chapter_0051

51 – Klaus Suppression Battle

51 – Klaus Suppression Battle

Klaus’s Nature

The guards patrolling the castle walls were passing the time as usual.

“Haah… I’m bored.”

“Just hang in there a little longer, it’s almost time for the shift change.”

The guards were chatting to kill time.

It was only natural.

They had spent the last ten years this way, and there had never been a single problem.

While they were yawning and passing the time, they suddenly began to hear a sound.

Thud thud thud thud thud—

“Hmm… what is that sound?”

“Uh… I wonder?”

The guards were startled by the sudden tremor.

What was that sound?

Was there an earthquake?

As they pondered this, one of the guards spotted something in the darkness.

“Uh?… What is that?”

Something began to appear over the horizon in the darkness.

It took the form of small masses, one by one, and was approaching at a rapid pace.

And the guards quickly realized what it was.

It was knights on horseback.

Thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud—!

“Charge!!”

“Run!!! Keep running without stopping!!”

The sight of over a thousand mounted knights and hundreds of Dragonkin warriors charging from the darkness was like a legendary tale of a Blood Clan raid.

The sudden attack sent the guards into a panic, but they tried to do what they had to do.

“Ring the bell… quickly, ring the bell!!”

Just as the guard was about to ring the bell, something suddenly flew in from behind him.

Thud—!

“Gah!”

The impact to his head caused him to collapse.

Just before he fell, he saw his long-time friend strike him with the back of his sword.

“Why…?”

“Sorry, my friend…”

The scene of guards attacking their fellow comrades was happening all over the castle walls.

The guards who had knocked out their comrade went down and opened the castle gates themselves.

Seeing the gates open, Ricain said,

“Lord! The gates have been opened as per the plan.”

“Good! Let’s charge in!”

The strategy utilizing the freedmen was not just about ‘moving soldiers.’

Noah had found the relatives of the guards among the freedmen and contacted the guards inside Klaus’s stronghold through them.

With the promise of migration to Dreyhart or Cron and ten years’ worth of salary, they had joined Cron.

Not a single person had rejected Noah’s proposal.

Thus, without any fighting, the Cron army passed through the gates and moved into action.

Ricain began to command the battle.

“We will split up as planned. Everyone, move to your positions and begin the swift suppression.”

[ “Yes!!!!!” ]

The highest authority was Calix, but the supreme commander of the battle was Ricain.

At his command, the Krone Knights, the warrior unit, and even Sharon began to take action.

The warrior unit headed towards the barracks where the main officers were lodging.

Sharon moved towards the magicians’ quarters.

And the Krone Knights and Calix headed towards the ‘Lord’s Mansion.’

Meanwhile, Royce and Berick were opening the next bottle of wine.

The bottles they had already opened were enough for three people.

“Sir, are you going to open another bottle?”

“Of course! We have to!! On a day like today! If we don’t drink now, when will we drink! Hahaha!”

“Hahaha! That’s right. Let’s drink and die today!!”

“Yeah! That’s the spirit!! My right-hand man Berick!”

Just as they were enjoying their drinking party, a soldier rushed in.

“C-Crisis! My Lord!!”

“Hmm? What’s the crisis?”

“It seems beggars have gathered from Dreyhart.”

“That’s a big deal! Hahaha!!!”

At Berick’s words, Royce laughed the hardest he had all day.

In stark contrast, the pale soldier shouted in disbelief.

“This is not the time for jokes! Calix Crone is leading knights this way!!”

“………What?”

Lord Royce and Berick thought the soldier had gone mad.

It was only natural.

How could Calix Crone, who should be in Cron, be here?

And leading knights, no less?

It was absurd.

“An invasion!”

“The enemy has broken in!!”

As they thought this, sounds began to emerge from outside.

The two hurried outside.

And what they saw was…

Boom—! Crash—!!

“Stop them!! Block the enemies!!”

Magicians were fighting in the sky, and the knights’ barracks were being destroyed.

The city, which had been peaceful just moments ago when they entered to drink, had turned into chaos in an instant.

“What! What is happening!!! Where is Commander Andri!?”

Commander Andri was the leader of the Klaus Knights.

As Royce searched for him, he was engaged in a fierce battle with Jarha.

