Chapter 129
Chapter 129
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: Declaration of War
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A letter was delivered to Magnon Ashport.
—Should the Magnon family fail to offer a sincere apology and compensation, we will declare a war of honor.
It was a declaration of war.
“Do they truly want a war between our families?”
His younger brother, Magnon Erte, was still being held in prison. They were his own people, so it wasn't impossible to break them out.
But the burden of doing so was too great.
“For Duke Rohan’s family to step in like this.”
He knew they had participated in the subjugation together. But he hadn't expected them to go this far.
“I thought Duke Rohan’s family would step in to mediate.”
Mediation was what he had wanted, a way to smooth things over. But instead of mediating, Duke Rohan’s family had blocked all political maneuvering, creating a situation where the parties involved had no choice but to resolve it themselves.
The attempt to mobilize the audit team was an undeniable fact.
In the end, the charge of false accusation was bound to stick.
“Should I abandon Erte?”
The simplest solution was for Erte to take all the blame. Of course, he would also have to completely relinquish the business rights to the Manatri.
“And all our family members in the city hall will have to step down too.”
That was the problem.
With Erte taking the fall, it made no sense for members of the Magnon family to remain in the city hall.
He would have to hand everything over to Vega.
The public opinion in Aelat was already on Vega's side, so the Magnon family had no power to resist.
“How did it come to this?”
Time ticked by as he agonized over it.
“Leonard will have to do well.”
To minimize the damage, he entrusted the negotiations to his son, who had a friendly relationship with Vega.
‘Since it’s come to this, I can give up the Manatri business rights and the profits earned so far. But if they demand more than that, we won't just stand by.’
He had already relayed this to Leonard.
All that was left was to wait.
At the same time.
Wang-sik was facing Leonard.
“Twelve hours left.”
The time Wang-sik had set for the war to begin was midnight tonight.
“Are you really planning to go to war?”
“What do you think?”
“You’re truly insane! Do you really think you can win?”
Leonard could guess what Wang-sik's relaxed expression meant.
“No matter how strong your private soldiers are, you cannot defeat our family. You must know that.”
“I see things differently. If you’re so confident, why are you trying to negotiate?”
“I admit that the matter with the audit team was a mistake. If not for that, I would have no reason to negotiate with you.”
“If you’re just going to whine like a child, you can leave.”
“You….”
Leonard wanted to smash his fist into Wang-sik's face, but he had to restrain himself.
“Fine. I’ll hand over the Manatri business rights and all the profits made so far.”
“And?”
“Isn’t that what you wanted in the first place?”
“At first, yes. But a lot has happened since then, hasn’t it?”
Leonard had already anticipated that his opponent would not be easy. Still, he had wanted to achieve some results, but it didn't seem like negotiations would work.
“Release my uncle Erte. We will withdraw all our family members from the city hall.”
“That’s ridiculous. You want to put that on the negotiating table now? Those are things you should be doing anyway.”
“Just how much do you want?”
“Hand over all business rights related to Aelat, and return the lands you purchased from our family.”
“You madman!”
In the end, it was Leonard who exploded first.
The value of the conditions Wang-sik had just stated was well over a million gold coins. Even without calculating each item, the terms were unacceptable from the start.
“I’ll let you know in advance, the price will be higher next time.”
“You’ll regret this.”
“You’re the one who will have regrets.”
“You overestimate yourself.”
“For the sake of our past acquaintance, I’ll promise you one thing.”
Wang-sik rose from his seat and looked Leonard straight in the eye.
“I will visit your family last. Then you will realize how generous my terms were.”
The negotiations had failed.
Leonard left the mansion with a flushed face.
Twelve hours.
That time passed surprisingly quietly.
After Leonard left, no one else attempted to negotiate. That didn't mean they were idle.
The six families involved mobilized all their power to increase their private armies, arranging their forces under the guise of invitations.
Among them, the Magnon family gathered a large number of soldiers, as if preparing for a full-scale war.
They borrowed not only knights with whom they had connections but also the private soldiers of friendly families, and finally, hired as many mercenaries as possible.
The force they assembled consisted of twenty knights and thirty mages.
In addition, their private soldiers and mercenaries numbered a thousand.
To have prepared this on such short notice meant they had already been ready for war.
Normally, this would violate the laws of the empire, but since the Magnon family had accepted the war of honor, they had gained tacit approval.
* * *
At midnight, under a pitch-black sky.
Wang-sik walked toward a mansion that was still brightly lit.
The private soldiers following him had been halted by his command.
“Take care of anyone who flees. There’s no need to pursue them to the end.”
Leaving those words behind, Wang-sik headed for the mansion alone.
His soldiers were worried, yet somehow, they didn't feel like he would lose.
“Disaster walks toward the Denelo family.”
Mold, the captain of the guard, said as he watched Wang-sik’s back.
Denelo Ispa was dumbfounded at the news that a single man was approaching.
“Count Vega is coming in person.”
“Is he trying to negotiate now? After acting so confident?”
Through the window, Ispa saw Vega approaching the mansion entrance.
He had truly come alone at the very hour the war was to begin.
“What is he plotting?”
Just as he was thinking that a war would surely not break out.
*CRASH!*
With a single punch from Wang-sik, the iron gate at the mansion entrance collapsed, and the soldiers guarding it were instantly struck down.
Shouts and screams shattered the midnight silence in an instant.
‘Is he really going to fight by himself?’
That unbelievable event became a reality.
It took only an hour.
