At last, the siege defense against Solsgard began.
As the sun rose beyond the horizon and dyed the castle walls red, dozens of ladders were raised all at once beneath the walls amid the enemy’s battle cries. The sound was like thunder.
At the same time, countless grappling hooks flew toward the walls. It looked like a swarm of horseflies taking flight. The hooks struck the walls with ear-splitting clangs, and some caught over the battlements.
Roan quickly assessed the situation from atop the wall. His sharp gaze swept across the battlefield, while several tactics had already flashed through his mind. He took a deep breath and put strength into his voice.
“Archers, ready!”
At his shout, the archers atop the wall responded immediately.
The sound of bowstrings being drawn rang out in unison, and moments later, a rain of arrows thick enough to darken the sky poured down upon the enemies climbing the walls.
“Aaaaargh!”
“Aaagh!”
Many enemy soldiers were struck by arrows and fell screaming. Their cries filled the battlefield, while their bodies dropped helplessly like dolls. But there were simply too many of them, and every fallen man was immediately replaced by another soldier.
“Hurry! Remove the grappling hooks!”
Adeline shouted.
There was tension in her voice, but strength as well.
The soldiers moved quickly and began removing the hooks caught on the wall.
But for every hook they removed, more came flying in without end.
Some soldiers were even struck down by enemy arrows while trying to remove them.
“Prepare the boiling oil!”
Roan ordered.
Soon, large cauldrons filled with boiling oil were carried onto the wall. Hot steam surrounded them as the oil bubbled violently.
“Now! Pour it!”
At Roan’s signal, the boiling oil cascaded down the wall onto the enemies climbing up. The sight resembled a waterfall from hell.
“Aaaaaaargh!”
“Mother!”
Horrific screams rang out as many enemy soldiers fell away from the wall. Their flesh melted, and agonized cries filled the battlefield. The corpses that crashed below resembled blackened, charred branches.
Even so, that was not enough to stop the enemy offensive. More and more enemy soldiers began scaling the walls, and several hours later, fierce close-quarters combat finally broke out atop the battlements.
CLANG—!
CLANG—!
“Aaaargh!”
CRUNCH—!
“Aaaaaagh!”
The sounds of swords and spears colliding, screams, and armor tearing apart blended together and filled the battlefield.
“Th-there are too many of them!”
A soldier cried out urgently.
Roan turned his head and surveyed the battle.
The situation was unquestionably bad. The enemy kept pouring in without end, and exhaustion was plainly visible on the faces of their own soldiers.
The eastern section of the wall looked especially dangerous. If the defensive line there collapsed, the enemy would clearly flood into the castle like a surging tide.
‘At least we reinforced the walls beforehand.’
Roan thought. If they had not, that section might already have fallen. But that alone was not enough. A resolute light suddenly appeared in Roan’s eyes.
‘It looks like it’s finally time for me to step in myself.’
He shouted toward Adeline.
“Sir Adeline! I leave the command to you!”
Adeline looked surprised for a moment, but soon nodded as though she understood.
“Understood, Sir Roan! Please be careful!”
Soon, a subtle change in the air began to form around Roan’s sword. At first, it was only a faint breeze, but it gradually grew stronger. The nearby soldiers watched the sight with puzzled expressions.
WHOOOOOOOSH—!
At last, fierce winds began spiraling around Roan’s sword. [Sylph’s Gift (C)] had activated.
“...!”
The surrounding soldiers stared in shock. Exclamations escaped their mouths.
“Th-that... is that magic?”
“Magic...? Not a chance! That’s something beyond magic! That must be the pure power of a storm!”
“N-now I finally understand! This is how Sir Roan defeated the Storm Knight! He’d been controlling a storm even stronger than that knight’s from the very beginning!”
Leaving the soldiers’ various guesses behind, Roan paused and felt the power coursing through him.
Alfonso had used this skill during his one-on-one duel with Roan. The memory of that moment flashed through Roan’s mind.
But after studying and training with the skill over the past two weeks, Roan had realized something important. [Sylph’s Gift (C)] was far more suited to large-scale battles than one-on-one combat.
Even more astonishing was the fact that combining this skill with his [Half-Ogre Strength (B)] amplified its power to an almost unimaginable degree.
If his instincts were correct, the combination of those two skills would display overwhelming power in a situation like this. Determination once again appeared in Roan’s eyes. He was now ready to use that power properly.
“Everyone, fall back! I will deal with the enemy!”
At Roan’s words, the allied soldiers hurriedly withdrew. Fear and anticipation crossed their faces.
Then Roan began racing across the top of the wall with lightning speed.
The fierce wind surrounding him was like a mystical shield. Enemy arrows were caught by the wind and swept away into empty air before they could reach him, and even sharp spears were deflected aside without so much as grazing his armor.
Roan stopped for a moment and took a deep breath.
And then...! The instant Roan’s sword cut through the air, invisible blades of razor-sharp wind surged toward the enemy like a storm.
ROOOOOOM—!
