<h4>Chapter 273</h4>


    The darkness faded, and the sun rose.


    The soldiers on the wall squinted their eyes and watched the sunrise. The barbarian''s warning was still etched in their minds. Urich''s deration of war tightened the soldiers'' hearts.


    "Don''t worry. We can stop them."


    An experienced senior tried tofort the younger soldiers.


    <i>‘Unknown anxiety and fear.’</i>


    Even though they knew Hamel wouldn''t be breached, their hearts still trembled. That was the kind of fear that the plunderers from the west brought: emotions that preceded logical understanding. If one gained emotional superiority, they could also gain an advantage on the battlefield.


    <i>‘Fear is gnawing at us.’</i>


    The garrisonmander lifted his heavy eyes. He constantly encouraged his soldiers who stood guard in their armor.


    "Is the attacking soon?"


    The leader of the plunderers, Urich, had dered his Alliance would attack this morning.


    <i>‘They’re probably nning to capture Hamel while His Majesty and the main force are absent. That’s decently clever.’</i>


    The garrisonmander took a deep breath to maintain hisposure.


    <i>‘But they won''t get Hamel. We can hold out. How would they fill that wide and deep moat, and how would they attack walls they can''t reach even withdders? Each wall is well-stocked with oil and arrows as well. No matter where they attack, this city is impregnable.’</i>


    The garrisonmander checked the walls several times. He meticulously inspected everything just in case there was anycency, perhaps an open side door.


    "There is no need to be anxious," the garrisonmander told himself.


    The sun, which had been peeking out the horizon, gradually rose higher. Even the extremely tense imperial soldiers slowly rxed.


    As the anticipated attack did note, fatigue umted from the night-long tension set in. Soldiers leaning against the walls nodded off.


    "Captain, It''s almost noon, but there''s no sign of an attack."


    A sharp-eyed officer reported to the garrisonmander.


    The garrisonmander observed the state of the soldiers and frowned.


    "They’re waiting for us to put our guards down. When we do that, that’s when they will attack. They know we will bex if they don''t attack at the promised time. Don''t fall for their deception. They wille!"


    The garrisonmander walked along the wall, kicking the dozing soldiers awake. The startled soldiers opened their eyes wide as they wiped the saliva off the corners of their mouths.


    "These barbarians have no sense of honor or promises! And that Porcana, too! They are no different from them, as expected from a remote kingdom!"


    The garrisonmander pressed his fingers against his temples in frustration. He too was extremely tired from staying up all night.


    <i>‘Are they trying to engage us in a psychological battle? Is their army smart enough to pull off such a thing?’</i>


    Everything seemed suspicious. The Porcana-Alliance army was an army formidable enough to decisively defeat that of Carnius. When an army like that didn’t show itself for an extended period of time, it only made the anxiety worse.


    <i>‘Anxiety and fear.’</i>


    The emotions he had tried to suppress slowly crept up. The excessively heavy responsibility weighed down on his shoulders.


    "Sir Sarvan, you should get some rest."


    The adjutant urged the garrisonmander to rest.


    "If I sleep now, I won''t wake up with a clear head."


    The garrisonmander said this as he sat down in a chair. But being human, he could no longer resist the drowsiness. He merely closed his eyes for a moment, but it only took a moment for his consciousness to slip into darkness.


    A quiet time passed. The garrisonmander did not wake until after noon. The adjutants took turnsmanding and waiting for the attack without waking him.


    "Kaaaah!"


    The garrisonmander opened his eyes with a screech. He had a terrible nightmare, perhaps due to the built-up anxiety. He dreamt of Hamel engulfed in mes.


    "H-have the barbarians note yet!" He shouted, looking at the sky.


    The sun was already beginning to set. Having just woken up, he couldn’t even be sure about whether it was a dream or reality.


    "Calm down, Sir Sarvan. The barbarians haven''te yet."


    "Still?"


    The garrisonmander''s anxiety grew. Any sign of attack would have allowed him to carry out preparations. Knowing nothing about the enemy kept him on edge.


    "Send out scouts to check their movements! If they haven''t moved by now, there must be a reason."


    The adjutant nodded and selected swift soldiers to send through the side gate.


    The garrisonmander gathered his scattered thoughts as he took a sip of water. A quiet day was passing.


    <i>‘How on earth are they nning to attack Hamel?’</i>


    The scouts returned before sunset.


    "There are smoke from cooking rising throughout the camp. It seemed like their attack was dyed because their preparations weren’tplete."


    Themander smirked upon hearing the scout report.


    "So they just failed to carry out the attack ording to their n?"


    "They might not be as formidable of an army as we thought. Who knows? Maybe they are having internal disputes. The Porcana army knows how formidable Hamel''s walls are, but the plunderers wouldn’t know that. Since King Varca is leading the army himself, he probably prevented a reckless attack."


    Adjutants and knights gradually opened their mouths in spection.


    An anxious day passed. There was still no battle the next day. As tension eased, the soldiers'' faces brightened. More and more were tossing around jokes.


    "They might be waiting for us to bex! Keep the soldiers in line!"


    Only the garrisonmander''s face was filled with concern. Despite sending scouts repeatedly, all he heard was that they were still encamped.


    Just observing from afar didn''t provide information of enough detail.


    "Go closer and get me some more information."


    The garrisonmander didn’t send out a spy until two days after Urich''s deration of war. He nned to send an imperial soldier of Porcana origin as a spy to extract information.


