novelraw Chapter 107 : Chapter 107
Chapter 107 : Chapter 107
Chapter 107: Verbon Fortress (5)
Grumbak Stone, chief of the Rockturtle Tribe.
He had resolved to hold the fortress steadfastly, unmoved by any provocation.
The duke’s forces’ revelry and provocative actions were transparently calculated.
But.
The letter from Evan Lafard, which he personally opened, shook his reason.
“Raaagh!!!”
Unable to contain his fury, he roared and tore the letter to shreds.
“A wet-behind-the-ears brat dares to question who is a warrior!”
Evan had mirrored the contents of their initial letter, adding insults to the Rockturtle Tribe and warriors themselves.
It was an act that tested Grumbak’s patience to its limits.
“Go seize the wretch who delivered this filthy letter! I’ll behead him as an example!”
“Yes, Chief!”
Grumbak could no longer endure the insult.
He immediately ordered a small force to pursue Jismon, who had delivered the letter.
“Open the gate!”
As the gate opened, the warriors swiftly rushed out.
But Jismon, as if anticipating this, was already a distant speck.
Pursuing him further risked falling into the duke’s trap.
“What do we do? The chief ordered us to capture him.”
“…Let’s go. He’s already back at their camp. Crafty bastard.”
Failing to capture Jismon, the warriors returned to Grumbak.
In that brief time, Grumbak had calmed his anger.
“Chief, we failed to seize him. We’ll accept any punishment.”
The warriors knelt, heads bowed.
“No. You did well. Had you chased further, you might’ve been captured instead.”
Regaining his composure, he kicked away the torn letter in his hand.
“Don’t dwell on this. Hold the fortress.”
He ordered the fortress’s defense as always, but the atmosphere was now entirely different.
“Chief! How long will we endure this humiliation?”
“Exactly! Watching those bastards prance around makes my blood boil!”
Grumbak was a patient leader, but his tribesmen lacked such restraint.
They raised their voices, venting their fury.
“The Thunderbear Tribe and others are likely fighting glorious battles by now! What are we doing?”
“Isn’t it pathetic to be holed up in this fortress under Morcal’s orders, not even Bakan’s?”
Their discontent grew louder.
Even Grumbak could no longer ignore the situation.
At that moment, his aide stepped forward.
“Chief, they’ve been drinking. By dawn, their guard will weaken. A surprise attack then could deal significant damage.”
“Hm…”
“If anything seems off, we’ll retreat immediately. Please give the order.”
The aide’s earnest plea.
Sitting idly by was no longer tolerable to the warriors’ pride.
“…”
Grumbak sank into deep thought.
He had to make a decision.
“Alright. I’ll give you 300 men. Show them our might.”
Grumbak didn’t forget his duty.
He left ample forces to defend the fortress, and this operation was a limited raid to boost the warriors’ morale.
“Thank you, Chief!”
Immediately, 300 elite warriors in peak condition were selected for the raid.
“Open the gate!”
At dawn, the fortress gate opened as if on cue.
Grumbak positioned all internal forces near the walls to prepare for any contingency.
―Rumble!
The gate opened, and the 300-man assault team charged out.
“Remember! Our goal is to teach them a lesson so they never pull such stunts again!”
Grumbak’s aide led the enraged warriors from the front.
Whatever preparations the duke had made were irrelevant to them.
Their warrior instincts burned fiercely within, and only unleashing it would calm them.
“Let’s carve into their skulls who we are!”
“Yes!”
Barely three minutes after boldly leaving the fortress, enemies sprang from both sides of the forest path without warning.
“Attack!”
As if lying in wait, the duke’s allied forces launched a flank ambush.
Leading the charge was Duke Heriel himself, sword drawn as he rushed in.
“Don’t let a single one escape! Crush them and advance to the fortress!”
Realizing it was a trap, they looked back, but it was too late.
The duke’s entire army had blocked their retreat.
Despite the dire situation, the Rockturtle warriors didn’t falter.
“Warriors! This is our glorious final battle!”
“Ragh!”
The Rockturtle warriors, staking their lives, clashed with the allied forces, who had bet everything on this ambush.
The battlefield turned into a chaotic, blood-soaked melee.
“Waaaah!!!”
“Die!”
Grumbak watched all this from the walls, his eyes wide with shock.
“Damn it. That cunning bastard. He set up an ambush already? Did he know this would happen?”
