105
Fondant
‘Where are you?’
Hannah chewed her lips and shook the umbrella covered with rose pictures.
Beep!
The sound of a whistle blowing through the heavy rain was somehow unsettling.
Rumor has it that a war has begun with Bolt Castle, but Hannah doesn’t seem to care.
I already confirmed that Aaron and Kanna, who disappeared there, are not there.
It wasn’t surprising, since it was men who beat and killed people every day.
‘···I searched through everything.’
Hannah stopped him with force, her molars chattering in the cold.
Aaron disappeared with a different face than usual.
It was clear that something had happened to Kanna.
“I looked everywhere, but I couldn’t find it. I don’t think it’s in Cassadic.”
“You’ve worked hard. You might catch a cold, so come in and warm up.”
Hannah gestured to Zenta, who was drenched in water.
‘Did you go to Bolt Castle?’
As I was wondering if I should get a carriage and go to Bolt Castle myself, the door opened and Vermunt came in.
The large body was similar to Aaron’s, and Hannah frowned for a moment.
I heard that Vermunt was also mobilized, but he stayed in Cassidy, saying he had a promise.
Although it was an action against orders, Vermunt didn’t seem to care much.
A small face visible behind Vermunt.
Kanna had a somewhat puzzled expression.
“Kannaya!!”
Hannah hurriedly ran to check on Kanna.
He didn’t seem to be injured, except that his face was strangely dark.
Hannah hugged Kanna with deep relief.
“What about Aaron?”
“I went to Bolt Castle.”
Vermunt answered, squeezing his wet hair with his hand.
‘Leave Kanna to Zenta···.’
Hannah, who had been chewing her lips for a moment, suddenly got up and grabbed the crossbow that had been placed next to her.
Now that Aaron is gone, this can’t go on.
“Don’t think about useless things. You’ll only be bothering him.”
Vermunt said indifferently.
“Useless? Useless is the lord who starts a war because one of his children disappeared. Kanna, go to Zenta.”
“No. If you’re going, I’ll go with you.”
When I was wondering what to do with Kanna who was clinging to me.
“Don’t worry about him. He’s not the kind of guy who would get hurt in a place that’s so childish it’s embarrassing to even call war.”
“How can you be sure of that? And I don’t know what happened, but Aaron is looking for Kanna in this heavy rain right now and moving right away.”
Hannah spoke with all her annoyance, but Vermunt, who heard her, laughed out loud.
The laughter was so loud that Hannah felt embarrassed when she brought it up.
“I guarantee it. Now that he’s gone, the war will be over before this rain stops.”
Hannah fiddled with her crossbow for a moment at Vermunt’s confident words.
“···How can you be so sure? From what I’ve heard, once the Territory War starts, it’ll take at least a month···.”
“Yeah.”
Vermunt waved his hand, cutting Hannah off.
“Because he hates war. Very much.”
The sight of Vermunt giggling after finishing his speech was quite annoying.
Aaron never once spoke to Hannah about his past.
Hannah, who had been chewing her lips for a moment, put down the crossbow.
He was the place Aaron would return to.
“Yeah, I hate it very much.”
Hanna clenched her fists tightly at Vermunt’s muttering.
***
Knock knock!
A dull sound heard through the sound of rain.
A stuck arrow.
Berman gritted his teeth and lifted his shield with both hands.
No, I supported it.
A shock strong enough to shake your arms.
They were able to withstand it by stacking their shields on top of each other.
“Don’t let go! Hold on tight! If one person lets go, it’s over!!”
The sound of the captain’s collar being slapped can be heard from behind.
“Damn! Then the captain should come too!!”
Another man shouted, but the captain ignored him and kept shouting the same thing.
The slogan spread and raised the spirits.
“Waaaaaaaaaah-!!”
A shout somewhere between a scream and a shout shook the surroundings.
“Ugh… Ugh….”
“Are you okay?”
Brick, who was already weak, was breathing heavily. Berman then placed his shield under Brick’s shield and gave him strength.
“Oh, Berman. I’m sorry. I’ve been feeling really low these days.”
Brick, who had tried to keep his expression stiff, straightened his back with a “thud” sound. The molars tied to Brick’s waist dangled and shook.
“You damn bastards! Shooting arrows at people! There’s even a Rosa customer among you! You must have forgotten what I gave you!”
Kel, who vents his anger in strange places.
Still, I was holding up well.
“Still, the opponent’s response is not good. At this rate, I’ll somehow make it to the outer gate.”
The murmur of the grass was drowned out by someone’s shout.
My arms were sore as if they would break off and all I could see was mud, but I kept going.
