Chapter 231: Chapter 197: Precisely Calculated Forces
A two-pronged attack could turn into our reinforcements being cut off by the enemy, leaving them isolated and without support.
Levi and Fulina exchanged a look, and they could both see the gravity on each other’s faces.
"Levi..."
"Fulina..."
"Never mind, you go first." Levi tossed his quill pen onto the desk.
"We can’t afford to bet that Fujero has already met up with Si Kai. Worse, if they’ve been fighting since this morning, we have to question whether Si Kai has even managed to hold out." Fulina’s expression was ugly.
"The Wilderness Alliance Army may have numbers on their side, but Si Kai’s group isn’t weak. Besides the Panda Warriors, they have Fu Jin, a veteran Caster. Holding on until now should have been no problem for them." Levi’s words seemed meant to give Fulina confidence, but in truth, he was also trying to convince himself.
Before Fulina could reply, he continued, speaking rapidly, "You stay here, Fulina. Guard against a night assault. I’ll leave my men to assist you. I’m taking a team to rescue Si Kai."
"How many people are you planning to take?" Fulina asked.
Too many people would slow their march and make it difficult to conceal their movements, while too few would have a negligible effect on the battle.
Levi smiled mysteriously, his gaze turning to Heather, who was standing nearby with an air of indifference. "Just her!"
"Ah?!"
Three gasps of shock rang out at once.
"Levi, I truly hope my ears are deceiving me. When you said you were ’taking a team,’ you can’t possibly mean just *one* person—and a freshly captured Zor Priest at that!" Fulina rubbed her temples, looking utterly exasperated.
Ash Wind Speech, who was standing beside them, finally spoke up. "Sir Levi, leaving aside how much of a difference one person can even make, you can’t just go and put yourself in such danger alone."
"At a time like this, every single soldier is precious."
Her face showed her worry. ’This Baron must be insane,’ she thought.
’She had to admit, this handsome human was the most powerful person she’d ever seen. But that was hardly enough of a reason for him to think he could take on the enemy all by himself.’
Although Heather said nothing, her eyes clearly showed that she agreed with the other two.
’She had no intention of feigning surrender only to look for a chance to rejoin the Wilderness Alliance Army.’
Which was why she was so opposed to Levi’s decision to take her, and only her, to provide reinforcements.
"First, Fulina, your ears did not deceive you. I have indeed decided to take only this Zor Elf."
"Second, the manpower has been precisely calculated. I can take one person at most—not a single person more."
Seeing how serious he looked, Ash had to believe him. ’It really was a precise calculation... so precise that it only allowed for one person...’
"Desperate times call for desperate measures. The matter is settled." Levi’s tone left no room for argument.
Faced with this man more stubborn than a mule, Fulina was once again reminded of how impossible it was to persuade the Lord of High Cliff Castle. With a sigh of resignation, she agreed and handed a Ring to the Lord.
The walls were secured again with the arrival of the High Cliff Castle Warriors, saving the Tribe from annihilation. The Elves were hosting their newfound allies with the best food they had, and the atmosphere inside the tents was as festive as a holiday.
"They sure eat well here," Mier said, sitting next to Zat. He was spreading butter on a delicate piece of bread with his knife. After a moment’s thought, he added a third piece of steak to his plate. He took a large bite and mumbled, "You have to admit, everyone knows the Elves are obsessed with perfection."
"Not bad at all." Zat was even more over the top. In front of him sat a bear’s paw, bigger than his plate and slathered with an entire jar of honey.
"I have to go out for a bit. While I’m gone, you’ll all listen to Mier’s command." The Lord pushed aside the tent flap and walked in, followed by four Zor Priests.
With a loud CRASH, the Feder Warriors and Beastman Warriors shot to their feet. The movement was so forceful it seemed to make the ground tremble, and a pile of chairs and stools went flying.
"Sit."
Before the Elves could even react, the crowd of High Cliff Castle Warriors had already returned to their joyous feasting and laughter.
