Chapter 403: Victory!

Whooshing!

Hearing their captain's shout, the Wolf Riders showed no hesitation; the next moment, they spurred their mounts and fled en masse.

"The Wolf Riders are retreating! Everyone, pursue them!" Lei Meng's command came again the instant the Wolf Riders broke.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

As Lei Meng finished speaking, the third volley of ballistae was already reloaded.

As the orcs fled, five arrows streaked after them.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Howl! Howl! Howl!

Instantly, five more cries of agony rose—the Wolf Riders lost five more men.

"Damn it!" The Wolf Rider captain's eyes bulged with rage, yet he could do nothing.

Fortunately, those human infantrymen could never catch up to them.

Thus, the remaining men finally escaped.

Of course, in just a few minutes, fifty Wolf Riders had been cut down by half.

"This… this… did you see that? The Wolf Riders ran? They ran! Hah!"

"We saw it, hah! The Wolf Riders ran—and they were defeated by a unit just like us, minor nobles! Hah! They created a miracle!"

"That's right—they truly created a miracle. Before this, I never heard of any regiment that could single-handedly break a Wolf Rider assault! Yet they did it. From now on, I dare anyone to say our minor noble units aren't formidable!"

"Exactly! We minor nobles now have elite troops too—even if few, they're still elite!"

Across the river.

The moment the Wolf Riders fled, all the nobles erupted in excitement.

Especially the minor nobles, who had always been overshadowed by the great nobles.

Yet, due to their meager lineage, they had been powerless to change it.

But now, they witnessed a miracle: a unit of their own rank had defeated the Wolf Riders, whom even the Northern Legion's infantry feared.

Rather than envy the minor noble who trained such elites, they took pride in it.

Of course, while the minor nobles rejoiced, the great nobles were equally delighted!

"Hah! Lord Austin's brat was right—those troops didn't fail; they shattered the Wolf Riders!"

"Indeed! This is unbelievable! Infantry defeating Wolf Riders, driving them off with zero losses—even with the massive numerical disparity, this is a rare victory!"

At this moment, the counts and marquises did not withhold their praise.

For the smoother the battle, the greater the benefit to these nobles summoned to war.

"Gentlemen, since everyone is so pleased, I'd like to ask—what other thoughts do you have about that unit?" The Legion Commander suddenly posed a question.

"Thoughts about that cavalry unit?" The nobles paused, startled.

Then, Marquis Austin, after a moment's thought, spoke first: "Gentlemen, let me answer first. I wonder—how did those minor nobles train such elite troops?"

"I'm the same. Such elite troops, yet none are titled knights—we simply can't fathom how they did it!"

"Exactly. If they were titled knights, it wouldn't be surprising—but they're not, which makes it even more astonishing!"

With Marquis Austin leading, the other great nobles chimed in, voicing their own thoughts.

"Duke Hernade, what about you?" The Legion Commander turned to Duke Hernade.

"My thought is this: no matter what, I must meet the commander of that unit—especially the spearman and the 'Windbreaker'!" Duke Hernade smiled.

"Duke Stonecrack, what's your view?"

Duke Stonecrack's eyes flashed with sharp light, then he replied calmly: "I share Duke Hernade's view—I wish to meet those minor nobles."

The Legion Commander subtly sneered; Duke Stonecrack sounded dismissive.

Yet he paid it no mind, and instead voiced his own thought: "Gentlemen, you've all spoken—now it's my turn. My thought is this: if possible, I'd like to seize that unit and make them my own."

The nobles fell silent, then burst into laughter. "Legion Commander, you've got bold dreams—how greedy!"

"Indeed, Legion Commander, who wouldn't want them? But that violates the Kingdom's laws!"

"Hah! I said I was just thinking—it doesn't break Imperial law! Hah!"

With the Wolf Riders defeated, the great nobles' moods clearly improved.

For now, the tide of war had tilted decisively toward the Kingdom's army.

As long as no other mishaps occurred, victory would be theirs!

And indeed, after retreating, the Wolf Riders turned and fled straight back to their camp without looking back.

Without the Wolf Riders to hold them, the thirty thousand conscript troops stood no chance against the eighty thousand peasant soldiers.

"All units, advance on the Stone Bridge!"

Lei Meng and his men wasted no time, charging straight toward the bridgehead.

As for the conscript troops, they were beneath notice.

"Great Leader, your servant has failed to complete your orders!"

Behind them, the Wolf Rider captain returned to camp, face flushed with shame.

"Are those troops so formidable? Even you were defeated? I heard they're all infantry!"

"Great Leader, that human unit is unlike any other—their spears are extremely long, and they're highly disciplined."

"Also, their swordsmen possess strength rivaling our orc warriors—they can fight one-on-one and hold their ground!"

"Again, humans who can fight our orc warriors one-on-one?" The Great Leader's face darkened.

Earlier, Babik had described such humans multiple times.

Now, again and again, these humans disrupted his plans.

"Ironclaw, order the Wolf Warriors to withdraw. Inform the Beast King of this defeat—I'll issue the retreat order myself. This time… we've lost."

The Wolf Rider captain's face twisted with sorrow, but he gritted his teeth and replied, "Yes, Great Leader!"

Then, the Wolf Riders began retreating northward.

Soon after, horn blasts echoed from behind them.

It was the orc retreat signal!

"Hah! Victory! We've won!"

"That's right! We've won—we defeated the orcs! Hah! And credit goes to Baron Mil! Baron Mil is mighty!"

"Baron Mil is mighty! We've won!"

As the orcs broke, cheers erupted throughout the Kingdom's army.

At that moment, someone—no one knew who—began chanting "Mil is mighty!"

Instantly, the cry of "Baron Mil is mighty!" rang across the entire wasteland.

"Baron Mil? Did you help the humans win?" The Great Leader, already mounted on his grayhorn rhino and retreating, turned back at the shout, etching the name "Baron Mil" deep into his mind.