This was a frontal breakthrough! It could be said that victory or defeat had already been decided by the spell that had destroyed common sense.
Their opponent was a monster who had destroyed the gate and four walls of the estate simultaneously. Unless there was a sword master or great magician in Marquis Reista’s estate, there was no one who could stand up to Orta’s magic.
Now, strike teams of magic soldiers were pouring into the estate. The encirclement around the estate rotated as it contracted, cutting down swathes of soldiers. By smashing through the soldiers and knights in the front, the magic soldiers entered Reista Estate without much difficulty.
“Report if you find the commander!”
“Kill instead of capturing the knights!”
“I have found a senior knight on the right side! The 2nd group will handle this!”
“The 3rd group is on the left side!”
Despite the confusion, the magic soldiers moved with purpose as they broke up into twenty strong platoons with clear objectives. They blitzed their way through the estate, killing any enemy soldiers that tried to resist. The gap between the elite soldiers and the untrained farmers could be seen clearly.
It’s over.
It only took a few minutes after Orta attacked, but the enemy command structure had fractured. Their commander was still alive, but it was now meaningless when all the knights were dying.
Orta was floating in the sky like a ghost, but started to descend. He was convinced of their victory, but there was another reason.
.
“You came?” His voice was almost serene under the mask. As Meltor’s best space magician, Orta’s senses already transcended physical limits. He didn’t miss a single breath from behind the collapsed walls.
Unsurprisingly, a haggard-looking knight appeared.
“… You can’t win.” Orta declared.
It was one of Marquis Reista’s knights. The middle-aged man pulled out the sword at his waist without a word. Then the other hidden knights rose from their hiding places. One, two, three, four… There were fourteen altogether. Though it wouldn’t change anything, Orta wasn’t about to underestimate the flames of resolution burning inside their eyes.
The first knight spoke, “Still, we will die as Reista’s knights.”
“Well, okay.” The white-robed magician raised his gloved hands. “Come.”
The knights launched themselves at him with all their power.
Pababak!
They rushed forward with an unusually strong determination. The knights had eliminated any unnecessary movements, and their combined aura swelled to double that of Orta’s magic power. The proud knights of the Soldun Kingdom had awakened with the crisis they were facing.
The fourteen knights wielded their swords with a sense of unity, and the burning aura blades poured out like a shower.
“-Not bad.” Orta turned his head and lifted a finger.
Chwaaaak!
There was an eerie sound as a fountain of blood erupted. Limbs flew into the air as the rubble around them was dyed red. The dizzying smell of blood spread about, and one drop of blood fell on Orta’s robe. All of Reista’s knights had died, leaving just one bloody drop on a pure white robe.
“Hrmm.”
The bloodstain would be easy to get rid of with a Clean spell, but Orta left it. It was the last bit of honor he could give the knights. Orta looked around at the battlefield and the battle which was almost over.
He pulled out the communication sphere. “Left and right wings, report your current situation.”
Three estates had been attacked simultaneously. The Reista base had fallen, so now there were only Halsun and Kerun remaining.
The left wing answered first. Vince Haidel’s voice was calm. [Reporting. The Halsun knights have been completely wiped out. We are currently storming the castle. We expect to capture the earl and calm the general public soon.]
Orta was mildly surprised. “This is much faster than expected. Did you provoke them?”
[Correct. They ran out onto the plains several times and couldn’t survive the fire arrows. It was simple.”
In any case, Earl Halsun’s knights seemed much worse than Reista’s. They had planned for Vince’s forces to feign weakness, but to think they had been arrogant enough to send out knights to face fire magicians on flat ground. It was obvious that the knights wouldn’t survive the bombardment of three hundred magic soldiers and thirty two war magicians.
Aura defense wouldn’t last long, and their armor would have melted away. An incompetent commander was truly an army’s biggest weakness.
As soon as Vince finished, Bors replied, [Reporting. The watchtowers have been destroyed and the gate has been opened. We are currently eliminating the remaining troops. However, Viscount Kerun has escaped using a teleport scroll. The destination is presumed to be the Cornwall Estate.]
A wall which didn’t even have anti-magic defenses installed lost all meaning before a force composed of magicians. They could create shields to defend against arrows and jump over the walls with Float spells, so there was no way to block them. In fact, Viscount Kerun’s soldiers hadn’t held on for very long at all.
Orta mused. “Straightforward, then. By the way, the rats are quite thorough to have prepared teleport scrolls.”
[Isn’t it an item given by Duke Cornwall? It isn’t an object that a viscount would have.]
“I agree. It’s just a guess, but the possibilities are close enough.”
After receiving reports, Orta put the communication sphere away. Earl Halsun’s estate had fallen, Reista was almost finished, and Viscount Kerun had fled.
Orta flew into the sky as he thought about their next move. It had been six and a half hours since Elmore IV died, and three key areas in the noble faction had been taken down by the royal faction’s surprise raids.
***
The news obviously reached Duke Cornwall, who had prepared the teleport scrolls.
“… Halsun, Kerun, and Reista were taken at the same time?”
He looked down at the knight who had brought him the report in dumbfounded amazement. Viscount Kerun might’ve escaped, but Earl Halsun and Marquis Reista hadn’t even held on for half a day?
