LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 67
Chapter 67: I Have No Choice But to Change the Game Myself. (3)
Baron Fabro, a retainer of Digald and the commander of the supply unit, paced nervously inside the tent, unable to sleep.
He wasn’t worrying about strategy or unit organization.
He just couldn’t fall asleep because he was feeling too good.
“Hehe, finally, I’m getting a fief of my own.”
Fabro didn’t have his own territory.
The land owned by Digald, whom he served, was small and insignificant, so how could a retainer like Fabro have the opportunity to receive a fief?
But this time it was different. If everything went well, he could receive part of Perdium’s territory.
“I made the right choice sticking with Desmond. The best decision of my life.”
Fabro received bribes from Desmond and always voiced opinions that represented him.
It wasn’t just Fabro; most of Digald’s retainers did the same. It wasn’t difficult to maneuver land the way they wanted.
“Hehe, this time I might finally be able to make a name for myself, right?”
Even though he was part of the supply unit, he had participated in the war, so he would gain some reputation.
In high society, just participating in a war was enough to draw attention.
Besides, since he was part of the rear unit, there was no danger whatsoever. All he had to do was support the main force with supplies.
To benefit safely from a sweet war like this, where else in the world could one find such a thing?
“By the way, I didn’t expect Count Desmond to have so many soldiers. At this rate, isn’t he stronger than Raybold?”
Though it was dressed up as conscripts and mercenaries from Digald, the scale was undeniable.
Desmond had sent reinforcements that could only come from gathering a few small territories.
Given the size of the main force, it was already a struggle for Digald’s soldiers to manage even a supply unit.
“Ugh, it’s all over for Perdium now. Finished.”
Even if they were on equal footing, they could at least have a skirmish; at this point, they could wipe out Perdium without breaking a sweat.
Moreover, with siege equipment at their disposal, there was no way Perdium could hold out for even a day.
It was a war they couldn’t afford to lose.
So, Fabro was in high spirits every day at the fortress.
Thud, thud, thud.
“Huh? What’s that sound?”
Lost in happy dreams, Fabro was jolted awake by a strange vibration.
When he stepped outside the barracks, he saw some knights looking around with puzzled expressions.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
When Fabro asked, the knight shook his head, seemingly unsure.
“I don’t know. Is it an earthquake…?”
They couldn’t even entertain the tiny possibility it was an enemy ambush.
They couldn’t imagine that the already few soldiers of Perdium would even prepare a detachment to attack.
After all, there hadn’t been any significant news from the main force either.
Thud, thud, thud.
In a brief moment, the vibrations grew stronger.
Fabro scratched his chin, deep in thought.
“What could it be? Is a herd of cattle passing through or something?”
As soon as the thought of a herd of cattle crossed his mind, Fabro realized the vibrations resembled the sounds of hooves.
“Hey, no way.”
“Is this for real?”
He chuckled at my ridiculous imagination.
Although we had lit the torches, the overcast skies made it hard to see far into the distance.
With only sounds to judge by, it took a long time to grasp the situation.
Thud thud thud thud!
They realized the source of the noise only after Ghislaine’s army had gotten close.
“Wake up! Wake up! It’s an ambush! An ambush! Move!”
The knights who reacted somewhat quickly shouted.
Meanwhile, the commander, Baron Fabro, still wore an expression of disbelief.
“An ambush? How? Why?”
Thud thud thud thud!
“Ugh!”
Only when the enemy was right on top of them did Fabro snap to attention.
He shouted desperately and began to retreat.
“Enemies! Enemies! Everyone, come out and defend!”
Even then, he didn’t consider the possibility of losing.
There were at most a few hundred enemies.
There was no way they could have circled around and arrived this quickly.
Even if they were a supply unit, we had a thousand troops. We could easily handle something like this.
“Move quickly! Quickly! We can hold them off! We have the numbers!”
The soldiers scrambled out of their tents, urgently grabbing their weapons.
Some didn’t even have their equipment, and the formation was a complete mess.
While everyone moved in a flurry,
Boom!
Ghislaine’s army sprang from the darkness.
“Ahhhh!”
The outer soldiers were instantly swept away.
The torches set up everywhere tumbled over, struck by the bodies being thrown around.
Flames soon began to engulf the area. Confused soldiers wandered aimlessly, unsure of what to do.
A few knights of Digald hurriedly tried to command the soldiers.
