A Distant Reverie

Chapter 70

The announcement was met with deafening silence.

The knights and engineers in the vicinity of the scout were all stunned—their eyes wide with confusion as they tried to process the unfathomable words. Then, as the news sunk in, confusion slowly morphed into panic.

Time seemed to freeze. Only the thunderous downpour raged on with incessant voracity.

That can't be right.

Kobo shook her head, still in disbelief. She gave her face a few hard smacks to stir her mind into operation. The scout's words were so shocking that she nearly blanked out.

"...Y-You're certain?!" she managed to squeeze out despite the swelling panic in her throat. Her voice trembled in distress. In hindsight, it was a stupid question—as if the scouts would somehow mistaken the appearance of the duke and his army at the western gates. But the absurdity of the announcement forced doubt into her mind.

"Y-Yes, Your Highness!" the scout screamed, visibly flustered by the question, "We spotted the breach at the western gates. The knights in reserve are trying to buy time, but we don't have the numbers!"

Kobo stammered, "But what about Captain Besar? He was supposed to be—"

"Enough," a familiar voice cut through the rain. It was Marine. The mercenary appeared atop of the battlement. Everyone immediately turned towards her with expectant eyes.

"The expedition force will go. I've already rounded all of them up," Marine said, before facing the scout, "You will lead the way to the battlefield."

"Yes, ma'am!" the scout saluted.

"Ms. Houshou, are you sure about this?!" Kobo asked.

A part of her knew it was pointless to stop her. But Marine was her most reliable officer, and she didn't want to send her out only to die a meaningless death. If the western gates were already breached, then—

Maybe it's time to surrender. Before more lives are taken in this meaningless struggle.

Marine shot her a determined gaze. The mercenary's scarlet eyes somehow remained unwavering despite these horrendous circumstances.

"It's fine, princess," she said, sounding ever so reliable, "Trust me. It's too early to give up just yet."

---

"What's your name?" Marine asked the scout. The two of them were sprinting towards the bottom of the castle keep where the expedition team was placed on reserve.

"Dale, ma'am."

"Then Dale, where was Duke Calon's men last spotted? Give me the time as well."

"Western gates. Around ten minutes ago. They should be encroaching onto the main courtyard soon. The strength of their forces is about two battalions," Dale reported.

"Any shamans?"

"I'm not sure. There's no easy way to discern their identities amongst regular soldiers."

Marine clicked her tongue. If the duke is as smart as he seems, then he should be going around destroying the food supplies located in the courtyard. That should buy us some time to concentrate our forces.

The silver lining was that most of the food supplies had been transported to the insides of the castle keep. Given the extreme differences in the size of their armies, Marine expected the castle walls to have been breached at some point during the defense. She recommended the relocation so that they could retain their fighting strength and morale even in this situation. Even if the outer walls were infiltrated, the castle keep can still be defended without worrying about a strain on supplies.