Two weeks had passed since the occupation of Gallard Castle.
During that time, Roan devoted himself to grueling training to improve his abilities while also doing everything he could to stabilize the castle and bring the surrounding villages under their control.
Perhaps because Gallard Castle had been occupied peacefully, or perhaps because of Roan’s reputation, the process of subjugating the nearby villages went more smoothly than expected. Whenever House Dragonbane’s soldiers appeared, most villagers surrendered without resistance. As a result, House Dragonbane was able to expand its influence over Gallard Castle and the surrounding region at an astonishing pace.
“...S-Sir Roan! We have a serious problem!”
Then, one afternoon, while Roan was deeply immersed in training, a soldier who had been keeping watch atop the castle wall came running over in a panic and shouted.
Roan lowered his sword and asked calmly,
“What is it? Calm down and tell me.”
“Th-that is...! The enemy is coming! But there are far too many of them, Sir Roan!”
It was obvious that the “enemy” referred to Solsgard’s forces.
Roan, however, was not particularly surprised. He had already expected a situation like this. If anything, he thought it was strange that Solsgard had remained quiet for two whole weeks.
“Understood. You have done well. Now go inform the other soldiers and have them prepare for battle.”
Once the soldier left, Roan immediately went to find Adeline. As he strode quickly through the castle corridors, he formulated a response strategy in his mind.
When he reached Adeline’s room, she was already fully prepared for battle. Her armor had been polished to a shine, and a sharp sword hung at her waist.
“Ah, Sir Roan! You came at just the right time!”
“I heard the news as well. Let us hurry to the wall.”
“Yes!”
Adeline nodded in agreement, and the two hurried toward the top of the castle wall.
When they arrived, the sight spread before them was truly overwhelming. Solsgard’s army was surging forward from the distant horizon like an enormous wave. Its scale exceeded all expectations.
“Hmm... This looks like more than I expected....”
Roan quickly estimated the enemy’s numbers. By his reckoning, there seemed to be roughly fifteen hundred troops gathered there. Judging by the variety in their clothing, however, it was clear that they had hired a considerable number of mercenaries in addition to their regular troops.
The mounted mercenaries were especially conspicuous. They were not heavily armed knights, but the sight of mercenaries on horseback was threatening nonetheless.
“...Sir Roan.”
Adeline seemed to think the enemy was no easy force either, and she called to Roan with a grave expression.
Yet Roan remained calm. He acknowledged that the enemy forces would be difficult to deal with, but he never once thought they would lose. He was confident that all their efforts over the past two weeks had not been in vain.
“Do not worry, Sir Adeline. For the past two weeks, we have focused on bringing the surrounding villages under our control, and thanks to that, our forces have increased by about a hundred men. We have also strengthened the castle’s defenses, and my abilities have improved. So no matter how troublesome the enemy may be, we are more than capable of defeating them.”
“Sir Roan...!”
Adeline’s eyes lit up. She seemed to draw new courage from Roan’s confidence.
Roan’s words had a profound effect not only on Adeline but also on the soldiers nearby. At first, the sight of the enemy’s massive army had filled them with quiet fear. Now, however, every one of them stood with straight backs and stared at the enemy with determined eyes. Roan’s attitude had breathed courage and hope into them.
Roan looked around and continued.
“Still, there is no doubt this will be a fierce battle. We should gather our forces at once and make full preparations for the enemy’s attack.”
“Yes, Sir Roan!”
Following Roan’s instructions, Adeline immediately began issuing orders to the nearby soldiers.
Unlike before, the soldiers now responded instantly even to Adeline’s commands. Because Roan always stood beside her and reinforced her authority, the soldiers had come to trust Adeline greatly as well.
Thanks to that, House Dragonbane’s soldiers were able to complete all their battle preparations before the enemy reached the castle.
By then, the top of the walls was stocked with bows and arrows sent by the Northern Frost Merchant Company, along with piles of stones.
Now, all that remained was the battle itself.
***
At last, the enemy vanguard reached the foot of the castle.
One of them stepped forward. Naturally, he began by urging them to surrender.
“...Soldiers within the castle, listen! Surrender, and your lives will be spared! Refuse, and blood will be spilled! We will await your answer until sunset. I urge you to choose wisely!”
But thanks to Roan’s imposing demeanor, House Dragonbane’s soldiers were already brimming with the will to fight. There was no chance such an offer would sway them.
