Heimarian Odyssey

Chapter 98: Deployment

Chapter 98: Deployment

The battle was about to start tomorrow, and Locke was wiping his longsword nonchalantly. Although the order had yet to come, the atmosphere in the camp had obviously changed a lot.

Every veteran could feel the dullness of the rain, foretelling the approaching battle.

Locke didn't feel so good about the new year's party two days ago. He didn't know that all the nobles who participated were big figures above the viscount level until he went there. Inferior nobles like Cardoj and Wyr were not even invited.

Well, when Locke went, all he did was sit in the corner and eat. He didn't know any of the big figures around him, and he didn't want to mess with any of them either.

As for the reason, it was probably because of his more crude behavior. The commoner atmosphere he radiated was incompatible with the atmosphere of this noble banquet.

Their division jarl, George, also came to the party. Locke wanted to go up and say hello. After all, George treated him decently. However, George only showed his face and talked to a few big figures before he left.

Locke, who had just seen his only acquaintance, was embarrassed. He guessed that George, as a division jarl, had to stay in the camp to pay attention to the situation because the battle would be starting soon.

Locke's guess was indeed quite accurate. Not only George, but dozens of division jarls and deputy division jarls of the Faustian Army did not attend the party.

As for the other person Locke knew, Viscount Melson was nowhere to be seen. He who made a huge impression on him should've been easily recognisable.

Aside from Angelina who came over and stayed with him for a while, the rest of the time, he was either eating or resting.

Well, there was even a time when the other nobles looked at him as if he were a monkey.

Angelina's arrival attracted the attention of a large number of other nobles, and everyone was very curious about Locke.

From that day on, everyone in the camp, including the new recruits, knew that Locke was about to rise up. He actually went to a party that even their baron couldn't attend.

This made Locke a little troubled. Nails that stood out were hammered down, and Locke, who had always been low-key and steady, didn't want to be that nail.

Also, ever since he bedded Glace, the woman's feelings towards him had obviously changed a lot. There was no longer the coldness from before or any barriers between them. Yesterday, she and Suzanne even came over and asked about his life.

Because of the imminent battle, Locke started a self-imposed abstinence. He didn't want to be like a soft-footed shrimp on the battlefield. So, he never touched her again after that day.

Locke always had an obscene urge to indulge in this woman who oozed noble temperament.

Of course, he did not forget his promise towards Glace. She was very smart and didn't mention it again, because she already understood that he would do his best to fulfill his promise. She believed that the man she gave herself to would not let her down.

After being wiped, the longsword shone with a bright, yellow gleam. This was proof that it was mixed with brightyellow ore.

Locke liked this set of equipment more and more. He tried it yesterday and the long sword in his hand could easily penetrate two centimetres of iron. As for the armor, it didn't deform under the huge force of Hans' blow.

During the dinner at the baron's tent in the evening, the baron predictably mentioned the order to launch an attack tomorrow. This was an order issued by military command in the morning, and everyone was mentally prepared for it.

The battalion would be deployed on the third day, together with the other three companies of 2nd Division. They were to attack the west gate of the city of Audis.

Perhaps some airheads would wonder why they were given such a low-risk mission. The moment the briefing concluded, most of the platoon jarls who were eating in the camp turned to look at Locke, Cardoj and Wyr included.

Sure enough, the baron finally added, "This seems to be an order from Princess Angelina to Jarl George."

Everyone was either envious or looked at Locke strangely. He had seen this expression a lot in the past two days. While he might have been a little uncomfortable at the beginning, it didn't bother him anymore. He continued sipping his own meat soup calmly, ignoring the gazes of others.

This temperament and this calmness gave Cardoj the illusion that Locke was a great figure that had been in a high status for a long time.

Nobility apparently rubbed off on those around them. Ever since Locke's return, he had been in contact with those big figures. Although he was seated far away in the corner and only watched them chat, imperceptibly, he had also picked up a lot of their little mannerisms. This was probably what Angelina wanted to happen as well.

Angelina was a princess. If Locke wanted to get together with her in the future, he must at least know how to act like a noble and get rid of his commoner habits.

She had ordered 2nd Division to defend the caster units at the start of the battle.

The caster unit led by Angelina would be right in the middle of the battalion. The task for Locke's and the rest for the first three days was to guard the northwest corner of the unit.

Everyone knew that the battle was most chaotic in the first few days. Angelina's order helped Locke and the others miss this meat grinding moment.

