"What's the situation?" I asked Takis once our forces started walking, two of us at the rear of the army, ignoring the risk of the forces behind us. They were busy dismantling the wards around the construction, checking for traps.

However, even as they did so, two mounted wings separated from the army, each with two hundred soldiers, taking a wide turn, but their eventual attempt to envelop our forces was rather obvious.

As for why they didn't attack directly; the battle against the cultists had been an impressive display of the magical capabilities of our church. I might have been dismissive of the military talents of the nobles, but not everyone was as reckless as Baron Maell, who was a rarity.

"Our scouts report that the other two armies started moving the moment we started retreating. Both armies have two hundred split from the main army, each moving toward a mine. They are trying to keep their actual attack hidden, hoping that the first attack will get all of our attention."

"Zolast's detection wards have been useful, I take it," I said, speaking freely since we were under two layers of protective wards, blocking sound and obscuring our faces.

"Incredibly so. They don't seem to realize that they are being tracked," Takis said.

"Good. Any news from Somaton?" I asked. "Now that they've set our church as their first target, they must have sent someone to take down our mighty Lord Crusader."

"Yes, boss. Our mighty golden protector is intimidating," he said. I sighed. Even Takis was mocking me about that garish design, despite the seriousness of the situation. Truly, it had been my worst decision since my arrival, bar none. "But, I don't understand. What exactly are they trying to do?"

"Now that they have made their next move, it's getting clearer. Tell me, what's the biggest weakness of our forces?" I asked, acting like our forces weren't about to be enveloped and pinned down.

"Our limited number of experienced commanders?" he asked. "That prevents us from mounting an offensive campaign in multiple locations." I shook my head. "Our lack of flying castles, preventing us from projecting our forces to a distance," he added.

"These are valid problems," I said. "But neither are our current biggest problems. Our lack of allies is our biggest problem."

"I thought we were already allies with the princess," he said.

I shook my head, happy to use the opportunity to teach him a lesson. "Not exactly. We have an understanding, but there's no official agreement in place. They would defend us if we fought the Somaton forces, but we're being attacked by forces that are nominally a part of her forces as well."

"But, it's obvious that they are supporting Somaton."

"Yes, and I have no doubt of that. If the princess were here, she would have intervened. But, they picked their time well. The princess is in a critical meeting, probably accompanied by her most trusted allies."

I continued. "And the other commanders that she left wouldn't have the courage to intervene in such a complicated situation and risk their careers."

"But eventually, the princess will leave the meeting and intervene. Even if they could force us to retreat, the worst they can do is to destroy our mines. It's not like they can siege us without a reason."

I sighed. "You're wrong about that one," I said. "They have a pretty good reason."

Takis frowned in confusion. "What do you mean they have a good reason, boss? I thought that the feudal domains were a big deal. How can they have a reason to just invade a barony?"

"Ah, but you forget that Baron Maell isn't the only member of the family," I said.

"His uncle," Takis gasped. "Are you sure?"

"It makes sense. His coup attempt was backed by Somaton, and with everything going on, we didn't have the chance to intervene with his forces."

"But his claim isn't as strong as the Baron's," Takis said.

I chuckled. "Would it really matter? The support of three thousand elite soldiers is good enough to bridge the gap, especially if they empower the other armies just like Baron Tarug's forces," I said. "I'm willing to bet that once the siege starts, the uncle will pop out and offer a deal to his nephew." I paused, then sent a message to Limenta, asking him to take Karak with him and start guarding Baron Maell. Two of them should be enough to deal with any assassination attempt. "That, or they'll assassinate Baron and try to push his uncle, therefore, single-handedly ruining all our logistical efforts."

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"Can't we just ignore it? We still have military superiority."

I shook my head. "No, we can't. Once that happens, the new Baron could ask for the assistance of the Royal Army," I said.

"And they would jump at the opportunity to deal with any forces that support the princess," Takis completed, at this point, quite familiar with the general political landscape. He just lacked the experience of thinking like a politician.

"Exactly," I said.

"Why is Baron Tarug letting us pull back, then?" Takis asked. "It makes more sense for them to attack and destroy our forces before we could retreat to the borders."

I smirked. "That's the danger of using pawns. Each has their own ambitions. Baron is far more interested in taking back his silver mine, especially since we have done all that work to develop it. He just needs to put in a little extra work, and he'll be very rich."

