Chapter 249

The resistance of Porcana was as fierce as Duke Lungell had warned. The fortress built on the sloping hill was a high ground that was hard to capture.

"Fire!"

Duke Lungell watched the barbarians swarming in with dirty faces. The crossbowmen worked in pairs, repeatedly loading and firing. The soldiers of Porcana, seasoned by the recent civil war, were no easy opponents.

"Just thoughtlessly charging up is going to result in heavy losses."

Urich propped his chin and surveyed the battlefield. He commanded the trumpeter to order a retreat.

The retreat trumpet was sounded. The warriors raised their shields and awkwardly shuffled back.

"If we launch an all-out attack, it shouldn’t be too difficult to take down their fortress, Great Chief," Katagi shouted, ready to lead the charge.

"For this battle, we need to focus on minimizing the number of casualties. If we suffer heavy losses here, we won't have enough strength to fight the imperial army."

Urich scratched his cheek, deep in thought.

‘I thought it would be worth negotiating if Varca were here...’

The commander of Porcana's army was currently Duke Lungell, who didn’t have even a bit of goodwill toward Urich.

"Hmm, that commander over there won't give way. Georg, what do you think?"

Urich called Georg for his opinion.

"If he turns the absence of the king into an opportunity and successfully pulls off a heroic defense, the consensus around him will greatly improve. The only way a kingdom like Porcana could have gathered that magnitude of force would be by rallying men from all over their land. If they defeat us here, Duke Lungell will become a more popular noble than the king. A man with ambition would probably choose to die here rather than surrender."

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Georg was a man who knew history. Knowing the past allowed one to read the present and even the future. The greatest treasure of civilization was the written word which could leave records.

"So, we have no choice but to launch an all-out attack, even with the likely casualties. Call the civilized mercenaries and prepare the siege weapons."

Georg lightly nodded at Urich's words. As Urich's long-time confidant, Georg wielded significant power within the alliance. The number of civilized mercenaries under his command reached two thousand, which was more than what most chiefs had.

‘Me, who was nothing but a mere slave, now commands two thousand men.’

It was something that was unimaginable in the civilized world. No matter how exceptional a slave was, they could not surpass the limits of their status. The highest honor a slave could attain was becoming a freeman.

‘Here, I am treated well. I am in a position that matches, or even surpasses, my abilities.’

His chest swelled with pride. He was looking at the infinite possibilities.

‘If Urich were to establish a nation, I would be the chancellor. Who else could take on such a role?’

His heart pounded. While there was the imminent threat of the imperial army, it wasn’t like they had absolutely no chance of victory.

"Georg, the catapults are assembled."

An engineer in chainmail informed Georg. The civilized mercenaries were an indispensable force for the alliance army, and they were treated accordingly. Their priority for loot after the siege was quite high.

"The Great Chief will give the attack order. Stand by until then."

Georg moved among the mercenaries, his cloak fluttering. The unit was a mix of former slaves and deserters from the empire.

Georg captured the attention of enough mercenaries before giving a speech.

"We are mercenaries! We earn as much as we work, and we take as much as we fight! If you have the ability, you will be treated accordingly! If you want something, fight for it! If you achieve merit, you can have as much gold or silver as you desire!"

Georg emphasized meritocracy and equality, especially as he was a former slave himself.

"Ho!"

The mercenaries, already motivated by the rewards they had been receiving, shouted out.

"Did the so-called honor of being civilized ever provide you with bread? Or give you wine? We follow those who pay us! The nobles have taken what was ours from us until now, so now it's our turn to take from them!"

Georg openly antagonized the nobles. The mercenaries, formed mostly of lower-class people, were easily unified in their shared animosity.

Georg's eloquence was flashy yet easy to understand for everyone. He even eased the guilt of betraying the civilized world.

‘We are not betraying the civilized world. All we are doing is getting our revenge on the nobles. The bastards who had been stealing from us!’

The mercenaries thought so as they loaded stones onto the catapults.

"Whew."

Georg drank from a water bottle, soothing his dry throat. He turned to look at Porcana’s border fortress.

‘That place will soon become a hellhole just like the others.’

He had already seen plenty of times the fate of those who did not surrender.

The faces of the men pushing the catapults were red from the exertion.

Creak, creak.

About twenty catapults advanced to their firing range. The siege engineers secured the catapults to the ground. The operation of the catapults was on par with the imperial army elite. Recognizing the importance of siege weapons early on, the alliance paid the siege engineers and other technical soldiers in chests of gold and silver.

"Pull! Heave, ho!"

Operating the alliance’s catapults required at least fifty men. They pulled the counterweights with all their strength to load the catapults.

The ones most startled by the appearance of the catapults were the soldiers of Porcana. The soldiers on the walls screamed.

“They have catapults!”

"How are the barbarians operating catapults?"

Duke Lungell’s eyes widened. The operation method of catapults wasn't something that could be learned overnight. It required specialized personnel.

Bang!

A stone flew over the wall, breaking off the top edge. The soldier hit by the stone couldn't even scream before turning into a bloody mess.

"Lower your heads! Duck!"

The soldiers ducked their heads under the catapult assault.

Crash!

Stones continued to pound the walls.

"Uuugh, it's over. We’re all going to die."

The morale of Porcana’s soldiers plummeted. The walls of the border fortress were built for gatekeeping. They were not sturdy enough to withstand a catapult attack.

"The attack has stopped! Repair the walls before they start again!"

The knights shouted. The soldiers tore down buildings inside the fortress to use them as materials to patch the walls. They looked on at the plunderers with their eyes filled with fear.

