[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]

Chapter 310: Even the Castle Walls Are Meaningless

“The King of Flanders has distributed a declaration of war, officially announcing hostilities against Grunewald and Valkenhain.”

“That is madness. On what grounds?”

“The usual excuses. Interference with trade, disguising themselves as pirates…” ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novelFirｅ.net

“How absurd. That is not something the Flanders bastards have any right to say.”

The clash between the two kingdoms competing for naval supremacy in the central continent sent ripples across the land.

“…So the Dark King has finally risen again.”

The Emperor, seated on his throne, the master of a now-fallen empire, muttered to himself as he watched his subjects debate.

“The Exilos, descendants of a ruined kingdom.”

Even for him, it was an event from the time of his distant ancestors.

‘Moreover, the bloodline of the emperor who sat on the throne in those days has been diluted time and again through succession wars, rebellions, and the succession of collateral branches.’

The majesty of the emperor who once commanded the continent had long been nothing more than an empty shell.

‘Those who were destroyed by our hands became vengeful ghosts filled with resentment and have finally created today’s disaster.’

He had grown up listening to the history of the Empire since he was a child.

Among them was a heap of the Empire’s dark history.

The tragedy that occurred in the quest for Ereshkigal, and the resentment of those who wandered in the darkness of the continent under the name of Exilos, had always felt like a chilling original sin to him, who was raised as an emperor.

However…

‘Dark King, have you not already taken Flanders into your hands?’

They had already achieved their dream of re-establishing their own country and their goal of taking revenge on the Empire.

Yet they still hated Grunewald, hated Valkenhain, and craved more blood and more power.

‘Then again, it is difficult for even a human to maintain their original intentions.’

So, for them, who had wandered for hundreds of years and toiled in the darkest of shadows, to become such twisted monsters was, perhaps, only natural.

‘Oh, Dark King. If your dream is to become the new emperor who reigns over this continent…’

And thus, to become a hegemon who wields a tyranny greater than what was inflicted upon them…

‘We have already lost the strength to stop you.’

But the Emperor had been paying attention to one man’s name for some time.

‘Allenvert Grunewald.’

The young genius shaking the continent.

‘Will you become a hero who will be remembered in the history of the continent, like Eldarkion, like Oswin, and like Vitenfeld?’

The Emperor could only watch from afar.

* * *

“Jeffrey, look at that.”

“Wow, he is quite flamboyant.”

In the distance, there was a transcendent, no, a knight, who had appeared on a white horse.

“I can’t tell if that’s a knight or a clown.”

I was leading the guard unit, personally facing off against Walter to lure him in.

“I am the Handsome Sword, Walter, and I have come today to give a lesson to the brat from Grunewald.”

As Walter spoke solemnly in a stylish pose, I whispered to Jeffrey.

“What’s he saying? Mad Sword?”

“He said Handsome Sword.”

“He’s a fucking lunatic.”

For a bastard who called himself a knight, the way he had polished his armor and equipment to a dazzling shine was quite a sight.

“Doesn’t he remind you of that guy? You know, the one who was full of bluff and got his ass kicked in a spar with me.”

“Ah! You mean Keseg?”

Jeffrey nodded.

“The vibe is certainly similar.”

When I see a guy like that, it is a bad habit of mine to want to verbally tear him down.

“Are you Sir Walter?”

As I imbued my voice with mana, Walter raised his voice as if he was happy to be fed a line.

“That is correct. If the young young master promptly lays down his weapon and begs for his crimes…”

“How absurd.”

“What?”

“Sir, it would be best for you to show some courtesy first. I am the son of the Black Serpent Duke.”

When I appealed to authority for all to see, Walter snorted as if it were a lowly argument.

“Hmph! Do you think this body, which serves His Majesty the King, has any reason to show courtesy to the likes of a ‘rebel’s henchman’?”

The way it flowed so smoothly made me think it was probably a prepared answer.

‘Well, he took the bait.’

