Chapter 108

Episode 108

A dark night.

Even the moonlight hid behind the clouds, shrouding the world in darkness. The heavens were clearly on our side.

The only light visible in the distance was from Gerard Castle. It was a massive fortress, with well-armed soldiers standing guard on its walls.

It was as if light only existed in that one place, shining brilliantly.

‘But their glory ends tonight.’

I intended to show no mercy.

We drew closer to Gerard Castle.

Despite the silence, our hundred-strong unit was moving at a rapid pace.

The secret?

The “enclave” spell I had learned from Jericho.

The “enclave” was a versatile and efficient concealment spell with many applications.

Unlike a shield, it couldn’t block physical attacks, but it could conceal sound and magical energy. It could also block magical attacks using a similar principle.

I had cast an enclave over the entire unit.

It was only possible because they were all low-ranking knights or lower. If there had been anyone skilled enough to sense magical energy, it wouldn’t have worked.

A large amount of mana drained from me, but I endured. The most important thing was to approach the castle undetected.

Even though the enclave was a versatile spell, it couldn’t conceal our visual presence, so we had to be cautious.

After a while, we stopped about a hundred meters from the castle.

I signaled them to crouch down.

The knights and soldiers pressed their bodies against the hill, only their heads peeking out. The enemy on the walls remained silent.

“My lord, there’s a moat. It’s wider than I expected. How do you plan to cross it?”

The moat surrounding the castle looked deep and filthy. Cruel lords sometimes kept aquatic monsters in their moats.

“We can’t all cross it. But I can do it alone. I’ll climb the wall and distract the enemy. Once the gate is down, charge in.”

“Understood.”

“Even if I’m surrounded, don’t try to rescue me. Your priority is to capture the inner castle as quickly as possible. Understood?”

“What good is victory if you’re in danger, my lord?”

“That’s an order.”

Deneve bowed his head. I was relieved that Ionia didn’t seem concerned about my safety.

I examined the walls again. There weren’t many soldiers patrolling the walls and towers.

‘About twenty in total.’

Even though I was a powerful aura user, I had no intention of charging in recklessly.

The enemy had likely concentrated their forces on their main army, and the defenders wouldn’t expect us to attack. The difference in our forces was too great.

I believed an opportunity would present itself if we waited patiently. That way, we could minimize our casualties.

I continued to scan the walls, searching for a weakness.

“Um… my lord?”

Ionia’s voice interrupted my thoughts. She seemed to have something to say.

“Something’s been bothering me.”

“Tell me.”

“The Knight Captain said I reminded her of her younger sibling. What did she mean?”

Deneve sighed at her out-of-context question. But he didn’t say anything. She was his comrade, and their skills were similar.

“I don’t know if you’re being naive or oblivious. It means she has high expectations for you.”

“What was the Knight Captain’s sibling like?”

“I don’t know much about her sibling. But one thing’s for sure: she was the most precious person to the Knight Captain.”

Ionia didn’t ask any further questions, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

After about an hour of observing the enemy, the opportunity we had been waiting for finally arrived.

“Hey! Come and get some food! We’ve made a lot of hot stew. What are you doing waiting for the enemy who won’t even come?”

“Hahaha! You’re right. Our cavalry must have crushed them by now!”

“Of course! Sir Donovan is leading them, isn’t he? They’re definitely wiped out.”

“Let’s play some cards while we rest! Did you bring them?”

It was nighttime, and the open space amplified the soldiers’ voices.

Donovan.

Yes, I remembered. I had met a knight with that name before. He was a high-ranking knight of House Gerard, if I remembered correctly.

He was a young man. The fact that he had reached the high-ranking level at such a young age meant he had someone backing him. Only old knights would join a mere barony.

A promising young high-ranking knight would usually join the Imperial Knight Order or serve under a grand duke.

In other words, Donovan was likely a spy planted by Grand Duke Hylix.

‘He’s still a threat to us. They have a few more high-ranking knights.’

I hoped Selendis could hold out.

I started moving, my thoughts focused on the battle. The members of the separate unit held their breath, observing my actions.

I saw the soldiers on the right side of the wall descending the stairs.

*Whoosh!*

I immediately activated my aura and leaped onto the wall. The enclave muffled the sound of my movement.

I carefully took out my “Black Wind Bow” and activated “Automatic Combat.”

Aura control was crucial.

The “Black Wind Bow” didn’t fire physical bolts but concentrated bursts of aura. If it emitted a blue light, we would be showered with arrows.

*Whirr!*

I carefully controlled my aura to prevent the bolt from glowing.

If Jericho’s blueprints were accurate, the mechanism for opening the gate was located beneath the central tower. I had to capture the central tower first and then descend.

I crouched down and fired a bolt at the soldier guarding the tower.

