ALL NOVEL chapter 14
14 – Battle of Silverwood Fortress (4)
“We understand your suffering well! So we propose to you! Surrender Count Edric of the current Silverwood to us! Open the gates and submit! We promise not to harm any of you! We will punish Silverwood, which has caused so much pain to the people, according to the orders of Count Westbern, and then leave!”
Upon hearing the words shouted by the man outside the fortress, the people inside fell into silence for a moment.
But soon after, voices emerged from various mouths.
“Surrender the count…”
“What nonsense is this?”
“This is absurd!”
“Don’t be swayed by the barbarians’ empty words!”
While the residents murmured amongst themselves, Sir Robert, the fort commander, and the others tried their best to prevent them from entertaining futile thoughts.
At that moment, my mother, Laila, approached me.
“Ed, what on earth is this? They want you to surrender to those ruffians?”
It seemed like she came to me in shock after hearing the shout from outside the fortress.
But then, one of the residents who had questioned my mother stood up and asked her:
“Madam, when exactly will the Duke come to support us?”
“…I sent a request for support to your father, so he should arrive soon.”
“Why haven’t we received any news yet when it takes only three days to travel between the Duke’s domain and the Count’s domain?”
“Well, that is…”
“Oh dear, why is this person acting this way? Sit down!”
Although someone objected to the resident’s questioning of my mother, the resident ignored it and continued to question me.
“Count, because of the food warehouse fire, there is no remaining food, leaving us starving all day. How much longer do we have to endure until this situation is over?”
“And yet this person..!”
“If you think about it, isn’t everything that has happened a result of Count Leon’s actions, as those barbarians said?”
“..!”
As one person openly expressed their discontent, others began to voice their doubts and complaints to me one by one.
“Why did the late Count Leon start a war with Westbern in the first place?”
“Count, why did my husband have to die?”
“What was my father fighting for?”
“Is it true that former Count Leon started a war with Westbern without the Duke’s permission?”
“What? Really? So that’s why the Duke isn’t coming to help us?”
“It seems like Count Leon’s reckless war caused Duke Hayden to abandon us..!”
“Why don’t we ask the spirits for help?”
“We know it’d be a lost cause and they’d probably start rebelling or seeking independence.”
“And why in the world did you turn your back on the enemy and focus on giving alcohol to the soldiers? It would have been fine after they broke the siege anyway.”
“Right. Even if we’re starving right now, it would have been enough if the soldiers just stood guard!”
“Enough!”
Amidst all the criticism and accusations towards me and the Count, a woman raised her voice.
That woman was none other than Eilene.
“So, why is everyone saying such things to the Count right now? Are you really planning to sell the Count to the Kamu people as they claim?”
“No, Eilene. It’s not like that-“
“It’s just that-“
“Bringing up such things now is meaningless! Right now, we need to all work together to help the Count survive the savages, not discuss who’s at fault!”
Eilene pleaded to the people living on the land. Eilene had been kind to the locals as usual. Because of that, the locals couldn’t argue with Eilene’s furious appearance that they saw for the first time and trailed off.
“Could it be that you don’t know that this very talk is a scheme to divide us? Do you really think that even if you were to deliver the Count to the Kamu people, they would spare you? Don’t you all know how ruthless the Kamus are?”
“…you didn’t know that?”
“…what?”
A man stepped forward among the locals in response to Eilene’s assertion.
“You call them savages, but they are contracted by Westburn, so why would they break their promise? And if you think about it, from Westburn’s perspective, unless it was the Silverwood Count who recklessly invaded, there’s no reason for them to kill us commoners. Why would they put themselves at a loss from the standpoint of Westburn’s Count?”
“…Even if you survive, aren’t you afraid that Duke Lurain will seek retribution for betraying your master?”
The man laughed in response to Eilene’s rebuttal.
“It’s been almost two weeks without any response from the Duke, who didn’t even send support after contracting us. Look. We’ve already been abandoned by the Duke. Why? It’s all because of the Count. Because your father started a war so arbitrarily. Logically, after two weeks, we should have received a response, and the lack of one indicates that the Duke has abandoned us. And if later the Duke comes to seek retribution, we have the option to escape from these lands.”
