102. The Beginning of the Raid (1)

I and my party immediately left the resistance’s base again.

There was no time to stay for a day. It was already evening when I crossed swords with Tires. To raid Grius on time for the battle’s resumption, we had to hurry to his headquarters.

“Soon, the resistance will re-engage in battle, I presume.”

At Lucia’s words, I nodded again. They would resume fighting as soon as dawn broke tomorrow.

The resistance wouldn’t launch an all-out offensive on the Imperial Capital, but instead, they decided to join forces with Marquis Aitern’s private soldiers and launch a strong offensive.

The main force would clash with the enemy’s main force. And taking advantage of that chaos, a separate unit would head to the enemy’s headquarters to quickly eliminate the leader.

‘Perhaps it’s similar to the tactics used in the Mana Conflict Battle.’

However, while the broad framework was similar, the difficulty was worlds apart.

The student soldiers who fought in the Mana Conflict Battle numbered only in the hundreds, but the soldiers gathered in the Imperial Capital now, on both the rebel and resistance sides, numbered in the thousands.

‘And it’s not just ordinary soldiers either. It’s a war where the majority are Mana Awakened who can use Mana.’

As such, the intensity of the battle was on a different level from that of ordinary soldiers. In the first place, Tires, the commander of the resistance, was a master who had surpassed human limitations.

The opposing side also had strong individuals, at least Aura Experts or higher, even if they weren’t as good as Tires. The rebels, with the Vairea Mercenary Corps joining them, had a larger number of soldiers.

However, fortunately, the resistance side had a higher level of power.

‘Tires. He was a reliable man as rumored.’

Vice-Commander Tires would fulfill all of his roles. And there was also Princess Lilia, who had awakened as a Saintess after the Mana Conflict Battle.

Along with the private soldiers of the Aitern family, who were in coalition. Chloe was there too. I had to trust them.

‘The rest is all my responsibility.’

Rather, in terms of danger, the separate unit was more at risk. The half-crazy Grius. And the puppeteer Chris, who was likely manipulating him.

Chris, being no fool, couldn’t possibly be unaware that if Grius died, the rebels would collapse.

So, he would be very carefully guarding him at Grius’s headquarters.

“Grius will definitely be in the Imperial Palace. There’s no safer place than that in the Imperial Capital.”

And High Knight Leader Riles said to me. I glanced at him.

He and the eight members of the party had now entered the Imperial Capital. Lucia and Rosette, who had been to the primeval forest with me. And five High Knights from the Imperial Guard were with us.

The party was in the underground sewers of the Imperial Capital. The underground sewers were very wide and had a complex network of paths, making them like a maze.

The party was heading to the Imperial Palace through the underground sewers.

“Understood. Until we arrive at the Imperial Palace, I will follow Sir Riles’s guidance. I ask for your assistance.”

“I also ask for your assistance, Count Yulian-nim.”

Riles nodded.

Due to my provocation, the five High Knights had shown me fierce hostility until a few hours ago. We had even crossed swords.

But now their attitude was different from then. After the sparring match, Tires ordered the High Knights.

‘Princess Lilia-jeonha has permitted it. In this operation, you must serve Count Yulian as your lord.’

Tires was indeed an extraordinary person. He willingly agreed to hand over the five High Knights he had painstakingly raised to me.

However, the Imperial Guard Knights were knights who were loyal to the Imperial Family.

So Tires directly sought permission from Lilia, who had taken the Emperor’s place in lieu of the missing Emperor. Of course, Lilia would not have refused that request.

Thus, the five of them were now under my command.

However, it didn’t seem that they were obeying me solely on the orders of their superiors, Tires and Lilia.

They were High Knights with very high pride. And unlike the vain Grius faction Imperial Guard Knights, they were knights who had risked their lives to protect the Imperial Capital from the sites where large numbers of magical beasts appeared.

So, they possessed a true sense of pride as knights that transcended mere self-esteem. Such men were now obediently following my instructions.

“Those knights have also seen Yulian-nim’s Extreme Night. It seems they are obediently following orders.”

