T/n: IatM’s release schedule will be changed to 2 chapters per week on Tuesdays. So hopefully, do please expect double chapters next Tuesday.
Roan’s fierce counterattack that began with the west and the northeast as the center.
Count Jonathan Chase was awfully displeased.
‘By now, I should be holding a toast at Io b.a.s.t.a.r.d’s fief lord’s castle, but……’
Uddk.
The teeth naturally gritted.
But even so, it wasn’t as if the war situation was awfully disadvantageous.
Although there were more cases of losing than cases of winning at the western and northeastern frontlines, the central side where the main army was located was achieving sweeping victories.
‘Even so, the things not going as desired is still annoying and displeasing.’
He felt like killing Roan by ripping his four limbs apart if he was in front of his eyes.
‘If the reinforcement comes from the fief, I should combine strength with the Owells Forces and clean up the western frontline first.’
If he were to clean up the west, which was the rear battlefield, continuing the fief war would become much easier.
Within his head, various plans were raised.
At that moment.
“My lord!”
With an urgent voice, Baron Holt Edemil, who was one of Jonathan’s close-aides, entered into the tent.
“What is it?”
Jonathan creased his brows.
He felt a foreboding feeling.
Holt panted breathlessly and quickly answered.
“An urgent letter has arrived from the fief! O, orc! The orc b.a.s.t.a.r.ds have began to move, sir!”
“Orc?!”
Jonathan abruptly stood up and shouted.
It was a completely unexpected report.
‘Orc? Even though orcs in our fief as well as the kingdom’s southern regions have been mostly subjugated?’
It was a situation where even the ones who barely survived had ran away towards the Grain Mountains.
The orcs left in the Chase County was a very minute number.
It wasn’t a number that would cause a disturbance nor mayhem.
‘Even though it was one of the reasons I waged the fief war without worry……’
The inside of his head became complicated.
Holt took out and pa.s.sed the letter from his chest pocket, then quickly added on.
“The b.a.s.t.a.r.ds spread out at the Byron Kingdom’s South have began to move, my lord.”
“Hmm. To think it would be Byron Kingdom’s South……’
Jonathan’s face comically twisted.
He quickly read down the content written in the letter.
A moment later.
“For now, it isn’t that they have crossed the border?”
Jothan, with a short sigh, asked with a relieving look.
Holt nodded his head.
“Yes. They are staying at the buffer zone, my lord.”
“Hhm. That at least is good, but……”
Jonathan, as he put down the letter, asked with a stiffly solidified expression.
“The Northern Regional Corp’s reaction?”
The Chase County’s northern border region was the jurisdiction of the Northern Regional Corps.
Holt momentarily hesitated, then answered in a careful voice.
“For now, they are focusing their military strength at the border gate and the cities. But they said that they would leave the defense inside the fief to our……”
When his words reached about that point.
Boom!
Jonathan couldn’t hold in and slammed his desk.
“Arrogant sons of b.i.t.c.hes.”
The Northern Regional Corps Supreme Commander was, as an individual belonging to the neutral faction, an inflexible man.
His personality that was one that was only devoted to the a.s.signed mission and action.
‘He will only focus on border defense as the Northern Regional Corps, is it.’
Meaning that the fief lord should take responsibility for his fief’s safety.
Jonathan tightly bit his lower lips.
Holt momentarily searched the mood, then cautiously opened his mouth.
“Should we pa.s.s the news to the capital?”
If the news was pa.s.sed to the capital, they would dispatch the Central Corps or the knight order.
No, even in the worst case scenario, subjugating something like the orcs wasn’t even a work with only the reinforcement of n.o.bles with close relationships.
However, Jonathan shook his head with a stiffly solidified expression.
“Absolutely not. The moment the news is pa.s.sed to the capital, the fief war will end.”
They still hadn’t wholly conquered the Lancephil Fief.
If the fief war ended like this, there would be nothing that remained in his hand.
“Since I’ll separately send a letter to the princes for now, you thoroughly monitor the Northern Regional Corps so that their report can’t go up.”
“Eh? But monitoring the entire Northern Regional Corps is almost impossible……”
“It’s twenty days. You only need to monitor them for just twenty days. Since the fief war will end before that.”
Jonathan fiercely glared with his eyes.
Holt momentarily hesitated, then soon nodded his head.
“Yes. Understood, my lord. Then……”
He calmed his breath for a moment, then asked in a quiet voice.
“What do you plan to do for the fief side’s defense, my lord?”
Since the Northern Regional Corps had pushed off the fief’s defense, the Count Chase House too had to make its own preparation.
Jonathan contemplated for a moment, then answered with a scowling face.
“Send the reinforcement to the northern border region. We will proceed the fief war with our current military strength.”
At the abrupt situation, Jonathan couldn’t make the correct judgment.
If he had normal reasoning, he had to end the fief war here and step back.
