Chapter 48

Iron filings stick to magnets, and knights stick to the nobility.

It's a fact everyone knows without having to experiment in a science lab.

A knight is one who makes a living out of violence.

However, no matter how powerful a knight may be, in the end, they are humans who need to solve the problem of making a living.

Therefore, it was essential for a knight to have a sponsor who would 'feed and support' them.

In a medieval fantasy world, that sponsor is precisely the nobility.

In a word, nobles are landlords.

They are like gods.

If there is a difference from modern landlords...

It's that they even own the tenants in their buildings!

They can beat them, kick them out, or take whatever they want.

Nobles are allowed to do so.

Why?

Because everyone, whether animals or humans, is considered property!

However, unlike animals, humans know how to protest seriously.

When nobles kick over the dining table, lift skirts, and throw tantrums, people bravely confront them, saying,

"Look! The way you treat me is so poor. Is this really the right thing to do!"

It meant that if you keep throwing tantrums, I will do the same.

Therefore, discerning nobles do not mistreat their people recklessly.

They know that pushing them too hard will only make them submissive temporarily.

But this also varies by situation.

If they were in trouble, they wouldn't care about the suffering of the people or anything else and would sell off their belongings.

Nobles are allowed to do so.

Why?

Because the people living on my land are mine...

"Those with achievments will be given a purse of silver."

Lucy Talian solemnly declared.

The noble, a sponsor of knights, announced that she would open her purse.

When playing and giggling with Ian, she seemed like a frivolous girl, but standing before people, she looked like a respectable young noble.

Lucy promised the knights and mercenaries a generous reward after the job was done.

Where would Lucy, who doesn't have a penny, get the money?

The answer was simple.

Just rip off the money bags (people) scattered throughout the domain!

Once again, nobles are allowed to do so.

They hold judicial, administrative, and military power, like a king.

This is the background for why the nobles' heads rolled during the French Revolution...

Not blinking an eye at squeezing the people, even going as far as to dig up the family's graves to find a sword to present to Ian as a gift.

Lucy was not particularly cruel or a harsh ruler.

She was just an average Lord of the times.

That's why she was passive when the people suffered during the war.

Since a nobile has declared they would distribute money, knights gradually joined Lucy's fight.

"Though it was only for a short time, I served Count Catina! It is a knight's duty to avenge the death of their Lord!"

Knights who would have gone home if Lucy hadn't offered money, joined the battle, spouting about the honor and duty of knights.

It was a convenient excuse in many ways.

"Ian, I also want to participate in the battle."

Belenka came to seek Ian's permission.

Ian was about to give his consent when a thought crossed his mind, and he asked,

"Is this going to cut into your debt?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

"Hmm."

Belenka was a freelancer.

Deploying Belenka on the battlefield would shorten her lifespan accordingly.

But...

'So what?'

Ian shrugged.

It's not like he was some kind of general hoarding a Guan Yu, preventing them from fighting for fear they might leave after achieving greatness.

[A/N: 'a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China']

It was a backward way of thinking.

Since he a hired knight to fight, they should be sent to the battlefield.

"Thirty percent."

"?"

"If we win this war, I will reduce my debt by thirty percent."

"...Is that for you to decide?"

"I'm not just making this up. There's a set debt for wandering knights."

Since it was a rule among knights, Ian nodded for now.

Ian, being a wizard, didn't know much about knight affairs.

Nor was he particularly curious.

"Alright. Go and fight as you wish."

"Thank you for your permission."

Sir Diketo quickly reorganized the Baron's forces and completed the preparations for battle.

In fact, though the Count had died, the actual damage to the Count's forces (now Baron's forces) was minor.

Hadn't nearly 300 soldiers been recovered?

It meant most of the force was still alive.

"Wizard Ian."

Sir Diketo approached Ian.

"...It's a bit late, but I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For the knights insulting you."

Insult?

Right. That happened.

Before the battle began, the knights had said, "Hmph! We can win without your help?!"

Looks like he hasn't forgotten.

Maybe it's because he's at an age to be particularly sensitive.

