Chapter 525: Reality and Illusion

In fact, Matthew Bard's immediate order for the vampire Bellitus to lead the vanguard to attack the Pinnacle Palace upon receiving the news was an incredibly wise decision. By the time Bellitus led the undead vanguard from Mousilon, Ryan's army had just completed the construction of the floating bridge with the help of the dwarven engineers.

"Hurry up! Faster! We don't have much time!" Nearly all the knights were loudly ordering the transport of supplies and assisting with the fortifications. After Ryan personally carried the cannons up the walls, the knights were also compelled to assist in transporting supplies. As their commander was personally involved in such laborious tasks, none of them dared to stand idle.

Many young errant knights complained that they had come to reclaim Mousilon, not to serve as laborers. Ryan's subordinate, Juan-Carlos Sundial, promptly retorted with a borrowed phrase: "The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war!"

This statement immediately met with rebuttal from some knights who argued that Bretonnian chivalry never involved using such long-range weapons. They scoffed that it was fine for commoners, but as noble knights, they disdained such methods.

"Real men fight in close combat!"

At this moment, Ryan, carrying a thousand-pound cannon and walking step by step up the city wall, spoke: "Does it not matter if the Pinnacle Palace falls? Do we allow Mousilon to remain under undead rule forever?"

The knights fell silent.

"For two hundred and eighty years, since the last Duke of Connaught, Madred, was killed during the Dortower incident, Mousilon has had no duke. This land has become eternally tainted by sorrow and corruption. For over two hundred years, we've come here time and again, only to return in failure. Is this what chivalry means? Does chivalry mean watching the land granted to us by the Lady be consumed by corruption and decay forever?"

"We have prepared for this war for many years." Ryan put down the heavy cannon, standing on the wall and addressing all the knights: "We attacked this castle in the cold night, charged through rain and snow, fought in the dark, and won at dawn. For decades, our banner flies again over the Pinnacle Palace, but this is only the beginning!"

"The undead also understand the importance of the Pinnacle Palace. Their counterattack will be fierce, and we have only over five thousand men. We must hold this place against at least twenty thousand undead troops. Knights, we have no way back, no escape. If we fail, tomorrow our corpses will wield the weapons we once held, turning against our fellow men. Is this acceptable?"

Ryan shouted to all the knights: "Once we die, the vampires win. This battle will become meaningless. Do you want to die without value, to become the playthings of the undead after death?"

The knights erupted in response, loudly affirming Ryan's words.

"No! Fight to the death! Fight to the end!"

"Destroy the undead!"

"Reclaim Mousilon! For the Lady! For Bretonnia!"

"For Landuin! For Ryan-Macado!"

Ryan nodded in satisfaction, his prestige in the knight kingdom still very high. Seeing the knights' morale stirred, he shouted: "Now we have a chance! We can help our friend, King Belegar, to get the cannons onto the walls and supplies into the castle. If we hold the Pinnacle Palace, the future will belong to us! The kingdom's land shall not be desecrated by any evil undead! Let us unite, to defend the Pinnacle Palace, knights, lend your hands! For the Lady!"

"For the Lady!" The knights, invigorated, began to help, and their involvement sped up the work significantly.

Even so, hoisting the dwarven heavy cannons onto the walls remained very challenging due to their immense weight. This attack on Mousilon saw Ryan bringing nearly all his stored cannons and organ guns, along with the Angrund clan's cannons, totaling over a hundred of various models.

The Lake Witch Morgiana oversaw operations in the castle hall, issuing commands continuously. Once the floating bridge was completed, mountains of supplies and strategic resources were transported into the castle, including countless bags of bread, various frozen vegetables, meats, fish, high-end foods for the knights, and various fodder for the horses.

"The variety of military supplies is impressive," remarked knights from the Duchy of Carcassonne. Duke Hubald of Carcassonne had sent a five-hundred-strong force of knights and retainers to follow Ryan's orders. Some knights shook their heads at the sight of the food supplies. "My goodness, this food is almost as good as ours!"

The Duchy of Carcassonne, guarding Bretonnia's southern borders, was constantly under attack by beastmen warbands and greenskin tribes. Thus, the entire duchy remained in a state of perpetual readiness. Due to frequent trade with Tilea and Estalia, and the presence of the War Goddess Academy's Carcassonne branch, the duchy had a strong martial spirit, both among knights and serfs. This somewhat alleviated their mutual tensions, as the knights often reduced taxes to encourage serfs to "stand on their own," and almost all serfs received some military training to defend their homes. Duke Hubald ruled the duchy with an iron fist through strict laws.

In short, both knights and serfs in the duchy tightened their belts and endured hardships together. Every knight king had granted tax relief to Carcassonne, and the Lake Witch Morgiana often sent Holy Grail Knights to patrol the southern border.

Despite Carcassonne's proximity to the Athel Loren Forest, their relationship with the wood elves was poor. Carcassonne's knights envied Ryan's trade with the wood elves and were jealous of the wealth of the Duchy of Winford.

"The whole kingdom is changing. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been three serfs knighted last year. Even if they turned out to be noble bastards, I believe a serf who proves their loyalty and valor deserves knighthood, just like Lord Bertrand!" A young knight, carrying a crate of black powder, cheerfully said.

"Leofric, not everyone is as fortunate as you," a Carcassonne knight retorted. A ranger knight in his thirties complained, "I know in your Duchy of Winford, some serfs eat as well as knights. I just hope I can eat as well as you!"