However, his greed and ambition had paralyzed his reasons.
Holt looked at such Jonathan for a moment, then soon exhaled a short sigh.
‘Sir Count’s order is absolute.’
He had gave up remonstrating.
This exactly was Count Jonathan Chase’s biggest problem.
That there was no retainer who could speak forthright or remonstrate and catch and correct his mistakes.
Around him, only treacherous retainers who only echoed and flattered at ambition and greed were plenty.
Holt deeply lowered his head.
“Then I will cancel the reinforcement request, sir.”
“Hurry.”
Jonathan waved his right hand.
It was a sign chasing him out.
Holt once again gave his farewell and then exited to the outside of the tent.
Jonathan, who was left alone, spat out a long sigh.
‘To think it would abruptly be orcs at such time……’
He completely couldn’t think that the orcs of the Byron Kingdom’s southern region had possibly received Roan’s instigation and moved.
‘So it’s a situation that I can’t expect the reinforcement. Can’t be helped……’
With the situation becoming like this, Jonathan too had to make a winning move.
‘For now, I will have to call the Owells Forces.’
Currently, the Chase Legion and the Owells Forces were each moving separately.
But with Roan’s entering of the fief war, Lancephil Guardian Army’s counterattack, the orcs’ stirring and such, the board was greatly shaking.
‘We’ll combine the strengths into one and see the victory and defeat within a quick time.’
A horrifying light hung on his eyes.
‘I will make the strategies and tactics worthless.’
He had no thought of particularly fighting head on with wits.
It was a thought to literally and violently push.
However, Jonathan did not quite knew.
Of the truth that Roan’s strategies and tactics were much more varied than he thought, and that they had already lowered their roots to the point deep enough to decide the victory and defeat.
*****
‘Kinis!’
[Got it!]
At Roan’s shout, Kinis extended her arms towards the front.
Suddenly, a stream of water soared up from the moats deeply dug around the castle wall.
Tat!
Roan kicked off the ground and jumped into the air.
Lightly, he climbed up onto the stream.
Pabat!
Following Kinis’ hand gesture, the column of water soared all the way to above the castle wall.
“Oh!”
“It’s the lord!”
The Lancephil Guardian Army’s soldiers, who had been attacking the castle, cheered.
Through numerous battles, they came to know the truth that Roan can not only freely control fire but even water.
Of course, they didn’t exactly know even how such thing was possible.
Simply, they thought that it was one of the many abilities Roan had and awed.
Roan once again stamped his feet and then climbed up onto the castle wall.
“Kill them!”
“Stop him!”
“That very b.a.s.t.a.r.d is Roan!”
“The fief war will end if we just catch that b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”
The Chase Legion’s soldiers on the rampart ran towards Roan.
Their eyes were colored red.
It was a reckless attack.
“Fools!”
With a thunderous roar, Roan threw his body.
The Travias Spear cut the air as if to dance.
Ssskuk! Sssguk!
With a horrifying sound, the common soldiers’ necks and limbs were cut apart.
“Kuuk!”
“Kuk!”
They weren’t Roan’s match.
Following the spearhead, fire surged.
“Oh!”
The Lancephil Guardian Army’s soldiers, who were staring from below the castle wall at the chaotic fight above the remparts, exploded out with exclamation.
Every time the flame surged, the enemy soldiers fell.
The sight of driving away hundreds of soldiers alone almost brought a G.o.d of war to mind.
“d.a.m.n it! Move aside!”
At that moment, people dressed up in brilliant armor showed up together with a roar.
Knights of the Chase Legion.
Swinging the swords that fully held mana, they pressed Roan.
Ssuung! Ssuung!
Sharp sounds of splitting the air hit the ears.
Certainly, knights were different than common soldiers.
However, Roan’s expression was relaxed as ever.
‘Good. I have lured the knights, who are the core military strength, to above the castle walls.’
Now was the time to execute the next plan.
He cheerily smiled and stepped back.
“Are you running away!”
The knights loudly sneered and attack much more fiercely.
Roan, instead of an answer, widely swung his spear and kicked off the castle wall.
Paat!
Lightly, he jumped down towards the ground inside the castle.
“Insane!”
“A suicide?!”
Because the height of the wall was incredible, even the knights who had learned the mana techniques couldn’t carelessly jump down.
The Chase Legion’s knights and the soldiers who had been watching all made dumbfound expressions.
Suddenly.
Paat!
The Travias Spear extended longly and hit the ground.
Puuk!
In an instant, the spearhead pierced and planted all the way to a place deep within the ground.
Sssg!
Holding the spear like a pillar, Roan softly stepped down on top of the ground.
“Eh?! Wha, what?!”
“Stop him!”
“Kill him!”
Looking at Roan who suddenly fell down from the sky, the Chase Legion’s soldiers that were blocking the castle gate from the inside were startled back.
