CHAPTER 1

A few months had passed since the Empire took over Yorkshaire City. More than half of the western part of the Kingdom had been seized by the Empire’s forces. Several cities of the Kingdom had already fallen to the Empire’s hands.

After Lancaster’s capture, The Kelvin Duchy was crippled, and the overall fighting strength of the Kingdom started to collapse. At this rate, it would only be a matter of time before the Empire annexed the entire Kingdom.

Yosef, a balding middle-aged soldier, was the messenger tasked to deliver the crown’s decree to Blackstone Town. For the past several weeks, he had been travelling non-stop from the capital, along with several other messengers tasked to deliver the decree to the other nobles.

“Let’s see,” he mumbled. “This is Blackstone Town, huh?”

This was the most remote of all the territories in the east. A town located in the middle of the wilderness, right at the entrance of the Endless Forest. The place was so remote that the town was not even drawn on the map.

Just looking at the town from afar, Yosef immediately came to the conclusion that this place would be unable to provide any reinforcements for the Kingdom. Forget one thousand soldiers. Even half that would be asking too much.

“Finally,” he said. “Let’s get the job done and go back to the capital.”

He was confident that the messengers had done their duties well. By estimate, they had managed to gather almost twelve thousand soldiers from the various nobles all throughout the eastern part of the Kingdom. All that was left was this town.

He knew there was no way this town could provide the Kingdom with a thousand soldiers, so he should at least bring its Lord back with him to the capital.

Yosef entered the town and was surprised by the vibrant atmosphere. The residents of Blackstone Town held confident gaits, their movements filled with purpose. Children were seen playing on the streets, laughing, while the adults moved around on their way.

“What’s this…” He frowned as he tapped the ground using his foot. It made several soft thud sounds.

Unlike the other towns and villages he’d went to before, all the roads in this town were paved, and there was even a large main road leading toward the heart of Blackstone Town. Even a portion of the road he passed through in the forest was cobbled.

He learned from his time in the military academy of the grave significance of roads. It usually signified the stability of one’s territory. Most Lords neglected such mundane things and would allocate more of their resources to military and farming, but the wiser ones tend to invest more on securing their accessibility to nearby territories. After all, there were limits to how much a territory could prosper on its own. And this was especially true with a town like this—a town located in the middle of the wilderness.

“Excuse me.” He smiled and approached the children playing on the street. “Do you know where the Lord of this town lives?”

One of the children pointed. “The Young Master lives over there, mister!”

“Why’s that grandpa looking for the Young Master?”

“Who cares?”

“Hey, give me the ball back!”

Yosef wryly smiled after hearing that one of them called him grandpa.

I don’t even have a kid yet. I’m not that old.

He sighed and walked toward the direction the child pointed at. Soon, he arrived at a mansion. Numerous carts were parked near the mansion’s entrance. Several workers unloaded large wooden crates from them every now and then.

This place was surprisingly bustling with life.

“So this is where the Lord lives, huh?”

He was about to approach one of the servants next to the gate when a voice called out to him.

“Yosef.”

Yosef halted in his tracks and slowly turned around. He frowned when he saw a hooded figure walking toward his direction.

“Who are you?” he asked cautiously.

The hooded figure stopped right in front of him, before slowly pulling down his hood and revealing the scar-ridden face underneath.

“I-Instructor!” Yosef croaked. “W-What are you doing here?”

The person before him was his former martial arts instructor back in the military academy. One of the few knights who survived the Bloody Thorn Plains Incident fifteen years ago. Mikael Garios.

Mikael looked around them. The workers were still busily unloading the goods from the carts, while the mansion’s servants directed them inside.

“This is no place to talk,” said Mikael. “Follow me.”

With Mikael at the lead, the two of them went toward a deserted alley. Mikael leaned on the wall and scrutinized Yosef from head to foot. “Messenger duty?”

Yosef nodded. “Yes, Sir. I’m sure you’ve heard of the war in the west by now.”

“So it’s finally time for Lark Marcus to move out, huh?” mumbled Mikael. “Those monsters… Does he really plan on bringing those things with him to war?”

“Monsters?” Yosef could not understand the words his former instructor was mumbling about. “What do you mean, sir?”

Mikael smiled wryly. “You’ll find out soon.”

There was a pause. Mikael’s gaze turned fierce and serious. “Yosef, do your best to bring Lark Marcus to the capital. The Kingdom, as it is now, needs him.”

Mikael’s serious gaze sent shivers down Yosef’s spine. He could not understand why his former instructor was placing such grave importance on this mission. After all, according to their intel, Lark Marcus was nothing but a malignant piece of trash disowned by his own family.

As for the rumors that Lark Marcus was the one who incited an all-out war between the Kingdom and Empire—Yosef did not believe it even for a second. There was even that absurd rumor about him defeating the Third Legion of the United Grakas Alliance. They were all fabrications, Yosef was sure.

After all, how could a single person achieve all those feats in just a single year?

Seeing the gaze of Yosef, who clearly did not place grave importance on this task of bringing Lark back with him to the capital, Mikael asked, “Yosef, let’s say… If I joined the war in the west, would I make a much of a difference?”

Yosef pondered for a moment. He nodded. “Of course. I’m sure that Instructor Mikael could kill a hundred ordinary soldiers of the Empire by himself. And the instructor is well-versed in the art of war. It would surely be a great boost to our forces if you were to join the war with the Empire.”

Yosef was not trying to flatter Mikael. He simply held him in high regard.

“If an old man like me can make such difference, then Lark Marcus could surely tilt the tide of war,” said Mikael. “Yosef, I’ve been watching that young man for several months now. He’s a genius in warfare. And with just swordsmanship alone, he’s my rival.”

Had someone else said these things, Yosef would have accused them of being delusional. But these were the words of Instructor Mikael. The same well-respected instructor who ranked among the strongest in the military academy. A person like him would not just blabber nonsensically.

“Genius in warfare? A swordsmanship rival…” Yosef found it hard to digest these words.

“The Third Legion,” said Mikael. “You heard the rumors, didn’t you?”

Yosef’s eyes widened. “W-Wait! You mean… It’s true? Lark Marcus defeated a ten thousand-strong beastmen army using only a thousand soldiers?”

Yosef’s heart started thumping loudly. He had planned to do his best on this job and bring back Lark Marcus with him to the capital, despite knowing that the noble was nothing but an incompetent brat. But after hearing all these things directly from his former instructor’s mouth, Yosef realized that this mission entrusted to him might actually influence the outcome of the war with the Empire.

He had not expected that this simple mission may actually dictate the rise or fall of the Kingdom.

“Everything is true,” Mikael said confidently. “I’ve seen everything with my own eyes.”

Yosef shuddered.

“Lark Marcus. That young man is a monster. Even the Elders of the Magic Tower couldn’t defeat him.”

“The Magic Tower? You mean…”

Mikael nodded. “Yes. It’s him.”

Yosef had heard that a few months ago, an unknown individual stormed the Wizzert Tower and defeated all of its magicians. No one knew the reason why the assailant did it, but the mere fact that he single-handedly defeated all of the magicians of the Tower made him the most wanted man in Wizzert.

Even the capital was trying to find his whereabouts in hopes of reeling him into their ranks. According to their intel, the royal family was willing to pardon all grievances as long as the man agreed to work with them.

“So the reason why the capital suddenly stopped searching for him…”

Realization dawned unto Yosef.

Mikael must have reported everything to the King. And after realizing the identity of the perpetrator, they ceased all attempts to find him.

“Yosef, do you understand now? How important your mission is this time?”

Yosef swallowed hard. “Y-Yes.”

Mikael smiled. “Good.”

“You won’t find the Young Master in the mansion. He’s currently at the Eastern District, training the soldiers.” Mikael tapped Yosef’s shoulder. “I’m already late for work. See you at the capital.”

“You’re working in this town?” Yosef asked, incredulously.

“Of course. I need to feed myself, right?” Mikael chuckled. “See you around.”

He went out of the alley, leaving Yosef behind.

After Mikael left, Yosef leaned on the wall, his forehead filled with beads of sweat. He was starting to feel the heavy of weight of responsibility that had just landed on his shoulders.

Although it was decreed by the crown, there were some nobles who adamantly refused to go to the front lines–the nobles who considered their lives far more important than anything else in the world.

Yosef started praying to the Gods that Lark Marcus would come with him, without a hitch or strife.

“Yosef, you can do this!” He slapped his cheeks several times. Filled with determination, he left the alley, asked for directions to the Eastern District, and went there.

The Eastern District was a lot different than the rest of the town. It felt like it was where all the developments first came from. The houses were newly made, each of them identical. It gave a newcomer like Yosef a sense of congruity, the same feeling when he finally put the final piece in a puzzle.

Like the mansion, this place was bustling with life. The Central Plaza was filled with several stalls, and people were gathered here and there.

After some time, he finally found the Young Master.

“Two hundred more laps! Go! Go!”

Inside a large clearing, a young man with silver hair was running in front of a group of soldiers. With him at the lead, they ran around in circles, their hands holding their spears.

Yosef watched their group for a while longer, waiting for the training to end. When they finally finished the laps, they suddenly started thrusting their spears into the air, repeating the same movement over and over again.

Judging by the expressions of the soldiers, this was part of their daily routine, as none of them even spouted a word of complaint.

They’re still not done yet?

Yosef waited for a couple of hours, and finally the Young Master entrusted the training to one of his men and headed out.

“Lark Marcus?” With confident strides, Yosef approached him.

Lark wiped the sweat on his forehead with a towel. He stared at Yosef and waited for him to speak.

Yosef cleared his throat. “Yosef Agarov. One of the messengers of the royal family.”

“A messenger.” Lark opened a skin flash and took several gulps of water. “Ah, that hits the spot. So, you’re here to take me to the front lines?”

Yosef was glad that Lark was quick on the uptake. “Yes, Sir. That’s right.”

Lark looked at the soldiers training behind him, then at Yosef. “I’ve already briefed those guys. They’re coming with me to the front lines. All the rations have been prepared. We can move out tomorrow morning at the earliest.”

Yosef was stunned by how easy this mission was. To think that Lark Marcus was already intent on going to the front lines! Yosef inwardly did a fist pump.

“That’s great!” Yosef squeaked in glee. His eyes were glimmering with delight.

After hearing about Lark’s feats directly from Mikael’s mouth, Yosef was even prepared to kneel down and beg the noble to come back with him to the capital. But now, he realized that all of his worries were for naught.

Seeing Yosef’s face, Lark chuckled. He turned around and shouted at the soldiers, “Hey, guys! The messenger is here! We’re moving to the front lines tomorrow morning!”

The soldiers stopped stabbing the air and looked at each other, before bursting into cheers.

“Finally!”

“I’ve been itching to show those bastards the might of the Blackstone Soldiers!”

“We can’t let the Young Master go there alone, can we?”

“Hahaha! Of course!”

Yosef was surprised of their overly optimistic response to this announcement.

Lark grinned. He could sympathize with the startled expression on Yosef’s face. Even he was surprised when the soldiers approached him one day and insisted that they should all accompany him to the battlefield. At first, he’d planned on going to the front lines with only his disciples and the living suits of armor, but after pondering about it overnight, he came to the conclusion that it would be better to take these guys with him.

The living suits of armor could not speak and think for themselves. The battle at the Western Front would not always be a contest of strength. It would greatly benefit him to have coherent soldiers around.

“Everyone! Rest for now.” Lark’s voice reverberated. “Be sure to spend the rest of the day with your family. Tomorrow, we’ll march toward the front lines!”

“Yes, Young Master!”

“Yes, Sir!”

***

Yosef spent the night inside the mansion. When morning came, he was invited to a sumptuous breakfast with the Young Master.

“Mister messenger, over here.” Lark waved at him and gestured for him to sit on a nearby chair.

Just like before, the Young Master looked carefree, as though he was not even the slightest bit worried about coming to the front lines at all. He was even half-humming as he devoured the food on his plate.

“How can you be so carefree? Aren’t you afraid?” Yosef finally asked. “You could die in that battle. They were not kidding around when they said that they’ll be sending you to the front lines.”

Although he was supposed to be doing his best to persuade Lark to come to the front lines, Yosef could not help but ask.

Lark swallowed the meat in his mouth. He sipped the wine from his goblet and gave a simple reply. “Afraid? I am.”

“Then why—”

“—But we never know when we’ll get the chance to eat such luxurious feasts again, right? Why not enjoy it now?” Lark grinned at him. “Mister messenger, only fools would say they are completely sure of winning a battle. In war, no matter how strong you are, there’s always the risk of losing one’s life. Fools who believe that their strength could topple every obstacle are usually the first ones to kick the bucket. I’ve seen a lot of them before. Those foolish, arrogant bastards.”

Lark Marcus sounded like an old man who had been to numerous battlefields, which felt incongruent as Yosef looked at the noble’s youthful appearance.

Yosef smiled. He had not expected to receive such a reply.

“You’re right. Who knows when we will eat such extravagant breakfast again?”

After mumbling those words, he started eating to his heart’s content. Lark called out the servants and ordered them to bring more food to the table. The messenger had quite the appetite, it seemed.

After filling their bellies full, the two of them packed their things and left the mansion. They went toward the outskirts of town. The butler and a few hundred residents were waiting for them there.

“Young Master! Good luck in battle!”

“Please come back safe!”

“Destroy those dogs of the Empire for us!”

Surprisingly, despite the noble’s notorious reputation, he seemed to be loved by his people. The butler—an old man wearing a suit—bawled his eyes out as he saw the Young Master off. Even some of the servants held back tears.

“So the meeting point is the capital, right?” said Lark.

“That’s right,” said Yosef. “All of the reinforcements are to gather at the capital. From there, the soldiers will be distributed into several larger armies, before heading out to the front lines.”

Lark nodded his approval at this tactic. The nobles were divided into different factions. It would be more efficient to gather all the reinforcements first then divide them into different armies.

“I didn’t get to ask you this last time…” said Yosef. “How many soldiers are you bringing with you to the capital?”

Lark gave a nonchalant reply. “Around two hundred, I guess.”

Yosef creased his brows. He could only see around a hundred soldiers.

Lark noticed Yosef’s quizzical gaze. “The remaining soldiers, they’re waiting over there.” Lark pointed at the nearby forest. “You’ll see them soon.”

After giving enough time for the soldiers to say their goodbyes to their families, Lark mounted his horse. He shouted, “Blackstone Soldiers! Move out!”

“Hooah!”

“Hooah!”

Yosef also mounted his horse and followed Lark from behind. Soon, they came near the forest.

And he was struck speechless by what he saw.

Around a hundred soldiers—no, knights—were waiting near the forest’s entrance. Each of them was wearing full plate armor, with swords hanging by their waists.

Yosef’s hair stood on edge upon seeing them. For some reason, his intuition was screaming at him that these guys were dangerous. They were no ordinary soldiers wearing full plate armor. Each of them capable of slaughter, Yosef was sure.

The other soldiers wearing leather armor were probably aware of the existence of this army, as they did not look surprised to see them.

The soldiers in full plate armor wordlessly moved behind them and started their march.

Yosef’s heart started thumping fast. Each of these guys felt dangerous, and there were over a hundred of them? For a moment, he thought of an incredulous scenario where a hundred Mikael Garios teamed up and charged at the Emperial Army. If a hundred people with the same prowess as his teacher fought together, even if their enemy was the Empire, there would be slaughter. Yosef clenched his fists and looked at the army marching behind him.

This mission may have been worth it, after all.

CHAPTER 2

The Blackstone Army marched relentlessly for several weeks, passing through several cities along the way. Every now and then, they would restock their rations, camp in the wilderness, then resume their march. Since Blackstone Town was the most remote territory in the east, it was also the last one to receive the summons. They surmised that by now, most of the reinforcements must have already gathered in the capital.

And they eventually arrived at the gathering point.

Behemoth City. The capital of the Kingdom.

“So this the capital…” Captain Qarat gawked at the walled city in front of them. The rest of the soldiers were doing the same.

“Captain, it’s huge!”

“Even the cities we passed through before pale in comparison!”

“Sir Austen, you guys have been here with the Young Master before?”

Austen lifted his chest with pride. “That’s right! You should have seen the King’s castle. George and I were even allowed to stand outside the gates!”

“Ooh!”

Gasps filled with awe escaped the lips of the soldiers. George and Austen grinned at each other. They were also awestruck when they first saw the capital, but after spending a few days in it, they came to understand that it was nothing special. It was simply huge, that’s all. The City of Magic was a lot more beautiful in comparison. But of course, they had no intention of telling the soldiers that.

“The gathering point is over there,” Yosef said to Lark.

They moved in the direction Yosef pointed and soon reached a large camp filled with thousands of soldiers.

“This is the gathering point for all the reinforcements from throughout the Kingdom. Just the eastern reinforcement alone amounts to more than ten thousand soldiers. I heard that the South managed to gather a lot more than that.”

When Lark and his men arrived, several soldiers stopped what they were doing and stared at the army coming their way. The Blackstone Soldiers wearing leather armor felt ordinary, but the armored soldiers marching behind them felt dangerous.

Which army did these guys come from?

With Yosef acting as their guide, the Blackstone Soldiers started pitching their tents. It seemed that three days from now, the King would personally choose the commanders to preside over this large army. All that was left now was to wait for the rest of the reinforcements to arrive.

“Act like normal soldiers for now,” Lark said to the suits of armor. “You guys can do that, right?”

The suits of armor bobbed their heads in understanding. They grunted and started moving around and fixing the Blackstone Army’s camp, moving slowly and carefully so they didn’t attract unwanted attention.

When night came, they made campfires. Several soldiers gathered around the campfire and discussed the things they had seen in this place. Although they would soon clash with the Empire, everyone’s confidence soared upon seeing the thousands of reinforcements gathered. They estimated, the number of soldiers probably reached thirty thousand.

“Hey, what do you think of the announcement a while ago? They said that they’ll be choosing three commanders for this huge ass army.”

The soldiers toasted their jerkies around the campfire.

“They’ll surely pick the Young Master, right? There’s no way someone as capable as the Young Lord wouldn’t be picked by His Majesty.”

Lark didn’t know that his soldiers were already this close to worshipping him. To them, Lark was the embodiment of wisdom itself. Every action and order he gave was carefully strategized. They’d experienced this firsthand when they fought against the beastmen.

“That’s right! I’m sure that if it’s the Young Master leading us, we’ll be able to crush those dogs of the Empire!”

The rest of the soldiers agreed.

“Pft!”

They heard stifled laughter next to them. The soldiers looked at the source. Two soldiers from a different camp were passing by and heard their conversation. One of the soldiers was holding back his laughter, while the other one elbowed him to stop.

Tears started forming at the corner of the soldier’s eyes. Eventually, he could not hold his laughter any longer. “Hahahaha! If it’s the Young Master leading us! Hahaha! We’ll be able to… Pft! Hahaha!”

The Blackstone Soldiers frowned. One of them said, “What’s so funny?”

The unknown soldier wiped his tears using the back of his hand. He was gasping for air after laughing his heart out. “Everything.” He smirked then pointed at the crest on his shoulder. “You see this? It’s the insignia of Count Boris. Right now, all of his three sons are participating in this war. Those three geniuses will surely become the three commanders of this large army.”

The soldier next to him nudged him once again. “What are you doing? Don’t start a fight,” he whispered.

“Start a fight? I’m just explaining to these buffoons the reality of the situation. It’s really funny that these guys think their Lord has a chance of being picked by His Majesty. That would never happen while the three sons of the Count are around.”

“What’s so special about those three anyway?” one of the Blackstone Soldiers retorted. “Our Lord, Lark Marcus, even drove back a legion of beastmen on his own!”

The unknown soldier froze momentarily. After a few seconds, he broke out into another fit of laughter. “L-Lark Marcus he says! Hahaha! So your master is that trash noble? And you believe those rumors about him driving back the Third Legion? Even the little kids in our County don’t believe that!”

Now, even the soldier next to him began to chuckle. At first, he was afraid to spark a war with this group since they did not know which faction this army belonged to. But after knowing that these guys were part of that trash’s army—Lark Marcus—he also started to join in the fun.

“I heard your Lord’s the one who sparked this all-out war with the Empire. He’s such a capable man, isn’t he? Trash will always be trash, it seems,” he said.

“He should have just shut his mouth back then! Look at us now, we’re all heading off to war because of the stupidity of your master!”

The Blackstone Soldiers were finally fed up. They stood up and charged at them. Quickly, it turned into a brawl.

“H-Hey, fuck! Stop!” The two soldiers tried to defend themselves, but to their horror, the Blackstone Soldiers were surprisingly good in a fight—they also outnumbered them.

To the Blackstone Soldiers, who fought against the humanoid basilisks on a daily basis, these two were nothing but fodder. Their movements felt really slow, as though they were not moving at all.

After a minute passed, the two soldiers fell limp on the ground. Their cheeks and eyes were swollen, their lips busted. They groaned in pain as tears flowed down their faces.

After hearing the commotion outside, Lark went out of his tent. He creased his brows upon seeing the two soldiers on the ground.

“What happened? Who did this?”

Judging by the crest on their shoulders, these two soldiers did not belong to his army. He looked at his men unhappily. The moment he made eye contact with them, they immediately averted their gazes.

“I’m asking who did this!” He suppressed a snarl.

The Blackstone Soldiers flinched. One after another, they raised their hands. Seven people in total.

Infighting was strictly prohibited back in the Magic Empire. Not only did it decrease their fighting force and morale, it also hindered them from working as a team once war broke out.

“Why did you do it?” Lark decided to hear them out first. “Why did you beat them up?”

He was aware of the strength of his soldiers. Despite their shabby appearance, they were probably stronger than most of the soldiers gathered here. After all, they had been sparring with the humanoid basilisks every day for the past few months.

One of the seven soldiers stepped up and explained what had transpired to Lark. After hearing the story, Lark sighed. His anger dissipated after hearing that they jumped at these two to defend the honor of their Lord, but still he could not let them go unpunished.

“The seven of you,” said Lark. “Come with me. We’ll personally make an apology to the commander of their army.”

Lark looked at the beaten-up soldiers lying on the ground. “Ah, don’t forget to bring those two with us.”

The Blackstone Soldiers, although reluctant, started carrying the injured soldiers on their backs. They moved through the large camp and after asking around, they reached the tent of the commander of the soldiers they beat up.

Naturally, the soldiers belonging to their camp heard the news that two of their guys had been beaten up. They surrounded Lark and his men as they stood outside the commander’s tent. Although they were infuriated that their guys were beaten up, they did not immediately pounce at Lark.

The commander must have been sleeping, as it took some time before he finally came out. Arzen, the commander of this army, rubbed his eyes and opened the flap of his tent. Seeing the numerous soldiers surrounding his tent, and Lark and his men, he was immediately jolted awake.

Lark approached him and said, “Lark Marcus. Commander of the Blackstone Army. I’m here to personally apologize on behalf of my men.”

Arzen soon heard what happened. Lark explained everything, without leaving out any details.

“I see,” Arzen nodded in understanding. He glared at the two battered soldiers unhappily. “The two of you. Is everything this Young Lord said correct?”

The two beaten-up soldiers looked at each other, before slowly nodding their heads. Arzen sighed. He clicked his tongue.

To Lark’s surprise, Arzen bowed his head. “It seems that my men are at fault. I apologize. I promise that proper punishment will be carried out for these two.”

The two beaten-up men shivered.

“B-But Lord Arzen!”

“M-My Lord!”

“Silence!” Arzen glared at them. “Tie them up! They will not be given any food or drink for a day and a half. Anyone who secretly tries to feed them will be kicked out of my army! Understood?”

“Y-Yes, Lord!”

Several soldiers grabbed the two soldiers and dragged them away. They tried to plead with their Lord but their voices soon died out.

Arzen sighed again. He touched his throbbing forehead. “Ah, what a waste of a good sleep. To think that those two idiots started a fight over something so stupid.”

He looked at Lark. He flashed a smile. “Ah, I haven’t introduced myself, have I? Arzen, first son of Count Boris. Future commander of this army.”

The last few words were stated with certainty. A smile slowly formed on Lark’s lips. He found this man interesting.

“Lark Marcus, Lord of Blackstone Town.”

“Oh, not going to introduce yourself as a future commander of this army?”

Lark chuckled. “I have no interest in that. And I heard there’re three slots?”

Arzen grinned. “Three slots. Aris. Mokuva. Me. All three slots will be given to the House Boris. Three days from now, we’ll be the ones leading these soldiers to crush the Imperial Army.”

CHAPTER 3

King Alvis was watering the plants in the royal garden. This was one of his ways to retain his sanity amidst the incessant politics. One of his simple joys in life.

“Your Majesty,” said the Grand Chamberlain. “All of the reinforcements have gathered.”

“Finally.” King Alvis placed the watering can on the table. “Gather the leaders of each army here. It is time for us to choose the commanders.”

“Here, in the garden?” the Grand Chamberlain asked, to be sure.

King Alvis smiled. “I believe the royal garden is a lot more beautiful than the throne room. Don’t you think so, Viscount Lakian?”

The Grand Chamberlain could only concede and nod his head. He looked around and saw the thousands of flowers. This place was large, so there should be enough space for the crowd.

“As you wish, Your Majesty.” He bowed his head and left.

Left all alone, with only two of his personal guards nearby, King Alvis fell into deep thought. He had read all the documents regarding the nobles who answered the summons. Among all of them, five stood out the most. Surprisingly, three of them came from the House Boris.

Arzen, first son of Count Boris. He graduated at the military academy with top grades. During the exit exam of the military academy, he even managed to perfectly clear the hidden path and escape unscathed. After graduation, he immediately assumed the position of commander of the Boris Army, successfully wiping out all of the bandits in their territory.

Mokuva, second son of Count Boris. The author of the book: Fifty-Seven Assault Tactics. The things written in that book were surprisingly effective in real battle—the Kingdom even incorporated it into their war strategies. Although Mokuva never joined the military due to his frail body, he was without doubt a genius who could see the battlefield as a whole.

Aris, third son of Count Boris. He was no genius in military tactics nor was he a graduate of the military academy. But he was a High Priest candidate. This meant that if King Alvis were to choose him as one of the three commanders, they would be able to enlist the help of the temple in this war. The temple always assumed neutrality, but if a High Priest candidate were to become a commander, it would become a different story. Getting several priests capable of healing magic from the temple would no longer be a dream.

And the other two who did not belong to the House Boris:

Baron Zacharia. A former instructor of the Leonard Fighting School. The school that teaches the martial arts of the savages. He lost an arm during the Bloody Thorn Plains Incident fifteen years ago and retired, but he was nonetheless a war veteran.

And lastly,

Lark Marcus. The disowned son of Duke Drakus. The same noble who invented the method of destroying the Black Famine. The noble who defeated the Third Legion several months ago. The person who gave them the blueprint for the mana bombs.

“I should choose wisely,” the King sighed. “The fate of this Kingdom rests in their hands.”

Thankfully, the curse which ran down the blood of the royal family was not acting up this time. The King would be able to meet the leaders of the army without worrying about suddenly losing consciousness in the middle of his speech.

He remembered his meeting with the dwarves several days ago. The dwarves he met using the artifact promised to relay his message to the Dwarven Kingdom. That Kingdom had closed its borders to outsiders for more than a century now. The magic of the dragon guarding their borders made the barrier impregnable. Only members of the Dwarven race could enter, thus the King had no choice but to approach a member of their race to relay even a simple message.

The message was simple. The King promised to send all the finest wines stored in the cellar of the castle—wines more than one hundred years old—in exchange of weapons. He even promised to pay tens of thousands in gold coins if the Dwarven Kingdom could assist them in this war.

The Dwarven Kingdom was one of the richest countries in the land. Hopefully, their meager offer would be enough to entice those drunkards. Even outdated weaponries would be fine, since it had been proven that all of the dwarves’ weapons were highly effective in war.

“Your Majesty,” said one of the guards, his voice almost a whisper. “They’ve arrived.”

King Alvis bobbed his head. He must have been lost in thought for quite some time. Fortunately, he had come to a conclusion. All that was left was to meet them in person.

Viscount Lakian entered the royal garden, along with several dozen others. King Alvis recognized the majority of them. They were the nobles summoned by the crown.

“We all greet His Majesty!”

“We all greet His Majesty!”

Everyone clasped their hands and bowed their heads upon seeing the King.

“First of all, I must thank everyone for coming here.” King Alvis gently smiled, forming numerous wrinkles on his face. “I’m sure everyone is aware of the precarious situation our Kingdom is in.”

Most of the nobles held grim faces upon hearing this. They all knew that it would only be a matter of time before their territories were targeted by the Empire.

“This is not out yet in the public, but four days ago…” the smile slowly left the King’s face, “the city of Yan fell into the Empire’s hands.”

The nobles were flustered upon hearing this. The City of Yan was near the capital.

Arzen momentarily looked at Lark. The City of Yan belonged to the House Marcus. It was one of the large cities governed by the Marcuses. But Lark was unaware of this as he continued to calmly listen to the King.

“I’m aware that all of you came from different factions, cities, territories. But I ask you to set aside those differences for now and work together to overcome this hurdle before us.” The King looked everyone in the eye. “The first goal of this Coalition Army is this—free the City of Yan from the hands of the Empire.”

It was a logical proposal, considering the fact that it was the nearest city currently occupied by the Empire.

“And to do that, we’ll need commanders. Commanders capable of leading these soldiers.”

The atmosphere began to heat up. Everyone had heard that three commanders were going to be picked today by His Majesty. Everyone hoped that they would be among the three.

The Coalition Army consisted of around forty thousand soldiers. Even after dividing them into three armies, a commander would still have authority over a legion. To lead such a massive force was the opportunity of a lifetime.

“I will now announce the three commanders for this army.”

Everyone held their breath. The tense atmosphere was a stark contrast to the beautiful scenery filled with thousands of flowers.

“First, Baron Zacharia.”

Everyone’s gaze landed on the middle-aged man with a missing arm. He was a famous figure in the Kingdom. A retired veteran who survived the Bloody Thorn Plains Incident fifteen years ago.

Although the nobles were disheartened that they were not immediately picked, they could understand the reason why Zacharia was chosen by the King. Not only was he strong, he also held decades’ worth of wisdom born from numerous battlefields.

“Baron Zacharia, step forward!” said the Grand Chamberlain.

The Baron stepped forward and knelt before His Majesty.

“You shall be granted the authority over fourteen thousand soldiers,” said the King. “You are hereby granted the title of Commander of the First Army!”

The King pinned a medal on Baron Zacharia’s shoulder.

“I am greatly honored, Your Majesty.”

The Baron moved to the side and stood next to the Grand Chamberlain.

“And the second commander for this army,” said the King.

Time seemed to slow down as the King slowly opened his lips.

“Arzen Boris.”

Arzen’s eyes glimmered for a moment. A wide grin formed on his face.

“Arzen Boris, step forward!” said the Grand Chamberlain.

Arzen stepped forward and knelt down before the King.

“Arzen Boris, you are hereby granted authority over fourteen thousand soldiers,” said the King. “You shall be the Commander of the Second Army!”

The King also pinned a medal on Arzen’s shoulder.

“I will crush those imperial dogs for you, Your Majesty.”

King Alvis nodded. “I expect a lot from the younger generation, from you, Arzen.”

Arzen bowed his head. “I will not fail your expectations, My King.”

Arzen moved to the side and stood next to the Baron. He momentarily locked eyes with Zacharia. He whispered, “Who do you think is the third?”

Zacharia gave a disinterested reply, “Who knows.”

Arzen chuckled. The middle-aged man was a typical war veteran.

“And the last!” said the King.

By now, everyone was on the edge of their seats. Only one slot was remaining.

“Come forward,” the King raised his voice, “Lark Marcus!”

A young man with silver hair stepped out of the crowd. He slowly walked toward the King, his gait filled with confidence. He knelt down before His Majesty.

“You are granted authority over seventeen thousand soldiers! You will be given the title: Commander of the Third Army!”

Lark felt the irony of this title. Not even a year had passed since he defeated the Third Legion. But now, he was granted the title of Commander of the Third Army. An army more than large enough to be called a legion.

But this was just perfect. Not only was he given one of the three slots, he was given authority to a larger army than the other commanders. There was a lot he could do with seventeen thousand soldiers under his command.

“I humbly accept this task, Your Majesty.”

He felt a piercing gaze from his right. Upon looking, he saw Arzen staring at him. The man was smiling, but his eyes were glimmering with dangerous light. He was probably displeased that Lark was chosen instead of one of his brothers.

Lark moved to the side and stood next to the other two commanders. Arzen said to him, “Never expected this twist in the story. Congrats.”

Lark did not reply to the sarcastic remark. He merely stood there, attentively listening to the King as he announced which armies will be incorporated into the First, Second, and Third Army.

Some of the nobles groaned when they heard that their soldiers would be under the Third Army, under the command of Lark. It was understandable, since Lark’s previous shell had a notorious reputation. Even his previous feats of destroying the Black Famine and driving away the Third Legion did not easily erase that.

The King started discussing the plan of taking back the City of Yan. Lark frowned. It should be possible to take back the city, but it would waste this army’s potential. In the end, he decided to speak his mind.

He raised his hand. “Your Majesty, may I give a suggestion?”

The King paused. He looked at Lark for a moment. He remembered that the last time Lark spoke his mind, he gave them the blueprint for the mana bombs, even drafting the plan to attack the nearest city of the Empire. Although it incited an all-out war with the Empire, no one could refute that it was nonetheless an ingenious plan.

Anticipation started to well up within him. The King said, “Go on. What is it?”

Lark could feel numerous gazes on him but he did not care. He spoke what was on his mind. “I believe that retaking the City of Yan with all three armies combined is a mistake. Even if we take back the city, it would not benefit the Kingdom in the slightest.”

“But young man,” said the King. “The City of Yan is only several days away from the capital. If we do not recapture it right away, the capital is at risk of invasion from the Empire.”

The other nobles nodded at the King’s statement.

Lark raised three fingers. “Right now, three massive armies are here at the capital. I suggest that only the First Army march toward the City of Yan and retake it from the Empire’s hands.”

He glanced at Arzen, then at the King. “Meanwhile, the Second and Third Army will recapture Yorkshaire City.”

It felt like a declaration of suicide. Although it had been captured by the Empire, Yorkshaire City was still known as an impregnable fortress. And now that tens of thousands of soldiers from the Empire were guarding it, they would need way more soldiers to take back the city. Even the Silver War God and the Sword Saint had failed. But now, this newly elected commander was suggesting that they attack that fortress.

Arzen furrowed his brows. He was a commander too. He disliked the feeling that Lark was telling him which city he should attack.

“I refuse,” said Arzen. “Attacking Yorkshaire, as we are now, is suicide. We should first regroup with the scattered Marcus Army and Yorkshaire Army, then from there, formulate a plan to take back the city.”

Buzzes filled the royal garden. The nobles started discussing among themselves which decision was correct.

“Silence!” snarled the Grand Chamberlain. “You are before His Majesty!”

And silence befell everyone. But deep within their minds, they started calculating the pros and cons of these suggestions. Most of the nobles sided with Arzen, since the most logical thing to do was amass more soldiers before launching an attack to that fortress.

The King looked conflicted as he considered both sides. Eventually he sighed. “Lark Marcus, I’m afraid that if the Commander of the Second Army refuses to take part in your request, there’s nothing more I can do.”

Arzen grinned. He looked at Lark triumphantly.

“Your Majesty,” said Lark, “recapturing the cities occupied by the Empire’s soldiers will do nothing but chip away at our strength. As long as Yorkshaire remains within the Empire’s grasp, imperial soldiers will just keep coming through that path. In the end, when our soldiers are exhausted from all the fighting, the Empire will launch an all-out offensive at the capital.”

The soldiers of the Empire were several times that of the Kingdom. As long as they occupied Yorkshaire, they could just send more soldiers to replace the fallen ones. This was probably the reason why the War God and the Sword Saint immediately rallied the defeated Marcus Army and Yorkshaire Army to reclaim the city. Unfortunately, they lost in their attempt to retake the city.

The buzz filled the garden once again. The nobles began discussing the proposals of Lark and Arzen.

As the nobles were having heated arguments, Baron Zacharia—who’d remained silent until now—spoke.

“If the Second Army isn’t willing to do it, my army will.”

Lark was taken by surprise. He had not expected the war veteran to take his side.

“I believe that attacking Yorkshaire is the correct choice at this moment, Your Majesty,” Baron Zacharia said humbly . “I do not want this war to be a repeat of the Bloody Thorn Plains Incident. Even if it means death, I will join the attack on Yorkshaire.”

CHAPTER 4

Lark’s suggestion brought forth heated discussions within the upper echelons of the capital. The King gathered his officials as they discussed the next step. In the end, the march toward the City of Yan was delayed by an entire day. The officials were torn between two choices: take back the nearby City of Yan from the Empire, or recapture the City of Yorkshaire.

“But, Your Majesty,” one of the six officials gathered in the throne room raised his voice, “as we are now, we can’t risk attacking the Yorkshaire Fortress! I heard the bastards from the Empire fortified the walls and laid more traps! If we allow this farce, we’ll be simply sending the soldiers to their deaths!”

Three other officials nodded at these words. The remaining two, on the other hand, kept their silence.

“Lord Hais is right, Your Majesty! The best thing we could do right now is to take back the nearby City of Yan, then regroup with the scattered Marcus and Yorkshaire Army, before heading to the front lines! As we are now, it’ll be impossible for us to win against the Empire!”

“Just General Rizel alone is enough to topple several cities, but there’s General Alvaren too! Two monsters of the old era are currently rampaging in the Western Front right now. I doubt even the Sword Saint could win against them one-on-one!”

