The noble of the Lancel Kingdom army, captured by Noein’s golem, was stripped of his armor while still unconscious after the battle and tied to a chair with ropes.
Water was poured over the noble’s head, finally bringing him back to consciousness.
The noble, his face drenched, looked up to find Frederick, Noein, and Yuri surrounding him.
“…Tch.”
Understanding his situation, the noble clicked his tongue in frustration.
“Officer of the Lancel Kingdom army. Judging by your armor, you must be a noble of some renown,” Frederick remarked, glancing at the noble’s armor placed in the corner of the room.
The Lancel Kingdom had modeled its social structure, including its class and nobility systems, after the Lordberg Kingdom when it was founded. Based on that, this noble was likely a baron or viscount.
Despite being a high-ranking noble, he had been on the front lines, perhaps seeking the glory of being the first to breach the fortress.
“Did you capture me to use as a hostage? How petty… Even if you hold my life in your hands, it won’t stop the advance of the Lancel Kingdom army. If you’re going to kill me, just do it!” the noble spat out.
Noein was the next to speak. “We don’t think holding you hostage will stop the enemy either… We brought you here because we have some questions we’d like to ask.”
Noein spoke in a light, almost conversational tone, a friendly smile on his face. His youthful appearance, which made him seem younger than he was, earned him a look of disdain from the noble.
“Shut up, you little brat! I have nothing to say to you! You cowards, attacking from the walls with your strange weapons, even resorting to using filth as a weapon!”
Though Noein internally thought that one couldn’t afford to be picky about weapons when survival was at stake, he maintained his calm smile.
“We’d prefer to handle this peacefully, and we’re willing to release you once we’re done talking… Is that not acceptable?”
“Enough!”
The noble remained stubborn, refusing to cooperate despite Noein’s polite approach.
“Then we have no choice. We’re running out of time…”
Noein smiled gently as he pulled something from his pocket, making sure the noble could see it.
To the noble, it looked like a small arrow.
“This is one of the arrows we’ve been showering the Lancel Kingdom army with from the walls. You recognize it, don’t you?”
As he spoke, Noein held the arrow in a reverse grip and positioned it above the noble’s thigh.
“W-wait! What are you—”
Ignoring the noble’s protest, Noein brought his hand down, driving the arrow into the man’s thigh.
“Guhhh!!”
The noble let out a guttural groan.
“…Wow, that looks painful,” Noein remarked with a wry smile, as if it were someone else’s problem. Frederick and Yuri, standing on either side of him, maintained expressionless faces, though they felt a hint of sympathy for the noble.
“Huff… Huff…”
The noble gritted his teeth, breathing heavily as he endured the pain. Noein had avoided major blood vessels, so the wound wasn’t life-threatening, but it was still excruciating.
Noein then inserted a needle near the wound. The tip of the needle was coated with a diluted form of “Angel’s Nectar,” a potent painkiller.
As the “Angel’s Nectar” took effect, the noble’s trembling gradually subsided.
“Well, if you refuse to talk, things are going to get quite unpleasant for you. The leg with the painkiller should be fine, but you still have the other leg… and two arms,” Noein said calmly, his smile unwavering.
The noble stared at Noein with fear-filled eyes, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
“What we want to know isn’t anything major. We just want to understand why you’re so desperate to attack this fortress and how you plan to invade the Lordberg Kingdom. Surely, that’s not too much to ask? Once you take this fortress and defeat us, it’ll be as if you never said anything.”
“…”
“If you answer our questions, we’ll release you immediately. As an apology for the rough treatment, we’ll even use a healing potion on your wound. And once you return to your camp, you’ll have healers, right? The wound will heal without a scar.”
As Noein made his proposal, the noble, still sweating, seemed to ponder the offer.
“…So, will you talk? If not, we’ll have to move on to the other leg.”
“W-wait! Fine! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you, so stop!”
As Noein pulled out another arrow, the noble shouted in desperation.
……
That night, the noble, having divulged the information, was treated as promised, released from his restraints, and given back his armor. He was then thrown out of the fortress gate, walking somewhat awkwardly as he made his way back to the enemy camp.
“Lord Noein, was it really a good idea to let that noble return to the enemy?” Frederick asked.
“Yes. If he’s of no use as a hostage, keeping him here would just be a hassle… Besides, if word spreads among the enemy about what happened to him, it’ll serve as a deterrent. I want them to know exactly what awaits them if they’re captured by us.”
Noein replied with a bright smile, and Frederick forced a strained grin in response.
