Chapter : 72

“Fire-!”

“This is a disaster. Quick, bring water.”

I emerged from the waterway, full of determination and vigor, but the cityscape that unfolded before my eyes was different, far too different.

-Fwoooooosh

It was burning.

Engulfed in tremendous flames at that.

I didn't know what the city council members were thinking, but they must have gone completely insane. To burn down the very place they lived-!

Thanks to the surging flames, the city's garrison had no time to pay attention to us infiltrators.

“Wh-what should we do, My Lord.”

But this was no time to stand around blankly.

“What do you mean, what should we do! We stick to the plan. Captain Konrad! Lead the soldiers and secure the castle gate.”

“Got it, human lord. Just trust me.”

When fires erupted inside the castle, we would send in soldiers through the waterway.

Then, throw the city into chaos, seize the gate, and Biden, waiting outside, would lead the army in.

And simultaneously, I would lead the remaining soldiers to capture the Chairman of the city council.

That was the plan.

Though I had a feeling something had gone wrong from the very beginning.

“The rest of you, follow me to capture the Chairman of the city council. Let’s go-!”

“Ooh!”

Splitting from Captain Konrad, I led the soldiers to the designated location.

There, the city council members who had sided with me were waiting with tense expressions.

“You’ve arrived, Your Excellency-!”

“Yes, where is Chairman Modric.”

“He is currently in seclusion at his home. I will guide you, Your Excellency.”

A city council member stuck close to me and said so.

For them, I was truly the only one they could trust now. If I failed, their necks would be on the line as well. Thus, it was do or die.

I followed the city council members deep into the city.

Before long, we were able to reach Chairman Modric's mansion.

The only problem was.

“Why are there so many soldiers? And I see knights, too?”

“W-well, it seems the situation has changed, Your Excellency.”

“It’s not that you lot betrayed me?”

“No! Absolutely not, Your Excellency.”

Seeing him deny it with such a start, it didn't seem like a lie. I thought it would end easily, but things had gone awry once again.

I sighed and scanned the mansion.

Chairman Modric's residence was closer to a fortress than a house.

A wall like a castle's rampart, a sturdy-looking gate, and even a steeple.

They said they had hired knights from the Holy Empire, and it seemed they had built the house in the imperial style as well.

“This won’t do. You, take the lead.”

“Pardon?”

“I said, take the lead and open the gate. If you say you’re urgently seeking the chairman regarding the city fire, they’ll open it, won’t they?”

I decided to use the city council member. The council member in front was sweating profusely and acting suspiciously to anyone's eye, but thankfully, the gatekeepers didn't notice.

“I will open the gate for now, Councilman.”

“Y-yes. Thank you.”

“Not at all. The matter is urgent, so it can’t be helped.”

As the gate opened, I, who had been hiding, immediately led the soldiers and rushed through the gate.

“Huh?”

The gatekeeper soldier was merely bewildered, unable to grasp the situation.

I did not miss it.

“Strike!”

The soldiers, having received the order, charged fiercely. The gatekeepers at the very front fell, screaming in an instant.

“Gasp?!”

“Enemies-!”

The knights and guards who saw it from inside the mansion scrambled to move, shouting in a panic.

But the gate was already open.

I pushed inside with my soldiers.

“St-stop them-!”

The garrison hastily tried to block us with their spears, but it was too late.

-Clang

With a metallic sound, my sword crushed a guard's helmet. Without stopping there, I immediately turned and swung my sword.

-Keoheoheok

In an instant, two men clutched their necks and rolled on the ground. Despite that sight, a few more charged at me, screaming defiantly, but it was useless.

-Crack

-Bang

Every shield they raised was shattered upon impact, their spears were broken, and they were cut down mercilessly by my unbelievable skill.

This wasn't just the garrison.

“I am from the House of Raien…. Keuk!”

-Crack.

“You bastard! Die…. Keoheok.”

-Bang-!

The renowned knights who were at the back were no different.

One by one.

Every single one who stood before me was crushed and died.

This was enemy territory.

And it would still take time for my army to get here. This was no situation to show mercy.

And by this point.

“Uwaaaaaah…!”

“Run-!”

The guards were seized by terror and scattered in all directions.

My monstrous skill was one thing, but combined with the surging flames behind me, I looked like a demon that had risen from hell itself.

* * *

“These pathetic wastes.”

“How about we send a messenger to warn them? My king. Just give the order, and I will go with a whip.”

At his vassal’s words, the Prince-elector of Bohemia shook his head with a cold expression.

“That’s enough. It’s not like they’re the types to come to their senses anyway.”

He hadn't expected much in the first place.

That was just the way the combat prowess of human knights outside the Empire was.

Still, of course, the current situation was a bit too absurd.

To be so blinded by looting a village that they were ambushed and defeated!

Even considering they were caught off guard, it was simply dumbfounding given the clear numerical difference.

He heard that an army of nearly a thousand was crushed by a force of barely 100.

To lose a 10-to-1 fight, their combat power was truly pathetic.

“Have you located them?”

