Chapter 273: Chapter 272: A Good Bow

The moment the gates of Giant Stone Castle were blasted open, the outcome of this war was already decided.

Coren hadn’t even held out for a day; there was no way he could last until the Polante Thief Gang from Chishan Town arrived to reinforce him.

Ronin rode his Cloud Stepper into the massive castle, the air thick with the smoke of battle.

“Haha, Ronin! I never would’ve guessed you had a Silver Knight.”

Marvin walked up with a smile. “Alright, Ridder, spit it out. Have you been Silver Level from the very beginning?”

Ridder was noncommittal.

Ronin changed the subject. “Brisot is a Golden Knight, so keep him under heavy guard. Also, what’s Coren’s condition?”

“Toru severed his arm. He’s severely injured and unconscious, but a Silver Knight’s body is tough. He won’t die anytime soon.”

“Bandage his wound. When the war is over, take him to Wushan Castle and let the Marquis deal with him.”

Ronin and the others chatted as they walked into the castle.

Two days ago, they had entered this place as guests; now, they did so as its masters.

’I wonder whose fief Giant Stone Territory will become when all this is settled.’

After conquering Giant Stone Castle, the next steps were to secure the knights and servants within and to take inventory of the castle’s wealth.

In the keep of Giant Stone Castle, most of the leaders of the Alliance Army were already present, listening to reports from their subordinates.

First, none of Coren’s family were among the captives. He had apparently moved them all before the Noble Alliance Army even arrived; no one knew where they had gone.

Second, there wasn’t as much wealth in Giant Stone Castle as they had imagined. There were fewer than Three Thousand Gold Coins and a scant amount of other precious jewels, which Coren had presumably taken with him when he evacuated his family.

Upon hearing this report, their hearts sank. The dream of a huge score was gone.

“Ronin, how do you plan to handle these spoils?” Toru asked.

When it came to war spoils, while it was inevitable that some people would secretly pocket items during the inventory, the commander was ultimately responsible for distributing the bulk of it.

In the past, after Wiggin won a battle, he would always say he needed time to come up with a distribution plan.

At first, everyone actually believed him, thinking the plan would be ready in three to five days at most.

But who could have guessed? To this day, that plan has never materialized, and the spoils have long since become Wiggin’s personal property.

As Wiggin’s son, how would Ronin handle it?

For Ronin, this battle was his chance to prove himself. His every move was being watched by this group of nobles and knights.

His own strength was one thing, but his leadership, his treatment of others, and his handling of the spoils would all shape their opinion of him.

If he truly wanted to become great and powerful in the future, he would need followers.

So, Ronin would naturally not make the same foolish mistake as Wiggin.

“As for the spoils, Toru, choose a few leaders from the Noble Alliance Army to create a distribution plan. The general principle will be to allocate shares based on the number of men each noble brought and the effort they contributed. Be sure to give special consideration to those who suffered heavier losses.”

After all, these men had paid out of their own pockets to join the war, and some had even given their lives. It would be unjustifiable not to let them get some spoils.

Besides, for Ronin, the few thousand Gold Coins, the jewels, and the Armor and Weapons worn by Coren’s knights were all secondary. The things that *couldn’t* be carried away were what truly mattered.

Hearing this, everyone’s eyes lit up.

With this arrangement, everyone would get a share of the benefits. Their hard work would be worthwhile, and they grew increasingly satisfied with their young commander.

“Sir, we just received a report from the Reconnoitre Cavalry. The Polante Thief Gang’s forces have left Chishan Town and are heading towards Giant Stone Territory.”

The news that Giant Stone Castle had fallen had clearly not reached the Polante Thief Gang. They naturally assumed Coren was still resisting.

“Philip, continue scouting the enemy. Solstein, take your men to reinforce the blockade of Giant Stone City. No one is to get out, especially not to the south.”

When the Noble Alliance Army entered Giant Stone City, Ronin had already ordered his men to lock down the city, preventing anyone from entering or leaving. The goal was to stop anyone from getting out to tip off the enemy.

Now that Giant Stone Castle had fallen, if the Thief Gang found out Coren was defeated, they would probably retreat back to Chishan Town.

