Chapter 289.

It was slowly growing dark.

A radio transmission arrived from the divisions that were sent to sneak attack the right flank while the battle was still ongoing.

- 302nd Division notifying command headquarters. The flanking surprise attack failed.

- 811th Division notifying command headquarters. Likewise, we have failed.

As soon as I received the report, I checked the casualties first.

- This is command headquarters; what is the damage to each division?

- The 302nd Division has 49 deaths, 32 seriously injured, and a large number of minor injuries.

- The 811th Division has 60 deaths, 23 seriously injured, and a large number of minor injuries.

Nevertheless, considering the size of the divisions, the losses were not significant. Even so, I was forced to order a retreat. "Set up a position after retreating and rest until dawn. Commence the attack once again at 06:00 the next day."

- Understood. We will retreat.

On the side of the fortress walls where the fighting was occurring, the surroundings were lit up with torches. However, if it became too dark, the troops movements would inevitably have to become passive for their safety. The Magic Divisions mana was not infinite either, so there was a limit to using magic for illuminating the surroundings.

I sighed as I finished the treatment of my unconscious sister, Leisha. "Well, that's not bad."

"What do you mean? Uncle Bloody asked as he took off his helmet, having just failed to break through the wall at the front line.

"Oh, it's nothing, but I think Fourth Sister is halfway over the wall of the Magic Way."

Although she did not completely overcome it, she would become a madosa within a couple of months if she fully repaired her mana circuit and contemplated. Despite having the ability to overcome the wall of the Magic Way, she was unable to. So, I sent her into battle to create an opportunity for her advancement. But in the end, rather than finding the key, she broke the lock.

"Oh! Isn't that a good thing?"

"It's positive in the long run, but at the moment, shell have to lie still for about 15 days. If I were to use my Holy Tribe magic, I would be able to have her up and about tomorrow. Alas, since I had to save mana as much as I could, I gave her an elixir instead.

"Itd be nice if Hillis were here.

No matter how beneficial my treatments were, it didn't come close to what the saintess, Hillis, could provide. I smacked my lips and asked my uncle, "What do you think? Do you think you can break through the gates?

Uncle Bloody shook his head. "No. Theyre all defending as if they know where were going to attack. Well, I did expect that this wouldn't be easy since the Mercenary King is guarding the fortress."

"Uncle, have you ever had a match with the Mercenary King?"

Uncle Bloody shrugged. "I've never clashed swords with him myself. But once upon a time, before Glont hyung retired, I did fight against a unit led by the Mercenary King."

"Really? So did you win?

Uncle Bloody smiled ambiguously when I asked in anticipation. "Well, I lost."

"You lost?"

"The Black Water Buffalo knights, including me, were lured to a remote place, and our base camp was ambushed by a detached force. At that time, Glont hyung remained in the base camp and fought against the Mercenary King. He emerged as the winner, but we had already lost the battle."

Now that I think about it, I believe I've seen information on that battle in the staff office data. The Black Water Buffalo knights defeat left the overall situation at a disadvantage, but the Mercenary King was seriously injured in the battle, lost an eye, and fled the war. And soon after, I heard that the war ended with the empire coming out on top thanks to the disappearance of the prominent commander, Malecia.

"If we can just smash the gates completely, well be able to charge in right now." Uncle Bloody disliked the rounds of small attacks and expressed his dissatisfaction by pouting his lips.

"No, if we smash the gates, how are we going to deal with the main force when it hits us later? Thatll be at least a few times the size of our vanguard."

The entire fort was going to be used later, so we had to capture it as intact as possible. In addition, it would not be easy to smash the gates, as they were protected by all kinds of magic.

"That's true." My uncle nodded as if he couldn't help it.

That's how the first day of the attack went.

* * *

It's been a day since the imperial army attacked the fortress. The dawn sun rose, and the surroundings gradually began to brighten. The soldiers were limping around to stop the imperial army from attacking, even in the middle of the night. Nevertheless, no soldier had collapsed yet because Malecia divided the troops into four and allowed them to rest in turns.

"The imperial army, which withdrew yesterday, has begun to raid the side of the cliff again!"

At the urgent report, Malecia was unable to clean himself, and he wiped the sticky grease around his face. "For god's sake, they really wont let us take a break!"

When Malecia took his sword and got up from his s