Chapter 15: The Winter Battle 3

The advance party cautiously entered the castle.

What they found was a scene from hell.

The facilities inside the castle were completely destroyed. Debris and pools of blood were everywhere, with numerous casualties lying around. Groans and cries could be heard throughout. "Uhhh... help me..." "It hurts, it hurts!" "Just kill me already..." Even the survivors were stunned by the devastation, collapsed and trembling.

"There are many casualties inside the castle. The survivors are so shaken they've lost their will to resist. Rather, they urgently need rescue." A member of the advance party reported to Schwartz.

"Everyone enter the castle immediately and assist with rescue efforts. Han, you created something truly terrible." "I'm very sorry. We won't use it again—it's far too dangerous." "I'd appreciate that; it chilled me to the bone. Well, let's consider this an accidental achievement this time." "Thank you very much."

Edel and the other staff members nodded with pale faces. They seemed speechless at the sheer devastation.

I'm relieved there doesn't seem to be any punishment. But that was truly a monstrous machine. With a bit more refinement, it might become usable, but I don't want to see it for a while. "That was something unbelievable. When it started rolling toward us, my blood ran cold," even Stein was pale. "I'm sorry. The structural integrity was insufficient," even Hans looked genuinely remorseful.

Everyone entered the castle, gathered the dead in one place and covered them with white cloth, while treating the wounded. The survivors were taken prisoner and confined in one location. After clearing away the debris, we pitched tents inside the castle. There were no intact buildings left inside, so pitching tents was the only way to live there. Then, since having no castle gate felt wrong, we built a temporary one.

The food storage in the castle had been destroyed, but the food itself was undamaged, so we gratefully helped ourselves. Using this food, we prepared warm meals in the kitchen carts that day. Then we built fires in various places.

Since we were inside the castle, the wind was less severe, making it less cold than outside, so we slept comfortably that night.

The sentries on watch duty were rotated every two hours and given heavy cold-weather gear. They wore fur hats, leather masks, gloves, and socks. Even with all these precautions, some still suffered mild frostbite. This cold is truly extraordinary.

The next morning, a war council was held. "Lord Schwartz, this cold is beyond what we expected. There's even a risk of freezing to death. Since we've taken the castle, we should withdraw immediately." "I agree. We should withdraw." "Let's withdraw." Everyone's opinion leaned toward withdrawal.

"Hmm, indeed, a winter campaign might have been reckless. Thanks to the various cold-weather equipment, there hasn't been much damage yet, but perhaps we should withdraw. I had a strategy in mind if the enemy appeared, but it can't be helped. Begin preparations for withdrawal." "Yes, sir." A sense of relief spread among everyone. At that moment, a messenger rushed into the tent, out of breath.

"Report! An army of approximately 10,000 soldiers, believed to be from the Kingdom of Land, is advancing from the east!" "Hmm..." Everyone held their breath. They really came? Even though we're getting frostbite despite all our careful cold-weather preparations, they're still coming? I hope they've properly prepared for winter. I had a bad feeling. "We can't help it if they've come. We'll fight. Move out and form battle lines."