When Claude appeared, everyone around him lowered their heads slightly. Even Gillian and Belinda, known as Ghislain’s closest aides, followed suit. It was a far cry from how they usually treated Claude with complete disregard. If nothing else, discipline in Fenris's military was absolute. With Ghislain as a warlord, it couldn’t be any other way. Claude found this new atmosphere immensely satisfying. “Hmm, if only you all treated me like this all the time. It feels like I’ve finally found my rightful place.” “......” As the supreme commander during wartime, Claude held authority over military operations. Many had biting remarks ready, but they held their tongues. When Ghislain first appointed Claude as the supreme commander, the announcement shocked everyone. Naturally, they had expected the position to go to Gillian, the captain of the guard. Ever loyal to Ghislain, Gillian accepted the decision without resistance. He had no personal ambition for recognition to begin with. It was the others who protested. “Young master! He’ll be the first to surrender!” “That’s right! Entrusting the entire army to someone who’s never experienced war? He’ll probably take a bribe and capitulate!” “He might even lead a rebellion! He’s been full of complaints all along!” As the retainers caused an uproar, Claude felt personally offended. “What the hell? Did I ask for this job? Why are you blaming someone who hasn’t even done anything yet? What kind of people are you?” Claude threw a fit, pointing fingers and arguing with the retainers. As always, things devolved into chaos the moment Claude got involved. Ghislain, however, didn’t just sit idly by. Boom! Ghislain stomped the ground once, silencing everyone in the room. With an indifferent expression, he declared, “Claude is the supreme commander of the defensive forces. That’s final.” In Fenris, a single statement could be contested, but a second declaration from Ghislain meant the matter was decided. The retainers clicked their tongues in frustration, casting disapproving glances at Claude. Claude, for his part, was equally exasperated. He turned to Ghislain and complained. “What the hell, my lord? I didn’t even ask for this job, and now I’m the one getting all the blame? Do you have something against me?” “Officially, you’re the second-in-command of this territory. Isn’t it obvious?” Ghislain replied with a faint smirk. “Well, yeah, but...” Despite his lack of real authority, Claude technically held the second-highest rank in Fenris after Ghislain. Ghislain grinned and said, “Do your best. You just need to hold out until I get back.” Telling someone with no experience in real combat to hold the line against the strongest force in the West was outrageous. But Claude’s reaction was even more ridiculous. “Seriously? I can do whatever I want?” “Yes, whatever you want.” “Heh, this sounds like fun.” Claude, who used to plot ways to escape when Fenris was weak, now found himself with the might of the North’s strongest forces and most advanced technology at his disposal. Naturally, his mind brimmed with ideas to try out. And so, with Ghislain away, Claude became the supreme commander of Fenris’s forces. The defensive troops stationed at the fortress of Silverlight, where Claude and the retainers were, numbered ten thousand. The rest of the army was spread across various other forts and strongholds. While ten thousand wasn’t a small number, it was drastically insufficient to face an army of sixty thousand. To make matters worse, Claude was the supreme commander, leaving everyone with a deep sense of unease. Claude, observing the anxious faces of those around him, asked, “Ahem, everything’s ready, right?” In the awkward silence, Gillian answered calmly, “Everything is prepared, just as you ordered.” “Uhhuhuh. Hearing our captain speak makes me all tingly. Anyway, let’s wait. The enemy will make their move soon enough.” Under Claude’s orders, the Fenris forces waited. After all, their objective was to hold the line and stall for time. Minimizing losses was always preferable. Aside from the overwhelming difference in numbers, they weren’t lacking in other areas. Thanks to Claude’s insistence on strengthening defenses, the fortress had been massively reinforced, almost rebuilt, and they had ample supplies of strategic resources. Looking at the imposing fortress looming quietly in the distance, Marquis Rodrick laughed heartily. “Those northern savages may have made some money, but they’ve built one hell of a fortress.” The fortress was named Silverlight for a simple reason: its white stone walls gleamed as if they were made of silver. The dwarves’ artistic sense was on full display, creating an extraordinarily beautiful stronghold. “It’d be a shame to see such a magnificent fortress destroyed, but we can always rebuild it later.” Marquis Rodrick was confident in his victory. No matter how well-prepared Fenris was, there was no way they could hold off an army of sixty thousand. It