Moving forward slightly in time, when Vera and Anke arrived outside the military camp, they saw the Coloque Army, whose morale had already completely collapsed.
They hadn’t expected this expeditionary force sent by Earl Oca to collapse so quickly under a barbarian sneak attack.
One must realize that this army consisted of a full 4,000 men! Even if it were 4,000 pigs, they shouldn’t have been beaten this badly!
“No, what is the enemy commander doing?” Anke said to Vera.
“Their commander was captured by the barbarians.” Vera’s ears were quite sharp, and she could hear sounds from a great distance; she had heard the news that the commander, Kerok, had been captured.
“Then that commander is truly unlucky. But since he’s been captured, it’s our turn to act. Vera, unfurl the flag; we’re charging in to gather the routing soldiers!”
“Your Highness, it should be enough if I go alone. It’s too chaotic inside; you might get hurt if you enter.” Vera loosened the lasso securing the flag and unfurled the Double-headed Black Dragon Flag Anke had given her, then tried to persuade him.
“If you go in, won’t it be just as dangerous for me to stay outside?” Anke countered.
“Fine, then please make sure to stay behind me, Your Highness.” Vera didn’t know how to argue back because what Anke said was indeed true.
She could only urge him again to stay within range so she could act at any moment.
“No problem, buddy!”
Once their agreement was made, Vera and Anke drove their warhorses and charged into the chaotic military camp.
The flag Vera held high had a bright red surface that burned and fluttered in the wind like fire.
Anke followed behind Vera on horseback, shouting to the surroundings, “Spears in hand, follow me! Kill the barbarians, seize your survival!”
Most of the soldiers actually didn’t recognize what that flag represented, but Anke’s words made them understand that they just needed to head toward the flag. The fluttering flag and the slogans Anke shouted reunited the Coloque Army’s collapsed morale.
This was exactly what Louis had hoped the young master, Kerok, would do.
Although most of the soldiers in the Coloque Army were untrained recruits, they didn’t lack the courage to fight the enemy; they simply needed someone to step forward to lead and stabilize them.
So, if Kerok had stood up bravely like Anke had done, they would have had a chance to launch a desperate counterattack against the barbarians. Unfortunately, Kerok didn’t have the guts to do it.
Because raising a flag attracted not only allies but also enemies! The people of the Iron Jaw Tribe also saw that fluttering flag; they knew there must be an important figure beneath it.
Therefore, as Vera and Anke raised the flag and wove through the camp to gather the routing soldiers, those who closed in faster than the Coloque Army soldiers were the barbarian warriors of the Iron Jaw Tribe!
Even though Vera was exceptionally powerful, she found it difficult to deal with the increasing number of enemies while prioritizing Anke’s safety.
Even if some of the Coloque Army soldiers began to take up arms and counterattacked the approaching enemies around Vera and Anke, it was still a drop in the bucket.
Vera knew that the longer they stayed to gather soldiers in the camp, the harder it would be for her and Anke to evacuate safely.
Thus, she suggested to Anke, “Your Highness, there are far more enemies than expected. Let’s retreat! We’ll take back as many people as we can!”
“No! I can’t give up on them! We’ll wait a little longer! If we wait just a bit longer, we can take more people back with us!” Anke seemed to be caught up in the heat of the moment, completely ignoring Vera’s advice.
However, Anke’s words were heard by the first group of routing soldiers who had reached the flag.
“Your Highness, you are so kind! Don’t worry, we will definitely do our best to protect you!”
“Everyone! We must not fail the kindness His Highness has shown us! Kill! Fight these long-tailed bastards to the death!”
“Kill! Fight these barbarians to the end!”
Anke’s refusal to abandon the routing soldiers caused these men—who had been running in chaos—to explode with an incredible fighting spirit, actually managing to block a wave of the attack!
This also bought precious time for Louis and the other Imperial Guard Knights to return and provide support.
Just as the barbarians were trying to concentrate their forces to take down that flag, Louis led several knights on warhorses, charging from the barbarians’ rear and breaking their formation.
