MTLNOVEL Chapter 308
Episode 309. Can’t You Feel My Kindness? (3)
“Ahhh! It’s a dragon!”
“Idiot! It’s not a dragon, it’s just a drake! Arrows are enough to kill it!”
Suddenly, drakes flew past the skies of Sephira, screaming wildly. The startled archers of Sephira shot their arrows.
However, due to the drakes’ size, they appeared closer than they actually were, with the distance easily exceeding 500 meters.
The archers of Sephira were all skilled marksmen, but hitting drakes flying swiftly high in the sky was nearly impossible.
“Stop! Even if you manage to hit them, your arrows won’t pierce the drakes’ hides!”
The Holy Knight quickly took command of the soldiers, and the Sacred Knight aimed his arrow at the drakes.
But upon seeing the Sacred Knight, the drakes either flew far away or ascended to even higher altitudes. This was behavior wild drakes would never exhibit.
“Dragon Knight Order… Damn those bastards!”
It was the second day of the war between Sephira and Crown Prince Rukan.
The full-scale battle everyone had been tense and fearful of never came. Instead, an even more brutal war had begun.
The Kingdom Army was slowly closing the distance while maintaining their siege, planting seeds of hell.
Of course, the archers of Sephira had launched a preemptive strike on the first day to prevent the seeds of hell from growing.
To gain the upper hand in the initial battle and gauge the enemy’s strength, they had sent only the elite from the Lunar Knight Order.
However, the Kingdom Army’s response was nothing short of perfect.
“Heavy infantry, forward!”
Heavy infantry, carrying large shields as thick as 10 centimeters and as tall as a grown man, stepped forward.
Not only that, the Kingdom Army had built multiple layers of sandbags, creating makeshift defensive walls as they advanced.
The Lunar Knight Order found the Kingdom Army’s shield formation laughable.
“Fire the Lion Bow!”
The fifth form of the Zodiac Bow, the Lion Bow, could even destroy city walls.
Boom!
The Lion Bow of the Lunar Knight Order relentlessly struck the heavy infantry’s shields.
The result was a victory for the Lion Bow. The 10-centimeter-thick shields were shattered or torn apart, rendered useless.
The Lunar Knight Order thought this would break the Kingdom Army’s morale. However, it was their own morale that took a hit.
“They have spare shields?!”
The Lion Bow had completely destroyed the thick shields, but it couldn’t take the lives of the heavy infantry. They were clad in thick armor. The heavy infantry discarded their ruined shields and immediately picked up new ones.
But the Lunar Knight Order wasn’t limited to firing the Lion Bow just once. The vice-captain of the Lunar Knight Order boldly shouted.
“There can’t be more shields of that thickness. Fire again!”
The Lion Bow roared once more, but this time the sound was different.
It wasn’t a boom or a crash.
Screech!
It was the sound of steel grinding against steel.
The vice-captain wasn’t wrong. There were no more steel shields. Instead, crimson shields made of Amantiir made their presence known.
“Ah, Amantiir?!”
Amantiir was not only dozens of times more expensive than steel but also dozens of times harder to forge. And it was dozens of times stronger.
“Did they make hundreds of Amantiir shields?!”
It wasn’t just the Sephira army that was shocked. General Colton of the Browning Duke House, commanding the Kingdom Army, couldn’t help but admire Sephira’s arrows.
“Amantiir shields being dented… Is this the true power of arrows?”
Although the Lion Bow couldn’t pierce Amantiir, it didn’t mean it was completely blocked. At the very least, it left holes and tears in the Amantiir shields.
“Moreover, they can fire multiple arrows of this power……”
General Colton watched as the Lunar Knight Order drew their bows again and gave a command with his flag.
The Amantiir shields could withstand the Lion Bow, but the arms of the soldiers holding them wouldn’t last.
“It’s our turn now.”
At the general’s command, the Taesa Unit, waiting behind the heavy infantry, stepped forward. Their swords were clearly imbued with aura.
Screech!
The Taesa Unit’s swords deflected the Lunar Knight Order’s Lion Bow. But unlike General Colton, the Taesa Unit couldn’t admire it.
“…This is insane. Even with our full-powered Aura Swords, deflecting it is barely manageable.”
Shudder.
They managed to block the Lion Bow, but their hands were trembling. Even their aura was shattered and in tatters.
General Colton watched as the Lunar Knight Order retreated, putting away their bows.
“Hmm.”
