Chapter 188: It’s Time to Show Our Strength. (2)
Unlike others, Ghislaine had no intention of just dragging things out.
It would have been nice to stretch it out into a long battle for an easy victory, but that was not an option now.
True, Ghislaine was waiting for the drought to take advantage, but that was merely to secure what was necessary easily and to manipulate the board so that the Duke Faction and the Crown Prince Faction couldn’t move openly.
Right now, it was crucial to seize that castle as quickly as possible.
‘Marquis Branford will block the Duke’s movements.’
She had made him her Guardian to prepare for this situation. The Marquis, who was pondering his influence in the North, would do whatever it took to protect Penris.
The only remaining issue was the Duke’s moves. They were likely feeling burdened by the prospect of civil war, so it was obvious they would try to move Count Desmond.
‘Before that, I need to seize this place first.’
She was capturing every messenger trying to escape from Cabaldy Castle, but Count Desmond must have heard the news.
Count Desmond was cautious, but he wasn’t foolish enough to just hide away in such circumstances.
‘Regardless of the Duke’s orders, Count Desmond will definitely make a move.’
If he lost this place, it would be a huge setback for Desmond when he was reorganizing his forces.
Thus, no matter how difficult the situation was due to the drought, he had no choice but to act.
‘Count Cabaldy knows that, so he’s staying quiet.’
The enemies were running out of food. It would be better to try for a swift engagement than to starve to death.
Yet, the absence of movement meant they were confident reinforcements were coming.
Ghislaine was certainly in a favorable position now, but that advantage would not last forever.
‘I must always stay one step ahead of the enemy.’
The desired time had come, and preparations had been made. It was now time to quickly seize the castle.
Of course, Ghislaine had no intention of mindlessly engaging in a siege. She had no siege equipment, and most of the soldiers were infantry. There were quite a few knights, but they were half-baked.
Trying to capture the castle walls in this state would only result in significant losses.
Beginning a siege without overwhelming siege weapons and troops was foolish. That’s why she hadn’t brought any siege equipment in the first place.
Damage needed to be minimized at all times. That way, she could quickly gain a stronger force.
“I’ve received intelligence that another lord is preparing to assist Count Cabaldy. We need to seize the castle before that happens.”
At Ghislaine’s words, the people began to dig tunnels, looking very disappointed.
They understood why they were digging tunnels. Since they hadn’t brought any siege equipment, it was the only option left.
Whoever was sending reinforcements remained unknown, but thanks to that guy, they were about to face unnecessary hardships.
Even the dwarves realized why Ghislaine had brought them along. They were experts at digging tunnels.
For them, who could carve out hard rocks to create underground cities, digging a tunnel was an easy task.
“Ugh! Just when I thought I could take it easy, here comes more work! More work! This blasted territory never runs out of things to do!”
Galbarik muttered complaints as he started working on the tunnel design with the dwarves.
Rick grumbled incessantly as he began the underground tunnel designs with the dwarves.
There are two ways to assault a castle through a tunnel.
One is to dig underneath the enemy’s castle wall and collapse it, the other is to infiltrate through the tunnel into the castle.
Both are dangerous, but the success rate is much higher for the latter.
If you collapse the castle wall, you’ll eventually have to face the enemy head-on, but if you infiltrate the castle, you can launch an ambush from behind.
“I’ll dig as carefully as possible to avoid detection,” said Galbarik.
Ghislaine shook his head.
“No, it’s okay to be a little noisy, just prioritize speed.”
“If we get caught, it’ll be a failure. Are you sure that’s fine?”
“It’s fine; as long as we dig towards the back of the enemy. Right now, the most important thing is to make a path quickly before the reinforcements arrive.”
“Ugh, got it. I’ll try to dig as fast as I can.”
Targeting the back of the castle meant quite a distance to cover, but it wasn’t a big problem.
Ground too solid? The mages and knights will handle that. Digging out the dirt and setting up supports? With thousands of soldiers, it wouldn’t be hard to push through with sheer numbers.
As the dwarves commanded the operation, the tunnel began to take shape at an incredible speed.
Everyone knew time was of the essence, so despite the hard work, they focused on the task at hand.
But there’s always someone to complain.
“Ugh! Why the heck am I dragged all the way here! To do this damn pathetic work! Ugh! It’s filthy! Why is there so much dust! I can’t breathe!”
Cain, forcibly conscripted, cursed continuously while wielding his pickaxe.
As a noble who had grown up in high society, being forced to do hard labor he had never experienced before was infuriating.
However, he didn’t have the courage to run away. After being dragged here and severely “educated,” his fear of Ghislaine only grew.
