Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start

Chapter 499: Chapter 472: Defection

Melis finished her meditation. Her depleted Magic Power and Spiritual Power had recovered considerably. She opened her eyes and surveyed the simple main hall of the camp.

It was quite crude, like the castle of a destitute Baron.

In terms of defensive strength, West Wind Hill was not as formidable as Watchtower Castle.

However, if war broke out, the battlefield was bound to be at Watchtower Castle, not here.

There was no point in discussing the adequacy of West Wind Hill’s defenses.

’Ridder is the Commander here, and he’s left the camp. It must be for something urgent.’

She easily surmised that the Oduin Kingdom was likely preparing to take military action.

After all, given the Tricia Kingdom’s recent troubles, she wouldn’t have let this opportunity slip by either, had she been in command.

As she was mulling this over, she suddenly felt her heart clench, an inexplicable tightness filling her chest.

Before she could dwell on the feeling, a tall, handsome man walked in from outside, his shock of silver hair immediately drawing her attention.

Melis quickly stood and bowed, offering a sincere greeting. "Melis Carmen of Watchtower Castle. It is a great honor to meet you, esteemed Marquis of Moonlight Valley."

"Lady Meris, welcome!"

Ronin stepped forward and shook her hand. "I’ve long heard that the Carmen Clan of Watchtower Castle has a young Mage. Seeing you today, I see the rumors are true!"

"I am nothing compared to you," Melis said modestly.

The two exchanged some pleasantries, then sat down.

Ronin was the first to speak. "The last time I spoke with your brother, Placido, we didn’t reach an agreement, but we did leave the door open for cooperation. What news have you brought me this time?"

Melis took a deep breath. She had rehearsed this conversation in her mind many times, so she knew exactly what she needed to say.

"Two days ago, the Commander-in-Chief of Mist City, Count Ural, sent an order demanding that we defend Watchtower Castle with all our might and hold out as long as possible until the Kingdom’s reinforcements arrive at the front line."

Ronin was a little surprised. "Mist City is sending you more reinforcements?"

Melis shook her head. "There are no new reinforcements."

Ronin laughed. "Then how do you plan to hold out?"

Melis sighed. What came next was the heart of the matter—a choice that would completely alter her family’s destiny.

Having come this far, she felt no hesitation.

Melis went over Count Ural’s order again, this time explaining her family’s predicament in Giant Dragon City as well.

"My lord, to ensure my family’s safety, please forgive us, but we cannot surrender to you directly. Moreover, there are outside Knight Orders in Watchtower Castle that are not fully under our control."

Melis said gravely, "Therefore, this battle is unavoidable!"

’So that’s it,’ Ronin thought. ’Placido wants to surrender, but he can’t just open the gates. His family is being held hostage, and the forces defending Watchtower Castle aren’t united.’

"So, tell me," Ronin asked, "how do you plan to fight this battle?"

Melis stood up and produced a large sheet of paper. It was a detailed layout of Watchtower Castle, covered in clear markings.

"My brother and I have already discussed the defense plan. This is a detailed troop distribution map."

Ronin walked over to examine it.

Placido’s cartography was impressive, Ronin had to admit. It was clearly the work of a professionally trained hand.

As Melis explained, Ronin gained a complete understanding of Watchtower Castle’s overall defensive arrangement.

’Although Melis didn’t state it outright, I understand. In his defensive plan, Placido has completely separated his own men from the reinforcing Knight Order and Mage Squad sent from Mist City.’

’Simply put, their units are positioned apart, with no cooperation between the different Knight Orders, or between the Knights and Mages.’

’It’s clearly deliberate. The purpose is self-evident.’

Worried Ronin might not have noticed the subterfuge, Melis spelled it out. "Although this war is unavoidable, I hope that when you attack, my lord, you can show some consideration for Watchtower Castle’s forces. Please direct the brunt of your assault toward the Knight Order from Mist City."

Ronin laughed. "Are you trying to use me to eliminate the uncontrollable forces within Watchtower Castle?"

Melis didn’t deny it. "People are going to die regardless. I just hope fewer of our own do, which would benefit you as well. As for Likard’s Knight Order, their Leader, Likard himself, never showed up. The man in charge is just a squad captain, a Golden Knight, not even the Vice Leader."

’In the beginning, they had actually believed that nonsense—that their Leader, Likard, would arrive before the battle. Now, it was clear he was never coming.’

’So, Count Ural had planned all along to sacrifice Watchtower Castle, along with its reinforcing Knight Order and Mage Squad.’

It was precisely because Placido saw through this, and under pressure from multiple factors—coercion, the Alien Race, and more—that he finally chose to surrender and pledge fealty to Ronin.

And this way, in the eyes of the outside world, it would look different from outright betrayal.

If Placido simply opened the gates and surrendered, he would undoubtedly be branded a traitor.

However, if he were captured after a defeat and then surrendered, it would be far better for his reputation.

But either way, it would be difficult to ensure the safety of their relatives in Giant Dragon City.

Placido was left with no other choice.

He didn’t even know if his son and daughter were still alive.

If they were already dead, and he and Melis were to die as cannon fodder in this war, the Carmen Clan would be utterly destroyed.

It was a gamble he dared not take.

After hearing Melis’s explanation, Ronin nodded. "I understand. But war is merciless. I can’t guarantee your people won’t suffer casualties."

Melis bowed. "Preserving as many of our troops as possible would be more than enough!"

Ronin sat back down, pondering another question.

"I’m curious, does your Carmen Clan have a grudge against Count Ural?"

He asked, "Why would he rather use you as cannon fodder than send reinforcements or allow a temporary retreat?"

’If I were in his shoes,’ Ronin thought, ’facing a hopeless situation, I’d have Placido and his troops fall back to Mist City. We’d concentrate our forces for one last stand, not just leave Watchtower Castle to be sacrificed.’

’Of course, the official excuse was to slow West Wind Hill’s advance.’

’It might stall them for a day or two, but then what?’

’Could reinforcements from the Tricia Kingdom possibly reach Mist City in just one or two days?’

Melis shook her head. "Both our clan and Count Ural are Vassals of the Kingdom. In theory, we’re independent of each other, and we’ve had no conflicts over the years."

She and Placido couldn’t understand his motives either.

Furthermore, as far as she knew, several other garrisons had also received orders to hold their ground, but their situations were not so dire as to be considered cannon fodder.

After all, those garrisons had Silver Moon Knights or multiple Meteor Knights stationed there, and they weren’t facing the dreaded Proud Sun Knight and Giant Dragon. Their situation was much better than Watchtower Castle’s.

Ronin still couldn’t grasp the key to the situation. He found himself studying Melis’s expression, wondering if she was holding something back, playing at a feigned surrender.

"Is something wrong, my lord?"

’He’s staring at me,’ Melis thought, a little surprised by his scrutinizing gaze. ’Could he be expecting... a game between a man and a woman?’

’But I heard he just recently married Her Highness, the Princess of the Oduin Royal Family.’

’Still, such transactions were often part of a surrender in wartime, so it wouldn’t be surprising.’

"My lord, please state any requests you may have. The Carmen Clan and I will do our utmost to satisfy you!"

Ronin averted his gaze and smiled. "We’ll proceed with the plan you and Placido have laid out."

’Even though I can’t detect any hint of deception in her expression, I can’t let my guard down once the battle begins. I’ll proceed with the attack as planned, regardless.’