“Cough!”
Blasker coughed as his stomach churned. At the same time, several drops of blood spilled from his mouth, mixed with saliva.
“M-master!”
“Silence! Don’t cause a commotion!”
Blasker shouted at his disciples, who had panicked.
When the one above becomes agitated, those below grow even more confused.
When the superior wavers, the subordinates fall into greater chaos. At moments like this, even if he had to force himself, he needed to show composure.
“The damage… what are the damages? And the soldiers? His Highness and the other commanders?”
“His Highness is safe, and most of the commanders also avoided the worst. But the soldiers…”
The disciple reporting quickly left the sentence unfinished.
With a bad premonition, Blasker forced his eyes open and looked around.
At once, he clenched his teeth at the scene that entered his field of vision.
‘Damn it. At this rate, there will be almost no soldiers left capable of fighting.’
Blasker’s response had undoubtedly been swift. Before the enemy magic struck the camp, he raised a barrier with mana and deflected most of the attack; aside from a few cases, direct impact was avoided.
The problem was that most of the soldiers were near the stream, with parts of their bodies wet.
Although they avoided the direct hit, many received electric shocks through the damp areas of their bodies.
“Gh…! Lord Blasker, what the hell just happened!?”
The first among the nobles of commander rank to regain consciousness was Marquis Bernhardt.
He still had one eye and one ear damaged by the light, the roar, and the impact, but he forced himself to move.
Blasker explained the situation urgently.
“It was an enemy attack. They manipulated the weather with mana and caused lightning. Fortunately, we avoided the direct hit, but the current was transmitted through the moisture left on the soldiers’ bodies, affecting their muscles…”
“Forget the academic terms and explain it simply! Even if you say it like that, I don’t understand a thing!”
“There aren’t many dead, but most of the soldiers have been incapacitated by the aftereffects! At the very least, they’ll need four or five hours of rest before they can move!”
“Damn it!”
Faced with the worst possible answer, the marquis pushed himself up, covering his reddened eye.
Aside from a few who had been charred, they didn’t seem to have serious external injuries.
However, there were many unconscious soldiers, and even those who had awakened were writhing on the ground, unable to move their bodies properly.
“Your Highness! First Prince!”
“Ugh… aaah…”
The commander-in-chief, First Prince Claude, seemed so shaken by the lightning that his legs wouldn’t respond and he could barely speak.
Seeing that sight, Marquis Bernhardt ground his teeth, approached Claude, and snatched the command staff from him.
“Your Highness! Given the situation, I will assume command in your place.”
“Uuugh…”
Even after losing the command staff, Claude did not react and only let out groans.
Some commanders, including Blasker, frowned at the marquis’s abuse of authority, but none refuted it.
In Claude’s condition, if someone didn’t take control, the situation could not be stabilized.
“First, let’s accurately assess the damage! How many soldiers can move right now—!”
“Waaaah!”
Before the marquis could finish giving the order, a war cry echoed from the distance.
Turning his head in horror, he saw troops that had been hidden in the forest charging toward the coalition.
“This is madness…!”
The distance was still far too great for a surprise attack to make sense.
But in a state like this, surprise or not, the enemy attack itself was lethal.
The marquis shouted with all his might toward the soldiers.
“Get up! The enemy is approaching! If you don’t want to die lying on the ground, stand up right now!”
“Gh…”
Hearing the marquis’s shout, the soldiers began to rise with difficulty.
Seeing that half of the fallen managed to stand, his face brightened for an instant, but soon darkened again.
Of those who had gotten to their feet, half could barely keep their balance; only the other half were truly capable of fighting.
“Lord Blasker, isn’t there anything that can be done with magic!?”
“It’s not possible here!”
The marquis tried to rely on Blasker, but one of the disciples stepped forward and answered.
“There isn’t enough time for casting, and since it’s a plain, the area of effect is too wide. Maybe from a hill, but at this distance almost everything would miss.”
“While you’re chanting the spell, the enemy will get closer! Then you could just cast it at that moment!”
“If the distance is that short, there’s a risk our own troops will get caught!”
Useless. The marquis swallowed a curse, seeing no way out.
Was there really no other option?
Pewng, popperbang.
“Master?”
“Silence… shut up…”
Hearing that sudden roar, the marquis turned his head.
Without knowing when they had been launched, colorful fireworks filled the sky.
It was the spectacle that the mages of the School of Fire sometimes displayed at ceremonies.
The marquis looked at Blasker in disbelief for using such useless magic.
“What are you doing now? Telling the enemy to admire the fireworks before leaving?”
“Listen carefully. Lord Lucian is following us with the thousand elites of House Valdeck.”
“W-what!?”
“It’s an insurance measure I prepared just in case. What I just launched was a signal. Report this immediately and raise the soldiers’ morale. Cough.”
Blasker staggered and dropped to his knees.
After forcing himself to use magic again, he no longer seemed capable of continuing to speak.
The marquis wanted to ask more, but the urgency of the situation made him shout at once.
“Hold off the enemy! We have reinforcements! The forces of House Valdeck are coming to support us! The signal has already been sent—they’ll arrive soon!”
“…”
“Protect the First Prince! When the reinforcements arrive, victory will be ours!”
The coalition, whose morale had hit rock bottom in that desperate situation, widened their eyes.
If the marquis’s words were true, then at least there was still hope.
***
— Waaaaaaah!
— Die, dogs of the Empire!
— Damn cowards!
The clash of weapons, curses, and cries of pain pounded in their ears.
Smelling the metallic scent of blood, Count Dominic curved his lips into a smile.
After all, this war was practically decided.
However, no matter how many they killed, the allied army showed no signs of collapsing, and his smile quickly faded.
