Chapter 79: Chapter 78: Lure
Hearing this, Elimon’s eyes filled with grief and indignation.
He knew perfectly well what finding a "good home" meant. He was already aware of his future fate, but to hear it stated so bluntly was an affront to his dignity.
After receiving Robson’s assurance, Elimon recounted the entire incident from beginning to end.
According to Elimon, the Beastmen had dispatched an army of nearly twenty thousand.
’Twenty thousand... The entire area in front of Qimo Fortress couldn’t even hold that many. No matter how weak the Beastmen are, a force of that size could crush Qimo Fortress with a direct charge.’
’So I’m the one left holding the bag,’ Robson thought.
"My lord, what should we do now?" Bruce Priest asked from the side.
Robson knew he wasn’t just asking about the enemies before them now, but also about the larger Beastman Army in the future.
Robson could certainly fight them on his own, but the losses would be more than he could afford.
Once an army’s numbers exceeded ten thousand, it was guaranteed to contain more than simple cannon fodder; there would be at least one legion of Extraordinary troops.
For example, the group of wolfmen before Mold Fortress had included dozens of Extraordinary-level individuals.
A force of that scale was already enough to challenge Mold Fortress.
However, in Robson’s view, this wasn’t something he needed to worry about.
’Qimo Fortress is still within Valentino’s defense sector, after all. When the time comes, I’ll definitely have to ask him for men and money. It might even be another great opportunity to rake in some cash.’
What he needed to focus on right now were the Centaurs before him.
’Just let them go?’
’That would be too much of a waste. These Centaurs have been on a long-range raid for so long; they’re exhausted. Now is the perfect time to defeat them.’
’Besides, if I just let them go back, there’s still a Beastman Army of nearly twenty thousand waiting for me. Letting them go now would be easy, but dealing with them later won’t be so simple.’
’Charge out and fight them directly?’
’Putting aside whether I have the strength, my cavalry are outnumbered. When those four-legged creatures start running, I won’t be able to catch them.’
’I might not even catch them, and end up getting wiped out in a counterattack.’
"You’re saying that... that so-called General Daimon only asked you to capture the city gate?" An idea began to form in Robson’s mind.
In the open field, Robson had no way to deal with the Centaurs. In fact, even within the city walls, he would have been helpless before tonight.
But after this wave of Gnolls threw their lives away, Robson’s Tier Five Soldiers had finally reached a considerable number.
According to previous experiments, a Tier Five Frankish Elite Infantryman could already trade blows with a Tier One or Tier Two Bronze Knight.
What did that mean? A semi-Extraordinary infantry unit!
Across the entire continent, only the Dwarf Kingdom in the Eastern Mountain Range was known to have an Extraordinary infantry unit.
Humanity’s Extraordinary forces were typically Knight Orders; it was rare to hear of an Extraordinary infantry phalanx.
Even their equipment was up to par. Robson, by scraping everything together, could still assemble two hundred sets of armor!
Some were iron, some were steel from the south, but regardless of the type, they were all metal!
The Centaurs might have iron weapons, but there are grades of quality when it comes to iron. The iron armor from Sunset Fortress, for instance, was the kingdom’s finest—Viscount Leo wouldn’t have expended so much effort otherwise.
With the quantity and quality of his Tier Five Frankish Elite Infantry, Robson could completely seal the city gate without a single gap!
Once the Centaurs were pinned at the city wall, there would be many options available—like the Tier Five Frankish Elite Shooters, or Lord Robson’s long-awaited Magic Crystal Cannon.
Not to mention, Robson still had dozens of Extraordinary individuals behind him. The noble lords of Qimo Fortress were still eager for more action.
"That’s right. In fact, he probably didn’t even expect me to succeed. He just wanted me to give it a try," Elimon said.
"Help me with one thing, and not only will I spare your life, I will also grant you your freedom!" Robson said.
....
Watching Elimon walk away, Bo Yang frowned.
