Chapter 350: The Fall of the Marquisate

“Sir, this is a message... from the enemy,” the knight announced as he handed over a scroll. In the tense silence of the fortress, all eyes turned toward the parchment.

“What does it say?” Azif asked, casting a worried glance toward Bran Gamunt. As Bran began reading, his expression grew darker, confirming Azif’s worst fears.

“

Sigh...

”

The cut on his neck, made by Lakna, still throbbed. But Azif knew all too well—if Karyl had put just a little more strength into his strike, it wouldn’t have been just a wound; his head would have rolled. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“The letter suggests surrender. It claims that this is the best way for both sides to avoid unnecessary casualties. If we comply with their demands, they promise the soldiers within the fortress will be spared.”

“Surrender?" Azif bit his lip in frustration. The thought of surrendering voluntarily was unthinkable for a proud knight of the empire. However, the nightlong roars of the tortured Red Dragon had already shattered the morale of the soldiers. Their will to fight was gone.

“What do you intend to do? Surely you don’t mean to surrender. The empire still has a 500,000-strong army, and Lord Jarvant commands 300,000 in the south. If we can hold out long enough to join forces with them, those bastards will—”

“When?” Bran cut him off, his tone weary.

“...What?”

“Sir Jarvant is up against Digon, the tribe that rules the south. Their leader, Miliana, is a Sword Master, and her tactical prowess rivals that of any imperial knight. The empire’s numerical advantage might secure victory eventually, but it won’t be a quick battle.”

Bran handed the scroll to Azif as he went on, “With the death of Sir Cam Gray, the command of the main force is vacant. While there is a likely candidate... considering the current situation, the emperor will hesitate to appoint them."

Azif frowned at Bran’s cryptic words.

“The choice for the next commander is obvious. It’s Sir Kuwell MacGovern,” Bran explained.

The Blue Knights were the only order that had yet to join the imperial war. As the defenders of the northern borders, the Blue Knights were, in practice, the most battle-hardened warriors in the empire, and so, many people had been wondering why they hadn’t been deployed yet.

The problem is that there’s no other choice. Though they share no blood, those two are still father and son. The real question is... how will they handle the backlash from the vassals?

Bran examined the military map spread out before him, deep in thought.

“Then... are we without options?” Azif pleaded, his voice trembling with frustration.

“Not entirely.”

“Oh? What are you thinking?” Azif pressed.

“...Dragons.”

Azif failed to conceal his disappointment. The dragons, which were supposed to be their greatest advantage, had already lost their imposing presence. The Red Dragon, once believed to be their ultimate weapon, was now being tortured right outside their walls.

“Strangely enough, this could be an opportunity. If the dragons in the capital find out what has happened to the Red Dragon, they will all come here. Not even Karyl could take on all of them at once.”

“So... this crisis could be our chance?” Azif muttered, hope rekindling in his voice.

“Our task is to hold the fortress until the other dragons arrive. Fortunately, this fortress was designed to withstand sieges from the south. We have time, but we must use it wisely.”

“For now, we bunker down and wait...” Azif clenched his fists, gripping the scroll tightly. His eyes fell on the final sentence of the letter.

A life for a life. Remember that cut. There won’t be a second chance.

“...”

The warning felt all too personal. Azif unwittingly reached up and touched the scar on his neck, the one left by Karyl’s blade.

Knock, knock—

The heavy silence shattered as a knock sounded at the door. It creaked open.

“...!!”

“...!!”

Both Bran Gamunt and Azif were momentarily stunned by the unexpected visitor.

***

“Just as I expected.”

“Of course.”

“They’re withdrawing their forward positions in the courtyard. Looks like they’re preparing to defend for a long time,” Anthem observed as he watched the imperial forces scurry about inside the fortress.

“They won’t give up easily while they still have soldiers left. The moment Python fell, they began pulling back their troops. Since their losses have been minimized, their remaining strength is essentially even with ours. Now that the dragon has been neutralized, the balance is restored,” Karyl explained, sipping casually from his cup.

“In the end, we’ll have to storm the fortress,” Anthem continued. “The enemy’s leadership is stronger than we anticipated. If they focus entirely on defense, breaching the fortress will become difficult.”

Karyl smirked, his eyes glinting with amusement as he looked at Anthem.

“That’s exactly what I wanted. Frankly, if they had come out to rescue the dragon, it would have been more of a hassle. Given his sheer size, he would’ve hindered our movements,” he said, gesturing toward Python.

The massive dragon, restrained and utterly defeated, occupied a considerable portion of the battlefield.