He had secretly and thoroughly reinforced the estates a few years ago just for today, but clearly, something had gone wrong. Duke Cornwall frowned for a moment before shifting his gaze elsewhere. 𝑜𝑣𝘭.𝘯𝑡
“The prince had that much firepower hidden away? Or did he bring in reinforcements like I did?”
Rationally, it had to be the latter option. There was no way that the number of troops needed to capture three estates at once could escape the duke’s intelligence network. Just like how he had accepted support from Lairon, the crown prince must’ve called for support from elsewhere.
The duke wasn’t stupid. Lairon and Andras were attached to him, so there was only one kingdom left which would support Prince Elsid.
“Indeed, it is Meltor.”
A master magician was a superpower on the level of an army. The duke had seen Marquis Fergana’s power, so he was well aware of how terrible masters could be. There had to be at least one, maybe two masters. But masters were the foundation of the Northern powers. Therefore, it would be difficult to dispatch three masters.
Duke Cornwall’s guess was almost perfect. He certainly had the capabilities to be king. However, although the duke accurately guessed the truth, he didn’t feel fear. The three estates had been important, but there was something more important than those territories.
His objective was Marquis Atron’s estate, which his thirty thousand strong army was currently advancing toward.
“We will be arriving soon.”
“Yes, My Lord. Our objective is Marquis Atron.”
The vague shape on the horizon was growing clearer as Atron Estate, the land which had recently been given to the Eastern barbarian. Originally, it should’ve gone to the duke’s faithful subordinate, Brahms.
Duke Cornwall made a disgruntled expression as he stared at the Atron Estate’s walls.
“It’s a terrible place for a man who isn’t from here.”
Marquis Atron had died without any kin. It had been a rare chance to swallow up an empty piece of land, but the prince had taken it. However, the duke hadn’t come to strike this place because of his personal feelings.
It was because Prince Elsid was inside! The nobles would win if the center of the royal party, the heir to the throne, were captured or killed. The loss of three estates was painful, but the duke could recover from that kind of damage. It was more urgent to take care of the Eastern sword master with the prince.
Duke Cornwall turned toward a splendid carriage which didn’t fit on the battlefield.
“Crusader Ruben.” The duke’s words were soft, but a master could still hear them.
“Duke, is it finally my turn?” The fully armed Ruben descended from the carriage. He couldn’t hide the smell of alcohol and perfume.
Duke Cornwall didn’t look at him as he nodded and pointed at Atron Estate. “That’s right. The lord of that estate is the one who was born in the land of the barbarians.”
“Oh, I won’t show any mercy,” Ruben spoke as fanaticism shone in his sharp eyes. “I’ll cut down those heretics who rejected God’s mercy.”
According to the Lairon Church, people from the East were unclean existences. They were born heretics in the eyes of God and weren’t part of God’s providence. Easterners were the number one targets to be killed.
For this reason, not a single Easterner lived in Lairon. They killed anyone who looked like they were from the East. Ruben suddenly turned and asked, “You are quiet today, imperial dog. Are you scared?”
“……”
“Bah, how annoying.”
There was still no response. The sword master from Andras had remained silent after the friction on the first day. He had no intention of being active.
Duke Cornwall recalled what that knight had told him at their first meeting.
– I won’t step forward unless it is absolutely necessary.
Was Ruben alone enough? It was true that Lairon and Andras were different. If the knight from Andras was forced to reveal his identity, it could cause a problem with the entire Central Continent. Furthermore, it wasn’t good to owe a debt to Andras. From Duke Cornwall’s standpoint, it was better for Ruben to solve all of this alone.
If possible, I would also like to have Marquis Fergana here…
Unfortunately, Fergana had refused, saying that he couldn’t leave his estate. Marquis Fergana was a 7th Circle magician and considered family, but the duke couldn’t force him. It had only been possible to ally with Marquis Fergana because the duke was an in-law.
Duke Cornwall shook his head and shouted, “Full force! We will prepare to siege Atron and enter the estate! Each unit should move quickly according to the commander’s orders!”
“As My Lord commands!”
The nobles returned to their respective armies. The army didn’t have any conscripts, but elite soldiers from each estate. They were far more professional than common farmers.
At Duke Cornwall’s orders, the tens of thousands of soldiers became one.
“Move quickly while being on guard against the marquis’ troops!”
“Set up the barricades!”
“The depth of the pits should be uniform!”
“Where are the anti-teleport artifacts?”
They set up barricades and dug trenches. In the meantime, the cavalry scouted for any ambushes. It would only take them two or three hours to complete preparations for the siege. The nobles, including Duke Cornwall, watched the process and smiled with satisfaction.
However, the nobles didn’t see the crow flying high above them, nor the magician who shared its vision.
“… It looks like I’m not too late.”
A young man dropped down behind Marquis Atron and the duke’s military camp. It was a feat possible only because he had teleported over a long distance with lightning. Theodore Miller, who could be called the greatest variable in the Soldun civil war, had arrived.
“Now, how should I turn this board upside down?”
The first joker card had just landed on the battlefield.