The allied forces reacted instantly, as if waiting for the enemy to emerge, launching the ambush at the perfect moment.
“Chief! What do we do? We must save them…”
“No. Close the gate. It’s too late to save them.”
Grumbak ordered firmly.
“What? But…”
“Going out to save them is exactly what they want. My heart is tearing apart, but there’s no choice. Close the gate before the duke reaches it.”
“Understood.”
Yet the gate showed no sign of closing.
“What are you doing? Close it now!”
Grumbak looked up at the gate’s upper section, where the lever to open and close it was located.
There, he saw a man cutting down the warriors guarding it.
“Who is that…?”
A familiar face came into view.
‘The one from the duel…’
Evan Lafard.
Their eyes met.
In that moment, Evan gave a faint smile.
‘When did that bastard get in here?’
Grumbak’s expression hardened.
Just how far ahead had the duke’s allied forces planned?
***
“Phew!”
As Verbon Fortress bustled with preparations for the sortie, the ground in a corner of the fortress shifted, and a small hole appeared.
From the pile of dirt, a man emerged.
It was Evan, covered in soil.
Behind him, Gaiard crawled out, spitting dirt.
“Damn it, I’m not a mole. What is this nonsense?”
“Shut up. We made it out, didn’t we?”
Gaiard brushed dirt off his arms, grumbling.
“I can fly, you know…”
“I said be quiet.”
While all the fortress’s forces were gathered near the gate, Evan and Gaiard had successfully infiltrated through the tunnel unnoticed.
“Looks like the provocation worked. They’re actually sortieing.”
“If we knew this would happen, we could’ve just sent the letter. They’d open the gate themselves.”
“Sure. But the duke would close it right after the ambush. And they’d lock it even tighter.”
Their goal wasn’t simply to open the gate.
They had to prevent it from closing until the duke’s allied forces could advance.
“So our objective is to keep the gate from closing?”
Gaiard asked in a low voice.
Evan nodded with a light smile.
“Exactly. We need to reach that lever and hold it.”
The lever to open the fortress’s sturdy gate was located directly above the gate.
Two barbarian warriors stood guard there.
“You think those guys down there will just let us pass?”
Gaiard scanned below.
As he said, warriors were milling about at the base of the stairs leading to the lever.
There were roughly a dozen of them.
Not opponents to be taken lightly.
“You’re not saying you can’t handle that, are you? If so, crawl back into the hole.”
“Who said I can’t? Just don’t hold me back.”
“Oh? Want to bet who reaches the top first?”
“Fine. What’s the stake?”
Evan didn’t think too deeply.
“Haven’t thought about it. I won’t lose anyway.”
“Hah! Arrogant brat.”
They waited for their moment.
Soon, the gate opened, and the 300-man assault team rushed out.
“Now!”
With Evan’s short shout, the two emerged from the darkness.
―Dash!
Revealing themselves, they sprinted toward the gate.
“Hm?”
“What!”
The enemies sensed their presence.
But it was too late.
―Slash!
Evan’s sword and Gaiard’s claws cut through their necks.
―Thud.
Before the barbarian corpses could even kneel, the two had already moved far ahead.
They cut down or bypassed every warrior in their path, aiming for a single goal.
The stairs to the lever were their only target.
“There!”
The warriors belatedly noticed the intruders.
But before they could prepare to engage, Evan and Gaiard flashed through them like lightning.
“Gaiard, take the right.”
“Got it.”
―Dash dash!
They raced up the stairs, heading straight for the gate’s upper section.
The warriors guarding the lever raised their flails high.
“Die!!”
The Rockturtle warriors swung their flails with full force.
Evan twisted his blade to deflect the impact, while Gaiard charged head-on, piercing a warrior’s abdomen.
―Splatter!
The warriors, struck by their own attacks, tumbled down the stairs.
Evan and Gaiard reached the lever simultaneously, too close to determine a winner.
They smirked at each other, then raised their weapons to secure the lever.
‘Grumbak Stone, and all you Rockturtle Tribe, you’ll die here today.’
Evan locked eyes with Grumbak, who was staring up from the walls.
Grumbak’s eyes blazed, and he roared to the fortress’s warriors.
“Intruders! Kill them!”
He then descended to grab his weapon.
Evan, watching, tightly gripped his sword.
‘Come. I’ll hold you off until the duke arrives.’
Below the stairs, barbarian warriors were already climbing to kill him and Gaiard.