“Move aside.”
Roan pulled the heat with the Flamdor Mana Technique, then kicked the ground.
Fwoooosh!
A blaze surged following the spearhead and the spear.
“Uhuk!”
“Kuk!”
The common soldiers screamed at the incredible heat and ran away in every direction.
Roan, instead of chasing them, stepped into the inner side of the castle gate, then swung his spear towards the stakes that fixed the gate.
Boom! Kwakkang!
With a sound of an explosion, the thick wooden stakes and the iron stakes exploded apart.
Just like that, Roan pushed the gate.
Ggiiiik!
With the sound of wood twisting, the castle gate opened.
The scenery outside the castle came in a glance.
The Lancephil Guardian Army, due to the wide and deeply dug moat following the castle wall, were troubled.
Roan quickly twisted his wrist.
Sssguk!
The spearhead split the air and instantly cut the line that was tightly pulling up the drawbridge.
Boom!
With a heavy sound, a bridge was set above the moat.
“The drawbridge has came down!”
“The gate has opened!”
“Charge! Charge!”
The Lancephil Guardian Army’s commanders, who were frustrated at the siege that wasn’t as easy as they thought, raised their swords as they looked at the widely open gate.
‘He is an incredible man!’
‘He’s truly an incredible person!’
Baron Bernard Landingham and Baron Andre Molde, even while charging towards the castle gate, couldn’t hide their shocked expressions.
Roan boldly stood in front of the wide open gate.
An incredible spirit and dignity stormed.
‘As expected, he is the man who Sir Io chose and his majesty the king has acknowledged.’
Bernard felt his heart beating greatly.
He was a man whom he couldn’t dare compare with himself.
A thought that he did well to recognize Roan and lower his head a much early was had.
Abruptly, he was curios of Andre’s facial expression.
When he furtively turned his head, a brightly blushed face was seen.
That was an awfully embarra.s.sed look.
‘Just what did I call myself to test such a man?’
His face burned up.
‘It would be good if I earnestly aid him at least from now on.’
It was a look of greatly reflecting on the past day’s arrogance and self-indulgence.
On the hand holding the rein, strength went in.
Dudududududu!
He placed a spur onto the sprinting horse.
Already, Roan was in front of their noses.
“Lancephil Guardian Army!”
Roan, as if he had been waiting, raised up the Travias Spear high.
“Charge!”
He kicked the ground and jumped towards the inside of the castle.
A blaze surged along the tip of the spear.
Thousands of Lancephil Guardian Army followed that back.
A flame and a legion.
That brilliance swallowed a castle whole.
*****
“Consecutive victories you say?”
The tips of Kali Owells’ mouth lightly went up.
“Yes. He fought seven times and won all seven times, sir.”
The man presenting the report was one of Owells Forces’ commanders, Demis Ijy.
Because he was able to pa.s.s a good news for a change, his mood was good.
“There is also his talent, but certainly, it is definite that he has a bad feeling towards Roan and the Lancephil Guardian Army, sir.”
“That’s good.”
Kali coldly smiled as he nodded his head.
He momentarily organized his thoughts, then looked at Demis.
“Would it be okay if we soon entrust an important duty on him?”
The instant his words finished, Demis nodded his head.
“Yes, sir. If it is Sir Walter as of now, it seems that we could even trust and leave things to him.”
Kali and Demis, the two people were sharing a conversation about Walter Owells.
Walter was, after receiving Roan’s secret mission and joining the Owells Forces, was neatly piling up military achievements.
Although there were also achievements he piled up using his own abilities, most of them were achievements he had received Roan’s help and raised.
In any case, at the victories that continued on, even the Owells Forces’ commanders who first doubted Walter were now all sending their intents of support.
Kali faintly smiled and made the decision.
“Good. Then I will have a troop newly organized and leave the northeastern frontline to him.”
“Yes sir. I will pa.s.s it on like that.”
Demis quickly made a salute and answered.
Kali proudly smiled and closed his eyes.
‘Even if it wasn’t so, it is a situation where I have to move to the west in order to join up with the Chase Legion.’
Even though the northeastern frontline was a worry, since Walter was doing well for him, he felt that it would be okay to trust and leave it to him.
‘That brat. He ate my heart out like that, then became a big help.’
For once after a long time, his heart felt truly satisfied and proud.
For some reason, it felt like he could gain a good result even in the current fief war.
‘Yes. We will spread the name of the Owells House to the entire kingdom.’
He had the confidence to do so.
If he himself and Walter, the two people combined their strengths, they would be able to aim for even above Count House.
Certainly, Kali was an amazingly ambitious man.
But even if he was so, merely a count was the limit of that goal.
In the first place, the size of the plate itself was different with Roan.
Since Roan’s goal was a monarch.
< The Decisive Battle (2) > End.