Chapter 334 245: The Lord Who Only Takes the Small Paths

Levi and the Beastman Barbarians had been advancing toward the Inner Castle, crushing the Guard Army that tried to block their path at an incredible speed.

But at some point, the soldiers of the Guard Army stopped their fearless charges. Instead, upon seeing Levi's group, they began dropping their weapons and fleeing into the labyrinthine alleys.

He stopped dead in his tracks. The brutes behind him, charging too fast and hard, couldn't stop in time and instantly crashed into a pile.

"Boss, what's wrong?" Zat looked at his dented Chest Armor, then glanced at the back of his Lord's head, which was completely unscathed. His heart ached at the sight of his armor.

To think that his Armor, which had endured countless attacks without much damage, had been dented by a simple collision.

'Something feels wrong.'

Levi's eyes narrowed as he watched the Southern Soldiers vanish into the alleys.

A moment ago, they were resisting to the death. Now, it was as if they had given up, resigned to letting them advance to the Inner Castle.

"Maybe they got so scared by our might they pissed their pants?" Zat shouldered his War Axe, flexed a bicep with his free hand, and snickered.

"Maybe."

Levi was baffled. He couldn't understand why the enemy would suddenly give up. Granted, as they had carved a path of slaughter, no one had been able to withstand the charge of his vanguard, with him at its very tip.

No matter how many men they sent, they all ended up as severed limbs and a pulp of flesh and blood along their path.

'Perhaps their morale simply shattered from all the slaughter.' That was the only explanation Levi could come up with.

He couldn't help but wonder if that old fox Cross knew Black Stone Castle was impossible to hold and had already fled, causing his leaderless soldiers to rout.

But that didn't add up. The enraged Fulina had already surrounded Black Stone Castle completely. Patrols had secured the area for miles around; the perimeter was so tight, it would be impossible to escape even by digging a tunnel.

Levi regretted not bringing Leiden with him. While Leiden's Martial Arts were only good enough to rough up a Beastman whelp from High Cliff Castle, the man had a sharp mind.

He was torn. He wanted to press his advantage, but he feared falling into a trap set by the veteran general, Cross. Yet just standing here, doing nothing...if the enemy really had routed, he'd look like an idiot.

"Damn it, why am I overthinking this?" Levi slapped his forehead. 'My goal was never to capture their commanders or destroy their main force.'

The strategic objective for the High Cliff Castle contingent was to break into the Inner Castle and plunder its riches!

Wiping out enemy forces was a job for the Northern Army officers.

Having figured this out, the Lord stopped worrying about what kind of trap the enemy had laid.

After all, any tactic is predicated on guessing the enemy's strategic objective and setting a trap accordingly.

He pulled a simple map from his system inventory and studied it carefully.

When the Ice and Snow Mages had scouted Black Stone Castle, they had drawn a map of its defenses so everyone could get a general layout.

Although only important individuals were given their own maps, the Lord had brought Leiden along, and the Giant Goblin had returned to draw a perfect copy.

Levi quickly pinpointed a location. He led the Barbarians in an immediate change of direction and hurried toward it.

...

The room was narrow. The wooden table and chairs were old, their finish worn down to the bare wood. There were few decorations, save for a fireplace whose flickering flames licked a bit of color into the space.

This servant's quarters was now filled with all the nobles of Black Stone Castle, serving as a makeshift meeting room.

"What is your name?" Cross asked, looking at the trembling young man before him. Years of hard labor had etched sorrow onto the young man's face.

"Lam, my Lord. My name is Lam." Fearing the great man before him hadn't heard, he repeated himself. In his terror, he blurted out, "I'm a dung-shoveling apprentice. Every day, I'm responsible for carrying the castle's horse manure out over the Ili Suspension Bridge."

He quickly noticed the surrounding nobles glaring at him and realized he had misspoken. He stammered out a hasty explanation, "P-Please... please forgive me for using such a vulgar term in your presence."

"It's all right, Lam. There's no need to apologize. In fact, we should be the ones apologizing for intruding on your home." Cross shook his head and patted the young man's shoulder with a smile. "Good lad. Why don't you go toss a few potatoes into the hearth? This old man hasn't had lunch yet."

The old general winked.

Seeing the general's kind smile, Lam relaxed considerably. He nodded and scurried off to the kitchen to find some potatoes.

"My Lord, he's just a servant. Not even a freeman..."

A nobleman watched Lam's retreating back, not understanding the need for such courtesy. It would have been perfectly acceptable to simply give the boy an order.

"Sith, never look down on anyone. Always keep a humble heart." Cross pointed to himself, speaking earnestly. "And be especially kind to those around you."

Sith, not wanting to dwell on the topic, changed the subject. "My Lord, will that Knight really act according to our plan?"

"Sith, if you were facing an enemy who suddenly and inexplicably stopped resisting, what would you do?"

Cross walked over to the fireplace and sat on a small stool, warming his cold hands like any other old man.