Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: The Fallen Braam Castle
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<Fallen Braam Castle>
Ever since Ealsar Tohu's oath of loyalty, day by day, more and more of the Sika tribes had submitted to the Lobros Kingdom.
It was the result of Duke Bastain's successful strategy of co-optation.
The duke had promised to allocate a significant portion of the Great Desert trade profits to the coastal powers through massive postwar port construction and paved road developments. In doing so, he secured oaths of loyalty from the southern coastal city-states and gained the favor of the tribes along those road routes.
To the agriculture-based factions, he pledged extensive canal construction to expand their farmlands, drawing them into the Lobros allied forces as a key pillar. Additionally, to the mid-sized city-states and tribes of the western great plains—who paid tribute to Braam each year—he promised not only to abolish human tributes but also to reduce the amount of tribute to the level of Lobros Kingdom's own tax revenues,
shaking the unity of the Braam alliance with these pledges.
Of course, making such lavish promises would incur enormous costs, but with the money in Kara, fulfilling them posed no problem.
And the ultimate goal of Duke Bastain's strategy was the isolation of hostile forces.
It was part of a grand strategy to win over the small and mid-sized Great Desert factions oppressed by surrounding great powers, limiting enemy forces to Braam, Kara, and Great Desert bandits, thereby smoothing the path for future wars.
Going further, Duke Bastain also focused on expanding supply lines.
The Devil's Trade Route was so barren and vast that relying solely on it to enter Kara could lead to the annihilation of an entire army if things went wrong.
Thus, the Lobros Kingdom army's supply routes consisted of three in total, prepared by the duke.
The first was the central supply line through the Devil's Trade Route. The second involved landing the navy on the coastline about a month and a half south of Kara and using the oases in between as bases for a maritime supply line. The final third was multifaceted local supply lines through co-opted minor city-states, tribes, and Sika war merchants.
"Oh my, look at that? They're flying like rain."
Shura, Armida sis, and I were watching real-time footage from Euroa's levitating battleship, capturing the battlefield between Braam and the Lobros Kingdom forces.
After four days of relentless catapult bombardment, Braam Castle was in ruins. The defending soldiers were desperately trying to repair the crumbled walls, but it seemed pointless. The walls kept collapsing under the endless barrage.
I crossed my arms and let out a deep hum.
"Hmm. Duke Bastain. It's about time to go in, but he just keeps dragging it out."
"Little bro. Shouldn't they attack now?"
"They passed that point ages ago. Look? The walls are all down."
"Then why aren't they going in?"
I glanced at the Sika tribal army that had allied with the Lobros forces for this war.
"Looks like psychological warfare on our own allies. The catapult attacks are flashy and cinematic. Seeing those huge boulders flying from afar or the tall walls crumbling helplessly is definitely scary. It's like a threat to the allied Sika tribes not to betray them."
"Is that so? Then how long will they keep it up?"
"They must be getting bored of it now, so it'll stop soon. Fear becomes routine once you adapt. That's why they need fresh terror."
As expected, the catapult fire ceased shortly after. Then came dozens of siege towers and shield carts advancing. A contingent of troops followed behind them. Some were Lobros soldiers, but most were mercenaries.
'The duke's a real piece of work—walls are already down, and he still uses mercenaries. What a sly bastard.'
Siege warfare demands heavy sacrifices, so mercenaries are typically put on the front lines. They're highly capable, and if they die, the pay is secured.
But Braam's walls had already lost most of their function. There was no need to pay extra for mercenaries.
Moreover, mercenaries entering first meant mass plundering. Amid the chaos, horrific massacres would occur, and many buildings in Braam Castle would burn to the ground.
Yet if he still used them, it seemed the goal was the atrocities from the looting. Unable to openly permit plunder due to a great power's prestige, he was exploiting the mercenaries' brutal nature to incite "incidental" pillaging.
Later, he could show the horrors to the Sika allied forces to instill fear, and if issues arose, execute a few minor mercenary bands for "disobeying orders" to smooth things over.
The duke clearly feared betrayal from the allied Sika tribes. Makes sense—they weren't a battle-tested alliance spanning generations.
"It's starting."
Arrows flew from the walls at the siege towers and shield carts below, felling Braam soldiers atop the walls resisting futilely. Braam's archers seemed superior in skill, but the Lobros forces overwhelmed them with sheer numbers, leaving no chance to hold.
On top of that, the mercenaries were now surging through the crumbled walls, pushing aside the defensive infantry and flooding into the castle. The wall defenders were now forced to fend off enemies from both front and rear.
Soon, close-quarters combat erupted on the walls, and the main Lobros cavalry-led force charged en masse.
It was over. The battle was still raging, but from here on, it was just meaningless one-sided slaughter with no tactical value.
Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling.
At that moment, the doorbell in the room rang insistently. A guest had arrived.
I went down and opened the door.
"Huh. What brings you here?"
The visitor was none other than Master Udin. But his face was deathly pale. He'd likely received a magic communication report on Braam's situation.
"I have urgent matters to discuss."
"Sure. Come in."
Udin sat on the sofa I guided him to, his steps hurried with permission.
As soon as I poured him tea, he spoke up.
"Braam Castle has fallen."
