Chapter 355: ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ (2)
โThatโs weaker than expected, isnโt it?โ
โHey, donโt say such an ominous thing.โ
The subordinates also chatted among themselves. The senior captain encouraged the recruits, saying, โ๐๐ฐ๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐จ๐ถ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏโ, but they were also surprised to be honest.
The enemy was weaker than expected.
Werenโt they the elite?
โI heard that some of them have made pacts with demons.โ
โYeah. I heard that the Sultan has a man who can breathe fire, giants, and even monsters.โ
Not only the soldiers but also the knights of the expedition had a similar perception.
In fact, there are only a few nobles who have an accurate and objective understanding of the Sultan and his army.
Except for the great lords like Johan and Ulrike, or the captains of the republic who often come into contact with the Eastern Empire, everyone else had only abstract and vague images.When they saw the enemies crossing the river and charging towards them, not only the soldiers of the expedition but also Johanโs men thought like this.
โ๐๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ข๐ด ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ด ๐ถ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ถ๐ด ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ด, ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ท๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฌ๐ฆ, ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ช๐ง ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บโ๐ญ๐ญ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ด๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ด๐ต!โ
They were determined to never fall behind in bravery, even if they were overpowered.
Of course, the results were similar. The only difference was that the opponent collapsed more easily than expected.
They thought that the enemies would push on tenaciously, but they charged in, retreated, charged in, and retreated. . .
Therefore, the enemyโs casualties were bound to increase.
โThere is no difference than a butcher!โ
โIs that a compliment?โ
โOf course itโs a compliment.โ
Unlike the subordinates or ordinary soldiers who were so focused on fighting that they could only see what was in front of them, the knights of the expedition were separately formed as a reserve force and were waiting in the back.
Their role was to wait, observe the situation, and support the lines that seemed to be collapsing.
Thus, they were able to see the overall situation relatively broadly.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บโ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ!โ
Among the knights of the expedition, surprisingly few had properly seen Johan fighting. In the fierce battle last time, Johan had divided the army and deployed them separately, and even then, he moved quickly in all directions.
In the midst of such chaos, it was impossible to focus on oneโs own enemy while also watching the dukeโs fight.
However, now that they were waiting in the back, they could see how he fought.
A young squire who had never seen Johan fight because he was working as a horseman asked curiously.
โHow did you fight like that?โ
โIt was just. . . really good.โ
โ?!โ
The squire thought the knight was making fun of him. But the knight was telling the truth. He couldnโt explain any further.
When the widely formed lines of each side clashed, they were originally supposed to engage in fierce hand-to-hand combat for a while. Unless one side was particularly weak, they would persistently fight each other, clashing and swinging their weapons.
However, the place where the duke was was different. In less than a minute, the enemies turned their backs and fled from where the duke was. Then, the duke and his men would beat them up for a while and then come back to maintain their lines.
Then, the duke moved to another line that was being pushed back and beat the enemy like crazy again. Then the enemies fled again, and the duke chased after them and beat them up. . .
There were a few times when the duke was surrounded by enemies, which made the knightsโ hearts sink. However, upon closer inspection, it wasnโt that he was surrounded. The duke had gotten caught in between while chasing the retreating enemies.
โThe enemies must be perplexed. . .โ
โI guess so.โ
In fact, the enemies had seized a few opportunities. Not everyone in the expedition fought as well as the dukeโs men, and quite a few of the conscripts brought by the feudal lords were terrified of the numbers and ran away.
Whenever they were about to collapse, the duke would rush in and drive them out by beating them like crazy. It was a maddening sight for the enemies.
โ๐๐ง ๐ช๐ตโ๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด, ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ค๐ช๐ด๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ?โ
Some young knights with strong competitive spirits thought so. Seeing the fight that had just taken place, they felt that it was in vain that they had not been able to cross the river until now.
They could have just crossed over and fought. . .
