The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

"So you mean to say that the demon race's elite forces were completely wiped out?"

In a secret passageway-connected compartment in Whitefrost Castle, Pierre was repeatedly confirming with the scouts.

"Two demon soldiers were lucky enough to escape, but they seem to have suffered some kind of trauma and are experiencing some mental problems."

The scout recalled the scene he saw of the demons on the road. The two demon cavalrymen were covered in blood, but it wasn't theirs or the enemy's. The scout made a simple judgment: it must have been from a comrade who had been killed, and the blood had splashed onto them.

It was obvious that the demon army had suffered some kind of blow. Just as the scouts were about to chase after them to inquire, the two demon cavalrymen had already lost their minds and were frantically whipping their whips as they fled.

The scouts expended considerable effort to catch up with the two demons, but the two mentally unstable demons could only mutter the phrase, "They're all dead, they're all dead."

In the rare moments when he regained his senses, he only asked the scout for two horses and continued his escape.

After listening to the detailed report, Pierre paced back and forth in the cubicle. He was already a little nervous because he had thought that the main attacking force was just the vanguard. Now he was told that there was another force capable of wiping out the elite demons on the way.

Thinking about Pierre makes me realize that my hair is getting thinner and thinner.

Pierre sighed and stepped out of the hidden door of the cubicle, only to bump into his youngest daughter, Emily. Distracted, Pierre immediately put on a warm expression. "My Emily, what are you doing here? There aren't any weapons or armor you like here."

"But here is the latest intelligence."

Emily, dressed in armor, looked at her elderly father with concern. Although it was only for a moment, Emily still caught the slightly panicked look in Pierre's eyes.

"Indeed, the situation is not optimistic, but everything will be fine as long as Governor Doug launches a counterattack."

Seeing her father's usual smiling face return, Emily chose not to believe him as she had before. Instead, she directly asked the scout behind Pierre, "Come here and tell me what's going on outside?"

The scout glanced at his master, seemingly asking for his opinion with his eyes, while Pierre kept raising his eyebrows.

"Miss, reinforcements from the elite demon forces are on their way. I believe our crisis will be resolved soon."

Pierre breathed a sigh of relief, but Emily countered, "The elite demon reinforcements that came to our aid have run into trouble, haven't they?"

Emily then looked at Pierre with disappointment: "Father, I'm not a three-year-old anymore."

Emily tapped her breastplate and said, "I have inherited the noble blood of the Laurent family, and I can also share your burdens."

Pierre wanted to say something, but the words caught in his throat. When he finally spoke again, he said, "Alright, my dear Emily, come with me."

Pierre led Emily and the scout back into the compartment, where the scout reported the truth once again.

Pierre added, "My dear Emily, the third wall is actually about to collapse as well. The enemy commander is more prudent than we thought. They destroyed all the walls with artillery, giving us no chance whatsoever. Many of the secret passages we left behind were forced to destroy themselves."

"Moreover, judging from the current situation, the enemy may not launch an attack on the city, but will continue to bombard our castle with cannons. Of course, the castle will not fall so quickly, but after the castle is bombarded."

Pierre didn't continue, but Emily quickly added, "Those brothers and uncles will panic immediately, and the family will fall into infighting. Then, if the other side cooperates a little, some of our side will have ulterior motives."

"That's right, that's how the Pétain Line seems to have fallen. However, the Pétain Line was cut off because of its supply lines, while at least we're not on their doorstep and our supplies are still relatively plentiful."

The bombardment had been going on for two weeks, with enemy shells destroying what could be considered historical sites like city walls, as if they were free. This was causing Pierre's heart to bleed. Although the Laurent family was one of the more complete families in the North, most of the technology used to build these walls and castles had been lost.

Even if we manage to defend it this time, repairing it in the future will be extremely difficult.

Although friendly reinforcements were expected to arrive soon, Pierre, who had fought against the troops outside the city, knew that those friendly forces might not even be able to get past the enemy's vanguard, let alone the main attacking force that had already set up camp.

Especially now that the elite demons that Pierre had placed so much hope in have been completely wiped out, with only two madmen escaping back to the demon territory.

"Father, are there still any secret passages in the castle that can be used to transport troops?"

"Of course there is. I've always kept one, which can be used not only to transport troops but also to transport weapons and equipment."

Pierre realized what his daughter was about to do as soon as he finished speaking and quickly said, "No, that's too risky!"

“Father, you should also know that if this continues, it’s only a matter of time before White Frost Fortress is breached. We don’t have the corresponding artillery to retaliate, and our spellcasters can’t bombard us like the enemy’s artillery. The only way to break this deadlock is to take the initiative.”

Pierre knew all too well that even the hardest tortoise shell could eventually be pried open, but he absolutely could not allow the family's hopes to be fulfilled.

Emily is Pierre's best daughter; she absolutely cannot die because of something like this.

Even if it meant sending Emily's two good-for-nothing brothers away, Pierre would never let Emily go to her death.

"Father, there's no time. I've consulted the scholars in the castle, and tomorrow night will be a perfect opportunity for a night raid. If I can successfully launch a surprise attack with the remaining elite troops, the rest will be no problem."

Indeed, if Emily could inflict serious damage on the enemy, considering the arrival of reinforcements, they might actually choose to temporarily retreat.

The premise is that Emily can succeed. Having exchanged blows with the enemy commander, Pierre knows how difficult the enemy is to deal with and will definitely not be defeated by this kind of night raid.

After hearing what his youngest daughter said, Pierre began to seriously consider the future of the Laurent family. Generally speaking, noble families would make two preparations, but the Gray and White Collars attacked too quickly, so much so that many noble families, including the Laurent family, had not yet reacted before the other side had already pushed them to their doorstep, leaving them with no chance to sit on the fence.

Pierre had only one thought in his mind: to get Emily out safely, ideally in a way that wouldn't affect her no matter how the fight went on.

"Father, please leave it to me. I will definitely bring victory back. I have been studying in the capital for so long, isn't this the moment I've been waiting for?"

Emily kept urging him on, but Pierre shook his head. Real combat was completely different from what those pedantic nobles in the capital taught him; Emily would definitely lose if she went out.

Wait a minute? Are we going to lose? A bold idea suddenly popped into Pierre's head.

"I see. I'll think about it."

"Really? Thank you so much, Father! I will certainly not let you down. I will restore the glory of the Laurent family!"

Looking at his radiant youngest daughter, Pierre gave a wry smile.