463

Episode 463: With great power comes great responsibility. (1)

The masked Giselle and the knights entered the castle again proudly.

It looked like thieves had come in, but no one in the castle paid any attention to them. They were still dressed the same, and only their faces were covered, so it was obvious who they were.

The soldiers and servants, on the other hand, fled to the side as soon as they saw Giselle and her group.

'Looks like he's going to do something crazy again.'

'It's really consistent... ... but I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.'

'Let's just pretend we don't know this again.'

Thanks to everyone treating them like invisible people, Giselle and the knights were able to get to Elena's room without any interference.

The knights guarding Elena also nodded to each other when they saw Giselle in front of them and then just left.

Boom!

Giselle kicked open the door and barged in. Elena screamed in surprise.

"what!"

"I am the plunder king."

"Hey, you crazy bastard! Shut up!"

Elena got angry, but Giselle pretended not to hear her. If she doesn't listen, she has no choice but to use force.

"Catch it."

At his words, masked knights surrounded Elena. The assassins guarding Elena from the ceiling simply closed their eyes when they saw Giselle.

"Oh, don't come. Are you going to hit me?"

Elena stepped back and raised her fist, but the knights snickered.

"I don't know."

Pfft!

The knights quickly tied Elena's body with ropes. They wrapped her entire body in ropes like a cocoon so that she couldn't break free no matter how hard she tried.

Even though she was born with divine powers, it was difficult for Elena, who had not learned the Mana training method, to break free from the bonds.

She could do nothing but scream and scream.

"Let go! Let go! Aaaah!"

As Elena was subdued in one breath, Giselle gestured towards the back.

"Bring it."

A huge wooden box was brought in. Elena was thrown into the box with a gag in her mouth.

"That's why I said let's go on a good note."

Elena will give up as soon as she gets to the Northern Army. Giselle grinned and put her ear to the box.

All that could be heard was the sound of her breathing. It seemed as if Elena had no choice.

Jiselle, who sensed victory, spoke solemnly.

"With great power comes great responsibility. Let's use your power for the people. Be quiet. I'll release you when I reach the Northern Army."

I thought that was the end of it.

"Euuuung… … !"

Thump, thump.

Hearing something strange, Jiselle put her ear to the box again. And after a while,

Kwaaang!

"omg!"

The box burst open and a fist popped out. Jiselle quickly turned her head and dodged.

I glance inside the box and see angry eyes in the darkness.

"Oh, are you the type of person who gets stronger when you get angry?"

After realizing my own power, I started using it recklessly. I became more determined to teach myself how to properly handle power outside of this standard.

Jiselle gestured urgently to the knights.

"Hey, hey, let's go quickly. Keep tying them up as we go. This is going to be a total monster."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Fists kept coming out of the box. The knights were startled and moved while holding the box.

The assassins who were guarding Elena sighed and followed her. It seemed like they would have to chase after the Northern Army.

As Giselle was about to leave, continuing to subdue Elena, Zwalter came out in a hurry.

"Kko, do you really have to take me like that?"

"Didn't you tell me to do it myself? There's no other way."

"Anyway, my personality is like my mother's… … ."

At Zwalter's words, Giselle and Belinda turned their heads at the same time. They could not tell their mother's secret yet.

Zwalter shook his head several times as if he had no choice but to continue speaking.

"Yes, I understand what you mean. I must take good care of my little brother."

"Okay, you don't have to worry."

"And… …take Skoban too."

"Yes? Skoban? Why?"

Zwalter continued, looking away slightly.

"No, I think she's having trouble adjusting to life in the territory these days… … . So I wanted to change the mood a bit… … . Don't we need a knight escort for Elena too… … ."

If they went to the Northern Army, Elena and Rachel would be under heavy protection. There was no need for Skoban to follow them.

The assassins who were already standing guard had packed their bags and joined them.

Giselle clicked her tongue inwardly as she realized Zwalter's true intentions. Right now, he was pushing Skoban towards the Northern Army.