‘Is that even a proper surrender offer in the first place?’
Roan thought for a moment.
‘If I were in their position, how would I persuade the enemy to surrender?’
For starters, he would not threaten them with death. Human psychology was such that when things were pushed to such extremes, the threat often failed to feel real.
‘Offering a practical reward would be more effective instead. For example, promise one gold coin to every soldier who surrenders. And if you say it only applies to the first hundred, you can stir up greed and competition too.’
If they did that, even among House Dragonbane’s soldiers, a few would probably be tempted.
Just as Roan’s thoughts reached that point, Adeline cautiously approached him.
“...Sir Roan, the enemy has offered us a chance to surrender. How should we respond?”
There was a hint of anxiety in her voice.
Roan thought for a moment, then shrugged.
“I think something along the lines of, ‘Stop wasting your breath. If you intend to attack, then attack already,’ should suffice.”
Adeline’s eyes suddenly sparkled.
“Ah...! I understand, Sir Roan!”
She fell silent for a moment, then suddenly rushed to the edge of the wall and shouted in a thunderous voice.
“Ha! The dogs of Solsgard dare threaten us? What a joke! Our walls are as hard as your skulls! So if you are going to attack, then come at us already! Your bones will make perfect filler beneath these walls!”
Adeline’s voice rang out with astonishing force.
Her words carried clearly to the enemy gathered below, and the enemy commander’s face immediately turned red, then blue with rage.
“Y-you...! That bitch dares...!”
The enemy commander roared furiously.
His face had turned as red as a ripe tomato, and his eyes seemed to spit sparks.
Adeline smiled in satisfaction at his reaction. Turning back to Roan, she said proudly,
“As expected of you, Sir Roan! I did exactly as you said, and the enemy commander lost his reason!”
“....”
Roan could not answer. He had never expected Adeline to say anything quite that provocative.
The response Roan had imagined was something more restrained and dignified. Something along the lines of, ‘We will not yield! Even if death comes for us, we will not surrender. If you wish to fight, then come!’
‘Well... I suppose this is knightly in its own way.’
Roan smiled bitterly to himself.
A knight fundamentally needed exceptional martial prowess, had to uphold chivalry, and had to be merciless toward enemies. Adeline’s response certainly captured that essence of knighthood.
“WOOOOOOOO!”
The nearby soldiers erupted into cheers at Adeline’s answer. They looked at one another and began talking excitedly.
“That was unexpected. Who knew Sir Adeline had a side like that?”
“No... I overheard the two of them talking. Apparently, Sir Roan told her to say it.”
“Ooh...! So Sir Roan personally instructed her!”
“It was unusually rough and foul-mouthed for Sir Adeline, but that explains it...!”
“As expected of Sir Roan! He even thought of using the enemy’s own psychology against them!”
‘...No, I never told her to say that.’
As Roan listened to the soldiers murmuring, he felt unfairly accused. But he soon composed himself. This was no time to worry about such a trivial misunderstanding. It was time to focus on the battle.
“...You insolent bastards! So that is how you want to play this? Fine! Your laughter will soon turn into screams! Prepare yourselves! Hell will be coming for you shortly!”
Sure enough, the moment those words ended, the enemy began making full preparations for the siege. Apparently, they had no intention of waiting until sunset.
‘Ladders, grappling hooks, and even a battering ram (a large log used to break down castle gates)...! Tch. Looks like they came fully prepared.’
Roan looked down at them and rested a hand on his sword. He was confident they could defeat the enemy, but that did not mean he felt no tension at all. This was his first battle on such a large scale, and in particular, he had never experienced a defensive siege even in the knightly training preserved in his memories.
‘Still, there’s nothing else I can do. I just have to give it everything I have.’
Roan steeled himself. Resolute determination flashed in his eyes.
At that moment, a thunderous roar erupted from the enemy army. They began charging toward the castle all at once. Countless footsteps shook the earth, and clouds of dust rose into the air.
Roan immediately drew his sword. The blade flashed in the sunlight with a sharp metallic hiss.
“Defend the walls! Do not let a single one of them climb up!”
“WAAAAAAAAH!”
As Roan’s booming voice rang across the walls, House Dragonbane’s soldiers answered with a unified roar.
At last, the siege defense against Solsgard had begun.