I JUST WANT A PEACEFUL LIFE

Half an hour after the Sur knights managed to get away from Traynia's encirclement, they finally reached the Thornbridge Hold safely. Unfortunately, it is not without loss. Only around twenty people managed to return from the forty elite Sur knights.

Moreover, they are also heavily injured and will be out of combat for a while. This also includes Moi who immediately collapses and enters a mana deficiency state as soon as he reaches the hold. Furthermore, Moi also received some severe injuries from Duke Faltos.

It will take days before Moi is able to recover completely, even with the help of the best healer in the country. This situation left Thornbridge Hold with only two fifth-grade combatants, Baron Ivo and Viscount Eagle.

While Moi and Sur's knights recuperated, Ivo and Eagle didn't stay idle either and kept increasing the fortification of the whole Hold. Although they have a major advantage in terms of position and geography, they still need to deal with a thousand troops of Traynia's soldiers.

They also need to prepare if there is another magical canon like Fort Destroyer or something similar. Traynia kingdom may not be as big as the Heart kingdom or Nergal kingdom, but they are one of the advanced kingdoms in terms of weapon technology.

As Ivo and Eagle meet with their subordinate, "Reporting, Sir. We found Traynia's army advancing towards us. We also detect some kind of big weaponry among them." reported the detection unit.

"Hmm… Did you think they would try to attack us immediately?" asked Ivo.

"I am not sure. But, currently, we still don't get any kind of reinforcement, be it from the nearby major city or capital. According to you, the one that leads Traynia's army is Marquis Roach and Duke Valtos." replied Viscount Eagle.

"Although there is not much knowledge about Duke Valtos besides his combat prowess, I know that old general Roach. If one thing describes him, it will be expecting the unexpected." added Viscount Eagle.

"I see. Then, I will rest first and prepare my men." said Baron Ivo.

"Sure. Leave the fortification matter to me." replied Viscount Eagle.

Baron Ivo may be able to kill fourth-grade combatants easily. However, it also consumed a lot of his mana. During his last battle, Ivo nearly consumed half of his mana repertoire.

As a full-fledged fifth-grade combatant, Ivo has enormous mana, yet he still consumes half of his mana in a short battle.

Although he could easily restore his mana using a high-grade mana potion, it is not advisable to consume a potion during the war, especially in such a long fight.

Usually, combatants will immediately rest or do some meditation to restore their mana as naturally as possible. Mana potions have their own restrictions. One of them is that it couldn't be consumed many times in a short period.

Excessive use of mana potion also could easily let combatants fall into mana deficiency states like Moi's current situation. Two hours passed and the Traynia's didn't stop their advancement.

Currently, Traynia's army is located a few kilometers away from Thornbridge Hold. As the Traynia's army didn't show signs of retreating, Ivo and Eagle immediately gathered their force, ready to battle.

Suddenly, the Traynia's big weapons stop on their spot and shoot a concentrated mana ball towards the Thornbridge Hold. *BAM* *BAM* *BAM*

"Intercept them!!" shouted Viscount Eagle.

Some magicians and artillery units immediately release their own attack to intercept the incoming attack. *BOM* *BOM* *BOM* Fortunately, they destroyed all the projectiles. Otherwise, their hold will be destroyed by such bombardment.

"Tch.. Another long-range magic cannon." grumbled Baron Ivo.

Ordinary magic cannons could only shoot a few hundred meters up to 1 kilometer maximum. Traynia's magic cannons surpass this distance and could shoot from a few kilometers away. Hence, Thornbridge Hold's situation is quite bad.

Because of the last impact from the Fort Destroyer, all their defensive barriers were destroyed, along with all the trap runes on the ground. Moreover, their hold's wall is riddled with various cracks that could collapse anytime.

Although Viscount Eagle tried to increase the fortification and repair the crack, not much could be done in two hours. In summary, Thornbridge Hold is almost wholly stripped from all its defensive mechanisms.

Therefore, Viscount Eagle and Baron Ivo need to intercept all the incoming magic cannons to protect their vulnerable Hold. Unlike the Fort Destroyer, the Traynia's magic cannon could shoot every few minutes, which made the magician and artillery unit overwhelmed.

