Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: A Hero's Entrance
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On the border between the Empire's northwest and the Railhash Kingdom.
Ellington and Raul were having a historic reunion.
Though they were seeing each other again after a mere five months, the atmosphere had drastically changed.
They were no longer the student council vice president and a student.
They were political partners who had joined hands to stand against a powerful adversary.
“To have achieved such a result single-handedly, I must admit I'm quite surprised.”
Now that they were on equal footing, Ellington treated Raul with due respect.
He likely would have spoken formally before, but now his words carried more weight.
Given the state of war, it was only natural for him to be far more serious than usual.
“You flatter me. Thank you for taking my hand, Your Highness.”
Raul replied with humility, bowing his head slightly.
A bitter smile touched Ellington's lips.
After all, this large-scale civil war was practically the doing of Railhash's third prince.
He was far too composed for the man who had stirred up this vortex of war.
“We've gathered our forces, but the enemy is still far stronger.”
“And they're currently bearing down on us.”
The third prince's forces were currently in a rather tight spot.
To join forces, Ellington and Raul had no choice but to come to the border region.
Franz, realizing this at once, immediately began to apply pressure.
And so, the two found themselves in a crisis the moment they met.
“Since you insisted we meet here, you must have something in mind, right?”
Ellington gazed at Raul with an expectant look.
He was implying that since Raul had summoned him, he should present some brilliant strategy.
But Raul had no grand plan to speak of.
He had called Ellington in the first place to escape his own difficult situation.
He thought that if they just combined their forces and grew their numbers, they would be able to catch their breath.
However, it was impossible to stop a venomous, enraged enemy with just a slight boost in morale.
“...At this point, the best we can do is retreat inland. We must escape quickly and prepare for the future.”
Ellington frowned at the textbook answer.
Raul was the man who had single-handedly overturned the power dynamics of Railhash's succession war.
He had expected a flash of brilliance, only to receive such a mundane response.
Although he knew it was the standard procedure, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
“Then let's move quickly. One wrong move and we could be caught.”
“Agreed.”
Having reached a conclusion, the two were about to end the meeting.
But just then, someone frantically threw open the tent flap.
“Your Highness!”
“Who... Lady Richter? What is it all of a sudden?”
The person who had burst into the meeting was none other than the rising star of a ducal house, Adel Richter.
She seemed to have run here in a hurry, as her breathing was ragged.
But she spoke without even taking a moment to catch her breath.
The news seemed that urgent.
“The enemy is closer than we thought. We must move immediately. Perhaps...”
“Perhaps?”
“It may already be too late.”
*Crash!*
Ellington knocked over his chair as he stood and went outside.
Raul also gave Adel a silent nod before hastily following him.
When they climbed the watchtower, a pale-faced Sophia pointed to the fog spreading across the horizon.
“Their speed is incredible. They've already advanced that far!”
Following her finger, they could indeed see the second prince's army charging ahead.
To their astonishment, the enemy was executing a wide encirclement of their forces.
They had initiated a massive pincer movement, spanning a radius of tens of kilometers.
“Even with a large army, this is impossible...”
Ellington shook his head, his face aghast.
An army that ran with the fog!
Wasn't this something straight out of a heroic epic?
But his shock was fleeting; the third prince quickly composed himself.
Because Sophia's voice came from beside him.
“It seems the second prince's army has joined hands with the Gray Magic Tower.”
“The Gray Magic Tower?”
“Yes, look at that fog.”
A fog with the incredible effect of drastically increasing movement speed while concealing the army's true form.
Such an impossible phenomenon could not have occurred naturally.
Some special power must have been at play.
Sophia judged that the cause was illusion magic from the Gray Tower.
“I think so too. I don't know the reason, but the Gray Magic Tower's influence has been waning lately.”
Raul also voiced his agreement with her opinion.
“So you're saying they joined with Franz to stage a comeback.”
“Yes. In any case, now is not the time to investigate the cause. We must prepare for battle.”
“Hmm...”
At this practical advice, Ellington let out a low groan.
Clashing with the second prince's army in the borderlands was a very inconvenient affair.
With a clear disparity in military strength, a battle on the plains would be extremely disadvantageous.
But with the enemy having already formed such an encirclement, they couldn't avoid a fight.
Even if retreating was their top priority, a clash was inevitable.
“So we have two options.”
“Yes. The only difference is how hard we hit them on our way out.”
As if reading his mind, Raul chimed in from beside him.
Ellington stared grimly at the second prince's advancing army.
Seeing them charge with such terrifying momentum, he quickly reached a decision.
“A drawn-out battle will only result in severe losses for our side. We must avoid that at all costs.”
“I knew you would say that.”
