The Hour of Revenge (3)
‘Shit.’
A vulgar but common thought flashed through the minds of everyone loyal to Cedric and Anna.
Adrian Lawrence had become a grand sorcerer?
They could only scoff at the absurdity, yet deep down...
KWA-BOOOOM!
“Kyahaaa!”
Puk!
“Kugh!”
Watching the knights who had become Adrian’s playthings getting beaten to a pulp back there, they had no choice but to believe it.
No need to question how such a thing was possible. They had no choice but to fight for their lives.
“Th-that isn’t someone we can even touch.”
The hazy female figure, Arsia, who captivated the knights’ gazes, was nothing less than a harbinger of death to them.
The Vanguards had already taken five casualties, and ordinary knights’ injuries were hard to count one by one.
Moreover, if she fell into danger, Adrian, who was tormenting the commander, would surely intervene.
One Aura Master alone was a catastrophe. Now add a grand sorcerer?
The result was already clear.
“H-hail surrender!”
“I surrender!”
“We’re defeated!”
In the end, the knights loyal to Cedric and Anna had no choice but to lay down their weapons to save their lives.
“Those who surrender will be spared!”
“Yes!”
And as he watched the situation unfold from behind, Adrian’s order froze Arsia’s sword right in front of one knight’s neck.
“Hah!”
The knight who belatedly noticed Arsia’s approach gulped hard and flattened himself against the ground. The knights who surrendered thanks to Adrian’s generous mercy let out sighs of relief.
At least their lives were saved for now.
“What are we going to do now?”
“Who knows...”
The surrendered knights worried about their future.
But no one could predict what came after this unbelievable situation.
Everyone shook their heads without answering the question that plagued them all.
Their fate now belonged to Adrian. His mood alone would decide life or death.
“As long as we don’t get executed, it’s a blessing.”
“True.”
“History always sides with the victor. Besides, we look like we’re opposing the lord, so we’ve completely lost our ground.”
They had switched masters for personal gain and plotted against their own allies for it.
Given how sharp they were, they understood their position coldly.
“Anyway...”
“What exactly is the second lord doing?”
Countless knights were slaughtered without so much as a cry.
The lord’s castle garden, where the welcome ceremony had been taking place, was drenched in blood. Countless colleagues had become headless mannequins decorating the garden in horror.
But why?
The sight of Adrian, the true culprit and the enemy, was unnervingly serene.
The knights could sense the terror and grandeur of the man who had hidden his true self so thoroughly.
“Since a grand sorcerer was born, the future of the Lawrence viscounty is bright. It has nothing to do with us.”
“But how? Was there any sign?”
“He’s been hiding himself all this time.”
A new chill ran down their spines.
And the second lord had even brought an Aura Master to his side.
A perfect irregular.
To those who had suffered, it was like a natural disaster.
“What does it matter now?”
“Exactly. We just failed at walking the tightrope.”
The surrendered knights wore bitter expressions as they looked at the expeditionary knights gloating over them.
All they could do was lament their foolish choice and pray that the upcoming generous mercy would arrive.
***
“What is this?”
“Unfortunately, this footage is spreading across multiple platforms.”
Irevein City in the northern part of the Lheinhatz Kingdom.
This city, whose main industry was military supply production, was the largest among the four cities owned by Margrave Raven and the northern major stronghold with a population of three million.
At the center of Irevein stood the eighty-floor lord’s castle, built in a building shape that allowed the entire city to be viewed at a glance. Three luxurious aerial fortresses floated in the sky, as if daring the minor lords to even dream of having one.
It was a sight that showed the power of the Raven Margrave, owner of Irevein City.
In the top floor of the eighty-floor lord’s castle was the lord’s office, surrounded by numerous secretaries and advisors as advisers, as befitting the local master.
Margrave Raven let out a deep sigh after checking the title of the video shown by one secretary.
[The Tragedy and Hope of the Lawrence Viscounty!]
The video, about ten minutes long, focused on an incident that occurred in the Lawrence viscount’s territory.
It began with an edited news segment announcing the outbreak of the war between the Lheinhatz Kingdom and the Croisen Empire.
[Sky battle between aerial fortresses erupted on the western front bordering the Croisen Empire!]
The anchor’s urgent voice sent a shiver through the viewers.
It followed with a brief summary of the war’s progress, highlighting the absurd enemy attacks, casualties, and property damage to convey the war’s brutality.
[Six aerial fortresses exploded! Allied casualties over 32,000!]
[What kind of justice is there in an attack method that only increases damage?]
[Suicide attack? That’s just outdated.]
But the gloomy news that dampened spirits also reduced viewer interest.
At the right moment, nationalistic elements were inserted to keep the flow.
[The Lheinhatz Kingdom army, unmatched in facing the Croisen Empire.]
[The young heroes of the Lheinhatz Kingdom appearing in the chaos.]
And just as it began, the three-month war ended, and the video switched to a new style.
A return video of a unit was recorded like a vlog.
In this process, Adrian’s presence was revealed for the first time.
[Captain, thank you for your hard work.]
[Huh? What are you filming?]
[A commemorative video for our safe return.]
[Be careful not to include military secrets in the video.]
[Yes!]
His handsome appearance rivaled any celebrity, combined with the charisma of a noble premium plus battlefield commander, led to many comments from viewers calling him their fan.
