The knight who had arrived belonged to Count Glasgow's Second Corps.
Marquis Rodrick, recognizing him, stammered as he questioned the knight.
"My… my castle was taken? Linderstein has fallen already? This quickly?"
Marquis Rodrick repeated himself, unable to believe what he had heard. The knight, wearing a grim expression, responded.
"Yes, Linderstein has been captured by Count Fenris. The garrison has been annihilated."
"I left 20,000 troops behind! What about the Second Corps? Count Glasgow's Second Corps surely arrived to reinforce them, didn't they?"
"Our Second Corps… was also annihilated by Count Fenris. Count Glasgow himself was captured and executed."
"Wha… whaaaaaaat!"
Marquis Rodrick let out an anguished wail and collapsed on the spot.
"My lord!"
Tenant rushed to support him as he staggered back to his feet, his face contorted with fury.
"How! How could an army of 60,000 be defeated by a mere 10,000 cavalry? And this quickly! What on earth did they do to take Linderstein so fast?"
Marquis Rodrick shouted as he glared at the knight, his voice trembling with outrage.
"Tell me! Who was the traitor? Who opened the gates for them?"
"They broke through with catapults…"
"Catapults? That's absurd! They're all cavalry—how could they possibly have catapults? If they were carrying those, there's no way they could have moved that quickly to the west!"
The speed at which they had moved was simply incomprehensible. If that were truly possible, no one in the entire kingdom could withstand a Fenris ambush.
"It's true. They used catapults to break through the castle walls and capture the city. Later, we too fell to those catapults."
The knight desperately explained, describing the strange "bone catapults" he had witnessed.
But the expressions on the listeners' faces remained unconvinced. Even seeing it firsthand had seemed impossible to believe—how could they trust this mere account?
Yet, judging from the knight's haggard appearance, the annihilation of the Second Corps and the capture of Linderstein seemed indisputable. They had no choice but to believe him.
Breathing heavily, Marquis Rodrick asked again.
"Then, is Count Fenris staying in Linderstein?"
"Most likely… yes. He's captured a large number of prisoners and cannot abandon them to march onward."
The knight had fled north immediately after the defeat, so he had no information about the current state of Linderstein or the western region.
Marquis Rodrick turned his furious gaze toward Tenant.
"Tenant! An army of 60,000 has been destroyed by Count Fenris, and our stronghold has been seized!"
"....."
Tenant could not utter a word. After all, he had been the one to propose the feint operation.
But the outcome was so preposterously beyond expectation that he felt an overwhelming sense of injustice.
Who could have anticipated an army moving this fast, carrying siege weapons at that? What had gone so wrong? He couldn't pinpoint it, and that was driving him to madness.
"Ugh… useless fools!"
Marquis Rodrick cursed in exasperation.
In total, including the garrison, he had commanded 120,000 troops. Now, only 30,000 remained.
They had been defeated without even putting up a proper fight.
"How can this army still claim to be the mightiest in the west?"
Despite his tirade, no one dared to respond.
"Dnessi! What have the mages been doing? They were utterly useless in the last battle!"
His fury shifted to the mages. With three 6th-circle and six 5th-circle mages, they had accomplished nothing.
Dnessi wiped the sweat from his brow as he stammered out a defense.
"There appears to be an exceptionally skilled mage among the Fenris forces. We were all occupied trying to stop them…"
"And who is that supposed to be? Are you telling me Fenris has a 7th-circle mage?"
"....."
No one could answer. A 7th-circle mage was an entity of legend, a transcendent being. If such a mage existed in Fenris, they would have been renowned across the entire kingdom.
Rodrick's vassals were growing increasingly distressed. It felt as if they were wandering in a fog, unable to grasp what was happening.
Even victory now would feel hollow. In truth, they had already lost.
Marquis Rodrick, looking haggard, spoke with great effort.
"What… what about our supplies?"
Though half their army had been wiped out, 30,000 soldiers was still no small number. Their daily consumption of food was staggering, and they were rapidly running out of provisions to return north.
In fact, they had nowhere to retreat to anymore.
