Chapter 139 Fort Detail

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The swarm had grown larger the next day, requiring me to use more fire arrows than yesterday. Furthermore, more Vargmuth were present, exceeding thirty instead of the usual ten from the previous day. However, the swarm returned to normal the following day, and even decreased the day after. But then, the swarm suddenly became massive again, forcing me to utilize nearly half of my mana, resulting in more injuries than usual and prompting Edelweiss to complain, but there were no archers there. That's why the casualties were at a minimum. Sadly, three tailfolk soldiers lost their lives. The enemy attacks became more frequent, and we had fewer archers than anticipated. However, I knew this situation wouldn't persist indefinitely. There was no reason for them to be unable to deploy many archers when they launched a full-scale attack on this fort in the future.

"How's our status?" Edelweiss inquired at HQ.

"Yesterday, we only had around a thousand skeletons and three Vargmuth. But now, the numbers have risen to approximately four thousand skeletons and twenty Vargmuth. Consequently, we're having difficulty taking them down before they reach the top of the wall," Captain Rhegar reported, his decorations nodding in agreement.

"The enemy sporadically launches attacks with overwhelming numbers, catching us off guard."

"I understand." Edelweiss closed her eyes, deep in thought.

"Gentlemen, I've received reports that Golderite has been successfully produced. We have 800 kg of usable Golderite, which is more than enough," Alistar announced.

"Excellent! When will the Mithail arrive?"

"When do we plan to strike the undead?"

The other captains and decorations present cheered upon hearing that our secret weapon had made significant progress. It was as if we had already won the war. Deep down, we knew the battle was far from over, but the prospect of victory and the opportunity to strike back filled us with hope.

"Hmm... that's the tricky part. Crafting those weapons might take us a month or two, even with the help of the dwarves. Edelweiss, can your expertise in magic help speed up the production of the Mythail stakes?" Alistar inquired.

"No, smithing is beyond my area of expertise. If I were to go there, I could only assist with mana flow-related knowledge. I am more valuable here, where I can help the injured," Edelweiss responded.

"I see. So, what's the verdict? Should we stay holed up here?"

"Lord Alistar, please allow me to scout the area. The movement of the undead is concerning. At the very least, we need to gather intelligence on the surrounding area," I suggested.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Rejected. We need every available manpower when the time comes. We still have a month to go. Scouting should only take place a few days before the assault," Alistar declared, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Lord Lily, Lord Alistar, here is a report from our sentry stationed at various points along our border," Lhorne reported.

"I see. Rhegar, Joseph, I take back my previous statement. We need to scout the area around the human fortress."

"Huh? Lhorne, what's the matter?" Lily asked, noticing Alistar's frown.

"Several unarmed humans were seen fleeing towards our border. It appears they were slaves," Alistar explained.

"What happened to them?" Lily inquired.

"We apprehended them, and they are currently awaiting your orders. According to their accounts, the undead bypassed the fortress and attacked the slums. The town was sealed off, leaving them to die outside."

"Typical of those wretched humans. What kind of race kicked out their own brethren." other decarions smirked at the report. However, Alistar was visibly struggling.

"Set aside your racial bias. Regardless of their actions, we need to ascertain their condition. We still rely on them as a bulwark against the undead. If the human nation falls, we won't survive the pincer attack from the undead," Alistar asserted.

"Lily, I entrust this task to you. I must remain to defend this fort," he continued.

"Alright! Let's go, Lhorne!"

"Sorry, but Lhorne will stay here too. He is our connection to the tailfolk sentry you established. We can't afford to lose him if something goes wrong," Alistar denied our request to bring a companion.

"Huh? Will I scout the human territory alone?" Lily's eyes widened. We could undoubtedly handle it alone. In fact, it would be more efficient. But I was surprised that the elves allowed a lord to venture alone.

"No, you will have two tailfolk knights and two elven knights," Alistar sighed. He wore a bitter frown. "At the very least, you must return alive, even if you were alone."

"According to the reports, the humans aren't faring that badly, right? Is this mission so critical that you're willing to sacrifice our soldiers and even put a lord in danger?" the other captain expressed confusion about Alistar's insistence.

"The humans' reports cannot be trusted. Their nobility often lies to their own people. We need to see the situation for ourselves," Alistar explained.

"But, sir, reducing this fort's defenses by removing Lord Lily might be a lapse in judgment. We need her for the assault, don't we?"

"The assault is still far off. We need to assess the condition of the humans now. If the situation worsens, we may need to aid them instead," Alistar sighed.

"But..." the general attempted to argue. I was astounded. I had forgotten how much these elves despised humans. They did everything in their power to hinder any assistance to humans. Alistar and Edelweiss had softened up with Mattheus and humans in general. Still, these individuals were a tough nut to crack.

"Lily, ignore them. Please proceed with the mission," Alistar sighed again, shifting his gaze from the captains to us.

"Yes, sir."

"Rhegar, I entrust her protection to you. Lily, do everything you can to gather information on their fort and, if possible, the condition of their cities beyond," Alistar commanded.

"Understood." "Yes, sir." Both Rhegar and Lily saluted.

After saluting Alistar, Rhegar and Lily exited the room. Even as they left, Lily's fox ears caught the sound of him arguing with the other captains and decorations. The horses were prepared promptly, and Rhegar assigned us two elven knights and two tailfolk soldiers who had been conscripted for the war. Lily entrusted her army to Nora and Lhorne as she embarked on a new scouting mission.