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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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A quest appeared.
The condition was simply to enter the Fourth Castle. There were no other requirements. I could just step inside and come back out.
‘Should I just go and see Iris?’
I felt a sudden urge to complete the quest quickly.
Using ‘Selection and Concentration’, it wouldn’t be too difficult to sneak in and out undetected…
Ah, damn it.
I had used up all my ‘Selection and Concentration’ charges for the day.
My head throbbed.
It wasn’t because I was worried about Iris being alone in there…
I just wanted to complete the quest quickly.
That was the only reason.
‘Should I go as a messenger?’
The rebels, at least, still had some common sense.
They weren’t like the Trud Kingdom army, who would mercilessly slaughter messengers. They were fighting a relatively civilized war, adhering to basic morals.
Well, they had probably lost all their composure after this morning’s battle.
They would definitely try to capture me if a big shot like myself entered the castle as a messenger.
And without ‘Selection and Concentration’, my chances of escaping were practically zero…
Damn it.
It seemed like the only option left was to capture the castle.
“Hurry up and eat! We might have to depart soon!”
I stepped outside to see Pelaine urging the knights to eat quickly.
Can’t they let them eat in peace…?
“Ah, you can take your time. We have plenty of food. Eat as much as you want.”
“…”
They were being lenient with the prisoners.
The prisoners, who had been wolfing down their food, looked at Pelaine in bewilderment.
They glanced at each other and then started eating slowly.
They must have been shocked.
A beastman, fighting for the suppression force, and even as the Commander-in-Chief…
It must have been a blow to their will to resist.
“Um… May I ask the Commander-in-Chief a question?”
“Go ahead. I might answer, I might not.”
“Where are you from, Commander?”
“….”
It was a sensitive question.
Pelaine thought for a moment, then approached the prisoners and sat down on a tree stump.
“If you trace my ancestry back far enough, I’m from the Great Forest… But I was born and raised in the Empire.”
Pelaine was a descendant of beastmen who had immigrated to the Empire, unable to endure the Great Famine in the Great Forest.
They weren’t slaves, but they had faced discrimination and prejudice, forced to live as lower-class citizens.
Pelaine had broken that cycle.
She had learned martial arts through street fights, joined the Imperial army, and proven her skills in the Freya-Trud War.
But her superiors had refused to let her take the knight exam, and disillusioned, she had left the army.
She had then met Taylor, a retired knight who was teaching swordsmanship to a group of orphans, and together they had founded a private knight order. They had overcome many hardships to reach this point.
Pelaine explained her story in a calm, matter-of-fact tone.
“Wow…”
The beastmen, impressed by her long, or perhaps short, life story, applauded.
Rising from the bottom of society to become the leader of a private knight order was a legendary tale for beastmen.
But if she told them that she would one day become the Empire’s strongest swordsman, they wouldn’t believe her.
Even Pelaine herself would deny it.
I decided not to spoil the story.
‘Hm?’
I suddenly sensed a surge of mana approaching.
Was it a communication spell from Iris?
I received the message and deciphered the code.
-No evacuation order. Only the army is evacuating. Only minimal guards remain.
“Ha.”
It was shocking news.
It had been over twelve hours since the rune was deployed, and they still hadn’t issued an evacuation order?
They were essentially abandoning the residents to their deaths.
And the communication spell had originated from Fort Four.
That meant Iris was still in the castle. They were fleeing, leaving even the Saintess behind.
My head spun, trying to comprehend their incomprehensible actions.
Were they plotting something I wasn’t aware of?
It seemed like the worst possible decision.
No, I didn’t have time to think about it.
We had to act now.
“Erica, is the rune ready?”
“Yes! I can activate it now!”
“Good. Then activate it.”
“What? You mean… we’re actually going to use it?”
“Why would we draw a rune if we weren’t going to use it? Activate it now.”
“No, Schlus. You know what this rune is capable of. You’re joking, right?”
“I’ll handle the consequences.”
“No one can handle the consequences of this!”
“Trust me, Erica.”
“….”
Erica closed her mouth.
She seemed like she wanted to say something, but then she lowered her head.
“You’re hiding something from me again, aren’t you?”
“…”
“You’re not telling me because you think it would jeopardize the operation. Right?”
“…”
I didn’t answer, but I knew she was right.
Erica had become surprisingly perceptive lately.
“I trust you, Schlus. I trust not only your abilities, but also your character. So… I wish… you would trust us too.”
“…”
Her words stung.
Honestly, if she asked me if I trusted her, Ainz, and Emilia completely, the answer would be no.
I had always subconsciously believed that they could betray me, or that I could betray them, except for Iris and Trie.