'devil.'

One false rumor completely ruined my reputation.

Giselle turned her head slightly. Skoban was standing there with a sullen expression, carrying his luggage. Next to him was Ricardo, who looked as if he had lost his mind.

Skoban had no intention of dying alone. He had even brought Ricardo, the instigator of this rumor, as a condition for his transfer to the Northern Army.

Anyway, there's a rumor going around that the Northern Army is the devil's army. Even if another guy with a bad reputation comes in, nothing will change.

Jiselle chuckled and nodded.

"Okay, I'll take Skoban too. Then I'll go now."

Boom!

The box broke again and a fist came out. The knights held down Elena's head with difficulty and tied it up with rope again.

"Dad! What are you doing! This crazy kid is kidnapping me! Sob, sob!"

Zwalter was crying. He wanted to save his daughter from the devil right away.

Jiselle saw the expression and gestured wildly to the knights.

"Hey! Tie it back up quickly! Come on, let's go!"

The party, now joined by new characters, headed straight to the northern army camp.

* * *

The Northern Army, without Giselle, was waiting in a position on the southern front.

Their job was to remain on alert until Giselle returned. They were also tasked with stopping the Duke's forces when they arrived.

The atmosphere was more tense than ever as news spread that the Duke's family was on the move after Giselle left.

While everyone was standing guard, tense, Alfoy was studying with Vanessa. This was because strange rumors had started to spread at some point.

There was a rumor that the Duke was after Claude and Alfoy as well.

― The General has shown his ability in the war, right? He is also the General of the Great Territory. And he is also a bit annoying, so you would want to kill him.

- But why Alfoy? Even though she's annoying, shouldn't we be targeting Vanessa first? We can just kill Alfoy later.

Everyone who heard the rumor was puzzled. Some even thought it was a false rumor.

But Vanessa, being cautious, thought that the rumors could not have spread without reason. So she urged Alfoy to study even on the battlefield to become stronger.

Vanessa sneaked a peek at Alfoy, who was studying inside the tent.

'Why is Alpoy studying so hard...? Is he concerned about the rumors?'

Vanessa smiled happily as she watched Alfoy sitting on his chair, staring at his book. It was rare for her to see him so focused.

Alpoy thought as he looked at the book.

'I should have finished the pie earlier. Is there no way to get more money from Piote? Is our Koko doing well in heaven? Why do humans exist?'

'Ah, I want to go out and play. I also want to become a count and have a fief. Maybe my parents are incredibly rich and noble. In fact, I may not be a wandering orphan, but was kidnapped by the Master. Yes, that's probably it.'

'What should I eat for dinner? Oh, why do I look sleepy whenever I read a book? Is reading not for me? And why does that bastard Ascon always swear at me and give me trouble?'

These were just random thoughts that had nothing to do with studying.

Alfoy couldn't concentrate on his book at all. Strangely, since coming to Fenris, he had been doing only physical work, and his mind seemed quite dull.

'I need a stimulus. A strong stimulus that can wake my mind up again.'

There's no use studying in this state. Alfoy jumped up from his seat. Then Vanessa came rushing in and said.

"Alpoy! Why are you getting up from your studies!"

"… … Were you watching me?"

"No, that's not it. By chance?"

"I have some concerns, so I'm going to discuss them with the director. I can't concentrate because I'm worried."

Vanessa narrowed her eyes. She couldn't believe it, since he was always making excuses to skip school.

"Okay. You should discuss it quickly and focus on your studies. You should learn at least one 5-circle magic quickly. 5-circle magic requires a deeper understanding of the elements than before. So, pay more attention to the arrangement of magical power… … ."

"Okay… … ."

Alfoy lowered his head as Vanessa's explanatory temperament kicked in again. To be honest, I hate studying so much that I can't hear a thing.

After Vanessa's surprise lecture, Alfoy went to see Claude with a gloomy expression.

Claude, who had been talking about something with Erenes inside the command tent, raised his hand happily.