The thought of being caught while trying to escape this time made him too terrified to even try.
“Damn it! You’re still my cousin! At least give me a position as commander! Making me do this lousy work!”
Cain cursed Ghislaine non-stop throughout his work, as that was the only way he could relieve his frustration.
Even after all that “education,” he still had the guts to keep cursing, which showed he had some tenacity.
“Damn it! Just wait! When I get stronger! I will rip your bones apart! I’m not someone who should be doing this lowly work! Aaaah! But why am I digging so well?!”
With his natural strength, impressive size, and his family’s Mana Circulation Method, Cain was excelling at the digging task.
Galbarik clapped his hands, looking pleased as he observed.
“Hey, you there, Cain… what was that guy’s name again? Anyway, Mr. Cain, stop the nonsense and move this.”
Pointing at a bunch of wagons piled high with dirt sacks, Galbarik gave the command.
Hearing that, Cain’s eyes nearly popped out as he shouted.
“What? Move that? Do you know who I am? Do you want to die right here on the spot?”
Even the enslaved dwarves were mocking him openly, and Cain couldn’t hold himself back.
But Galbarik, indifferent to Cain’s anger, simply asked.
“Who are you? The lord said you’re a newly acquired slave, right? A strong and sturdy slave.”
The dwarves genuinely didn’t know Cain’s status. Ghislaine had ordered those who knew his identity to keep quiet.
For the sake of keeping him easily manipulatable, it was necessary to treat him as a slave.
But Cain didn’t know the background and could only lash out like a madman.
“I am a noble! I’m not someone who does this lowly work like you!”
“Ha! If you’re a noble, I’m the Elf Queen. Hurry up and move that before I bury you in it.”
“Aaaah! I’m going to kill you!”
As Cain wielded his pickaxe and glared, Galbarik merely snorted and said,
“Oh? Are you really going to hit me? Should I inform the lord? Maybe have some shackles put on your ankles?”
“Ugh, ughhh!”
“Ugh, ugh!”
With a flushed face, Cain put down his pickaxe and cried. He was so furious that all he could do was shed tears.
He felt utterly pitiful about having to suppress his anger without being able to lash out.
For just a measly thousand gold, he should have just raided his parents’ storage.
Galbarik approached the sobbing Cain and gave him a few light taps on the waist. He wanted to put an arm around him, but he just couldn’t reach.
“Hey now, stop! Don’t cry! Once the work’s done, I’ll share some of the booze I’ve hidden away at night. A slave knows what a slave feels, right?”
“Sniff, sob…”
It seriously sucked. Yet, at the mention of booze, Cain nodded while still crying.
“Right, so hurry up and move that! You know how the lord is, right? We don’t have time.”
Wiping his tears, Cain diligently moved the wagon. It was humiliating, but Galbarik was right. If they delayed for no reason, who knew what wrath could come from that hot-headed Ghislaine?
As the Penris Army busily dug tunnels, Count Cabaldy fell deep into thought after hearing some news.
“The Penris Army has split their forces in two.”
“What?”
The Penris Army’s original position was north of the castle. However, about half of their troops had moved towards the east gate.
“Why on earth would that guy divide his forces?”
Considering the possibility of attacking while the enemy split up, Count Cabaldy quickly dismissed that thought.
Even split in half, they still had a whopping 1,500 men. It wouldn’t be easy to wipe out such a sizable force quickly, and they could easily get ambushed while fighting.
‘They wouldn’t try to attack both sides without siege equipment, would they…?’
After a brief moment of contemplation, Count Cabaldy summoned the exclusive mage of the territory.
“Is there any way to see what those guys are up to? The troops that moved to the east?”
“Can’t you see well enough from the castle walls?”
The mage tilted his head, bewildered.
The Penris Army had set up at a distance to avoid the catapult attacks from inside the castle.
However, it was close enough that a knight with good eyesight could easily count the number of tents and their troop formations.
Count Cabaldy shook his head and continued.
“No, obviously I can see the overall layout. What I want to know is what they are actually doing. Are they just standing around watching, or are they up to something in the back?”
“Understood. It may be hard to keep an eye on them for long due to the distance, but I should be able to take a quick look.”
“That’ll be sufficient.”
The mage immediately climbed the castle wall and cast a reconnaissance spell.
For a Level 3 mage like him, this spell consumed a considerable amount of magic power and was quite challenging. Plus, after all the reading, his eyesight wasn’t the best.
Still, it was better than relying on a knight’s naked eye, so the mage quickly scanned the Penris Army’s camp.
