Chapter 183: Reinforcements

"Who is Lady Manet?" Sinuoli asked the Knight of the Sea God with a smile as Kangsitanting and Viscount Minaithir's subordinates conversed. He was quite curious about this woman who could sway the decisions of the town's lord and make him risk leaving the castle.

"Viscount Minaithir is the Duke's younger brother, the lord's own uncle. As for that woman, she is a Damsel who serves the one in the lake, though whether she truly deserves that title is open to debate."

Sinuoli nodded. Ordinary women in Bretonnia lacked political and military influence, but the priestesses of the Lady of the Lake were different. These individuals were all female and divided into three ranks: Fay Enchantress, Prophetess, and Damsel.

The Fay Enchantress would keep an eye on any child within Bretonnia born with innate magical talent, visiting their homes before they reached puberty to take them away for training.

Except for a small portion from particularly wealthy families who knew some of the inside story—these lucky ones would be sent to the Empire across the mountains to study magic.

It was said that these boys with magical power never appeared again. After a period of time, those girls would return to Bretonnia as Damsels, having mastered supernatural powers derived from the Lady of the Lake.

"We must go and see! Viscount Minaithir is my own uncle." Kangsitanting turned his horse around and suggested to Sinuoli.

"How long is the journey?" Sinuoli looked at the sun gradually disappearing on the horizon and calculated.

"Less than two hours by horse. If the master hasn't returned after this long, something must have happened!" The steward also chimed in anxiously from the side.

"How many men does he have?" Sinuoli asked again.

"Two Knights, seven or eight Mounted Squires, and that Lady," the Knight added this time.

"By Grimnir!" Sinuoli cursed inwardly, which made it somewhat difficult for him to judge the situation. In his past life, ten people would basically be dead, especially since a day and a night had already passed.

But now, these were ten elites, and with a spellcaster's help, if they had suitable defensive terrain to rely on, it wasn't impossible to hold out. If a high-ranking noble and a spellcaster were killed because of his own misjudgment, it would still be hard to answer for.

"Less than two hours by horse, so we wouldn't arrive until midnight!" Sitelinge was also calculating; this Prince sensed the atmosphere of war and became excited.

"I think it would be better if we go tomorrow morning. According to the records of our ancestors, we have no advantage fighting the Undead in the middle of the night, and we have already marched for a day. If we rush over now, the warriors will be very exhausted!" Sitelinge gave his judgment, which was undoubtedly a sound idea.

"They can hardly hold out for another night..." Kangsitanting knew Sitelinge's influence over this army, so he hurriedly began to argue.

Sinuoli tugged at his beard. Both sides were speaking the truth. If the Viscount had already met with misfortune, there was no reason for the leading enemy not to attack the town that had lost its leader. But the possibility that they were doing it on purpose to lure reinforcements could not be ruled out.

"If only we had Pegasus Knights or a Helicopter now!" Sinuoli thought once again. He did not like this situation where the map was pitch black and he could only rely on his own experience and war sense to make judgments.

However, he knew he could not delay. The movements and future outcome of this Dwarf army were basically in the hands of himself, this ancestor-chosen one, and he needed to make a responsible decision as soon as possible.

"Send two Knights of the Sea God, take more horses from the town, and ride in shifts to scout!" Sinuoli narrowed his eyes slightly and gave his order.

"Even going and coming back would take..."

"Take this!" Sinuoli pulled a Rune telegraph from his pocket and threw it over. "The little bit of magical power you have is enough to activate it. If the Viscount is still holding out, send long-short-long; if he has already met with misfortune, send three shorts in a row and come back quickly!"

Sinuoli demonstrated as he spoke. The Knights of the Sea God nodded as they looked at the two glowing squares, then they mounted the horses brought out and rode off, whipping their steeds.

"Notify the warriors, do not remove your armor, eat and rest on the spot!" Sinuoli issued the order again. Soon, the Viscount's steward brought out several carts of food; if his master died in battle, he would inevitably suffer some consequences.

Amidst orderly eating and anxious waiting, as the sun completely set, the Rune telegraph lit up with the long-short-long message. "They can certainly hold out. Set off, we are going to save them!" Sinuoli sprang up and issued the command.

After a clatter of armor, the Dwarf army was quickly ready for battle. "Bring my anvil over." Sinuoli sat on his seat; this thing was bought for a heavy price, and it was fine not to use it usually, but not using it during battle would be overcorrecting.

"The victory in the oracle of the god Grimnir lies ahead! Comrades, forward!" Sinuoli sat on his stone chair, pointed with his hammer, and the great army set off.

Twirling the one-handed Warhammer in his hand, Sinuoli suddenly felt it was a bit unfluid. The swing seemed to lack something; perhaps wielding a sharp weapon would have more edge? The Mountain King was originally a dual-wielder, and an axe seemed quite good.

The Dwarf army advanced rapidly in the night, the light of Mannslieb, the moon, illuminating the path beneath their feet. A full day of marching was not enough to slow these tough fellows down.

"There is someone ahead!" Kangsitanting said suddenly. As soon as he finished speaking, a warhorse galloped from the path ahead.

"The Viscount is still resisting in the Grail Chapel. The vampires have desecrated the village cemetery, and there are at least a thousand low-level Undead. We could only observe from the periphery," the Knight of the Sea God reported, he and his horse drenched in sweat.

"Artillery, prepare!" Sinuoli roared. Artillery was still the most efficient way to deal with cannon fodder troops. "We will go straight into the village. Kill the leader, and those summoned creatures will fall apart without anyone to maintain them!"

Dealing with this group of undead by capturing the leader first was a very reasonable choice. They couldn't even handle ten people, so they wouldn't have any resistance in front of such a large army.

The Dwarf army charged directly through the already wide-open wooden gate. The entire village was a scene of a biohazard. Fresh zombies with skin still intact, skeletons that were nothing but frames, and things in between with bits of flesh hanging off them wandered all over the village.

Fortunately, this group of things had no decent weapons in their hands or on their bodies. Relying on rags, farm tools, and kitchen utensils, they could form no resistance at all against professional soldiers. Sinuoli's troops broke through what could not necessarily be called a defensive line with overwhelming force and headed straight for the center of the village.

The Dwarfs saw a small chapel shrouded in a thin glimmer, preventing the surrounding undead creatures from destroying the building itself. And at the only entrance, a group of slightly more decent-looking fellows were struggling to squeeze inside.