Wizard: I Have a Cultivation System

When Victor led the allied army to Baron Duval’s Castle, the sight that greeted them left everyone stunned.

The castle gates were wide open, the drawbridge hung limply over the moat, and the walls were completely deserted.

The entire castle was unsettlingly silent in the afternoon sun.

"This..." The Snow Wolf Lord reined in his warhorse, staring in disbelief at the empty battlements. "He’s abandoned the castle itself?"

The Ice Eagle Lord narrowed his sharp eyes, his tone laced with vigilance. "Something isn’t right. Even if they were retreating, they should have left a garrison behind to buy time."

The Frost Bear Lord stroked his thick beard, a thoughtful expression on his rugged face. "Does he intend to abandon his territory completely? The *Noble Inheritance Technique* explicitly forbids such an act..."

"Of course he knows!" Victor suddenly roared, his tattooed face contorting with rage.

He violently swung his longsword, the blade glinting as it cleaved a wooden post by the road. With a CRACK, the post split in two. "Sylvan is toying with us!"

As the Lords were talking, a commotion began to stir among the soldiers.

A few soldiers from the Vassal Army tentatively entered the castle, and soon more followed them inside.

"Maintain discipline!" Victor yelled, but his command was only partially obeyed this time.

The Snow Wolf Lord sighed. "Let them loot some spoils. The soldiers need some compensation after marching for days on end."

The looting inside the castle proceeded in a fairly orderly fashion.

The soldiers discovered that the storehouse held nothing but some old oats, the stables only a few worn-out saddles, and the cellar just a few barrels of cheap ale.

The haul was paltry, but it was better than nothing.

The Ice Eagle Lord returned from his inspection. "Everything of value has been taken, not even the church’s silverware remains."

The Frost Bear Lord spat. "Looks like they were well-prepared. But we can’t linger. The Vilt Kingdom’s reinforcements could arrive at any moment."

Victor gave a grim nod.

’He longed to give chase, to taste those fresh souls, but reason told him it was too dangerous. Leading a heavily-equipped army into the mountain forests would be difficult, and they’d be vulnerable to an ambush from a well-rested enemy. Besides, the other Lords of the Vilt Kingdom would never just stand by and watch.’

"Relay my orders," Victor finally decided. "Gather all usable supplies. We withdraw in one hour."

The Snow Wolf Lord sounded reluctant. "We’re just going to let them go?"

"Would you rather be surrounded by the Vilt People in the forests?" Victor retorted coldly. "Our mission was to teach the Duval Territory a lesson, not to get ourselves killed."

Although the soldiers were disappointed by the meager spoils, the thought of returning home safely kept them from complaining.

They systematically collected the remaining supplies: a few bags of oats, some tools, and the cheap ale.

The Ice Eagle Lord gazed at the mountains to the South, his tone mixed. "This Sylvan is no simpleton. To abandon his birthright so decisively, and to plan everything so meticulously..."

"Simpleton? He’s just a coward!" the Frost Bear Lord scoffed. "Surviving at the cost of your domain is a disgrace to the Duval Clan."

The Snow Wolf Lord calmly interjected, "We should leave quickly. The longer we linger here, the greater the chance of an ambush."

Victor didn’t answer right away, but the feeling of unease in his heart was growing stronger.

’It wasn’t as if the journey had yielded nothing. Those villagers who couldn’t bear to leave and had turned back did provide a few souls. But in the rush to reach the Baron’s Castle and assess the situation, there’d been no time to search for hidden shelters. As a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice with a minor in Prophetic Magic, my intuition is rarely wrong. Is the danger from Sylvan? Impossible. The young Baron is unpredictable, but not enough to trigger such a strong sense of crisis in me. It must be reinforcements from the Church Court and the other Lords.’

"Full retreat, now!" Victor suddenly commanded. "Abandon all non-essential supplies! Travel light and pull out!"

However, rounding up the soldiers still took a considerable amount of time.

It was a full hour before the Rosenian army finally began to withdraw with their limited spoils.

The castle fell silent once more, only the ransacked storehouses bearing witness to a conquest that had begun with a roar and ended with a whimper.

...

The Rosenian army had barely traveled ten kilometers from Baron Duval’s Castle, their limited spoils in tow, when they were cut off in a narrow valley by the waiting forces of Viscount Hans.

"Just as I thought... they came after all."

Victor reined in his warhorse. As he stared at the White Deer Banner, Golden Maple Banner, and Black Rock Banner fluttering at the mouth of the valley, a shadow crossed his tattooed face.

Viscount Hans sat tall on his warhorse, his grizzled hair and beard trembling in the wind.

He glanced at the intact formations of the Rosenian army, a cold sneer playing on his lips. "It seems that useless Sylvan couldn’t even inflict a single decent casualty."

Baron White stroked his neatly trimmed beard, his tone dripping with contempt. "The defenses of an entire Baron’s Domain, and he couldn’t even delay the enemy for two days. A Border Lord like that is a disgrace to us Northern Nobles."

"More than a disgrace," Baron Belede added in his gruff voice, slapping a coarse hand down on his saddlebow. "He’s a thorough coward! Didn’t even put up a token resistance, just handed his domain over on a silver platter!"

Victor noted the neat formations of Viscount Hans’s allied army and their uniform equipment. They had clearly been lying in ambush for some time, and the unease in his heart intensified.