novelraw Chapter 110 : Chapter 110
Chapter 110 : Chapter 110
Chapter 110: Vain Hope
The massive walls encircling the capital, Kaien.
They were the kingdom’s defensive line, built to prevent the humiliation of past invasions.
But they overlooked one thing:
the Kandahr Tribe wouldn’t cling to brute force forever.
―Boom!
“Commander! At this rate, the walls will be breached!”
“The southwest wall is already cracking!”
Those they believed could never reach their level of knowledge had crafted siege weapons.
And they wielded them with astonishing skill, systematically attacking the walls.
‘The warships, and now this—how did those barbarians advance their warfare techniques so far?’
The kingdom’s army was realizing that underestimating them as mere barbarians was a grave mistake.
―Boom!!!
Each time a massive boulder struck, the entire wall trembled.
Worse still, “Their boulders are hitting civilian homes!”
“Damn it! What are the mages doing?”
The commander guarding the walls urgently sought the mages.
One of the mages on watch, grimacing, leaped onto the wall.
“Those damned shamans are interfering with our magic! Do something!”
“Can’t you solve it with magic?”
“They came prepared to grind us down. They’re using shamanic arts we’ve never seen. We can’t counter them!”
“Damn it! Damn it!”
The siege unfolded in a way the kingdom’s army hadn’t anticipated.
Siege weapons battered the walls, and shamanic arts neutralized the kingdom’s defensive magic.
With the capital completely surrounded, they could only endure helplessly.
‘If we had more troops, maybe… But opening the gate now is suicide.’
Opening the gate
was like walking into the jaws of a starving beast.
Thus, their only option was one:
to hold out.
“Is the civilian evacuation complete?”
“Yes! Most have headed to the royal castle. Our mages are monitoring—”
―Crash!!!
A sudden impact.
A massive boulder fell before the commander, crushing the mage.
“Damn it!”
The enemy’s onslaught was like a calamity.
Screams erupted from all directions, the battlefield filled with blood and rubble.
Standing at its center, the commander gazed at the enemy with despairing eyes.
‘We have to hold out as long as possible. But… is that even possible?’
Their sole hope was the northern hero, Duke Heriel Theron, and the northern forces with him.
They were the only ones who could turn this dire situation around.
‘If they come, we might stop this nightmare.’
But even that hope was fading.
Waiting within the walls was no longer enough to endure.
―Boom!!!
“Captain! The southwest has been breached.”
A massive impact accompanied news that the southwest wall had collapsed.
The moment had come for all soldiers defending the capital to steel themselves for a last stand.
“Gather the troops! Don’t let a single one through! We must stop them from reaching the castle!”
Even if all the walls eventually fell, they had to hold for just one more minute.
But some things effort alone couldn’t achieve.
“Barbarians… Guh!”
“Aaagh!!!”
First, the Black Snake Tribe’s warriors slipped through the southwest breach like shadows.
Wherever their spears swept, the soldiers guarding the walls fell one by one.
Watching the advancing warriors, Morcal, chief of the Black Snake Tribe, gave a cruel smile and ordered,
“Crush their vain hope. We’ll take their king’s head.”
“Yes!”
The kingdom’s army rallied to block the Black Snake Tribe’s advance into the capital.
At the same time, another wall collapsed.
―Boom!!!
The western wall shattered next.
From the rubble, Drenbalk, leader of the Thunderbear Tribe, emerged.
“Weaklings! Falling to Morcal’s tricks. In that case, we’ll breach the castle!”
“Rooar!!!”
His warriors roared, mercilessly slaughtering the soldiers before them.
―Bang!
Finally, the northern wall crumbled, and with bloodthirsty beasts, men wielding whips appeared.
“Release the dogs. Tear apart everything that breathes.”
“Woof! Woof!”
With the Red Dog Tribe’s arrival, beasts were unleashed onto the streets.
As the capital crumbled moment by moment, even the kingdom’s faint hope began to fade.
***
The western army, led by Viscount Card Laper, raced past Verbon Fortress toward the capital, Kaien, at full speed.
But the viscount’s attention was fixed not ahead, but behind.
‘The orb must be with Evan. The question is when to take it.’
Though Card commanded the western army, not all the cavalry were his subordinates.
They were soldiers drawn from various territories, meaning some wouldn’t follow his orders unquestioningly.
‘To take the orb, I need to eliminate Evan. But I can’t do it in front of them.’
If even one reported this to the duke, what would be the point of seizing the orb?
Thus, Card bided his time, watching for an opportunity.
And finally, that moment arrived.
As the cavalry exited a gorge and traversed a dense forest, an unexpected enemy ambush began.
“Damn! An ambush!”
Barbarians hidden among the trees sprang out.
