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Chapter 701
Chapter 701
This Bastard is a Black Mage! (3)
Andrew and Rio waited anxiously for Ghislain. Even the soldiers didn’t touch the liquor and meat they had been served.
Swifel's forces guarded the area around the lordship castle like a steel trap. No matter how one looked at it, this wasn’t a gathering for a feast. Every soldier present could feel that fact in their bones.
Andrew and Rio were supposed to be called in, but now, no one even told them to come inside. It was a clear indication that Ghislain had been the target from the beginning.
Naturally, the mood was tense. Both sides had formed up and were glaring at each other.
Ẁ ê b̀ñ ӧ ṽě l̀. .Еn̄ u ḿ а
Tyran massaged the back of his neck and spoke.
“Isn’t this taking too long? How about we just strike first and go in?”
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“Hmm…”
Andrew bit his lip in hesitation. Ghislain had definitely said he would send a signal once things were done, but there hadn’t been any sign from inside yet.
“Let’s wait just a little longer.”
Despite his unease, Andrew decided to place his trust in Ghislain. If they moved prematurely and ruined everything, it would be a disaster.
Ẇeb n о̌ vе̃l̇ Еň.um̄ а̃
As they waited nervously, a sudden explosion echoed from within the lordship castle.
Boom!
A part of the castle crumbled, and a blaze of fire shot up into the sky.
Andrew and Rio's faces lit up.
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“It’s a success!”
That was the signal Ghislain had promised to send. It meant the operation had succeeded.
Ŵe̊ b́ñ оv е̇ l̊ Ӗn̄ǔ mа̄
Although the Swifel forces didn’t know what the signal meant, they quickly realized something had gone wrong.
Because according to the original plan, the lord was supposed to appear alongside the knights.
The commanders of Swifel's army panicked and shouted loudly.
“Enter the castle immediately! Something’s happened to the Lord!”
Andrew also gave a prompt order to his front-line troops.
“Stop those bastards from entering the castle!”
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“Waaaah!”
Forget the banquet, both forces, already prepared for combat, immediately clashed and began to fight.
What stood out was that the knights from Nodehill and the Larks all wielded iron rods instead of blades.
They were the first to charge into the Swifel soldiers and wildly swung their rods.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
“You bastards think you can stop us?!”
Ẇе b̃_nо̂v̇ e l̃ Е́ nu m̂_а̂
“You picked the wrong day to show up! You’re dead!”
“You’ll have to face my pent-up rage!”
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For some reason, the allied knights seemed extremely furious. Having endured hellish training, they fiercely pressed Swifel’s forces.
There were hardly any knights stationed outside the castle among the Swifel forces. Except for a few commanding the troops, most had gone to the banquet hall.
In the first place, their total number was far smaller than that of the allied forces. It was impossible for them to hold back the frenzied knights charging in.
“S-Stop them! Hurry and stop them!”
W̄ēb ń o v̇ĕl Е n̂ u mа
No matter how loudly the knights in charge shouted, Swifel’s forces were helplessly pushed back.
The Julien Mercenary Corps also moved swiftly. Especially Osval, who stood ahead of even Tyran and wildly swung his giant hammer.
“Osval the Man! Today, I’ll show you my true strength! I never back down!”
Osval was known for fighting more boldly than anyone when the situation favored his side.
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Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Aaaargh!”
Ě ṅ ů m̈ ã
Swifel’s forces couldn’t even make it into the lordship castle and were mercilessly beaten down.
What little fortune they had was that most of the powerful warriors at the frontlines of the opposing side were wielding blunt weapons.
Thanks to that, most of the Swifel soldiers, though beaten to the ground, were able to keep their lives.
This, too, was something Ghislain had instructed in advance. As long as they captured Count Swifel, they could absorb all his forces.
Swifel’s forces, facing one-sided defeat, clearly felt the difference in power.
“What the hell! Why are they so strong?!”
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“When did these bastards get this powerful?!”
“C-Could it be that we’re just weak?!”
Even considering that Swifel’s side was outnumbered, the difference in skill was staggering.
The enemy’s front-line troops weren’t even carrying blades, just clubs. And yet, they were utterly unmatched.
Every soldier in the allied forces was fully charged with rage thanks to Ghislain’s hellish training. The improvement in skill was just an added bonus.
Fighting people was far easier than enduring an hour in fire. Plus, they could vent their frustrations. No wonder the allied forces were rampaging like madmen.
Е ñ ûm а
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
“Aaaargh!”
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Swifel’s army crumbled with embarrassing ease. It was only natural, their resolve and skill were on completely different levels.
While Swifel’s forces were getting thoroughly beaten, Ghislain suddenly appeared and shouted loudly.
“Everyone, stop!”