“Also, have the Message Birds from Giant Stone Castle send a message to Chishan Town. Say that the Noble Alliance Army’s combat strength is low, that Baron Coren has repelled two waves of attacks, and that with night falling, both sides have ceased hostilities. Express hope that Amicus can hurry over to provide support.”

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but reveal sinister smiles.

The Polante Thief Gang would probably be overjoyed to hear such news. After all, if Coren could hold off the Noble Alliance Army with just the castle, then once their two forces joined, they could surely wipe the Noble Alliance Army out completely.

They also felt that when fighting under a commander like Ronin, they didn’t need to worry about the brainy stuff. They just needed to lead their men and charge.

That night, the Noble Alliance Army made camp outside Giant Stone Castle, maintaining the appearance of a siege. Cavalry patrolled outside the camp, preventing anyone from approaching.

Meanwhile, inside Giant Stone Castle, it was brightly lit by torches, and the leaders of the Noble Alliance Army were counting their respective spoils.

「In Ronin’s room.」

“Sir, this bow and these twenty-three Magic Energy Arrows are for you.”

Ridder handed the longbow that Baron Coren had used to Ronin and explained:

“According to Toru, the string of this longbow was made by a Grand Artisan from the sinew of a Third-level Magical Beast Iron Armor Mane Bull. It would probably sell on the market for over two thousand Gold Coins!”

“It’s that amazing?”

Ronin took the longbow. It wasn’t heavy in his hands, and apart from its dark red bowstring, there seemed to be nothing special about its appearance.

He gave it a light pull but was surprised to find he couldn’t draw the string.

’It really is a bit stiff.’

After a moment of admiration, Ronin increased his strength. With a creak from the longbow, he drew the string back, then let it go.

“TWANG!”

The bowstring snapped back, producing a huge sound. Ronin’s entire arm trembled from the vibration; if he hadn’t been gripping it tightly, it might have embarrassingly flown out of his hand.

“A longbow made from Magical Beast materials, plus Magic Energy Arrows… no wonder Coren could pierce through that Advanced Level Knight’s Fighting Qi Armor and Steel Armor with a single arrow. This bow is truly powerful!”

Ronin looked at the arrows in Ridder’s hand. ’The bow and arrows together are worth more than Three Thousand Gold Coins. What a thoughtful gesture.’

It was a pity that among his subordinates, it seemed only Krami and Babulin possessed the Wind Attribute.

But they were only Intermediate Knights, so using this bow would be a stretch for them.

“Ridder, it looks like you’ll have to teach me how to use a bow and arrow after this war is over.”

For a Professional Knight, besides Swordsmanship and Riding Skill, archery was also one of the necessary skills to master.

“With your strength as a Mage, sir, you have a natural advantage when it comes to accuracy. Archery will be no problem for you.”

「Meanwhile, outside Giant Stone City.」

After a day’s march, the Polante Thief Gang was making camp to recover their strength.

“Any news from Giant Stone City?” Amicus asked his second-in-command.

“The Noble Alliance Army has locked down Giant Stone City. Our people inside can’t get out at all.”

Hodan’s face was clouded with worry. With no news from inside, he couldn’t shake a bad feeling.

“The Noble Alliance Army has sent scouts to track us. I snuck close enough to take a look. There’s a cavalry unit posted outside Giant Stone City, clearly on guard against us.”

“They’re not that stupid. They naturally know we would come to support Coren.”

As the four of them were discussing matters in the main tent, a cavalryman strode in. “Sir, this is a letter brought by express rider from the Message Bird Manager in Chishan Town.”

Amicus strode over, took it in his hand, and began to read.

“Coren held on!”

A smile appeared on his face, and he cursed with a laugh, “This Noble Alliance Army is just as useless as I thought. So many people, and they can’t even take a single castle.”

The weight on Hodan’s heart finally lifted.

“We’re only a few miles from Giant Stone City. If we set out at dawn tomorrow, we can definitely get there before Giant Stone Castle falls.”

Suddenly, Lanivisa said in a low voice, “Could this letter possibly be a fake?”

Everyone froze for a moment.

“Relax, it’s not a fake!”

As he spoke, Amicus pulled a previous letter from his pocket. “Look, the handwriting is the same.”

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