Occupation War

Count Charles shouted.

“Raise shields and pour oil on the castle gate!”

In the middle of the night, Named guild suddenly attacked.

Related to Marquis Falkion’s territory’s Fighting Pit, they requested territory war saying they’d toyed with Guild Master Pernok’s life.

He rebuked it as nonsense and sent them back, but the person they brought again strangled Count Charles’s life.

“It-it’s true! Count Charles supplied people to the Fighting Pit!”

It was Baron Ompu, who’d traveled between the count’s and marquis’s households as a transporter.

Though he had no proper territory, they’d been utilizing him as the First Prince faction’s errand boy.

That guy now knelt before a smiling man.

“I properly have responsibility and mission as a prince of one nation. How could I pretend not to see your evil deeds of driving Illumina’s people to the cruel Fighting Pit? You’re not satisfied with insulting royalty and dropping them into the mire, but played with innocent lives.”

The man shouted.

“For this, I will severely punish you and all those who cooperated in that matter.”

Territory war began immediately, but it was different from the usual method.

Even though Count Charles didn’t permit it, they planted flags on the ramparts and pushed in recklessly.

“Light the fire!”

They poured oil on those who approached near the ramparts, then shot fire arrows.

When arrows froze in midair, Count Charles’s heart also sank.

‘Is the matter of Marquis Falkion true?’

Official documents came down to each castle.

Marquis Falkion died, and the culprit was the doing of an S-rank guild master named Named, and furthermore that guy spouted the absurd claim of royal contempt crime.

Therefore, they sent the kingdom’s Magus and mages as a truth investigation team, so until they confirmed all facts, don’t move from the castle rashly.

Count Charles’s territory was a place reputed for raising infantry.

They were ready to move to Marquis Falkion’s territory as soon as the truth investigation team’s results came out.

But Pernok knocked on the castle one step ahead while digging up unexpected past.

At first, he thought it was defeating them individually so the First Prince’s faction couldn’t combine forces together.

But seeing Pernok’s smile, Count Charles realized all this was simply a conquest war.

Since he wasn’t afraid of the First Prince’s faction, he pushed in to snatch everything away.

Count Charles only broke into cold sweat at the boldness not caring about future trouble.

“Mages are pushing in!”

“They’re all level 4 or higher!”

“The one holding a hammer at the front is level 6!”

“The mages at east and west are also level 6!”

Count Charles’s mind grew faint.

This place’s knight commander is level 6. Though members are level 4 and 5, there are only 10 total.

For a count’s territory, they possessed quite many infantry, but the enemy was 300 mages in total.

They fought siege warfare using only magic without even deploying troops.

There’s not the slightest hesitation in the appearance of wringing out mana.

Even if they collapse exhausted, belief shows that others will tear down the castle.

The source of that is probably that leisurely man, Pernok.

‘Damn! Joseph hasn’t even stepped forward yet!’

Even Knight Commander Joseph stood with members behind Pernok.

Though he didn’t know how they charmed him, the moment Joseph joined in, the castle gate would crumble down.

“Count Pukis?”

“They say he’s coming here! And we sent a messenger to the route the truth investigation team is coming!”

“This slug bastard! When is he coming, exactly!”

It was the last remaining First Prince faction nearby.

Count Pukis is a level 6 mage who possesses a knight order trained no less than the marquisate.

If they joined here to help with castle defense, strength would arise to hold out until the truth investigation team came.

Holding thread-thin hope, Count Charles desperately engaged in castle defense.

Though there are many mages, this castle is specialized for anti-magic warfare.

The foundation is well-built enough to withstand considerable shock, and holes are drilled in the ramparts that can shoot poison arrows.

Also, the castle gate is overlaid with metal resistant to heat and cold, able to cope even with level 6 magic.

And.

“Preparations complete!”

The weapon the First Prince bestowed revealed itself.

Mana cannon.

Two of the 20 mana cannons received as compensation for friendship from Rezhen’s First Prince Zayl were deployed here.

“That bastard!”

If it’s already irreversible, he’d punish Pernok to break the enemy’s morale.

Count Charles’s rage at being struck on a perfectly good night concentrated on Pernok.

Hum!

The moment mana gathered at the barrel and condensed into one.

“Fiiire!!”

A voice filled with ecstasy echoed across the battlefield.

Crash!

Light cutting through the night shot at Pernok sitting leisurely.

