Chapter 482
Chapter 482: For the Time Being, It’ll Be a Bit Comfortable. (3)
Bang! Bang! Baaaaang!
“Uaaaaaah!”
As Ghislaine dove in, the central formation of the Delphine Army began to crumble from the front.
Count Kandore, who had been dazed, snapped back to reality at the sight.
“Mages! Where are the mages? Why aren’t you attacking?!”
The mages were also momentarily stunned.
Their trusted Priest of the Salvation Society hadn’t even fought properly before getting killed.
“Come on, attack already!”
The mages finally gathered their wits and began casting spells. Powerful magic erupted from the army, mixed with high-circle mages.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Yet, the Penris Mobile Army didn’t slow down but pressed onward. There were those to block that magic.
“Endairon.”
Baaaang!
The high water spirit summoned by Ereness created a wide shield.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The magic raining down from the sky collided with the water barrier and disappeared.
“Oh, Goddess!”
Baaaang!
Parniel struck the ground mightily with his mace, sending resonating sacred light spreading.
Koo-koo-koo-kung!
The brightly shining ground repelled the magic power surging from below.
The mages stared in horror.
“What, what is happening?”
“It’s not magic! This energy is spirit and divine power!”
“Who on earth is over there!”
The mages, flustered and unsure of what to do, could hardly believe a single person could so easily negate dozens of spells!
With their magic attacks rendered useless, they could do nothing but gawk at the advancing Penris Army.
In the future, three people who would be referred to as the Seven Pillars of the Continent were gathered in this army. It was no surprise they could not hold back against the Fifth Legion’s power.
Bang! Bang! Baaaang!
“Uaaaaah!”
Ghislaine wreaked havoc in the ranks of the Delphine Army alongside the Black King. The way he fought so liberally caused the Delphine formation to quickly indent.
Following them were Ereness, Parniel, Belinda, and Gillian.
“B, block them!”
The four superhumans roamed freely among the common soldiers. The knights of the Delphine Army, scattered in between, attempted to stand in their way but could not achieve much.
Rumbling!
The earth spirit summoned by Ereness crumbled the Delphine formation in various spots.
Bang! Bang! Baaaaang!
Every time Parniel and Gillian swung their weapons, soldiers fell like bugs.
Kagagagagaga!
Belinda’s dagger flew everywhere, ambushing only knights.
In an instant, the formation of the Delphine Army collapsed. And through that wreckage surged the Penris Mobile Army.
Baaaaang!
“Uaaaaaah!”
With their formation already shattered, there was no army that could stop a cavalry charge. The Delphine Army crumbled far too easily, their initial fervor a distant memory.
The Penris Mobile Army sliced through without facing any resistance. It was no different from knocking over wooden blocks.
This wasn’t war; it was simply slaughter.
Count Kandore clutched his dizzying head.
“So the gap is this vast…”
No matter how starved and exhausted his soldiers were, they shouldn’t be so powerless.
No matter how strong Count Penris was, he thought a priest from the Salvation Society would at least be worth a fight.
What a delusion. This misconception must be the biggest reason he had clashed with Count Penris again.
He didn’t realize the opponent was beyond common sense.
Bang! Bang! Baaaaang!
A black horse rampaging in front of the allied ranks was coming closer.
Each time the rider swung his spear like a windmill, dozens of heads flew away simultaneously.
Count Kandore realized it was time for his last choice.
“Is this it…?”
But he had no intention of just dying.
Baaaaang!
With each booming noise, the area around Ghislaine emptied out. He charged forth, ravaging soldiers with his tremendous destructive power.
Kandore glared at Ghislaine as he dismounted, blood splattered all over him, and swallowed hard.
Drum drum drum drum!
Ghislaine noticed Kandore and channeled energy into his spear.
Just throwing this spear would instantly shatter Kandore’s head.
Just as Ghislaine was gathering strength in his arm…
“I surrender!”
Count Kandore shouted while pressing himself tightly to the ground.
“Eh?”
Ghislaine momentarily lowered the spear he was about to throw, a dumbfounded expression on his face.
Until now, no legion commander on the Delphine side had ever surrendered. That was true in his past life as well.
Faced with this unprecedented situation, a chuckle escaped him involuntarily.
Regardless, Count Kandore remained face down, shouting at the top of his lungs.
“I will surrender! Everyone stop! Everyone drop your weapons and lie down!”
Simultaneously, similar cries echoed throughout the Delphine formation.
“Don’t fight!”
“Everyone lie down!”
“Drop your weapons! This is surrender!”