"Hey, Alpoy. What's going on? Are you busy with your studies?"

"Um. Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Then, if it's our brother's worries, I can listen to them anytime."

Alfoy sat down and spoke with a serious expression.

"I'm telling you. I haven't been studying much lately. I think my brain has gotten rusty. I used to be so smart that I could have been the successor to the Magic Tower."

"That can happen if you don't use your head for a long time."

"So, is there a way to stimulate the head? I think it needs a strong stimulus. Not a hit, but a stimulus that uses the head."

Claude nodded as if he understood. This was his area of expertise.

"That's because you only play odd and even. Since you cheat with magic, of course you don't have to use your brain. How about changing the game to a card game?"

"Hmm… … card game?"

"Yes. Card games are different from odd-even. You have to predict your opponent's cards and keep thinking, playing a psychological warfare. I think it'll be quite stimulating. Because you have to use your head."

Alpoy nodded as if he agreed. It was true that he had no need to use his brain to cheat with magic. No, there was no one who would do it for him anymore.

But there was something a little lacking in Claude's words.

"That makes sense. But isn't that kind of stimulation a little weak? I want a stronger stimulation."

"Just raise the stakes."

"aha."

Indeed, the higher the stakes, the stronger the stimulus.

As expected, it's Claude. He gave me a solution in one breath. I really hate him, but I had to admit that he was smart.

"… … ."

Erenes, who had been listening to the conversation, looked at the two with an expressionless face.

It sounds like two idiots are having a joke. But they are said to be key figures in the Northern Army.

I felt like I had come to the wrong person to hold hands with.

Claude turned to Erenes and asked.

"What do you think, Erenes?"

"… … What are you talking about?"

"Is Alpoy changing his subject to stimulate his brain? Is my opinion okay?"

"I… … don't know about that."

"Oh, is it because you only live in the forest? You don't know how to have fun. What a shame."

"… … ."

I have lived many years as a noble elven chieftain. I can say with certainty that this is the first time I have seen someone do something so lowly in front of me.

Even the human nobles did not dare to say useless things in front of him.

I just couldn't figure out how to react to these 'natural' guys.

As the awkward atmosphere continued, a scout came in hastily and shouted.

"The Duke's army has appeared nearby! They will arrive here soon. Your scouts must have checked our direction as well."

Claude asked with a calm expression at those words.

"How many people?"

"We estimate it to be around 100,000."

"Wow, there are a lot. I thought you divided the legions heading to the capital into three, but there are 100,000 on this side alone? They are determined to kill us."

Claude clicked his tongue and stood up.

It is predicted that the Duke alone will be able to raise an army of over 100,000 men. All of the Duke's vassals in the south will move together.

Since ancient times, the southern region has been overflowing with money and food. If all that capacity was poured into it, it was difficult to estimate exactly how many soldiers could be raised.

It was the strongest force in the kingdom, in name and reality, incomparable even to Marquis Rodrik, who was the absolute ruler of the West.

Claude stroked his chin a few times and muttered.

"Let's see. Since we can't tell the lord, are we going to have to stop him in the end?"

Dark has long since exhausted all his magic and disappeared. Perhaps the lord will send a new clone, but the battle will begin soon.

The Northern Army was encamped on the shortest route from the South to the capital. Since it was the most important place, the strongest force had to block it.

Claude gave a slightly wicked laugh.

"They seem to have mistakenly thought that if the lord leaves, they can push us away in one breath… … . What have they prepared? It's obvious, but… … ."

The Northern Army is famous for its strength. The quality of weapons and the individual strength of each soldier are excellent, so simply having more troops is not enough to defeat the Northern Army.

So, the Duke must have also prepared the power to respond to that.

But there is something the Duke doesn't know. This superhuman isn't just Giselle.

Claude smiled at Erenes.

"This time, I think the Chieftain will have to use a lot of force."

"Yeah, I get it. Looking at you guys, I think it would be easier to just go out and fight."

As Erenes rose from his seat, a huge energy like a mountain began to surge forth.