Chapter 366
Chapter 366: Who’s Bullying Who? (3)
“What, what’s going on?”
Roderick’s Army, galloping forward without a care, was taken aback by the sight of hundreds of spears floating in midair.
It was their first time witnessing such a bizarre phenomenon.
“So it really is a mage!”
Brian gritted his teeth. If it was a mage, it made sense that the rumored feats were plausible.
‘It’s too late to backtrack now. We need to get in faster.’
They were already charging straight ahead. If they met those spears head-on, the damage would be substantial.
But stopping was out of the question. There were troops waiting behind them, rushing in.
‘It’s sufficient. We can endure.’
There were a full thousand cavalrymen. Now that they had surrounded, it wouldn’t be possible to block them all with infantry. They just had to endure the initial damage.
“Run faster! Just push through!”
Thud thud thud thud thud!
Casting magic takes time. And the closer you are to the caster, the less damage you receive.
Knowing this, Roderick’s Army bit down and urged their horses on.
Seeing the approaching soldiers, Ghislaine nonchalantly brushed off her hands on both sides. Unlike other mages, her casting time wasn’t long.
Zwooosh!
The spears flew toward Roderick’s Army at an incredible speed.
“Hold firm! We must break through!”
As Brian shouted, all the cavalry raised their shields. But Ghislaine’s attack, powered by dark energy, couldn’t be stopped by such defenses.
Boom boom boom boom!
“Uaaahh!”
Brian barely parried a spear and wore a look of utter horror.
“What, what the…?”
The cavalrymen were skewered like kebabs, flying away impaled on the spears. With just one swing from Ghislaine, nearly half of their troops were wiped out.
It was the technique of the legendary Mercenary King, known in her past life. Some had belittled Ghislaine as merely a mediocre among the Seven Great of the Continent, but her combat effectiveness scored among the top three.
It was impossible to hold back with just a thousand soldiers.
“Hiiiiiing!”
“R-Run away!”
“She’s truly a master level!”
“We can’t win with these numbers!”
Roderick’s Army instantly lost their morale. A few tightened the reins, turning their horses to flee.
Brian cried out in alarm.
“Charge! You fools! Running away means death!”
Brian’s warning was in vain. They were just too used to living in the peaceful West, all puffed up with bravado, and couldn’t cope with the situation.
The formation fell into chaos. Suddenly stopping while charging caused collisions and chaos everywhere.
Ghislaine clicked her tongue in disdain.
“Tsk, tsk, to think the West’s Great Lord’s army is in such shambles.”
She realized back when she fought Martin that their discipline was utterly in disarray.
They had been ruling for so long that they had no enemies around. Naturally, everyone became lazy.
However, they were not an opponent to scoff at.
“They have plenty of money and resources.”
Sometimes sheer numbers can overpower techniques and strength. If Count Desmond’s power came from elite troops honed in the North, Marquis Roderick’s strength stemmed from endless resources.
Ghislaine herself had felt firsthand how overwhelming a numbers offensive was when fighting against the kingdom in her past life.
So, she couldn’t let her guard down until their strength was adequately weakened.
“Finish them off.”
At Ghislaine’s command, knight wielding greatswords shot out from the sides.
Boom!
“Khyaaak!”
Roderick’s Army had already lost formation and morale. They couldn’t stop the charge from four hundred knights.
Brian was at a loss, unable to fight or escape.
‘D-Damn it, it’s a mistake. I underestimated the enemies too much. There’s a reason they’re rumored to be the strongest in the North.’
Regret was too late. They had trusted too blindly in their own strength and influence.
Now that he thought about it, Roderick’s Army had always bullied only those weaker than themselves, never fought a proper enemy.
Well, of course, that was to be expected. Who would dare to attack Roderick, the Great Lord?
‘I-I need to run! I have to inform them!’
Finally coming to his senses, Brian tightened his grip on the reins.
In fact, just knowing their annihilation would allow some estimation of Penris Territory’s power. It was just an excuse to save his own skin.
But before Brian could escape, someone quickly approached him.
Gillian swung an axe directly at Brian, who had once conversed with him.
“Yiiik!”
Brian, thoroughly demoralized, could barely respond.
But the axe narrowly missed him.
“What are you doing?”
Gillian frowned, glancing sideways. Kaor had shoved past Gillian and extended his sword.
Thwack!
“Kwagh….”
Brian’s throat was pierced by Kaor’s sword, and he spat out blood, dying instantly.
“Hahaha! Did you see? I’ve captured the enemy commander! I’m faster and stronger than the old man!”
Ignoring Kaor’s shout, Gillian turned away. It was best not to engage with this guy.
