Chapter 204

“That bastard?”

Amid the shouts of the Naurillia army, some of Martai’s commanders felt a surge of anger.

“He’s asking for a beating! Kill that bastard!”

They knew he fought well, but to act so leisurely while running away?

It seemed like a deliberate provocation, as if he was mocking them by imitating a heroic epic.

How could their anger not flare up?

“Chase him!”

“Don’t let him in!”

“Get him!”

“Stop! Stop, you bastard!”

Martai’s infantry, riled up, charged forward.

Just as Encrid and his companions hurriedly ran inside the castle gates.

Thud, thud, thud!

The hands of the Naurillia archers on the watchtower became very busy.

“Ack!”

“Arrows! Shields! Raise your shields!”

Martai’s charging infantry retreated, adorned with arrows.

“Shoot! Shoot! Hit them all!”

Vengeance’s shout rang out loudly. He had been put in charge of some of the archers.

As Martai’s infantry withdrew.

“Waaah!”

The Border Guard Reserve Unit on the wall cheered, as if they had achieved a victory in an unexpected exchange of power during the first battle.

“Come at us!”

“Run if you want to live!”

“My name is Rian!”

There were even those who openly taunted the enemy and revealed their names.

It couldn’t be called a significant victory, but it felt like they had won before the real battle had even started.

The enemy still had more troops, and the difference was clear, but it didn’t feel like they would lose.

Most soldiers felt that way.

Naturally, this atmosphere was created by Encrid.

So it was only natural that all eyes were fixed on Encrid as he entered, seemingly indifferent.

* * *

The destruction of the mangonel, the exploits of a few enemy soldiers.

This news reached the commander of the nameless forces.

Since it happened right in front of him, he had just received a detailed report.

He wore a roughly pressed helmet. Through the visor, the eyes of the mustached commander glinted coldly.

“There are some interesting bastards here.”

There was a chilling murderous intent in his tone.

His nickname was the Elite Slaying Blade.

Originally, he thought this fight would be neither interesting nor fun, but now he saw some who made his heart race.

‘At least three.’

They were worth killing personally. Methods and means of killing them flashed through his mind.

‘A melee would be good.’

What if they hid in defense? Then it would be more advantageous to surround and press them.

It was an exceedingly interesting situation.

Mangonels? Ambush? Damage from the ambush? Those were unrelated matters to him.

Though the mustached man was called the Elite Slaying Blade, the actual commander of the nameless forces had slightly different thoughts.

“That damned bastard.”

The commander of Viscount’s Army of Bentra wasn’t foolish. Though narrow-minded, he had the brains to think things through.

‘He suddenly stops running and reveals his name?’

It wasn’t just ordinary courage.

Starting off by destroying eight mangonels, it felt like they were being pushed back from the start, and then he revealed his name and retreated.

He focused solely on the facts.

Why? Why did he do that?

The commander soon reached a conclusion. It was the most rational judgment based on experience and theory.

‘That bastard?’

It was a cheap trick. A strategy. What methods would those driven to the defensive choose?

One of them was self-aggrandizement. It was a dirty tactic. A strategy to exaggerate one’s abilities to make the enemy overthink.

It was one of the tactics used because a few elites could change the tide of a battlefield.

It was a warning that there were strong individuals among them, so be prepared when attacking.

Was he really that skilled?

Destroying the mangonels was impressive, but.

‘That’s all.’

Probably overextended, no, definitely overextended. It was a mission they undertook with their lives on the line.

They must have been lying in ambush for days before the advance, consuming many resources for this one attack.

It was likely a plan set in motion from the moment Martai began to advance.

“It’s just feather fluffing.”

The commander of Viscount’s Army of Bentra spoke after organizing his thoughts. The Martai’s chief commander pondered, then nodded.

They reached the same conclusion.

“Bring more siege weapons.”

The general ordered. They were already making some more in the city.

Even hastily made weapons would be better than nothing.

“Repair what we can.”

If they repaired them, they might salvage one or two.

They couldn’t do much about the misaligned and broken ones, though.

‘That monstrous bastard.’

The one who smashed the siege weapons with his fists, he stuck in their minds and was a concern.

‘He must have taken some kind of drug.’

If they took the drugs made by those alchemists to capture Giants and Frogs, such feats were possible.

A drug that gave them strength beyond their limits for a short time.

Of course, the side effects were severe. If used incorrectly, they could die as soon as the effect wore off.

Narrow-mindedness, prejudice, and preconceptions were like demons that, once embedded in the mind, were hard to shake off.

