Chapter 1604 – 1604. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into The Baek Family
Whoosh!
A red mass of light streaks across the sky.
Mana is palpable. It was definitely an attack spell from the Magic Alliance. The red energy mass arcs and falls toward the mansion.
The light mass collides with the transparent barrier protecting Thebra.
KWA-AAANG!
An explosion erupts. The shaking of the barrier is visible to the naked eye.
“…It seems there’s a slight problem with the barrier. Normally, it wouldn’t even budge from an attack of that magnitude.”
Yuria said.
Thebra’s barrier was one that she, a Grand Archmage, had installed with a great deal of time and money. It was sturdy enough to withstand several dragon breaths.
“If it’s been bombarded for days, it’s no wonder the barrier is shaking. It was a good call to come to Thebra. If we had gone to the Alkairon Mountains or the Evil Swamp, Thebra would have been in danger.”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Seven masses of light fall on the territory and explode. Fortunately, the barrier, though shaken, blocked all the attacks.
I head outside the mansion. It’s the outer city area where the citizens live.
“The citizens are gone.”
“They’ll be in the shelters built for emergencies.”
“Good, there’s nothing to get in the way.”
Soldiers carrying supplies are visible. Maids with rifles are glaring at the soldiers from behind, watching them. In this situation, ordinary soldiers couldn’t be trusted, which was only natural.
In the distance, a tall and sturdy wall is visible. It was a wall I had built because I hated seeing the idle dwarves after the mansion was finished. I poured money into it, determined to do it right.
‘It’s the sturdiest wall on the continent.’
It was made by grinding down money, time, and artisans. It would be strange if it wasn’t sturdy.
The Golden Rose Knights and maids stood on the wall. The knights looked ready to jump out of the wall at any moment, while the maids quietly held their machine guns, watching for enemies. At their center stood the head maid, Nepia, and Elaine, Ention Pruker’s wife and Kyle’s biological mother.
They look at me. A murmur is heard. Fortunately, the atmosphere is better than before. I climb the wall, receiving their expectant gazes.
“…You’ve come. I knew you would.”
“I apologize for being late.”
Elaine nods. Unlike the others, her expression doesn’t brighten. It must be because of Kyle, who was captured by the Magic Alliance.
“Master! You’re here! Thank goodness, thank goodness. I did my best while you were gone… I really did.”
“I know, Nepia. It would have been much harder without you. You’ve worked hard. You look terrible. Leave this to me and go rest at the mansion.”
Nepia’s face was a mess. Dark circles were deeply etched under her eyes, her hair was greasy, and her maid uniform was stained here and there.
She became the head maid after Yuria. There’s no need to mention how outstanding her diligence and abilities are. For her to neglect her self-care? It was inevitable.
“Master. First, the report….”
“I can hear that from someone else. Yuria, take Nepia to the mansion and come back.”
“Yes, Master. Let’s go, Nepia. You look awful right now. You even smell. Have you not been able to wash for days?”
“W-well, I haven’t been able to wash for five days. Haa. I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t be like this as the head maid….”
Nepia hangs her head low. What’s dripping down are probably tears. Yuria is startled. She pats Nepia’s shoulder in a fluster.
“D-don’t cry. I’m not trying to scold you. Nepia, you’ve done well. I know that Thebra was able to stay safe thanks to all your hard work. Now, let’s go back to the mansion and rest. Now that Master is here, you can relax.”
Yuria comforts Nepia and heads toward the mansion. Similar hair color and similar attire. They looked like sisters.
I walk toward the railing of the wall.
Countless knights, soldiers, and mages are besieging the wall.
‘About 50,000, I guess? I don’t know where they gathered such a large army, but they’re really serious.’
I take a closer look.
There were fewer knights compared to the size of the army. Knights are the flowers of the battlefield. An army with few knights is not to be feared.
‘That’s in normal cases. This army has an abnormally large number of mages. If knights are the flowers of the battlefield, then mages are the grim reapers of the battlefield.’
Just thinking about those enormous mages unleashing wide-area magic all at once makes even me feel a chill down my spine.
‘What’s the level of the soldiers’ equipment?’
I quickly scan them.
As is the case in this world, professional soldiers make up less than 30%. Most are slave soldiers or farmers.
‘Their equipment level is below average. They’re the kind that would be swept away by machine guns.’
What I need to pay attention to are the ones mixed among the soldiers. Their equipment is noticeably better than the other soldiers.
‘Mercenaries. There are more mercenaries than knights. The Magic Tower has allied… They’re spending money like crazy. If they win this war, they can make a profit, right?’
It’s different from the era when magic towers were rampant. Now that the magic towers have united, if I disappear, the market will be monopolized by the Magic Alliance. And with a dragon standing firmly behind them, they have nothing to fear.
‘The level of the mercenaries… They’re probably better than ordinary soldiers. I’ll assume they’re around lower-expert level… The real problem is the mages behind the soldiers.’
