I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 116

Whitewood isn’t exactly bustling with residents, but due to its location near the lands of the foreign tribes, it is strategically significant.

Thanks to that, the castle’s defenses are pretty solid, and the soldiers and townsfolk here live with the constant readiness to fight against the foreign tribes.

“Reports are coming in that unidentified groups have been spotted in the northwest!”

“Quick to show up, aren’t they? Just a bunch of worthless scum, fast on their feet for no good reason.”

This means that if an ambush occurs, the communication system can operate swiftly and accurately.

“Have they been spotted near the forest?”

“Yes! By the looks of it, that seems to be the case. They haven’t reached the forest yet!”

To the northwest of Whitewood lies a dense coniferous forest.

Fundamentally, it’s a land plagued by winter after winter, allowing coniferous trees to grow more plentifully than in other regions, and that’s also why the name Whitewood (WhiteWood) came to be known here.

“I should’ve sent soldiers ahead. Damn it.”

Melvik, the captain of the peacekeeping in Whitewood, gritted his teeth as he looked around from atop the castle while receiving reports from his aide-de-camp.

Currently, Yulken is here, but when you’re in a wartime situation, his primary duty is to ensure the safety of this Whitewood more than following the command structure.

Given that, when he was told to prepare the highest level of vigilance, he should have proactively sent soldiers into the coniferous forest, but he just didn’t think that far ahead.

“Has it already been reported to the prince?”

“Yes!”

“Then I suppose I can worry less. Maybe those soldiers who left earlier were for that purpose.”

Melvik was someone who had fought alongside Yulken many times on the battlefield while guarding Whitewood.

Thus, he was more aware than anyone of how far Yulken typically looked across the battlefield.

There’s no way Yulken wouldn’t have considered aspects that crossed his mind.

The reason a bunch of soldiers exited the castle moments ago without it being reported to him likely had to do with the urgency of the situation.

‘If they manage to take that place, victory isn’t far off.’

The reason the coniferous forest in Whitewood is regarded as a strategic stronghold is simple.

There’s no better place to hide in this vast expanse of land, and the fact that this place is the frigid northern region also plays a role.

Fires won’t spread in such snowy terrain, and even if they are used, extinguishing them can be done quite rapidly.

Plus, since the area is quite large, even if they know there’s an enemy there, if they can’t ascertain their numbers, they’ll likely fall victim to an ambush and can’t just waltz in.

“How many enemies are estimated to be there?”

“Approximately five hundred plus.”

“That’s strange. That’s far too few.”

Melvik raised an eyebrow in surprise at the unexpected news.

Considering the information was brought in by scouts, there shouldn’t be a significant deviation, making this a remarkably small number.

Even if we assume they were numerous, they wouldn’t exceed a thousand.

Basically, the foreign tribes are essentially militia that overwhelms with numbers.

Since they’ve been raised with the duty of being warriors from birth, all men, women, and children can participate in battle, and fundamentally, they belong to a group that doesn’t fear war.

The reason they could trouble the elite imperial soldiers is precisely because they favored starting fights everywhere by leveraging their numbers, as well as being deeply familiar with the northern terrain.

Yet why are they so few this time?

They haven’t recently gone through large-scale battles, so there’s no way their available fighting force should be small.

Melvik felt a significant unease regarding that.

“For now, I’ll report directly to the prince. Those guys spotted in the northwest are likely to be bait.”

“Yes, I’ll hold the fort.”

“Thanks, I’ll rely on you.”

Melvik then quickly left the room and headed down towards the castle.

Something felt off. Hopefully, it’s just a bad feeling, but on the battlefield, it’s always the cowards who survive.

He hurriedly moved to meet Yulken directly.

—

Today was the day a response from Whitewood was expected.

Because of that, the atmosphere inside Robeheim Castle felt like walking on thin ice.

Ariel was sitting with her vassals around a long table, engaged in conversation.

When Gale informed her that there was still no contact from the scouts sent to Whitewood, she bit her lip nervously.

She had never shown such anxiety before, making even Edgar feel quite sorry for her.

“Surely preparations are in place, right?”

Breaking the silence, Ariel asked Gale, who was meant to send the letter earlier, to confirm.

By “preparations,” she meant the reinforcements that would depart if no reply came today.

“Yes, my lady. If we don’t receive a response by midnight, we plan to head out immediately.”

“Is that alright at such a late hour?”

“It’s rather good. The prince has often deployed later to cloak the enemy’s sight, so you needn’t worry.”

If something significant erupted in Whitewood, Gale suspected it was likely due to an ambush.

In that circumstance, it would mean the letter was manipulated to delay reinforcements at all costs.

Thus, they intended to depart during nighttime hours, when their communication network wouldn’t be running smoothly.

While one ambush might be manageable, in the information warfare that would follow, they would undoubtedly have a significant advantage.

Even if they were proficient in the northern geography, it wouldn’t mean they had a firm grasp on the information network, so that needed to be exploited.

“Sir Gale, may I ask just one thing?”

“Of course.”

While the two were conversing, Edgar raised his hand cautiously, holding a unique query.

It was rare for him to speak directly in the meeting, so Gale nodded, although he was intrigued.