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โExecute the person in charge and prepare to charge again. I will command it myself.โ
The nobles felt it through their whole bodies that when a person is truly enraged. The nobles sitting there were frozen stiff, unable to even open their mouths.
The fleet that had been sent out with ambition had sunk, and the base in the rear had burned down. At this point, it seemed that even if they won, the losses would be greater, but no one could talk about retreating.
Now, this fight was a matter of pride.
If they returned like this, everyone in the empire would laugh at the Sultan. Those who were just watching for an opportunity would dream of rebellion.
No one disagreed that they had to win no matter what happened in the future. To be honest, the nobles were also scared to death by the Westerners who were jingling in front of their eyes.
Did they mean to persistently aim only at their weaknesses?
โI will take the lead myself. The duke of the enemy seems to be quite strong, but he will not be able to defeat me!โ
Kaimud, the captain of the Janissaries, stepped forward. The Sultan nodded his head.
How absurd it was every time he received a report of what had happened on the other side of the river.
โ๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅโ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ข๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ค๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ค!
โ๐๐จ๐จ๐! ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ!
โ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ, ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฒ! ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ก! ๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐! ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฆ๐ฒ. . .
โ. . .
โ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ค๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ค!
โ๐๐จ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ! ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ. . .
โ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ง!
โ. . .
As if dozens of people were flying, the commander trembled in fear as the enemy charged in here and there and cut down everything in their path.
At this point, the rumor that he had made a pact with a demon might actually be true.
โI will give you my sword. Bring me the dukeโs head!โ
โYes!โ
When the Sultanโs famous sword was given to the captain, the nobles present cast envious and admiring glances. Kaimud was already protected by enchanted weapons. To bestow such a treasure on such a person.
โFortunately, the weather is on Your Majestyโs side. If we wait a few more days, the river will freeze completely and we will be able to cross anywhere.โ
The nobles nodded their heads. No matter how much they thought about it, the cause of this attack was that they had attacked through a narrow path. Otherwise, there was really no reason to lose.
If they all stormed in like a tempest at once, no matter how much of a demon the opponent was, they wouldnโt be able to stop them all.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
Johanโs side could also feel that the river was freezing more and more. Some of the experienced nobles spoke cautiously.
โHow about retreating, fortifying the castle, and defending ourselves?โ
โFrom what I saw last time, the feudal lords are still thinking about running away. Theyโre the kind of people who will run away as soon as things get tough. Honestly, theyโre less reliable than the pagans!โ
What was more dangerous than the enemy was the friendly forces who were fighting shoulder to shoulder and then running away. If the friendly forces started to retreat, even the warriors who were fighting well would become scared.
โWeโre not retreating.โ
โ. . .!โ
The nobles were surprised at Johanโs resolute words. The dukeโs words, not anyone elseโs, carried weight.
โThe reinforcements will arrive soon. They said theyโd be here tomorrow.โ
โReally! Thatโs wonderful news!โ
The noblesโ faces brightened. In that case, the story was different. If they could hold out for just one day, they would be at a much greater advantage.
โAnd if we retreat even once, the feudal lords here will use that as an excuse to return to their fiefdoms.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
The nobles of the expedition nodded in agreement with Johanโs words. They felt more acutely how despicable they were as they fought together. As he encouraged them, the duke who had fought in the south felt strange.
โYour Highness. We will make sure that the feudal lords do not run away.โ
โIโll join you too.โ
Some of the nobles of the expedition volunteered. If experienced knights and mercenaries were by their side, even the feudal lords who wanted to run away wouldnโt be able to escape so easily.
Johan nodded his head. That was definitely Johanโs job.
Even if Johan and his men took charge of the center, and the great lords including Ulrike took charge of the right flank, he was very uneasy about leaving the left flank only to the feudal lords. He had to mix them up to some extent.
โIโll count on you. And Your Majesty.โ
โMe, I donโt think it would be bad for me to stay in the center. . .โ
The elf king looked at the other nobles of the expedition as if asking for their support. He didnโt want to be with those cowardly good-for-nothings. He wanted to fight alongside the duke in the center.
