Chapter 41: Lawrence's Flower (2)

Thud, thud.

At the base of the city wall.

A man was seen walking.

Despite the many people looking down from the city wall, his steps showed no fear, and the flag in his hand fluttered in the wind, revealing its emblem.

A white deer standing alone. The emblem symbolizing the Barco family, and Lawrence's soldiers swallowed hard, their faces tense.

Thud.

He stopped walking.

The man looked around the top of the city wall with a calm expression, then paused his gaze when he confirmed the face of Lord Lawrence.

"I am here as the representative of Lord Barco to give you three choices. The first is to open the city gates and surrender. Lord Barco is a magnanimous person who does not turn a blind eye to those who seek forgiveness, and surrender is the only way to save your lives. But you won't choose the first option. If you had intended to, there would be no reason for me to face you now."

The man's attitude was arrogant.

Despite being just a messenger, he spoke as if he were Lord Barco himself.

"The second is to engage in a full-scale battle with us. In front of the central government's judge, let's come out to the plain and fight a fair battle. The method of the battle can be anything. Hand-to-hand combat or a battle of great mages. We are willing to follow whatever method you demand."

Hand-to-hand combat.

Or, a battle of great mages.

This was the method often used by noble families to settle disputes.

People in this world considered it shameful for noble families to engage in sieges during conflicts.

They thought that hiding behind the city walls meant you lacked the confidence to face the opposing family, and thus most issues were resolved through the first two methods.

That was why judges existed.

To oversee the duel in case the loser refused to accept the result, a noble judge would watch the battle.

Lord Lawrence.

He took a step forward.

"We do not believe your justification for declaring war is legitimate. The document you mentioned about the debt of our ancestors is a forgery, and we have no reason to go to war with you. We also have no intention of opening the city gates and sacrificing the people of Lawrence as you wish. So, go back and tell Lord Barco that under no circumstances will Lawrence... ."

"Third choice!"

He abruptly cut off his words.

In fact.

The choice was already made.

From the moment Lawrence locked the city gates on the day Barco announced, both families knew they would choose the third option.

Yet, the reason for sending the messenger was one: to pressure Lawrence. The messenger, acting like a fierce demon, announced to the trembling soldiers of Lawrence:

"To abandon the pride of a noble family and fight a desperate battle within the city walls. From now on, the Barco family will accept your will and will surely take the price of the blood spilled during the siege."

With that, it was over.

The messenger turned and walked away.

Even seeing the flag fluttering in the wind, Lawrence's soldiers could not bring themselves to shoot an arrow.

And.

The war began.

* * *

The first battle.

It ended much sooner than expected.

The Barco family, which seemed ready to mete out severe punishment, issued a retreat order just 30 minutes after the battle began.

Bang!

"Arrogant bastards!"

Lord Barco threw his helmet to the ground.

Just a moment ago.

The battle did not go as expected.

The Barco family's forces outnumbered Lawrence's by more than three times, and they advanced with siege ladders, intending to bring down the city walls in one go.

Lawrence's city walls were not very high.

While Dmitri's iron fortress was known to be difficult to capture even with ten times the number of troops, Lawrence's walls were sufficiently vulnerable to attack.

Frankly.

He thought the battle would be decided within an hour.

But what a surprise?

Lawrence's counterattack was more intense than expected.

"My lord, it seems Lawrence is fully prepared. They have dug deep moats to block our troops and set fire to boiling oil. From the way they launched a large number of arrows without hesitation from the start, it appears they have secured a sufficient amount of war supplies."

The words of his adjutant.

Instantly, he felt irritated.

A week.

That time was not for the enemy to prepare.

He intended to corner Lawrence and force a surrender, but Lawrence chose a desperate resistance, contrary to expectations.

'According to our calculations, Lawrence should have surrendered to protect even a small piece of land. Despite completely cutting off any possibility of an alliance and showing a clear numerical advantage, Lawrence locked the city gates, prepared for annihilation. What went wrong? They should not have been willing to stake their lives on the path we offered.'

Barco's plan.

From the beginning, they did not want war.

The Golden Bank and the judge were preparations for any eventuality, and they intended to pressure the enemy into surrendering.

And now.

The plan had completely backfired.

In just 30 minutes, Lawrence's response was systematic, and their act of setting fire to their own fields suggested they were preparing for a prolonged conflict.

Just thinking about it made his head hurt.

As Flora predicted, the Barco family borrowed a large sum of money from the Golden Bank, and the only way to minimize losses and ensure Barco's survival was to end the battle as quickly as possible.

"My lord, what should we do?"

The adjutant looked for a clue.

They had lost dozens of soldiers in the recent battle.

They intended to assess Lawrence's strength, but the intense counterattack left no time to react, and the soldiers died.

'Lord Lawrence is not a strong person. Like when he sold his precious daughter to the Dmitri family under Barco's pressure, he is a coward who cowers in emergencies. Yet, choosing a desperate resistance means there has been a change internally. If they had no chance of winning, they would not have made such a choice, and they clearly know the advantages of a prolonged conflict.'

His mind raced.