After all, it was well-known to the castle’s senior officials that he was Ariel’s fiancé and was likely to take on the role of future aide-de-camp.

“Have they ever gone to such lengths to obscure their sight?”

“Umm… I doubt it. The foreign tribes have always been accustomed to war but not to strategies and cunning.”

Battles against the foreign tribes typically didn’t occur on a large scale; they manifested more as small and large guerilla fights everywhere.

Since they are not an official military force, they’re also difficult to spot, using that to quickly raid and flee.

However, they lacked the resources to engage all these actions systematically and strategically.

For this reason, it becomes rather frequent that they take advantage of the element of surprise, attempting to stab ten places while hoping only two succeed.

From that perspective, this situation was indeed quite unusual.

To display such unsettling movements beforehand, attracting attention, and focusing attacks on one place instead of spreading out contradicts their nature.

“Then it truly is odd. Although I don’t know them well, I sought clarification based on what I had heard from the prince…”

Upon hearing Gale’s confirmation, Edgar nodded and fell into thought.

Yulken’s earlier words and Gale’s remarks almost seemed to echo each other.

It was clear that their primary goal had always been the plunder of food and slaves, and they rarely aimed to obliterate the city itself.

But this incident regarding Whitewood strongly suggested they were aiming for the city itself or perhaps even larger targets.

Otherwise, there would be little reason to manipulate letters and carefully prevent information from leaking out of Whitewood.

“Are you saying you believe their objective lies elsewhere, Lord Edgar?”

“That’s right. Do you have any inkling…?”

“Not quite an inkling, but after conversing with a few individuals yesterday, similar opinions came up. However, we have no means of knowing what that objective is…”

Objective. To uncover it would provide at least a sliver of direction, but conversely, without knowing it, predicting their next move becomes exceedingly difficult.

Regardless, one thing was certain: they must win the battle at Whitewood, but if it was merely a ruse, it would ultimately be meaningless.

As the individuals in the meeting room all fell into a profound silence, the door suddenly swung open with a loud bang and someone rushed in.

“Who dares enter without permission!”

“I-I’m sorry! But it’s urgent news…!”

“Apologies for the intrusion; I am one of the subordinates sent to Whitewood.”

As a rough and bearded elder reprimanded the newcomer, he showed signs of panic but was able to continue speaking thanks to Gale’s assistance.

“There has been an intensive offensive started against Whitewood! However, many soldiers have been ambushed, and the castle is struggling to hold out…!”

Bang!

Before the man’s sentence could even conclude, someone slammed their hand down on the table, gritting their teeth fiercely.

That someone was none other than Ariel.

Faced with an urgency more severe than anticipated, she immediately issued orders to Gale.

“Gale, tell them to set out immediately. I will follow.”

“Ah, no! Please reconsider, my lady!”

“Right! If anything were to happen to the prince, you must ensure you remain in a position to respond!”

Ariel’s intention to join, despite having never even seen the battlefield, created a significant ripple among the vassals.

Even if she had claimed to have seen battle beforehand, her retainers would surely have adamantly opposed her involvement this time.

This incident was truly an unexpected situation, and any further variables that could arise were unknown.

In times like this, it would be correct for Ariel to remain at the castle, preparing for any eventuality.

“Ariel, calm down for a moment.”

“I am calm. That’s why I can make this choice.”

“I’ve watched you for nearly 20 years. You think I’d buy such nonsense?”

“Just move aside, Ed. If you prevent me from saving my father, I won’t forgive you.”

Blood ties are terrifying.

She can turn fierce to the extent Ed, who used to be the one most forgiven, now becomes the target of her icy rage.

The other vassals discreetly kept their mouths shut amidst the icy atmosphere she was exuding, but Ed, facing her directly, remained composed.

He had prepared himself mentally for the possibility of such a report coming in.

“I’m not saying you can’t go. It’s just that you lack battlefield experience. In situations like this, it’s better to leave it to those with experience, while you should prioritize assessing the situation.”

“But Whitewood is on the verge of collapse. And you want me to just wait and watch?”

“I’m saying watch because Whitewood is on the verge of collapse. If I felt it was a bit safer, I would have sent you.”

Whether the soldiers fell for a trap or whatever, the fact that they were suddenly ambushed implies their numbers were already a step ahead.

If even Yulken is on-site, then it’s realistically unlikely Ariel’s entry would change anything.

Right now, sending reinforcements, focusing on reliable vassals as well as the elite, would be best.

After all, in this situation, she remains the ultimate decision-maker in the castle.

Thud.

At Edgar’s calm reply, Ariel remained momentarily stunned, then sat back down, as if all her strength had evaporated.

Witnessing this, Gale exchanged a brief glance with Edgar before speaking.

“…For now, let’s proceed without the lady accompanying us.”

“Thank you, Sir Gale. My apologies for the trouble.”

“Rather, you’ve saved the lady from a possible misstep, for which I should be thanking you. Though I may be experienced in battle, I shall strive to bring good news.”

Gale made the declaration of his intent to participate directly and rose from the table with the subordinate who had just arrived.

The other vassals, understanding the emergency, too rose to fulfill their duties, while Edgar took Ariel, still weak in spirit, away to her room.

It seemed that this evening wouldn’t be remedied with just the lamb meat that usually lifted her spirits.