With the Imperial Guard Knights joining the fray, Anke’s safety was better guaranteed. Vera could finally cut loose in the fight, easily clearing the surrounding enemies.
Once the crisis was resolved, Anke’s courage grew, and he actually ordered a counterattack against the barbarians with their current strength.
This plan was very risky, but Vera knew that choosing to retreat now would cause the newly gathered morale of these soldiers to collapse again, trapping her and Anke in another enemy encirclement.
The only option was to crush the barbarians head-on. Although it was risky, it wasn’t impossible. As long as they could take down the barbarian commander first, they would win!
Vera’s gaze swept toward a corner of the battlefield, staring directly at Gros in the distance. She then led Louis and several other Imperial Guard Knights in a new charge!
……
The victory came more easily than expected.
Of course, it couldn’t be ruled out that it was because the one leading the charge, Vera, was too powerful—no one in the Iron Jaw Tribe could stop her.
In short, the result was that Anke and his people won. They crushed the barbarians and captured Gros once again.
However, the price paid for this was not small. After counting the numbers, Anke learned that of the army that originally had over 3,800 men, only 1,600 remained.
Although of the 2,200 casualties, only 900 or so had died on the battlefield, the vast majority had fled the camp in the chaos, and their whereabouts were unknown.
But in this winter, without food or a fire to warm them, how many of those who had fled could survive?
“It’s my fault,” Anke whispered to himself in self-reproach.
“Your Highness, there is no need to blame yourself. You braved the danger to command us in a counterattack; you have already saved many people,” Louis comforted Anke from the side.
Only Vera knew that Anke was blaming himself for leading the barbarians’ spearhead toward the Coloque Army, causing them to be ambushed while completely unprepared, which led to their heavy casualties.
However, an Anke like this wasn’t bad; at least it would make it easier for Vera to control him after he ascended to power.
“Right, we’ve fought together, but I still don’t know your name. Looking at the emblem on your armor, you are a Guard Knight under Earl Oca, correct?” After the moment of sorrow passed, Anke remembered to ask about Louis’s identity.
“Yes, Your Highness. I am Louis Slu, the captain of the Third Royal Guard Squad under Earl Oca.” Louis officially introduced himself to Anke.
“Louis the Sixteenth? That sounds a bit unlucky.”
“Unlucky? Your Highness, I don’t quite understand?”
“It’s nothing, just a passing thought. You and Vera come with me; let’s go handle our prisoner.”
After saying this, Anke led Vera and Louis to the stables. Gros, who had been captured again by Vera, was locked up here.
“Oh, my, how neglectful. Someone, come and untie the ropes on our ‘guest’.” Anke directly ordered his men to untie Gros, then spoke kindly to him. “Chief Gros, we meet again. My words from yesterday still count, right? Since you’ve been captured by me again, it’s time to consider agreeing to my terms.”
“I… I said consider. I didn’t say I would definitely agree. If you have the guts—” Gros’s face turned red, whether from the cold or embarrassment.
“If I have the guts to let you go back again, and then catch you one more time, you’ll agree?” Anke finished the sentence for him.
“Yes, yes! That’s it! Release me again, and if you can catch me once more, I will submit to you!” Gros stammered.
“Fine! I’ll let you go back one more time.” Anke agreed to release Gros again.
As Gros was being released, he didn’t forget to hurl a parting threat at Anke. “Don’t get too proud. Next time, it might be me catching you.”
After Gros was released, Louis couldn’t help but ask Vera, “Chief Knight, why did His Highness release that barbarian chief? What exactly does he want that barbarian chief to agree to?”
“His Highness plans to win over the barbarians of the Skeleton Forest. What he wants is for Gros to submit to him,” Vera answered Louis’s question.
“Win over the barbarians? How could that be possible?”
“Others might not be able to, but His Highness just might actually pull it off,” Vera said while watching Anke’s retreating back.
“Vera, Louis, bring everyone. We’re going back to New Border City!” At that moment, Anke, who had been facing the sunset, turned around and spoke to Vera and the others.
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