Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: One-Man Siege Warfare (1)
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Far from the main castle stood a small fortress called Bibuak.
Bibuak's walls were high and sheer, but the provisions stockpiled inside were scant.
It was a fortress built long ago to check pirates crossing the sea.
But after the sea froze over, turning into an endless icy plain, it lost nearly all strategic value and was all but abandoned.
And deep within this Bibuak fortress, Serubret was throwing a tantrum.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
He hurled everything he could grab while bellowing.
Crash!
A cheap vodka bottle shattered against the fireplace.
Like flames raging from strong liquor, Serubret's fury blazed.
"How in the world! How the hell did that Meursault bastard swallow up Tochika Fortress! How!"
Serubret still couldn't accept reality.
"......"
"......"
"......"
The old rangers standing behind him said nothing.
The fall of Tochika Fortress had shocked them too.
The iron bastion that had never once allowed an invader through in its long history had fallen into enemy hands.
And to just over thirty foes, no less.
What's more, quite a few rangers had died or been crippled by stray arrows during the retreat.
Serubret flung whatever he could grab.
Anything he couldn't throw, he kicked to pieces.
One old ranger with his left eye covered by a black patch stepped forward.
"Patriarch. Please calm down. In times like these, you must respond coolly..."
"Shut your mouth! Do I look like I can calm down right now!"
Serubret yanked a burning log from the fireplace and threw it.
Thwack!
The half-burnt log struck the old ranger's forehead.
Embers and ash scattered.
A trickle of blood ran down the old ranger's forehead.
"......"
"......"
"......"
The Furosange rangers squeezed their eyes shut and turned away.
One of them let out a very faint, but unmistakable, sigh.
Serubret lifted his bloodshot eyes.
"Who was it?"
"......"
"Who just sighed?"
"......"
No one stepped forward.
Serubret drew the sword at his waist.
"Daring to mock your patriarch's actions? Which one of you? Come out! I said come out!"
Serubret spat as he roared.
But none of the rangers moved.
"Oh, protecting each other, eh? Fine, let's see how long you hold out. I'll root out that bastard and rip out his tongue..."
"Enough, Patriarch."
The old ranger stepped forward.
He spoke without even wiping the blood trickling from his forehead.
"In such dire straits, every seasoned ranger is a major asset. You mustn't waste them carelessly."
"You teaching me right now?"
"It's no shame to learn. The wise find lessons even from a three-year-old child."
"I spoil you lot, and now you climb right over my head. Say one more word. I'll lop your head off first."
"......"
The old ranger closed his eyes at those words.
Serubret sneered.
"Not even worth talking to anymore? Your basics are rotten. Fine. You'll be the example..."
At that moment, a woman opened the door to Serubret's room.
"Oh? Did I come at a bad time?"
Shedioldis, the lilac-haired mage.
Serubret ground his teeth at her appearance.
"You bitch! I went out because you said it was fine, and look what happened! My son dead, fortress stolen!"
"I'm sorry. I didn't expect that Meursault whelp to go this berserk..."
Shedioldis trailed off, then smiled with her eyes.
"But in the end, Meursault will self-destruct."
"What? Why?"
"They're moving all the Tochika territory's people to Meursault."
"!"
Serubret's face twisted at her words.
Shedioldis continued.
"I scryed with the crystal orb. Tochika Fortress is on fire right now. The Meursault bastards are burning the granaries."
"Madmen! Why!?"
"To make it impossible to hold even if Furosange recaptures Tochika. By evacuating everyone inside."
"Won't that tank their public support?"
"Exactly."
Shedioldis nodded and added,
"Federback. That young master acts like he'll only rule the North for a week. He has no clue how decades pass just recovering lost hearts."
"Hmm... Doesn't care about the people at all. A real tyrant. He won't last."
Serubret nodded.
He knew their flaws, but that didn't change his dead eldest son or the lost main castle.
"Meursault losing the people is a future problem... But Furosange's crisis is right here, right now, isn't it?"
"That's why we must act fast."
"Act?"
"Federback took Tochika alone, but he can't hold it. That's why he's burning supplies and preparing to withdraw. No food left there now, so where next?"
"Right! Yeah! He'll take the territory folk to Meursault!"
"You get it? Chase them now and kill him."
"You're right! Why didn't I think of that! I got caught up bickering with these rice-wasters!"
Serubret turned to the old rangers.
"Orders! Mobilize now and bring me Federback's head!"
"Patriarch, the soldiers are exhausted."
"Shut it! You gonna let Federback escape while we sit!?"
