Bro, clad in iron armor, was currently overseeing the battle.
As a branch of the Northern Giant Bear, the Northern Bear Race possessed imnse physical strength and stamina. They were one of the few races in the Beastman Empire that could be outfitted with iron armor, and they typically served as Heavy Infantry on the battlefield.
Unless an Extraordinary Knight Order was deployed, a Bearman infantry formation was a nightmare for cavalry.
"Retreat. That’s enough for today," Bro ordered.
Today’s objective was complete. Qimo Fortress was already on its last legs. ’If my superiors could just send a few more troops,’ Bro thought, ’I’m confident I could breach this fortress directly and secure a triumphant start to the campaign!’
Thinking of Eric, Bro couldn’t help but sneer.
In the past, he and Eric had engaged in both open and secret struggles, but Bro had lost far more often than he had won.
’But this ti, I surrounded the new human commander as soon as I arrived. Then, by besieging the fortress to ambush reinforcents, I nearly crippled Qimo Fortress!’
’Eric? He’s nothing but a trickster who relies on cheap sches.’
’What right does he have to compete with ?’
"Report! General! There’s a large human force nearby!"
Just as Bro was daydreaming about the rewards Prince Kase would bestow upon him, a ssenger arrived with a report.
"A large force? Where did they co from?" Bro was montarily confused.
"They’re coming from the east! There are many cavalry in full plate armor, bearing a two-headed eagle crest. They’re approaching at full speed!" the ssenger said.
Full plate? A crest! Bro instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
’Isn’t that a Knight Order?’
Even soone as short-sighted as Bro knew the basic equipnt of a Human Knight Order.
’A two-headed eagle... from the east...’
"Eric!" Bro instantly thought of his mortal enemy.
’This shouldn’t be happening. How dare Eric let the enemy forces out? Even if he retreated, why didn’t he notify ?’
’Even if we have our differences, we’re still on the sa side. Does Eric really dare to pull a stunt like this? Isn’t he afraid of being reprimanded by Prince Kase?’
"General! General! There’s a goblin outside the tent who claims to have a ssage," another ssenger rushed in to report.
"Take to him!" Bro instantly had a bad feeling.
Outside the command tent, Bro looked at the barely breathing goblin before him and frowned.
"Get the letter from his hand." Bro’s eyes had imdiately fallen on the parchnt the goblin was clutching.
The parchnt read: "To Bro, Eric’s dearest friend. For your eyes only."
Bro took a deep breath. With a trembling hand, he slowly unfolded the parchnt. By the ti he finished reading, a thin layer of sweat had broken out on his forehead, all his earlier arrogance forgotten.
"Such important news! Why am I only being told now!" Bro was so furious he wanted to tear the letter to shreds.
"I don’t care how you do it, wake him up!" Bro commanded.
After so frantic work from the surrounding soldiers, the goblin ssenger finally began to stir.
"Such an important ssage! Why was it delivered only now!" Bro demanded.
The goblin ssenger looked at the important figures surrounding him and panicked.
"My lord, it’s not my fault! I was supposed to deliver it yesterday, but for so reason, my mount started foaming at the mouth halfway here and died."
"My lord! My lord! It’s really not my fault! My lord!"
"Eric!" At that mont, Bro’s hatred for Eric reached its peak.
...
anwhile, inside Qimo Fortress, Bruce Priest finally breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the Beastn retreat.
In a fortress, when the Commander-in-Chief is absent, major decisions are typically made jointly by the Bishop, or the attending Priest, and the highest-ranking noble present.
Usually, the Bishop and the fortress’s commander are close. At Mold Fortress, for instance, the Bishop is a mber of the Fengman Clan and rarely makes public appearances.
As for Sunset Fortress, the situation is rather unique. The Commander-in-Chief is Count Offman, but the position of Bishop is held by Earl Leo.
After all, a Bishop’s primary duty is healing, and Earl Leo can achieve a similar effect directly with Magic Potions.
Of course, the Bishop is also responsible for the soldiers’ daily lives, but those duties are generally handled by his subordinates.
After the new commander of Qimo Fortress failed to take his post, the fortress’s Bishop went to rescue him and never returned.
Now, Qimo Fortress was being managed by Bruce Priest and a deputy commander.
"Viscount Leo, is Sir Robson really as easy to get along with as you say?" Bruce Priest asked.
That’s right, the deputy commander was Viscount Leo.
According to Viscount Leo’s original plan, he should have remained by Marquis Oscillate’s side.
Unfortunately, his troops had been completely wiped out. Still, the Marquis took pity on his old subordinate, and since his granddaughter Valentino happened to be short on staff, he assigned Viscount Leo to her.
However, Valentino had her own reputation to consider. Viscount Leo was a Viscount, after all, and if he were to serve under her, he’d need to be given a position of significant authority. But Viscount Leo had almost no soldiers left, and every post under Valentino’s command was already filled.
So in the end, Viscount Leo was assigned to Qimo Fortress as a deputy commander, responsible for its routine defenses.
"Bruce! You may question my integrity, but I will not permit you to insult a true gentleman!" Viscount Leo said sternly.
Over the past few days, Viscount Leo had gathered much more information about Robson.
As a traditional Frankish Noble, Viscount Leo held martial prowess and the noble spirit of knighthood in the highest esteem—a reverence second only to bloodline.
The more he learned, the more ashad he beca.
’To think of my own past actions...’
’May the Lord of Dawn forgive my sins.’ Viscount Leo made a gesture of prayer.
"That’s good. I hope this knight will bring us good fortune," Bruce said with a nod. He knew of Viscount Leo; the man was typically arrogant, but he would never deign to lie.
’I’ll be working under him in the future, after all. At least with a man who has a sense of justice, I won’t have to worry about being stabbed in the back.’
"Bruce, I must remind you," Viscount Leo said. "Sir Robson may be kind, but that is no reason for him to be mistreated. Sir Robson saved my life, and I will support him."
"Of course," Bruce said. "I’m just trying to get the lay of the land, you understand? It helps our work go more smoothly."
"The Earl’s ssage said reinforcents will arrive today," Bruce suggested. "Have the lads polish their blades and prepare."
For now, the division of labor in Qimo Fortress was clear enough, mainly because Bruce knew his own limitations. He didn’t understand military affairs and had no intention of giving reckless commands.
"Don’t worry. These foolish Beastn!
Do they think they can defeat the Franks with a bunch of rabble? We’ve put up with them for days. It’s ti to show them what we’re made of!" said Viscount Leo.
He didn’t have many soldiers under his personal command, but no other noble in Qimo Fortress outranked him. Since the lesser nobles couldn’t agree amongst themselves and none could command the others’ respect, they simply deferred to Viscount Leo’s arrangents.
This was another reason Valentino had assigned Viscount Leo to Qimo Fortress.
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