Chapter 394 - 275: Waiting

The moment the Lord charged into High Cliff Castle’s temporary camp, its commanders rushed over, surrounding him as they walked toward the tent.

"Boss, you okay?" Zat shouted the moment he saw him.

"What could possibly happen to me?" Levi replied casually. "If these people hadn’t been dragging me down, this Lord would’ve carved through their ranks three times over before pulling back."

The Holy Knights behind him looked pained and defeated. As if suffering a collective asthma attack, they each found a chair and collapsed into it. Hearing his words, they all had the good sense not to retort.

After all, dozens of them had failed to break through the surrounding Demons, yet a single man had accomplished it. They were simply too ashamed to say another word.

"Lord, there are roughly twenty to thirty thousand Demons here. What are our next steps?" Leiden asked. "Although I have already ordered our men to erect simple defensive fortifications with wooden stakes on the perimeter, if they surround us, even we will likely suffer considerable losses."

Although it was High Cliff Castle’s strategist, it usually only handled logistics. For example, in Levi’s absence just now, it had quickly ordered the men to construct simple defensive works.

The ultimate decision of whether or not to fight was not its to make.

"Don’t worry. I killed their commander. Plus, they left over a thousand corpses behind. It’ll be difficult for them to regroup and launch an attack on us anytime soon," Levi said as he set Fatir, who was clinging to him like an octopus, down on a chair.

Mier, standing to the side, turned his head away, deciding to pretend he saw nothing. "Brother-in-law, are we waiting for the main army to arrive, then?"

"Yeah, there’s no need to play the hero right now." After that exertion, Levi was starting to feel hungry again. He took an apple from Sophia and bit into it hungrily. "We’re very close to the White Bone Fortress, and we don’t know if they have reinforcements."

"It would be very troublesome if we got bogged down."

In truth, High Cliff Castle could have handled an army of just a few tens of thousands of Demons on its own.

However, it would inevitably result in casualties. The Lord, who was used to achieving flawless victories, had no desire to take on a task with such a low payoff.

"It would be best not to fight at all," Sophia chimed in. "We have troops coming up behind us anyway. Let them take the lead."

Levi glanced at the Silver Dragon Maiden’s matter-of-fact expression. She completely embodied the principle of ’better you die than me.’

’Then again, in this day and age where people prey on the kindness of others, it was hard to find fault with her.’

’So much for the good old days.’

’Even this big oaf had learned how to sell out her teammates.’

"Have the Jackal Wolf Scouts notify our main force to the rear. Tell them about the situation here. Get the Centaurs to patrol the perimeter. If the enemy tries to attack, have the Centaurs use their Longbows to give those Demons a taste of kiting."

The Demons are all two-legged; they have no hope of catching the Centaurs. As long as the Centaurs avoid melee and stick to their Longbows, they can lead them on a chase until they question the very meaning of their demonic existence.

Although the Centaurs’ class progression followed the Heavy Cavalry path, it didn’t mean they had completely abandoned the Bow and Arrow. On the contrary, their Archery proficiency also increased with each advancement, just not as much as their melee proficiency.

Even so, their Archery could still overwhelm the most elite Rangers of the age.

This was thanks to their unique physique, making it impossible for humans to catch up in this regard—and that was without even mentioning the boons from the system.

"Lord, I’ve already dispatched the Scouts to the rear. The Centaurs, under Gus’s command, are already patrolling the perimeter." Leiden, who had been studying a map, looked up and spoke unhurriedly. "The Feder Archers are manning the watchtowers, the Beastman Warriors are ready to don their armor for battle at any time, and the Bed Crossbows have been wound."

It had already taken care of everything in a perfectly orderly fashion.

Now, it was studying the terrain around the White Bone Fortress, determining suitable locations for a camp and predicting where the enemy might position their troops...

All the commanders turned to look at Levi expectantly.

Levi scratched his head. ’True, he had given the work of strategist and Affairs Officer to Leiden precisely so he wouldn’t have to waste time on such tedious matters and could be a hands-off leader.’

’But now the things that needed doing were done, and the orders that needed giving had already been given.’

’It made him feel completely unnecessary, a bit redundant.’

"In that case, let’s eat first!" After a long pause, he finally waved his hand and declared viciously.

"Yay!" Sophia immediately threw her hands in the air and cheered.

If anyone was happiest about this decision, it had to be her. Giant Dragons naturally have enormous appetites, and that didn’t change even when using the Transformation Technique to take human form.

Her portions had been restricted at every meal lately, so getting an extra one was an absolute windfall.

"I remember there’s some honey left in the kitchen. I’ll go get it." Zat took off. It wanted to use the opportunity to sneak a taste; otherwise, a certain someone was sure to snatch it all for herself later.

"I’m coming too!" Sophia’s eyes lit up, and she immediately followed him.

In the blink of an eye, the High Cliff Castle commanders scattered in an uproar.

"My dear Mr. Levi, might I ask if you have any wine?" Bodoff, who had been silently observing his surroundings since entering the camp, finally spoke up.

"I thought Casters disliked drinking, seeing as you wise and powerful folk believe it pollutes your minds," Levi said teasingly. Despite his words, he still pulled a bottle of wine from his inventory, flicked the cork off with ease, and handed it to the old man in the White Robe.