“Old man! Are you ignoring me right now?”
Kaor flailed about, but Gillian continued to disregard him, only slaughtering the nearby soldiers.
With their commander dead and unable to escape properly, Roderick’s Army met a swift and empty demise.
Ghislaine hadn’t even exerted herself, observing the quiet battlefield and mused.
“Is this all it took to bother us?”
Marquis Roderick was rumored to be brutal. He was famously persistent in tormenting opponents.
He never finished things in one go. He preferred to slowly dismantle the enemy’s base and torment them over time before cornering them to death.
Thus, Ghislaine had predicted long ago that Roderick would strike at the merchants first.
‘He was known for such tactics in my past life.’
Having rummaged through nobles’ information to fight against the kingdom, Ghislaine knew very well Roderick’s tendencies.
With a smirk at the corner of her mouth, Ghislaine said,
“Now, let’s begin the next operation. That guy who lived just to bully others, this time, let’s see how he likes being bothered.”
*
“What…? Count Penris killed the master of the Tower of the Bloody Flame?”
Even the stoic Marquis Branford widened his eyes at the news.
It wasn’t just him. Every noble that attended the royal meeting had their mouths agape in shock.
The Kingdom’s Army Commander, Marquis Maurice McQuarry, asked with a trembling voice.
“D-Did that duck truly reach the master’s level? Is it really true that he killed a 7th circle mage single-handedly?”
The knight who delivered the news bowed respectfully, replying,
“Yes, the Tower of the Bloody Flame has already confirmed it. Numerous mages witnessed the duel. Furthermore, the Tower of the Bloody Flame has been obliterated by Count Penris.”
“……”
The nobles were struck speechless by the shocking news.
Upon hearing the detailed account, it turned out they had engaged in a duel during a tower exchange event, leading to the ensuing chaos.
While it could be argued that such events happen in duels, outright obliterating the rest was something deserving of condemnation.
However, this wasn’t without justification.
Many had heard that Delmood expressed intent to wipe out the Tower of the Bloody Flame, and Count Penris declared he would kill him too.
It could have been manipulated by the Penris side, but if Delmood actually said such a thing, the justification was clear.
Regardless, what mattered most was that Ghislaine was a powerhouse capable of killing Delmood.
The knight, hesitating at the nobles’ ambiguous reactions, soon took out a letter and handed it to Marquis Branford.
“This is a letter sent by the master of the Tower of the Bloody Flame. It states that the Tower of the Bloody Flame was a pawn of the Duke Faction, and they were executing orders to destroy themselves.”
“What?”
At those words, everyone, including Marquis Branford, was shocked. They hadn’t received such information at all.
Marquis Branford read the letter and nodded.
“There’s enough evidence here.”
He passed the letter around for others to read.
“Wow! I can’t believe the Duke Faction was plotting such a scheme!”
“If we hadn’t been careful, we would have been seriously blindsided.”
“The thought that a 7th circle mage could have ambushed us on the battlefield sends chills down my spine.”
The nobles trembled involuntarily. If Count Penris had found out about this in advance and failed to stop it, it would have been an enormous disaster.
And to think he killed a 7th circle mage. The Duke Faction’s power had diminished considerably.
Marquis Branford nodded, wearing a satisfied expression.
“As a repayment for the Crown Prince Faction blocking Delmood, they’re now participating in the internal conflict. This will be a great help. We’ve been lacking mages as it is.”
The Tower of the Bloody Flame was quickly preparing to send their disciples. It’s obvious that their magical forces would see a significant rise.
The other nobles were equally delighted about this fact. After all, the stronger they became, the higher their chances of succeeding in the internal war.
But regardless of that, the fact remained that Ghislaine was a master level mage, which was still shocking.
The nobles hesitantly murmured.
“Count Penris really is a master… What a chaotic character he is….”
“How did he gain such skills at such a young age?”
“Viscount Balzac didn’t reach master level at that age.”
“A talent that comes once in a thousand years.”
Maurice exploded in anger at someone’s mutterings.
“Of course, someone like that should only appear once in a millennium!”
Indeed, it was true. There shouldn’t be multiple lunatics like that born.
Hearing the nobles’ murmurs, Marquis Branford wore a pleased smile.
“This is excellent. Count Penris is a master.”
Maurice raised an eyebrow and questioned,
“What’s good about this? That guy has slipped from our grasp. He was already uncontrollable, and with those skills, he won’t listen at all. If that duck is a master, surely, he’s using dark magic.”
Maurice didn’t give up his hypothesis that Ghislaine was a dark mage. She might very well take action to kill anyone who saw the dark energy.
