Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: The Starting Point of the Wave
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Thud!
The ship arrived at a tiny village nestled between the east and north. It was a modest harbor used solely by fishermen, far too insignificant for wizards to bother with.
Whoosh—
The moment we reached Glazer territory, I unleashed my aura to scan the surroundings.
"...None. Advance."
The infantry, who had arrived first, hurriedly disembarked and launched an assault on the village clinging to the harbor.
"Kill every last one without mercy. These aren't innocent civilians—they're enemies under Glazer's command, gunning for our lives."
Those who hadn't witnessed the ugly underbelly of this war might call my judgment an overreach.
How could lowly fishermen in the hinterlands even think of fighting the Strange Family?
But I knew their resolve was different. In my past life, when Father crushed the Glazers and ended the war with the wizards...
...the eastern residents refused to accept it and brutally slaughtered southern citizens.
'Exactly.'
To prevent that from happening again, I couldn't show these people any mercy.
The wails bursting from their mouths now could become cries from our own ranks.
Kaipa, having completed the village suppression, reported to me.
"Fifty villagers in total—all eliminated without a single escape. We've raided their warehouse to resupply the troops with food."
I replied to Kaipa as I passed through the village strewn with corpses.
"Make sure the soldiers take the rations but don't get greedy for loot."
"Yes, Family Head."
"And train them to cut down enemies without hesitation. Advise them not to grow attached to anyone they meet. I saw one knight hesitate mid-swing just now."
"I'll reprimand them to ensure it never happens again."
"I leave it to you."
I understood the reactions of those new to the battlefield. Deciding in an instant to kill women, elders, and even children deemed enemies wasn't easy.
They didn't yet grasp that hesitating with the sword now could mean their own swords piercing me later.
After securing the village, I greeted the arriving ships. As archers and porters disembarked, Kaipa, the overall commander, grew even busier.
"Five-man squads: two infantry, two archers, and one porter per party!"
Under his orders, the units swiftly assembled, formed ranks, and prepared to advance.
This was far quicker than the knight order I'd led in my past life.
'As expected.'
The skills of veterans couldn't be underestimated.
Confirming readiness, I divided the troops into columns and began raiding nearby villages one by one.
If even one spotted us and alerted Glazer Castle, the operation would fail—and give them a chance to turn the tables.
'Can't afford even the smallest gap.'
Thus, we pressed on, scouting as we went. By the time the moon had descended halfway across the sky, we reached the first warp gate.
"It's smaller than I thought. Or rather... it doesn't seem to be active."
"Then we'll activate it."
"The warp gate, sir?"
"Yes. It's simple."
A wooden door barely large enough for one adult. An ancient spatial transfer device crafted by elves to flee their war with humans.
I lightly brushed the rune above it and infused aura.
Vmmm!
Space swirled between the wooden frames, rippling like waves.
"My word! How did you know how to operate the warp gate, Family Head? It's said to be the work of master alchemists—even wizards can't handle it carelessly."
I smiled at him.
"Of course. It was made so mages can't use it."
"Mages can't use it?"
"Explanations later. I'll go first—send them in one by one, starting 100 seconds after."
Berddin entered the warp gate. Kaipa counted 100 seconds as ordered, then began sending the troops through one by one.
"Check your gear before entering. Unknown threats may lurk beyond."
The knights held their breath, inspecting their equipment at his shout.
Crossing that gate meant the real battle would begin. With no idea what battlefield awaited, they steeled themselves against imagined foes.
At 100 seconds, Kaipa raised his sword overhead.
"First company, advance!"
He nodded to the vanguard, and knights adjusted helmets before stepping into the gate.
"Hoo!"
The lead knight exhaled deeply and threw himself in.
Whoosh—
Kaipa confirmed his full entry before waving the next ones through.
"Tighten intervals—move as fast as possible. Combat might already be underway outside. We need to hurry."
A medium gate would allow two or three at once.
It took considerable time for a thousand men to file through a single-person door.
But Kaipa got everyone through before dawn. He entered last, emerging on the other side.