Of course, the nobles of the expedition were disgusted. The elf king looked at Ulrike with his last hope. Ulrike sneered. The elf king harbored a deep grudge.
โIf Your Majesty does not go, I have no one I can trust. . .โ
โ. . .Alright.โ
Having been greatly indebted once, the elf king couldnโt refuse Johanโs request.
With the knights, including the elf king, deployed on the left flank, Johan felt somewhat relieved. It seemed that he wouldnโt have to see his friendly forces running away.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โYou pathetic bastards. Even if I whipped you, it wouldnโt be enough, but Iโll forgive you generously!โ
โ. . . . . .โ
At Suetlgโs words, the wizards bowed their heads deeply and remained silent. Originally, it was the wizards who would talk back to the nobles with their necks stiff, but this time it was different.
It was because of them that the advance had been significantly delayed.
They were supposed to neatly clear out the monsters that appeared, but the wizards disagreed with each other, and thanks to that, they started competing even though their combined strength was lacking. . .
It took Suetlg and Caenerna several days to clean up the unexpected mess.
โThis is terrible. I heard the river is frozen. . .โ
Iselia looked ahead with a worried expression. As a knight, Iselia couldnโt have not known what effect this cold weather would have.
โIt is indeed terrible.โ
โCanโt we melt the river with magic?โ
โ. . . . . .โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Perhaps they hadnโt expected Iselia to ask that question, Suetlg and Caenerna looked taken aback. Suetlg answered, managing his expression.
โItโs impossible, Iselia-nim.โ
โIs that so. Thatโs unfortunate.โ
โThatโs right. It would be nice if we could melt the river.โ
Caenernaโs teasing made Suetlg feel a little hurt.
โI wonder if Caenerna-gong, who knows how to handle the spirits of fire, could melt it. . .โ
โOh, my. What ability do I have. . . The ice on the river is thick and solid, so it wonโt melt even if I light a few fires.โ
โAre you two fighting?โ
Iselia asked in surprise. The two wizards quickly replied.
โNo, weโre not. Weโre not.โ
โIs that so. I was worried.โ
Iselia made them reconcile, wondering who on earth wasnโt originally an elf knight. When the two pagan wizards who had been in the camp last time got so emotional that they even had a duel, Iselia took them for a walk.
It was called a walk, but a knightโs walk was like torture for a wizard.
At first, the two wizards walked on their own feet, but on the way back, they were carried back on horseback. And they never fought again.
โLetโs increase the speed of our advance a little.โ
โMore than this? The soldiers will get tired.โ
โBut. . . Itโs ominous. The situation is the situation. . . I think we need to push ourselves a little.โ
Iselia didnโt ignore Suetlgโs premonition. Moreover, this old wizard was a prophet who could glimpse the future. Iselia nodded and gave the order.
Caenerna asked, looking concerned.
โDid you see anything?โ
โNot really, but. . . I didnโt sleep well.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Dreams were always one of the signs. Caenernaโs face became serious.
โCould something have happened because the river froze. . .โ
โ. . .No. I donโt think so. I would have been contacted if we had lost.โ
However, Suetlg felt uneasy as he spoke. Even if they were defeated in battle, they would be contacted, but there were occasional exceptions.
If they collapsed unexpectedly rapidly, they wouldnโt have time to send a messenger.
โIselia-nim!โ
The scouts who had rushed ahead returned. Since only one hill was left before the river, the scouts must have seen the situation first.
Their voices were urgent and seemed surprised, so Suetlg felt a sinking feeling in his chest.
โWhatโs wrong?โ
โYou. . . You have to see it for yourself.โ
โ!โ
Iselia urgently rode her horse, taking the wizards and escorts with her. Even Suetlg, who normally didnโt ride his horse in a hurry, didnโt stop whipping it this time.
The friendly forcesโ camp was spread out across the river.