“Would you really consider becoming a rebel? Do you think that’s a realistic option?”
“Why not? We’re no different from rebels anymore.”
The man looked out the window at the burning and looted homes. The locals behind the man also looked out the window in the same direction.
“We have nothing left—no homes, food, or possessions. How are we any different from rebels? We have already lost everything. Whether we become rebels or not, we can’t survive at this moment. And all of this is because of the Silverwood Count, who started a war without any justification.”
“…”
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Realizing the grave situation, Satriesha instructed the members to prevent a confrontation between the people of the Count and the locals.
Tension between the locals and the soldiers finally erupted, as some locals began to rush towards the soldiers.
“Give us the Count! Our lives are as good as dead from starvation anyway!”
“Right. They never said they would kill the Count, just ‘punish’ him, right? Let’s just surrender already!”
“Don’t come closer! If you do, you will die!”
In the meantime, I remained silent, looking out the window.
At that moment, Satria shouted to me:
“Lord Viscount! While we’re holding them off, please take Lady Eilean and Lady Laila to safety!”
“No, Satria. That’s not what we agreed… “
“Be quiet! Don’t you realize how much is at stake right now?”
“…”
As I continued to stay silent, my mother looked at me in despair and grabbed my arm.
“Ed. Shouldn’t we do what the mercenary leader says? Hurry!”
Although I felt sorry for my mother, it was impossible to follow Satria’s suggestion to run away to a safe place. Where in this castle was safe? The Camusians were everywhere, and who knew what kind of ethnicity they were?
Satria only mentioned impossible hopes in desperate situations. Later, upon reflection, she would probably wonder what she had said.
So, instead of following my mother’s words, I spoke.
“It’s alright. Mother.”
“What…? This one really…!”
“Satria, tell the members to lower their swords and spears. There’s no need to spill any unnecessary blood. I’ll walk out of the castle on my own.”
“..!”
“Lord Viscount…!”
My mother, Satria, Eileen, Shijangjang and my mentor all showed surprised expressions and reactions to my words.
The other soldiers also seemed surprised by my words and stopped moving.
“Ed, what are you saying?”
“Lord Viscount…! You can’t give up yet…”
I walked up to Satria who opposed me and held her shocked hands.
“You have worked hard to protect the territory until now, Satria. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t even be able to hold on.”
“My Lord…!”
“If there’s one thing I’ve been hiding until now, remember when you asked me if I had hearing anything before entering the room last time? Actually, you were right. I heard you talking to your subordinate Peter.”
“…What?!”
“..!”
As I confessed that day’s truth, Satria and Peter were greatly surprised and shocked.
“Thank you for protecting my faith until the end, Satricia. Peter, I’m grateful that you stayed with us until now without fleeing when our food ran out.”
“…No.”
Peter responded, seemingly embarrassed by my words. It’s fortunate that he chose to do something embarrassing.
Anyway, I defeated the people who resisted me and stood before the Yeongjimin.
The Yeongjimin seemed ready to grab me and bind me like a worm to sell me off to the Kamusin, but when they saw me walking out among the soldiers, they avoided my gaze and kept their distance.
“Allen! Are you here by any chance?”
“…Milord.”
Allen, who was among the Yeongjimin behind me, responded to my call and approached me.
“Allen, last time you asked me who is responsible for all of this.”
Allen seemed perplexed by my words. He didn’t expect to talk about it in such a situation.
Actually, back then, I already knew the answer to your question. But I couldn’t answer it. Admitting it was scary.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m saying that our Viscount is responsible for all of this situation.”
“…!”
Yeongjimin, soldiers, and the people of the clan were astonished at my words.
I said to all of them.
“I have one last thing I want to say to all of you. I’ve been truly sorry all this time.”
“Milord…?!”
“Why do you speak so highly to commoners like us…”
“I am not Lord Edric of Silverwood right now. I am speaking as Edric, the mischievous boy of Silverwood.”
Ignoring the various reactions from the people, I continued speaking.
“I apologize to those who lost their lives due to the war caused by my father.”
