Count Tchitun’s crisis was no different from House Gisert’s crisis.
“Urgent report!”
“Count!”
Messages came flying in through messengers and magical communication devices, each more urgent than the last.
‘Several thousand is nothing. How many tens of thousands? Could it be close to a hundred thousand?’
The situation was grim.
There was a standing army. The Duke, wary of House Ofern, had stationed a considerable standing force at Hellk Castle.
But it was only sixty thousand.
Sixty thousand as a standing army was a substantial number—a force that consumed an enormous amount of money. However…
‘In peacetime, maybe. But not now.’
Fifty thousand was barely enough to fend off the usual monster disruptions.
Even during winter, they had to send additional troops for subjugation. Last year and the years before that had been the same.
Hellk Castle had many places that needed defending. If Hellk fell, the territory behind it had woefully inadequate military strength.
It was due to the nature of Duke Gisert’s household. When it came to defense, they were practically invincible. But…
“Has word been sent to the Duke?”
“Yes.”
And that Duke Gisert was not here right now.
Once the information reached him, the Duke also became frantic.
“What’s the plan?”
“Sending the produced Servants is one option.”
“Then this front line will be blocked.”
“There’s no other way. The resources consumed and the situation…”
BOOM.
The force he generated shook the command tent.
“This is why you receive your in peacetime—to come up with plans.”
“…”
“…”
Faced with the direct reprimand, the strategists could only lower their heads, unable to say anything.
In truth, even Duke Gisert had pressed them, but he knew there was no other way.
‘I can’t leverage our strengths.’
Gisert’s strength was in defense.
Even without a multitude of soldiers and resources, if Duke Gisert himself was present, it was possible to hold.
But not on the offense.
It had always been this way. If all the power he had distributed were recalled, things might be different for an attack too. But that…
‘That’s a death sentence for everyone.’
It was realistically impossible.
Though his territory was small for a ducal house, there were many places to defend. If he hadn’t divided his power to protect them, he would have lost a significant number of territories.
To think things would turn out like this the moment he decided to wage a territorial war.
Throb.
Duke Gisert’s heart, which had been pounding, clenched painfully in this unfavorable situation.
“Have you found the cause?”
“No other cause is apparent. If we were to force a reason, though it’s not certain…”
At the Duke’s repeated question, the strategist squeezed his eyes shut. He had no choice but to answer.
“If we were to find one…”
“It could be that the monsters surged due to the changes caused by House Ofern expanding the Northern Fortress…”
CRASH!
From Rayrn’s perspective, since there was a cause, it was half correct.
But…
“House Ofern again!”
The fact that it was Ofern was what mattered.
‘What do I do?’
Retreating like this was unacceptable.
If he tried to negotiate, House Ofern might demand a significant portion of the territory they had painstakingly taken from House Owen.
“Tell Hilton Castle to hold out a little longer. Have them support the soldiers as much as possible.”
“That might be difficult. The damage is significant…”
In the end, the answer for Gisert was predetermined.
“Duke!! House Ofern has started moving again.”
See.
Wasn’t Count Ofern, who had been quiet for a while, moving again, as if he had been waiting for this moment?
With this, there was no other way.
In the end, Duke Gisert’s choice was correct.
Even if Helton Castle fell, just as in the previous generation, they could recapture it again.
“Ofern must have heard the news too.”
“…I will relay that to Helton.”
“Good. The rest of you, prepare for deployment!”
With a boiling heart, the Duke declared preparation for deployment.
“Yes!”
“…”
“…I will have it prepared immediately!”
Everyone knew the situation was bad. Even so, it was time to move.
If the opponent clung on, Gisert would cling on twice as hard.
Gisert always had to be the tenacious side.
‘Today… I’ll show you too, Ofern.’
Duke Gisert stepped onto the battlefield with the feeling of a cornered rat.
“Ofern!”
WOOOOSH—
Just as Duke Ofern had done before, he too must have hidden cards.
Raising his fighting spirit, he unleashed the energy surging up from within him without restraint.
CRRRRRACK— CRACK—
It had taken a long time, but…
‘In the end, it’s my domain.’
He had succeeded in making this land of Marquis Owen his own domain!
He was both the invading army and, simultaneously, the defender.
From the moment he became the defender…
“Come!”
Duke Gisert was by no means weak. That was why he was so intense.
CRACK. CRUNCH.
His aura, shaking the very energy of the earth, was immense, as if it would swallow the entire army.
He and Ofern…
“…”
“…I’ll face you as much as you want.”
They faced each other.
The battle in the North dragged the South into the vortex of an even larger battlefield.
“Don’t back down! You must not retreat!”
Amidst the carnage, Count Tchitun shouted endlessly. His blood-red throat spoke of his desperation.
‘Too many.’
Where were so many monsters swarming from?
This wasn’t a simple disruption.
It was a sudden change. Monsters from the Northern Mountain Range were pouring in endlessly.
“Block them! I’ll block them here! Hah!”
–KYAAK!
CRRRRRACK—
Using the power of the earth received from Gisert, he slew monsters. But even so, there were too many. As many as he killed, they kept coming down from the North.
Men were dying, but reinforcements were hard to come by.
“How much time have we bought?”
“Fifteen days.”
“Hah… Only fifteen days.”
Humans and monsters were different. Monsters could fight endlessly without issue.
But humans accumulated fatigue.
