After Steinbeck Fief’s army had broken through from Antur Town and captured Sieg Pier, Olm Fortress fell into a passive state.
Earl Winissa, the highest commanding officer of Olm Fortress’s defending troops, had been captured on the eve of the war. After losing their commander, the defending troops became a host of dragons without a head and split into three groups separately controlling Olm Fortress’s western, southern, and northern areas.
Not long ago, Baron Burke, who controlled Otto Castle in the north of Olm Fortress, had led his soldiers out of the castle towards Ord Castle on the western side. The secret envoy sent by Baron Burke had agreed to jointly capture Ord Castle with Clyde. Housekeeper Norma, the commander of Ord Castle’s defending troops, was a close girlfriend of Earl Winissa. This housekeeper had kept the captured Earl’s seal. Anyone who wanted to seize the power had to first seize it.
In the human nations of Ximengsi Continent, for the aristocratic peerages starting at Earls, an emperor or king had to personally confer the title, which the status seal provided proof of. So, to seize another’s peerage, this status seal was necessary. As for viscounts and barons, they didn’t care about such seals. Their status seals had been bestowed to them by a duke or marquis, so their real value and conferred authority were not comparable to status seals personally bestowed by the emperor.
Winissa had believed in the character of her housekeeper Norma and granted her the status seal for safekeeping. Clyde wore his ordinary soldier armor and hid among his own troops. His younger sister Lucifer wore a black gothic Lolita outfit next to him while holding a small, exquisite black umbrella. This bloodkin Lolita didn’t fear the sunlight. She could visit the beach wearing just a swimsuit, so carrying a small umbrella was just an affectation.
“Big Brother Clyde, I’ve already informed Big Sister Cynthia, so she won’t involve herself in any of our operations. Other Valkyries also won’t come here. Nevertheless, if they do come, it will be much more interesting.”
“Sister Lucifer, I’ve troubled you. By the way, you’re fine even if you don’t open that umbrella. Next time, there’s no need to bring one!”
“Big Brother Clyde, the sun shines brightly in the daytime. As a Bloodkin, even if I don’t fear the sunlight, I should respect it a little! I should give the sun some face!”
Lucifer said with a mischievous smile. Although she claimed that she wanted to give the sun face, Princess Natalie had mentioned that Lucifer and she had enjoyed wearing a swimsuit in Luke Village located at the banks of Aldington River. At that time, the sun had already lost all face. Now, wanting to respect the sun a little was too late; it was more like a taunt.
Steinbeck Fief’s army’s commander was still Princess Natalie. Paladin Princess Alicia and Sacred Moon Dragon Knight Princess Verly served as Natalie’s assistant and deputy general, respectively. In terms of commanding ability and power, Sacred Moon Dragon Knight Princess Verly was better. However, she had joined not long ago, and as a Dragon Knight, commanding a monster army to attack human territory was a harder psychological test for her compared to a paladin. Therefore, to not make things difficult for her, Clyde thoughtfully gave her a period to adjust.
Ord Castle was the tallest castle in Olm Fortress and the stronghold with the strongest defense. Earl Winissa’s most elite magic unit was also stationed here and under the command of Housekeeper Norma. According to the agreement with Baron Burke, the two parties would jointly attack Ord Castle. First, Baron Burke would make Ord Castle open its gate under the guise of reinforcing it, but after entering, he would revolt, take the castle gates, and open them to let in Steinbeck Fief’s troops.
When Clyde’s troops arrived near Ord Castle, Baron Burke’s army had already arrived. They opened the way from the front. The defending troops didn’t know that these reinforcements had some problems and opened the gate to let them in. After a short while, the commander, Princess Natalie, found Ord Castle’s gate wide open. When she planned to send troops in, Sky Knight Yani riding her giant eagle mount descended from the sky. Before her mount landed, she quickly jumped down and ran to Princess Natalie and the other commanders. She then reported her latest findings. Afterward, Princess Natalie’s expression became very cautious.
“Sister Yani, you… are you sure that you didn’t misjudge!”
“I’m sure that I didn’t misjudge. I saw it very clearly from the sky. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Big Sister Verly to go confirm it! Viscount Carlisle’s troops have set off from Osi Castle, towards Sieg Pier.”
“These helpless fellows, did they truly think that our entire army was dispatched? They want to seize this chance to sneak attack our headquarters?”