“…How strange. Why are they resisting so desperately?”
A war doesn’t only end when one side is annihilated.
If there’s clearly no chance of victory, even if some strength remains, it’s normal for the army to crumble on its own.
Unless it’s a suicide force from the start, not even elite troops are an exception.
And yet, even when not a fourth of their soldiers could fight properly, they resisted with such desperation.
‘It’s like they believe victory is still on their side.’
Without a clear belief that they could win, it would be impossible to maintain morale like that.
But what hope could they possibly have?
Unless reinforcements were coming, all their forces were already gathered here.
‘Could the imperial mages be preparing a spell? No matter how powerful, with the troops so entangled, they couldn’t use it…’
While Dominic was lost in thought, a deep horn blast rang in his ears.
At the sound, even the allied army froze. Turning his head, he saw in the distance a force advancing with the lion banner at its front.
“…Valdeck!?”
“It’s young master Lucian! Reinforcements from House Valdeck have arrived!”
“Waaaaaaaah!”
Alongside Dominic’s astonished shout came the excited roar of the marquis.
The allied army’s morale surged back instantly, pressing harder than before, while Krephelt’s troops, disoriented, began to fall back.
At that unexpected turn, Dominic’s face twisted violently.
“Damn it!”
No wonder he hadn’t seen House Valdeck’s banner—they had withdrawn to the rear.
The sudden shift in the situation made his head spin.
‘Even if they join, the number of troops able to fight is still higher on our side. But in the middle of this battle, aside from a few reserves, I can’t reorganize the troops…’
If things continued, they would be struck from the flank without being able to respond.
If he didn’t want the formation to collapse and be swept away, he had to stop them—somehow.
There were two options capture the First Prince and end the battle at its root, or capture the commander of Valdeck and stop them.
‘The first is difficult.’
The enemy knew the importance of the First Prince and protected him desperately. From Marquis Bernhardt to Blasker, head of the School of Fire, and the personal guard led by Jurgen.
Even if he gave everything he had, he couldn’t break through before they arrived.
The only remaining option was to capture the Valdeck commander first.
Gritting his teeth, Dominic shouted.
“Reserve unit, with me!”
***
“They’re holding up quite well.”
On horseback, Lucian assessed the condition of the allied army.
Although they were being pushed, they didn’t seem about to collapse.
Perhaps because of the House Valdeck banner, even the enemies showed signs of hesitation.
“Young master, give the order to attack!”
“We can hit them from the flank… Wait, what’s that ahead?”
Lucian blinked at the sight of a group of soldiers advancing toward them.
At a glance, they were far too few to stop House Valdeck’s elite.
If they simply charged, those soldiers would be swept away without a trace.
While everyone watched in confusion, a knight stepped forward.
“My name is Dominic Lyle! Count of Krephelt and commander of this army! Commander of Valdeck, if you’re not afraid, come and cross swords with me!”
“How absurd.”
Gerard, the aide, let out a disbelieving laugh.
They had broken the Great Agreement, and now they dared ask for a duel. The audacity was ridiculous.
“Young master, there’s no reason to accept. Let’s crush them now.”
“No. I’ll accept.”
“Huh? What…?”
“But we won’t stop. Just slow down a bit. This will be over quickly.”
“Young master!”
Before Gerard could say anything else, Lucian sped up and dashed forward.
Seeing Lucian approach, Dominic felt a moment of relief, thinking his plan had worked.
But realizing Lucian had only slowed, not stopped, he panicked and shouted.
“What’s the meaning of this?! If you accept the duel, stop the charge first! Don’t you know the rules of a duel?!”
“Not something I need to hear from those who broke the Great Agreement. And besides, what rules are needed to take out trash like you?”
“What?!”
“Well, I heard your name. You don’t need to know mine. I’ll just knock you out of the way and move on.”
“Damn you…!”
Dominic’s face turned red. He wore armor, but by his build and voice, it was obvious Lucian had just come of age.
To be treated as garbage by such a brat—not even by a veteran—no matter how much he tried to stay calm, rage boiled inside him.
“Fine then! You’ll pay for your arrogance!”
Furious, Dominic spurred his horse and charged at Lucian.
Though the situation didn’t unfold as planned, the enemy commander had come forward, and that didn’t change.
If he could cut off his head here, House Valdeck’s troops would fall into chaos.
Even if he died with him, as long as he stopped the enemy, Dominic would consider it a victory.
‘From his posture, he’s aiming to end this in one strike. The famous Swordmaster of the Lion’s Heart.’
Just by observing Lucian’s stance while charging, Dominic immediately understood his intention.
It was a technique known for its brutality.
In mounted combat, where fancy moves are hard to execute, it was certainly a strong choice.
But that decision made Dominic smile.
‘In the end, he’s still a novice. No matter how strong the strike, if the trajectory is limited, there are ways to counter it.’
In a fight like this, you can’t move subtly, but you can clash head-on. And, conveniently, the technique Dominic used also prioritized brute strength.
If they clashed, the impact would knock both off their horses.
‘And while he’s disoriented from the fall, I’ll get up first and strike.’
Dominic had experienced falling in combat several times before.
But this boy?
In a first-time situation, people always need time to react.
No matter how great his technique was, he wouldn’t respond properly.
‘Now!’
Clang!
The moment they came within range of their swords, Dominic swung his.
Just as expected, a brutal impact surged through his body.
And at the same time, his head went flying through the air.
A heartbeat later, Dominic realized that his sword had shattered, and Lucian’s was still intact—piercing through his neck.
Catching Dominic’s severed head, which stared at him in disbelief, Lucian murmured.
“Sorry. My sword just happens to be really good quality.”
____
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