As Claude appeared, everyone around him slightly bowed their heads.
Even Gillian and Belinda, who were among Ghislain's closest confidants, followed suit. Their usual disregard for Claude was replaced with uncharacteristic respect.
Regardless of other factors, Fenris had strict military discipline. Given that Ghislain was a warlord, this was to be expected.
Claude found this atmosphere highly pleasing.
"Hmm, if only you treated me with this level of respect all the time. It feels like I've finally found my rightful place."
"...."
As the commander-in-chief holding wartime authority, Claude had the final say. While everyone wanted to make a snide comment, they held their tongues.
When Ghislain had first appointed Claude as commander-in-chief, everyone was shocked. Naturally, they had assumed the role would go to Gillian, the Master of Arms.
However, Gillian, who always prioritized Ghislain's orders above all else, accepted it without complaint. He had no personal ambition for glory anyway.
The real uproar came from others.
"Young master! Claude is the first person who would surrender!"
"Exactly! Entrusting the entire army to a head butler who's never experienced war? He'll surely take bribes and surrender!"
"He might even start a rebellion! He's always full of complaints!"
The vassals' clamor irritated Claude to no end.
"What the hell! Did I ask for this? Why are you badmouthing me when I haven't even done anything? What do you take me for!"
Claude stomped around angrily, pointing fingers and arguing with the vassals. For some reason, things always descended into chaos when Claude got involved.
Ghislain didn't sit idly by.
Boom!
With one stomp, the area fell silent, and Ghislain spoke with a bored expression.
"The commander-in-chief of the defensive army is Claude. Consider it decided."
In Fenris, a first statement might invite debate, but repeating it signaled a final decision. The vassals clicked their tongues in discontent, shooting Claude dirty looks.
Claude was exasperated. He immediately confronted Ghislain.
"Why put me in this position when I didn't even ask for it? You're trying to make me look bad, aren't you, my lord?"
"Officially, you're the second-in-command of this territory. Isn't this natural?"
"Well, that's true, but...."
Despite his lack of authority, it was a fact that Claude held the second-highest position in the territory under Ghislain.
Ghislain smirked as he added.
"Do whatever you want. Just hold out until I get back."
To Claude, who had no battlefield experience, telling him to face the strongest forces of the west however he liked was outrageous. While everyone else was dumbfounded, Claude's response was even more absurd.
"I can really do whatever I want?"
"Yes, do as you please."
"Haha, this is going to be fun."
Back when Fenris had been weak, Claude had constantly schemed to run away. But now, with the strongest northern military force and cutting-edge techniques at his disposal, he was eager to try everything he could think of.
And so, during Ghislain's absence, Claude became the commander-in-chief of Fenris's defensive forces.
The fortress of Silverlight, where Claude and his officers were stationed, housed 10,000 defenders. The rest were spread across other castles and fortresses.
While 10,000 wasn't a small number, it was far too few to face an army of 60,000. Adding to the unease was the fact that Claude was in charge, making everyone deeply anxious.
Claude looked at the nervous people around him and asked:
"Ahem, everything's ready, right?"
Amid the awkward atmosphere, Gillian replied calmly.
"Yes, preparations have been completed, as you ordered."
"Hehe. Oh my, hearing the Master of Arms respond makes me feel all tingly. Anyway, let's wait now. The enemy will show their hand soon enough."
Following Claude's command, the Fenris forces simply waited. After all, their goal was to defend the fortress and buy time. Minimizing casualties was always preferable.
Aside from the difference in numbers, they weren't lacking in other aspects. Thanks to Claude's emphasis on fortifications, the fortress had been significantly expanded, and they had ample strategic supplies.
Looking at the massive, silent fortress, Marquis Rodrick laughed heartily.
"Those northern hillbillies may have come into some money, but they sure know how to build a fortress."
The fortress was named Silverlight for a simple reason—it was constructed with white stone, giving it a silvery sheen when the light struck it.
The dwarves' aesthetic sensibilities were on full display, making it an exceptionally beautiful fortress.
"It's a shame to destroy such a fine structure, but we can rebuild it later."
Marquis Rodrick had no doubt about his victory. No matter how well Fenris had prepared, they couldn't possibly stop his 60,000-strong army.
It took the Rodrick Army three full days to set up camp. While their numbers contributed to the delay, assembling their many siege weapons also took time.
