Chapter 60.1: ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฃ๐ฎ (๐)
โWhat are you talking about? Do you think your employer is some kind of god?โ
โWell, his power was indeed enormous, like that of a god. . .โ
โBut still, he bleeds when stabbed with a spear and dies when hit by an arrow. Itโs insane to think that with just those men, they would climb the city walls. No matter how much one loves gold, itโs madness.โ
Experienced mercenaries said that, indicating the riskiness of this attempt.
Yet, the mercenaries following Johan were unshaken as if they were enchanted.
After all, faith is not rational and is something that cannot be explained to others.
The mercenaries who had followed Johan from the city held a strong belief.
They had faith that they would never lose if they followed this knight!
Such unwavering faith doesnโt just emerge from kicking down giant tent poles.
It develops through continuous collaboration, syncing movements, and experiencing each action side by side.
Mercenaries unaware of this thought those participating in the surprise attack seemed mad.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
The weakest part of the castle was its gate. It was natural, as it was originally made for people to pass through.
Thus, various methods were employed to protect the gate, like elevating its position, digging a moat below, or building a small bastion nearby. . .
Sangdarju Castle wasnโt that well-built. The moat was shallow, and the towers were crude.
But still, a castle is a castle. A direct assault on the gate could even turn Johan into a piece of meat.
โ๐๐ญ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฃ ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ.โ
โThereโs fog rolling in.โ
Suetlg, who had turned pale preparing magic, came out and said.
From a distance, fog was enveloping the area around the castle. The sudden dense fog caused confusion among the soldiers on the walls.
โWhen will we attack?โ
โWeโll repeat this a few times and then go in just before sunrise.โ
โWouldnโt the middle of the night be better?โ
โIt might be harder for us if itโs too dark. Considering the terrain and all. . .โ
Johan thought the time just before sunrise was when people are most off-guard.
Others thought of night, but to Johan, night seemed more dangerous.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
With a shield on his back, and a mace, longsword, and dagger at his waist.
To keep themselves light, the assault team minimized their baggage. Johan even considered removing his chainmail due to the noise, but decided it wasnโt necessary.
Johan led from the front, cutting through the fog. It seemed easier to climb the wall before the break of dawn.
๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญโ
Strong grip wasnโt just useful for wielding weapons or tearing off a trollโs arm. It was also effective for climbing walls.
โ. . .!โ
The mercenaries following from below admired Johanโs speed in climbing.
Climbing up the wall barehanded, and so swiftly at that!
Now they understood why he had refused the cumbersome siege ladders. With such strength, they were unnecessary.
Now, all that was needed was for Johan to throw down a rope.
โOh.โ
Reaching the top, Johan, leaning against the wall, froze upon seeing two soldiers yawning and sitting there.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
The location of the climbable wall was not chosen randomly. Behind it was Gerdolfโs effort.
โ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ. ๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ก ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.
โ๐๐ก๐๐ญ. . . ๐๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ก๐ก๐ก! ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฒ! ๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฒ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐๐ณ๐ฒ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐! ๐โ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ! ๐โ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ! ๐๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ก๐ก!
Gerdolf surprisingly had a talent for interrogation.
After interrogating the captured raiders who attempted a surprise attack, they became ragged and spilled the secrets of the castle.
The location of the hidden doors they used to come out of, the rough layout of the castle. Johan tried his best to memorize these details in his head.
However, Johan was powerless over the soldiersโ deployment.
It changed frequently, and now that the raiders were captured, it would have changed again. Relying on it could lead to seeing blood.
But to run into them as soon as climbing up.
There was definitely no luck.
โ. . .What?โ
The sitting soldier blinked and looked at Johan. He was exhausted from the dense fog and staying up all night. Johan, suddenly appearing over the wall, must have seemed out of place.
His slow reaction cost him his life.
๐๐ซ๐๐๐คโ
The mace swung, and the soldier collapsed. The soldier next to him was startled and scrambled for his spear, but Johan stepped on it first.
โAtta(ck). . .โ
One blow to the lungs, one to the neck.
What Kaegal taught Johan most intensively were the bodyโs vital points. An assassin couldnโt kill openly like a knight in battle. They often had to kill quietly in the darkness.
It was this technique that was effective then. Not slashing with a sword, but quickly stabbing a hard-to-hear vital point with a dagger and silencing them.
โGuh-huh. . .โ
The soldier gasped and gurgled. Johan pushed him aside and checked the surroundings. There were no others.
๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฉโ
As the rope descended, the mercenaries sighed in relief. They had been anxious about the sudden disappearance.
As all the mercenaries climbed onto the wall, Johan gave the order.
โGo to the secret door and open it.โ
The main gate was too large and noisy, drawing inevitable attention.
In contrast, the secret doors in the wall were relatively free from such concerns. They were small and concealed enough to be unnoticed from the outside.
If they could take the secret door before the enemies noticed and bring in the soldiers from outside, it would be over.
โIsnโt it too quiet?โ
โAre they all sleeping?โ
โWe havenโt touched them for days, so itโs likely. . .โ
Johan and the mercenaries ran through the castle courtyard, the eerie silence making their hearts race.
As they moved towards the secret door, a shout erupted from behind.
โItโs an attack! Itโs an attack!!โ
โThe wall has been taken!โ
โ?!โ
Johan and the mercenaries, who had not yet taken the wall, were shocked by the outcry.
โHave those guys gone mad?!โ
โNo. They must have discovered the missing soldiers. Move fast!โ
Johan urged the mercenaries. With tense expressions, they nodded. From now on, it wouldnโt be surprising to encounter enemies anywhere.