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The Crown Prince Wants to Retire

42. Devour the Divided Iron! (3)

As all the Empire’s resources began to focus on Iron, the Southern Kingdoms also sought to occupy Iron more swiftly.

But when things get rushed, disasters tend to strike.

The more hastily the Southern Kingdoms waged war, the quicker the defections from the Anti-Empire Faction accelerated.

At the same time, the size of the Revolutionary Forces rapidly grew, leading to an increase in Pro-Empire supporters within Iron.

Just when the situation seemed to be tilting favorably for the Empire, bad news arrived at the Imperial Palace.

“Your Majesty.”

Talion conveyed a letter from the North to Kariel.

The moment Kariel read the urgent letter sent through a crow, his expression hardened.

“Madness! Talion, gather the Shadows and head here immediately.”

“Yes!”

“Call for the Attendant Hall… no, the Minister of Military!”

At Kariel’s frantic voice, Talion hurriedly dashed off to summon the Minister of Military.

「The Northern defense line has been breached. The main forces of the Northern Army are tied up with the Holy Nation. The Detached Unit from the Holy Nation is set to enter Iron through the Empire. The leader of the Detached Unit is the Sun Blade.」

With part of the Northern defense line breached, the elites of the Holy Nation were making their way toward Iron.

When he showed the letter’s contents to the rushing Minister of Military, he quickly grasped the situation and voiced his opinion.

“If the one leading the Detached Unit is the Sun Blade, it’s highly likely that they are composed of the elites of the Holy Nation.”

“If we inform the Western Army right now…”

“As you know, the main force of the Western Army is in Iron. While there are some troops remaining in the Western region, it would be insufficient to stop the Detached Unit.”

At the Minister’s words, Kariel’s face twisted in distress.

“What happens if the Detached Unit enters Iron?”

“They will attack the government forces from behind. If even one of the fortresses falls to the Detached Unit, it could cause a chain reaction that crumbles the front line.”

The government forces, positioned through major fortresses, were holding back the armies of the Southern Kingdoms, creating a line of defense centered around the capital.

If one of those fell, it could lead to a breach directly to the capital.

In that case, Iron would likely fall before over 90% of reinforcements could arrive.

“Inform the West at once.”

“I shall do so.”

“Ugh… can the Shadows hold until then?”

“That will be difficult.”

The Minister of Military, while quickly thinking about the Western troops, suddenly opened his eyes wide as if he remembered something.

“Your Majesty!”

“Have you thought of something?”

“The Grand Duke Family! We can count on the Grand Duke Family!”

“If the Grand Duke Family’s main force is with Lord Achelio and the Young Duke…”

Kariel nodded at the Minister’s acknowledgment.

“Yes, however, Your Majesty, they likely have many new knights who have been supported until now.”

“That might not be enough….”

“There should also be veterans who trained them, so it would be worth a try.”

If the troops remaining in the West joined forces with the knights from the Grand Duke Family, they could buy some time.

“Still not enough?”

If they were composed of the best elites of the Holy Nation, it was secondary to be outnumbered; their quality was too lacking.

It was likely they would be overwhelmed easily.

“We must contact Iron first to warn them about the Detached Unit’s impending entry.”

“Do they have any troops remaining?”

All of Iron’s regular forces had been mobilized to hold back the Southern Kingdoms.

It seemed they were leaving the North to the Empire, gathering all forces toward the South.

“I’ve heard there are Revolutionary Forces and Anti-Government troops. We could inform them about the Detached Unit’s invasion.”

“Huh… good. If they can establish a defensive line?”

“When they set up a defense, we must gather the Western Army. Make the point of joining back to Iron.”

They needed to gather even the minimum troops required for maintaining order and establish a line of defense with Iron’s forces.

“Huh… is that possible?”

“It is necessary. For now, we will leave the West completely empty.”

With the Minister of Military’s intention to gather all forces to Iron while avoiding unnecessary troop losses in the West, Kariel nodded to grant approval.

“Move quickly.”

“Yes! Your Majesty.”

At Kariel’s command, the Minister of Military hurriedly disappeared to contact the Grand Duke and the Western Army.

