Chapter 111

Episode 111

*Fwoosh!*

*Rumble!*

Flaming arrows rained down from all directions.

And it wasn’t just that. Oil, poured from both sides of the canyon, ignited the small flames into a raging inferno.

The canyon was engulfed in scorching flames and thick smoke.

The trapped soldiers of House Gerard couldn’t even scream. Every breath brought searing pain to their lungs.

They collapsed one by one.

The ground was littered with charred corpses, leaving no space to step.

The world was ablaze.

The starry night sky, once so brilliant, was now obscured by crimson flames.

Was it divine grace?

Or divine judgment?

Roman, the head of House Gerard, somehow survived the inferno.

“Ah…”

The hellish scene was alien to Baron Roman, who was accustomed to a life of luxury and pleasure. It felt like a nightmare.

Was this what hell looked like?

On the boundary between life and death, Baron Roman replayed the events that had just transpired.

It had taken less than an hour for his elite army to be decimated. Most of his troops had fallen, and the survivors were desperately fleeing this fiery hell.

His knights had been right. They should have advanced more cautiously and dispersed their forces to secure a retreat route.

It was all his fault for ignoring their advice.

“Catch that bastard Roman!”

“I’ll gouge his eyes out!”

“What are you talking about? Just gouging his eyes out isn’t enough! We should tear him limb from limb!”

A second disaster struck.

The enraged residents, armed with various weapons, swarmed into the canyon like a horde of angry bees.

Their fury was relentless. They charged towards Roman, their eyes burning with rage, even as rocks and flaming arrows rained down on them.

Roman had to escape. He managed to find cover behind a large boulder. Defeated lords were supposed to be captured and put on trial, but if these people caught him, they would kill him on the spot.

There was no one left around Baron Roman.

“My lord! Are you alright?!”

“…”

“My lord!”

Donovan arrived, deflecting the incoming arrows. A giant boulder rolled down towards them.

There was no time to dodge.

He channeled his barely recovered aura and split the boulder in half.

“Roman von Gerard!”

Only someone in a position of power could address their opponent by their full name.

Donovan had committed a grave offense.

But even that couldn’t shake Roman out of his daze. Despair washed over him. Why had he risked his life for this incompetent fool?

“You bastard!”

No response.

Donovan’s true nature finally surfaced.

“You incompetent trash! I shouldn’t have joined you…!”

He raised his sword, aiming for Roman’s greedy throat.

But he couldn’t bring himself to swing it.

He didn’t want to stain his sword with that filthy blood. Escaping this inferno and planning his next move was the more practical option.

‘Damn it!’

As the defeated commander of the Gerard Knight Order, he would be a wanted man. He would be hunted down until O’Brien decided to forgive him. He was a war criminal.

‘That bastard will definitely kill me.’

O’Brien had once visited him and said that he was good at making people useless. He had said that something interesting would happen.

Despite being his enemy, O’Brien was a man of his word. Even Duke Kalisto acknowledged his drive.

‘I still need to escape. I don’t know what kind of humiliation I’ll suffer if I’m captured! I have to leave the Kalisto Dukedom and flee to a distant land.’

Everything had gone wrong. Donovan felt like he was still dreaming, but the scorching heat reminded him that this was reality.

He cautiously moved behind the boulder, his sword at the ready. There was an escape route there.

As he followed the path, he thought about which family he could seek refuge with.

But the escape route, which had seemed to stretch endlessly, suddenly turned into a dead end.

“Enemy! Catch him!”

“Catch him? Just kill him!”

“It’s a Gerard knight! Kill him! Let’s overwhelm him!”

The residents knew that the Gerard knights were strong. They knew they could use aura.

Normally, they would have fled in terror. But the situation was different now.

They charged at him, armed with a variety of weapons.

“You fools! Do you even know who I am?!”

“Yes, we do. You’re a dead man!”

“Hahaha! I remember your face. You’re the one who violated my daughter! I’ll take your head!”

“Attack!”

Donovan felt dizzy. The residents were out of their minds.

If he had been in his usual condition, if he had even a little aura left, he could have easily disarmed them and taken their lives.

But his battle with Selendis had taken its toll.

And he had exhausted his remaining aura deflecting the falling boulder. He was now just an ordinary knight with a sword.

“Damn it!”

He swung his sword wildly, trying to defend himself.

*Clang!*

He blocked an incoming spear thrust, but he couldn’t block the mace that came from behind.

*Thwack!*

“Ugh!”

Donovan coughed up blood, his body swaying. Blood gushed from a wound on the back of his head.

But he was a high-ranking knight. He tried to regain his stance, but the blunt force trauma was too much. The world spun around him.

