Chapter 206
Chapter 206
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 206
Chapter Title: The Holy Knights' Advance
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The neighing of war horses echoed across the plains.
Knights clad in pure white sacred armor sat atop them, gazing resolutely ahead with grim expressions.
One thousand two hundred.
That was the number of Holy Knights assembled.
Considering the army totaled fifty thousand soldiers, it was an excessively large force.
‘Have they mobilized every knight in the kingdom?’
Oyen, a top-class knight, thought as he glanced back at his comrades lined up behind him.
A war to punish the wicked Empire.
‘To hold them accountable for the Saintess’s death, they said.’
Oyen let out a quiet sigh inwardly.
‘Does the Holy King truly believe that’s possible…?’
Aire was a great power.
Among the countless kingdoms on the continent, it was one of the strongest.
There had even been a time when it could threaten the Empire itself.
But the Empire was on another level entirely.
It wasn’t called simply ‘the Empire’ without a national name for nothing.
‘If they get serious, they could wipe out several kingdoms in an instant.’
The same went for Aire.
It was powerful, but comparing it to the Empire was impossible.
And yet, the Holy King had declared war.
In the name of the gods’ will, no less.
Oyen raised a hand to stroke his throat.
A small necklace touched his fingers.
It was the mark of the main god, proof of his faith.
‘Is this truly the right path?’
He posed the question, but as always,
The gods gave no answer.
“In the name of the gods!”
Someone shouted then.
‘Sir Steorn?’
A top-class knight like Oyen, and the supreme commander of this expedition.
His voice rang out across the plains where knights and soldiers were assembled.
“In the name of the gods!”
“For His Majesty the Holy King!”
The soldiers, fired up by the immense holy power in those cries, burned with fighting spirit.
Oyen gave a wry smile at the sight.
‘At least they didn’t mention avenging the Saintess. Small mercies.’
It was far too flimsy a pretext to justify starting a war.
And yet, the Holy King had done it anyway.
‘Who knows how much blood will be spilled.’
A great many would die, truly.
Not just from Aire, but Empire soldiers as well.
At a time when the continent should be uniting against the Demon King’s invasion, this could lead to irreparable consequences.
Oyen couldn’t comprehend it.
But it was far too late to turn back.
No, he could never stop it with his own power alone.
He was just swept up in the mad festival of war, another chess piece to be moved.
“Advance!”
Steorn’s order came down.
And so, Aire’s fifty thousand troops and twelve hundred knights slowly crossed the border into Derhan.
…No one stood in their way.
* * *
“Has it started?”
Seowoojin frowned at the unease creeping over him.
Very far away.
From a distance beyond the reach of sight, he could feel the killing intent and madness approaching.
If his senses were correct, then Aire’s march had begun.
Seowoojin sighed and looked around.
‘Can’t slip away right now.’
They were in the middle of subjugating Ancient Orcs.
Graaaah—!
“Cut their throats!”
“‘Deadly Blow’!”
Heroes were locked in battle with what looked like hundreds of Ancient Orcs.
Outnumbered tens to one, it was no contest—the heroes were overwhelmingly dominant, of course.
But as this was their first real fight, they weren’t yet used to large-scale combat, and the Ancient Orcs’ organized resistance was dragging things out longer than expected.
‘No need to worry, though.’
The heroes were strong.
Their individual prowess was so overwhelming that even with shaky coordination, they poured on relentless offense.
Among them, Seowoojin’s comrades were shining the brightest.
They advanced methodically, dismantling the enemy lines without rushing.
Even Kim Uram, the weakest of them, was showing impressive form compared to before.
‘Looks like Ban Slay taught them well.’
They’d had to cut training short due to the sudden crisis, but their hard work was paying off.
‘Well…’
Considering Ban Slay’s training methods, they’d had no choice but to give it their all.
Otherwise, they’d have been beaten within an inch of their lives.
The other heroes were holding their own admirably too.
Worlds apart from their first real combat against trolls.
No hesitation in their strikes, no flinching at the Ancient Orcs’ killing intent.
They moved like killing machines.
And the elite friends were in a league of their own.
Even without Baek Siu and Sung Yura, the remaining three were massacring the Ancient Orcs.
Seowoojin turned away after watching them for a moment.
He spotted the knights encircling the area, guarding against any potential threats.
He approached one of them.
“Sir Ludein.”
It was Ludein, the top-class knight in charge of this training.
Having watched Seowoojin approach, he didn’t fluster and asked his business.
“What is it?”
“Looks like it’s started.”
Ludein’s expression hardened.
He understood what Seowoojin meant.
“Are you certain?”
As far as he knew, Seowoojin hadn’t left this place once.
He couldn’t fathom how he’d sensed it.