Because I knew that the moment I stopped, it was over.
Berman walked while looking at the back of the person in front of him.
The smell of sweat mixed with the smell of water.
And the smell of blood.
“If there had been a leader, they would have just run over and destroyed it. Right?”
Berman poked Brick’s ribs, his eyes blurring, and made a joke.
“That… that’s right! Where is the foreman….”
Thud thud thud!
Pressure is applied again.
I grabbed the brick that was shaking violently.
“I wonder where he’s doing something else. He won’t slack off even if the foreman takes his money. Just hold on a little longer and he’ll come.”
Pull shouted, roughly grabbing Brick’s shoulder and shoving him.
It was funny to find Captain Aaron even though there were knights.
“No, I might get in trouble instead. He’ll ask if I’m still here. He’ll throw a punch again!”
Berman forced himself to laugh loudly.
The laughter spread and forcibly lifted the slumping atmosphere.
Chlap-.
Berman didn’t see the deep tread marks left by the man in front.
A moment when the balance is slightly disturbed.
Thud thud thud!
Of all things, arrows rained down.
“Kuaaaah!!”
An arrow that entered through a slightly open gap struck Brick’s shoulder as he held his shield low.
Except for the breastplate that the captain had given him, the other parts were made of leather, making it difficult to stop arrows.
“Wake up, you punk! Grab the shield!”
Berman shouted urgently.
Brick, foaming at the mouth in pain, trembled and tried to sit down.
Berman swore harshly and grabbed Brick’s head. Brick flailed around in panic, causing a thin layer of mud to splatter across Berman’s chest plate.
“Brick! You little punk! You got an arrow in your shoulder! Damn it!”
Grass screamed and grabbed Brick’s face, but Brick’s eyes still did not open.
Brick’s confusion spread around him, causing a moment of commotion.
“I’m shooting again! Hurry up! Get it somehow!”
The grass began to curse harshly and shout.
Berman gripped Brick’s nape more roughly.
Brick writhed in pain, screaming.
“Brick!! You stupid little shit!”
Kel grabbed the back of his neck.
Finally, the grassman behind him elbowed Brick in the back of the head.
The three of them divided up the falling bricks.
Somehow I managed to move the brick by dragging it.
At that moment, the rain of arrows began pouring down again.
Gulp···.
Even when holding the shield with both hands, it was questionable whether the heavy impact could be blocked while collecting the bricks.
[I told you, everything will work out.]
Berman gritted his teeth as he recalled Aaron’s words.
“Damn. I never thought I’d miss Captain Aaron···.”
I laughed along with Kel’s swearing mixed with humor.
“I guess I’ll die with those idiots.”
The grass grumbled and raised its shield high.
A moment of silence.
A foul smell, a mixture of the strong smell of sweat and the smell of water.
at that time.
“Hey you little shits! Aren’t you holding up your shield properly?! I want to rip you all apart… What’s wrong with this little shit?”
The captain, who was short and could easily approach others, frowned as he looked at Brick.
Then the captain put his finger under Brick’s nose and shouted.
“You fainted because you were hit by a single arrow?! You’re being deducted! You’re being deducted! Everyone, face the front and raise your shields! It’s the responsibility of the group! The responsibility of the group!”
The captain roughly snatched Brick’s shield away and lifted him over his head.
“Pay cuts are a damn thing! We’re being left behind now, so why do we care about our salaries? Why are we, the guards of the outer city, here in the first place!”
“If you want to be rude, then be rude! If you don’t like it, then tell me! I’ll tell the lord!”
“Ah, Captain, please hold your shield straight! Why are you lowering it so quietly!”
“What?! When you’re my age! My wrists start to hurt when it rains like this!”
“Because you’ve gained so much weight, your wrists….”
At that moment, a rain of arrows poured down.
Thud thud thud-!
‘···crazy!’
I gritted my teeth, but it wasn’t an impact I could endure with one hand.
The guys next to me were in similar conditions, so their shields were pushed back in an instant.
“It’s okay if you get pushed a little, so hold on with your head! Hang in there! You little shits!”
At the captain’s shout, everyone put their heads under their shields and held on.
The shield lowered and its tremors were transmitted with a menacing effect, but it did not collapse.
‘What is this···.’
It looked ugly, but it worked.
‘How does a pig know this?’
Berman briefly wondered if the leader might be of this race called the dwarf.
He was short and had a protruding belly, which was similar to the characteristics of a dwarf. Of course, he did not have the courageous personality of a dwarf.
“Captain, do either of your parents have dwarves?”
Keldo asked bluntly, wondering if he had similar thoughts.
