Chapter 225
Chapter 225
The dazzling collision of golden and crimson light captured the attention of every soul on the battlefield.
Yet the sound that heralded its conclusion was far quieter than expected.
Crack.
But those who witnessed the aftermath of that small rupture could only stare in disbelief.
Thud.
"Ugh..."
The Sword Duke sank to his knees with a stifled groan.
Splurt.
Blood gushed from the wound carved into his abdomen.
This was no ordinary piercing injury.
A strange wavelength that destroyed aura itself spread through his entire body, leaving him paralyzed with an uncanny weakness that rendered even his fingertips immobile.
Ghk.
"Kuh... This is..."
Thud.
"Master..."
Logan bit his lip as he watched his mentor collapse, blood pouring from his mouth. His own condition wasn't much better—staggering, his entire body drenched in blood as though it had been flayed.
This wasn't just exhaustion from releasing his traits.
The psychological burden of having driven his blade into his mentor weighed on his soul like an anchor.
But with every eye on the battlefield now fixed upon him, Logan refused to let that guilt paralyze him.
Gritting his teeth, he straightened his posture and met the gazes of all who watched him with his blazing crimson eyes.
The battlefield had fallen silent, as though time itself had frozen.
"The war is over."
The moment Logan's quiet voice pierced that silence—
Clang.
—starting with Louis dropping his sword, the entire Esperanza Knight Order knelt in unison.
"Damn it!"
Even Wicken Calria, who had been locked in a one-sided struggle against Luther, did the same.
The MacLaine forces could only gape at the surreal sight unfolding before them, where not a single act of defiance remained.
"By our lord's command, we surrender to MacLaine! All of you—drop your swords!"
With those words from Louis Hyon, the war reached its conclusion.
"May I attend to my lord?"
Louis, his eyes reddened, carefully asked as he gazed at the fallen Sword Duke. Logan gave a solemn nod in response.
Then, he retrieved the highest-grade potion he had prepared for himself and handed it over.
"This should help sustain him until he receives proper healing from a priest. Take him quickly."
"Th-thank you, Sir Logan."
Louis immediately poured half the potion onto the wound and drank the rest himself.
But even after administering the treatment, Logan clenched his teeth at the sight of his mentor's unchanged pallor.
He couldn't be certain whether his master would survive even if he reached the temple in time.
Yet there had been no other choice.
This had been a decisive battle where neither side could afford to hold back.
Had he shown any hesitation, it would have been Logan lying defeated instead.
And that was why the final moment haunted him.
Whether his master had truly exhausted his strength—or deliberately held back—Logan would never know.
'Master...'
That sorrowful thought made him call out once more as Louis hurriedly turned to leave with the Sword Duke in tow.
"Why did you surrender so easily?"
At Louis' shout, the Esperanza forces had capitulated immediately, and with them, the vastly outnumbered royal guards and other noble armies lost their will to fight. The war, which could have dragged on, ended swiftly with minimal casualties—almost as though it had been prearranged.
And the reason was simple.
"Our lord commanded us that if he were to fall, we were to surrender at once and cooperate fully with MacLaine. To avoid... needless sacrifice."
The same words Logan had left for his father.
Though their paths had diverged into conflict, their philosophies had aligned in the end.
That realization only deepened Logan's sigh, and his bitter, complicated emotions inevitably turned into resentment toward the foolish king whose misrule had led to this.
Crack.
"Gather MacLaine and the elite of the Esperanza Knights! We march on the royal palace at once!"
"Logan?!"
"Father, I leave the battlefield cleanup to you."
Whoosh.
"I must capture the king and end this war."
Logan's eyes burned with fury.
Soon, over 1,200 knights followed him as he charged toward the palace.
The war had ended in MacLaine's victory. The surrendered Esperanza Knight Order now marched alongside MacLaine toward the royal palace.
Rumors traveled faster than words.
People were stunned not only by how swiftly the war had concluded but also by the fact that the clash between the two great houses that had divided the kingdom had ended without massive bloodshed.
And everyone who heard the news began whispering the same future.
—The king is finished. The age of MacLaine has begun.
That prediction became reality almost immediately.
Just three days after the war's end.
When Logan arrived at the palace with his knights, the only ones to greet him were terrified citizens of the royal capital.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
"Clear the way!!"
"Eeek!"
"S-soldiers!"
"D-down on the ground!"
The citizens, too frightened to flee, prostrated themselves where they stood. Logan didn't spare them a glance as he stormed down the main road.
'There!'
The royal palace, Grandpia—a breathtakingly beautiful sight that would inspire admiration from anyone.
Yet its splendor and grandeur did nothing to quell the fury boiling in Logan's chest.
If anything, it only stoked his rage further.
"Hmph!"
A golden aura shot toward the tightly shut palace gates, striking the magnificent entrance that had once drawn praise from all who beheld it.
