Yesterday, Mijordenhaven received a frontline report that the Bearman Tribe led by Bireg is heading straight for Mijordenhaven! It seems something in this port city is frantically attracting them.
Upon receiving the alarm, the city went into full lockdown. The soldiers, who had long been untested by fierce battles, were gathering continuously. All conscripts were assembling under the messengers from the Lord Count and receiving weapons from the armory.
Laine easily cut in line to enter the city, but he had only taken a few steps when a group of fully armed soldiers surrounded him. The leading officer dismounted and approached Laine, giving him a military salute: "Greetings! White Wolf Knight 'Great Hammer' Mr. Laine! It is an honor to see you. Our Lord Count, Count Albert Baker, invites you to join the ongoing military meeting."
"Of course, but please allow me to return to the inn for a moment," Laine knew that preparations for battle were underway.
"Alright, we will wait for you here."
Hastily returning to the inn, Laine found the female sorcerer sitting in the lobby waiting for him, with her long legs crossed, wearing black tight leather pants and high-heeled boots: "Laine? Why are you only coming back now? Let me tell you, the barbarians are headed this way..."
"I know." Laine hurriedly put down his belongings and handed over all the ill-gotten gains he had seized to the innkeeper for handling, knowing that many of these innkeepers had shady ways to deal with such things.
"So, Laine, we can't wait any longer to sail out to sea. I talked to Sister Dietlinde, and perhaps we should set up a teleportation array to return directly to the Celestial Vault Castle, and then use its teleportation array to head directly to Marinburg?" Teresa stood up immediately and followed him upstairs: "What do you think?"
It was only then that Laine noticed the lobby was filled with people, from merchants to citizens, shop owners, and farmers, all discussing the barbarian invasion, with tension evident on every face: The barbarians are coming! Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel★fire.net
"That's a last resort. There is no stable teleportation array here, and if you construct one yourself, the cost might end up more than the reward for your current commission, won't it?" Laine rushed up to the third floor, with Teresa following closely behind: "But you know, this city already drew away many of its garrison due to the war, and even adding conscripts would leave us with less than a thousand defenders! The city is likely indefensible!"
"Then there are the militia." Laine opened his room door and said calmly.
"Militia? What use are those farmers? They're just being sent to their deaths..." Teresa stopped mid-sentence, suddenly falling silent.
She had already promised Laine she would treat everyone equally.
"I have to go attend the pre-battle meeting now." Laine did not dispute her point, because Teresa was not wrong; militia could only perform such roles. The man reached out and patted the female sorcerer on the shoulder: "If you are unwilling, then you can teleport directly back to the Celestial Vault Castle with Lady Dietlinde! As a Knight of Nord, I must fight to defend my homeland!"
"No, I will stay and face the enemy with you!" The female sorcerer rejected the man's suggestion.
"...Thank you." Laine nodded: "And what about Alfred and the others?"
"The paladins have already gathered at the Justice Church. In this siege, no one can remain uninvolved," Teresa replied calmly, then watched as Laine hurriedly left.
The Count of Mijordenhaven, "Tax Collector" Count Albert Baker, was standing in his three-story castle, alongside his two knights, viewing the map to assess the situation.
Albert was a middle-aged man of about forty, with a gentle and softer appearance, unlike the rougher Villarld. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his face was slightly flushed in an unhealthy manner.
Standing with him were his two knights, "Walnut Knight" Nikolai and "Bamboo Knight" Waldemar.
"I really can't understand why these damn barbarians would be coming towards Mijordenhaven. I can't think of any reason they have to come for us? You must know they were already close to Frost City!" Albert cursed initially. Upon first receiving the report, he couldn't believe why Bireg would head for his domain, considering Mijordenhaven was on Nord's West Coast, with natural mountain defenses, and only four or five days' journey from imperial lands. Moreover, there was a pass on the way to Mijordenhaven—Oak Pass.
"According to the scouts' information, Bireg's order was issued without any warning. His troops were originally advancing after destroying several villages, aiming directly at Frost City, but... the Bearman Tribe suddenly abandoned most of their loot and forced marched towards Mijordenhaven!" Walnut Knight Nikolai, a mid-length-haired Mid-tier Ranger, wielding a mace and carrying a large bow, spoke.
"The problem now is that our defensive forces are insufficient!" Bamboo Knight Waldemar, a crew-cut Elite High-Tier Knight who preferred to use a cavalry lance and fire cannon, stated. Both knights were not formal members of the Knight Corps, their prowess was average because the strongest knight under the Count of Mijordenhaven was engaged in the battles against the barbarians in the north.
Mijordenhaven originally had five hundred standing troops, but after the King's conscription order, Mijordenhaven, in response, dispatched a significant force to the front lines, leaving its standing army at less than three hundred. Even urgently conscripting all available militia might not gather a thousand defenders.
Yet the barbarian army numbered a full four thousand!
"Anyway, when is Bireg and his damned Bearman Tribe expected to reach the city walls?" Albert knew that pondering why the barbarians suddenly headed for his domain was futile now. Who knows what goes on in the minds of those heretics?
"The garrison at Oak Pass will try to delay Bireg as much as possible to give Mijordenhaven time to prepare its defenses..." Walnut Knight Nikolai frowned, his face greasy, evidently just having eaten meat.
Oak Pass, built along the mountain, was the essential route between Mijordenhaven and Frost City. Mijordenhaven had remained unalarmed by the barbarian's invasions due to this pass.
"Oak Pass only has two hundred defenders. We cannot hope they will delay Bireg for long. My knights, tell me, in the worst-case scenario, when should we expect the Bearman Tribe to reach my walls?" Albert waved a hand to dismiss any need to calculate any uncertainties.
"At the earliest... the morning after tomorrow, thousands of barbarians will reach Mijordenhaven," Bamboo Knight Waldemar pondered for a moment before providing an answer.
Silence fell over the room.
It was at this moment the guard at the door saluted, and Laine entered: "Greetings, Lord Albert!"
"Greetings! White Wolf Knight Laine, I am Count Albert of Mijordenhaven. Welcome to our ranks. In this dire moment, we need your strength." Albert immediately stepped forward to welcome him.
After briefly describing the current situation, the four stood before the map again.
"Laine, having participated in numerous battles against the barbarians, you know best their combat prowess. Given our current forces, can we defend this city?" The Lord Count sought advice with pleading eyes from Laine.
"Then you'd have to tell me, what forces does this city still have?"
"The city can rally about three hundred soldiers. In addition, if we conscript all available militia..." Albert looked at his secretary.
The secretary stepped forward: "There are roughly six hundred conscripted militia registered."
"And with the veterans?" Laine continued to ask.
"Even counting the retired veterans, we wouldn't exceed eight hundred at most," the secretary replied.
Laine remained silent for a long time, and finally, under Albert's expectant gaze, he spoke, his voice somewhat gravelly.
"Conscript all the militia."