NOVEL NEXT Chapter 278
278 – We Live Together, We Die Together. (1)
The first battle in a war is more important than one might think.
Based on the opponent’s military strength assessed during the first encounter, plans can be made on how to conduct the war.
Harold fell into deep thought as he looked at Baron Hutton, who returned with serious injuries.
“They’re stronger than expected.”
He thought he could conquer them in an instant. However, the Penris Army not only had intense momentum but also had incredibly strong individual soldiers.
It was obvious from afar that the enemy commander was formidable. That’s why they had deployed their most powerful tactics, yet here was Baron Hutton, returning with such grave injuries.
“Are you all right?”
“……I’m sorry, Count.”
Baron Hutton’s face was pale, and he couldn’t even get up properly.
Despite hastily downing a potion, recovery wasn’t easy. Wounds inflicted by mana were like that. The energy would run rampant, hindering recovery.
The stronger the enemy, the longer that energy remained, making it hard to heal quickly regardless of how many potions or divine powers were poured in.
Harold gazed thoughtfully at Baron Hutton for a moment and asked, “What do you think? How was the experience against their strength? Should we push our soldiers further?”
“Conquering is certainly possible, but… the damage would be considerable. To minimize losses, we’d need to take our time.”
“Hmm… We don’t have much time left either.”
“Then, allowing extensive damage wouldn’t benefit us, right?”
That was true. Conquering Penris and killing Ghislaine wouldn’t be the end. They also had to take Perdium, and then fight the Crown Prince Faction for a long time afterward.
If they lost more than half their troops in the process of conquering Penris and Perdium, it would become challenging to stand against the Crown Prince Faction.
They needed to maintain at least 20,000 troops to prevent others from easily reaching out for them.
“That Amelia refuses to listen to me now. I told her to join up right away.”
If Amelia had joined them on time, their options would have been broader than they were now. But now Raybold, too, was under the combined forces of several northern lords, making it truly impossible to move.
So Harold found himself in a bind.
“Should I take a bit more time?”
Fighting against an army of 10,000 with only 1,000 felt like a daunting task. If they forced their way through against such powerful elite troops, the losses would be huge.
He didn’t want to incur significant losses here, which would dampen his allies’ morale.
Yet taking a long time wasn’t practical given the circumstances surrounding them. They needed to conquer that fortress as soon as possible.
Baron Hutton cautiously spoke up to Harold, who was deep in thought.
“Perhaps… we should consider a negotiation?”
“Negotiation?”
“Yes, I’ve heard that most of the Penris Army hails from lowly backgrounds. Especially that guy Gillian and the knights are said to be mercenaries.”
“Hmm…”
“It’s clear that Count Penris paid them a lot to gather them. You can tell just by looking at their equipment, right? Being treated well in the territory, they would have lived comfortably. He must have spent a fortune to keep such capable individuals bound to him.”
Harold nodded as if he agreed.
The higher the grade of mercenaries, the more exorbitant their hiring fees. However, if he was truly the food king of the north, he likely had the resources to sustain them.
Seeing Harold’s interest, Baron Hutton continued with more confidence.
“In the end, they are tied by money. They uphold their contractual obligations, but their true nature isn’t going anywhere. They can’t have deep loyalty to him.”
“So, you’re suggesting we promise them better treatment and negotiate?”
“Yes, they have excellent gear and skills, so their morale is high, but they must know that ultimately, they cannot win against us. The primary virtue of a mercenary isn’t to keep their word but to survive.”
“That makes sense.”
“It makes sense.”
“The commander of the fortress, Gillian, is a person too valuable for Count Penris to have under his command. If we could just win him over, things would become much easier moving forward.”
“Are you suggesting I give a high position to a dog that betrayed my master?”
“Mercenaries aren’t bound by loyalty anyway. They only do what’s expected of them for the price they’ve received. Once we conquer Penris, we can offer them much better treatment. Seeing how fiercely he fights despite being a mercenary shows he has some loyalty.”
Baron Hutton desperately tried to persuade Harold. Even though Gillian had inflicted a great wound on him, his strength was truly regrettable.
He was someone who could vie with him in swordsmanship, one of the best in the North.
If he had been in top condition—or if he hadn’t been pressed for time and fought to the end—he might have lost.
It was truly unfortunate for such a person to die so vainly in a place like this.
Harold nodded a few times.
“Indeed, it’s rare to find someone who can fight at your level in the North.”