Or maybe it's because Ian had helped him several times before.

"It's in the past now. Whatever."

"Thankful for you saying that." Sir Diketo glanced back.

Surprisingly, the knights still looked at Ian unfavorably.

This time, they thought Ian had employed some shady trick to recruit Belenka... Or perhaps they were jealous of Ian's dazzling performance.

However, Ian didn't care.

He had become much more shameless since becoming a wizard.

The knights hate me? So what?

"So, the thing is... Ian... I would like some help with your magic..."

Ian nodded.

This time, even if the knights said not to interfere, he planned to do so.

He simply couldn't trust those knight bastards, even considering Belenka's defection.

This time, Ian intended to finish things himself.

"Really, thank you!"

Sir Diketo smiled brightly, but the reaction from the knights was not good.

"What evil scheme are they concocting this time..."

"Sir Diketo, do we really need the wizard's help? We can win this on our own!"

"You lot! What nonsense are you spouting!"

"If we win with the wizard's help, the world will point fingers at us, calling us incompetent! Aren't you ashamed to be a knight, Sir Diketo!"

Diketo's face turned beet red.

Not from shame, but from sheer irritation.

"Are those who lost the war now discussing honor!"

"But..."

Then, Ian walked towards the knights who were grumbling their complaints.

Just then, Oberon flew swiftly from the forest and landed on Ian's shoulder.

"Caw! Caw!"

As the wizard with a crow on his shoulder and leaning on his staff approached...

The knights looked at Ian with tense expressions.

They might dislike the wizard, but they feared his magic.

"If you have complaints, get lost."

"Get lost? Are you talking to us!"

"Yes. We don't need those who only engage in petty politics before a fight, so just f*ck off."

"How arrogant. Wizard! War belongs to the knights! Do you really think you can win without us?"

"Yeah. I think we can win. We have Belenka, and we outnumber them by far, right? Why can't we win?"

"A green wizard discussing war in front of knights. Even a passing dog would laugh..."

"Oh. So you're the experts? Then why did you lose?"

"..."

As Ian mocked them, the knights shut their mouths, their faces turning red.

Saying "You're so bad at this" in front of someone who just lost could silence even gods and Buddhas.

Let alone mere knights?

"You couldn't even stop a single Black Knight from breaking through the center and failed to protect the Count, yet you claim we can't win without you? Isn't it the opposite? Maybe we would have won if you weren't there?"

Ian's sharp tongue left Sir Diketo cautiously approaching.

"Ian. This is my..."

"I'm not done talking yet!"

Boom!

As Ian shouted, the wind and earth tumultuously stirred.

Though he didn't invoke the language of Maronius, Ian was a wizard, a being of will far removed from ordinary people.

Nature noticed Ian's displeasure and rose to his cues.

"!"

As nature responded to the wizard's will, the knights were taken aback.

Seeing the earth and wind answer the wizard's anger, they lost the will to continue arguing with Ian.

"At sunset, we attack Graham again. Those who wish to join, come. If not, leave. That's all I have to say."

Ian glared around before disappearing into the forest.

Due to the argument, the participation of some knights became uncertain.

Some knights will join Ian, while others may give up on the battle and flee.

But one thing was certain...

'Indeed, a wizard...! He wields tremendous magic!'

'With such a wizard on our side, there's no way we can lose!'

It instilled boundless trust in the mercenaries!

Graham's army had an uneasy night.

In yesterday's battle, Graham's soldiers had killed Count Catina.

This was a very awkward situation for Graham.

If they had captured the Count, the war could have ended cleanly, but killing him meant someone else could take over the command.

It wouldn't be strange if the Count's vassals came charging in, vowing to avenge the Count.

From Graham's perspective, it was a situation infuriating enough to make him jump.

'Hey, the count came at me with an army intending to kill me, and I killed him. Why am I to blame?'

Then, the vassals would respond,

'You should have just scolded him! Who asked you to kill him?'

'...'

It was the complexity of noble society.

