Chapter 2: Defending the City

"Thank you, Master Gavin." The militiaman who had been saved thanked him repeatedly, still dazed and unable to believe his own eyes.

When had Master Gavin become so formidable?

In just a few seconds, he had killed two wolves and severely wounded a third.

And this brilliant streak of combat continued.

With a flick of his wrist, his longsword pinned a leaping wolf to the air.

The hand axe at his waist slid into his palm, and with a backhand motion, he drove it into the forehead of another wolf.

Then, meeting the charge of yet another, he stepped into its reach and plunged a butcher’s knife into its throat.

From that point on, it wasn't the wolves hunting him; he was hunting them.

Any weapon he snatched from the ground became a tool of terrifying lethality.

Most frightening of all was his precise anticipation of the wolves' movements. He essentially landed one strike per kill, wasting neither time nor effort.

Though his legendary warrior’s physique and equipment were gone, his combat skills remained.

Dealing with these wolves was, for him, child's play.

"Keep your formation and hold back the goblins; leave these beasts to me." Gavin’s tone was low, yet carried an air of absolute reliability.

This reliability didn't stem from his status, but from the terrifying results of his hunt just moments ago.

In less than a minute, over ten wolves had fallen by his hand.

It wasn't just the Nott militiamen who were stunned; even the wolves were terrified.

Gavin didn't even need to walk toward them; a single glare was enough.

The remaining wolves let out whimpers, tucked their tails between their legs, and leaped back into the main body of the goblin horde, never daring to show their heads again.

After all, they were just beasts, not true soldiers.

Then again, even for true soldiers, most would collapse once the casualty rate exceeded one-third.

Gavin walked back to his original position with unhurried grace, picked up his spear again, and while thrusting it forward, said, "What are you waiting for? Shields up, spears out!"

"Long live Master Gavin!"

A roar of excitement erupted among the Nott militiamen, and the spears in their hands thrust with renewed vigor.

Nora, the "King Kong Barbie" who had been slightly flustered when the wolves broke the line, immediately steadied the formation and shouted, "Hold the line! We don't need to wipe them all out; we just need to hold until Captain Zaranda and the others destroy those three catapults."

BOOM!

A loud crash echoed.

A shrill, miserable scream came from the castle behind them.

A round, portly figure came tumbling out, running and crawling, shouting as he went: "Captain Zaranda, it’s bad! It’s terrible! The goblins have dug a tunnel under our castle and broken into the Great Hall! Where is Captain Zaranda? Who ordered you to open the castle gates? Close them! Close them quickly!"

This person was none other than the current Baron of Nott Castle, Rohan Nott.

"Reporting to you, My Lord Baron, Captain Zaranda has led the troops out to destroy the enemy's catapults. We cannot close the castle gates; if these goblins return, Captain Zaranda and her team will be surrounded and unable to return to the castle," Nora replied while swinging her great axe.

"Reckless! This is absolutely reckless!" Rohan shrieked. "I command you as your liege lord: close the castle gates and repel the goblins in the tunnels!"

The surrounding Nott militiamen hesitated.

While Zaranda’s reputation among them was high, she was, after all, only the garrison captain.

Rohan, however, was the one they had sworn allegiance to, the man who held the power of life and death over them; they could not disobey his orders.

"Ahhh..." Screams echoed one after another from the castle hall, indicating the chaos within.

The civilians of Nott Castle were all hiding inside.

Worried for the safety of their families, the militiamen were anxious, desperate to rush into the Great Hall.

But the castle gate stood wide open, and the swarming goblins numbered in the hundreds—there was no sign of them thinning out; if anything, there were more.

The speed at which they were killing the goblins was far slower than the speed at which they were gathering.

Human-wave tactics.

It had always been the goblins' specialty.

Nora was suddenly at a loss, unsure whether to rush into the Great Hall to check the situation or hold her ground and wait for Zaranda to return.

Gavin said in a deep voice, "Nora, stay calm. The castle gates must not be closed. This goblin tribe is so organized and premeditated that there must be a Hobgoblin tribe commanding and supporting them from behind. If we close the gates, Captain Zaranda and her team won't be able to retreat in time. If they are surrounded by hobgoblins, they will likely suffer heavy casualties.

Don't be too anxious about the situation in the Great Hall.

These goblins have only been besieging Nott Castle for a few days; they haven't had time to dig large tunnels. The number of goblins that could have crawled through is definitely limited.