took Rodrick’s forces three whole days to set up camp. While the sheer number of troops required time, assembling numerous siege engines added to the delay. Once the siege engines were completed and the camp was fully established, Marquis Rodrick gave his first order. “Check for rune stone traps!” To counter Ghislain, a Master, Rodrick’s family had gathered intelligence on Fenris’s tactics. Among the most infamous were rune stone traps and hot air balloons. Rodrick’s strategists had devised countermeasures to neutralize these threats. “Protect the mages!” At Tenant’s shout, knights surrounded the mages and advanced cautiously. Rodrick’s army boasted an impressive contingent: three sixth-circle mages, six fifth-circle mages, and over a hundred lower-circle mages. This force rivaled that of a major mage tower, highlighting the high caliber of Western mages. The mages cast wide-range mana detection spells, soon shouting their findings. “We’ve detected it! Mana signatures in multiple locations!” “They’re definitely rune stone traps!” “They’re close!” Hearing the report, Marquis Rodrick slapped his knee and exclaimed, “As expected, there were rune stone traps! Pull the army back a bit and disarm them immediately!” Marquis Rodrick laughed loudly. The enemy’s traps were far too predictable. They likely had no better options. “Idiots. Did they really think the same tricks would work again? So, how many rune stones are there? Can we salvage and reuse them?” “There are five locations. Whether they’re reusable depends on the engravings.” “Five? Aren’t these traps usually set with at least a few hundred rune stones?” “Well... the mana signatures are weak. We’ve only detected five locations so far.” “Hmm... double-check everything just in case.” Rodrick’s forces moved busily, pulling back slightly to avoid triggering any latent magic. After some hesitation, a few soldiers stepped forward nervously. Fenris had a sixth-circle mage, and no one knew what kind of magic might be activated during excavation. The knights and mages couldn’t risk exposing themselves, so they sent in soldiers instead. With the soldiers bolstered by various enhancement spells, they began digging carefully. Soldiers, after all, were expendable. Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! The soldiers cautiously dug into the ground. Since the traps were closer to Rodrick’s camp and far from the fortress, Fenris showed no reaction. At first, the soldiers hesitated nervously, but once they encountered no resistance, they began digging more quickly. If a spell activated, they were as good as dead, but fortunately, nothing happened. “We’ve found it!” “It’s definitely a rune stone!” “Huh? What’s this?” One soldier picked up a small rune stone, tilting his head in confusion. The rune stone was tied with a piece of paper. Suspicious, they decided to untie the paper and read it first. The moment they saw what was written, the soldiers’ faces froze. Seeing their reactions, Tenant shouted, “What is it? If it’s not dangerous, bring it to the marquis immediately!” The soldiers hesitated but eventually brought the rune stone and the paper to Marquis Rodrick. After ensuring there was no apparent danger, the marquis unfolded the paper. [You dumbass, you got duped, didn’t you?] “......” The paper was inscribed with a vulgar insult. Marquis Rodrick’s breathing grew heavy. He unfolded another sheet. [Six hundred thousand soldiers panicking over five rune stones? Scared of five little rocks, are you?] [Wasted effort, huh? Your dumb ass worked so hard for nothing.] [Mad? What are you going to do about it? Think you can do something?] [I am the man who beat the gods...] One sheet was covered in hurriedly scribbled lines, as if someone had written something and then scratched it out. Its meaning was impossible to decipher. “......” Marquis Rodrick’s hand shook violently as he clutched the paper. It was a blatant mockery. The enemy had anticipated their excavation of the rune stones and prepared this juvenile stunt in advance. And it worked. They had even pulled their forces back slightly out of caution. He couldn’t deny that they deserved the ridicule. “These bastards! How dare they!” For Marquis Rodrick, who had always been treated with the utmost respect, this was an unprecedented humiliation. He never imagined his opponents would stoop to such childish antics. It was the kind of behavior that only vulgar, dishonorable rabble would engage in. To have someone of his noble stature subjected to this kind of degradation—being forced to retrieve such messages himself and even reposition his army—drove him to madness. “I won’t let these insolent bastards get away with this!” Rodrick shot to his feet, roaring at the top of his lungs. “Move the entire army forward! Bring me their heads immediately!” Tenant, standing nearby, tried to calm him. “Marquis! It’s a petty provocation! You must not fall for it! We don’t know what traps they might have set. We’ll