Thud! Thud! Thud!

At dawn, the enemy forces began to gather once more. However, unlike before, they now moved as one large force. They had even brought movable siege towers, making it clear they intended to breach the fortress for real this time.

The soldiers of Peridium, witnessing the sight, froze with tension. Although their morale had been high after holding out for two days, the overwhelming pressure of the enemy army moving together was impossible to ignore.

“Stay strong! We can defend again today!” Zubaltur shouted encouragement, urging the soldiers to take their positions and fire arrows at the advancing enemy.

Thunk! Thunk!

The enemy’s front line, protected by shields, was mostly unaffected by the arrows. Still, some of the rear infantry and archers fell as arrows found their mark.

A group of the enemy managed to reach the base of the wall despite the harassing fire. The breached part of the wall had already been patched with wood, earth, and stone, so the enemy ignored it and placed ladders along various parts of the wall instead.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The enemy began scaling the ladders.

“Hold them off! Push them back!” Zubaltur commanded.

The soldiers responded by dropping spiked barrels and pouring hot water and molten metal down on the climbing enemies without rest.

“Arghhh!”

Many of the enemies climbing with shields fell to their deaths due to the aggressive defense. Despite this, the Peridium soldiers had to fight carefully under constant enemy fire from below, but at least the assault wasn’t as intense as it could have been, so the losses were minimal.

‘What’s going on? Why aren’t they moving the siege towers?’ Zubaltur wondered, perplexed.

Scaling the wall using ladders would naturally cause the attackers more casualties than using siege towers. Yet, the enemy hadn’t even moved their siege towers. There was something suspicious about their lack of urgency, as if they were indifferent to whether they succeeded or not. Still, their sheer numbers meant Peridium couldn’t afford to be as casual in their defense.

Zubaltur pondered the enemy's strategy. ‘Are they trying to undermine the foundation of the wall? Or maybe they’re tunneling their way in?’

He considered common siege tactics, but none seemed to fit. There was no sign of any work happening at the base of the wall, and tunneling would take more time than the enemy likely had.

As the sun began to set, the enemy finally withdrew without breaching the wall.

“Waaah! We held them off again!” The soldiers cheered, but the victory felt as hollow as the day before.

Zubaltur’s confusion didn’t last long. That night, the enemy’s true intention became clear.

“Waaaah! Attack!” The enemy launched another assault during the night, this time using only about half of their forces. But even half of their army still outnumbered all of Peridium’s soldiers.

“These bastards... they’re trying to exhaust us completely!” Zubaltur gritted his teeth in frustration. ‘If we pull back our troops, the defenses will be left vulnerable!’

Due to the difference in numbers, Peridium couldn’t afford to use the same strategy as the enemy. Although the enemy’s cautious approach kept casualties low, the constant attacks were wearing Peridium’s soldiers down.

The following day, the other half of the enemy forces, well-rested after the night’s attack, renewed their assault. Zubaltur attempted to mirror their strategy by pulling back half of his forces, but the enemy immediately exploited the weakened defenses, launching attacks on the more vulnerable sections.

‘Damn, their commander is impressive!’ Zubaltur grudgingly acknowledged. Without Ghislain and his mercenaries’ efforts, the walls would have already fallen.

“Brother! The soldiers are utterly exhausted!” Randolph reported carefully. But Zubaltur had no solution.

He had been rotating the soldiers, allowing some rest, but the numbers were vastly unequal. The enemy forces always had a fresher contingent ready to fight, while Peridium’s soldiers were visibly growing weaker by the day.

“Agh, I can’t take this anymore...”

“Do we have to keep fighting like this?”

“When is this going to end? Didn’t they say the enemy had no more supplies?”

The morale of Peridium’s soldiers plummeted. They hadn’t had proper rest for three days. War was grueling by nature, but being forced to fight without sleep was draining their strength at an alarming rate.

