Right after finishing the magical communication, Count Donald immediately contacted the rear position. "…There is no response."
"Damn it."
At the report from the messenger, Count Donald's expression hardened.
After several attempts at magical communication, if there was still no contact after more than an hour, it could only mean that, as Roman Dmitri had said, something had gone wrong.
His heart sank, and his hands trembled.
The fact that the warp gate had been captured was not something to be taken lightly.
'With this, the southern front is completely isolated.
Even if reinforcements are sent from the kingdom through the warp gate, which is the closest to the southern front, it would take at least half a month.
The war is practically over.
It is a complete defeat for the southern front, and now it is a matter of survival that requires patience.'
He was in a dilemma.
There was no way out.
If he abandoned the castle and fled, the chances of dying of thirst in the barren mountains were high.
The steep and rugged terrain was not suitable for escape, and the guerrilla tactics Roman spoke of would be even more difficult.
Of course, staying in the castle was not a good option either.
In a situation where they were isolated from all sides, he could not guarantee how long they could hold out, but he still thought that being protected by the castle walls was the best decision he could make.
And then, 'I am likely to be punished for my initial complacency.
However, if I abandon the castle and flee, I will surely face severe punishment once the war is over.
For the future after the war, I will fight to the death in the castle.
If we can hold out until the reinforcements arrive, we will have a chance of victory.'
In truth, that was his sincere belief.
Even after witnessing the Hector Kingdom crossing the border, Count Donald did not report it to the kingdom immediately but instead showed a complacent attitude.
This led to the current outcome.
If he had responded even a little earlier, the Kingdom of Cairo might have faced a different situation, but from the very first response, he had completely worsened the situation.
It was a truth he could not hide.
Many soldiers had witnessed it on the battlefield, so Count Donald knew that his mistakes would be reported.
If that was the case, he needed a justification to receive a pardon.
A commander who fought to the end on the battlefield.
Wasn't that a decent justification? He thought it was an opportunity to turn misfortune into fortune while appropriately protecting himself and appearing as a brave commander on the outside.
'Roman Dmitri probably had no idea how treacherous the terrain of the southern front was when he spoke of guerrilla tactics.
His judgment is worthless, with no chance of success.
It has not been long since I was assigned to the southern front, yet he, who has only worked as a commander of the first defense line for years, dares to suggest fleeing into the mountains.
This is why knowledge gained solely from military texts can be terrifying.'
He fell into self-rationalization.
Roman Dmitri, even if he was the youngest ranker, was still just an inexperienced rookie on the battlefield.
At that time, he believed firmly that he was right.
Hope did not last long.
Just four hours later, the first defense line confirmed the appearance of Hector Kingdom's soldiers from both the front and the back.
Roman's words were true.
The warp gate had been captured, and the Hector Kingdom boldly sent troops through the 'warp.'
"Prepare for attack!" "Ready for attack!" The soldiers readied their arrows.
As the blood-curdling moments passed, they finished preparing to fight the enemies.
They had perfectly repaired the castle walls and secured enough supplies to avoid repeating the same situation as before.
Moreover, the defensive weapons had been repaired.
The soldiers who had completed loading the ballista and other weapons believed that this time, they would not be easily defeated.
Count Donald shouted, "Soldiers of the first defense line, listen! The Hector Kingdom has captured the warp gate. With this, we are completely isolated on the southern front, and we cannot expect support from the Kingdom of Cairo for at least half a month. But we are still alive. Just as we defeated the wicked demons of Hector in the first battle, if we trust each other and fight, we can hold out until the reinforcements arrive. Trust me, Count Donald. We will survive until the end!"
"Uooooo!" "Follow Count Donald!" The soldiers of Cairo cheered.
They did not know the truth.
They believed Count Donald's words, and with limited information, they thought that defense was their only path.
However, they soon witnessed the grim reality.
From beyond the border, the soldiers of the Hector Kingdom surged in, far more numerous than before. "…What the hell."
"How many are there?" At least thousands of troops.
It was a moment that proved the initial attack was just a joke.
The densely packed soldiers resembled a swarm of ants, and the few hundred soldiers of Cairo began to tremble.
But that was not all.
When they saw the siege weapons being brought by the Hector soldiers, their hearts sank.
"Huh."
"It's a flare."
The calamity of siege warfare.
The flare had appeared.
Cairo had no way to stop it.
They lacked modern defensive weapons, which meant they would have to endure the flare's attack without any means of defense.
The courage from the speech quickly faded.
The soldiers thought it was over.
And just as they thought, the moment the flare unleashed its fierce flames, the disaster of the first defense line began.
Boom! Rumble! "Krak!" "Ah!" Flames erupted.
The painstakingly repaired castle walls crumbled in an instant, and soldiers caught in the burning walls screamed as they fell below.
The proper attack had not even begun yet.
They had only fired the flare from a distance, and already the first defense line was losing its function.
Before his eyes, Count Donald was left in a daze.
When he had given the speech, he felt like a great hero, but now he realized the mistake he had made.
[It is certain that we can no longer withstand Hector's attacks.
The Hector Kingdom deliberately did not collapse the front line.
They are not weak; they just needed a bait to draw attention while attacking the rear position.