[God, the flower of manhood!]
[Oppa, take me!]
[We’re the same gender, why does it make me excited?]
[I’m male too, but I want him.]
Combined with his achievements, the medals he received, and the recognition of his fellow commanders, it instilled the belief that he was not just handsome but also capable.
[Otto Count: Adrian Captain? Capable. I was the division commander, but Adrian was the one who decided the division’s battle victory or defeat. If Adrian Captain wants, I’m prepared to take him into my family.]
[Aden Baron Prince: He doesn’t like showing off. He just quietly does his job. If he had been greedy about achievements and thoroughly taken the profit, the reward would have been more than double.]
[Lesty Viscount Prince: He took care to ensure all the commanders in the unit received their due. I want to repay the favor someday.]
Even though it was the video beyond the screen, viewers felt a genuine affection for Adrian.
Thanks to that, viewers’ curiosity about Adrian skyrocketed, making them extremely curious.
But the unexpected incident involving the Lawrence expeditionary force sent shock to the viewers.
[Attack from a group of three Vanguards and five armored golems!]
An ambush on the way back home, filled with happy feelings. It made viewers realize this video was not a simple vlog or family promotional video.
[W-what? Ambush!?]
[The enemies are targeting the second lord!]
[No way again!?]
[It’s still lucky! Vice Commander William is desperately blocking it! It seems the second lord prepared rotating Vanguards as a precaution!]
[Vice Commander William fought well! The rest of the Vanguards are deploying now!]
The live ambush from the soldiers’ perspective left viewers swallowing dryly.
But sharp viewers paid attention to one soldier’s shout of “No way again?”
It seemed to imply that someone had been continuously targeting Adrian’s life.
This time, the force was sufficient to achieve the assassination if that was the goal.
However, contrary to expectations, the ambush failed due to the appearance of two variables.
[L-lord?]
[Why is Miss Arsia here?]
It was the grand revelation of the Aura Master and the grand sorcerer.
When their identities were revealed, additional video effects made the scene even more dramatic, sending chills down viewers’ spines.
The appearance of a young and beautiful Aura Master and grand sorcerer.
[Waaah!]
[Oppa!]
[Nuna!]
[What!? What!?]
The comment section exploded.
With Adrian and Arsia, the battle was quickly over, and the ambushers who had not expected this only lost their lives.
One was left alive for investigation, but his suicide method prevented any useful information.
Yet the suicide style reminded them of assassins, making it easy to guess that someone had hired a large-scale assassination guild to eliminate Adrian.
And so, Adrian and the Lawrence viscounty expeditionary force reached their territory after a series of twists and turns.
“...”
But a second situation that made viewers question their sanity occurred.
There was no welcoming crowd at all in the territory, only a farewell party for the surviving warriors from the grueling expedition.
It was an absurd treatment even after considering their achievements.
Of course, comments exploded again, and it was clear that the lord and Adrian’s mother, who came to greet them with only a few vassals, were in an abnormal situation.
[Ah, Adrian?]
And when Anna, who outshone the lord with her knights and attendants, appeared, viewers shouted decisively.
[That woman! That woman is definitely the culprit!]
[She looks like she’s seen a ghost!]
[Anna Lawrence, the lady of the Lawrence family and the third daughter of the Raven Margrave.]
[Additionally, Adrian Lawrence’s stepmother.]
[Wow, chills. Is that poison?]
[And Adrian Lawrence was poisoned when he was seven.]
[Yeah, true. He was originally a prodigy but became a playboy after the poison attempt.]
[Then, no way?]
It happened because Anna’s surprised expression while looking at Adrian was too realistic.
After watching the video, Margrave Raven pressed his forehead and clicked his tongue.
“What the hell is this idiot doing? I told him to take over the viscounty, and now he’s making a comedy video.”
But calling this a comedy was too light, because the following video was too strong.
Because Anna, who did not know that Adrian and Arsia were grand sorcerer and Aura Master, attacked the expeditionary force using the territory’s army.
After that, Adrian and Arsia once again displayed their abilities and showed their might, easily suppressing Anna and Cedric.
In the process, the scene of Arsia delivering a high kick toward Cedric and Adrian sealing Anna’s mouth with tape while she thrashed about and repeated the word “dare” was the highlight.
And so the video ended with the final scene of Anna and Cedric being locked in prison.
[Dog is alive.]
[Incredible...]
[Justice realized.]
Thanks to this, viewers who watched it happily drank a glass of soda and were pleased.
However, some thoughtful viewers did not see it as mere education, because they could easily predict the tragedy that would follow.
[Is it because of the Raven Margrave’s backing that Anna Lawrence can act like this?]
[Huh? Then what about the situation after this?]
[It’s a war between a great lord with immense military power and a viscounty.]
Even putting aside the truth of the assassination attempt on Adrian, drawing a sword against the lord was an action that could not be overlooked.
Naturally, Anna and Cedric would be treated as traitors who violated territorial law, and people predicted a gloomy future due to inevitable friction with the Raven Margrave.
No matter how many grand sorcerers and Aura Masters there were, it would be difficult for a single person to handle multiple aerial fortresses.
Thanks to this, many people cheered for Adrian and cursed the Raven Margrave for trying to wreck other territories using his daughter.
How could there be such injustice?
BANG!
After watching the video, Margrave Raven struck his desk and stood up from his seat.