After hearing the detailed explanation from Corbin, Karl felt a sense of hopelessness.
Even including Karl’s subjugation force, the remaining troops barely numbered over 100.
Half of them were woodcutters and farmers, leaving only about 50 actual soldiers. Of those, around 20 were poorly trained Hilpin troops.
The number of gnolls was completely unknown.
According to Corbin, the number they had killed so far might be close to a thousand.
Even accounting for exaggeration, it wouldn’t be a small number. Just from yesterday’s battle alone, they had killed at least 200.
“What did you do with all those bodies?”
“There are hardly any bodies left. The gnolls take them away whenever they can.”
“…….”
Karl had to steady himself for a moment upon hearing that even the villagers he had conscripted from Logpile Village hadn’t been able to leave behind so much as their corpses. But he quickly recovered.
“Do they take not only human corpses, but gnoll corpses as well?”
“Yes.”
“They’re not doing it to eat them, are they?”
“I don’t know.”
To begin with, this entire situation made no sense. Above all, the autumn forest was full of food.
It didn’t seem to be about sustenance.
Then why?
“Sir Karl, Lady Catherine has returned.”
At that moment, an imperial soldier spoke cautiously during a pause in the conversation.
“Send her in.”
Karl immediately called for Catherine.
After the battle last night, she had handled the aftermath and gone out early in the morning, so he would have liked to let her rest. But there was no such luxury.
“Sir Karl.”
Catherine entered promptly, stood before him, and bowed crisply.
Her unwavering presence, like that of someone untouched by fatigue, gave Karl a strong sense of reassurance.
“Lady Catherine, you’ve worked hard.”
“I am only doing my duty.”
“That alone is worth more than an army of a thousand. Without you, I would already be dead.”
“…It is thanks to your efforts that we secured this victory.”
Catherine who was clearly embarrassed fidgeted her lips against her stone-like expression. Unable to come up with a proper response, she deflected the credit back to Karl and then firmly shut her mouth.
From a short distance away, Corbin watched the scene with narrowed eyes, as if dazzled by it.
In the face of a relationship between lord and knight as admirable as something out of old chivalric tales, Corbin who had been cast aside and driven to the brink as expendable couldn’t bring himself to lift his head.
“How is the situation?”
“It’s not good. If they attack again with the same scale as yesterday, we won’t be able to hold them this time.”
Catherine answered Karl’s question without hesitation.
“The gnolls are breaking down the palisades with axes. The western palisade has been completely destroyed to the point that the logs had to be entirely replaced, and the other sections have also sustained cumulative damage and require repairs.”
“…We’ve already finished repairing the western palisade this morning. This is a village of woodcutters. It’s not that difficult.”
Corbin interjected at Catherine’s words.
“But you haven’t repaired all the other sections, have you? Sir Corbin, if all the palisades cannot be repaired by this evening, then it’s no different from not repairing them at all.”
“……”
Faced with Catherine’s perfectly reasonable argument, Corbin couldn’t respond.
No matter how much manpower they poured in, there were limits. It was impossible to restore all the palisades that were high and sturdy enough to hold back gnolls within a single day.
“Lady Catherine, has there been any support from Hilpin yet?”
“We have found no contact or trace whatsoever.”
“Send someone to Hilpin Castle. …No, I’ll write a letter myself.”
“My apologies. A messenger has already been sent under your name.”
“Ah, well done.”
As expected of Catherine, she had already taken care of it.
However, it seemed she was uneasy about having acted on her own authority and sent a messenger in Karl’s name while he was unconscious.
Karl brushed it aside without concern and praised her.
“…Then, what can we do now?”
After a brief moment of thought, Karl asked Catherine. In front of the flawless commander Catherine, a rural knight like Corbin had already slipped from his consideration.
“We either abandon Hilpin and retreat or hold our position while waiting for reinforcements.”
“……”
Karl slowly rubbed his forehead.
It was a hopeless situation. Under normal circumstances, retreat would be the correct choice.
“If Axeblade Village falls, the gnolls will leave the forest and ravage the entire territory!”
Growing desperate, Corbin shouted and stepped toward Karl. But when Catherine strode forward and glared at him, Corbin had no choice but to stop.
Though Corbin was a head taller than Catherine, as a rural knight who couldn’t even use mana, he was no different from an ordinary soldier in front of an imperial knight chosen purely for her skill.
