March

“You’re finally coming to.”

At the familiar voice, Flemyr opened his eyes with difficulty.

Pernok sat in the rattling carriage.

“Your Highness…?”

“Your recovery ability is exceptional.”

He clutched his throbbing head and recalled his last memory.

After driving out the body’s poison with a technique called Bloody Poison, he was laid in a carriage.

His memory was cut off after that.

“Two days have already passed.”

“…!”

Flemyr sprang up while grimacing hard.

Pain surging from inside infringed even on his will.

But he asked through gritted teeth.

“M-my retainers…?”

“I saved them all. But they were too invaded by toxic energy to bring here. I sent them to the rendezvous point with my subordinates.”

“What happened to Rakis’s Magus?”

“I inflicted fatal wounds. He seems likely to join Owen’s side, but he’ll need two months to use Magus Arts, so no need to worry.”

Flemyr lowered his head.

“Thank you!”

“I still have too much to handle to accept thanks.”

Flemyr who raised his head looked outside the carriage.

This road was very familiar.

“They say the royal army and duke’s forces collided.”

“There couldn’t have been military orders?”

“It must’ve been Garth’s arbitrary decision.”

Flemyr’s complexion hardened stiffly.

He’d come all the way here while clearing out messengers.

Given the military’s characteristic of absolutely not moving without orders, he’d thought the royal army would stiffen like statues if the command center was swept away.

“I heard Garth is greedy. Perhaps he wanted to earn merit by subjugating the duke’s forces. But I have one negotiation means.”

“Negotiation is impossible. I already turned my back on the kingdom.”

“Didn’t I sweep away all the command center? That one thing makes persuading Garth easy. However, before persuasion, we must prove our power.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Persuade the duke’s forces to place them under me.”

“Mm.”

“Don’t tell me you’re thinking of boarding a different ship now?”

“That’s not it—if Your Highness head for the duke’s forces now, you’ll have to face even the royal army, wouldn’t that be dangerous?”

“Since confrontation already broke, to stop war I have no choice but to intervene. And for persuading the duke’s forces, you as master is better than me who has no acquaintance.”

Pernok stared at Flemyr while sensing earth’s trembling.

“If you can move, squeeze to the limit to fulfill your duty. I won’t tolerate hesitation here, Duke Flemyr.”

Flemyr nodded with a hardened expression.

“Though somewhat early, I’ll accept your will. However, what do you plan?”

“First, I’ll dig between the royal army and duke’s forces to draw all attention. Then you take the carriage to the duke’s forces and persuade them to follow behind me. And when I send a signal, come leading the carriage and duke’s forces.”

“Will that be enough?”

“It’s sufficient.”

And Pernok opened the carriage door.

“I’ll go ahead and wait.”

Before Flemyr could answer anything, Pernok jumped from the carriage.

After giving instructions to the mage coachman to turn direction toward the duke’s forces’ position, Pernok took another path and entered the route the royal army was marching.

* * *

Garth decided not to wait any longer for the command center’s answer, which had no news for a week.

“Enemies are gathered, and orders don’t come. Is there reason to hesitate further?”

Royal army centurions shook their heads.

“Seeing messengers haven’t arrived, there’s also possibility orders were blocked midway.”

“The duke’s forces’ commander, Flemyr, isn’t visible. Perhaps he’s acting separately?”

“If Flemyr is here, confrontation suits us too, but if he’s absent and we only spend time, decisive judgment is needed.”

Though peaceful for decades, military’s 5th in rank wasn’t decoration.

Garth solemnly commanded.

“Put the royal army forward to pressure the duke’s forces. If Flemyr reveals himself, construct new positions around, but if Flemyr isn’t visible, judge it as independent action and immediately drive the duke’s forces.”

“Loyalty!”

They couldn’t keep depleting supplies here forever either.

Their objective was annihilating the duke’s forces, inheriting that momentum to match with Owen and sweep away Pernok.

“All forces! Deploy!”

Though upper orders weren’t issued, Garth moved the royal army.

Even if questioned, he just needed to provide various reasons while securing justification.

And if this went well, accomplishing duke’s forces annihilation by his own judgment might make his rank rise at once.

