Chapter 285: Barbarians Attack the City

At dusk, the guards standing watch atop the ancient stone City Wall of White Bird City stared at the black plumes of smoke rising in the distance. Gripped by grief and indignation, they tightened their hold on their spears.

The barbarian calamity!

The unpredictable thunder of hooves, the war paint smeared across barbarian faces, and the snow-bright gleam of curved blades were a nightmare for countless commoners throughout the Northern Province of the Rowe Kingdom.

Every year, barbarian invasions left shattered families and ruined homes in their wake. No one knew if the barbarians would come to their village tomorrow.

Suddenly, a soldier spotted a Goshawk flying through the distant sky.

"Quick! Report to Young Master Salok! The barbarians' Goshawk has appeared!"

The barbarians had a tradition of taming eagles. In daily life, Goshawks helped the barbarians hunt, and in war, Goshawks were their best scouts, because barbarian Wizards could share the birds' vision through magic.

Viscount Namisha's son, the acting lord of White Bird City—Salok—soon received the news and hastily summoned everyone for a council.

Salok's expression was grim as he looked over the gathered crowd.

"Everyone! The Goshawk has arrived!"

The crowd furrowed their brows. They all knew what this meant: the incoming barbarians were powerful enough to bring along a Wizard, a rare and mighty class.

But this was also to be expected. White Bird City was, after all, a major city in the Northern Province.

"Everyone, the barbarians might launch a night raid tonight," Salok continued. "We need to stand guard in shifts to ensure the safety of the City Wall."

"Baron Mavi, Sir Soma, Sir Podoro... the five of you will take the first half of the night. Baron Mavi will be responsible for the patrol, Sir Soma will be responsible for the south gate, and Sir Podoro will be responsible for the west gate..."

"Baron Tedro, Sir Tom... your group of five will take the second half of the night. Baron Tedro will be responsible for the patrol, and Sir Tom will be responsible for the south gate..."

"And I will lead the elites of White Bird City, ready to reinforce at a moment's notice!"

"Yes!" they answered in unison.

Having understood their respective tasks, the crowd dispersed and returned to their stations.

Baron Mavi also headed toward the temporary station housing the forces from Greenvine Town in White Bird City. Salok deeply valued Baron Mavi as a friend offering timely help, and had temporarily requisitioned five large courtyards to serve as their residence.

The first thing Baron Mavi did upon returning to the station was to order the kitchen to cook, allowing the soldiers to eat a hearty meal. A great battle was looming, and the soldiers would need ample stamina.

As the sun slowly sank below the horizon, Baron Mavi led his well-fed troops out to execute their mission.

The Greenvine Town forces were assigned to the patrol, which meant marching back and forth along the City Wall. On one hand, they had to guard against barbarian ambushes and stay ready for emergency reinforcements. On the other hand, they had to supervise the soldiers guarding the City Wall to ensure they did not neglect their duties, while simultaneously inspecting the defenses to check for any gaps.

Baron Mavi allocated four hundred soldiers to join the city defense forces, then personally led his one hundred elites on patrol back and forth along the City Wall.

A loud, clear eagle cry echoed from the sky. Frowning, Baron Mavi looked up at the Goshawk, feeling a surge of irritation.

The Goshawk always stayed safely beyond bow range, making archery useless against it. Furthermore, the beast flew so fast that only a Master-Tier Mage using Flight could catch up to it. Since there were no Master-Tier Mages in the city, they had no choice but to let it observe them.

Baron Mavi chose to ignore the Goshawk overhead and continued his patrol. The barbarians possessed no siege engines and could only rely on tools like grappling hooks to scale the walls, so he had to constantly guard against a sudden assault.

As the sky rapidly darkened, the torches on White Bird City's towers were lit early.

Suddenly, a troop of cavalry appeared at the rear of White Bird City. Hearing the commotion, Baron Mavi rushed over and looked out. When he saw the cavalry carrying the White Wolf Banner of the White Wolf Army, joy surged in his heart.