Baron Hutton had been the swordsmanship instructor for Viktor, who was aiming for the title of the North’s best swordsman under Harold. He didn’t think Jurgen, the man known as the best swordsman in the North, was better than him.
After all, he was the lord of a territory, and aside from a full-blown war, he never had the chance to fight him. If war broke out and he faced Jurgen, the outcome was unpredictable.
After some contemplation due to Hutton’s persuasion, Harold nodded emphatically.
“Alright, let me take a few more days to think about it.”
An envoy with a white flag departed immediately from Desmond’s camp.
Gillian glared at the envoy and asked,
“Are you asking us to surrender?”
He still had a pale face because his wounds had not healed. His body was wrapped in bandages. The pain and fatigue were evident on his face, making it seem difficult for him to continue fighting.
The envoy briefly scanned Gillian from head to toe and spoke with an arrogant expression.
“That is correct. The Count promises you the best treatment.”
His tone was polite, but his expression was anything but. It oozed an aura like “What are you puny guys going to do?”
With an air of condescension, the envoy continued.
“I’ve heard most of you are mercenaries. I promise you more money and better treatment than you currently receive. It’s only natural for mercenaries to switch to employers offering better conditions, isn’t it?”
Lucas, standing next to Gillian, tightly gripped his spear. The other knights did the same.
They knew very well how they were perceived from the outside. They had lived their entire lives being looked down upon.
Still, to be treated so openly as disloyal scum was an insult.
Sssssssssss…
Killing intent began to rise from all around them. The envoy and his attendants felt a piercing pain.
The envoy stepped back slightly and laughed.
“Surely… you don’t really think you are knights, do you?”
“…….”
“You are not knights. You are merely mercenaries who have gotten stronger, with no sense of chivalry whatsoever. Face reality. There’s no need to throw away your lives for a thin contract, loyalty, and pride.”
The envoy leisurely lifted his head and looked around at the knights.
“Surviving until the end is a virtue for you. As mercenaries, of course. There’s no need to waste your precious lives here.”
He shattered their delusions and forced them to face reality. That way, they could truly see the fear looming before them.
That was the envoy’s strategy. There was no need to flatter those faced with a predetermined outcome.
They just needed to be made aware of reality.
“Desert Count Penris. Then you can sign a new contract with us. If necessary, we will even cover your penalty. We can easily earn it back quickly.”
“This bastard…”
Lucas, unable to hold back, stepped forward, radiating killing intent.
The envoy was inflicting wounds upon them not with a sword, but with words.
They were inflicting wounds upon themselves.
Honestly, in the past, they would have just chuckled and brushed it off without a care.
But now it was different.
Having grown alongside Ghislaine… they could no longer endure such insults and humiliation.
The other knights exhaled roughly, their bodies trembling. They wanted to kill the envoy right now.
Everyone looked at Gillian.
Gillian would not tolerate this. He was, after all, the most knightly among them and served the lord with the deepest loyalty.
“Tell the Count to give us some time. I need to persuade the others. And when you come back, bring not just words, but proper conditions.”
“……!”
The knights were momentarily stunned into silence, unable to say a word.
The envoy smirked as he glanced around at the knights, his expression dripping with mockery.
“Good choice. I suggest everyone think it over. You don’t want to waste your precious lives here, do you?”
With that, the envoy turned to leave. After a brief silence, Lucas thrust his spear toward Gillian’s neck and said,
“Instructor… is your life precious now?”
The tension crackled anew. You could feel his intent to strike depending on the answer.
One by one, the other knights began to raise their spears.
“I didn’t know you were such a coward. Did getting stabbed by the enemy once give you a taste of fear?”
“Are you saying you’re going to betray the lord now?”
“Thinking like that is why we are forever called the rootless scum.”
Gillian crossed his arms and surveyed the knights.
“What? A great opportunity has come, and no one wants to surrender together?”
“You little punk!”
Whoosh!
Without warning, Lucas lunged with his spear. But Gillian quickly dodged to evade it.
However, Lucas didn’t stop and swung the spear at Gillian’s face.
Thud!
Gillian easily caught the spear’s shaft. Lucas grimaced, trying to pull it free, but it wouldn’t budge.
With the spear still in hand, Gillian looked at the knights. Seeing their fierce determination, it seemed no one wanted to surrender.
With a slight chuckle, he continued.
“You fools. If they’re willing to give us time, refusing it right away would be foolish.”
“Huh?”