While organizing numerous thoughts, Garth put forward twenty thousand troops.

Hundreds of siege weapons and high-level mages followed behind.

Soon reaching the first barrier toward the duke’s forces, they began pounding immediately.

HOOOOORN!

With majestic trumpet sounds, presences guarding the barrier disappeared.

It wasn’t retreat.

After exploding the barrier, they conducted surprise attacks aiming for supplies with small forces.

Garth advanced as is without dividing units.

“When this side has overwhelmingly many, there’s no reason to pointlessly divert forces.”

Suppressing might with might.

Except only the case where Flemyr established position.

While keeping only that one possibility in mind, he broke through several barriers.

Though approaching the heart, enemies only stirred from all directions without conducting collision.

Even though passing places very good for the duke’s forces to ambush.

Then, Garth was certain.

‘Flemyr isn’t here.’

Because given Flemyr’s personality, he wouldn’t try to avoid frontal battle.

“Annihilate the duke’s forces!”

As the point that command center orders didn’t arrive overlapped with the fact Flemyr vacated his seat, Garth’s judgment sharpened.

The royal army began marching toward the duke’s domain riding momentum.

And when the duke’s forces defended while fighting back, they conducted indiscriminate bombardment with siege weapons.

The tense confrontation situation blazed up from the single situation of Flemyr vacating his seat.

“Strike!”

“Pierce the walls!”

“Repel infantry, intercept the castle tower centered on magic and weapons!”

Normally, siege is said possible only with 10 times more forces.

But in battlefields sufficiently backed by mages and weapons, ordinary common sense didn’t apply.

Magic like barriers the duke’s forces wrapped around walls was mercilessly broken.

“Search the castle like picking lice.”

It was the moment Garth issued the final command confident of victory.

Rumble, boom!

Pure white lightning fell from the sky, blocking between the royal army and duke’s domain.

At mana surging in an instant, all mages sensed eeriness while staring there.

“I am Prince Pernok!”

Resounding echo covered the battlefield.

“General Garth, reveal yourself before me immediately! If you flee or hide, I’ll annihilate the royal army allied with the duke’s forces!”

Soon, lightning continuously falling swept siege weapons and infantry.

The main force couldn’t approach soldiers turning to ash without even screaming death throes.

Because they felt fear that all would become ash heaps the moment they tried to cross Pernok.

Mercenary King.

Magus.

Their nation’s prince who dominated several Illumina castles and formed ties with Rezhen.

Numerous fames made them hesitate at orders.

The pressure of Pernok faced in reality was massive as a great mountain compared to rumors heard as gossip.

“Come out! Garth!”

When Pernok struck down his sword showing resolve not to retreat a single step, the royal army also couldn’t rashly touch him.

To concentrate bombardment on Pernok as is, the duke’s forces’ formation on the walls was unusual.

“Come out!”

Command heads’ gazes stabbed Garth.

They contained curiosity about whether this situation where Pernok joined the duke’s forces to fight the royal army would be created.

‘Where did he suddenly appear from!’

Originally, Garth had planned to join Owen to strike Pernok.

Because the royal army without Magi absolutely needed Owen’s help to kill Pernok.

He couldn’t know how Pernok evaded Owen’s surveillance and came all the way here.

But it was also difficult to miss the hard-caught opportunity.

Garth drove his horse before Pernok accompanied by knights.

“It’s been a long time, Your Highness.”

Garth was just as he appeared in the banquet hall.

Though greedy, the characteristic habit of shrinking at even slight danger remained the same now.

“I cleared up the command center and came.”

Garth who couldn’t understand the shocking words calmly spat out for a moment only blinked his eyes.

“Including General McDonnell, all command center staff are dead. It means only you remain.”

He realized the following words’ meaning and widened his eyes.

“If I’d planned frontal confrontation with the royal army, I wouldn’t have stepped forward like this from the start. Because I could just secretly raid the rear and sever your neck. But right now I want to give you an opportunity.”

At that moment, the duke’s domain gates opened.

Starting with the carriage Flemyr personally led, the duke’s forces’ command began emerging.