“Gather up! Form ranks!”
But regrouping was impossible.
The enemy, taking advantage of their superior mobility, charged forward, smashing through anything that blocked their path.
One mercenary even tore through a tent completely, such was the force of their advance.
Thud thud thud!
Spotting Ghislaine charging at the front, a knight from Digald unsheathed his sword.
His distinct attire, and the horse-riding skills that surpassed anyone else’s.
The knight instinctively realized that the figure before him was the enemy commander.
‘If I kill this guy, I win!’
As he raised his sword with the intention of cleaving through him in one swing,
Thud thud thud!
Flames flickering everywhere made it impossible to see the approaching face.
Caught in backlighting, he could barely make out a shadow. But what he did see were the terrifyingly bright red eyes of his opponent.
In that moment, as he felt the undefined hatred and endless rage within them, the knight froze.
“Ahhhh!”
Gathering all his mana to cast off the fear, the knight forcefully charged forward.
“Die!”
Ghislaine leaned slightly to the side.
Then, with all his strength, he swung the axe from below upwards.
Swoosh!
In a single blow, the charging knight was split in half from groin to head.
The mercenaries following Ghislaine cheered and whistled.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Every soldier in front of Ghislaine was either decapitated or had their heads smashed in by the axe.
Belinda looked at Ghislaine with a worried expression.
This was surely her first time killing someone directly; she couldn’t be hiding her unease, could she?
Meanwhile, Ghislaine arrived at the opposite end of the camp in an instant and turned the horse’s head.
“Sweep the rest.”
At his dry command, the mercenaries changed direction and charged at the enemies again.
With only a few knights lost, Digald’s forces crumbled like a house of cards.
There were no ditches or obstacles to block the cavalry.
Identifying the right time and place to prepare for an ambush was also a commander’s skill, and Fabro was not a great commander.
Understanding and preparation were also the capabilities of a commander. And Fabro was not a very good commander.
“Gillian and Kaor, deal with the remaining knights.”
Dududududu!
The mercenaries split into two groups and surrounded the enemies.
They moved in organic synchronization, like a skilled cavalry unit, without a single misstep.
“They’ve trained well.”
Ghislaine nodded in satisfaction.
In her previous life, she had often employed the same shock tactics using mobility and surprise.
Ghislaine had spent a fortune equipping the mercenaries with gear and warhorses for this very shock tactic.
While the personal power of the Mercenary King was rated seventh among the continent’s top seven, his war performance capability ranked within the top three.
He was both a butcher and the king of the battlefield.
Digald’s soldiers screamed.
“Uaaagh!”
“We have to block it! Shields, where are the shields!”
“Gather! Gather up!”
They had rushed out without any equipment and stood no chance against the attacking mercenaries.
Infantry can’t demonstrate their strength properly if they can’t form ranks, no matter how many they are. Furthermore, command was impossible in such chaos.
The slaughter began once more.
One by one, Digald’s soldiers started to drop their weapons and seek shelter.
“Don’t let a single one escape!”
Following Ghislaine’s orders, the mercenaries chased after the fleeing soldiers.
Frightened troops running away from the mounted men were easy prey.
Though a few opposing knights fought back, they were captured by Gillian and Kaor and killed one by one.
Since the supply unit had only a few knights, the enemy quickly crumbled.
“Kwaha! This is really exhilarating!”
Especially Kaor and the Mad Hounds were rampaging like fish in water.
In the Forest of Monsters, the sheer number of monsters made it hard for them to survive.
But when it came to humans, they could unleash their madness to their heart’s content.
Some even jumped off their horses and charged at the nearby soldiers.
“Uha ha ha! Die! Die!”
“You’re too weak! You pathetic bugs!”
A few of Digald’s soldiers tried to band together to resist, but they couldn’t overturn the already tilted battle.
Ghislaine moved around the battlefield without stopping.
Whenever more enemies gathered or the mercenaries looked like they were in danger, she charged in and cleaved the enemies’ heads with her axe without fail.
More than a thousand Digald soldiers were thus swept away in vain.
“It’s over.”
Belinda looked at Ghislaine with a strange gaze, as if it were only natural.
‘What’s this? It’s definitely her first war, isn’t it?’
Killing monsters and killing humans were entirely different matters.
Anyone experiencing war for the first time would struggle to maintain their sanity.
Yet her worries were unfounded.
‘Why is she so calm about this!’