“What the hell is this fucking punk talking about…. Hold your shield properly! It’s because the young guys are so weak! You’re almost there, so hold on a little longer!”
The captain shouted.
“Almost there!”
Someone carried the captain’s shouts to the surrounding area.
“Almost done… damn it!! You’ve been saying that all along!!”
A man shouted from a distance.
“We’re almost there! Really!”
“Really?! I got it!”
“I’m the captain of the outer wall guard, you punk! Who said you knew that!!”
This time there was no answer.
Moving forward again with a faint hope.
In any case, the task was to safely send the knights to the castle walls.
Fortunately, the shields we were given were of good quality.
The arrows stopped flying as if they had fallen off.
Thanks to that, I was able to arrive at the castle gate relatively smoothly.
“Something is pouring! Put up all your shields! If there’s even a little gap, it’s over!”
A shout erupted from the soldiers.
“I get it!!”
Everyone laughed and raised their shields at someone’s voice.
Although they had no training, they were all sharp as life was at stake.
Crackle! Crackle!
“Whew-!”
Something of an ambiguous temperature poured down, as if there was no time.
‘Shit!’
A terrible stench assailed my nose.
“Those kids would have really lost if they had a leader.”
The rest laughed at Kel’s muttering.
There were even a few people who laughed so hard they vomited because of the stench.
It was such a horrible stench that I actually felt like the smell of the soil was better.
“But why aren’t you breaking through it quickly?”
Berman spoke, breathing only through his mouth.
Now that they’ve somehow managed to hold out and made it to the castle walls, their mission is over.
The lords and knights gathered in front of the castle gate.
It looked like a small tent had been set up around it, with soldiers holding shields.
The lord shouted something-.
Knight Ben nodded deeply and drew his sword.
“Knight Ben! Are you really swinging your sword at the lord you were chosen to serve!!”
Someone shouted from up above.
When Ben hesitated, the lord said something again-.
Then Ben emitted a blue light.
When everyone was dazed by the light cutting through the thick raindrops.
Ben swung his sword.
A long blue line.
A long black line appeared on the thick gate.
However, the thickness did not end in one go.
Ben swung his sword several times.
“The knight isn’t very strong. If he had been the leader, he would have been destroyed long ago. Do you remember that time? Berman?”
Kel, who had some free time since he was a bit far from the castle gate, asked.
“That’s when the captain appeared through the wall?”
Berman answered with a chuckle.
“I think it’ll show up again somewhere.”
Kel muttered as he pulled the unconscious Brick.
“The gate is open!! Let’s go in!!”
A scream heard from the side.
‘Breaking through the gate with a sword…’
Berman woke up with a sour taste in his mouth.
Ben, who had broken through the gate, buried his sword in the ground and knelt down on the spot.
The others dove in and jumped outside to get in.
The other three knights are ahead of the rest.
There were soldiers from the Bolt Castle ahead of them, but they could not stop the knights who advanced while emitting blue light.
In the first place, the only thing that could stop an article was another article.
But the other side’s article was not visible.
In addition, the soldiers near the castle gate were not well armed.
They were wearing different clothes than the guys who were shooting crossbows earlier.
Kkaaaak!!
In the end, there was nothing to stop the knights.
Red-tinged mud and hands and feet that have lost their owners.
The soldiers in front of the knight fell easily.
There were already quite a few who threw down their weapons and raised their hands in the face of the overwhelming difference in power.
The soldiers following the knight subdued him and tied him up.
Berman gripped his sword tightly.
“Those are the outer city guards. I know some of them.”
The grass muttered in a lower voice than usual.
“Wake up! Move forward! The enemies are already hiding in the inner castle! We will rest around there, so don’t fall behind!”
‘···enemy?’
Berman muttered in a hoarse, pig-like voice.
“Hold on tight. It’s not over yet.”
At the sharp voice of the grass, Berman nodded and pulled Brick closer.
“This way!! Move quickly!!”
A shout heard from afar.
Blood and pieces of flesh scattered everywhere.
Berman moved busily, trying hard to suppress the questions that were rising in his mind.
The next place we arrived at was in front of Naeseong.
‘···There’s even a moat.’
Cold, dirty water in a deep hole.
The gap was so wide that it looked like a river.
The bridge was already up so there was no way to get over.
Even if he was a knight, there was no way he could get over there. He was wrapped in thick iron and couldn’t swim.
“Drink it. I mixed less water in it on purpose.”
He held out the water bottle and asked.
“What do you think will happen?”
Berman handed the canteen to Kel and asked him back.
