The castle beneath his feet was called Birch Castle.
It was a military fortress built by the Holy Cross Kingdom, stripped of every unnecessary facility and constructed solely for military purposes.
Towers! Horse barriers! Battlements!
It had every basic defensive structure.
Derek guessed that the castle had originally been built to contain the threat from the Locke Kingdom.
Even if Saint Myra Province fell, the retreating army could regroup here. On one hand, it could halt the enemy's eastward advance; on the other, it could use this place as a foothold for a counterattack at any time.
Geographically speaking, Birch Castle provided direct access to every town in Saint Myra Province.
Unfortunately, this weapon of war had fallen into the hands of the Locke people and could just as easily become the Holy Cross Kingdom's nightmare.
Derek made the most of his limited time, repairing the castle while training his soldiers.
Fortunately, with the Panel in hand, he could train qualified soldiers in just over a month.
Then, as the weather turned colder, Holy Cross Kingdom scouts finally began appearing around Birch Castle in large numbers.
Derek immediately sent men to gather the troops. He had no intention of fighting in the open.
This was destined to be a static battle. Any strategy would be meaningless.
Other Locke nobles still had a way out if they failed. He did not.
Taking more and claiming more while he was at the height of his power, naturally no one dared target him.
But once he failed and lost his territory, trouble would surely follow.
Yet it was even more impossible for Derek to give up such a perfect opportunity.
At least in his eyes, the odds of winning were high.
No matter when one fought for something, one would offend people. So