"Patriarch, right now..."
Serubret roared, sword drawn, at the old ranger's words.
"No more backtalk! Or I'll cut you down myself!"
The old rangers had no choice but to issue mobilization orders to the soldiers again.
...But then.
"Big trouble!"
A young ranger rushed in to report.
"A-an attack! Meursault has attacked!"
"What? They're not fleeing?"
Serubret asked incredulously.
Shedioldis kept her cool and asked,
"Probably just a few to buy time for Federback to escape. Discard pawns, essentially. So, how many of these reckless fools?"
"Th-that is..."
The young ranger answered in bewilderment.
"One!"
"...What?"
Serubret and Shedioldis went blank.
The young ranger squeezed his eyes shut and finished the report.
"Federback Meursault! That one man's scaled the walls and is rampaging inside!"
Deep into the night.
Federback climbed the walls with a sword and shield strapped to his back.
Infusing mana into his fingertips and pressing the wall.
Crunch...
The wall's stones sank in like soft clay.
'Climbing walls barehanded is basic for a hero party warrior.'
He'd scaled countless walls like this in the Great Demon War.
'Alone is best.'
Federback had his ten escorts wait below a distant hillock away from the walls, then moved solo.
The highest, steepest wall had fewer sentries.
Federback smeared his hair and face black with campfire ash and hid in the shadows.
When he reached right under the sentry thistle, Federback pulled a matchbox from his bosom.
Inside were piled long, thin hairs.
Hoo.
Federback blew, and the hairs floated up on the wind.
Soon, the sentries atop the wall reacted.
"Ugh... Weird. Why's my body so itchy?"
"Achoo! Ptoo! Ugh—keep sneezing... Snot too..."
"Eyes stinging. Someone give me water. Ow, whole face burning now."
The black hairs irritated their skin red and raw.
The thin skin around eyes and nose swelled pus-filled.
Federback nodded.
'Good call shaving Zuba Pofi's hairs.'
Zuba Pofi, the nightmare-eating tyrant spider flood.
Descendant of the giant spider Kunni Baven that ruled the Mythic Age, it left Federback many gifts even in death.
With the giant spider's hairs diverting the sentries, Federback vaulted the parapet onto the wall.
What followed was predictable.
Stab!
Federback's ash-smeared dagger, non-reflective, plunged into the sentry's back without resistance.
"Guh!?"
The soldier, lungs and back pierced, couldn't even scream—just gaped and toppled forward.
Federback donned the dead sentry's clothes and approached the one on the opposite side.
He was sneezing nonstop from Zuba Pofi's hairs, missing his comrade's death.
"Wha—what hap...?"
As the second sentry looked up, Federback's sword moved.
Slash.
A long gash across the throat; the sentry slumped dazed.
Federback impaled the bodies on spears and fixed them to the wall.
From below, it looked like two soldiers on normal watch.
Wearing the dead sentries' clothes, Federback descended the stairs toward the inner wall.
A few torch-bearing soldiers patrolled inside, checking supply positions.
Federback raised a hand.
"You there. Standing watch properly?"
"Y-yes! All good on duty! No anomalies!"
The soldiers saluted at Federback's casual superior tone.
Federback nodded.
"Why just you lot? Where's the rest?"
"Ah, they split left and right up ahead. We're left, other three on right."
"Splitting forces risks defeat in detail. Who set the watch like that?"
"Huh? Hyaal Ranger did!"
"Ah, Hyaal? Where's he at?"
"Probably guard post by the gate!"
"Got it. Oh, who's there now? Thinking of grabbing some vodka."
"Just Hyaal Ranger. Was with us but got thrown on watch... Uh, if I may, which ranger unit...?"
The soldiers eyed Federback's uniform suspiciously.
Too commanding for a grunt's garb.
Federback nodded.
"Meursault division."
"Pfft, haha—"
As the soldiers laughed it off as a joke.
Flash.
Sword light scattered.
The three soldiers collapsed without screams.
Federback shoved the corpses into a nearby snowdrift and covered them.
'Gonna poke a few dog holes lightly tonight.'
To guerrilla in and out for days, he needed three or four wall holes.
Dig in a remote spot, pour slush, freeze, snow over—undetectable till spring thaw.
To re-enter, melt the ice plug with oil and torch.
'Holes done, but to not leave empty-handed, clean out the gate guard post too?'
Federback drew his sword and headed for the gate.
Crunch—crunch—crunch.
Each step imprinting in the snow filled with terror and chaos.