Chapter 93
Chapter 93
'How will this turn out?'
Logan watched with eager eyes as the mages prepared their spells.
The personnel deployed consisted of all current members of the Golem Tower, excluding the still-young Victoria.
Clayton and his ten disciples—including his closest pupils, Grick, Enan, and Trus—each pulled out blue crystals of varying sizes from their robes.
They were magic stones, rare minerals formed from condensed natural mana.
As they began chanting spells in unison, the mana circles pulsating from their hearts visibly disturbed the surrounding atmosphere.
Soon after, the ten high-grade magic stones worth 100,000 gold each in Clayton's hands seeped into the ground.
Rumble—
Simultaneously, ten massive earthen golems, each standing five meters tall, erupted from the ground, collapsing the terrain beneath them.
"Whoaaa!"
Though Clayton's golems were already famous in MacLaine, many of the knights and soldiers were seeing them for the first time, and gasps of awe erupted naturally.
Meanwhile, those who had witnessed Clayton's colossal golem during the dam construction were puzzled by the much smaller golems this time.
'Is he not using that giant golem from before?'
Moreover, these golems had disproportionately large arms, with massive, flat shovel-like appendages instead of hands.
But Logan's lips curled into a smile as he watched the spectacle.
'Just by summoning these golems, they've already dug a ten-meter-wide pit.'
He had a hunch that Clayton's bold claims would come true easily.
And as Grick's golems followed, creating eleven additional golems two to three meters tall, widening the pit further, Logan's confidence solidified.
With Logan's satisfied nod, the golems began moving.
Rumble—
"Huh?!"
"W-what are they doing?"
"...Digging?"
Contrary to most expectations that the golems would charge toward the enemy, they instead began frantically digging into the ground with their massive shovel-like hands.
"What the hell are they doing?"
At the front of the bewildered MacLaine soldiers, the mages of the Golem Tower continuously channeled mana.
While the expensive magic stones sustained the golems, the mages had to assist the golems' "work" with another spell.
"Haaah!"
Starting with Clayton's shout, beads of sweat already forming on his forehead—
Whoooom—
Rumble—
With each surge of the mages' mana, the ground touched by their magic crumbled like soft tofu.
Five hundred meters from the enemy fortress—far beyond the reach of arrows—the golems and mages began digging a tunnel.
'Now, how will they react?'
Logan's face was tinged with unmistakable tension as he watched the enemies crouched atop the fortress walls.
"Mages?!"
Jerome, the fortress commander, noticed the change before his soldiers did.
The haphazardly flying small arrows couldn't obscure the vision of a high-ranking knight.
"They had mages too?"
His momentarily eased heart began pounding again.
Mages—especially a large number of them—could easily introduce variables to the battlefield.
But the mages' subsequent actions left him utterly baffled.
"A tunnel?"
Around the same time, Jerick, who had also spotted the mages, exchanged equally confused glances with Jerome.
They quickly shared their thoughts.
"They're digging underground from that distance? What are they thinking?"
"Exactly. Even with magic, digging that far in a day or two is impossible."
"Then why are they doing this?"
"Who knows? Those earth golems are a bit concerning, though..."
The brothers exchanged uneasy looks but soon shook their heads simultaneously.
"Still, we can't afford to open the gates and sally out."
"Right. We just need to hold out."
Suppressing their unease, the brothers deliberately ignored the anomaly.
But as hours passed—with the sun rising to its zenith and then beginning its descent—and the enemy showed no significant movement, their anxiety grew.
The mages and golems that had first appeared had long since disappeared into the tunnel they had dug.
Moreover—
"They've stopped firing arrows too?"
"What's their plan?"
"Leave them be. If they want to stall, that's fine by us."
Jerome forced himself to hide his unease and shook his head.
And then—
Rumble—
"W-what?!"
"What's happening?!"
"The fortress walls—they're shaking...!"
A violent tremor erupted, accompanied by soldiers' screams, and their vague fears suddenly became reality.
"The walls?!"
"What's going on?!"
Watching the panicking soldiers, Jerome shouted at his brother.
"How likely is it that the walls will collapse?!"
"No way. That's impossible."
"Didn't you feel that shaking just now?"
"...Even so, we can't sally out. Holding out until reinforcements arrive is our priority."
"And if the walls collapse before then? There's a reason they haven't attacked yet! They're planning something!"
The unexpected tremor split the brothers' opinions.
And then—
"Let's mobilize a small elite force to strike the mages. Sneakily!"
Jerome, the more anxious of the two, was the commander of Tomodo Fortress.
"Send only the knights. Have them flank through the southern forest, staying as hidden as possible. If anything feels off, retreat immediately. Understood?"
"...Fine. Let's try it."
Eventually, the brothers abandoned waiting and decided to take action.
Tomodo Fortress.
The western walls buzzed with tension due to the suspicious movements of MacLaine's mages, but the relatively relaxed other walls had only minimal guards stationed, just in case.
Among them, the southern wall—near a forest—had slightly more guards posted.
While everyone's attention was fixed on the west, the southern gate creaked open, and a group of cavalry rode out.
"Any signs of the enemy?"
"None."
"No traces of enemy forces either."
Nodding at the report, Jerick led twenty knights as they spurred their horses forward.
They headed south—the sound of twenty horses' hooves wouldn't carry far enough to reach the western walls.
The twenty knights, including Jerick, quickly entered the southern forest.
'We can move through the forest to get close to the enemy's rear.'
Though the distance between the forest's edge and the enemy camp was considerable, it was much closer than the fortress.
'Hit fast, retreat fast.'
If they struck the enemy mages swiftly and retreated, success was plausible.
It was common knowledge that mages stood no chance against knights in close combat.
While the enemy had halted their advance, earlier reconnaissance had shown few guards stationed at the rear.
