Chapter 25: The Price of Blood and Pride

The knights rode out first on horseback.

Except for one knight already stationed on the battlefield, the knights quickly secured the center of the battlefield in the blink of an eye.

Soon after, enemy knights charged forward.

Their target was the knights on the ground.

Before mounting their horses, with reckless bravado.

But having already sensed the danger, they retreated and quickly mounted, leaving no choice but to fight as they were.

Kaka-kam!

Ten knights met eleven.

Sparks flew from their swords clashing atop their horses.

“Hiiing bu—”

“Purrok, prrok!”

Horses are naturally skittish creatures.

They react first and most excitedly even to the slightest commotion or the faintest hint of hostility from monsters.

However, with proper training, they maintain composure even amid a chaotic battlefield where sparks fly.

That’s why a well-trained warhorse is worth a fortune—enough to survive a few sets of decent armor.

Though knights fought to the death atop their mounts, the horses themselves usually did not attack.

After all, such creatures are priceless spoils of war.

“Waaah!”

While the knights battled on horseback, the shield bearers and spearmen united as one and advanced forward.

The horses moved so fast that the shield bearers and spearmen only arrived as the fight was in full swing.

Behind them, the swordsmen maintained formation, while the archers kept their distance, waiting for the enemy to enter their range.

Pishh shh shh shh shh.

Our archers’ arrows first cut through the air.

This was possible because we approached first.

Naturally, I expected the enemy to be hit by the arrows.

Tiddi-diding!

Surprisingly, enemy shield bearers raised their shields and blocked the arrows.

Clang…

“Hmph…”

Of course, not all were successful, but only one or two were hit out of more than a hundred arrows fired.

The enemy had many shield bearers.

When I first heard the intel, I was told they had about two hundred more troops than us—and they were all shield bearers.

Since the shield bearers were positioned between the archers, spearmen, and swordsmen, the enemy’s casualties weren’t severe.

Suddenly, a voice beside me startled me.

“My mana, my calling…”

“Spirit of fire…”

“Wind, come to me…”

The mages nearby moved together, murmuring their incantations in unison.

I hurriedly prepared and waited quietly.

It only took me a second to ready my skill.

Still, wary of unnecessary suspicion, I muttered softly.

“Until the East Sea dries up and Baekdu Mountain withers…”

Speaking in Korean, not the local language, so likely no one understood.

When their incantations finished and magic was unleashed, I shouted along.

“Fireball.”

“Earth Wave.”

“Gust of Wind.”

“Fire Burst.”

Magic erupted one after another, heating the surroundings fiercely.

The waves of wind swept through the enemy soldiers, and its swirling force rattled their formation.

Finally, the Fireball created a massive explosion right in the enemy’s center.

-Level up.

-Five additional skill points granted.

Evidence of killing the enemy appeared before my eyes.

I hadn’t expected my level to increase so quickly.

Maybe experience gain was better than I thought, or perhaps I was just hitting my targets well.

A hole opened in the enemy’s formation.

But the Duke’s forces weren’t faring much better.

Kwang! Kwang!!

Three Fireballs launched from the enemy formation landed on our lines.

“Ugh!”

“It burns, b-burns!”

“Help me!”

Surprisingly, our casualties were severe.

The enemy’s mages seemed more skilled than ours.

Their magic was powerful enough to counter my Fireball skill.

Dudududu.

Dudududu.

As the two sides exchanged magical fire, the cavalry began charging across the battlefield.

Gripping the reins tightly with one hand, lowering their heads to reduce their profile, and holding their lances with the other, the cavalry dashed forward.

Dudududu.

In an instant, the distance closed, and the opposing cavalry clashed head-on.

Kwak!

A tremendous noise rang out.

The collision between the cavalry inflicted devastating casualties on both sides.

Within moments, the number of cavalry was halved.

Dudududu.

But the charge did not stop.

They changed direction and dashed straight toward the infantry.

They trampled the soldiers and cut through with their lances, carving a path through the middle.

Dudududu.

Our forces did the same, opening a path.

After that, the barrage of magical explosions continued.

Kwang, kwang, kwang!

Our mages were still chanting spells, but already Fireballs rained down from the enemy’s formation.

Our mages’ spells hit the enemy formation a bit late.

Kwang, kwang.

Our magic seemed to be losing momentum.

Not only was the magic weaker than before, but the casting speed was slower.

“Fireball!”

Compared to that, my magic still unleashed formidable power.

-Level up.

-Five additional skill points granted.

Upon receiving another level-up notification, I prepared my next spell and scanned the battlefield.

Our knights were holding their ground against the enemy knights without faltering.

But that was all.

The infantry fought desperately, avoiding the knights and clashing among themselves.

They swung their weapons desperately to survive a war where if they didn’t kill the enemy, they would surely die.

Clang

“Die!”

“Just die already!”

A pitiful scream echoed from their lips.

Corpses littered the ground, still fresh.

“Mom…”

“Arina…”

Krukd

Soldiers calling out desperately as they died.

The blood flowing from their bodies soaked the parched earth.

“Caw! Caw! Caw!”