Suddenly flooded with too much information, he grabbed his head and stumbled but quickly regained composure and rushed over to Count Cabaldy.
“It seems like they are constructing something.”
“Constructing?”
“I’m not exactly sure, but I can see soldiers busily moving around in the back. They’ve set up several large tents, so it’s hard to see clearly, but I spotted wagons filled with dirt and heavy crates being moved.”
Hearing this, Count Cabaldy couldn’t help but chuckle and rub his forehead.
“So this guy thinks he can dig tunnels because he’s seen it somewhere before?”
There aren’t many ways to conquer a castle without siege equipment.
Among them, one of the most common methods is tunneling.
Especially in the north, most castles lack moats except for a few great territories, making it even easier to dig.
“Hehe, looks like he’s worried about the Crown Prince Faction mediating, huh? But he thinks pretty small for a rookie. Who digs tunnels so openly like that? Hahaha!”
Tunneling needs to be done stealthily to be effective. If discovered, it could lead to significant backlash.
That’s why most people redirect the enemy’s attention and use ruse tactics.
However, the Penris Army had no siege equipment, so their strategic choices were limited. It was a blatant trick.
There are limits to the strategies that can be chosen without options. It was an obvious trick.
“Indeed, a trivial fellow. Trying to wage war with the food he got lucky with, clumsily acting like this. I’ve heard he won the last war using traps; his father’s skills are clearly at play.”
Count Cabaldy couldn’t stop laughing.
Now, seeing Ghislaine, instead of feeling angry, he thought he was cute. He was trying to clumsily do something, but how could he be so sloppy?
“If he has such poor military capability, shouldn’t we just go out and confront him?”
After a moment’s thought, Count Cabaldy shook his head. Once the location of the tunnel was confirmed, they could easily kill him by trapping him instead.
There was a clear way to reduce damage, so there was no need to charge out and fight unnecessarily.
He quickly gave orders.
“Install vibration detectors around all the castle walls and check which direction the enemy is coming from! We will dig traps there and have our troops on standby!”
Bowls and jars filled with water were placed or buried around the castle walls.
By detecting the ripples in the water caused by vibrations from digging, they could determine the direction.
Three days later, a knight hurriedly ran in and said,
“We’ve pinpointed the direction! It seems they’re digging towards the southern gate.”
“What? Already? Not the east gate, but the south? Are they really taking such a long route? But why is the tunnel digging so fast?”
For it to be this foolishly indirect, their approach speed was surprisingly quick.
Count Cabaldy clicked his tongue, thinking he understood what Ghislaine was up to. If he succeeded, it would indeed be highly effective.
“The fool isn’t trying to break down the castle walls but is sneaking in to strike us. Are you sure they’re coming from the south?”
“Absolutely. There’s nothing else nearby that could have an impact.”
If the vibrations were confirmed, the tunnel would be completed in a day or two. Count Cabaldy quickly got to his feet and shouted.
“Concentrate the main forces at the target point and stand by. The moment the enemy pokes their head out from the ground, we will kill them all. Then, we’ll open the castle gate and strike the disoriented enemy!”
“What about the castle walls?”
“Well, there are no siege weapons anyway, and most of them are infantry. Even if they approach, it’s obvious they intend to draw attention, but just in case, deploy some defensive troops. They can easily be stopped with just arrows.”
“Understood!”
Count Cabaldy smiled confidently at the thought of victory.
No matter how many troops there are, if the commander is incompetent, they could be annihilated in a single battle.
The foolish Baron Penris would lose all his soldiers the moment they entered through the tunnel.
“Snicker, thanks to that brat, my reputation will soar even higher. It’s a wonderful thing.”
Imagining turning the unfavorable situation around and winning before support even arrived made him laugh involuntarily.
Every noble would highly assess his military capabilities, and the Duke Faction would be unable to contain their admiration.
Just as confident Count Cabaldy predicted, two nights later, the Penris Army began to move.
Watching the approaching Penris Army, Count Cabaldy laughed heartily.
“Hahaha! Look at that foolish fellow! What does he think he’s doing moving so conspicuously at night!”
He felt no fear as the enemy’s army approached. There were no battering rams or ladders or anything else. It was clear they would fall under a hail of arrows.
They came without any preparation at night; it was obvious they were meant to attract attention.
“What’s the situation with the troops at the target point?”
“Everything is deployed.”
“Good. I’ll go personally to command. It’s finally time to kill that brat.”
Count Cabaldy laughed loudly as he headed to the target point. The knights around him also followed him with relaxed laughter.
While they confidently laughed and chatted,
Above the dark night sky, dozens of mysterious gigantic shadows rose up.
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