TGS - Chapter 143

Chapter 143: Night Raid

On the hills opposite the gates of Seaton City, a temporary camp occupied the flat high ground. The Sanur army had been stationed here for three days.

As a nomadic people living on the highland steppes, migrating as a tribe in pursuit of prey and the most abundant water and grass, setting up camp at various points along their route was their normal way of life.

Being stationed on the small hills of Solancia did not make these foreign soldiers feel out of place; on the contrary, it made them feel more at ease.

"It's more comfortable than staying in that stone city. With all its winding streets and alleys, my horse has nowhere to run."

A Sanur soldier on watch duty said this, taking a bite of a hardtack biscuit brought from Digebia. He complained with disgust, "The food is dry too, no taste of meat. Don't those Solancians raise a lot of old folks and women? And they make themselves suffer by eating this stuff."

His companion rolled his eyes. "You should be glad we have anything to eat. We're supposed to be rationing the meat anyway. What are you complaining about?"

Another soldier laughed heartily. "I think he's just got a craving!"

"Craving women, more like? Hahaha."

These guards shared the same characteristics: tall, with messy, shaggy hair. They roared with laughter and continued to gnaw on the tasteless hardtack biscuits.

After a short while, one of them suddenly put a hand over his eyes, squinting as he gazed at Seaton City. "What are those Solancians doing?" he asked, puzzled.

The others looked in the direction he was pointing. They saw a group of ant-like figures appear below the walls of Seaton City, spreading out along the base of the wall, doing something unknown.

"Digging trenches? Putting up low walls? Just the usual tricks of people hiding in their city to defend it."

"Should we report this to the commander?"

"Of course. You guys wait here, I'll go."

The soldier who had first spotted them stood up and ran quickly toward the center of the camp. The tents here were all identical, making it impossible to tell which one belonged to the army's leader.

The soldier couldn't tell either, but he didn't need to find the leader, only his superior in charge of intelligence.

The intelligence superior confirmed the report, went to the front of the camp to see for himself, and then hurried back to the central tent to report what he had seen and heard to the person sitting inside.

"Coming out to build temporary fortifications at a time like this... it seems they're truly desperate. They'll probably focus on defense for a while."

As he spoke, the man turned around. It was not the Sanur King, who had been leading the main army all this time, but a burly young man. His features bore some resemblance to the Sanur King, only without the thick beard.

The general lowered his head. "I think so too, Your Highness."

"Just imagining how panicked and afraid they are makes me happy," the young man addressed as 'Your Highness' said with regret. "It's a pity our forces aren't all here. If we attacked now, we'd lose, and I have no desire to lose."

"We can wait for the King's orders. I trust it won't be long."

"I also trust that Father won't make me wait for nothing," the young man said arrogantly. "You may leave."

In fact, the highest-ranking person in the camp at this moment was this young man. The Sanur King, who should have been commanding the camp and preparing to attack Seaton City at any moment, had long since departed quietly with a large contingent of men, heading elsewhere.

The camp was not small, but in reality, half of it was empty. The Sanur forces had already been dispersed; the ones guarding the camp were just one contingent, a bluff to intimidate the enemy.

And those cowardly Solancians, terrified by them, had sealed their gates shut and were secretly sending people out to build crude obstacles. They must be trembling in their boots right now!

The young man was the youngest of the Sanur King's sons.

He toyed with his scimitar out of boredom, snickering to himself and feeling smug about his own assumptions, while also regretting that he couldn't attack the city immediately and make more Solancians fall to his blade.

As for the possibility of the Solancians taking the initiative to attack, the Sanur King's youngest son had never even considered it.

That night, the Sanur prince slept soundly in his tent.

Torches were lit in the camp. The patrolling soldiers were divided into several small squads, pacing back and forth in their designated areas, leaving no blind spot unchecked. And on every path leading up the hill to the camp, soldiers stood guard.

At the darkest, deepest hour of the night, the moonlight was hidden behind the clouds.