A distant flock of carrion birds began to caw.

A sound of joy amid the carnage.

“Hmmm…”

A deep sigh escaped my lips.

Thanks to my Mental Strength skill, my mind remained clear and calm.

But it was not a good feeling.

The first battle ended just as I used my magic a couple more times.

It was a fierce fight lasting three long hours.

Both sides suffered terrible casualties.

Of all the troops engaged, only the mercenaries emerged mostly unscathed.

Soon, night fell.

Flocks of carrion birds and wild animals crept forward one by one, nudging their heads toward the bodies.

That was the beginning of the true feast.

***

That evening, the exhausted soldiers collapsed one by one.

The first day of battle had exacted a terrible toll.

The surviving knights had yet to rest properly as they held a meeting under Duke Krukd’s tent.

“Incompetent fools…”

“Bloodsuckers, all of you…”

“Why are our casualties higher? Our morale was more than enough…”

The only voice outside was Duke Krukd’s angry shouting.

His harshest target was none other than the mercenaries.

A few representatives had entered the meeting, and they were verbally abused so harshly that the curses could be heard outside the barracks.

“Do you commoners not understand what is happening?”

“Fights like this continue because of lowlifes like you.”

“If you continue to perform so poorly, I won’t pay you!”

The last words were shouted the loudest.

Mercenaries stationed a short distance away overheard this and began whispering among themselves.

They feared they wouldn’t be paid.

I could understand the duke’s anger.

Our forces had suffered heavy losses.

Excluding the archers and knights, more than half the infantry was gone.

Current numbers were 90 shield bearers, 70 spearmen, and 130 swordsmen.

From an initial thousand troops, only 290 remained—a devastating reduction.

The cavalry had dropped to 100 strong, significantly weakening the force.

Unlike Duke Krukd’s troops, the mercenaries were in a very different situation.

Of the 150 mercenaries, none had died, and only about 30 had minor injuries.

That was why the duke was going berserk.

When they were beheading enemy knights, it had felt like victory was assured.

But when engaging in a frontal battle, this was the result.

Rumor had it that more than half the enemy forces were still intact.

If they clashed again, our defeat was certain.

That was why the duke was convening a meeting with the knights.

‘Power and money—they suffer like this to get both.’

It was only natural from the Duke’s perspective.

The meeting dragged on for a long time.

Only after Jenny and I took a corner to rest and finished setting traps and alarm magic did it finally end, and everyone silently returned to their places with grim expressions.

I guessed what had happened.

The Duke probably ranted about finding a way to win, the knights tried to devise strategies with their limited knowledge, and the mercenary representatives held back as much as possible.

I was looking forward to what would happen once the sun rose tomorrow.

***

The next morning came.

Surprisingly, nothing happened overnight.

I had expected a night raid, but perhaps I had overthought it.

Even as the soldiers gathered for breakfast, their spirits were low.

The aftermath of yesterday’s battle was severe.

Soldiers hurriedly prepared breakfast.

The mercenaries also ate the food prepared by the soldiers, and I was a bit surprised when I saw the rations.

“Sure enough, fighting near the castle means the supply line is solid.”

Last night, and even this morning’s meal, naturally brought such thoughts.

The meal consisted of soup thick with chunks of meat and two soft loaves of bread.

A completely different meal compared to the marches.

Unlike us, Duke Krukd’s table was piled high with meat as he ate like a pig alone.

Another wagon nearby suggested the food had been freshly prepared and delivered.

After the meal, the knights and soldiers hurriedly moved.

The enemy soldiers did the same.

When we ate, so did they, and when preparing for battle, they too readied themselves.

As the sun fully rose, both forces took their positions.

But neither side showed any signs of moving first.

Our side was at a numerical disadvantage and naturally crouched defensively, but the enemy didn’t move at all—they simply waited.

The Duke’s voice was heard.

He looked uncertain, either unsure what to do or overwhelmed with thoughts.

Time passed.

Their only option was to wait.

The sun climbed high overhead.

The most sweltering part of the southern region had arrived.

The soldiers’ and knights’ faces glistened with sweat.

Warm droplets trickled down beneath their armor and dripped onto the ground.

The battlefield quickly filled with the scent of earth and sweat.

Silence.

Haah.

So quiet that even the sound of swallowing saliva and breathing was audible.

Then the enemy made the first move.

Thuck, clink.

The shield bearers who had been bracing for an attack just moments ago lowered their shields and relaxed their posture.

“Hmm.”

These shield bearers had originally outnumbered ours.

Their shields half obscured the enemy soldiers’ figures.

From our side, we couldn’t see what they were doing.

“Let’s get comfortable on our side too.”

Duke Krukd, seeing the enemy’s stance, ordered our soldiers to relax.

He must have judged the enemy wasn’t planning to attack today.

The Duke himself stopped pacing and sat comfortably in his chair.

Some time passed quietly, then suddenly arrows began to fly from the enemy formation.

Shush, shush, shush, shush.

Cutting through the air, the arrows descended on our soldiers.

Archers hid behind shields, moving as close as possible to fire their arrows.

Chaos broke out instantly among our troops.