Chapter 14: Never forget this feeling

The battle ended in a crushing victory for the Duchy of Barnes. Hundreds of theirs were killed or seriously wounded, but compared to the enemy casualties, General Edwin found this result more than perfect.

Rohan ended up killing three soldiers during this battle. The first with a blow to the throat, the second with the blade piercing his heart, and the third with his throat sliced by his sword.

Three families would find themselves from now on with one less member. Their hatred towards the Duchy of Barnes would grow, like all the inhabitants of this city. Perhaps this hatred will spread to the surrounding towns and then the Duchy of Barnes will be rejected by the other Duchies.

Was this the price to pay for only hoping to feed its citizens? To prevent their families from starving to death?

Rohan had killed three men, which in the end had nothing to do with the story. Each of them was only protecting their territory in the end. If the battle started all over again, then Rohan would have killed them again.

But that didn't stop him from being disgusted by it, disgusted by the blood on his hands.

After the battle, as he returned to the camp with his captain, he saw Mileim in the distance, even paler than before the battle. He fell to his knees before throwing up. He too must have killed someone for the first time.

He was not the only one though, as many soldiers had just experienced their first battle. Some were injured, seriously or not, while others mourned their friends who died in battle.

After all, the duchy of this kingdom had not participated in the wars against the northern orcs for many years. Also, apart from a few veterans, most were simple recruits who had not yet seen the sight of blood.

Rohan turned away and continued on his way, the captain at his heels.

"Young master, how are you feeling? A first battle is never easy, even if you were fighting really well back then."

"Ha! Did you see that? I fought like a wild beast against these peasants who for the first time of their whole life held a weapon this morning. What a great battle for a rank 2 Beginner Warrior such as myself, captain! I will almost love to be tonight to find my three victims in my bloody nightmares to kill them a second time !"

As Rohan's cynicism and sarcasm permeated each of his words, the captain turned pale and hurriedly bowed to the young master in apology.

"Please excuse me young master, I did not think before I spoke to you."

"Bha let it go. Let's go back to my father, I guess the plan is to leave a few soldiers here before we leave tomorrow morning."

As they approached the main tent, the voices as they came out grew more and more distinct.

The general Edwin was speaking in a loud voice.

"We have no choice, we leave here the soldiers who fought in the front line today and we continue the journey! There was almost no defense, and there is a chance that it will be the case for the next too, the more time we lose in this hole, the more we will increase the risks!"

"But general, the soldiers ..."

"What with the soldiers ?! They've touched each other all day and you're going to tell me that they're exhausted maybe? Bullshit! I don't want to hear anything more. Pass the orders, in an hour we're back on the road. "

"" Yes general! ""

The commanders got out of the tent, and Roland ran into his son, waiting a little farther on. At first he didn't want to send his son into battle, but he was already a rank 2 warrior, and he needed to know about the horrors of war. So he had resolved to make him participate in the battle.

"Rohan, how was that battle?"

"A massacre, nothing more, nothing less. There wasn't even a warrior in front."

* sigh *

"Something is definitely strange, they should have had time to prepare a minimum. The general is right, it is better to go faster to avoid any risks."

He stopped for a moment, and, watching Rohan's straight face, nodded before declaring.

"Never forget it Rohan." He paused for a bit before continuing. "That disgusting feeling you have, never forget it. No matter how strong you become, the enemies in front of you will be just as alive as you. The soldiers you killed, did they deserve it?"

Without giving Rohan time to answer, he gave him the answer he needed to hear.

"No. No they didn't deserve it, Rohan. Never become like those warriors or mages who see normal humans as bugs. Respect them Rohan, for they gave their lives for their family and their city."

An hour later, after leaving those who fought on the front lines to deal with the captured city, the rest of the troops continued on toward the second city.

Taking the control of a conquered city was not particularly complicated. The inhabitants were all locked up at home and without any warriors, a riot will have little effect. The soldiers just had to keep this city to allow them to send food and other consumables to the main army.

The viscount who previously controlled the city was simply taken prisoner in his own home with his family and treated without any difficulty. One of the earls was to stay behind to control the city properly.

The second city they had decided to capture was not far away, only a few days' walk away. These days passed without a hitch and it was not long before they arrived in front of the new walls.

These walls were a bit larger than those of the previous city. After all, this city was quite close to the capital, so its defenses would undoubtedly be much more impressive than a city bordering one of the duchies. But even so, the sheer numbers differences will make any defense crumble.

The army stopped and decided to camp for the night. They had advanced much faster than they had decided before the war, so the soldiers were exhausted.

Rohan was sitting in his tent, reading a book he had read over and over again. Being in the midst of war, his meditation sessions to open his third meridian had completely stopped. He did not want to come to a situation where he would be attacked during a meditation, it would indeed be dangerous.

He stopped reading for a moment, and went outside. Two guards were posted in front of its entrance. After all, it was still the tent in which he and his father, a count and commander, slept.

He looked towards the city lights in the distance, where he could see the shadows of the guards patrolling the walls.

This scene struck him as somewhat surreal. Two opposing camps, living a peaceful night a few hundred meters from each other. While the next day they will meet screaming and slashing with their bloodied swords.

Dawn was not long in coming, and mist was wrapping up the future battlefield while the two armies were preparing for the battle.

The horns sounded in the fog and the first wave was launched. The fight began.

At a glance after a few minutes of fighting, the general's expression became strange. He had expected a much more violent defense from his enemy, he had even expected to have to hold the siege until the next day. But the result was in front of his eyes.

The defense offered by the opponents was of the same level as the previous city. What was the kingdom doing?

He did not hesitate any more and launched the full charge.

With poor defense against a force many times greater than them, the city soon fell, and after a few hours the battle was over.

A report reached the general. This time, like the previous one, the only warriors there were those who were living here, and were just a couple of ones. Like the previous city, no defense had been prepared. And the only time they knew they were going to war was when the army of several thousand strong had begun the march a week ago.

But from the agents who give the message to the Duke, until now, the kingdom was supposed to have at least thrice this time to prepare. What was the king doing ? Was it a lie and the king did not know about the rebellion ? Or maybe the king was preparing something ?

Edwin now leaned for the second reason. For over a week now they had been at war. From the very moment they gathered near Riveras in the Duchy of Barnes, everyone knew what was going to happen.

Such an army could never remain hidden from the eyes of the other duchies and of the kingdom. But since then, not a single message from the kingdom had reached them. It was as if the king simply didn't care.

A cold sweat made Edwin shiver. Suddenly he wondered if it would not be a better idea than to return immediately. He didn't understand, how could the king not care at this point?

He was sure the kingdom controlled less than a thousand warriors, a few hundred at most. And although their defenses were heavy, the capital was also not prepared for brutal sieges.

After all to the south were scant lands that literally fought with pebbles and wooden sticks. To the east was another allied kingdom, Daksina, and beyond were countries that considered these lands poor. To the west was the ocean and nothing would ever come out of this area. To the north was the territory of the empire and it already possessed the kingdoms.

So a big defense had never been really necessary.

This is why the duchy had launched their war in the first place, without powerful sieges engines against the kingdom. Compared to the wars against orcs and other races, this one was nothing but a skirmish.

But the kingdom's response, or rather its lack of responses, made the rank 13 Advanced Warrior Edwin Chrisfold shudder with apprehension.