“Fool!” One of the officials who was silent until now finally spoke. “No one can possibly win against the Sword Saint in a one-on-one fight! Have you lost your mind, Count?”

“Hah! I’ve lost my mind? The Sword Saint ran away from the fight! And you still think he’s the same peerless swordsman he was once before? He’s too old. No matter how skilled he is with the sword, he’s now nothing but an old man knocking on death’s door!”

“Enough!” roared the King. He coughed thrice after exerting himself from the shout.

Silence descended the throne room. One of the King’s personal guards handed him a goblet. After taking a sip, the King sighed and leaned back on his throne.

“I believe that the majority of you are against this,” said the King. His usually kind smile was gone. “But I, your King, will have the final say.”

King Alvis looked at each and every one of them. Although they were in clear opposition right now, King Alvis had no doubts of their loyalty toward the Kingdom.

“Alain,” the King said to the only official who hadn’t voiced his opinion, “you’ve been silent until now. Tell me, what do you think about Lark Marcus’ proposal?”

Everyone looked at the official’s direction. Seeing everyone’s gazes, he spoke. “I also believe that it’s foolish to attack Yorkshaire City right away,” he said. “It’ll be impossible to retake that city unless, by some miracle, we are able to enlist the help of a powerful reinforcement—at least as powerful as the magic tower. But those magicians… They will never move unless their city is directly attacked. The Empire probably knows this too. That’s why they openly stated that they have no intention of antagonizing the tower.”

Wizzert City was probably the safest city in the Kingdom right now. There were rumors that once the Empire annexed the entire Kingdom, only the City of Magic would be left untouched. It seemed that the Empire did not want to risk waging war with a city full of magicians. There was also the speculation that the Emperor wanted the tower to be included among their ranks.

“How about the Royal Court Magicians?” one of the officials asked.

“They’ve already been dispatched to rescue Duke Kelvin’s son.”

The officials’ faces turned sour. Due to Lancaster’s capture, the entire Kelvin Duchy came up with the perfect excuse not to actively take part in this war. The King immediately gathered his officials and they eventually came up with the plan of rescuing Lancaster from General Rizel’s grasp. According to their intel, the successor to the House Kelvin was currently locked up in Rock Castle, just a week away from the Kelvin Duchy.

They decided to send a team of elites—half of the Royal Court Magicians—to rescue the hostage. Hopefully, by rescuing Lancaster, they’d be able to enlist the help of the Kelvin Duchy.

“The Royal Court Magicians are no good, huh?”

The remaining half of the Royal Court Magicians were currently tasked with protecting the capital.

“Damn it. If only those bastards from the magic tower would participate in this war! Can’t they see that at this rate, the Kingdom will fall to the Empire’s hands?”

The King fell into contemplation, ignoring the bickering of the officials beneath his throne.

The Empire.

The magic tower.

The Royal Court Magicians.

Why hadn’t he thought of it until now?

If he looked at it from a wider perspective, the answer had been there all along.

If the participation of the tower of magic alone could greatly influence the tide of war, then how much impact would it bring if the person who defeated the magicians of the tower participated?

The King’s heart started pounding at this thought.

He was a fool for taking this long to realize whether Lark Marcus’ proposal was right or wrong.

Finally, he spoke. “I’ve decided.”

Everyone shut their lips and looked at the King. At the end of the day, the final decision rested on him.

“We will go along with Lark Marcus’ plan. The First and Third Army shall march to Yorkshaire.”

The officials looked as though they’d just been sentenced to death. They groaned.

“But your Majesty—”

“—The attack on the magic tower a few months ago…” said the King, “the unknown person who single-handedly defeated all the magicians of the magic tower.”

“Does your Majesty finally have a lead on that powerful magician?” Lord Hais almost squeaked. He was among those who adamantly searched for the identity of the perpetrator in hopes of luring him in within the ranks of the Royal Court Magicians.

The King nodded. “Yes. I’ve appointed him as the Commander of the Third Army just recently.”

The eyes of the officials widened to the point of almost popping out. Some of them tried to say a few words but eventually decided to shut their mouths.

“L-Lark Marcus? There… must be a mistake.”

The King sighed. “I was stunned when I heard the report from Mikael too. Who would have known that the second son of Duke Drakus is capable of Grand Scale Magic?”

Grand Scale Magic.

The officials remembered the reports regarding the attack on the magic tower. A lone magician attacked the magic tower and defeated all of its magicians.

They finally realized why the King had chosen Lark Marcus as the Commander of the Third Army, and why the young man considered the option of directly attacking Yorkshaire City.

“The decision is final. Give the order for the First and Third Army to start their march.”

***

After receiving the go signal, Lark gathered all the soldiers of the Third Army. Standing on top of a large mound he created using earth magic, he scanned the sea of soldiers before him. He could see the uneasiness and fear in some of them, while there were those who did not bother to hide their contempt at him, their new commander.

Lark amplified his voice with magic and said, “I am the Commander of the Third Army, Lark Marcus. I’m sure most of you’ve heard about me, so I’ll skip the introductions. I gathered all of you here today to know one thing: Your skills, your worth. I want to know what you can do, what you can offer to this army.”

He paused and looked at the soldiers gathered before him. “What we’ll be going up against are soldiers of the Empire—veterans of war. An army without any coordination will never win against them.

“Therefore, before we start our march, I want this army to be divided into six groups. Light infantry, heavy infantry, cavalry, archers, scouts, and the supplies team.

“It should be fairly obvious, but those of you who are confident of your defenses should join the heavy infantry. It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing leather armors, as long as your magic permits you to take several blows from the army, you’re qualified for the positi—”

“—Hey! Why should we listen to a brat like you?” someone among the crowd interjected.

Lark smiled. Someone finally voiced their discontent.

He had expected things to go this way the moment he was elected as one of the three commanders. After all, no one in this army would like to follow a weak-looking young man like him. And there was also his notorious reputation to boot.

“Good question,” Lark’s eyes glimmered dangerously. “First, because I am your commander, appointed by the King himself. And second, because I’m a lot stronger than you, old man. Insubordination is a crime. This is the last warning. I will not tolerate any more disrespect from here on out.”

Lark knew that he should set the rules straight. Otherwise, he would be unable to control this massive army once they clashed with the Empire.

These guys knew him as nothing but the incompetent, disowned son of a Duke. He could see from their eyes that none of them respected nor feared him. Lark planned on rectifying this before their march.

“Stronger than me? Hah!” The soldier fearlessly retorted. “What does a noble like you know about the battlefield anyway?”

Snickers were heard here and there.

Lark knew that if he did not cull this here, it would bite him in the back later on. Although cruel, he decided to make an example out of this fool.

He pointed a finger at the man and vines sprouted from the ground, ensnaring the man’s entire body. The vines shot up several dozens of meters into the air, carrying the man with it.

“W-Wha… Hey! What’s happening?”

From the body of Lark, a malevolent aura started oozing out. The amount of mana was so colossal that even the non-magicians could see its torrent.

It was a wasteful display of strength, something Lark would never do on a real battlefield. But right now, he needed to show these soldiers what he was capable of. Otherwise, he would have a hard time controlling them later on. After all, these soldiers tend to follow only the strong.

“Old man, I warned you before.”

Lark pointed a finger at the heavens and the torrent of energy oozing out of his body started forming a colossal ball of fire. The energy contained within started dispersing the clouds. The heat almost scorched the skins of the soldiers below.

“Why didn’t you listen?”

The soldiers trembled as the gargantuan ball of fire slowly started to descend from the heavens. If that thing hits them, hundreds, if not thousands would perish on the spot, their bodies gone without a trace.

Without a doubt, this was Grand Scale Magic.

Had the soldiers not witnessed this with their own eyes, they wouldn’t have believed that such a thing was possible. That a single person was capable of casting such catastrophic spell on his own.

Lark knew that casting this magic was akin to using a sledgehammer to swat a fly, but this display of strength would prove crucial to the stability of their command structure later on. If these guys followed only the strong, then he would show them peerless strength, capable of tilting the battlefield. It was the only way to quickly control this massive army despite the infamy of the previous owner of his body.

“Fool.”

With that last word as its cue, the ball of fire engulfed the man’s entire body. His screams died as soon as it started. In just a few seconds, his entire body was burned to dust. Ashes fell down like rain to the ground.

And as though everything was a lie, the ball of fire dissipated and vanished entirely from sight.

Everyone who saw how the man met his end shivered. They looked at Lark and trembled even further upon seeing those ruthless eyes. Those were the eyes of someone who had taken several lives before. The buzz and murmurs immediately died. No one dared to make a sound.

“I’ll say it one last time,” Lark’s eyes were predatory, “insubordination is punishable by death.”

Although his speech was shorter, his words carried far greater weight than before. After all, everyone saw with their own eyes how Lark killed the man without batting an eye.

It was ruthless, but somewhere deep within them, the soldiers preferred this kind of commander. If the commander was weak, the entire army would perish. They would rather have a ruthless but strong commander than a kind but feeble leader.

CHAPTER 5

After organizing the army into several different units, the Third and First Army started their march toward the City of Yorkshaire. It seemed that Lark’s demonstration of might was effective. Although there was still discontent among the soldiers, the hostile glares sent to Lark every now and then had vanished entirely. In its place, the seeds of fear and curiosity slowly grew.

From an incompetent, disowned son of a Duke, Lark’s reputation turned into that of a tyrant. Some soldiers would occasionally discuss every now and then the things that might trigger the commander’s wrath. They wanted to avoid these things at all costs. They could still vividly remember how that old soldier who provoked the commander met his end.

“It seems that the soldiers are starting to call you the Demon Commander.” Baron Zacharia rode his mount next to Lark’s.

“Demon Commander?” chuckled Lark. “That’s a lot better than being called brat or kid, don’t you agree?”

The Baron was as expressionless as before. “So why did you call me over here?”

Lark took something out of his pocket and handed it to the Baron. “Before our armies part, I want you to have this.”

The Baron looked at the item placed on his hand. “A necklace?”

It was a dull-looking necklace with a small gemstone attached. It could probably be sold at the city for four to six silvers, but that’s all. It was nothing out of the ordinary.

“I heard you’re a former martial arts instructor in a school. Can you use mana?”

“Of course.”

“Then…,” Lark pointed at the gemstone attached to the necklace, “try applying some mana to it.”

The Baron did as he was told. After applying some mana into the gemstone, it glowed. At the same time, he heard a voice through his head.

“Can you hear me, Baron?”

The words felt like a whisper, but the Baron heard each of them clearly. It took the Baron a few seconds before he finally realized that they came from the necklace itself.

He looked at the necklace then at Lark.

“Is it… communication magic?”

Lark responded through the necklace. “That’s right. It should work as long as you supply it with mana. But since the magic stone I placed in that thing is of very poor quality, there’s a limit to the distance.”

Lark had no choice but use a very low-quality magic stone for the item, since nowadays, magic stones were being sold like rye bread. The higher quality ones were being bought the moment they left the shelves. The war with the Empire must have increased the demand for such items.

The Baron stared at the necklace in his hand. He had never seen such an artifact before, but he knew that such an item would sell for at least a several dozen gold coins in the market. This item would surely benefit them in the battle to come, since it would enable the two armies to coordinate despite the distance.

“I can receive your messages just fine, but how do I send one?” The Baron took out a small pouch filled with gold coins. “And I can’t take this thing for free.” He tossed the pouch toward Lark and the young man caught it easily. “I’m not sure how much this thing will sell for, but that’s all I have with me right now. Take it.”

Lark looked at the pouch’s contents. He paused for a moment then tied it on his waist. “Well, every piece of gold counts. Thanks. Using that thing’s fairly easy. Just channel your mana like before, but this time, focus on trying to send a message too.”

The Baron wordlessly did what Lark taught. He channeled his mana to the magic stone and conveyed his thoughts.

A voice filled with static was heard.

“Can… you… hear. Me?”

Lark grinned. The Baron was a fast learner. “That should be enough.”

A subtle smile formed on the Baron’s lips. He must have felt accomplished after successfully sending out a message on his first try.

“I’ll be sending you messages every now and then. Don’t die.”

The two armies parted ways.

The First Army, led by the Baron, would head toward the northwest. Zacharia’s plan was to gather the scattered Marcus Army before heading directly to Yorkshaire City. This was his only condition before he agreed to Lark’s plan. But if this failed, he promised to proceed with the contingency plan and simultaneously attack Yorkshaire City along with the Third Army.

Lark, on the other hand, did not have a specific route in mind. His goal was simple: Avoid as many enemies as possible as they made their way toward Yorkshaire. And to achieve this, he made preparations beforehand.

“Austen, George,” he called out to his disciples, “do it.”

The brothers bobbed their heads. They opened the cage sitting on top of a cart and dozens of birds flew out.

“Now!” said Lark.

Austen and George touched their respective magic crystals—made by Lark back in Blackstone Town—and channeled their mana into it. The crystals glowed and the birds momentarily froze, screeched, then flew around the army marching below them.

As expected of the brothers. Their mana pools were even larger than Lark’s. Supplying mana for a few dozen surveillance birds should be sustainable.

“Do you see it?” said Lark.

Austen was speechless.

George choked his words out. “A-Amazing! I can see it! I can see everything!”

Austen finally managed to speak. “T-This is… with this, it’ll be impossible to ambush our army! We’ll be unbeatable!”

The magic crystal made it possible for Austen and George to see what the surveillance birds were seeing. With the application of mana, they could even will the birds to move up in altitude and move toward a certain direction.

“Unbeatable?” Lark shook his head. “Calm down. This spell is easy to counter. A simple barrier spell will disrupt the connection, that’s why I told you guys to make sure the birds are spread out in all directions. Hopefully, we can catch our enemies off guard before they’re able to erect their barriers.”

Back in the Magic Empire, this spell was unpopular due to barriers enclosing even the smallest cities. Those who would cast this spell would immediately find their surveillance birds dead after less than an hour. Lark hoped that they would not encounter a magic barrier along the way, since he went through great efforts to prepare all of these surveillance birds beforehand.

Lark touched a third magic crystal and he started seeing the same vision as George and Austen. Bringing these two with him was indeed the right choice. As long as they were around, supplying the surveillance magic with mana would not be a problem.

***

A few days passed. Using the surveillance magic, Lark always scanned everything within a ten-kilometer radius.

And he finally saw his first targets.

Around seven kilometers away from them, a group of soldiers were moving through grassland. Lark willed one of the birds to move closer and saw the crest on the soldiers’ chests. It was the crest of the Empire. There was no doubt.

“Anandra, you’ve gathered enough men for the scouts?”

His right-hand man nodded. “Yes, My Lord.”

“Take twenty of your most nimble men and move toward this direction.” Lark pointed at the map provided to them by the capital. “You’ll come across a group of soldiers from the Empire. Must be scouts. Kill them.”

Anandra bowed his head. “I will obey.”

Lark pointed at another place on the map. “We’ll regroup here at dusk. Try to capture some of them for interrogation, but if that seems impossible, be sure to leave none of them alive.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

After Lark issued out his command, Anandra and his men immediately moved out to kill the scouts from the Empire. Lark used the vision crystal to monitor the movement of their enemies. He could see Anandra and his men moving toward the place he directed. Soon, the two groups clashed with each other.

With the element of surprise on their hands, Anandra and his men easily took out the soldiers of the Empire. Even going as far as capturing two of them alive.

By dusk, Anandra arrived at the camp of the Third Army. At the place Lark designated as their meeting point.

“My Lord, we’ve killed the scouts of the Empire,” reported Anandra. “And we’ve managed to capture two of them alive.”

Lark tapped Anandra’s shoulder. “Good work.”

He called out several men from the Third Army. Most of them looked grotesque, with numerous scars and burn marks on their face and body.

“You said before that you’re from the Lurie family?” Lark remained stoic even after meeting these guys who could probably make a grown man cry. “The family who specialize in torture, am I right?”

Their leader, a man with half of his mouth stitched together, replied, “The Lurie family is a thing of the past. I’m the one they serve now.”

Unlike the other soldiers, who looked at Lark fearfully as though he was the demon incarnate, their leader did not show even the slightest hint of fear. His gaze was that of a man who wanted to dismember the prey before him. Lark was sure that if the circumstances changed and he was powerless, this so-called leader would not hesitate to rip him to shreds.

Lark did not know why these guys participated in this war, but such a thing shouldn’t matter right now. Their skill in torture was known far and wide. With their help, making their captives spill everything should be possible without Lark even lifting a finger.

“Hoh, so it’s no longer the Lurie family, huh?” said Lark. “You, what’s your name?”

The leader’s eyes glimmered dangerously for a moment. “Magaras.”

“Magaras,” repeated Lark. “We’ve caught some rats from the Empire, you see.”

Magaras shivered in ecstasy realizing what the Young Master wanted of him.

“You want me to make them spill everything?” said Magaras. He grinned. “I’ll do it.”

Lark was surprised by how easy everything was. He could see how much Magaras was itching to torture the soldiers from the Empire.

“I can make them talk—I can make them scream. I know the best method of keeping them alive, Commander. My flaying knives have been lonely lately, you see.”

An eerie laughter escaped Magaras’ lips.

Under normal circumstances, Lark would have not associated himself with this lunatic. But in this war, people like Magaras who would not hesitate to dirty their hands were indispensable. He would surely prove useful later on.

Lark nodded at Anandra. “Give the captives to them.”

He looked to Magaras. “Make sure they tell everything. Do not disappoint me.”

Magaras broadened his grin, his stitched mouth revealing half his teeth. “Of course.”

That night, muffled screams were heard all throughout the camp.

***

After going through an unspeakable nightmare overnight, the captives told them everything. According to them, General Rizel sent out several small units to infiltrate the yet to be captured cities of the west, their goal was to kill all noteworthy officials in these cities. It seemed that the assassination of some of the Lords and nobles these past several weeks were General Rizel’s doing.

“Assassination, huh?” mumbled Lark, as he read the report. It was an underhanded but effective way of doing things.

“My Lord, based on what the captured soldiers said, it seems that an army of the Empire is currently stationed here.” Anandra pointed at the map, at an area with hills. “If we keep going at this direction, our armies will eventually clash with each other.”

The hills were around two days away from their current camp.

“It’s fine. We’ll keep going,” said Lark. “This is the fastest route we have right now.”

Although Anandra could not understand what was going through Lark’s mind right now, he decided to simply obey.

Time quickly passed by until they were only several hours away from the enemy’s camp.

Lark looked at the battlefield as a whole, using the surveillance crystal. The dozens of birds hovering in the sky made it possible to see the movement of their enemies. The scouts stationed in the grassland. The soldiers hiding in the small forest. And the three thousand-strong army from the Empire stationed on top of the hills.

“Anandra, send your men here.” He pointed at the small forest on the map. “Just like before, kill the enemy soldiers the moment you see them. Nine enemy soldiers. Make sure none of them escape.”

Anandra bowed his head. “As you wish.”

Just like before, Anandra and his men quickly took care of their enemies. The soldiers hiding in the forest were swiftly disposed of. But an unexpected problem arose. It seemed that one of the Empire’s soldiers specialized in concealment magic. Even Anandra himself failed to find him.

Out of nine soldiers, only eight were killed.

Lark frowned. Even while using the surveillance crystal, he could not locate the soldier the moment he cast his concealment spell. At this rate, the soldier would be able to get out of the forest and alert the army stationed on the hills.

Lark calmly continued watching everything using the crystal. Using the birds, he patiently watched the entire forest for any suspicious movement. And eventually, he spotted a figure leaving the sea of trees.

“There you are.” Lark licked his lips. “Hey, hand me a spear.”

The enemy soldier and Anandra’s group were already far apart. At this rate, it would be impossible for Anandra to track the soldier who escaped.

One of Lark’s men handed him a spear.

Lark dismounted, stretched his arms for a bit, then channeled his mana into the spear. He threw it toward the sky. The spear flew at a tremendous speed, creating a sharp wheezing sound. Like a puppeteer, Lark controlled the trajectory of the spear using the thread of mana attached to it. Hitting the fleeing target was now a lot easier, since the enemy had just left the forest.

Unaware of the spear coming his way from the sky, the enemy soldier kept running toward the direction of their camp. The spear struck the man’s back, boring a hole through his chest. He fell and slumped on the ground, twitched for a moment, then stopped moving.

Lark sighed. At least, he managed to prevent the enemy from leaking their whereabouts. The last thing he wanted was to clash with the three thousand-strong enemy camped on the hills. He wanted to preserve this army’s strength as much as possible, until they reached Yorkshaire Fortress.

“Relay my orders to everyone.” Lark pointed at the forest on the map. “Hasten the march. We need to pass through this forest before midnight.”

CHAPTER 6

After repeating the same tactic and evading their enemies for weeks, Lark and the Third Army finally arrived at the Western Front. By this time, the entire region was filled with soldiers from the Empire and it was impossible to go any further without alerting the enemies of their presence.

The simple but effective tactic of evading direct clashes to preserve their strength finally came to an end.

“Baron, do you hear me? How’s it going on your side?”

Lark sent out a message via the magic stone embedded on his necklace. After several seconds, a reply filled with static came out.

“We’re… Being. Pushed. Back.”

Lark frowned. He could feel the sense of urgency and tension within the voice of the Baron.

Since they were still able to communicate, despite the poor-quality magic stone as a catalyst, the First Army should at least be nearby. A week away from the Third Army’s position, at most.

“General Alvaren. That monster. He predicted. Everything. We lost a third of our soldiers.”

The static sounds increased further and it was almost impossible to understand the Baron’s next message.

“But… We. Finally found. A lead… To the scattered. Marcus and. Yorkshaire. Army. Ah, damn it. He’s. Here.”

And the communication was cut. Lark tried sending several messages to the Baron, but did not receive a single response.

But from that short exchange alone, Lark was able to surmise several things. First, the First Army was several days away, probably at the northwest, where the defeated Marcus and Yorkshaire Army retreated. Second, one of the two commanders of the Empire was currently hunting down the First Army. This meant that now was the perfect time to attack Yorkshaire Fortress, before that so-called monster of the Empire came back.

“Things got several times harder just now, huh?”

Lark decided to take the worst possible scenario into account. He decided to fight this war without expecting any reinforcements from the other armies of the Kingdom. Time is of great essence. He decided to strike now, while one of the two Generals of the Empire was out of Yorkshaire.

“Well, at least that General isn’t here to intercept our attacks.”

Lark willed all of the surveillance birds to spread out and scan the entire region. As expected, the number of soldiers was several times greater now that they were near the Yorkshaire Mountain Range. Even the smallest camp had around five hundred soldiers at the minimum.

Lark willed several birds to fly further, toward the mountain range spread out before them. Soon, a walled city came into view.

There was only supposed to be one fortress in this area. Without a doubt, that city was Yorkshaire. The target of this expedition. The city they needed to capture at all costs.

“Fog?”

Even from above, it was hard to see the entirety of the city. Everything was enclosed by a thick white fog, and only some parts of the walls and the tall tower at the middle of the city were visible.

Lark’s intuition was telling him that the fog was man-made, probably created using someone’s magic. To test this, he willed one of the birds to approach the fortress. Upon closer inspection, Lark noticed the deep ravine surrounding the entire city. It seemed that the only way to enter the city was through the large drawbridge. But that was assuming that the invaders were able to block the attacks from the large ballistae on top of the walls.

The bird flew closer to the fortress, and the moment it made contact with the white fog, the transmission was suddenly cut. Lark lost vision in that area. That finally confirmed it. That fog was nothing ordinary. It was definitely magic.

“The initial plan just went down the drain,” he mumbled to himself, his brows creased as he scanned the entire region using the vision crystal. “How the hell did Yorkshaire fall to the Empire?”

The ancestors of the Lukasians were really clever to have built a stronghold surrounded by a deep ravine, with a colossal mountain range serving as natural barrier against the enemies. Even the walls were thicker and taller than those of the capital. It was no wonder that for more than a century, the fortress never fell to enemies’ hands before this war.

But the Empire managed to defeat the Kingdom’s soldiers stationed in the mountains and capture the fortress in mere weeks. Without a doubt, the two generals sent by the Empire for this war were monsters.

Lark knew he needed to tread carefully in this battle. With the First Army currently being hunted down by General Alvaren, a single defeat in battle may mean total annihilation even for his army.

Lark knew full well the repercussions of even a single loss in the battlefield, especially something of this scale. He had seen several geniuses back in his previous life who succumbed to an early death due to their arrogance.

Lark gathered all of the officers in his army. Inside a large tent, several men and women gathered around a round wooden table.

“From now on, we’re going to move with the assumption that no reinforcements are going to come to our aid for this war.”

Lark’s opening remark made the officers flinch in response. They had expected to regroup with the First Army, but Lark just shot down that idea.

“B-But what about the Second Army, sir?” the leader of the light infantry asked.

“They’re not coming,” Lark stated. “At least… For now.”

Lark spread out a large map on the table. He placed numerous wooden blocks on top of it, signifying the different armies he saw using the vision crystal.

“These are the enemies surrounding us in all directions.” Lark pointed at the wooden figures on top of the map. “They haven’t noticed us yet, but it’ll be only a matter of time before our enemies become aware of an army this large.”

The officers gathered inside the tent had realized long ago that Lark was using some kind of trick to bypass all the enemies along the way, and that was the reason they hadn’t clashed with any enemies so far. But looking at the map and the wooden pieces on top of it, it was apparent that a clash with the Empire would be soon inevitable.

“Yzelle,” Lark said to the woman in charge of the supply line. “What rations do we have left?”

Yzelle—better known as Chryselle Vont Aria—one of the Elders of the City of Magic, had joined the Third Army and become the leader of the supplies team. Thankfully, even the residents of Wizzert did not know her face as she hardly went out of the tower unless necessary. Disguising herself was not even necessary. With her skills, she was easily accepted in the army.

Coming with this army carried great risks, but it was definitely worth it. She could finally directly observe the man who created the perfected magic circle.

“Four weeks,” she said. “But we can extend it to a month and a half if we cut down the amount we give to the soldiers.”

Lark could feel the suppressed mana oozing out of the woman before him. Since she’d shown great competence in managing the supply line these past weeks, Lark decided not to probe further on her identity. But to be safe, he asked Anandra to monitor her movements every now and then. He also assigned two of his trusted men as the assistant leaders of the supplies team.

“Four weeks, huh.”

Lark knew he should also take the number of casualties into account. Death of a hundred soldiers would mean a hundred fewer mouths to feed. By estimate, thousands of soldiers would probably die within four weeks.

They could probably hold out for two months with the rations they currently had. But that was assuming that their supplies remained intact all throughout the war.

Lark studied the map unfolded on the table again. With the vision transmitted to him by the surveillance crystal, the entire battlefield became clear. The only variables remaining were the Yorkshaire City shrouded by the fog, and the First Army currently being hunted down by one of the Generals of the Empire.

“Attacking the city shrouded by the damn fog is suicide.” Lark considered the possibility of the fog being filled with poison or illusion magic. If they attacked head-on, they would risk numerous casualties, or worse, annihilation. “And we can’t continue camping in the wilderness like this any longer.”

It would only be a matter of time before their enemies discovered their whereabouts.

Lark grabbed a large wooden piece and placed it on top of the map with a thud. “This city. We’re taking over this one before midnight. Disseminate my orders to the army. Prepare to move out.”

***

Their first target was the City of Akash. When Magaras heard of this, even a tormentor like him questioned the sanity of the Commander of the Third Army.

The City of Akash was only a day away from the City of Yorkshaire by cart, and it was surrounded by a few villages occupied by the Empire. Therefore, their enemies would need to defend the city for only a day before significant reinforcements arrived.

There were only two possibilities why the commander had chosen this city as their first target. Either he had gone mad from war or he was confident of capturing a walled city in less than a day. For some reason, Magaras felt it was the latter.

Interesting.

Through his half-stitched mouth, Magaras’ tongue protruded and licked his lips.

After killing the head of the Lurie family a few years ago, he founded his own band of mercenaries to satiate his hunger for flesh and blood. But contrary to his expectations, the peaceful era did not come to pass. Years after massacring the surviving members of the Lurie family, his flaying knives had yet to meet a noteworthy prey once again. Aside from the occasional requests to exterminate monsters outside the city, and the rare requests to assassinate a few people, his little band of mercenaries were left idle for too long.

Until the declaration of war with the Empire came.

Magaras could still remember vividly how he shuddered in ecstasy upon hearing of the King’s decree. Without hesitation, he signed up for the military.

He’d finally found a playfield. A place where he could torture humans to his heart’s content. It was the perfect excuse to dismember humans without aggravating the Kingdom any further.

“Boss, should we bail?” one of his men asked him.

Thousands of soldiers were currently marching toward the City of Akash. Along the way, they encountered several scouts from the Empire, who were quickly dealt with by Anandra and his men.

Even Magaras’ men knew how foolish it was to attack the City of Akash the moment they stepped foot on the Western Front. It was only a day away from Yorkshaire. If they failed to capture this city within that timeframe, they would find themselves surrounded by enemies at all sides. It was basically suicide.

Magaras grinned. “Don’t be stupid. Are you afraid of mere dogs from the Empire?”

“O-Of course not!” His men replied indignantly, with fear in their eyes.

“Hahaha! That’s right!” Magaras chuckled. “But aren’t you guys curious why that kid ordered the entire army to charge toward Akash the moment we set foot in this land?”

To be honest, they were all curious why. But no matter how much they thought about it, it did not make sense in the slightest. Sieges normally took months, and even the fastest ones took several days.

They would probably just poke their hands into the hornets’ nest then back away once the swarm came. And they were not the only ones thinking this. Most of the soldiers were questioning the sanity of the upcoming clash.

Soon, their target came into view.

The City of Akash was small, probably around half of Lion City, but the height of its walls was comparable to those of the City of Magic’s.

They had not even stepped outside the nearby forest when the watchtower of the city rang its bell. The soldiers stationed outside returned to the city and shut the gates. And as though they’d practiced it thousands of times before, numerous archers positioned themselves on top of the walls and nocked their arrows.

“Sons of bitches,” Magaras cursed, but his eyes were glimmering with delight upon seeing the sight. “If a small city’s like this, then I can’t even imagine how we’ll be able to capture that damnable Yorkshaire.”

Magaras looked in front, where Lark Marcus was. Peculiarly, despite his young age, their commander was calm, as though he was taking a walk in the garden of his mansion. He gave out directives every now and then, and the soldiers moved according to his commands.

And the command to charge forward rang out.

Magaras was stunned upon seeing the entire army charging toward the walled city just like that. At first, he expected some kind of genius strategy. But after seeing this sea of soldiers charging toward their target like some mindless mob, Magaras could not help sigh.

“Seriously, this kid.” Magaras shook his head. He was also running forward, he and his men were positioned right at the middle of the charging army. “Trying to take over that city using numbers, huh?”

Magaras was disappointed. He had expected more, especially after hearing the previous feats of Lark Marcus and after meeting him in person. But this tactic—it was something even Magaras was capable of pulling off.

“Blackstone Knights!” roared Lark Marcus. “Charge!”

Magaras’ eyes widened when a group of soldiers wearing full plate armor charged toward the gate with no regard for their lives. There were over a hundred of them, and each of them dashed forward without hesitation, their armor shining upon the touch of light.

The bells in the city continued to clang. The archers stationed on the battlements released their arrows and the volley rained down from the sky. And as expected, the armor of the knights easily repelled them. They continued charging forward with a single-minded focus of destroying the gates.

When the enemies noticed that arrows were useless, they started loading the catapults and fired. Small boulders rained down and struck the charging knights.

“W-Wha… What?” A gasp escaped Magaras’ lips.

The boulders clearly hit their targets, but to his surprise and horror, the so-called Blackstone Knights simply took the blow. Some were sent flying, their armors deeply dented by the impact. There were even those who had their arms and legs crushed. But as though getting hit was a trivial matter, they groaned and stood up, then resumed their charge.

Magaras was sure that even their enemies were stupefied by this sight, as they started shooting more boulders at the charging knights. Some of the knights must have gotten used to this pattern of attack, as they started zigzagging and evading the falling boulders.

Magaras could hear the archers on top of the walls shouting in fright.

Soon, the Blackstone Knights reached the gates. They started boring holes through it with their punches, as though it was made of parchment, before ripping it apart with brute force.

The Blackstone Knights poured into the city in droves and began massacring the Empire’s soldiers. Even from a distance, Magaras could hear the screams and smell the thick scent of blood.

Magaras shivered.

So, this was the reason why the kid was so confident about sending the entire army forward. They haven’t suffered many casualties yet, but they’ve already managed to breach the city’s defenses. He even started seeing several Blackstone Knights on top of the walls, killing the archers one after another.

It was a one-sided massacre. Everything was being handed to them on a platter.

“Ha… Ha… Hahaha!” Magaras laughed as he savored the sight. “See that, boys? All of those soldiers are our prey! What are you dallying for? Charge! We can’t be too late for the party, right?”

With the archers taken care of, the rest of the Third Army entered the city and clashed with the Empire’s soldiers. But with the momentum and number on their side, the Third Army easily dealt with the resistance.

Within just a few hours after the battle, the Third Army managed to capture the City of Akash.

And Magaras received his heart’s desires.

“Magaras,” Lark Marcus said, “this man is the leader of the soldiers of this city. You know what to do, right?”

A man was kneeling in front of Lark Marcus, his hands and legs tied to his back. The man must have resisted until the very end, since his entire body was filled with cuts and bruises. His entire face was swollen, making it impossible to see what he originally looked like. Still, the man’s eyes were shining with a dangerous light.

The perfect prey. Magaras would love to see those rebellious eyes succumb to fear and despair.

“Of course, My Lord.” This time, Magaras bowed his head low. He was satisfied with the feat Lark Marcus had shown.

He finally understood everything, the reason why Lark disregarded any form of tactic. With such prowess, the best strategy was to bore through Akash’s defenses with mere brute strength.

“Repair the broken gate! Fortify the walls! Raise the Kingdom’s flag!” Lark shouted his orders. “For this war, we’ll make this city our main camp!”

CHAPTER 7

After taking over the City of Akash, Lark immediately ordered the Blackstone Knights to dig a wide trench around the city, particularly deeper at the place where the gate was situated. A wooden drawbridge was also being made, which could be easily pulled back during a siege.

Lark had finished inspecting the walls and judged them to be adequate enough to fend off attacks from a regular army. Fortifying it even further would take too much time, so he decided to just focus on creating magic towers to help them suppress their enemies from a distance.

“Sir, the blocks have been transferred to the fifth area. The other items you’ve requested have already been prepared.”

Lark nodded after hearing his subordinate’s report. He went to the fifth area—an area located at the middle of the city—and started supervising the magic tower creation himself. Wood, iron and stones were being transported left and right as numerous soldiers and workers moved about.

Unlike the towers he made in Lion City, this one was taller and larger. Instead of stones as supporting pillar, the base was going to be made with iron. It would probably take more than a week to finish this thing, but this magic tower was an absolute must for them to defend against the enemies surrounding them at all sides. The magic tower would also prove useful later on, the moment they decide to launch an all-out offensive against the Empire.

Lark decided to transform the City of Akash into a fortress. The rallying point for the Kingdom’s army.

“Let go, bastard!”

While supervising the creation of the tower, a commotion broke out nearby. Several defeated soldiers, their hands cuffed and their bodies battered, were being dragged by the Third Army toward the dungeons of the Lord’s Castle, where hundreds of defeated soldiers were currently being held.

“Damn barbarians! Don’t you know who I am? I’m a captain of the—”

“—Shut the fuck up!” One of the soldiers kicked the defeated soldier in the stomach, effectively making him shut his mouth. He saw that their commander, Lark Marcus, was nearby and staring at their direction. He bowed his head in apology before dragging away the rest of the captives.

Anandra, who had been standing quietly next to Lark, spoke, “My Lord, what do you plan to do with the captured soldiers?”

Lark had been deliberating what to do with them for now. Surprisingly, the number of soldiers who surrendered was high. Thus, there were currently over five hundred soldiers locked up underground.

“Half a piece of bread per day, five sips of water. Give them just the bare minimum to survive. They will be useful later on for negotiations with the Empire.”

Living under such a state for weeks would surely sap the strength of anyone, even trained knights. There was no shackle more effective than that for these captives. As for those capable of magic, and the very few knights they encountered, Lark decided to kill them right away.

Lark did not want to risk even a very slim chance of a break out.

He called out the leader of the supplies team. For some reason, she was nearby and immediately answered his summons. He inquired about the storage room located in the basement of the Lord’s Castle, right next to the dungeon.

“Commander,” she said, holding a stack of documents in her hand, “we haven’t finished combing through the entire storage room, but based on what we’ve seen, there should be enough food stocked in there to last us one additional week.”

“Good work.”

It was good news. With this, they’d have more leeway in their plans. But there was also the First, Marcus, and Yorkshaire Army to take into consideration. If those three armies gathered here in this city, their current supply wouldn’t even last them a month. Hopefully, the Baron and the other commanders had managed to secure enough rations for their own armies.

Now that he thought about it, he had been unable to contact the Baron. He was still able to send telepathic messages, so the artifact should be working fine. The only possible conclusion was that the Baron was currently in a situation where he was unable to use any magic, or use the artifact for some reason. Had he lost consciousness? Or worst-case scenario, was he dead?

Unfortunately, Lark had no way of finding out.

A voice broke Lark out of his thoughts.

“Is that… a magic tower?”

The leader of the supplies team asked, her voice filled with curiosity. Her eyes were gawking at the sight, as though this was the first time she had seen several men working to construct a building.

“You have keen eyes.” Lark looked at her suspiciously. “I haven’t told anyone yet what we’re making. How did you know that it’s a magic tower?”

