Ronan's first night in the forest passed peacefully, without any trouble. By the time he woke, the campfire had long since gone out, leaving only a pile of ashes. He stood up, stretched, and moved his limbs to ease the stiffness from sleeping in armor all night.
After putting away his tent, Ronan continued onward. He did not know the way, so he could only follow his compass north. Ravenwood Forest lay north of the Holy Cross Kingdom, and as long as he kept heading north, he would eventually get out.
The forest was dark even during the day, as the towering trees overhead blocked out most of the light. Only scattered rays of sunlight slipped through gaps between the leaves. Ronan carefully walked forward with a compass in one hand and the hilt of his sword at his waist in the other. The hunting bow was slung across his back.
"Whoosh!" A running rabbit was struck by an arrow. The powerful shot pinned it directly to the ground. Ronan walked over, pulled out the arrow, picked up the rabbit, and casually returned the arrow to his backpack. He planned to start a fire right there and roast the rabbit.
This was the third wild animal Ronan had killed. For some reason, there were not many wild animals here. After walking for half a day, he had only encountered this rabbit and two unknown birds earlier. Those two birds had been about the size of ducks and were flying over Ronan's head. He had not shown them any mercy, drawing his bow and sending them to their deaths. After briefly cleaning them, he had tossed them into his backpack for dinner. Ronan had also learned that items stored in the backpack would not spoil, though living creatures could not be placed inside.
While Ronan happily roasted the rabbit, Amuda's pursuit party had already reached the edge of Ravenwood Forest. Looking at the thicket surrounding the forest, they frowned. With no other choice, they tied their horses nearby and, like Ronan, hacked through the branches with their blades as they painstakingly followed his tracks.
Meanwhile, one kilometer before Jianmen Fortress in Rocky Valley, the Eagle Kingdom's army had already set up camp. Smoke curled through the camp as they cooked their meals. Inside Jianmen Fortress's lord's hall, five nobles dressed in luxurious silk garments were holding a meeting around a long conference table.
"According to the scouts, the Eagle Kingdom's commander this time is Mukai Wolf, chieftain of the Wolf Clan. He is accompanied by several smaller tribes, including the Furious Dragon Orcs, Bloodfang Orcs, and Brown Bear Clan.
"The enemy numbers around fifteen thousand. Although most of them are temporarily conscripted herdsmen, the Eagle People live as nomads and are naturally fierce. Combined with the orcs' powerful physiques and savage nature, the Furious Dragon Orcs' Berserkers are warriors capable of facing ten men alone.
"And they are continuously receiving reinforcements. Even including the defeated noble Allied Forces that fled here, we have fewer than eight thousand men. There are fewer than three thousand professional soldiers. The situation does not look good," said a noble in a purple robe seated to the left of the head of the table.
"Baron Bowen is right. The enemy has roughly twice our numbers. Although we hold the advantage of terrain and have dozens of powerful Knights stationed in the fortress, we cannot let down our guard.
"Jianmen Fortress is our kingdom's most important barrier against the Eagle Kingdom. Beyond it lies open plains. If the fortress falls, the Eagle Kingdom will march directly into our heartland. We must hold it.
"Baron Bowen, continue monitoring the enemy's movements. Viscount John, gather the soldiers and prepare the defenses. The enemy may attack the fortress tonight or at dawn tomorrow. Baron Holly, take several guards and quickly seek aid in Grand Duke Tali's territory to the rear. Baron Borg, return directly to the royal capital and report the situation to Your Majesty. Meeting adjourned!" said Count Zack Blackthorn, who sat at the head of the table.
As the nobles rose to carry out their respective duties, the hall fell silent once more.
Contrary to Count Zack's expectations, Mukai did not wait. About an hour after finishing their meal, he began directing the army into motion. The strong orcs put on crude armor and picked up wooden shields. Groups of dozens carried siege ladders, followed by mixed teams of humans and orcs assigned to scale the walls, as well as archers.
The Eagle Kingdom had scarce iron ore, so most soldiers wore leather armor. Only elite soldiers, officers, and nobles could wear iron chainmail. That was why they coveted the mineral-rich Highland region even more. They launched an invasion almost every few years, yet Jianmen Fortress had never been breached.
On the walls, Jianmen Fortress's defenders had already formed up and waited in full readiness. At the front stood Viscount John, now clad in a full suit of Knight Plate Armor, alongside an exceptionally tall Knight. He was probably nearly two meters and thirty centimeters tall, half a head taller than the other soldiers around him. He wore a barrel-shaped helmet, its lowered visor full of holes. His upper body was covered in heavy silver plate armor, while his lower body was protected by a matching silver fauld and greaves, with chainmail guarding his joints. Fully armed, he looked like an iron can. A dark red cloak hung from his back, bearing an emblem of two crossed battle axes. The same emblem was displayed on the surcoat over his armor, likely his family crest.
He held a poleaxe even longer than his own height. At the end of its shaft was a thick counterweight ball studded with spikes. Its head was a massive axe with a blade on one side, a spike on the other, and a spear point above it. Leaning on that weapon, he stood there like a mountain, radiating an oppressive presence as though he alone could hold the pass.
The Eagle Kingdom's siege force had finished assembling and stopped three hundred meters before Jianmen Fortress. Mukai Wolf stood at the front. At his command, the formation began moving slowly, then broke into a jog that steadily accelerated. At the same time, a rain of arrows fell from the defenders above.
The Highland region mainly relied on cavalry working with infantry and had no dedicated archer units. These archers were mostly auxiliary troops and temporarily conscripted farmers, and their aim was terrible. They caused negligible damage to the Eagle Kingdom's siege force. Once the attackers drew closer, however, their archers inflicted a number of casualties on the defenders.
Seeing that the archers were ineffective, John immediately ordered them to fall back and replace them with soldiers carrying spears and shields to defend beside the battlements. John himself led more than a dozen Knights in full armor, wielding all kinds of weapons, and spread them across the walls to command the battle.
As the siege ladders were set against the walls, the brutal fight to scale the fortress began. The orc soldiers at the front raised shields in one hand and climbed the ladders with the other. Many soldiers below also held the ladders steady, preventing the defenders from pushing them over.
Soldiers on the ladders were constantly struck by stones and other heavy objects thrown from above, tumbling down. Those fortunate enough to survive groaned in agony on the ground. Other soldiers dragged them to the rear and continued climbing. Although most were stabbed off the ladders by the defenders' spears just before reaching the walls, some Furious Dragon Orc Berserkers mixed among them still charged onto the battlements and fought the surrounding soldiers.
They let out deafening roars. Their skin was flushed blood-red, and the whites of their eyes were covered in bloodshot veins. They wore crude leather armor that protected only their torsos and wielded weapons such as rough Wolf Fang Clubs and massive axes. With a single blow, they sent soldiers and their shields flying. Some wooden shields were smashed outright, and the soldiers behind them were killed as well.
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