After killing everyone defending the mansion, Denelo Ispa knelt before him.
“I… I surrender.”
“On whose authority?”
“What do you mean….”
“There are no surrenders in this fight.”
*CRUNCH!*
Wang-sik stomped on the head of the pleading Ispa.
* * *
At dawn, as the sun was faintly rising.
The Magnon estate was teeming with people.
Having heard the news that three families had fallen, two other families had come to the Magnon estate. The pretext was to gather their forces, but in reality, they were seeking refuge with the Magnon family.
Magnon didn't bother to refuse them.
If he won this war, he could claim not only what Lennox possessed but also take what he wanted from those who sought his protection.
‘This might have turned out for the better.’
Magnon Ashport had no doubt he would win this war.
It was surprising that Vega was a warrior of unimaginable skill, but the card he had prepared was powerful enough to overshadow such surprises.
Leclas, the 6th-Circle Master Mage.
He was the leader of the most prominent magic guild in the east.
A man of such skill that he could easily reach the 6th floor of the Magic Tower, and possibly even aim for the 7th.
He had a long-standing relationship with the Magnon family, which made enormous donations to his guild every year.
Thanks to this, Leclas had not only joined the battle himself but had also brought thirty of his elite mages.
This was a force that could contend not just with Vega, but with a Duke’s family. He didn't consider defeat for a moment.
‘The compensation was a headache, but at this rate, I’ll gain more than I lose.’
The fact that Vega had come after destroying the other three families was actually to his advantage.
‘If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn't have even bothered negotiating.’
In his mind, the numbers he would write in his ledger had already become more important than the outcome of the war. Just as his rough calculations were finishing, Vega finally appeared.
This time, too, he was alone.
“Go on, try me. You’ll realize just how foolish you are.”
Ashport curled his lip as he watched the silhouette of a single man walk toward the entrance through the window.
“My Lord, we shall deal with him at once,” said Leclas, the magic guild leader, in a relaxed voice.
“I’ll be counting on you, then.”
Command of this operation had already been handed over to Leclas.
As soon as Ashport gave his permission, dozens of spells flew out before Wang-sik even arrived.
Wang-sik calmly raised his shield and blocked the incoming magic.
*BOOM! KABOOM!*
Explosions echoed in the quiet dawn.
The mages’ attacks were relentless, despite the path normally being used by people.
In this city, the Magnon family had the power to easily cover up something like this.
Thanks to that, the magical assault on Wang-sik grew even fiercer.
“He’s managing to block them quite well. But that will only last so long.”
Leclas leaped out of the window.
His body floated into the air, and energy waves imbued with the power of four elements materialized around him.
Gasps of admiration erupted at the sight of him manipulating four elements simultaneously, and a smile crept onto Leclas’s lips.
Becoming the star of the show, Leclas fired all four spells at once for the climax.
Incredible power and speed.
No one doubted that this fight was over.
The magic collided with the shield, which was braced for impact.
*RUMBLE!*
White dust billowed, turning the surroundings into ruins.
Everyone held their breath, but most believed the fight was finished.
It was then.
*THUD!*
Something fell from the sky.
“Huh?”
It was Leclas, who had been floating in the air.
He had already expired when he hit the ground, his face frozen in the same smiling expression.
It meant he hadn't even realized he was dying.
The shocking events didn't end there.
*CRASH!*
The gate, defended by dozens of shield-bearers, was instantly demolished, crushing the soldiers beneath the iron door.
To everyone’s astonishment, it was Wang-sik who had pushed the gate down.
That was when it began.
The more than a thousand soldiers started to feel that something was terribly wrong.
“Attack!”
The knights hired by the Magnon family were the first to regain their senses and began to command.
Arrows flew first, and when they were blocked by the shield, soldiers with spears closed in.
Wang-sik moved unhurriedly toward a single target.
The oldest knight.
Before long, a powerful magic circle began to form around Wang-sik.
The mages had combined their power to cast a binding spell.
He could have broken free using the Mark of the Guardian, but for now, he was in a situation where he could only use his shield.
Even so, Wang-sik’s composure did not waver.
‘Drawing attention is the tanker’s job.’
He made no particular move to counter it, yet the power of the magic circle began to weaken.
It was the old commander who discovered the reason for this strange phenomenon.
“Protect the mages!”
Ten mages had already fallen.
“He has an ally! Stop him!”
He was not the only one who had infiltrated the mansion.
Sa Seon-gi.
Before concealing himself again, he had extended his arm, and with that single gesture, five mages had collapsed simultaneously.
The soldiers guarding them hadn't even registered what had happened.
‘Seon-gi, that’s enough.’
Sa Seon-gi’s role in dealing with the mages was complete.
‘All that’s left is to eliminate the witnesses.’
It was from that moment that Wang-sik became ferocious.
Shifting the shield to his left hand, Wang-sik drew a massive warhammer.
Wielding the two-handed warhammer in one hand, Wang-sik transformed into a blood-soaked demon.
*CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!*
With every earth-shattering blow, blood erupted into the air, and the charging soldiers were sent flying back by the shockwaves, stumbling into a chaotic mess.
“That man is just a noble…?”
The old commander stared at one of the lit rooms in the mansion.
There stood a man, watching the scene outside with astonished eyes.
Magnon Ashport.
What was happening here was beyond anyone's expectations.
*BOOM!*
Only one man.
“This is your mistake for not expecting this.”
Only Wang-sik had a perfect grasp of the situation.