Once the siege weapons were completed and the camp fully established, Marquis Rodrick gave his first command.
"Check for Rune Stone traps!"
To prepare for facing Ghislain, a master-level opponent, the Rodrick household had gathered extensive intelligence on Fenris and its tactics.
The most infamous among them were Rune Stone traps and hot air balloons. The Rodrick strategists had devised thorough countermeasures for these.
"Protect the mages!"
At Tenant's shout, the knights surrounded the mages and advanced slightly forward.
The Rodrick Army boasted an impressive force of three 6th-circle mages, six 5th-circle mages, and over a hundred mages below that level.
Their numbers rivaled those of some magic towers, highlighting the high standard of western mages.
The mages cast wide-area mana detection spells and shouted their findings.
"We've found it! Mana detected in several spots!"
"These are definitely Rune Stone traps!"
"They're nearby!"
Hearing the reports, Marquis Rodrick slapped his knee and exclaimed:
"I knew it! Rune Stone traps! Pull the army back slightly and start disarming them!"
Marquis Rodrick laughed loudly. The enemy's traps were far too predictable. It was clear they had no better options.
"Fools. Did they really think the same trick would work again? So, how many Rune Stones are buried? Can we recover and reuse them?"
"There appear to be five locations. Whether they're reusable depends on the inscriptions."
"Five? Normally, traps like this use at least a few hundred Rune Stones, don't they?"
"Uh… currently, only five spots show mana signatures, and the readings are faint."
"Hmm... Better check them anyway, just in case."
The Rodrick Army moved cautiously, pulling back some troops. They didn't know when the Rune Stones might activate.
A group of soldiers, looking tense, stepped forward.
Fenris was known to have a 6th-circle mage. The soldiers didn't know what magic might be triggered during excavation, so knights and mages couldn't risk it.
Instead, they cast various enhancement spells on the soldiers and sent them to dig. Soldiers were expendable, after all.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
The soldiers carefully began digging.
Since the Rune Stones were near the Rodrick camp and quite a distance from the fortress, Fenris made no moves.
After hesitating nervously for a while, the soldiers dug faster when nothing unusual happened. If the traps activated, they'd die, but for now, all seemed clear.
"We've found it!"
"It's definitely a Rune Stone!"
"Huh? What's this?"
The soldiers picked up the small Rune Stone and tilted their heads.
A piece of paper was tied to it.
They couldn't risk carrying something suspicious back without inspecting it first, so the soldiers untied the paper and unfolded it.
As they read the words written on it, their expressions froze.
Seeing this, Tenant shouted.
"What's written on it? If there's no issue, bring it to the marquis immediately!"
The soldiers hesitated but eventually brought the Rune Stone and paper back. Once it was deemed safe, Marquis Rodrick unfolded the paper.
[You idiot, fooled you, didn't we?]
"..."
The paper contained a crude insult. Marquis Rodrick's breathing grew heavy.
He opened another piece of paper, revealing more mocking words.
[Your 60,000-strong army got held up by five Rune Stones? Scared of five Rune Stones?]
[Wasted your effort, huh? You're an idiot, working hard for nothing.]
[Are you mad? What are you gonna do about it? What can you even do?]
[I am the man who mocks the gods...]
One piece of paper had nothing but hastily scribbled and erased markings, making it impossible to discern its meaning.
"...."
Marquis Rodrick gripped the paper, trembling with rage.
It was a blatant provocation. The enemy had clearly anticipated that they would dig up the Rune Stones and prepared this in advance.
And it worked. They had even pulled back their army slightly, just in case. It was an undeniable humiliation.
"Those bastards dared!"
Marquis Rodrick, who had always been treated with the utmost reverence, was experiencing such disgrace for the first time.
Never had he expected his opponents to resort to such petty tactics. This was the kind of thing low-class, dishonorable fools would do.
For someone of his noble stature, this was an unbearable insult.
That the greatest noble in the kingdom would be made to retrieve such writings and even withdraw his forces—it was unthinkable.
"I'll make those arrogant scoundrels pay for this!"
Marquis Rodrick leapt from his seat, roaring at the top of his lungs.
"Move the entire army! Bring me their heads at once!"
Tenant, standing nearby, quickly intervened.
"My lord! It's a worthless provocation! You must not fall for it! Who knows what traps they've prepared? We will win regardless, so please, contain your anger for now!"
