Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence-Chapter 165 - 159: The Forging Family - The Valen Family
"Your Excellency, you misunderstand," came Raylo’s voice.
"I am not shirking from battle. I simply do not agree with filling the moat with the lives of our soldiers."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the solid fortress on the sand table.
"I will not join your assault."
Viscount Andrew let out a cold laugh and was about to retort with sarcasm, but then he heard the rest of Raylo’s sentence.
"However, I am willing to take on the task of capturing Red Iron Castle myself."
The entire command tent fell silent in an instant. You could hear a pin drop.
All eyes were fixed on Raylo.
Shock, disbelief, confusion...
Viscount Andrew’s fury was doused as if by a bucket of ice water, and he stood frozen in place.
’Take it on himself?’
’The sheer arrogance!’
He had gathered the forces of several houses and lost over a hundred Knights, yet he still couldn’t crack this tough nut. What right did this wet-behind-the-ears brat have?
He had only invited Raylo to join because he coveted the two types of Giant Beasts from Black Stone Territory, the Mammoths and Storm Griffins. He wanted Raylo to use them to break open Red Iron Castle’s defenses.
He couldn’t care less how many of Raylo’s Giant Beasts would die by the end of this war.
This was no longer a simple military matter, but an open struggle for command of the war.
"Baron Raylo, you..."
Count Gao Wen also looked surprised. He wanted to make sure he hadn’t misheard.
"Lord Earl."
Raylo turned to Gao Wen, who sat in the seat of honor.
"The Valen Family is putting up a desperate last stand. Continuing the assault will only lead to more casualties. Viscount Andrew has done his best; it would be better to let him and his Warriors rest. Please, entrust the task of taking Red Iron Castle to me and Amber Territory."
These words both gave Andrew a way to save face and clearly stated his own intentions.
The next hour of the military council devolved into a pointless debate.
Several Lords offered various suggestions—some proposed a siege, others suggested digging tunnels—but they couldn’t agree on a unified plan.
Anyone could see that Red Iron Castle was a hot potato; no one was completely confident they could take it.
Finally, the mentally exhausted Viscount Andrew slumped into his seat. He shot a glance at Raylo and snorted through his nose, a tacit admission of defeat.
"In that case, I am willing to step aside."
Count Gao Wen’s gaze once again swept over the crowd. The tent was dead silent.
No one else was willing to step forward and touch that Fortress, stained as it was with blood and failure.
After waiting a moment and seeing no response, Count Gao Wen made his decision.
Raylo stood up again, his voice steady and firm.
"Lord Earl, in my capacity as the Baron of Black Stone Territory, I formally request to take charge of capturing Red Iron Castle, alongside Amber Territory. We will bear full responsibility for all casualties and consequences."
"Excellent!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
Count Gao Wen, as if he had been waiting for those very words, slammed his hand on the armrest.
"Baron Raylo, Baroness Lillian, your courage is admirable! From this moment on, the assault on Red Iron Castle is under your complete command!"
Viscount Andrew’s face was so dark it looked like it could drip water. He glared at Raylo, his eyes like daggers dipped in poison.
The council ended, and everyone began to disperse.
Lillian followed Raylo out of the large tent.
She leaned close to Raylo’s ear and said with a hint of a smile, in a voice only they could hear,
"Brother, you were just like a lion back there."
"A big lion that’s locked onto its prey and refuses to let go."
Raylo turned his head, his eyes glinting as he gazed at the banner with its crossed hammers fluttering in the morning breeze nearby.
Still resentful, Viscount Andrew stood before his tent, his expression complex as he stared at Raylo’s orderly encampment in the distance.
There was no pre-battle clamor; instead, the aroma of roasting meat drifted from it.
"What are they doing? Having a picnic?"
Andrew’s adjutant said in disbelief.
Andrew didn’t answer, merely clenching his fists.
He saw the soldiers of Black Stone Territory and Amber Territory gathered around campfires, large chunks of meat sizzling over the flames and golden ale filling wooden mugs.
This didn’t look like an army preparing to attack a fortress built on bones; it looked more like they were holding their victory feast ahead of time.
And in the center of that cheerful camp, Raylo was sitting with Lillian, Ed, and others—including Knight Kaine and Great Mage Alina from Amber Territory—gathered around a massive, unfurled map.
The map was made from the leather of some Magical Beast, and the defensive details of Red Iron Castle were precisely drawn on it with Alchemy Ink.
"The reports from the Pegasus Knights have been confirmed."
Ed pointed to several red dots on the map.
"The western wall is the weakest point in their defenses, but they know that too. They’ve deployed twelve Enchanted Bed Crossbows there, which pose a major threat to our Mammoths and Flying Knights. There are over three hundred well-equipped Archers on the walls, and their arrows are likely enchanted with piercing spells."
"A classic iron-clad defense," remarked Lady Alina, Amber Territory’s Chief Mage and Lillian’s Magic Tutor.
She was a mature woman who appeared to be in her forties, with a disposition as calm as still water.
"A frontal assault would be just throwing lives away."
Raylo looked up.
"Ed, how are the preparations on your end?"
"They’re ready. All the fire oil we captured from Golden Wheat Castle has been packed into clay pots. We have a full one hundred and twenty of them."
Raylo nodded.
"Have the Knights eat and drink their fill. Especially the Mammoths—feed them extra oatmeal pancakes mixed with Physical Enhancement Potions. Their task is the heaviest and the most crucial."
"Yes, my lord!"
Ed accepted the order and strode off to relay it.
The afternoon sun grew scorching. The other Lords of the Allied Army had all gathered on a high point not far from the battlefield.
They were like an audience waiting for a play to begin, ready to witness for themselves how Raylo’s arrogance would be shattered against the hard walls of Red Iron Castle.
Viscount Andrew was among them. He had even brought a comfortable chair and was holding a glass of wine, a faint, cold sneer playing on his lips.
"It’s starting," Count Gao Wen said softly.
All eyes were instantly drawn to the scene.
Before the Black Stone Territory’s position, twenty-one behemoths slowly moved into formation.
They were Mammoths, enormous as mountains. Their long tusks glinted with a metallic sheen, and their thick hides were like moving fortresses.
Atop each Mammoth sat a Knight clad in Heavy Armor. They were silent, yet they radiated a suffocating pressure.
A small commotion broke out on the walls of Red Iron Castle.
Even the most elite soldiers could not help but feel a flicker of fear when facing such legendary Giant Beasts.
The alarm bells rang urgently. The Archers on the walls nocked their arrows, and the Bed Crossbows began to adjust their angles, their cold Crossbow Arrows locking onto the Mammoth Herd on the ground below.
However, the Mammoth Knights did not immediately charge.
They simply stood in formation, as if waiting for something.
Just as everyone was growing puzzled, a piercing eagle’s cry echoed from the sky.