She was clearly flustered upon hearing the question. With stuttering voice, she replied, “I-I’ve seen the towers at Lion City! T-They look really… similar. So I assumed that we’re building those same things here, Sir.”

There were several differences, but it did look similar to the towers constructed in Lion City. Lark decided to accept her reasoning for now. But just to be sure, he would let the two assistant leaders of the supplies team continue to keep an eye on her.

Lark could not feel any hostility and malicious intent toward her, and she was very capable of managing the supplies, but she was arousing his suspicion. If needed, Lark would strip her of her position in a heartbeat. But for now, he needed her skills. There was a limit on what he could do on his own, after all.

“That’s right. It’s a magic tower,” Lark admitted.

The woman’s eyes widened for a moment.

“Tell me, what do you know about them? I heard that aside from the City of Magic, no other place has been able to develop them,” said Lark.

The woman’s face turned serious. “I read about them back when I was still a student.”

“Oh, you’ve studied in an academy before?” said Lark.

“Yes.” She nodded. “Based on the books, magic towers are relics of the past era. From an Empire more than a thousand years ago. An Empire capable of turning the entire continent upside-down. An Empire of Magic capable of waging war with dragons. But the Cataclysm happened, followed by the Descent, leaving the entire continent devastated in its wake. Even the Magic Empire was unable to survive the two calamities that befell this land. Unfortunately, the towers and the method of creating them was lost along with the fall of the Empire.”

Lark suppressed an incredulous look from showing on his face. He had not expected to hear something which he failed to find in the library in Lion City.

“If it’s been lost, then how did Wizzert City manage to create those things?”

The woman shrugged, as though it was none of her concern. “I don’t know.”

Silence fell for several seconds.

Lark looked up to the sky. It was almost dusk. He still had a lot of things he wanted to do and prioritize, but he decided they could probably wait for a few hours. He really wanted to know more. To know what happened to the Empire he served, in his previous life.

“This Cataclysm and Descent you spoke of,” he said. “can you tell me more about them? In detail?”

***

[Yorkshaire City]

Inside his room in the Lord’s Castle, General Rizel received the report of the appearance of a large army crossing over Tagana River, just before the Highland Plains. Based on the report, the army was almost twenty thousand strong.

“A legion.” He frowned. “And just right when that damn old man went missing too.”

It had been more than a week since General Alvaren chased after an army at the northwest of the Kingdom, and General Rizel hadn’t heard from him since then. Judging by the old man’s personality, it would take some time before he came back. Not until he had hunted down his pitiable prey.

“What about the scouts?” he asked.

The soldier shook his head. “We’ve lost contact with them, sir.”

General Rizel tapped his finger on the table. He looked at the map spread before him. This map was the culmination of all the intelligence they had gathered from the Kingdom, and it should be the most accurate map they could currently find. Based on the map, it should have been impossible to reach Highland Plains without alerting the tight net they’d spread around the nearby cities in the west.

Surely, the scouts should have reported sightings of the enemies before they even reached Napam Hills. Even if the scouts had been killed, the commander of the small army stationed there had a way of contacting the nearby armies using the sigil.

But there’s not even a single message.

General Rizel could not help but arrive at a single conclusion: Their enemies had a way of bypassing the sentries they’d placed all over the region.

“The flag?”

“We believe it’s an army from the capital, sir.”

General Rizel leaned back on his chair. Finally, the capital had sent out their forces. He had been expecting them to be at least forty thousand strong, just like what was stated in the reports from spies in the Capital. But for some reason, only a little less than twenty thousand had come to take back Yorkshaire from the Empire.

“Arrogant little pricks.” He grinned.

Living this long, he’d always abided by the same rule: Crush the enemy with your entire might. There was no need to hold back. A moment of carelessness would only come and bite you in the neck afterwards. This was how he’d managed to live this long, despite the constant strife in the Empire.

As he was constructing stratagems on how to deal with the unknown forces, three loud knocks were heard at the door. And, without waiting for the General to give his consent to come in, the man entered the room.

His entire face was covered with sweat as he huffed, as though he had ran all the way from the gate of the city. General Rizel would have reprimanded him under normal circumstances, but he could see the agitation in the man’s eyes. He decided to listen for now.

“What is it?” said the General, a bit annoyed that someone barged into his room just like that. If this man started spouting useless crap, he decided to behead him on the spot.

“General! T-The City of Akash…” the soldier huffed, “the city of Akash fell to the enemies’ hands! We’ve received reports that the flag of the Kingdom is currently flying above its walls right now!”

General Rizel abruptly stood up from his seat. “What?”

It shouldn’t have been even a full day since their enemies were sighted near Highland Plains. Although it was near the City of Akash, it should have been impossible to capture a walled city in the span of several hours.

Just what the hell was going on?

“Get me my horse.”

The soldiers in the room looked at him quizzically for a moment, before one of them saluted and responded with a yes.

General Rizel decided to see the state of Akash and gauge the strength of his enemies. Capturing a walled city in just a day was no simple feat. He did not survive this long in an age stricken with warfare by simply sitting in his room and awaiting his subordinates’ reports.

Surely, a veteran like him would see things his scouts were unable to.

He went out of the castle, rode his mount, and went toward the gates. Five knights and seven scouts accompanied him. The soldiers guarding the gate saluted the moment they saw him.

“Open the gates. Be on guard. Fortify our defenses. I’m going out for a bit.”

Although the soldiers were hesitant, they felt uncomfortable in letting the General leave the city with only a handful of guards, they complied. Three layers of metal gate were opened and the drawbridge was unfolded over the ravine.

General Rizel disabled his magic and the white fog enclosing the entire city dissipated, revealing the dark skies above and the bottomless ravine below them.

Without another word, the General slapped the reigns and his horse sped up, his guards closely following behind. Their group pushed their mounts to the limit, not bothering to stop to recuperate. As a result, by dawn, they’d already reached the City of Akash.

“What the hell is that?” one of his knights mumbled.

They were looking at the City of Akash from a safe distance. Dozens of soldiers, clad in full plate armor, were digging, creating trenches around the walls. Hundreds of soldiers in leather armor were also helping with the manual labor, but it was apparent that most of the heavy work was being done by the ones in plate armor. The sight was surreal, since knights were never tasked with menial tasks in the Empire.

General Rizel squinted. He saw the wooden gates being fortified with metal plates. A small bridge was also being constructed, probably similar to the one used in Yorkshaire.

“After capturing the city, the first thing their commander does is transform the city into a fortress?” said the General. “Interesting. Not all Lukasians are incompetent imbeciles, eh?”

It was a decent move, since this battle could potentially drag on for months, if not years. Having a fortress to retreat to would prove crucial to the battles later on.

As they continued to spy on their enemies, General Rizel felt that something was not right. It was not the archers stationed on the walls, the ballistae erected on the battlements, nor was it the gates being fortified with iron.

The knights.

Those soldiers wearing full plate armor.

A normal knight would probably fail to notice it, but Rizel could see that their movements were crude, as though there was something limiting their every move. They were not moving like a normal human should.

Furthermore, it did not make sense that those guys would dig the ground while wearing full plate armor. Something was definitely eerie, but the General was unable to pinpoint it. It felt like they weren’t human.

The General shook off his thoughts. This place was enemy territory. He decided to think about these things once he was back to safety.

Having decided that they’d stayed here long enough, General Rizel decided to go back to Yorkshaire and formulate a plan to destroy his enemies.

He had just mounted his horse when a volley of arrows rained toward them.

On reflex, he pulled out his sword and parried the arrows. His five knights did the same, successfully blocking each attack. Unfortunately, three of his seven scouts were shot dead from that initial strike. The remaining four were wounded, with several arrows sticking out of their bodies.

General Rizel did not hesitate to abandon them. Along with his five knights, he rode through the forest nearby. But to his dismay, dozens of enemies were already waiting there. Arrows flew everywhere as they tried to escape the encirclement.

As though the enemies knew exactly where they were, ambushers would pop up in the forest every now and then. Luckily, all of his guards were skilled and easily evaded the attacks just like him.

“Annoying flies.” The old General was finally fed up.

If they wouldn’t allow him to escape this forest, then he’d just butcher them all.

Thick white fog started forming around them and quickly spread through the entire forest. General Rizel felt the presence of everyone the fog touched.

Eighty-five people.

“Eighty-five of them,” he said to his knights. “Small fries. All of them. There are just over twenty of them waiting over there right now. You know what to do, right?”

His knights dismounted and unsheathed their swords. They nodded. “Of course, My Lord.”

The General grinned. “Let’s leave a nice little present for them.”

He dismounted and took out his sword. His body faded away and disappeared into the fog.

CHAPTER 8

The fog he had spread throughout the entire forest served as General Rizel’s eyes and limbs. He could see and feel the presence of everyone clearly, as though he was standing right next to them. Eighty-five people.

It was not a bad number, considering the fact that he only brought five knights with him. But these greenhorns gravely miscalculated one thing. They probably didn’t expect that one of the two generals himself would come here to observe the captured city.

Ambushes would prove useless against him, even if these people multiplied their numbers several times.

His five knights moved to where a large group of ambushers waited and started massacring them one by one.

General Rizel decided on his first prey. A group of ten soldiers hiding in the thickets. A wisp of smoke manifested itself before them, slowly assuming the figure of an old man with a missing arm. Just this alone was enough for the soldiers to realize who the person standing before them was.

The Ghost of the Empire.

One of the two commanders of the Empire in this war. General Rizel.

“S-Shit!” one of the soldiers cursed. His legs started to wobble.

The old man greeted them by sending the head of the soldier flying in an instant. His headless body knelt down and kissed the ground. Seeing this, the rest of his comrades screamed. They all took out their swords and bows, pointing them at the enemy.

It should have been obvious. They’ve been trying to ambush an old man with a missing arm. Why didn’t the thought that it could be General Rizel come to mind?

“Little pups.” The old man grinned. “Who’s the commander of this army?”

General Rizel waited for a few seconds and after receiving no answer, his sword flickered and another soldier’s head was cut. Blood spurted out of the headless corpse. The head hit and rolled on the ground. All color drained from the faces of the rest of the soldiers. They couldn’t move a single muscle out of fear. The old man was smaller than them, but the pressure he emitted made them hold their breath.

“How did you guys capture Akash City in just a single day?”

Another question came.

No one answered and another soldier’s head was sent flying.

With the fog covering the entire forest, the General could tell that his knights were almost done killing the large group of ambushers nearby.

He sighed.

“Too hasty.” He clicked his tongue. “They should at least interrogate these guys before killing them, right?”

He knew that at this rate, his enemies would run out before he managed to wring them dry of any useful information.

General Rizel looked at the soldiers frozen before him. He flashed his kindest smile, which was utterly spine-chilling in the eyes of the Kingdom’s soldiers.

“Look, I’m a benevolent man,” he declared. “I’ll spare those of you who answers my question. Fair deal, right?”

The soldiers’ teeth chattered upon hearing those words. It felt like the devil making a deal with mortals, and they did not even have the option of refusing the offer.

“D-Damn… Damn you!”

One of the soldiers forced his body to move despite his fear and charged recklessly at the General. Seeing this, two more of them pounced forward. To their horror, their swords simply passed through the General’s body, as though everything was made of wisp and smoke. The old man did not even bother to evade their attacks as he simply stood there with an amused smile.

“So young.” The General clicked his tongue. “So foolish.”

His sword blurred and three heads were sent flying at the same time.

“Nooo!” A woman’s voice—an archer—rang out. She nocked her arrows and fired multiple times. But just like before, the arrows simply passed through the body of the General, doing no harm.

By this time, General Rizel was close to being fed up. These guys couldn’t even answer a simple question. Maybe, he should just move on to the next group.

He shot toward the female archer as a wisp of smoke, then materialized right before her. He grabbed her head with his hand and lifted her up effortlessly. The woman made muffled screams as she flailed her legs and tried kicking the ethereal body.

Engorged veins started appearing on the woman’s entire body and her entire skin became discolored into black and purple. Her limbs started to wrinkle and shrink, as though all the fluids in her body had been sucked dry in an instant. After several seconds, the woman stopped moving and the General tossed her to the side like some useless rag.

“I’ll ask one last time.” The General was obviously fed up. “Who is the commander of this army?”

The remaining soldiers were horrified by what they saw. The woman was now a dried-up corpse.

One of them swallowed dry spit and stuttered, “L-Lark Marcus! Lark Marcus is the Commander of the Third Army!”

The General’s eyes glimmered for a moment. “Lark Marcus? Third Army?”

Another soldier, now desperate for survival, added, “The second son of Duke Drakus. King Alvis divided the reinforcements from the capital into three large armies. The Second Army is currently being led by Commander Arzen of the Boris House to retake the City of Yan. As for the First Army… we don’t know their whereabouts!”

These were things already known by the General, but hearing it directly from the enemies’ mouth confirmed the intel of their spies. Immediately, General Rizel put together the information he’d gathered.

“So that’s why fewer than twenty thousand showed up,” he mumbled. “I see.”

The Second Army was currently in a deadlock with the Empire’s forces in Yan City. The First Army, on the other hand, was currently being hunted down by General Alvaren. The only variable remaining was this army that took over Akash in a single day.

“Lark Marcus…” The General’s voice trailed off. “Interesting. Now, tell me. How did you capture this city?”

The remaining soldiers looked at each other. They all knew that if they kept their mouths shut here, they would meet the same fate as the others. Just looking at the dried-up corpse of the archer made them lose all will to resist the old man.

“T-The Blackstone Knights!”

“T-That’s right. Those knights. They’re not normal!”

“They… They tore through the city gates like it was made of parchment!”

Blackstone Knights.

General Rizel hadn’t heard of them before. If such a powerful force really did exist in the Kingdom, he would have heard of them long ago. Had the Kingdom been suppressing information about such a powerful force? For a moment, he wondered who was stronger. The Magic Knights or these so-called Blackstone Knights?

Looking at the trembling soldiers before him, it seemed that he would be unable to squeeze any more useful information out of them. He was getting tired of looking at those pathetic faces too. He decided to slaughter them and move on to the next group. Maybe he would encounter a higher-ranking soldier he could take as captive and torture for information once he returned to Yorkshaire City.

Without muttering another word, the General’s hand blurred and the heads of the remaining soldiers flew out. The stench of blood permeated the air as General Rizel looked at the direction of his next prey. With the white fog covering the entire forest, he could feel the presence of all living creatures inside.

Someone had just entered the forest along with several others.

“A strong one.” The General’s eyes turned predatory. “Over there.”

His body turned into smoke and moved through the sea of trees at a frightening speed. He soon reached his target. A man almost two meters tall with golden hair. Beside the man were five other soldiers which, just from a single look, were obviously common soldiers.

To General Rizel’s surprise, the man with golden hair noticed him approaching even from a distance. Still, it did not matter. General Rizel continued moving in his ethereal body with tremendous speed. Upon reaching his target, he unsheathed his sword and made the first strike.

Out of six people, only the man with golden hair was able to react. He parried the first strike with his sword then dodged the next attack by sidestepping to the left. With killing intent, he countered with his sword but cut nothing but smoke.

The exchange happened in mere seconds. By now, the rest of the soldiers realized they were under attack and pulled out their weapons.

A smoke which resembled a human continued floating in front of the group. The topmost portion of the smoke started assuming the face of an old man with a large scar across his face. Slowly, the rest of the smoke formed the old man’s body.

One of the soldiers immediately recognized his identity.

“G-General Rizel?”

The other soldiers stiffened upon hearing this. They had not expected to see one of the two commanders of the Empire. Seeing the man’s face, along with his missing arm and his ghost-like state, the rest of the soldiers did not doubt the man’s identity in the slightest. They realized how fitting the name ‘Ghost of the Empire’ was.

“So you’re General Rizel,” the man with golden hair, Anandra, said. “Perfect. To think that one of the bigshots came to us himself.”

Anandra took out a small pouch from his pocket, channeled mana into it, and threw it into the air. It flew up and went past the fog, before making a small but colorful explosion in the sky. Several seconds after, the General felt a number of presences enter the fog, each of them heading straight to him.

“Reinforcements?” General Rizel was disappointed. “How useless.”

He could hardly feel the flow of mana within the bodies of those who entered the forest just now. Although there were several dozens of them, none of them were magicians. Humans incapable of magic would never hurt his body. Even if thousands upon thousands of non-magicians came, it would be impossible for them to incapacitate him.

General Rizel studied the man before him. Judging by his quick reflexes and the way he used the sword, he was definitely a warrior—a knight, probably. The General could feel the mana oozing out of the man’s body, but for some reason, none of it flowed through his sword. It was simply enhancing his physical body, nothing more.

“Lark Marcus… I heard from our intel that he’s a brat.” The General continued the stare down. The man in front of him was definitely not the Commander of the Third Army. “Who are you?”

Instead of replying, Anandra shot toward General Rizel and released a barrage of attacks. At first, the General tried to dodge, but after realizing that the man’s sword was not clad with mana, he remained still and simply took each strike.

Anandra’s sword passed through the General’s body, like how one’s hand would temporarily cut through smoke. Despite seeing that his attacks were not doing any damage, Anandra still continued attacking with a single-minded focus.

“Pathetic,” the General said. “I was expecting a lot, but it seemed that you do not even know how to use sword aura. How disappointing.”

Despite the mockery, Anandra did not stop.

He increased the pace of his attack to the point that General Rizel’s phase-shifting into smoke was unable to catch up. Small cuts started appearing on General Rizel’s body. Upon seeing this, General Rizel immediately leapt back and started parrying the attacks.

Seeing that the General was finally taking him seriously, a small grin formed on Anandra’s lips. He channeled more mana into his body, putting it into overclock, and increased the speed of his attacks even further.

“As I thought,” said Anandra, as he incessantly released numerous strikes each second. “There’s no way you’re invincible. You’re not God, General.”

General Rizel clicked his tongue. Anandra was attacking his body within the split second he appeared from the fog every now and then. During that time, his ethereal body becomes material and he is vulnerable to attack. Though it lasted for a fraction of a second, the man with golden hair did not miss it.

General Rizel, not wanting to risk receiving numerous blows, blended himself with the fog. He vanished from sight and only his voice remained. Becoming the fog itself was the safest way to deal with this man before him.

“I’ve fought with numerous fighters from the Leonard School and against those who used the martial arts of the savages. You’re clearly not from them. How should I say it? Your movements… They’re skilled but crude.”

Thankfully, the man with golden hair did not know how to use sword aura. Otherwise, it would have been a difficult fight. General Rizel did not voice these thoughts out loud.

“You remind me of General Alvaren in his younger days.”

General Rizel appeared out of the fog and grabbed the head of the one of the soldiers who came with Anandra. He gripped the man’s neck and like drought, turned him into a dry, lifeless corpse in mere seconds. The other soldiers tried attacking him, but their weapons simply passed through the old man’s body.

“M-Monster!”

“Damn it, kill him! Attack the old man!”

The small cuts on the old man’s body started to visibly heal after sucking his target dry.

“Annoying flies.” His hand blurred and four heads flew into the hair, blood spurting out of their headless bodies like fountain.

Now, only he and Anandra remained.

The General was about to wrap things up, knock Anandra unconscious and take him back to their stronghold for interrogation when he realized that the presences that had entered the forest were finally nearby.

From the fog, nine soldiers wearing full plate armor emerged. And based on the fog, dozens more were coming this way. General Rizel remembered the words spouted by his previous targets. The reason they managed to conquer a walled city in a single day.

The Blackstone Knights.

Anandra looked relieved upon seeing his reinforcements. He ordered, “That man is the enemy General! Kill him!”

The knights grunted then let out a ferocious roar akin to those of a beast and started uprooting the trees next to them. General Rizel’s eyes widened in an instant. He stared dumbfounded at the display of brute force before him.

Right now, nine armored knights were trying to uproot the trees around them. It was gradual, but the trees were clearly moving up from the ground with each second. The ground rumbled.

What were they trying to do?

And as though answering that question, the first knight to have uprooted a tree swung it toward the General. The force was so great that the knight’s feet creaked and dented, and his chest hugging the trunk slightly caved in.

The tree struck the ground, creating a cloud of dust upon impact. General Rizel easily moved to the side and evaded the attack.

Useless. All they were doing was send clouds of dust flying about. The knight seemed enraged that the General evaded his strike. He lifted the tree up slowly, then swung it again, this time toward the side, sweeping toward the direction of the General.

General Rizel vanished and reappeared several steps away from the point of impact. And the moment he did, another tree shot toward him. It seemed that a few other knights had also managed to uproot trees on their own, without caring about damaging their bodies or armor.

Annoyed at their stupid tactic, General Rizel turned into smoke and shot toward one of the Knights. He reappeared before it and grabbed its head. He started sucking its body dry—he tried. But for some reason, his magic did not work on the damn bastards.

Without waiting for the General to assess the reason why his magic did not work, the knight slammed the tree he was holding toward General Rizel. This time, the General—still wondering why his magic did not work—was caught off guard and missed the timing of his phase shift. The tree struck his body for a mere fraction of a second before it fully transformed into smoke, but it was enough to send the General flying and rolling on the ground several times.

Anandra did not miss this chance. Before the General could even stand up, he shot toward him in an instant. He aimed for the neck, but General Rizel instinctively parried the attack, before turning into smoke and fog.

By this time, more enemy knights started to arrive.

The battlefield had become a lot more dangerous for him.

Seeing this, General Rizel did not hesitate to retreat. It was one against many. And to make things worse, his magic did not work against the knights clad in plate armor.

Without muttering a single word, General Rizel blended perfectly with the fog and shot toward the place where his five knights were. As expected of the men he’d handpicked, none of them were gravely wounded. It was also apparent based on the bloodstains on their armors that they’d massacred all the enemies they’d encountered.

“We’re leaving,” he said. Only half his face was visible, while the rest of his body swayed back and forth as smoke.

The five knights stared at him in bewilderment upon seeing their General’s face.

“General… What happened?”

A cut was visible on the General’s forehead. It was not deep, but it was there. They’d served the Ghost of the Empire for several years, and they could count on one hand the number of times someone actually managed to inflict injury on him.

“A simple blunder on my part.” The General’s body fully manifested itself from the fog. “We’ve gathered enough information here. We’re going back.”

Although the knights were still curious about who managed to injure the monster of the old era, they decided to shut their mouths for now. They located their horses and untethered them from the trees. With the fog still shrouding the area, they left quietly for Yorkshaire City.

CHAPTER 9

Inside his room, Lark received Anandra’s report. He frowned, dismayed at the fact that he failed to immediately notice the undulations of mana from the nearby forest during the fight. He would have noticed it under normal circumstances, but his talk with the leader of the supply team regarding the fall of the Magic Empire made him too preoccupied with his thoughts. By the time he arrived at the scene, General Rizel and his men had already fled the area.

“It was a blunder on my part, My Lord.” Anandra bowed his head low. “The enemy General was right before me, but I let him escape right under my nose. I will accept my due punishment.”

Lark tossed a small vial to him and Anandra caught it. “Drink it. You look like a mess.”

Anandra stared at the vial in his hand. Clear, reddish fluid sloshed inside. It was the same middle-grade healing potion Big Mona was selling in Lion City at an exorbitant price. Without knowing the item’s worth, Anandra gulped it down. He blinked several times after noticing that his body felt lighter somewhat.

“Siphon magic.” Lark read the documents in his hands, not bothering to look up as he talked. “Probably that old man’s fog. It’s negligible, but that fog is certainly capable of sucking away a person’s life force.”

Lark surmised that this was probably the same reason why his surveillance bird instantly dropped dead and cut all communication after touching the fog. Such magic was way too dangerous, but it showed how proficient the General was. If left unchecked, the fog would have killed even his allies in a matter of weeks.

“Gather all the soldiers who went to battle with you. Those who touched the fog, in particular.” Lark finally stopped flipping through the documents. He looked at Anandra. “They’ll need to be treated, otherwise they’ll fall into coma after a week or two when a significant amount of their life force has leaked out.”

Hearing this, Anandra shuddered. He realized that even though he managed to come out of his battle with the General alive, he would probably have died several weeks after their bout. And the terrifying part was that no herb meant to cure poison would heal him, since the fog magic targeted the person’s life force itself.

What a terrifyingly insidious skill.

“I will immediately gather the soldiers,” said Anandra. He paused then added, “As for my punishment—”

“—There’s no punishment,” Lark said, a little bit annoyed at the man’s sense of responsibility. “I will personally see those soldiers later. Go.”

Anandra closed his eyes and bowed his head. “As you wish, My Lord.”

After Anandra left the room, Lark walked toward the suit of armor standing motionless next to the wall. He ordered for one of the suits of armor who participated in the battle with the Ghost of the Empire to come for inspection.

“Interesting,” Lark mumbled as he scrutinized the metallic soldier.

There were dents here and there, probably due to swinging a medium-sized tree around, but aside from that, there was no other noticeable damage. Most importantly, this Blackstone Knight was still alive. The essence of the monster he attached to the living armor was still intact, fully anchored to the five vital points of its shell.

It was too early to come to conclusions, but in this initial encounter, it seemed that the Ghost of the Empire was unable to siphon the Blackstone Knights’ life force.

If this was indeed true, then these guys would prove crucial in defeating their enemies in the upcoming clashes.

“Good work,” he said to the Blackstone Knight.

He touched its metallic chest and channeled mana into its body. Slowly, it reverted to its former glory. Its silver luster was back and the dents and scratches were gone.

The Blackstone Knight groaned. Its eyes flickered several times inside its helmet.

Lark chuckled. “You like it, huh?”

The Blackstone Knight nodded, almost humanlike.

Lark tapped its shoulder twice. “Go back to your post. We need to finish the moats before the end of this month.”

The Blackstone Knight grunted and opened the door with surprising precision. It went out of the room and shut the door.

A few minutes of silence fell. Lark sat on his chair and sighed, his mind filled with various thoughts. The short skirmish a while ago. The sudden loss of communication with the Baron. The revelation by the leader of the supply team last night.

Lark cast his spell and an illusion manifested before him. It was the image of Lark and the red-haired woman. They were sitting opposite each other on the couch, with refreshments on the table before them.

The woman, her eyes bright like a curious child, spoke. “You say you want to know more about the Cataclysm?”

The image of Lark nodded. “And the Descent. The two catastrophes that befell the Magic Empire. I want to hear everything you know about them.”

The woman lightly tilted her head to the side. “I don’t know why the commander is interested in something that happened a millennium ago.” She breathed deeply. “But alright.”

To Lark’s surprise, the woman did not conceal the fact that she was capable of magic. She chanted her spell and a melon-sized sphere made of water started forming in front of them, with five smaller spheres orbiting around it.

“All my knowledge about what transpired a thousand years ago came from a book, and that thing’s severely lacking, with several pages missing, so I’m not sure about the accuracy of the story,” she said. “But the records of the Grand Historian, Gustav Chavalion, corroborates some of the findings.”

She started her story.

“The Cataclysm. An event that happened over a thousand years ago. In an age where magic was at its peak and the humans were capable of waging war with the dragons.”

Lark reminisced after hearing this. He remembered the time when he was still living in the Magic Empire. He repeatedly declined the offer of becoming one of its Royal Court Magicians, since he did not want to be tied up to any country or state. He had been daring back then, doing everything and anything his mind decided to. He taught his disciples forbidden spells. Raised pets other people classified as monsters. His foolish self even went as far as searching for the way to immortality. But he had no regrets. It had been a satisfying life filled with adventures, after all.

The largest orb before them slowly spun, while the five smaller ones orbited around it.

“Look closely. This is our world, and the five orbs orbiting around it are Ranys, Aetera, Ilum, Rangiris, and Yuna. The five moons that illuminated the night back in the Magic Era,” she said. “Every ten thousand years, the planets align and this opens a direct path to the Void Realm.”

A vortex made of water magic appeared right next to the orbs and started sucking away the smaller ones. One after another, the smaller orbs burst into non-existence, until only two of them were left.

Lark remembered the first few days when he first arrived in this timeline. The twin crimson moons above. So, those two were the only ones who managed to survive.

“The planetary alignment lasted only a single day, but the opened path to the Void Realm did not close until a month later.”

Lark immediately understood the implications of this statement. He realized the grim aftereffects of this planetary alignment.

“Then… The mana,” said Lark.

The red-haired woman bobbed her head. “That’s right. For one month, during the time the path to the Void Realm was open, the mana from the dragon vein below was continuously sucked away into the Void Realm. One month was more than enough to suck the mana in this world dry.”

Lark suppressed a sigh from leaking out. He was starting to see the reason why the mighty Magic Empire crumbled.

“Of course, given enough time, the dragon vein below would have eventually recovered. A hundred years at most and the mana in this world would have reverted to its normal state.”

“But this Descent you spoke of befell the land,” surmised Lark.

The woman sighed. “That’s right. Such a shame, isn’t it? A simple relic like the magic tower is enough to overturn the tides of war. I’m pretty sure that it’s just one of the many artifacts the Magic Empire have in their possession.”

She shook her head, as though it was the most regretful thing in the world. “But of course, the demons took advantage of the Magic Empire’s plight.”

The sphere representing the world started forming a hexagon, a representation of the demons’ magic cores.

“The demons, unlike humans, are capable of storing vast amounts of mana inside their bodies through their cores. With the ambient mana gone and the magicians incapable of casting most of their spells, the demon race launched an all-out attack against the Magic Empire.”

Lark’s pupils shook. The demons’ lifespan was far longer than humans, and some of the stronger ones could live for more than half a millennium. The Demon Lords he’d fought back in his prime would have been still alive during that time, 1100 years ago.

Lark knew that it would be impossible to kill them without using any of the forbidden spells. A magician without his magic was nothing but a farmer with a sickle.

“The records said that despite losing their magic, the Magic Empire resisted with all its might. The five Royal Court Magicians offered their lives to summon Elementals and drove the demons back.”

Lark clenched his fists. Among the Royal Court Magicians, two were his close friends. If it’s them, they would definitely have sacrificed their lives to save the Magic Empire. Lark was sure of it.

“And when the Elementals were defeated, the savages valiantly fought until the last man.”

The last part took Lark by surprise.

The savages.

The non-magicians scorned and shunned by the Magic Empire due to their inability to wield magic. He had not expected that the so-called barbarians would come to their aid and help drive the demons back. Lark had a somewhat friendly relationship with them, and they even went as far as teaching him their combat techniques which formed the foundation of Lark’s hand-to-hand technique until this day. Hearing of the tribe’s demise squeezed his heart.

“Hey, are you alright?” The woman’s question jolted Lark out of his trance.

Lark reprimanded himself for showing his sentimental side to this woman.

“Of course,” he replied as calmly as possible.

The story of the red-haired woman continued, and as expected, the story ended with the collapse of the Magic Empire. Fortunately, the war with the Magic Empire also took a toll on the demon race; the mana stored in their cores were depleted.

After achieving their goal, the demon race retreated and hid in seclusion. Lark surmised that this was to prevent unwarranted clashes with the dragons, who, like them, were capable of storing vast amounts of mana in their core. It was only several decades after the fall of the Magic Empire, at a time when the dragon vein below had recovered a portion of its strength, that the demons started appearing again.

By this time, the magicians were again capable of casting spells and recovering their mana, but the fall of the Magic Empire and its surrounding countries struck a terrible blow to the human race. Technology, artifacts, relics, and spells were lost and never recovered.

CHAPTER 10

Five days had passed since the Third Army captured Akash City. Every day, scouts from the Empire were sent to investigate the territory, but were quickly dealt with by Anandra and his men. Every day was filled with blood and tension as small skirmishes broke out here and there. Fortunately, the enemy did not launch an all-out attack against Akash City, probably wary of the fact that the Kingdom had managed to capture the place in a mere day.

“Here. Dig deeper.” Lark was holding a stack of documents as he pointed at the ground in front of him.

The Blackstone Knights around them seemed to have understood, as they grunted then started digging where Lark pointed. The ground in front of the gate was being dug deeper than the other areas. They planned on putting spikes there later, harden the ground, then fill it with water using magic. It would be completed by a wooden bridge which could be folded and drawn back during a siege.

Since time was of great essence and they could be attacked by the Empire anytime, Lark decided to prioritize the moat in front of the gate first. For now, trenches next to the walls should suffice. He also started installing additional ballistae on top of the walls, each of them capable of firing three spear-sized arrows in each shot.

“My Lord, we’re ready to start,” said Anandra.

Lark looked at the nearby forest, then at the documents in his hand. He said, “do it.”

Anandra bowed his head then started disseminating Lark’s orders. The sound of a gong was heard and smoke started rising up into the sky from the nearby forest. Flocks of birds flew out and animals’ cries reverberated.

They’d gathered enough wood over the past several days. It was now time to burn the forest. A decision Lark came up with after the incident five days ago. The forest was a good place to set up traps for the enemies, but it was a double-edged sword that could become an escape route for the Empire. There was also the fact that the Ghost of the Empire could use the forest to his advantage with the help of his fog.

The decision to burn the nearby forest was cemented when several scouts from the Empire kept coming, and most of them chose to spy on the city while hiding in the forest. Lark had quite the headache dealing with them, since the sea of trees limited the vision of his surveillance birds.

The workers would stare at the burning forest every now and then, but not one of them panicked since everyone had been briefed about the plan beforehand.

After checking the progress of the moats, Lark went toward the Fifth District, where the magic tower was currently being built. By now, the base had been completed; the magic formation had been engraved on a movable iron base with eight blocks of stones surrounding it.

Lark noticed that the leader of the supply team was here again, observing the process of creating the magic. Although she tried her best to remain nonchalant, her eyes gave her away. Her crimson eyes were almost gawking at the sight, as though the magic formation and the eight blocks of stone surrounding it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

Lark erased his presence and moved stealthily closer to her.

“You really like the magic tower, huh?”

She almost jumped in surprise. She turned around and saw Lark smiling at her, clearly amused at her reaction.

“Ah, Commander.” She bowed then scratched her cheeks in embarrassment. “About this… I’m currently on break that’s why—”

“—There’s no need to be stiff,” Lark laughed. “I received your report this morning. Good work.”

She had been perfectly managing their supplies so far, monitoring everything down to the last grain of wheat. Those who tried to take more than what was rationed were caught and punished.

The two of them stared at the magic tower for a while.

“Commander,” she said. “Aren’t you afraid that the enemy will use this magic tower against us? There’s no assurance that we can hold on to this city until the end of war. Even our rations won’t last us for long at this rate.”

“That’s true,” said Lark. “And we can’t expect the Kingdom to send rations this far into the front lines. We’ve been lucky enough to pass through the numerous armies and sentries the Empire placed in the region unnoticed. I doubt the others would be able to do the same.”

“If we lose the battle, we’ll just have to take the tower down before we flee the city. Destroying the magic formation embedded on the base and the pillars should be more than enough to render that thing useless.”

Had the other elders of Wizzert City heard this statement, they would have gone crazy. Even though it was logical, even Chryselle herself would find it hard to destroy such an artifact. To the magicians of Wizzert, the magic tower was one of the most precious relics of the past era.

Seeing Chryselle’s disbelief, Lark added, “We can just make another one. There’s no use in dwelling too much on insignificant things.”

Chryselle laughed awkwardly. “I guess you’re right, Commander.”

Chryselle was about to ask Lark about the rations given to their captives when she noticed two familiar boys coming their direction. She pulled up her hood, made her salute, then bade goodbye to Lark.

As soon as she disappeared from sight, Austen and George arrived at the area. The two of them were grinning broadly, clearly eager to tell Lark the good news.

“Young Master!” Austen’s voice was filled with pride and confidence. “We did it! George managed to complete the magic formation! And I managed to conjure my first fire ball!”

And as though corroborating Austen’s statement, George channeled mana into his surroundings and a magic circle slowly started forming underneath his feet.

Lark had expected George to take several more weeks before he could achieve this feat, considering his lack of talent in magic, but it seemed he was wrong. The magic circle took a long time to be formed, but it was perfectly stable.

It would be impractical to use in battle, since the enemy would have killed George before he even managed to complete half of the circle, but this was still a great achievement regardless. The important thing was that the magic circle was executed perfectly. An important first step in all spells.

“Good job,” praised Lark.

Hearing this, George lost focus and the magic circle disappeared. He gasped for a moment then embarrassedly scratched his head.

“Young Master, look!” Austen clearly did not want to lose to his younger brother. “I will cast a really big fireball spell!”

Lark had a bad premonition about this.

Without waiting for Lark’s consent, a magic circle formed underneath Austen’s feet. The young man started mumbling the archaic words Lark taught them a few weeks ago. It was the chant for a simple fireball spell.

“H-Hey!”

Lark deliberated whether or not he should stop the spell. Austen was clearly an amateur in the field of magic and right now, he was pouring a colossal amount of mana into the magic formation than what a simple fireball spell actually needed.

Austen shouted, “Fireball!”

It looked lame in Lark’s eyes, but Austen was clearly mesmerized after he nailed the last part of his chant with that magic word. Austen spread his arms wide and a large ball of fire manifested itself before him. It was large enough to engulf a horse.

“Hahaha!” Austen was ecstatic upon seeing the colossal ball of fire. “George! Young Master! Look! I did it! I did i—”

And the spell went haywire.

The ball of fire shot toward the sky and spun around, forming a serpentine-like vortex. Austen fell on his butt, his jaw slack as he looked at the phenomenon unfolding before his eyes.

Lark sighed.

The magic formation itself was perfect, but the amount of mana supplied was disproportionate. Coupled with the fact that the execution of the spell was done horribly, distorting some of the runes after receiving way more mana than it could handle, it was no wonder that a simple fireball spell turned into a Fire Vortex.

“Seriously, these mana monsters.” Lark clicked his tongue.

If he left the Fire Vortex for too long, it might shoot toward the ground and kill the soldiers.