The knights appeared perplexed. Their anger from the insulting remarks had blinded them to that detail.
Gillian’s gaze sharpened.
“It’s fortunate that no one is thinking positively. We can worry about our pride later. Let out our rage against the enemy when we face them. For now, stalling is in the lord’s best interest.”
“O….”
“Our instructor is putting his pride aside and acting so brazenly.”
“Turns out he’s quite deep in thought, huh?”
With the misunderstanding cleared, the knights lowered their weapons and began to chuckle again.
Gillian shook his head at their antics.
“Silly fools.”
But that’s probably why Ghislaine liked them. They were always honest with their feelings and never carried out nefarious deeds behind the scenes.
“Either way, they won’t give us time forever. In the meantime, recover your mana and stamina.”
The knights scratched their heads awkwardly as they retreated.
Hearing the envoy’s report, Harold nodded with satisfaction.
“Indeed, lowborns are just that. They know nothing of honor and only chase after money.”
If they had truly been knights, Harold wouldn’t have easily believed them. But his preconceived notions about their humble origins blinded him.
It was common for such lowly folks to switch sides for better conditions.
“Still, it worked out well. We can minimize the damage. They’re quite skilled, so give them generous conditions.”
The envoy confidently reported success. So he could patiently wait with a generous heart.
About two days later, the envoy returned to the Penris camp. He emphasized the tremendous conditions they could offer.
The envoy went back to Penris’ camp and emphasized the tremendous conditions they could offer.
“This should be satisfactory. But haven’t you fully convinced them yet?”
Gillian said with a slightly troubled expression.
“The conditions are appealing, but there are still a few who are refusing, so please wait a bit longer. Some are unaware of the terms.”
As the envoy glanced around, he indeed saw a group of knights wearing expressions of discontent.
While more knights were siding with Gillian, it seemed not everyone had been convinced yet.
The envoy warned with sharp eyes.
“Tsk… We don’t have much time either. If you must, drop those who won’t comply. Such conditions won’t easily be given by any other place. I’ll return tomorrow.”
So, the envoy returned daily to pressure Gillian. The number of knights siding with Gillian was increasing, but the pace was far too slow.
The envoy suddenly realized a new fact.
“They are dragging this out, trying to negotiate for better terms!”
The envoy gritted his teeth. He couldn’t help but think they were pathetic fools who only cared about money.
Even in such a dire situation called war, they were playing games like this. Reluctantly, the envoy offered slightly better terms.
Still, Gillian asked for more time, wanting to convince everyone.
With such bickering, they wasted a full week. After receiving one last warning from Harold, the envoy came back sweating bullets.
“How much longer do you need? I can’t give any more time! Today is the last day!”
“There’s one left.”
When the envoy turned his head, he saw a knight standing alone with an indifferent expression.
“Who’s that?”
The answer came from the knight standing there. He spoke in a grave voice.
“I am Lucas. A genius in spear techniques.”
“Why are you refusing to surrender alone? Is it pride?”
“I’m too angry to talk.”
“Why are you angry?”
“Do you really not know why I’m angry?”
“……”
It was infuriating, but today was the last day. The envoy, not wanting to die, spoke soothingly.
“Uh… if I’ve committed any offense, I apologize. So please, just tell me.”
“What did you do wrong?”
“……”
“You’re apologizing without knowing what you did wrong?”
“……”
“Forget it, I won’t say. Now I’m even more upset.”
The envoy suppressed his boiling anger. If he didn’t take them today, he would really be a dead man.
Reluctantly, he spent hours persuading Lucas, pleading to know why he was angry.
Thanks to the envoy’s sincerity, Lucas’s mood slightly improved, and he casually threw out the reason.
“I don’t want to surrender because I don’t like the conditions. I have my own terms.”
“W-what are your terms? These conditions are already excellent! Following Count Desmond, you’ll live a life of luxury!”
“That’s not enough for me. I want a noble title and a small territory. I want to be a lord. That’s my mother’s dream for me.”
“T-this… insane…”
Demanding something utterly ridiculous from someone of such lowly status! Of course, this insane guy wouldn’t be persuaded.
The envoy shouted at Gillian.
“Just kill him! All the other knights have already been convinced!”
“I refuse.”
“W-what?!”
“We live together and die together. Therefore, I cannot accept that proposal. If you give me about a week more, I will convince him.”
The envoy’s face turned pale. Hearing Gillian’s words, he finally understood.
‘They never intended to surrender from the start!’