A figure approached, trudging along beneath the city walls.
Despite the many eyes watching from above, there was no fear in his stride, and the flag he held fluttered in the wind, revealing its design.
A lone white deer stood tall, the emblem of the Barco family, causing the soldiers of Lawrence to swallow hard, their faces tense.
He stopped.
With a relaxed expression, he surveyed the top of the wall, then fixed his gaze on the face of the Earl of Lawrence.
"As the representative of Earl Barco, I present you with three choices. The first is to open the city gates and surrender. Earl Barco is a magnanimous man who does not turn away those seeking forgiveness, and surrender is the only way to save your lives. But I doubt you will choose the first option. If you intended to do so, there would be no reason for you to face me now."
His attitude was arrogant.
He was merely a messenger, yet he spoke as if he were the Earl himself.
"The second option is to engage us in open battle. Before the judges of the central government, let us step onto the plains and settle this fairly. The method of battle is up to you. Whether it be close combat or a duel of champions, we are willing to follow your lead."
Close combat or a duel of champions.
These were methods typically used by noble families to settle disputes.
In this world, it was considered shameful for nobles to engage in siege warfare against one another.
They believed that hiding behind the walls was a sign of weakness, and thus, most issues were resolved through the first two methods.
That was why judges existed; to oversee the battles and ensure that, despite the outcome, the nobles would accept the results.
Earl Lawrence stepped forward.
"We do not believe your justification for declaring war is valid. The document you mentioned regarding our ancestors' debts is forged, and we have no reason to wage war against you, nor do we intend to open the gates and sacrifice the people of Lawrence as you wish. So go back and tell Earl Barco this: under no circumstances will Lawrence..."
"Third!" He interrupted.
In truth, the choices had already been made.
From the moment Lawrence locked the gates on the day Barco announced his intentions, both families knew they would choose the third option.
Yet, the reason for sending the messenger was clear: to pressure Lawrence.
The messenger, like a fierce demon, delivered the message to the trembling soldiers of Lawrence.
"Abandon your pride as nobles and fight to the death within your walls. From now on, the Barco family will accept your will and will demand the price of blood spilled during the siege."
That was the end of it.
The messenger turned away.
Even upon seeing the fluttering flag, the soldiers of Lawrence could not bring themselves to shoot arrows.
And thus, the war began.
The first battle ended sooner than expected.
Just thirty minutes into the fight, the Barco family, who seemed poised to deliver harsh punishment, issued a retreat order.
"Those arrogant bastards!" Earl Barco threw his helmet to the ground.
Moments ago, the battle had unfolded differently than anticipated.
The Barco forces outnumbered Lawrence's by more than three times, and they had advanced with siege towers, intending to break down the walls in one fell swoop.
Lawrence's walls were not particularly high.
Dmitri's iron fortress was said to be nearly impossible to breach even with ten times the forces, but compared to that, Lawrence's walls were certainly vulnerable.
He thought they would settle the matter within an hour.
But to his surprise, Lawrence's counterattack was fiercer than expected.
"My lord, it seems Lawrence was fully prepared. They have dug deep moats to block our approach and have even set fire to boiling oil. From the beginning, they have been firing a large number of arrows without hesitation, indicating they have secured ample supplies for war," reported an aide.
Frustration surged within him.
A week had been given for the enemy to prepare, not for them to fortify their defenses.
He had intended to corner Lawrence into surrendering, yet Lawrence had chosen to fight to the death instead. 'According to our calculations, Lawrence should have surrendered at least a little to keep his land.
Even with the clear advantage in numbers, he chose to lock the gates and prepare for annihilation.
Where did we go wrong? Surely he wouldn't dare risk his life for the path we opened for him.'
From the beginning, Barco had not desired war.
The Golden Bank and the judges were merely precautions, a means to pressure the opponent into surrendering.
But now, the plan had completely unraveled.
In just thirty minutes, Lawrence's response was systematic, and by setting fire to their own fields, it seemed they were preparing for a prolonged conflict.
The thought alone was enough to give him a headache.
As Flora had predicted, the Barco family had borrowed a substantial amount of money from the Golden Bank, and the only way to minimize losses and ensure Barco's survival was to resolve the conflict as quickly as possible.
"My lord, what should we do?" the aide asked cautiously.
They had lost dozens of soldiers in the recent battle.
He had intended to gauge Lawrence's strength, but the fierce counterattack had left no room for that.
'Lawrence is not a particularly strong man.
Just as he sold his precious daughter to the Dmitri family under pressure, he is the kind of coward who shrinks back in dire situations.
Yet, his choice to fight to the death indicates a change within him.
If he had no chance of winning, he would never have made such a choice, and they clearly understand the advantages of prolonging the conflict.'
His mind raced.
This war was all part of Earl Barco's plan.
He had manipulated his son, Anthony Barco, and instigated the conflict with forged documents.
Now, it was nearly over.
This was the climax of the plan, and he had no intention of giving up Lawrence's fertile lands.
