467

Episode 467 Something feels off. (1)

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The catapult attacks continued without end. It was difficult to guess how many stones they had prepared.

The Delphian army rushed at Erenes, while being crushed and crushed defenselessly by the pouring stones.

"Whaaahhh! Kill me!"

"We just have to kill the elves somehow!"

"Don't back down!"

The Delphian army was just doing everything they could to kill Erenes. The allies who had already rushed towards the northern army had given up.

"hmm."

Erenes looked around, blasting away the enemies that were rushing at him.

She had also summoned a high-level spirit, and had expended too much energy repelling the allied catapult attacks. The falling heavy stones were stronger than the attacks of an average knight.

Although it was hard, I was used to this kind of thing. I had fought at the forefront with my comrades in the war a long time ago.

She muttered as she looked around at the piles of corpses surrounding her.

"I think this is enough."

You've done much more than Claude asked for. He won't have any regrets when he goes back.

The Delphians stopped charging and all rushed towards Erenes, but she began to fall back, carried by the wind.

"Now, catch it! Quickly catch it!"

Count Mathes cried out in a pleading tone. After suffering such losses, I could not afford to lose that elf.

The Delphian archers fired their arrows wildly, but they were barely able to capture her.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The catapult attack continued. The flying stones crushed the Delphian army. Those who had rushed ahead were already dead.

The ranks had long since fallen into disarray. The soldiers, having lost sight of their target, Erenes, were at a loss as to what to do.

Count Mathes also seemed to be in a state of shock at the unbelievable reality.

The bloody adjutant shouted urgently.

"Commander! The elf has escaped!"

"… … ."

"You must give the order!"

"… … ."

"Commander!"

"… … Retreat."

It was too late to charge again. It was a fraud, but there was no way to defeat the opposing superhuman.

If we charged now, it would just be a dog's death.

At first glance, more than half of them were dead. They couldn't do anything properly and were just beaten up.

'I never thought an army of 100,000 would collapse so easily.'

Even after all that preparation and research, no one could yet grasp the strength of the Northern Army.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Retreating was not easy due to the constant, terrifying attacks from the flying catapults. The Delphian army was busy running away in a disarray, trying to avoid the flying rocks.

Looking at them, Claude gestured to the person standing next to him.

"Ascon, show me today too. The true power of an elf! Show me your beak cursed by nature!"

Ascon, with a solemn expression, shouted loudly with the help of the wizard.

"Hey! Shit! The Duke's family can't fight at all! And you live your life pretending to be good at fighting? You weren't the strongest in the kingdom, you were just a piece of shit in the kingdom, right? You just got beaten up as soon as you got here, right? What can you do? You fucking piece of shit! If I tease you, you can come at me again!"

The most fun is to tease someone after you've won. That's an eternal truth.

The Northern Army was very excited to hear Ascon's taunts, while the retreating Delphine Army looked humiliated.

Returning to the camp, Erenes heard Ascon's words, closed his eyes, and simply turned his head away.

It was so shameful to be of the same race as him.

* * *

The battle ended in a complete victory for the Northern Army.

Everyone had no doubt that they would win. It was just a question of how little damage they would suffer.

However, Erenes performed surprisingly well, so we were able to win more easily than expected.

As the bloodied Erenes removed his armor, it transformed back into vines and fell into the ground.

Now, the armor will receive the energy of the earth and heal itself.

Erenes looked at Claude and said.

"You're right. I'll give you a little credit."

"… … ."

Claude had nothing to say. In fact, all he wanted from Erenes was to check how many superhumans there were, and if he was lucky, kill one or two and come back.

When the enemies charged, he planned to reduce their numbers with catapults and have Tennant kill the remaining enemies from inside.

But there was no need to go that far.

'It wasn't like this… … . Isn't it similar to when Yeongju was running wild on his own?'

When I think about it, it really felt similar. Even when I was with Giselle, there wasn't much for me to do.

Everyone was looking at Erenes like he was a monster. The first one to break the awkward atmosphere was Alfoy.

"Chief! It's me, Alfoy! Do you remember me? I'm the 5th circle wizard, the man who defeated God."

Alpoy introduced himself again and brought cool, clean water. It was water that had been purified and lowered in temperature by a 5th circle wizard.

"… … ."

Erenes accepted the glass of water with a very uneasy expression on his face. He was not in a position to be easily poisoned, but he was a man I could not trust at all, so it was very unpleasant.

