The Golden Knights
The Golden Knights. If the triple walls guarding the empire were its shield, the Golden Knights were its sword, striking down its enemies. They were the strongest knightly order in the empire, every single member a formidable Sword Expert. Even the Giant Legion, the pride of the Grand Duchy, was considered a step below them in close-quarters combat.
Seeing this monstrous order appear and charge toward his rear, Philip fell into utter despair.
"That... that mad Grand Duke... How dare he deploy the Emperor's forces in a territorial war?!"
Moving the Emperor's army at his own whim—even if Deviang held the authority of the Emperor—was a severe overstepping of authority. While past emperors had occasionally supported one side financially in territorial disputes, direct military intervention had occurred only a handful of times in the empire's long history, and those rulers were invariably remembered as tyrants.
Thus, though unwritten in law, the Emperor nominally maintained neutrality. Deviang's current action crossed a line that no noble could tolerate. The relationship between the Emperor and his vassals was a strict contract. For the Emperor to intervene in a war fought with legitimate cause—a war where the holy gods themselves were meant to choose the victor—was an act outrageous enough to provoke a rebellion from every noble in the empire.
Yet, the Grand Duke had foolishly and casually committed this transgression, sparking a deep, burning rage within Philip.
Despicable bastard! Do not think the Emperor's Faction and the neutrals will sit idly by.
"Damn it... At least we still have the mercenaries in the rear..."
Having spent a lifetime on the battlefield, Philip knew how untrustworthy mercenaries were. Yet, at this very moment, he clung to them as his only hope.
"Reserve unit! Protect the mages in the rear!"
Although there was some distance between the reserves and the rear mages, Philip hoped that if the mercenaries could buy just a little time, they might hold out. But...
"Haha..."
Philip gritted his teeth as he watched the mercenaries abandon the battlefield.
"Look over there, Boss!"
At those words, a man holding a halberd looked back.
"Are those... the Golden Knights?"
The Halberd Mercenary Group, renowned for their bravery on the battlefield, clicked their tongues at the sight of the knights in their brilliant armor.
"Tsk, tsk... Why the hell are they showing up here?"
"No kidding. What should we do?"
The captain of the Halberd Mercenary Group fell into thought.
What now? I was planning to play along with the anti-Grand Duchy side and pull out if they started losing.
However, seeing the anti-Grand Duchy coalition fight better than expected, he had changed his plans, harboring thoughts of plundering the great city of Wynn.
"What do you mean, 'what should we do'? We run."
"Should we? I suppose fighting those human weapons is suicide."
The captain nodded at his vice-captain's words.
"It's a shame about our reputation, but our lives are worth more."
The vice-captain nodded. "Exactly. And we've already made a killing anyway."
Having received a hefty down payment and weekly installments upon being hired, they had lined their pockets well enough to leave without a single regret.
"Right. Let's take a break until the rumors of our desertion blow over."
The vice-captain nodded and bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Alright! All forces, retreat!"
At his command, the infantry guarding the rear began to break formation. Thus, the Halberd Mercenary Group made their swift exit.
Philip watched the mercenaries in the rear retreat in a daze, sinking deeper into despair. As the magic units began to flee in terror, pursued and slaughtered by the Golden Knights, Philip hurriedly turned his gaze to the front lines.
"Damn it! What is the cavalry in the front doing?! Have they still not broken the enemy?!"
Just then, several riders from the front lines galloped frantically toward Philip's command post.
"Commander, Commander Goering ordered us to report the situation and receive new orders!"
Philip's face contorted with rage.
"New orders?! What new orders?! They should be attacking and crushing the enemy this instant!"
When the usually mild-mannered Philip roared in anger, the messenger stammered in fear.
"T-that's... there are too many pikemen in the enemy's rear. We wanted to confirm if we should proceed with the charge..."
Hearing this, Philip felt as if he had been struck on the head with a hammer.
Could it be... they planned this? Did they expose their weakness on purpose?
To maintain their momentum, he had deployed every single available unit. Normally, he would have used the reserves to counter such a move, but right now, the reserves... were desperately trying to hold off the Golden Knights.
Wait... what are the reserves doing now?
Looking back, he saw the Golden Knights ruthlessly slaughtering their mages. Bypassing the reserves, they were charging rapidly toward the coalition's cavalry and pikemen to the east.
"Haha... damn it..."
Overwhelmed by the absolute power of the Golden Knights, the coalition's pikemen began to flee one by one. The cavalry attempted to block them, but the title of the empire's strongest knightly order was no empty boast. They easily broke through and crushed the coalition's lines.
What do I do? At this rate, the enemy's cavalry will soon be completely unhindered.
Realizing that dragging out the battle would only allow the enemy to flank them and tear their lines to shreds, Philip desperately searched for a way to turn the tide. But...
There is no way.