โ. . .???โ
,โThatโs weaker than expected, isnโt it?โ
โHey, donโt say such an ominous thing.โ
The subordinates also chatted among themselves. The senior captain encouraged the recruits, saying, โ๐๐ฐ๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐จ๐ถ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏโ, but they were also surprised to be honest.
The enemy was weaker than expected.
Werenโt they the elite?
โI heard that some of them have made pacts with demons.โ
โYeah. I heard that the Sultan has a man who can breathe fire, giants, and even monsters.โ
Not only the soldiers but also the knights of the expedition had a similar perception.
In fact, there are only a few nobles who have an accurate and objective understanding of the Sultan and his army.
Except for the great lords like Johan and Ulrike, or the captains of the republic who often come into contact with the Eastern Empire, everyone else had only abstract and vague images.
When they saw the enemies crossing the river and charging towards them, not only the soldiers of the expedition but also Johanโs men thought like this.
โ๐๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ข๐ด ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ด ๐ถ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ถ๐ด ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ด, ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ท๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฌ๐ฆ, ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ช๐ง ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บโ๐ญ๐ญ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ด๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ด๐ต!โ
They were determined to never fall behind in bravery, even if they were overpowered.
Of course, the results were similar. The only difference was that the opponent collapsed more easily than expected.
They thought that the enemies would push on tenaciously, but they charged in, retreated, charged in, and retreated. . .
Therefore, the enemyโs casualties were bound to increase.
โThere is no difference than a butcher!โ
โIs that a compliment?โ
โOf course itโs a compliment.โ
Unlike the subordinates or ordinary soldiers who were so focused on fighting that they could only see what was in front of them, the knights of the expedition were separately formed as a reserve force and were waiting in the back.
Their role was to wait, observe the situation, and support the lines that seemed to be collapsing.
Thus, they were able to see the overall situation relatively broadly.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บโ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ!โ
Among the knights of the expedition, surprisingly few had properly seen Johan fighting. In the fierce battle last time, Johan had divided the army and deployed them separately, and even then, he moved quickly in all directions.
In the midst of such chaos, it was impossible to focus on oneโs own enemy while also watching the dukeโs fight.
However, now that they were waiting in the back, they could see how he fought.
A young squire who had never seen Johan fight because he was working as a horseman asked curiously.
โHow did you fight like that?โ
โIt was just. . . really good.โ
โ?!โ
The squire thought the knight was making fun of him. But the knight was telling the truth. He couldnโt explain any further.
When the widely formed lines of each side clashed, they were originally supposed to engage in fierce hand-to-hand combat for a while. Unless one side was particularly weak, they would persistently fight each other, clashing and swinging their weapons.
However, the place where the duke was was different. In less than a minute, the enemies turned their backs and fled from where the duke was. Then, the duke and his men would beat them up for a while and then come back to maintain their lines.
Then, the duke moved to another line that was being pushed back and beat the enemy like crazy again. Then the enemies fled again, and the duke chased after them and beat them up. . .
There were a few times when the duke was surrounded by enemies, which made the knightsโ hearts sink. However, upon closer inspection, it wasnโt that he was surrounded. The duke had gotten caught in between while chasing the retreating enemies.
โThe enemies must be perplexed. . .โ
โI guess so.โ
In fact, the enemies had seized a few opportunities. Not everyone in the expedition fought as well as the dukeโs men, and quite a few of the conscripts brought by the feudal lords were terrified of the numbers and ran away.
Whenever they were about to collapse, the duke would rush in and drive them out by beating them like crazy. It was a maddening sight for the enemies.
โ๐๐ง ๐ช๐ตโ๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด, ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ค๐ช๐ด๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ?โ
Some young knights with strong competitive spirits thought so. Seeing the fight that had just taken place, they felt that it was in vain that they had not been able to cross the river until now.
They could have just crossed over and fought. . .
