Chapter 54: I Shall Teach You the True Terror of Dark Magic (3)
Chapter 54: I Shall Teach You the True Terror of Dark Magic (3)
The expression on Viscount Frace’s face clearly broadcasted a single thought: What on earth is this madman talking about?
To his eyes, every single soldier from the Schneider Barony was currently displaying skill comparable to that of a first-rate knight.
And he was treating men like that as mere soldiers?
It made no sense.
It was human nature to desire treatment befitting one’s abilities. If Viscount Frace were to treat his own knights like common soldiers right now, they would break their oaths and leave for other lands immediately.
Yet, this madman was calling it 'economical' to employ men who seemed to be at least 3-Star Level as mere grunts.
Wait, if that’s the case, then perhaps…
“Why? Do you want them?”
Viscount Frace, who had been lost in thought for a moment, jumped in surprise.
Seeing that he had hit the nail on the head, Patrick gave a smirk.
“Well, go ahead and try to scout them if you can.”
“…Are you serious?”
“Yes. If they say they want to go, I won’t stop them.”
“…….”
Viscount Frace stared at Patrick with a bewildered expression.
Patrick’s demeanor radiated an absolute certainty that his soldiers would never betray him and would follow him to the end.
Money and power weren't everything, but they were usually enough to tempt most people. Yet, Patrick spoke as if there wasn't a chance in hell his men would be swayed by such things.
“Do you trust them that much?”
“Well, there’s a bit of trust, but more importantly, it doesn't really matter to me if they leave.”
“It doesn't matter?”
“It’s their life; they should make their own choices.”
“…….”
Patrick spoke with such magnanimity that Viscount Frace couldn't help but feel genuine admiration.
His caliber is on a different level. If only my son were even a fraction of this young man…
Taking away a force of that magnitude was an issue serious enough to justify a duel or even a territorial war. Yet, Patrick spoke as if the Viscount was welcome to take them if he could.
In that moment, Viscount Frace felt overwhelmed by Patrick, a youth not even half his age. In Patrick, who was still just the young master of a noble house without a title of his own, he saw the glimpses of a hero.
Patrick glanced up at the sky and spoke.
“The arrows have stopped. It seems they’ve finished clearing out the archers.”
“Huh? Ah, I see.”
Now that he was paying attention, the rain of arrows had indeed ceased.
It appeared the soldiers Patrick had commanded had moved swiftly through the rugged mountains and neutralized all the archers. Not a single sound of commotion or noise had reached them during the process.
It meant they had been dealt with in a completely one-sided slaughter.
The skill of those who moved to take out the archers must be on par with these men here. That means there are at least a hundred soldiers who can wield Aura… This is insane.
Viscount Frace shuddered.
He had always known the Schneider Barony as a barren region ruling over the most dangerous lands in the East. He had no idea such monsters were crouching in that desolate soil.
“Hmm, I guess that’s about done.”
Patrick, who had been surveying the battlefield, turned to Viscount Frace.
“Viscount. You may now advance while spreading your shields wide.”
“Right now?”
“Yes. Secure our allies safely and hold back the zombies.”
“Understood.”
Viscount Frace followed Patrick’s instructions without hesitation.
“All units, Crescent Formation! Surround the enemy!”
“Yes, sir!”
Upon the Viscount’s command, his army shifted from a semi-circle into a concave crescent shape, beginning to hem in the zombies.
With the arrows gone from the sky, the soldiers drove the zombies back with even greater stability. No more soldiers fell into a state of confusion. The zombies were forced into a concentrated mass by the shield wall.
And once the zombies were gathered in one place…
“Well done, Viscount Frace.”
“Count Parmas.”
The Count’s main force, which had been following from behind, finally arrived.
What the Count saw upon his arrival were the Houses of Haspear and Vaison, which had suffered near-total devastation, and Viscount Frace’s army, which was maintaining a razor-sharp, perfect formation while pinning down the zombies.
“Excellent. As expected of the Viscount.”
“No, Count. This was not my merit—”
“Hahaha. There is no need for modesty.”
Before anyone noticed, the Schneider soldiers who had been active under Patrick’s orders had already rescued their allies and returned to their own formation.
Consequently, Count Parmas hadn't actually seen the spectacular performance of the Schneider Barony’s troops.
For a moment, Viscount Frace looked at Patrick with uneasy eyes. Though unintentional, it felt as though he were stealing the young man’s credit. However, Patrick spoke with a perfectly nonchalant expression.
“Thank you for indulging my stubborn request to observe your command at close range, Viscount.”
“Patrick…?”
“I learned a great deal thanks to you. I have realized that the reputation of Viscount Frace, the seasoned veteran of the East, is indeed well-deserved.”
“…….”
Leaving the dumbfounded Viscount behind, Count Parmas spoke from beside him.
“Hahaha. The young lad has quite the passion for learning. Yes, that is how one should be in their youth.”
“Thank you. Then, I shall take my leave and step back.”
Patrick took a step back and gave Viscount Frace a subtle look.
Just let it go.
…If that is what you wish.
Though he felt uncomfortable, as if he were hijacking someone else's achievement, Viscount Frace realized this was what Patrick wanted and decided to cooperate.
Count Parmas then spoke.
“Zombies, eh? It seems the Dark Mage had a trap prepared after all.”
“Yes. He gathered a massive number of corpses from the bandits and the previous Subjugation Force and raised them as zombies.”
“We could have been in serious trouble if not for the Viscount. Things have become much easier thanks to you. Isn't that right, Condor?”
“Yes, that is correct, My Lord.”
The one who answered Count Parmas was a middle-aged mage standing ready behind his right shoulder.
Among the nobles of the East, the House of Parmas was the only one that employed a mage.