Then the next part is easy.

“Sir Walter, do you think you are on the side of justice?”

“You ask an obvious question. In the first place, common sense dictates…”

I cut Walter off sharply and retorted.

“Common sense, you say? Who is more just, us who side with the eldest son, or you bastards who side with the third son who had an affair with his brother’s wife?”

“What?”

Walter was horrified at my outburst.

“How graceless. How can you say such vulgar things?”

“We took up our swords in anger at the request of His Highness the Eighth Prince upon learning the truth of the matter. As the founding contributors of the kingdom, we have simply risen up resolutely because a descendant of the royal family asked us to prevent a royal tragedy.”

I, in turn, raised my sword and rebuked Walter.

“If you were a man who truly knew chivalry, should you not have sided with His Highness the First Prince? How laughable that you dare to try and scold me.”

“How dare you insult the royal family, you irreverent…”

“Shut up, you old, ugly bastard.”

“Wh-what did you say!”

It seemed Walter was more angered by the insult to his face than the insult to the Third Prince.

“Here, have some of this.”

I raised my middle finger.

This was a very serious curse even among the lowlifes of the underworld…

“You baaaastard! I’ll kill you!”

The enraged Walter immediately began to charge at me.

“Excellent.”

I turned my horse around.

“Let’s bounce!”

Thududududu!

“Guys, just fucking run!”

“Sir!”

We spurred our horses and lured the enemy along the prepared route.

“Wow, they are incredibly fast.”

Jeffrey, looking back, clicked his tongue.

“It has been said since ancient times that the quality of warhorses is best in the north. It is only natural that they are faster than us, as they are knights riding warhorses bred from only the best stock.”

“This is not the time to be praising the enemy!”

Jeffrey said.

“At this rate, we will be caught.”

“That is true.”

I looked back at the kingdom’s greatest thief, whom I had selected in advance for just such a time.

“Kreutzel.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“If it were you, what would you have done when being chased like this?”

Kreutzel grinned.

“I would have teased them, making it seem like they were just about to catch me. I would also have confused them by changing directions here and there.”

“Excellent. As expected of a master of escape, a great thief, a master of the chase. I have learned another lesson.”

“You praise me too much.”

I pointed at Kreutzel.

“You take the lead. While I harass them from the rear, you will be our ‘helmsman,’ teasing and luring them, making it seem like we are just about to be caught.”

Kreutzel replied confidently.

“Leave it to me.”

“Good, let’s start right away.”

Thus, Kreutzel took the lead of the guard unit, and Jeffrey stood in the center.

“How is it?”

I, who had gone to the rear, asked Taris, Severian, and Kaymak.

“If they get a little closer, I think they will start firing arrows or launching slashes.”

“Oh yeah?”

I loosened my hands, roughly estimating the distance between us and them.

“Shall we start with a light greeting?”

I poured out tensile force by adding the techniques of the Flowing Cloud Thunder Fist to the force made with the Ink Soul Sacred Shadow Technique.

It was a little difficult to put the strength of my lower body into it since I was on a horse, but I compensated for the power with the acceleration from my waist and shoulders instead.

KABOOOOOM!

The target was not the enemy, but the ground in front of them.

“No!”

As the ground shattered and a hole was gouged out, a dozen or so horses at the front lost their footing and threw their riders.

“Excellent.”

I immediately drew the sword from my waist.

“Lonely Wave Yearning Moon.”

A slash imbued with the principles of a heavy greatsword flew.

“D-dodge!”

“There is nowhere to dodge! Dammit!”

A few of them tried to dodge somehow, but a few others who could not find a place to do so because they were charging in formation were forced to try and parry the slash.

“Unfortunately, that is a bad choice.”

Splurt!

Those who chose to defend were butchered along with their horses and disappeared from the ground.

“……!”

“Hehe.”

The good thing about a greatsword is that the mental damage is great when you get hit, because you are forced to take it when it comes in at an ambiguous, hard-to-dodge angle.

