VOLUME 3: CHAPTER 158 – CONFRONTATION (1/2)
Inside the colonial city that watched over the mountains of the snow god was a fuming Gulland.
“Burn those barbarians!” Gulland yelled.
Not only did Gowen request for reinforcements to defend the west, the yugushiva barbarians that should have already been chased away suddenly started moving again.
Moreover, this time they weren’t challenging them to a straight-up battle and were instead attacking their patrols and merchants with small groups.
The defense of the northern colonial city was solid, and even if 1,000 or 2,000 yugushiva barbarians attacked, so long as Gulland was healthy, he would be able to deal with them.
But Gulland was only one person.
No matter how powerful he was, even he would be forced to sacrifice one side when two places are attacked at the same time.
Gulland was furious. They were incurring more and more casualties by the moment, but even if he tried and led a small platoon to chase after the barbarians, they would only turn around and run, almost as if they were mocking him.
Honestly, Gulland would rather not send reinforcements to the west now, but he owed Gowen.
“If their fighting style has changed, then that must mean they’ve started to learn,” Gulland’s adjutant said, but upon seeing him angry, even he couldn’t help but cower out of fear that he might only add oil to the flames.
In the end, it was the holy knight, Lili, who gave a calm analysis of the battle.
“…What an annoying bunch. Did they change leaders or something?” Gulland asked in the office to no one in particular.
The people gathered in the office were the leaders of the army. They knew that Gulland had only said that out loud to help himself gather his thoughts, so no one answered.
Gulland’s eyes were closed as he became thoughtful, then all of the sudden, ‘KA’! Gulland slammed his hand on the table.
“We’re sending reinforcements to the west. 500 men. I will lead them. As for the defense here… Lili, I’ll leave it to you,” Gulland said.
When the gathered people heard how big of a force Gulland was planning to take, they couldn’t help but open their eyes wide in astonishment.
“…General, if you send that many, what about our—” Gulland’s adjutant tried to argue, but when he saw Gulland click his tongue, he folded.
“That will be all. Lili, I leave it to you,” Gulland said, turning heel as he left the room.
After that, silence filled the office.
“…Lord Lili, do you have a plan?” The adjutant asked to continue the meeting.
Lili nodded. “I do, but it will take patience and endurance to execute it. Is there anyone in this fortress who can do that?”
Lili looked over the gathered generals and sighed.
The soldiers gathered in the north were mostly ruffians, and Gulland had taken most of them with him to the west.
“…I see. So that’s how it is,” Lili said.
Lili pondered on Gulland’s true intentions. Gulland had taken the greater majority of the ruffian-like soldiers.
That being the case, the soldiers left behind were mostly docile. Gulland’s preferred soldier was the rough sort that neither cared about theirs nor other people’s life.
With most of those soldiers gone, Lili was free to move as she pleased. Apparently, Gulland had intended for her to deal with the relatively docile soldiers herself.
“Can’t tell if he’s just not honest, or if this whole thing is just a coincidence,” Lili chuckled.
“There’s no other way to it! Everyone, listen up!” Lili said in a loud voice.
As Lili put on the aura of a leader, the gathered generals saw her in a new light.
◆◆◇
The main force that the Goblin King led moved in the night. They stationed some goblins in the occupied villages they came across and left Shumea and the elves to handle them.
The Goblin King and his forces would make camp in the small forests to rest during the day.
They would either eat the beasts they caught along the plains or the preserved food they’d brought with them. The food didn’t really fill their stomachs, but no one uttered a word of complaint.
After all, the Goblin King himself endured the simple diet, and the various goblin commanders would go around during break time to talk tot the soldiers.
On the third day, report of Gi Gu Verbena meeting the enemy finally came.
“Great Brother has made, contact with enemy. Loss, one normal class. We caught, the enemy,” the rare class goblin reported with some difficulty.
The Goblin King knit his brows. “How many enemies?”
“About 10. They have all, been caught,” the rare class goblin replied.
“Hmm…”
The Goblin King folded his arms and looked up to the sky as he became thoughtful, but that only lasted for a few seconds before he made his decision.
“I shall meet them,” the Goblin King said.
In response, the rare class goblin bowed and turned heel.
The duty of a messenger was to contact the king, and then return to Gi Gu Verbena’s ‘Wolf Pack’.
What the king was wondering about was whether the soldiers caught were actually a part of the official army or if they were merely adventurers.
If they were a part of the official army, their absence might alert the enemy.
If the enemy were to send a search squad to investigate, it would become difficult to execute the surprise attack.
On the other hand, if the captured ‘soldiers’ were merely adventurers, then there wasn’t much to worry about. It was doubtful that the guild or the army would bother to watch them too closely.
If there was anything to worry about it would be the number. 10 people. That was not a small number.