Chapter 272: A Good Bow

When the gates of Boulder Castle were blasted open, the outcome of this war was already sealed.

Korain had not held out for even a single day, far too short a time to await rescue by the Brand Bandit Group from Red Hill Town.

Roning, mounted on his Cloud-Treading Steed, stepped into the colossal fortress amidst the lingering haze of gunpowder smoke.

"Haha, Roning, I never imagined you had a Silver Knight under your command."

Marvin walked up with a smile, "Tell us, Rydal, were you at the Silver level from the very beginning?"

Rydal remained noncommittal.

Shifting the topic, Roning said, "This Brissot is a Gold Knight and must be guarded strictly. Furthermore, how is Korain?"

"Tolu severed his arm; he is gravely wounded and unconscious. However, a Silver Knight possesses a hardy physique, so he won't die anytime soon."

"Have his wounds bandaged. Once the hostilities conclude, we will escort him to Black Mountain Castle and hand him over to Lord Marquis for judgment."

Conversing as they walked, Roning and his companions entered the castle.

Just two days prior, they had entered this place as guests; now, they were its masters.

One could not help but wonder whose fief the Boulder Territory would become following this wartime liquidation.

With Boulder Castle captured, the subsequent tasks involved controlling the knights and servants within, as well as taking inventory of the property.

Inside the fortress of Boulder Castle, most of the leaders from the noble coalition were already present, listening to the reports of their subordinates.

First, none of Korain's family members were among the captives; evidently, before the noble coalition could arrive, he had already relocated his entire family, and no one even knew where they had gone;

Second, the wealth within Boulder Castle was not nearly as abundant as imagined, consisting of fewer than three thousand gold coins, with few other valuable jewels, likely carried away by Korain when he moved his family.

Upon hearing this report, a chill settled into everyone's hearts; their dreams of making a grand fortune evaporated.

"Roning, how do you intend to handle these spoils of war?" Tolu inquired.

Though it was inevitable that some individuals would privately pocket spoils during the inventory of war, the distribution was largely determined by the commander.

In the past, whenever Wiggins won a victory, he would claim he needed time to devise a distribution scheme.

At first, everyone had genuinely believed him, thinking that such a scheme would appear in three to five days at most.

Yet who could have foreseen that this scheme would be delayed until now, while those spoils had long since become Wiggins's private property.

As Wiggins's son, how would Roning handle it?

For Roning, this battle was a demonstration of his capabilities; his every move would be scrutinized by this group of nobles and knights.

His intrinsic strength was one aspect, but his capacity for command, his demeanor toward others, and his method of distributing spoils all influenced their perception of him.

If he truly wished to grow grand and powerful in the future, he required followers.

Therefore, Roning naturally would not commit such a foolish error as Wiggins had.

"Regarding the spoils, Tolu, you shall select a few representatives from the noble coalition to draft a distribution plan, allocating them generally according to the number of men each noble brought and their level of contribution, while showing a bit more consideration for those nobles who suffered heavier losses."

After all, others had participated in the war out of their own pockets, and some had even laid down their lives; it would be utterly unreasonable not to let them receive a portion of the spoils.

Moreover, to Roning, a few thousand gold coins, jewels, and the armor and weapons from Korain's knights were all secondary; the things that could not be carried away were what truly mattered.

Hearing these words, the eyes of the crowd lit up.

With such an arrangement, everyone would gain a share of the benefits, making their arduous efforts worthwhile, and their satisfaction with this young commander grew even deeper.

"My Lord, a report has just been received from the scout cavalry; the forces of the Brand Bandit Group have departed Red Hill Town and are advancing toward the Boulder Territory."

News of Boulder Castle's fall had evidently not yet reached the ears of the Brand Bandit Group, who naturally assumed Korain was still resisting.

"Philip, you will remain responsible for scouting the enemy; Solstein, lead your men to reinforce the blockade of Boulder City, ensuring no one leaves, particularly to the south."

The moment the noble coalition entered Boulder City, Roning had already instructed personnel to seal the city gates and forbid entry or exit, precisely to prevent anyone from sneaking out to relay information.

Now that Boulder Castle had fallen, if the bandit group discovered Korain had been defeated, they would likely retreat to defend Red Hill Town.

