"A proposal? What proposal?" Rogan momentarily failed to follow Zalanda's train of thought, and his anger, far from subsiding, surged even higher.
The more he looked at Gaven, who was following Zalanda with a submissive air, the angrier he became, convinced that the lad was putting on an act.
"To evacuate Nort Castle, the reason I have already mentioned. Last year, with the arrival of the gods, it triggered tremors in the Magic Network, disturbing the weather and leading to a poor autumn harvest. The lengthy and cold winter was almost on par with the Northern Lands. Most regions in Thacel are suffering from grain shortages, and the monster colonies in the Marching Mountains have reached their limit of endurance.
The ones currently besieging Nort Castle are merely smaller tribes in the vicinity. Once the large colonies deep in the mountains come swarming out and assemble into armies, by then, if we think about retreating, it will be too late!" Zalanda reiterated his thoughts once again.
"Where will we run to? How?" This time, Rogan did not reject the idea as vehemently as he did yesterday.
He owed this change to the passage that the group of Goblins had just cleared. Now, even a small tribe led by a Hobgoblin had thrown Nort Castle into such disarray; were a large number of monsters to emerge, the small and low fortifications of Nort Castle could be overwhelmed within minutes.
Zalanda clearly came prepared, and he pulled out a simplified map of Thacel, pointing to a location: "Darama, that is our best choice."
"Darama? That far? Why not go to Hanson Fort? It's at least half the distance to Darama." Rogan's frown deepened into a knot.
"The reason I just mentioned, this year's monster troubles are different from previous years. In the past, the small-scale plundering would bypass any strong resistance, giving the Lords of the lands the opportunity to defeat them separately. Once they assemble into armies, they will grow bolder and may even conquer and plunder cities. Hanson Fort claims to withstand a siege of a thousand Hobgoblins, but what if it becomes three thousand, five thousand? Only the walls of Darama can withstand an army of monsters." Zalanda explained tirelessly.
Oster whispered behind Rogan: "Captain Zalanda makes a lot of sense. The walls of Darama City are tall and the garrison large. Although it's further away, safety is the priority. If we select a team of Cavalry, with each person having two horses, switching horses but not riders, it will take less than three days to get there."
Before Zalanda could speak, Gaven said in a mocking tone, "Select a team of Cavalry? Each person with two horses? By the Guard Commander's suggestion, do you intend to run off by yourselves and disregard the fate of Nort Castle's lieges?"
Rogan's eyes widened in disbelief as he countered, "Isn't that the case? Or are you saying, Captain Zalanda, that you plan to take all the lieges with you to Darama?"
"Isn't that the case?" Zalanda responded to Rogan with a rhetorical question.
Rogan and Oster stared at each other, faces flushed with an unsightly discomfort.
To get to Darama with each person doubling horses took three days; if people were to bring their families, that could take more than ten days.
The longer they were exposed in the wild, the more danger they faced.
Leaving one's own lieges behind to escape was not exactly a commendable act. Even if Rogan were shameless, he couldn't justify such an action.
Zalanda was not surprised by the exposure of the two's limitations and directly entrusted her entire plan, "When we attacked just now, I had already scouted and estimated the monster forces besieging us.
They seem impressive in number, but in reality, the goblins are their main force. The true backbone of their army, the hobgoblins, number less than two hundred. If we can just find a way to crush this hobgoblin force, the remaining goblins will scatter, buying us two to three days' time to retreat.
Once we leave Nort Castle, we won't head straight for Darama, instead, we'll go east towards Mir Forest. In at most two days, we should be able to reach Kami Village, then detour to Darama.
It might seem like a detour, but the elves in Mir Forest will hold off the monster hordes from the Eastern Marching Mountains. We don't have to worry about being attacked from two fronts; we only need to focus on the monsters trailing us.
The riskiest part will be the two-day journey from Nort Castle to Kami Village."
After hearing Zalanda's plan, Rogan and Oster's expression noticeably improved. At least in their view, the plan seemed quite feasible.
Oster quickly raised another doubt, "Captain Zalanda just mentioned that all this hinges on crushing the goblin army outside Nort Castle. But how exactly do you plan to accomplish that?
With just your cavalry troop and fifty militia? Not to disrespect those militiamen, but if they're depending on the walls, they can handle those goblin fodder well enough. However, if we send them out into open battle against an enemy that outnumbers them, I fear they won't be too effective."
Zalanda nodded repeatedly, "The Guard Commander's analysis is spot on. With just the equipment in the hands of the militia, it's indeed a tall order to expect them to fight in the open—even if they were to emerge victorious in the end, their numbers would be greatly reduced. But if we could use the equipment from the treasury of Nort Castle, the situation would change significantly. After all, these goblins have just surged out of the Marching Mountains, and even the hobgoblins have few decent weapons amongst them. The goblins' inferior weapons can't even penetrate our chainmail."
"Absolutely not," Rogan's voice pitched three notches higher, protesting emphatically, "The equipment in the treasury has been amassed over three generations of the Nort Family; how can we just use it like that? Especially not for a bunch of militia!"
This time, even Oster could not speak in support of Rogan. They were preparing to evacuate Nort Castle, and Rogan was still unwilling to use the treasury. Was he planning to take it all with him, or leave it for the monster army to equip themselves and pursue them?
"On this matter, I stand with my brother. After all, a part of it belongs to me," Gaven, who had been listening in silence, spoke up, "But dear brother Rogan, have you considered how we're going to transport these equipments?
There's no small amount of them, especially the heavy armor, which a single wagon can't carry much of. We can't leave it for the monsters, and destroying it would be a disservice to our ancestors, wouldn't it?
Lady Zalanda didn't say she wouldn't return them; it's mostly a matter of borrowing. Once we reach Darama, she will return everything. By then, we will have secured our safety and transported as much equipment as possible to Darama. Whether we choose to sell or stockpile, it will be up to us to decide. Compared to these benefits, a little depreciation in the interim is inconsequential, isn't it?"
Zalanda could hear that Gaven, despite appearing to speak for Rogan, was actually helping her, and she quickly nodded in agreement, "Indeed, it's only a loan. Once all the lieges have been safely escorted to Darama, all weapons and armor will be returned in full. By then, all our lieges will remember the Baron's grace. One day, when the monsters are driven back into the mountains, I believe many lieges will remember this grace and follow the Baron back to Nort Castle, continuing to serve him."
Rogan had reacted simply from a miser's instinct; he wasn't really foolish. He backed down gracefully, "Since you all say so, it would be heartless of me to refuse. Still, I have one condition."
"What condition, Lord Baron? Please speak freely," Zalanda said, not quite able to hide a flicker of uncontainable joy on her face. The sooner she convinced Rogan, the sooner they could act, and she had a better chance—of ensuring the safe evacuation of Nort Castle's subjects.