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โExecute the person in charge and prepare to charge again. I will command it myself.โ
The nobles felt it through their whole bodies that when a person is truly enraged. The nobles sitting there were frozen stiff, unable to even open their mouths.
The fleet that had been sent out with ambition had sunk, and the base in the rear had burned down. At this point, it seemed that even if they won, the losses would be greater, but no one could talk about retreating.
Now, this fight was a matter of pride.
If they returned like this, everyone in the empire would laugh at the Sultan. Those who were just watching for an opportunity would dream of rebellion.
No one disagreed that they had to win no matter what happened in the future. To be honest, the nobles were also scared to death by the Westerners who were jingling in front of their eyes.
Did they mean to persistently aim only at their weaknesses?
โI will take the lead myself. The duke of the enemy seems to be quite strong, but he will not be able to defeat me!โ
Kaimud, the captain of the Janissaries, stepped forward. The Sultan nodded his head.
How absurd it was every time he received a report of what had happened on the other side of the river.
โ๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅโ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ข๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ค๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ค!
โ๐๐จ๐จ๐! ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ!
โ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ, ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฒ! ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ก! ๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐! ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฆ๐ฒ. . .
โ. . .
โ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ค๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ค!
โ๐๐จ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ! ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ. . .
โ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ง!
โ. . .
As if dozens of people were flying, the commander trembled in fear as the enemy charged in here and there and cut down everything in their path.
At this point, the rumor that he had made a pact with a demon might actually be true.
โI will give you my sword. Bring me the dukeโs head!โ
โYes!โ
When the Sultanโs famous sword was given to the captain, the nobles present cast envious and admiring glances. Kaimud was already protected by enchanted weapons. To bestow such a treasure on such a person.
โFortunately, the weather is on Your Majestyโs side. If we wait a few more days, the river will freeze completely and we will be able to cross anywhere.โ
The nobles nodded their heads. No matter how much they thought about it, the cause of this attack was that they had attacked through a narrow path. Otherwise, there was really no reason to lose.
If they all stormed in like a tempest at once, no matter how much of a demon the opponent was, they wouldnโt be able to stop them all.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
Johanโs side could also feel that the river was freezing more and more. Some of the experienced nobles spoke cautiously.
โHow about retreating, fortifying the castle, and defending ourselves?โ
โFrom what I saw last time, the feudal lords are still thinking about running away. Theyโre the kind of people who will run away as soon as things get tough. Honestly, theyโre less reliable than the pagans!โ
What was more dangerous than the enemy was the friendly forces who were fighting shoulder to shoulder and then running away. If the friendly forces started to retreat, even the warriors who were fighting well would become scared.
โWeโre not retreating.โ
โ. . .!โ
The nobles were surprised at Johanโs resolute words. The dukeโs words, not anyone elseโs, carried weight.
โThe reinforcements will arrive soon. They said theyโd be here tomorrow.โ
โReally! Thatโs wonderful news!โ
The noblesโ faces brightened. In that case, the story was different. If they could hold out for just one day, they would be at a much greater advantage.
โAnd if we retreat even once, the feudal lords here will use that as an excuse to return to their fiefdoms.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
The nobles of the expedition nodded in agreement with Johanโs words. They felt more acutely how despicable they were as they fought together. As he encouraged them, the duke who had fought in the south felt strange.
โYour Highness. We will make sure that the feudal lords do not run away.โ
โIโll join you too.โ
Some of the nobles of the expedition volunteered. If experienced knights and mercenaries were by their side, even the feudal lords who wanted to run away wouldnโt be able to escape so easily.
Johan nodded his head. That was definitely Johanโs job.
Even if Johan and his men took charge of the center, and the great lords including Ulrike took charge of the right flank, he was very uneasy about leaving the left flank only to the feudal lords. He had to mix them up to some extent.
โIโll count on you. And Your Majesty.โ
โMe, I donโt think it would be bad for me to stay in the center. . .โ
The elf king looked at the other nobles of the expedition as if asking for their support. He didnโt want to be with those cowardly good-for-nothings. He wanted to fight alongside the duke in the center.