“I apologize for not being able to protect your homes and properties due to my incompetence.”
“Lastly, I apologize for not being vigilant enough, resulting in the burning of the food storage and causing you all to starve.”
I bowed deeply to the people as a final gesture.
Without distinguishing between Yeongjimin and the clan’s members, people wore saddened expressions toward me.
Approaching each familiar face, I shook hands with them and spoke.
“Mr. Smith, thank you for secretly fixing my father’s broken chainmail years ago, without letting me get caught.”
“Young Master… No…”
“Mrs. Baker, thank you for always sharing a piece of white bread whenever I visited to play.”
“Ugh..! Your Highness..!”
“Grandfather Lanchester, I’m sorry for causing trouble last time when the ranch fence was accidentally broken and the livestock escaped.”
“It was nothing…”
As we shared stories and memories with the connections we had built since childhood, I spotted Marcus standing in the distance.
“Marcus! Come here.”
“Viscount, no, Your Highness…”
I handed the crown I was wearing on my head to Marcus.
“This is for you. It’s the price for all the fun times we’ve had together. Take it and sell it in any city you want. I can’t give it to that Alan guy, he always made fun of me too much.”
“How can I accept this, Your Highness?”
“Just take it, damn it.”
I forcibly placed the crown into Marcus’ hand and walked towards the castle gate.
Before leaving, I turned back to the people and spoke.
“Surrender after I leave. If those guys seem suspicious, close the gate again and hold your ground. Maybe one day Duke Lorraine will come to help us.”
I drew my long sword.
“A knight exists to protect the weak. I may not have fulfilled my duty until now, but in my final moments, I will die proudly as a Silverwood Knight.”
“I’ll join you.”
“Master?”
“As a fellow knight and your teacher, I will fight alongside you and die, Viscount.”
“I’ll join you too.”
“Till the end…”
When Master and Till approached to join us, Marcus suddenly came forward, tears streaming down his face.
“Viscount! You can’t do this!”
“Marcus?”
“Why should Viscount bear all the responsibility for everything? What responsibility does Edric have for the war started by Leon Lanchester?”
Only after Marcus spoke did the people of our territory start responding.
“That’s right! Viscount Edric has been trying his best to rectify the mistakes made by Viscount Leon!”
“And although Viscount Edric might have been mischievous and lazy at times, has anyone forgotten how he always respected us and treated us kindly?”
“How can we betray our Viscount to those savages!”
“Hey, weren’t you the one who was saying something in front of Miss Eileen earlier?”
The people grabbed the person who had incited the territory’s residents in front of Eileen earlier.
“Why are you suddenly like this! And I didn’t say anything wrong! You’re all crazy! Are we all going to die like this?”
At that moment, Allen appeared in front of the person who was held captive.
“Sir, I believe this is the first time I’ve seen you today. What’s your name?”
“W-What are you talking about! I-I don’t know. I’m Davis!”
“Davis?” “Who’s that?” “I don’t know either. I’ve never heard of it before.”
Gradually, people started suspecting Davis. They realized that they had never seen him before in their lives.
“Sir, then answer this. Do you know the name of your grandmother who passed away a month ago?”
“T-That… that’s…”
“And what were the details of the meeting that took place two months ago?”
“N-No… well…”
People finally realized that they were being manipulated by a spy.
The young members of the Yeongji faction got angry and started seeking “revenge” on the spy.
“How dare this damn guy try to betray the Viscount!”
“Ugh! S-Save me…!”
“Don’t even think about surviving!”
Crash! Whack! Bam! Thump!
While listening to the exhilarating sound of the Yeongji faction’s retaliation, I thought to myself,
Thank goodness, thank goodness, thank goodness, thank goodness, thank goodness, thank goodness, thank goodness…
As I bowed my head and apologized this much, but since no one caught me until the end, I thought I messed up.
Especially when Seuseung-nim said he would follow me to the end without any hesitation, I thought I was going crazy. Seriously, following me?
If it weren’t for Marcus in the end, the three of us would have been mauled 3/3 at the entrance by savages, and my eyes would have been gouged out and my limbs torn apart… Thank you, really. I’ll pay you back later. You’ll always have my support.
