Chapter 203 Chapter 202 Arrogance
All foolish viewpoints sound reasonable until their foolishness is proven.
For instance, the knights, including Duke Casson, believed that the beastmen had suffered a severe blow. This was supported by historical records; the Duchy of Casson was merely one duchy within the Knight Country of Bartol, and given the territory, how many beastmen could possibly be left?
So, while the Mother of Beasts led her beastmen to sneak up from the rear, most knights paid it little mind. To them, it was merely a remnant force of the Mother of Beasts, making a last-ditch effort.
But the cruel reality brutally crushed this optimistic and arrogant viewpoint.
More than thirty one-eyed giants emerged from behind the hills, occupying all the exits, their terrifying giant eyes fixated on the encircled sixty thousand Bartol army, their gaze chilling, as if they were watching food in a boiling pot.
They bore huge stones on their shoulders, their thick and sturdy fur strewn with fallen leaves and dirt, and with every step they took, soil mixed with leaves fell to the ground.
Duke Casson was stunned. In his youth, he had followed the chivalric code, venturing into the forest to seek out powerful foes, single-handedly killing a one-eyed giant, proving his courage and chivalric faith, earning the title of Giant Butcher.
But this Giant Butcher had never seen as many one-eyed giants combined as he did at that moment.
Even Jima, who possessed the memories of a demon king and could be considered rich in life experience, had never seen so many one-eyed giants gathered in one place.
Were they here for a buffet? This was just a duchy; how did the Mother of Beasts gather so many one-eyed giants? Did she give birth to them all?
Jima glanced at Duke Casson and saw that he was still in shock.
A sense of satisfaction inexplicably rose in her heart, a feeling of “serves you right for not listening to me.” Really foolish; in this cruel world, fools are ultimately eliminated, becoming the stepping stones for the strong to shine. It’s a pity that I, too, have become a stepping stone because of this stepping stone. Weaklings are truly detestable.
“Hah.” The Black Knight laughed at this moment, “Everyone is lucky; two days ago, someone envied my title of ‘Giant Butcher,’ and now there are thirty-eight ‘Giant Butchers’. George, if you’re not brave today, don’t expect to earn a slot.”
George ignored the Black Knight; he didn’t even hear the provocation, for his eyes were fixed on the Mother of Beasts, who was surrounded by her own offspring, over a kilometer away.
The Mother of Beasts lowered the adult beastman she had been holding, raised her head, and looked at the small form of George in the distance, a motherly smile on her face.
The other knights also regained their composure and exclaimed, “Finally, a truly tough battle is upon us.”
“It’s no longer just chasing frightened beasts; we can finally show our zeal for the goddess.”
Duke Casson smiled as well, turning to his attendant and saying, “Sound the retreat howl; let the knights stop the chase. A hard battle is on the way.”
The howl of retreat sounded.
Those who had been chasing fleeing beastmen and preparing to confront the one-eyed giants reluctantly backed away. It was less about strict discipline and more about their realization that many enemies had come to support the retreating beastmen. Continued pursuit would lead to a fierce battle.
The knights began to regroup, facing the encirclement formed by the thirty-eight one-eyed giants.
The infantry recalled the terrifying scene of boulders falling from the sky a few days earlier, and their hands trembled; some even cried out.
The knights laughed loudly: “Cowardly peasants.”
Perhaps it was true pride, or perhaps mere disdain for peasants, as they tried hard to show themselves superior.
The noble knights chatted and laughed, each one more composed than the last.
Duke Casson was questioning a Pegasus Knight about the enemy’s situation and numbers.
The situation looked grim; although their numbers were not as many as last time, they were still considerable, starting in the tens of thousands, with many beastmen advancing towards the exit, intending to trap the Bartol army in this basin.
Jima found it troublesome.
To encircle an army, the required numbers should start at three times the size. A besieged army only has to deal with one side of the enemy, but here, with the hilly terrain, the passable routes are narrow, making it difficult to leverage numerical superiority.
Moreover, the enemy had a significant number of one-eyed giants, whose massive bodies granted them battlefield mobility, and their terrifying strength allowed them to hurl boulders the size of carts at distant enemies.
As soon as they discovered the Bartol army concentrating their forces to break out in one direction, they could easily focus their ranged firepower to support one point, thwarting the charge.
Jima even felt uncertain about her ability to successfully lead a breakout.
At this moment, Duke Casson pointed arrogantly at the Mother of Beasts with his whip, saying:
“Take your eyes off the stinking one-eyed giants; this is the real culprit. Whoever can cut that woman’s body from her disgusting, bloated form will be the hero of the Duchy of Casson, the champion warrior of the entire army, and the most favored knight of the lake goddess.”
The knights happily echoed him.
Jima observed their expressions and realized they genuinely thought so, feeling too lazy to speak.
This was like a lantern in the middle of the night, pointing straight to a latrine—seeking death.
Although there were no one-eyed giants around the Mother of Beasts, the strong beastmen surrounding her and the two hundred minotaurs, along with her personal strength, made the difficulty of breaking through highest from all directions.