Among the soldiers guarding a small path, one of them yawned. As if it were contagious, yawns followed one after another.

They weren't worried about their own or their companions' alertness. As a tribe that grew up on the highlands and roamed the wilderness, every Sanur warrior had been riding horses and playing with knives since they could walk. They had never known a single day of settled life; they were as vigilant as sentinels in a wolf pack.

Yet in the darkness, a shower of arrows shot forth like meteors. The faint sound of arrowheads piercing the air became a continuous hum as they plunged into their flesh, piercing their throats and chests.

One man, not hit in a vital spot, managed to remain standing. Trembling, he raised the whistle hanging on his chest, just about to blow it.

The next moment, the bright gleam of a blade flashed past, slitting his throat.

The last sentry fell.

Under the cover of night, Alyuin, clad in light armor, rose from the dense grass. Several archers were also hidden nearby.

The stealthy attacker who had killed the last sentry began to finish off the others one by one. After confirming there were no survivors, Alyuin made a hand signal to someone not far away.

An elite cavalry unit emerged from the woods behind them. Their warhorses' hooves were all wrapped in soft cloth. They moved not quickly, but with extremely little noise.

A black horse with a snow-white tail tip trotted at the very front. It came to the Princess's side without a rider, obediently lowering its neck.

Alyuin said in a low voice, "Very good."

The Princess swung herself onto the horse and led the light cavalry in a silent, orderly advance, heading straight for the Sanur camp.

Without a doubt, this was a planned night raid.

To passively wait for the enemy to attack the city when other options were available was almost impossible for Alyuin.

Moreover, the Sanur had just attacked a city. If she didn't return the favor, they would really think Solancia was a pushover.

During the day, Alyuin had considered the possibility of openly luring the enemy into battle, but she had concluded it was unrealistic.

The Sanur were camped to the north-northwest, which was upwind from her own forces. Their camp was also on high ground. In comparison, the army of Seaton City was at a natural disadvantage.

Taking all factors into account, a night raid was the only truly feasible option.

Alyuin was never one to procrastinate. After a day of observation to confirm the basic situation, she led a surprise attack that very night.

Originally, she had only planned to burn their supplies and military equipment, but...

Gazing at the tents on the edge of the camp, which were clearly slapdash and little more than cloth draped over frames, the Princess's eyes narrowed slightly.

No matter how she looked at it, they didn't seem fit for habitation.

The number of troops in the Sanur camp was perhaps far less than it appeared.

"...Is that so?" Alyuin whispered softly. The few short words, even if heard by the cavalry behind her, would have been dismissed as meaningless muttering to herself.

But another answer, inaudible to others, followed.

"Yes, there's no one inside. There are many such 'show' tents." Lotus's cool, clear voice paused. "To be precise, all the ones in this area are."

Alyuin: "I see."

Her thoughts raced, and the corners of her lips lifted in a faint smile. "Then let's have a look."

An infiltrator carried a leather pouch full of oil, moving cautiously between the tents. The night and the shadows of the tents were the best cover. She crept all the way to the place where the supplies were stored.

Flint was struck, sparks flew, and oil was splashed.

The wind fanned the flames, and the pile of supplies was instantly ignited.

The nearby patrolling soldiers rushed over immediately, scrambling to extinguish the flames.

But it wasn't over. The raiding cavalry no longer concealed their movements. They galloped through the camp, simultaneously emptying their oil pouches onto the tents along the way and setting them alight.

The cloth-draped frames, meant to deceive the eye, now became the fastest-burning things. Flames shot up, illuminating the entire camp.

According to the plan, this was the time to fight their way out, killing as many Sanur soldiers as they could along the way. Every extra one killed was a gain.

However, Alyuin gazed toward the center of the camp, the dancing firelight reflected in her eyes. She seemed to be in a trance, yet also as if she were assessing and measuring the situation.

Lena was also part of the night raid. She cut down an enemy who had just scrambled out of a tent, then turned and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty?"

