helped to resolve the confusion.”
“… … .”
“On behalf of the Romert Estate and the North, I would like to thank you.”
“That’s only natural.”
That’s why I personally led the supply unit and came here.
After saying that, I moved towards the operation table.
There was no more time to delay.
My outstretched finger pointed to a dot on the map lying on the table.
“As you may have heard, they have now abandoned the border area and retreated.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I just heard the news.”
A deep sense of relief can be felt in their slightly haggard voices.
I said, slightly raising the corners of my lips.
“The abundant land must have been good prey for them as well. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the danger that had been encroaching on the border area has receded for a time.”
“This could not be more fortunate.”
“But we can’t just sit back and relax like this. Eventually, they’ll attack us again like they did, and Esteban will have to go through the same pain he’s going through now.”
“… … .”
My sharp gaze fell on the leader of the Sun Knights who were present.
“What are the remaining strength of the Sun Knights?”
“That would be about a hundred, excluding those who were wounded or killed in battle.”
“good.”
I nodded and took out a piece of paper that I had been keeping in my bosom.
Everyone’s attention in the training camp was focused on him.
“This is… … .”
“Is it an imperial edict?”
Graceful handwriting on gold paper.
Beneath it was a seal with a pattern of two crossed swords.
It was difficult to see the contents at a glance, but one thing was certain: this was an absolute order stamped with the King’s seal.
“The Sun Knights will now follow me and raid the lands of the barbarians.”
“……yes?”
“Now that they’ve moved on from Esteban, this is our only chance to make a move.”
So, are you saying that we should go directly to the barbarian warriors now… … let alone enter their land?
Into the harsh wilderness of the North?
The expressions of those who understood the situation instantly hardened.
But even in the still atmosphere of the training camp, I continued to relay orders.
“The personnel being employed are all members of the Solar Knights who can move. Recruit the personnel as quickly as possible and assemble at the parade ground.”
“Please wait a moment, Your Majesty!”
“what?”
The leader of the Sun Knights swallowed his saliva at my cold gaze and said.
“You said you were going to raid the land of the barbarians now?”
“hmm.”
“That is impossible. The reason why the continental nations do not have influence in the lands of the northern barbarians is because the resistance is so strong and the terrain and weather are so harsh that it is difficult to develop them!”
It’s said to be a little better now that the chilly season has passed, but even that is only a little bit better.
If they were to come into contact with the remaining troops in the rear, it would most likely not end with them being killed or injured.
… … Perhaps that is what you want to say.
I tapped the table with my fingers and opened my mouth.
“so?”
“We have been in fierce combat with them for the past ten days. That is why I can confidently say that we know the danger better than anyone else.”
The commander of the Sun Knights thumped the chest of his armor.
“In a situation where they have an absolute advantage in terms of environment, raiding that land would be tantamount to suicide. We cannot send Esteban’s knights to such a place.”
“Is it you who decides that? Or is it His Majesty the King who gave me the mission?”
“… … .”
At my cold question, the guy shut his mouth and lowered his gaze.
I watched the scene and slowly raised the corners of my lips.
“I think you’re making a big mistake. You don’t have a choice. The order has already been given, and all you have to do is do as I say.”
“… … .”
“I am the commander-in-chief of this expeditionary force.”
I walked out of the training camp, past the silent Captain of the Sun Knights.
