Drunk on the excitement of battle, Cardirian howled. Johan pulled on the reins to stop him from stomping the enemies with his hooves and drinking their blood.  

With the vanguard formation broken, the following cavalry riders spread out and struck from all sides. The enemy center was completely split up and scattered raggedly.  

“I will take on this damned demon. . .!”

𝐓𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐜𝐤!

With one blow, Johan took down nobles who were bearing several flags and approaching. Chaotic battlefields emphasized brawn over skill. The enemies were trying to be cautious after watching the earlier fight, but there was no such leisure to begin with.  

“Follow me!”

Johan divided the cavalry into three and sent one to the left flank and one to the right flank to attack from the side. He personally aimed for the enemy rear with the remainder.  

Despite the swirling sweltering heat and clouds of dust, the pagan goddess’ protection kept Johan’s blood vessels and vision clear, allowing him to distinctly see his surroundings. He could make out the count’s flag fluttering far away.  

“Capture him! Let’s end this fight today!”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

When the central forces they had high hopes for were completely destroyed, the shock of the count and his vassals behind was beyond imagination.  

“No. . . no way. That can’t be. How could a human have such strength?”

Winning and losing in battle was natural. But shattering well-trained elite troops with one charge and slaughtering nobles. . .

“Your Excellency! You must retreat!”  

The vassals urgently shouted at the count who still couldn’t let go. Given the situation, they had to retreat unconditionally.

However, the Count of Jekyllid couldn’t back down. It was because of his pride and honor. If he fled now after boasting like that, how would people see him?

“Your Excellency!”  

“. . .”

The vassals were frustrated. If this continued, it seemed they would die with him.

Surrender is better received when both sides have calmed down and can be rational, not when blood is boiling like now. Otherwise, it could cost one’s head.  

Fortunately, Johan helped persuade them.  

“!!!”

Seeing Johan charging through the center line, the count instinctively turned his horse. Then he desperately whipped the horse to flee.

“Your Excellency! Your Excellency!”  

The vassals around had bewildered expressions. If you wanted to retreat, why not just order it instead of doing this? What was he thinking?

“Retreat! Fall back!”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸  

𝔞𝕨ė̇𝙗𝔰𝐭𝚘ʀ𝙞ᴇ𝐬.𝙘𝙤𝐦

It was an overwhelming victory.

After the count escaped, the rest of them collapsed faster. It was natural that the commander’s flag disappeared.

“He’s damn fast.”

Johan licked his lips regretfully. The count of Jekyllid’s hidden trick was to run away. Once he decided to flee, he ran away very quickly.

“There’s no need to chase him anyway. He’s so badly defeated that he won’t have the strength to resist.”

“You’ve worked hard. Reward those who have made merit and gather the prisoners on one side.”

The escaped count was a count, and now it was time to check the spoils. The nobles who were caught without escaping would pay a high ransom.

He fought fiercely when he fought, but when the fight was over, he felt anew that war was a business. Especially in the sense that he searched everywhere to find his own profit.

Even now, the mercenaries were searching everywhere for valuables.

“. . .Isn’t the number too small?”

Johan was surprised to see the nobles captured as prisoners. He didn’t count the flags of each family before the fight, but this was too small.

“That. . . that’s what I’m saying.”

Gurelic spoke cautiously with a look of not knowing what to say.

“?”

“Your Excellency. . . You killed most of them. . .”

“. . . . . .”

That’s right.

The center was filled with elites, and the count’s vassals, knights, and nobles were in place.

When Johan went in there and killed them as they came, the nobles were also smashed.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.’

Usually, even if they lost in battle, the nobles didn’t die that much.

The first ones to die were the soldiers who didn’t have to pay the ransom, and if the fight was unfavorable, the nobles could run away or surrender.

Besides, the nobles were usually well-armed, so they could withstand fatal attacks as minor injuries.

. . .But Johan’s charge didn’t apply to any of this.

Johan broke and killed them as he wanted to win first. Besides, Johan’s attack was too strong. Even the nobles who wore well-equipped armor couldn’t get up if they got hit once.

The captured nobles looked at Johan and trembled in fear. They muttered something like a demon or a monster.

He came with his blood properly wiped and his armor off, but seeing him say that, Johan’s charge must have left a deep impression.

“I wanted to get a ransom, but it’s a shame. I didn’t know they would all die. . .”

“Shall I translate it?”

“Are you crazy? Tell them to mourn the honorable nobles who died.”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸  

Bolstered by the victory, Johan’s buoyant army marched towards Jekyllid Castle.  

Bearing the Count’s family name, the castle was solid and robust. Johan first sent envoys again to the captured families.   

The meaning was different from when he asked for ransom money across the sea. After this battle, everyone would know.  

━𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥!  

The vassals of the island nation who doubted Johan’s strength now knew for certain. That Johan fully had such capability.  

Now the situation flowed into a battle of wits.  

Would they continue being loyal to the count? Or switch sides?

. . .Aside from the political situation, Johan silently focused on his tasks.   

Namely, capturing the castle.  

“I believe in you guys.”

“Thank you. . . Thank you, Your Excellency!”  

The dwarf mercenaries shed hot tears at Johan’s rewards. Of all things, they couldn’t contribute again in the plains battle.  

As elites among elites, Johan had kept them in reserve. But the cavalry led by Johan simply ended the battle. Tears of blood flowed from the dwarves’ eyes as a result.   

Still, Johan divided and gave rewards to them as well. Nothing motivated troops more than an employer’s thoughtful care like this. Indeed, the dwarves were moved to tears.  

“The weapons we make will never disappoint Your Excellency.”

“Good. Take it easy. Don’t overexert yourselves.”  

The dwarves’ eyes seemed rather sunken and their gaze glittered madly. Johan was worried. They did nothing wrong yet why act like that needlessly. It was just pitiful.   

After Johan left, the dwarves focused on their work. Determined to smash through the castle walls.   

“But what if they surrender before completion?”

“. . .Shut your trap.”