The Exiled Lord: My Maid is a Battle Goddess

Chapter 358: Intentions to Surrender

"Watch out! The arrows are poisoned!"

A soldier cried out in alarm.

Wherever the crossbow bolts struck, corruption immediately began to spread. The flesh swelled grotesquely as grayish-white corrupted tissue writhed beneath the skin. What had been nothing more than tiny puncture wounds rapidly became fatal injuries.

Large numbers of rebel soldiers screamed as the poison claimed their lives.

When they rose to their feet again, they had already been transformed into corrupted creatures.

"So the Corruption arrows really are effective."

Phield clicked his tongue in satisfaction.

"The trees growing within the Gray Mist are truly valuable. Burning them as firewood would have been such a waste."

The idea had come to him on a whim.

He never expected it to work so well.

Under the relentless barrage of firepower, the rebels below the walls could no longer endure the hellish battlefield.

They broke and fled.

Even after the overseers executed more than a dozen deserters on the spot, the rout could no longer be stopped.

Once the human soldiers retreated, the Corruption Divine Chosen, Clover, had no intention of leaving her undead to be bombarded alone.

She immediately ordered the undead forces to withdraw as well.

"Send the cavalry to finish off the wounded and burn every siege engine they failed to carry away."

Phield turned to Ben.

"Arrange shifts for the soldiers. Let them rest."

He swiftly finished issuing every necessary order.

"I didn’t even get to fight."

Rosalia tugged lightly at Phield’s sleeve and blinked.

"Why didn’t you let me attack?"

"We don’t have enough high-end combat power."

Phield smiled.

"We need to let them grow complacent and exhausted while gathering as much information as possible."

"The moment we make our move, we have to tear off a real piece of their flesh."

"Otherwise, no matter how many undead we kill, we won’t recover our losses."

Most sieges lasted for months.

The famous Fishing City had even held out for thirty-six years.

The border fortress occupied an ideal defensive position.

It was wedged between endless mountain cliffs, with Nightfall Domain protecting its northern side.

There was only one direction from which it could be attacked.

Meanwhile...

Within the Gray Mist.

Richard looked around at the endless sea of mist.

The never-ending undead had long since exhausted his patience.

Every slave soldier had already perished.

The army’s morale had completely collapsed.

Complaints filled every corner of the camp, and more than a dozen soldiers had already deserted with Mist Dispelling Lamps.

"What a damned place."

Richard threw the map in his hand onto the ground and stomped on it several times.

"There isn’t even a single signpost."

"No wonder the expeditionary force failed to reclaim this place."

"We’re lost again."

"Damn it."

"Whose brilliant idea was it to convince me to attack Starnight Manor?"

"They deserve to die."

Richard’s Divine Chosen, Polly, giggled.

"Don’t be so angry, my lord."

"Our core strength hasn’t suffered much."

"As long as we find Starnight Manor, everything will get better."

Richard was already filled with regret.

He had completely underestimated the Northern Frontier Province.

He had also misjudged the terrain of Nightfall Domain.

"This whole expedition has been a disastrous investment."

"Phield must have made a deal with the Devil."

"That’s the only way he could move freely through the Gray Mist."

The environment within the Gray Mist was even harsher than snowy mountains or rainforests.

Once inside, darkness swallowed everything.

No one could even distinguish east from west.

On top of that, they had to fend off endless undead attacks at every moment.

Whoosh!

Something huge wrapped in white cloth suddenly flew out of the mist before crashing heavily onto the ground.

"What is that?"

"Be careful! Enemy attack!"

The soldiers cautiously approached and used their weapons to cut open the ropes.

The bundle unfolded.

Human heads rolled across the ground.

"Holy shit..."

"They’re human heads."

"Wait..."

"Isn’t that the steward?"

"And Fortress Officer Andrew!"

"Don’t tell me..."

"Has the fortress... and Bull Keep... already fallen?"

The moment everyone recognized the faces, the entire army erupted into chaos.

Just moments ago, they had been looking forward to returning home once this battle was over.

