Near noon, they finally arrived at the foot of Mount Glan. To ensure they fought in peak condition, Warren ordered them to camp nearby, eat lunch, and rest. Shadow Fort's professional soldiers were fine; Battle-Hardened, they had long adapted to marches of this intensity. The mercenaries, whose quality varied greatly, were in much poorer shape.
After making camp, Warren sent out a squad of scouts to investigate. He planned to launch a surprise attack around dinnertime and crush the Ragged Prince's newly established bandit gang in one blow.
Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, and guards had been assigned to scout the surrounding area in shifts, the camp entered a period of calm. Everyone prepared for the coming battle. After all, it would involve more than a thousand people, and their enemies included vicious nonhuman races. For many mercenaries, this was their first time facing such a battle.
Anyone could die in this battle, so they could not help feeling nervous. Yet the generous pay still drew many into this knife-edge, blood-soaked life. If they survived this battle, the money they earned would even be enough to support a family of three for half a year.
But aside from mercenaries with families, few could save their money. After all, they never knew which mission would be their last. If they died, the money would only benefit someone else, so they might as well spend it freely.
Time passed second by second, and the time for the raid drew near. Ronan even took a nap, hoping to see whether he could continue the dream he had had that morning. Unfortunately, he failed (_)
Time moved back to when Ravenwood Town's forces had just reached the foot of the mountain. On a relatively flat stretch halfway up Mount Glan stood a crude camp built from wood. It had no walls and no watchtowers, only small cabins and tents scattered everywhere.
Inside the largest cabin at the center of the camp, Krantuman sat in a chair with his chin propped on one arm, lost in thought. Then a burly man with a long, narrow scar across his face entered from outside. Walking over to Krantuman, he said:
"Boss, Ravenwood Town's forces have reached the foot of the mountain. They came in force this time. We should avoid them for now. Those people still rely on your strength, Boss. They won't just stand by and do nothing."
"I know. But if we do that, we'll become their puppets for good. Even if we rise again afterward, what meaning would that have? This is an opportunity. Their people happen to be in the camp as well. We may still have a chance to survive between them. If we get through this crisis, we can seize the chance to rise during the struggle between those two groups.
"If we can't get through it, then so be it. I, Krantuman, have already run away once. I will not run away a second time! Pass the order. Tell them to prepare themselves. Once Ravenwood Town's people have rested, they will attack. Don't let them catch us off guard."
The scar-faced man sighed, nodded, and left. Krantuman was once again alone in the cabin, thinking about who knew what.
The sun sank, and the moon rose. Under cover of darkness, Ravenwood Town's forces, led by Knight Warren, had reached the outskirts of Krantuman's camp. Looking at the brightly lit camp and the fully armed crowd, Warren knew the surprise attack had already failed. They could only force their way in.
After briefly laying out the attack plan, Knight Warren led the mercenaries as the vanguard, while five Shadow Fort Knights led the Shadow Fort soldiers, divided into five groups, to hold the flanks and rear. Ronan's group was also assigned a relatively forward position.
Once the attack order was given, the mercenaries immediately swarmed out of their hiding places and rushed into the bandits' camp with loud shouts. These bandits came from all sorts of races and carried all kinds of equipment, but its quality was far from poor. No one knew where Krantuman had acquired it.
The two armies clashed. Knight Warren took the lead and charged into the bandits' formation. Broadsword in one hand and shield in the other, he lowered his shoulder and raised his shield during the charge, violently knocking down a Gnoll bandit before driving his sword down to finish him.
Ronan also charged into the melee with the formation. Behind him stood the Calradia soldiers, arranged according to his earlier instructions.
The Rhodok Soldiers used spears and great shields to steadily drive back the nearby bandits. Protected by them, the Nordic Archers continuously took the lives of poorly armored bandits with their bows.
The veteran mercenaries killed even more efficiently. They stood back-to-back, protecting one another's rear. Usually, two of them attacked a single enemy at once, steadily killing those around them. Ronan had specifically placed them near the center of Ravenwood Town's formation, where they faced the fewest enemies.
Ronan, meanwhile, fought beside Knight Warren with two Vigier Cavalry carrying swords and shields. He wanted to leave a good impression on Knight Warren and lay the groundwork for completing the mission to become Ravenwood Town's most famous mercenary company.
He slammed his shoulder into an enemy on his right, knocking him aside, then swung his greatsword at the enemy on his left while the first man staggered. The sheer force of the blow knocked the enemy, who had raised his sword to block, backward. Ronan immediately gripped the middle of the blade with his right hand, clad in an iron gauntlet, and pressed down hard.
The blade drove through the enemy's blocking sword and into his neck. As the bandit fell while clutching his spurting throat, Ronan turned and swung the greatsword with his right hand at the helmet of the enemy he had knocked aside earlier. The massive pommel struck the bandit so hard that he became dizzy and dropped to his knees.
Ronan then gripped the blade again and chopped down with all his strength. The section of the sword near the guard sank deep into the bandit's right shoulder, close to his neck. Holding the hilt with his left hand, Ronan kicked the already dead bandit to the ground and used the momentum to pull his greatsword free.
Ronan gripped his greatsword with both hands again and charged toward a new enemy. Relying on his powerful armor, he did not dodge the swords slashing at his torso and limbs. The weapons merely slid away from his plate armor and could not hurt him at all. Only when facing enemies armed with blunt weapons or piercing weapons did Ronan respond cautiously.
Meanwhile, the battle cries woke Rello, the Gray-scaled Dragonkin, who had been sleeping in a cabin at the rear of the camp. Krantuman had not told this powerful Dragonkin from Moran that Ravenwood Town was attacking, fearing that it would leave with its soldiers if it found out. Rello and the soldiers it had brought were also an important force Krantuman relied upon to repel Ravenwood Town's army.
Awakened, Rello let out a roar. Baring its teeth at the Dragonkin soldiers nearby, it picked up the two battle axes placed beside its bed and rushed outside. The moment Rello burst through the door, it spotted Knight Warren. Warren, charging at the very front in gleaming silver armor and killing without pause, drew Rello's gaze like a magnet. Weighing the battle axes in its hands, Rello strode straight toward Warren. The Dragonkin soldiers behind it hurriedly followed.
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