*Crack!*

*Thud!*

“Gah…”

A sharp spear pierced his side.

Donovan, the commander of the Gerard Knight Order and a high-ranking knight, collapsed to his knees.

“Stop!”

Ferguson of the Walker Knight Order arrived.

He was leading the militia under O’Brien’s orders.

“That’s definitely Commander Donovan.”

Donovan was on the verge of death. He wouldn’t survive unless a skilled healer cast a healing spell on him.

Ferguson hesitated for a moment.

The residents were staring at him, their anger barely contained. Their eyes pleaded with him to take Donovan’s life.

Granting an honorable death to an enemy was also a part of chivalry.

But Ferguson made up his mind. Today, he would stand with the people of the Walker territory as one of them.

“Baron Roman must be nearby. Find him and eliminate him!”

As soon as the order was given, the residents unleashed their fury on Donovan. They didn’t use weapons. They trampled him, venting their frustration.

Donovan, the high-ranking knight and Hylix’s lieutenant, died a dishonorable death.

“Sir Ferguson! Over here! Roman is here!”

Ferguson rushed towards the voice. He saw Roman cowering behind a large boulder.

A thrill shot through him.

He was a newly appointed knight. Capturing the enemy commander in battle was a significant achievement.

“You look pathetic, Roman von Gerard. The war is over. Surrender.”

“…”

Roman just stared blankly at the sky. Ferguson ordered his lieutenant and soldiers to restrain him.

Sir Paris arrived with his soldiers. They had also captured dozens of enemy soldiers.

Paris laughed heartily when he saw Roman bound.

“Hahaha! Excellent work, Sir Ferguson. You’re the hero of this war. Capturing him alive must have been difficult.”

“Not at all. It’s all thanks to the Captain and the Vice-captain. We wouldn’t have been able to do anything if they hadn’t won the Battle of Hartan.”

“Then, wouldn’t the greatest credit go to our lord? He captured the enemy’s castle with only a handful of soldiers.”

Ferguson agreed wholeheartedly. He was curious to know how O’Brien had managed to capture the castle with such a small force.

“Did you capture Donovan?”

“We did, but we left his fate to the residents.”

“Hmm.”

Paris thought about it. It was against the law.

They were supposed to capture the enemy and report to their superiors, who would decide their fate.

But another thought crossed his mind. There wasn’t a set way to achieve justice.

These people were rotten to the core, and they had made countless people suffer.

So, Paris respected Ferguson’s decision.

“Let’s clean up this mess. Our lord will give us further instructions soon. Withdraw the troops and tend to the wounded. And send messengers to our lord and the Knight Captain!”

“Yes, sir!”

Messengers carrying the news of victory galloped off in opposite directions.

The darkness in the sky gradually receded. The rising dawn illuminated the world.

It was like a divine blessing bestowed upon House Walker.

***

“My lord! We’ve received a message from the messenger! We’ve achieved a great victory at the canyon! They captured Roman alive! Hahaha!”

Jericho rushed in, beaming. I had expected this outcome, but I was still relieved.

“We also achieved a great victory on the Hartan Plain! Knight Selendis and Sir Paris held them off!”

“That’s good to hear. The plain wasn’t an easy battlefield. Is everyone alright?”

“Knight Selendis seems to have suffered some internal injuries. She’s currently receiving treatment. But it’s nothing serious.”

Objectively speaking, it was impossible for two people to fight against three high-ranking knights.

But I had a different opinion.

‘With Selendis’s potential, the Frost Sword, and Sir Paris’s experience, it was a fight they could win.’

Moreover, I was confident because the enemy knights had been indulging in a life of luxury for too long. Our knights, on the other hand, were sharp and battle-ready.

Such relative differences often led to significant outcomes throughout history.

“They’re escorting Roman to our castle. Leave this place to me, my lord. You should go back to the castle and judge him.”

“Why are you saying such sad things?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

I grinned and walked towards the wall, running my hand along its surface. I felt a strange sensation in a certain spot.

I channeled my mana.

I used the principle of sonar. Even though the wall blocked my vision, I could sense what was behind it.

*Rumble!*

I immediately unleashed my mana and destroyed the wall. A secret room filled with gold bars and documents was revealed.

Jericho’s jaw dropped.

“You want me to go back to the Walker territory when we’ve just discovered a ‘land of opportunity’? Look closely, Jericho. This castle is full of secret rooms like this. Let’s focus on finding evidence before interrogating the prisoners. We need to gather all the dirt we can on our dear Grand Duke Hylix and Viscountess Rosalyn.”

The counterattack had begun.