Chapter 2: Success

Dragumore’s strategy was highly effective. The castles on the north and south flanks were quickly seized by the orcs with little effort. The Knoso army, unable to respond in time, was utterly defeated by the orcs’ fierce attacks. By the time they realized what was happening, the two castles had already fallen to the orc forces, which then went on to slaughter the Knoso soldiers still trying to recover.

The slightly more troublesome one was the castle to the west, which served as the residence of Mainit, the commander leading Knoso’s forces southward into Livonia. Although Mainit didn’t particularly like having soldiers stationed there, it was still his own residence, so maintaining a necessary guard force was only natural. Seizing this castle required careful planning, but now there was little time left.

The two groups of guards were handing over shifts, and the castle gates appeared lax—no one expected anything to happen. Livonia was eerily quiet, and the Knoso soldiers were completely unaware of the approaching danger.

Meloni took a deep breath, nocked an arrow, and aimed. A distance of 120 meters was already quite challenging for him. Wind direction, the quality of the bow, and his performance on the spot could all affect the outcome of this shot. If he could get 20 meters closer, he was confident he could take down his target.

Yet those 20 meters were unreachable. Though the Knoso soldiers were careless, they still maintained necessary vigilance around the castle. The sentries seemed relaxed, but that didn’t mean they were negligent. In this battle, no mistakes were allowed—fights were underway in several other directions, and any failure on their end would put immense pressure on the others.

Meloni could clearly hear his companions taking deep breaths. They weren’t entirely sure about this shot, but they had no choice. If they failed to completely eliminate the two groups of Knoso soldiers exchanging shifts, they would have to rely on the orcs’ rapid charges to make up for it.

They had to take control of the castle gates as quickly as possible. Once the gates were secured, half of the mission would be accomplished. There weren’t many soldiers inside the castle, but once they closed the gates, capturing it could result in countless times more losses for their side.

Dragumo was also somewhat nervous. All three castles had to be taken under control; otherwise, the war would turn into a protracted struggle, and he might collapse under the pressure. The Knossos forces stationed in Hessen would immediately charge at him and tear him to pieces. Only by holding on to these three castles could he buy time and wait for reinforcements.

“Bang bang bang bang!” The clear sound of strings being drawn was accompanied by a stream of silver-yellow arrows. The arrows formed a perfect line of death in the air, their smooth shafts flying through the cold air with a faint whistling sound. As the first wave of arrows was fired, the half-elf archers stood up and skillfully drew their bows, preparing for a second wave of attacks. Their precise movements and fierce determination resembled a magnificent painting of warrior gods.

Cries of pain filled the air. The two groups of Knossos soldiers who were about to take over were caught off guard and had no time to react. The continuous rain of arrows reduced the soldiers in front of the castle gates to mere piles of corpses, just like flowers and leaves destroyed by a storm.

Like tigers breaking free from their cages or dragons diving into the sea, the half-orc soldiers, who had been lurking in the woods 200 meters away, rushed out with shouts, heading straight for the castle gates at top speed. It was then that the Knossos soldiers inside and outside the castle realized they had been attacked!

The fierce half-orc soldiers crossed the open area outside the castle in just over twenty seconds. What was originally meant to prevent enemies from approaching stealthily became the easiest path for them. The sentries atop the castle, who had been acting as lookout posts, were stunned until the half-orcs were already close by, at which point they finally realized what was happening and started shouting to raise the castle’s drawbridge and close the gates.

But the unprepared Knossos soldiers couldn’t move the heavy drawbridge winch quickly. Even with the most efficient winch, it would take several minutes to lift the bridge, which weighed thousands of pounds. By then, the half-orc soldiers had already reached the bridge planks!

The few remaining Knossos soldiers tried desperately to close the castle gates, but their efforts failed under the force of the half-orc soldiers’ heavy war clubs. When the gates were finally forced open, it meant that Livonia was no longer a defended stronghold for Dragumo.

Mainit was highly alert. As soon as the soldiers let out their first screams, he realized the severity of the situation. It was then that he realized how foolish it had been of him not to station troops inside the castle. Those ceremonial guards were completely useless. All he could do now was hope that the soldiers at the gates would react fast enough to close the doors and raise the drawbridge—only then might he still have a slim chance of turning things around.

But by the time he led his personal guard to the castle gates, the retreating soldiers filled him with despair. The terrifying appearance of the half-orc soldiers came into view, and waves of spears rained down. Even two members of Mainit’s own guard were killed instantly by the spears.

Mainit knew there was no hope left. Once the half-orcs entered the city, his meager forces couldn’t stop them. He regretted it deeply. If only he had stationed three to five hundred men inside the castle—then even an army of two to three thousand half-orcs wouldn’t have been able to break through the castle’s defenses in such a short time. But now, it was too late for regrets.

Yet he refused to surrender. As long as there was even a sliver of hope, he would fight to the end.

His giant sword sent waves of blood flying. The half-orcs’ formidable strength and heavy weapons made Mainit realize that a head-on fight was exactly what they wanted. Although two consecutive swings of his sword tore through their somewhat clumsy defenses, their fearless determination forced him to deal with the immediate danger first.

Mainit could only retreat step by step. His guard also suffered heavy losses under the enemy’s ferocious attacks. In just a hundred meters from the city gates to the inner fortress, less than ten members remained from his original thirty-person guard. The enemy’s fierce momentum left Mainit feeling utterly helpless.

“Lord Dragumo, the northern and southern fortresses have been successfully captured. We’re now clearing out the Knossans lurking in the city. The enemy forces have been driven into the inner fortress and are still resisting desperately.”

Meloni was in high spirits. His first arrow, which struck the target directly in the throat, boosted his confidence greatly. Three more arrows ended the lives of three Knossans. Inspired by him, his companions seemed to perform beyond their usual capabilities. Out of the dozens of Knossan soldiers at the gates, only a few managed to escape the deadly arrows, preventing them from organizing a force to seal the gates.

“Well, the enemies here are no longer a threat; they’ve lost faith in victory. All that remains is to surrender decently. As for those scattered soldiers still in the city, they need to be eliminated as soon as possible. We need to win the support and confidence of the Livonians—only then can we cope with any crises that may arise in the days to come.” Dragumo felt his speech growing more polished, at least adopting some of Lord Komer’s style—clear and confident.

“My lord, it’s a pity about these three castles. We may have to hurry and improve their defensive systems in the next few days. Though beautiful, their defenses are weak, with too many fancy elements. We must immediately enhance certain facilities, as this will be very useful for our future protection.”

Dragumo’s encouraging words greatly boosted Meloni’s confidence. As a half-elf, he had never expected to become a true high-ranking officer in the Caucasus army. But as Komer increasingly promoted officers from various races—starting with half-orcs and then extending to barbarians—Meloni saw a sign that anyone, regardless of race, could become a high-ranking officer if they performed well.

This was undoubtedly a huge incentive for Meloni. Half-elves were not afraid of sacrifice; they were willing to fight for their ideals. And that was exactly what Meloni wanted—to prove himself through war, with victory and subsequent promotion being the best way to gain recognition.

“Well, we also need to stockpile enough supplies. I don’t know how long it will take before our reinforcements arrive after being surrounded by the Knothos. We must be fully prepared. This might be the toughest battle we face, and we all need to be mentally ready for it.” Dragumo took a deep breath, his tone becoming extremely solemn.