“M-Master!” Austen panicked. “W-What should I do? It didn’t look like that before. I swear it—”

“Shut up for a moment,” Lark spat. “Stupid disciple.”

A thin bolt of lightning shot from Lark’s fingertips and struck the violently spinning mass of fire. Anticlimactically, the Fire Vortex disintegrated into small orbs of fire then dissipated after a while.

“Let this serve as a lesson,” Lark reprimanded his disciples. “A hastily cast spell like that one will eventually go out of control. And even if it shoots toward the enemy, it’ll be easy to dispel it by simply hitting its core. It’s flashy, cool-looking, yes. But it’s nothing but a giant waste of mana. Remember that.”

Austen looked down, still traumatized by what happened. He knew that if Lark wasn’t there, he would probably have killed several innocent men. Right now, the construction of the magic tower halted. The workers and soldiers were looking at them.

“This is the reason why I insisted that the two of you master the basics first,” said Lark. “You don’t have to be quick in casting the spell. For now, focus on making sure that it’s stable and executed well. Over time, as you keep repeating the same spell over and over again, your casting speed will increase proportionately.”

“I’m… I’m sorry, Master.” Austen’s voice was barely audible.

Lark frowned but decided to let the matter slide. Hopefully, they’d learned their lesson. They were still young, and Lark knew that this wouldn’t be the last time an incident like this would happen. Thankfully, he was here to prevent the spell from striking the city.

Seeing his two disciples’ crestfallen faces, Lark decided to steer away from the topic.

“Both of you, come with me,” he said. “I’ll show you something interesting.”

The brothers looked at each other for a moment, then wordlessly followed the Young Master. Soon, they arrived at a storage house in the fourth district. The guards saluted and opened the door upon seeing the Young Master.

Upon entering the storage house, Austen and George gasped. It was more appropriate to call the place a weapons factory. Numerous workers were assembling ballistae, catapults, large balloons, severing disks, and other weapons the brothers were unfamiliar with.

George approached the iron balls placed neatly inside wooden crates. Each of the iron balls had peculiar symbols engraved on them, which somehow reminded the brothers of the magic towers in Lion City.

“If you channel mana into it, it’ll blow this place up,” Lark said nonchalantly.

George leapt back in terror, his face immediately drained of all color. He had not expected it to be so dangerous.

“Is it okay... to leave it in the open like this?” George was worried that someone would accidently trigger the iron ball into blowing the entire place up.

“I’m kidding!” Lark chuckled upon seeing George’s face. “Those things are a bit resistant to magic, you see. It’d be too dangerous to use them in war, otherwise. They only blow up after receiving a certain level of impact, so we’ll need to drop them from the sky or catapult them into the enemies during sieges.”

George grumpily listened to Lark, clearly displeased that the Young Master had made fun of him. Austen, on the other hand, approached the balloons. He had heard before that they could fly into the sky, but he hadn’t seen one in action.

“You’re free to inspect the weapons, but make sure not to touch anything too dangerous,” said Lark.

The brothers nodded happily.

The mana bombs were actually the most dangerous weapon in this factory, but Lark didn’t say that out loud. There were also the severing disks too, but they hadn’t been nocked yet on the ballistae, so they were just sharp, spherical blades.

For several minutes, the brothers went from one place to another and inspected the different weapons. Lark, on the other hand, supervised the creation of the more complex weapons, making sure everyone was meeting their designated deadlines.

Lark was speaking with one of the leaders of the weapons team when the pendant on his neck buzzed.

Lark… Marcus.

He heard a familiar voice, full of static.

Do you… hear me?

It was the Baron. Lark sighed in relief. After losing contact with the First Army for almost a week, he thought they’d perished in battle.

Lark channeled mana into the pendant and replied back. Baron, what happened? Where are you?

The Baron immediately replied, We lost a lot of soldiers, but we’ve managed to group up with the Marcus and Yorkshaire Army. But we’re running out of time. At this rate, we’ll be wiped out.

Lark frowned. That General Alvaren. He’s still after you?

Yes.

What a persistent bastard, Lark thought. He said, How many soldiers do you have left on your side? And the status of the Marcus and Yorkshaire Army?

There was a long pause. For a moment, Lark thought that he’d lost contact.

The Baron replied, Eleven thousand. And that’s including the remnants of the Marcus and Yorkshaire Army. The Sword Saint and the Silver War God are with us too, but they’re currently injured.

There were fewer soldiers than before, even after absorbing the remnants of the Marcus and Yorkshaire Army.

Sword Saint Alexander and Lui Marcus, his older brother. Those two were among the pillars of the Kingdom’s military. For them to be in such a state after confronting General Alvaren… That old man was definitely another monster, just like General Rizel.

Lark quickly stormed his mind for the best way out. Considering the fact that the Baron was able to send messages, then it seemed that the First Army was nearby. A week by cart at most from Akash City.

He needed to help them, otherwise eleven thousand potential reinforcements would perish. And he needed to do this while protecting Akash City at the same time.

CHAPTER 11

It had been several weeks since Lyra joined the Third Army. Although she was a spy of the Empire, no one suspected her, since she had been living in the Kingdom for more than half a decade now. She had the perfect cover even if someone were to interrogate her.

She and two other spies were drinking on the second floor of a tavern in Akash City. Although the previous owner was locked up in the dungeon, it did not stop the Kingdom’s soldiers from making the place their own. Every night, several soldiers would come here to drink, to wash their fears and uneasiness away.

“We’ve received a message.” A man dressed as a soldier slid a letter across the table. “I already briefed Greg beforehand.”

The man next to the soldier nodded his head and started emptying his mug of beer.

Lyra unfolded the parchment. Inside were codes which resembled random doodles of a child. Only she and the two others were capable of deciphering the meaning behind them.

“The rations, huh?” she said. Her mug of juice remained untouched. “Just about time. Greg, you’ve been working with the supply team, right?”

Greg raised four fingers. “Four places. They store the supplies in four separate places.”

Greg spread out a hastily prepared map of the city on the table. Four places were marked with circles, while another one was marked with a cross. He pointed at the cross. “I heard there’s a fifth one here, but it’s restricted—even to us working in the supply team. I believe this place is where the rations of the Empire were stored, before the Kingdom captured this city. This is just a hunch though, and the place might actually be another weapons factory or something.”

“A weapons factory? Then it’ll be perfect,” smiled Lyra. “The fewer places we have to burn down, the better. Rito, the status of the army?”

The man in uniform replied, “Not good. I’ve been to the weapons factory in the fourth district. They’re building those damn balloons again that they used to defeat the Amubal Army several months ago. I also saw several peculiar weapons. At this rate, if the Empire doesn’t make a move anytime soon, it’ll be exponentially harder to bring this place down.”

“That’s why we’re here,” said Lyra, her hands clasped together, covering her mouth and chin. “To make sure the tides of war favor the Empire.”

Although Lyra had no direct access to the supplies like Greg, she currently belonged to the group tasked to cook meals for the soldiers. If she wanted to, poisoning the meal and killing several hundreds of soldiers would be an easy task. The hardest part was escaping the pursuit alive.

Their group actually considered the ‘poisoning the soldiers’ part, but decided that they could cripple the Third Army in a better way by burning the supplies, or if lucky, by destroying the weapons factory in the fourth district. They also considered poisoning the high-ranking officials of the army, but this proved really difficult for people like them with low-ranking positions. They could probably kill one high-ranking official or two, but that’s it. The security would skyrocket and their movements would become restricted.

“Lyra. We’ll probably die after pulling this off,” said Rito, frowning. “You have a husband and kid at home, right? In the capital.”

Lyra flinched, but immediately showed an indifferent face. “What are you trying to say? Rito, my life belongs to General Rizel. I am nothing but a dagger that will slit the throat of the Kingdom.”

“Same here.” Greg belched and slammed his mug on the table. “Rito, what the hell are you hesitating for anyway? Didn’t we come here for this? I made my resolve years ago, and I made my pact with the General with blood.”

After hearing the resolve of his two comrades, Rito closed his eyes. “Alright. Then, let’s proceed with the plan.”

The trio discussed the plan all throughout the night. In the end, they came to a consensus—to attack only one storage house instead of trying to light all of them simultaneously. According to Greg and Lyra, the storage house next to the cathedral contained the largest number of supplies. It was safe to assume that if they succeeded, they would be crippling the Kingdom in an instant. They would be literally burning down weeks’ worth of rations overnight.

The place was heavily guarded, but with the combined strength of the three of them, it should be possible to pull it off.

The next day, they implemented the plan. Rito killed one of the guards on night duty, hid the body, and took his place. With his authority, Lyra and Greg gained access to the storage entrance. The two of them slipped in and blended with the other workers. The feat was especially easy with Greg around, since he belonged in the supply team in the first place.

When night came, the number of guards outside remained the same, but the number of workers inside the storage house was significantly less. There were only four guards inside the storage house, and the number of workers managing the rations could be counted on only one hand.

The defense outside was iron-tight, but the defense inside was lackadaisical.

Lyra and Greg nodded to each other. Lyra threw a very small vial onto the ground. The glass shattered and the alchemical potion inside released a potent paralyzing gas. Lyra and Greg quickly distanced themselves from the green smoke which covered the area, their mouths covered by thick cloths.

“We… We’re under attack!” despite the paralyzing effect of the gas, one of the guards managed to shout.

The gas was fleeting. It disappeared just a few seconds after it was released. Using this opening, Greg and Lyra shot toward the guards, stole their swords, and slit their throats. With the guards paralyzed, it was a one-sided slaughter. Even the workers were killed immediately afterwards.

“I’ll start from here,” said Lyra. “You take the other side.”

The two of them moved as one. Lyra and Greg took the barrels of castrel oil located next to the walls and poured them over the other rations. They were glad that their enemies trusted the defenses outside so much that they didn’t even think of moving these barrels underground.

After using more than half of the barrels of castrel oil, Lyra and Greg distanced themselves from the piles of rations. Lyra chanted her spell and a small orb of fire shot out of her fingertip. The moment it made contact with oil, the entire storage house burst into flames.

Or so they thought.

That was what was supposed to happen, but for some strange reason, the orb of fire died mere seconds after it appeared. Lyra, unable to understand what transpired, shot another fireball spell. And the result was the same: the fireball dissipated a few seconds after.

“W-What’s happening?” she stuttered.

Even Greg was dumbfounded, unable to mutter a single word.

Everything had been perfect. They’d managed to infiltrate the storage house, subdued and killed the guards and the workers, and spread oil all over the place. All that was left was to light up the oil and burn down the rations.

The door groaned. The soldiers outside must have realized that something was wrong as they tried to force it open from the outside. Thankfully, the door was thick and fortified with iron. They still had time to burn the rations before the soldiers could apprehend them. Even if they died, they decided to burn the damn thing down.

“Can you cast a stronger fire spell?” Greg asked.

Lyra immediately channeled mana into her surroundings. “I’ll try.”

More than half her mana was immediately sucked dry. A ball of fire started forming before her, it’s size large enough to engulf a child whole.

“Just burn already!” she snarled.

The ball of fire shot toward the supplies, but to her horror, the ball of fire vanished before it even reached the rations. Although she was a low-ranking magician, she finally realized what transpired.

A restriction – a spell – had been put on this place. Fire spells which could potentially burn the rations were restricted by some spell of unknown origin.

It seemed that Greg hadn’t realized this yet, as he was looking at her with half-questioning, half-expectant eyes. She didn’t have the time to explain things to him, as the door was finally burst open and soldiers came flooding in. Rito was among them, but judging by the way he was pretending to surround her and Greg, it seemed that his identity had not been revealed yet.

Rito looked at her, then at the intact supplies inside the room. The smell of castrel oil was so strong that some of the soldiers were crinkling their nose.

“I knew something was wrong when the wards I placed on this place were activated,” a woman’s voice was heard.

Lyra turned toward the source of the voice and saw the leader of the supply team. A red-haired woman with matching crimson eyes. That pair of jewels scanned the room, as though searching for anything amiss.

“The two of you,” she said, her voice soothing to the ears. A stark contrast to the tense atmosphere. “What are you doing?”

It was obvious by the oil spread all over the place, but the woman asked regardless.

“Not going to answer?” the leader of the supply team frowned. “Seize them.”

The soldiers charged toward Lyra and Greg upon hearing the order.

Lyra and Greg looked at each other. Greg clenched his fists. “It was a foolish move to try this with just us two, huh?” he said in a voice loud enough for others to hear.

Lyra understood what Greg was trying to achieve. Rito wasn’t discovered yet. There was no point in taking him to their grave. Lyra smiled wryly. She took out a small pill and swallowed it. A second after, she fell down on the ground limp like a stringless puppet. Seeing this, Greg gritted his teeth. He took out the sword he’d stolen from a guard and slit his throat.

Everything happened so suddenly that the soldiers surrounding them halted in their tracks. They had not expected them to take their lives the moment they were discovered, without hesitation at all.

Chryselle went toward the corpses. She checked the woman’s pulse, just to be sure, but she was really dead. She tried healing the man with magic, but the cut was too deep and the amount of blood loss was so massive that it proved futile.

She sighed and shook her head.

“Now, how should I explain this to the Commander?”

She had a headache just thinking about it.

CHAPTER 12

The news regarding the attempted arson reached Lark. He summoned Chryselle into his office and demanded a detailed recount of what had transpired. After hearing that she’d placed a protective ward on the storage house to prevent fire from burning the supplies, Lark inspected the place himself.

There were still traces of battle here and there, and the corpses were still in place. He looked at the corpses of the innocent workers and the guards who were slaughtered, then at the perpetrators who did not hesitate to take their lives the moment they were discovered.

“There’re probably more spies from the Empire,” said Lark. “Increase the number of guards monitoring the storage houses.”

Anandra, who quietly stood next to him, bowed his head. “As you wish, My Lord.”

Lark walked toward the barrels upon barrels of rations stacked up in this place. He wordlessly cast his spell and fire appeared right before him, hovering right before the supplies. At first, the fire was only the size of a thumb, but after realizing that the wards didn’t react to such weak magic, Lark channeled more mana into it until it grew to the size of a fist. It was then that he felt the ward activate and an invisible force started disrupting the flow of mana into the fire spell.

Lark looked at Chryselle his eyes filled with interest, then at the orb of fire which was slowly starting to be extinguished.

“Interesting,” he mumbled.

This was the first time since coming to this world, he’d encountered a complex spell like this. After scrutinizing the warding spell, he realized that it was anchored to three separate wooden barrels. Therefore, even if the enemy discovered how the spell worked, he would still have to find the anchor points and destroy them before completely deactivating the defensive spell.

“But it obviously has its weakness.”

The orb of fire in front of Lark, which was close to being extinguished, suddenly grew stronger and bigger, until it became the size of five heads combined. Seeing this, Chryselle’s eyes widened. She could not understand what just transpired.

“Wh-What happened?” she said. “That shouldn’t be… possible.”

“Who are you?” said Lark. “Although the ward you’ve placed isn’t perfect, it’s not something your average magician could cast overnight.”

Lark turned toward her and the orb of fire dissipated. He walked toward her and looked her straight in the eyes. The two locked eyes for a moment. Silence befell the area.

Eventually, Lark sighed. “Never mind. It shouldn’t matter for now.”

It was apparent that this woman meant no harm against the Third Army. At least, that was what it seemed to him right now. It would be a waste to lose someone as talented as her just because of a petty squabble regarding her identity.

When Lark seemed no longer interested in pursuing the question any further, Chryselle mustered up her courage and said, “Wait! The fire magic! How… How did you do that?”

“Tell me what I want to know, then you’ll have my answer to that question,” Lark replied nonchalantly.

***

In a forest five days away from the Western Front, Baron Zacharia and the leaders of the First, Marcus, and Yorkshaire Armies were gathered inside a small tent. They surrounded a round wooden table, with a map spread over it. The lanterns hanging on the canopy gave off dim, moving light.

“How many soldiers did we lose this time?” the Baron asked gruffly.

“Five hundred, Commander,” replied one of the officers.

The faces of those inside the tent contorted. They’d been losing hundreds of soldiers with each passing day. They’d managed to shake off General Alvaren’s army for now, but who knew how long they could keep this up. As they went deeper into the Western Front, the number of enemies just kept on increasing, up to the point that simply finding a place to camp for the night had become extremely hard to accomplish.

“Baron, we still have the option of retreating to the capital,” one of the officers said. “Should we really continue marching toward the Western Front? At this rate, we’ll die of hunger and thirst before we’ve even reached Yorkshaire, and that’s if we’re lucky enough not to run into General Alvaren and his men.”

Everyone in the room looked at the Baron. The previously retired veteran shook his head. “I made my promise to the Commander of the Third Army. Besides, we can’t just abandon our allies. If the Third Army gets annihilated, it’ll be only a matter of time before the Empire swallows up the Kingdom. We can’t let that happen.”

The Baron looked at the two people inside the room whose authority was on par with his. Sword Saint Alexander and Lui Marcus. The two of them looked at the map silently while listening.

Lui Marcus spoke, “I agree with the Baron. We can’t retreat now that we’ve come this far. General Alvaren isn’t an idiot. He’ll surely take advantage of our retreating to chip away at our numbers. What we need to prioritize right now is the City of Yorkshaire. We have to capture it at all costs. No matter what.”

Looking at the state of Lui Marcus’ body, what the man said sounded like suicide. The War God of the Western Front suffered a terrible injury after directly confronting General Alvaren more than a month ago. Even now, the large cut on his chest had yet to fully heal even after the magicians tried healing it with magic. Dark marks encircled his eyes as he looked at everyone in the room, his lips dry.

The Sword Saint remained silent, indicating his agreement.

“The Third Army managed to capture the City of Akash.” Baron Zacharia pointed at an area on the map. “It’s only a day away from Yorkshaire. As long as we get there, we’ll be able to rally our troops and launch a siege against the Empire.”

“Easier said than done,” the Sword Saint finally spoke. “The Empire won’t just sit still and let us regroup with the army stationed in that city.”

The officers inside the tent agreed. They all knew how difficult it would be to pass through the numerous camps the Empire scattered all throughout the region.

“In the end, it seems we have no choice but to split the army, huh?” said one of the officers. “Disperse. That way, it’ll be difficult for the Empire to hunt all of us down.”

“A bad idea,” said Lui Marcus. “We’re already having a hard time defending against the attacks of General Alvaren. If we split our forces even further, he’ll hunt the smaller groups one by one like a demon. Worst-case scenario, General Rizel joins the fray and we’ll be trapped between two monsters, our forces split and scattered.”

The officers continued discussing stratagems throughout the night. In the end, none of them came up with a concrete plan to overcome the tight net of the Empire. They were about to settle with the idea of marching straight toward Akash City using the Serpents Road, when suddenly a soldier barged into the meeting.

“B-Baron! Commander!” the soldier said the moment he entered. “A bird! A talking bird says he wants to meet you!”

The officers looked at the soldier in bewilderment. They’d never heard of such report before, but since they knew that magic was capable of making impossible things a reality, they did not fully question the authenticity of the statement. After all, there were records of shifters capable of assuming the form of their familiars.

“A bird?” The Baron curiously looked at the soldier. “What did it say?”

The soldier, finally realizing that all of the officers were waiting for his response, stiffened. He scratched his cheeks as he tried to remember the words of the strange bird.

“He said something about…” the soldier mumbled. “What was it again? A pendant?”

“A necklace,” a voice rang outside the tent. The flaps opened and remained suspended in the air, revealing an ordinary-looking brown eagle. “The necklace worn by the Baron.”

The Baron’s eyes widened. The voice was very much familiar. “You…”

There was silence as the eagle entered the tent, its flapping wings sending a gust of air inside. It landed on top of the table, its head moving left and right as it scanned the room. It finally directed its gaze toward the Baron.

“Long time no see, Baron Zacharia,” said the eagle. “I assume everyone here is an officer of this army?”

The Baron collected himself. He nodded. “Yes.” He stared at the eagle for several seconds. “I didn’t know you’re a shifter.”

“I’m not,” said the eagle. “I’m merely borrowing this bird’s consciousness. My body is still at Akash City.”

“All the way from Akash City?” The Baron couldn’t hide his surprise.

“Baron, what’s happening here?” said Lui Marcus. He looked at the eagle suspiciously, as though it was a spy sent by the Empire. “Who is this… person?”

The Baron found the question amusing, since it came from Lui Marcus himself. “Your younger brother,” he replied. Lark Marcus. There’s no doubt about it.”

The group went into uproar upon hearing this. They knew that Akash City was several days away from here. Even Master Tamers would have a hard time sending their familiars here, moreover finding the Second Army’s whereabouts inside this dark forest. There was also the fact that he was conversing with them through voice magic from such a long distance, without using the body of the eagle itself. Such a feat would require an absurd amount of control over mana.

Even the Sword Saint looked at the eagle with curiosity. Lui Marcus, on the other hand, stared at the eagle in astonishment upon finding out that it was his younger brother. The eagle and Lui Marcus locked eyes with each other for a moment. The eagle seemed to be looking at his bandaged chest. It then turned its attention toward the Sword Saint.

“Master Alexander,” the eagle bowed its head, “I’m glad to see you unharmed.”

The Sword Saint smiled wryly. “Do I look unharmed to you?” He showed the eagle the blotches of blood on his clothes. Just like Lui Marcus, the wounds on the Sword Saint’s body had yet to fully heal.

The eagle ignored the remark. “I’ve scouted the area and it seems that an Imperial Army—composed entirely of knights—is heading this way as we speak.”

The air suddenly became heavier.

“They’ll reach this place in five hours, maybe six. I know that it’s middle of the night, but it’ll be better for you to move camp.”

“Where should we go?” the Baron asked.

The eagle took small steps on top of the map and using its right wing, pointed at a particular spot.

“Here.” Everyone looked at the place where the eagle pointed. “Judging by the route of the pursuing army, they’ll be taking the Serpents Road. A clash is inevitable at this rate. Taking a detour will cost us an additional half a day, but we’ll be able to avoid a clash with the Empire.”

“Can we trust you?” one of the officers asked.

The eagle looked at him. “You have to.” The eagle flapped its wings. “Wake up your men. We’re moving out.”

Some of the officers were dissatisfied on how the eagle—Lark Marcus—was ordering them around. But they remained silent as the final decision still rested on the Baron and the Commanders of the Marcus and Yorkshaire Army.

Silence befell the group for a moment.

The Baron closed his eyes and said, “You heard the man. We’re moving out.”

CHAPTER 13

The eleven thousand-strong army camped in the forest bustled with life. Tents were unpitched and folded, torches were lit, and horses were untethered. The sleeping soldiers were woken up in the middle of the night and ordered to march eastward, the opposite direction of their initial route.

Numerous speculations on why they were suddenly ordered to move out spread among the troops.

“Hey, why are we leaving the camp in the middle of the night?” said one of the soldiers.

“We encountered groups of monsters here yesterday, what if they suddenly attacked us now?”

“Idiots! It’s fairly obvious, isn’t it? General Alvaren and his men must be coming here as we speak! That’s why we’re being forced to march like this in this damnable, dark forest!”

Lui Marcus silently listened as his soldiers talked among themselves. His mind was elsewhere. His encounter with Lark an hour ago still lingered in his mind.

The Lark he knew was nothing but a vindictive brat who knew nothing but the most basic of spells. He could not even properly cast a simple fireball spell. But now, it was revealed that he had the skills comparable to Master Tamers. This revelation cemented his previous speculations.

There were also the facts that he’d defeated the Third Legion, gave out blueprints for the mana bombs and balloons, invented the method of killing the Black Famine, and even successfully conquered the City of Akash in just a single day.

He’s not my brother.

This was the only conclusion Lui Marcus could come up with. Other possibilities such as his little brother being a secret prodigy felt far-fetched and out of touch with reality. Lui had tested his little brother using the measuring stone a few years ago, back when they were still living in Gryphon City. There was no way to fake those results without Lui noticing it. There was no doubt that during that time, Lark did not know any powerful spells nor had a decent mana pool.

Even if his little brother was secretly a prodigy, there was no way to overcome this hurdle in just a few years. Moreover, the spell he used to control his familiar was not something taught to him back in Gryphon City.

Lui clenched his fists. He wanted to confront the impostor and ask him what he did to his brother. Why was he assuming the form of Lark Marcus? Why did he take over his little brother’s body? For what purpose? Lui tried shaking off the thoughts. They needed to focus on escaping from this forest for now. He could interrogate the impostor later, once they’d arrived at Akash City.

Hours passed and the army relentlessly continued marching toward the rocky hill opposite Serpents Road. Thankfully, the rear guards did not see any signs of General Alvaren and his men. Aside from the occasional, small-scale attacks from the monsters of the forest, the army did not experience any setbacks.

After arriving at the rocky hill, they camped for a couple of hours then started marching again, this time toward the west, passing through a seemingly endless grassland. Grasslands were among the worst places to conceal an army this large, but for some reason, they did not clash with any enemies along the way.

The eagle would hover down every now and then and guide the army toward a certain direction. This simple tactic worked wonders, as the army’s march proceeded at a faster pace now that uncertainty was taken out of the equation. All they needed to do was listen to the eagle and move to the direction it pointed.

After four and a half days—half a day earlier than expected—they finally saw the walled City of Akash. Next to it was a half-burned forest, its sea of trees charred black. Outside the city, numerous soldiers and workers moved about. Some of them dug around the walls, while some moved around logs, stones, and iron.

The moat in front of the gate was almost finished, and the wooden drawbridge was already complete. It was amazing that such a big project, which would normally take months to finish, had taken less than two weeks to complete.

The workers seemed to have been briefed beforehand that an eleven thousand-strong army was going to arrive, since none of them showed signs of panic upon seeing an army so large approaching the city. On the contrary, they started cheering. The bells on the watchtowers rang and the gates fully opened, welcoming the newly arrived reinforcements.

Looking above, they could even see large ballistae with spear-sized arrows nocked on them, several weapons resembling catapults with attached severing disks, tubular irons, and some other weapons they were unfamiliar of.

Lui and the other commanders were speechless upon seeing this sight. They knew that the Third Army had successfully conquered the City of Akash, but they did not hear about the ambitious project of turning it into an impregnable stronghold.

Their army entered the stronghold and cheers erupted even further. Numerous soldiers from the Third Army had already been waiting for them there, some of them enthusiastically waving the flags of the Kingdom.

It felt like a hero’s welcome. The same thing given to Duke Drakus after he successfully quelled the strife in the Bloody Thorn Plains Incident fifteen years ago. After seeing the heated crowd, Lui could not help but be reminded of that time. He had been so proud of his father back then.

“Welcome to Akash City,” a calm voice was heard despite the frenzied cheering of the soldiers.

Looking at the source of the voice, Lui and the other officers of the army saw a young man with short silver hair and clear blue eyes. He bore a striking semblance to Lui Marcus during his younger years.

Lark Marcus, the Commander of the Third Army.

Lui stared at his younger brother, carefully taking note of anything that looked amiss. The probability that he was an impostor was high, but Lui did not want to rush into conclusions and compromise their odds in this war.

The officers of the army were invited to a banquet in the Lord’s Castle. It was a sumptuous feast and the officers of the army did not hold themselves back from filling their bellies. They had been marching nonstop for several weeks, after all. The last time they’d had a decent meal was months ago.

The officers of the army expected Lark to make a speech regarding their plans for the upcoming battle. But to their surprise—and probably relief—the young man did not bring up the topic. He merely moved around the banquet, greeting various officers of the army, sometimes even cracking jokes like introducing himself as the annoying eagle from before.

They realized that Lark intended on allotting this day for rest and relaxation. It was a big gesture for such an exhausted army.

Finally, it was Lui’s turn.

Lark walked up to him, and with a bright smile, offered him his hand. Lui looked at the hand for a moment before shaking it. He stared at his little brother. The eyes, the face, the body. Everything was exactly as how Lui remembered them. But the movements. The posture. The air of confidence borne not from arrogance but from competence. They were different.

Lui did not have the chance to talk to his little brother back when they met in the capital several months ago, since their father was with them. And there was also his promise of not initiating contact in exchange for not exiling Lark to a faraway Kingdom.

But now, that promise did not hold value since the wellbeing of the Kingdom was at stake in this meeting. Lui told himself that he was not breaking his promise to his father. Right now, he was meeting the Commander of the Third Army.

“It’s been a while, brother,” said Lark.

Lui gripped his brother’s hand even tighter, before eventually letting go and flashing a smile. “You’ve changed a lot.”

“People grow up,” replied his little brother. “It’s been years since I left home, after all.”

Lui noticed that Lark’s body was a lot leaner than before. The body of someone who had been training physically every day for combat.

“And two years is enough time to become a Master Tamer,” said Lui. He looked for a reaction from Lark, but was disappointed upon seeing none. The young man remained unmoved and as calm as before.

“It’s certainly more than enough.” Nodded Lark, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

But Lui did not give up. He wanted to find out if this person in front of him was actually an impostor. “I heard you slayed General Urkawi. Do you know why hardly anyone believed it even after the rumors spread?”

Lark did not reply. He simply waited for Lui to finish his statement.

“It’s because that beastman is the so-called immortal,” said Lui. “Even the Giants of Orth couldn’t kill him. But my little brother, who did not know martial arts and hardly knew magic when he left Gryphon City, managed to kill him in a one-on-one fight.”

Lark thought that it was laughable that someone capable of opening only three out of the seven gates of mana was being called an immortal in this era. That spell was flawed in that simply cutting off the supply of ambient mana would be enough to render the spell useless.

“I must have been really lucky then, huh?” said Lark. “How’s father?”

“Don’t steer away from the topic.” Lui glared. “You. Who are you?”

Several seconds of silence befell the two. They looked at each other in the eye. Lark sighed. “Look, this may sound preposterous, but I lost most of my memories after a certain incident almost a year ago,” Lark said with a straight face. “And as for my magic, I learned all of it from Master.”

Lui frowned deeply. Everything sounded like a blatant lie. The story felt too convenient, as though it had been prepared before this meeting even started.

“Master,” repeated Lui. “And your memories. You’ve lost most of them, you say?”

“That’s right,” nodded Lark. “I know it’s hard to believe, but you can confirm it with Gaston. After some bastards held me captive and beat me to a pulp several months ago, I lost most of my memories.”

Lui’s eyes widened, before becoming filled with rage. He suppressed his growl. “Beat you to a pulp? Who?”

His fists were clenched as he waited for Lark’s response. If it was one of the Dukes, he vowed to retaliate in his own ‘little way.’ Although probably an impostor, how dare they harm his little brother?

“Just some unknown bastards in the town.” Lark shrugged the topic off, as though it was insignificant. “They’re all dead now, though.”

Lark took out a gemstone the size of half a fist. “Here.” He threw the gem to Lui.

“What’s this?” Lui caught the gemstone in the air and quickly inspected it.

“A communication crystal. You must have heard from the Baron about the necklace I gave him back then. It’s the same one,” said Lark. “But that one’s a bit special. It’s made from a more expensive stone, you see, so the range’s far higher than the one the Baron has. And it’s directly connected to the one master wears back in Blackstone Town.”

Lui stared at the gemstone for a moment. “You’re telling me… that I can contact this so-called master of yours using this?”

The story of Lark losing his memory was already absurd on its own. Coupled with the story of having a master capable of molding an incompetent brat to a powerful magician, it became totally unbelievable.

But if the gemstone could actually contact this so-called Master of Lark, a part of Lui’s doubts could be lifted somehow. He would still not fully believe the story, but it would no longer be as preposterous as it initially seemed.

“How do I contact him?” said Lui.

“Just apply a little bit of mana to it,” said Lark. “And it should connect directly to Master.”

Lui channeled mana into the gemstone and it glowed. After several seconds, a loud and coarse voice echoed in the Hall.

“Damn, brat! Why are you only contacting me now? I repeatedly told you to message me after you arrived at the capital! Is this how you repay me for everything I’ve done for you, huh? Is this how you treat your Master?”

The voice was so loud that Lui almost dropped the stone and had the urge to cover both his ears. He looked at the gemstone bewilderedly, at Lark, then back. Little did he know that Lark was the one manipulating the voice through a matching, but smaller gemstone in his pocket.

The other people inside the Grand Hall stopped and stared in their direction.

“Where are you now? You’re not dead, are you? Hey, answer me right now! Damn it!”

The so-called Master kept spouting words one after another that Lui could not even muster up a reply.

Lark smiled wryly at his brother. “Master can be quite grumpy at times, but he’s a gentle person. Go on, ask him your questions.”

The gemstone glowed and a voice far louder than before echoed. “Why don’t you answer me? I swear, if you’re not dead, I’ll kill you myself once you come back here, you shitty kid!”

In less than a minute, Lui and Lark became the center of attention in the Grand Hall. Numerous people approached them and watched the situation unfold. Some were even laughing as the so-called master spouted curses one after another. Lui could not even respond as the threats came out in droves.

When Lui finally got ahold of himself and was about to utter a reply to the so-called Master, the gemstone lost its glow. The communication was cut off.

Lui frowned. “What happened?”

Lark sighed and scratched his head. “The old man probably failed to control his temper and broke his communication crystal. We must have called at the wrong time. He’s probably drunk, you see. But he’s a nice person when sober, so please understand.”

Everything transpired so smoothly that Lui almost lost his doubts. He really did believe that someone was speaking with him all the way from Blackstone Town and that person accidentally broke his communication crystal.

“So you have a Master back in Blackstone Town,” Sword Saint Alexander chimed in. “Is he the one who taught you magic and advised you how to govern the town?”

Lark politely bowed to the Sword Saint. He saw the question as a perfect opportunity to solidify the existence of a fabricated master in Blackstone Town. “Yes, that’s right, Master Alexander.”

The Sword Saint stroked his beard. “And may I know the name of such esteemed Senior?”

Lark paused for a moment, looking conflicted whether or not to reveal the name. Eventually, he replied, “I’m afraid not. Master wishes to remain anonymous at this time. Just revealing his existence here is already crossing the line. I’m sorry, but I cannot tell you anything more about him than that.”

The Sword Saint easily accepted this reasoning. “How regrettable. I would love to meet him sometime in the future.”

The Sword Saint did not question Lark any further. Seeing the Sword Saint’s response, Lui did not pursue the matter of the so-called Master’s identity any further. He looked at Lark, engraving into his mind the image of his brother who he had not seen for a long time.

“You’ve really grown,” Lui said, eventually. “Father, he… Maybe if he talked to you back in the capital…”

Lui sighed and shook his head. “No, it doesn’t matter.”

Lui sighed again. He grabbed two nearby goblets filled with wine then handed one to Lark. “You’ll be seventeen soon, two months from now. A fully-fledged adult. But before that, please, let’s survive this war.”

Lui raised his goblet. Lark did the same. They made a toast to their victory against the Empire.

CHAPTER 14

[Behemoth City]

While the officers at Akash City were having a feast, envoys from the Dwarven Kingdom arrived at the capital. No one knew how they reached the place undetected; they suddenly appeared out of nowhere and boldly announced their arrival to the guards.

Hearing this news, King Alvis immediately ordered the guards to grant the envoys entry into the capital. They were ushered into the royal family’s castle, with King Alvis greeting them right at the gates.

“Welcome!” King Alvis greeted the envoys with utmost respect, despite his status as the King of the country. “Although the visit’s sudden, we’ve prepared a small feast in the Grand Hall.”

King Alvis noticed the several rows of carts behind the three envoys. He could not see how only three dwarves could move almost a dozen carts on their own. Was the rumor right? That they suddenly appeared out of thin air?

“Gulan, envoy of His Majesty, King Lerenon Blood Mithril Rugard,” the Dwarf introduced himself. “Behind me are my two personal guards.”

Gulan quickly scanned the exterior of the King’s castle. He frowned for a moment. His expression seemed to say that the castle looked decent, but was way below the standard of the Dwarven Kingdom.

“As for the feast, that will be unnecessary,” said the envoy. “We can’t leave the Capital of Rugard for too long. The century-old wines, the gold. Let’s get straight to negotiations.”

The guards of King Alvis, along with his ministers, almost scowled upon hearing this statement. It was downright rude, condescending. The dwarves looked at the humans as though they were insignificant creatures unworthy of their time.

King Alvis was not fazed by the remark in the slightest. He smiled and nodded, “Of course. Then, this way please.”

The group were led straight toward the wine cellar in the underground chamber of the castle. Upon arrival, the leader of the dwarves frowned.

“It’s small,” he said upon entering the room. “Is this it?”

There were five shelves of wine inside the chamber, each filled with various wines dating back centuries. The leader of the dwarves grabbed one of the bottles and uncorked it, not bothering to ask permission from the King. He drank half of it down in one go then licked his lips. He stroked his long, braided brown beard as he stared at the bottle.

“Not bad,” he mumbled, voice gruff. “But not enough for us to meddle with the affairs of mere humans. You say this is over a century old? I’m afraid that a three-decade-old wine in Rugard tastes a bit better than this one.”

A common dwarf would be ecstatic upon tasting wine of such quality, but it seemed not to be the case for envoy.

King Alvis and the ministers exchanged knowing looks. They were afraid that at this rate, the negotiations would break down before they even started.

“Thirty-thousand gold coins,” said the King. “If the wines aren’t enough, our Kingdom is willing to pay a hefty sum of thirty thousand gold coins.”

It was a lot of money, even for King Alvis. This was especially true now that they were at war with the Empire. Parting with such an amount of money would be a terrible blow against the Kingdom, but it was still nothing compared to losing the war.

Hearing the offer, the envoy paused. He looked up and started to ponder. He mumbled, “Thirty-thousand gold coins, huh? Well, it’s true that we’re in dire need of funds, especially now that the Second Prince…”

Although the words of the envoy were muffled at the end, King Alvis was able to connect the pieces of the puzzle together. He heard from the previous envoy that the Dwarven King was planning to abdicate the throne next year, and the Dwarven Kingdom was currently in the process of selecting the heir to succeed him.

