Chapter 31: At Daybreak

The villager’s eyes widened as the warm milk spilled from the sides of their lips. Some of them almost spat out the milk through their nose. Dumfounded and confused. Scrunching brows slowly formed on their brows; some rubbed their ears, wondering if they heard the words right.

Septharion’s lips arched and enjoyed the mug of milk in his hand.

“So did you enjoy it?” The old knight asked. His voice was loud, but gentle to the ears. He was like a storyteller, speaking about some good old poems and tales, as if everything that happened to them was no major concern.

Silence filled the place as the young ones waited for an explanation. Furrows deep, eyes wide open, fist clenched as they glared at the old knight.

“Did you like the feeling of being a hero?” Septharion slowly stood up, and the gentle grin he wore vanished. The atmosphere surrounding the old knight suddenly changed. From warm and caring, it shifted into suffocating. The young ones gasped, their knees buckling.

The hundred and fifty-three of them experienced all the same thing.

A sneer slipped out of the old knight’s lips. “No answers? I could let you experience it again?”

Although the hundred fifty plus was a little slow, they understood fast enough that it was a threat. The memories of their thrilling escape filled their minds, making them shook their heads in reply.

Septharion grinned. “That’s what it means to be a hero.”

If that was it meant to be a hero. Well, they don’t know anymore.

The mug in their hands shook, spilling the warm milk into their hands, waking them up from their stupor. They could only sit there, speechless. Their faces were paler than the other.

Suddenly, a brave young man stood. He raised his hand.

Septharion clapped. He was eager to hear the words of the brat. “Yes, young brave little brat! What do you want?”

“I-I don’t want to be a hero anymore. I-I want to be a fa-farmer!” The young man lisped, but his eyes were burning with a brand new desire. The new calling shone in his eyes. “No wonder my pops want me to be a farmer. I’m not suited for those bards' lies.”

“Come on! You don’t want to be a hero anymore?”

“No, sir! I don’t want to!”

With his arms cross, the old veteran gazed at the young boy. “Now, that’s interesting! Could you tell me why, boy?”

“F-for a long life, sir!”

The villager’s eyes lit up. Thinking for a moment, many of them realized that being a hero or even an adventurer was quite farfetched. Living the life of a farmer wasn’t bad at all as compared to being chased to the point of death every day.

Being a hero wasn’t full of roses, as described by the bards. Those shit-stirrers lied to them with their forked tongues.

Most humans, after facing death once, have a habit of learning the value of life. What’s money and castles if you’re dead? What’s honor and glory if you’re dead?

A life gone. A life forgotten. There were no second chances.

Septharion held his stomach and guffawed. “Hahaha! Well said! Well said, boy!”

He walked towards the boy before tapping the kid’s shoulder with brute strength. He acknowledged this boy’s guts. The face of the young man turned red. Then paled, patches of water drip on his face.

“You may take a sit now. Anyone else?”

The other villagers followed the boy’s example. With gritted teeth, they understood the merciless truth.

They weren’t fit to be a hero!

Of course, a few smart ones also understood something. And they kept it a secret.

They knew that the appearance of the new lord also presented an opportunity. They might not instantly become a warrior, but the new lord would show them how to be one.

A chance for change. A chance to grow.

The dawn was coming, the flashes of light from the peeking sun serving as the clarion call of the new day.

After the reflection, Septharion stood up and let out a sigh. “Good.”

With a frown and worry, he immediately ordered a fast-paced march. After all, he just received a new letter from the Madam, and it wasn’t good news. He immediately set his eyes on the next goal. Setting his eyes towards the black walls of Gisvold, a sigh of relief broke out of his lips, they’re nearer than he thought.

“Reinforcements.” He said, clenching the letter in his hands.

***

Bam. Bam. Bam.

The sounds of war drums burst again. This time, the war drummers only played the piece “On March.” The rumbling tune was not as tiring as before, and at most. It would give the soldiers a clear and calm mind for the battle.

Screeching sounds filled the ears of both wolves and humans alike. Shields and claws clashed, roars bursting with each encounter. The wolves howled like the beast they are, but the soldier does that too.

The battle against the death wolves continued after the brief respite. Without getting a lot of time to grieve, the soldiers were back on the battlefields again, fighting ferocity with ferocity. It was a slugfest.

The old village walls had allowed the soldiers to control the battlefield. Minimizing the wasteful usage of their strength. It gave them time to get a short breather and a place to recover. Although the wolves could scratch up and scale to the walls, they would also be free targets when they climb.

On the top of the walls, Madam watched over the battle. Her eyes zeroed on the giant Death wolf. A simple movement of the giant death wolf would require rebalancing on the battlefield. She could feel the callousness and brutality within the giant wolf’s emerald-hued eyes.

