“Siege battles are the most taxing form of war simply because they are basically a prolonged battle that never ends until one side gives up. There is no maneuvering, no retreat unless one side admits defeat, just a grueling slog that continues until one side becomes too tired to go on.

It grinds down both the venue where it takes place, as well as the minds and hearts of the combatants. Truly, it is the worst way to wage war that anyone could conceive.” - Saying attributed to Xaliburnus the Conqueror, First Emperor of the Elmaiya Empire.

On the third day after the armed forces of Podovniy reached the outskirts of Levain City, the siege battle began.

Unlike what most people would have expected, including the involved parties themselves, the siege was nowhere near as intense or brutal as what a joint force of over a hundred fifty thousand people who came prepared could pull off. In fact, a good chunk of the Podovniy army was still in the midst of finishing the construction of their siege camp, and the same applied to their Anduillean allies.

Another part of the Podovniy army built defenses to the south of the city, while a large part of their cavalry and scouts were sent southwards, where they searched for signs of the returning Levainian army. Another significant part stayed on guard around the construction projects or escorted their scouts, so in total less than one-fourth of the Podovniy army as a whole were involved in the actual siege.

The situation was little different in the Anduille army, since the majority of their people were also either constructing their base or standing guard. As such, only around forty thousand soldiers in total between the two armies besieged Levain that day. Such a number was something the defenders could shrug off easily since they had the help of the city’s walls for defense.

If one was to observe from a higher vantage point – like a certain mercenary captain did with the help of an artifact – they would notice that the siege was less a serious attempt and more just the attackers trying to keep the defenders on edge. It was also an attempt that likely failed spectacularly, considering the calm movements of people within the city being sieged.

Even from the height it was noticeable that the defenders were pretty relaxed while fighting off the invaders.

Due to the delays that the Free Lances and the Levainian volunteers inflicted, both the Podovnian and Andeuillean armies were very late compared to their planned timetable. They originally expected to arrive at Levain city early enough to siege the city for at least a week and a half and likely make some headway before its strongest defenders could even return.

At present, Reinhardt knew that the forces under Estelle and the two Caroman Marshals’ lead were approximately three to four days away from returning, which would throw another factor into the equation. Apparently the Southern Coalition had unexpected developments happening which caused their defeated army to somehow regain the will to continue to harass the returning Levainian and Caroman armies, further delaying their return.

Reinhardt knew this because he regularly sent Hannah to the city in order to exchange information with Bernd and Miriel, as well as to meet up with whoever Lars’ side sent as a messenger and ask them how things went on the other side. Estelle and the Caroman Marshals had sent missives by messenger bird as they marched, so he was naturally also updated on their situation.

Unfortunately, the enemy had yet to bring their siege weapons out of storage to construct them. Had those weapons been out in the open, Reinhardt would have arranged for a daring raid to destroy them, even if it would cost quite a bit. The enemy likely understood that logic as well, so they would likely hide them until they were prepared to start using them against the city itself.

After all, even a lowly soldier knew that to attack a city as well-fortified as Levain without the help of any siege weapons – or siege mages – was pretty much an impossible task, even if one outnumbered the defenders by ten to one.

That both Podovniy and Anduille had attacked at all meant that they had some confidence in breaching the city’s famed seven walls. What form that confidence took, Reinhardt had no idea, but he knew that it would be up to his people – and Estelle’s group, once they returned – to deal with them, since they were the ones already outside.

It was far less likely that those inside the walls would be able to deal with the siege weapons or mages on their own, after all. The best they could do was to defend the walls and buy time for their forces outside to deal with the issue.

At least Levain was well-prepared for that. Other than the fifty thousand or so half-trained militia from the second batch that defended the city, a similar number of reserve militia had flocked to the defense of the city. As such, the invaders would have no real hope of breaching the city’s defenses without siege equipment, which further increased their importance in the course of this battle.

Which suited Reinhardt just fine. After all, targeted raids on a high-value target was something his Company was particularly skilled at, and with Elfriede’s group also having arrived from the north, all it would take was for them to regroup to regain their full strength. The only problem was the lack of an actual target at the moment, and also the fact that their enemies were already highly vigilant against interference from their side after the weeks of suffering they had put them through.

Reinhardt thought that he might have to wait for Estelle’s return before he could pull off any major moves again. Estelle’s forces returning from the south – together with the Caromans, which was pleasant news to hear – would make the enemy have something else to think about, hopefully taking their minds of Reinhardt’s company.

It is when the prey becomes complacent that the predator strikes, after all.