I scratched my head at that. From the real-time footage I'd just seen, the battle was still in full swing. Sure, it'd collapse eventually, but calling it fallen now was premature.
"Who said that?"
"Commander Abdul, dispatched to Braam for support, reported it."
"Ah~, so that guy's probably heading back to Kara by now?"
"No. He's already returned via portal."
I clicked my tongue. Kara's military brass had such uncanny survival instincts. The walls had just been breached, and he was already back. Obvious without seeing: Commander Abdul had bolted the moment the Lobros forces launched a proper siege.
And on top of that, a false report that Braam had fallen. What a bunch of clowns.
"What about the rest of his men?"
"They survived by the skin of their teeth and are heading to Kara via the Devil's Trade Route."
"How many made it?"
"Fortunately, thanks to Commander Abdul's quick judgment, most escaped the castle intact."
Too quick, but preserving forces could be counted as merit.
"Got it. So, what's your point? Why'd you come today?"
"Master. Please help us in Kara."
Master Udin suddenly knelt and bowed deeply.
As expected, it had come. With Braam fallen and most Great Desert factions siding with Lobros Kingdom, Kara's doom was only a matter of time. They were desperate for any straw, especially my overwhelming power.
I fell into deep thought with a long silence. Until recently, I had no intention of getting involved in this war, but now there was some hesitation.
'What to do?'
If I joined this war, I'd be spinning my wheels until the coming winter. Kara's army was that pathetically weak.
But if I did, humanity would gain experience with powerful weapons useful for the impending age of annihilation. The systems and armaments humanity adopted back then, which proved so effective.
Armed with that new knowledge, humanity could face the age of annihilation with greater strength, surviving longer.
In other words, my lifespan would naturally extend.
Some luxury lifestyle sacrificed for lifespan extension. After agonizing over it, I sorted my thoughts and helped Master Udin to his feet.
Composed, I gently admonished him in a quiet tone.
"Master Udin. You can't save Kara on a momentary impulse."
"Pardon?"
"Kneeling won't solve the problem."
"But..."
"Your forces number about 4,000 now, right?"
"Yes."
"Lobros Kingdom army?"
The Lobros Kingdom army had grown far beyond its initial deployment. Base 150,000 plus 17,000 mercenaries and 32,000 Sika allies totaled 199,000. And with Braam's fall, city-states and tribes that had been sitting on the fence would flock to them en masse, multiplying their numbers exponentially.
"By my estimate, they'll soon surpass 200,000 and reach even 250,000."
"So you know it's no match?"
Udin bowed his head deeply.
"Yes..."
"But it's not hopeless."
Udin trembled. My words were the sole glimmer of hope he'd heard.
"How exactly?"
"Just follow my word 100%."
"I will."
He pledged without even asking what. With their dire straits, it was natural, but it showed no firm resolve I'd trusted.
"One of them is granting me the authority to appoint retainers as I wish and alter titles?"
Udin's eyes widened. Even the tohu lacked such sweeping power. Possible, but not arbitrarily.
"Impossible. The other retainers would never accept it."
"You have to. To gather the forces we need now, we'll require commoner strength too, but your retainer system blocks that. Anyway, this is already a big concession. I originally wanted to abolish the retainer system altogether."
"But..."
"Hey. Lose everything or compromise a bit? I see it as simple, but you seem to struggle. Then extinction it is—no other way."
Udin steeled himself and met my gaze squarely. Indeed, it was a simple choice as I said.
"Understood. I'll try."
"Good choice."
"But to convince the dissenting retainers, we need at least some basis. Otherwise, Kara will fracture because of them."
Fair point—creating division on the eve of war was unwise. Betrayals would surge, and infighting would sap national strength.
But on second thought, no need to fabricate convincing grounds.
"The grounds are already there—what are you looking for? Win this war, and your retainers gain far more privileges than you've lost."
"What privileges?"
"Kara becomes the Great Desert's capital. A unified Sika dynasty will rise. Think of the spoils from that."
With Braam gone, no Great Desert faction could rival Kara. Repel Lobros and swallow Braam, and Kara would wield massive influence over the western great plains and desert trade routes.
In short, the dream of a Great Desert kingdom was within reach.
Of course, it'd fall in 8 years, but that posed no issue for quelling retainer discontent.
"R-right, of course."
"A unified kingdom will need plenty of retainers anyway. Bloodlines don't define nobility—merit in founding does. Commoner, slave—whoever contributes becomes noble and retainer."
"Yes. You're right."
"Whatever I do, you lose nothing. The war's hardship means victory's pie is huge. So focus on winning. Obsess over petty things, go astray, and forget glory—you'll all die."
"Understood."
Crisis is opportunity.
Kara faced the massive threat of Lobros invasion, but inversely, the chance to build the kingdom they'd never dreamed of awaited.
I planned to manipulate all of Kara with this justification. Desire is the prime mover of humanity.
"Alright, to Kara Palace then. Too grave for us to decide alone, right?"
"Indeed, we'll need His Highness the Tohu's approval. Understood. I'll escort you."
I headed to the tohu palace with Udin soon after.
Kara's true master was unmistakably Padila. Nothing could be done without her permission.
<Fallen Braam Castle> End