“That’s the situation, so this is where it ends. I’ve heard it before, but this is how siege warfare is originally. You stand off until the other side surrenders, and it ends. It’s a battle of patience.”
He took off his helmet, shook his wet hair, and put it back on.
“I heard that Bolt Castle only repaired the inner wall. They never repaired the outer wall. They were only concerned about their own lives, so the outer wall was easily breached.”
Kel muttered, laying Brick down next to him.
“Aren’t we similar? We had no choice but to do it because the external conservatives also collapsed.”
“Well, the East was originally peaceful. Anyway, I guess I can catch my breath for a while.”
Berman nodded at the grass’ words and wiped the water.
At that moment, a man on the enemy wall started screaming.
However, the sound of the rain was so loud that I couldn’t hear it.
An unusually large man who had been around Lord Fullputs stepped forward and shouted in response.
The theatrical, ridiculous scene continued.
When my body starts shivering in the cold rain.
Kwaang-.
I heard something breaking in the distance.
Berman looked at Kel in a hurry.
Kel nodded with a strange expression.
Boom-!
The roar grew louder.
Berman told the men around him to back off, taking into account the direction from which the sound was coming.
Some men protested, but were terrified by the growing noise and retreated.
yet-.
Kwa-ang!!
The loud noise of an explosion and the scattering of debris from the building.
A colorful monster appeared, breaking through the wall.
“I came to end this war!”
A thunderous roar that made the floor shake.
‘······war?’
Those who were sitting and resting looked up at him with bewildered eyes.
***
‘As expected.’
Pulpouts nodded, looking at the distant castle walls.
Because it had rained so much, the moat was full of water and we couldn’t get across.
Unlike the outer wall, the inner wall had a deep and wide moat, so even knights could not charge in without warning.
Even if the knight was a monster, he was still a human being.
The original purpose was to surround Naeseong and lay siege to it.
If they really penetrated the inner castle, a fight would inevitably break out between the knights, and he wasn’t particularly pleased with Fullfoot’s move.
‘There are fewer casualties than expected.’
The hastily procured shields were of good quality, and the unexpected response from the enemy was slow, so there were fewer casualties than expected.
Although his headache continued to mount, Pulpouts gritted his teeth and desperately rolled his head.
‘If the eldest son really died as the bastard said…’
It was clear that things were going to get awkward.
In order to find the culprit behind the Aura nullification, it was necessary to identify who benefited from it.
At that thought, Pulpouts immediately threatened Geralt.
If you don’t tell me the truth right now, I’ll hang your entire family on the castle gate.
Geral, who had been avoiding the issue, opened his mouth when he saw his family being dragged in.
As expected, the culprit was the eldest son of the Fener family.
Gerald, who was threatened by him, had no choice but to help.
With Geralt’s testimony, Pulpouts thought he had figured out the situation.
‘But Levilian died.’
There was no way Baron Fener would tell such a lie.
‘What on earth is going on···.’
Because I had lost my direction, I had no choice but to move more radically.
Even if Baron Fener’s words were true, there was a difference between confirming it directly and not knowing it.
‘Still, to this extent···.’
To anyone who sees him, he would appear to be a father enraged by the kidnapping of his daughter.
The inner walls of the Bolt Castle looked ominous through the thick raindrops.
“dad!”
A bright voice out of nowhere.
When I turned my head, Vivian came towards me, waving her hands.
Fullfoot experienced the first time that an accident had stopped.
I unconsciously reached out my hand to check if Vivian was hurt, but my head was still dizzy.
‘···Why is Vivian here?’
Fullfoot looked between Vivian and Naeseong with weak eyes.
Vivian had to stay inside that castle.
Because I assumed it was him and moved this way.
I didn’t assume Vivian would show up here in such a shabby outfit.
First of all, I was glad that Vivian was safe.
Pulpouts looked at Vivian blankly while hugging her.
‘What should I do now···.’
Vivian is here and the other person’s eldest son is dead.
In addition, as soon as the declaration of war was made, Fullfoot immediately broke through the outer wall and advanced.
All the plates are crooked.
The trial was likely to side with the deceased eldest son.
To solve this···.
‘First, we must capture Baron Fener. After all, the winner’s word is law. But how can we defend the castle without siege equipment…’
The moment when Fullfoot frowns with a splitting headache.
“Pong-dang!!”
A huge scream erupted from somewhere.
Booooooooong-.
Something blunt flew through the rain.
Kwaaaaang-!!
The inner wall burst open with a tremendous noise.
A situation where a stone thrown from a catapult gets stuck.
‘···Did we have a catapult?’