“Not to mention, if we had to constantly keep an eye on Python to make sure he’s not freed during the fight, we wouldn’t be able to fully utilize our forces. Bran Gamunt made the wrong move again. His strategic vision is limited. We will be the ones to trap them in that fortress, not the other way around,” Karyl declared.

“Most brilliant, my lord,” Anthem replied humbly, his voice low but respectful.

Karyl had said the two forces were evenly matched, but Anthem knew that wasn’t entirely true. After all, they had managed to deal with the sudden intervention of a dragon. Besides, Karyl himself was the real unpredictable variable. With him present and free to act, the battlefield had already tilted heavily in their favor.

“I already have the fortress’s weak points mapped out. As you know, the enemy will focus all their defenses on the main gate. That’s where they’ll try to hold us back. But conversely, that’s also the key. Once we breach the gate, the fortress will fall.”

“I understand,” Anthem replied, his voice filled with confidence. It seemed Karyl had already devised a plan for taking the fortress.

“They’ve likely already sent word to the capital. It might take time for the main force to march south, but if the remaining dragons are mobilized, our window of opportunity will close fast. By dawn, we’ll be standing on top of those walls, ready to greet them.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“We will carry out your orders.”

“Leave it to us.”

Karyl’s words ignited a renewed determination in Anthem and the other officers, who nodded firmly, their resolve to conquer the fortress stronger than ever.

***

“

Sigh

...”

As the night deepened, the soldiers keeping watch from the ramparts grew more wary, scanning their surroundings with sharp eyes.

“What time is it? It should be almost sunrise... but I can’t see a thing.”

“Hey, someone check the time.”

“What the hell is going on? What’s with all this fog...?”

The soldiers quickly waved their hands through the white haze that blocked out the light. Then suddenly, an acrid smell pricked their noses.

“Fire!!”

A shout came from somewhere, though the guards couldn’t tell from where exactly. They could only mill around in disarray. One of them stopped waving his hand as he realized that it wasn’t fog obscuring their vision.

“Is this... smoke?”

FWEEEE...!!

A sharp whistle pierced the air.

“Aagh!!”

“Aaaaah!!”

The next instant, a barrage of arrows rained down and the soldiers. Caught completely off guard, they helplessly fell one after the other.

“Where did they come from... all of a sudden?!”

“Find the enemy’s position immediately!”

“Scatter!”

“No, stop! Don’t let them scale the walls!”

Thrown into chaos by the sudden attack, the defending soldiers had no idea how to respond.

Fweee—!

Another whistle sounded.

“Urgh!!”

“Guh...! Kugh!”

The frantic soldiers were promptly silenced by another volley of arrows, embedding themselves in their throats and chests.

“This is incredible... I can hardly believe my eyes. The archery of the Flying Bow Tribe truly lives up to its reputation,” Anthem Howard murmured in admiration.

Kinu Mukari pinpointed his targets by sound alone, his arrows striking true even through the smokescreen.

“Compared to fighting a dragon, this much is nothing. What’s truly impressive is our lord’s ability to cast a spell that can engulf the entire fortress.”

Kinu Mukari pulled his bowstring again.

Swish—!!

Following the trajectory of his arrows, the archers of the Flying Bow unleashed their own shots without a hint of error.

“Aaagh!!”

“Argh!!”

Without fail, every arrow drew out a choked, agonized scream.

“Or perhaps... it’s you, Anthem, who’s remarkable for sending our lord to the death trap alone.”

Anthem turned to Kinu Mukari and gave a faint smile.

“Into the death trap, you say... I suppose that’s what everyone’s thinking. When the dragon was slain, the imperial army should have retreated immediately. Defending from within the fortress was the real mistake.”

Anthem raised his command baton slightly.

“In strategy, the ideal scenario for victory is to corner the enemy into a place they can’t escape while attacking safely from a secure position.”

“It’s an obvious principle, but it’s not easy to lure the enemy into a trap. You need a proper tactician for that, one who can devise a proper strategy.”

Anthem nodded at Kinu Mukari’s remark.

When he raised his arm, the warriors of the Lahu Tribe who were hidden within the fog identified the enemies’ positions and blew their whistles again.

Fweeep...!!

As the whistle echoed once more, Kinu Mukari adjusted his aim and fired precisely toward the sound.

Too few to dominate the Great Plains, the Lahu warriors had always relied on hunting to survive. Having spent their lives in the dungeons, they excelled at moving efficiently even with limited visibility.

Amidst the darkness and the smoke, they managed to accurately pinpoint the enemy’s location, signaling the Flying Bow to shoot.