As General Colton observed, his subordinate rushed over.
“General, the knights of Sephira are fleeing. They’re exhausted and didn’t bring horses, so we can easily pursue them.”
“No, we won’t pursue.”
“Huh?”
“Sephira isn’t the type to retreat so carelessly. There must be an ambush or a trap.”
The subordinate, also from a prestigious family, strongly argued with his superior, Colton.
“General, at best, all they can do is shoot arrows. And the Taesa Unit is fully capable of blocking arrows.”
“Subordinate, is this your first real battle?”
“Yes. But I’ve read thousands of military strategy books and memorized them all. This is clearly an opportunity.”
“Didn’t the strategy books you read say, ‘The best victory is one achieved without fighting’?”
“……?”
“If you don’t understand, just stay quiet. An incompetent commander is more dangerous than the enemy’s traps.”
Colton gestured dismissively, not wanting to engage further. The subordinate bit his lip and stepped back.
“Tsk, these youngsters these days.”
General Colton clicked his tongue and looked down at the snow settling on his nose.
“Crown Prince Rukan doesn’t seem to know that wars shouldn’t start in winter……”
He wasn’t pleased with this war. But as a soldier and a noble of the kingdom, he couldn’t defy the prince’s orders.
However, he tried his best to maintain his pride.
Originally, the crown prince’s order was to “crush Sephira in one swift move.” In other words, to sacrifice the Kingdom Army and launch a full-scale attack.
But General Colton ignored this. Slowly and meticulously, he tightened the noose around Sephira.
“Truly the child of a god, treating human lives so carelessly.”
No matter the prince’s orders, General Colton couldn’t bear to sacrifice the army he had raised for nothing.
Sephira’s conference room.
The expressions of the high-ranking officials were grim. Even Hisop, who as the lord had to maintain composure, looked serious.
“To think General Colton is commanding the army……”
General Colton. Judging by his record alone, he wasn’t an impressive general.
100 battles, 99 losses, 1 win.
By the numbers, he seemed utterly incompetent, but those who knew the truth wouldn’t even call him incompetent.
In 99 battles, he was in situations where defeat was inevitable, yet he managed to lose with minimal casualties and losses. And in the one battle he won, he achieved a great victory with minimal forces in a situation where defeat was certain.
Moreover, his opponent was the “Empire.” The army of the most powerful nation in the land, defeated by General Colton.
Even Elder Leganon, known for his calmness in any situation, bit his nails and frowned.
“General Colton is a general who relentlessly targets what the enemy hates. In war, certainty is usually a bad thing, but ambushes, traps, and deception won’t work on him.”
Sephira had tried to lure the Kingdom Army by wagging its tail, but it didn’t work at all. No matter what they did, the Kingdom Army didn’t budge.
They just planted seeds of hell, slowly tightening the noose. On top of that, the Dragon Knight Order’s drakes provoked them day and night.
They couldn’t ignore the drakes’ provocations. The moment they did, the drakes would descend to the ground in the blink of an eye and take lives.
“If the siege tightens to the areas where the territory residents live, we’ll have no choice but to evacuate everyone to the inner city. If that happens, Sephira is finished.”
“Who doesn’t know that? We all know! But there’s no way, no way!”
Leganon recalled the family war with Baydant.
Baydant had also prepared shields against arrows. But their shields weren’t 10 centimeters thick, and they didn’t have Amantiir shields. And crucially, they weren’t as patient.
But the Kingdom Army was different. They were overwhelmingly superior to Baydant in every way. The morale of Sephira, which had soared after a great victory against Baydant, was bound to plummet.
“The difference between Baydant and the Kingdom Army is like heaven and earth……”
No one could refute the words of one of the officials. The Kingdom Army’s response was just that perfect.
Hisop’s gaze turned to the elder’s seat. The seat where Panir had been. But Panir wasn’t there now. He had gone to the royal palace. It was unclear if he was even alive.
‘If I had known this would happen, I should have stopped him.’
Had they sacrificed Panir just to buy a week? Hisop was on the verge of tears.
“Elder Leganon, you know General Colton well, don’t you? Isn’t there a way to counter him?”
Hisop sought advice from Elder Leganon, but all he got was a cruel reality.
“General Colton isn’t afraid of retreat. Even if Sephira charges recklessly, he won’t confront them but will calmly retreat and occupy the empty inner city and mansions. To defeat him, you’d need more troops and stronger warriors to make him back down.”
