Pioneer Lord: I Have Conquering System

One-tenth might seem like a small amount, but Black Stone Castle wasn’t some border town like Kalia; a tenth of its wealth was an unimaginable fortune.

’And who’s to say that after I’m the first to break into the castle, I’d obediently limit my looting to a mere one-tenth?’

’As long as I just stick it in the System Space and no one sees me do it, who would dare risk the Sword of Damocles hanging over their head to accuse me of corruption?’

"Tomorrow morning, at the sound of the first horn."

...

「Three days ago.」

It was a time of great anxiety in Debei, where the war between two Dukes had thrown the entire domain into a state of panic.

Farmers cautiously drove their oxcarts, terrified of being robbed by rogue soldiers. Prostitutes worked tirelessly to please their powerful clients, hoping to glean scraps of information. In the taverns, Mercenaries shot the breeze, boasting that the raging war meant it was time for them to earn their commissions.

Meanwhile, three Golden Lion Knights from White Bone Fortress bypassed Kolon and finally arrived at Gonda City.

They didn’t slow for the caravans of farmers and merchants lined up at the gate, instead urging the Haka Golden Lions beneath them into a gallop.

"Get out of the way!" they barked, their tone icy.

The farmers in their black Felt Hats knew these were important people they couldn’t afford to offend. Even if they were run over and killed, it would just be their own bad luck. They hastily scrambled to the sides of the road, and the merchant caravans rushed to make way.

"Excuse me..."

A Silver Armored Long Halberd Soldier guarding the gate started to step forward, wanting to ask what was in the chests on their backs, but a single glance at the identification token tossed his way had him hurrying to let them pass.

He exchanged a look with his companion and sighed. "Something big must be happening again. Life just keeps getting harder. I just got married... I hope the war doesn’t find its way here."

The three Knights passed through numerous checkpoints and entered the Royal Palace. Not long after, several hundred Griffin Knights launched from the Cloud Mist Cave Tower, soaring into the sky and heading south.

The sight set the citizens of Gonda City abuzz, everyone speculating about what was happening.

...

A day flew by in the blink of an eye. The Lord only had enough time to inform his band of brutes that they would also be joining the siege the next morning. By the time they had finished their preparations, dusk had already fallen. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, it was tomorrow.

When the first mournful horn blast echoed across the field.

A forest of banners stood tall. The incessant, heavy clang of arms and armor filled the air. Outside Black Stone Castle, the Northern Army had once again formed up, their ranks solemn and orderly, silently awaiting the horn to signal the attack.

The Wolf Island warriors, serving as reinforcements, had voluntarily requested to join the siege. After a moment’s thought, the Lord agreed.

The average Wolf Island soldier was only about 1.7 blades tall. When the several hundred Beastman Barbarians from High Cliff Castle, who averaged 2.5 blades in height, mixed in with them, it was as conspicuous as a grown man standing in a crowd of children.

It wasn’t just their size; their equipment was also exceptional. They wore layers of Chain Armor and Leather Armor under a final, heavy layer of Iron Armor, which likely couldn’t be pierced even by a Strong Bow at close range. The ridiculously oversized War Axes in their hands glinted coldly, and all of them wore horned Face-covering Helmets.

They stood together, chatting casually since the battle had yet to begin, and occasionally erupting in boisterous laughter. This was a stark contrast to the Wolf Island soldiers next to them, who were too tense to even speak.

The Jackal Wolfman Scouts were patrolling the perimeter, and since the Centaurs’ anatomy made them unsuited for siege warfare, the Lord had only brought his Beastman Warriors to participate.

"Levi, your men are truly one of a kind," Monvert remarked from the side.

The Wolf Island Count had decided to join the High Cliff Castle Baron in the assault. He had changed into the Deep Blue Plate Armor he’d worn on arrival and was now cradling his Wolf Helmet.

"My Lord, that’s the unique calm and confidence of battle-hardened veterans."

Levi was clad in a suit of Golden Plate Armor engraved with exquisite patterns. A golden cape fluttered in the wind behind him. He rested a Broadsword as wide as a door plank on the ground before him, the very picture of a Holy Hall champion.

’This was the armor Mier had custom-made for him, specifically reserved for showing off on grand occasions. The previous assault on a small town like Kalia hadn’t been important enough for him to wear it.’