Maintaining a single mage required almost as much money as operating an entire knight order. It wasn't just about providing a high salary; one also had to sponsor their research and training. In the East, Count Parmas was the only noble capable of affording such an expense.
Though mages were massive money-sinks, they certainly proved their worth in times like these.
“I shall blow them away in a single strike.”
The mage raised his staff and began casting a spell. A magic circle manifested at his feet, and incomprehensible Runic words flowed from his lips in a mystical voice.
Oho… so that’s magic. Should I watch for a bit?
Patrick, who had been about to leave, decided to stay and watch the mage’s spell.
He had known of magic’s existence since being born into this world. He had even seen a few scrolls and magic tools. However, this was his first time seeing a mage actually use magic in person.
I wonder what it’s like?
Patrick watched the chanting mage with a fluttering heart. However…
“It’s taking quite a while, isn't it?”
“Shh, Young Master.”
“What?”
“You mustn't disturb the mage while he’s concentrating. If the magic backflows, it could cause an accident.”
“Is that how it works?”
“You didn't know?”
“How would I? This is the first time I’ve seen a mage.”
“Ugh…”
Sanson let out a deep sigh.
Right. What was I expecting from you?
Leaving Sanson and his judgmental face behind, Patrick continued to watch the mage.
It looks like he’s manipulating and weaving Ki from the outside. Wow… so that actually works. But isn't that incredibly dangerous?
Patrick, whose sensitivity to Ki was extraordinary, was observing the flow of magic—the complex flow of energy swirling around the mage.
“Hmm…”
By arranging and controlling the flow of energy from the outside into a specific form, the mage was condensing Ki—no, Mana—into a certain point. Then, the properties of that condensed Mana began to change, and finally…
Fwooooosh!
“Ooooh!”
“The mage is firing!”
“Everyone, watch out!”
A massive fireball, the size of a boulder, formed above the mage’s head. The mage thrust his staff forward and shouted.
“Fire Bomber!”
The boulder-sized flame shot forward and detonated amidst the clustered zombies.
KABOOOOM!
A massive explosion erupted, enough to make the ground tremble slightly. The zombies caught in the blast were literally incinerated, leaving not even a bone behind as they turned to ash.
Because the zombies had been bunched together by Viscount Frace’s Crescent Formation, the effect was doubled.
“As expected of the mage!”
“Hahaha! How do you like that, you zombie bastards!”
Nearly ninety percent of the swarming zombies were wiped out by a single spell. Morale soared to its peak at the sight, and Count Parmas gave the order.
“Mop up the remaining zombies!”
“Yes, sir!”
Upon his command, the Count’s knight order led the soldiers forward to eliminate the survivors. And…
“Hmm… Hmmm… Hmmm…”
Patrick, watching everything from the back, stood with his arms crossed, seemingly lost in deep thought.
“Young Master, what’s wrong?”
“Hold on. Let me think for a second.”
“…….”
You? Thinking? You actually know how to do that?
Sanson looked at Patrick with a dubious expression, but Patrick was genuinely grappling with a serious dilemma for once.
“Magic… so that’s magic…”
At first, it didn't seem like much. He was arranging Ki in a perilously unstable way to do something strange, and it took forever. It had taken about a minute, which was enough time for Patrick to slit an opponent’s throat, bury them in the ground, and carve 'The idiot who died because he was too slow' on their tombstone. However…
The destructive power was actually quite useful.
The destructive force of that single spell, produced with such effort, was considerable. Even in the Martial World, there were people called sorcerers or whatever, but 99 percent of them were frauds. Even the ones who were real mostly just created Jiangshi or used strange illusions to deceive the eyes. He had never heard of anyone creating a ball of fire and launching it like that.
I want one. Is there any way to recruit one?
He had thought about it before, but having a mage seemed like it would be very convenient. However…
“Well, that’s for later. For now, I should finish what I started.”
“Young Master? What are you talking about?”
Patrick looked at Sanson and said, “Sanson, take the boys and go to my father.”
“What about you, Young Master?”
“I have some business to take care of.”
“What? Here?”
Before Sanson could stop him, Patrick sprinted off into the distance.
“Young… Young Master! Hey, you brat!”
Naturally, when Patrick decided to run, no one could catch him.
*
“Huff… huff, huff…”
The Dark Mage’s face was pale as he sprinted through the rugged mountain paths, his robes fluttering behind him.
What was that? What were those monsters?
He thought as he fled.
Normally, this would have been an easy task. He had taken over the bandit group, used them to annihilate a previous Subjugation Force, and this time, he had been perfectly blunting the enemy’s vanguard.
He was steadily decimating the enemy’s front lines, and by turning their fresh corpses into zombies to face the following army, victory should have been certain. He believed that as the number of zombies grew, they would become stronger while the enemy weakened—a foolproof strategy.
Actually, it didn't even have to be a victory. His goal was simply to spill as much blood as possible here, so even if the zombies were destroyed and the bandits wiped out, it wasn't a loss. He just needed the battle to escalate.
But then those freaks appeared out of nowhere and ruined everything.
Swordsmen wielding twin blades had charged in, showing ridiculous skill as they swept through the zombies. Because every single one of them had reached the realm of wielding Aura, his curses didn't even work.
Furthermore, they had plunged into the forest and wiped out the bandits who were firing arrows. Because of them, the tide of battle had been settled far too quickly.
The Dark Mage’s original plan had been completely derailed.
As soon as things went south, he had quickly made his escape. Since it had come to this, he had to retreat for now. Even if he retreated, it wasn't a total failure.
“I just need to recover the item and leave. Then the Order won’t abandon me.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Of course. As long as I recover the item… Huh?”
The Dark Mage, who had been talking to himself, jumped in fright.
When he snapped back to his senses, he realized an unfamiliar voice had come from right behind him. He turned his head, and there he saw…