Captain Oust is still inside. His character may be questionable, but his strength is decent. A squad or two of goblins won't be able to do much to him."

He wasn't guessing; he was stating facts. The information came from his previous life, obtained only after paying a heavy price.

Rohan was the quintessential "pig teammate," the kind who held great power.

If he were allowed to continue giving reckless orders, he would surely repeat history, allowing the hobgoblin wolf riders to pin down the cavalry led by Zaranda and cause the loss of most of Nott Castle’s remaining elite forces.

And here, the only one who could oppose him was himself—not through force, but through status.

"Gavin, how dare you defy my orders! I am the Baron now! Everyone must obey me! If you dare to—" Seeing his orders ignored, Rohan roared in anger.

Gavin lunged at Rohan, landing a punch on his fat belly without a trace.

The punch wasn't heavy, but it struck right in the liver, causing Rohan to double over in pain. He tried to scream, but Gavin clamped a hand over his mouth, feigning concern: "My Lord, you’re injured! Sit down and rest quickly. You all, continue! Do not let a single goblin step foot in here, and do not close the castle gates!"

At the same time, he whispered into Rohan’s ear: "Shut your mouth. If you dare say another word, believe me, I will stab you to death right here. Who do you think they are more likely to avenge: a pig-like Baron, or someone they are loyal to?

My dear brother, don't think I don't know about the filthy things you've done. I’ve kept a tally of every single one of them for you!"

This was a piece of filth who could never accomplish anything but could ruin everything.

Setting aside the grudge of him trying to kill Gavin since childhood—that was old news.

The true death-grudge between them was that during the Great Retreat, this wretch had conspired with his captain of the guard to sabotage Gavin, leaving him to be captured by monsters and sold to the Zhentarim, where he was tortured to death. If Zhang You hadn't happened to transmigrate, everything would have been for nothing.

Killing this wretch was Gavin’s obsession before he died.

If not for the fact that killing him now would cause serious damage to his reputation in Tethyr, the butcher’s knife in Gavin’s hand would have already been buried in him.

It wasn't the time yet. Since he had returned, this wretch was a dead man walking. He would wait until he was fully prepared—in any case, Rohan wouldn't live to see Gavin leave Tethyr.

Rohan’s screams were stifled in his throat, his fat face turning the color of a pig’s liver, and he didn't dare move a muscle.

Not only because of the sharp butcher’s knife pressed against his waist, but also because of the undisguised disgust and impatience in Gavin’s tone.

He didn't think this bastard, who had stolen his father’s love since childhood, had the courage to kill a noble—his own brother—in public.

But he didn't dare gamble, because he couldn't afford to lose, even if the odds were slim.

As the screaming in the Great Hall slowly subsided, the panicked militiamen regained their composure.

They remembered that Rohan’s inseparable Captain Oust hadn't come out with him; he must be inside leading the fight.

If it were just a group of goblins, they certainly wouldn't be a match for Captain Oust, who was a level 5 warrior with an unlocked class template.

With Rohan’s interference gone, Nora became the anchor, firmly planted at the gate, immovable.

Because Gavin knew she hadn't even used her most powerful ability yet—Rage.

She wasn't a warrior; she was a barbarian.

"Success! Success! Captain Zaranda and the others succeeded!"

A cheer of excitement erupted from the castle walls.

Zaranda had led the cavalry to successfully destroy the goblins' siege equipment.

But Gavin knew their greatest test was yet to come.

The hobgoblins had already completed their encirclement, intending to take advantage of the situation to wipe out the most elite portion of Nott Castle’s forces.

Gavin could only help Zaranda clear the obstacles inside the castle.

As for the battle outside, he was powerless; he could only pin his hopes on Zaranda herself.

Gavin wasn't worried about Zaranda’s ability.

With the knowledge from his previous life, he knew exactly what kind of glory she would create.

She was the undefeated female general, the queen who would eventually unify Tethyr after years of warlord chaos.

It was just a pity that in that glorious chapter, there was no place for him.

This time, he would certainly change that history.

"Hobgoblins! It’s the hobgoblin wolf riders... Captain Zaranda and the others are in danger!"

"It’s a trap! A trap set for Captain Zaranda and the others!"

Another cry of alarm came from the walls.

"Come with me." Gavin nudged Rohan with the butcher’s knife. His view was blocked here; he couldn't see the situation far outside the castle.

In his previous life, he had clashed with Rohan over closing the castle gates and ended up in a brawl, missing the sight.

[Goblin Wolf Riders]