Meanwhile, Kariel reached out to the Young Duke, who was moving with the reinforcements.

Though they tried to connect through a mage, they couldn’t reach him for quite a while, likely because they were on the march.

After anxiously waiting for nearly 30 minutes, they finally made contact.

The moment the communication channel lit up, Kariel spoke urgently.

“Glen!”

– Yes, Your Majesty.

“Head to the Grand Duke Family immediately!”

– Yes?

Glen, taken aback by the sudden order, questioned it in confusion.

Kariel quickly explained the situation to him.

“We need the elite knights of the Grand Duke Family to stop the Detached Unit. While the Grand Duke and the Western Army will stall, it won’t be enough. We need to arrive as quickly as possible to save them.”

Upon this urgent command, Glen quickly responded before heading straight to the West with his Knight Order.

“Huh….”

After hastily completing all orders, Kariel sighed with a weary expression.

“Just hold them off.”

The gamble of the Holy Nation.

Fearing that Iron would be consumed by the Empire if nothing changed, the Holy Nation also went all in to participate in the Iron Civil War, marshaling only the best for the Detached Unit.

Now, the direction of victory would hinge on whether the Detached Unit could penetrate into Iron.

“Please… let us hold them off…”

With fervent wishes, Kariel did what he could.

Expecting the Western Army to hold, he rapidly gathered the remaining knights in the Central Army and swiftly dispatched them to the West, while mages also provided support.

*

As the Central Army swiftly responded to the Detached Unit from the Holy Nation, the Grand Duke Family received word from the Minister of Military and immediately headed to Iron.

With all forces in the West gathering around the Grand Duke, they set off toward Iron.

As they moved toward the predicted area of attack, the originally empty fortresses were now occupied by Iron’s soldiers guiding the Imperial forces.

The most vulnerable part of the front line.

Most of the once-solid fortifications were now mostly empty of soldiers.

A small number of Iron troops and the revolutionary forces and anti-government forces that had joined from various places filled those gaps.

Though they wouldn’t ordinarily unite, they gathered to fight against the external invasion for a common cause.

“I will leave the command to the Grand Duke.”

“Thank you.”

Nodding at the responsibility granted to him, the Grand Duke organized the troops and prepared the fortifications.

They set up magic cannons and bombs in various places, anticipating the arrival of the Detached Unit.

“They’re coming! Everyone prepare for battle!”

At Ducal’s command, the Imperial forces took their positions in unison.

As the Detached Unit appeared in the distance, the war began, starting with the firing of magic cannons and bombs.

“Block them! We must hold!”

At the Grand Duke’s order, everyone gritted their teeth and tried to stop the Holy Knights charging at the fortress.

However, since these were not mostly elite troops, stopping the elite Holy Knights was no easy task.

Even the Grand Duke’s Knight Order was primarily made up of new knights, so more and more Holy Knights were entering the fortress.

They were somehow holding on with numbers and firepower, but even that was proving difficult.

“I will face him myself.”

As the Sun Blade climbed atop the fortress walls, he swung his sword toward the Grand Duke.

Bang! Bang!

“Gah!”

The relentless assault on Ducal, who blocked in front of him, came from the Sun Blade.

Despite having suffered humiliation at the hands of the Dark Mages several times, he was indeed powerful enough to be called the second-in-command of the Holy Nation.

It was only because Ducal had reached level six that he could even contend with him.

‘He’s approached mastery.’

The Grand Duke thought, regaining his stance.

The assessment of the Sun Blade being close to mastery was indeed true.

Having cut down many Dark Mages and numerous monsters, the Sun Blade’s swordsmanship had sharpened significantly.

Thanks to that, he was on the verge of attaining the lofty realm of mastery.

Thus, while Ducal was continually pushed back, he ultimately endured the Sun Blade’s assault.

As the Grand Duke’s knights rushed in, they picked up the Sun Blade’s sword at last.

Though their skills were lacking, they used their numbers to their advantage.

“Do you have no honor?”

“Honor is nothing compared to living.”

With that retort, the Grand Duke took his position and organized the knights effectively.