Even if they were prepared, the knights could retreat to the fortress before enemy reinforcements arrived.
When they reached the enemy's rear and saw the wide entrance of the dug-out tunnel, Jerick grew even more confident.
'Five knights. That's enough.'
The guards at the tunnel entrance weren't numerous—and they weren't even watching the forest.
Just then, Gale, a high-ranking knight accompanying the strike team, grabbed Jerick's shoulder.
"Jerick, wait. Could this be a trap? There are too few guards."
Gale's concern was valid, but nothing would change.
"If it's a trap, we'll just retreat, right?"
"Still..."
"If anything feels off, we bolt. But until then, we strike with everything we've got."
He didn't bother explaining that most of the enemy knights were likely with the main force and wouldn't arrive in time.
This wasn't a time for complacency—it was a time for desperate resolve.
"Let's move."
The moment Jerick dismissed his comrade's hesitation and ordered the charge—
Rustle—
The dense underbrush shook as the strike team emerged from the forest.
None of them were foolish enough to shout or yell, but—
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The twenty charging horses quickly drew the enemy's attention.
The unexpected part, however, was—
"Enemies!"
"From the rear! It's an ambush!"
The moment the enemy spotted them, they didn't even attempt to fight back—they immediately fled into the tunnel.
Given the numerical disadvantage—twenty against five—it was a natural reaction, but the complete lack of hesitation unsettled Jerick.
'A trap...?'
No, it couldn't be. The enemy knights' positions had already been confirmed.
Even if there was a discrepancy, only a handful of knights could reach the rear in time.
Besides, it was too late to retreat now.
Gritting his teeth, Jerick pushed harder.
"Faster!"
At his shout, the Vifros knights accelerated further.
Leading the charge toward the tunnel, Jerick sensed something flying toward him from the dim darkness inside.
"Tch!"
At their current speed, the threat could be dangerous, but he didn't slow down.
Thud-thud-thud-thunk!
Instead, he deflected the incoming projectiles purely by instinct and kept charging.
'Arrows?'
To be precise, they were the strange crossbow quarrels that had been pelting the fortress walls earlier.
They rained down with terrifying force, one after another.
But Jerick was a high-ranking knight—one of Vifros' strongest.
As he unleashed his full force, his armor repelled the quarrels, and his sword intercepted every arrow that crossed his path.
However, no matter how much force he channeled, he couldn't protect his horse.
Neigh—!
Thud.
"Damn it!"
The moment his horse collapsed, his charge halted—but nothing could stop him from advancing step by step.
Yet not all his comrades shared his prowess.
Thunk!
Neigh—!
"Argh!"
Screams erupted not just from the horses but also from the knights behind him.
He couldn't turn to look while deflecting the barrage, but judging by the vibrations against his armor, ordinary knights who couldn't reinforce their armor with force would struggle to endure this hail of quarrels.
'Keep advancing!'
Conversely, the fact that they were using such attacks meant there were no knights here capable of facing them.
'Since we've come this far, we're taking them down.'
As his eyes adjusted to the tunnel's darkness, he spotted silhouettes—about three hundred soldiers rapidly firing crossbows, and behind them, robed mages hiding.
A vicious grin spread across Jerick's face as he lunged toward them.
At this close range, with soldiers caught between the charging knights and the mages, the mages wouldn't be able to react in time.
Moreover, the tunnel's instability meant reckless spellcasting could cause a collapse—another reason the mages wouldn't act rashly.
He just had to eliminate them before reinforcements arrived.
But at that moment—
A hunk of metal suddenly shot toward him.
Clang!
Reflexively, his sword struck it—
"Guh!"
A choked gasp followed as the heavy mass tumbled backward.
The soldiers crouched in front of the crossbowmen—one of them had blocked his path with a massive iron shield as large as himself.
"Move!"
Jerick roared, but he instantly sensed most of the crossbows shifting their aim toward him.
A chill ran down his spine as he desperately reinforced his armor with force.
Thud-thud-thud-thunk!
Thump. Thump.
"Gah!"
Too many quarrels slammed into his armor to deflect with his sword.
Without force reinforcement, he would've been riddled with holes instantly.
Even as a high-ranking knight, he was forced back.
If this barrage continued, even he couldn't guarantee his safety—but fortunately, he wasn't alone.
"Cut them all down!"
A step behind, Gale, another high-ranking knight, joined him at the front, diverting the enemy's attacks.
The remaining knights fanned out left and right, scattering the enemy's focus as they charged forward.
Though they had lost their horses, knights could outpace horses in short bursts.
Crash!
"Agh!"
The soldiers who had foolishly raised shields against the knights were sent flying.
Another volley of quarrels forced the knights back, but Jerick was certain—
It was only a matter of time before they broke through and beheaded the mages.
But that belief shattered seconds later.
"Earth Wall!"
"Swamp!"
At the mages' shouts, earthen walls rose where the fallen soldiers had been, and the ground beneath the knights' feet turned into a swamp, sucking them in.
"W-what kind of magic is this?!"
Jerick panicked at the mages' unexpected counter—he had assumed they wouldn't act with their own soldiers in the way.
"We've dealt with the horses. Now, play with us."
A relaxed voice spoke as five missing knights—along with a middle-aged knight with brown hair streaked with white—blocked their retreat.
'A high-ranking knight!'
Jerick instantly recognized the man as a peer—someone who had reached the same level as himself.
Though outnumbered, if these knights stalled them while those strange crossbows targeted their backs—
'We could be trapped here!'
Assessing the situation, Jerick quickly made a decision.
The ambush had failed.
They had to preserve their strength and retreat to the fortress.
But just as he thought that—
"All forces—CHARGE!"
From outside the tunnel, far away, a voice that twisted his expression reached his ears.