Boulder Fortress, built against the giant stone, stood in the center of the Well family’s territory. Under the sunlight, the white walls of Boulder Fortress glinted, giving it a solemn air. But anyone could see that the prestige of the House of Wil in this fortress was already on its last legs. In the battle by the Little Ling River, nearly all members of the House of Wil, including Viscount Well himself, had perished. Only two quasi-knight cadets from a collateral branch, along with a dozen personal soldiers, had managed to retreat into Boulder Fortress with over a hundred defeated peasant soldiers. Even if the Hunter family hadn’t arrived to besiege Boulder Fortress, the Well family’s legacy there would have been left to dust. They had no knights left to inherit the viscountship, and once the kingdom verified their status, they would either lose the title or see it conferred upon another. “Pass on Master Richard’s orders: surrender and you will be spared.” A Hunter family cavalryman carefully shouted beneath the walls of Boulder Fortress. Inside Boulder Fortress, silence reigned, and anxiety was written on every face. The sensitive children began to cry, adding to the frustration of those present. “Are we going to surrender?” Inside Boulder Fortress, the three remaining quasi-knight cadets gathered to discuss their options. Two had been lucky enough to escape and return to Boulder Fortress, while the third had been guarding the fortress from the start. “The men of the House of Wil do not surrender. Do not speak such cowardly words again.” “Didn’t you also flee from the battlefield?” A heavy slap resounded on the table. “Yes, I ran from the battlefield, but I never once considered surrendering. And I certainly won’t run again this time!” “I also oppose surrender. The Hunter family has no reason to spare us simply because we share the same surname as the House of Wil,” another quasi-knight who had been silent until now spoke up. With a sigh, Boulder Fortress made its final decision. Not long after, an arrow streaked from the fortress’s high walls toward the mounted soldier shouting across the battlefield. The shot was wide, and the soldier quickly turned his horse around and left. Boulder Fortress’s stance was clear: they would fight another day. While the craftsmen set about preparing defenses, Master Richard organized the Hunter family’s soldiers into a makeshift camp. The northern lands were rich in timber, and under the direction of their commanders, the camp bustled with activity as they began constructing siege equipment. Aside from those escorting the wounded back to Tie Mu City for treatment, over one thousand five hundred of the Hunter family’s soldiers had gathered below Boulder Fortress. Meanwhile, there were no more than one hundred fifty defenders left within, all of them demoralized and defeated. Even the prudent and cautious Richard did not believe there was any suspense as to the outcome of this battle. So long as they could surround and prevent the Boulder Fortress garrison from launching a sneak attack, they would have no trouble securing victory once their siege equipment was ready. “Bang, bang, bang-bang.” After several days and nights of labor, the siege equipment was ready. With the muffled beat of drums, three enormous battering rams, pushed by hordes of peasant soldiers, approached Boulder Fortress’s towering walls from three different directions. At a height of twenty meters, Boulder Fortress was a formidable stronghold, easily defended and difficult to attack, thanks to the century-long efforts of the House of Wil. Unfortunately, even the most impregnable fortress needed human defenders. If Boulder Fortress had been home to a single knight and a dozen quasi-knight leaders overseeing a few hundred peasant soldiers, Richard would never have chosen to storm such a stronghold. This was one of the reasons Richard had provoked the House of Wil into attacking first. He wanted to take Boulder Fortress; otherwise, with the Hunter family’s mobilization speed, they could have launched an attack into Wil territory before the House of Wil’s peasant army had assembled and appeared at the gates of Boulder Fortress, leaving them helpless. The battering rams drew closer and closer to Boulder Fortress’s walls. The defenders launched flaming arrows in an attempt to burn the rams, but these machines had all been treated for fire resistance, and no mere spark could set them alight. Meanwhile, archers stationed on the battering rams began to rain arrows down on the defending soldiers perched atop Boulder Fortress’s walls. Despite being the defensive party, Boulder Fortress found itself under heavy fire from the Hunter family’s bowmen. The effect was especially pronounced on the siege tower carrying more than a dozen system archers. These system-produced archers, bolstered by Richard’s fundamental techniques, were even more terrifying. Their powerful