Lord of Caldera - Chapter 159

Chapter 159: Chapter 159

Lugues was about to send the next wave of troops, but the report from the advance team left him speechless.

“Only a 10% advancement during this time?!”

“Yes, sir.”

It had been a month since Brian had been deployed. Lugues expected that they would have advanced at least 30% more by now—after all, Biorn had conquered 20% in just ten days. Yet, after an entire month, only 10% more progress had been made.

“I thought all that talk of hell was just whining…”

It wasn’t a joke—they really hadn’t been able to push forward. It was so unbelievable he was momentarily lost for words.

“Damn it. So, what’s the situation inside the dungeon?”

“Honestly, it’s not good. There’s considerable unrest among the soldiers assigned to the raid.”

“What? Why? I promised them substantial rewards upon completion!”

Dismantling the traps in the dungeon was a life-or-death task, and soldiers wouldn’t act without appropriate compensation. Lugues, typically frugal, had made an exception this time and promised a generous reward.

“The amount is high enough that any commoner would leap into a fire for it. Are you telling me someone is spreading false information for their gain?”

“Absolutely not, sir!”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“The previous soldiers have been spreading demoralizing rumors.”

The dungeon raid under Brian had left the soldiers with nightmarish memories—lethal traps that killed upon activation, traps that triggered again even after they seemed to be disarmed, and the horrifying sight of comrades shattered to pieces. Each time, the fear of death loomed, but progress was barely made. And as if that wasn’t enough, they’d been ambushed. To the original soldiers, just hearing the word “dungeon” was enough to make them shudder.

“Now, other soldiers who hear the stories are also agitated. No amount of gold is worth risking their lives, they say…”

“Damn it!”

Lugues’ face twisted with anger. Those soldiers should be lying low after retreating in disgrace, not spreading fear. Punishing them now, however, would only reinforce the rumors.

“Triple the reward I promised for the dungeon raid! I’ll sign a guarantee myself, and we’ll post it as an official notice!”

“Are you sure about this?” One knight looked at Lugues in shock. The amount promised was already enormous, but tripling it would be beyond what the current finances of the estate could support.

“It doesn’t matter. Most of them will die in the raid anyway.”

Though Brian had ultimately tried to evade responsibility, he wasn’t incompetent. If a month of time hadn’t been enough to make real progress, the dungeon itself was the problem. Therefore, it was better to assume heavy sacrifices would be needed to conquer it.

“So, there’s nothing to worry about. By the time the dungeon is fully conquered, we’ll have enough to cover the payments.”

The knight looked at Lugues with a stunned expression. Even if dungeon raids were conducted on the basis of expected losses, this statement made it clear that Lugues intended to send the soldiers straight into the traps. Yet Lugues, unfazed, shouted his orders.

“Inform everyone immediately through the herald! The reward will be tripled!”

“Yes, sir!”

Lugues’ loyalists hurried into action, while a few knights, along with the initial speaker, looked downcast. It had been five years since they’d turned against Biorn in the succession battle. They’d sided with Lugues simply because it promised the most rewards, assuming one lord was much the same as another.

“Did we make the wrong choice?”

The thought flashed in the knight’s mind but quickly faded. It was too late for regret now. In any case, Biorn wouldn’t be able to win with such a small force. The knight decided to keep going with the flow, as he had before. There were already too many things he’d overlooked to uphold his chivalry.

“Leave only a minimal defense at the castle. We’ll send everything else to the dungeon. I’ll lead the charge myself,” Lugues commanded boldly.

With their forces heavily depleted by Biorn’s previous assault, sending a small number again would only lead to a repeat of the same disaster. Instead, Lugues decided to bring a force large enough to withstand another ambush.

“The castle of Beldaine is impregnable. Biorn doesn’t have enough troops to seize it.”

Even if he tried, it would take much longer than a day or two—several months at the very least. And if that happened, Lugues could simply turn his army around and strike Biorn’s rear. Confirming his plan, Lugues looked down at the dungeon.

“We’ll finish this within a month.”

Any longer than that, and other lords would begin to interfere. Regardless of the casualties, he had to complete the conquest in one month. Biorn had managed to conquer 20% in just ten days. If Lugues was willing to accept the losses, he could do the same.

As Lugues made his resolution, he was being observed from afar.

“They really came,” Toby remarked, his superhuman vision allowing him to survey the distant army. It was clear that Lugues had brought every available soldier.

“He’s determined. Looks like he plans to throw them all into the dungeon,” Rey observed.

“Let him try,” Sylas replied to Toby’s muttering.

“They’ll all turn into corpses in that dungeon. I wonder how many soldiers he’ll lose before he gives up,” Sylas mused.

“Aren’t you being too optimistic?” Rey asked. “If he keeps pushing them in, they’ll eventually exhaust the traps.”

Once a trap is triggered, it’s used up, whether it’s an animal trap or a magical one. You could set multiple traps in one place, but eventually, they’d all be exhausted, creating a safe zone.

“If they really succeed in breaking through, that could cause trouble. If they manage to find any artifacts suited for war, the situation could turn,” Toby warned.

“Don’t worry; that’s not going to happen.”

“Do you know something we don’t?” Toby asked, curious.

“Who knows?” Sylas replied with a sly smile.

Toby shook his head at Sylas’s cryptic tone. Even though he was his lord, that secrecy of his was something else. He knew Sylas wouldn’t reveal more if he kept pressing, so he let it go, grumbling internally. Sylas smirked to himself.