But unlike humans, the Dwarven Kingdom’s method of selecting the heir was not so simple. The next king should be recognized by the Dragon and the Oath of the Protector should be renewed by the next generation. The reason the Dwarven Kingdom, who did not like meddling with human affairs, answered their call was probably due to this.

“Thirty-five thousand,” the leader of the envoy raised five, stubby fingers. His height only reaching the chest of King Alvis.

One of the ministers whispered to the King. “Your Majesty! Isn’t thirty-five thousand too much?”

Another one added, “This dwarf keeps on crossing the line! What do they think of the Ki—”

“Enough,” the King said calmly. “Thirty-five thousand is too much, even for the royal family. We are currently at war with the Empire. The upkeep of the soldiers, the weapons, rations. We’ll be needing the funds if we want to keep our borders intact. Please understand.”

“King, you don’t understand.” The envoy shook his head. “The weapons of the Dwarven Race are capable of tilting the tides of war. What you’re buying isn’t weapons, but the survival of this Kingdom itself. Hey, take that thing out.”

One of the dwarves took out a head-sized metal ball from their bag and handed it to their leader. The leader raised the black iron ball and showed it to everyone.

“This thing here can kill everyone in this room in an instant,” said the envoy.

Hearing this, the guards of the King immediately unsheathed their weapons and pointed them at the dwarves.

“These bastards! You dare threaten the King?”

“Your Majesty, please stand back!”

Before the guards could surround the dwarves, the King immediately ordered them to fall back. “It’s fine. The envoys meant no harm.”

But the guards did not sheathe their weapons. They continued pointing their swords at the envoys.

The King realized what the envoys were trying to arrive at. “So… those iron balls. They’re the weapons the dwarves decided to lend our Kingdom for this war?”

The envoy nodded. “That’s right. Weapon made exclusively in the Dwarven Kingdom. We’ve brought a thousand iron shells with us, and there will be a thousand more once the payment on your side’s finalized.”

The dwarf handed the iron ball back to his men. He straightened his furred cloak. “I heard of the so-called mana bombs you used against the Empire several months ago. Impressive thing, indeed. Even the higher ups of our military wanted to get their hands on one of them and study it.”

The dwarf stared straight into the King’s eyes. “May I know why the Kingdom’s not using it against the Empire? Now of all times?”

“There’s no use hiding it anyway,” the King sighed. “The main ingredient in creating the mana bombs. Our country doesn’t have enough of them to continue the production of those weapons. We can produce several dozen, but that’s the limit of the Kingdom. The amount of main ingredient is limited and we’ve gathered everything we could these past few months.”

“Main ingredient?” The dwarf cast a curious look.

“We cannot reveal what, I’m afraid,” said the King. “And even if you happen to discover all the ingredients needed to create it, it’ll be next to impossible to recreate the runes engraved in the shells without proper guidance.”

The main ingredient to the mana bombs were actually mana stones. And only those of middle-grade and above at that. It was the same reason why Lark suddenly couldn’t find any mana stones in the capital. Everything of decent quality had already been bought by the royal family.

“Such a shame. If you were willing to divulge the information about those weapons, we could even compromise and cut the Kingdom of Lukas’ payment in half.”

The King smiled wryly. No ruler would be foolish enough to reveal the production methods of their trump card.

Even though the envoy was condescending and arrogant, at the end of the day he was still a mere envoy. But his statement that they could significantly lower the price in exchange for the blueprint meant that the Dwarven King was behind this. He probably received orders from the higher ups to get as much information about the unknown weapon, straight from the King.

What a greedy nation.

King Alvis was sure that the Dwarven Kingdom held weapons far more powerful than the mana bombs. Their country was so powerful that, for the past century, no one dared to wage war with them—even the Empire.

“Interesting. A magic formation engraved inside iron shells. A feat difficult to achieve, even by our craftsmen.” The dwarf stroked his beard once again. “Not impossible, but difficult.”

Silence fell as the dwarf pondered. “The iron shells we’ve loaded inside the carts are similar to the so-called mana bombs by nature. At least, if what I heard of the mana bombs is true.”

The dwarf cleared his throat. “Then, how about this? We’ll demonstrate the might of our iron shells, you demonstrate to us the might of the mana bombs. I really want to see it myself—how the humans managed to create weapons so powerful they could rival the dwarves’. And in exchange, we’ll settle for the meager sum of thirty thousand gold coins. How about it, King?”

The King and the ministers looked at each other. It would not do much harm, since it shouldn’t be possible for the dwarves to copy the production method merely watching a demonstration.

The King nodded. “The forest near the outskirts is a suitable place.”

The dwarf grinned. “Lead the way.”

Escorted by almost a hundred guards, the King and the envoys went to the nearby forest. The dwarves were first to demonstrate their weapon.

The King expected them to use a catapult or something similar to propel the iron shells, but to his surprise, the leader of the envoys simply threw it in the air. The strength behind his throw was colossal, and the iron shell flew into the air as though it was fired by a ballista.

Who was this dwarf? The strength he displayed was akin to the Kingdom’s strongest knights. While the King and his ministers were having such thoughts, they heard a loud explosion in the distance. The ground momentarily shook.

The group went toward the place where the iron shell struck. The tree it hit directly was blown to smithereens, and numerous iron needles struck the surrounding trees like a porcupine. It seemed that after the explosion, hundreds of iron needles flew out of the shell. If it were to be used in real battle, it was easy to see how effective it would be in incapacitating their enemies.

One of the curious soldiers was about to touch a needle and inspect it when the envoy shouted, “Don’t touch it, human!”

The soldier flinched and froze.

“Unless you want to die from the poison of a yellow-spotted mazama snake.”

Hearing this, the soldier turned pallid. Sweat flowed down his forehead as he slowly backed off.

“It’s poisoned?” said the King.

“Of course,” spat the dwarf, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “The needles are dipped overnight in yellow-spotted mazama snake’s poison. It can kill a wild boar in mere seconds. I doubt mere humans can survive such potent poison.”

The King’s eyes widened for a moment. A single iron shell was this dangerous, and the Dwarven Kingdom was willing to provide them with more than a thousand of them?

The envoy was not lying when he said that their weapons were capable of tilting the tides of war.

“King, your turn,” said the envoy. “Show us the mana bomb.”

The King nodded. “Of course.” He signaled the soldiers to prepare to launch the weapon.

First, they loaded it on a small catapult they’d brought. After receiving the go signal, they fired it into the sky. The mana bomb shot into the sky before falling down. Upon impact, a deafening boom reverberated. The ground shook violently and the animals in the forest whined. Flocks of birds flew out of the trees. Thick, black smoke swirled up into the sky.

The leader of the dwarves quivered. Without uttering a word, he suddenly ran toward the place where the mana bomb landed. Reaching the place, he skidded to a halt. He held his breath and his eyes widened at what he saw.

There was a small crater on the ground where the bomb landed, and the trees surrounding the crater were all blown to smithereens. Furthermore, the other trees which survived the impact were on fire. From the scale of damage alone, the mana bomb far overshadowed the iron shells of the Dwarven Kingdom.

As the dwarf continued staring at the burning trees, the King and his men finally caught up and arrived at the scene. The King was still huffing, his wrinkled skin a bit paler than before, when the dwarf asked him a question. “The mana bomb. Who created it? This weapon, its destructive force reminds me of the Dragonewts!”

The King did not reply. Instead, he also looked at the burning trees. The crater. The smithereens. King Alvis looked at the sky. Thick black smoke continued swirling up. He remembered the young man who handed them the blueprint of this weapon.

The Commander of the Third Army. Lark Marcus.

He had been receiving regular reports from Mikael so he knew the current whereabouts and status of the army. He’d even received reports of the First Army’s arrival to Akash City, along with the remnants of the Yorkshaire and Marcus Army.

King Alvis did not know how Lark did it, but it was an ingenious feat, regardless. He could not believe that in a short period of time, Lark Marcus had been able to capture a walled city, convert it into a stronghold, and gather his remaining allies in the Western Front.

The soldiers stationed at the front lines were doing their best to protect the Kingdom.

As their King, I should double my effort, he thought.

The Second Army was currently in a deadlock with the Imperial Army stationed in Yan City. King Alvis decided to use the weapons provided by the dwarves to finally break the stalemate.

CHAPTER 15

The Second Army was camped in Louan Plains, an area previously infested with monsters.

Inside, his tent, Arzen Boris read the reports from his men. It had already been several weeks since the siege of Yan City started. They’d tried dozens of times to reclaim the city, but each of their attempts were thwarted by Commander Amubal of the Empire, the so-called Man-Eater. The demoted general who suffered a crushing defeat against the Yorkshaire Army several months ago.

“Another failure, huh?” Arzen rubbed his throbbing forehead. Black marks encircled his eyes.

They’d lost contact with the scouts they’d sent out a day ago.

“Tell Mokuva to come here,” he said to one of the soldiers.

“Yes, Commander!” the soldier saluted and went out of the tent. A few minutes later, he came back with a frail-looking man who could easily be mistaken as a girl at first glance.

“You called for me, brother?” said Mokuva.

“Commander,” corrected Arzen.

Mokuva stared at his brother for a moment, then bowed his head. “Of course. It’s Commander. My apologies, Sir.”

Arzen sighed. “It seems that I’ll be needing your skills. It’s been more than a month since we left the capital. I heard from a reliable source that that damn Lark Marcus has already reached the Western Front with his entire army intact. And can you believe this? He managed to capture the walled City of Akash!”

Arzen gritted his teeth. He knew that he should be glad that the battle on the Western Front had been favorable for the Kingdom thus far, but knowing that all these achievements would go to that bastard once the war ended made Arzen want to rip his hair out in utter frustration.

If that brat could do it, why couldn’t he? He was the top graduate of the military academy, after all.

Arzen looked at his little brother. Unlike him, Mokuva was unfazed by the news. His face held a curious look, as though wondering how Lark Marcus managed to achieve all those things within a short period of time.

“Listen,” said Arzen. “I want you to come up with a strategy to overcome the Man-Eater’s defenses. We need to take back the City of Yan as soon as possible!”

His frail-looking brother stared at the map spread on the table for several minutes. Like playing a game of Hayangji, the popular strategy game of the Kingdom, he started placing numerous wooden pieces on different parts of the map.

“Commander, how many soldiers has the Second Army lost since the start of the war?” said Mokuva, his gaze still fixated on the map.

“Almost two thousand.” Arzen scowled. “That damnable Man-Eater refused to leave the City of Yan. We’ve been forced to siege, but that’s to be expected of a territory previously governed by the House Marcus. Forget the gates. We can’t even climb past the walls without being shot by arrows.”

“Two thousand.” Mokuva clicked his tongue. “That’s a lot. You should have called for me sooner, Commander. Over here, look. It should be possible to launch a surprise attack from here.”

Arzen looked where Mokuva was pointing. He frowned. “A surprise attack? That’s next to the Silen River, idiot. Monsters come out of the river as though they’re birthed by the water. Our soldiers will be dead before they can even nock their arrows.”

Mokuva shook his head. “You’re not wrong, but the circumstances right now are different. Several months ago, Lui Marcus ordered his army to wipe out the monsters coming out of Silen River to secure the mines around the area and to open up a path between the City of Yan and City of Metesda. And how did he do it?”

“By exterminating the monsters in Louan Plains.” Arzen finally started grasping what his little brother was trying to say.

“That’s right,” said Mokuva. “It’s impossible to totally clear Silen River of monsters in less than a year. And the Empire knows this too. That’s probably why there are far fewer soldiers guarding this area near Silen than the others.”

Mokuva pointed at the area in the map where the entire Second Army was currently camped. “But Commander, what happens if a ten thousand-strong army is currently camped in Louan? The source of the monsters of Silen?”

Mokuva took out a short, wooden stick and placed it across the area on the map representing Silen River. “The route of the monsters is cut off. Right now, Silen is practically clear of monsters. And the Empire is unaware of this. We can use this chance to launch an all-out attack at the area least-guarded by our enemies.”

Arzen whistled. As expected of his brother, the same person who wrote the book: Fifty-Seven Assault Tactics. A book which was still being used in the military academy.

“Commander,” a soldier entered the tent. “We’ve received weapons from the capital. Judging by the seal, it seems to be from the royal family.”

“Weapons?” Arzen shot a quizzical look.

“Yes,” the soldier nodded. “They’ve been delivered to our camp just now.”

Arzen and Mokuva looked at each other.

Arzen donned his military coat and grabbed his sword. “Lead us there.”

The soldier saluted. “Yes, Commander!”

The brothers from House Boris were led toward a large clearing where several carts stood. A few knights from the royal family and several dozen soldiers were already there, protecting the cargo.

“Arzen, Commander of the Second Army.” Arzen politely greeted the man who seemed to be the leader of the knights. “I heard you’ve come to deliver weapons for the army?”

The leader of the knights glanced at the carts behind him, then at Arzen. “That’s right. This is a task personally entrusted to us by His Majesty. He told us to deliver these iron shells to the Second Army, no matter what.”

Arzen’s eyes glimmered upon hearing those words. “Iron shells?”

“Dwarven weapons purchased by the royal family,” said the knight. “His Majesty wishes for this deadlock with the Amubal Army to end soon. Please use these weapons to take back Yan City.”

Arzen’s eyes widened. Weapons from the dwarves were known to be incredibly potent during war. He did not know how the King managed to negotiate with them, since those arrogant bastards closed their borders centuries ago. But that did not matter now. What mattered was the weapons.

The knight opened the leather cloth covering one of the carts, revealing iron shells the size of a human head. He grabbed one of them. “I’ll demonstrate the might of these new weapons. Please watch carefully.”

With just brute force, the knight threw the iron shell into the sky. The shell shot up, then flew down at an angle, before striking the ground. A loud boom was heard. Arzen and his little brother walked to where the iron shell landed and saw a small crater on the ground, with numerous needles sticking in it.

“Those needles are poisonous,” said the knight, who’d calmly followed them. “It’s easy to imagine what would happen if we launched these things at Yan City.”

The might of the iron shell was definitely far inferior to the mana bombs, but the amount loaded in the carts could easily surpass the one thousand mark. With just these alone, it should be possible to lay waste to an Empire’s army or two.

“But brot—Commander,” Mokuva corrected himself midway. He was frowning. “What about our captured citizens in the city? If we use such dangerous weapons…”

Arzen was worried about this too. He looked at the expressionless knight.

“Regarding the captured citizens of Akash,” said the knight. “We’ve confirmed that most of them have been killed by the Amubal Army. His Majesty wouldn’t have allowed the usage of the dwarven weapons against the City of Yan, otherwise.”

The Man-Eater was infamous for killing and torturing all of his enemies regardless of gender or age. The Boris brothers could easily see him killing all of the captives just to lessen the number of mouths to feed in the city.

Either way, Amubal’s ruthlessness worked to their advantage this time. They could bombard the city with these weapons without care for friendly fire.

A chuckling sound escaped Arzen’s lips. He grinned.

“Gather the troops! Prepare to move out in an hour!” he roared.

Lark Marcus had been gathering achievements left and right in this war. Arzen did not have the slightest intention of letting the bastard hoard all the glory. With these weapons, even the Man-Eater’s army would not pose any risk to his Second Army.

Upon receiving their orders, the entire Second Army started marching toward the grassland next to Silen River. And just like Mokuva said, monsters did not come out in droves and attack the army. It seemed that camping in Louan Plains unexpectedly stoppered the source of these monsters. And this gave the army enough time to cross over.

The sentries of the Empire stationed there were startled upon seeing the sea of soldiers swarming toward the area. They’d never considered that the army of the Kingdom would choose to attack from the direction of the monster-infested river. They immediately rang the bell to alert everyone of the attack.

“T-The Kingdom! The Kingdom’s soldiers ar—”

Arrows rained down on the sentries and killed them on the spot. Without any hesitation, the Second Army continued moving toward the city of Yan.

“This should be far enough,” said Arzen, his eyes peering at the city from the distance.

By now, their enemies had been alerted to the attack. The nearly defenseless battlements started to be filled with archers. The gates were tightly shut and were barricaded with boulders from inside.

“Load the shells,” Arzen commanded.

After the five catapults they’d brought with them had been loaded with iron shells, he roared, “Fire!”

Five iron shells shot into the sky and flew over the walls, creating a loud boom upon striking the ground. Even from a distance, Arzen could hear the frantic shouts inside the city. The enemies were definitely caught off guard by the dwarven weapons. He could imagine dozens of soldiers falling prey to the poisonous needles.

Caught off guard, the magicians could not even erect a barrier to block the first strike. Most probably, their magicians were stationed on the opposite side of the city, at the gate where the Second Army had frequently attacked previously.

“Keep them coming,” said Arzen. “We’ll attack once we’ve killed more than half of those imperial bastards.”

Iron shells were loaded and fired one after another. Arzen had been granted hundreds of these things, and he decided not to spare firepower against the Amubal Army. Once he was done dealing with this city, he planned on heading straight to the Western Front and utterly destroying General Alvaren’s and General Rizel’s army.

He couldn’t let Lark Marcus hog all the glory, could he?

“Those fools at the walls,” he said pointing at the archers stationed on the battlements. “Kill them.”

The iron shells shot toward the battlements, destroying chunks of it with each strike, sending hundreds of iron needles to the archers stationed there. Arzen was ecstatic seeing the enemy line collapse with just a few strikes.

After firing over a hundred iron shells, Arzen ordered his men to use the battering rams to open the gates. With all the archers on the walls dead, they easily reached the gates. It took them less than half an hour to destroy the gates and push out the boulders blocking them.

Under Arzen’s command, his soldiers entered the city in droves. And after making sure that no traps were laid out for them, Arzen also entered the city and joined the fray.

“Haha! What’s this?” Arzen laughed in glee. “Look at the mighty Empire! Reduced to this state after firing just over a hundred of those things! I’ve really got to hand it to those dwarves!”

When Arzen and his men entered the city, they were greeted by a half-dead Amubal Army. It seemed that the iron needles contained inside the shells were more dangerous than they’d thought. Those things were actually capable of piercing through wood and leather armor. Even a simple graze was enough to paralyze an enemy soldier, if they were lucky enough not to kick the bucket immediately.

An arrow shot toward Arzen, but it was immediately blocked by the iron shield of his personal knights. He looked toward the source and saw several soldiers hiding on the rooftops. He also noticed the enemies hiding inside the houses, ready to pounce at the Second Army at a moment’s notice.

“This is how it should be,” Arzen said grinning. “Put up a fight! It’ll be too boring, otherwise!”

Arzen unsheathed his sword. He roared, “Slaughter the dogs of the Empire!”

“As you command!” his men replied in unison.

The Second Army and the Amubal Army broke into a melee. Sword clashed against sword, and arrows rained down from the sky. The smell of blood strongly permeated the air as bodies fell to the ground one after another.

Arzen scanned the entire battlefield for any sign of the Man-Eater.

Arzen frowned. “Strange.”

He couldn’t see the Man-Eater anywhere. Even Leorith, the Man-Eater’s adjutant was nowhere to be found. It did not make sense that the two strongest warriors of the Amubal Army were not joining the fight.

And after several hours, Arzen realized the reason why. After killing all the enemies—even those who surrendered—Arzen’s men found a secret passage underneath the Lord’s Castle. Upon investigation, it seemed that the secret passage led toward the South, just outside the walls.

Arzen led a small elite unit and followed the trail. To his surprise and amusement, they found the lifeless body of the Man-Eater lying on the ground. Next to him was Amubal’s adjutant, Leorith, wounded.

It seemed that the two of them were unlucky enough to be hit by the iron needles from the dwarven shells.

“Isn’t this amusing?” Arzen walked toward the half-dead Leorith and the dead Amubal. “The so-called Man-Eater died from poison! A pathetic death, isn’t it?”

Leorith hugged the dead body of his master. He glared at Arzen but did not say a single word.

“Those eyes,” Arzen said frowning, “I don’t like them.”

Arzen stabbed Leorith’s shoulder. The adjutant did not shout and simply endured the pain by gritting his teeth. He could hardly move due to the poison.

“Pathetic.” Arzen kicked the already dead body of the Man-Eater, making it roll on the ground twice before halting to a stop. “And I was looking forward to a one-on-one fight with you. To think that you’ll die a dog’s death. How disappointing.”

He kicked the dead body again. If glares could kill, Leorith would have massacred Arzen several times by now.

“How long will it take for us to reach the Western Front?” said Arzen.

“Probably three weeks at most,” replied one of his officers. “Two weeks if we’re lucky enough not to run into the garrisons of the Empire.”

The last statement was wishful thinking, everyone knew. There was simply no way for an army as large as the Second Army to go unnoticed by the Empire.

“Two to three weeks,” mumbled Arzen. “That brat might be dead by then. There’s no way he could resist those two monsters of the Empire for long.”

Arzen did not believe in the slightest that Lark Marcus could defeat the Empire. Even if the Marcus Army and the Yorkshaire Army were to help him, it’d be like sprinkling water into a dry well. Lui Marcus and the Sword Saint had been defeated by the Empire before. And they even ended up losing more than half their soldiers in the process.

“The damn brat and his soldiers better be still alive when I get there,” Arzen spat. “I’ll be needing those soldiers to defeat those monsters of the old era.”

Arzen looked at the lifeless body of the Man-Eater. He then turned his attention to the dying adjutant.

He had been looking forward to seeing the despair within the Man-Eater’s eyes, but that was impossible now. He could not believe that Amubal was unlucky enough to be hit by those poisonous needles. An unbefitting end for such an infamous warrior.

Arzen sighed, gripped his sword, and walked toward the adjutant.

“Such a shame,” he said.

He swung his sword and the head of the adjutant fell and rolled down the ground.

“Tell the army to clean up the entire city,” said Arzen. “Stock up on rations and gather the remaining shells sent from the capital. We’ll head toward the Western Front tomorrow morning.”

CHAPTER 16

[City of Akash]

The next day, after the feast, the officers of the army gathered once again in the Grand Hall. This time, to discuss strategies for the war.

Lui Marcus sat near the front of the long table, between the Sword Saint and the Baron. Unlike the other officers of the army who looked well-rested, he’d hardly slept last night. He still had several questions regarding the identity of his brother and the so-called Master. If the Master existed at all.

He simply could not accept that a non-combatant like his brother could become so proficient in magic and the sword in such a short period of time. And that Master of Lark’s. Who was he? Why did such a person remain anonymous until now? If the student was a mere reflection of the Master, then that person was surely someone at the peak of magic and the sword.

He still had a lot of questions, which would have to wait for now, probably until the end of this war.

“After the arrival of the First, Yorkshaire, and the Marcus Army yesterday,” said Lark with a large map hanging on the wall behind him, “we now have twenty-five thousand soldiers under our command.”

“It’s still nothing compared to the sixty thousand soldiers of the Empire,” said Argus, the Lord of Yorkshaire City. “And there’s also the elite unit led by General Alvaren. The Magic Knights. They alone are enough to crush the Baron’s army.”

Baron Zacharia turned grim but did not deny his defeat regardless. With his usual gruff voice, he said, “I agree. We’ll need to defeat that unit first, if we want to even step foot inside Yorkshaire. Each of them are capable of enhancing their bodies using mana. I’m afraid that the low-ranking knights of our Kingdom aren’t a match for them at all.”

Lark had heard that the reason the Sword Saint and Lui Marcus lost the battle was due to them. It seemed that even they weren’t able to win when surrounded by more than a dozen Magic Knights.

General Rizel alone was already a pain to deal with, but now he learned that there were hundreds of knights capable of body-enhancement magic under General Alvaren’s command. The Empire was really not sparing them any room to breathe by sending those two monsters of the old era.

“A defensive battle is the ideal with our difference in number,” said Lark. He raised one finger. “But with yesterday’s addition of eleven thousand soldiers, we only have a month left before we run out of rations.”

Some of the officers looked down in embarrassment after this remark. Their rations had been burned down by General Alvaren, and they’d no choice but to rely on the City of Akash to feed their soldiers.

“I’m not blaming anyone,” said Lark. “And I’m truly glad that more reinforcements have arrived. But we should throw the idea of a defensive battle to win this battle out of the window. Even if we manage to hold out to a siege for a more than a month, we’ll only die of starvation afterwards.”

“So you’re suggesting we attack the City of Yorkshaire?” Lord Argus surmised.

“Yes,” nodded Lark. “And the garrisons of the Empire stationed in the mountains.”

Lark pinned several wooden pieces onto the map. “A total of eight garrisons are spread in the Yorkshaire Mountain Range. These also serve as communication relays and supply lines for the Empire. We should prioritize these eight areas before we even start a siege at Yorkshaire. It’ll be pointless, otherwise.”

Lord Argus stroked his beard. “The Yorkshaire Mountain Range is vast. How did you discover these eight garrisons of the Empire, if I may ask?”

“I’m pretty sure everyone still remembers the eagle I used before.” Lark held out a crystal. Images of the sky started appearing on it. “I’ve been using more than a dozen surveillance birds to monitor the enemies all this time. I’ve combed through the entire mountain range and I’m sure that there are only eight garrisons stationed there at the moment, and that each of them is connected with one other, acting as a supply line.”

The officers gawked at the vision crystal on Lark’s hands. Everyone here knew the significance of such artifact. The number of strategies they could employ had suddenly increased with such a thing on their side.

“Of these eight garrisons, only three of them hold significance,” said Lark. “The rest are simple relay points and would immediately collapse if those three are captured by the Kingdom.”

Lark pointed at three wooden pieces representing the three garrisons. “For this task, I’ll be needing the help of the Yorkshaire Army.”

Lord Argus looked conflicted. “I only have less than a thousand soldiers under my command now. Eight hundred and five to be exact. Although you’ve said that only three out of those eight garrisons held significance, we would still need to attack those three at the same time for this plan to work. The other garrisons will ask for reinforcements otherwise, and the entire plan will go down the drain. Splitting my soldiers into three groups…”

“You’ll be assisted by the soldiers from the Third Army,” said Lark. “And for each unit, I’ll be lending out three Blackstone Knights.”

“You don’t understand,” Lord Argus said shaking his head, “the mountains of Yorkshaire are a death trap. A lot of people die on them each year, their bodies never found, buried by the snow. Even the Empire took decades before they found a way to overcome it. These Blackstone Knights of yours will simply hinder my soldiers.”

The middle portion of the mountain was covered in snow, the slopes were steep and the rocks were sharp. This was the reason why the Yorkshaire Army, before their defeat, was uncontested in the mountains. The Empire who were used to fighting on flat land simply weren’t a match for them at all. Not until the Magic Knights who could use body-enhancement magic arrived and overturned the tide of the battle.

“Worry not,” Lark dismissed the worries of Argus. “My Blackstone Knights can surely keep up with your men. I can guarantee that. As for the soldiers of the Third Army, just think of them as porters. I’m sure they’ll also come handy once the fight breaks out.”

“After we’ve taken care of these garrisons on the mountains,” said the Sword Saint. “What’s next? Even if we capture those garrisons, if the Empire decides to play a defensive battle, it’ll be impossible for us to reclaim the City of Yorkshaire in just a month’s time.”

“No, it should be possible.” Lark took the large wooden piece representing the soldiers stationed in Akash and pinned it next to Yorkshaire City. “Especially now that we’ve got an additional eleven thousand men as a helping hand. We can hasten the production of those towers, the balloons, and the bombs.”

“Three weeks,” said Lark. “We only need to hold out in this city for three weeks until we’ve completed the movable towers. Several dozen mana bombs should be enough to smoke those guys out of that city if needed. And seven towers should be enough to act as a shield for our army.”

The towers Lark had been developing were unlike the ones he built in Lion City. These towers did not need kalrane stones to function, instead they sucked in the ambient mana and used it to fuel its magic. It was far more powerful, movable, but at the same time costed more money and time to build.

Lark felt uncomfortable recreating these towers in this era, where magic was undeveloped, but he had no choice but to rely on them to tilt the tides of war. Their enemy was simply too numerous and powerful for normal methods to overcome.

Murmurs filled the Grand Hall as the officers discussed the proposed plan. Lui Marcus, who remained silent until now, spoke, “Brother, how powerful are these so-called towers? I’ve heard of the might of the magic towers of Wizzert City. And I’ve seen one of them in action. Are you saying that these towers of yours are as powerful as those?”

Lark shook his head. “No. The towers in Wizzert are mere imitations. What we’ll be using is the real deal. Probably three to four times more powerful than the ones at Wizzert City.”

Hearing this, the entire Grand Hall broke into uproar. The claim of Lark was simply preposterous.

“L-Lies!” One of the officers could not accept Lark’s statement. “How could it be possible to create a tower much more powerful than the ones at Wizzert? And you call their towers mere imitations!”

“Calm down, Captain Abago. Surely the Commander of the Third Army has his reasons for his claims. Maybe his Master is the one behind the invention of these towers?”

“I agree with the captain. I don’t know the origin of that Master, but even for him, it should be impossible to create a magic tower three to four times more powerful than the ones in Wizzert!”

“Just because you’ve never seen it, it means it’s impossible.” Lark sighed. He remembered the shield towers in the Magic Empire capable of blocking the fire breath of a dragon. “Even if you have your doubts, I humbly ask that you let your soldiers cooperate with the creation of towers. Time is of essence and we need to win this war before our rations run out.”

The entire room burst into a heated discussion once again. This time, Lark did not interrupt them and let them argue with each other to their heart’s content. After some time, the buzzes, murmurs, and shouts eventually died down.

They came to the consensus that it would probably be better to do as Lark suggested. A defensive battle for three weeks was necessary for them to complete these so-called towers. And even if the towers weren’t as powerful as Lark claimed them to be, everyone in this room was certain of the potency of the mana bombs.

“So in the end, we’ll be abandoning this city and attacking with our entire army three weeks from now, huh?” said the Baron. He still remembered the defensive structures he saw on the way here and found it regrettable to leave those things behind.

“A half-assed attack will bite us in the back,” said Lark. “It’ll be all or nothing. And besides, if we—”

Lark stopped in the middle of his speech as he noticed something peculiar in the vision crystal. His surveillance birds noticed an army approaching the city through the burned forest.

“We have guests,” said Lark. He showed the vision crystal to everyone.

He willed the birds to come closer, revealing the image of hundreds of soldiers clad in plate armor. On their shoulders was an unknown crest.

“The Alvaren Army,” said Baron Zacharia. Everyone held their breath hearing this. “They tracked us all the way here?”

“Those Magic Knights belong to this army, right?” said Lark. “How many of them?”

“All of them,” Baron Zacharia spat through gritted teeth. Even the Sword Saint and Lui Marcus were stiff.

“The five hundred-strong army coming this way,” said the Baron, “all of them are Magic Knights.”

The unit that defeated the Sword Saint, the Marcus Army, and the First Army had arrived at Akash City.

CHAPTER 17

After chasing after the trails of the Kingdom’s soldiers, the Alvaren Army finally arrived at Akash City. Five hundred knights clad in shining plate armor halted a good distance away from the city. Near enough to see the enemies’ movements, far enough to evade arrows.

The bells in Akash City rang, the bridge was retracted and the gates were shut. Over a hundred archers filled the battlements, their arrows nocked and pointed at the newly arrived army.

“Would you look at this,” chuckled General Alvaren. His ashen hair fluttered against the blowing wind. His hand gripped his glaive tight. “They captured and converted this city into a stronghold, huh?”

He had been to Akash City over a month ago and he was sure that it was not as fortified as this before. The moats were evidently recently-made, and those ballista-like weapons with iron disks nocked onto them were something he hadn’t seen before.

“What are your orders, General?” his adjutant asked.

General Alvaren looked at his knights; their eyes were clearly saying that they feared no one, that they would not hesitate to charge into the city with just a single command.

His guys were strong, but there was no need to purposely put themselves at a disadvantage by charging into a fortress filled with enemies several times their number. It took him decades to train his Magic Knights, after all. He did not like them to die pointless deaths.

After some thinking, he decided not to charge in recklessly. But it did not mean he would go back while leaving the damn bastards scathe-free.

“Bring out the Fortress Breaker,” said the General.

“Yes, General!”

“We’ll give the bastards a parting gift before we go back to Yorkshaire.”

Several knights dismounted and started assembling a portable weapon made of iron. It resembled a hybrid of a ballista and a cannon; the long hollow tube at the center was as long as two carriages combined.

After several minutes, the knights finished assembling the weapon and pointed it toward the gates. General Alvaren moved his mount a bit closer to the city. He gripped a magic tool which amplified his voice and roared, “Lui Marcus! Shitty brat! Come out!”

His roar was already loud enough even without the magic tool, but combined with its amplifying effect, his voice reverberated throughout the city. The soldiers in Akash started murmuring with each other. There were rumors that the Silver War God lost to General Alvaren in the previous fight.

“If you don’t come out!” the General continued to roar. “We’ll blow your puny gates into smithereens! Come out and fight me! A duel! Let’s finish the fight we started!”

On top of the battlements, stood the officers of the army—Lark, Lui, the Sword Saint, Lord Argus, and Baron Zacharia. They looked at the hundreds of knights threatening to charge into the city at any moment.

“That damn old man.” Lui gnashed his teeth. “Master Alexander, that thing they’re pointing at our gates…”

“The Fortress Breaker, yes.” The Sword Saint was as stoic as before. “The same thing they used to blow up the gates of Yorkshaire City.”

Lark amplified his eyesight using mana and stared curiously at the metallic weapon, particularly at its long hollow tube. It resembled a cannon but the base was that of a ballista. It was hard to see from afar, but he could make out what seemed to be engraved runes on its body.

A magic weapon. A portable one at that.

Lui hopped onto a merlon, about to jump down toward the ground.

“You’re not planning on answering his taunts, are you?” The Sword Saint frowned. “You’ve lost against him before—”

“—It was different back then,” said Lui. “I’ve been exhausted after dealing with his Magic Knights.”

The Sword Saint looked at Lui’s body. Although it was hardly discernible to a normal person’s eyes, he could see that the Silver War God was having a hard time moving. The large wound on his body hadn’t fully healed yet even after all this time.

“Brother,” Lark looked at Lui disapprovingly, “there’s no need for you to go out there and fight him. You’ll just die a fool’s death if you go out there now, with that body.”

Lark sighed. He tossed a vial toward his brother. Lui caught it and saw the red fluid sloshing inside.

“This is?” said Lui, still staring at the vial.

“Middle-grade healing potion,” said Lark. “A specialty of Blackstone Town. Drink it.”

Lui hesitated for a moment before he eventually opened the lid and gulped down everything inside the vial. His eyes widened seconds later. An indescribable sensation gushed inside him. He could feel the large wounds that the priests were unable to heal closing on their own. Strength started coming back to his body.

Lui stared at his little brother in bewilderment. Even in the capital, it was hard to find a healing potion as potent as this one. Even the highest-grade healing potions made in the Alchemist Workshop weren’t capable of healing large wounds in a short period of time.

“And you too.” Lark also tossed a vial toward the Sword Saint.

After seeing the effect of the potion on Lui, the Sword Saint immediately gulped down the vial’s contents. The wounds on his body also closed on their own and an indescribable surge of strength started flowing within his body.

Another shout from General Alvaren was heard: “Come out! Silver War God! Or are you telling me that the Kingdom’s so-called strongest warrior is afraid to fight me one-on-one?”

Those words were followed by mocking laughter from the Magic Knights.

Lui glared at General Alvaren’s direction. He tried jumping down the walls when he felt an invisible force stopping him from moving any further. He quickly traced the source and saw his little brother shaking his head.

“Don’t,” said Lark. “If you’re worried about the gates being destroyed by that so-called Fortress Breaker… I assure you that those gates won’t fall that easily to anything short of Grand Scale Magic.”

Lui conceded to the invisible force tugging at his armor. He went down the merlon and looked through the embrasure. The Alvaren Army started loading a blunt, long piece of iron which fitted perfectly inside the tube. Mana was poured into the runes of the portable weapon and loud buzzing sound was heard as mana was continuously sucked in by the sigils.

“All soldiers! Move out of the gates!” the Baron shouted to the soldiers below. “It’s going to be blown up!”

Hearing this, the soldiers immediately dispersed, moving far away from the gates.

“First Army!” said the Baron. “Shields up!”

The First Army, under the leadership of Baron Zacharia, formed a shield around the gates, ready to mitigate the impact from the Fortress Breaker.

Although Lark was confident that the gates he fortified himself were not going to fall that easily, he still commanded the Blackstone Knights to aid the First Army. It was better to be safe than sorry.

General Alvaren’s voice was heard again all throughout the city. “The Silver War God isn’t coming out? Bunch of cowards. Do it.”

On cue, the Fortress Breaker roared. Crimson, glowing iron which resembled lava shot toward the gates. The air around them rose several degrees as the projectile whizzed by. And upon making contact with the gates, a loud explosion occurred. The gate and the walls shook, the ground rumbled. The melted iron exploded into numerous, smaller fireballs.

The First Army braced themselves for the impact, their shields erected right before them.

But it did not come.

They bewilderedly stared at the still-intact gates. Hints of confusion evident on their faces. Even the officers of the army were stunned at the outcome. Those near Lark looked at him with quizzical eyes.

There was a loud explosion, the gates and the walls shook, but that’s all. Even the numerous smaller fireballs spat out by the attack dispersed after several seconds, as though an invisible hand swept them away into nonexistence.

“So, that is the so-called Fortress Breaker, huh?” Lark nodded to himself. “The gates I fortified will eventually fall if it’s bombarded by half a dozen of those attacks. Impressive.”