Princess Angelina, who was often praised for her wit by her mentor and elders, was able to do such a small thing that indirectly benefited Locke with great ease.

Early next morning, the entire joint military battalion began to move. They were like a behemoth creeping on the ground, showing its sharp tusks.

Cardoj gathered his troops early and led them to the designated position. The caster unit had not arrived yet and they had to stand firm first.

Cashel's troops next to them were not so lucky. Their task was particularly difficult. It was said that they would participate in the siege in the afternoon. The siege on the first day was definitely not that simple. Just by looking at the defensive armaments across the city wall, it was obvious that Audis, the last line of defense of Shalor, would not be easy to conquer.

The Faustian troops were laid out like a large crescent moon. Soldiers closed in on the enemy from the flank, completely enclosing Audis.

Previously during the encirclement of the crescent moon, there were two divisions of cavalry waiting on one side, but this time round it was all infantrymen.

Cavalrymen were not good for sieges. Replacing them with infantry showed that Faustian's military intended to attack directly.

In the morning, Locke only managed to stuff two pieces of bread in his arms before he led the cavalry platoon forward with the battalion. He asked Henry to take care of Suzanne, Glace and the others. Of course, he did not forget his promise to Glace, and he planned to think of a way to accomplish it when it was their turn to attack the city on the third day.

The place where Glace and Suzanne stayed now was just behind Falcon, not far from the frontlines. If he wanted to bring Glace over, it wouldn't be difficult.

Teams of soldiers marched to the frontlines neatly.

Locke had participated in many battles before, but such large-scale sieges were rare. The only time he did was during the battle at Bideslane.

At that time, Locke, who was only a serf soldier and was tasked to transport supplies and move dead bodies.

The Faustian military valued new recruits; they would not throw them directly to the front line as cannon fodders.

At this time, Locke discovered that war was actually a form of art from his higher position.

A Faustian commander was like an artist, drafting each formation with a splash of ink that dotted just the right corners of the entire picture.

Locke used to only know to follow orders to fight. As he suddenly calmed down and watched the movement of the rest of the troops, it was as if he'd learnt something.

The Faustian army of 100,000 people surrounded Audis in just half a morning.

In Faustian's Great main tent, Marmen was discussing the siege with his old partner, De Sandro.

"Which unit do you plan to send out first?" asked De Sandro in uniform.

Marmen still looked like a little old man in his uniform. He said, "After dealing with Angelina, I intend to send 3rd Division out."

"Oh?" De Sandro was obviously surprised at the proposal. He raised his left eye and asked, "Aren't you afraid of those nobles coming to cause trouble?"

Marmen looked indifferent. "Let them be, everything will be shuffled again after the battle anyway."

De Sandro kept quiet.

The siege at the beginning was undoubtedly the most difficult with the most casualties. The two margraves had previously planned to let 2nd Division go first thanks to their strength, which might bring them delightful surprises throughout the siege. Besides, the division was only their 'godson', so they wouldn't be too hurt by the losses.

However, because Angelina went up to them to 'quarrel' and abruptly transferred away one-third of 2nd Division's men, Marmen had no choice but to consider 3rd Division.

The overall strength of 3rd Division was almost the same as that of the newly formed 4th Division. However, because 3rd Division belonged to the nobles, those men never listened to the superiors much, which made them weaker than the w4th.

With this decision of Marmen, it could be foreseen that the first wave of private nobles troops sent to attack the city would definitely suffer heavy losses.

The siege battle was decided by the elites before the new year. Falcon led by Marmen and De Sandro attacked the west and north gates of Audis, while Lion with Kenzir at the helm would attack the south and east gates which were better defended.

Unlike the outside of the city where Faustian's army had been mobilised in an orderly manner, the army became a mess inside the city. Shalor's garrison was terrified to see Faustian soldiers several times their number surrounding them.

Moreover, news that Faustian's army was about to attack somehow reached the ears of civilians in the city. Countless robberies and lootings occurred, and there were even many cases of arson. Ordinary citizens who had been suppressed by the fear of death for a long time had now become hysterical at the end of their lives.

This was also not unrelated to the terrifying remarks made by the elites of Shalor. In the eyes of the civilians, Faustian soldiers were demons and wolves. They were ferocious and inhuman, and would slaughter all Shalorians. Among them, the massacre that occurred in Eilis some time ago also compounded the Shalorians' fear of the Faustians.