But to Marquis Branford, it didn’t matter whether Ghislaine was a dark mage.
“Think about it. A master is akin to a tactical weapon and a deterrent in war. The presence of a master in the royal family is what keeps Viscount Balzac from acting recklessly.”
“That’s true. A master can inflict tremendous damage whether through assassination or war.”
“It’s an extra card we’ve obtained. Of course, they won’t follow orders properly, but we still have a common enemy.”
“Oooo….”
“Even if the number of masters is equal, the magical powers lay with the Duke Faction, don’t you agree? They have one more 7th circle mage.”
“Yes, at least we can now balance things out. The Tower of the Bloody Flame has promised to supplement our lack of mages.”
Only then did the others brighten at the thought. Considering this was a tremendous development. It was like gaining another master for the Crown Prince faction.
This was a matter that held much heavier implications than the participation of the Tower of the Bloody Flame. The might of one master was comparable to a 7th circle mage.
Though Ghislaine had been uncontrollable and undisciplined, the situation changed when preparing for civil war.
The nobles were greatly pleased and chattered.
“This is excellent news. Our strategic options have increased.”
“So with that, the North is settled.”
“This looks very promising.”
One by one, the nobles began to smile. The mood felt like they could take on the Duke Faction any time soon.
And at that moment, another knight rushed in to report to Marquis Branford.
“Marquis Roderick sent a messenger declaring he will attack Penris. It’s not a faction fight; he declared it as a legitimate territorial war by fitting justification.”
“What?”
How long had they been pleased with the good news before now receiving troublesome news?
“What does that mean? Why is Marquis Roderick declaring war?”
The knight handed over the compiled report and a letter from the House of Marquis Roderick to Branford.
Reading the letter with fierce eyes, Branford rubbed his forehead.
Maurice urged him on.
“What is it? What’s happening? Why is Marquis Roderick suddenly fighting against Penris?”
Without a word, Branford passed the letter over. Upon reading it, Maurice crumpled the letter and shouted.
“This duck! What’s this fuss over a mere mercenary group! I knew it from the moment he started boasting about leading a mercenary group! What do we do now?!”
The atmosphere of the Crown Prince faction’s meeting room, which had been pleasant for a moment, turned chaotic again.
Marquis Roderick was a Great Lord in the West. No matter how strong Penris had become, he would still fall short when it came to objective power.
Besides, with two Great Lords facing off, there was no benefit for anyone. Wars should be conducted with caution, delicacy, and strategic judgment.
Branford quickly turned to his butler.
“Since Marquis Roderick canceled the contract with the cosmetics merchants, halt sales for now. Tell the merchant groups not to come close to the West, and inform Count Penris not to move recklessly.”
“Understood.”
Branford turned to Maurice and said,
“We need to mediate.”
“Mediation? What are we going to do? Roderick is already a greedy man. Once he finds justification, he will certainly push to expand beyond the West.”
“But we still have to. Even if a civil war is inevitable, it cannot start like this. Otherwise, we’ll all be dragged into it.”
Maurice nodded. After all, the Crown Prince faction was the one wanting to delay the war.
Branford firmly instructed his butler.
“Make sure not to provoke Count Penris into fighting. We’ll handle the mediation from our side.”
“Understood.”
After stressing that point, Branford led the Crown Prince faction nobles back into the meeting.
They hadn’t clashed yet. They had to negotiate appropriately, and if not, they’d have to threaten to delay the fight.
So, with various strategies being drawn out and two days passing in deep discussions, a knight rushed in.
“R-Roderick’s Army has attacked a cosmetics merchant group heading to the West.”
“What? So they’re deliberately timing the attack for when they send a messenger?”
“I-It seems so.”
“This bastard….”
Branford ground his teeth. Roderick’s Army had purposely informed them as they timed their attack.
Clearly, it was a blatant provocation.
“First, we will handle things. Tell Count Penris not to move.”
“But, but….”
As the knight hesitated, Branford shot him an impatient look.
“What is it? Speak up quickly.”
“Roderick’s Army has been annihilated.”
“What?”
“T-They said Count Penris was there.”
Branford was dumbfounded as he asked again.
“Why was he there?”
“I-I don’t know. Anyway, Roderick’s Army is completely dead. And…”
“And?”
Unease crept across Branford’s face. It felt like something very bad was about to come out.
“So….”
The impatient Maurice leaped up and shouted.
“What is it! Spit it out! What has that duck done now?!”
The knight clenched his eyes and shouted.
“Roderick’s vassals are having a grand time plundering the territories!”
“……”
Everyone was left speechless by that news. No, they all thought the same thing.
What a lunatic.