“For people like us, this would have been impossible on our own,” Anthem remarked with a faint smile.

“Perhaps, but the reason we’re even able to operate so close to the fortress is because the empire’s troops retreated inside after Python’s defeat,” Anthem added, his smile turning into a bitter grin.

“A fortress is supposed to be the safest place on the battlefield. But our lord has turned that fortress into the most dangerous place for them.”

Kinu Mukari nodded in agreement, a subtle smile on his face.

“The fear stemming from the overwhelming power that brought down the dragon is what made this possible.”

“Of the five gates, four are decoys. The only real path in or out is the main gate. In other words, the imperial forces are now trapped inside,” Anthem continued, raising his hand.

“The gate will open soon.”

At that signal, the cavalry of the Free Army surged forward.

“The enemy may be more terrified of our lord running wild inside the fortress than facing the army outside,” Anthem remarked with a grim satisfaction.

“Forcing them to open their own gates rather than us breaking through... a cruel tactic, indeed.”

“Only our lord could pull this off.” Anthem nodded.

“After all, if even a dragon could not stop him, what hope do humans have?”

“Still... the enemy’s tactician is not to be underestimated,” Anthem added with a frown.

“What makes you think that?”

BOOM—!!

The sound of the fortress gate being shattered echoed through the night.

Step, step, step...

Karyl strode past the broken gate, walking confidently into the heart of the fortress. No one in the imperial ranks dared to challenge him. It felt like death itself was emerging from the smoke.

“Bran Gamunt, we meet again.” Karyl’s voice, barely above a whisper, cut through the heavy silence as he approached the central square of the fortress, where Bran stood.

“Stop! Stay back!” the imperial guards shouted, though their trembling swords betrayed their fear.

Karyl merely glanced at them before looking away, uninterested.

“It seems that against overwhelming power, strategy and tactics lose their meaning. I can’t believe the gate would fall in one blow.” Karyl shrugged.

“If we had fully defended the gate, perhaps it wouldn’t have fallen so easily. Maybe we could’ve stalled long enough for the dragons to arrive,” Bran replied, a bitter smile on his lips.

“But in doing so, you would’ve sacrificed all 100,000 imperial soldiers in the process,” Karyl argued as he scanned the surroundings. “So you evacuated most of your forces, leaving behind only a small contingent to hold the line,” he went on with a nod of approval.

“I see now. You made us believe your troops were scrambling in fear from the smoke I used, but in reality, they used the smoke as a cover for their retreat. So you anticipated my use of smoke, turning my own tactic against me.”

Karyl was genuinely impressed. Bran had managed to exploit the chaos he had created, turning it into a smokescreen for a strategic retreat.

“There must’ve been a secret escape route we didn’t know about.” Karyl’s expression darkened as the realization struck. “Someone who knew about that route... the empress.”

A hollow laugh escaped Karyl’s lips.

“The empress... the forgotten card. It makes sense that she’d know about the secret passages. After all, this is her brother’s land.”

Bran nodded in acknowledgment.

“The empress has a tenacious hold on life,” Karyl remarked. “She’s likely bargaining with Olivurn for her survival, using the retreat of the 100,000 troops as a condition. But why did you stay behind? From where I stand, your talent is more valuable than the empress’s life.”

Bran made no response.

“You stayed behind to deceive me, didn’t you? To make it appear as though the fortress was still defended,” Karyl said, already knowing the answer. “My offer still stands, you know. What do you say?”

Bran frowned for a second, but then his expression relaxed.

“I’m sorry. I am an imperial. The future I wish to paint is not one of peace for all, but one of the sake of the empire’s glory,” Bran said resolutely.

“...I see.” Karyl gave a bitter chuckle.

No matter how many times he relived this life, and no matter how much talent he recognized in others, he couldn’t win over every heart. If everyone shared the same vision, perhaps all that tragedy wouldn’t have occurred in his past life.

Still, Karyl’s rueful expression betrayed his disappointment. He couldn’t help but recall Bran Gamunt’s great deeds during the war against the Tarak.

Is there truly no room for two geniuses under the same sky?

he lamented.

In this life, Anthem Howard had survived where he had once perished, and now Bran Gamunt, who had achieved great things in his past life, would die at Karyl's hand.

“Bran Gamunt, you have saved 100,000 lives today,” Karyl sighed, slowly raising his sword to Bran’s neck. “A noble act, worthy of praise.”

Bran smiled faintly as he closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

Following a brief moment of quiet reverence, Karyl swung his blade.

Shing!

“I won’t forget. I shall ingrain your name into the history I make.”