‘It contains a level 6 mage’s mana! Even if you’re the rumored level 7 mage, if you keep getting hit by mana cannon, there’s no way to hold out!’

When he tracked with eyes, it had already reached the target.

Count Charles thought of the mana cannon’s might and instructed to keep blowing in mana.

There wasn’t just one enemy, and there were plenty of bastards to handle, so he planned to reduce numbers as much as possible before Count Pukis came.

That is, until he witnessed that scene.

“Unexpectedly, the defense isn’t bad.”

Pernok lightly brushed off the rushing light with the back of his hand.

Crash!

The light split in both directions and made holes in random places.

Pernok looked at the smoke rising from the back of his hand and nodded.

“Joseph.”

“Yes!”

“I feel a mage’s presence beyond the eastern mountain. Take Jad and Enri and go drag them here alive.”

“Yes!”

And when Pernok’s eyes met Count Charles’s, his heart felt as if it stopped.

‘The-the mana cannon…’

A level 7 mage and S-rank mercenary.

He judged they must be hiding something that could block the mana cannon once.

But he never imagined they’d lightly deflect it.

‘…It’s not level 7…’

The level 6 mage knight commander charging the mana cannon beside him seemed to think the same.

“Magus…”

When the knight commander’s voice flowed out, Pernok awakened the mana he’d hidden all at once.

“…!”

All those on the battlefield were crushed by the pressure.

Pernok shouted resolutely.

“Five minutes!”

Count Charles couldn’t know what that number meant.

But when the voice echoed, it was clear that Named’s gazes conducting the siege became even colder.

Crash!

The momentum of mercenaries pounding all directions intensified.

Even mages who collapsed exhausted gritted their teeth, stood up, and gripped bows. Enhancement types carried out breakthroughs without caring even if one or two arrows hit their bodies.

“Castle gaaate!”

Sallio’s hammer gathered waves and struck down at the castle gate.

Crash!

Perhaps thanks to gathering thick and strong metals, it blocked once at the level of getting dented.

‘The second is dangerous.’

But they blocked once. They could repair it again.

It was before Count Charles could even stroke his chest in relief.

Rumble!

The northern rampart crumbled down.

“Capture the count!”

“Those who resist will die, but we’ll spare those who surrender!”

It was a diversionary tactic.

They deliberately placed Sallio with extraordinary destructive power at the front and tied the count’s gaze.

And while attracting attention from east and west as if to break the castle, at the north they quietly undertook work to collapse the ramparts.

It was possible because Zodiac and 30 guild elite mages who handle earth had been concentrating together for about an hour.

“Count!”

“Secure the escape route!”

Once mages entered inside the castle, all advantages of castle defense disappeared.

In the castle interior no different from flatland, infantry can’t match mages.

Count Charles quickly judged and finished preparations to flee, but before he knew it, that guy had climbed onto the castle tower.

A pair of eyes with the moon at their back, watching silently, blocked even Count Charles’s last escape route.

“This bastaard!”

The moment the knight commander used magic with momentum to freeze the castle, Pernok extended his hand.

As the magic shattered into pieces, the knight commander’s face was caught in the palm.

When he lightly lifted as is, the knight commander who’d been flailing soon went completely limp.

Pernok threw the knight commander into a corner and approached Count Charles.

“Why, why…?”

Flustered, words didn’t even come out properly.

“The one who sent me to the Fighting Pit was the First Prince, and didn’t that faction keep imposing trials at the Fighting Pit? As if checking when I’d die.”

“Th-that never happened! What was I supposed to know was in the Fighting Pit to send people!”

“So you’re admitting you’re related to the Fighting Pit.”

Count Charles turned deathly pale.

“Do you think the kingdom will tolerate such unreasonableness! You’re just a self-proclaimed royal who’s not even in the family register!”

“You just sent the person who’ll prove me soon.”

“Wh-what?”

“The messenger headed to the truth investigation team. I’m planning to wait here for a while.”

Pernok glanced at the guild members leading a group coming from beyond the mountain.

“No need to even go to Count Pukis’s territory.”

Count Charles’s eyes went dark.

Count Pukis and soldiers including the knight order were all captured and coming here.

“One regret is that I ate Count Pukis’s territory too easily.”

The castle where knight order, soldiers, and the lord disappeared was already no different from Pernok’s.

“I wanted to let them accumulate as much siege warfare experience as possible, but I’ll have to postpone it to next time.”

“Experience?”

Count Charles trembled.

