Escape

His voice echoed across the empty walls, yet few responded. Only the core group of centurions and Battle Group Commanders beside him, their eyes red, waved their weapons and shouted along:

"Right! The lord is right!"

"Let's fight those Broomflower dogs to the death!"

"Don't fall for it!"

However, even more ordinary soldiers and squad-level officers sank into deathly silence.

They lowered their heads, avoided Bragi's gaze with flickering eyes, or secretly studied their comrades' reactions from the corners of their eyes.

The desire to survive sprouted wildly in their hearts like weeds.

The prospect of "fighting to the death to seek survival" that Bragi had painted was far too bleak, while the promise coming from outside the city—that surrender would let them live and perhaps even gain wealth and status—though its truth was unknown, seemed so tantalizingly within reach... Besides, who would choose certain death when there was clearly a way to live?

Just as the defenders atop Tyrol City were panicking and Bragi's attempts to steady their morale with furious shouts were achieving little, a terrified sentry's cry suddenly came from the other side of the wall:

"Cavalry! A large force of Broomflower cavalry is coming!"

Bragi's heart clenched. Had they changed their minds and decided to attack with cavalry first? He immediately dashed toward the battlement facing the wilderness and strained his eyes into the distance.

Sure enough, on the flank of the Carnford Army's formation, clouds of dust billowed. Several hundred cavalrymen led by Lyon and Thorsten were advancing slowly toward the fortress in neat formation.

"What are they trying to do? Cavalry attacking a city?" Bragi knitted his brows, his heart filled with confusion and unease.

However, the sight that followed left him and all the defenders closely watching the movements outside the city dumbfounded.