“H-Half a dozen?” Lord Argus choked the words out. He remembered that the gates of Yorkshaire Fell after just two attacks. “But the gates… They’re not even made of iron!”

The gates were mostly wood, their rim and center reinforced with iron. It shouldn’t have been possible for them to withstand even a single attack from the Fortress Breaker.

Lark ignored Lord Argus’ mumblings. He turned to the archers from Gahelpa Village. The archers led by Valak.

“Half your entire mana should be enough,” said Lark. “The enemies are confident that our arrows can’t reach them at this distance. It’s the perfect opportunity, don’t you think so, Valak? Those fools, underestimating their enemies.”

Valak grinned, his bushy beard gave him semblance to the dwarves. “You heard the Young Master! Archers of Gahelpa! Half your entire mana!”

The archers started pouring mana into their bows, their arrows pointed at the Magic Knights.

“Ready the severing disks!” said Lark.

“Ready the severing disks!” one of the soldiers shouted.

The soldiers of the Third Army stationed on the walls started moving about. They pulled the strings of the ballista-like weapons even further, the severing disks aimed at the Alvaren Army.

Lord Argus was still unsure of what was happening. Arrows would not reach their enemies from this distance. How could those so-called severing disks, which were far heavier than arrows? He wanted to tell Lark that everything he was doing was futile, but he remembered the impossible feat just a while ago—the wooden gates withstanding an attack from the Fortress Breaker. He decided to shut his mouth and watch.

“Those bows,” the Sword Saint said, clearly amused, “they’re sucking in the mana of the archers.”

Lui Marcus and the Baron had noticed this too as they stared at the bows the archers were using.

“Let me borrow your spear.” Lark took the spear of the soldier next to him. He channeled mana into it and the spear tip started vibrating. He moved into a throwing stance, and roared, “Archers! Severing disks! Fire!”

And Lark threw the spear in the direction of General Alvaren.

Following the spear, over a dozen arrows whizzed toward the Magic Knights, along with eight severing disks. The Alvaren Army was apparently caught off guard with this sudden attack as none of them even managed to erect barriers or raise their shields to block the attacks. Surely, they didn’t expect that the enemies’ arrows could reach them at this distance.

With speed incomparable to normal arrows, and with strength akin to a javelin throw, the arrows struck several Magic Knights. Some of them were shot right at the chest, their plate armors seemed nothing but parchment as the arrows pierced through it. The unluckier ones were struck right at the face, their heads exploding, sending blood and brains splattering about.

Only General Alvaren managed to defend against this unexpected attack. Although he didn’t notice the spear approaching, his body moved on instinct and parried the attack with his glaive. His several decades of experience in the battlefield screamed at him that death was approaching, and his body moved accordingly to protect him.

Although General Alvaren managed to parry the attack, his hand holding the glaive felt a bit numb after blocking the spear thrown by Lark.

“Shields up!” the General roared. “We’re under attack!”

In unison, his knights moved their shields up to block the incoming arrows. But this was clearly a mistake as the severing disks came flying toward them this time, and it cleanly cut through their shields as though they were rye bread, eventually severing the knights’ armor, bodies and all. And the severing disks did not stop at the first knight. Some of the disks swerved as though they had a life of their own and bisected a few more knights before hitting the ground.

General Alvaren gnashed his teeth. His knights were fearless and would not hesitate to charge into the city at a moment’s notice. But that wasn’t even possible right now. Those damnable gates even withstood an attack from the Fortress Breaker. If they charged in now, they would just become moving targets for the Kingdom’s soldiers.

And how the hell did their arrows reach his army, all the way here? It did not make sense, unless all of their archers were capable of imbuing their arrows with magic!

Lark did not give them a chance to breathe. He ordered the archers from Gahelpa to empty their remaining mana and shoot another volley of arrows toward the Alvaren Army. The Third Army also started loading more severing disks, retracting the strings to their utmost limit.

“Fire!”

And another volley of arrows shot toward the Alvaren Army. Followed by several severing disks.

Seeing this, the Magic Knights kicked their mounts and immediately dispersed, as though they’d practiced this several times before. The second volley of arrows did not take even a single life, and even the severing disks struck nothing but the ground.

But it was enough.

Lark cast his spell and a figure made of smoke manifested itself before him. The smoke floated in front of the Kingdom’s soldiers for a moment, before flying toward the Alvaren Army.

The Magic Knights immediately moved upon seeing the ghostly figure. They slashed at it, and some tried to burn or freeze it with magic, but the figure simply reemerged unscathed every single time.

“Stop,” said General Alvaren. Losing more than a dozen of his elite knights left a bad aftertaste in his mouth. “That thing’s no offensive spell.”

“Greetings, General of the Great Empire.” The humanoid smoke bowed, still floating up. “I am Lark Marcus, Commander of the Third Army and the little brother of the man you’ve been calling a coward.”

General Alvaren’s eyes widened for a moment. He’d heard before that the Third Army’s commander was the little brother of Lui Marcus. But he’d not expected him to be a capable mage at such a young age. This humanoid smoke was clearly not your average spell. Although it held no offensive abilities, it was perfect for relaying messages to your enemies over short distances.

“General Alvaren,” replied the General. “Snotty brat, come out and stop hiding behind those walls! I guess you could substitute for your brother, since the bastard doesn’t even dare show himself before me after his defeat back then!”

The humanoid smoke formed a smile. It chuckled. “I was expecting more after hearing about your feats, but the so-called monster of the Empire’s not much, huh? A man-child, to be exact. Only fools would leave the fortress and answer your taunts, General.”

In a way, Lark thought that General Rizel was a more dangerous opponent than General Alvaren. Based on what he’d heard, General Rizel was not this easy to rile up. A stark contrast to General Alvaren.

General Alvaren quivered with rage. He roared, his voice amplified with the magic tool. “What did you say, brat? Lark Marcus! Come out! If you don’t—”

“Then what?” the smoke chuckled. “Your so-called Fortress Breaker is useless, General. If you’re really as strong as you make yourself out to be, then go ahead and charge into the city.”

The smoke tilted its head to the side. “Or maybe you’re afraid? Look at this, pot calling the kettle black.” The smoke chuckled again, ignoring the curses spouted by General Alvaren. “But maybe I’m a fool? I’m feeling a little… magnanimous today, you see. All these preparations for war have been making me bored lately.”

The gate of Akash opened, the bridge was moved over the moat, and over a hundred soldiers clad in full plate armor moved out of the city. At their lead was a young man with short silver hair and sharp blue eyes. As soon as they were out, the bridge was retracted and the gates were shut.

The smoke broadly smiled. “So I’ve decided to accept it. The duel. A one-on-one battle.”

The young man and his army of armored knights started walking toward the Alvaren Army, then halted at a distance.

General Alvaren glared at the young man. He was sure that he was the one speaking with him through the humanoid smoke.

“So how about it, General? Will you accept?” The last lines were said playfully, clearly mocking his enemy.

The humanoid smoke slowly dissipated and vanished entirely.

General Alvaren gripped his glaive. With him at the lead, the Alvaren Army started moving toward the direction of Lark and the Blackstone Knights.

CHAPTER 18

Unmasked hostility and bloodlust filled the air as the Alvaren Army glared at Lark and the Blackstone Knights. The memories of arrows and severing disks taking away the lives of their comrades were still fresh within the Magic Knights’ minds. Finally, they’d found themselves an outlet for their boiling rage.

When the two armies were only a short distance away from each other, General Alvaren roared, “Kill the foolish bastards! Charge!”

The entire Alvaren Army roared in unison. With General Alvaren at the lead, they charged fearlessly toward the Blackstone Army.

Mana gushed out of the Magic Knight’s bodies, amplifying their strengths beyond human limits. Each of them held their glaives, ready to clash against the Blackstone Knights without regards for their lives.

And the two armies collided.

The sound of iron striking iron reverberated as armored knights, swords and glaives struck against each other. Sparks flew and blood filled the air as the two opposing forces broke into a melee. The Magic Knights roared and fought like savages, their eyes fearless as they swung their glaives left and right. The Blackstone Knights also roared and hacked at all the enemies they saw using their sword.

To Lark’s surprise, the Magic Knights were able to stand their ground against over a hundred Blackstone Knights. Their magically-enhanced body, their superior numbers, coupled with decades of experience in the battlefield, made it possible for them to fight on par with Lark’s army.

“Where are you looking?” a deep, hatred-filled voice was heard.

Lark intuitively blocked the glaive of General Alvaren from above. His hand felt numb after impact. Without giving Lark any chance to retaliate, the General sent a kick toward Lark’s abdomen. Lark evaded by leaping back, but the General’s glaive swerved and followed his movement, its blade aimed at his neck.

Lark erected a three-layered barrier made of wind magic in front of him. But to his astonishment, the wind barrier immediately formed cracks and shattered the moment the glaive touched it. Caught off guard, Lark evaded the attack a split-second late. A small cut was made on his chest, making blood spurt out.

“You’re a lot weaker than your brother.” The General rested the glaive over his shoulder. “How disappointing.”

Lark channeled mana into his wound and forcefully closed it with magic.

What’s happening?

But the wound would not close no matter what he did. An invisible force was disrupting the flow of mana in the wounded area, making it impossible for his spell to heal it.

Lark looked at the glaive the General was using. After seeing the complex runes engraved on its blade, he finally understood what was happening.

The reason why the wounds of his brother and the Sword Saint didn’t heal even after several priests cast healing spells on them. The reason why his three-layered wind barrier instantly shattered the moment it made contact with the glaive. The reason why the cut on his chest was not responding to his magic.

Lark frowned. “That glaive. Where did you get it?”

The General grinned. “A nice weapon, isn’t it? A replica of the national treasure of the Empire. The weapon once used by Uurvesk in the legends!”

It was a familiar name. A name Lark had read from the history books back in Lion City. A name he’d known back in his previous life.

“Uurvesk?” Lark said slowly, mumbling to himself.

It was the name of his disciple. The hot-blooded idiot who nearly got himself killed after waging war with the tribe of Red Dragons.

According to the Grand Historian, Gustav Chavalion, after Evander Alaester died, Uurvesk conquered the numerous clans in the Vast Wilderness and founded the Great Empire. Was General Alvaren pertaining to that child? The kid who previously followed Evander around, insisting that they should explore the Frost Mountains of Yleonor and visit the Elementals of Marut? Remembering about that disciple of his gave him a sense of nostalgia.

“By Uurvesk,” Lark started channeling mana into his fingertips. “Do you mean… the man who founded the Great Empire?”

An orb of lightning the size of a fist hovered at Lark’s fingertip. He pointed it toward the General and shot it. The orb crackled dangerously as it whizzed toward the General. As though swatting a fly, General Alvaren slashed the orb in half with his glaive.

The orb of lightning was cut in half and harmlessly dispersed without exploding, confirming Lark’s suspicions.

A maginus.

The glaive the General was using was a maginus. Weapons engraved with anti-magic runes capable of nullifying almost all forms of magic.

A single maginus would take months, even for Lark, to create. And there was also the astronomical cost in creating one to consider. Even though the General said it was a mere replica of the weapon once used by Lark’s disciple, it was so well-made that it was almost hard to decipher the difference from the real one.

General Alvaren gripped his glaive. Around them, the Blackstone Knights and the Magic Knights were still in a deadlock. “Amazing, isn’t it? The founder of the Great Empire is such a fighting maniac that he made a complete set of items meant to nullify all forms of magic! It’s like saying only the Grand Emperor’s allowed to use magic in battle!”

Lark completely agreed with that statement. That child—that disciple of his—had been so obsessed with fighting that Lark ended up intervening on his behalf dozens of times to save his life. A problem child. And the master was unfortunately doting enough to let it pass.

Uurvesk. You, little shit. Even now you’re giving your master a headache, huh?

With his magic nullified by the glaive, Lark started storming his mind for a way to win the battle. The Magic Knights were unexpectedly holding well against his Blackstone Knights. He had to defeat this General on his own, somehow.

Lark sent a telepathic message to the Baron using the pendant. Prepare to charge out at any time. Mobilize the entire army. We have to wipe out these guys before they have a chance to go back to Yorkshaire.

A reply filled with static was heard afterwards. The soldiers… are ready to move… out at any time. We can… charge now if you give us… the signal.

Good. But not yet. Be on standby. A red flare in the sky. That’s the signal.

If tens of thousands of soldiers suddenly poured out of the city, the Alvaren Army might suddenly disengage and retreat to Yorkshaire City. Lark did not want to miss this opportunity to fight the General outside the fortress, surrounded only by his Magic Knights. Lark knew that it would be exponentially harder to kill this old man once he was inside Yorkshaire. That’s why he decided to go out with only the Blackstone Knights. Surely, the prideful Alvaren Army wouldn’t retreat from an enemy less than half their number.

Lark took out a small vial and drank its contents. The cut on his chest closed on its own, despite the interference of anti-magic from the glaive.

General Alvaren seemed surprised by this, but this lasted only for a moment. The old man grinned broadly. “That’s some expensive potion you got there, kid. Normal ones wouldn’t be able to heal the wounds made by this partner of mine, you see.”

The General’s eyes turned predatory. “But enough with the useless talk.”

The General channeled mana into his weapon, activating the runes engraved on it, and an azure glow started enveloping the glaive. Lark felt the mana in the air vibrate then slowly disperse as seconds ticked by. Lark quickly analyzed the flow of mana and made an estimated radius of the anti-magic spell.

Twenty meters.

Now that the damnable anti-magic weapon had been activated, it would be impossible to materialize any spell within a radius of twenty meters from the glaive. The Magic Knights definitely knew this too, since they immediately moved a certain distance away from the General the moment he activated the runes engraved on the glaive. Otherwise, their magically-enhanced bodies would lose all of their strength after coming into contact with the maginus’ area of effect.

What a troublesome opponent.

Lark took out his sword and tried channeling mana into it. The sword started to vibrate thousands of times each second, before the flow of mana was eventually disrupted and the magic stopped working. Lark tried just to be sure, but it seemed that even amplifying the strength of his body or his weapon was impossible at this point.

He also had the option of creating distance between them and bombarding the General with magic from afar. But such tactic would do nothing but sap away Lark’s mana. That so-called replica could easily cut through any form of magic as though it was rye bread.

Should I run?

Lark seriously considered this option. His magic was sealed and he could not even enhance his body with mana. The only thing he could rely on right now was his swordsmanship, which he was unsure would be enough to win against a war veteran like this old man.

I should have dug deeper into the reports. I was too conceited.

Lark had received reports indicating that General Alvaren was somehow capable of disrupting his opponent’s magic. But Lark never imagined that it was to this degree. He did not imagine his opponent’s glaive to be a replica of the weapon once used by the founder of the Great Empire.

As Lark was weighing his options, General Alvaren leapt toward him at a tremendous speed. No magic enhancements, using only pure brute strength.

The General’s figure blurred, he appeared right before Lark, and with an earth-shattering force, swung his glaive downward. Lark managed to block the attack with his sword, but the force sent him flying and rolling on the ground several times.

Before Lark could even recover, General Alvaren shot toward him and released a barrage of attacks, each swing carrying the same weight as the first one.

Thankfully, Lark never neglected training his body. He brushed close to death several times, but he still managed to fend off the General’s attacks.

Lark’s sword—unenhanced with magic—started forming chips and cracks.

Damn it.

Lark gnashed his teeth. This was the first time he’d felt this cornered ever since he took over this body. He could not use magic. His physical strength was far inferior to his opponent’s. And the wounds inflicted by his enemy were impossible to heal unless he used a middle-grade healing potion. His only saving grace was his decades of experience in the battlefield, his intuition that kept saving him from death.

“Is that it, brat?!” snarled the General. “Your brother was a lot stronger than this! Even with his magic sealed! Where did your arrogance go? Didn’t you want to fight me one-on-one?”

Lark was starting to see why General Alvaren was recognized as one of the monsters of the old era. The damn bastard’s an Anti-Mage. A Magic Slayer.

The General’s glaive struck Lark’s sword once again and the impact eventually cut it into half. Seeing their master in danger, the Blackstone Knights ignored their opponents and charged toward General Alvaren.

The General clearly disliked what was happening, since this was supposed to be a one-on-one battle. With an annoyed glare, he channeled mana into his glaive, gnashed his teeth, and struck the nearest Blackstone Knight.

The maginus cleanly cleaved the Blackstone Knight in half. And it did not stop. Another slash bisected a Blackstone Knight, separating the torso into two. He swung the glaive once again, and the next Blackstone Knight tried to block it with its sword, but the maginus simply cut through the weapon, before cutting its armor.

In an instant, three Blackstone Knights fell down to ground, lifeless. As expected of an anti-magic weapon, it even managed to cut through the link connecting the monster’s essence with the armor.

General Alvaren frowned. “What are these guys?”

The inside of the armor was hollow.

General Alvaren stared at the lifeless Blackstone Knights for a moment.

Was it necromancy? No, impossible. The leader of the Witches of Aravark was a necromancer, and General Alvaren was pretty sure that it was impossible to give life to inanimate objects with necromancy. The primary prerequisite was a dead, formerly-living body.

Lark used this opening to create distance between him and the General. He ran toward the direction of the Magic Knights.

As expected, the General immediately chased after Lark, not giving him the chance to leave the glaive’s anti-magic radius. But unlike before, Lark decided to fight near the Magic Knights and his Blackstone Knights. The nullification of magic did not discriminate between allies and foe. Even the Magic Knights immediately felt their body-enhancement magic dissipate the moment they were near their General’s glaive.

The Blackstone Knights did not miss this chance. They immediately charged toward the powerless Magic Knights and started turning the tides of war.

Seeing his precious knights, who he had trained for several years, being killed by the suits of armor, General Alvaren increased his speed and charged toward Lark like a mad man.

While creating distance between him and the General, Lark started a trial and error on which spells worked and which did not. With spell-shaping speed incomparable even to Royal Court Magicians, Lark finally found a spell undisrupted by the maginus’ area of effect.

Lark skidded to a halt. Seeing this, General Alvaren leapt toward him, gripped his glaive and swung with all his might.

A translucent sword made of unstructured magic manifested itself before Lark. No chants, no magic formations. Lark simply willed the ever-flowing mana in his body to form the shape of a sword, a feat almost impossible to achieve given the present circumstances, unless someone had an almost god-like degree of control over mana.

And Lark did not stop with just the sword. Unstructured magic made of raw mana encased Lark’s body. With his fine control over his own magic, Lark prevented the raw mana from dissipating. It was like playing tug of war with the maginus; Lark was doing his best to prevent the mana enclosing him to disperse into nothingness.

With his body protected by raw mana, Lark blocked the General’s attack with the translucent sword. This time, his hand no longer felt numb, and he even managed to parry the attack without being sent flying by the impact.

A savage grin formed on the General’s face. Was he amused that Lark somehow managed to bypass the magic-nullifying effects of his glaive? Or was he simply excited that Lark could now put up a proper fight?

The answer didn’t matter. Lark couldn’t afford to think of such trivial things now. Without any structure or magic formation, the moment he lost concentration, the clumps of mana he formed as a sword and body armor would disappear in an instant.

“Good! That’s it!” laughed the General. “Struggle! Put up a fight!”

The General kept swinging his glaive, each of his strikes carrying enough strength to cleave a horse in two. Around them, Lark noticed that the Blackstone Knights now had the upper hand. The Magic Knights were also affected by their General’s anti-magic, and they had no choice but to face the Blackstone Knights with brute force alone. Although the Magic Knights were far superior in terms of skill and experience, the Blackstone Knights were far more durable and could tank several hits.

The two armies were in such a heated battle that Lark knew this was the perfect time to call for reinforcements. Even if General Alvaren chose to retreat here, he would simply give Lark the chance to finally cast his magic.

Lark took out a small tube, pointed it toward the sky, and popped open its lid. A loud thudding sound was heard as red dust flew into the sky and exploded.

Several seconds later, the portcullis opened, the bridge was moved over the moat, and numerous soldiers started pouring out of the city. The ground rumbled as thousands of cavalry charged toward the Alvaren Army.

CHAPTER 19

General Alvaren’s eyes momentarily shook as thousands of soldiers moved out of the city. The ground rumbled as horses neighed and armor clanked. The Magic Knights and the Blackstone Knights were still in a deadlock, but the living suits of armor were slowly gaining the upper hand.

The General glared at Lark. “Shitty brat.”

With an earth-shattering force, he struck Lark once again with the glaive. But to General Alvaren’s dismay, Lark’s sword didn’t shatter. The unstructured magic remained unfazed despite the maginus’ influence.

“You wouldn’t say this is unfair, right…” Lark grinned, “…old man?”

Mounted archers from the Marcus Army also joined the fray. While riding their horses, they nocked their arrows and started shooting at the Magic Knights from a distance. Although the strength of their arrows was far inferior compared to those from the Archers of Gahelpa, it was enough to momentarily distract the Magic Knights, giving the Blackstone Knights the opportunity to deliver fatal strikes. Mounted spearmen started speeding up and headed straight to where the General was located. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the Alvaren Army was surrounded by thousands of enemy soldiers.

Lark was quickly getting used to maintaining his unstructured magic. He boldly applied more mana into his sword and the translucent shell of mana enclosing his entire body.

“You weren’t lying when you said that glaive’s a mere replica,” said Lark. “A real maginus would have shattered this sword of mine in an instant.”

Lark’s figure disappeared then reappeared right above his target. General Alvaren instinctively moved his glaive up and blocked the sword strike from above. Lark immediately followed with a kick to the abdomen and the General evaded by simply taking a step back.

“What?”

General Alvaren’s eyes widened upon seeing five daggers made of unstructured magic appear next to Lark. The moment Lark landed on the ground, the five daggers shot toward the General, their speed comparable to a ballista.

The General managed to block four of them, but the last arrow he dodged swerved back and struck him in the back, making blood spurt out. Lark did not miss this chance as he shot toward General Alvaren, his sword aimed at the General’s neck.

The General’s eyes glinted dangerously. The moment Lark appeared right in front of him, the maginus sucked in the surrounding air and momentarily stopped Lark in his tracks. It was only for a split second, but it was more than enough for the war veteran of the Empire. He grabbed Lark’s face, gripped it tight, then smashed it into the ground. Dust and rocks flew about as Lark’s face, along with half his torso, dug deep into the ground from impact. Despite the mana shell enclosing Lark mitigating most of the damage, pain still coursed through his entire body and his ears started ringing. He lost concentration and the mana shell enclosing his body shattered and his sword dissipated.

General Alvaren pointed his glaive downward and stabbed at Lark’s body, but the young man rolled to the side and avoided being skewered to death by the General.

Lark quickly scrambled to his feet and ducked, evading another attack from the General. He quickly enclosed his body with raw mana and leapt back, creating distance between the two of them. The General charged toward him, and Lark quickly created another sword made of unstructured magic. Lark blocked the glaive of the General using the sword, then summoned two moving, whip-like spells made of unstructured mana and willed them to wrap around the General’s feet and body. Using brute force, the General quickly shattered the whips. Lark tried to stab the old man and General Alvaren leapt back to avoid the attack, but to his surprise, Lark’s sword suddenly increased in length. The General twisted his body at the last moment but Lark’s sword still struck his left shoulder.

General Alvaren did not mind the pain. He was used to these things. He grabbed the sword, pulled it out of his shoulder, then yanked it, pulling Lark along with it. This unexpected move by the old man caught Lark by surprise. He immediately let go of the mana sword and sidestepped, evading the glaive of General Alvaren from above by a hair’s breadth. A kick from the old man struck Lark right in the abdomen, sending him flying and rolling on the ground several times.

Lark stood up slowly. The unstructured mana enclosing his body wasn’t perfect. His body still ached all over.

General Alvaren looked around the battlefield. Hundreds of mounted spearmen from the Marcus Army would reach this place in a matter of minutes. And those damnable archers kept releasing volleys of arrows even while mounted.

“Damn it.” The General clicked his tongue. He glared at Lark. Seconds later, he sighed. “Consider this your lucky day, brat.”

General Alvaren breathed in a gust of air and roared, “Alvaren Army!” His voice reverberated despite not amplifying it with a magic tool. “Retreat!”

In unison, the Magic Knights disengaged in battle and moved toward General Alvaren. One of them brought the General his mount.

As expected of a war veteran, he made the decision to retreat the moment the reinforcements were close to reaching his army.

Without sparing another glance at Lark, General Alvaren slapped the reign of his mount and led the retreat of his army. The Blackstone Knights tried blocking their path of retreat, but with General Alvaren at the lead, the Alvaren Army managed to force their way through.

Lark frowned. Killing General Alvaren and his Magic Knights would be exponentially harder once they escaped to Yorkshaire City.

Now that the he was out of the range of the maginus, Lark immediately started casting Grand Scale Magic. The air around him trembled as a magic formation spanning thirty meters manifested itself underneath Lark’s feet. The azure runes started sucking Lark’s remaining mana, leaving just enough for him to keep standing.

He knew that General Alvaren would probably not die from this spell, but the same could not be said for his Magic Knights. Even if General Alvaren managed to escape to Yorkshaire, as long as he managed to kill a large portion of his Magic Knights, Lark would consider this his victory.

With absurd speed, runes manifested themselves one after another on the magic circle. Layer upon layer of spell overlapped, forming a complex hexagram. Lark activated his spell.

The ground around him quaked and formed cracks. Two colossal chunks of earth, which could be mistaken for hills at first glance, detached from the ground and flew up, partially covering the sky. Seeing the large shadows looming over them, General Alvaren looked up and was stunned to see the large chunks of earth floating in the sky. Even the approaching Kingdom’s soldiers halted in their tracks seeing this, their jaws slack as they stared at Lark’s magic in bewilderment.

And as though this wasn’t enough, raging flames started enveloping them. Lightning crackled in the sky and licked them, creating two hill-sized meteors.

Grand Scale Magic. Roar of Fire God Ignis.

All of the soldiers who saw this trembled—more so the retreating Alvaren Army. They did not fear the Kingdom’s soldiers, and they could fight on par with the living suits of armor. But the blazing inferno above them, how could they stop an attack strong enough to level a city to the ground?

General Alvaren knew he had to do something. Otherwise, his precious knights whom he’d trained for decades would perish here.

The old monster of the Empire poured all of his remaining mana into the glaive and moved toward the rear of the retreating army. He urged his Magic Knights to keep moving forward; he planned on single-handedly blocking the attack.

The Roar of Fire God Ignis descended toward the mortals.

General Alvaren momentarily regretted not killing Lark Marcus. Had he known that he was capable of casting Grand Scale Magic on his own, he would have prioritized killing him before retreating to Yorkshaire. He would have never allowed him to cast even a single spell. He would never have allowed him to leave the area his glaive had effect.

“I should have killed that brat,” spat the General.

With a grim face, General Alvaren dismounted, clenched his teeth and steeled himself for the impact. He gripped his glaive with his two hands. The runes of the maginus spun violently, its runes activated to its utmost limit. General Alvaren, with the entire might of his body, slashed at the descending meteors. A translucent blade shot toward the meteor and tore through the flames and lightning, cleaving the meteor in half. General Alvaren did not stop with the first strike. He released one translucent blade after another, alternating between the two meteors, not stopping even when he was on the verge of exhaustion.

“Damn it!” snarled the General. The ashen-haired General who’d protected the borders of the Empire for decades continued with his strikes.

He finally managed to cleave both meteors in half, but pulverizing them into nothing but harmless rocks and pebbles was proving impossible at this rate. Boulder-sized remnants continued falling through the sky, trampling the fleeing Alvaren Army, crushing his precious Magic Knights into paste in an instant, and those who were lucky enough to avoid getting hit were engulfed by its raging flames.

General Alvaren wobbled, his body finally reached its limit. He used his glaive to remain standing.

“General!”

Seeing this, several of his knights immediately came back, placed him on top of their mount and retreated. They skillfully maneuvered their mounts through the falling boulders and the now burning grassland.

Lark and the rest of the Kingdom’s army simply watched as the Alvaren Army retreated. The area where the cleaved meteor fell had turned into a blazing inferno. If they chased after them now, they would suffer great casualties.

Just like General Alvaren, Lark was also on the verge of collapsing. One of the Blackstone Knights moved to support his master. The Blackstone Knight hunched his body, gently lifted Lark and placed him on top of his shoulder.

“Thanks,” Lark said to the living suit of armor.

The Blackstone Knight groaned, evidently pleased upon hearing his master’s words. The other Blackstone Knights grumbled, jealous of their comrade.

“Brother!” Lui arrived and hurriedly moved toward where Lark was.

Lui was filled with sweat, his eyes no longer as calm as he used to be. He anxiously looked at his little brother and upon seeing the cuts, bruises, and pallid skin of Lark, he trembled.

“A-Are you alright?” Lui’s stuttered. Those who knew the Silver War God would have been bewildered to see him this flustered. “I shouldn’t have listened to that Baron! He kept blocking the gate, insisting that we should wait for the red flare! And look at what happened! You almost di—”

“—The Baron did the right thing,” Lark slowly shook his head. He looked at the still burning grassland. At the scattered corpses. “And you know it too, brother.”

“But…”

Lui drooped his head. He knew that the Baron was right, but he could not help but tremble in rage as he watched Lark being pummeled by General Alvaren. He wanted to jump into the battle and help him, but doing so would compromise the opportunity to destroy the Alvaren Army. If he’d went out earlier, the Alvaren Army—still far from exhaustion—might have immediately turned tail and escaped unscathed.

“Two hundred.”

“Huh?” Lui looked at him quizzically.

“Over two hundred Magic Knights have died. Brother, this battle is definitely the Kingdom’s victory.”

The Magic Knights of the Empire were their trump card in this war, and almost half of that elite unit had perished in this battle. Lark knew that this loss would become apparent later on in battle. He initially planned a defensive battle for three weeks before launching an all-out attack against Yorkshaire, but with this sudden turn in events, maybe that would no longer be necessary. He planned on revising his plans and discussing it with the military officers later.

General Alvaren, that monstrous Magic Slayer was wounded. Almost half of his army perished and the rest were injured, and some even had missing limbs.

Now, all that was left was to find a way to deal with General Rizel.

CHAPTER 20

A day had passed. Inside his room in Yorkshaire City, General Rizel read through the reports of his vassals. From weapons development, the supply line, training of the soldiers, reconnaissance, to even small incidences like brawls and tavern fights—everything was reported to him.

There were officers designated to each key position in his army, but General Rizel always made sure to look through the reports himself. There had been instances years ago when his vassals overlooked simple matters which turned out to be gravely important in battle. Since then, General Rizel made sure to allot a few hours every day to read the reports of his vassals.

Three loud knocks were heard. One of the soldiers entered the room. After making a salute, he said, “G-General, the Alvaren Army has returned.”

General Rizel noticed the stuttering voice of the soldier, but decided to dismiss it. His scar-filled face was scary, and even bandits would freeze in horror upon seeing him back in his younger years.

“Is that so?” General Rizel did not lift his eyes from the document he was reading. He scowled. “Just in time, Alvaren’s been dumping all the paperwork on me lately. I’ll be sure to write a report about this to the Second Prince later.”

General Rizel slammed the documents onto the table, grabbed his goblet and gulped down its contents. He sighed. It was only then that he noticed the soldier’s pallid face, his quivering shoulders.

General Rizel stared at the soldier, prompting him to speak further.

“A-About the Alvaren Army.” The soldier swallowed dry spit.

General Rizel finally realized something was wrong.

“T-They’ve,” The soldier trembled even further upon seeing the General’s eyes. “They’ve lost half their soldiers. And t-those who’ve returned to the c-city are gravely injured, some are missing their limbs.”

General Rizel’s eyes widened for a moment. He grabbed his coat and strapped his sword to his waist. “Where are they?”

“At the temple, Sir.”

With brisk steps, General Rizel went toward the temple. All of the Kingdom’s priests had been locked down in the dungeon after they conquered this city, and now only the magicians of the Empire occupied the area.

Upon reaching the temple, General Rizel saw the numerous soldiers and mages moving about. Wounded knights from the Alvaren Army were being carried on portable beds, their armor torn and their bodies covered with numerous cuts and bruises. The unluckier ones were missing a limb or two.

“What… happened here?” General Rizel’s eyes swiveled left and right as he searched for someone in particular. “Where’s the old man? Where’s General Alvaren?” he almost snarled. The soldiers who heard him trembled, especially seeing the Ghost of the Empire’s enraged eyes.

One of the mages approached him. “General Alvaren’s at the central temple right now. He’s sustained some… injuries and our healers are currently doing their best to—”

General Rizel did not wait for the mage to finish explaining things to him. He quickly made his way to the central temple. Upon arrival, he saw half a dozen healers surrounding an unconscious old man.

“Alvaren,” General Rizel softly muttered the old man’s name. “What happened? Who did this to you? To your army?”

By battle prowess alone, General Alvaren exceeded General Rizel by a large margin. If the two of them fought, General Rizel would have no choice but to simply run away. There was no way he could defeat this monster who could nullify all forms of magic. His mist would be rendered useless in an instant the moment the old man activated his glaive.

He could not believe that this Magic Slayer, who’d been dubbed as a demon in the battlefield by his enemies, was reduced to this state after chasing after the Kingdom’s army. Furthermore, he was accompanied by his elite unit—the Magic Knights. Even in the Empire, the number of units that could rival the Alvaren Army could be counted on one hand.

“What happened?” he asked one of the surviving Magic Knights.

The Magic Knight also had numerous injuries, but he was in a far better condition than the rest of his comrades. The Magic Knight looked at his unconscious Lord, then turned to General Rizel. With a grim face, he recounted everything that transpired over the past several weeks. How they one-sidedly slaughtered the army led by Baron Zacharia. About how the Kingdom’s soldiers suddenly vanished from the map several days after that. The Alvaren Army’s arrival at Akash City. The arrows capable of striking the enemies from great distances, the severing disks. The duel between Lark Marcus and General Rizel. The living suits of armor.

General Rizel simply listened, dumbfounded, as the Magic Knight recounted the story. He had not encountered all of those things when he visited Akash City to observe the Kingdom’s army.

“And then it happened,” the Magic Knight trembled. “A burning mountain… two of them! They suddenly appeared in the sky and fell toward our army! The General did his best to save us, to let us escape! But he… but he…”

The Magic Knight, a veteran of countless wars, finally broke down. He silently sobbed. The trauma of the near-death experience, the sense of helplessness when faced against something capable of crushing the heavens, all of it came pouring into him like storm and he could no longer continue recounting the story.

General Rizel clenched his fist. The story of the Magic Knight was absurd, preposterous, but there had been numerous eyewitnesses to prove it.

But how was it possible? How could a single person cast a spell capable of leveling an entire city to the ground? That person would have to be on the same league as the leader of the Witches of Aravark.

No, even that necromancer wouldn’t be able to cast such a spell on her own.

General Rizel’s head started to throb. He sighed. “Summon all officers—captains and above. Tell them to gather in the Grand Hall two hours from now.”

The soldier next to him saluted. “Yes, General!”

General Rizel stared at the unconscious old man being treated by the mages. The Kingdom may suddenly attack them, at this time where they’re the most vulnerable.

“And tell the leader of the scouts to come to this temple. I need him to send messengers to the other Imperial Armies scattered around the region.”

“Understood!”

***

Another day had passed. After recovering his mana, Lark immediately resumed supervising the creation of the magic towers. Thousands of soldiers moved about, some carried stone blocks, logs, iron, while some chiseled the tower walls and engraved ores.

Right now, three towers were being built concurrently. Although he could probably build four at the same time, Lark did not want to be greedy and compromise the towers’ quality. He was only one person, and he knew there was a limit to his ability.

The first tower, located right at the Fifth District, was starting to gain height as days passed by. It was now four-stories tall; a little bit more and it would be the same height as the local Lord’s Castle. Right now, the first tower was becoming one of the main attractions in Akash. Numerous speculations about this unknown tower were spreading among the masses. There were stories circulating in taverns that this weapon was the one responsible for the meteors which decimated the Alvaren Army, but the most popular conjecture was the tower’s ability to fire elemental magic at their enemies, at an absurdly large distance, just like the towers seen in Wizzert City. There were rumors that the City of Magic secretly agreed to work with the royal family and that some of their magicians were secretly hiding in this city, supervising the creation of the magic towers.

“Ah, My Lord. I’ve finally found you.” Anandra walked toward Lark and bowed his head. “I’ve received reports from the scouts. There is movement from the nearby cities captured by the Empire. They also spotted several imperial soldiers building a garrison east from here, near the Furion Plains.”

“I know.” Lark did not take his eyes off the tower being built in front of him. He’d seen the group of soldiers, around fifteen of them, using the vision crystal this morning. “Tell the soldiers not to engage in battle. A mere garrison’s not enough to block this army if we decided to launch an all-out attack on Yorkshaire City. The Empire knows it too. That garrison’s simply there to monitor our movements, they’ll surely retreat the moment they spot our army.”

Lark stared at the incomplete tower. Even if the Empire monitored their every movement, it wouldn’t matter. The moment these seven towers were finished, any form of resistance in the Empire would be futile. Just imagining the one-sided massacre made Lark look forward to that day in anticipation.

It’s a shame that I wasn’t able to kill General Alvaren. But I’ll have my chance again later. This time, I’ll be the one holding the high ground.

Although the last battle ended in their victory, the entire battlefield was against Lark and his Blackstone Knights. There were also several times when he almost lost his life. Lark had no intention of letting such thing happen again. Ever since that battle, Lark started modifying the blueprints of the magic towers with General Alvaren’s maginus in mind.

As Anandra was giving his reports, a commotion broke out nearby.

Several men and women ran out of the nearby tavern, screaming for help. Upon seeing Lark, they begged, “Commander! The soldiers! Th-They’re dead!”

