Retreat

Just as Ronan had expected, when he woke that afternoon, he found the city filled with a relaxed atmosphere. After stopping someone to ask, he learned that Valantis had withdrawn while breaking camp at noon.

That was only natural. Judging from the casualty ratio last night, it was not impossible for Valantis to take Taiwei Four, but the losses they would have paid would have been too great to make it worthwhile. The defenders of Taiwei Four had suffered heavier losses than before in these battles, but Valantis had lost more than three times as many men. What use was taking the city if they lacked the strength to hold it afterward?

Moreover, Valantis still had to fight Terra afterward, and even if they defeated Terra, they would still need to guard against Eredar. They were unwilling to suffer any more losses.

The people in the city were relaxed, but Ronan knew that matters had instead become more troublesome. Valantis's retreat could not possibly mean they had abandoned their invasion. The only possibility was that both Valantis and Eredar had hit a wall in their sieges and had finally decided to work together to attack a single city.

But no matter which city they chose to attack, it would likely be difficult to defend. Still, it would not be Taiwei Four, or Valantis would not have withdrawn.

That evening, Rexa gathered everyone for another meeting. Terra's former commander of a thousand, Bamba, had died in the previous battle, and his former deputy, Fabuti, had now taken his place.

Inella still sat beside Ronan with a cold expression. Ronan smiled at her, but after glancing at him, she turned her head away without responding. Once everyone had arrived, Rexa spoke.

"Valantis has withdrawn, but according to the scouts, they have already joined up with Eredar. We do not know what they will do next. They have also each hired a group of exiled tribes: the High Mountain Clan and the Snow Bear Clan. Xinteland's second reinforcement force is already on the way, another fifteen hundred men led by Count Sirabi, the 'Blood Sword.'

"Furthermore, to deal with the mercenaries recruited by the enemy, the King of Terra has spent a considerable sum of gold recruiting mercenaries across the Asloth Continent. Mage Modu, commander of the third reinforcement force, is responsible for this matter. The hired mercenaries will arrive in Terra alongside the third reinforcement force.

"We may withdraw from Taiwei Four at any time from now on. Everyone must be prepared."

Over the following days, the situation shifted rapidly. Rexa constantly received messages carried from Terra City by Jade Eagles. Jade Eagles were messenger birds specially bred by Terra. They were small, even smaller than pigeons, but more intelligent, hardier, and faster. They could also fly very high, making them difficult to intercept.

The Valantis army had indeed joined forces with Eredar, and both sides' reinforcements and hired exiled tribes had arrived as well. So-called exiled tribes were clans that had once possessed city-states but were defeated by their enemies, losing the cities and land they depended on for survival. They could only wander the continent, surviving by raiding passing merchant caravans and fighting for other city-states.

The High Mountain Clan and Snow Bear Clan were both among Slovak's largest exiled tribes. They had once possessed cities of their own and had not been weak, but in the end, they had fallen beneath the iron hooves of Seljuk's invasion. They could only drift across the continent, dreaming that one day they might once again possess their own cities.

But exiled tribes generally did not involve themselves in disputes between major city-states, because neither side was someone they could afford to provoke. No one knew what benefits Valantis and Eredar had offered them to make them risk everything.

After the enemy forces fully joined up, they laid siege to Fortress Two. The vastly strengthened Allied Forces of Valantis and Eredar were no longer something Terra, whose forces had been divided among the various fortresses, could defend against. Terra therefore decided to abandon Taiwei Four, transferring all its defenders to Fortress Three, the fortress closest to Terra City.

As for Fortress Two, they could only leave it to fate. If they could not hold out until Xinteland's reinforcements arrived, then all they could do was pray that they would inflict even greater losses on the enemy. But the day before Taiwei Four's defenders withdrew, a force quietly left Terra City under cover of night.

At dawn, the defenders were transporting supplies and weapons. Ronan and the leaders of the various clans were already fully equipped and ready to depart. Although the enemy was attacking Fortress Two, once they learned of this side's movements, they might well send troops to intercept them. To march quickly, the army had abandoned most of its supplies, and it would not escort the city's residents.

But if the residents remained in the city, death was their only fate. If they were lucky, Valantis would merely sell them off as slaves. Therefore, the residents would take another route directly to Terra City. Whether they would be intercepted along the way could only be left to fate.

The army set out. At a forced march, they could reach Fortress Three within four days. On the third day after their departure, a battle broke out not far outside Fortress One.

It was practically a one-sided slaughter. More than three times as many enemy troops suddenly charged out from both flanks. Valantis heavy cavalry in fine armor pierced through the entire force like an arrow, then wheeled back and forth, charging and slaughtering. This was the force Prince Gaogen had secretly led out of the city.

At the center of the force, seeing that the situation was dire, an officer grabbed Prince Gaogen and began stripping off his armor as he spoke.

"Quick, Your Highness! Take off your armor. Valantis will keep prisoners, but they must not discover your identity!"

"Get off me! I will fight these scum to the death!"

"Your Highness, you are Terra's only heir!" Hearing this, Gogen gritted his teeth and cooperated with the officer in removing his exquisite armor. After having a nearby soldier put it on, he blended into the ordinary soldiers.

In less than an hour, the fifteen-hundred-man force had been reduced to fewer than four hundred prisoners. Jino, riding a tall warhorse draped in golden-painted barding, emerged from the ranks. He removed his winged helmet and swept his gaze across the prisoners kneeling on the ground.

"Take them to Fortress One and lock them up. Once we take Terra, sell them all to those people in the north to work in the mines." Putting his winged helmet back on, Jino urged his horse into a slow trot back toward the formation. Their scouts had detected this group's movements, and Jino had suspected there might be a big catch among them. He had indeed seen someone wearing exquisite armor just now, though that person had been among the corpses.

Jino had the body collected, then sent a messenger to deliver the bloodstained armor to Terra City.

Ronan and the others had only just arrived at Fortress Three when they heard the news, before they could even get a proper rest. Ronan rolled his eyes and silently cursed that prince for being an idiot.

But since that prince was already dead, why had they been summoned to a meeting? Though Ronan was puzzled and physically exhausted, he still fought off his drowsiness and followed Mario to the council hall within Fortress Three's castle.

Fortress Three was about the same size as Taiwei Four. With nearly five thousand soldiers crammed inside, it was already extremely crowded. The civilians of Fortress Three had also been moved into Terra City.