Just then, the mages use magic. About ten mages use magic at the same time. The magic they complete is the red energy mass I saw earlier. The energy mass flies and hits the wall.
KWA-AAANG!
The wall shakes slightly. This wall is the main body of the barrier protecting Thebra. Naturally, it was sturdier than the barrier.
“Mother. That attack just now. Do you know what kind of magic it was?”
“That’s a magic that’s embarrassing to even call magic.”
“Huh?”
“It’s just a matter of gathering the mana of individual mages into one place and firing it. How can you call that magic?”
“But it’s efficient.”
“That’s true…. To be able to exert that much power without a complex formula… It’s incredibly efficient.”
Another group of mages prepares to attack again. They’re dividing the mage groups and attacking in turns. They’re trying to slowly break the barrier. From the receiving end, it’s nerve-wracking. It shakes your mentality. Now I understand why Nepia looked so terrible.
“Still, they’re foolish. It would be better to attack all at once and break the barrier.”
“It’s not that they haven’t tried. Every time they tried to launch a simultaneous magic attack, we showered them with missiles before they could. They had no choice but to deploy defensive magic. After that, they started attacking like this.”
“Was that Nepia’s command?”
“Yes. She’s too good to be just a maid.”
“Nepia will remain a maid.”
“Yes. She seems satisfied with her job. Well, she is the head maid of this mansion….”
Elaine seems to have realized the convenience of the mansion.
I cross my arms and stare straight ahead.
Having experienced war, I don’t know much about tactics, but I can see the angles. Right now, I couldn’t see that angle.
Before making the choice to deploy Yuria, there was something that bothered me.
“What are they doing behind those mages?”
“…They’re repairing the magic weapons. The magic weapons that Kyle destroyed. The reason why Pruters fell so quickly was also because of those magic weapons. Kyle….”
“Don’t worry about Kyle, brother. I’ll save him.”
“…Alright. I trust you. We need to do something before those magic weapons are fully repaired.”
“I’ll have to ask Yuria.”
“…I know Yuria is strong. I heard it from the maids. They said that with just you and Yuria, this is nothing…. If that’s true, she must be stronger than me or him. Oh, right, he is….”
“I know. I’ll find Father too, so don’t worry.”
“It feels like I’m putting too much of a burden on you. Think again about sending Yuria alone. They have seven Archmages and three Aura Masters.”
“……That’s more power than I expected. They don’t seem to be stepping forward directly… What are they doing?”
“Experiments. They’re trying to experiment with magic weapons on this battlefield. The old men of the Magic Tower are predictable.”
“What about the Aura Masters?”
“They’re guarding the old men of the Magic Tower. And… they’re watching Princess Eileen and Zent.”
“So, Zent, brother, was captured there. But what do you mean by watching? What are you talking about? Isn’t Princess Eileen their representative?”
“Princess Eileen is just a figurehead. No matter how skilled she is, do you think she can handle seven Archmages who have been through thick and thin?”
“Now that I hear it, that’s true.”
I thought they were making a last-ditch effort, but did she walk into her own grave?
I felt a bitter taste at the fall of Princess Eileen.
But I can’t abandon Princess Eileen. I haven’t had my way with her yet. Princess Eileen will finally be broken by my hands this time. I smacked my lips, thinking of Princess Eileen’s beauty.
‘I need to order Yuria to prioritize securing Princess Eileen. And Zent as well.’
I looked at where Princess Eileen was. The security was fierce. Even for Yuria, it would be impossible to assassinate seven Archmages and three Aura Masters in an instant.
‘I need to draw their attention. First, I’ll engage in a full-scale battle. If I lead the charge and break the front lines, and then Yuria secures Princess Eileen and steps forward….’
Tap tap.
Someone walked toward me.
A woman with short crimson hair, Scarlet Bunclow. The one I chose, my general. There were dark circles under her eyes, but her eyes were shining more than usual. She smiles coldly at me.
“You’ve arrived, my lord.”
“Scarlet. You look tired. Are you alright?”
“I’ve been busy strategizing, so I haven’t had time to rest.”
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“That’s because I’m certain of victory in this battle. Yuria will be with us, of course, right?”
“I have no intention of having Yuria face the enemy’s large army alone. Yuria needs to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.”
“You mean that damned dragon. But you will use Yuria, won’t you? Because Yuria is your sharpest and most powerful weapon, Count.”
“I plan to have Yuria prioritize rescuing Princess Eileen and Zent, brother’s family. To make it easier for Yuria to carry out her mission, I need to draw their attention with a full-scale battle.”
“Don’t worry about that. Reinforcements will arrive in two days.”
“Reinforcements… you say?”
I asked in surprise. I didn’t pay much attention to networking. I had more enemies than allies. But I had enough power to not care.
“Those who owe you a debt and those who have been caught in your weaknesses. I sent letters to them through the port. They will gather in the Thebra territory in two days at the latest. At least 20,000 will come. I sent reinforcements as a last resort… but it’s perfect that you’ve arrived, my lord. We can’t lose this war now.”
