[Chapter 270] The storm of a mass had ended

The soldiers, who had been strong and full of a sharp, tense energy, left the place of mass with faces that looked as if their souls had been sucked out, shocked. The lower-ranking officer, who had intended to be loyal to the Imperial Family, was no different.

'Was it all true?'

That absurd novel distributed by the Maindeland army… was it real? Had the entire continent been deceived by the descendants of a traitor all this time? Had they praised that family, calling them the savior of humanity, and even endured injustice at times?

He couldn't doubt the priest. His faith prevented him from doubting a clergyman, and the content of the words spoken during mass was all reviewed and instructed by high-ranking clergymen, with the Pope at the top. If a priest were to speak differently out of momentary greed, he would be severely punished.

There were more than a few chaplains serving in the Maindeland army. Even though they had joined the army, they continued to gather among themselves and kept in contact with the Papacy, as well as with the priests of the temples they visited along the way. Perhaps what he had heard today… was being repeated in the same way throughout this area, no, throughout the entire Empire of Vista. Only the place and the people would change.

Someone blocked the path of the lower-ranking officer, who was walking dazedly. The lower-ranking officer realized that the person standing in front of him was Aidan, a knight of high rank and large stature, even among the Grand Duke's men.

Aidan didn't say a word, but the lower-ranking officer realized as soon as their eyes met that his and his comrades' plan had been exposed.

He knew better than anyone that there was no point in resisting. The lower-ranking officer meekly followed behind him.

Before afternoon, everyone who had been seduced by the Imperial spy confessed.

And when the sun reached its highest point in the sky.

The Maindeland army began its final battle.

***

A man, a member of the Imperial Family's collateral branch, the very last one, who used a miscellaneous castle that barely signified his lineage, but who had never felt a sense of kinship with the direct descendants of the great hero, watched the terrifying march of the grand army.

He was surrounded by those of similar status. Whether it was the Imperial Family or a noble family, once the degree of kinship with the direct line exceeded a certain level, they would receive a new surname, which was determined to be given to those people. They could pretend to have glorious ancestors, but they were just lower-ranking nobles who received no support from their main family.

The unit guarding the west gate of the Imperial Palace of Felena, including the man, was entirely composed of such people. He had heard that there was one such unit at the south gate, one at the east gate, and one at the north gate. The army's composition and deployment were confidential, but the man and his relatives, other collateral branches of the Imperial Family, had no concept of military secrets.

It was unclear why they bothered to organize these lower-ranking nobles, who had received no special training, into units and throw them into the fray like this. Was it to cheaply fulfill the obligation of noble blood (noblesse oblige)? Or was it to encourage the units composed of ordinary soldiers to hold out a little longer?

'If so, it's not effective.'

Thump, thump, thump, thump. What was the point of anything in the face of that enormous enemy army approaching, making a relentlessly steady sound? Thump, thump, thump, thump. Ah, the Grand Duke's demonic military was advancing slowly because of the obstacles densely placed in the field, but that made them even more intimidating. Thump, thump, thump, thump. He wanted to run away…

The news that all the priests in the Imperial Palace had been hastily dragged away to the Imperial Investigation Team by the end of mass, after what they had heard at mass that morning, was like the end of everything they had ever known. The man trembled.

The Maindeland army was large enough to surround the Imperial Palace. The terror of being surrounded by a confident, massive army! The citizens of the Imperial Palace already wanted to flee. They were only trapped because the Imperial Family was forcibly preventing them from leaving.

"What do we do?"

A man who was close to the man in the lower-ranking noble unit, which was poorly disciplined because it hadn't been trained, approached him cautiously and asked. The man felt a great sense of absurdity at the fact that he had been put in charge of this unit simply because he was a descendant of a collateral branch of the Imperial Family. If he had been a mere soldier, the chances of escaping unnoticed would have been higher.

"Didn't you hear the order? Stay put until the attack signal comes."

"Isn't it too close? What if the attack signal is delayed?"

"There's no way it'll be delayed. They'll die too."

His unit, along with a few other units, was stationed outside the west gate, and the Imperial Army commander stationed in the watchtower directly above the west gate was supposed to give the attack signal. It was probably the same for the east, north, and south gates.

Boo… boo… boo… The sound of trumpets and drums came from the Maindeland army's camp. The obstacles were pushed. Broken. Collapsed. The obstacles they had worked so hard to set up were like ant hills, helplessly trampled under a natural disaster. The man began to sweat profusely, his earlier assurances to his friend proving useless.

'When is he going to give the signal?'

The Maindeland army hadn't actually reached their doorstep. They had set up obstacles between them and the enemy, so there was no reason for them to rush out and give up that advantage. But just standing there like this, every moment felt like a death experience. There were too, too many enemies.

Just as the man clenched his cold fists and caught his breath, a lower-ranking noble who had been looking at him nervously widened his eyes.

"Huh?"

"What?"

The man asked sharply. The lower-ranking noble stared at the man's eyes and shouted, "Uh, uh, uh!" Why? What's wrong? The man was about to yell in frustration because he couldn't understand, but the people around him started acting the same way as the lower-ranking noble.

"Uh! Uh, uh!"

"The… the jewel!"

Jewel?

The man was taken aback. But before he could say anything, a force surged up from within him. A feeling of absolute power, as if he could throw, tear, and crush anything.

