Chapter 85: Chapter 84: Qimo Fortress’s Formidable Garrison

"You’re telling me Daimon hit a wall at Qimo Fortress and lost several thousand elite troops?"

"Yes, General. General Daimon is up ahead with the troops he managed to gather."

Marin frowned as he listened to the report from the front.

He was currently positioned at the vanguard of the army. An army of thirty thousand couldn’t just materialize on the battlefield all at once; there was always a process.

A considerable number of troops also had to be dispatched to secure his supply lines; after all, he was now operating deep within enemy territory.

’Although the other human fortresses are all occupied, who’s to say some idiot ally won’t make a mess of things?’

Furthermore, due to the previous failures, Prince Kase’s control over the army had plummeted.

The one besieging Mold Castle was still General Eric. And while the cause of Bro’s death could no longer be investigated, it seemed inextricably linked to him no matter how you looked at it.

’If Eric’s camp gets its granaries burned by a Fire Dragon again, I’ll end up a casualty of their political struggles.’

’I prefer to keep my destiny in my own hands.’

"See? What did I tell you?

I’ve said it all along: the Human Race is one of the great ancient races. You mongrels are no match for them.

Take my advice. Follow me and defect to the other side. It’s a much better prospect than anything you’re doing now."

The human’s voice echoed in his ear again.

Marin’s face darkened with frustration. ’This old man used to be perfectly normal, but lately, I don’t know what’s gotten into him. The moment we’re on a battlefield against humans, he starts relentlessly spouting this human-supremacist nonsense.’

’A great ancient race? Just how ancient?’

’According to commonly accepted history, the orthodox Purple-blooded Beastmen began vying with the elves for control of the continent seven thousand years ago. The humans? They only appeared in the south five thousand years ago, a race that clawed its way to the top through conspiracy and deceit.’

’If this guy weren’t still useful, I would have had the clan’s Shamans exorcise him long ago.’

’After all, the old man was just a soul latched onto me, and Beastmen Shamans are experts at dealing with things like that.’

"Have them wait a kilometer away. I’ll go see them myself," Marin said.

It wasn’t that Marin wanted to start an internal squabble or humiliate Daimon.

Frankly, he had no desire for that. The only reason he was with the vanguard in the first place was his fear that Daimon’s heavy losses would jeopardize the mission ahead.

A few insults were nothing to him; it wasn’t as if he’d lost any arms or legs.

His main concern was that letting these routed soldiers into his camp would sow disorder. If their broken spirit infected his own army, becoming cowards before the battle even began would be disastrous.

"Yes, sir."

"So, what do you say? Just take me to the Human Race. I may not remember much from my life, but I know the location of a few hidden treasures. I guarantee you’ll live the rest of your life without a single worry."

...

"He’s making me wait here? Who the hell does Marin think he is? Does he have the right?" Daimon was furious when he received Marin’s command.

"General, General, just be patient. The Fox Race has only recently gained His Highness’s favor.

Once we’re back with our clan, we’ll have plenty of ways to deal with him," one of his men urged, terrified his commander would try to force his way in. ’It would be a real mess if that Foxman decided to withhold their supplies.’

"Damn it. Let’s see just what this guy has to say." Of course, Daimon understood the stakes; he was just venting his frustration.

Fortunately, Marin was decisive and didn’t keep Daimon waiting long, arriving swiftly on a fast horse.

"General Daimon, I trust you’ve been well?" Marin remained on horseback to meet Daimon’s gaze at eye level, careful not to appear small.

"I hear you ran into a bit of trouble. My apologies for my late arrival." Marin watched Daimon with a mocking gaze.

While Marin didn’t plan to press the issue, a little mockery was practically required. Kicking a man when he’s down is a common vice, after all.

"Hmph. It was nothing more than a minor hardship.

My Warriors fought bravely. Our Centaur Tribe suffered heavy losses, but the humans didn’t get off easy either.

I’ll have you know, my mission was completed long ago. If I were to return and report to the Prince right now, he couldn’t do a thing to me.

You, on the other hand, should be more worried about what you’re going to do when you fail to complete your mission..." Daimon sneered.

’Can’t lose face, even in defeat.’ He had indeed been utterly routed, but how could he admit that openly?

’Then again, maybe the humans really did suffer heavy losses. After all, it was impossible to get an accurate count during yesterday’s chaotic melee between the human cavalry and the Centaurs. While the Frank Kingdom’s cavalry is renowned across the continent, they’re still at something of a disadvantage against the Centaur Clan.’

’It was impossible to get exact numbers, but he figured their combat record couldn’t be all that bad.’

Marin’s brow furrowed at his words.

"I don’t have time to argue over who’s right or wrong. I just want to know one thing: do you have any real idea what the human losses were?"

"Answer truthfully. If you do, and we succeed in taking the fortress, you’ll get your share of the credit when I report our success.

Daimon, think carefully. The internal competition within the Centaur Clan is fierce," Marin added, trying to entice him.

Daimon’s face darkened. ’A mere fox dares to lecture me about my own career.’

But Marin’s last sentence was indeed tempting. The internal competition among the Centaurs was far more intense than outsiders knew.

If he simply gave up this time, he’d never get another chance to climb back up.

"Like I said, my troops suffered heavy losses, but there’s no way the humans got off easy.

Their cavalry unit came out of the city at the end. In the ensuing melee, you yourself should know full well the strength of our Centaur Warriors.

But those humans... they are truly formidable," Daimon finally said after a moment’s thought, deliberately downplaying the severity of his defeat.

"Formidable? What did you encounter?" Marin asked, frowning.

"The human garrison there is no ordinary elite force. As far as I could see, every single one of them was clad in iron armor.

They even have a Cavalry Corps. It was nothing like our intelligence suggested," Daimon said.

The best way to cover up one’s failure is to exaggerate the enemy’s strength.

And in fairness, Daimon wasn’t exactly lying. The troops he saw were indeed all clad in iron armor.

As for the Knight Order, Daimon had no idea that they were actually the mid-level Officers of Qimo Fortress.

He only remembered being pursued all night by several dozen human Knights.

Faced with this information, Marin momentarily found it difficult to tell truth from fiction.

If he called it a lie, there was the fact that he recognized the strength of Daimon’s Centaurs. Seeing them in such a sorry state, it didn’t seem like Daimon was making it all up.

But if it were true, the implications were terrifying.

Anyone who knew the situation would say this was just a small fortress, but an outsider might think they were assaulting O’Neil Castle.

’How could they even have a Knight Order?’

"So, are you all preparing to retreat now?" Marin asked, glancing at Daimon and his surrounding troops.

Marin always preferred a cautious approach. Regardless of how much of Daimon’s story was true, the humans at the very least possessed the strength to rout this contingent of Centaurs.

Marin didn’t have many true Extraordinaries under his command, so any increase in his forces, however small, was welcome.

"Not necessarily. As long as we have sufficient supplies, the Warriors of my Centaur Clan can, of course, continue to fight," Daimon said.

He understood Marin’s intention perfectly. Since the foxman was willing to give him a chance to redeem himself, Daimon certainly wasn’t going to pass it up.

’Even if things go south, at least someone else will go down with me. Maybe I can get my brother to pull some strings and shift all the blame onto Marin.’

’After all, he, Daimon, was of the direct, orthodox Centaur lineage—a true member of the Standard Yellow Banner—and his loyalty to His Majesty the Beast Emperor was beyond question.’