—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
In the Philios Empire, there were several fortresses secretly built to exert influence over the Black Mountains. Alvin Fortress was one of those places.
Though small for a fortress, it had a garrison of seven hundred soldiers, far more than a mere outpost.
Given the fortress’s location in the Black Mountains, the stationed troops changed frequently, but vigilance was always high. Today, the soldiers assigned to guard duty were walking along the fortress walls.
“Have you heard the rumor?”
Perhaps unable to bear the monotony, or maybe bothered by the silence and stillness of the dark night, the mustached knight ahead asked the middle-aged soldier following behind.
“What rumor are you talking about?”
“The rumor that the Free Isiria Kingdom’s Heavy Cavalry has entered the Black Mountains.”
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged soldier vaguely recalled hearing something like that. He nodded, recalling a rumor from the last changeover.
“I think I’ve heard something about it. But it might be just a rumor…”
He desperately hoped it was nothing more than that. If the Free Isiria Kingdom’s Heavy Cavalry had entered the Black Mountains to fight, this fort, located on the frontline, would be one of the most likely targets.
He hoped to avoid any confrontation with the famous elite of the Free Isiria Kingdom’s Heavy Cavalry.
“It can’t be a rumor. I heard several outposts have already been attacked…”
“It could be the Free Isiria Kingdom’s mountain mercenaries, right?”
The soldier recalled a story of skirmishes he’d heard about, but he wanted to deny it.
“Are you scared?”
The knight asked.
“Yes, I am scared. Anyone would be afraid when hearing the rumors of those armored monsters who never retreat, no matter the situation.”
The middle-aged soldier answered honestly.
“I am not afraid. Think about it, if we defeat the famous Heavy Cavalry, we’ll be famous.”
Seeing the knight excitedly speaking, the middle-aged soldier shook his head.
Though he had many things he wanted to say, the knight was a noble. He had no choice but to hold his tongue.
“You are also a soldier of the Philios Empire, aren’t you? It wouldn’t be bad to rid yourself of fear and learn courage.”
Laughing heartily, the knight moved ahead. The middle-aged soldier sighed and began walking behind him.
Fiu!
Something flew through the air, piercing the knight’s neck.
“Knight!”
Before he could even confirm it, the knight’s body collapsed.
The middle-aged soldier quickly hid behind the fortress wall in shock.
His eyes darted around. Normally, the watchtower should be manned, but it was empty.
No, it wasn’t empty. A soldier lay at the foot of the stairs leading to the watchtower, an arrow lodged in his neck.
“An… attack?”
He forced himself to shake off the rising fear and slowly lifted his head over the wall. Movement could be seen in the darkness.
Though his eyesight wasn’t the best, he could soon make out a marching army moving towards the fortress, their formation tightly packed.
“What the…?”
Clank, clank.
The sound of metal grinding seemed to reach the walls. At that moment, a bell rang, and the fortress’s mage sent a burst of magical light into the sky. The darkness faded, revealing the advancing army.
Realizing their surprise attack had failed, the soldiers raised the flag they had hidden. The middle-aged soldier’s eyes widened in shock.
“The… Heavy Cavalry…”
They had arrived.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The mercenaries were not very skilled. Despite their weakened state, it was hard to understand how they managed to break through the World Tree’s barrier.
Twenty of their cavalrymen fell quickly, and the approaching mercenaries were met with a cruel windblade.
With the support of high-level magic and the Elven Patrol’s covering fire, the number of mercenaries decreased exponentially, confirming Raymond’s suspicion that they were nothing but a diversion.
“The real ones are coming soon. Get ready,” Raymond calmly warned his subordinates.
As he had predicted, the real force soon revealed itself. As most of the mercenaries fell, those who had been hiding in the dark emerged. They wore black clothing as dark as the night sky.
Their faces were hidden behind masks or veils, and at some signal, they drew their weapons and rushed towards the soldiers gathered beneath the flag.
The Elven Patrol shot arrows at them fiercely, but Raymond realized they were merely a distraction.
“My lord!”
From beneath the flag, shadows tore through the air, landing gracefully as if dancing. Before Desia could start casting magic, Gestain moved first.
Gestain’s mana sword rushed towards the black shadows. The blue trail of the sword cut through the neck of one of the assassins who had dared to target the Fifth Prince.
“Cough!”
Blood sprayed as the assassin in black crumpled to the ground, and the others quickly disappeared into the darkness.
“Assassins!”
The movements merging into the darkness were unusual, and it was clear they were assassins. Gestain warned everyone.
The appearance of the night’s terror, the assassins, drained the color from the faces of the Elven Patrol. As they hid in the shadows, Raymond grabbed one of the Elven patrol members.
“Where is Sylvia?”
“A… I don’t know either…”
Though he didn’t receive the answer he wanted, Raymond remained calm.
With the alias “The One Who Walks Ahead,” Sylvia Platier’s abilities suggested she would be fine for now.
“But time is running out.”
Raymond’s eyes gleamed. How could he expose those hiding in the darkness?
After a brief moment of thought, he decided on a risky move.
“Desia! Deploy the shield!”
Without waiting for a response, he gathered his mana. He was sure Desia would obey the order.
“Shield!”
“Fire Rain!”
Fire rained down from the sky, striking the mana shield Desia had summoned. The flames spread in all directions, and the hidden assassins were forced to reveal themselves. There were dozens of them.
“My goodness…”
The number of assassins was more than expected. Gestain barely managed to hold back a curse.
“Don’t worry too much, Gestain.”
Raymond said in a cold voice, stepping forward. Every place his foot touched began to freeze.