With the pressure already mounting, a command to surrender was issued. There was no one who would refuse.
“Y-yes, we surrender!”
“Don’t hit us!”
“We’ve dropped our weapons!”
People everywhere dropped their weapons and lay down. Even the Mobile Army, which had been happily charging in, halted their attacks momentarily to look at Ghislaine.
The atmosphere on the battlefield shifted strangely. To be precise, it had deflated completely.
Clop, clop, clop.
Ghislaine slowly maneuvered the Black King across the battlefield, which was now filled with those lying down.
Looking at Count Kandore, who was still down, Ghislaine spoke.
“Who’d have thought a proud noble from the south would show such a sight?”
“…No need to add unnecessary sacrifices.”
“Never thought you’d go this far to lie down, though.”
“Indeed, it must be shown to be believed.”
“Well, that’s true.”
In this chaotic battlefield, such a display of surrender was unprecedented.
As Ghislaine’s voice seemed to cool slightly, Count Kandore slowly rose and spoke.
“Once more, I say we surrender. Treat us as prisoners according to the customs.”
“Hmmm, according to the customs…”
Those nobles who surrender can pay their ransom and be released. Until then, treating them with courtesy is a noble’s custom.
That is, until Ghislaine appeared and started slaughtering everyone left and right.
There are only two people famously known for smashing customs and all: the usurper Amelia and the madman Ghislaine right in front of him.
In other words, there was a higher probability that Count Kandore’s request wouldn’t be honored. He knew that well.
Count Kandore cautiously continued.
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but all our vassals have their families held hostage by the Duke. We couldn’t afford to oppose the war.”
“So you’re asking for your lives?”
“…Yes. I don’t expect lavish treatment. Just a bare minimum of respect.”
Ghislaine tilted his head slightly and scrutinized Count Kandore’s face.
This face seemed familiar. As he pulled up memories of his past life, it grew sharper.
“Count Kandore, right?”
“…That’s right.”
“You seem rather sentimental about your family, considering you had no choice but to partake in this war.”
“Ahem, isn’t that what anyone would do?”
“Yeah, I suppose. If your family was held hostage, that’s understandable.”
Ghislaine nodded a few times before continuing.
“I have no hobby of just killing surrendering people. That sort of thing is rather dull.”
Count Kandore smiled slightly. A bit of discourse does seem to be getting through.
‘This guy, once I find a way back, I’ll definitely take my revenge. I will repay this humiliation for sure.’
He had made that resolution when he decided to retreat. Even now, he was enduring this humiliation for the sake of keeping his life.
Count Kandore hid his true feelings and said.
“You have a truly commendable belief. Then the surrender negotiations…”
Pwoof!
“Eh?”
As pain pierced through his chest, Count Kandore slowly looked down.
Ghislaine’s spear had pierced his heart without him noticing.
“Cough!”
With blood spilling from his mouth, Count Kandore lifted his head in shock, staring at Ghislaine with despair in his eyes.
“Why…?”
Didn’t you say you had no interest in killing surrendering people?!
Ghislaine responded with a mocking grin.
“But you’re not one of them.”
Before the war of his previous life, Ghislaine had thoroughly investigated noble families.
After the Delphine Duke took over the kingdom, Count Kandore had received considerable rewards as a public servant. But it was his actions thereafter that were the problem.
Family? Count Kandore had no love for his family.
He assassinated his wife, who belonged to a prestigious family, to secure a new marriage, and even killed his own children to change the line of successors. What kind of family man was he?
He was just a reckless fellow trying to save his own skin, who was more dangerous than the others.
“I can’t let a guy like you live.”
Thud!
As Ghislaine pulled out his spear, blood spurted from Count Kandore’s heart.
“Cough…”
Count Kandore glared at Ghislaine with a pitiful gaze, filled with regret.
He had endured humiliation, retreating to ensure the future. He even lay face down on the ground.
But to think that wouldn’t be enough!
“This… cold-blooded bastard… Gurk…”
With trembling hands, Count Kandore attempted to grasp Ghislaine, but he ultimately fell, spewing blood foam.
As Ghislaine looked at the fallen Count Kandore, he couldn’t help but smile.
‘Who’s really the cold-blooded one here.’
His expression made the knights and mages of the Delphine Army tense as they gazed at Ghislaine.
If he killed a surrendering noble without a second thought, they would simply have to die should he engage in a massacre.
However, Ghislaine didn’t seem to have that intention. He looked around and spoke.
“Gather the prisoners. We will reorganize them into the Kingdom Army. And select the high-circle mages to incorporate into the Northern Army.”