Though his voice echoed loudly enough to shake the surroundings, the soldiers didn’t stop fighting right away.
Ẽ ñü m а
Everyone was caught in the chaos and too fired up. Especially those letting out their anger.
Clicking his tongue once, Ghislain stomped the ground and shouted again, even louder.
“Count Swifel has been captured! Stop everything!”
Boom!
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A tremendous burst of mana spread out, making the earth tremble. Only then did the soldiers snap out of it and turn their heads.
Sure enough, Ghislain was gripping Count Swifel by the collar. The count’s face was twisted in pain as he clutched his leg.
W е̌ b́ nо v ӗ l̀ Ē n̊ú m̄а̄
Once the fighting stopped, Ghislain continued.
“Count Swifel tried to assassinate us and strike at Nodehill and the Larks! Now, he’ll pay for that!”
Only then did Swifel’s soldiers realize the plan had completely failed.
If they had succeeded in capturing the Julien Mercenary Corps officers at the banquet, then even if Nodehill and the Larks had more troops, it wouldn’t have mattered.
The moment the allied forces heard the news that their leaders had been captured, they would’ve plunged into confusion and their morale would have collapsed. Meanwhile, the high-ranking knights who had been dealing with the mercenary officers would’ve been able to join the battle.
However, the high-ranking knights who followed after Ghislain’s group all had their weapons stripped. Their numbers were reduced, and though they weren’t even bound, they had clearly chosen not to resist.
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“Just three people… defeated all those high-ranking knights?”
“And one of them was a top-tier knight!”
“We could never have won.”
Swifel’s forces, faces drained of color, lowered their weapons.
Even just the knights dispatched by Marquis Falkenheim could’ve wiped out the entire Swifel territory. And yet, three members of the Julien Mercenary Corps had taken down that combined strength Swifel’s own knights included.
To keep fighting against warriors like that was sheer foolishness. Surrendering quickly was the wiser choice.
Ė n uṁ а
Count Swifel’s face contorted even further as he watched his soldiers lay down their weapons.
“Ugh… how… how could this happen…”
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He had been utterly deluded. He thought he was thoroughly prepared, but his opponent’s strength had far exceeded his expectations.
It had been a foolish move. He should’ve quietly accepted the proposal from the allied forces and shared the territory of Count Crest’s domain.
As Andrew and Rio approached, Count Swifel crawled on the ground, begging for his life.
“Baron of Nodehill! Baron of Larks! Spare me! It was my fault! I must have gone mad for a moment!”
Ė n̂u m̀a . і d́
“…”
The two said nothing and simply looked at Ghislain.
Ghislain shrugged with a smile.
“I’ll leave the judgment to you two.”
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It was a burdensome deference. But they both knew this was their decision to make.
After all, Ghislain was just a mercenary. The ones who would govern this land were them.
Е n̈ um а̌. і̂ d̃_
Andrew cast a sideways glance at Rio, who stood beside him. Being the timid one, Rio wouldn’t be able to handle this kind of matter.
With a hardened face, Andrew stepped forward and drew his sword.
“Count Swifel, you betrayed the alliance we fought together in. You tried to kill us first, so you have no right to complain if you die.”
“W-Wait! Didn’t I admit my mistake?! Please, spare me! I’ll give up my land and live quietly!”
Count Swifel clung to Andrew’s ankle, begging. His soldiers were all watching, but he didn’t care.
Survival was all that mattered to him now.
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But Andrew, wearing a firm expression, declared,
“I can’t let you live. If we do, we’ll be the ones in danger.”
“No! That won’t happen! I’ll live quietly! Please, I beg you…”
Thwack!
Andrew swung his sword and beheaded Count Swifel.
His head rolled across the ground, and silence blanketed the surroundings.
Е̂n̂u̇ ma
In that silence, Andrew raised his sword high and shouted.
“The Julien Mercenary Corps has overcome the vile ambush and emerged victorious! From now on, Count Swifel’s territory belongs to us!”
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“Waaaaaah!”
At that, cheers erupted from the allied soldiers.
Regardless of the details, they had subdued the enemy without major losses and expanded their territory.
As the two domains grew, the benefits returned to the soldiers would increase as well. After all, Andrew and Rio were lords who, unlike other nobles, knew how to be generous.
Ӗn u̇m а_
So, the soldiers’ excitement was only natural.
Once the area was roughly settled, Ghislain immediately called a meeting. Since Marquis Falkenheim had drawn his sword, they needed to move even faster than before.
“As we discussed earlier, Baron of Nodehill will take Count Swifel’s domain. You’ll also take half of Count Crest’s domain. The remaining half will go to Rio.”
The division of territory had already been broadly discussed beforehand.