“Damn it!!!”

In an instant, the warrior unit had subdued all the main officers.

The only one still conscious, Andri, hurriedly drew his sword to resist but was in danger of being overwhelmed.

Then Jarha appeared before him.

“Surrender quietly; we have come only to retrieve what is ours, and we do not wish to kill anyone.”

“Is that the words of an invader! Get lost! You Dragonkin scum!!”

Andri raised his sword and charged at Jarha.

Jarha sighed.

“You’re not understanding.”

With that, Jarha swung his fist.

His arm, transformed into that of a Dragonkin, shattered Andri’s sword into dust and struck him down.

Thud—!

“Cough!”

Andri was beautifully slammed against the wall.

Despite being weak, he was still a knight commander, so he fainted.

“Are you alive?”

“Yes! I’m alive.”

“Good, you’re lucky.”

“Commander Jarha! We have captured all the officers.”

Thus, the knights were being subdued.

At Lord Royce’s words, the soldier could not respond, and Royce sought another lifeline.

“Where is Karko!?”

Karko was Klaus’s personal magician.

Having achieved top marks at the Green Magic Tower, he was recognized for his abilities and employed by Klaus.

Afterward, he hired his juniors as his assistant magicians, and the three of them worked as Klaus’s personal magicians.

Now, Karko and his two juniors were experiencing despair.

“Why don’t you stop? I don’t want to kill you.”

Karko had also heard rumors and was well aware of the Crimson Sorcerer’s might.

And in a magician’s battle, rumors were of no use.

In the standoff, they realized.

Ah… today we are dead.

The magical power flowing from Sharen indicated that even if the three of them attacked at once, they would not stand a chance.

But as Klaus’s personal magician, they had a duty to fight.

The three of them unleashed their strongest magic in an instant.

“Vulnus Venti!” x3

Three whirlwinds were created from the hands of the magicians and launched.

The three whirlwinds merged into one and struck Sharen, who deployed her defensive magic.

“Aegis!”

The transparent, blue glass-like barrier created in front of Sharen blocked their magic.

Their winds struggled to break the shield, but it was futile.

“Uwaaaah!”

“Everyone, hold on!!

“Graaaah!!”

As they poured all their strength into it, Sharen looked at them with pity and expanded her shield magic.

Bwoooom—!

“What!?

“We’re going to get hit!?”

Sharen’s shield magic grew large and thick, then began to push through the wind.

The approaching shield looked like a death sentence, but the three magicians could not stop it.

And as the shield reached right in front of them…

“Impulsum!”

Boom—!!

“Graaah!!”

With Sharen’s additional incantation, the shield released a shockwave and exploded before them.

Caught in the shock, they fell and plunged into the aqueduct inside the castle.

Sharen completed her mission by pulling them up, binding them.

“None of the others can be reached! My Lord!!”

“This can’t be! What is happening!? What on earth is going on!”

Royce could not accept the situation unfolding before his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the castle had fallen, and his mansion was under attack.

The few remaining soldiers were doing their best to guard the door, but it was insufficient.

He shouted at Berick, who was beside him, equally shocked and unable to do anything.

“Berick! Tell me!! What the hell is going on!?”

“That… I don’t know either…”

Berick felt the same way as Royce.

He had thought he understood everything.

He felt that everything was going according to plan.

But suddenly, he could not fathom why it had turned out this way.

It was only natural.

The darkness beneath the lamp of someone who is certain of their success is darker than any shadow.

While they were in this state…

Boom—!

“Uwaaaah!!”

“The door! The door has been broken!!”

The castle gate shattered, and knights began to rush into the mansion.

Klaus’s soldiers and servants were busy fleeing, and the few who resisted were easily subdued.

Even if they were weakened by the operation, they were still the Krone Knights who had fought against the Dragonkin warriors and Hadem’s Lion Knights.

The panicked soldiers were no match for them.

And among them walked in a silver-haired young nobleman.

His steps, as if coming to a place where he naturally belonged, carried the dignity that Royce had dreamed of his entire life.

Thus, on that day, Klaus was subdued by Cron overnight.

A Word from the Author (Author’s Note)

Everyone has a plausible plan.

Thank you for reading today as well!!

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