"Look at this."

His friend held out a smooth shield to the man. The man looked at his reflection in the shield. Azure blue jewels were in both of his eyes, which had been a normal blue until now.

"Ha…!"

The man let out a sigh, half mixed with laughter. He didn't understand, but one thing was clear.

His chances of surviving this battle had increased.

The man, who had acquired the azure blue jewel, crumpled the iron shield his friend had given him like a piece of paper. Then he threw it at the enemy in the distance. Whoosh! The shield flew with a piercing sound and hit one of the enemy's lower-ranking officers. The man fell from his horse.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh!"

Was this what it felt like to be pulled from death to life? The men in his unit shouted with renewed courage. Even though they had attacked without orders, no reprimands came. Instead, the attack signal they had been waiting for came.

Having cleared most of the obstacles and reached the vicinity of the Maindeland army with their siege tower, the man, and the soldiers who were emboldened by his sight, charged out.

The commander of the Maindeland army's operation to capture the west gate scoffed at the collateral branch of the Imperial Family who had acquired the jewel, as Cledwin had warned. He had definitely prepared a tricky move.

Princess Caymil's true target was here. That level of power… it was likely that ordinary soldiers wouldn't be able to reach him even if they charged and swung their blades.

No matter how many ants there were, they couldn't defeat a grown human.

'But.'

The commander didn't feel sorry for himself. He was lucky, if anything.

"Is this the proof?"

A light voice came from the lowest level of the siege tower, which was built tall and narrow. It was when the Imperial army, which had charged confidently, was within reach.

Creak. One of the sections of the siege tower, which had been firmly covered with wooden planks, swung open. And a black-haired man on horseback emerged from within. Not many had seen his face in person, but his gray eyes, inhumanly beautiful appearance, and black cloak were famous.

"The… the Grand Duke!"

The man who had acquired the azure blue jewel cried out in a voice like a scream. Cledwin smiled and rode his horse towards the man.

He had come, hadn't he! The man, who would have run away at the sight of the Grand Duke just an hour ago, was amused now that the power of the azure blue jewel was swirling within him. No ordinary person could defeat him.

The man with the azure blue jewel stopped and lowered his body to grab the Grand Duke's horse. Cledwin's lips curled up in amusement at his courageous display.

Yes, he thought these kinds of guys would show up.

"Do you know why Caymil stationed you outside, even though there's a castle?"

"When you're defending a castle, you should first weaken the enemy from a safe place," Cledwin added. The man with the azure blue jewel couldn't answer.

"You're test subjects. They want to see how well a species with jewels can fight against a human army. Inside the castle walls, there are other collateral branch nobles who are smarter than you and will fight as Caymil orders."

The man with the azure blue jewel lunged at Cledwin, trying to grab his words. The overwhelming feeling of omnipotence he had never felt before… the ecstasy… what did the words of someone without a jewel matter? How much greater glory would be bestowed upon him if he achieved something here…

But what the man knew about the greater glory that would be bestowed upon him never happened. Cledwin, who swung his sword with perfect efficiency and cut his neck, looked down at the Imperial army with arrogance.

The soldiers who had been courageous just moments ago were nowhere to be seen. The commander of the Maindeland army's operation to capture the west gate spoke loudly to them, their eyes unable to even look up after their second setback.

"Those who surrender will not be killed! Stand aside! The descendant of the hero is going to face the descendant of the traitor in a final showdown!"

***

Aidan, who was in charge of capturing the east gate of the Imperial Palace of Felena, stared intently at the man with the azure blue jewel who was running wild in front of him.

The man was clearly intoxicated by his newfound power. Countless soldiers lunged at him with their weapons, but few of them could reach his body. Because of his immense strength, even if he just swung his shield slightly, their blades would all break, and even if a blade did reach his body, it would only cause a superficial wound.

'The Lady said this could happen.'

From Caymil's perspective, this was the most effective evidence to support her claim that she had taken White Swan Castle.

The Imperial Family has been using the power of Palos to create children with Bisto's jewels. But such a thing couldn't be done infinitely. If it could, they would have already created an invincible army of collateral branch nobles and conquered the world.

Aidan wasn't surprised. He wasn't even indignant. Cledwin had already hinted that this could happen.

'No one has seen the Emperor recently.'

How many people could be given the azure blue jewel? Until now, there had only been one or two per generation. If Nerys was safe, as Cledwin said, then this must be the Emperor's power…

'Or maybe it can be split into smaller pieces and given to multiple people.'

Giving it to such a little punk… there must be a limit. Aidan was a little worried about Cledwin. He said he would sneak in alone because it was important to break the seal, but what if he encounters a whole unit of these guys alone?

Now he knew for sure what Caymil had been relying on. The new warriors with jewels, and the abnormal situation in White Swan Castle, which she thought would prove—or so she thought—her claim.

"Clear the way."

Aidan spoke heavily. The soldiers who had surrounded the man with the azure blue jewel cleared a path for Aidan.

'If it's power that's been split into smaller pieces for multiple people, there's no reason why I can't face them with my skills.'

Aidan drew his sword, as if praying. Then he approached the man with the azure blue jewel.

A moment later, the Maindeland army's unit attacking the east gate began a real siege.