Such was the case for these people.

Though the Elite Slaying Blade respected their opponent’s skills, he saw them as just right for him to kill.

Everyone had their own delusions.

“We just need to surround and starve them out.”

The commander of Viscount’s Army of Bentra clenched his fist. They exaggerated their abilities, so now they’d focus on defense.

But if they came out?

He was also the commander of the cavalry.

If the enemy opened the gates in retaliation, they could sweep them with the cavalry.

It was a simple but efficient strategy.

It didn’t matter whether the enemy exaggerated or not.

“Let’s do that.”

Martai’s general agreed.

* * *

Krais watched the enemy’s movements from atop the castle wall.

‘They’re angry.’

They were murmuring and shouting.

Despite the destruction of eight siege weapons and numerous deaths, they showed anger instead of fear. They weren’t lacking in fighting spirit or morale. Ɍά

Even when looking at Encrid and his companions, they spewed anger.

How could they be like that?

‘The battle time was short.’

The fierce moments were very brief. Even if there was impressive combat power, only a few actually saw it.

‘The tone of that last commander…’

Revealing his name and then telling them to get lost while fleeing had worked effectively.

If that was all it took to make them leave, they wouldn’t have come this far.

If it was intentional, it was a very appropriate provocation.

A provocation that made it easy for the enemies to be deceived.

‘If it were me.’

Krais briefly imagined himself as the enemy commander.

Repeating ‘If it were me’ several times, he observed the enemy’s movements.

He saw the enemy forces moving from atop the wall.

They were flustered but had no intention of retreating. They were flustered, but there was no fear among them.

Their troops were regrouping. He remembered how they had retreated in an orderly manner after chasing them. It was a sign of well-trained regular soldiers.

The enemy’s fighting spirit was still strong.

‘They underestimate us.’

Their confidence came from underestimating this side.

Reasons for their confidence? Plenty.

They had superior numbers, were well-trained, and had received more reinforcements than necessary.

Added to this was the story, deliberately concealed but still spread, of Encrid’s prowess.

‘Do they see it as bluffing? Do they think we’re just puffing up in fear?’

Maybe. It wasn’t entirely certain, but it seemed likely.

It would be helpful to know the name or disposition of the enemy commander, but that would require the Gilpin Guild to elevate itself to the level of an Intelligence Guild.

‘That would double the work.’

Now was the perfect time. Earning just enough Krona was ideal.

Krais organized his thoughts. The enemy commander hadn’t grasped their full strength, and his side had a very sharp sword.

‘It would be good if they were fools.’

Not suspicion, but confirmation bias—those who wouldn’t change their minds once they believed they were right.

If so, no grand strategy would be necessary.

All of this was the result of Encrid’s whimsy.

Stepping out to smash the mangonels and then returning immediately.

If he had fought longer and revealed his strength, the story might have been different.

‘But did the captain intend all of this?’

That was something he could ask.

“What are you doing?”

Vengeance, who was leading the archers, asked. Krais kept muttering to himself, looking as if he was possessed by an evil spirit.

Vengeance hated ghosts and spirits. They were the cause of his sleepless nights.

“I was just organizing my thoughts.”

“Is that so?”

Vengeance doubted anything would change just because Krais organized his thoughts.

But in Krais’s mind, the future of the battlefield was unfolding.

Scenarios for victory were unraveling in his head.

He had no intention of sharing them, though.

Krais believed everyone would act on their own.

* * *

“Are you okay?”

Rem asked as they entered the Border Guard.

Encrid examined himself. Was he injured anywhere?

No, he wasn’t. There hadn’t been any real danger.

It was just a light warm-up.

Why not? Even though it was an improvised operation, it seemed doable, so he went ahead with it.

Of course, Martai’s side thought it was an ambush prepared for days with significant resource investment, but that wasn’t the case at all.

It was just something he did because it seemed feasible, partly as a warm-up.

“I think you might have hit your head.”

Rem spoke with a serious face, without a hint of a smile.

Ragna, standing next to him, also looked at Encrid, as did Rem and Audin.

“Do you have a fever?”

Finn was the last to ask. Encrid felt sad that there was no sense of romance in their hearts.

He understood why they were reacting this way.

It was because he revealed his name at the end.

“I was just feeling spirited.”

There was nothing to hide, so he said it outright. Instead of teasing, Rem, uncharacteristically, let out an impressed ‘Hoo’.

“Woohoo!”

A cheer-like sound came from above Encrid’s returning unit.

Since he had gone out and destroyed the siege weapons, this reaction was expected.