Ghislaine dispatched the enemies as if it were the most natural thing to do.
At this point, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her a born war fanatic.
‘This isn’t calmness.’
Ghislaine tearing through the battlefield looked like someone desperately swallowing a blazing fire.
It was incomprehensible.
What could possibly drive Ghislaine to harbor such deep hatred toward Digald?
While she pondered this, the screams of the enemies began to fade.
That signified the battle was coming to an end.
A moment later, Gillian dragged someone over and tossed them in front of Ghislaine.
“I think this guy is the commander.”
Baron Fabro trembled as he looked up at Ghislaine.
No matter how poorly trained Digald’s soldiers were, it was astonishing that over a thousand troops had been wiped out in an instant.
“P-please, spare me.”
Fabro had trusted the number of soldiers and missed his chance to flee.
He barely managed to escape, but was caught by Gillian who followed him.
He couldn’t die so unjustly.
‘After all, the main force will win.’
Somehow, as long as I stayed alive, I could be released.
Usually, when a noble is captured in war, they are taken as a prisoner rather than killed.
That’s because it’s more beneficial to receive a ransom from their lord or family.
Because of this, Fabro could surrender without worry.
“Please spare my life! Count Digald will certainly pay a ransom! I surrender! I surrender! I surrender!”
Ghislaine silently scanned Fabro’s face from side to side.
At the moment their eyes met, Fabro, who had been pleading desperately, shut his mouth tight in a fear that felt like he couldn’t breathe.
A cold, snake-like gaze, a face void of any emotion.
The glistening eyes of a predator were observing him.
As if contemplating whether to eat him or not.
“Name.”
“I-I am Baron Fabro. W-Who are you?”
“Ghislaine Perdium.”
“Ghislaine…? The Grand Duke of Perdium?”
Fabro’s jaw dropped.
He had heard the name Ghislaine before. Wasn’t he the reckless one who stood as the other side of the coin to Gilmore, the heir to Digald, in the North?
That guy ambushes like this and slaughters a thousand soldiers?
It would be more credible if it was said that Count Perdium was a dragon.
But he couldn’t dare to call Ghislaine reckless to his face.
Fabro quickly bowed his head without showing any sign of his thoughts.
“Grand Duke, please accept my surrender. It wouldn’t be bad for you either. You could receive a large ransom.”
But Ghislaine replied with something completely unexpected.
“No matter how I think about it, I just can’t remember.”
“W-What do you mean?”
“It means you’re such an insignificant fellow that you don’t even register in my memory. Well, either way, the result would be the same.”
Ghislaine grabbed Fabro’s hair with one hand and lifted him up, raising an axe with the other.
“Aaaah! Please spare me! I will pay a generous ransom!”
“I don’t make deals with scum like you.”
“W-What do you mean! I am a noble! Please maintain the customs befitting a noble!”
“Where’s the custom on the battlefield?”
Ghislaine said this with a tone that suggested he found it amusing, but there was not a hint of a smile on his face.
“Well, there’s one thing I should receive from you.”
With a nonchalant voice, the axe came crashing down.
Squash!
“Your life.”
*
Clank, clank!
Ghislaine walked into the castle.
Armored mercenaries followed him, chattering loudly.
Upon seeing Ghislaine, everyone in the castle immediately bowed their heads and stepped aside.
Every step he took left a gruesome trail of blood.
Blood from head to toe was dripping down to the floor. However, Ghislaine didn’t even wipe his face.
What was even more terrifying were Ghislaine’s two eyes.
Eyes that showed no change from usual indifference.
If they had shone with a desire to kill, it might have been less terrifying.
While the old Ghislaine was a bothersome hassle one wanted to avoid, now he was an object of fear that one shouldn’t get involved with.
Boom!
Ghislaine threw open the great hall doors and walked in decisively.
Zvalter and the retainers, who had been in a meeting, gaped at the suddenly appearing Ghislaine.
The Grand Duke, who they thought had fled, reappeared.
Covered in blood from wherever he had just fought.
“W-What on earth have you been doing?”
Zvalter asked with a trembling voice.
Without answering, Ghislaine simply bowed his head in greeting before plopping the box he was holding onto the table.
Seeing the blood-soaked box caused the retainers to gasp.
No one could properly grasp what the situation was.
At that moment, Ghislaine’s voice echoed throughout the hall.
“I have annihilated the supply unit. Now, let’s begin the siege.”