Of course, the nobles of the expedition were disgusted. The elf king looked at Ulrike with his last hope. Ulrike sneered. The elf king harbored a deep grudge.
โIf Your Majesty does not go, I have no one I can trust. . .โ
โ. . .Alright.โ
Having been greatly indebted once, the elf king couldnโt refuse Johanโs request.
With the knights, including the elf king, deployed on the left flank, Johan felt somewhat relieved. It seemed that he wouldnโt have to see his friendly forces running away.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โYou pathetic bastards. Even if I whipped you, it wouldnโt be enough, but Iโll forgive you generously!โ
โ. . . . . .โ
At Suetlgโs words, the wizards bowed their heads deeply and remained silent. Originally, it was the wizards who would talk back to the nobles with their necks stiff, but this time it was different.
It was because of them that the advance had been significantly delayed.
They were supposed to neatly clear out the monsters that appeared, but the wizards disagreed with each other, and thanks to that, they started competing even though their combined strength was lacking. . .
It took Suetlg and Caenerna several days to clean up the unexpected mess.
โThis is terrible. I heard the river is frozen. . .โ
Iselia looked ahead with a worried expression. As a knight, Iselia couldnโt have not known what effect this cold weather would have.
โIt is indeed terrible.โ
โCanโt we melt the river with magic?โ
โ. . . . . .โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Perhaps they hadnโt expected Iselia to ask that question, Suetlg and Caenerna looked taken aback. Suetlg answered, managing his expression.
โItโs impossible, Iselia-nim.โ
โIs that so. Thatโs unfortunate.โ
โThatโs right. It would be nice if we could melt the river.โ
Caenernaโs teasing made Suetlg feel a little hurt.
โI wonder if Caenerna-gong, who knows how to handle the spirits of fire, could melt it. . .โ
โOh, my. What ability do I have. . . The ice on the river is thick and solid, so it wonโt melt even if I light a few fires.โ
โAre you two fighting?โ
Iselia asked in surprise. The two wizards quickly replied.
โNo, weโre not. Weโre not.โ
โIs that so. I was worried.โ
Iselia made them reconcile, wondering who on earth wasnโt originally an elf knight. When the two pagan wizards who had been in the camp last time got so emotional that they even had a duel, Iselia took them for a walk.
It was called a walk, but a knightโs walk was like torture for a wizard.
At first, the two wizards walked on their own feet, but on the way back, they were carried back on horseback. And they never fought again.
โLetโs increase the speed of our advance a little.โ
โMore than this? The soldiers will get tired.โ
โBut. . . Itโs ominous. The situation is the situation. . . I think we need to push ourselves a little.โ
Iselia didnโt ignore Suetlgโs premonition. Moreover, this old wizard was a prophet who could glimpse the future. Iselia nodded and gave the order.
Caenerna asked, looking concerned.
โDid you see anything?โ
โNot really, but. . . I didnโt sleep well.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Dreams were always one of the signs. Caenernaโs face became serious.
โCould something have happened because the river froze. . .โ
โ. . .No. I donโt think so. I would have been contacted if we had lost.โ
However, Suetlg felt uneasy as he spoke. Even if they were defeated in battle, they would be contacted, but there were occasional exceptions.
If they collapsed unexpectedly rapidly, they wouldnโt have time to send a messenger.
โIselia-nim!โ
The scouts who had rushed ahead returned. Since only one hill was left before the river, the scouts must have seen the situation first.
Their voices were urgent and seemed surprised, so Suetlg felt a sinking feeling in his chest.
โWhatโs wrong?โ
โYou. . . You have to see it for yourself.โ
โ!โ
Iselia urgently rode her horse, taking the wizards and escorts with her. Even Suetlg, who normally didnโt ride his horse in a hurry, didnโt stop whipping it this time.
The friendly forcesโ camp was spread out across the river.
โ. . .???โ
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