Count Donald, think realistically.
Do you truly believe they have done their best?] Roman's words.
That was the truth.
Hector had not exerted their full strength, and they had the power to capture the southern front at any time.
Regret was too late.
Rumble! The castle walls crumbled completely.
And then, "Attack!" "Charge!" Waaah! Enemies surged in from both the front and back.
Count Donald, in a daze, collapsed to the ground.
Regret was too late, no matter how quickly it came.
Due to the foolish judgment of the commander, a one-sided massacre occurred.
The castle walls and gates lost their function from the start, and the soldiers of the Hector Kingdom surged in fiercely.
In the end, "The commander's head has been severed!" Count Donald's head flew off as he hurriedly tried to escape.
There was no way for him to flee.
Edwin Hector's troops had completely blocked the rear path, and Count Donald, trembling like a drenched rat, met a pitiful end.
It was the moment the situation came to an end.
The first defense line, which seemed like it would engage in a great war, showed its true colors in less than an hour.
A perfect victory.
Edwin Hector, who entered through the wide-open gates, received a report from Jackson, escorted by knights.
"Thanks to suppressing the initiative with the flare, we were able to capture the castle without significant damage. What should we do now? Other commanders have also begun attacking the southern front. It seems that, like the first defense line, they will also be inadequately prepared for the flare, and it won't be long before we can completely seize the southern front."
His voice was slightly agitated.
The operation that everyone said was impossible had been perfectly realized.
The thought of a historic moment approaching made it impossible for Jackson to hide his joy.
Edwin Hector said, "First, focus on securely capturing the first defense line. Time is on our side. To avoid unnecessary variables, bind all the surrendering soldiers and confine them in one place. Depending on the situation, we can use them as hostages or as bargaining chips. We will need many weapons for negotiations with Cairo."
"Understood."
Edwin Hector was thorough.
Even with a tremendous victory, he did not show any signs of complacency.
Now he could afford to relax a little, yet strangely, Edwin Hector felt an ominous sensation.
'The plan is perfect.
What am I missing?' He did not know.
The small signals.
The soldiers remaining at the southern training camp had not returned, and the communication with Baron McCleary had been cut off, all of which were stimulating his sensitive instincts.
At that moment, a knight rushed in, pale-faced, and reported to Edwin Hector, "This is bad!"
"What is it?"
"Baron McCleary is dead. The reason we had lost communication was that he died on the battlefield!"
At those words, Edwin Hector's expression turned cold.
The one who brought the truth was a defeated soldier.
A soldier who barely escaped the battlefield joined the main force and was soon summoned before Edwin Hector.
"Explain the situation at the time."
At the cold words, the soldier bowed his head and said, "At first, it was a favorable battle for the Hector Kingdom. The fifth defense line was completely unprepared for war, and as soon as they began their attack without using the flare, they breached the gates. Baron McCleary ordered the soldiers to capture the castle. And then, that monster appeared."
"…Monster?"
"Yes. It was definitely a monster."
At that moment, the soldier trembled at the memory.
He had survived only because he was far from the monster, but he clearly saw the monster slaughtering Hector's soldiers.
"The monster's power was unbelievable. Just one person slaughtered countless allies. Dozens of soldiers disappeared in the blink of an eye, and even Hector's aura knights could not withstand its strike and died. The fifth defense line did not show any particularly great defensive capabilities. It was all due to the presence of just one individual. The moment Baron McCleary's head flew off, we had to flee to survive."
A monster.
An unexpected variable.
Suddenly, Edwin Hector recalled a name. 'The youngest ranker of Cairo.
He was assigned to the southern front.' When he heard that news, Edwin Hector had never thought that an individual could change the course of the battlefield.
According to rumors, Roman Dmitri was a three-star knight and had not yet reached a level where he could display overwhelming presence.
That was the beginning of the variable.
A year of preparation.
He had perfectly investigated the southern front as if dissecting it.
The problem was that Roman Dmitri was an unexpectedly emerging presence, a variable that could not be known through a year of investigation.
'A variable has emerged.' Baron McCleary was dead.
This meant that the forces they had not dealt with were roaming the southern front.
"Upon checking the waiting troops at the fifth defense line, there were no soldiers from the Cairo Kingdom. It seems they fled into the mountains. Just give the order. If you command me to capture them, I will create a pursuit team and bring Cairo's monster before you."
Jackson reported the new information.
His mouth felt bitter.
A hole had been pierced in the perfect plan, but Edwin Hector had no intention of overreaching.
"No. The tide has already turned. The forces at the fifth defense line are not many. They cannot influence the overall situation or accomplish anything among themselves. We will proceed as planned. First, we will secure all five defense lines, and then we will turn the southern front into a fortress that Cairo cannot invade."
That was the core of the plan.
If they completely captured the southern front, they could then take the initiative in negotiations against the Cairo Kingdom.
Edwin Hector's decision was swift.
A day passed.
The Hector Kingdom captured the southern front.
And then, Edwin Hector gave the command.
"From now on, it is time to negotiate with the Cairo Kingdom. Connect magical communication with the Cairo royal family."
The true purpose of Hector.
The desperate reality of the southern front was conveyed to the Cairo royal family.