But I couldn't ignore the sincerity, so I drank it anyway. Then Alpoy rubbed his hands together and said.

"Would you like me to rub your shoulders?"

"… … It's okay."

"Hehe, call me anytime you need me."

Alfoy continued to rub his hands like a fly and retreated. He couldn't hide the corners of his mouth rising at the thought of catching a new line.

'I'll seduce the Chieftain and let the slaves escape!'

At first glance, he seemed stronger than the lord. It seemed like he could terminate the slave contract if he tried hard enough.

Even though Alpoy acted rashly, the awkward atmosphere did not easily fade.

Tennant clenched and unclenched his hands several times, feeling nervous.

'The world is truly vast. Who would have thought that there would be people like this other than the Earl of Fenris?'

Even though he had become a superhuman, he couldn't fight like that.

Perhaps he barely managed to fight with one person and ended up worn out? Even if he was superior in terms of technique, the high-ranking priest of the Salvation Church would be stronger in terms of strength.

Claude, who had been sitting haughtily at the head of the table, came down and spoke.

"Would you like to sit instead?"

"… … Okay."

"Oh, you can sit down."

Unlike Claude and Alfoy who were flattering, Kaor turned his head and muttered.

"Huh, huh… … T, just wait and see. I'll come back later."

I wanted to train more and get revenge quickly, but looking back now, it seems like I wouldn't be able to win even if I became a superhuman.

My heart is boiling, but I'm afraid to attack again. I don't want to admire him because of my pride.

Ascon, who had openly insulted Erenes, turned away without even making eye contact with her. He also grumbled while looking the other way.

"Dude, you're really good at fighting. You only hunt in the forest. You'd conquer the world if you just lived there."

Erenes shook his head at the sight of such people.

'It seems like all the light-hearted people in the world are gathered here.'

What kind of person is Earl Fenris? It must be hard to gather all these guys together.

Even Earl Fenris is building up amazing records with these guys. They are truly amazing guys.

Unlike the nervous leadership, the Northern Army soldiers did not hide their joy at this complete victory.

"Wow! I won!"

"The Delphine Army is nothing special!"

"Chief, you are amazing!"

Especially the elves who followed Erenes had proud expressions on their faces.

To them, Erenes was a god. If Giselle was the source of confidence for the Northern Army, she was the same for the elves.

Erenes smiled faintly and waved at the Northern Army soldiers.

Even though I only lived in the forest, I had that level of sociality.

"I think I need to get some rest now."

"Oh, then I'll heal you! It'll help you."

Fiote approached, but Erenes shook his head.

"It's okay. Just take a break."

There were no major injuries. It was just that too much energy was consumed.

Receiving divine power should speed up her recovery, but she refused.

Erenes had always been uncomfortable with divine power, even though it was not a conflicting energy.

'I don't want to feel that energy anymore.'

Every time I came into contact with divine power, I felt uneasy.

The power used by a colleague who left long ago. And the one who created this situation… … .

'Stop, let's not dwell on the past any longer.'

Erenes shook his head vigorously to clear the rising thoughts.

Leaving behind Fiote, who was embarrassed by his rejection, Erenes headed to his tent. Today, he wanted to rest without thinking about anything.

Her face looked more tired and gloomy than usual, and it wasn't just because the battle had been hard.

Claude chuckled to himself as he watched Erenes' back moving away.

Wendy glanced over and Claude held up three fingers to her and spoke with only his lips moving.

'30 years.'

"… … ."

Claude was very happy that he could use such powerful power for 30 years.

Then suddenly it occurred to me that Erenes was an elf.

'Ah… … I should have made it 300 years.'

He realized his mistake. After 30 years, there was a good chance that he would still be alive. Erenes would also definitely be alive.

After 30 years, wouldn't he be returned to nature by the enraged Erenes?

"Ah, I don't know. I'll think about it when I get there."

He was too optimistic to worry about what would happen 30 years from now.

To be honest, you never know when you might die during a war. So you can think about it after the war is over.

'How do I extend the contract? Should I turn him into a gambling addict?'

While Claude was lost in his ambitious musings, the Northern Army again checked its supplies and went on alert.

You can't let your guard down just because you've won once. The Duke's army is still moving in various places, and the situation is not going well for the kingdom.

"Hmm, I don't know what will happen."

Claude scratched his head as he looked at the map.

This battle only blocked one of the Duke's advance lines. It was not known what had happened to the other two.