"Additionally, have the messenger birds of Boulder Castle send a missive to Red Hill Town, stating that the noble coalition possesses meager combat capability, that Baron Korain has repelled two waves of attacks, and that as dusk is now falling, both sides have ceased fighting, hoping Amicus can arrive to reinforce them as quickly as possible."

Hearing this, the crowd could not help but display sinister smiles.

The men of the Brand Bandit Group would likely rejoice greatly upon receiving such news; after all, if Korain could hold off the noble coalition using only his castle, once their two forces combined, they would surely devour the noble coalition completely.

They also realized that fighting under a commander like Roning meant they did not need to tax their brains with complex matters; they only needed to lead their men in the charge.

That night, outside Boulder Castle, the noble coalition pitched their tents, maintaining the appearance of besieging the castle, while cavalry patrolled outside the camp to bar anyone from approaching.

Inside Boulder Castle, however, fires blazed brightly as the leaders of the noble coalition tallied their respective spoils.

Inside Roning's chamber.

"My Lord, this bow and twenty-three magic-infused arrows are for you."

Rydal handed the longbow once used by Baron Korain to Roning, introducing it:

"According to Tolu, the string of this longbow was crafted by a grand master artisan using the tendons of a tier-three magical beast, the Iron-Armored Bristle Ox, and its market price is estimated to reach over two thousand gold coins!"

"So formidable?"

Roning accepted the longbow; it did not feel heavy in his hand, and in terms of appearance, it seemed unremarkable save for its dark red string.

Exerting a gentle force, he unexpectedly failed to draw the bowstring.

"It really is rather taut."

Sighing in admiration, Roning increased his strength; with a creaking groan from the longbow, the string was drawn back by him, and then he released his grip.

"Thwang!"

The bowstring snapped back, producing a tremendous sound that vibrated through Roning's entire arm; had he not held it tightly, he might have suffered the embarrassment of losing his grip.

"A longbow crafted from magical beast materials, coupled with magic-infused arrows—no wonder Korain could pierce through that high knight's battle-qi armor and steel plate with a single shot; this bow is indeed exceptionally powerful!"

Roning looked at the arrows in Rydal's hands; the bow and arrows together possessed a value exceeding three thousand gold coins, making these men truly endearing.

Unfortunately, among his subordinates, it seemed only Clamy and Baburin possessed the wind attribute.

Yet they were merely intermediate knights, and using this bow would be somewhat taxing for them.

"Rydal, it appears that once this war concludes, you will have to teach me how to use a bow and arrow."

For a professional knight, besides swordsmanship and horsemanship, archery was also one of the essential skills to master.

"With your strength as a mage, My Lord, you possess a natural advantage in terms of precision; archery will pose no problem for you."

Meanwhile, outside Boulder City.

Having marched for an entire day, the Brand Bandit Group was currently encamped to recover their strength.

"Is there any word from Boulder City?" Amicus inquired of his deputy.

"The noble coalition has already blockaded Boulder City, and our people inside cannot get out at all."

Haldane wore a look of anxiety; without news from within, a heavy stone always seemed to weigh upon his heart.

"Moreover, the noble coalition has deployed scouts to track our movements. I approached stealthily to observe, and there is a detachment of cavalry guarding the outskirts of Boulder City, clearly on alert against us."

"They are not so foolish as to not realize we would reinforce Korain."

While the four men were deliberating inside the main tent, a cavalryman strode in quickly, "My Lord, this is a letter delivered post-haste from the messenger bird keeper in Red Hill Town."

Amicus walked over quickly, took it into his hands, and began to read.

Corien held firm!”

A smile spread across his face as he cursed under his breath: “These noble alliances are truly worthless—so many men, and they can’t even take a single castle.”

The heavy stone in Haldan’s chest finally settled.

“We’re only a dozen miles from Stonehaven. We’ll set out at first light tomorrow—we’ll reach the Stonekeep before it falls.”

Suddenly, Lanivisa whispered, “Could this letter be forged?”

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

“Don’t worry—it’s genuine,” Amicus said, pulling out the previous letter from his pocket. “Look, the handwriting is identical.” (End of chapter)