Chapter 324

“…Why did you save me?”

The fox beastman, Nazar, asked in a low voice to Oleg, who was running beside him.

He knew he should be grateful to his savior, but his feelings were complicated. Doubts filled his mind.

If Oleg had just left him, he wouldn’t have been able to retreat alive. The persistent blonde master knight had been impossible to shake off.

That’s why it was even more puzzling. Nazar and Oleg had never hidden their mutual disdain for each other.

“Of all people, why did you…?”

“You’re complaining even after I saved you, you fox brat. Did you want me to leave you behind?”

Oleg snorted and shot back.

“Valentin’s dead, and Ludmila and Abigail are badly injured. If you died too, how would we fight the next battle? No matter how much I dislike you, saving you was the obvious choice.”

“The next battle…? I doubt we’ll even get that chance…”

Nazar responded skeptically.

With the arrival of Pailoon’s knights, led by Valdemar, taking down Pailoon Castle was now impossible.

‘The soldiers haven’t arrived yet, but…’

Hundreds of knights, experienced in fighting beastmen, along with the masters who originally guarded the northern wall, had returned.

Even if Abigail and Ludmila recovered from their injuries, there was no chance of winning against all of them.

“Quit whining like a coward. Opportunities aren’t waited for—they’re made.”

Oleg boasted confidently, even while retreating. Nazar looked at him, grasping at straws.

“…Do you have some kind of plan?”

“Nope. Thinking isn’t my specialty. But hey, if we keep fighting, something’s bound to work out, right? If you fight until you win, you’ll win.”

The blunt answer made Nazar sigh deeply.

‘…Figures.’

He hadn’t expected much, but the answer still made him feel pathetic for hoping.

—

The beastmen, having descended the walls, scattered chaotically and fled north.

Valdemar couldn’t pursue them. As much as he wanted to, chasing beastmen through the snowy plains on horseback was practically impossible.

In fact, the beastmen’s retreat might have been a blessing for the Imperial Army.

The losses from the siege were severe, and the northern army, which had marched hard to reach Pailoon Castle, was exhausted.

If the battle had continued, they might have annihilated the beastmen, but they would have suffered devastating losses themselves.

‘…It’s a mess.’

Valdemar, having arrived at Pailoon Castle, barely suppressed his boiling anger. Deep wrinkles formed on his furrowed brow.

His territory, which he had returned to after a grueling expedition, was in ruins.

Piles of human and animal corpses. Blood pooled like puddles, freezing into red ice. The stench of torn entrails mixed with the morning air, creating a horrific odor.

‘To think Pailoon Castle would be reduced to this…’

The crushed and shattered gates. The walls, damaged to the point of being almost unrecognizable. And the northern wall, completely destroyed and turned into flat ground.

The damage would take decades to repair.

Though the expedition had been necessary, Valdemar couldn’t help but feel a tinge of regret for bringing the northern forces south at the persuasion of Prince Leopold—now Emperor Leopold.

“Behold! The master of the north has returned!”

Karl shouted, his voice hoarse but still loud.

“Glory to Pailoon!”

“Long live the Grand Duke!”

Cheers erupted from the Imperial Army as Valdemar entered with his knights. His face was twisted with suppressed anger, but his naturally fierce expression made it hard for others to notice.

“…Lock up anyone who shouted ‘long live’ for a day. They’re asking for trouble by using such disrespectful language in front of the Imperial forces.”

The term “long live” was reserved for the Emperor.

Even though the Grand Duke of Pailoon held authority greater than that of a king, he was still, in principle, a subject of the Emperor.

For people to shout “long live” to Valdemar could lead to accusations that he was undermining the Emperor’s authority.

‘…What a hassle.’

Regardless of Valdemar’s true feelings, his political enemies would seize on this to cause trouble. Though, to be fair, the only real threat among his enemies was Duke Bien.

—

Upon entering Pailoon Castle, Valdemar immediately focused on cleaning up after the battle.

“Leave the debris for later! Robert! Report back with Karl after assessing the remaining forces!”

“Yes, sir!”

