Engagement Begins

Inside Klevland Castle in the Barony of Klevland, Brandon immediately ordered the Butler to gather the knights and troops at the castle after receiving the news.

Any place guarded by a Bronze High-Tier Knight undoubtedly possessed abundant mineral deposits.

Thanks to assistance from his three relatives, the intelligence gathered by the other nobles of Kadlo Province showed that this Young Eagle of the Ex Family had only three Bronze High-Tier Knights under his command.

Believing he had seized the initiative, Brandon Hodgson decided to catch them by surprise. He gathered his elite troops, intending to encircle and eliminate the enemy's hundred-odd men and seize this unknown mineral deposit.

Three days later, an army of more than a thousand assembled before Brandon Castle.

At the very front stood twelve Bronze Knights, including three Bronze High-Tier Knights. Together with Brandon himself, they were the four strongest people in the Barony of Klevland.

Behind them were forty Apprentice Knights, clad in leather armor and mounted on horses of varying quality, all full of vigor.

Then came two hundred soldiers wearing half-plate armor and carrying Spears. Their sturdy builds and faint traces of Battle Qi marked their fighting strength.

Beside the soldiers' formation stood another twenty archers armed with longbows, a force Brandon took great pride in.

An archer was only slightly easier to train than a knight. The minor nobles nearby were all deeply wary of Brandon possessing so many archers.

Finally came the largest and weakest group: more than eight hundred serfs carrying manure forks and wooden clubs. They trailed at the rear of the army, listless and numb, like walking corpses.

Brandon inspected the ranks and nodded in satisfaction before loudly ordering, "Move out."

The army of over a thousand departed the open ground before the castle in marching order—knights, Apprentice Knights, soldiers, and serf levies—forming a column more than two kilometers long as they headed for the camp where the Mithril Ore mine lay.

At the camp, Velin received word that Baron Brandon of Klevland was leading troops against them and turned to Belder.

"How are the traps coming along?"

"Please rest assured, my lord." Belder answered with excitement. "More than a dozen pits of various sizes have been completed, and men have been stationed in the tunnels. The moment they hear the signal, they'll pull the switches and catch the enemy off guard."

"Everything is ready. All we need is Brandon to come and test our results."

At that moment, a soldier entered the tent, dropped to one knee, and respectfully reported, "My lord, sir, a large army is approaching us. There are more than a thousand of them."

"Scout again."

"Yes, sir."

After the soldier left, Velin directly ordered Belder to assemble the troops and prepare to meet the enemy.

This time, he intended to capture the enemy alive, extort a ransom, and resolve his shortage of manpower.

Outside the camp, aside from twenty soldiers lying in ambush underground to activate the mechanisms, the other ninety soldiers had all assembled. They wore leather armor, carried iron swords at their waists, and held Spears.

As he inspected the formation, Velin saw the desire for battle in every soldier's eyes. As long as they killed enemies and earned merit, they would receive freedom, money, and women. That was the promise their lord had made to them.

Before long, Brandon's army appeared outside the camp. After arranging their formation, they slowly advanced toward it.

Velin focused his gaze and saw that it matched his predictions exactly.

The serfs marched at the front, followed by soldiers tasked with overseeing the battle. Knight Squires stood on both flanks, while thirteen knights armed to the teeth brought up the rear as they advanced with the army.

This was the most common method of warfare among the lower and middle classes in this world, widespread throughout its wilderness.

Calculating the distance, Velin slowly raised his right hand, ready to have the soldier beside him strike the gong and send the signal.

Within the enemy formation, a knight approached Brandon and said gravely, "Liege Lord, the enemy has barely a hundred men, yet they aren't panicking in the face of our thousand. Could there be an ambush?"

Brandon listened, then said arrogantly, "I have over a thousand men, ten times their number. Even if there is an ambush, what can it do to me? The final victory will certainly be mine. There is no need to worry."

"I was overthinking it." The knight lowered his head in shame and spoke to Brandon.

As time passed, the distance between the two sides steadily shrank, from a thousand meters to eight hundred, then to four hundred.

Once all the serfs had passed through the trap zone and the enemy infantry stepped into it, Velin decisively gave the order.

Receiving his lord's command, the soldier beside him immediately struck the gong.

The ringing echoed across the wilderness as the soldiers hidden underground yanked hard on the ropes in their hands, pulling away the timbers supporting the ground.

In an instant, half of Brandon's infantry formations plunged into deep pits packed with spikes before his very eyes.

Before any of the archers could even play a role, they were all killed in the pits.

Wails filled the battlefield. Most of the infantrymen who fell into the traps died on the spot, while the few still clinging to life were not far from death.

The surrounding soldiers witnessed their comrades' gruesome deaths and were left dazed. Only under the knights' harsh rebukes did they gradually regain their senses.

But Velin gave them no chance to regroup. He lowered his visor, leveled his Horse Spear, and led the remaining six knights into a full charge.

At the same time, the infantry behind him hurled their Spears at the panicked serfs. They then drew their iron swords and followed Velin in the charge.

"Don't!"

"Spare us! Spare us!"

"Ah—"

"Splat—"

The sallow, emaciated serfs watched their bodies be pierced through and torn apart beneath overwhelming force.

Trampling over the serfs' corpses, Velin did not slow down. As he charged, he grabbed one of the thrown Spears and hurled it toward the enemy infantry formation.

The Spear pierced through several infantrymen in succession, sending the previously composed Brandon into a rage. Did the enemy really think they could defeat his army with just over a hundred men?

"You lot, hold off the other knights. I'll defeat that arrogant bastard myself."

Brandon lowered his visor, spurred his mount onward, and charged toward Velin, who was slaughtering his way through the battlefield.

After casually killing several infantrymen, Velin saw the main target approaching. He discarded the Spear in his hand, drew his Knight Longsword, and charged at him.

In the instant they clashed, Velin used a special technique to knock his opponent from his mount and send him staggering several steps backward.

"Boy, I underestimated you." Brandon steadied himself and adjusted his stance, his tone grave.

Velin dismounted without a word and rushed at him with incredible speed.

"Bold of you. Today, I'll see just how strong a Pioneer Knight of the Ex Family is."

Brandon gathered his strength, drew on the Battle Qi within him, and coated his Knight Longsword with it. He stomped hard on the ground, preparing to meet Velin head-on.

After several exchanges, Brandon gradually began to run out of strength. He panted heavily, yet he did not dare relax in the slightest.

One mistake could cost him his life.

"Ah—"