Because the results aren't out yet.

It is said that the eastern army was repeatedly broken and retreated, and only managed to create a defensive line thanks to the hastily moved Allied forces.

Even if you want to support the other side, you have to move based on the situation, but the news isn't coming in properly.

It wasn't until several days later that Dark came looking for Claude.

"Hey, Claude! You blocked it well this time! I knew you could do it!"

"… … Are you here? Your Majesty?"

"I'll be there soon. You sent me ahead to check up on the situation."

"What about Ferdium?"

"You blocked it really well. It's all thanks to this body."

Dark was proud that he was able to convey Erenes' words to Ferdium thanks to him.

"Yeah… … . Well, the Lord will come and take care of the rest."

After a while, Giselle and her party arrived. Giselle was very satisfied after hearing the report on the battle.

As expected, everyone blocked the enemy's attacks well even though they were not confident. Erenes in particular played a great role.

'As expected, you're amazing.'

Those who were called the Seven Powers of the Continent in their previous life should have been considered as beings outside the norm. Erenes showed strength befitting that name.

The Duke's family will probably have a headache trying to strategize again after learning of Erenes's existence. However, they will not anticipate the fact that the Northern Army still has greater potential.

Because he himself will soon be able to create five cores and regain his previous life's powers.

'Of course, there's no benefit to pushing yourself too hard right now.'

Since we never knew when we would be involved in a fierce battle, it was difficult for Jiselle to hastily expand her core.

This war could be fought with just three cores, as Dark's amplification ability could be used to produce power approaching that of five cores, albeit for a short period of time.

But I planned to try it whenever I got the chance.

"What happened to the Allied Forces?"

"We have been sending them to the East with the royal army as soon as they arrive… … but we have not yet achieved any proper results."

Since each kingdom would not have sent its main force, great fighting power could not be expected.

But numbers are strength in themselves. Their presence allowed us to set up defenses in many places.

Claude gave his opinion cautiously.

"The Delphian army that has currently advanced east is blocked by the forces of the Kingdom and the Allied Forces. The other two legions will also be fighting the Kingdom forces."

"Hmm, okay. I'll have to send Dark to find out what's going on. There must be a problem since we haven't heard anything yet."

You can't stop ten hands with one hand. Even if the Northern Army wins here, it will be a headache if all the other places are defeated.

Even if you go to help one side, if the other side is breached, you will lose the capital.

"Why don't we just head south? Wasn't that the original plan?"

Claude was right. Giselle planned to launch a surprise attack south as soon as the northern army was able to repel the attack.

Until I met Melkir.

Jiselle tapped her temple and spoke after thinking about it for a while.

"No. That's what I was going to do, but now I feel a bit uneasy."

"What is it?"

"I don't know what it is, but I just feel uneasy."

"… … ."

The grand strategy that Giselle had established was this.

As soon as they have time, the Northern Army will charge south and attack the Duke's House. Then, the Duke's other army will return to stop them.

Then the Royal Army, the Allied Forces, and the Northern Army join forces to surround them again from above and below.

To this end, didn't he even persuade the old Count of Mowbray to lend him a hand?

But now that strategy is being questioned.

"I don't think they'll come back. Rather, I think they'll say good-bye and immediately take over the capital."

"Then the dukedom will be destroyed? What good will come from losing the Duke of Delphine?"

"You must be confident that the last line of defense will not be breached. The Kingdom's First Sword and the 7th Circle Master did not move."

They were the last bastion protecting the Duke's family. Only the superhumans of the Salvation Church were participating in the war.

This was what was causing Giselle a headache right now.

The other legions of the Duke's army will also have at least one superhuman from the Salvation Church. The Kingdom and Allied forces will have to deal with them without superhumans.

"It's hard to deal with the Royal Army, the Allied Forces, or the superhumans. In the end, we have to solve this ourselves… … The problem is that the Duke's main force is still in the south, protecting the Duke of Delphine."

"If we go south and things get stalemate or it takes a long time to take over… … then all the other regions could be finished."

"Yes. Honestly, at first I didn't think it mattered. I thought it would be over if I just caught and killed the Duke of Delphine. I planned to catch and kill the rest one by one after that."

Jiselle paused for a moment and then continued.

"But I don't think that will work."

Perhaps the Duke and the Salvation Church were hoping that the Northern Army would attack the South instead.

That way, other legions can survive and capture the capital.