    The garrisonmander and his adjutants sensed that something was off. They thought the Porcana-Alliance army was plotting some scheme.


    It didn’t even take an entire day for a report toe back.


    "Only the head of the spy made it back, captain."


    A barbarian rode up, threw the spy''s head near the gate, and disappeared.


    As soon as they opened the cloth wrapping the head, a foul smell spread everywhere.


    "Filthy bastards."


    The garrisonmander cursed as he saw the severed head. He was about to explode from the anger.


    “How could they do this to a dead person!”


    The head was smeared with urine and feces. It was clear that the barbarians wanted to humiliate the dead man. It was an unthinkable deed in a war between civilized people.


    <i>‘At least we know one thing for sure now. The ones holding the reins of this army are the plunderers, not Porcana. If the Porcana Kingdom''s army were in charge, they would never do something like this.’</i>


    The garrisonmander ground his teeth. He found himself feeling more hatred for Porcana than for the plunderers.


    <i>‘They sucked up to the empire when they needed to, and now they’ve joined hands with the barbarians... They''re no better than bats.’</i>


    But the situation was rather strange. Days passed without any sign of an attack from the barbarians.


    “They are the ones who are running out of time. They must be running low on supplies by now. Porcana''s capabilities wouldn''t allow for proper resupply all the way out here.”


    “They probably know that better than we do. There must be a reason why they are not attacking,” the garrisonmander said, remaining cautious.


    Themander did not wait idly in the information void. He called for knights and formed a reconnaissance force. Knights in light armor equipped themselves with pre-loaded crossbows and weapons.


    <i>Creeeak.</i>


    In broad daylight, the city gates opened. The garrisonmander and a hundred light cavalry dashed out.


    The garrisonmander approached the enemy encampment. People moving around inside the camp were visible.


    “Our goal is to determine the extent of their forces. Avoid any unnecessary closebat and just circle around their camp.”


    The purpose of a reconnaissance force was to urately grasp the enemy''s movements.


    <i>Thwip!</i>


    The light cavalry who managed to get close to the campunched a surprise attack, firing crossbows at the outskirts.


    <i>‘They’re noting out?’</i>


    Despite the cavalry''s sudden attack, there seemed to be no retaliating enemy force.


    The garrisonmander approached closer as his pupils trembled.


    <i>‘Barbarians are supposed to be aggressive; the plunderers shouldn’t be any different. How can they not retaliate after being attacked like this?’</i>


    The garrisonmander looked to the side and signaled his men with his hand. Some of the cavalry broke out of formation and moved deeper inside.


    <i>Crack!</i>


    The cavalry swung their maces to break the poles supporting the tents. One of the cavalry who checked the tents shouted with his eyes widened.


    “Sir Sarvan! It''s empty! There''s no one here!”


    Only then did they notice the fleeing plunderers. There were only a few hundred of them.


    “Shiiiiiiiiit!”


    The garrisonmander shouted with wide eyes. He didn''t even consider chasing the fleeing plunderers. That wasn''t the important thing right now.


    “It’s a trap! It was a trap! They already left the camp days ago! They were just pretending like they were surrounding Hamel!”


    The Porcana-Alliance army had left only the bare minimum personnel required to maintain the camp. The main force had long since departed. The tents, which seemed intact, were actually empty inside.


    The garrisonmander was aghast and furious. He had wasted time due to unnecessary anxiety.


    <i>‘Where did these bastards go?’</i>


    The garrisonmander chased the plunderers'' tracks and looked north. Realizing something, he hurried back to the fortress.


    “Scribe!”


    He called for a scribe as soon as he entered Hamel. From this point on, every second mattered.


    “His Majesty is in danger. Dammit! They went north, north!”


    The garrisonmander was almost frantic.


    “Their deration of war was a ruse!”


    He pounded the wall and ground his teeth. They hadpletely fallen for the plunderers’ scheme. The barbarians had fully exploited the fear and anxiety of civilized people. The unknown and fear made people cautious and sometimes prevented action when boldness was needed.


    “We must get to the northern front before them and warn His Majesty of their attack!”


    The garrisonmander grabbed the messenger’s cheek, spitting as he spoke. The messenger nodded with determined eyes.


    “The fate of our empire rests on your shoulders! Now, go!”


    The garrisonmander pped the horse’s behind and urged it forward. The messenger kicked up dust as he headed north.


    <i>‘Who would have thought they would make such a bold move...’</i>


    It was a massive gamble. The Porcana-Alliance army was going for the emperor''s army without securing its rear.


    <i>‘If they can’t take down His Majesty’s army in time, then they’ll be the ones in danger.’</i>


    A new legion was already being formed in the emperor’s direct territory. It was only a matter of time before the Porcana-Alliance army got surrounded from both sides.


    <i>‘Does this mean that they are confident they can defeat the emperor’s army?’</i>


    The garrisonmander ground his teeth. Bold strategies and tactics had their pros and cons, along with proportionally significant risks. But if sessful, the rewards were great.


    He wanted to lead the garrison to pursue the plunderers immediately, but he thought that even that might be another trap. If he hastily sent the garrison out, Hamel could be captured.


    “That Urich... Is this his idea?”


    The enemy suddenly seemed enormous. When suspicion took hold, nothing could be done.


    <i>‘I’ve lost before the fight even began.’</i>


    The garrisonmander finally let out a bitterugh.