How to Live as a Wandering Knight

“That’s weaker than expected, isn’t it?”

“Hey, don’t say such an ominous thing.”

The subordinates also chatted among themselves. The senior captain encouraged the recruits, saying, ‘𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯’, but they were also surprised to be honest.

The enemy was weaker than expected.

Weren’t they the elite?

“I heard that some of them have made pacts with demons.”

“Yeah. I heard that the Sultan has a man who can breathe fire, giants, and even monsters.”

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 Johan’s men thought like this.

‘𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘬𝘦, 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵!’

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 enemy’s casualties were bound to increase.

“There is no difference than a butcher!”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Of course it’s a compliment.”

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.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯!’

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 one’s own enemy while also watching the duke’s 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.

“How did you fight like that?”

“It was just. . . really good.”

“?!”

The squire thought the knight was making fun of him. But the knight was telling the truth. He couldn’t 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 knights’ hearts sink. However, upon closer inspection, it wasn’t that he was surrounded. The duke had gotten caught in between while chasing the retreating enemies.

“The enemies must be perplexed. . .”

“I guess so.”

In fact, the enemies had seized a few opportunities. Not everyone in the expedition fought as well as the duke’s 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.

‘𝘐𝘧 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨?’

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. . .

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“Execute the person in charge and prepare to charge again. I will command it myself.”

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?

“I will take the lead myself. The duke of the enemy seems to be quite strong, but he will not be able to defeat me!”

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.

━𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐥’𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤!

━𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝! 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭!

━𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫, 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐣𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲! 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡! 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐝! 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲. . .

━. . .

━𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤!

━𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲! 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫. . .

━𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧!

━. . .

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.

“I will give you my sword. Bring me the duke’s head!”

“Yes!”

When the Sultan’s 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.

“Fortunately, the weather is on Your Majesty’s side. If we wait a few more days, the river will freeze completely and we will be able to cross anywhere.”

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 wouldn’t be able to stop them all.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Johan’s side could also feel that the river was freezing more and more. Some of the experienced nobles spoke cautiously.

“How about retreating, fortifying the castle, and defending ourselves?”

“From what I saw last time, the feudal lords are still thinking about running away. They’re the kind of people who will run away as soon as things get tough. Honestly, they’re less reliable than the pagans!”

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.

“We’re not retreating.”

“. . .!”

The nobles were surprised at Johan’s resolute words. The duke’s words, not anyone else’s, carried weight.

“The reinforcements will arrive soon. They said they’d be here tomorrow.”

“Really! That’s wonderful news!”

The nobles’ 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.

“And if we retreat even once, the feudal lords here will use that as an excuse to return to their fiefdoms.”

“. . . . . .”

The nobles of the expedition nodded in agreement with Johan’s 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.

“Your Highness. We will make sure that the feudal lords do not run away.”

“I’ll join you too.”

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 wouldn’t be able to escape so easily.

Johan nodded his head. That was definitely Johan’s 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.

“I’ll count on you. And Your Majesty.”

“Me, I don’t think it would be bad for me to stay in the center. . .”

The elf king looked at the other nobles of the expedition as if asking for their support. He didn’t 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.

“If Your Majesty does not go, I have no one I can trust. . .”

“. . .Alright.”

Having been greatly indebted once, the elf king couldn’t refuse Johan’s request.

With the knights, including the elf king, deployed on the left flank, Johan felt somewhat relieved. It seemed that he wouldn’t have to see his friendly forces running away.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“You pathetic bastards. Even if I whipped you, it wouldn’t be enough, but I’ll forgive you generously!”

“. . . . . .”

At Suetlg’s 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.

“This is terrible. I heard the river is frozen. . .”

Iselia looked ahead with a worried expression. As a knight, Iselia couldn’t have not known what effect this cold weather would have.

“It is indeed terrible.”

“Can’t we melt the river with magic?”

“. . . . . .”

“. . . . . .”

Perhaps they hadn’t expected Iselia to ask that question, Suetlg and Caenerna looked taken aback. Suetlg answered, managing his expression.

“It’s impossible, Iselia-nim.”

“Is that so. That’s unfortunate.”

“That’s right. It would be nice if we could melt the river.”

Caenerna’s teasing made Suetlg feel a little hurt.

“I wonder if Caenerna-gong, who knows how to handle the spirits of fire, could melt it. . .”

“Oh, my. What ability do I have. . . The ice on the river is thick and solid, so it won’t melt even if I light a few fires.”

“Are you two fighting?”

Iselia asked in surprise. The two wizards quickly replied.

“No, we’re not. We’re not.”

“Is that so. I was worried.”

Iselia made them reconcile, wondering who on earth wasn’t 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 knight’s 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.

“Let’s increase the speed of our advance a little.”

“More than this? The soldiers will get tired.”

“But. . . It’s ominous. The situation is the situation. . . I think we need to push ourselves a little.”

Iselia didn’t ignore Suetlg’s premonition. Moreover, this old wizard was a prophet who could glimpse the future. Iselia nodded and gave the order.

Caenerna asked, looking concerned.

“Did you see anything?”

“Not really, but. . . I didn’t sleep well.”

“. . . . . .”

Dreams were always one of the signs. Caenerna’s face became serious.

“Could something have happened because the river froze. . .”

“. . .No. I don’t think so. I would have been contacted if we had lost.”

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 wouldn’t have time to send a messenger.

“Iselia-nim!”

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.

“What’s wrong?”

“You. . . You have to see it for yourself.”

“!”

Iselia urgently rode her horse, taking the wizards and escorts with her. Even Suetlg, who normally didn’t ride his horse in a hurry, didn’t stop whipping it this time.

The friendly forces’ camp was spread out across the river.

