[Translator - Pot ]

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Chapter 308: Why Isn't He Coming?

The vassals of the First Prince were holding a military strategy meeting in their base, which was surrounded by layers of guard troops.

“If a pitched battle breaks out outside, we must first firmly hold our position and leave a path open for the Third Prince’s side to hastily send relief forces.”

“We must not neglect the defense of the gates, as Duke Montera’s army might send a detachment.”

“It would be troublesome if they came to the west gate, which the Third Prince’s side controls, and entered without a fight.”

“We will have to act then. Do not let your guard down…”

Everyone was discussing countermeasures with serious faces, sometimes with veins popping on their necks.

However, the First Prince himself was not participating in the meeting and was merely observing.

The vassals never turned to seek the First Prince’s opinion, so it felt less like he was reigning and more like he was a bystander.

“…”

Count Gamigin, watching the scene, sighed inwardly.

‘It is sympathetic that he suffered a great inner trauma from the affair between his wife and brother, and the joint attack by his in-laws and his brother.’

But if the one who should ascend to the supreme position is lost in his inner demons and does not even control his vassals…

When you take away the castle called Litvaleur, what is that man?

‘This is a time of war. In times of peace, there would be no particular problem in running the state even with an ordinary monarch who possesses legitimacy…’

…In times like these, should not a person with brilliant talent sit on the throne?

Count Gamigin opened his mouth.

“Your Highness the First Prince, our side must also move so that there are no hitches in the operation.”

At the Count’s words, which directly addressed him, the First Prince turned his head.

“Therefore, I would like to make one request.”

“Speak.”

The First Prince said in a flat voice.

“According to the plan, His Highness the Third Prince’s army will sally forth to relieve Duke Montera’s army. At that very moment, I would like to select a knight order to pursue them from behind.”

This was a special order he had received from the Eighth Prince.

To be sure to receive a transfer of reliable forces and join the battle.

“…”

The First Prince looked at the Count with eyes whose intent could not be read.

They seemed to be piercing through him, yet also seemed indifferent.

“Permission granted.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Count Gamigin, who had bowed his head, thought.

‘…Does he lack a backbone? Or does he lack motivation?’

Was not the correct response just now to ask about the intent, the effectiveness, and the detailed objective to confirm it?

‘Because he has no backbone, he cannot sort out the various voices, and that is why he was repeatedly fooled by the Third Prince’s schemes.’

If there are too many navigators, the ship is bound to drift. The current situation, with the captain having let go of the helm, was exactly like that.

‘There is no hope. Even if this man becomes the monarch, the kingdom will be divided again.’

…As expected, the only one to carry on the royal lineage is the Eighth Prince.

Count Gamigin quietly looked into the eyes of those who shared his sentiment.

* * *

“We must part ways here.”

At the crack of dawn, we arrived at our destination.

“We must part ways here.”

“Right.”

Ulbhild, Rudgarda, and Knut were divided among the smaller boats.

The three of them were scheduled to lead the members of the Special Operations Division and the Högländere, head north, and launch a surprise attack on the vanguard of Duke Montera’s army.

“Sister, brother, and Sixth Battalion Commander.”

I said.

“I wish you good fortune. You must never underestimate the enemy.”

“Do not worry, Allen.”

Since her defeat at the hands of Ivan, Ulbhild had literally been sharpening her sword, preparing for the next battle.

“There will not be a second humiliation.”

Her eyes were remarkably sharp.

“We will assist you.”

“Even if Ivan appears again, we will grab at least one of his arms and go to hell with him.”

The fighting spirit of the 2nd Battalion, who could do nothing in the face of their lord and idol’s defeat, was just as murderous.

“We will grind to dust all who stand in the way of the Second Battalion Commander.”

“Ooh!”

“Death! Struggle! Annihilation!”

“Waaaaaaah!”

“…”

At the madness of Harold and Chase, Barclava’s face turned slightly pale.

“But our dear Barclava, will you be alright?”

“There’s no need for you to worry specially about me, brother.”

