Chapter 186. Childhood Friend – The Legitimate Heir
“Honor or money. Which one do you choose?”
It was a timely question. The warrior who received Cesar’s question fell into contemplation.
It was a time when a certain anticipation swelled in the hearts of the soldiers. After repeated victories, the enemy had fled, and only a day remained until they reached the enemy’s capital.
The warrior thought seriously before speaking.
“As a proud warrior of the Dwinertribe, I should say honor… but honestly, it’s hard to choose.”
“You too, right?”
A warrior from the Narangde tribe burst into laughter. He rubbed his recently shaved, smooth chin and said,
“For me, it’s money. I didn’t realize how big the world was. Above all, the fact that a man can have one woman is unimaginable in our tribe.”
“Puha! So, you’re planning to get a reward and get married?”
The surrounding warriors burst into laughter. The warrior of the polygamous Narangde tribe turned red.
“Getting married! We don’t have the concept of marriage. We just live with people who match our heart…”
The Narangde tribe, who go out to sea to catch fish.
In this tribe, women tended to be born with more prominent physical talents where mana resided.
Thus, the warriors and great warriors of the Narangde tribe were often women, and many of them died because of this.
When fishing at sea, sea beasts would often appear. When monsters resembling crocodiles or salamanders clung to the boat trying to overturn it, the warriors would desperately try to fend them off. In such situations, the female warriors who led the fight were often the first to die.
This played a crucial role in establishing polyandry. There were few women, and they were strong, so they naturally took up the position of head of the household.
“Don’t you get married?”
“Yes. We hold a festival at the end of the month. It’s a toast before going out to sea, which can be considered a marriage. Men often have grievances against their wives as there are many husbands.”
Lev, who had been listening quietly from a distance, turned red. He knew that the warrior’s statement was a highly polished expression.
Conversely, the warriors who did not know the inside story showed an expression of great interest.
“Wow. Isn’t that paradise? Some people can’t live under their wife’s pressure, but if you can change anytime… Haha. I’m envious.”
“Envious? The competition is fierce. Unless you’re someone like the general over there, it’s hard to catch anyone’s eye. So for me, it’s money. The world is vast, and if I knew it was normal to monopolize one woman, I would have left long ago.”
“I may not know other things, but I agree the world is vast. Hahaha.”
The warriors burst into laughter. Barbarians of the Orun Kingdom, who lived isolated to avoid being captured as slaves, were in awe of the brilliant civilization they encountered.
A huge city. Swarming people. If there were a frog in a well, it would be them.
“Okay. So we have another friend who chose money. Then, Hatu, what about you? Honor or money. Which one for you?”
Cesar turned his attention. Although he offered a choice to the young man he met from the Baruka tribe,
“Family.”
Hatu did not choose money or honor. Blushing, he said,
“My son and wife are the most important. I want to go back quickly.”
A silence followed. Soon, the warriors let out a low “Oooooh~” of admiration.
Cesar lowered his head for a moment. Lev thought he frowned, but it was a mistake. The lieutenant lifted his head again, smiling as usual.
“You son of a gun! You’ve grown up faster than me! Hahaha. This friend is newlywed!”
Cesar hugged Hatu’s head with his arm. “Ah! Why are you doing this?” The young man struggled while the warriors each took a turn hitting his buttocks.
Then, with a beep! a Sinis took flight. Unable to find a place to land, the Sinis fluttered in the air and landed on its owner’s head.
“Enough. Be quiet.”
Lev, who was leaning against a tree, waved his hand. The optimistic soldiers fell silent.
Cesar untied the letter from Sinis’s ankle. Confirming the seal of Prince Leo on the letter, he handed it to the captain.
“…”
The captain’s expression was unusual. He read the letter again as if he did not understand it. Still, his expression was astonished.
“Captain? What’s wrong?”
Lev did not respond. He handed the letter directly to Cesar, who exclaimed in surprise.
“So the war is over?”
It was a message that Nevis was empty. The listening warriors murmured, and Lev, shaking his head, responded cautiously.
“…That can’t be. Everyone, rise. The rest is over. Inform each squad to approach Nevis carefully and never lower their guard.”
Ten messengers from the Decurion squad rushed out. Lev gazed blankly south and muttered softly.
“This can’t be this easy…”
* * *
The capital of the Orun Kingdom, Nevis, was in a basin.
There was a small plain surrounded by mountains, and the soldiers led by Lev cautiously descended from the mountain.
And then, there was the giant city in front of him. Starting with the shabby farms sparsely standing, buildings gradually increased in size and blocked the view.
“Prepare for urban combat. We must thoroughly search the buildings as the enemy could be hiding.”
At Lev’s command, hundreds of squads scattered. They infiltrated the outskirts of Nevis and began reconnaissance.
Lev also stepped in, but the streets were not entirely empty of people. However, all of them were either women or the elderly, which made for a somewhat bizarre scene.
‘Have they conscripted all the adult males?’
Interrogating the remaining citizens revealed that his guess was correct. There had been a massive conscription right after the war, and an evacuation order had been issued a couple of months ago.
But why? — The question rose to his throat, but the citizens could not have known. Lev bit his lip as a creeping sense of unease washed over him.