“…Since Ginozze’s death, you’ve changed a bit. You’ve always been creative with your strategies, but now it seems like you’ve let go of even more inhibitions.”
Using filth as a weapon would normally be met with disgust, and torturing an enemy officer to spread fear would give most people pause. Even if they went through with it, few could maintain a calm smile like Noein.
“Compared to survival, pride and ethics hold little value,” Noein said.
If it increased their chances of survival, Noein was more than willing to use dirty or cruel tactics.
“…Still, who would have thought the enemy’s main target was our fortress region?” Frederick changed the subject, bringing up the information they had extracted from the noble.
According to the noble, the Lancel Kingdom army numbered around 18,000, about 3,000 more than the Lordberg Kingdom had anticipated, thanks to the inclusion of mercenaries and conscripts.
The enemy’s main force had established a strong field camp and was focusing on defending against the Lordberg Kingdom’s main army, which numbered around 10,000.
Meanwhile, a detachment of 8,000 troops was tasked with capturing the fortress region and flanking the Lordberg Kingdom’s main army from the rear… That was the Lancel Kingdom’s strategy.
The Lordberg Kingdom’s initial assumptions had been way off, and the fortress region’s defenders were bearing the brunt of the miscalculation.
“At this point, it’s a race between whether the Lancel Kingdom’s detachment can secure the fortress region first or the Lordberg Kingdom’s main army can break through the enemy’s field camp,” Noein said.
“Indeed… Unexpectedly, our efforts here will determine the outcome of this war,” Frederick muttered with a bitter expression.
……
The next day, the nature of the battle changed entirely. The Lancel Kingdom army no longer attempted to close in on Barrel Fortress.
Instead, they maintained their distance, lining up their archers to slowly whittle down the defenders with volleys of arrows. Occasionally, enemy fire mages would launch fireballs into the fortress, spreading flames and causing damage.
The defenders, in turn, fought back with crossbow fire, trying to take down as many enemies as possible. At times, they opened the gates to fire bolts from ballistae.
Noein also used his golems to hurl spears, stones, explosive arrows, and even the corpses of enemy soldiers they had collected from the fortress into the enemy ranks, dealing both physical and psychological damage.
“If they’re avoiding close combat to this extent, it seems they’ve decided to wear us down through attrition. They must be terrified of getting too close and being captured by the golems or hit with filth,” Frederick observed.
“Some of their soldiers have even fallen ill from being drenched in filth. That last attack had an unexpected effect,” Noein added.
The two were having this conversation in the command room of the headquarters building.
“Indeed… I have to say, Lord Noein, your ideas never cease to amaze me.”
“I just want to make sure my men and I make it back alive. I’ll do whatever it takes,” Noein replied with a laugh, and Frederick responded with a wry smile.
As the two spoke, the sounds of skirmishes could be heard outside, where Yuri, Pence, and Frederick’s adjutant were directing the soldiers in their fight against the enemy.
A week had already passed since the battle of attrition had begun.
“Still, this is a losing battle. We’re stuck in a stalemate with the enemy’s field camp.”
“True… We’re at a significant disadvantage.”
“Of course. We never expected to be in a prolonged siege.”
The Lancel Kingdom’s main force, with its 10,000-strong army, had built a field camp designed for a long-term siege. In contrast, the Lordberg Kingdom’s defenders, numbering only a few hundred, were holed up in their fortresses. The difference in strength was obvious.
The Lordberg Kingdom hadn’t prepared for a prolonged conflict. Rations for the soldiers had already been reduced, and food supplies were running low. Crossbow bolts were in short supply, and explosive arrows were nearly depleted.
To make matters worse, the Lancel Kingdom army had set up camp right outside the fortress, raining arrows and magic day and night. The defenders couldn’t even venture out to retrieve bolts, let alone get a moment’s rest.
With rations cut and sleep deprivation taking its toll, the physical and mental strength of Barrel Fortress’s defenders was steadily eroding.
“Even if we stretch our resources to the limit, we can only hold out for another two days… We’ll have to hope that the main army defeats the enemy’s main force and comes to our rescue before then. At worst, we might have to slaughter the horses for food.”
For soldiers, warhorses were comrades. The idea of eating them required considerable resolve.
“True. If it comes to that, we might have to capture and eat the enemy,” Noein said.
“Haha… Would you really go that far?”
“Of course. If it means surviving, I’ll do it.”
Frederick had initially taken it as a joke, but Noein’s smile and serious tone made it clear he meant every word.
