Outside the city gate, Baron Kyle looked at the three floating fireballs. "A spellcaster... Hmph."
Not far away, Soren and Jelson, who had not yet approached the gate, also noticed them. "Let's go! Baron Kashir has deployed his mage; this city is about to fall!" Soren shouted to the surrounding soldiers.
"My lord, your safety..." Jelson started to speak, but Soren's sharp glare silenced him. What a miserable task this is! Jelson thought to himself. Next time, let Caesar guard Young Master Soren, and I'll charge into battle.
Inside the city, Grace and her two companions also heard the loud explosion. "This was definitely not caused by human strength!" Grace's face turned pale. "It's magic. We must go back; the city is about to fall!" With that, she grabbed her skirt in both hands, disregarding any noble decorum, and dashed into a deep alley. Her maid tightly held Christine and followed closely behind.
At the northern gate, Willis and his entourage also heard the explosion. Though Willis was an unappreciated son of a marquis, as a noble, he still knew a little about extraordinary powers. "A mage..." Willis's expression darkened. "We must move quickly!" His group consisted of elite soldiers—over fifty men, mostly cavalry. Alongside them were several large carriages carrying his wealth.
The attack on the northern gate was relatively light. As long as they could break through, armed with a map of Mophy Forest and a property deed in Calaman Kingdom, Willis was confident he could rebuild his life, perhaps even better than in Shiloh.
The city gates slowly opened. After a brief skirmish, Willis's group broke through the infantry blockade. Just as they thought they had escaped, a larger group of cavalry blocked their path at the intersection. Both sides were clearly startled by the encounter.
Willis felt immense pressure from the knight standing at the forefront, clad in full armor. Even though Willis had secretly trained his fighting energy to a low-level knight rank, this knight was clearly stronger. A bad feeling crept over him.
"My lord..." a middle-aged man in full armor stepped forward from behind Willis and said in a low voice, "Run when you get the chance." He then turned to the cavalry and ordered, "Protect the lord!"
"Yes!" the soldiers responded in unison.
Willis's eyes widened. If even his strongest secret guard could not match this knight, then...
Though the city's defenders fought valiantly, they were ultimately overwhelmed. By noon, the gates had fallen one after another. The soldiers retreating to the city lord's mansion realized they had been abandoned by their lord. After some token resistance, they chose to surrender.
By evening, squads of Garrel soldiers patrolled Phalanx City. After the gates fell, riots broke out among Shiloh refugees—looting, arson, and chaos ensued. These rioters caused more damage to the Garrel soldiers than the defending Shiloh troops had. Fortunately, the Garrel forces had experience dealing with such situations. After hanging dozens of rioters along the streets, the unrest was finally quelled.
Caesar had just left the baron's quarters, where the two barons were still arguing about who had breached the gate first. It was indeed a peculiar dispute, as both Caesar's forces and Baron Kashir's magical assault had broken through almost simultaneously. With their enemies surrounded and attacked from both flanks, the Shiloh forces had little choice but to surrender after brief resistance.
Caesar then went to visit Young Master Soren. Soren himself was unharmed, but Jelson, tasked with protecting him, had suffered greatly. Perhaps due to his overzealous protection, the Shiloh troops assumed Soren was an important figure. While Soren barely suffered a scratch thanks to his solid armor and impressive fighting energy, Jelson was less fortunate. A report from the soldiers stated that an arrow had struck Jelson's left waist, a spot inadequately protected by his half-plate armor.
In a luxurious courtyard, Caesar met with Young Master Soren and reported the casualties. The scar across Soren's nose added to his intimidating presence, but he was satisfied with Caesar's thorough report. It reassured Soren that he had loyal soldiers and a capable officer under his command.
Pleased, Soren rewarded Caesar with a length of smooth red fabric and a piece of Red Sea Flower. Clearly, Soren was aware of Caesar's indulgent habits; otherwise, he would not have given such a gift. Caesar personally prepared the flower, but this time he was more cautious and harvested a larger portion than before. Such treasures carried immense value, far more than Soren's casual demeanor suggested.
Caesar politely declined an invitation to dinner, citing a need to check on Jelson. Soren didn't mind; in fact, he was even more pleased. A subordinate who cared about his superiors and comrades was worth keeping around.
Jelson was recovering in a small courtyard, tended by two soldiers from their unit. An arrow wound to the waist might have been serious in the past, but for someone trained in fighting energy, it would heal within a week.
Jelson was both emotional and grateful to see Caesar. He insisted that Caesar stay the night, even offering to switch roles next time—Jelson would charge into battle while Caesar guarded Soren. Caesar laughed and agreed.
By the time Caesar left Jelson's quarters, the moon was already high in the sky. He declined an offer to share the courtyard with others. Officers like Jelson were temporarily granted private courtyards by the baron during such campaigns. Having a place to himself was far better than sharing cramped quarters with others.
These courtyards, once homes to merchants and wealthy citizens, were located near the city lord's mansion. Caesar sought a quiet place to reflect on the day's battle, as his fighting energy had seen significant improvement.
Walking along a dim alley behind the city lord's mansion, Caesar spotted a red wooden door. This one will do.
"Bang!" Caesar kicked the door open and stepped inside. The original owner had likely fled. Even if they hadn't, he wouldn't hesitate to evict them. This courtyard was his now.
The courtyard was spotless. The owner must have been meticulous, as there wasn't even a leaf on the ground despite the tree overhead. Caesar remained cautious; either the owner had just left, or they were still here.
Aside from a gatehouse, there were two rooms. Caesar glanced into the gatehouse—empty. He then approached the smaller room and carefully pushed the door open, sword in hand.
The room was unoccupied. A faint fragrance lingered in the air, suggesting it belonged to a woman. The bed was still unmade; the occupant must have left in haste.
Caesar exited and turned his attention to the main bedroom. It remained eerily quiet. Slowly, he pushed the door open. Inside, darkness engulfed the space. Just as Caesar fully entered, a flash of silver light streaked toward him.