The Count wasn't invading due to greed (though, technically, he was), but rather he was a righteous man who raised an army for his beloved niece.

At least, that's what it was looked like on the outside.

So... he didn't deserve to die?

Thus, Graham, who killed the count, was the bad guy.

The possibility of dying in battle?

Nobles don't know anything about that!

"Have you found Talian?"

"Not yet. The soldiers are reluctant to enter the forest..."

Graham and his subordinates had clearly witnessed yesterday's calamity.

Initially, they thought the weather had gone mad...

But later, they heard that a wizard had used some strange sorcery to turn the situation against Graham.

A typical 'That guy uses black magic!' scenario.

It was just intimidation without any physical harm, but it significantly dented the soldiers' morale.

If it weren't for yesterday's victory, the army might have collapsed.

"Damn. We need to capture her somehow...!"

Graham was desperate.

Graham had always needed Lucy, but now the situation had become dire, where his life depended on her capture.

Getting Lucy would at least provide a way to manage the situation.

If Graham captured Talian, the death of the Count could be downgraded to an internal family issue.

Of course, it wouldn't be easy, but it was certainly a better situation than the current one.

They should have finished it when they won yesterday...

They were snowballing into a worse situation because they got cold feet due to the wizard's impact on morale.

"Captain! It's a disaster!"

"What is it?"

"The enemies are regathering! It seems they still intend to fight!"

"Is it some knight blustering about revenge? Or..."

"It must be Talian."

"Yes. It could be Talian."

Hearing that the enemies were regrouping, Graham immediately prepared for a second battle.

Winning here would mean a real victory.

It was practically the last chance to capture Lucy!

The enemies stealthily appeared at the time of dusk.

Graham, equipped with chainmail and a helmet, frowned as he observed the enemies.

"Isn't that the Black Knight?"

"Yes, it is the Black Knight."

"Betrayal at such a time..."

The Black Knight, who was with Graham's army yesterday, now stood at the forefront of the Baron's forces.

As the horn sounded, the Baron's army began to charge up the hill.

Graham swung his sword and shouted, "Attack!"

The battle was still unfavorable for Graham.

Graham led his army desperately.

Leading from the front, Graham's forces clashed fiercely with the Baron's army, despite being numerically inferior.

Soldiers tangled, and enemy and ally alike were thrown into a chaotic fight.

It was a melee so intense that it was difficult to see the flow of the battle.

Up to this point, it was almost the same as yesterday.

But there were two significant changes in the Baron's forces.

First was the presence of the Black Knight.

The Black Knight, Belenka, displayed tremendous valor, wreaking havoc across the front lines.

This was a fatal blow to the already outnumbered forces.

But compared to the second threat, Belenka was nothing.

"What, what's that...?"

"The sky! The sky is darkening!"

Wizard Ian used magic from the rear.

At sunset, with no one prepared with torches because it wasn't deep night, it was the perfect environment for a dark wizard.

"[Darkness!]"

Ian summoned the darkness he had called upon several times before, with familiar skill.

[Humans! We're here!]

[Where shall we play today?]

"[Over there!]"

[Dark magic – Shroud of Darkness is cast]

Ian laid a vast fog of darkness in the midst of the enemy lines.

It wasn't a skill that burned anything, hit anything, or killed.

It simply made everything dark.

But the darkness that Ian summoned completely changed the atmosphere of the battlefield.

"It's magic! The wizard has cast a spell!"

"Damn! Do something!"

"How can we do anything if we can't see anything!"

Over fifty soldiers floundered in the pitch-black veil.

Utter chaos ensued.

'...We're going to win.'

Ian, observing the battlefield from a distance, thought so.

With the rear forces plunged into chaos, what was a winnable fight now seemed lost.

As evidence, the front, unable to withstand the merciless frontal assault of the Black Knight, began to crumble and attempted to retreat.

However, the forces in the rear did not retreat.

Well... because they couldn't see!

Who was fighting where?

How could they know if they were winning or losing?

As the retreating front collided with the confused rear, Graham's army fell into the state of complete confusion.

The army of the usurper was collapsing.