Chapter 74
Alius struck his insolent disciple once and turned his back, deciding he would no longer help him.
Then he came face to face with a familiar figure with ash-gray hair.
‘That child is….’
Ban glanced briefly at Alius before drawing a massive magic circle again and firing magic into the sky.
Alius knew very well the skill of summoning magic with nothing more than a simple gesture.
And that unnecessarily handsome face as well.
‘The pitiful prince of the Belsckin Empire.’
He had seen that prince once when he was very young.
It was when he had been traveling around the Empire to take on a disciple to relieve his tedious life, and had stopped by the Imperial Palace at the earnest request of the Imperial Family. That was where he met the child.
He had been astonished when he sensed the enormous magical power from that child.
If the mana lying dormant within him were to grow, it would surpass even his own.
It was such a shame that he could not ask him to come along.
But he had stopped himself after learning that the child was a prince.
He did not involve himself with the Imperial Family of the Empire. That was his creed.
‘Still, what tremendous magical power.’
Alius admired the magic circle drawn in the sky. In the distance, he could see his insolent light-blue-haired disciple staring at the scene as well, as if he had noticed it too.
“Seizar. I really did well coming here, right?”
“……”
Swoosh—
Despite Haiden’s words, Seizar did not respond and continued to swing his sword diligently. The monsters truly seemed endless, no matter how many he cut down.
“You unlucky bastard. So busy swinging your sword you can’t even talk.”
“……”
At Haiden’s persistent chatter, Seizar gave a short reply.
“Don’t talk to me. You at least have a protective spell around you. I don’t.”
Whoosh—
With a sharp sound, Seizar’s sword pierced the monsters that rushed at him without end.
Haiden, who had deliberately tried to start a conversation to lift his spirits, felt relieved as he saw that Seizar seemed unaffected in terms of stamina.
‘Thankfully, he’s still full of energy.’
That was enough.
At last, Haiden was able to relax a little. There had been no casualties yet in the Yusupov Knights, and Seizar remained steadfast.
Only after witnessing this with his own eyes did Haiden finally feel somewhat reassured.
Hamilton let out a low “Hmm…” at the unexpected appearance of Tower Master Alius and Haiden Valentin, sinking into thought.
‘The Yusupov Knights even have reinforcements.’
Leaning against something not far from the battlefield, he turned his thoughts over.
They appeared preoccupied dealing with the monsters, but that bastard Seizar Yusupov had been glancing toward where he stood for a while now.
‘It seems he knows my location.’
He was certainly no ordinary man.
It seemed the light-blue-haired Haiden drawing the magic circle and the ash-gray-haired man had noticed as well.
Hamilton stroked his chin.
Black blotches crept up to his face from between the bandages wrapped around his neck.
He had to create more monsters, even if it meant consuming his own body.
Sophia had not appeared yet.
He had to wait for Sophia.
Hamilton muttered something ominous and incomprehensible.
Then monsters began to rise from the ground once more.
“Keuugh…!”
The energy climbing up to his neck surged as if it would devour him, but he clenched his teeth and forced them into existence, smiling as he looked at the monsters that had appeared before him.
“They’ve increased. More than before.”
Asha mercilessly swung her sword as she looked at the monsters that seemed to have grown in number.
Her arms were becoming heavy, like cotton soaked in water.
Tower Master Alius, who had come as reinforcement, had done nothing after casting a healing spell earlier.
Floe, who had seemed to be getting somewhat used to it, was visibly exhausted. Lloyd, Peter, Abigail, and Randel all looked tired as well.
Even so, they were still cutting off the monsters’ heads.
Watching them, Floe tried once more to infuse holy power into her sword, something she had been attempting for a while now.
‘Please, please….’
There was not much she could do here. She could not help someone like Lady Asha, nor could she protect Peter like Sir Lloyd.
Not even for Seizar, who was silently fighting at the front, covered in black blood.
“Watch out, Floe!”
Asha hurriedly cut down the monster flying toward Floe’s head.
‘Even now….’
If Lady Asha had not been beside her, she might already be dead.
Looking around, she saw the resolute determination etched on the faces of the knights.