Fenris had aimed to cut off their supply lines—and now they were in the very predicament they had sought to inflict.
"If we don't take that stronghold, we're dead men."
Capturing Silverlight Fortress was the only way to regroup and prepare to face Count Fenris.
But this was the fortress that 60,000 troops had failed to conquer, leaving behind ruined siege equipment.
"Can the mages dry out that mire?"
"....."
The mages remained silent. Whatever they tried, the enemy would undoubtedly counter.
Even if they dried the mire, it wouldn't matter. Advancing troops would still be picked off one by one by Fenris's arrows and catapults.
"Why are you all silent? Find a way! Find a way, damn it!"
Even with 30,000 troops remaining, they were on the verge of starving to death. Marquis Rodrick couldn't accept this.
Finally, Tenant spoke up cautiously.
"We could begin by raiding nearby villages to secure some provisions."
"Go on."
"It's impossible to take that fortress right now. Even if we succeeded, the cost in lives would be devastating. We wouldn't have the strength to face Count Fenris upon his return."
"You're saying raiding the villages will help us take the fortress?"
"Count Fenris is known for valuing his people. If we raze every village nearby and plunder them, the fortress defenders will have no choice but to come out and confront us."
"Hmm…"
"Even if we retreated now, we'd have to face Count Fenris, who's taken Linderstein. It's better to lure these defenders out and crush them while Fenris is tied up there."
Marquis Rodrick's gaze turned icy.
"Take 10,000 troops and burn everything. Leave no one alive. The rest of the army will wait and strike when the defenders emerge."
Rodrick's forces reorganized and moved slightly away from the fortress. They believed that by pillaging and destroying the surrounding area, they would provoke a reaction from the Fenris defenders.
Within two days, however, the 10,000 troops sent out for the raids returned. The commander, his face pale and haggard, delivered grim news.
"There… there are no villages, my lord."
"What? That's impossible!"
"It's true. There isn't a single village in this area. We searched far and wide but found only castles and fortresses."
"....."
This land truly felt off. A sense of foreboding swept through the entire Rodrick command.
***
The battlefield, now a muddy wasteland, was littered with the corpses of Rodrick soldiers. It was an overwhelming victory for Fenris.
Nearly half the massive force had been obliterated in a single engagement—a result so astonishing it was hard to believe.
The vassals of Fenris surveyed the scene with incredulous expressions.
'Wow… that actually worked?'
'Who would've thought of creating a swamp here? This guy's a genius—or insane.'
'No wonder he's the head butler. I thought he was an idiot…'
The vassals regarded Claude with newfound respect. When the lord had appointed him as commander-in-chief, they had been skeptical. Now, his capability was undeniable.
There had been no need for the strongest among them to step forward and engage in bloody combat. Everything had been meticulously prepared, drawing the enemy into a devastating trap.
The war seemed almost too easy.
Of course, it had been possible thanks to Vanessa, who had single handedly neutralized the enemy mages. But that too had been part of Claude's plan.
By redirecting Vanessa's overwhelming power, he had denied the enemy any opportunity to counterattack.
Aside from her efforts, the battle had been won through the preparations of ordinary people, using nothing more than strategy and resources.
Wendy, who had often felt embarrassed by Claude's antics, couldn't help but feel proud for the first time in a while.
'See? He pulls through when it counts.'
Claude, often underestimated despite his talent, had always been something of an oddity. His antics and lack of authority had overshadowed his true potential.
In moments of crisis, Claude undoubtedly demonstrated his abilities. In fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the smooth management of the territory was largely thanks to him.
'Unlike Alpoi, of course.'
Though they were often lumped together and underestimated, Wendy thought Claude was at least slightly better. Now that she considered it, even his sly looks seemed more tolerable than Alpoi's.
While Alpoi had recently made some contributions, the real heavy lifting in major situations was always done by Claude.
Aside from Vanessa, Claude's strategic planning and Alpoi's reckless use of magic had been the most notable contributions in this battle.