Otherwise, the Mother of Beasts wouldn’t personally lead her army to block the Bartol army’s escape route—simultaneously the largest and widest exit.
Jima realized her earlier thoughts were far too optimistic; leading a breakout? Would this arrogant group of knights follow orders and escape? It seemed they were all destined to die; not a single one would make it out alive.
Now Jima discovered that the Mother of Beasts was not an ordinary beastman; she understood the psychology of the knights quite well, accurately grasping the proud mindset of the Bartol knights.
The Mother of Beasts was serving up a big victory, nurturing the knights’ arrogant hearts with the blood of those who had once been Bartol peasants. Today she presented another bait, and the knights who took it were soaring with pride.
I’ll just go invisible later and sneak away into a dream world, avoiding being with those dead men.
Jima coldly stared at Duke Casson, deciding to waste a bit of his time when she made her escape, to see how this arrogant and foolish knight meets his end.
“Duke Casson.”
George could no longer stand by and wanted to offer further advice. Jima grabbed George’s hand and whispered, “No amount of good advice can stop a foolish mind.”
Perhaps it was because Duke Casson was wearing a helmet, hindering his hearing; in any case, he showed no response.
George glanced back at the thousands of infantry, a chaotic mass moving slowly, unfolding their lines under various flags and horn commands, considerably slower than a snail; it was impossible to arrange them before contact.
Jima struggled hard to inform about the reconnaissance results; the only benefit was giving the infantry some psychological preparation time, allowing them to die a bit less quickly.
But if Duke Casson were to decisively force a wedge through the encirclement now, surely more people could escape and survive.
George made up his mind, stepped forward, and shouted:
“Duke Casson! Now—”
“Oh, I understand.” Duke Casson laughed, “I’m sorry, I misunderstood the valuable intelligence you brought; please allow me to express my apologies to your lady.”
Jima looked up at Duke Casson, wondering what scheme he was plotting.
“I also know you’ve been regretting not personally killing a one-eyed giant in the last battle.” Duke Casson continued, “So, I’ll assign a unit to you; you may charge at whichever one-eyed giant’s head you feel it’s your fate to face, cutting down all the beastmen in your way, providing us with cover from behind.”
George furrowed his brow, opening his mouth to explain.
Jima tugged at George’s arm, standing on her toes to whisper in his ear:
“George, he’s lying, right?”
George nodded.
“Alright, just listen to him.” Jima said quietly, “He may have a bit more brains than he appears, and he knows we need to retreat.”
George’s expression was doubtful.
Jima understood George’s confusion.
If they were to retreat, then why not just say it outright and gather the elite forces to break through?
But Jima knew that some things should not be spelled out too clearly.
If Duke Casson said the word “retreat,” the knights above him would rebuke him based on chivalric codes and would not obey orders. The chivalric code forbids fleeing in battle, which is a tremendous shame for knights—unless everyone genuinely believes they cannot win.
But in the eyes of the hot-blooded knights, the Mother of Beasts? A walking honor at best.
George closed his mouth.
Duke Casson continued to watch the pair of them with a smile, and seeing Jima lower her hand from George’s ear, he pressed on:
“Are you ready to accept this honor?”
George nodded and asked, “And you?”
“As the commander and legal master of this land, I will lead the charge.” He drew his sword, turned to point at the distant Mother of Beasts, with his wife’s hairband fluttering from the hilt, proudly declaring: “Not to dishonor the blood of Gigeres.”
His ancestor was one of the twelve round table knights who founded the kingdom alongside the knight king.
Duke Casson looked around at the increasingly numerous knights and asked: “Will you charge with me?”
The surrounding knights cheered.
Jima again stood on her toes, fearing George wouldn’t understand the subtext:
“What he means is, he’s going to hold off the Mother of Beasts.”
Duke Casson dismounted at this moment, sword in hand, and walked towards George, saying:
“You are the knight I admire most, brave and virtuous, but it’s a pity you do not wish to become a knight lord.”
George replied, “Now is also not the time.”
Duke Casson offered his sword to George: “Take my sword, I lend it to you for now; the knights will follow your command and strive for honor together.”
George took the hilt of the sword, wrapped with the hairband of Duke Casson’s wife, and asked, “When do I return it to you?”
Duke Casson smiled broadly, saying, “When we triumph and return to the Castle of Quinas, you may personally hand it back.”
Having said that, he patted George on the shoulder, his eyes revealing a hint of plea.
George nodded, saying, “I will give it to the noblewoman.”
Duke Casson smiled again, turned around, mounted his steed, and rode off towards the Mother of Beasts, preparing to organize the attack.
And George turned around, heading in the opposite direction, using Duke Casson’s sword to summon the elite knights and organize the breakout.
The Black Knight was very dissatisfied, feeling that Duke Casson was showing favoritism, so he chased after George, volunteering to participate in the hunt for one-eyed giants to show George how it’s done.
George agreed.
Jima discussed with George, then took to the sky, looking for the best direction to break through, preparing to join George and the knights he led in the breakout.
The horn of attack sounded.
Jima looked back and saw Duke Casson leading thousands of knights, forming one cone after another, charging towards the army of the Mother of Beasts.
