His body was mercilessly tossed onto the ground like a torn rag doll. Blood flowed across the snow, quickly turning into red ice crystals, while the lingering nerve reactions caused his muscles to spasm.
Thus, the once-powerful Baron ended his life. Before he could even react, excruciating pain swept through his brain, and then he lost consciousness forever.
Through the viewing slit in his helmet, Reiner watched Baron Lobean lying dead on the ground, and his heart filled with delight. This meant victory in the war was not far away!
After killing Baron Lobean and his attendants, they did not stop. Instead, they continued charging forward, because seven or eight knights were rushing toward them.
The Crimson Gryphons' steel lances had not broken. They lowered them again and aimed at the enemies ahead. The two sides passed one another, and the opposing knights fell from their horses one after another.
Of course, Reiner's side had suffered losses as well. One Crimson Gryphon Knight had been struck on the shield by an enemy lance. Reiner saw that his left arm was hanging unnaturally and guessed it had been dislocated.
Two Morland Knights had also fallen from their horses, which was already fortunate. After all, this was a cavalry charge against cavalry. If the enemy had not been caught off guard and failed to form ranks, Reiner's side could not have gotten away with such minor losses.
No matter how exquisite the technique or how fine the equipment, neither played a major role during a head-on charge.
Without bothering with the enemy knights, who had been completely wiped out, they continued forward. Their speed had been reduced somewhat by the enemy's attacks, but they still carried tremendous momentum.
They paid no attention to the fleeing peasant conscripts ahead of them, charging straight through their ranks. Some did not even level their lances, relying solely on their warhorses to carry them forward.
The panicked peasant conscripts screamed as they fled from the knights' path, but even so, some unlucky wretches failed to escape. They were struck by the knights' horses, suffering shattered bones before being trampled into bloody pulp.
Their target was the regular troops besieging the castle beneath the walls. At that moment, Baron Lobean's regular troops were also in a state of panic. They had witnessed everything, including Baron Lobean's death and the defeat of the knights.
The thunderous sound of hooves reached the top of the walls as well. To the exhausted defenders, the sound was like music from heaven. They knew that such pounding hooves, coming from horses at a full gallop, could not belong to enemy knights. It had to be Baron Lobean returning with his army.
Strength seemed to surge back into their utterly exhausted bodies, and they drove the demoralized enemy back step by step.
"Baron Lobean is back! Put your backs into it, soldiers! Drive the enemy off the walls! The enemy has lost! We are the victors!"
Logan roared at the top of his lungs. His lips had even cracked from opening his mouth so wide in the winter cold, and tiny beads of blood slowly trickled from the wounds.
Hearing Logan's cries, the soldiers' morale soared, while Baron Lobean's soldiers teetered on the brink of collapse.
When Reiner and the others rode up before the regular troops, they raised their Longswords and lances and shouted along with Reiner, "Baron Lobean is dead! Those who surrender will not be killed!"
"Anyone who lays down their weapons will be allowed to live!"
The knights shouted. Before they could even charge into the formation, the soldiers scattered like weeds flattened by a gale, throwing down their weapons and dropping to their knees. They obeyed Reiner's order and did not kill the surrendering soldiers.
Only a small number of enemies who continued resisting were cut down by the knights. Meanwhile, the enemy troops attacking on the walls collapsed the moment they heard the knights' shouts.
They threw down their weapons and rushed toward the ladders. They did not want to die here. They wanted to return home and be with their families. They were unwilling to give their lives for a dead Baron.
Many even swung their Longswords at their comrades when the route to the ladders was blocked. Some went so far as to leap over the battlements and jump from the walls. Naturally, many broke their arms and legs, while others broke their necks outright.
"Victory!"
"We won!"
"Long live Baron Lobean!"
The soldiers cheered wildly, raising their weapons high as if they had gone mad. The joy of surviving the disaster filled their hearts.
Soon, the situation stabilized. Baron Lobean's peasant conscripts and regular troops were placed under guard by Reiner's standing army and knights, standing dejectedly where they were.
No one knew what awaited them. Would they be killed to save food, despite promises to the contrary, or sold to human traffickers as slaves? Anxiety filled their hearts.
"Well done, Logan!" Reiner entered the castle through the gatehouse with his army and climbed onto the walls. When he saw Logan covered in blood and bearing numerous wounds, he patted him on the shoulder and spoke.
Logan had already described the whole course of events in his letter. He had indeed played a major role in defending the castle. If he had not caught the infiltrating spies, the castle might have fallen long ago because of their sabotage.
Furthermore, with no military commander in the castle, he had led the guards in its defense. With only a dozen or so freemen serving as guards, he had held off hundreds of enemies for nearly two hours. His contribution was undeniable.
This incident had also given him a clear understanding of the importance of spies and intelligence. The terror of being outmatched in information was simply immense.
In his previous life, he had rarely paid attention to such things when playing those games. But when the game became reality, he finally understood just how important they were.
"Baron Lobean, we have recovered Baron Lobean's body!" Sir Valas had just returned from the battlefield. His face was unnaturally flushed, a side effect of the Crimson Gryphon bloodline merging with his body, something every Crimson Gryphon Knight experienced.
"What a pity. A man of noble status died at our hands. Although he committed such an immoral act, I still feel deeply remorseful that he was accidentally killed on the battlefield!"
Reiner spoke these grandiloquent words against his true feelings. Although he had desperately wanted Baron Lobean dead, he still had to put on a hypocritical display.
Reiner would spread this news far and wide. He did not want to bear the charge of intentionally murdering a nobleman, as that would make it extremely difficult for him to survive in this age.
"Bury him. Bury him as a saint of Collinism! Although his flesh has died, as a child of the Holy Father, his soul will return to Heaven, back to the Holy Father's side!"
After Reiner finished speaking, he continued to Sir Valas, "Keep a close watch on the prisoners for now! Distribute the spoils among the soldiers and knights as we agreed earlier. Then go bring back our wounded and make sure they receive proper treatment!"
He did not want to spend another fortune training more soldiers. If these wounded men could successfully return to the ranks, he would not only avoid another major expense but also gain a group of battle-hardened veterans with formidable fighting strength.
Before you continue