“They were all cavalry and moved quickly, so we lost them. I apologize, Your Excellency.”

“No. It happens. It seems there are some among the heretics who know how to fight.”

The Prince-elector of Bohemia licked his lips in disappointment.

Currently, the soldiers were dispersed for the march.

If they kept harassing them like this with a small elite cavalry force, the army would clearly not be able to advance easily.

But to move clumped together in one group, they were too large.

“Double the scouts, and prepare to intercept them. It’s no use talking to those human nobles anyway. We have to solve this ourselves.”

“Shall we prepare a trap, Your Excellency?”

“Yes, disguise it as a merchant caravan and supply unit. If we spread rumors around, they will rush in for it.”

“Indeed! An excellent stratagem.”

Of course, even with this, there was a chance they wouldn't fall for it. It wasn't as if the enemy consisted only of complete fools.

“Send messengers to the scattered noble commanders.”

Therefore, the Prince-elector of Bohemia thought he should increase the army's marching speed.

“Tell them that the faster they arrive, the more meritorious service I will recognize. Also, say that whoever arrives last will be placed in the rear.”

If he did this, the nobles, blinded by the prospect of meritorious service, would surely stop looting and rush towards Mangtong City like moths to a flame.

Then, the small cavalry force wouldn't be able to attack so easily.

“By the way, where is the vanguard now?”

If even the main army was taking this much damage, there was a possibility that the vanguard had also been severely harassed.

But the answer that came back was unexpected. He was told they had arrived at Mangtong City and were laying siege.

“Already? They’re more impressive than I thought. It must have taken quite some time to move that many troops.”

“I even heard they fought a battle on the way.”

“Oh?”

At his vassal’s words, the Prince-elector of Bohemia let out a sound of admiration.

To think there was such a capable person among the human knights. He was a noble worth coveting.

“Send a messenger to them as well. Tell them to be careful as a detachment of the heretic coalition is on the move in the rear.”

“Yes, I will do so.”

And a short while later.

The messenger sent by the Bohemian Margrave brought back unexpected news.

“My king. They say Mangtong City has fallen.”

“What? Did they surrender?”

“No, sir. They say the Bellua Margrave personally infiltrated the castle and captured the chairman.”

“???”

* * *

I knew well that wars and battles don't go according to plan.

Hadn’t I experienced it a few times already? But after going through this, I felt it even more keenly.

For some reason, the city council members had set a fire far more powerful than expected, and a third of the city was completely burned down by the flames.

Fortunately, the fire was concentrated in the residential areas, so key facilities like the market and the port were spared, a blessing in disguise.

“From now on, never plan to commit arson again. I don't know what kind of mess this is. For such a large city to burn down….”

“Honestly, I didn’t know it would turn out like this either, Magician Agpiel.”

“The goat beastman said you’ve experienced this once before in Markel City? That you burned down half the city back then, too. You should avoid destroying the city you're going to rule yourself.”

“Khm. Ahem.”

At his words that hit the mark, I let out a dry cough. I had nothing to say.

“And you even killed Chairman Modric? If you kill him like that without a trial, your reputation will be ruined.”

“I didn’t kill him, Magician Agpiel. That bastard was running away and fell.”

Honestly, it was unfair.

How was I supposed to know Chairman Modric would do that?

The original plan was to raid Chairman Modric’s mansion and capture him. But when Chairman Modric saw me, he was startled and fled to the roof, only to fall and die.

It was so absurd, it couldn't be more absurd.

“Tsk tsk. You went up there beating everyone from soldiers to knights to death, so of course he would run. You should have held back.”

“How can I do that in the middle of a battle?”

I sighed with a grumble. At my words, Magician Agpiel made an indifferent face.

“Then you have to deal with the aftermath. Here, take this.”

“What is this?”

“These are the documents from the city council and the heretical church. I thought they would be burned away in this chaos, so I had them collected in advance.”

“Oh-!”

I had half given up because of the huge fire, but Magician Agpiel was different, as expected. I skimmed through them; they were the city’s register and various administrative documents for its affiliated villages.

If these had been lost, it could have caused enormous problems in understanding the city.

“Thank you so much.”

“I knew you would like it.”

“Of course I would. I need these to understand the city that will now become my domain.”

“Haha. A good attitude.”

Most young nobles preferred tangible treasures that were immediately visible over such documents.

In that sense, this young margrave was a truly peculiar being.

He was also a lord worth helping.

* * *

After capturing Mangtong City by burning it down, I poured all my energy into stabilizing the city as much as possible.

I forbade looting among the soldiers, reduced taxes, and used the assets confiscated from the Chairman of the city council and the heretical church to rebuild the burnt-down city residences, and so on.

Thanks to this, Mangtong City recovered some of its functions and was showing a semblance of daily life.

Now, if we could shed the label of a heretic city and establish a diocese authorized by the Holy See again, it would surely prosper as greatly as before.

But then….

“This city must be purified!”

When the main army arrived, a bishop who had rushed to the meeting to discuss the treatment of the heretics shouted something insane.

“If we kill them all, God will know His own!”

“???”