*Thud! Thud!*

Two bolts pierced through two heads in quick succession. The soldiers collapsed without a sound.

The dull thud of their bodies hitting the ground was masked by the laughter of the soldiers eating stew below.

The main tower was empty.

“Hahaha! I’m telling you, it’s true! The Baron promised us. He said he’ll give us beautiful women and land if we conquer the Walker territory. We’ll all be rich!”

“As expected of our wise and benevolent Baron!”

“That damned O’Brien caused so much trouble for the Baron! He stole his wealth and his territory. We must win this war and reclaim justice!”

Foolish fools. Did they really think that greedy demon would share his wealth with them?

I ignored their mindless chatter and secured the main tower. I pushed the corpses into a corner, out of sight.

‘Hmm?’

I saw a light flickering in the distance.

I quickly hid behind a wall.

Soldiers patrolling the opposite wall were approaching. Their footsteps were getting closer. I had almost been discovered.

“Huh? What the… Where is everyone? Did they all go down to eat stew?”

“Those idiots. Leaving their posts on the wall?”

“Let’s stay here and guard. Sir Billy will have our heads if he finds out.”

Sir Billy? He must be the commander in charge of defending this place. Sir Billy…

I couldn’t help but smile.

As expected.

The intelligence Jericho had prepared after the war began contained all the information about the Gerard Knight Order.

Billy Linear. He was an experienced knight, but only a low-ranking one.

Moreover, he was known for his aggressive nature and lack of tactical and strategic knowledge. In other words, he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.

He was likely drunk right now.

How did I know?

The lack of discipline was a clear indication. If the soldiers assigned to guard the walls were down there eating stew, what was their commander doing?

He was probably enjoying himself with barrels of ale and women.

If that were the case, Deneve and Ionia could easily take him down.

*Flash!*

“…?”

“…!”

The two soldiers who had entered the tower collapsed without a sound. I had beheaded them with a single strike.

The enclave muffled the sound, so the other soldiers were still unaware of my intrusion.

I moved the two corpses aside and descended the stairs leading down.

“Gah…!”

“Argh!”

I eliminated all the soldiers guarding the passage below. The enclave was working wonders.

The alarm hadn’t sounded yet, even after I had neutralized ten enemy soldiers.

‘This is it.’

There was a large lever attached to the wall. Pulling it would open the gate.

I glanced around and quickly pulled the lever, channeling my aura into it.

*Clank! Clank! Clank! Boom!*

The chains snapped, and the gate collapsed.

“Wh… what?”

“Which idiot opened the gate?”

“Hey! Jackson! What’s going on?”

The soldiers who had been eating stew finally rushed towards us, their weapons drawn. There were at least thirty of them.

But it was too late.

I released the enclave and fired my “Black Wind Bow” relentlessly.

*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*

They collapsed one after another. The members of the separate unit poured in through the open gate.

Just then, someone shouted from the distance.

“Intruders! We have intruders!”

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The alarm bell rang. But it was too late. My elite troops had already secured the outer castle. Deneve and Ionia had exceeded my expectations.

It seemed like they didn’t want me to be surrounded.

“Cut them down! Show no mercy!”

“Capture the civilians! Take the families of the lord and the knights hostage!”

“First squad, secure the walls!”

Orders were given, and the knights and soldiers moved in unison. The Gerard family banner hanging on the outer castle wall was cut down.

Just then, my “Automatic Combat” detected several sharp presences.

‘Snipers?’

Some of the enemy were hiding in the shadows, aiming their crossbows at my men.

Crossbows were difficult to reload, but their destructive power was far greater than bows.

I immediately leaped into action.

*Slash!*

*Thud!*

My “Sword of Chaos” didn’t give them a chance to fire their crossbows.

I entered the inner castle. A fierce battle was raging, but the enemy was caught off guard by the sudden attack.

It was a one-sided fight.

“What the hell is going on!”

“We’re under attack! The enemy has captured the outer castle and breached the inner castle!”

“What? Does that mean our main force has been defeated?”

“I don’t think so!”

Billy, the commander in charge of defending this place, was red-faced, as expected. But he was still standing, indicating that he was a heavy drinker.

He charged into battle, swinging his massive axe.

“You Walker bastards! None of you will leave here alive!”

“Thank you for saying what I wanted to say.”

“You… you are?”

Billy hesitated. My “Sword of Chaos” began to glow with a blue light.

“House Gerard will be erased from the map tonight.”

*Slash!*

Billy’s head rolled on the ground, his expression blank. I grabbed his hair and held it high.

“The enemy commander is dead! Surrender! I’ll kill anyone who resists!”

Silence fell over the battlefield.

The remaining Gerard soldiers were filled with despair.

They dropped their weapons one by one. They had never imagined that the stew they had eaten tonight would be their last meal.

But what could they do? That was life.