Chapter 35: Scared Away

Old Gula’s 100-man squad, acting as the vanguard for the Iron Jaw Tribe, was the first to arrive at a position approximately half a mile from the gates of Border City.

“Father, look! An office of the human Lord!”

Old Gula’s eldest son, Guda, pointed toward the top of the city wall.

There stood a young noble, Anke, sipping fine wine while listening to the beautiful Vera play the harp.

“Hmm. Judging by his clothes, that is undoubtedly a human Lord,” Old Gula muttered.

He narrowed his eyes, looking up at the luxuriously dressed Anke on the wall, before continuing to himself, “However, why is he completely unguarded? Why did he open the city gates directly for us? And that Lord shows no sign of fear at all. Why is that?”

Old Gula pulled hard on the reins of the Giant Wolf beneath him, bringing it to a halt. He then ordered his entire unit to stop where they were.

Because the vanguard under Old Gula had stopped, the main army following behind was forced to halt as well.

“Father, why? Border City is right before our eyes! Their gates are wide open and they’re defenseless. This is the perfect time to attack! I say we charge straight in and capture that Lord alive!”

Guda looked at the city just a short distance away — a prize practically within their grasp — and spoke to his father in confusion.

“Yes, charge in! Capture him alive!” those around them echoed.

“We cannot. Priestess Kaxier said that the human Lord here is extremely cunning and is protected by a female Knight of extraordinary strength. If the intelligence is correct, then it is impossible for the Lord across from us to be unprepared. Behind those wide-open gates, a massive enemy force is likely lying in ambush! Once we pass through that direction, we will fall into their trap! By then, every single one of us could die there!” Old Gula explained to his eldest son.

“I see! Father, what should we do now? Should we withdraw the troops?”

“Let me think.”

As Old Gula spoke, he nudged the Giant Wolf beneath him, making it circle restlessly in place.

On the other side, atop the city wall, Vera watched the Barbarian vanguard less than half a mile from New Border City. Her internal tension was mounting.

The plan Anke had described was something he called the “Empty City Stratagem.”

It involved putting on a show of being completely defenseless while making it look like traps were hidden in the shadows, all to scare off the enemy’s initial wave of aggression.

The goal was to exploit the Barbarians’ weakness — their habit of carrying only a 15-day supply of rations.

By wasting the enemy’s supplies as much as possible, they could weaken their overall force.

The plan had its logical merits, but the act of pretending to be defenseless was still far too risky.

Although Anke had stationed ambush units behind the open gates, meaning they could still strike the vanguard if the enemy didn’t immediately fall for the ruse and provide a deterrent, the risks remained.

If the Barbarians began a full-scale assault and Anke failed to wipe out the vanguard quickly, the main army would advance.

Without the advantage of the walls, their force of only 700 plus Militia would never be able to hold Border City.

Now, it seemed the Barbarians might have been successfully intimidated, as their vanguard had stopped advancing.

However, it had not yet achieved the best possible outcome — making the enemy turn around and retreat.

“His Highness, the Barbarians do not seem to have been entirely fooled,” Vera whispered a reminder to Anke while playing her harp.

“I know. Don’t worry. The fact that they have reservations means more than half of my plan has already succeeded. As for the rest, let us simply wait quietly,” Anke said in as calm a voice as he could manage, though his trembling legs betrayed him.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Vera sighed inwardly. At the same time, she began using the Mimic Minions she had split off to construct an escape route both inside and outside the city.

‘If Anke fails, I’ll just take him and run,’ Vera thought silently to herself, her playing taking on a hint of urgency.

Meanwhile, outside the city, Old Gula’s Giant Wolf had paced back and forth so much that the snow beneath its claws was packed firm.

In the rear, while Old Gula hesitated, Gros had dispatched messengers four times to urge him to attack.

Now, a fifth messenger arrived at Old Gula’s side, delivering Gros’s final ultimatum: either attack, or retreat and let someone else take the lead!