Almost as if he could read Wendy's thoughts, Alpoi puffed up with pride and said, "Did you see my skills? That's the level I'm at. Honestly, I'm scared of myself. Imagine if I reached the 6th circle—just imagine! I might not even advance because it's terrifying to think about how strong I'd be. Should I stop now?"
"You lunatic… I mean, well done. I always believed in you, bro. We're the brightest minds of this territory."
Claude and Alpoi bumped fists with exaggerated grins, their egos inflated.
The others, watching this exchange, wore expressions of disbelief.
'These two… actually succeeded at something?'
'I can't believe what I'm seeing. I've lived long enough to witness miracles.'
'Great… now we'll have to put up with their bragging for who knows how long.'
Wendy and Vanessa, however, were smiling warmly. Having each nurtured and tolerated someone less than perfect, they couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment seeing them shine.
Even Belinda, who was scowling as though chewing on rotten ginger, cleared her throat and asked, "Ahem, I didn't know the head butler had such skills."
Claude smirked and crossed his legs dramatically.
"Do you feel the vast difference in intellect?"
"...Anyway, we've secured victory for now, so…"
"No, no. I've secured victory."
"What?"
Claude interrupted Belinda mid-sentence, leaning back arrogantly in his chair.
"This wasn't our victory. This was my victory."
Why was he so insufferable? She wanted to smack him, but hitting the commander-in-chief in front of everyone wasn't an option.
"…Fine. But with the enemy suffering so many losses, what do you think they'll do now? They can't attack the fortress without siege equipment, so are they going to retreat?"
Rodrick's forces had left their siege weapons stuck in the mud, barely escaping with their lives. Without those, attacking this place was impossible.
Even with 30,000 troops remaining, they were facing 10,000 Galbanium-armed soldiers entrenched in a fortress. Any assault would result in catastrophic losses for Rodrick.
Claude mused aloud, "Hm, depending on what the lord does, their movements could change. Let's wait and see."
He ordered his troops to hold their positions. Their next move would depend on whether Ghislain had succeeded in securing the western region or not.
As they waited, Rodrick's forces suddenly scattered in various directions. Claude watched and chuckled.
"Oh ho, so the lord succeeded, huh?"
A strategist nearby observed the enemy's movements and asked, "What are they doing? Why are they scattering like that?"
Claude replied nonchalantly, "They must have supply issues. That's why they're moving so hastily."
"Ah… does that mean…"
"Yep, it means the lord has taken Linderstein."
Rodrick's forces were likely trying to plunder and destroy nearby areas to gather food and provoke the fortress defenders into action.
But in Fenris territory, there was nothing to plunder. Long before the war began, all citizens had been forcibly relocated to fortresses and castles. Not a single small village remained.
Claude smiled again and said, "Judging by how frantically they're moving, we'll get word soon enough. Probably through that bird—what's its name, Dark or something?"
Sure enough, not long after, a raven flew in and perched before Claude.
"Hey, Claude."
"..."
"Sorry I'm late. Took a wrong turn on the way. Looks like the enemy already got the news, huh? What's with the scowl? You think I wanted to be late? I'm not a map, okay? How should I know all the roads?"
"...Fine."
Everyone was well aware of how insufferable Dark was. As a summoned entity, punishing him wouldn't do much good, so they had all just come to accept his antics.
Claude shook his head a few times before asking, "What's the news from the lord?"
"He's captured Linderstein and left it in someone else's hands. He says he'll return to the north soon, so hold the line until then. Oh, and by the way, you've killed a lot of them, huh?"
Dark had noticed the battlefield littered with corpses on his way in. Even without hearing the details, it was obvious Fenris had secured a major victory.
Claude nodded smugly and said, "Nothing to it. Well, that means they'll start getting desperate. Time to wrap this up. Dark, pass the word to the mercenaries on standby."
With their supply lines cut, Rodrick's forces would stop at nothing now. But they had only two options left: either find new supplies and prepare for a prolonged fight, or retreat to the west and try to reclaim Linderstein.
Of course, neither option would succeed. Claude intended to annihilate them entirely here in the north.
[T/L: Please support me and read 385 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]