Chapter 16: Stalemate

“What plans do you have to deal with the Besarabians, boss? Their attitude is quite urgent right now,” Puber brought things back to the main topic.
“Put it aside for now—keep the Besarabians hanging. If a woman’s marriage can secure the support of us Nicocians, aren’t we being too cheap? The Besarabians need to cooperate with us in Livonia, I mean through direct military action. We need to drag them into this mess.” Komer thought for a moment. “You might as well take a firm stance and make your position clear. Anyway, Dragumo is doing well right now. Keep holding off the Knossians—I want to see how long they can resist us. Those three thousand reinforcements have already gone, with another five thousand following soon. Even if we’re completely wiped out, we must hold on in Livonia.”
“Boss, Dragumo is doing well, but the cost is high. If this continues, Livonia might be completely devastated,” Puber frowned in disapproval. In his view, it would be best to reclaim Katin at the lowest possible cost, rather than engaging in fierce battles on Nicocian territory.
“I don’t want that either, but the situation isn’t in my control. If you can get the Besarabians to send troops as quickly as possible, we can make concessions on other terms. You can consider accepting those conditions as appropriate.” Komer understood Puber’s concerns—after all, reclaiming Katin meant restoring it to a normal, prosperous state, which was what he needed most.
“I’ll give it a try. Hopefully, the Besarabians aren’t as stubborn as granite.”
Puber’s prediction proved correct. The battles in Livonia were extremely fierce and brutal. The Knossians suffered a heavy defeat and were driven out of Livonia by Dragumo’s forces, who also gained a few days to regroup, significantly improving Livonia’s defensive position.
By the time the Knossians recovered and launched another attack, Dragumo had almost mobilized the entire population of Livonia. The three originally renowned for their beauty castles were quickly rearmed and turned into well-fortified strongholds. Especially once their defensive positions were set up to complement each other, the Knossians had to defend against attacks from multiple directions with every assault.

What troubled the Knossians the most was not these guys who emerged from the Greenland forests, but rather the situation in Livonia itself. Once a place of great peace, Livonia’s situation suddenly changed drastically after these men seized control of three castles surrounding it, and hidden currents began to surge beneath the surface. Almost overnight, countless rebel armies appeared—mostly private armies of local nobles. When the Knossians held a decisive advantage, these people acted very submissive. But once Dragoth led his troops into Livonia, especially as more reinforcements kept arriving, they spread like dry grass ignited by a spark across the land of Livonia. Taking advantage of favorable conditions, these rebels attacked small Knossian patrol teams everywhere, burning their supplies and provisions. Although the Knossians increased their pressure, with the Nicocians as internal threats and Livonian rebels causing trouble externally, they had few options. They could only place their hopes on completely eliminating those half-orcs entrenched in the castles as soon as possible—a task that seemed far too daunting. Meanwhile, bad news from the north constantly strained the Knossians’ nerves. The Atticans’ proud cavalry forces suffered devastating losses in the eastern region of Katin, and they might even be driven out of Katin altogether. The Principality of Attica was divided over the huge losses incurred in the battle of Katin. Especially the vassal states and city-states strongly demanded alternative solutions to the Katin issue other than war. All signs indicated that the Atticans’ previously firm stance was wavering, which greatly undermined the Knossians’ confidence. The Knossians knew their time was running out. If they couldn’t take control of Livonia completely before the Atticans decided to end the war, it was certain they wouldn’t accept their proposals and continue the war. The unfavorable situation in Katin and the large number of knights captured had caused great divisions within Attica, severely affecting their resolve to fight. And once the Atticans lost their will to fight, the Knossians would surely not be able to continue the war on their own.

Fumer was deeply troubled. He had already used all the power at his disposal. He had thought he could rely on the power of his powerful magi to break through the enemy’s defense system supported by the castle walls, but Fumer never expected the enemy to prove far more tenacious than he had imagined. What puzzled Fumer the most was that the half-orcs in the first three castles initially showed no significant resistance to magic, yet suddenly displayed powerful magical abilities three days later.

It was clearly the destructive force of the magical attack arrays that caused heavy losses to their own forces, who were caught off guard. Even their own magi were unable to turn the situation around for a time. By the time they managed to reorganize their forces, the enemy had immediately shifted to a full defensive stance. In particular, the sudden emergence of the enemy’s magi power completely changed the balance of power, preventing their own forces from daring to launch another attack. Their own magi also had to divert some of their strength to keep a watchful eye, to prevent the enemy from causing further damage with magic.

Fumer still hadn’t figured out where the enemy’s magi power came from, but now was not the time to ponder that question. How to break through the defenses and capture the castle was the core of his concerns. Time was running out—neither the Atticans nor the Nicocians would give him much more time.

Fumer glanced around with regret. His soldiers had already done their best, as evident from the exhaustion and weariness on their faces. The magi on both sides continued to clash above and below the castle walls, with intense lightning magic and dark shields constantly emerging. The violent shockwaves caused the edges of the walls to exhibit a blurred, distorted spatial image.