Because he realized why Pernok, who could climb the castle tower this easily, had been watching until now.

“You, you used me as an experiment?”

“You’re a bastard with excessive self-consciousness. Don’t tell me you thought it took this long because your tactics were excellent?”

Territory war is a time battle.

Pernok, who had to occupy Count Charles’s territory including Count Pukis’s territory, originally planned to lightly smash even the castle gate.

But seeing Count Charles send messengers to the truth investigation team and Count Pukis, he changed his thinking.

Since all the people needed for this castle would gather anyway, he judged it would be good to let them accumulate siege warfare experience without being chased by time.

Count Pukis is being captured and brought now.

Just sending 3 A-rank guild masters and 200 mages to that territory could lightly take over the castle.

The truth investigation team would hear the messenger’s words and come here instead of Marquis Falkion’s territory, so there was no reason at all for Pernok to be urgent.

“This petty castle, a flimsy place that would collapse in just a few sword strokes.”

These are frontier territories far from the capital.

The closer to the capital, the several times harder siege warfare becomes than now.

Before targeting the First Prince’s core faction, he’d entrusted siege warfare to subordinates as a warm-up, but seeing them delayed even to the time the mana cannon was prepared, he felt there were still many points to improve.

“Sallio.”

“Yes.”

Sallio who’d climbed to the castle tower at some point showed a hardened expression.

“I entrusted siege warfare strategy to you. Even though our forces were overwhelming, you used time pressingly to handle this petty vermin.”

“I apologize.”

“Clean up the castle and confine all those involved in the ledger. Collect the mana cannons, transport them to the marquisate, and send three guild masters to Count Pukis’s territory.”

“Understood.”

“Restart siege training before the truth investigation team comes, so there won’t be delays afterward.”

“Yes!”

“However…”

Pernok nodded while examining the guild members who’d occupied the castle.

“…There were no dead. Though time was delayed, prioritizing guild members wasn’t bad. I’ll entrust more troops to you later.”

“What?”

“Confine Charles in prison and settle the castle’s public sentiment.”

When Pernok turned around, Sallio said with a bright smile.

“I’ll accept the order!”

Sallio called guild members and began cleaning up the ramparts.

Count Charles was dragged away bound in handcuffs.

Count Pukis and troops were being dragged into the castle and entering prison.

Standing alone in the empty castle tower, Pernok gazed at distant places.

He felt intense mana.

* * *

It was when truth investigation team leader Duke Flemyr, an S1 Magus, was camping in the forest.

“Hm?”

A man with Count Charles’s territory’s flag tied to his body appeared pushing through the bushes.

When investigation team members tried to draw up mana, Duke Flemyr waved his hand to block them.

“Why do you have Count Charles’s territory’s flag?”

“Are you Duke Flemyr, the investigation team leader?”

“I am.”

“The count is urgently looking for you!”

When everyone made puzzled expressions, the messenger urgently shouted.

“A bastard named Pernok occupied Count Bolte’s territory and is now waging territory war with Count Charles’s territory!”

“…!”

At the words that Pernok, who should be at Marquis Falkion’s territory, was occupying a castle, Duke Flemyr widened his eyes in surprise.

“Not the marquisate but a count’s territory?”

“I don’t know the reason, but he suddenly requested territory war taking advantage of night, and is trying to violently occupy the castle! Please help, Duke!”

When Duke Flemyr’s eyes narrowed, members hurriedly put away camp and extinguished the bonfire.

It wasn’t time to rest comfortably.

Fortunately, Count Charles’s territory wasn’t very far from here.

“You’ve worked hard.”

At the voice filled with anger, members tensely followed Duke Flemyr.

“Why didn’t such reports come to me?”

“There was no word from the capital either.”

Duke Flemyr felt the situation was turning more serious than thought.

‘Striking territories faster than our intelligence?’

Was he plotting even rebellion?

Duke Flemyr increased speed.

After running without distinguishing day and night, Count Charles’s territory appeared far away.

A strange flag that wasn’t the count’s territory hung on the castle tower, but more than that, the appearance of a man standing tall above looking down caught his attention.

Walking toward the castle, he concentrated on the man.

The man on the castle tower, Pernok, smiled and spoke.

“You’re late.”

It was an appearance as if he’d been waiting for him.

Duke Flemyr was seized by an inexplicable sense of dissonance at the attitude so confident it was hard to think of as the appearance of a criminal who plotted rebellion or forcibly waged territory war.