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Although Rio was a good lord, he was somewhat lacking to stand at the center of royal power. Therefore, they decided to put Andrew at the forefront, with Rio providing support.
Ghislain laid out the upcoming plans without hesitation.
Е̄ nūm̊ а
“First, we must report to the royal court and request an elevation in title.”
Just because one took control of a count’s domain didn’t mean one became a count automatically. A formal process was required in which the royal court acknowledged it and granted the title.
It might have been a mere formality, but receiving official recognition was still important.
“Let’s head to the capital together soon. After the promotion in title, we must stabilize the territory swiftly. Only then can we be safe from the threat of Marquis Falkenheim.”
Andrew and Rio swallowed nervously and nodded.
Things had grown far too large. Honestly, they had no idea how everything had escalated to this point.
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They had simply followed along with whatever Ghislain proposed, and before they knew it, this was where they had ended up.
‘Feels like I’m riding a dragon’s back… and I can’t get off now…’
‘But somehow… it feels like the time between crises is getting shorter.’
As always, the two of them had no choice. If they wanted to survive, they had to keep going along.
They didn’t really resent being dragged around by Ghislain. They just wished, with all their hearts, that they could go safely and slowly.
Ghislain’s group didn’t head straight for the capital. At the moment, integrating Swifel’s forces and properly absorbing the territory was more important.
Е̇n̂ ŭ mа_
On top of that, they had to carefully decide how to deal with the captured high-ranking knights.
As a result, administrators and soldiers were busier than ever. The mercenaries, as always, either trained or lazed about in their spare time.
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In the midst of it all, Ghislain rented out a large warehouse and began doing something on his own.
“Absolutely no one should come in. Got it? I want to be alone.”
Because of Ghislain’s stern warning, no one approached the warehouse. Everyone just went about their own routines.
About a month later, odd rumors began to spread among the soldiers guarding the warehouse.
We b̈ n оv е̃l̄ Ё n u m̂а̌
“Did you hear the rumor?”
“What rumor?”
“About the mage living in that warehouse. They say he’s really sick.”
“You mean Sir Astion? Why? What’s wrong with him?”
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“His head.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
W̆ е̊b̂ n̆ о̊v е́ l̆ Еn̄ǔm̆a
The soldier glanced around and whispered quietly.
"They say he keeps talking to someone invisible. He mutters to himself a lot, too. So, the lord locked him up in the warehouse for now."
"What? Seriously?"
"Yeah. Split personality? Schizophrenia? Something like that! I bet he’s still in there, muttering to himself."
When Ghislain talked to Astion, he tried to keep the conversation in his head. If he mumbled out loud, people would think he was crazy.
But when he felt relaxed, he sometimes spoke out loud. Naturally, the servants nearby heard it too.
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He played it off like he was just talking to himself, but it became a problem when Astion took over his body for studying magic.
Astion still wasn’t used to speaking only in his head, so he often used his voice when he talked.
Worse yet, Astion would sometimes mutter to himself even when he wasn’t talking to Ghislain.
"What does he even mutter about?"
"He says he wants to fall in love. One minute he’s reading a book, and the next, he’s all like, ‘I’m definitely going to fall in love. I will fall in love.’ That kind of thing."
"Geez, what’s so special about love that it’d make someone lose their mind?"
Е̊ nu m â .і̌d̈
"Right? I’ve never seen anyone go crazy just because they wanted to fall in love!"
"Tsk tsk tsk. It’s not even necessary. Even a powerful mage can lose their mind, huh?"
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"They say most mages are nuts anyway."
"Yeah, yeah. Let’s never become mages."
The rumors spread fast. And just like that, Astion’s reputation kept sinking without him even knowing.
As people were whispering among themselves, he really was in the warehouse, muttering to himself but he wasn’t saying anything about love.
Ѐnũ m̂ ǎ . і́ d́
Right now, he was repeatedly chanting a very important magical ritual.
A massive magic circle had been carved into the warehouse floor. Dark energy filled the space.
It had taken an entire month to complete this task. His face showed clear signs of exhaustion from the grueling work.
"Hoo... Finally, it’s done."
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He swung the staff a few times through the air with a satisfied smile.
Dark mana leaked from the staff and slowly flowed into the magic circle.
Е n ũ m̆ а̃.і̃ d̂
Black mist billowed up from the circle, filling the warehouse and completely clouding his vision.
Fwaaaaaash!
The black mist gathered in the center of the circle and began to take form.
Soon, it transformed into a knight clad in black armor and a black helmet.
[Where... am I...?]
A grim voice echoed through the space, sounding like a scream that shook the soul.
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Red eyes flashed from within the helmet. A dark cape flapped wildly in the aura that surged from the knight.
Death Knight.
A knight returned from death stood before him.
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