Robert, one of the northern masters, saluted sharply and ran toward the walls, where cheers were still echoing.

“Priests, tend to the wounded! Prioritize the severely injured and send them to the inner castle for further treatment!”

“Just give the injured first aid for now!”

It was impossible to treat all the wounded immediately.

The forced march was too harsh for anyone but knights, and the number of priests who had followed the Duke wasn’t that large.

“Your Grace, the residents in the inner castle are…”

“Send them back! The battle is already over, isn’t it?”

“Ah, understood!”

The startled imperial knight bowed in apology and hurried toward the inner castle.

Once the order was given, they had to quickly move to send the residents who had taken refuge in the inner castle back. They had to do it before the wounded started pouring in.

Fortunately, the residential area inside the walls wasn’t heavily damaged.

Though the buildings near the walls were completely wrecked, as if they had been hit by concentrated catapult fire.

“Hurry up! We need to finish cleanup and reorganization before the sun fully rises!”

At Duke Pailoon’s command, the knights who had just arrived at the castle scurried around as if their feet were on fire.

Even Valdemar himself felt they were rushing a bit, but he couldn’t afford to spend too much time on cleanup.

The Suin they had missed were likely recovering and running even now.

As soon as they confirmed the remaining forces, they had to discuss countermeasures and, if necessary, form a pursuit unit to chase them down.

‘Is Freide safe…?’

He was also worried about his daughter’s safety.

Even Karl couldn’t imagine his daughter losing her life on a battlefield where he was still alive, but he couldn’t find her anywhere, so he had no idea what she was up to.

‘She couldn’t be sawing Suin corpses in some corner again, could she?’

Valdemar sighed as he recalled Freide’s hobby.

Still, as a father, he’d rather hear that his daughter was engrossed in her questionable hobbies than receive news of her death or serious injury.

—

Fortunately for Valdemar, Freide wasn’t seriously injured or indulging in her hobbies.

She had simply fallen asleep while resting and chatting with a friend.

When a close aide reported finding the two sleeping soundly on a pile of debris, with a white fur pelt spread beneath them and snoring away, Duke Valdemar could only press his forehead and let out a deep sigh.

“Well… at least they’re safe. The woman with her must be Countess Medean, right?”

“Yes. Both are injured, but not seriously enough to require long-term care. Currently, Lady Milia and Sir Damien are transporting them to a guest room in the inner castle.”

Valdemar tilted his head slightly upon hearing the report.

‘Milia? Damien…?’

The names sounded unfamiliar yet somehow familiar.

After racking his brain for a moment, Valdemar finally recalled the names of the juniors his daughter had proudly spoken of.

“Ah. Freide’s academy juniors, right? They managed to survive this fierce battle, huh?”

“More than just survive. One of the Suin’s great warriors was defeated by them. Though it was through a joint attack, it’s still an incredible feat for knights who have just reached the level of masters.”

Valdemar raised an eyebrow.

A word that couldn’t be ignored had caught his attention.

“Wait, masters…? I heard they’re both sixteen. At that age?”

Typically, a talented knight would reach the level of a master in their late twenties, during their prime as a knight.

Even the earliest would be in their early twenties, and that alone would be considered genius-level.

There was one exception he had personally met, but…

That was less of a genius and more of a monstrous talent that defied common sense.

“It’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”

“…Amazing. Truly unprecedented talent. Absolutely astonishing.”

Sixteen-year-old masters. Even Valdemar couldn’t help but marvel at such extraordinary talent.

“Damien, was it? He doesn’t have a family name, so he’s probably not a noble… but with that talent, he could easily earn a title. His relationship with Freide doesn’t seem bad either, so maybe it’s a good chance to get a son-in-law.”

“…That might be a bit difficult.”

The reporting knight hesitated, looking troubled.

“Difficult? Is there some disqualifying reason?”

“Well…”

After a moment of hesitation, the knight detailed the events that had taken place on the walls.

The not-quite-love-triangle between Milia, Damien, and the snow leopard Suin.

Valdemar could only let out a single exasperated sigh.

“Young people these days…”

It was the kind of sigh a middle-aged man would typically make.