My actions were part of a strategy known as “acting noble, sacrificing myself while respectfully apologizing and using formal language to beg for forgiveness in front of you commoners”—a plan that was unimaginable for ordinary people of this era. It was meant to make you feel even more guilty as if you were the ones who did something wrong, holding onto me who pretends to sacrifice myself.
It was quite a gamble of a move, but luckily it seemed to have worked.
But then, one of the Yeongji faction members who harmed the spy suddenly said,
“Everyone! Let’s defeat those Westbern scoundrels together!”
?? What? Hey, why are you suddenly saying that?
“That’s right! Rather than starving silently, let’s fight and die!”
“Let’s fight alongside the Viscount!!”
“Grab your weapons! If you don’t have any, grab a frying pan at least!”
“””Waaah!!!”””
No, what the hell?! We are civilians! Are you trying to kill us all together?!
As people were about to run out and charge through the castle gate, Satricia stepped forward, leading the mercenaries.
Fine, please stop…
“Everyone! Our Red Rose Mercenaries will fight alongside you!”
“””Wow!!! Let’s fight together!!!”””
I lost consciousness.
“My lord! So many people want to join forces with you! It’s truly fortunate, isn’t it?”
Marcus held me back and spoke without any tact. Cancelled the words that we’d be together forever. Give me back my ring, bastard.
“My lord, they are right. It’s better to fight bravely and die rather than just wait to be killed. Perhaps Lady Fortune will pity us and grant us victory in battle.”
“Even the master decides…”
In the end, with unanimous agreement (except for me), the Silverwood SCV Rush was chosen. I stood at the forefront with the elite mercenaries. Satricia gave me a wink as if noticing me again, which infuriated me greatly.
“””Open the castle gates!!!”””
Creak—! Clang!
**
“When do you think they’ll surrender?”
“At least by today, there’s no choice but to surrender. We burned down their food storage and left one spy behind. If that guy incites the local people, those hungry enemies won’t be able to hold together, and their scant troops will be swept away by the waves of commoners. Even if they resist until the end, while they’re busy fighting among themselves, we can use the ladder and penetrate the castle.”
Karoi listened to the words of the detachment member from Romania and nodded.
“You’re right, but we need to make them surrender as quickly as possible. How about giving them 30 minutes of grace?”
“Understood, as headquarters ordered… Wait! Captain, the castle gate is opening!”
“..! Are they finally surrendering?”
“It seems like it! But, why isn’t the Silverwood Count, who is supposed to be imprisoned in the castle, coming out?”
Karoi chuckled as he saw Edric confidently walking with his sword in hand.
“He says he will fight until the end and die, but it seems like he changed his mind.”
“Oh… Captain?”
“What is it?”
“Well… there seem to be too many people coming out following the Silverwood Count.”
“What?”
Karoi quickly looked towards the castle gate. As his subordinate said, people were pouring out of the castle.
“””Let’s defeat Westburn! Let’s defeat these barbarians!”””
“””Don’t lie down, stand up and die!”””
“Those crazy bastards!”
“Captain!!!”
As Carloi looked in horror at the madmen of Silverwood, another subordinate came running from behind, shouting.
“What?!”
“Sir, there’s a massive army coming from behind…!”
“Duke! The savages of Camus are indeed besieging Silverwood Castle! The outer wall seems to have already been taken, but there’s no sign of the inner fortress being captured yet!”
“Count Gates… it really is.”
Duke Lurain, leading 5000 elite soldiers, gritted his teeth as he gazed at the Camusians.
“Daring to attack my precious daughter Laila within the walls of Silverwood, the barbarians…”
Faced with those ferocious savages, how much terror did his precious daughter Laila experience, waiting only for her father’s help…
“If only I hadn’t ignored Laila’s letters…”
Duke Hayden Lurain chewed on his regret so intensely that blood came out of his mouth. It felt like his tears were of blood.
“I will not forgive!!!!!!!!!!!”
With the angry cry of the duke, Duke Lurain’s army marched to rescue Silverwood.