This war.

It was all part of Lord Barco's plan.

He moved his son, Anthony Barco, and provoked Lawrence with a forged document, leading to war.

It was almost over.

The climax of the plan, and he had no intention of giving up the fertile land of Lawrence.

"What should we do? Prepare 'it' immediately."

"Understood."

'It.'

Lord Barco smiled wryly.

There was something Lawrence's family had overlooked.

Lord Barco wanted to win with minimal expenditure, but he never worried about the possibility of losing.

The Golden Bank.

They lent more money than expected.

And that money was enough to create a variable in the war.

* * *

On the city wall.

Lawrence's soldiers moved busily.

Their faces showed smiles after the victory in the first battle, but they knew it was not the time to relax.

"Hurry up!"

"The dogs of Barco might attack again at any time. Stay alert and quickly bring the weapons."

One victory.

It gave them confidence.

Barco was not an invincible opponent, just someone who had been feared unnecessarily.

Lord Lawrence said:

"Flora, you were right. Just by preparing for a standard defense, we could sufficiently repel Barco's attacks. How did you come up with such ideas? You only learned the manners of a noble at the academy, not military tactics."

Flora's transformation.

It was unexpected.

Setting fire to the fields and preparing for the defense were all due to Flora's active suggestions.

Flora looked at the soldiers.

Her attire was the same as a soldier's.

She usually wore elegant dresses as a noblewoman, but now she wore armor over her top, ready for any possible battle.

She had even practiced archery for the past few days to contribute to the fight.

While a few days of practice were not enough to hit targets, Flora's proactive attitude greatly boosted the soldiers' morale.

Lawrence's flower.

Flora was the symbol of Lawrence.

Because she did not give up, Lawrence's soldiers could prepare for the defense without losing hope.

Flora said:

"As Father said, the academy did not teach me military tactics. They said there was no need to learn such knowledge since a noblewoman would not go to the battlefield. But seeing the Barco family's actions, I realized I needed to become stronger. I didn't want to wait for all problems to be solved like a flower in a greenhouse. I wanted to understand the current issues and develop the ability to solve them. So, I studied on my own, and that is the direction I want to take in my life."

"Flora..."

"Don't worry too much. This is what I want to do."

Flora's words.

They made his heart ache.

If the family had been stronger, she would not have had to experience this. But Flora had grown up quickly in a short time.

He was proud.

Of having such a daughter.

His precious daughter had grown into a remarkable person without his knowledge.

"Once the problem with Barco is resolved, I will not interfere with your life anymore. I apologize for forcing you into the marriage with Dmitri. At the time, I thought it was the only way for you to survive if the family fell. But now, I believe you will make the right choices in any situation."

With that.

The conversation paused.

More accurately, it had to be paused.

"Ah!"

"Impossible?!"

The soldiers were flustered.

Beyond the city wall.

From the Barco camp, it appeared.

Its identity.

It resembled a catapult in overall shape.

But those who saw it knew it was not a simple catapult.

"Damn it!"

"Barco has prepared a Flare!"

Flare.

It was the name of a siege weapon.

The Flare, designed in the shape of a catapult, was meant to throw something at the city wall, and that something was a massive explosive magical weapon.

A magical weapon worth dozens of gold per shot.

It was like throwing money into the sky, but the Flare was known for its definite effect.

An unexpected turn of events.

While Barco had borrowed money, no one knew he had the connections and resources to rent a Flare.

"Everyone, to your positions!"

"Prepare for the attack."

Amid the frantic activity.

Flora's face turned pale.

She had studied military tactics for a few days and knew all too well the power of the Flare.

'Once the Flare starts attacking, the city wall will crumble in an instant. The intense flames will destroy the wall and burn all the soldiers on top. There are only two ways to stop the Flare. Counter it with a matching magical weapon or open the city gates and destroy the Flare.'

The first was impossible.

Lawrence did not have the resources, and such magical weapons were not available just with money.

What about the second?

It was suicide.

Then.

The Flare spat fire and launched a massive fireball.

Boom!

Crash!

"Ah!"

"AAAAH!"

One shot.

The top of the city wall turned into a hell of chaos.

Fortunately, the wall did not collapse, but the soldiers screamed as their skin burned and melted.

That was how close it came.

If the fireball had hit directly, dozens of soldiers would have been incinerated instantly.

The attack stopped.

The overwhelming power of the enemy.

It was not covered in military tactics.

While it advised retreating when faced with such a superior force, there was no space to retreat behind the city wall.

'I can't give up now.'

She clenched her teeth.

Flora grabbed her bow.

Trying to do something.

Desperately trying to fight back.

At that moment.

A maid rushed over and shouted at her.

"Miss! Miss! We just received a message from Roman Dmitri!"

"Now? Roman from Dmitri?"

Roman.

An unexpected name popped up.

The reason for the message was unknown.

But that was not important now, so Flora turned her head and was about to run to the city wall.

But.

"Roman Dmitri said to tell you this: Lawrence's crisis. He has a way to help, and he wants you to respond."

At those words.

Flora had no choice but to stop.