“Due to my work, you’ve become military’s highest rank at this moment. I’m willing to guarantee this fact together with Flemyr. What will you do? Will you handle everyone here following Vans like McDonnell, or will you make the royal army entirely yours to follow me?”

After examining the duke’s forces’ command gradually standing behind Pernok, Garth gulped down dry saliva.

‘E-even Duke Flemyr is there. If we face two Magi as is right now, the royal army…’

To prevent miscellaneous thoughts from continuing, Pernok placed a large box loaded on the carriage before Garth.

“Whether to remain as number one or face me and the duke’s forces with a royal army without a single Magus. The choice is yours.”

When Pernok with remaining capacity flowed mana threateningly, Garth flinched.

The future that would unfold ahead swallowed his thoughts rather than danger lurking before his eyes.

‘No matter how I calculate this…’

The command center was occupied and upper ranks all died.

The military was now Garth’s.

Was there need to face the duke’s forces and mercenary king together in this situation?

But.

“How can I trust those words?”

To him wavering, Pernok smiled and opened the box.

Instantly, nauseating stench wafted strongly.

And Garth gaped.

In that box were contained the necks of military command including McDonnell.

“I already killed them all. If you can’t believe, you may hold the necks and confirm directly. But one certain thing is that from the moment you leave here, the military is yours.”

“R-really…”

“If you and I join hands, a great army that sweeps away Owen’s main force at once is born.”

Pernok’s main force and including the duke’s forces and royal army, a great army totaling forty thousand.

‘It’s enough to strike even Owen and Vans. This… isn’t gambling. It’s a very high-probability trend!’

Since superiors died, the next in line—Garth being appointed general—was natural procedure.

If Pernok and Flemyr’s influence, mentioned as next royal candidates, were added here, no one could raise objections.

Garth dismounted his horse and hurriedly knelt before Pernok.

“Your Highness’s great enterprise will become our will! His Highness Vans’s conduct was excessive! Please give me the opportunity to correct the kingdom’s order!”

The military was also fallen into private greed.

But it didn’t matter.

There were plenty of opportunities to handle Garth after gaining all twenty thousand troops.

“Good to be together, General Garth.”

Pernok grinned.

* * *

Vans received an urgent report right before Owen’s main force.

[Your Highness. You must leave here immediately.]

It was the first time Rakis’s messenger revealed emotions this much.

“What happened?”

[Pernok placed the royal army under him and occupied the 8th castle.]

“…!?”

[Owen was deceived! Pernok isn’t at the 6th castle!]

Vans’s head throbbed.

The royal army and duke’s forces combined—twenty-seven thousand.

Two Magi leading them.

Plus Gram waiting at the 6th castle and eighty-five hundred forces.

Pernok had completed formation to surround Owen’s fifteen thousand troops front and back.

‘No escape hole?’

Pernok was riding the 8th castle pushing in reverse order.

An encirclement even knowing information couldn’t block.

‘If I lose Owen, my future also becomes unclear.’

Vans gritted his teeth.

“What about the royal palace and border?”

[The border can’t move since they got pressured by Tyr, and the royal palace has no capacity to send forces. If Pernok carelessly turns toward the royal palace, there’s danger the palace will be occupied.]

“Then I join Owen.”

[But…]

“There’s no place to retreat! Since I entered here, the only way to survive is breaking through the front together with Owen! We must smash the relatively weak eighty-five hundred forces by cooperation between me as S1 Magus and Owen as S2 Magus! There’s no answer besides this!”

Vans rushed to Owen’s main force pulling his one hundred subordinate knights.

‘No matter how good defense ability, they can’t withstand Magi’s power.’

Pernok, the only Magus of Pernok’s faction, was at the rear.

At the front was full of mages shrinking trusting the castle.

Break through.

It’s definitely possible.

Vans’s judgment was sharp, but there was one unexpected point.

Like Owen, he didn’t know the fact that the Magus currently at the 6th castle was an S2 skilled practitioner.

When he learned the fact that he was Rakis’s marquis who could endure plenty if he set his mind to it.

The two would despair in the enemy camp’s middle without a single escape hole.

“Hyah!”

Vans roughly drove his horse.

Feeling he must join Owen as quickly as possible, he didn’t know.

The fact that he was being sucked into a deep swamp.