Lucia, who was walking alongside me, said quietly. As she said, their attitude had clearly changed because of the exchange with Tires.

‘They exchanged blows evenly with one of the Empire’s Ten Seats. As outstanding knights, they must have readily acknowledged me.’

Of course, I would have been pushed back if I had continued to cross swords with him. But the opponent was one of the Empire’s Ten Seats.

Just by enduring that one exchange equally, they couldn’t possibly be unaware that I far surpassed the High Knights in skill.

Even Tires himself had directly acknowledged my skill. No matter how high their pride was, there was nothing more I needed to prove to them.

‘Anyway, it’s fortunate. The activities of those five will be very important in this raid.’

The party was now moving through the sewers, which were more complex than the underground temple of Pantheon, without any hesitation.

With Rosette, an excellent spiritist, accompanying us, it might seem that finding the way wouldn’t be difficult. But the underground sewers were a facility that contained the essence of the Empire’s civil engineering.

Things that were not alive, like water, naturally flowed out through the connected paths of the sewers. But the situation was different for people.

“There isn’t even a single rat, which is common in underground sewers. Well, since it’s such a difficult place to maintain one’s sense of direction… Perhaps the sewers themselves are composed of special magic circles and magical spaces.”

As Rosette said, living beings had difficulty even grasping a bit of direction inside.

But fortunately, the High Knights leading the party were guiding the party without the slightest hesitation.

“This place is like a courtyard to the Imperial Guard. Patrolling this place is an important duty of the Imperial Guard. Living things lose their sense of direction and cannot survive, but that special magic doesn’t work on magical beasts.”

It was as Riles said.

The magic of this space didn’t work on magical beasts. So the Imperial Guard periodically patrolled this place and eliminated gates and magical beasts that appeared in the underground sewers.

‘Since the influence of the Holy Obelisk is lessened here, I heard that sudden gates often appear.’

Of course, the task in this dirty and smelly place was entirely the responsibility of the anti-Grius faction Imperial Guard.

“The current Grius faction Imperial Guard, those rebel bastards, are mostly guys who absolutely refuse to come down to these underground sewers. So we can use this place in reverse.”

Those who silently fulfilled their roles in the dirtiest and most dangerous place were the anti-Grius faction Imperial Guard. The current resistance. So they knew the paths of the underground sewers very well.

‘Thanks to that, we can go to the Imperial Palace without wasting our strength.’

All five High Knights were actively moving in the sewers, searching for the way.

Although they were knights who were inferior to me in swordsmanship, their skills were by no means lacking. Rather, they were so outstanding that they could even be compared to the Knights of the White Night.

‘And yet, they are full of loyalty and don’t hesitate to do hard work.’

Moreover, I had asked them to give their lives. Yet they accepted the outcome and accepted that absurd request.

They were like the epitome of true knights.

As someone who would become the lord of a territory in the future, and as a demonic dragon with a stronger desire for domination and conquest than anyone else, I wanted to accept them as my subordinates in the future.

‘The more talented people, the better.’

Of course, they were talented people who were loyal to the Imperial Family. But since I already possessed Lilia, anything belonging to the Imperial Family would soon be mine.

They would naturally become loyal to me as well.

‘Satisfying.’

If so, even though I had asked them to risk their lives, I also intended to do my best to save them.

‘And I need to quickly eliminate the bugs that have occupied the Imperial Capital.’

Beyond the Imperial Capital, the Holy Lamir Empire was also a valuable asset that I would come to rule. So I had no intention of letting the bugs that had flown into my property defile my things.

As I was burning with the desire for domination as a demonic dragon, Riles shouted.

“The magic tool that detects demonic energy is shaking. Be careful, as magical beasts may appear!”

“I will.”

The party entered combat readiness.

The underground sewers were terribly smelly.

But it was a familiar place to the five High Knights, including Riles. The place that Imperial Guard recruits had to go through was this place, the Imperial Capital’s underground.

And Riles was guiding the party, finding the fastest path leading to the outskirts of the Imperial Palace.