Even though Ghislain had once again made a bold move by jumping off the wall to disrupt the enemy, their strategy remained unchanged. When his black-armored mercenaries appeared, the enemy soldiers retreated, and their knights quickly moved to counter him.

Though Ghislain couldn’t inflict heavy losses, a strange smile played on his lips as he returned.

‘Well done, Victor. Keep it up for just a bit longer,’ Ghislain thought.

For now, Ghislain and his mercenaries focused solely on defending the walls.

“Master, if this keeps up, we’ll be defeated. We need to find a way to turn the tide,” Gillian whispered worriedly.

Ghislain nodded, but a cold smile lingered on his face. “Yes, they’re really pushing hard. But it’s not time yet. Just wait a little longer.”

Such a strategy wouldn’t work if the defenders had enough manpower and supplies, as it would only drag the battle out longer. In fact, it might even backfire on the attackers. However, given Peridium’s current situation, it was an effective tactic.

Zubaltur couldn’t help but wonder about the true purpose behind this war. ‘Just how long have they been planning this?’

It was no secret that Peridium’s supplies were scarce. But...

‘Those ladders... they were clearly prepared before the war even started.’

Peridium’s walls were shorter than most, making siege towers less effective. Yet the enemy’s ladders were all perfectly sized for Peridium’s walls, which meant they had been tailored months in advance.

‘So they didn’t plan this when the traitors defected. It must have started as soon as the rune stone was discovered.’

It seemed that spies had been deeply embedded in the region for a long time.

‘Count Roges won’t be coming.’

Any hope for reinforcements was likely in vain. The reason for the lack of communication with Count Roges was obvious.

‘Our messengers must have been intercepted.’

Now, their only hope was that the enemy would retreat due to supply shortages. The day the siege towers finally moved would be the day of the final battle.

‘Can we hold out until then?’ Zubaltur thought, his tired eyes staring at the distant siege towers.

Meanwhile, Victor was also considering the final battle. Despite having the advantage, his forces were being depleted, and he wasn’t happy with the rising casualties. For him to be recognized as a capable leader, he had to minimize losses. However, he couldn’t just sit back and wait either.

“We’re running out of supplies. Is everything all right?” Tamos asked with concern.

They needed to secure the rune stone to make this war worthwhile. If they failed, Degald would be unable to recover from the losses they had sustained in this conflict. Worse, if Peridium counterattacked, it would spell Degald’s doom.

“Don’t worry. It will end soon,” Victor replied confidently.

The truth, that both Peridium and Degald were nearing their limits, stayed buried in his heart.

‘We can hold out for about two more days. By then, they should be having problems as well.’

Although he would have preferred to push for three or four more days, their own supply situation didn’t allow it.

“Push harder,” Victor ordered, increasing the intensity of the attacks, even if it meant more casualties.

The Peridium army, barely able to snatch moments of sleep, was pushed to their breaking point.

Even during this, Ghislain rotated his mercenaries, making sure half of them were always resting. However, that meant he had to personally take on more of the burden.

“Young master! Have you lost your mind? You’ll get yourself killed at this rate!” Belinda exclaimed in frustration.

“Master! You need to rest as well!” Gillian urged.

But Ghislain was the type of person who, once he made a decision, saw it through to the end.

“I’m fine. It’s better than resting forever in death, right? Now’s the time to move.”

His stubborn yet nonchalant answer made Belinda sigh in exasperation.

Two days passed like this, and Peridium finally faced a severe crisis.

“We’ve run out of arrows.”

“Our defensive supplies are depleted as well.”

The reports from the knights forced Zubaltur to hang his head in despair. Fighting day and night had completely drained their resources. Though Homerun had scoured the region for supplies, it hadn’t been enough.

‘This is what they were aiming for.’

The enemy commander had expertly exploited Peridium’s weaknesses. Even Randolph, usually full of energy, was now a hollow-eyed shell of himself, and the soldiers were utterly exhausted.

‘It’s over.’