Amid the cheering.

“Spirited, huh.”

Ragna muttered, deep in thought.

Encrid had just acted on a whim.

Ahead, he saw Krais, who had descended from the gallery.

“Provoking and planting seeds of doubt in the enemy’s mind was intentional… or not. Ah, never mind. So, why did you say your name?”

Many had asked why he revealed his name. Encrid repeated the same answer.

“Spirited, it just felt right.”

“That’s a bit… um, okay. That’s cool.”

Passing Krais, he saw a group of allied commanders.

“You destroyed all the siege weapons?”

Marcus said, with a slight smile on his face, or was it just his imagination?

Encrid nodded nonchalantly.

“Good!”

That was the end of it.

“My name is Sinar. Approach now, and you can have me.”

The Fairy Company Commander approached slyly, muttering.

Fairy jokes, would they ever get old?

“Did you hurt your head?”

“No, if not for my health, I’d be dead. Do you perhaps have a preference for sickly girls?”

Was there any point in continuing this conversation? Encrid shook his head and backed away.

“Don’t let your guard down!”

Marcus encouraged the troops from the front.

“We will win!”

The timing was perfect. Encrid had just returned as the hero of the moment.

Cheers erupted. The war had just begun, but their morale was incredibly high.

This was the first day of the battlefield.

Shortly after, the next day began.

“You’re going out again today, right?”

Krais approached and asked. Encrid had just finished his morning training.

Training even in this situation. Some of those who saw it shook their heads in disbelief.

Those who knew Encrid well just took it in stride.

“Where to?”

“Outside.”

“Why?”

Krais blinked.

“We need to keep them on their toes today as well.”

Encrid looked at him, wondering what he meant.

“Didn’t the Battalion Commander say anything?”

Krais asked in return.

Encrid nodded. All he had said was to rest well and fight well again. He had also mentioned to speak up if there was anything they needed.

There had been no comments about going out on their own and executing an ambush. Given the good outcome of the improvised operation and the authority they had been granted, Marcus had nothing to say.

“Act contrary to what the enemy expects and intends.”

Krais proclaimed loudly.

Encrid looked calmly at his wide-eyed subordinate who had raised his voice.

“It’s a fundamental principle of strategy and tactics.”

So?

Encrid’s eyes asked, prompting Krais to speak again.

The siege weapons were destroyed. The enemy would be considering a long-term battle. Repairing and resupplying the weapons while just threatening the Border Guard would favor Martai.

They had solidified their supply lines in the rear.

So, what should be done today?

It was so obvious to Krais, he was puzzled that no one had mentioned it.

“We should disrupt their supply lines.”

A basic principle of strategy and tactics.

Starve the enemy.

While they couldn’t literally starve them, they could definitely disrupt their supply lines and make them uneasy.

Easy to say, hard to execute. The enemy wasn’t stupid, they would be on guard.

But here they had Encrid and the Madmen Platoon.

“Unconventional forces operate outside the enemy’s expectations.”

Fewer than ten men. They could strike out and disrupt the enemy.

“Nyaa.”

Esther, who had been absent all night, meowed and looked directly at Encrid.

After hearing Krais, Encrid nodded.

It didn’t seem like a bad idea. His instincts told him it was worth a try.

“Want to come along?”

He casually asked Esther, who immediately stood up and moved beside him.

Thus, the next operation was decided.

On the first day, they targeted the siege weapons. On the second day, they would target the supply lines.

Naturally, they planned to go out at night.

“Krais, go report to the higher-ups. Tell them we’re going for a night stroll.”

Just after sunset, Encrid began gathering his equipment. Rem, Ragna, Audin, and Finn also stepped forward.

“Audin, you…”

“Yes, brother. I’ll stay behind.”

Audin was too conspicuous with his large build. He also left Finn behind. Ragna was also asked to stay out of this one.

Finn could be at risk, and Ragna might get lost. They couldn’t afford to let him become known as ‘The lost one on the battlefield’.

“Rem, Jaxon.”

“Good. That’s fine. Even if we don’t need the stray cat, he can at least carry some stuff.”

“It’s better to leave behind the dumb barbarian.”

Despite their constant bickering, there were no better comrades to take into battle.

“We’ll be back.”

Encrid set off as if he were going to the market to buy some bread.

And indeed, when Encrid returned, he brought back bread.

“This is quite tasty.”

Everyone marveled at the taste of the bread that Encrid brought back.

It was indeed delicious bread, and naturally, it was taken from the enemy’s supply lines.

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