Lark looked calmly at the trembling woman, then at the tavern where she came from. By this time, several soldiers had surrounded the tavern, their swords unsheathed.

“What happened?” Lark asked the woman.

The woman shook her head. “I… I don’t know! The soldiers were eating and drinking, there had been a fistfight an hour ago, but that was it! B-But just a moment ago… the soldiers suddenly started vomiting and collapsed!”

Based on the story, it sounded like someone poisoned the soldiers. Lark decided to check and find out.

“Anandra, guard the perimeter. Capture anyone that comes out of the tavern.”

Anandra bowed. “Understood.”

Lark led the soldiers inside. Just like the woman said, the soldiers seated there had all dropped dead like flies. There was foam in their mouths and their eyes were rolled upward.

“Is it magic?” mumbled Lark.

He released a cloud of mana, invisible to non-magicians, and enveloped the entire tavern. He searched every nook and cranny but failed to find any traces of magic being used here.

He grabbed a fork and stabbed the half-eaten bread on one of the tables.

“The food, huh? It’s been poisoned.”

This was the conclusion he came to. A country as large as the Empire surely had spies planted in each of their neighboring Kingdoms. He would not be surprised if one of them had managed to infiltrate their ranks.

“I want a full recount of everything that happened here. I want a full list of all soldiers and non-combatants that entered this place since yesterday.”

One of his soldiers saluted. “Understood, Commander!”

This may look like a minor incident for now. But what if the culprit managed to poison all of their rations? The chance was low, since all of their supplies were closely guarded by soldiers, but it was not zero.

Lark mobilized several units to investigate and catch the culprit. But despite this, that very same night another similar incidence occurred. This time, it was on a far larger scale than before. Over a hundred soldiers died from drinking the water from the well. The poison used this time was apparently slow-acting, as it took several hours before the soldiers showed symptoms. And by that time, it was already too late for healers save them, as the poison had spread through their entire bodies.

The day after that they finally caught the culprit. A soldier who had been living in the Kingdom for half a decade. According to their investigations, the man was a comrade of the spies who tried burning the supplies several days ago. After seeing the defeat of the Alvaren Army, the man decided to act on his own accord and poison the rations of the Kingdom’s Army.

“Good work,” Lark praised the soldier who gave the report. “Send the man to the dungeon. He’ll be executed later in public to appease the rage of our soldiers. He’s killed over a hundred of our men, after all.”

“As you wish, Commander.”

“Ah, I heard that the one who caught the culprit this time was her? The leader of the supply team?”

The soldier nodded. “Yes, Commander. It seems that Lady Yzelle placed a trap—a magic I’m unfamiliar with—and captured the spy of the Empire.”

Lark rested his cheek on his palm as he listened to the soldier’s recount of the story, his eyes filled with interest. “Hoh, is that so? If I’m not mistaken, she’s also the one who prevented the supplies from burning. That attempted arson several days ago.”

Lark leaned back on his chair and look at the ceiling, his mind filled with various thoughts. “Summon the leader of the supply team. I wish to speak to her.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Several minutes after the soldier left, three loud knocks were heard at the door. A woman, probably in her mid-twenties, entered the room.

With refined movements usually seen in High Nobles, the woman bowed her head, her red hair partially covering half her face. “You called for me, Commander?”

For some reason, the woman’s eyes were filled with curiosity as she looked at Lark.

“Yzelle, I heard you were the one who apprehended the spy responsible for poisoning our soldiers,” said Lark. “And you’re also the one who caught the arsonists. You’re doing your job as the leader of the supply team very well. Honestly, I’m quite impressed.”

Chryselle smiled. “I’m honored by the compliments, Commander. But I’m only doing the job entrusted to me. It’ll be troublesome if we run out of rations while in the middle of enemy territory.”

Lark liked her attitude. She reminded him of Melody, the girl now dubbed as The Scholar, in Blackstone Town.

“If we survive this war, I’ll be sure to ask His Majesty to give you an appropriate reward,” Lark decided.

Chryselle paused and momentarily stared at Lark. She said slowly, “Commander, if you’ll allow me to be impertinent.”

Lark noticed the glint in the woman’s eyes.

“What is it?” he said.

“About the reward,” Chryselle carefully laid out her words, “Is it possible if I receive it from you instead?”

It was an unexpected request. Lark studied the woman’s face for a moment. Her eyes looked eager, as though she had been waiting for this exact moment.

“Are you sure about this?” Lark shot her a quizzical gaze. “I may be the Commander of the Third Army right now, but I’m nothing but the exiled second son of a Duke. Compared to me, His Majesty can surely grant you better rewards. I advise that you think about this carefully.”

Chryselle shook her head. “No, His Majesty cannot grant what I desire.”

Her voice was so firm that Lark knew she had already decided the moment this conversation began.

“Reward, huh?” Lark pondered for a moment. “Although some idiots may disagree, protecting the supplies not just once but twice was an incredible feat. As long as it is within my capacity, I will try to reward you appropriately.”

Like a child who have been granted her favorite toy, Chryselle smiled broadly, her eyes glimmering in anticipation. She unconsciously walked toward Lark, placed both her hands on the desk and leaned forward.

“Then…” She was clearly suppressing her excitement. “I want personal lessons! I want you to teach me magic! Even a month or two will do. Please!”

The request was one of the things Lark least expected. This woman was already proficient enough in magic, to the point that she was capable of creating magic wards in a short period of time. Although the wards were flawed when Lark tested them, it was still not something your everyday magician could cast.

Was this the reason why she chose to receive the reward from Lark himself instead of the King?

“I-I saw the battle with the Alvaren Army!” she added excitedly. “Commander, the burning mountains—it’s Grand Scale Magic, am I correct?”

Lark was about to reply when the door opened suddenly without warning. Two young men—Austen and George—entered Lark’s room.

“Master! You won’t believe it!” Austen ran toward Lark’s desk. “George and I have—”

Austen froze and his eyes widened upon seeing the red-haired woman. George, curious on what made the blabbermouth suddenly stop, also looked toward the woman’s direction. He, too, froze.

Chryselle tried covering her face with her hood, but it was too late. She realized she had been too careless.

“Y-You!” George screamed in horror while pointing a finger at her. “You’re that woman!”

CHAPTER 21

George slowly backed off, the memories of how his arm was twisted into unimaginable directions were still vivid in his mind. Seeing this woman, he was again reminded of the nightmare he experienced at Wizzert.

“W-What are you doing here?” George breathed.

Austen clenched his fists, ready to pounce the moment he saw even the slightest suspicious movement. Thankfully, the Young Lord was here. This single fact made the brothers somewhat at ease.

“Did you follow us all the way here? Damn thi—” Austen stopped the latter part of his statement.

Damn thief.

The last time they said those words to this woman, they were beaten to a pulp by her brother. Their bodies remembered the pain and they unconsciously stopped blurting the words out.

Chryselle looked at the pallid brothers, then at the bewildered Lark. She’d been stupid, she thought. She should have changed her appearance, or masked it at the very least. Now, the only two people who knew her real identity just so happened to see her, along with the commander.

She’d been too sheltered by the tower. She knew there was no other way out of this.

She breathed in deeply and sighed. She pulled down her hood, revealing a youthful face that resembled the elves’. Wavy red hair. Long, downcast eyelashes. She looked fragile, yet there was this indescribable strength seeping through those crimson eyes.

“I didn’t mean to deceive you,” she said to the Commander. “And I plan on revealing my identity once things have calmed down.”

She cast a glance at the brothers. “Also, a proper apology.”

She sighed again, placed her hand on her chest and bowed. “Chryselle Vont Aria. Magician of Wizzert City. Fifth Elder of the Magic Tower.”

Lark’s eyes slowly grew wider. So, this was the reason that she felt familiar somehow. Her magic signature was really similar to those of the magicians’ in Wizzert City. Moreover, she was an Elder of the Magic City?

She bit her lip and said, “My brother did terrible things to your disciples.” She turned toward George and Austen. “On behalf of my brother, of Wizzert City... I’m really sorry.”

“V-Vont Aria?”

The words ‘magician of Wizzert’ and ‘Elder of the Magic Tower’ didn’t immediately register in George and Austen’s minds but they immediately froze hearing the words ‘Vont Aria.’

Just that name alone was enough to instill fear among the two of them. This was the first time they’d met a member of the Vont Family. And as though that wasn’t enough, this woman in front of them also belonged to the House Aria.

The Vont Family was among the richest families in the Kingdom. From Merchant Guilds, mercenary troops, even the navy, their influence spanned the entire Kingdom despite their lack of nobility. The House Aria, on the other hand, was a renowned family of magicians. Several Royal Court Magicians came from this bloodline, and the ruling class in Wizzert City belonged to their House.

For a moment, George and Austen had the urge to apologize instead.

Lark stared at Chryselle for a long time. He finally spoke, “Alecto. The bastard who broke the arms of my disciples. He’s your brother?” Lark’s voice was so monotonous that for a moment, Chryselle didn’t know how to react.

“Yes.”

“Did you come here for revenge?” said Lark. “That brother of yours. You probably know this, but I’m the one who repeatedly pummeled his annoying face to the ground.”

George and Austen looked at their master in bewilderment. Last time they asked, Lark denied being involved in the incident in the magic tower. But now, he easily admitted it in front of this woman.

Chryselle shook her head fiercely. “No! I didn’t come here for revenge. Especially after learning the identity of that intruder!” She looked Lark straight in the eye.

After learning the identity of the intruder who single-handedly defeated the magicians of the tower, she realized why the perpetrator had targeted her brother. She was simply thankful that Lark hadn’t taken anyone’s life that night, despite his ability to do so.

What if the same Grand Scale Magic, which obliterated half of the Alvaren Army, was cast at the magic tower instead? She shuddered the moment she thought of this. Surely, hundreds of lives would have been lost in that very moment.

“My brother never lost a fight in his life before.” She bit her lip hard. “Maybe that’s why he’s been conceited, thinking that he’s invincible, that all other magicians are beneath him. He really takes pride in being part of the House Aria. He’s condescending, arrogant, barbaric, but he’s a doting brother. And I’m sincerely thankful that you spared his life during that battle.”

Silence befell the room. Lark studied Chryselle for a moment.

“I see,” Lark eventually said.

Lark pointed a finger in front of him and an image of a magic circle made of light magic slowly formed before him.

“I heard George and Austen’s story,” said Lark. “They said that the reason you approached them is because of this?”

Chryselle stared at the magic circle for quite some time, her eyes opened wide as though it was the most fascinating thing in the world. She replied softly, eyes still glued to the magic formation which was now slowly fading away into nothingness, “Yes.”

Lark quickly put the pieces of the puzzle together. The basic magic formation which originated from the Magic Empire. Her infiltrating the Third Army and becoming the leader of the supply team. Refusing a reward from the King and asking for private magic lessons instead. Now that he knew her real identity, everything made sense.

But could he trust her?

For a moment, Lark pondered if he should remove her leadership position, but until now, she had been managing things perfectly, despite the attempts of arson and the incidences of poisoning several days ago.

“Austen, George.”

“M-Master!”

“What do you think of her apology?” Lark asked them, since he didn’t want to decide this thing on his own. They were the ones who’d been beaten up mercilessly, after all.

Austen and George looked at each other. After some time, they nodded. The two had come to a consensus without muttering another word.

“We’ve heard what Maste—what the intruder did in the magic tower,” said Austen. He awkwardly scratched his cheek. “And… uhm, w-we forgive you.”

They heard from the rumors that the face of Alecto had been beaten to the point that no one would have recognized him if he hadn’t been wearing the crest of the city’s master. The brothers thought that it was more than enough revenge for mere commoners like them.

“Thank you!” Chryselle bowed repeatedly. She had been afraid that they would ridicule her despite her apology.

“This matter’s settled then,” said Lark. “But the fact that you’ve concealed your identity when you entered the Third Army remains. Rules exists for a reason, and truth be told, I can’t completely trust you at this moment.”

Chryselle perfectly understood the commander’s stance.

“Yes,” said Chryselle. “I understand.”

She was ready to be stripped of her position as the leader of the supply team. But Lark had a different plan instore for her.

“You requested magic lessons,” said Lark. “Tell me, which magic do you want to learn?”

Chryselle was taken by surprise by this question. It felt as though Lark was asking her to browse through a vast list of spells and pick one which suited her liking. This was impossible, since there was no way someone so young could know such a wide variety of spells.

Chryselle decided to answer the question regardless. “The core of all elements. The magic formation where all magic originates.”

Lark liked the woman’s answer. It was neither too greedy nor too self-restrained.

“I see.”

He started casting spells and three one-meter sized magic circles appeared out of thin air. “The one to your left’s the one my disciples are currently mastering. It’s a first-tier magic circle, the lowest and weakest, but the at the same time the most important of all magic formations.”

The magic formation to the left formed cracks and shattered, eventually vanishing from sight.

“The one in the middle’s a fourth-tier magic circle,” said Lark. He noticed that Chryselle was gawking at it, as though trying to embed the magic formation in her mind. “The foundation of compound magic. As an Elder of Wizzert, I’m sure you’ve already mastered this.”

The magic formation at the middle also formed cracks.

“W-Wait!” shouted Chryselle.

The magic formation shattered into numerous particles of light and dissipated.

Lark tilted his head. “What is it? Don’t tell me you’re incapable of compound magic?”

Chryselle frowned, definitely displeased that she didn’t have enough time to inspect the magic circle. She shook her head. “No, that’s not it. I’ve been able to cast compound magic since I was young. But Commander, the magic circle you’ve shown me… It’s completely different from the magic formation taught to us in the magic academy in Wizzert City.”

Lark’s interest was piqued by this. There was another formula for compound magic? He wanted to see. “A different magic formation, huh? Can you show me?”

Chryselle didn’t hesitate in the slightest and began casting her spell. Unlike Lark, her casting speed was slow despite omitting several chants from the spell formula.

A magic circle, different from the one Lark showed them, manifested itself to everyone in the room. Lark stood up from his seat and closely examined the runes and formations.

After a while, he mumbled, “I see.”

Lark touched the floating magic formation created by Chryselle, and to everyone’s surprise, activated it. He also forcefully moved the runes here and there and added another layer to its base.

“W-What are you doing?” said Chryselle. “That spell will explode if you remove the inner circuit!”

Lark ignored her. The magic formation emitted bright light, the runes spun around and a high-pitched buzzing sound which signified a malfunctioning spell filled the room.

And stopped.

The light started dimming and a magic formation, similar to the one Lark showed them before, took the place of the one Chryselle had cast.

“I don’t know who invented this magic formation,” said Lark, nodding to himself. “But the second layer of the circuit’s partially blocking the flow of mana to the cardinal runes. This spell will work just fine, but the mana consumption will be three times normal. Casting speed’s greatly affected too and we also have to keep in mind its vulnerability to an altering spell. It’s a dangerous spell to use in real battle, unless it’s been engraved on a stable material—say the ground, or a talisman—beforehand.”

Lark touched the center of the magic formation and it shattered into numerous particles of light. Ignoring the dumbfounded expression of Chryselle, he proceeded to explain the last magic formation to their right. “And this one. The last one. The magic formation for an eight-tier spell. Add three more layers and you’ll be able to cast Grand Scale Magic.”

Chryselle looked at the last magic formation. It was also different to the one taught to them back in the academy.

“These three magic formations are the basis of all spells,” said Lark. A dagger made of wind magic appeared in his hand. “It’d be a waste to remove an officer as competent as you. And I don’t think the vice leaders of the supply team could have handled the arsonist as well as you did. So how about this?”

Lark opened his palm and presented the dagger toward her. “An oath. Swear with your life on the line that you won’t betray this army, this Kingdom.”

Chryselle was familiar with oaths like this. It was magic known by priests.

She accepted the dagger without hesitation. She didn’t have the slightest intention of betraying the Kingdom after all. What’s to fear?

Following Lark’s instructions, she made a small cut on her arm and the flowing blood was immediately sucked away by the dagger, turning it crimson.

While the dagger was sucking her blood, she made her oath, “I, Chryselle Vont Aria, vow to never betray the Coalition Army, nor this Kingdom. May this dagger sink its blade into my heart should this vow be broken.”

The dagger shattered into numerous tiny pieces and disappeared from sight.

The ritual was a lot simpler than the ones the priests used in the temples. There were no Gods involved and no grand offerings were needed. Although the dagger vanished, Chryselle could feel a very tiny seed in her chest. She knew that the moment she betrayed the Kingdom, the tiny seed would grow and pierce her heart.

Lark was satisfied with this outcome. Now he no longer had to find a replacement for this woman. She had been managing the army’s supplies well, after all.

“Yzelle,” Lark asked curiously. “How old are you?”

Chryselle tilted her head to the side, confused about why Lark wanted to know. “Twenty-six, Commander.”

“Are you sure about this?” chuckled Lark, grinning broadly. “A kid like me becoming your teacher? After this war, once our magic lessons start, you’ll have to call me Master, right?” The last part of the statement was thrown out impishly. Chryselle’s face flushed.

“O-Of course!” She firmed her resolve.

Lark noticed her flustered expression. He continued chuckling. He added playfully, “then let’s try to get along well, my dearest disciple.”

CHAPTER 22

Two weeks passed uneventfully. It seemed that defeating the Empire’s Trump card—the Magic Knights—had a far greater impact than Lark initially thought. The scouts sent several reports of movements from the Empire, but it was apparent from the way they positioned their armies at the major paths to the southeast that they were simply trying to block all form of supplies from reaching the Kingdom’s army stationed in Akash City. Even the small villages and towns within the region were burned to the ground, making it impossible to gather food supplies unless they travelled to the nearest unconquered city of the Kingdom.

It was apparent that the Empire was planning a long drawn-out battle, at least until Akash City—a territory currently isolated from the rest of the Kingdom’s forces—ran out of food to eat. This simple plan would have been the most effective under normal circumstances, but little did the Empire know that such a situation was ideal for Lark Marcus. For the past few days, he was often seen grinning, especially when looking at the almost complete magic towers.

“It’s almost time,” said Lark.

Inside a room, all of the officers of the army gathered. Just like before, a large map was spread over the table. Numerous stone pieces, representing cities, armies, and garrisons were placed strategically on top of it.

“The towers are almost complete. Two days earliest, four days at most,” said Lark. “Lord Argus, I’ll be needing the help of your soldiers this time.”

Lord Argus and everyone in the room had been briefed of the plan beforehand. The Lord of Yorkshaire City nodded easily. “Of course. Leave it to me. My soldiers are ready to move out at any time. Just give us the signal.”

“Thank you,” said Lark. “I’m sure all of you are aware of this already. We’ll be attacking the garrisons of the Empire stationed in these places in the mountain.” Lark pointed at the small wooden pieces spread all over Yorkshaire Mountain Range.

“There are eight of them, but we’ll need to attack only three for the entire supply line to collapse. The Yorkshaire soldiers are perfect for this task.”

Back then, Lord Argus was against the idea of attacking the garrisons of the Empire located in the mountain range. But after seeing the prowess of the Blackstone Knights, who turned out to be capable of fighting on par with the Magic Knights of the Empire, he felt confident of accomplishing this task.

“But it’ll be impossible for the Yorkshaire soldiers to reach the mountain by themselves,” said Lark. “That’s why I hope the First Army can act as a decoy. The Empire believes we’ll run out of food within the next few weeks. They won’t initiate a battle. They’ll force us into sieging that fortress,” said Lark.

Lark pointed at an area near Yorkshaire City on the map. “The Yorkshaire soldiers will temporarily join the First Army and split into numerous smaller units when they reach here. It’ll be ideal to avoid any confrontation during this time, but if fighting breaks out, I want the First Army to do its best to preserve the forces of Lord Argus’ army.”

Lark was basically asking the First Army, the second largest in the Coalition Army, to be the decoy and shield of the Yorkshaire soldiers.

The Baron didn’t question Lark’s judgment. He, too, believed this was the proper course of action. Destroying the garrisons located in the mountains held grave importance in this war. Not only did the garrisons serve as a supply route for General Rizel’s army, they also served as an information relay to the Empire. The last thing they wanted was for their enemy to call for more reinforcements and drag this war even further. The Black Famine had just recently struck this Kingdom. If this war didn’t end soon, the Kingdom’s economy would surely collapse.

Two days later, just like Lark stated, the magic towers had been completed. The gates of Akash City opened and over ten thousand soldiers moved out toward Yorkshaire Fortress.

Six hours after the First Army moved out, Lark received reports from the scouts.

“Commander!” A scout saluted. “An army from the Empire intercepted the First Army right before reaching Yorkshaire Plains! We believe they’re from a nearby captured city of the Empire.”

“Their number?”

“They’re around fifteen thousand, Sir!”

The number of First Army soldiers hardly differed from the intercepting Imperial Army. This was good news. Although the Baron lost against General Alvaren, he was still a veteran who’d been to innumerable battlefields. He would surely be able to hold his ground, and once given the opportunity, create an opening for the Yorkshaire soldiers to move out.

“I see,” said Lark. “Disseminate my orders to all units. We’ll be moving out in two hours!”

“Yes, Commander!”

Upon receiving Lark’s orders, all of the soldiers in the city moved about. Supplies were moved to carts, cavalries mounted their horses, and infantries moved to each of their designated squads.

At the same time, George and Austen nervously pranced around. They frequently looked at the talismans embedded on the walls, their faces drained of all color.

“M-Master,” said Austen. “Are you sure about this? You said it yourself! If we activate dozens of those talismans at once, we’ll be blowing up a portion of the walls! Gates and all!”

Lark tapped Austen’s shoulder. “You’ve seen the massive size of the towers, right? They’ll be able to move once activated, but how do you expect them to move out of this city with these walls blocking the way?”

“But if we destroy the gates!” Austen protested. “What will happen if the Empire suddenly attacks us?!”

“The walls are no longer necessary now that we’ve completed the towers. You haven’t seen the magic towers in their active form,” Lark patiently explained to his disciples. “One of them is enough to wipe out a tribe of trolls. What can mere humans do when faced against seven of these cheat-like weapons?”

Lark looked both of his disciples in the eyes. “Listen, once war breaks out, the safest place in the entire battlefield is next to these towers. They’ll be strong enough to protect you, even if General Alvaren personally comes to wreak havoc in the battlefield.”

Austen and George looked at each other after hearing the bold claim of their master. They remembered the old man capable of cleaving the meteors in half. Honestly, they would probably run with all their might if that monster suddenly appeared in front of them.

“Yzelle’s busy managing the supplies right now, and Anandra’s mana pool’s too low to activate even half of those talismans,” said Lark. “So it’ll be up to you guys to activate them.”

Lark chuckled. “Make use of those absurdly large mana pools and blow up the wall and gates!”

The disciples noticed the devilish smirk of their master. They were sure that Lark was enjoying this. Left with no other choice, the two disciples started pouring their mana into the talismans. The runes engraved on them slowly came to life.

After making sure that everyone had retreated to a safe place, Lark activated the spell fueled by his disciples’ mana. A deafening sound reverberated as the talismans exploded. Chunks of stone flew about. The ground rumbled as a portion of the walls, along with the gates, crumbled down. Clouds of dusts flew about.

“Soldiers,” roared Lark. “Move out!”

“Yes, Commander!”

Thousands of soldiers started moving out of the city. Behind them, seven stone towers slowly moved forward, resembling moving mountains at the army’s rear. Most of the soldiers would occasionally look back and stare at the seven colossuses moving behind them, afraid that they would suddenly fall or move to trample them.

Although the towers sucked in ambient mana and used this to fuel their movement, their sheer size made it impossible to move at a speed comparable to horses. The army had no choice but to move at a slow pace, around the speed of walking infantry.

It took them a day and a half to finally arrive at Yorkshaire. The fortress that served to stopper the advance of the Empire for centuries. The city they had to reclaim at all costs in this war.

By the time they’d arrived, the First Army led by the Baron had already made its camp. It seemed that although they’d lost more than two thousand soldiers, they’d managed to fend off the attacks from the Empire and dealt some damage to their enemy. The imperial soldiers eventually decided to retreat into Yorkshaire City. A practical and smart move, since the city walls and the deep ravine would easily mitigate any attacks by the Kingdom.

Lark ordered his men to pitch tents and make camp.

“Commander Lark.” The Baron greeted Lark when they arrived.

The Baron had several cuts on his armor; he probably dove headfirst into the battlefield on the very first day and led his entire army at the front. The Baron looked at the towers located at the rear of the army. Truth be told, he hadn’t expected Lark and his men to arrive this early. No matter how he thought of it, he just couldn’t see how those colossuses would move on their own. He had expected the soldiers to tie ropes to them or move them on a movable platform.

“It’s floating?” said the Baron.

Lark also looked at the towers which continued to hover half a meter from the ground.

Lark grinned. “A self-sustaining tower’s a sight to behold, don’t you agree?”

The Baron continued staring at the towers. He slowly nodded. “Impressive, these things.”

Lark looked around and studied the numerous soldiers from the First Army moving around. He noticed that most of them were wounded and the very few priests the Baron brought with him were frantically trying to heal the critically-injured ones.

Noticing Lark’s gaze, the Baron said, “we’ve lost a lot of soldiers, but we managed to kill a high-ranking officer of the Imperial Army. A commander of the army previously stationed in Quasan City. After his death, his soldiers immediately fled to Yorkshaire. We had no choice but to stop any attempt at pursuit. It’s impossible for us to take over that city with our numbers alone.”

The Baron remained stoic as he said these words, but Lark knew that this was a great accomplishment. Especially considering the fact that it happened on the first day.

“They retreated to the fortress, huh?” Lark looked at the walled city covered by fog. “It’ll make things easier then.”

The Baron shot Lark a quizzical gaze.

“What about Lord Argus’ soldiers?” said Lark.

“They’ve successfully reached the mountains, along with the Blackstone Knights.”

Perfect. Now all that was left was the attack at the Yorkshaire Fortress.

Lark shouted at his men, “Rest for the night! We’ll be moving out first thing in the morning!”

“Yes, Commander!”

***

Morning came. In accordance to Lark’s orders, the soldiers organized themselves into several smaller units. The cavalry alone was split into three units, and the infantry was split into four armies. Similar to traditional warfare, each unit had archers supporting them from the rear.

The army marched and halted right outside the shooting range of archers. Lark stepped forward and amplified his voice with magic. “Brave soldiers of the Kingdom!” His voice reverberated throughout the entire army. Even the soldiers of the Empire stationed on the walls heard it. “The time has come!” said Lark. “To reclaim the land stolen from us by the Empire!”

Speeches like these weren’t Lark’s forte, but he deemed that he needed to at least raise the morale of his soldiers before the start of this battle which would decide the fate of the Kingdom.

“They killed our men! Enslaved the women! Killed the children! And they did all these barbaric acts just to expand their land!”

The soldiers of the Kingdom tightened their grips on their weapons. To most of them, the Empire was their sworn enemy. The majority of them had lost a loved one due to the wars with the Empire, even back when King Alvis was still just the crown prince of Lukas. Some of them lost a brother, a father, a son.

Lark started casting his spell. He slowly floated up, thick threads of mana visible to even non-magicians oozed out of his body and latched themselves to the seven towers located at the rear of the army. The moment he activated the spell, all seven towers started absorbing ambient mana. The runes engraved on their bodies started glowing. The amount of mana being concurrently absorbed by each tower was so colossal that Lark could probably cast several Grand Scale Magic spells without expending his own mana reserves.

Refreshing.

Lark grinned, still hovering in the air as he continued controlling all seven towers at the same time using the visible threads of mana.

It’s like I’ve recovered a fourth of my previous strength.

Lark looked at the mist still covering the entire city. Based on the reports of Anandra, he had an idea of what the fog could do. His familiars would immediately drop dead if they made contact with that fog, and it would be impossible for Lark to look at the battlefield as a whole without those familiars.

“That fog,” said Lark. “Let’s remove it.”

Lark activated one of the towers and mana started flowing through his body like a raging river. A magic formation started forming above the sky of Yorkshaire Fortress. Layer upon layer of runes started manifesting themselves as Lark continued supplying the spell with the mana provided by the first tower.

Tenth-tier magic. Wings of Aeolus.

A raging wind started roaring inside the fortress, sweeping away the fog and several unsuspecting soldiers. The soldiers started holding on to the houses and the walls for dear life, otherwise they would have been swept away by the wind into the sky.

Several dozen of the magicians of the Empire immediately erected barriers and eventually blocked the wind from destroying anymore of the city.

But sweeping away the annoying fog was simply the start.

Lark activated the second tower and mana continued flowing into his body, replenishing his reserves in an instant. With the fog out of the way, the entire fortress was laid naked before their very eyes. They could now clearly see the high walls, the ballistae and other weapons installed on the battlements, the deep ravine which served as a natural barrier, and the three-layered portcullis.

With a seemingly endless supply of mana at his disposal, Lark started casting Grand Scale Magic. A colossal magic circle, similar to the one which appeared above the sky of Yorkshaire manifested itself on top of the Kingdom’s army. Soon, particles of golden light which reminded Lark of fairy dust started falling through the sky. All of the soldiers touched by these lights felt an indescribable surge of strength within them.

“W-What’s happening?”

“It feels like I can tear a dire wolf into pieces with my bare hands!”

And Lark didn’t stop with just body-strengthening magic. He activated another tower and cast another Grand Scale Magic, granting the bodies of each soldiers a translucent shield capable of blocking an arrow or two. Although it would shatter after a single sword strike, this would be enough to grant his soldiers that split-second moment to counterattack.

“For the Kingdom! For our loved ones!” roared Lark, “Soldiers of Lukas! Charge!”

Led by each of their respective military officers, the soldiers charged toward the fortress. Volleys of arrows started raining down and the infantry immediately moved their shields up to block the attack. The Empire loaded large rocks coated with castrel oil into the trebuchets and lit them. The moment the soldiers of the Kingdom were within range, the imperial soldiers fired.

Dozens of soldiers started dropping dead like flies as the Empire continued releasing attacks one after another. Some were squashed like paste by the burning boulders falling from the sky. But this wasn’t enough to deter the Kingdom’s soldiers. They continued charging toward the fortress, despite the deep ravine separating the walls from outside forces. They’d been briefed beforehand that a bridge would appear and lead them to the walls. At first, this declaration felt preposterous, but after experiencing the body-strengthening magic firsthand, they felt that such spell might be feasible after all.

And Lark delivered on his promise.

Seeing that his soldiers were almost near the ravine, Lark activated the fourth tower and immediately cast his spell. The ground rumbled and rose, before latching itself onto the walls, forming a bridge made with earth magic.

“A path has opened!” roared Lui Marcus. He was currently leading the soldiers at the very front. “Do not falter! Kill all the archers on the walls!”

This was the first time Lark had seen his older brother fight, and he had to admit that the man was far better swordsman than him. His skill with the sword was almost comparable to the Sword Saint. With each swing, several enemies were beheaded by his brother.

The fortress immediately turned into a battlefield. With Lui Marcus at the lead, several soldiers managed to find the gate winch. Soon, the bridge was moved over the ravine and the three-layered portcullis opened. The other units—the ones led by the Baron and the Sword Saint—did not miss this opening. They immediately charged into the city and broke into a melee with the imperial soldiers.

Everything had been proceeding favorably for the Kingdom so far. Lark had activated only half of the towers and the war was already tilting to the Kingdom’s side.

At first, Lark planned on bombarding the fortress with offensive magic, but he realized that this would be counterproductive in the long run. If he destroyed the fortress, the Kingdom would be forced to allot more soldiers to guard the border between the Empire and the Kingdom. There was also the issue with the captives—the families of the Yorkshaire soldiers currently locked away in the dungeons of the city. If Lark used Grand Scale Magic like the Roar of the Fire God, he knew that even they would not be spared from the spell’s wrath. Thus, he decided to resort on using this simple tactic, hoping it would be enough to defeat the Kingdom while at the same time preserving the fortress which had served as a stopper against the advance of the Empire for centuries now.

“Kill them!”

“Kill the dogs of the Empire!”

The Kingdom’s soldiers had never felt so invincible in their lives. With their bodies enhanced with body-strengthening magic and a magic shield, they fearlessly clashed with the imperial soldiers.

Using the vision crystal and the familiars hovering above the fortress, Lark oversaw the entire battlefield. He activated the fifth tower, cast his spell, and hundreds of arrows made of lightning magic manifest themselves before him. Using the vision crystal as guide, the arrows shot toward the imperial soldiers, killing them one after another. Those who managed to survive the lightning arrow were immediately killed by the Kingdom’s soldiers.

The lightning spell greatly lifted the burden off the Kingdom’s soldiers as they continued to push deeper into the city, with Lui Marcus, the Baron, and the Sword Saint at the lead.

When the Kingdom’s soldiers finally reached the middle of the city, the monster of the old era finally appeared. General Alvaren, clad in plate armor and holding his glaive, started bisecting the Kingdom’s soldiers one after another. Although he seemed slower and weaker than before, probably due to the wounds inflicted by Lark in their previous fight, he was still a monster befitting the name of Magic Slayer.

The Magic Knights started appearing from inside the stonehouses, slaughtering unsuspecting soldiers. Magicians and archers also showed themselves and started firing arrows and spells one after another.

With the appearance of the Empire’s Trump card, the Empire slowly turned the tide of battle. Lark tried killing the Magic Knights with his spells, but General Alvaren immediately moved and nullified Lark’s magic into oblivion.

Lui Marcus, after finding out General Alvaren’s location, immediately moved to intercept the General. The two broke into a melee. The Baron led his soldiers deeper into the city, all the while the Sword Saint fought against several Magic Knights at the same time. The Blackstone Knights mixed with the infantry also moved to kill the Alvaren Army.

It was total chaos. Soldiers from both sides were dropping dead one after another. The scent of blood strongly permeated the air.

Where is General Rizel?

Lark had been trying to find the Ghost of the Empire for quite some time now, but even with the help of his familiars, he could not find him.

Where was he? Why wasn’t he attempting to cast his fog magic again?

Lark continued monitoring the battlefield from afar, all the while casting spells here and there to support the Kingdom’s soldiers. With the towers activated, it felt like he’d gained back a portion of his former prowess. The amount of mana he could gather—without the risk of collapsing his mana pool—felt seemingly endless.

Lark felt a presence coming his way. It was faint; the caster was probably adept at controlling his magic. Lark amplified his senses with magic and finally saw a cloud of smoke shooting his direction. It came from the city, and judging by the killing intent oozing out of it, it was aiming to take his life in a single strike. The cloud of smoke was moving at such a tremendous speed that it would soon reach Lark in a few seconds.

Lark immediately realized who it was.

General Rizel. The Ghost of the Empire.

“Impressive.” Lark started casting defensive spells all around him. “To immediately realize the source of the abnormal strength of the soldiers of the Kingdom. But you’ve been too arrogant, General.”

With seven towers under his command, Lark was confident of surviving a fight even against a dragon. Lark activated the sixth tower and it cast a dome-shaped shield around himself. This shield was capable of blocking an instance of Grand Scale Magic, leaving the caster unscathed. It felt like overkill to use such defensive spell against a mere human, but Lark did not want to take his chances nor underestimate the Ghost of the Empire.

Lark pointed his finger toward the cloud of smoke approaching him at tremendous speed. A ray of light shot forth and struck the smoke, immediately halting it in its tracks. Lark heard a groan and the smoke slowly turned into the figure of an old man. Lark hadn’t expected a simple disintegration spell to work this easily. At first, he expected the smoke to easily evade the spell, and Lark had prepared several contingency spells the moment this happened.

But reality was a different picture.

The old man slowly stood up. Lark noticed that his spell had struck its target right in the abdomen. A hole the size of a thumb could be seen in the General’s abdomen. Blood oozed out of it profusely.

The General tried turning into smoke again but failed.

“Y-You!” The General glared at Lark. “How! What did you do?”

Lark knew that it was only a matter of time before the old man died. Even healing spells would have a hard time working on wounds caused by a disintegration spell. After facing General Alvaren, he’d expected General Rizel to be as strong as that Magic Slayer. Lark didn’t expect his first encounter with the General to end anticlimactically.

Lark stared at the now pallid, wobbling old man.

“Disappointing,” Lark said flatly. “But with this, maybe we could end this siege easily.”

Without another word, another ray of light shot toward General Rizel. The old man couldn’t even dodge as the spell struck him right at the head, killing him in an instant. The old man’s body fell on its knees then kissed the ground.

Lark instructed the soldiers assigned to guard the supplies below. “Cut off the General’s head and parade it inside the city. Make sure the imperial soldiers see it.”

It took the soldiers some time to respond. They still couldn’t believe that the old man lying dead on the ground was the Ghost of the Empire.

“Y-Yes! As you command!”

CHAPTER 23

General Alvaren couldn’t believe what was happening. Not only did the Kingdom manage to cross over the bottomless ravine and enter the city, they were also pushing back the imperial soldiers despite the difference in numbers. The Empire had twice the number of soldiers. Why couldn’t they push these bastards back?

As he was lost in his thoughts, a sword came slashing toward his direction, aiming at his neck. General Alvaren blocked the strike with the shaft of his glaive. He glared at the man in front of him.

General Alvaren found it annoying that this man, whose silver hair was long enough for him to be mistaken as a woman, was blocking his path. Although the General was thrilled to fight strong opponents, he found it urgent to kill these pesky flies of the Kingdom first.

“You almost died before when we fought,” spat General Alvaren. “Kid, I don’t want to be wasting my time fighting you. Scram.”

Lui Marcus didn’t flinch upon receiving the General’s piercing glare. “What’s this? I thought the General of the Empire wished to fight me one-on-one? You even went to Akash personally before to issue out a duel. Did your mind change after you had your butt kicked by my little brother?”

Despite his stoic personality, Lui Marcus skillfully taunted his enemy. He chuckled, which further stoked the rage within General Alvaren.