"What should we do? Prepare 'that' immediately."
"Understood."
'That.' Earl Barco smirked.
There was a fact that the Lawrence family had overlooked.
Earl Barco only wanted to win with minimal expenditure; he had never worried about the possibility of defeat.
The Golden Bank had lent them more money than expected, and that money was enough to create variables in the war.
On the city walls, the soldiers of Lawrence moved busily.
Their faces showed smiles from their victory in the first battle, but they knew it was not the time to be complacent.
"Move quickly!"
"The Barco bastards might attack again at any moment. Stay alert and hurry with the weapons."
One victory had given them confidence.
They had been overly frightened; Barco was not an unbeatable opponent.
Earl Lawrence spoke.
"Flora, you were right. By preparing our defenses in a conventional manner, we were able to sufficiently repel Barco's attack. How did you come up with such an idea? You only learned the ways of nobility at the academy; I have never heard that you received teachings on military strategy."
Flora's transformation was unexpected.
The fires set in the fields and the preparations for defense were all due to her proactive suggestions.
Flora looked at the soldiers.
Her attire was similar to theirs.
While she usually wore elegant dresses as a noble daughter, now she donned armor in preparation for any potential battle.
She had even practiced archery over the past few days, believing it would be of some help in combat.
Of course, a few days of practice would not make her an expert, but her active participation had greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers.
The flower of Lawrence.
Flora was the symbol of Lawrence.
Because she did not give up until the end, the soldiers of Lawrence could also prepare their defenses without losing hope.
Flora spoke.
"As my father said, the academy did not teach me military strategy. They said there was no need for such knowledge since, as a noble daughter, I would never find myself on the battlefield. But seeing the actions of the Barco family made me realize that I needed to grow stronger.
I did not want to wait for every problem to be solved like a flower in a greenhouse; I wanted to understand the problems at hand and develop the ability to resolve them. So I studied on my own, and that is the direction I wish to take in my life."
"Flora..."
"Don't worry too much. This is what I want to do."
Her words pierced his heart.
If their family had strength, they would not have to experience such things, yet Flora had grown up so quickly in such a short time.
Still, he felt proud.
He was proud to have such a daughter.
His precious child had grown beautifully without him even realizing it.
"Once we resolve the issue with Barco, I will never interfere in your life again. I apologize for forcing you into a marriage with Dmitri. At that time, I thought it was the only way for you to survive when our family was crumbling. But now, I believe you will make the right choice in any situation."
With that, their conversation was momentarily set aside.
More accurately, they had no choice but to postpone it.
"Ugh."
"No way?!"
The soldiers were flustered.
Beyond the walls, from the Barco camp, it revealed itself at that moment.
Its identity.
Its overall shape resembled a catapult.
However, those who saw it understood that it was entirely different from a simple catapult.
"This is insane!"
"Barco has prepared a flare!"
A flare.
The name of a siege weapon.
The catapult-shaped flare was designed to launch something over the walls, and that something was a magical weapon that caused a massive explosion.
Each shot was worth dozens of gold, an enormous sum, but its effectiveness was well-known.
It was an unexpected turn of events.
No matter how much money Barco had borrowed, he had not anticipated that they would have the connections and resources to rent a flare.
"Everyone to your positions!"
"Prepare for the attack!"
In the midst of the bustling situation, Flora's expression turned pale.
She had studied military strategy for days, and thus she knew all too well the power of a flare. 'Once the flare begins its attack, the walls will crumble in an instant.
The intense flames will destroy the walls and incinerate all the soldiers atop them.
There are only two ways to counter the flare: respond with an appropriate magical weapon or open the gates and smash the flare.'
The former was impossible.
Lawrence lacked the resources, and in truth, magical weapons like the flare could not simply be acquired with money.
But to choose the second option? That would be suicide.
At that moment, the flare erupted, launching a massive fireball.
Boom! Rumble!
"Ugh!"
"Ahhhhh!"
In a single strike, the top of the walls became a hellish scene of chaos.
Fortunately, the walls did not collapse, but the soldiers screamed as their skin melted from the flames.
That was the extent of their luck.
If they had been hit directly by the fireball, dozens of soldiers would have been incinerated without even having the chance to scream.
The situation froze.
The enemy's power exceeded all expectations.
Military strategy had not prepared them for this.
It was said that in such times, fleeing was the best option, but unfortunately, there was no space to retreat behind the walls.
'I cannot give up like this.' She gritted her teeth.
Flora grasped her bow, determined to do something, anything.
Just then, a maid rushed over and shouted at her.
"Miss! Miss! We just received a message from Roman Dmitri!"
"Now? That Roman from Dmitri?"
Roman.
An unexpected name suddenly surfaced.
She did not know the reason for the message.
But that was not important right now, so Flora turned her head and tried to run to the walls.
However,
"Roman Dmitri said to convey this: Lawrence is in crisis. He has a way to help, so he wants you to respond."
At those words, Flora had no choice but to stop in her tracks.