She knew that once it enters the battlefield, a lot of variables would change. Until now, she couldn’t fathom how powerful the leader of the Death wolves was.

Her estimates were around the strength of a silver knight, at the least. Or at the strength of Lord Knight as the worst scenario. Just in case, she already ordered Auburn to prepare more traps.

The village itself became a web of interconnected traps.

A jungle of tricks. Plan B if things fail. When things fell into a hellhole, the traps could also support their retreat.

It was their great luck they could build the second defense line on the old wall. Madam Annis thanked the old soldiers who maintained this place in her heart. If not for them, she could only order a retreat to safety once again. Or at worst, abandon the Knight’s new fief altogether.

The old stone walls had allowed her to control the tempo of the battle, avoiding the possibility of a battle in an open field. Or else, it will be a crazy free-for-all. Madam Annis had felt the lurking threat. The tide of Death wolves proved the capabilities of the leader of the pack.

They might have killed a lot of Death wolves. Still, it seemed like they were battling a never-ending tide of beasts. They weren’t even sure how many Death wolves hid within the forest.

They had forced the Deviltusk boars to migrate away from this place. Just based on the number of Death wolves, the pack would definitely leave no food intact.

In Madam Annis’ eyes, rather than death wolves, they were more like a swarm of hungry locusts. Every place they passed would turn barren and dead.

“The tundra of in the north, huh.” The madam said, her brows meeting halfway.

“Madam, it’s great that we have these walls. If not, I fear that we would have to run away with a flood of death wolves in pursuit.” Lady Leine signed. They assigned her to manage the logistics in this battle. Although it had only been a few hours since the start of the battle, it felt like days for her. Stiff arms, aching soles, and painful back because of excessive workload in the logistics had made her listless.

Madam Annis agreed with a hum and a nod.

The soldiers needed weapon repairs, food, and water. With limited resources, things had been taxing to her. It was also clear that there was a lack of human resources. After all, the Knight and the Madam sent away about seventy men to protect the caravan of the villagers.

At daybreak, they could at least take another breather. Though the death wolves weren’t weak against sunlight, with an open space battlefield, it would at least limit their advantage in the night. The Death wolves would be like shining targets you couldn’t miss during the day.

“Hold the man, move him away now!? Somebody take his place! Greenhorn, fill the blank. Not there, you dumbass! Here!”

Although it looked like that the soldiers were on advantage, a continuous battle would take a big toll on the soldier’s spirit. The death wolves were powerful enough to climb a wall, though with difficulty.

It would be hard to avoid casualties and injuries, especially in this type of battle. Aside from that, they must conserve everyone’s strength to buy more time.

Tapping her fingers on the wall, Madam Annis looked at the other side of the wall. “Tsk, another one injured. I hope the reinforcement arrives on time.”

“I would love it if we got our own healer. Most of these guys are brutes.” Lady Leine shifted his eyes to check on the poor victim. Mage healers were one of the most valuable assets of many nations and kingdoms.

Madam Annis raised her eyebrows. “If only those guys aren’t as rare as hell and aren’t arrogant pricy pricks. I would hire more. What’s worse, the decrepit old coots already bought those arrogant pricks in their castles.”

 “Anyway, I’m planning to develop new healer mages. Levo had already checked the village for them. Or perhaps we would also discover a rare gem.” The Madam smirked for a moment before her eyes once again focusing on the battle.

Lady Leine’s eyes shone. “Another Aspect Wielder?”

Madam Annis watched the unfolding battle against the Death wolves. It was getting rowdier and more brutal.

“Here comes last leg before sunrise.”

The madam watched her husband mowing Death wolves like grass. A small hill of wolf corpses had already piled in front of the Knight. His sword cutting through the wind, each slash blasting a group of wolves.

On the side of her eyes, she saw another injured soldier being rushed out of the battlefield. A bloody gaping hole in his armored chest.

Madam Annis closed her eyes, a light thug of pain filling her. “Another one, gone.”

She had still underestimated the Death wolves. The death wolves weren’t a pack. It was more like an army. If only she had more time to prepare…

She still could gamble and join the battle. Her magic spells would help them relieve some burden. But until then, the madam deemed it a last resort.

Based on the wit of the pack leader, if she destroys the current status quo. She would be the target of the leader of the pack. Her ice magic would make her stuck like a sore thumb.

She must let the leader of the Death wolves think he could whittle the knight’s army slowly. In short, she must buy enough time until the reinforcement arrives.

If the worst-case comes, she also needed to prepare a viable escape route.

Lady Leine shut her eyes, placing her palms on her forehead. “I hope the reinforcements arrive earlier.”

With a sigh, the madam focused her gaze back on the battle unfolding below.