Several arrows of lighting came pouring down from the sky. General Alvaren activated his glaive and all arrows within the range of the maginus immediately dissipated. Still, it wasn’t enough to cover the entire fortress. Several hundred lightning arrows selectively struck the imperial soldiers, as though having lives of their own.

General Alvaren immediately realized that the caster must have been that damnable Lark Marcus. Only a mage of his caliber could have pulled off such a feat.

He must also be the one responsible for their soldiers’ abnormal strength. Shrewd fox. What did he do this time? thought the General.

General Alvaren would have loved to kill the Silver War God of the Kingdom, but he knew that it wouldn’t be easy. And by the time he was done, thousands of imperial soldiers would have already perished by then. With his decades of experience in the battlefield, he knew that the best way to tilt the tide of war was to for him to kill that magic caster. To kill Lark Marcus.

“I have no time for you, brat!” roared General Alvaren. “Five spears!”

“Yes, General!”

The Five Spears of the Alvaren Army immediately moved and surrounded Lui Marcus. They held pride for being the five strongest Magic Knights, their strength only below that of the General. They immediately understood their General’s intentions and moved in to suppress Lui Marcus.

General Alvaren started moving toward the place where the magic caster—Lark—was located. He believed in his glaive and he knew that no matter how powerful a magician Lark was, he would be reduced to nothing but an above average swordsman once within range of his magic-nullifying artifact.

Without Lui Marcus blocking his path, General Alvaren started slaughtering the Kingdom’s soldiers one after another, their bodies cut cleanly like rye bread. The cheap iron swords the Kingdom’s soldiers were using couldn’t even block a single strike from his glaive.

Several Blackstone Knights roared and shot toward General Alvaren. These guys seemed like immortal demons spawned from hell to the imperial soldiers, but to General Alvaren, they were nothing but mindless suits of armor.

General Alvaren poured mana into his glaive, and with an earth-shattering swing, struck the nearest Blackstone Knight, splitting its body in half. He sidestepped and dodged a strike from the next living suit of armor, and using his free hand, grabbed the bastard’s helm and smashed it to the ground. He immediately followed through by stabbing the head with his glaive, severing the link connecting the armor to the monster’s essence, killing the Blackstone Knight in the process.

Despite seeing their comrades succumbing to their deaths without much of a fight, the other Blackstone Knights still continued their charge. They knew that this old man was their master’s archnemesis. A target they needed to kill.

General Alvaren readily accepted the challenge. He continued massacring the Blackstone Knights left and right, not leaving them room to counterattack.

“It’s been a while.”

After killing over a dozen Blackstone Knights, a familiar voice was heard by the General. He looked back and saw an old man, his ashen hair neatly tied into a pony. Unlike General Alvaren, who was muscular and could easily smash trees with his bare hands, the old man before him was thin, his arms almost twigs. He looked really fragile and had General Alvaren not known the old man’s true identity, he would have not spared him a second glance.

“Alexander,” said General Alvaren, clearly annoyed.

He would rather fight Lui Marcus and Lark together than have another battle with this old geezer. Unlike those two, the Sword Saint didn’t rely on magic to sharpen his sword. His every swing was done with pure skills alone, honed into perfection by swinging the blade tens of thousands of times each day for decades.

The Sword Saint looked at the bisected Blackstone Knights, who had been reduced to piles of cleanly cut armors.

“We need those living suits of armor to win this war,” said the Sword Saint. “We can’t have you killing all of them, right?”

General Alvaren glared. Although he won the last time he fought the Sword Saint, he nearly lost his life several times during that duel. With his body weakened by the wounds inflicted to him by Lark Marcus, he wasn’t confident of winning a bout this time.

“Alexander,” said General Alvaren. “Do you have no pride as a swordsman? Those living suits of armor! It should be impossible to grant life to inanimate things with necromancy alone! You’ve seen those abominations with your own eyes! It’s definitely demonic magic! There’s no other explanation otherwise! How could you, a Sword Saint, not condemn such an act!”

Alexander pulled out his sword and walked toward General Alvaren. As they stood right before each other, the difference in their size became very apparent. The oblivious would immediately think that the Sword Saint would be immediately ripped into shreds by his muscular opponent.

“Alvaren,” said Alexander. His calm voice was a stark contrast to his opponent’s. “I believe in my ability to judge people.”

“Ability to judge people?” General Alvaren snorted. “I see you’ve gone senile, old man!”

Without warning, General Alvaren swung his glaive. The Sword Saint didn’t block the attack but instead gently swept it to the side with his sword, sending it to the opposite direction. And using this split-second opportunity, the Sword Saint reversed his sword and swung it up, missing General Alvaren’s face by a hair’s breadth.

The two continued exchanging blows. If General Alvaren was the epitome of strength, the Sword Saint was the embodiment of finesse and calm. Like an elusive eel, the Sword Saint would dodge General Alvaren’s strikes or redirect them at the last moment, before counterattacking at a blind spot. Over time, numerous wounds started appearing on General Alvaren’s body. After being wounded by Lark in the previous fight, he could no longer catch up with the speed of Alexander’s sword strikes.

Unable to contest with the Sword Saint with the sword, General Alvaren decided to gamble everything. He purposely left his right chest open, at the area next to the shoulder. The Sword Saint didn’t miss this chance and using blinding speed, pierced the area with his sword.

General Alvaren endured the pain. He grabbed the sword with his barehand and gripped it tight, not willing to let go. He gripped his glaive, channeled mana into it, and swung it toward the Sword Saint.

Now that his opponent was weaponless, General Alvaren was sure that his attack would hit the Sword Saint.

But it seemed that he severely underestimated his opponent.

The Sword Saint let go of his sword. He didn’t attempt to dodge but instead used the back of his left hand and slapped the glaive to the side, redirecting the attack and making it miss him by a small margin. The Sword Saint leapt toward General Alvaren and using his right hand, pushed his sword deeper into the General’s chest.

General Alvaren flinched and momentarily lost strength in his grip. The Sword Saint didn’t miss this chance to pull his sword out. He leapt back and created distance.

“Reckless,” said the Sword Saint. He swung his sword in the air, removing the blood clinging to it.

General Alvaren gnashed his teeth. That technique worked when he fought Lark Marcus, but it seemed that such petty tricks wouldn’t work against this old man.

“Again,” said the Sword Saint.

And the two broke into a melee.

For several minutes, General Alvaren lost himself into a trance as he fought the Sword Saint in a duel. He knew that a single mistake would cost him his life. They continued exchanging blows, their speed incomparable to humans’.

“General Rizel has been slain! Lark Marcus of the Third Army has slain the Ghost of the Empire!”

A shout brought General Alvaren back to his senses. Thankfully, the Sword Saint was also stunned by this revelation, as he also momentarily froze.

The two distanced themselves with each other as they looked in the direction of the voice.

The air in the entire fortress became stale. No one could believe it. Right now, the head of General Rizel—placed on the tip of a spear—was being paraded inside the fortress.

General Alvaren’s eyes widened and shook. His entire body felt numb as he stared at the head of his comrade. General Rizel was cunning and the two of them often fought each other. But for General Alvaren, there was no one in this war more reliable than General Rizel.

“H-How?”

General Alvaren trembled. How could this happen? How could the Ghost of the Empire, who’d survived countless battlefields in the chaos-stricken Empire, succumb to his death in this foreign land? Denial slowly turned into grief, into regret, before eventually turning into rage. General Alvaren quivered in utter fury. His eyes turned bloodshot.

He roared, “Lark! Marcus! Where! Are! You? Come out!”

The entire city seemed to tremble from General Alvaren’s shout. Consumed by rage, General Alvaren didn’t notice the sword coming his way. He looked down and saw Sword Saint Alexander’s sword piercing his left chest, right at the heart.

“I’m sorry,” whispered the Sword Saint. He twisted his sword, then pulled it back, then stabbed the General again. This time, at the stomach.

General Alvaren lost strength in his entire body. His vision blurred and he could no longer speak. Still, he looked at the direction where the head of General Rizel was supposedly located. He kept looking at his comrade’s head, until his last dying breath.

***

After General Alvaren’s death, the Five Spears, who’d managed to survive their bout with Lui Marcus, rallied the troops and organized a retreat. Despite their losses, the Magic Knights served as the rear guard and allowed thousands of imperial soldiers to escape.

Lark didn’t let this chance slip by. Despite the cruelty, he kept firing spells one after another, killing the retreating Imperial Army from afar. The Coalition Army, led by the Baron, also chased after the retreating enemy.

The balloons were also deployed and mana bombs rained down on the retreating imperial soldiers the moment they left Yorkshaire Fortress.

But with the help of the Five Spears, and by sacrificing the lives of over a hundred Magic Knights, the Imperial Army managed to escape and retreat through the mountains. They tried regrouping in the garrisons stationed there, but to their horror, they found themselves surrounded by Yorkshaire soldiers.

Despite being fewer in number, the Yorkshaire soldiers moved through the steep mountain as though it was flatland. Losing their two generals left the imperial soldiers feeling powerless, and coupled with the unfamiliar and dangerous terrain of Yorkshaire Mountain, they couldn’t even put up a proper fight.

The Five Spears did their best to lead the defeated army, but the Yorkshaire soldiers kept chasing them through the mountain as though possessed by demons. By the time they’d reached the border of the Empire, the sixty thousand-strong Imperial Army had been reduced to only ten thousand.

A devastating defeat.

That day, the shocking news of the Empire’s defeat, the deaths of the Magic Slayer and the Ghost of the Empire, spread throughout the Empire like wildfire.

CHAPTER 24

Arzen Boris watched with cold eyes as dwarven iron shells rained down on the enemy camp. The Imperial Army located on the hills was bombarded with iron shells one after another, not giving the enemies a chance to even retaliate. The luckier ones who managed to escape the camp found themselves surrounded by the Second Army, only to be killed on sight, no questions asked.

“Great work as usual, Commander,” his adjutant said, handing him a water flask.

“How many have we killed so far?” said Arzen, sipping some water.

“This is the third one. If we add the previous two camps, we’ve killed around five thousand soldiers from the Empire so far.”

Arzen smirked. “Five thousand. Not a bad number.”

The enemy camps they’d encountered along their way to Yorkshaire were untouched. Although Arzen didn’t know how Lark did it, his army probably managed to avoid these smaller camps as they made their way to Yorkshaire.

Arzen had to admit that circumventing these smaller camps was an ingenious move, but he didn’t like the feeling that he was cleaning up after Lark Marcus’ trail. It felt as though all the small fries were left to him, leaving only the main army in Yorkshaire as Lark’s target.

“Tell the soldiers to clean up,” said Arzen. “It’s been two weeks already since we left the City of Yan. That Marcus brat is probably dead by now. Let’s just hope his army’s still intact.”

“As you wish, Commander.”

The Second Army led by the heir of House Boris continued their march. Eventually, they arrived at Akash City.

“Commander, the walls…”

“I know.”

Arzen frowned.

A portion of the walls, along with the gates had been blown off. Judging by the scorch marks, it was probably done through fire magic, or maybe by a weapon similar to the infamous mana bomb.

Arzen immediately sent out scouts to check the city. After some time, the scouts returned and reported to him.

“The entire city’s empty!” said the scouts. “But we’ve found a dungeon in the Lord’s Castle. Around five hundred imperial soldiers have been imprisoned there!”

“Prisoners,” repeated Arzen.

“Yes. And a dozen soldiers from the Third Army, left behind to feed the prisoners.” The scout looked at his rear, at the soldier they brought with them from the dungeon.

“Commander Arzen.” The soldier tasked in guarding the dungeon saluted. “Commander Lark foresaw that such a thing might happen. And he asked us to assist you in any way we can.”

The soldier started explaining to them what happened in this city during the past several weeks. How Lark captured this walled city in just a single day, how he fortified its defenses, and how he defeated the Alvaren Army that followed the Baron’s army all the way to this city.

When the story came to the part where Lark blew up the walls to launch an all-out attack to Yorkshaire City, Arzen finally lost it.

“That stupid brat!” he snarled. “What was he thinking? Destroying the walls of this city? For what? For those stupid towers that may not even end up working!”

Arzen clenched his fists. He quickly made up his mind.

He decided. “Change of plans. We’re heading straight to Yorkshaire City.”

His adjutant was stunned upon hearing this. Although they’d been on a winning streak since coming here, their target this time was on an entirely different league. There were literally tens of thousands of imperial soldiers guarding that fortress, outnumbering them several times. Furthermore, unlike the small camps they encountered on their way here, that city was protected by walls, mages, and the two monstrous generals.

“B-But Commander!”

Arzen glared at his adjutant. “Listen, it’s been several days since that Marcus brat left to attack Yorkshaire. I don’t care if he’s dead, but we can’t let his men die if we want to win this war. With just my Second Army alone, it’ll be impossible for us to defeat the Empire.”

Arzen roared, “Soldiers of the Second Army! We’re heading straight to Yorkshaire City! Move out!”

“Yes, Commander!”

With a hastened march, it took them just a single day to reach Yorkshaire City. Just like the rumors, just one look was enough to know that the fortress was impregnable. The high walls, the deep ravines. You would need to sacrifice thousands of lives to conquer this fortress.

A picture—straight from a nightmare—greeted Arzen and his soldiers.

“W-What the hell happened here?”

Arzen’s eyes widened as he gazed at the scattered corpses around him. Imperial soldiers. Thousands of them.

As someone who graduated with top scores at the military academy, Arzen immediately realized that the dead imperial soldiers were killed while fleeing from something. That the battle during that time was a one-sided massacre.

“C-Commander! The flags! Look over there! At the walls!”

Arzen looked at the direction where his adjutant was pointing at. He saw several flags fluttering on top of the walls, their crest belonging to the Kingdom.

“Yorkshaire City’s been captured?” Arzen couldn’t believe it. “And in such a short amount of time?”

The portcullis of the city opened, and a messenger from the Third Army came out and politely invited the Second Army to enter the city. At first, Arzen was worried that this might be a trap, but he’d seen the thousands of corpses with his own eyes. Even for the Empire, it’d be impossible to fabricate something of such massive scale.

With Arzen at the lead, the Second Army entered Yorkshaire City.

The inside of the city was a sight to behold. Thousands of soldiers moved about, repairing the broken houses, treating the injured, cleaning up the scattered corpses, and some had even started repairing the roads. Numerous soldiers were wounded, but it was apparent in their faces that the entire army’s morale was high.

“Commander Arzen,” an annoyingly familiar voice was heard.

Arzen looked to his left and saw Lark, smiling at him. The damn brat must have been feeling proud after defeating the Empire and taking this fortress back. But how did he do it? Arzen wanted to ask, but his pride made him decide to keep his mouth shut.

“I heard from my men,” said Lark, both his hands behind his back. “You’ve slain the Man-Eater and liberated Yan City from the Empire. Well done.”

Well done, my ass.

All of the praises Lark spouted felt superficial, especially after Arzen learned that they’d successfully captured Yorkshaire. Killing the Man-Eater was a great feat, but compared to what Lark had achieved in this war, it felt insignificant.

Arzen clenched his fists. It was frustrating. What was the point of rushing here then? Had he known, he would have gone to Rock Castle instead and liberated the first son of Duke Kelvin.

“It seems you’ve brought quite a number of supplies too, enough for us to last another half a month.” Lark looked at the barrels upon barrels of rations piled on top of the carts that Arzen brought with him.

“Of course,” said Arzen. He tried his best to remain stoic and undaunted. “We passed by several villages on the way here. All of them burned down to the ground, definitely the work of the Empire.”

Lark nodded. “They’d been planning on starving us out. We had no choice but to launch an all-out attack.”

Arzen was sure that wasn’t the only reason they decided to attack this fortress.

This shrewd fox was probably confident of winning the battle. Attacking a fortress defended by sixty thousand soldiers wouldn’t make sense otherwise. But what made this brat so confident of winning the siege? Arzen decided to send several scouts later and pry information out of the soldiers who witnessed the battle.

Arzen noticed the large glaive resting on Lark’s shoulder. It was taller than Lark himself and for some strange reason, Lark seemed quite fond of this weapon.

“I didn’t know you use a glaive as a weapon.”

Lark glanced at his glaive, then at Arzen. “Ah, this one?” Lark shook his head, “No, I use a sword. But this one’s my spoil of war. Honestly, I’d love to keep this thing to myself, but I’m pretty sure that once they start discussing the post-war treaty, the Empire will demand we return this weapon to them.”

Lark grabbed the glaive’s shaft and swung it in the air. Arzen was surprised that despite its size, Lark easily used the glaive. “Twenty-five, no… thirty thousand gold coins. The Empire will probably be willing to pay that much just to take back this weapon. There’re also the captives in Akash. five hundred soldiers. Two of them are High Nobles. I’m pretty sure their families will be willing to part with a hefty sum in exchange of their lives.”

It took some time before Arzen processed the words spouted by Lark. It seemed that despite having just captured Yorkshaire, he was already thinking of the post-war reparations.

But what the hell was this brat talking about? Thirty thousand gold coins for a single glaive?

Seeing Arzen’s quizzical gaze, Lark added, “This thing’s a maginus. The anti-magic weapon used by General Alvaren, the Magic Slayer.”

Hearing this, Arzen’s eyes widened, almost popping out. General Alvaren’s glaive was a legendary weapon written even in history books. Even back in the military academy, he’d read about it several times. They said it was the first and only replica of the glaive of Uurvesk, the founder of the Great Empire. The master blacksmith who created it had died decades ago and the method of creating the replica had been lost along with him.

“C-Can I see it?” breathed Arzen.

Lark readily handed the glaive over.

Arzen touched the maginus and he immediately felt a resonance with his mana. This was definitely the real thing. He was sure of it.

But if the maginus was here, then…

“The General,” said Arzen, trembling, “if you’re holding his glaive. What happened to General Alvaren?”

“He’s dead,” said Lark. “The Sword Saint killed him in a duel.”

Arzen couldn’t believe it. At first, he thought that the Imperial Army had simply retreated, and that General Alvaren would soon rally his troops and retaliate.

“He’s dead?”

Lark nodded. He pointed. “Keep going straight from here and you’ll arrive at the central square. Next to the fountain, the heads of General Alvaren and General Rizel are currently displayed.”

Although cruel, the upper echelons in the army came to the consensus of displaying the heads of the two generals in public. They’d lost thousands of lives—soldiers and innocent civilians—in this war. This was the least they could do to appease the souls of those who died.

Arzen couldn’t believe what he’d heard. Even the Ghost of the Empire was dead?

Without another word, Arzen went toward the central square. He noticed a large crowd around the fountain. And true to Lark’s words, two severed heads were displayed next to the fountain. Several soldiers were guarding it, preventing the onlookers from coming too close to the displays.

“I heard Commander Lark killed the Ghost of the Empire in an instant,” murmured one of the onlookers.

“Yeah, I heard it too. See that wound on the General’s head? My brother was there when the Commander shot General Rizel in the head with magic.”

Arzen couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It sounded preposterous, but there was no reason for these onlookers to lie.

“Hey, isn’t this dangerous? We killed two famous Generals of the Empire. What if in his anger, the Emperor suddenly commands the entire Imperial Army to raze our country to the ground?”

“Stupid. Do you have no idea how large the land of the Empire is? The Empire’s four times larger than our Kingdom. They already have their hands full in keeping their neighboring countries at bay. I heard that the Mullgray Pirates even started invading some of their ports this year. If they send any more soldiers here, they’ll be forced to part with some of their lands just to conquer our Kingdom.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Of course, I am!”

Arzen continued listening to the conversations of the onlookers. As time went by, he realized that those two heads on display were indeed General Rizel’s and General Alvaren’s.

He could accept the fact that the Magic Slayer lost his life in a duel with the Sword Saint.

But how did that brat, who was several years younger than him, kill the Ghost of the Empire? Even Arzen’s instructors in the military academy said that Rizel was an immortal demon capable of laying waste to an entire army on his own. Arrows couldn’t kill him, and swords would simply pass through his body, just like a ghost.

“Damn it,” mumbled Arzen.

He gnashed his teeth. With the death of the two Generals of the Empire, the Imperial Army was as good as defeated. There was no role for him to play here, he realized.

***

After Arzen suddenly left on his own to look at the displayed heads of the generals, Lark went toward the northern district, where the magic towers were currently located.

He hadn’t told anyone about his plan of destroying these things once war ended, since he knew that most people would be vehemently against it.

“Leave. Make sure no one comes near this area until I come out,” he said to the soldiers guarding the towers.

“Yes, Commander!”

After the soldiers left, Lark stared at the towers. He would find it hard to find the same amount of manpower and resources to recreate these things.

“It’s such a waste,” he said, looking at the towers. “But it’s too dangerous to leave you guys in this fortress.”

The Empire was a strong nation capable of recreating a maginus. Lark was sure that given the chance, they could probably recreate these magic towers too.

With the death of two of their generals, Lark doubted that the Empire would continue waging war with the Kingdom anytime soon. A peace treaty was inevitable, and so were war reparations. This was truly the Kingdom’s victory.

But there was no harm in being cautious. In the slim chance that the Empire attacked the Kingdom once again, it’d be too dangerous to have these towers lying around in this fortress. Bringing it back home would take too much time and may attract unwanted attention from other magicians.

Lark steeled his resolve. He poured mana into the glaive and activated the runes.

As expected of a maginus. Lark felt like he could cut anything as long as he held this weapon. Even the sword he personally created back at Blackstone Town was far inferior to this one.

With one last look at the towers, Lark started cutting each of them. The magic towers resisted at first, and it took Lark several strikes despite using a maginus before he finally managed to destroy them. Lark made sure to thoroughly destroy the magic formations and the runes engraved on the towers’ walls.

After the towers collapsed, Lark deactivated the glaive and started pulverizing what was left of the towers using wind magic.

EPILOGUE

[The Great Empire]

Emperor Sylvius Lockhart Mavis. The so-called Devourer of Lands.

Inside his private room in the coliseum, he watched with bored eyes as the warriors in the arena fought to their deaths. Hundreds of spectators cheered, their stomping feet making the ground rumble. The scent of blood and sweat permeated the air as the spectators frenziedly urged the warriors to kill each other.

Eventually, one of the warriors was stabbed in the chest and fell limp to the ground, lifeless. Seeing this, the entire coliseum burst into cheers.

The coliseum is really the best place to relax.

The Emperor did not mind the deafening shouts from the outside.

He had grown tired of seeing death and blood. What he looked forward to the most whenever he came here was the frenzied spectators. It was amazing, even his meekest subjects would turn into demons the moment they stepped foot in the coliseum. The way they repeatedly shouted for slaughter, for the warriors to kill each other, one would think they were demon incarnates.

The Emperor loved seeing human nature at its truest form. To him, there was no place more relaxing than this private room inside the coliseum.

“And now! Today’s main event!” The Coliseum Master’s voice echoed with the help of a magic tool. “A slave from the White Stream Oasis! A champion who has remained undefeated in this coliseum for the past three years!”

One of the gates in the arena opened and a dark-skinned man, probably in his mid-thirties, came out, two swords on his back. Strapped on his legs were several daggers. He was really ugly; his face looked as though it had been ripped off by some strange beast.

“The undefeated!” shouted the Coliseum Master. “The invincible! The undisputed champion of the arena! Scarface!”

The crowd cheered and stomped their feet. The entire coliseum shook.

“And his opponent!” said the Coliseum Master. “A ferocious beast seen only in the White Stream Oasis! A creature capable of tearing a band of mercenaries on its own!”

The gate opposite to where Scarface came out opened. Loud thuds were heard, along with an ominous growl. A white creature around four meters tall came out, its muscular arm holding a stone mace. One of the two black horns on his head was missing. Its face greatly resembled the goblins.

“A full-grown adult! A desert troll! A top predator in White Stream Oasis! Next only to the devouring worms!”

The desert troll roared as though announcing its appearance to the world. Hearing this, the crowd turned silent for a second, before bursting into cheers.

“A desert troll!”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen one!”

“Kill that monster, Scarface! I’ve bet my entire fortune on you, you damn bastard!”

The crowd was ecstatic. Even the Emperor’s interest was piqued by this fight. He’d been watching Scarface’s fights for the past few years, and the slave never lost a single fight in this arena. The Emperor wondered how the arena’s top dog would fare against this monster.

The gates closed and the gong was struck. On cue, the troll leapt toward Scarface and swung its mace with all its might.

“Emperor!”

A soldier entered the Emperor’s private room without advice.

The Emperor glared, annoyed that the soldier was interrupting him during such time. The report better be something urgent and worthwhile, otherwise, he would immediately have him executed after this fight.

“What?”

“A silver-sealed message from the southern border! From General Lazarus!”

“From General Lazarus?”

The soldier knelt down and presented the letter to the Emperor. After opening it and reading its contents, the Emperor’s shook. He could no longer hear the ecstatic shouts from the spectators, the roar from the troll. His entire mind was in turmoil. He stared at the letter for a long time.

The letter came from the General Lazarus, the highest-ranking officer in the southern border. According to him, the sixty thousand-strong army of the Empire had been defeated by the Kingdom of Lukas.

The two generals who’d protected the Great Empire for decades perished along with fifty thousand soldiers.

Emperor Sylvius trembled. He could not believe that both the Magic Slayer and the Ghost of the Empire had just died in battle. Those two had lain waste to the Empire’s enemy for numerous years. Just hearing their names was enough for their enemies to tremble in fear.

Losing them was definitely a terrible blow to the Empire.

“E-Emperor?”

Seeing the enraged Emperor, the soldier could not help but pray to the Gods for dear life. He fervently prayed that the Emperor would spare his life.

Emperor Sylvius snapped out of his stupor. He abruptly stood up. “Gather the ministers, the princes, and the Generals of the Capital. Tell them to gather in the throne room an hour from now.”

The crowd in the coliseum cheered after the champion of the arena beheaded the desert troll. But the Emperor no longer cared. He had lost interest in the battle after reading the message.

The middle-aged man’s eyes glimmered dangerously.

“Lark Marcus. Sword Saint Alexander.” The Emperor gnashed his teeth. “Just wait. The moment I’ve taken care of the Mullgray Islands and Everfrost, the two of you’ll be next.”

***

Three weeks had passed since the war at the Western Front ended. The Coalition Army finally returned to the capital to a hero’s welcome.

Tens of thousands of residents of Behemoth City went out of their homes and crowded the streets, cheering as the soldiers passed through. Mellifluous music filled the entire capital as everyone celebrated the return of the Kingdom’s heroes. Free porridge, rye bread, mead and jerkies were handed out to everyone all over the city in celebration of the Kingdom’s victory.

While the entire city was in a festive mood, the officers of the Coalition Army were summoned into the King’s castle.

“Welcome, heroes.” King Alvis was beaming as he looked at the military officers kneeling before him. “I summoned all of you here today to reward you for your accomplishments. This is a blessed year, indeed. We have solved the crisis regarding the Black Famine, and we’ve thwarted the advance of the Empire. It seems that the Sun God is smiling upon our Kingdom.”

Rows of knights stood next to the walls, while the advisers of the crown stood next to the King. There were also dozens of nobles, merchants, priests, and other city officials present.

“First,” said the King, “Arzen Boris.”

A soldier walked towards the throne, carrying a small chest with him. After receiving the signal from His Majesty, the soldier walked towards Arzen and presented him the chest.

“The Commander of the Second Army. The valiant warrior who liberated Yan City.”

Arzen courteously received the chest and opened it. Inside were thirty grand gold coins, each of them equivalent to a hundred gold. There was also a scrolled parchment inside, stamped with the insignia of the royal family.

“You shall be rewarded with thirty grand gold coins and the Elmanar Territory. It’s a small but fertile land near the Boris County. Use it as you see fit.”

Arzen bowed his head. “I am honored, Your Majesty. I promise to develop that land into a prosperous territory.”

King Alvis nodded, satisfied with Arzen’s answer. “I look forward to that day, Arzen.”

The King moved his gazed towards Baron Zacharia. “Next, Baron Zacharia.”

The Baron looked at the King upon the mention of his name.

“For leading the attack at Yorkshaire City, and for gathering the remnants of the Marcus and Yorkshaire Army. You shall also be granted thirty grand gold coins. Furthermore, you shall be elevated to the rank of a Viscount!”

Murmurs filled the throne room at this proclamation. The merchants and nobles attending the awarding ceremony were surprised that the retired veteran was promoted to the rank of a Viscount after the war. It just went to show how important this victory was for the royal family.

Although the territory owned by the Baron did not expand, just earning the title of a Viscount alone was a tremendous gain in this war. The normally stoic Zacharia visibly shook as he tried to process the words the King had just said. Who would have known that a retired instructor like him would become a Viscount before the end of his life?

“Your Majesty!” Zacharia humbly received the chest containing the grand gold coins and the royal decree. “This subject of yours will never forget this kindness!”

Zacharia continued shaking as he willed the tears back. There was no honor higher than this one. He was sure that his late father and the rest of his ancestors watching him from Valhalla would have been so proud.

The King moved his gaze to the next person.

“Lui Marcus,” said the King. “For bravely leading the soldiers, for defending the fortress until the last man. You shall be granted thirty grand gold coins and a named sword!”

A soldier handed Lui Marcus a chest containing the coins and a sword wrapped in cloth. Lui slowly unwrapped it, revealing a sword with an ornamental sheath, its hilt embedded with blue gemstones.

“This is…” Lui stared at the sword, wide-eyed.

“One of the four named swords of the Kingdom. Grandblue!”

The entire throne room went into uproar. Grandblue was a sword passed down only to the descendants of the royal family. Along with the sword of Sword Saint Alexander—Bloodthorne—it was one of the four swords crafted by the legendary dwarven blacksmith, Golgodan.

Just this sword alone cost more than ten thousand gold coins. For a moment, the nobles and merchants started to question the sanity of the King. This move was akin to passing down a national treasure to someone outside the royal family.

Lui’s hands trembled as he held the infamous sword. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would get his hands on this item. It was not a maginus like the weapon used by General Alvaren, but its blade was made with the strongest metal in this world. Even the gemstones embedded on its hilt made it possible for the user to store some of his magic.

“I-I’m honored, Your Majesty!” said Lui.

The King gently smiled. “There’s no one more fitting than you to wield that sword. I’m sure that Golgodan would have been glad that his named sword landed in the hands of such valiant warrior. That sword’s just gathering dust in the treasury, after all. It’s such a waste, don’t you think so? Lui, I expect great things from you. Continue protecting our Kingdom.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Next, Sword Saint Alexander.”

The Sword Saint was the calmest among everyone present here. He remained unperturbed despite the unexpected rewards handed out by the King.

“I believe you hold one of the highest merits in this war,” said the King. “Not only did you lead the army in the attack to reclaim Yorkshaire, you’ve also slain the enemy General. The Magic Slayer of the Empire, General Alvaren.”

A soldier holding a chest, a bit larger than the ones before, went towards the Sword Saint and presented it to him.

“You are hereby granted forty-five grand gold coins and the Territory of Aden, including the Valley of Witches!”

Although it was a secluded territory at the east, almost near the United Grakas Alliance, it was a vast territory, and by size alone, it was almost comparable to the entire capital. The King probably made this move in hopes that the Sword Saint would permanently move into that territory and convert it into a stronghold, blocking the path of the Beastmen toward their Kingdom.

The Sword Saint easily saw through the King’s intent, but decided to accept it regardless. He had grown fond of the Valley of Witches and its soldiers during his prior stay there.

“I humbly accept, Your Majesty.”

Unlike before, the nobles and merchants seemed satisfied with what was given to the Sword Saint. They all knew that Alexander was the one who had slain General Alvaren, justifying the forty-five grand gold coins reward. Furthermore, the Aden Territory was unfertile, and the Valley of Witches was located on top of a cliff, making trade difficult with the surrounding territories. Just by location alone, the merchants and nobles had no interest in a territory sharing borders with those damnable beastmen.

There was only one military officer remaining.

Lark felt all eyes falling on him.

“And lastly, Lark Marcus.” The King cleared his throat. “For leading the Third Army to the Western Front, for reclaiming Yorkshaire City, and for slaying the Ghost of the Empire.”

There was silence in the entire throne room. Everyone waited with bated breath for the next words of the King.

“You shall be awarded with forty-five grand gold coins! Furthermore, you shall be granted sovereign over the City of Tranta!”

Lui Marcus’ eyes widened at this declaration. He looked at his little brother, his eyes filled with anticipation.

The City of Tranta was a small territory near the Marcus Duchy. With this, it’d be possible for him to meet Lark frequently once he became the Lord of the city. Even Duke Drakus would be powerless to oppose this, since this was an official decree by the King.

But Lui’s excitement was short-lived.

“I’m honored, Your Majesty,” said Lark. “But I have no intention of leaving my territory.”

Everyone in the throne room was stunned upon hearing these words. Lark was basically saying that he would not exchange that small town in the middle of the wilderness for an already prosperous territory. A city?

Seeing the surprise face of the King, Lark added, “Your Majesty, please allow this subject of yours to be impertinent.”

The King carefully studied Lark. “Go on.”

“Instead of the City of Tranta,” said Lark. “Would it be possible to be granted sovereign over the Endless Forest instead?”

Murmurs filled the throne room once again. The Endless Forest was one of the uncharted territories of the Kingdom. To say it belonged to their country was also a misconception. The Endless Forest was simply so large that even the neighboring countries didn’t know where it ended. The Kingdom claimed ownership over it, but everyone in this throne room knew that no one held sovereignty over that vast territory.

The Endless Forest alone was larger than the entire Kingdom, after all.

The King fell silent. He could not decide whether Lark’s request was too ambitious or if it was mere stupidity. The young man had literally asked the King for a territory larger than the Kingdom itself.

Should he give it to him?

The young man did surrender the glaive of General Alvaren to the royal family the moment he arrived at the capital. Just that weapon alone was worth more than three hundred grand gold coins. Definitely more than enough to cover all the rewards granted in this awarding ceremony, if you exclude the granted territories.

The King tapped his armrest. He continued to ponder. Eventually, he said, “Very well! With my authority as the King, I’m hereby granting you sovereign over the Endless Forest!”

“But your Majesty!” one of the Royal Advisers protested. “Isn’t it too much? He may be a war hero, but granting such a massive land to a single person is unheard of!”

“Enough!” said the King. He waived his hand and the Royal Adviser shut his mouth. “My decision is final! I believe that this young man deserves at least this much, considering all of his merits in this war!”

The Royal Advisers were obviously displeased with this outcome.

Lark ignored them. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

The King stroked his ashen beard. He stared at Lark for several seconds and said to the guards, “Tell Esmeralda to come here.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty!”

The guards left then came back shortly thereafter, escorting a young woman with them. A woman with platinum hair wearing a simple turquoise dress. Her large, blue eyes nervously swiveled left and right. She froze for a moment upon seeing the numerous nobles, priest, city officials and merchants watching the awarding ceremony, and the military officers kneeling on the ground.

“Esmeralda,” said the King, smiling softly. His voice gentle. “Come. I want to introduce you to someone.”

The young woman was obviously terrified of the huge crowd, but she went toward her father regardless. With elegance befitting someone from the royal family, she walked up the stairs and stood next to King Alvis.

“Lark Marcus,” said the King. “What do you think of my daughter? Beautiful, isn’t she?”

Lark was taken aback by the question. He immediately realized what the King was trying to do in this situation.

Thankfully, he’d experienced such a situation several times before in his previous life. Back then, even the Emperor himself tried pairing Evander Alaester with one of his daughters.

Lark immediately regained composure. He flashed a smile.

“She’s beautiful, Your Majesty.”

Seeing Lark’s smile, and hearing an unknown man praise her in front of a very large crowd, Esmeralda’s face flushed. This is too embarrassing, she thought.

The King heartily laughed. “Of course, she’s my daughter after all!”

The King boastfully claimed, without the slightest hint of shame. His daughter glared at him for saying something so embarrassing.

“Father!” she whispered. “What are you doing? And this is the awarding ceremony, right? Why did you call me here?”

King Alvis cast an amused smile at his indignant daughter.

He whispered back, “I’m trying to find you a fitting husband. You’re already twenty-one. All of your sisters are already married—”

“—I don’t need a husband!”

Esmeralda realized that her whisper had turned into a shout. All gazes fell on her and she immediately had the urge to hide behind her father or sink into the ground.

King Alvis spoke to Lark. “She may be like this, but she’s a gentle soul. I heard that you are without a wife, moreover a fiancé. Then, how about this? What do you think about becoming part of the royal family?”

Lark looked at Esmeralda. She looked like she wanted to pinch the cheeks of her father hard. She was obviously against this.

“She’s a beautiful woman,” said Lark. “But I have my hands full with managing Blackstone Town. Permit this subject of yours to be impertinent, but I have to decline, Your Majesty.”

Esmeralda looked really relieved upon hearing this. She sighed then clenched her fists while glaring at her father.

King Alvis ignored his fuming daughter. “Is that so? How regretful. And here I was, thinking I finally found a suitable husband for my daughter.”

-

-

END OF VOLUME 4

WHERE TO FIND VOLUME 5 + AUTHOR’S NOTES:

First of all, thank you for purchasing the book. If you like my work, please take the time to leave a review on Amazon. Their algorithm requires a certain number of reviews before they promote my work. It will really help an indie author like me.

You can find advance chapters of the book at my Patreon page: patreon.com/crazyblackchili

—Spoiler beware—

Book 5 focuses on the Curse of Agares. The curse of the current King of Lukas. I also hope to incorporate more town building in that book, and if the number of chapters permits it, add a little bit of romance in the story.

Thank you to all of my Patrons!

Especially Elfi, Jamie, Josh, Adams, Henson, and Way.

You guys are the best!

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