win regardless, so please, hold your anger for now!” Marquis Rodrick, infamous for his fiery temper, was a man who tolerated no disrespect, no matter how small. Even so, this was war. Reluctantly, he ground his teeth and restrained himself, taking Tenant’s words to heart. “Check if there are any more rune stones left.” At his command, the mages resumed their mana detection, sweeping the surrounding area for signs of magical traps. From atop the fortress, Claude, comfortably seated, watched Rodrick’s forces scurry about. “Did they dig it all up? Have they found everything? I can’t see that far,” Claude muttered. A mage standing next to him nodded. “Yes, they’ve excavated all of it. Judging by their commotion, they’ve probably read the notes as well.” “Good. Rodrick’s supposed to have a vile temper, right?” Claude asked. Lowell, the intelligence officer, responded, “Indeed. He once killed a maid simply because his food was served slightly late.” “Wow, what a piece of shit. Guys like that can’t stand being insulted. He’s probably never been put in his place before.” Claude wiggled his fingers, summoning someone forward. “Let’s piss him off a little more.” The person summoned was Ascon, the foul-mouthed elf, who stepped forward with a solemn expression. “Damn it... today’s the day they all die,” Ascon muttered, his tone dripping with venom. At Claude’s command, mages cast an amplification spell, and Ascon’s voice thundered across the battlefield. “Hey! Marquis Rodrick, you filthy son of a bitch! You and your shitty parents must’ve crawled out of a sewer! You’re a bastard who deserves to be roasted alive and—” The barrage of curses was so vile that even the Fenris soldiers, on the same side, looked visibly uncomfortable. Claude clicked his tongue and turned to Wendy. “Damn, Ascon’s on fire today. How can so much filth come out of one person’s mouth? Did he swallow a garbage dump or something?” Wendy didn’t respond. She simply stared ahead, unwilling to engage. The mood didn’t even feel like a proper war anymore. If even Fenris soldiers reacted this way, the Rodrick forces were utterly dumbfounded. Marquis Rodrick clutched the back of his neck, his face turning crimson with fury. “That... that... that madman... what... what did he just say?” The insults weren’t limited to him. They targeted his parents, his family, and his entire noble lineage. The vulgarity was so extreme that hearing it felt like a personal violation. In his entire life, Marquis Rodrick had never been spoken to like this. Who would dare insult someone of his standing? Not even a duke’s household would dare. For a noble of his rank, such insults were utterly foreign. He had no tolerance or defense against them. “Kill them! Kill them all right now!” Rodrick screamed, his voice trembling with rage. It felt as though fire was boiling in his chest, ready to explode. This wasn’t just any war. For Marquis Rodrick, this was a grand campaign to subdue Fenris, the strongest force in the North, and unite the North and West under his rule. Yet these northern barbarians were turning this majestic campaign into a vulgar street brawl. “...Fine. Check for the remaining rune stone traps first, and then we’ll advance,” Rodrick hissed, barely holding himself together. This time, even Tenant couldn’t oppose the order. He, too, had been shaken by the extreme provocation. If even an uninvolved party like Tenant felt enraged, how much more infuriated must Marquis Rodrick have been? Insulting an opponent to provoke them wasn’t unheard of in the history of warfare, but due to the high value placed on honor, it was rarely attempted. Tenant quickly turned to Dnessi, the sixth-circle mage in charge of Rodrick’s magical unit. “Are there any more rune stone traps?” Dnessi nodded. “No further mana signatures have been detected. It’s safe to advance.” Tenant raised his voice. “Advance the entire army! Prepare to assault the fortress!” The soldiers marched forward in precise formation. Behind them, siege engines were loaded with stones, ready to fire. From his vantage point, Gillian cleared his throat and turned to Claude. “Ahem, it seems the enemy is preparing to attack. But... was it really necessary to go this far with the insults? It could tarnish our lord’s honor...” The plan they had prepared could have been executed without such provocations. Gillian was concerned that these actions might harm Ghislain’s reputation. Claude, sitting with his legs crossed arrogantly, smirked. “Our dear captain is great at fighting but doesn’t understand much else, does he? War and gambling aren’t all that different. Before the real fight begins, there’s one crucial thing you have to do.” “And what’s that?” Claude grinned widely. “Piss your opponent off as much as possible.” “......” No one could find words to respond. If that was the goal, it had been accomplished masterfully. With Rodrick’s forces thoroughly enraged, the trebuchets finally launched their first volley. BOOM!