Raul leaped onto his horse and gave a hand signal.
His aides then moved through the camp, relaying the order to retreat.
For an army made up of young students, they were remarkably organized and disciplined.
*Rumble!*
As they split into three columns and began to retreat, the second prince's army changed its movements.
The moment they sensed their opponents were fleeing, they immediately altered their strategy.
It seemed they knew it was time to shift from encirclement to annihilation.
*Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!*
“They're... they're coming!”
“Knights, protect the rear!”
But the second prince's army was not so lenient as to let them escape with just a light blow.
And they were far faster than expected.
*Swoooosh!*
*Crackle. Crackle.*
The eerie sound of the fog spreading.
At the same time, the sound of muffled hoofbeats could be heard.
Soon, the third prince's army, caught by the scruff of the neck, began to collapse at an alarming rate.
*Thud-thud-thud! Crash!*
“Aaargh!”
Despite having shown themselves to be quite an elite force until now, they were being helplessly overrun.
That was how formidable the power of the knights shrouded in fog was.
“Just get to that hill! We can fight back from there!”
Ellington shouted at the top of his lungs, encouraging his soldiers.
But the casualties were increasing exponentially.
Glancing back, the third prince couldn't help but curse under his breath.
His own knights were putting up a fight, but they were being decimated without being able to put up much resistance.
“Dammit!”
“Some sacrifices are unavoidable. As you said, Your Highness, we must get to that hill!”
Raul steadied his faltering resolve and charged forward.
Ellington also gritted his teeth and tried to press on.
But it was at that very moment.
“Huh?”
The two leaders were so startled that they had no choice but to halt their advance.
*Rustle!*
Because a group of people had suddenly appeared on the hill they were aiming for.
They immediately formed a shield wall, leaving a large opening in the center.
Soon, a man emerged from the opening and declared with a triumphant expression.
“The hero has arrived!”
Seeing the man's face, Ellington's and Raul's eyes widened in disbelief.
“Y-You are...!”
* * *
A hero who appears in a moment of crisis to save the day.
What an exhilarating feeling.
I gave a sly smile and beckoned with my finger.
‘Get out of the way, you men. I can't see the faces of the beautiful female talents.’
I thought that inwardly, but I couldn't just say what I was really thinking.
There were too many people watching.
I have a social reputation to maintain now.
As Ellington and Raul drew near, I waved my hands to either side and said.
“Move aside. There's something I want to try.”
“Huh?”
“Ah, that came out wrong. I meant, you're in the way, so split to the left and right.”
As I continued my explanation, fluttering my hands, the two men hastily stepped aside.
Though I had spoken sharply to the men, I soon put on a gentle smile.
Because Adel and Sophia happened to be passing by.
“We meet again sooner than expected, huh?”
“I didn't expect you to join us this quickly.”
“The words of that advanced class kid stuck with me.”
The advanced class student I met as soon as I returned to Venderford left some very useful advice before disappearing.
He said that if I didn't pick a side soon, the opposition would have my head.
Sophia also remembered that remark clearly.
“This isn't the time for a touching reunion, so let's catch up later. Besides, I'm more interested in Adel.”
“What? Hah!”
As I immediately turned my gaze to Adel, I heard Sophia let out a scoff.
Oh! I think I successfully made her jealous.
At this rate, I wonder if she'll confess her feelings to me.
“This doesn't seem like the time for idle chatter. Why don't you start with that heroic act you just mentioned?”
“...”
But Adel's response was as cold as ice.
I guess I was being a bit too relaxed with the enemy right in front of us.
Such a wise woman.
“Right. Now's not the time to be catching up.”
I nodded readily and stared at the enemy knights who were tearing through the rear of the third prince's army.
I was already so familiar with the Gray Magic Tower's illusion magic that I was practically immune to it.
But that only applied when I was directly affected by it.
In other words, it was impossible for me to see through the fog from a distance.
“But does that mean there's no way?”
Of course.
Not at all.
There were plenty of ways to disrupt a magical phenomenon.
It was just that they were too tricky and difficult to even attempt properly.
But I had a foolproof solution.
“Begone! You wretched fiends!”
I pointed at the fog-shrouded knights and shouted in a dramatic voice.
Then, I gracefully twirled my right hand and snapped my fingers.
*Snap! Vwoom!*
And just like that, to everyone's amazement, the fog protecting the enemy knights vanished in an instant.
The key figures in the third prince's army, who were watching this unfold, stared wide-eyed and cried out.
It was a result that completely defied common sense.
“N-No way!”
I let out a sly grin and drew the Black Dragon Sword from my waist.
“What do you mean, 'no way'? Anything is possible. As long as you have a slave blinded by rage.”