Even if they died here, they would resolve this no matter what.
Floe took another deep breath.
‘Please, please help us. Just once!’
Her desperate wish to save the exhausted knights.
Flash—
A dazzling light spread outward.
Driven solely by that one heartfelt wish, the powerful holy energy Floe infused into her sword spread even farther.
Everyone stood frozen in place, staring at that light.
Asha, Ban, Seizar, Haiden.
A blinding white power covered the land.
And when they came back to their senses…
All the monsters had disappeared.
“What… is this…?”
Knight Commander Jain could not believe his eyes.
It was one shock after another.
The Imperial Knights had passed through a small village that had clearly been traversed by the Yusupov Knights and arrived at the horizon the Yusupov Knights had reached.
Seeing the Yusupov Knights already engaged in a fierce battle with the monsters, he had intended to leave them behind and focus solely on finding Hamilton, who must be hiding somewhere.
But then he witnessed an astonishing sight.
‘It’s holy power….’
He could not believe it.
Holy power had appeared.
The very holy power the Empire had needed most had manifested. And in the Yusupov Duke’s knight order, of all places.
The Empire had searched endlessly for someone who possessed holy power, yet that person had emerged from the Yusupov Duke’s household.
Not knowing Floe’s identity, the Imperial Knights and Jain had no choice but to believe that someone within the Yusupov Knights possessed holy power.
Then he realized this was not the time to stand idle. Holy power had manifested, and the battle over there appeared nearly finished. They could not remain here hesitating like this. If they did, they might fail to capture the dark mage and return empty-handed.
“Find the dark mage! Find him at once!!”
At Jain’s shout, the knights who had come with him scattered in an instant.
He stared blankly at the white light that had flashed in the distance.
His legs trembled.
The worst-case scenario kept replaying vividly in his mind.
Returning to the Imperial Palace without capturing the dark mage. If that happened, he would lose the Emperor’s trust in an instant.
‘That cannot happen.’
Jain also rushed into the forest to search for the dark mage. It was now a race against time.
Meanwhile, while Jain went to find the dark mage, about five knights who had lingered behind instead of moving ahead with the others exchanged sharp glances.
“It’s time to move.”
“Right. The Yusupov young duke won’t be easy, so be careful.”
“There are five of us. Think well about the honor of the Imperial Knights and the money and position the Emperor promised.”
The five knights’ eyes gleamed cruelly. Shining with greed, they ran in a direction entirely different from the one Jain had taken.
They swiftly entered the chaotic battlefield, where holy power had just manifested.
It was finally time to kill the Yusupov young duke.
The Emperor paced anxiously around his chamber.
He had sent the knights, but if this matter was not properly resolved this time, the one who might suffer the greatest blow would be himself.
‘Damn it. This helplessness of having to trust the knights and do nothing.’
He did not know how thoroughly that foolish Emperor had brainwashed the knights, but if this was not resolved in one stroke, it would be the end.
If the Yusupov young duke did not die from a single decisive blow.
If he returned to the Yusupov Duchy.
‘The Yusupov Duke’s household will become our enemy.’
The Imperial Family might face the greatest danger in its history. If the Yusupov Duke’s household, which had been loyal until now, turned against the Imperial Family, even military strength would not suffice.
But leaving them as they were would make him look like a fool. Everything Marquis Rominov had said until now was correct. A house that possessed military strength and swordsmanship capable of threatening the Empire could one day become an enemy.
‘Is this a nation led by the Yusupov Duke, or by me?’
Unaware that the nation was in truth being manipulated by Marquis Rominov, Julius Belsckin could only tremble endlessly with anxiety as he waited for news from the knights.
Clueless to the fact that he was being played in Rominov’s palm, Julius Belsckin forced himself to nurture hope.
‘Once everything is perfectly resolved, this Empire will finally be completely mine.’
The Second Prince and the other brothers who had looked down on him had never made it this far.
It was he, the most insignificant one, who had achieved this.
Recalling them, the Emperor, his eyes steeped in inferiority, ground his teeth.
It should have been time by now for a telegram saying the matter was resolved.
Yet there was still no news.
His trembling body fully betrayed his growing anxiety.