“That’s enough. I have no intention of retreating.”
Karl cut off the unnecessary conflict with a firm voice.
“A subjugation force dispatched under His Majesty the Emperor’s command does not retreat. We will eliminate the gnolls here and protect the Empire’s people.”
“Yes, Sir Karl.”
Catherine spoke calmly and stepped back.
Corbin was left stunned.
Even though he himself had said they must not retreat, he knew that retreat was the correct choice.
And he had never imagined that the frail-looking Fourth Prince would speak so boldly of standing and fighting.
…No, the Fourth Prince Karl had already proven himself. Last night, despite his weak body, he rallied the soldiers and killed gnolls while wielding a sword.
It was Corbin’s doubt that had been misplaced. Karl had already shown his resolve.
“Let’s come up with a more concrete strategy. Ah, before that—”
Karl spoke as if he had only just remembered.
“What are the casualties?”
“There are only minor injuries and exhaustion. No deaths.”
Catherine reported matter-of-factly. She didn’t even consider the conscripts as soldiers.
Karl didn’t object to her wording and simply nodded once.
“How is Bilford?”
Even knowing Bilford was included in the casualty report, Karl couldn’t help but ask again.
The terrifying moment flashed through his mind. Seeing Bilford surrounded by gnolls, screaming, while he could do nothing.
“All of his wounds have been treated. However, he lost a lot of blood and is severely exhausted, so he needs rest.”
Treating wounds didn’t restore lost blood. It was impossible for Bilford whose body had been pierced and torn apart by gnoll claws to suddenly get up and fight again.
“I understand.”
Karl slowly drew in a breath, carefully holding it in so it wouldn’t turn into a sigh, and spoke in a low voice.
There was no time to sit around like this.
They had to prepare for battle again.
***
Karl walked through Axeblade Village, encouraging the soldiers.
His small stature and frail body couldn’t be hidden even by his cloak. But to those who were losing hope, the presence of Karl, the Fourth Prince and commander of the subjugation force who had shown incredible prowess the night before, became a source of strength beyond expectation.
“Your Highness! Please grant us your blessing!”
“……”
A blessing? Karl wasn’t a priest.
After hesitating, Karl knelt down in front of the man who looked to be around thirty and placed a hand on his head, murmuring softly.
“Duren, who watches over all things, loves those who strive. Even in darkness where you cannot see the path ahead, remember that Duren has already prepared the road before you.”
Karl was simply recalling how Cecil used to pray earnestly back when he was still ill, and improvised the words.
But the man, with Karl’s small hand resting on his head as he listened, began to weep as though he had truly been saved, continuously murmuring prayers to Duren.
To commoners, nobles were beings from another world. That was the result of constant indoctrination to ensure smooth rule.
And when it came to the imperial family and especially a prince, they were almost akin to gods in the eyes of the people.
Yet here was the noble Karl, placing his hand on the head of a lowly woodcutter and blessing him in the name of a god. To that man, it felt as if a divine hand had truly reached down to save him.
Soon, ignorant yet pure-hearted villagers crowded before Karl, hoping to receive his blessing.
Karl couldn’t turn away from the sight of people far bigger and stronger than himself looking at him with desperate eyes, like sons seeking help from their father.
There was also a sense of guilt. He had resolved to complete his mission even if it meant driving them all to their deaths.
But more than anything, he believed that if a few simple words could help them fight bravely, then it was only right to do so.
One by one, Karl placed his hand on the heads of those kneeling before him and offered words of blessing.
Paradoxically, it was precisely because the small and frail Karl had fought with unbelievable ferocity and achieved great feats that people clung to him even more fervently.
That the one who had fought so fiercely and saved them last night was this small child?
Surely, he must be a messenger sent by the gods for their salvation.
Thanks to this, the battered soldiers of the shabby village, without even a single priest among them, were able to build an unbreakable wall of faith.
As long as Karl was with them, they would never retreat and would fight with unwavering courage.
There was, however, one unexpected development. Imperial soldiers themselves began to subtly edge closer, waiting for Karl to bless them as well.
Having served in the imperial palace, they knew well that the imperial family were not gods. And yet, even to them, what Karl had shown the night before was far from ordinary.
In fact, because they knew what the Fourth Prince Karl had been like, they clung to him even more.