Closing his eyes, he retraced his steps, trying to find where it had all gone wrong. If they had fought in the Francesco Gallery, the damage might have been less severe. Even if they couldn't utilize their numerical advantage in the narrow pass, the confined space would have allowed him to monitor the enemy's movements at a glance and respond appropriately.
Or if only we hadn't fallen for their schemes...
Furthermore, the enemy's cavalry attack had been mere bait to pin down their own cavalry and pikemen. The real strike was the Golden Knights.
Should I have anticipated that the Grand Duke, who holds the Emperor hostage, would deploy the Golden Knights?
But before the war, not a single noble in the empire could have predicted this. What Deviang had done was sheer madness. Only tyrants wielded the sword of the empire for their private affairs.
Watching his forces begin to flee, Philip made a painful decision.
I must order a retreat now.
Gritting his teeth, he roared, "Retreat! Retreat!"
As soon as Philip gave the order, the deep, resonant blast of a horn echoed across the battlefield. "Fall back!"
Just as he was sinking into the hollow despair of defeat, the Golden Knights began heading in their direction.
"To horse! Everyone, mount up!"
The anti-Grand Duchy generals scrambled to mount their steeds.
Then... they froze in terror at the sight of a rider charging toward them, a long spear held in one hand.
A short woman with wild, flowing red hair. She was carving a bloody path through their cavalry, closing the distance at terrifying speed.
"L-Lady Mary?!"
"Why is that... that monster here?!"
Knowing Lady Mary's overwhelming martial prowess, they fell into absolute despair.
A letter from the Grand Duchy. It was about time for the results to arrive.
As I carefully picked up the letter, I saw Mary's seal.
Surely... we didn't lose, did we?
If we lost, we would lose everything—the Grand Duchy, and we'd be crushed under a mountain of debt.
"Whew..."
With a slightly trembling heart, I broke the seal and read the letter.
Slide... tap!
Upon reading the contents, I leaped out of my chair without realizing it, throwing both hands high into the air.
"We won! We won!"
An overwhelming victory.
"I knew you could do it, Agrippa! I always believed in you, Slave Number Two!"
Although I had logically expected it, it would be a lie to say I hadn't been worried.
"Bwahahaha! We won!"
Thud.
I collapsed back into my chair, letting out a joyful cheer.
Click!
"Darling, why are you laughing so uncharacteristically? Did something happen?"
Theodora opened the door to my office and stepped inside. Today, her presence felt warmer than ever.
Flutter!
"A letter from Wynn! We won!"
At my words, Theodora's eyes widened in surprise before she broke into a radiant smile.
"I knew it! You are truly amazing!"
"Haha! It's all thanks to Agrippa and you!"
I genuinely meant it. It was all thanks to the brilliant general Agrippa, and Theodora, who had mobilized Commander William of the Golden Knights.
"Haha! Now we can solve the chemical fertilizer, the Information Department, and the investment fund all at once!"
This victory meant we were guaranteed to rake in astronomical profits from the financial sectors of the Empire, the Allied Kingdom, and the Babylon Empire.
"Now, shall we draw up our plans? Go tell Lucius to call Karl. I have urgent matters to discuss with him."
At my words, Theodora nodded with a gentle smile.
"Of course."
The Grand Duchy's victory. As the news began to spread, the global financial markets threw themselves into a frenzy.
Countless investors and institutions had purchased anti-Grand Duchy bonds. Among them, the investment firms and financial institutions that had sold call options fell into an inescapable pit of despair.
Panic. In a desperate bid to cover the call options they had sold, panicked financial institutions began buying up every Grand Duchy bond circulating in the market. It was their only choice. To fulfill the call option contracts purchased by the Pieta Guild, they had to acquire the bonds at any cost, driving prices to astronomical heights.
The price of Grand Duchy bonds skyrocketed daily, showing no signs of stopping. Before long, the 1-million-gold bonds reached an unbelievable 3 million gold, plunging the financial firms into absolute ruin.
The financial sector was in shambles. Giant financial institutions scrambled to avoid default and bankruptcy, purchasing bonds at absurd, inflated prices. On the other hand, the smaller financial firms that had hoped to make easy money off what they thought was the Pieta Guild's foolishness could do nothing. There simply weren't enough Grand Duchy bonds left in circulation, and they lacked the capital to compete with the financial giants. Those unable to fulfill their contracts faced astronomical penalties.
While some financial institutions fell into despair, those who, like the Pieta Guild, had believed in the Grand Duchy and invested until the end reaped astronomical fortunes. After all, the bond prices had tripled in less than a month.
Screaming with joy, they happily planned to sell off all their bonds the day before the Pieta Guild exercised its options.
Despair for some, ecstasy for others.
Yet, none of them knew that the mastermind behind the Pieta Guild—the true owner pulling all the strings—was none other than Deviang Lion.