"Quick! Go notify Lord Salok! The Third Prince has arrived!"

One of Baron Mavi's trusted aides received the order and hastily sprinted toward the city.

It was not long before the nobles within White Bird City hurried to the gatehouse, gathering to observe the approaching cavalry in the distance.

Because the dim light restricted their vision, the nobles could only make out the banners and could not clearly see the riders' faces. Consequently, they did not dare to open the city gates directly.

Before long, the cavalry arrived just outside White Bird City. By the power of magic and the glow of the moon, the nobles clearly saw the men's faces and their White Wolf Army Standard-Issue Armor, and they breathed a long sigh of relief.

It truly was the Third Prince—Milem's reinforcements!

After all, the barbarians could never produce so many sets of White Wolf Army Standard-Issue Armor. Furthermore, the Rowe People and the barbarians had distinctly different facial features; due to year-round exposure to the wind and sun, the barbarians were much darker.

"Open the city gates! Prepare to welcome them!"

Having confirmed the newcomers' identities, the lord of White Bird City—Salok—led the nobles down from the gatehouse to welcome the Third Prince who had traveled from afar.

The king was growing old, and the four princes were fiercely fighting for the throne. Ambitious nobles across the Rowe Kingdom were picking sides.

The nobles of the Northern Province dreamed of exchanging their lands for territories in the South to rid themselves of the barbarian incursions. Therefore, more than half of the nobility chose to support one of the princes, hoping to earn kingmaking merit and change their family's fate. White Bird City belonged to the faction of the Third Prince—Milem.

Consequently, the moment the Third Prince entered the Northern Province, he rushed straight to the territory of his greatest northern supporter.

The city gates opened wide, and the drawbridge lowered over the moat, forming a solid bridge.

The nobles stepped outside the city to welcome him. The mounted White Wolf Army moved quickly, and as they wished, the nobles surrounded the Third Prince and escorted him to the Simir Family Castle in the center of White Bird City.

No matter the society, a lavish banquet was always the premier choice for welcoming an esteemed guest.

After the banquet, everyone gathered in the meeting room at the call of the Third Prince.

The meeting was short, but its impact was massive. Taking supreme command as a matter of course, the Third Prince proposed a proactive offensive.

To stand out among the four princes, simply defending the major cities was far from enough; he also needed to protect more villages and towns. If conditions permitted, annihilating the invading barbarians would be the ideal outcome.

Of course, the White Wolf Army had been marching all day. With both men and horses exhausted, a night of rest was absolutely necessary.

After the short meeting concluded, Baron Mavi excitedly returned to the City Wall. The Third Prince's arrival had given this war a new meaning. If he could establish merit on the battlefield and help the Third Prince ascend the throne, then anything was possible!

Baron Mavi took command back from his personal guard captain and continued his patrol duties with feverish enthusiasm. If his own negligence allowed the barbarians to scale the gatehouse, the consequences would be...

...

Several kilometers away from White Bird City, in a moonlit forest, the barbarian chieftain—Pomahan—sat casually on the ground. Forming a circle with five of his subordinates, they discussed how to attack White Bird City.

After suffering a setback at the hands of Viscount Namisha, Pomahan had led ten thousand tribesmen over the mountains. Upon slipping into the Rowe Kingdom, they marched straight for White Bird City. He was determined to destroy the city to repay Viscount Namisha for his previous "grace."

Pomahan had initially been eighty percent confident in his night raid. After all, White Bird City was not the heavily funded Midolan Fortress; its walls were not as high, it did not have as many elite soldiers, and it had fewer experts.

But with the arrival of the White Wolf Army, everything became unpredictable. Although Pomahan did not know the identity of the newcomer, anyone capable of leading the White Wolf Army had to be an important figure in the Rowe Kingdom.

A burly man covered in fat waved a hand the size of a palm-leaf fan and roared.