In his very first battle, Karl had commanded with a voice as resounding as a brass horn. Burning like fire, cold as ice, and firm as steel.
Surely, Duren was watching over this once-frail prince.
As a result, Karl was utterly exhausted by the time the midday sun tilted westward, having personally blessed nearly a hundred soldiers.
Even so, he had managed to restore their collapsing morale, making it a worthwhile outcome.
“We must strengthen our defenses before the sun sets. Move quickly.”
“Yes!”
At a single word from Karl, countless people sprang into action with fervor.
Karl moved throughout Axeblade Village with Catherine, encouraging the soldiers and, at the same time, learning siege tactics from her.
The soldiers gritted their teeth and did their utmost just to earn a word of praise from Karl.
Although they couldn’t repair every wooden barricade, they managed to fix all the sections that were in immediate danger.
They also quickly repaired weapons such as spears, and thanks to the supplies Karl had brought the night before, everyone was able to eat a hearty meal.
The soldiers were especially satisfied with the food, because when Karl had been conscripting in Logpile Village, he had gathered every bit of food he could find without being picky, so although it was cheap, there was plenty to enjoy, including beer, wine, and dried fruits.
Karl knew very well how much a varied and satisfying meal could affect the soldiers’ morale.
It was because he remembered, during training, squeezing out and eating what they called “Jjayo Jjayo”, that dog food… no, bibimbap, packed into plastic bags, while cursing up a storm.
Thanks to that, despite being an imperial member leading his first command, Karl understood the soldiers’ hardships very well.
Karl himself likely didn’t realize just how astonished Catherine was, watching him carefully attend to details that even seasoned field commanders who had seen real combat often overlooked.
He even went so far as to personally inspect the filthy latrines and order that new drainage ditches be dug.
“Neglect the drainage just because the weather seems fine, and it will come back to bite you.”
From a soldier’s perspective, digging drainage ditches is truly miserable work. It had been the same for Han Chang-in as well.
However, having experienced a time during training when rain caused tents to collapse and be washed away, Karl understood the importance of proper drainage.
Since it was a village, proper drainage had originally been in place, but with the dry autumn bringing little rain and continuous fighting, maintenance had been neglected, leaving many ditches clogged.
If it rained like this, the entire village could end up flooded.
Only after preparing so thoroughly for battle did Karl finally go to find Bilford.
“S-Sir Karl….”
“……”
Bilford, who had been lying in bed, tried to spring up but staggered. Even so, he forced himself to stay upright before lowering his head.
Having lost too much blood, Bilford’s face was deathly pale, his eyes bloodshot, and the area around them swollen and damp.
It seemed he had been crying.
“Bilford, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“I really am. I can fight right away….”
Despite answering Karl with forced confidence, Bilford’s voice gradually trailed off.
Karl grabbed Bilford by the shoulder and made him sit on the bed.
Bilford, a man who wouldn’t be brought down even if ten Karls rushed him, collapsed helplessly into the seat, hanging his head as he struggled to catch his breath.
He had lost so much blood that when he suddenly stood up, his blood pressure dropped sharply, and he nearly fainted.
“Bilford, thanks to your hard fighting, we’ve overcome a major crisis. For now, focus on recovering your strength, and once you’re fully healed, fight for me again.”
“S-Sir Karl….”
Before Bilford whose vision was completely washed out by anemia could even catch his breath to respond, Karl turned and walked out.
“…Damn it….”
Barely regaining his senses, Bilford was left alone in the room, curled up as he spat out a curse.
The frustration was so overwhelming that tears kept welling up. He couldn’t even lift his head out of shame.
He had driven the lord he was meant to protect into mortal danger and survived by sheer luck.
If only I had been a little stronger…!
Bilford had always done his best.
But sometimes, even one’s best is not enough.
And so, from now on, Bilford would push himself beyond his limits, driving himself even harder.
For now, he would eat well, rest well, and recover his body.
And since he couldn’t afford to waste that time, he would focus on gathering within himself the mana he had only just begun to sense, with Catherine’s help.
Lying back on the bed, Bilford clenched his teeth against the torrent of thoughts tormenting him.
If only I had mana!
That surge of bitter emotion was only fleeting.
Bilford soon sank into meditation, focusing entirely on mana.
The sun would set soon.
And the darkness does not belong to humans.
Night would come again.
And tonight too would surely be another dreadful ordeal.
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