KABOOOM!
The gates shattered into fragments, scattering in all directions.
Standing before the wreckage, Logan roared with a voice loud enough to shake the entire palace.
"Seize the palace! Cut down anyone who resists! Capture the king, Cleo, and all the newly appointed ministers!"
"Yes, sir!"
With Logan's command, the knights flooded into the palace.
Not a single soul stood in their way.
"So this is how it ends..."
Beneath the palace spire.
Standing at the highest point in the capital, the king watched the banners bearing the flame crest approach from afar.
Beneath those banners, knights clad in armor emblazoned with the same insignia led the charge, while those wearing the eagle crest followed closely behind.
"I sent them to fight, yet they unite in the end..."
A hollow laugh escaped him.
His gamble—betting on the Sword Duke's loyalty—had failed.
"You must flee now, Your Majesty. Logan MacLaine is—"
The voice of Cleo, the minister who had always stood by his side, reached his ears.
"To where?"
King Rogers I's voice was already drained of strength.
"Huh?"
"Where would I flee? What would I do?"
"You must plan for the future. The Royal Magic Tower can serve as refuge—"
"Enough. What meaning would hiding hold? The Sword Duke—no, his loyalty—was my final card. With that lost, my fate is sealed."
"Your Majesty! How can you say such—"
Cleo bowed his head, his face darkening.
"You've served me well. There's no need for you to stake your life as well. Leave now."
"Your Majesty! How could I— Please, come with me! To the Royal Magic Tower, as I said—"
"No. Enough. What purpose would clinging to life serve?"
The king turned away, refusing further protest.
His gaze fell upon the sight of the palace gates being obliterated in the distance.
It felt as though he was watching his own future unfold.
The king let out another hollow laugh.
"I will die as a king. So you—find your own path to survival."
"...Your Majesty."
"Logan MacLaine will leave nothing related to me untouched. If you wish to live, move quickly."
His last remaining loyal subject.
The king resolved to remember Cleo only as that.
Cleo, biting his lip, hesitated several times before finally bowing deeply to the king's retreating figure.
Then, as though having made up his mind, he swiftly disappeared into the shadows.
"Search every corner of the Star Palace!"
"First squad—to the king's study and bedchamber!"
"There! The new ministers!"
Clank-clank.
Listening to the knights' voices echoing throughout the palace, Logan strode straight toward the Grand Hall.
The massive, majestic doors that marked its entrance stood slightly ajar, unattended. Their neglected appearance stirred a deep bitterness in Logan's chest.
It was déjà vu from his past life.
'Is this how fallen kingdoms always end...?'
The devastation wrought by the imperial army in his previous life was now being recreated by his own hands.
Gazing at the Grand Hall's doors—once grand, now pitiful—Logan couldn't help but pause.
But he soon clenched his fists and gritted his teeth again.
'No. This is to prevent that ruin.'
The original plan had already gone far off course.
But if he seized complete control of this nation and started anew, this deviation could become the foundation for an even greater leap forward.
Steeling his resolve, Logan marched forward with renewed determination.
And as he did, he reviewed what needed to be done.
The most crucial point was clear.
'The others don't matter, but Cleo must be caught. What happened in the underground prison—that wasn't something a mere sycophant could orchestrate. It endangered the king, and the consequences would only lead to...'
A direct confrontation between himself and the king.
And the ones who stood to benefit from that were obvious.
'The Empire.'
The Emperor's earlier display of force had subconsciously convinced Logan that while the man would crush his enemies openly, he wasn't the type to scheme from the shadows.
But given how far things had escalated, doubt was inevitable.
'Perhaps even that was an act. Or perhaps it wasn't the Emperor at all, but... the Second Prince.'
The Second Prince's suspicious communication just before the war.
Of course, there was no evidence linking him to Cleo.
But if no other possibilities existed...
'No matter how absurd the conclusion, it must be the truth.'
The timing of the king's decline was also suspiciously convenient.
It coincided perfectly with Cleo's rise as the king's confidant.
'The king my master praised so highly wouldn't have deteriorated so suddenly. Cleo must have done something.'
Recalling the information Damian had brought before the war, Logan reached a provisional conclusion.
"Even if he's fled, I'll hunt him to the ends of the earth."
Crack.
As anger surged once more, Logan quickened his pace.
He had rushed to the palace as fast as possible, but three days had still passed.
Plenty of time for escape.
Of course, Logan had never expected to capture the king or Cleo in the palace itself.
This show of force with the knights was merely symbolic—to demonstrate that the nation's power had shifted into his hands by seizing the palace.
His true intent was to consolidate control and then hunt down those who had fled.
But then—
Creak.
BANG!
An unexpected voice rang out as he forced open the Grand Hall doors.
"So you've finally arrived, Logan MacLaine."
The king's voice echoed from the throne.