Viscount Eagle and Baron Ivo even need to step in to protect their wall. *BOM* *BOM* *BOM* Various kinds of explosions in front of the Thornbridge Hold. While they keep their bombardment, Traynia's soldiers begin to advance faster towards the Hold.

Since the magician and artillery unit were busy intercepting the enemy magic cannon, Traynia's army could advance without too much obstruction. They only need to be careful of the incoming magic cannon and the explosion in the air.

In the meantime, hundreds of kilometers away from the Thornbridge Hold, inside the Heart Kingdom, an army is marching towards Thornbridge Hold led by Count Rich Dyer. They marched at a steady pace, not too fast but not too slow.

Normally, when there is an attack on the Thornbridge Hold, the nearby city will send an army as fast as possible. However, any reinforcement also needs to preserve their power as much as possible. Otherwise, when they reach the battlefield, they will be exhausted and useless.

Under the pretext of saving their energy, Count Dyer deliberately slowed down their march. Some of the knights also noticed this, but they couldn't say anything since Count Dyer was their leader.

"Sir, we have secured the road ahead." reported the nearby knights.

"Ehh.. So fast. Why don't you check again? Send the scouts and check it once again." replied Count Dyer nonchalantly.

"But, sir. We have already investigated the whole area two times." replied the knight.

"Are you sure? What if there is a hidden ambush ahead. Do you want to take the responsibility if we get ambushed by your carelessness?" replied Count Dyer.

Hearing the Count's response, the knight could only grit his teeth and clench his fist.

'Damn… He is really deliberately slowing us down. At this rate, my brother…" thought the knight.

Looking at the silent knight, "Milton, I know you are a capable knight with a bright future ahead. But currently, I am the one in charge. So, I suggest you shut up your mouth and follow my command." reprimanded Count Dyer.

"Yes, sir." replied Milton shortly before going away.

'Tch… What a fool knight. Did he think a battle is only fighting through force? I slow down the reinforcement so that Eagle and Ivo will look like they are on their losing end. When the time is right, I will save the Thornbridge Hold and win the battle.'

'This way, I will definitely get a lot of merits. Maybe I will get raised in my rank and become a duke. Hahaha…' thought Count Dyer inwardly.

Suddenly, a bright red light passed near him. *Wung* Count Dyer and his subordinate couldn't help but be on their guard. However, nothing happened after a while of silence. They even think it is only a reflection of the sun.

After a moment of confusion, Count Dyer notices a large group of combatants approaching them at a fast speed. Unlike his knights who used Ersi horse to save their stamina, the approaching group is wearing full metal armor and running on their feet.

Most of the group consists of women and running at incredible speed, which shows that they are at least fourth-grade combatants. Using his perception, Count Dyer notices an emblem with the shape of a few sparkling red stars on their armor.

"That's the Flash squad!!" said Count Dyer.

Hearing Count Dyer's exclamation, the nearby knights begin to calm down as they know it is one of their own.

'Why the hell are they here?! Were they also part of reinforcement?' thought count Dyer.

Just as he wanted to welcome the squad, the Flash squad didn't stop and passed through without even glancing at Count Dyer. Soon, they had already become small dots on the horizon.

The Flash squad is famous for being the fastest squad in the Heart kingdom. In terms of speed, no other squad could beat them.

"Damn.. How dare they ignore me, a Count!! Just because they are under..  Wait.. crimson light.. Flash Squad." grumbled Count Dyer.

Getting a sudden revelation, "Fuck!! Everyone hurry towards Thornbridge!! March at full speed!!" shouted Count Dyer while riding his horse and forced it to run at full speed.

Soon, the confused knights immediately follow Count Dyer without asking more questions. In the meantime, the situation in Thornbridge Hold became more perilous. *Bom* *Crack*

"Damn.. Paul, the wall could not hold any longer!! We need to evacuate now or it will cause serious damage to our men." said Baron Ivo while deflecting the incoming attack.

The Thornbridge Hold's wall is a massive wall that could hold hundreds of soldiers at once. If the wall crumbles while the soldiers are on it, many soldiers could die and be heavily injured.

However, they also couldn't just abandon the wall. After the wall is destroyed, they will be forced to fight on equal ground with only a big river as their defense advantage.