Ten days of continuous fighting for fifteen days spoke volumes.
‘How many have evacuated?’
Hellk Castle was the first and last bastion.
While Hellk and the surrounding fortresses held them off, the other territories in Duke Gisert’s domain had to evacuate.
They had to hide tightly to avoid the monsters. If they just hunkered down and endured, Gisert, the master of the land, would come. He was the one who could recapture the lost lands.
That was why this place revolved around Gisert.
“Any contact from the Duke?”
“He’s the same. Hold on.”
“Kuh.”
The problem was that the center wasn’t here.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
CRACK. CRUNCH
He constantly scanned the area, cutting down the charging monsters.
Whenever it seemed the soldiers were being pushed back, he used his power without hesitation.
“…They’re coming over. Hup.”
SWOOSH— BANG!
Even a superhuman couldn’t help it in a prolonged battle. Count Tchitun’s body was pushed back violently by a giant boulder that suddenly flew in.
“Father!”
“Commander!”
Hellk Castle was under concentrated attack. His eldest son and adjutants, who had come to support, saw Tchitun’s injury.
“…”
“I’m fine!”
Even if it was painful, he had to endure it.
He couldn’t waver. He had to hold on until the very moment of death. That was the duty of a commander.
Even if his heart shook a thousand or ten thousand times, he had to maintain a calm exterior. However…
‘How long can I hold out?’
He was outmatched.
The front line had barely been formed, but it was gradually being pushed back.
“It’s… it’s breaking through!”
“Kuaaaaaagh!”
“…Kuh.”
He fought desperately, but was pushed back.
It was unavoidable. Just managing to block the surging monsters and stabilize the front line was a miracle.
‘Is this the end…’
He could see monsters continuously charging from afar.
–Sssshhh
–Ssshh
Even Lizardmen, who rarely left their nests, were charging. Tribe-level attacks were starting again.
If only they would eat each other…
But the monsters, who might have been empowered from somewhere, rarely devoured each other. They just radiated madness and poured straight down.
“Block them! Block them!”
He kept shouting, but it was gradually reaching its limit.
As a commander, he had to make calculations. Who to sacrifice, and who to save.
“Huaaap!”
He saw his son nearby, unleashing the same power.
“Hold the line! Left wing, fall back! Right wing, hold! Center, the Knight Order! What is the Knight Order doing!”
He saw the adjutants who had supported him for so long.
Soldiers whose morale was dying. Knights trying their best to lend their strength under their oath. A variety of people, even those whose names he didn’t know, filled Tchitun’s vision.
‘…I’ve decided.’
He decided who must die, and who must live. Also, who would later continue the Tchitun family.
“Adjutant! No, Maxerd!”
He called the name of his old friend. Having been together since childhood, they understood each other’s intentions just by the sound of their voices.
“…What must I do? No, what do you wish for?”
He asked not as an adjutant, but as a friend.
“Can you survive?”
“…”
“…It would be right for you to live, not me.”
At his friend’s words, Tchitun shook his head.
“I have to stay. Only then can I save as many as possible. I entrust everyone to you. What remains…”
“…”
“…”
As if listening to a will, Maxerd, his friend and adjutant, meticulously memorized Tchitun’s words.
“…I’m counting on you.”
A nod was enough.
Maxerd quickly gathered his men. He was competent, picking out people in the chaos of the battlefield.
‘He’ll do well.’
Tchitun judged that it was right for someone like Maxerd, who led the battlefield as an adjutant rather than a single superhuman, to survive.
“Father! Together!”
“Shut up!”
Ignoring his son’s cries.
“Everyone! Retreat!”
Only then, at Maxerd’s resounding shout, did Tchitun nod in satisfaction.
“Damn it!”
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”
Those who remained swore but gripped the weapons in their hands tightly.
They knew.
They were going to die.
But they also knew that those who had led them were dying too. Tchitun was staying. They knew what that meant.
And so, desertion never crossed their minds. With monsters everywhere, desertion was almost impossible anyway.
No one could even be sure how many soldiers Maxerd was leading would survive.
To the roaring soldiers, Tchitun shouted.
“Everyone! Stand your ground and hold on!”
“Fuuuck! Yes, sir!”
“…”
“…At that shout, they could only muster their last fighting spirit and hold on.”
–KIIIIIIK!
Alongside the enraged soldiers, monsters filled with madness began to swarm.
The monsters charged.
*BOOM. THUD. With a colossal roar.
As a human, infinitely weak before an unstoppable wave, Tchitun stood at the very front.
That was the best he could do, and his duty.
Having lived his life,
having tried to break free from the name of Gisert…
‘Maybe this life, I’m not the protagonist.’
Having determination didn’t mean anyone could be a protagonist.
Some are leads, and even in a life where some can’t even be supporting cast…
“Fuck!”
Even a nameless soldier, leaving behind a single curse as he died, must have had his own way of living.
It’s just that this life ended here.
Even if it was the last.
“Let’s go out in style!”
It didn’t matter if it was gruesome, desperate, or miserable.
Wasn’t it a perfect day to die?
“Let’s go!”
CRRRRRRRACK—
Tchitun’s final struggle, pulling up all his power, shot toward the monsters.
The final struggle.
A struggle so vicious even the monsters would hate it continued endlessly. Until the very last one fell.
And then…
The first line of defense, Hellk Castle and its fortresses, had fallen.