But I realized that I wouldn’t be able to achieve true unity with that kind of mindset.
Hertlocker had united the Empire and the Kingdom in the original story because of his ‘justice’, not his overwhelming power.
Ruling with power only led to rebellion.
“I trust you. I trust you, so I’ll activate it without asking any questions…”
The core of the rune stirred.
The blocked circuits opened, and a torrent of mana flowed from the vessel, spreading throughout the rune.
Now, no one would be unaware of the rune above Fort Four.
Even those who were insensitive to mana would notice it if they looked up at the sky.
The mana density had become so high that it was emitting visible light.
The rune, unintentionally visualized, displayed its awe-inspiring presence.
“Commander-in-Chief, we have to deploy now.”
“Yes, Mr. Schlus. Everyone, mount up!”
The knights, their horses ready, charged out of the open main gate at Pelaine’s command.
I quickly grabbed Trie’s hand and climbed onto her horse.
Our target was Fort Four.
The massive rune had turned a menacing shade of red, shimmering waves of heat distorting the air above it.
“Holy…”
Gasps erupted from the knights.
A sun was emerging from the rune.
No, it wasn’t a sun.
It was a giant ball of fire.
Those who were seeing it for the first time wouldn’t even realize that it was spherical.
It looked like a giant red disk descending from the sky.
I wondered how they would react when they realized it was only a portion of a massive sphere.
I was curious, but I hoped they wouldn’t have to find out.
“Charge! Follow the plan!”
Follow the plan…
The knights believed that they were going to infiltrate the castle before the ball of fire fell, rescue the Saintess, and escape.
It was too risky to reveal the entire plan.
There could be spies among us…
‘I hope this works.’
This morning’s victory had been a meticulously planned operation, relying on the enemy’s rational decision-making. But this time, it was the opposite.
It was a gamble, hoping that the enemy’s rationality would crumble after witnessing this awe-inspiring rune.
And it seemed to be working.
The knights’ faces were pale with shock as they stared at the rune in the distance.
I wondered what it felt like to be directly below that sun-like ball of fire, watching it descend.
It would be terrifying.
Unless the people of this world were dozens of times braver than Earthlings, no one would be able to remain calm and collected in the face of such a sight.
“Don’t slow down! Full speed ahead!”
This peaceful ride was proof of that.
By now, arrows should have been raining down from the castle walls.
But there wasn’t a single soldier in sight on the walls.
Who would bother shooting at a few knights charging towards the castle walls when the entire castle was about to be destroyed? Only a madman.
“Everyone, stick to the walls!”
“Yes, sir!”
We reached the main gate without encountering any resistance.
The gate was firmly shut.
There was no way to break through using conventional methods. We would need Sergei’s level of strength, or a comparable amount of mana, but…
There was another way.
“Move aside.”
“…?”
I approached the gate as the knights parted, creating a path for me.
It was eerily quiet on the other side.
If the guards had noticed our approach, they would have been building barricades or reinforcing the gate.
But there was no sign of activity.
It seemed safe to proceed.
“Everyone, forget what you’re about to see for the next ten seconds.”
“Excuse me? What do you…”
“I’ll severely punish anyone who speaks of this.”
The knights here were all from reputable backgrounds, so I didn’t have to worry about spies.
But the more people who knew, the higher the risk of the information leaking to the enemy.
That was why I had issued a warning.
They were soldiers who lived and died by orders, so they wouldn’t disobey a direct subordinate knight of the Emperor.
Whir…
I activated my internal circuits and felt a surge of heat coursing through my body.
Mana energy was circulating, overheating my body.
I extended my right arm.
It was time to release this mana energy.
Bzzzt…!
“Huh…!”
A pillar of blue light slowly emerged from my palm.
It extended outwards, surpassing the length of my arm, and then stopped.
Snap!
I clenched my fist, and the pillar of light instantly transformed into a greatsword.
Vafe.
I was revealing a Demonic weapon, lost in the ancient war, outside the Imperial University for the first time.
“…”
I walked past the dumbfounded knights and plunged Vafe into the castle gate.
The blade easily pierced the wooden gate.
I swung my arm, splitting the gate in half.
It didn’t require much force.
Vafe’s incredible sharpness sliced through the thick wood like a knife through butter.
I pulled Vafe out, leaving a large, scorched crescent mark on the gate.
I kicked the gate—
Boom!
…creating a hole large enough for a person to pass through.
As expected, there were no spearmen or barricades behind the gate.
I glanced back to see the knights frozen in place, too stunned to move.
We didn’t have time to waste.
It seemed like I had to lead the charge.
“I’m going in first. Follow me.”
A quest completion notification appeared as I stepped inside the castle.
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