’Only now, with the assault on Black Stone Castle happening before the eyes of hundreds of thousands, did he finally bring it out.’

’Honestly, I should ask Fatir for an advertising fee. This whole getup is a blatant advertisement for the Holy Light Church, especially since I’m also a practitioner of the *Holy Word Treasure Manual*.’

’With that in mind, he decided he absolutely had to go get something out of Fatir after this battle was over.’

"My Lord, don’t rush in right away. Let’s wait for that flock of giant moths to draw the enemy’s main force before we make our move."

Before the battle, Levi wanted to get on the same page with the Wolf Island Count.

Although he planned to be the first to break into the castle, that didn’t mean he wanted to be the first to scale the walls. If he did, the Black Stone Castle’s Guard Army would feel the pressure and immediately divert massive forces to his position.

His time to shine would only come after the main army had drawn the defenders’ attention, leaving them too preoccupied to notice him.

At first, Monvert didn’t understand who Levi was calling "giant moths." When he figured it out a moment later, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Those Holy Knights wore bulky, golden armor decorated with a pair of golden wings. The description "giant moths," he had to admit, was surprisingly apt.

But if those Holy Knights ever found out someone was calling them giant moths, they would likely fly into a rage.

He nodded.

Though he disliked such convoluted schemes, it didn’t mean he was inflexible.

This was, after all, a type of tactic.

After all, their role was to provide support; there was no need to charge recklessly and suffer needless casualties.

Once all preparations were complete, seven or eight ceremonial soldiers in livery and feathered hats stood on a platform behind the army and raised massive horns to their lips.

WHOOOO! WHOOOO! WHOOOO!

The deep, sonorous blast of the horns echoed across the battlefield. The densely packed ranks of soldiers began to march, launching their all-out assault on Black Stone Castle after two full days and nights of bombardment!

The volleys of arrows from the walls were sparse and weak. They clattered harmlessly against the Barbarians’ Armor, leaving nothing more than white scuff marks.

After just a single volley in return, the Feder Archers in the rear had them so suppressed they didn’t dare peek over the walls again. The Guard Army cowered behind the battlements, crying out as if they’d seen ghosts.

They had the advantage of the high ground, firing down from above, yet the enemy Archers outranged and outshot them.

When they tried to return fire, their arrows fell short, landing in the dirt a hundred paces from the enemy. The rare few that did find a mark had lost so much momentum they couldn’t even penetrate Light Armor.

Yet the moment they peeked over the edge, an enemy Arrow would come flying right at them with terrifying accuracy and even more frightening power.

The Lord followed unhurriedly behind a massive Siege Vehicle.

This type of Siege Vehicle weighed at least ten thousand pounds and consisted of four large wheels and a platform several dozen blades in length.

Once it was in position, the iron-clad wooden platform would be dropped onto the ramparts. It was too heavy for men to push away, creating a bridge for soldiers to run directly onto the walls.

The advantage was that it protected the soldiers from having all sorts of nasty things dropped on their heads. The disadvantage was that it was far less mobile than a simple ladder.

Even pushed by several dozen burly Northern Old People, it still moved at a turtle’s crawl.

"Boss, aren’t we going to help?" Zat asked, hefting his two War Axes as he walked beside the Lord. He looked at the Old People, who were grunting and straining to push the Siege Vehicle. "If we joined in, we could make it go several times faster."

"Help my ass!" Levi shot back, his attention focused on the sounds coming from their right.

’That’s where the main gate of Black Stone Castle is, and where the main army is positioned,’ Levi thought. ’There’s no sound of fighting from there yet, so what’s the rush?’

’Besides, according to Fujero, the wall should have been close to collapsing after being bombarded by Catapults for so long. But even now, while the sound of Giant Stones striking the walls was incessant, there was still no sound of a collapse.’

Before long, however, the fierce sounds of battle erupted.

The Holy Knights roared as they scaled the walls. Their exquisite Plate Armor, combined with Holy Light Protection, granted them unparalleled defense. Arrows were completely ineffective, allowing them to ascend the walls with ease and secure a foothold for the troops behind them.

"Charge!"

The Lord roared and, without further hesitation, took the lead, scrambling up a Cloud Ladder.

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