"I say we stick to the original plan! Tonight, we use grappling hooks to flip over the wall, open the city gates, and slaughter our way inside!"

This burly man was another chieftain serving under Pomahan—Mumuta, who possessed the strength of an early Master-Tier combatant.

Naturally, the army of over ten thousand barbarians did not solely consist of Pomahan's Muro Tribe. In fact, this massive army was composed of five barbarian tribes. Aside from Pomahan and Mumuta, the other three chieftains all possessed High-Tier strength.

Ignoring Mumuta's yelling on his left, Pomahan turned to ask the old man sitting on his right.

"Wizard Parmichel, what are your thoughts?"

Wizard was the barbarian term for a spellcaster. Because the Barbarian Tribe lacked systematic knowledge, their magical knowledge was passed down orally through the generations. A large barbarian tribe of tens of thousands usually had no more than ten spellcasters, and most of them were relatively useless Magic Apprentices. A High-Tier spellcaster like Parmichel was exceedingly rare.

It was precisely because the Muro Tribe possessed a Master-Tier powerhouse and a High-Tier spellcaster that Pomahan became one of the five vanguard leaders of the barbarians.

Hearing the chieftain's question, the elderly Wizard Parmichel opened his eyes, and a spark of wisdom flashed within his weathered blue pupils.

"I agree with Mumuta's proposal."

Pomahan frowned, feeling very surprised. As far as he was concerned, Mumuta's reckless proposal was a pile of dogshit.

However, spellcasters possessed wisdom far beyond that of ordinary barbarians and always served as the guides of their tribes. For this reason, Pomahan held Parmichel in the utmost respect.

Pomahan gestured for the old Wizard to continue.

The old Wizard unhooked the waterskin from his waist and moistened his throat before he spoke.

"There is undoubtedly a major figure of the Rowe Kingdom among the newly arrived White Wolf Army, and an eighty percent chance that they have a Master-Tier powerhouse. They have been traveling all day, so their men and horses must be exhausted right now. If we launch a sudden strike, we might just be able to wipe them all out. That way, you chieftains can establish great merit."

"Conversely, if we wait for them to rest and recover, the White Wolf Army will undoubtedly become our greatest threat. Therefore, we not only need to launch a surprise attack, but we must do it quickly, catching White Bird City completely off guard!"

Pomahan lowered his head in deep thought, weighing the pros and cons.

A moment later, he made his decision.

"Alright! We'll do it! If we don't succeed, we pull back immediately!"

"Wizard Parmichel! Your wisdom is far above ours. Please, draw up a battle plan!"

The old Wizard did not refuse. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment before extending a withered, wrinkled finger. With his blackened nail, he traced a crude map of White Bird City in the dirt.

"Look here. This is White Bird City's west gate. Chieftain Mumuta, you will lead a squad of elites to assault the west gate. You don't need to conquer the gate, but you must make as much noise as possible."

"No problem!"

Mumuta patted his chest, causing his fat to ripple.

The old Wizard continued.

"The Simir Family of White Bird City possessed a Master-Tier powerhouse. This Master-Tier powerhouse will inevitably be drawn to the commotion at the west gate. When that happens, Chieftain Pomahan will lead another squad of elites to assault the south gate and open it."

"Two hundred meters away from the south gate lies a dense forest. We will conceal the main army in the forest. They will wait for the chieftain to open the gates before launching their attack. Once inside the city, do not rush to kill; set fires first to distract the enemy."

"And then..."

Once the old Wizard finished speaking, Pomahan struck the ground with his fist and suddenly stood up.

"Good! That's how we'll do it!"

"Mumuta, you take your pick of the men! Once you've chosen, go wait for the signal outside the west gate."

"No problem!"

Mumuta patted his backside and left.

"Lamora! You are responsible for commanding the main army to conceal themselves in the forest by the south gate."

"Yes!"