"They weren't well-prepared, and there aren't as many of them as we estimated," Alyuin said, speaking extremely quickly. "If we just retreat now, it would be a waste of an opportunity."

With that, the Princess raised her voice, her tone deep and sharp. "This way!"

The troop of riders changed direction. Instead of fleeing, they plunged deeper into the heart of the enemy camp.

Lotus floated in mid-air, her eyes cast down, taking in the entire scene on the ground below.

The Sanur army had clearly not expected—or rather, had never even considered—such a surprise attack. Awakened by the commotion, they hastily met the charge, unable to display even half of their usual capability on the battlefield.

Some were cut down by the cavalry's scimitars and long spears before they could even let out a scream. The stench of blood and burning burst forth in plumes through the air.

News of the attack reached the center of the camp a step faster than the cavalry themselves.

Nearly all the generals left to guard the camp were here. They seemed to react faster than their soldiers. Though their armor was not properly fastened, they could enter a battle-ready state the moment they drew their blades.

"Useless fools! You can't even stop this small a group!"

A Sanur general roared, swinging his blade at the forelegs of a warhorse before him. The horse whinnied in pain and was about to collapse to one side, but fortunately, a nearby comrade reacted in time, reaching out to pull the rider onto his own horse.

The general laughed triumphantly, then turned his head and caught sight of the Princess.

Perhaps Alyuin's features were too distinct, or her golden eyes too dazzling in the firelight under the night sky. The general recognized her almost instantly. He immediately ignored everyone else, his expression twisting into a ferocious snarl as he raised his blade toward her.

Alyuin tugged lightly on the reins. The warhorse reared, its forelegs lifting high to avoid the slash aimed at its legs.

Before the opponent's scimitar had fully completed its arc, the Princess's sword was already raised, cleaving diagonally downward from the general's shoulder and neck.

It was accompanied by a gruesome, muffled thud that would make one's skin crawl.

The blade bit into flesh and blood, cleaving through bone.

Alyuin raised her eyes, her gaze like lightning, searching for the figure of the main commander among the many Sanur.

Lotus found him a step ahead of her, spotting the Sanur prince being protected behind several generals.

On the day the Sanur tribe performed human sacrifices with their captives, this young man had been standing behind his father.

"It's him," Lotus prompted softly.

At that moment, under the cover of his soldiers, the Sanur prince was fleeing in the other direction.

It was nearly impossible for Alyuin to break through the surrounding soldiers and pursue him alone.

The other party likely thought so too. As the Sanur prince retreated, he even had time to glance back, grinding his teeth in hatred.

Alyuin.

The devil who had led the defenders of Digebia to defeat the tribe's warriors years ago, and also the despicable person leading this night raid!

Just you wait! When my father—

His thoughts were cut short. In the Sanur prince's suddenly widening eyes, Alyuin took the longbow from her back.

The Princess swept the bow's stave in a half-circle, forcing the surrounding soldiers to back away and creating a small clearing. Then she drew the bow and nocked an arrow, her movements as fluid as flowing water, unbelievably fast.

Perhaps only half a second passed, perhaps a full second...

The feathered arrow left the string.

The arrow whizzed through the air, plunging straight into the target's chest.

The figure swayed and slowly collapsed.

Alyuin, holding the bow in one hand, made a gesture to retreat. The rest of the light cavalry did not linger, turning their horses and galloping out of the camp close behind the Princess.

Several generals gathered around the prince, shouting loudly. Some mounted their horses and tried to give chase, but they could only watch helplessly as the cavalry troop passed through the city gates, which then slammed shut with a roar.

Looking up at the city walls, they saw the city's defenders, fully prepared. Not daring to attack the city at this time, the general could only swallow his anger and hurry back to camp.

Just as he entered the camp, he heard a voice cry out, "The prince has been killed—"

The general's vision went black.

In this surprise attack, the Solancian side lost one warhorse, suffered several minor injuries, and had no fatalities.

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