Chapter 87: Prince Crown
“Your Highness, it seems that it won’t be long before we can counterattack those damned Orcs.”
Beside him, a young knight with a similarly exposed head wore a grin as he spoke.
This knight had long black hair, now utterly smeared with blood.
Crown, the Prince of Nick Kingdom, nodded in agreement.
He felt the same way.
They certainly couldn’t continue being passive and just take hits; they needed to counterattack and show these Orcs what they were made of.
The cavalry’s charge against the Orc formation was merely the opening shot of their counter-offensive.
Under the city wall, Hudeman led the cavalry in a furious slaughter of Orcs.
Especially the knights.
Seasoned warriors, they always knew how to exploit the weaknesses in the Orcs, precisely thrusting their lances into their foes.
Just this simple movement could mean a knight taking the life of an Orc.
Such scenes were common on this battlefield.
The knights had turned into killing machines.
Each thrust of their lances meant another Orc soldier’s demise.
Among the many knights, some stronger ones engaged in a bit of skewering fun.
Using the powerful momentum of their steeds, they pierced through multiple Orc bodies in succession with their lances.
Once they had a sufficient number of Orc corpses on their lances, they would flick them off forcefully. Once the burden was gone, they would resume their skewer game.
For these knights, dealing with the Orcs felt less like a battle and more like a game.
A very simple game.
The Orc commander watched all of this with a grim expression.
Yet, he had to admit, these charging human cavalry were quite a challenge.
Now, the Orc formation was in complete disarray due to the cavalry’s assault.
However, the Orc commander wasn’t going to sit back and do nothing.
He started directing the remaining Orcs to form a dense formation away from the knights.
Especially those carrying long weapons.
But the knights were no pushovers either.
Hudeman, the leader, didn’t let the current advantage cloud his judgment; he was closely monitoring the dynamic battlefield.
Upon noticing the Orcs’ maneuvers, he immediately organized his forces to charge the Orcs over there.
The knights, receiving the order, didn’t hesitate and turned their steeds towards the target, charging forth.
The cavalry surged, and their lances struck, easily dismantling the Orcs’ newly formed battle line barely seconds after it took shape.
This failed resistance seemed to plunge the Orcs into complete chaos.
On the city wall, Crown observed the scene and had a bold thought: “Georges, should we lead a charge to support them?”
Georges frowned slightly upon hearing this.
He knew that Crown’s notion of ‘supporting’ was likely more than just support.
He undoubtedly aimed to chase down these Orcs and expand their victory.
But it carried some risks.
As the highest commander of Mark Fortress, his father, Duke Ogg, had repeatedly emphasized that their current mission was purely defensive.
They only needed to hold Mark Fortress, while ignoring whatever happened outside.
Although the Orcs were in chaos from the cavalry’s charge, the damage done wasn’t catastrophic for the overall Orc forces.
Moreover, the situation would likely be quickly perceived by Orcs in other directions.
This would mean that Orc reinforcements were bound to show up.
If they charged out to engage in battle and got entangled with those arriving reinforcements, the consequences could be disastrous for them.
Not only would it threaten them, but Mark Fortress could also be heavily jeopardized.
After considering all of this carefully, Georges responded, “Your Highness, that may not be wise. Father has clearly said we must hold the city; it’s not our time to strike yet. Plus, look at those knights below; they seem a bit fatigued. If we go out and can’t finish things quickly, and end up being bogged down by the Orcs, that could be very dangerous.”
Crown sighed inwardly at this, feeling regret over missing the opportunity.
However, he also thought Georges had a point.
In the army, his identity was more of a soldier, and naturally, he had to follow the orders from above.
Georges’ words were not merely an attempt to dissuade Crown.
In reality, the knights were indeed a bit exhausted.
They had just been fiercely fighting, which required a significant effort.
And they had arrived from far away, launching their charge immediately upon arrival.
While it caught the Orcs off guard, it meant they were not in peak condition at the fight’s start.
Under such conditions, their endurance in battle wouldn’t last long.
Hudeman and the knights were acutely aware of the situation.
Their ambush was meant to teach the Orcs a lesson while also showcasing their abilities; they didn’t want to be underestimated by their comrades inside the fortress.
As the battle progressed, Hudeman began organizing the knights to charge towards the city gate.
Crown and Georges, who had been watching the knights, quickly understood their intentions.
“Open the city gates, cover our brothers as they enter!”
Crown shouted urgently.
Georges echoed him.
Their commands were swiftly relayed down the line, and the soldiers guarding the gate began to open it.
Although the gate was opened by humans, the Orcs had no chance to charge again.
The crushing advance of the human cavalry left the Orcs completely demoralized and lacking fighting spirit.
Watching the knights enter the city, their eyes betrayed sheer terror.
The Orc commander was powerless to stop it, forced to watch the victorious knights march in, leaving him with a mess to clean up.
Meanwhile, the knights entering the city marched with their heads held high.
The guarding soldiers looked at them with respect and envy.
Respect was understandable; these knights were all of noble birth and great strength, and they had just achieved a significant victory.
As for envy, that stemmed from their own desires to become such figures.
Not just the ordinary soldiers, even Crown envied these knights greatly.
They charged across the battlefield, fighting for their nation, earning glory and achievements.
He wished desperately to join the previously seen scene.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that.