Barclava, who had somehow become something of a guest member of the 2nd Battalion of the Special Operations Division, gave a rather mature reply. Check latest chapters at novᴇlfire.net

“Oh yeah? Then do your best.”

“…”

I looked at Knut and Rudgarda and grinned.

“Brother, and Rudgarda. Right after you achieved your long-awaited revenge and became the king of Eisenach, surely you will not be defeated so meaninglessly in a place like this?”

“Insolent words!”

Knut laughed heartily.

“You’d better make sure you are not late. We will grab the enemy’s feet first and then go there to prepare the ground.”

I bumped my fist against Knut’s, which was the size of a house.

“Be waiting for me.”

“Alright.”

After glancing at Siena and Ulbhild exchanging some words, I urged Rudgarda.

“…Both of them are stubborn, so if you think it is disadvantageous, make sure to stop them.”

“I am not confident, but I will try.”

Before long, the small boats cut through the black water and moved forward. I looked at the remaining personnel and said.

“Alright, we will land in this swamp.”

A swamp that looked like your feet would get wet just by looking at it.

This place, where not only horses and carts but even people seemed like their feet would sink deep, was our landing point.

“Zizek.”

“Yes.”

“Watch carefully.”

I needlessly showed off to Zizek, then stood at the edge of the ship’s bow.

“Phew.”

To freeze this vast area in one go is a bit of a burden.

Of course, I did not have to freeze it all at once, but…

‘That would be cool.’

I had learned the knack of ice arts from Ulbhild.

I drew up the power of the Ice of the Darkest Night, the final ability of the Silent Night Soul-Soaking Divine Art, from the seven islands.

‘This is originally the Dark Mana, a yin mana that corresponds to the Dark Soul Mana.’

But since the Seven Stars of the Black Sea Technique was the mana of the sea that envelops all things, I intended to use it as a kind of amplifier.

Therefore, if I put the mana of the Silent Night Soul-Soaking Divine Art in my left hand, the mana of the Seven Stars of the Black Sea Technique in my right, and then clap my hands with the knack of the Ink Soul Sacred Shadow Technique…

Clap!

The ground began to freeze from the cold mana that spread from my palms.

Krrrrrrrrrck!

In an instant, the swamp became a solid sheet of ice, firm enough to sled on.

“Wow…”

Zizek’s mouth fell open in admiration.

Excellent, the audience’s reaction is quite superb.

“What are you doing? Everyone, disembark.”

“Yes, sir!”

The slightly dazed soldiers disembarked.

“There’s nothing you can’t do now.”

Zamuel muttered in a voice that others could not hear.

“A genius sucks up all the divine arts of a prestigious clan. There’s no stopping this.”

I grinned.

“Prestigious families are pretty good, after all.”

* * *

Gulbark. The Dark King’s right-hand man and a man who was, in effect, the chancellor who ruled Flanders.

He spread out a map made of parchment.

“…Now is the final stage.”

The war of succession between the princes was originally a plan to wear down Valkenhain and Grunewald.

But the moment the Eighth Prince escaped and entered Grunewald, Gulbark realized that he had to activate the second plan early.

“Currently, we have five top-tier combatants who have surpassed the 8th tier.”

In other words, even excluding Gulbark, Ivan, and Amilcar, they still had two more absolute masters.

“On the other hand, the current Valkenhain has no 8th tier masters.”

The current Duke of Valkenhain had stopped at the late 7th tier wall, and while Siena’s talent was fearsome, she was still young.

Among the elders of the previous generation, there was one who had surpassed the 8th tier, but…

“That man is too old.”

He was too old to be included as a combatant.

It had been a long time since intelligence came in that his body had weakened to the point where he could not perform any external activities recently.

‘Leszek and Geninghen are the strange ones.’

At that age, it was normal for strength to drain from the body day by day.

“Sending just one absolute master will be enough to launch a surprise attack on Valkenhain and retrieve the Ebony Oath.”

As expected, the formidable enemy was Grunewald.

The current generation of Grunewald was the strongest in its 200-year history, with the most skilled individuals ever assembled.