"They have honey-glazed bear paw? Zat, you big lug! You didn’t even tell me! Trying to hog it all for yourself, were you?!"
Watching the Lord snatch his plate and start wolfing down the food, Zat opened his mouth to protest, a wounded expression on his face. Ultimately, he could only resign himself to getting another portion.
However, the reply he received was that there were no more bear paws. The news struck him like a bolt from the blue. He returned to his seat, crestfallen, and began to munch on a green onion dipped in bean paste, glaring resentfully at the Lord, whose mouth was slick with grease.
In a flash, Levi had devoured the entire enormous bear paw. He wiped his mouth and gave his final instructions.
"These three Zor Priests, Mier, have someone watch them. Remember to gag them. While I’m gone, you are in command of the entire contingent. Zat, you will assist him."
"Yes, my Lord." Mier nodded.
Although he really wanted to know where his brother-in-law was going, he didn’t ask any further questions.
"Boss, you’re not taking me?" Zat watched him with hopeful eyes.
"You big oaf, stay here and defend the city for a few days." Levi waved his hand, getting up to leave. Then, as if remembering something, he added:
"Oh, right. Remember to use handkerchiefs for the gags. No more smelly socks. It’s classless."
The three Zor Priests who were staying behind looked at him with expressions of profound gratitude.
’Truly, being gagged with a smelly sock was a fate worse than death. They’d rather just be killed.’
The Elf Warriors had repaired the breach in the wall. Using trees and weeds as a frame, which they then solidified with water, they had successfully created a surprisingly sturdy ice wall.
Besides, opening the heavy gates took too much time. Seeing as only two people were leaving, the Lord ended up getting the express descent—dangled over the wall on the end of a hemp rope.
"My Lord, are we really just going like this?"
Heather blinked, looking at the handsome young man next to her. He had a Longsword at his waist, wore Fine Leather Armor, and had exquisite Deer Hide Hunting Boots on his feet.
’Even now, she couldn’t believe this human was really going to be the sole reinforcement.’
Then, as if a thought occurred to her, she suddenly leaned in close, her face full of playful mischief. "My Lord, you aren’t thinking of eloping with me, are you?"
Her tone was sultry, an invitation for impure thoughts.
SLAP!
"Don’t sneak up on me like that! You gave me a scare," Levi said, landing a sharp slap on her cheek without a moment’s hesitation.
But he couldn’t help but marvel internally. ’The Knightly Novels were right. Every last one of these female Zor Elves is a shameless flirt. They even say these female Zor keep male favorites for their own amusement. The more handsome the man, the more they liked him. It was a complete role reversal; these female Zor were the ones acting like street thugs, hitting on others. The highest-ranking Matriarchs supposedly kept hundreds of male favorites at a time. It’s true what they say: a bull can be worked to death, but a field can never be over-plowed.’
Clutching her stinging right cheek, Heather had a resentful look on her face.
’As a female Zor Priest, she held a mid-level status in Zor society. Male Zor didn’t even dare to meet her gaze, acting as meek as her pet dogs. This was the first time a male had ever struck her, and on her face—the very feature she was most proud of. It was impossible not to feel a flicker of hatred.’
The Lord couldn’t have cared less what she was thinking. ’She’s just a prisoner,’ he thought. ’Soon she’ll just be another member of High Cliff Castle’s Spellcasting Slave Group. As long as she can be of use to me, that’s all that matters. He didn’t care whether a melon plucked by force was sweet or not. All that mattered was that he was the one eating it.’
With no intention of treating her delicately, the Lord roughly grabbed her slender hand, picked a direction, and broke into a full sprint.
WHOOSH!
His speed was incredible, so fast that all that could be seen was an afterimage and a spray of snow kicked up in his wake. And... a human figure trailing behind him, flying like a kite in the wind.
Ash finally understood what Levi meant earlier by his ’precise calculation of manpower.’ She stared, dumbfounded, at the figure rapidly departing from below the city wall.
"Um... he’s always been like this... unconventional." Fulina’s voice was hollow, as if she were trying to explain something.
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