‘Why aren't they attacking again right away?’

Duke Lungell cautiously raised his head above the wall. The plunderers, who had been bombarding them with catapults, had suddenly fallen silent.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

A man on horseback crossed between the two armies. It was a situation where he could easily be killed by a stray attack at any moment.

"Stop the attack."

Urich raised his hand and observed the situation.

A hooded traveler approached the fortress gate.

"Remove your hood!"

The knight guarding the gate aimed a crossbow and shouted. The traveler on horseback slowly pushed back his hood.

"Tell the person in charge that the ruler of the kingdom has arrived," the man said.

He showed a dirty appearance and shabby face, but his eyes bore deep dignity.

The knight's eyes widened as he hurriedly descended from the wall.

"His Highness has arrived! The ruler of the kingdom, Varca Baneu Porcana is here!"

The knight's shout spread rapidly through the fortress, passing from soldier to soldier. Their king had bravely crossed the dangerous battlefield to get to them.

"King Varca is here?"

Duke Lungell's expression was complex. While he was glad to see Varca, he also felt a sense of disappointment as he realized that his opportunity had disappeared.

"Who is in charge of the fortress right now?"

Varca said as he threw off his dirty coat. He took a wet towel from a servant and wiped his dirty face. The soldiers knelt before the nobility frosted in his blue eyes.

"Oh, Your Highness!"

"King Varca has arrived! Kneel!"

It was as if they had met their savior. The soldiers’ and knights' morale soared with the king's appearance.

"Duke Lungell has taken charge, Your Highness."

"Report the situation, Duke Lungell! From now on, I, Varca Baneu Porcana, will take command of the fortress!"

Varca made his presence known as he toured the fortress. Despite the dire situation, the king's face was calm and relaxed. Hope surged in the soldiers' hearts.

"Your Highness, we were worried as we had lost contact with you after you went to the empire."

Duke Lungell, clad in armor, approached.

"Worried? Let's not kid ourselves here, duke. Protecting Porcana is our utmost priority right now," Varca said sharply. Duke Lungell shrugged his shoulders.

‘Hmph, it would have been better if that brat had died somewhere on the way here. Lou, is the throne truly not in my fate?’

Duke Lungell's ambition was over. Instead of defending the fortress, Varca had arrived at the most critical moment as if this was the plan all along.

‘The throne is not earned by effort but granted by Lou.’

Duke Lungell realized the meaning of those words. One could not obtain the throne through effort alone.

"Report in detail. Leave nothing out," Varca gathered the nobles and said to them.

Time was of the essence. They never knew when the plunderers would attack again.

Varca massaged under his eyes as he caught his breath. He had ridden nonstop, sleeping on horseback, to return to the Porcana Kingdom.

‘This is the worst situation I could have come back to. It would have been better to arrive before the attack started.’

He had heard about the attack on Porcana from the refugees he had run into along the way.

"The barbarians demanded we open the gates and provide them with food. That simply cannot happen."

The nobles protested. Varca looked at Duke Lungell amid the chaotic meeting room.

"Was Urich among the plunderers’ commanders?"

When Varca said this, Duke Lungell's eyes widened.

‘How does he know that?’

Duke Lungell nodded in affirmation.

"He’s not just a commander, Your Highness. He is the leader of the plunderer horde. The ungrateful barbarian Urich is attacking us!"

The nobles all jumped in and cursed Urich’s name.

‘We can’t really call him ungrateful,’

Varca thought.

After all, Varca was the one who owed a favor. But despite that, it was true that the close friend, Urich the barbarian, had invaded Porcana.

‘Of all people, Urich, why did you attack us?’

That answer had to be heard directly from him.

"Send a messenger to the barbarians. We are going to renegotiate," Varca declared as he tilted his head slightly to the side. His eyes observed the nobles' confused expressions.

"Renegotiate? Your Highness! Both they and we have already shed blood!"

Varca opened his dry lips to the nobles' objections.

"Do you know how I ended up coming here looking like some vagrant?"

Varca's voice was deep, belying his age.

Though no one had pointed out because of how chaotic the current situation was, the disappearance of the king was a significant event. Varca was the only one in this room who knew the full story.

"I, Varca Baneu Porcana, was detained by the emperor and barely escaped. The attendants who were with me have likely already returned to Lou's side."

It was shocking news. The nobles murmured among themselves. No one dared to cast a speculation hastily.

‘Has the empire become our enemy?’

‘Why did the emperor detain His Highness?’

The nobles waited for Varca's next words.

"Emperor Yanchinus did not trust Porcana or me. He tried to keep me, a king, locked inside the capital. Of course, if we request to join hands with the empire again, the emperor will gladly accept us. But the emperor is a man who wants to control Porcana according to his will, even if that requires detaining the king. Even if we join hands with the empire to drive out the barbarians, we will not be able to protest this humiliation. We would only be like dogs, who wag their tails without fail even after getting beaten with a stick."

It was a matter of pride. The kingdom could not utter a word of protest even when their king was detained. The nobles with strong anti-imperial sentiments unanimously cursed the empire.

‘Even King Varca, who is in the pro-imperial faction, was humiliated by the empire.’

In a way, the empire was a more long-standing enemy than the barbarians. They had conquered this land just fifty years ago.

"We must make a decision. We do not have much time. My honorable guardians of Porcana, whichever side we choose, we will lose our honor and pride."

Varca squinted his blue eyes, waiting for the nobles' reactions.