Chapter 89: Hector's Star (3)

Immediately after the magical communication ended.

Earl Donald immediately contacted the rear base.

"…There is no response."

"Damn it."

Upon hearing the messenger's report, Earl Donald's expression hardened.

Several attempts at magical communication.

If there was no response for over an hour, it had to mean that something had indeed gone wrong, as Roman Dmitri had said.

His heart sank, and his hands trembled.

The fact that the warp gate had been occupied was not something that could be easily overlooked.

'Thus, the southern front is completely isolated. Even if the kingdom sends reinforcements through the warp gate closest to the southern front, it would take at least a fortnight. The war is practically over. The southern front has suffered a complete defeat, and from now on, it's a matter of survival that requires patience.'

It was a dilemma with no way out.

There was nothing he could do.

If he abandoned the castle and fled, the probability of dying of thirst in the barren mountains was high.

The steep and rugged terrain was unsuitable for escape, and the guerrilla tactics Roman had mentioned would be even more difficult.

Of course, staying in the castle was not a good option either.

Although it was uncertain how long they could hold out in a situation where they were surrounded on all sides, he thought that being protected by the castle walls was the best decision.

And.

'I am likely to be reprimanded for my initial lax response. But if I abandon the castle and flee, I will certainly face severe punishment when the war ends. For the future after the war ends. I will fight to the death in the castle. If we can hold out until the reinforcements arrive, we still have a good chance of winning.'

In fact.

That was his true intention.

Earl Donald had shown a lax attitude, not immediately reporting to the kingdom when he confirmed that Hector's forces had crossed the border.

This led to the current situation.

If he had responded even a little earlier, the Kingdom of Cairo might have faced a different situation, but his initial response had completely worsened the situation.

It was a truth that could not be hidden.

Many soldiers had witnessed the scene, and Earl Donald knew that his mistake would be reported.

Then.

He needed a justification for a pardon.

A commander who remained on the battlefield and fought to the end.

Wasn't that a good justification?

He thought it was an opportunity to turn adversity into fortune, by protecting himself appropriately while appearing to be a brave commander.

'Roman Dmitri probably didn't know how rugged the terrain of the southern front was when he talked about guerrilla tactics. His judgment is worthless, offering no chance of victory. He had only been assigned to the southern front for a short time, and his advice to flee into the mountains as a commander who had been in charge of the first line of defense for years is ridiculous. This is why knowledge gained only from military books can be dangerous.'

He fell into self-justification.

Roman Dmitri.

Despite being the youngest ranker, he was still a young and inexperienced commander on the battlefield.

At that time.

He believed he was right.

* * *

Hope did not last long.

Just 4 hours later.

The first line of defense confirmed that Hector's soldiers had appeared both in front and behind.

Roman's words were true.

The warp gate had been occupied, and it seemed that Hector's kingdom had boldly sent troops through the 'warp'.

"Everyone, prepare for attack!"

"Prepare for attack!"

Thud, thud.

The soldiers nocked their arrows.

During the tense moments, they prepared to fight the enemy.

The castle walls had been perfectly repaired, and they had stockpiled enough supplies to avoid repeating the initial situation.

Moreover, the defensive weapons had been repaired.

The soldiers who had completed the loading of weapons like the ballista believed they would not fall easily this time.

Earl Donald shouted.

"Listen, soldiers of the first line of defense! Hector's kingdom has occupied the warp gate. We are now completely isolated on the southern front and cannot expect reinforcements from Cairo for at least a fortnight. But we are still alive. Just as we defeated the wicked demons of Hector in the first battle, if we trust each other and fight, we can hold out until the reinforcements arrive. Believe in me, Earl Donald. We will survive to the end!"

"Uaaaaa!"

"Follow Earl Donald!"

The soldiers of Cairo cheered.

They did not know the truth.

They believed Earl Donald's words and, with limited information, thought that defense was their only option.

However.

They soon witnessed a grim reality.

Beyond the border.

The soldiers of Hector's kingdom, who were now advancing, were far more numerous than in the first attack.

"…What the hell."

"How many are there?"

At least several thousand troops.

It was a moment that proved the initial attack was a mere pretense.

The overwhelming number of troops was like a swarm of ants, and the Cairo soldiers, numbering only a few hundred, began to tremble.

The problem was not just that.

When they saw the siege weapons being brought by Hector's soldiers, their hearts sank.

"Ah."

"It's a flare."

The disaster of siege warfare.

The flare appeared.

Cairo had no way to stop it.

They lacked modern defensive weapons, meaning they had to endure the flare's attack.

The courage from the speech quickly faded.

The soldiers thought.

It's over.

And as they thought, the disaster at the first line of defense began when the flare spewed intense flames.

Boom!

Rumble.

"Ah!"

"Ouch!"

Flames erupted.

The walls, which had been painstakingly repaired, crumbled in an instant, and soldiers on fire fell from the burning walls.

The proper attack had not even begun.

Just by firing the flare from a distance, the first line of defense had already lost its function.

The scene before him.

Earl Donald was dazed.

He had felt like a great hero during the speech, but now he realized his mistake.