Pulpouts’ eyes grew wide.
“Pong-dang!!”
The screams erupt again.
Booooooooong-.
Something flying through the rain with a murderous sound.
I squinted my eyes and saw that it was the wall of some building.
The flat, square walls that were meant to protect the inside from outsiders flew away quickly as if they had wings.
Kwaaang-!
A tremendous noise.
A bursting inner wall.
‘What clever bastard left the siege equipment…! No, did that idiot Baron Fener leave the siege equipment on the outer wall and run away? That seems more likely.’
Pulpouts turned his head with shining eyes.
However, in the place where the wall had blown away, there were guards with subtle expressions standing around.
It seemed like he was trying to cover something, but the man on the other side was so big that it couldn’t be covered.
Aaron, his face crumpled with anger, tore down the wall of the building next to him.
‘···They tore down the wall of the building?’
Pulpouts gulped at the somewhat awkward and unfamiliar sentence.
The faces of those inside the torn down building were worth seeing.
Perhaps, he himself would be similar.
“Stone!!”
Something flying with a scream.
Kwaaaaang!!
The inner wall is collapsing again.
Pulpouts gaped in amazement at the sight that seemed like something straight out of a myth.
“Throw it!!”
In the meantime, Aaron, who had torn down the wall again, threw it while shouting something incomprehensible.
Kwaaaaang-!!
The wall I was facing collapsed, revealing soldiers with dumbfounded faces.
‘Siege…weapon?’
Fullfoot’s throat was itchy for no reason.
***
‘Baron Fullfoot… Is this guy crazy?’
Baron Fener looked out from his room at the top.
Across the moat, Baron Pulpouts’s forces surrounded the castle.
‘We should build a moat on the outer side too…’
Baron Fener clicked his tongue in belated regret.
The east was a peaceful area in many ways, so there was no need to think about a siege.
It was sufficient to raise the walls to a certain level to prepare for the occasional coming down of orcs or goblins.
Unlike the narrow-range internal structure, it costs an astronomical amount of money to repair or upgrade the external structure, so I never really felt the need for it before.
‘I guess I should have dug a moat.’
Even though he was a knight, he pushed forward so simply and ignorantly. Moreover, since I didn’t know that he would rush in immediately after declaring war, I was slow to respond.
‘But the tolerance is different.’
Since Naeseong was where he would stay, he had already finished preparing and stockpiling defenses.
Even the most skilled knights could not cross the deep moat. If they did, they would immediately be riddled with arrows.
The messenger had been sent, so if they just held out, the surrounding nobles would surely criticize Pulpouts’ strange behavior and aggression.
Plus, Count Behart is said to be in Cassadic, so it won’t take long.
All he had to do was receive the territory as compensation later.
‘That’s why you should have had more than one child, you idiot.’
Baron Fener raised the corners of his mouth as he savored the fine wine.
There was considerable damage, but it was clear that they would return to the ship later.
at that time.
Kuuuung-!!
The ground shook and a loud noise was heard from somewhere.
‘Did you have any siege equipment?’
Baron Fener checked out the window urgently.
There was a man there.
A guy who is more than half the size of the others.
The strange attire and hideous appearance clearly indicated that he was a savage.
The savage was throwing a huge rock.
‘Just throwing something that big away… What the…’
Baron Fener tilted his head at the absurd sight.
At that moment, a stone came flying at great speed. The surprised Baron Fener fell backwards.
Kwaaaaang-!
A stone that had flown over an impossible distance shattered the window next to where Fener was.
The rain pouring in through the wide hole soaked Baron Fener.
The knights behind also stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what was going on.
Baron Fener, who had been dazed for a moment, came to his senses in the rain.
‘What the… is this a giant? But there’s nothing we can do about the moat…’
Baron Fener crawled to the window, sticking his head out.
The savage… no, the giant said something to the naked man next to him.
‘Are you a slave? How long has it been since slavery was abolished···.’
At that moment, a naked man came forward.
“Kkieeeeeek!!”
The man twisted his body while screaming strangely.
A scream that is so painful that just hearing it brings about terrible pain.
‘···A black magician?!’
When I worry that the scream might contain a curse.
Suddenly the ground shook and something rose from the moat.
A wide bridge made of earth.
In an instant, the moat was filled in.
“This···first···advance!! First advance!”
Baron Fullfoot shouted with a bewildered look on his face.
‘What is this···.’
Baron Fener pinched his cheek, wondering if he was having a nightmare.
‘It hurts.’
Heh heh···.
Baron Fener pinched his cheek again as he watched the knights and soldiers crossing the filled moat.
It still hurt.