“. . .???”

,

“That’s weaker than expected, isn’t it?”

“Hey, don’t say such an ominous thing.”

The subordinates also chatted among themselves. The senior captain encouraged the recruits, saying, ‘𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯’, but they were also surprised to be honest.

The enemy was weaker than expected.

Weren’t they the elite?

“I heard that some of them have made pacts with demons.”

“Yeah. I heard that the Sultan has a man who can breathe fire, giants, and even monsters.”

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 Johan’s men thought like this.

‘𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘬𝘦, 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵!’

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 enemy’s casualties were bound to increase.

“There is no difference than a butcher!”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Of course it’s a compliment.”

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.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯!’

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 one’s own enemy while also watching the duke’s 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.

“How did you fight like that?”

“It was just. . . really good.”

“?!”

The squire thought the knight was making fun of him. But the knight was telling the truth. He couldn’t 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 knights’ hearts sink. However, upon closer inspection, it wasn’t that he was surrounded. The duke had gotten caught in between while chasing the retreating enemies.

“The enemies must be perplexed. . .”

“I guess so.”

In fact, the enemies had seized a few opportunities. Not everyone in the expedition fought as well as the duke’s 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.

‘𝘐𝘧 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨?’

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. . .

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“Execute the person in charge and prepare to charge again. I will command it myself.”

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?

“I will take the lead myself. The duke of the enemy seems to be quite strong, but he will not be able to defeat me!”

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.

━𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐥’𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤!

━𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝! 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭!

━𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫, 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐣𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲! 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡! 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐝! 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲. . .

━. . .

━𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤!

━𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲! 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫. . .

━𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧!

━. . .

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.

“I will give you my sword. Bring me the duke’s head!”

“Yes!”

When the Sultan’s 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.

“Fortunately, the weather is on Your Majesty’s side. If we wait a few more days, the river will freeze completely and we will be able to cross anywhere.”

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 wouldn’t be able to stop them all.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Johan’s side could also feel that the river was freezing more and more. Some of the experienced nobles spoke cautiously.

“How about retreating, fortifying the castle, and defending ourselves?”

“From what I saw last time, the feudal lords are still thinking about running away. They’re the kind of people who will run away as soon as things get tough. Honestly, they’re less reliable than the pagans!”

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.

“We’re not retreating.”

“. . .!”

The nobles were surprised at Johan’s resolute words. The duke’s words, not anyone else’s, carried weight.

“The reinforcements will arrive soon. They said they’d be here tomorrow.”

“Really! That’s wonderful news!”

The nobles’ 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.

“And if we retreat even once, the feudal lords here will use that as an excuse to return to their fiefdoms.”

“. . . . . .”

The nobles of the expedition nodded in agreement with Johan’s 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.

“Your Highness. We will make sure that the feudal lords do not run away.”

“I’ll join you too.”

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 wouldn’t be able to escape so easily.

Johan nodded his head. That was definitely Johan’s 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.

“I’ll count on you. And Your Majesty.”

“Me, I don’t think it would be bad for me to stay in the center. . .”

The elf king looked at the other nobles of the expedition as if asking for their support. He didn’t 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.

“If Your Majesty does not go, I have no one I can trust. . .”

“. . .Alright.”

Having been greatly indebted once, the elf king couldn’t refuse Johan’s request.

With the knights, including the elf king, deployed on the left flank, Johan felt somewhat relieved. It seemed that he wouldn’t have to see his friendly forces running away.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“You pathetic bastards. Even if I whipped you, it wouldn’t be enough, but I’ll forgive you generously!”

“. . . . . .”

At Suetlg’s 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.

“This is terrible. I heard the river is frozen. . .”

Iselia looked ahead with a worried expression. As a knight, Iselia couldn’t have not known what effect this cold weather would have.

“It is indeed terrible.”

“Can’t we melt the river with magic?”

“. . . . . .”

“. . . . . .”

Perhaps they hadn’t expected Iselia to ask that question, Suetlg and Caenerna looked taken aback. Suetlg answered, managing his expression.

“It’s impossible, Iselia-nim.”

“Is that so. That’s unfortunate.”

“That’s right. It would be nice if we could melt the river.”

Caenerna’s teasing made Suetlg feel a little hurt.

“I wonder if Caenerna-gong, who knows how to handle the spirits of fire, could melt it. . .”

“Oh, my. What ability do I have. . . The ice on the river is thick and solid, so it won’t melt even if I light a few fires.”

“Are you two fighting?”

Iselia asked in surprise. The two wizards quickly replied.

“No, we’re not. We’re not.”

“Is that so. I was worried.”

Iselia made them reconcile, wondering who on earth wasn’t 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 knight’s 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.

“Let’s increase the speed of our advance a little.”

“More than this? The soldiers will get tired.”

“But. . . It’s ominous. The situation is the situation. . . I think we need to push ourselves a little.”

Iselia didn’t ignore Suetlg’s premonition. Moreover, this old wizard was a prophet who could glimpse the future. Iselia nodded and gave the order.

Caenerna asked, looking concerned.

“Did you see anything?”

“Not really, but. . . I didn’t sleep well.”

“. . . . . .”

Dreams were always one of the signs. Caenerna’s face became serious.

“Could something have happened because the river froze. . .”

“. . .No. I don’t think so. I would have been contacted if we had lost.”

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 wouldn’t have time to send a messenger.

“Iselia-nim!”

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.

“What’s wrong?”

“You. . . You have to see it for yourself.”

“!”

Iselia urgently rode her horse, taking the wizards and escorts with her. Even Suetlg, who normally didn’t ride his horse in a hurry, didn’t stop whipping it this time.

The friendly forces’ camp was spread out across the river.

“. . .???”