The magic tool that detected demonic energy reacted. So the party also prepared for the appearance of magical beasts that might be present.

Riles also took out his sword from its scabbard and gripped it in his hand. When he was a recruit, he carried an Imperial sword when entering this place. But now that he had risen to the rank of High Knight, he had been awarded a special sword made of magical metal by the Knights.

And Riles remembered the Count’s sword that had clashed with his sword a few hours ago.

‘To reach such a level at such a young age. As expected, the bloodline of Reinhardt is different.’

Yulian von Reinhardt. He was a notorious wastrel Count who was already rumored among the Imperial Guard members.

The disloyal Grius faction Imperial Guard members often gossiped about Princess Lilia-jeonha, associating her with that wastrel fiancé. No, they spewed out lewd remarks and insulting words that went beyond gossip.

‘Princess Lilia-jeonha was very beautiful and full of charm as a woman. Those damn bastards…’

Whenever that happened, he often fought with those guys to protect Princess Lilia-jeonha’s honor. But as a result, he couldn’t help but be out of Grius’s favor.

Eventually, a few months ago, after the magical beasts surged near the old Imperial Capital, all the anti-Grius faction Imperial Guard were sent there, so there was no need to fight with those damn bastards.

Anyway, for that reason, Count Yulian was notorious among the loyal resistance Imperial Guard members.

In fact, an Imperial Guard member who had infiltrated Pantheon as a disguised student and was serving Lilia even testified. He was not just a rumor, but a real wastrel.

But the Count Yulian in front of him now. And that Yulian who had crossed swords with the five High Knights was completely different from the rumors.

‘I can’t believe that he was a wastrel. No, no matter how skilled a swordsman is, if he can’t control his own mind, he can never reach such a level.’

From the moment he saw his eyes, which were not at all intimidated by the five High Knights.

He sensed that the rumor was nonsense. And when they exchanged two blows, he was convinced that he was a very skilled swordsman.

After that, when he exchanged one blow with Vice-Commander Tires, whom they were loyal to. He even felt awe.

One of the Empire’s Ten Seats. Vice-Commander Tires was a man with the greatest honor and weight as a swordsman.

The one who had clashed with such Tires with Aura that had reached the pinnacle of Extreme Night was none other than Count Yulian.

‘Then perhaps his wastrel days were a disguise to avoid Grius’s checks. No, it must be.’

He was bold enough to directly ask Vice-Commander Tires to hand over the High Knights, including himself. And when he heard the plan he had requested them for, Riles was even more surprised.

The Grius raid plan. The one who would take on the most dangerous role in that plan was Count Yulian, not the High Knights.

‘I will personally cut off Grius’s head.’

Grius, the leader of the rebels. Naturally, the guards and defenses around him would be very strict. But Count Yulian said that he would personally enter that most dangerous place.

The role of the High Knights was to open the way for that entry. And when he heard that plan, Riles was confused.

‘Why would that noble Grand Duke volunteer for that role?’

Of course, the resistance fighting against Grius was serving Lilia as their lord. Lilia was Count Yulian’s fiancée.

So, it was understandable that he was on Lilia’s side. But there was no need for him to personally go out to execute Grius. He could just wait for the support troops from Essenmund to join.

‘Just by being with the resistance camp… Just by being on the battlefield together. As a Grand Duke, as the fiancé of Her Highness, he has already fulfilled his role sufficiently…’

Riles wanted to know his true feelings.

So before leaving the resistance’s base. Riles asked him the reason, and the Count answered calmly.

“It is to protect the Empire and the Imperial Family. I am a member of the Border Count family. The Border Count family and Essenmund are the swords that protect the Empire.”

The Count said that he was simply doing what he had to do. Although they belonged to different factions, Riles, who was full of loyalty to the Empire, was inwardly moved.

The feelings of the other four High Knights would not be different either. As he was lost in thought for a moment, the Count shouted.

“Be careful, a magical beast has appeared!”

And Count Yulian’s body was the first to jump out.