At that, the mages smiled brightly. Mages are valuable assets. With time, they would once again receive favorable treatment.
But what followed was shocking.
“Ensure the slave contracts are properly executed. I’ll send everyone under Alfoy.”
The mention of slaves drained the color from the mages’ faces. How could anyone casually mention enslaving mages like that?!
One mage stepped forward, trembling as he spoke. He was the one leading the mages of the Fifth Legion.
“I, I am a 6th Circle Mage.”
“And? We’ve got quite a few 6th Circle Mages on our side. We have even more 5th Circles.”
Ghislaine had captured all the mages he could during the war. He had efficiently brought mages to his side for both the Kingdom Army and Northern Army.
The mage struggled to express himself with a frustrated expression.
“I’m saying I’m a 6th Circle Mage!”
“So what of it! Are you bragging about your circle in front of me? How absurd.”
He wanted to say they had 7th Circle Mages, but it felt a bit childish, so he held back.
“Ah, no… it’s not that… I just don’t understand how you can enslave mages.”
“Every mage in our territory is a slave. It’s a policy that was devised because of some jerks.”
In a sense, it had been created because of Alfoy and his friends. They were the ones who foolishly started the mage slave system.
It had become a tradition that continued to this day.
Mages, who were unaware of the progressive (?) system of Penris, felt a madness ensue.
If it had been someone else saying such nonsense, they would have been furious and flung a fireball at their face. But the one in front of them was a well-known demon.
Still, not wanting to become a slave, they pouted slightly. Having surrendered, shouldn’t they be given some decent treatment?
Observing these mages, Ghislaine dismissed their concerns as trivial.
“If you keep the contract period, I’ll let you go. If you don’t like that… you’ll just have to die, right? After all, we were enemies.”
Ghislaine’s gaze darkened momentarily.
After all, mages were notoriously difficult to control. They had to be bound forcefully until the war was over.
And surprisingly, Alfoy was performing that duty exceptionally well.
“…”
Seeing Ghislaine’s cold gaze, the mages realized the reality. He was serious.
He had just killed the lying noble in an instant; surely they wouldn’t be spared.
The mages nodded helplessly.
“Understood…”
They found the idea of becoming a slave more unbearable than death. They had no spirit to brace for death.
Convincing the knights was much easier. Like soldiers from other legions, they were growing disillusioned with the Duke’s connections.
Thanks to Count Kandore’s unexpectedly quick surrender, they had amassed nearly 30,000 troops here.
Now they would be reintegrated into the Kingdom Army and used to defend the southern front.
Once the situation was cleaned up, Ghislaine raised his spear high and shouted.
“We’ve won again!”
“Waaaaaah!”
The Penris Mobile Army erupted into cheers. With so many superhumans, this battle felt the easiest.
What was better was that the Fifth Legion was the last legion heading toward the capital.
“Does this mean the war is over now?”
“Wouldn’t the Duke surrender?”
“Over 200,000 troops have disappeared!”
“Wow! We’ve certainly secured our place as the strongest in the kingdom! Is the Duke finished?”
Four legions of the Delphine Army had been wiped out. Naturally, for the soldiers, it could only mean the war was over.
All that remained were the Salvation Society and the Rift. With the experiences they’ve gained so far, they felt confident they could win.
There were rumors that high priests of the Salvation Society from across the continent were gathering here, but they didn’t worry.
After all, there were superhumans growing in number on their side as well besides Ghislaine.
“why don’t we go ahead to save the world!”
“Uwahahaha!”
Everyone laughed and chatted, igniting their fighting spirit.
Eradicating the Rift and the Salvation Society was tantamount to saving the world. Those brimming with morale and bravado would never shy away from such a glorious task.
Observing the excited soldiers, Ghislaine smiled as well.
‘It’s a good phenomenon.’
They were growing stronger with each battle. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they ranked as the strongest in the kingdom as a single force.
Yet things wouldn’t flow as smoothly as the soldiers hoped.
‘Now, I’ve cleared out the small fries.’
Ghislaine knew. Having fought the Dukedom in his previous life, he understood them better than anyone.
Now those high priests of the Salvation Society, who had been hidden powers back then, were beginning to clearly show themselves.
The real battle was about to begin. So while he had a moment to catch his breath, he needed to reorganize and prepare for the fight.
Though the Salvation Society called upon their priests, Ghislaine felt little need to worry.
Things wouldn’t unfold as they expected.
Soon, a colossal foe would appear to sweep them away.