"Hadimo! You stay by Wizard Parmichel's side and are not allowed to leave. If anything happens to Wizard Parmichel, I will chop off your head."

"Rest easy, Chieftain Pomahan. Leave Lord Parmichel's safety to me!"

...

At night, White Bird City's eight-meter-high City Wall was lined with torches, illuminating the ramparts as bright as day. Soldiers were stationed every five to ten steps, and squads of fully armed guards patrolled back and forth along the City Wall.

Baron Mavi, who was responsible for the first half of the night, stood atop the west gate's tower, observing the dark expanse of the land.

To prevent enemy ambushes, the land immediately surrounding almost every city's walls was artificially cleared into an open expanse. They did not even allow the grass to grow beyond thirty centimeters, and White Bird City was no exception.

The moonlight was brilliant tonight, and even though it was dark, the visibility was not poor. Thus, from his vantage point atop the gatehouse, Baron Mavi had a panoramic view of the grounds below.

Baron Mavi felt slightly relieved. A night like this was unsuitable for a sneak attack, so the probability of facing the barbarians during the first half of the night was quite low.

Even if the barbarians wanted to launch a surprise attack on White Bird City, they would choose the pitch-black hours of the second half of the night. By that time, avoiding the brunt of the barbarian assault would vastly improve his own chances of survival.

Or so Baron Mavi thought.

Suddenly, Baron Mavi noticed a patch of ground fifty meters outside the city gates shift slightly. His heart skipped a beat as he rubbed his eyes and stared intently at the anomaly.

The patch of turf moved again, and a drop of cold sweat slid down Baron Mavi's forehead.

Just in case The Gods were playing a joke on him and it was merely a porcupine or something similar, Baron Mavi unslung the longbow from his back, nocked an arrow, and fired.

Swish!

"Argh!"

"Enemy attack!!!"

The miserable scream shattered Baron Mavi's wishful thinking and prompted the barbarians beneath the City Wall to abandon their hiding. Mumuta immediately surged to his feet, unleashed a battle roar, and charged the City Wall with his club-like baton!

At the same time, the alerted soldiers hurriedly rang the alarm bells. The urgent clanging echoed over White Bird City, and the resting soldiers—who had gone to sleep with their weapons—rushed out of their rooms at top speed.

"Damn it!"

Inside the Simir Family Castle, the Third Prince—Milem—who had been asleep for less than an hour, heard the alarm bells and immediately climbed out of his comfortable bed.

In the city center, the Simir Family's Master-Tier Warrior—Tomaru—vaulted onto his black steed and cracked his whip, rushing toward the City Wall.

However, White Bird City was neither particularly large nor small. It would take him at least a full minute to reach the besieged city gate.

Distant water could not quench immediate thirst!

When he saw a burly man wrapped in near-solid qi braving the soldiers' volley of arrows and charging straight for the gates, Baron Mavi finally understood his situation.

To hell with this!

A Master-Tier powerhouse!

Only a Master-Tier powerhouse could erupt with such terrifying qi to block the soldiers' concentrated volleys. As a mere Level 6 Warrior, Baron Mavi lacked the confidence to confront a Master-Tier powerhouse head-on, so he hurriedly turned and ran.

A distance of several dozen meters took a Master-Tier powerhouse a mere five seconds to cross. Most of the guards only had time to fire a single volley before Mumuta charged right up to the base of the gatehouse.

"Haaargh!"

With a furious roar, Mumuta bounced up like a fleshy cannonball, leaping directly onto the eight-meter-high gatehouse!

The earlier shout of warning had exposed Baron Mavi's position. Now, Mumuta was absolutely livid, determined to pulverize the guy who had caused him to be exposed prematurely.

One by one, the baron's personal guards were smashed into bloody pulp by Mumuta. Wearing a hideous grin, Mumuta chased after Baron Mavi, who hadn't managed to flee far.

Understanding his situation, Baron Mavi abandoned his escape and drew the ancestral longsword on his back.