"That doesn't seem wise, not with Somaton doing their best to prevent any supply of silver from reaching the region," he commented.

I shrugged. "He was greedy enough to bet his silver mine in a casino, and reckless enough to be the one to make the first move. He's not exactly an excellent decision maker."

Takis frowned. "Aren't they too incompetent?" he asked.

"Naturally," I said, which earned a questioning glare. "Don't forget that we're dealing with the noble houses that had been reckless enough, or hopeless enough to bet their whole fortune to come here to build a dungeon town despite the existence of an evil god. Hardly the greatest decision-makers of the kingdom."

"Makes sense," Takis said, then looked at the mounted forces that were following us from a distance, yet to make a move. "Should we turn and attack them?"

I thought a bit, but then shook my head. "No. It makes tactical sense, but it's politically disadvantageous. I want you to just take in the first tunnel entrance, and reinforce the mines they are moving against."

"But that will reveal the tunnels," Takis said.

"That's inevitable," I said. "Ultimately, we're using the network that was already created by the Cultists. We didn't expect them to target Town Maell first. Discovering that secret is the advantage they have."

Silence fell as we continued forward, observing the movement of the cavalry, particularly focusing on the body language of their leader. While we did so, we passed through the border, entering the Barony of Maell.

Technically, with the royal courts inevitably against us, I shouldn't expect it to matter much, but my lifetime of experience showed that, in legal matters, technicalities helped. At least, it wouldn't hurt.

The mounted forces passed the border recklessly, which would have revealed their intention if we hadn't already realized it. "Where's the nearest tunnel entrance?" I asked.

"About half a mile away," Takis said.

"Good, send the flying cart away, and use the tunnel to retreat," I said.

"It's one of the auxiliary entrances. It will take a while to move a whole army," he said. "The cavalry is too close."

I smirked. "I know."

Takis paused for a moment. At this point, he knew that I wouldn't just sacrifice my men needlessly. "Should we bring out the armor?" he asked.

I thought a bit. The identity of a crusader had been useful, but clearly, it wasn't impressive enough to actually keep our enemies away. Revealing another high-ranking fighter might be useful. "No, it's better to convince them we have more surprises for them," I said.

"Are you sure, boss?" Takis said. "I thought you wanted to use that identity mainly as a negotiator."

I sighed. "I did, but I underestimated just how much those nobles care about the martial reputation. The reputation as a merchant is beneficial to handle smaller organizations, but I underestimated just how badly the nobles disdain those they call merchants. Pushing deals through them is very difficult. Not to mention, I doubted Lord Tarug would be just as enthusiastic trying to take back at the risk of offending me personally."

Takis nodded seriously, then suddenly smirked. "You just don't want to wear the armor."

I chuckled as well. "Talk to me like that again, and I will personally design your next armor out of pure gold," I warned, which earned a chuckle out of him.

"Should I keep the flying cart near, boss, in case you need transportation?"

I thought a bit, then decided against it. "No, keep it away. I want to see if my show can attract some flies."

"As you wish, boss," he said, and delivered several orders, and our force suddenly changed direction, running toward the tunnel entrance at their maximum speed. The cavalry noticed that move, but they still wasted about half a minute before they acted, losing themselves precious time. When they finally started moving, a sixth of our forces had already been evacuated.

The cavalry charged toward us, while I stood at the rear of our forces, holding a standard long sword. My knight identity already used a great sword, and my assassin identity used a spear. I wanted to make them as distinct as possible.

The longer I could keep those identities secret, the stronger our church would look. Illusion of power was a beautiful weapon.

I stood almost two hundred feet away from them, right in the path of the cavalry charge.

When they arrived, a third of our forces were still out. Meaning, if they rushed forward, they would have delivered a very devastating hit. I was already planning the best way to hit them to break their cohesion while relying on my Agility and Charisma.

My new combat style, based on leveraging Awakened Agility, worked well during the practice sessions, but I wanted to put it into a proper test.

An army seemed like the perfect target to warm up.

Yet, what I expected didn't happen, and they stopped before arriving in front of me. "Our liege lord invites you to enjoy his hospitality for a while, Lord Steward," the cavalry captain declared. His words were supposed to be respectful, but he didn't bother his smug tone.

No doubt enjoying the achievement of taking me prisoner.

"Well, I'm here. Let him come," I said as I leaned and drew a line in front of me, and I sat on the ground.

"Anyone that passes the line dies."