Princess Natalie quickly figured out the other party’s intentions. Viscount Carlisle planned to attack their headquarters and recapture Sieg Pier in one fell swoop by taking advantage of when Steinbeck Fief’s entire army had been dispatched. At this moment, there were not many defenders at Sieg Pier, so it was an area with weak defense. Now, the dispatched Steinbeck Fief’s army faced a dilemma. If they returned to defend Sieg Pier, they would lose their best chance to attack and capture Ord Castle. If they didn’t return, Sieg Pier would fall, and their supply line would be cut off. The base at Antaur Town, located on the other side of the river, would then need to find a suitable pier to cross Aldington River again.
Viscount Carlisle’s strategic attack and Baron Burke’s invitation had occurred at practically the same time. Natalie didn’t believe that these two could reach such a great tacit understanding without advance communication. Ord Castle in front was also likely a trap. It was difficult to predict whether they could smoothly enter it.
“Natalie, you don’t need to care about the rear. Master has already made some arrangements. Moreover, we can first dispatch fake troops to test the actual situation! Andrea, we’ll leave this to you.”
“Verly, you alone are enough… Why do demons need to act in an internal war between you humans? What about your position as a Dragon Knight! Forget it! I shall cooperate with you all and act this once.”
This demon princess, Three-Headed Demonic Dragon Knight Andrea, wore a look of shame and anger. She was not satisfied with Princess Verly’s arrangements. They had once been enemies, but after they submitted to Clyde, their relationship had cooled, but they still argued at a small scale. Andrea complained for a bit, before putting on a black mask. Since she also wore black armor, after she taking Princess Natalie’s commander epaulet and hanging it on her arm, she would be easily mistaken as the commander of Steinbeck Fief’s troops from a distance.
This was the first time she had worn the commander epaulet of a human army, which made her feel somewhat uncomfortable. This feeling resembled the feelings of Sacred Moon Dragon Knight Princess Verly and the other human knights when fighting alongside the monster army. It took some time to adapt. However, Andrea had felt her master’s gaze observing her from the rear. To avoid being punished later, Andrea led the army and advanced towards Ord Castle’s gate.
There were no less than 15,000 troops in her army, all equipped with equipment representing Adrian Empire’s elite soldiers, making it seem that Clyde’s side had dispatched everyone, even Clyde and Lucifer were mixed among them. However, upon careful inspection, one would realize that these soldiers had a uniform, mechanical pace that not even the elite troops of most of the human empires could achieve.
These troops weren’t real human soldiers but special fake troops. They were the same Undead soldiers who had disguised themselves as human soldiers and spearheaded the attack on Joyce Fortress. Wearing complete sets of equipment, no one could tell whether they were a human army.
In Ord Caste, Housekeeper Norma and Baron Burke stood on the walls, surveying the gradually approaching Steinbeck Fief’s army. On Norma’s beautiful face was confusion: she couldn’t believe that Steinbeck Fief’s army had so easily taken the bait. Judging from their prior record of crossing Aldington River and swiftly capturing Sieg Pier, the enemy commander was a true talent. Therefore, the other side must have seen through such an obvious trap. Such an elementary mistake was honestly incomprehensible.
Baron Burke, however, was much more relaxed. He often peeked at Norma’s rear. He would have long obtained this slim and slender figure if not for Earl Winissa’s protection. Now that Earl Winissa was missing, this was his best chance. Whether it were Steinbeck Fief’s army, Housekeeper Norma, or even Viscount Carlisle, all were acting by his lines. The final winner was destined to be him.
“Baron Burke, many thanks for your assistance and stratagems! Merely… why is the enemy so stupid? Isn’t this too simple? Can Viscount Carlisle be trusted?”
“In front of a pie falling from the sky, no one can resist the temptation. As long as the enemy commander is human, she or he will definitely be hooked. This is a weakness of human character. Viscount Carlisle is the same. He will definitely dispatch all his troops to capture Sieg Pier.”
“Well, truly, Baron Burke, you usually have a sloppy appearance, but I never thought that at the critical moment, you would have so many stratagems. If only Earl Winissa were here, I would have advised her to change her view of you. I wonder how she is now!”
Housekeeper Norma focused on the battle; she had overlooked one point. Since Baron Burke was so good at scheming, it was likely that she too had been included within his schemes. Baron Burke had hidden himself so deeply that Norma still couldn’t see through his real intentions.