They had lasted longer than expected against such a cautious foe, but they had reached their limit. Without Ghislain, they wouldn’t have held out this long.

“You seem to be holding up better than most,” Zubaltur remarked to Ghislain.

Ghislain shrugged. “The battle isn’t over yet.”

Though he looked tired, he wasn’t nearly as haggard as the others.

After a moment of contemplation, Zubaltur spoke in a trembling voice.

“When the battle starts... take your mercenaries and leave this place.”

“What?” Ghislain asked, surprised by his father’s unusual demeanor. Zubaltur had always been a man who emphasized noble duty and honor, yet here he was, telling him to flee.

“Go to Count Roges. His wife is your aunt, so she won’t turn you away. He will protect you.”

“But you’ve always said running away wasn’t a noble’s duty.”

“I’m only human. This is not the lord speaking; it’s your father’s heart. Take Elena with you.”

“So you believe we’ve already lost?”

“The moment when your mercenaries could turn the tide has passed. If we win, we’ll win without you. If we lose, your presence won’t change that.”

“...”

“And stay on good terms with Cain. Don’t get into unnecessary trouble.”

“Haha...”

Zubaltur rarely made jokes, so Ghislain couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief.

Randolph approached, placing a hand on Ghislain’s shoulder.

“Highness—no, you’re like a nephew to me, so I’ll speak plainly.”

“Haven’t you always?”

Randolph grinned, showing his teeth.

“It’s been a miserable experience working with you. Let’s never meet again. You’ve always been unreliable, but at least in the end, you’ve proven yourself worthy as the heir to the duchy. Now go and continue the family line.”

“I’m not running away.”

“Just go. You’ll be able to avenge us later if you survive.”

Avenge them?

Ghislain smirked. “The revenge has already begun.”

“What?”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Before Randolph could ask what he meant, the sound of enemy drums filled the air.

Rumble!

The remaining siege towers began to move.

Everyone could feel it—the final battle was upon them.

As Ghislain gazed at the approaching enemy, he turned and walked away.

“I’ll act according to my plan now.”

Zubaltur and Randolph watched him go, saying nothing.

After a moment, Zubaltur sighed.

“Well, that boy was never one to listen. At least he’s acting like a noble in the end.”

“If it’s come to this, let’s fight to the very end. If they’ve moved the siege towers, today must be the final day. If we have no weapons left, we’ll fight with our fists, right?” Randolph said with renewed determination.

Zubaltur nodded, then called out to the soldiers.

“Everyone, stay strong! Today is the final battle!”

“Waaaah!”

The soldiers raised their weapons and shouted, though it was more a cry of fear than one of confidence.

Hearing the shouts from Peridium’s side, Victor sneered.

“This is the end. You tiresome fools.”

Since the day before, almost no arrows had been fired from the fortress. It was a clear sign that their supplies were nearly depleted.

Now was the time to crush them with overwhelming force.

“Send the central army to the gates and have them wait!” Victor commanded.

He made sure to place a thick line of shield-bearers at the front of the central army.

“When they’re at their limit, the enemy will open the gates and charge out. When that happens, use your magic to wipe them out.”

The mages standing beside Victor nodded.

Victor was certain that the black-armored mercenaries would launch a desperate charge during the final moments, trying to use their strengths in one last push.

‘They’ll see it as their final chance to win.’

But when the mages struck them with a surprise spell, they would fall.

‘I’ve kept the mages hidden for this moment.’

Even though Peridium seemed to have capable strategists, they wouldn’t outsmart him now.

“Advance!” Victor’s shout echoed across the battlefield, and all of his forces began to move at once.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The soldiers of Peridium trembled with despair. They had held out well so far, but today, survival seemed impossible.

Only the mercenaries kept their sharp eyes on the approaching enemy, still filled with fighting spirit.

Ghislain, after surveying his mercenaries, turned to the figure standing next to him.

“Vanessa, prepare yourself.”