Seeing the numbers crowding in, the Sun Blade grimaced and began to retreat.

Soon, the growing number of their forces was pressing the Holy Knights, causing casualties to rise little by little.

“Fall back! Let’s regroup and resume our attack.”

“Yes!”

At the Sun Blade’s command, the Holy Knights exited the fortress in unison.

It wouldn’t take long for them to regroup.

The attack recommenced that evening, unleashing another fierce battle.

However, the accumulating damage was overwhelmingly high on both the Imperial army and Iron’s forces.

The Holy Knights could recover on their own with Divine Power, and after recuperating to some extent could engage in battle again, while the defenders suffered from immediate force depletion upon injury.

As the battles continued, the situation gradually worsened.

Ultimately, after just a few skirmishes, a crisis approached.

“We must at least buy time. Everyone, be ready to fight to the death.”

At the Grand Duke’s command, all knights of the Grand Duke Family lowered their heads.

Seeing this, the Iron troops fighting alongside them looked on earnestly.

Even in defending a foreign nation, they respected the Grand Duke’s willingness to risk their lives, vowing anew that they too would not back down.

“This time, we break through.”

“Yes!”

The Sun Blade seemed determined to settle things this time, displaying his full strength from the very start.

A massive sword formed from pure white light emerged before them.

At this sight, the Grand Duke’s expression darkened.

Although incomplete, he deemed it would be difficult to block the massive sword made of aura.

“If I had no internal injuries, I might have been able to hold out a bit longer….”

He felt he might not be able to effectively block the strike due to the injuries piled up from repeated clashes with the Sun Blade.

As the fully powered Sun Blade launched his attack, the Detached Unit of the Holy Nation began an all-out assault.

A swift blade descended to cleave the Grand Duke.

Knowing he would die, he instinctively raised his sword to block when suddenly, a sword flew in from afar.

Boom!

The Sun Blade was pushed back by the impact of the powerful sword imbued with mana.

He frowned at the strength of the incoming sword, which was stronger than he had anticipated.

“The Grand Duke’s Knight Order! We come bearing the command of His Majesty to provide support!”

A familiar voice came from afar.

The Grand Duke’s son drew a new sword from the scabbard attached to his saddle, after a long time apart.

Simultaneously, he dashed to the fortress, blocking the Sun Blade, who was about to strike the Grand Duke.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Level… six?”

The Sun Blade looked at Glen, the Young Duke, in disbelief.

The young man, who seemed not fully out of his youth, displayed power similar to that of the Grand Duke.

As the space flickered, Glen received most of the Sun Blade’s strength.

The Grand Duke Family’s swordsmanship, exploding their compressed mana to maximize its power, seemed even more formidable than the Grand Duke’s secret technique.

“How can someone of that age…?”

Staring at Glen with a shocked expression, the Sun Blade found it unfathomable.

But Glen tightened his lips and straightened his stance.

“I will handle this. Father, please assist elsewhere.”

“Understood.”

“Impudent….”

Humiliated to see the Grand Duke leave to support elsewhere, the Sun Blade swung his sword with all his might.

However, unlike the Grand Duke, Glen calmly parried the attacks.

Having received personal guidance from Lord Achelio and honed his skills through countless battles, he had achieved remarkable growth.

“A monstrous creature!”

Watching the monster that was growing while fighting him, the Sun Blade gritted his teeth and squeezed every ounce of strength he could muster.

‘He must be killed here. Here!’

He had to eliminate the creature that might very well surpass even Marquis Sicario while it was still unfledged.

He needed to crush it before it completely bloomed.

But the monster before him, contrary to the Sun Blade’s desires, deftly parried his attacks.

And after a few hours…

The Sun Blade, who had tried to breach the fortress until the very end, had no choice but to concede.

One by one, the Holy Knights fell to the elite knights of the Grand Duke Family.

There was no point in exhausting all the elites of the Holy Nation for a situation with no hope.

Ultimately, he gave up the assault and retreated, and this news immediately reached both the Empire and the Iron government.

As this information spread, Jeyron’s incredible announcement soon followed.

“Iron wishes to fall under the Empire’s shadow!”

 

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