Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: The Mad Emperor (3)
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On a night shrouded in thick darkness, a group had slipped away from the Belpiang territory army's camp and was stealthily advancing toward the final defensive line of Count Latiell's domain.
They belonged to the reconnaissance unit under Viscount Kaso. About twenty strong, they were moving covertly for a nighttime scout of the final defensive line.
"Night reconnaissance on a day like this? Isn't Viscount Kaso being a bit too cautious?"
One of the scouts muttered quietly. The squad leader, who had been staring straight ahead as he walked, glanced back at his men and spoke calmly.
"It's an order from above."
"Who doesn't know that? But on a night as dark as this, a night raid would be tough. I've served as a soldier on the border for twenty years."
"That's why you haven't been promoted past non-commissioned officer in twenty years."
The sharp rebuke silenced the complaining scout.
"No harm in being cautious. Keep scouting."
The squad leader gave a hand signal. With no moonlight piercing the pitch-black sky, visibility was so poor they could barely see a step ahead. Even his fingers signaling into the void right in front of them were invisible.
"A night raid would definitely be tough..."
The squad leader murmured to himself, gazing into the impenetrable gloom. He lacked the scout's twenty years of experience, but as a graduate of the officer academy with years as both scout and junior officer, he'd never seen darkness this thick.
Pulling off a surprise attack through this murk seemed impossible.
"Even I can tell there won't be a night raid. Can't we head back now?"
One of his subordinates grumbled. Night reconnaissance doubled the fatigue. Especially on a night blanketed in such profound darkness.
The squad leader knew it too, so he didn't berate his men harshly despite their complaints.
Viscount Kaso's obsessive thoroughness was claiming the reconnaissance troops first. Their exhaustion ran deep. They desperately needed rest.
"We're turning back."
Even night scouting was grueling in darkness where they couldn't see an inch ahead. In the distance, the only light came from the Philius Empire army's distant camp, glowing brightly. It seemed unlikely a knight order-scale night raid could pierce this black veil.
That was the moment they turned.
"Squad leader! Something's off!"
One scout sensed something amiss, and the others soon heard it too—or rather, they noticed the absence of sound. All natural noises had ceased.
A chill ran down the squad leader's spine. He recalled a tale from a senior knight he'd met by chance.
'If nature's sounds stop, it means hidden foes are near. Stay alert.'
Remembering that, he reached for the sword at his waist. The instant his fingers touched the hilt, he opened his mouth.
"Everyone, draw your sw—"
He never finished. A translucent blade pierced his throat, blood surging up to choke his final words.
"Guh... grrrk!"
The other scouts met the same fate. Blades sliced through the darkness, skewering hearts and throats. Over twenty scouts crumpled lifelessly, spraying blood into the shadowed air.
From the gloom's shadows emerged figures clad in radiant imperial masks and golden cloaks, even amid their ambush.
They were the Royal Guard.
"Report from Shade and the Central Intelligence Agency."
"All other recon squads have been eliminated."
The Emperor's shield preparing a midnight raid? Unfamiliar, yet not incomprehensible—especially since the final shadow to emerge belonged to the Emperor himself.
To secure the Royal Guard's full commitment to this perilous plan, Emperor Raymond had taken the field personally.
The Royal Guard had opposed the dangerous scheme, but with the Emperor leading, they had no choice but to follow.
Naturally, Kasias—the fanatically loyal Imperial Army commander—had wanted to join, but his skills fell short for stealthy assassination in such profound darkness.
Cold fact, but true, so Kasias didn't protest. Instead, he'd held his cavalry in readiness, vowing to charge the moment signal flares lit the night sky.
A truly reassuring backup.
"Will Your Majesty lead the charge?"
Marquis Blizzard approached and asked. Raymond nodded with a stern expression.
Even with the Philius Empire's elite Royal Guard—renowned as the finest—their numbers barely reached dozens.
Hundreds of knights waited in the rear, but it would take time for them to engage. Until then, Raymond would have to tangle with thousands of foes deep in enemy lines alongside his scant Royal Guard.
To claim no tension would be an outright lie. Yet unlike Raymond, not a trace of fear showed on the Royal Guard's faces.
They were simply overjoyed to stand by the Emperor they served.
Even if thousands of enemies swarmed, they were confident they could protect him—which left no room for worry or hesitation.
"The Royal Guard will safely escort Your Majesty's path."
"We stand ready to pierce the enemy lines."
They who had raised objections during the plan's inception were now thrilled beyond measure at the honor of charging into battle alongside the Emperor.
"Don't get too excited. Our task is only to shatter the forward defenses. The knight orders will handle the rest, so we advance no further."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Good. Move out."
Raymond led, the Royal Guard following. They melted into the night's shadows, stifling their presence as they advanced.
Not even the sharp eyes of the Belpiang territory army's vanguard sentries detected Raymond and the Royal Guard's approach.
They moved silently, footsteps hushed. Soon, they were close enough to overhear the sentries' conversation.
"Shade, assemble."
Two dozen Shades materialized from the darkness. Directly overhead loomed a palisade and watchtower. The wall wasn't high—mana-enhanced leaps could clear it in an instant.
"Here, I will rebuild the fallen imperial authority. Sound the trumpet of great advance."
Raymond declared.
"We'll eliminate the sentries."