This was another of Morcal’s schemes.
Assuming the fortress might be breached, it was a ploy to further delay the enemy’s advance.
The ambush was carried out by the Red Dog Tribe’s feral dog unit.
“Woof! Woof!”
The Red Dog Tribe’s battle dogs leaped from all directions.
Their numbers weren’t large, but the dense forest terrain was ideal for disrupting the cavalry.
Especially the ferocious dogs led by the Red Dog Tribe, which were more threatening than the warriors themselves.
“What kind of nonsense is this?”
Gaiard covered his nose in disgust.
“The stench of dogs is overwhelming. I’ll fall back. Handle it.”
He slowed his pace, veering toward a less pungent area.
Meanwhile, Evan glanced between the rearing horses, the charging dogs, and the still-clustered cavalry.
‘This is bad. We’re too bunched up in this tight space.’
At this rate, a disaster was imminent.
He urged his horse forward to Viscount Card Laper, leading the front.
“Viscount, we need to scatter. We can control the horses now, but if the enemy gets closer, they’ll panic. Then it’ll be irreversible.”
If the lead horses panicked, the following troops would be swept up, collapsing the formation like dominos.
The Red Dog Tribe’s strategy was clearly banking on this.
“Understood. Scatter.”
The viscount raised his hand sharply.
“Disperse! Regroup at the forest’s edge!”
At the command, the cavalry scattered in different directions, picking up speed.
Evan, too, veered off, cutting down approaching dogs while calming his horse.
“Whoa, whoa, easy.”
He gently stroked the horse’s neck, whispering,
“I’ll make sure you don’t get bitten. Just keep running a bit longer.”
Calming the horse, he rode deeper into the forest alone.
‘The good news is the enemy doesn’t seem to have goals beyond disruption.’
Indeed, Evan only had to deal with cutting down a few dogs.
There were no other significant attacks.
As he rode toward the forest’s edge without further incident, a retreating dog handler came into view.
‘I’m not letting you escape!’
Evan gripped the reins with one hand and swung his sword with the other, unleashing a sword aura.
―Whoosh!
The aura sliced through the handler.
At that moment, another aura from a different direction cut the handler’s body again.
Its source was Viscount Card Laper.
“Viscount!”
“Evan! You’re safe.”
Card smiled gently.
“You’re safe too, Viscount. Let’s go.”
“Indeed. Lead the way.”
“Yes.”
As Evan nodded and moved to take the lead, Card quickly scanned their surroundings.
No one else was around.
“Evan!”
“Yes?”
As Evan turned, Card unleashed a sharp sword aura.
Evan instinctively twisted his body to dodge, but his horse was struck instead.
―Slash!
The horse collapsed, and Evan tumbled to the ground.
He looked up at Card with shocked eyes.
“What is this…”
Before he could finish, Card swung another sword aura, and Evan spun, collapsing face-down.
―Thud!
Evan lay motionless.
‘Did it hit? It definitely connected…’
Card stared at Evan, holding his breath.
Yet Evan showed no sign of movement.
‘If he were alive, his chest would at least rise…’
Card remained cautious, not letting his guard down.
He dismounted slowly and approached carefully.
Then, a red orb rolling on the ground caught his eye.
‘The Fire Dragon Orb!’
Finally.
The treasure of the Lafard Family he’d coveted was within reach.
Card lowered his guard and reached out.
To claim the orb he’d longed for.
At that moment, “Are you from the branch family too?”
Evan’s voice echoed lowly.
“…?!”
A chill ran down Card’s spine as he stepped back.
Evan, who had been sprawled on the ground, slowly rose.
His armor was deeply cut by the sword aura, but his body was unscathed.
“You survived that?”
Card muttered in disbelief.
He was certain his sword aura had struck Evan.
But Evan had spun his body, redirecting the aura’s trajectory.
With superhuman reflexes, he’d dodged a point-blank sword aura.
His movements were so swift that Card had been deceived.
“I’m asking. Are you from the branch family?”
Evan’s voice was cold, but his breathing was rougher than ever.
At that moment, Gaiard emerged from the forest with leisurely steps.
Card instantly turned, wary of Gaiard.
“Well, you’ve already done it.”
Gaiard scanned the surroundings, chuckling with interest.
His gaze shifted between Card and Evan.
“You?”
Seeing Gaiard’s closeness to Evan, Card widened the distance between them.
But Gaiard raised both hands, signaling he had no intent to attack.
“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t get involved.”
“…?”
“By the way…”
Gaiard studied Evan’s face closely and clicked his tongue.
“This is bad.”
“What?”
“You’d better run or attack, anything.”
Gaiard smiled.
“I’ve never seen this guy this angry.”