Chapter 381: Above the Ramparts
Chapter 381: Above the Ramparts
"If only I had a larger army, I could hold this fortress until the day I die."
The gloom weighing on Phield’s heart finally lifted a little, and a smile spread across his face. Killing a rebel Divine Chosen and getting two Divine Artifacts as loot felt absolutely incredible.
"Gods, please let there be something good."
Rubbing his hands together, Phield opened the first crystal sphere under the expectant gazes of the two Divine Chosen.
A beautiful pale pink pendant appeared. At its center rested a magnificent diamond-shaped gemstone, wrapped in rings of flowing, water-like energy that gave it an elegant and gentle appearance.
"It doesn’t belong to Winter."
"Nor to Holy Light."
Ashina and Tisiana both sensed its aura before shaking their heads.
"Then I’ll keep this one."
Phield patted both girls on the head before waving his hand. The Divine Artifact was instantly refined, and its information flooded into his mind.
Divine Artifact: A Reassuring Pendant
Rank: Tier Three
Origin: Goddess of Protection, a branch of the Goddess of War
Effect: Generates an invisible protective field around the wearer, capable of blocking one normal attack from a Tier Three Divine Chosen or multiple attacks from lower-tier enemies. Can be activated once per day.
Special Effect: Can only be used by Divine Chosen of the Goddess of War and her branches.
"Holy crap, this is amazing. I finally have a dependable life-saving item. I won’t have to worry so much about being ambushed anymore."
Phield was genuinely shocked. Among all the ordinary effects he had seen, this was probably the best Tier Three Divine Artifact so far.
Even an ordinary person could withstand an attack from a Tier Three Divine Chosen with it, dramatically increasing their chances of survival.
"Let’s open the second one."
Phield was too excited to contain himself as he eagerly cracked open the second crystal sphere.
As the seal broke, a long, slender sword woven with green and white light slowly expanded into existence before everyone.
The rapier measured one hundred and thirty centimeters in length. Its razor-sharp blade gleamed brilliantly, while the exquisitely engraved guard depicted scenes from ancient legends, making the weapon look exceptionally luxurious.
Like the previous artifact, it was incompatible with any of his Divine Chosen, leaving Phield as the only one who could use it.
The moment he grasped the sword, its information appeared in his mind.
Divine Artifact: The Windspeaker’s Command Sword
Origin: Goddess of Storms
Effect: Grants a Gentle Breeze Aura. Allied units within a certain radius receive a slight movement speed increase, and the stamina consumed while running is reduced by one quarter. The artifact’s contractor receives double the bonus.
Special Effect: Exclusive to Divine Chosen of the Goddess of Storms.
"Holy crap, another incredibly practical artifact."
Phield examined it from every angle before happily thrusting it through the air several times. Each swing produced a sharp whistle as overlapping flashes of sword light streaked across the sky.
"It doesn’t provide any offensive power as a weapon, but for escaping, chasing enemies, or simply traveling, it’s unbelievably useful."
With these two Divine Artifacts, both his defensive capability and his ability to flee had improved tremendously.
"You look so cool, my lord!" Ashina immediately clapped with a bright grin.
Tisiana clasped her hands together in relief.
"That means everyone’s safety has another layer of protection."
After storing the artifact sword away, Phield rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"It seems the rebels are actually pretty useful. Once our military strength recovers, we’ll take the initiative to hunt them down and give them a proper beating."
"My lord, Baron Simon has come to visit."
A soldier ran over to report.
"He brought an army of around a thousand men, but they’re all wearing ceremonial uniforms. They don’t look like they’re here to attack."
"Huh?"
Ashina’s wolf ears twitched twice as she frowned.
"The people from Maple Leaf Territory are all hateful. They’ve killed our soldiers before."
"What is he doing here? Isn’t he a bad person?"
Tisiana’s view of good and evil was straightforward.
"He must be here to invade our territory. I’ll drive them back."
"Relax. They’re probably not here to invade."
Phield calmly analyzed the situation.
"Simon isn’t just a noble. He’s also a merchant, so he’s not reckless enough to do something like that. Besides, the rebels have already lost all momentum. Even if he were secretly working with them, there’d be no reason to attack us now."
"Maybe he’s here to apologize."
After thinking for a moment, Phield continued calmly.
"Since he came all this way, I’ll meet him and find out what he wants."
"My lord, please be careful."
Ashina remained on guard.
"Don’t worry. I won’t be speaking with him face to face."
After climbing onto the fortress wall, Phield leaned over and looked down at Simon’s forces.
Most of them were imposing cavalry. Behind the formation were enormous quantities of supplies being hauled along, including several cattle.
"Holy crap, there are cows!"
Phield blinked in surprise.
"Why did he bring cows here?"
That only further confirmed what the soldier had reported. They certainly didn’t look like they had come to besiege the fortress.
More importantly, they had also brought back the bodies of over twenty border soldiers.
"Ah, my dear friend, Phield."
Supported by his maid, Simon slowly stepped out of his carriage and greeted him warmly.
"Heavens, I can’t believe you’ve captured an entire fortress after only a few days. I always knew you had it in you. You were born to be a knight."
Phield answered with a cheerful smile.
"I couldn’t help it. After the rebels started their uprising, I tried to pass through Maple Leaf Fortress so I could seek refuge with an old friend. Not only was I denied entry, but your fortress weapons even opened fire on me. I nearly died, and my army suffered countless casualties."
Before the border battle had begun, Phield had indeed visited Maple Leaf Fortress in an attempt to send word to the outside world. He had failed and lost several soldiers in the process.
He had originally intended to quietly build up his strength before taking revenge on Simon. Instead, Simon had come to him.
"It was all a misunderstanding. A terrible misunderstanding."
Simon looked awkward as he pointed toward the corpses of the border soldiers.
"Those damned spies belonged to the Shadow World Sect. They had nothing to do with me."
"Who would believe that!"
Ashina was furious.
"We can’t trust a single word they say."
"Relax. I know what I’m doing."
Phield calmly signaled for Ashina to stay composed.
"Right after they attacked you, my soldiers immediately killed them and reported everything to me. I was completely stunned when I heard the news, and Florine was just as shocked. None of us imagined that rebel agents had infiltrated the fortress."
Simon wore an aggrieved expression.
"The border fortress isn’t under my sole command. Most of those traitors weren’t even from my territory. Some were temporary hires, some were mercenaries, and others belonged to the garrisons of different nobles."
"So what exactly are you trying to say?"
"I’m deeply sorry and hope you’ll forgive me."
Simon kicked the corpses a couple of times.
"These damned rebel spies are all here. Every last one of them is dead. This is my explanation to you."
Phield raised an eyebrow and let out a cold snort.
"I always treated you like my dearest brother, yet you kept playing games with me again and again. I almost lost my life, and more than three thousand of my knights were killed!"
With his eyes closed, Phield shamelessly fabricated the story as he roared in anger.
"Damn... the losses were really that severe?"
Simon’s knights were all stunned.
"Nightfall Domain had three thousand knights?"
Even the young laborers from his own territory who had been helping clean up the battlefield broke into cold sweats.