“Can’t say for a hundred percent. But my instincts are telling me so.”
It was probably spot on.
Ever since reaching his current level, such hunches had never been wrong.
Not on the level of Martes’s near-prophetic foresight, but Seowoojin’s senses were highly accurate too.
Ludein nodded, deeming it trustworthy.
“What do you plan to do?”
“…Guess I’ll have to move.”
To fulfill his deal with the Emperor, it was time to prepare.
“But not right now.”
Too many eyes watching.
Not just the heroes here, but the knights would notice if Seowoojin vanished now.
He couldn’t afford the suspicion that would bring.
“Let’s move when night falls.”
The subjugation only ran during daylight.
They rested at camp from evening till morning, so that was the time to act.
“Might not be back for a while.”
The distance was considerable, and he couldn’t just make Aire back down overnight.
At minimum, he’d miss a few days of subjugation.
“Come up with some excuse for me.”
“Me?”
Ludein looked incredulous at Seowoojin’s request.
“Don’t have the bandwidth to worry about that right now.”
Seowoojin grinned, prompting a hollow chuckle from Ludein.
“…Understood.”
But he didn’t refuse.
The imperial order was to cooperate fully with Seowoojin’s actions.
Seowoojin nodded at the reply and returned to his position.
The subjugation was still in full swing.
Until nightfall, he needed to focus on thinning their numbers as much as possible.
‘Gotta farm that EXP.’
Hunting Ancient Orcs wouldn’t do much for Seowoojin.
But as the saying went, every little bit adds up.
Believing those scraps of experience would pay off big later, he drew his sword.
And shortly after,
Not a single one of the hundreds of Ancient Orcs survived—they all met their end.
* * *
Darkness fell.
Silence settled over the Zarba Plains, once alive with blood and death cries, as the heroes who’d fought all day retired to their tents.
All but one.
Only Seowoojin stepped out into the night, heading to one side.
“You’re here.”
Ludein waited at the rendezvous point.
“Time to head out.”
“Take these.”
Ludein handed over prepared items.
A black coat like the night sky.
A small leather pouch.
And a finely crafted sword.
Seowoojin tilted his head at the sight.
“I get the coat and pouch, but why the sword…?”
Seowoojin already had the legendary blade ‘Karaniel.’
After wielding it, he’d felt no need for other weapons.
No better sword existed in this world.
And the Emperor knew that best—yet here was a new one?
“His Majesty said not to reveal ‘Karaniel’ to the world.”
Ludein didn’t know why, but Seowoojin grasped it instantly.
“Ah!”
He smacked his forehead.
The key to this mission was keeping Seowoojin’s identity hidden.
He couldn’t use ‘Karaniel’ in such a situation.
It would be like openly advertising that the ominous figure was Seowoojin.
“Shortsighted of me.”
Seowoojin smiled sheepishly and accepted the sword from Ludein.
Shing—
No match for ‘Karaniel,’ but it was on par with the famed ‘Rune Dea’ he’d used before.
“They really went all out.”
Even the disguise sword was this exceptional.
“It’s not just the sword—the coat’s remarkable too.”
Woven from threads of true silver, etched with five layers of anti-magic barriers.
A treasure boasting defensive power beyond any knight’s armor.
Seowoojin donned the coat in admiration and sheathed the sword at his waist.
“What about this?”
He pointed to ‘Karaniel.’
He couldn’t leave it with Ludein.
He trusted him, but the blade’s legendary status meant it was too precious to entrust to anyone.
Wondering if there was cloth to wrap it in for concealment, Seowoojin asked—only for Ludein to reveal an unexpected solution.
“Open the leather pouch.”
“Hm?”
Seowoojin’s eyes widened in realization.
“It has spatial expansion magic. More than enough room for ‘Karaniel.’”
“As expected!”
Grinning, Seowoojin slid ‘Karaniel’ into the pouch.
It slipped in effortlessly.
“It’s stocked with plenty of gold coins and jewels too—use them as needed.”
Hearing about the money, Seowoojin smiled.
“Guess it’s time to go.”
“Seowoojin.”
As Seowoojin turned to leave, Ludein called out.
He looked back, questioning if there was more.
Ludein hesitated a moment before speaking.
“I don’t know what your mission is…”
Their eyes met.
“Please take care.”
It was genuine concern.
Having fought side by side, staking their lives multiple times, Ludein truly hoped Seowoojin would return safely.
He knew Seowoojin was strong.
But the current situation was dire.
Whatever the task, the Emperor’s personal preparations suggested it was no simple matter.
Seowoojin nodded at such a Ludein.
“No need to worry. I’ll handle it quick and be back.”
Confidence filled Seowoojin’s eyes as he replied.