More troops than the Kingdom Army? Even mobilizing the territory residents wouldn’t be enough.
Stronger warriors than the Kingdom Army? There are none.
“……”
There’s no solution. We can only watch as the Kingdom Army tightens the noose.
It was all too clear that a hasty attack would only hasten the tightening of the noose, so it wasn’t even worth mentioning.
As the atmosphere in the conference room filled with despair, Leganon brought up some good news.
“It’s too early to give up. Prince Rukan has declared Sephira as traitors, but the nobles’ response hasn’t been favorable. If the prestigious families had joined forces, General Colton wouldn’t have the option to advance slowly this winter.”
Rukan hadn’t gained the approval of the noble faction. That was certainly good news.
But when Hisop and the officials made faces that said, “Isn’t that the same thing?” Leganon forced himself to speak hopefully.
“Lord. This winter is harsher than any before. Moreover, the Lilian Kingdom’s cold is more severe in January than December, and the cold lasts until March. They’re advancing calmly now, but when the cold becomes more intense, they’ll eventually be hindered, and their morale will drop. Our archers can’t stop the Kingdom Army’s advance, but fortunately, we can delay it. With persistent harassment, if we can buy as much time as possible, Sephira still has a chance.”
At Leganon’s persuasion, Hisop finally raised his head. There wasn’t a guarantee of victory, but at least they couldn’t afford to be so negative.
“Elder Leganon is right. Prince Rukan hasn’t gained the nobles’ support. And he’s planted the seeds of hell, which deserve condemnation. Also, the royal palace is divided into three factions. Prince Rukan can’t keep the Kingdom Army in Sephira forever.”
When Hisop declared that there was still hope with positive words, the officials’ expressions brightened.
“Lord. Now that I think about it, you’re right. It’s not us who should be in a hurry, but the Kingdom Army.”
“Now I understand. General Colton’s plan was to make us despair and surrender. That’s why he’s acting so leisurely. If we remain calm and composed, it’s clear that the Kingdom Army will eventually retreat.”
At first, Leganon had forced himself to offer hope, but as he spoke, the plan started to seem plausible.
Of course, in the end, it was just a “wishful thought,” but if things went as planned, there was still a chance.
At any rate, hope had returned to Sephira. The high-ranking officials began a serious meeting to survive.
“If we’re going into a prolonged war, we need to conserve food. Reduce meals from three to two a day and cut portions in half.”
“I agree with that, but we can’t reduce the food for soldiers standing guard in the freezing cold all day. Instead, we can reduce the rations for the hired help. With the colder weather, there’s not much for them to do anyway, and there are quite a few idle workers. They won’t have a big problem skipping a meal.”
“If we’re going to ration, everyone must do it. If not everyone, including us, does it, there will be complaints.”
“I agree.”
“Let’s do that. Also, let’s prohibit snacks and desserts.”
“Lord. Instead of completely banning them, how about giving them as rewards?”
“Good idea. I’ll approve it.”
The meeting that started with despair ended with hope.
Another week passed.
Basil, Keter, and Daat. None of the three showed any signs of returning. Yet Sephira held firm. They proved that Sephira wouldn’t collapse without them.
And indeed, the Kingdom Army’s advance had noticeably slowed. Thanks to the extreme cold and heavy snowfall.
“It’s almost January……”
Hisop muttered, wrapped in a thick blanket.
The lord’s room was as cold as a freezer. To conserve firewood, they hadn’t lit a fire in the lord’s room.
Instead, they generously supplied firewood to the soldiers on guard duty outside.
“I wanted to celebrate Keter’s first birthday and coming-of-age ceremony……”
Keter didn’t know his own birthday. So Basil had chosen one for him.
The first day of the new year, January 1st.
And next year’s January 1st would also be the day Keter turned nineteen and had his coming-of-age ceremony.
“Keter. Please, just stay alive.”
Hisop clasped his hands and prayed to the god of mercy.
But as if to prove that there was no god, hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway.
“Ugh.”
Just hearing those footsteps made Hisop feel nauseous and dizzy.
“Lord!”
Hisop resented Nabakin, who always brought bad news. This time, he prayed it wasn’t bad news.
“Th, those who drank the well water are vomiting and complaining of stomach pain. The doctor says the well water seems to be contaminated!”
Could the well water have been contaminated naturally in this harsh winter? The cause was obvious to anyone.
“Rukan……!”
Clatter.*
It was clear that Rukan had poisoned the water source.