With an ear-splitting roar, dozens of enemy soldiers were hurled off the wall like dolls. Their screams could not even be heard over the sound of the wind. A massive hole had been torn through the enemy ranks with a single attack.
Fear instantly appeared in the eyes of the enemies who witnessed it. The color drained from their faces, and their bodies began trembling. The morale of the men who had been desperately attacking the castle only moments before collapsed in an instant.
“W-what the hell is that?!”
“M-magic! He is a knight who commands storms!”
In contrast, the morale of the allied soldiers surged.
“WOOOOH! As expected of Sir Roan!”
“Sir Roan, the Ruler of the Storm!”
“We have Sir Roan! Fight! We can win!”
And so, through Roan’s actions, the tide of battle slowly began to turn.
He appeared wherever the situation was most desperate and reversed the battle. After defeating the enemy in one section, he immediately moved to another and crushed them there as well.
Roan’s sword moved as though it were alive, and the wind surrounding him nullified every enemy attack. He looked like a hero from legend.
Adeline fought valiantly as well. Her swordsmanship was elegant yet deadly. Even as she cut down enemies, she continued commanding the soldiers around her.
“Follow Sir Roan! We will win!”
Her shout gave the soldiers even more courage. They began fighting more fiercely, as though they had gained new strength.
Meanwhile, the enemy’s morale broke at an ever-increasing pace. Their faces were filled with fear and despair, and before long, their formation had completely collapsed.
“S-stop that man! We have to stop him somehow!”
The enemy commander shouted desperately. Fear and rage were mixed in his voice. But even approaching Roan was no easy feat. Enemy soldiers who charged at him fell helplessly, as though smashing into an invisible wall.
“Th-this is impossible... How can a knight with such special and terrifying power possibly be serving House Dragonbane...?”
The enemy commander muttered. His face was filled with despair. He realized that he could no longer continue the battle.
“...Retreat! Retreat!”
In the end, the enemy commander gave the order to retreat. The bitterness of defeat was evident in his voice.
The enemy scattered and fled in disorder, while the allied soldiers erupted in victorious cheers. Shouts of triumph rang across the wall as soldiers embraced one another and shared their joy.
Roan stood atop the wall, breathing heavily. Exhaustion was obvious on his face, but so was the joy of victory. The allied soldiers gathered around him.
“Long live Sir Roan!”
“Ruler of the Storm! Ruler of the Storm!”
“Our hero! Sir Roan!”
The soldiers’ cheers rang out without end. Their voices were filled with respect and gratitude. Some even shed tears, overwhelmed by Roan’s performance.
“If it weren’t for Sir Roan, we’d all be dead!”
A young soldier exclaimed emotionally. It was none other than Charles. Tears had gathered in his eyes as well.
But Roan tried to calm them.
“This is only the beginning! Greater battles will be waiting for us, so we must not let our guard down!”
Roan shouted loudly. His words carried a warning. He was wary of the soldiers becoming intoxicated by a single victory and growing careless.
But what was this? The soldiers did not take Roan’s words seriously. Their faces were still filled with the joy of victory, and some even looked ready to hold a festival.
“As long as we have Sir Roan, victory is ours now!”
One soldier said confidently. The others nodded in agreement.
“That’s right! With Sir Roan’s power, we can defeat any enemy!”
Another soldier exclaimed excitedly. His eyes were filled with blind faith in Roan.
The sight was still vivid in their minds. Dozens of enemy soldiers had been swept away by a single swing of Roan’s sword...! With someone capable of such a feat on their side, how could they possibly remain tense?
‘You people, this isn’t a skill I can use all day long... I’m exhausted enough to die as it is....’
Roan, however, could only sigh inwardly. He tried once more to correct the soldiers’ misunderstanding.
‘Wait.’
But soon, he abandoned the thought.
In war, morale was an element just as important as weapons. It was better for everyone to be carried away by hope than to sink into despair. Roan understood that very well.
And so, the first day of the siege defense ended in an overwhelming victory for House Dragonbane. Cheers of triumph echoed through the castle until late into the night.
But the next morning, the situation changed dramatically.
Just before dawn, a thick fog began covering the enemy camp.
At first, they thought it was merely morning mist, but something ominous seemed to linger within it. The fog writhed like a living creature as it slowly approached the castle walls.
“...Gasp! L-look over there!”
At that moment, the silhouette of a figure emerged from within the fog.
His face was hidden beneath the hood of a long robe, but his mere presence seemed to freeze the air around him. Even more striking was the staff in his left hand. A strange light radiated from the jewel embedded at its tip, pulsing as though it were alive and breathing.
“A... a mage!”
Someone shouted in a terrified voice.
Everyone atop the wall fell silent at once. The morale that had soared after the previous day’s victory froze in an instant. Fear and bewilderment were clearly written across the soldiers’ faces. To ordinary people, a “mage” was simply an object of terror.
Roan alone reacted differently. If anything, anticipation appeared in his eyes.
‘If he’s a mage, he’s definitely a Named Enemy! If I kill that guy, I might be able to get a magic Skillbook!’
Excitement and anticipation soon began swirling inside Roan.