“Father, the Chief doesn’t understand the situation at all! There are clearly traps in the city ahead. How can we just attack blindly?” Guda complained to his father regarding the Chief.

“Attack.” Old Gula lowered his head in silence for a moment before speaking.

“What? Father, didn’t you say there were traps ahead?”

“Even if there are traps, we have no choice but to attack. Being replaced on the eve of battle would bring shame upon our family’s reputation. The prestige of the Shattered Scale Family must not be disgraced. Even if there is a trap ahead, we must step into it! All units, hear my command! Advance!”

Old Gula remained silent for another moment, then ordered his troops to resume their march.

As Old Gula’s unit began to move, their comrades in the rear blew their horns of war, bolstering his momentum.

“Father, are we really going to walk into the enemy’s trap?”

“Of course not. Pass the word quietly. Everyone is to wait for my command and be ready to retreat at any moment.”

“What? Father, why are you doing this now?”

“Regardless of what happens, we have to preserve some of our family’s strength, my boy.” Old Gula sighed.

He looked back at the faces in his unit, noting that at least 60% of them were young and inexperienced, and spoke to his eldest son with deep meaning in his voice.

‘Will there be a fight after all?’ Vera thought worriedly as she watched the slowly advancing Barbarian troops.

“Ah—”

Just then, Anke suddenly stood up from his chair.

As Anke rose, Old Gula, who had been watching him with high intensity, reacted instantly. He ordered his troops to halt once again.

“Vera, you’ve been playing for so long. Come, have a drink as well.”

Under the watchful eyes of the Militia on the walls and the Barbarians outside, Anke downed the wine in his cup in a single gulp.

He then picked up an empty silver goblet from the table, filled it to the brim, and held it out to Vera.

“Your Highness, the Barbarians below are almost at the gate.” Vera took the goblet, using her eyes to constantly signal Anke to be wary of the Barbarians’ movements.

“It’s fine. Why worry about them? After we finish this drink, the music shall continue, and the fun shall go on!” Anke shouted loudly, turning his back directly toward the Barbarian army outside and spreading his arms wide.

Hearing those words, Vera felt a sense of suffocation well up in her chest.

‘Is he possessed by an evil spirit? No… he’s lost his mind. He’s gone mad!’

Outside the city, Old Gula also heard Anke’s shocking proclamation. To Old Gula, the enemy Lord’s profligacy made the city look like a greedy dragon.

The wide-open gates were like the dragon’s gaping maw, waiting for them to walk inside so it could devour them.

“A trap! There is absolutely a trap! Everyone! Slow down! Advance with caution!” Old Gula immediately warned his fellow tribesmen.

Under his command, the Barbarians’ pace slowed yet again.

They moved forward inch by inch in a state of extreme oppression, as if they were carrying massive boulders on their backs.

The Barbarians’ agonizingly slow advance made Vera increasingly anxious. Her fingers plucked the harp strings with exceptional force.

Suddenly! A string snapped beneath Vera’s fingertip, letting out a sharp, jarring noise.

‘Oh no!’ Vera felt a jolt of panic. She feared the Barbarians would see through the plan and launch a direct assault.

“An ambush! The enemy has an ambush! Retreat! Everyone retreat!”

The reaction of Old Gula, who was now less than 100 feet from the gate, was even more dramatic than Vera’s.

The Barbarians, who could have charged into the city in a single dash, began to flee toward the rear in a disorganized mess under Old Gula’s panicked command, many of them dragging each other down in the chaos.

That sudden, jarring sound of the snapped harp string had been so piercing and conspicuous that it seemed exactly like a signal for an operation to begin.

The intelligence brought back by Priestess Kaxier, the local Lord’s bizarre behavior, and the constant pressure from Gros in the rear finally crushed the courage of Old Gula and his men.

They routed on the spot without ever seeing a single enemy.