"My lord, will this really work?" Bo Yang asked.
It wasn’t that Bo Yang doubted the Gnoll’s honesty. They had long since confirmed the information about the Centaurs via their Griffin Cavalry, and it matched what Elimon said exactly.
The only difference might be that the Centaurs had some extra Beastman Potions. But those Potions weren’t without their limits. The reason those Gnolls dared to charge up relentlessly just now was mainly because they couldn’t see what was happening at the top.
Besides, the Frank Kingdom wasn’t without countermeasures for such Potions. Human Priests were not to be trifled with.
If a few Potions were all it took to make the Beastman Army fearless in the face of death, then the Frank Kingdom might as well give up.
Furthermore, Elimon’s words had just been verified by Kosen’s Magic, and the two sides had even signed a Magic Contract.
What worried Bo Yang the most was whether the enemy would even charge. After all, the city gate was not an advantageous place for Centaurs to fight.
"Who cares? There’s no harm in trying," Robson said nonchalantly.
"Have the prisoners start screaming. Make some noise, and try to make it sound as real as possible."
....
「At that moment」
Daimon was anxiously awaiting news from the front. The scouts he had sent out returned as soon as they saw the Gnolls charge the city wall.
Centaurs already had poor night vision, and now, in the middle of the night and from such a distance, they couldn’t see a thing in the pitch-black darkness.
Now, Daimon could only wait for Elimon to bring back some news himself.
’I said beforehand that the outcome didn’t matter, that it was just a test.’
’But now that the moment is here, who wouldn’t hope for a real victory?’
’The long-distance raid has already made my soldiers complain, and on top of that, I made a boast in front of that fox. If I return with nothing to show for it, not only will I lose face, but my future military career will be mostly over. In the Beastman Empire, you can’t even speak with confidence if you don’t have some achievements under your belt.’
’It’s all that damn stupid bear’s fault!’
Daimon thought viciously.
He had foolishly believed that stupid bear’s nonsense.
’It’s strange, come to think of it. At the time, I clearly used all sorts of methods to test him, and there was nothing wrong with what the bear said. He even swore an oath to the Beast God...’
"General, Chieftain Elimon has returned."
"Oh? Bring him here...
Never mind, I’ll go to him myself." Daimon was impatient. He had waited so long for a result, and his entire future military career as General Daimon now depended on this.
Before he had gone far, Daimon ran into Elimon, who was covered in blood.
"Why are you only back now? What’s the situation?" Daimon demanded.
"General! General, send your troops quickly!
We’ve taken the city gate! The enemy is in a chaotic battle with our forces at the gate right now. I beg you, General, lead your troops and save my tribe!" Elimon pleaded from the ground.
"Really!? Don’t worry. Since you have performed a great service, I will naturally not treat you poorly," Daimon said.
This was no lie. Daimon was a fledgling commander and needed to establish his authority, so he naturally wouldn’t risk his own reputation.
This was also the reason Elimon had been willing to follow Daimon in the first place.
Of course, the main reason was that when facing Daimon, he, Elimon, dared not be "disloyal" to His Majesty the Beast Emperor.
"Eh? Why did you come back yourself?
Are you sure the gate is still in your hands?" Just as Daimon was about to give the order to march, he suddenly realized something was slightly off.
’Logically, a subordinate should have been sent to deliver a report like this. What kind of chieftain comes to report in person?’
"I, Elimon, swear to the Beast God! The human fortress gate is wide open right now!
The warriors of my tribe are all under the Beast God’s ’care’ and cannot break away, so I was the only one who could withdraw from the battlefield." Elimon and Robson had already prepared for this.
When Daimon heard this, even with his thick skin, he felt a little embarrassed.
After all, the Beast God’s "care" was something he had provided. Thinking this, Daimon’s gaze toward Elimon softened considerably.
"I will personally lead men to verify it. Don’t worry, if the news is true, I will record a great merit for you!
The Empire never mistreats a man of merit!" Daimon said.