"We'll destroy the palisade."
"We'll clear the cavalry obstacles."
As a group of Shades vaulted toward the watchtower, the rest moved in perfect unison. Black projectiles pierced the night, embedding in the sentries' throats.
"Gah!"
"Urk!"
The watchtower sentries toppled without a sound. No time to ring the alarm. While they fell, other Shades dismantled the cavalry barriers.
By the time the Belpiang command noticed something amiss, the watchtower was wiped out and the gate's obstacles fully cleared.
"Raise the Emperor's banner."
The Belpiang camp stirred busily. No alarm bells, but they had clearly detected the raid.
Raymond issued calm orders. One Royal Guard nodded grimly and hoisted the imperial standard.
Gestain fired a signal flare beside him, dyeing the sky gold.
"It's the imperial command!"
Kasias, waiting with five knight orders, drew his sword skyward.
"His Majesty fights alone! All knight orders, charge!"
With thunderous roars, hundreds of knights spurred their mounts. The signal flare banished the moonless gloom, illuminating the plain like daylight. They thundered toward the Belpiang camp.
The Belpiang forces hastily formed ranks.
"Seal the gate!"
"Where are the mages?!"
Chaos gripped the Belpiang camp. To defend the palisade gate against the Emperor and Royal Guard below, commanders called for mages—but regrettably, the night watch mages had all fallen to the Shades.
"They're defenseless."
Gestain said quietly. Raymond nodded and gathered mana. Releasing it from his magic swordsman's fingertips, the palisade gate exploded with a boom.
A mere physical mana burst, but shattering an unsupported wooden gate posed no challenge.
"Your Majesty, withdraw now."
Marquis Blizzard urged. Raymond smirked at his demeanor. Unlike the taciturn Gestain, the marquis overflowed with worry—reminiscent of the fretful Azure Tower Lord, Risefield Dior.
"We've only cleared the cavalry obstacles and gate. The forward ranks stand firm, yet you suggest retreat? The Emperor of the Philius Empire does not withdraw before the enemy."
"I spoke out of turn, Your Majesty."
Marquis Blizzard bowed, and Desia Heli stepped forward slowly.
"This gate is far too narrow for the Emperor of the Philius Empire to pass. Watching it is irreverence and disloyalty as a subject. Allow me to open a path befitting Your Majesty."
Desia's right hand now held a blue staff.
"Rage forth."
An ice storm howled in. The palisade crumbled entirely, exposing the forward ranks.
Late as it was, the soldiers' minds were sharply alert. From the moment the golden flare pierced the night sky, they had weapons trained on their foes.
"Impressive—the elite Belpiang territory army lives up to its reputation."
Even with the Royal Guard before them, the unshaken enemy drew quiet admiration from Raymond as he stepped forward.
Slowly at first, but heavy. Then suddenly, he kicked off the ground, hurling himself at the ranks.
"H-His Majesty!"
"Royal Guard, follow His Majesty!"
Before the Royal Guard could react, two shadowed the Emperor: the one-armed knight Gestain and the supreme mage Desia Heli, mistress of absolute defense.
Raymond extended a hand; white energy coalesced into a mana sword. He plunged into the enemy, swinging his Soul Sword. Belpiang soldiers sprayed blood and collapsed.
Yet the ranks held. Dozens fell, but the formation endured. As Count Denitz had boasted, it was rock-solid.
Raymond remained undaunted.
'I'll show you why magic swordsmen are called the true terror of the battlefield.'
The legends of ancient magic swordsmen who dominated eras would reignite. Henceforth, the Philius Empire's enemies would tremble at his name alone.
"Blade Tempest."
The magic swordsman's signature spell activated. Dozens of mana-based blades spun slowly around him.
"At least advanced magic! Fall back!"
"What are our mages doing?!"
"Intercept it now!"
Lightning crashed from the sky but failed to breach Desia's shield. A chill prickled Raymond's back, but the Shades and Royal Guard weren't idle.
Five Hashashin daring to target the Emperor's rear spilled their blood under Shade blades and crumpled.
"Go."
Raymond uttered coldly. It was their death sentence.
Weeeeng!
With an eerie whoosh, dozens of mana-infused spinning blades scattered in all directions. Empowered by mana with autonomous will, these 'blades'—retainers of the magic swordsman Raymond—could also be directly controlled.
"Gahk!"
"Aaaagh!"
Screams filled the air, a gale of blood. The ranks that had seemed poised to withstand a knight order charge buckled under the magic swordsman's advanced spell.
"The vanguard is on the verge of collapse!"
"What the hell are our mages doing?!"
"Damn it! That cursed defense magic!"
Knights in the front lines cursed, searching for mages.
"Where the fuck are those goddamn mages?!"
"Th-they're all wiped out!"
The forward commander's aide's report made him doubt his ears.
"What?"
"All 26 mages assigned to the forward ranks are dead!"
The repeated confirmation was undeniable.
"Who the hell..."
The commander trailed off. His aide collapsed without a scream right before him, black shadows emerging behind.
"Hah, an assassin unit..."
The command post and mage unit had been guarded by Edriger Kingdom's Hashashin. Yet the imperial forces apparently commanded even superior assassins.
"His Majesty the Emperor decrees your execution. Accept the imperial command."
That cold voice was the last sound he ever heard.