Now they suddenly realized something far worse.

They were still alive.

But home itself seemed to be gone.

"W... what?"

Richard stared blankly at the severed heads.

His mind turned into complete chaos.

"Watch out!"

An arrow suddenly shot through the mist.

Polly reacted instantly and caught it in midair.

"There’s a letter attached."

Tilting her head, she removed the envelope curiously.

"Let me see."

Richard accepted the letter with trembling hands.

Written across the front in elegant handwriting were the words:

Dear Baron Richard Bull,

You would never believe what has happened to your territory.

Your steward and the fortress officers betrayed the Empire. The Shadow World Sect and the undead have occupied every corner of Bull Territory, even the wardrobes of widows.

Fortunately, the Imperial Army arrived in time and wiped them out completely.

Your steward claimed that you had joined the rebels. However, considering the excellent reputation of House Bull and the fact that you departed from the fortress to eliminate the undead threatening Nightfall Domain, we believe there may be a considerable misunderstanding.

Please depart immediately and return to Bull Territory to explain yourself.

Of course, don’t forget to bring sufficient ransom money.

Richard’s mind exploded with a loud buzz.

The world spun violently around him.

His legs gave way, and he nearly collapsed.

"It’s over..."

"How could this happen?"

"I’ve only been gone for a few days..."

His lips trembled.

His face had become deathly pale.

"The Imperial Army couldn’t possibly have acted this quickly."

"My lord..."

"What should we do?"

"We should surrender."

"As long as we pay the ransom, we’ll survive."

"I said it from the beginning."

"The Empire is still powerful."

"We never should have betrayed it."

The mages and knights quickly gathered around Richard.

Fear had completely consumed them.

Judging from Richard’s expression alone, everyone understood.

Their rear was already gone.

As for attacking Starnight City...

No one wanted to remain in this cursed place any longer.

"W... we’re going back."

Richard pinned all his hopes on the letter’s final sentence.

Bring sufficient ransom money.

Among nobles, matters had always worked that way.

As long as one hadn’t truly offended someone important, nearly any mistake could be settled with enough gold.

"You mustn’t surrender, my lord."

After reading the entire letter, Polly smiled strangely.

"You know far too much."

"If you surrender, you’ll cause the Sect quite a bit of trouble."

"What do you mean?"

Richard snapped angrily.

"I am your lord."

"Are you planning to disobey my orders?"

"Of course not."

Polly smiled sweetly.

"I’m only making a suggestion."

"We should head for Maple Leaf Fortress."

"Our people are there."

"We’re going back to surrender."

Richard rejected her proposal without the slightest hesitation.

"As long as I surrender, offer enough compensation, and explain everything clearly, I’ll still keep my title as Baron."

"But if I flee..."

"I’ll become a wanted criminal."

"Exactly, Miss Polly."

One of the soldiers nodded bitterly.

"Our food and Mist Dispelling Lamps won’t last long enough to reach Maple Leaf Fortress."

After all, a force of well over a thousand people consumed enormous amounts of supplies every day.

Twin blades slowly slid from Polly’s sleeves.

A twisted smile spread across her lips.

"Then kill all the ordinary soldiers."

"The remaining supplies will be enough for the rest of us to escape."

"No."

Richard refused without hesitation.

"They’re the elite forces of my family."

"Without them, I’ll have one less bargaining chip when I surrender."

He climbed onto his warhorse and shouted,

"By my command!"

"We return to the border fortress immediately!"

"Heh..."

"You dream of accomplishing great things, yet you hesitate over every decision."

Shaking her head slightly, Polly let out a cold laugh before melting into the shadows beneath Richard’s feet.

Meanwhile, Phield was reviewing the battle records.

Night of July 22nd.

The second assault was successfully repelled.

Enemy losses: four hundred rebel soldiers and three thousand undead eliminated.

The rebels are suspected of possessing a Holy Light Divine Chosen. After deploying a protective barrier, she covered the advance of their ballistae, allowing them to destroy two Flame Towers and one catapult before withdrawing with injuries.