Marquis Rodrick was a man with a fiery temperament. He had never tolerated even the smallest affront.
Still, because it was war, he begrudgingly held back his fury, heeding Tenant's advice.
"Check if there are any more Rune Stones."
Grinding his teeth, he gave the order, and the mages began scanning the area again with mana detection spells.
From the fortress, Claude sat comfortably, watching the Rodrick army's movements with amusement.
"Have they finished digging? Did they take them all? I can't see that far from here."
A mage standing beside him nodded.
"Yes, they've dug them up. Judging by the commotion, they've probably checked the notes as well."
"Good. Marquis Rodrick is supposed to have a short fuse, right?"
In response, Lowell, the spymaster, answered.
"Yes. He once killed a maid just because she was late serving his food."
"Ugh, what a piece of trash. Guys like that can't stand being insulted. No one's ever dared to put them in their place."
Claude wiggled his fingers to summon someone.
"Let's push him over the edge a little more."
The one who stepped forward was none other than Ascon, the foul-mouthed elf. With a serious expression, he muttered under his breath.
"Sh*t... Everyone's dead today."
Following Claude's command, the mages cast voice amplification spells. Then Ascon began hurling insults at the Rodrick army.
"Hey! Marquis Rodrick, you f**ing piece of sh*t! Your mother's a—! You son of a—! Go roast yourself, you filthy—!"
The tirade of vulgarities echoed across the battlefield, so appalling that even the Fenris soldiers, on the same side, winced uncomfortably.
Claude clicked his tongue and turned to Wendy, who stood nearby.
"Man, Ascon's performance today is something else. How can so much filth come out of one person's mouth? Did he swallow a dumpster?"
"...."
Wendy didn't respond. She simply didn't want to. The situation hardly felt like war anymore.
Even among the Fenris soldiers, such reactions were common. Naturally, the Rodrick army, at the receiving end of the insults, was left utterly stunned, their mouths agape in disbelief.
Marquis Rodrick clutched the back of his neck, trembling. His face flushed a deep red with rage.
"That, that, that lunatic... What is he saying?"
The insults extended to his parents, his family, and his lineage. The language was so vulgar that just hearing it felt like an affront.
He had never experienced such degradation in his life. Who would dare to insult someone of his status? Not even a duke would have attempted such a thing.
For someone like Marquis Rodrick, who had no tolerance for insults, this was beyond unbearable.
"Kill them! Kill those bastards now!"
Marquis Rodrick screamed again, unable to suppress the boiling fury within him.
This war was no ordinary war. It was meant to be a grand campaign to subdue Fenris, the strongest power in the north, and unify the north and west.
Yet these barbarians had turned this glorious war into a petty squabble fit for common rabble.
"...Understood. We will confirm the remaining Rune Stone traps and move immediately."
This time, even Tenant didn't object. The provocations were too extreme, even for him.
If he, an uninvolved observer, was this incensed, how enraged must Marquis Rodrick himself be?
While provoking an enemy through insults wasn't unheard of in warfare, it was rarely attempted due to the emphasis on honor. However, Fenris seemed to have no qualms.
Tenant hurriedly approached Dnessi, the 6th-circle mage and head of the mages.
"Are there any more Rune Stone traps?"
Dnessi nodded and replied.
"There are no additional mana signatures. We are certain. It should be safe to advance."
Hearing this, Tenant shouted loudly.
"All units! Prepare to attack the fortress!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The soldiers began marching forward in orderly steps, readying the catapults to fire.
Watching this, Gillian cleared his throat and turned to Claude.
"Ahem, it seems the enemy is starting their attack. But... was all that foul language really necessary? Doesn't it harm our lord's honor?"
The plan they had prepared could have been executed without such provocations. Gillian was curious why they had gone so far.
Most of all, he worried that such rumors would tarnish Ghislain's reputation.
In response, Claude crossed his legs arrogantly and said:
"You're great at fighting, Master of Arms, but you don't understand other things. War and gambling aren't all that different at their core. There's one crucial thing you need to do before the main clash."
"And what is that?"
Claude smirked and replied.
"Make the opponent lose their cool."
"......"
No one had anything to say to that. If that had been the intent, it had worked splendidly.
The thoroughly enraged Rodrick army finally began their catapult attack.
BOOOOM!
[T/L: Please support me and read 385 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]