"If you want to eat as well as Leofric, it's simple: win the knight tournament's crown!" Paladin Gerard, passing by with a dwarven-made cart, said. These dwarf-made carts had become popular throughout the knight kingdom for their convenience and fine craftsmanship.

Leofric-Carral, champion of the knight tournament after Sulia, was a kingdom knight from Winford. He had defeated twenty contestants in the tournament, earning high praise and rewards from the kingdom's regent, Lauen, who elevated him to a kingdom knight and gifted him a pureblood elven warhorse. Besides gaining fame, Leofric won the affection of Duke Hubald's daughter, Helen, and they were reportedly preparing to marry.

In Bretonnia, few paths led ordinary knights to win a duke's daughter's heart, but winning the knight tournament's crown was one of the most effective.

With success in both love and career, Leofric, like Ryan before him, became a winner in life. The consecutive tournament victories by knights from Winford highlighted the duchy's prosperity and strength.

"Sir Gerard!" Leofric-Carral quickly stood straight and saluted.

"Now's not the time for chatting, hurry up! If all goes well, the undead vanguard will arrive by dusk!" Gerard pushed the cart loaded with crates, the contents of which were unknown.

"Yes!" The knights responded loudly.

Gerard nodded, pushing the cart up the wall.

On the wall, dwarves and knights together hoisted the cannons, but the pace remained slow despite the knights' and retainers' help. Ryan, now drenched in sweat, struggled to set down a cannon, speaking to Gerard: "Good job, Gerard."

"Lord Ryan, at this pace, we'll only have about thirty cannons on the walls when the undead vanguard arrives," Gerard said, worried. "If they attack, we'll have to stop transporting the cannons, rendering many useless in this defense."

"They will be useful," Ryan said, taking a towel from the sorceress Theresa and wiping his face. He looked at the crates Gerard brought and smiled. "The walls will be filled with cannons by then."

"By then?" Gerard looked at the sky. It was already past three in the afternoon. No matter how optimistic, the undead vanguard would arrive before six.

"They will be," Ryan indicated Gerard should open the crates. When Gerard saw the contents, the paladin's eyes widened. "This is?!"

"Yes, I said the walls would be filled," Ryan grinned cunningly. "I meant it."

…Scene Shift…

In February, the skies over the Pinnacle Palace grew dim around five o'clock.

Bellitus, the vampire lord of Mousilon, led over nine thousand undead troops towards the palace.

His deputy was Hal-Harris, a vampire lord from the von Carstein family. If anyone remembered, he was the contact when Ryan disguised himself for trade in Mousilon. Manfred had left Hal-Harris in Mousilon as his representative and to gather intelligence.

"The fall of the Pinnacle Palace seems strange. It shouldn't have fallen in a day," Hal-Harris, riding an undead warhorse, told Bellitus. "I suggest we halt and send scouts to survey the palace first."

"No! We must follow Duke Matthew Bard's orders and attack directly!" Bellitus rejected Hal-Harris's advice. "We can't delay

. We must attack before the southerners strengthen their defenses!"

The vampire lord closed his eyes, chuckling. "Fine, I'll follow your lead. But remember, blind loyalty to your master isn't beneficial. Always following his orders means losing yourself."

"We're not wrong, our goals were just different from the start," Hal-Harris finished, changing the subject. "Tell me, Matthew Bard's lapdog, what's your plan?"

"We'll reach the Pinnacle Palace by five-thirty. I plan to attack the weakest wall directly," Bellitus ignored Hal-Harris's provocations.

In some ways, Hal-Harris was right. The von Carstein vampire lord wanted to build his own army and become a powerful lord, while Bellitus sought revenge on his half-brother, Carad.

The von Carsteins were always plotting to elevate their status, seeking more power and authority to dominate the world.

Bellitus knew Mousilon was turbulent beneath its calm surface. Despite multiple wars and conspiracies, Matthew Bard's rule, even with support from the Lich King Arkhan, was unstable. Many vampire lords resented his frequent retreats to Mousilon, with rumors suggesting von Carstein family instigation.

Looking at Hal-Harris's bald head and strange expression, Bellitus seemed to understand something.

But now wasn't the time for such thoughts. Unknowingly, they had arrived at the Pinnacle Palace.

The Bretonnian army was fully prepared. Human musketeers, dwarf gunners, and serf archers lined the walls, ready to defend.

The two vampire lords were stunned by the sight...

So many cannons!

So many dwarf cannons!!!

The walls were packed with dwarf cannons, with over fifty cannons aimed at the undead vanguard on one side alone, seemingly declaring their inevitable defeat.

"Impossible! This is impossible! The Pinnacle Palace fell just over a day ago. How did the southerners get so many cannons on the walls?" Bellitus exclaimed in disbelief. "I don't believe it!"

But scouting confirmed the southerners had completed their defenses, with dozens of dwarf cannons on each wall!

Bellitus attempted an attack, only for several cannons to fire, obliterating his suicide squads.

"Boom! Baby!" Dwarf engineer Dugan-Ironhand laughed on the wall. "Come on! Undead scum! Your grandpa Dugan is waiting for you!"

"Damn it! We're too late!" Bellitus roared in frustration. "Retreat! Withdraw first! We'll regroup when the Duke arrives with the main force!"

"Retreat!!!"

_________________________

🔥 33% OFF on Patreon!From May 26 to June 3, use code EA00B for a discount on all tiers.

Join now and get early access to chapters!

[ w w w . p @ t r e o n . c o m / I N N I T ]