[To be frank, we can no longer withstand Hector's attacks. Hector's kingdom did not intentionally collapse the front line of defense. It was not because they lacked strength, but because they needed a distraction while attacking the rear base. Earl Donald, think realistically. Do you really think they did their best?]

Roman's words.

They were true.

Hector had deliberately not used their full strength and had the power to collapse the southern front at any time.

Regret was too late.

Rumble.

The walls completely collapsed.

And.

"Attack!"

"Charge!"

Waaaaa!

The enemy surged from both sides.

Earl Donald, losing his composure, collapsed to the ground.

* * *

Regret, no matter how quickly it came, was too late.

Due to the commander's foolish judgment.

A one-sided massacre took place.

The castle walls and gates lost their function from the start, and Hector's soldiers surged from both sides.

In the end.

"The commander's head has been cut off!"

Earl Donald, who had been fleeing in a panic, lost his head.

He had no way to escape.

Edwin Hector's forces had completely blocked the rear path, and Earl Donald, trembling like a drenched rat, met a pitiful and miserable end.

The moment the situation ended.

The forces of the first line of defense, which seemed ready for a great war, were wiped out in less than an hour.

A perfect victory.

Edwin Hector, entering through the wide-open gate, received a report from Jackson under the protection of his knights.

"Thanks to the flare, we were able to occupy the castle with minimal casualties. What should we do now? Other commanders have also started attacking the southern front. Since their response to the flare is inadequate, it seems we will soon completely control the southern front."

His voice was slightly excited.

A mission that everyone said was impossible.

He had made it a reality.

Thinking that a historic moment was approaching, Jackson could not hide his joy.

Edwin Hector said.

"Focus on firmly occupying the first line of defense. Time is on our side. To prevent unnecessary variables, capture and confine all surrendering soldiers in one place. Depending on the situation, we can use them as hostages or as a means of negotiation. We need many weapons for negotiations with Cairo."

"Understood."

Edwin Hector was thorough.

Even after a great victory.

He did not show any signs of complacency.

Now that he could relax a bit, strangely, Edwin Hector felt a sense of foreboding.

'The plan is perfect. What am I missing?'

He did not know.

Small signals.

The soldiers who had not returned from the southern training camp.

The fact that communication with Baron McClarely had been cut off, etc., kept stimulating his sensitive senses.

At that moment.

A knight ran up breathlessly.

With a pale face, he reported to Edwin Hector.

"Something terrible has happened!"

"What is it?"

"Baron McClarely is dead. The reason we couldn't communicate was because he died on the battlefield!"

At those words.

Edwin Hector's expression turned cold.

* * *

The truth was brought by a straggler.

A soldier who had barely escaped the battlefield joined the main force and was soon summoned to Edwin Hector.

"Explain the situation at the time."

With a cold tone.

The soldier bowed and said.

"At first, Hector's kingdom had the upper hand. The fifth line of defense was unprepared for the war, and they broke through the gate as soon as they started attacking without using the flare. Baron McClarely ordered the soldiers to capture the castle. And then, the monster appeared."

"…A monster?"

"Yes. It was definitely a monster."

Suddenly.

The soldier shivered at the memory.

He survived only because he was far from the monster, but he clearly saw the monster slaughtering Hector's soldiers.

"The monster's power was unbelievable. A single person. Slaughtered countless allies alone. Dozens of soldiers would disappear with a few blinks of the eye, and Hector's aura knights could not withstand his single strike and died. The fifth line of defense did not show any special defensive ability. Due to the presence of a single being. When Baron McClarely's head was cut off, we had to flee to survive."

The monster.

An unexpected variable.

Suddenly, a name came to Edwin Hector's mind.

'The youngest ranker of Cairo. He was assigned to the southern front, wasn't he?'

When he heard the news.

Edwin Hector did not think that a single individual could change the course of the battle.

According to rumors, Roman Dmitri was a three-star swordsman and had not yet shown an overwhelming presence.

That was the beginning of the variable.

A year of preparation.

He had thoroughly investigated the southern front.

The problem was that Roman Dmitri was an unexpected presence, a variable that could not be known through a year of investigation.

'A variable has appeared.'

Baron McClarely was dead.

That meant there were troops on the southern front that they had not dealt with.

"The troops that were on standby confirmed that there were no Cairo soldiers at the fifth line of defense. They seem to have fled into the mountains. Give the order. If you command us to capture them, I will form a pursuit team and bring Cairo's monster to you."

Jackson reported the new information.

It left a bad taste in his mouth.

A hole had been punched in the perfect plan, but Edwin Hector did not want to rush.

"No. The tide has already turned. The troops at the fifth line of defense are few. They cannot influence the overall situation or achieve anything on their own. We will proceed with the operation as planned. First, we will take control of all five lines of defense, and then we will turn the southern front into a fortress that Cairo cannot invade."

That was.

The core of the plan.

If they completely occupied the southern front, they could take the lead in negotiations with the Kingdom of Cairo.

Edwin Hector's decision was quick.

Thus, a day passed.

Hector's kingdom occupied the southern front.

And then.

Edwin Hector gave the order.

"From now on, it's time to negotiate with the Kingdom of Cairo. Connect the magical communication with the Cairo royal family."

Hector's true purpose.

The desperate reality of the southern front was conveyed to the Cairo royal family.