Even the area scorched by the fire began to freeze.
“This… this magic…”
Desia’s eyes trembled as she read the overwhelming coldness that began to dominate the space.
This was magic beyond what even the Fifth Prince Raymond could typically perform. But now, Raymond freely wielded this complete magic.
“What’s troubling you will not come to pass.”
As he reached out, a white aura gathered, forming the shape of a sword. It was the Soul Sword, imbued with the lingering resentment of a thousand knights.
When Raymond swung the Soul Sword, lightning poured down from the sky, striking like a bolt. The electric energy spread outward, scorching the bodies of the hidden assassins.
“Kraaak!”
“Ughh!”
With screams, the assassins’ hidden state was broken, and they fell, powerless.
“Has the Fifth Prince’s magical prowess always been this high?”
“It seems different from the report.”
The assassins, who had hastily retreated, murmured in confusion. It was no surprise. Raymond was currently using the unique magic of a magic swordsman, Mana Overload.
“Squad 1, come with me to take down the Fifth Prince. The rest will disperse and put pressure on the royal guards and patrols.”
Though unexpected, the commander quickly made a decision, and dozens of assassins moved in perfect coordination. Over twenty of them blocked the way for Gestain and Desia.
“My lord!?”
Gestain was a high-ranking knight, but his one-armed swordsmanship wasn’t as perfect as it used to be, so he couldn’t perform at his peak.
Even with Desia and the elves, breaking through more than twenty assassins at once was too much of a challenge.
His desperate voice rang out, but Raymond remained calm. He merely glanced at the area where Gestain was, giving a small, reassuring smile.
“You have nothing to worry about.”
He whispered, so it was unlikely they could hear him. But given the smile on his face, Gestain could surely take some comfort.
“What’s with the confidence, Fifth Prince?”
The assassin, who didn’t like Raymond’s relaxed demeanor, asked with a killing intent.
“Do you really think the bloodline of the Philios family will protect you?”
“You should abandon that thought. There’s no one here to protect you now.”
Surrounded by enemies, the number of assassins around them was more than ten. Not ordinary mercenaries, but elite assassins from the Edryger Kingdom.
“If I were a normal high-level mage, I’d be trembling in fear… but that’s if I were a normal high-level mage.”
A cold smile spread across Raymond’s lips.
As the assassins swiftly drew daggers and threw them, dozens of daggers imbued with black mana shot toward Raymond.
Lightning from the sky aimed at his position.
Boom!
With an explosion, dust shot into the air.
“Did… Did we take him out?”
“He used high-level magic, Lightning Strike. And with dozens of daggers imbued with mana thrown at him, surviving is impossible.”
“Is that so?”
But something felt wrong. Perhaps it was the high-ranking mage of the Edryger Kingdom who sensed the danger and began to manipulate mana to create wind.
As the dust was blown away, a shield imbued with intense mana revealed itself.
“Absolute Shield?”
“Impossible! That’s one of the highest-level magics…”
Everyone was in shock. Before they could recover, the Absolute Shield split apart, and Raymond charged through the gap.
“Are you planning on fighting up close?”
“Don’t be afraid! Even though he used a top-tier magic, he’s still a mage! If we engage him in close combat, we’ll…”
The head of the lead assassin fell to the ground with a chilling thud. It all happened in an instant.
“Boss!?”
“This can’t be…”
“That’s a Mana Sword!”
Panic spread further. How could a mage wield a Mana Sword? But this wasn’t the end.
Around Raymond, fireballs and sharp ice shards began to form, unmistakable signs of a magic swordsman from the ancient battlefield.
“What… What is this?”
“Do you know why magic swordsmen are strong?”
There was no answer.
“They’re not just strong because they can use both swords and magic at once.”
The unique magic of a magic swordsman, Mana Overload, and highly efficient enhancement magic. Through physical reconstruction, Raymond could now perfectly use both.
Perhaps as a final blessing, fragments of Deyrian’s memories mixed in. Despite just becoming a magic swordsman, Raymond was now using magic at peak efficiency.
“No need for explanations.”
Words were pointless.
The assassins’ eyes glinted with killing intent as they rushed toward him. Raymond swung his sword toward them.
“My swordsmanship has become smoother.”
Though he couldn’t explain why, as his body reconstructed and Deyrian’s memories settled in, it seemed as though the experiences of a thousand knights had merged within him.
“Kraaak!”
“Monster…”
Though Mana Overload consumed enormous amounts of mana, Raymond was overwhelming his opponents, his battle power greatly enhanced.
The assassins, terrified, retreated, only to be chased by fireballs and ice shards.
“Kraaak!”
The ones who retreated had their throats pierced by ice shards, and fireballs exploded on their bellies.
As their bodies burned and blood poured from their necks, Raymond continued to swing the Soul Sword, his eyes cold.
“Requesting support… Kugh!”
“Damn it! We’re on our way!”
Hearing the desperate call for support, the assassins fighting the elf patrols tried to move, but Gestain wouldn’t let them.
“Do you think I’ll just let you go?”
The enraged one-armed high-ranking knight’s Mana Sword severed an assassin’s head. Desia’s ice spear pierced another assassin’s chest. The elves, determined to sacrifice their lives, joined in.
With Raymond’s performance, the tide of battle completely reversed.
“Burn the bodies and retreat!”
The leader of Squad 2 hastily issued the command as he blocked Raymond’s Soul Sword.
The assassins scattered their fallen comrades’ bodies with something, and soon, flames erupted from the spot. It seemed they intended to destroy all evidence and retreat.
Since there was no trickery with the mercenaries’ bodies, they likely planned to shift all the blame onto them.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