“General. There are no enemies here. We’ve sent a search party, and it seems there are no enemies on the city walls either. The city gate is destroyed.”
It was a report from a centurion. Nodding, Lev said, “I’ll need to check it personally.” and headed toward the north gate of Nevis.
Indeed, the centurion was right. There was no one on the walls, which were over eight meters high, and the shattered city gate hung loosely on its hinges.
Lev climbed the wall and instructed the centurion to search inside the city, then took a lap around the empty Nevis.
Only then could he grasp the enemy’s intent. Lev stared intently at the mountains surrounding Nevis.
The {Tracking Technique} indicated the mountains to the west, south, and east. The king and princes, along with the nobles and knights siding with the twin princes, were hidden around Nevis.
In other words, this was a trap. They were undoubtedly waiting for them to occupy Nevis, using the capital as bait.
Soon, a mage arrived and confirmed Lev’s suspicions. A barrier nullifying mana roads had already been set up around Nevis in preparation for a siege.
It seemed they intended to resolve the battle with a siege since they were at a disadvantage in magical strength…
It didn’t make sense.
In a siege, the defenders have an overwhelming advantage. While they had destroyed the city gate, they could easily block that with soldiers, and the advantages provided by the city walls would remain throughout the siege.
So why did they abandon the city?
It seemed too grand to be merely bait. Knowing it was a trap, they could not ignore the deed to the house dangling as bait.
‘Is it a misjudgment by the enemy, or is there something I’m not aware of?’
Lev continued pondering as he sat in a watchtower. The scorching sun had already reddened his skin, but he did not move.
“Um… General. What should we do? The search isn’t complete yet, but there don’t seem to be any enemies inside the city either.”
A centurion, struggling to bear the heat, asked. Lev, unable to find an answer despite his thoughts, shook his head and snapped out of his reverie.
“Inform Cesar to contact the main camp, telling them Nevis is completely empty, but instruct them not to move in until the search is complete. Dispatch recon teams to those mountains over there, over there, and over there. The enemy will be hiding. Observe their movements but avoid getting too close. Confirm how many siege weapons they’ve prepared.”
Lev issued his commands.
He ordered them to search for explosives possibly hidden on the city walls, barricade the city gate, and expel all citizens, as there might be spies among them.
Lev had made a conclusion. The reason for abandoning the advantages of defense was unknown, but their rebel force had been aiming for Nevis, and they needed to seize it no matter what.
Capturing the king had always been challenging.
It’s easier to gain the support of the nobles who constitute the kingdom than to catch the fleeing king.
Despite their continuous victories pushing the front line, the rebels had not yet gained the nobles’ support due to the knights.
Royal knights who had ravaged the eastern territories were still patrolling the regions. Because of this, nobles who declared neutrality hesitated to join the rebellion, fearing attacks on their lands.
But what if the rebels captured the capital and publicized it?
Many nobles would turn against the king instantly. Consequently, even without chasing, the fleeing king’s supporters would be cut off.
Of course, the enemy would understand this as well. Which means…
They are confident in their siege capabilities. Kindly setting up a barrier nullifying our mana roads (something we would have needed to do ourselves anyway) and emptying the city was their declaration of intent to win the siege.
This was the source of Lev’s concern. He was baffled by their confidence but suddenly grasped a clue.
Come to think of it, the enemy hadn’t sent reinforcements to the front lines. They had only stalled for time with untrained recruits while the knights roamed the rear.
Why didn’t they send reinforcements?
It appeared that they believed their lack of magical power made front-line combat difficult.
In preparation, a barrier had been put in place, and preparations for a siege had been ongoing. Over the past two months, they had likely amassed a large number of siege weapons. The Nevis defenders must have taught the newly recruited soldiers the techniques of siege warfare…
‘Then, this must be the last one.’
Lev cracked his neck from side to side. Exhaling the uneasy feeling, he busily moved about inside and outside Nevis.
However, nothing unusual was found. Lev even knew all the entrances and exits of the underground passages beneath the Nevis palace, so there didn’t seem to be any problems with the defense.
Despite some debates, over the next few days, the main force gradually entered Nevis.
Supplies were brought into the castle through the north gate as cautiously as possible, and only the necessary number of soldiers was allowed in. They were wary of a sudden attack.
Meanwhile, the enemy no longer hid their intentions. They guided numerous siege weapons down from the mountains and established positions on the west, south, and east sides.
It seemed they truly wanted a decisive siege battle. They had many knights who excelled in smaller skirmishes (having already broken the castle gate), and we had the castle but couldn’t use our wizards, so neither side could be deemed particularly advantageous.
But soon, the reason why they gave up the advantageous position of holding the castle became apparent.
The northern part of Nevis was occupied by the rebels. Although most of the soldiers had entered, they were trying to stock up on as many supplies as possible, anticipating a protracted battle.
Naturally, all attention was focused on the movements of the enemy surrounding the three sides. Lev and Leo focused on locating key figures using {tracking techniques}.
One day, the northern supply route was attacked. Though the damage wasn’t severe, Lev and Leo were startled and rushed up the ramparts. The enemy forces didn’t move. The attack came from those flying a red shield emblem…
“The Duke of Tartan!”
It was the army of Duke Lapert Tertan, the Warden of the Western Marches of the Conrad Kingdom.
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