Whoosh—
"...?!"
Teleported instantly, he couldn't hide his shock. He'd heard the gate's exit was Glazer Castle's outskirts.
Instead, a blood-soaked meadow stretched before him.
Roar!
The earlier arrivals stood at attention, eyes fixed forward.
"F-Family Head?"
Kaipa's gaze landed on Berddin atop a pile of corpses, wiping blood from his blade.
"Took longer than expected."
"...My apologies!"
"No matter. These were just warm-ups anyway."
Kaipa swallowed hard and rushed to stand before the corpse mound.
Up close, he recognized those crushed beneath Berddin.
'Mages?'
At least thirty bodies—had Berddin faced them alone?
Kaipa couldn't believe it.
No, his common sense couldn't even fathom it. One man against thirty mages?
He gasped in awe, trembling at Berddin's miraculous power.
He knew the man was strong, but...
'This many mages, no less...'
Step, step, step.
Berddin descended the pile and spoke to Kaipa.
"Glazer Castle lies beyond that hill. You can't see it, but cross those thorn bushes and you're at the gates."
"Ah..."
"Look closely, Sir Kaipa—you've been here before."
Thorn bushes towering like Strange's walls. Kaipa squinted through the gaps and asked Berddin.
"If fighting broke out at this range, wouldn't those inside have noticed?"
Berddin shook his head firmly.
"Absolutely not. I finished them before they could utter a word."
"Before they could speak?"
"Yes. As you saw last time with me, Glazer stations mages at a distance from the castle."
Kaipa rolled his eyes, recalling.
"Ah! The ones scattered through the woods."
"Exactly—the scouts. That's their pile now."
"...I see."
"If the castle sensed us, this place would be an inferno by now. High mages would have acted to stop the knights."
"True. If I were a mage, I'd end it before they reached the castle."
Finishing the talk, Berddin pointed at Glazer Castle. Aura gathered in one hand, mana in the other, as he shouted.
"Kaipa, I'll clear the path to the castle. Advance to the targets as planned."
Kaipa nodded.
"...Yes, Family Head."
Purple lightning flashed across the sky.
Hagen, gazing out the window at that moment, sensed hostility and activated the castle's barrier—but...
"...Too late."
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, the thorn-choked walls shattered, a hole blasted through.
The shockwave shook the castle's base, toppling furniture and spilling books from shelves.
Rumble.
Hagen pressed a finger to his forehead, using transmission magic to alert those inside.
'Enemy intrusion. Knights, arm fully and head to the rear gate. Mages, enter the castle and reinforce the barrier.'
No sooner had his order dropped than Strange knights poured in.
"Raaah!"
"No divine blessings on this land today. Kill everything in sight!!"
"For Strange's glory! For the honor of the late Lord Roys!!!"
The invaders' roars echoed through the castle.
Hagen didn't panic, summoning his vassals to devise countermeasures.
"I'll prepare a spell to hold them off. Buy me time in the meantime."
Dictri, who had returned defeated from the southern war with Edward, responded first.
"Yes, Father."
With that, all ten vassals mobilized at his command.
Cornered with no other options or strategies, they had no choice but to entrust their fate to Hagen, their last hope.
Hagen rushed to the castle's summit and looked down at Berddin advancing inside.
"Hoo—"
He raised both hands overhead and began chanting.
Hagen von Glazer, hailed as the strongest mage alive—the only one called a Grand Sage among the living.
Shiii—
His ripened mana coiled around his arms, surging skyward. Its force split the clouds, parting them like a path.
Chant complete, he murmured to himself.
"My mistake for trusting the Rothschilds."
He cursed the Rothschilds, who had gone silent after Edward's death was known.
"If I'd known they'd pull this, I never would have sent Edward south."
He berated himself and squeezed his eyes shut.
'Right.'
This wasn't solely my fault. Those who allied to topple Strange had all fallen silent.
The Rothschilds and the Five Generals surely bore responsibility too.
"...Brat, I'll show you why Roys failed to take this place."