‘In addition to the two monsters, Leszek and Geninghen, who have protected Grunewald for 100 years, Georg has surpassed the 8th tier.’

And if the three of them, Allenvert, Verdzig, and Ulbhild, were to mature even more than they were now…

Then they would become the strongest power on the entire continent, along with themselves.

‘They can no longer be left under the name of a duchy.’

Therefore, they no longer had the luxury of time.

“In this war, we will trample on the future of Grunewald, Allenvert and Verdzig, who have already reached the 7th tier…”

After finally retrieving the Ebony Oath of Valkenhain, we will go to the repository of Grunewald, which is protected by Georg, Leszek, and Geninghen, and retrieve the only remaining Dragonheart on the continent.

“At that time, the Dark King will become a Demon God.”

Then, a gloomy and eerie voice flowed out from the darkness.

“Gulbark, you and Amilcar will cross the sea.”

Who would refuse the command?

“I will obey.”

They had already confirmed the entrance to the repository where the Dragonheart was hidden.

‘The pincer movement was for that purpose.’

They were annihilated because Leszek and Geninghen stepped forward, but those ants had died after fulfilling their mission anyway.

“I have once again given a strict order to Ivan. He will carry out his mission.”

The Dark King’s voice was nonchalant.

“Right.”

The Dark King did not fully trust Ivan.

“A slave will eventually betray his master when he gets smart enough.”

But no matter what futile dreams he had, he would not dare to turn them into reality.

“Until he brings back the Ereshkigal, he is a body that cannot die even if he wants to.”

“That is correct.”

Such was the nature of a restriction.

“…If he does not want to serve as a Death Knight even in death, he must carry out his mission.”

Then, an ominous red light appeared like glinting eyes in several suits of knight armor that had been standing like decorations.

…In other words, the more deaths that piled up, the stronger they became.

“Go, Gulbark. Take the Death Knights and retrieve the Dragonheart.”

A great evil had finished preparing to cross the sea.

* * *

“Sir Walter. You will go and block the landing of Allenvert Grunewald.”

“I receive Your Highness’s command.”

Sir Walter, having received the special order from the Third Prince, was encamped at the port that was expected to be Allenvert’s landing point.

“…”

The atmosphere of the army was heavy.

Even the members of the Royal Guard, who were called the best in the kingdom, could not help but feel fear at the reputation of the genius swordsman that was shaking the entire nation.

“Will it be alright? They say Allenvert Grunewald is a fearsome monster.”

“He has already defeated Grimnar Angantyr and Marquis Belorok. I heard he is a powerhouse who can split mountains and shatter castle walls.”

“To be at the late 7th tier at that age, is he not an unprecedented genius?”

“What are you talking about? They say he will reach the 8th tier soon. At that level, he is easily among the top five in the kingdom…”

Even the senior knights could not bring themselves to scold the murmuring young knights loudly.

“Do not worry. We just need to delay the landing and then retreat.”

Encouraging them like that was the best they could do.

“Besides, how can you be afraid of someone like Allenvert? We have Sir Walter, one of the foremost powerhouses in the kingdom.”

“Oh, ooh!”

“You are right.”

He was the vice-captain who led the royal family’s guard knights, and a man who was, in name and reality, called the most handsome knight in the kingdom.

“Hmm.”

The knight on the white horse said.

“They say that child’s appearance is quite beautiful.”

He lowered his long eyelashes and asked his adjutant.

“Could he be more beautiful than this Walter?”

“There is no way, sir!”

The adjutant replied instantly with a face full of military discipline.

“The beauty of a man lies not in youth, but in maturity and dignity. Who could dare to compare to Sir Walter, whose innate beauty is enhanced by the reputation and grace you have built by walking the path of chivalry your entire life?”

“Correct. On this occasion, this handsome sword, Walter, must give a lesson to the child who does not know how scary the world is.”

“Ooooh!”

Though it was close to narcissism, his beautiful and solemn figure indeed had the air of a great master.

.

.

.

Half a day passed.

The sun was gradually beginning to set.

“…”

Walter, who had been checking his skin in a mirror, muttered.

“…Why isn’t he coming?”

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]