and precise arrows cleared a section of the wall, and no matter how the officers tried to herd them forward, no soldiers were willing to stand on that part of the wall near the siege tower. After losing more than ten men, the three siege tower successfully closed in on Boulder Fortress. The peasant soldiers carrying the ladders charged out from behind the siege tower, shouting as they ran, and set the ladders against the walls, beginning to climb. Those who made it to the top would be handsomely rewarded, and these soldiers selected for the attack had long since accepted that they might die in the attempt. The tops of the siege tower were not idle either, as thick wooden boards were smashed onto the tops of the walls, forming a path for the elite troops within the siege tower to enter Boulder Fortress. Ron was the first to charge from the well-protected cover of the siege tower. After resting for a few days, his injuries from earlier battles had healed, and he ascended onto the wall with a burst of energy, dispatching any soldiers attempting to stop him as easily as cutting through vegetables. More soldiers followed close behind, pouring onto the wall one after another. The other two siege ladders also successfully breached the wall, for both were commanded by Viscount Souter and Richard himself. With an unstoppable momentum, the three knights charged onto the wall, leaving no room for resistance. By the time they landed, none of the peasant soldiers were willing to fight, and only the three quasi-knight sons of the House of Wil and their loyal guards put up a hopeless resistance. Clang! With the death of the last rebel beneath Richard’s sword, all obstacles to entering Boulder Fortress had been removed. “Quill.” “Yes, sir.” “Check the identities of everyone in Boulder Fortress, and maintain strict discipline. Any who dare loot or rape during this period will be executed on the spot.” “Yes, sir.” “Teams One and Two, follow me.” Quill was one of the city guard’s hundred-man commanders, and also the only survivor of the battle of Little Ling River. He was a new recruit promoted and trained by Richard over the past few years. Though somewhat inflexible, he followed Richard’s orders to the letter, making him a useful asset. Of course, any who attempted to flatter Richard while secretly disobeying orders would find themselves with three feet of grass over their graves within a few years. Richard knew that, after a slaughter, there would always be hotheaded men who committed atrocities. Some units even used indiscriminate killing as a means to boost morale after a hard-fought battle. Richard, however, neither needed nor cared to employ such methods. Maintaining strict military discipline took precedence over all else. “Let’s go, everyone. Into the castle.” Glancing back at the battlefield, Richard beckoned Viscount Souter and his personal guards to follow him into the fortress. The intensity of the battle had been relatively low, almost child’s play compared to the ordeal at the Little Ling River. The only tangible reward from the skirmish was the more than five hundred experience points Richard had earned from the System, bringing him closer to the next level. By the time Richard and his retinue made their way through Boulder Fortress’s short streets to the residential area, Kuiel had already rounded up the soldiers and confined the remaining members of the House of Wil—women, children, and servants—in the great hall. A quick scan revealed that most of them were women and young children. “Release the servants,” Richard commanded. “As for the House of Wil, bring them back to Tie Mu City.” Richard continued to stroll around Boulder Fortress, Viscount Souter following him around with great interest. The dream of annihilating their old nemesis, the House of Wil, and turning the entirety of Boulder Fortress into a war trophy had seemed so far-fetched in the past, it still didn’t quite feel real, and Souter needed to take in this sight a few more times. “Sir.” Viscount Souter emerged from the hall as well. “Hm?” “Do we need to…?” Richard fell silent, understanding at once what Souter meant. Weeds pulled up by the roots grow back stronger with each spring breeze. Ron, standing beside them, opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing. He simply couldn’t bear it. “Execute the direct family members, but bring back the others for now.” After a moment’s consideration, Richard gave his orders. Richard was no saint; if the situation called for it, he would not hesitate to order the execution of prisoners. But when it came to women and children, unless absolutely necessary, he truly could not bring himself to slaughter them. Forget it. Keeping them alive had its uses. If this group of women and children possessed advanced management knowledge and a golden finger that allowed them to avenge their family, then perhaps it would be better to just let them die.