“You bastard!”

The enraged Sir Walter launched a slash with an elegant and beautiful posture, but…

‘I can see the grain.’

I lightly deflected its massive and powerful form, sending it flying into the empty air.

‘Thank you, Ivan.’

Thanks to him, I could now fight without using all my strength.

* * *

Zamuel and Ghir had taken up positions on a rocky area overlooking a narrow path.

“Anyone can see this place is perfect for an ambush.”

Ghir grinned.

“Wouldn’t it be easy to cut them off in the middle just by rolling rocks from here?”

“I agree.”

That was why, paradoxically, it was most important to lure the enemy to such a suspicious place.

“Do you think they will be lured this far?”

Zizek was concerned.

“Do not worry about that.”

Ghir snorted.

“That bastard is a master at pissing people off with words.”

“True enough.”

Zamuel, seeing the reactions of the two, laughed to himself.

‘Our boss is the same as ever.’

It was at that moment.

“They are coming!”

In the distance, a cloud of dust kicked up by hooves was rising.

“Hehe, I knew it.”

As Ghir got excited as if he had believed it all along, Zamuel asked casually.

“By the way, Ghir.”

“What is it, old man?”

“Why are you following the Young Master around so much?”

“Well, there is the help we have given and received, and a sense of loyalty. The Black Society is a common enemy, isn't it?”

Ghir counted three fingers and added one last thing.

“But more than anything, it is when I am following this guy that I can enjoy the most interesting slaughter.”

At that twisted madness, Zamuel let out a smirk.

“You would have been successful even if you had been born in the Black Society.”

“I think so too.”

There are people you are glad are on your side. Ghir was exactly that.

“Alright, then let’s get ready. A few of you get ready to roll the rocks, and we will go down.”

“Got it.”

The trap they had prepared was far from the crudeness of simply rolling rocks.

* * *

The Duke of Valkenhain had mobilized all his forces, including the guard and the knightly orders, to prepare for a defensive siege.

“I hear a grand fleet is heading for Grunewald.”

“The Flanders bastards have gone completely mad.”

“Is it true? The rumor that their king is already a puppet of a man called the Dark King…”

“I have heard it is true. I am told it is a story that everyone who needs to know now knows.”

The armed soldiers under the flag of Valkenhain prepared for the coming war amidst the tension.

But.

“Where in the world are they coming from?”

The Valkenhain Duchy was located inland, on the upper reaches of the Lindela River.

There was no possibility that an army that had departed from an island nation across the sea could succeed in a surprise attack that deceived everyone’s eyes.

Knowing that, the soldiers, while tense, were calmly steeling their hearts with a sense of relief at the typhoon that had not yet arrived, but…

“Enemy attack, it is an enemy attack!”

“The sky! They are coming from the sky!”

The existence of an air force, flying in and blackening the sky, a realm they had never even considered, was something they could not have possibly anticipated.

“W-wyverns?”

“It is a cavalry unit composed of wyvern riders and griffin riders!”

“No…”

It was a scene that could only leave everyone in horror.

“I-if this is the case, then even the castle gates are meaningless.”

“The mage corps! Call the mage corps!”

“They are on standby!”

“Fire immediately!”

Ziiiiing

With a sound that tore through the air, hastily fired magic split the sky.

“Hahahaha! Look at them, startled and scrambling in a panic!”

The man at the head of the wyvern squadron burst out laughing and waved his hand.

“We fire too.”

Though small in number, high-level spells that had been pre-cast were poured out all at once, forming a dense barrage.

Babababababang!

The magic of both sides exploded, embroidering the sky like fireworks, and…

“Let’s go!”

“Sir!”

A swordsman who had dived down, flying acrobatically through the explosions, drew his sword and shouted.

“Valkenhain! I have come to collect what you have been keeping!”

From the hands of a transcendent who had surpassed the 8th tier wall, an irresistible, absolute slash was unleashed.

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]