500

Episode 500: Destroyed? (1)

A week after Giselle met the Marquis of Branford, the 50,000-strong royal army began to move toward the Heine Plains as Baron Share had said.

The royal army was a ragtag bunch, having just been reorganized after being shattered here and there by the Delphine army, but they mainly selected and moved the legions that were in relatively good condition.

At the forefront of the 2nd Corps stood the 3rd Infantry Company proudly.

It was honestly a bit of an uncomfortable situation for the soldiers. It felt good to be first, but if you were in the lead, you would have to be the first to fight if a battle broke out.

But the 3rd Infantry Company commander was just delighted.

'Ugh, I heard there's a personnel transfer next quarter. I guess I'll definitely get promoted at this rate?'

He took first place with an overwhelming infantry charge(?), so he, as the commander, deserved attention.

The 3rd Infantry Company commander looked at Giselle, who was walking confidently at the front, with a hot gaze.

'Oh my, what a pretty boy. Where did such a lucky charm come from? I should appoint him as my adjutant after this event. Let's go together for the rest of our lives.'

The 3rd Infantry Company commander wasn't a complete fool. He was well aware of the performance of the Dougley squad.

He needed Dougley's squad to make his assault tactics successful, so he planned to bring Dougley into his inner circle even after he was promoted.

'Thanks to me, you too will be able to make a fortune. I will pay you a lot of money and provide you with a position. Always bring me good luck. Hehe.'

The 3rd Infantry Company commander stared at Jiselle without rest, dreaming like that.

Jiselle felt a little uncomfortable with that gaze.

'What is it, why is it like that?'

It was a look that seemed to be courting a lover. It seemed like he had been too active.

The 3rd Infantry Company Commander's sour look only disappeared when they reached the Heine Plain.

"Form your units!"

As the commander shouted, the royal army lined up in orderly formation. They became even more determined, determined not to be underestimated by the duke's army.

Soon several officials came out and made a place for us to sit at a table in the middle of the plain.

It was the seat where the king and the representatives of the duke's family would sit.

It was very simple, not like a negotiating table. It was to show that no tricks were involved.

Soon a messenger came riding up on horseback and shouted:

"The Duke's army is coming!"

At those words, everyone became a little nervous and looked in the direction the messenger had come from.

The Duke's family was known as the strongest force in the kingdom before the Northern Army appeared. In fact, there was a time when the entire kingdom's army on the southern front was completely destroyed by the Duke's army.

From afar, a large army carrying the Duke's flag slowly approached.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The regular ground rumble spread in all directions without a single error. All the soldiers were walking in formation, maintaining their lines as sharp as a knife.

The faces of the royal army commanders darkened when they saw that sight.

different.

The commanders of the royal army who fought against the Duke immediately realized that this army was different from the ones they had encountered before.

'This can't be happening… … .'

'We were mistaken.'

'That was... ... the real main force.'

On the lead horse was a large brown horse ridden by the First Swordsman of the Kingdom, Count Cayenne Balzac. He carried a two-handed greatsword on his back that was appropriate for his size.

Next to Cayenne, there were priests of the Salvation Church in black robes and generals of the Duke's family with sharp auras.

That wasn't all. The prayers of each and every knight and soldier were extraordinary. There was not a single flaw in their gait.

The aura they exuded was enough to fill the vast plains. It was a sight that made one understand why they were called the strongest force in the kingdom.

The royal army was completely overwhelmed by an opponent who had only revealed himself.

Count Palantz, who was always called second in command due to his reputation as the best swordsman in the kingdom, did not like that.

"Don't be intimidated! What kind of disgrace is this in front of His Majesty!"

At his shout, the soldiers regained their senses and straightened their backs.

On this side, there was a royal knight commander whose reputation was no less than that of the First Sword of the Kingdom. There was no need to be afraid.

Berhem also frowned repeatedly, as if he didn't like that kind of atmosphere.

"Such a huge force must be displayed by my army… … ."

The royal army generals were left speechless at his muttering.

Jiselle also smiled secretly as she saw the approaching Duke's army.

'also.'

I could now see the faces of the Duke and Generals I had seen in my previous life. Each and every one of them was at the level of knights from the lowest to the highest level.

Some of them would eventually reach the level of master. The level of the Duke's generals was that high.

Until now, they had only fought with the armies of their vassals. The main force of the real duke's direct territory remained intact.

'Count Balzac. Will we be able to stick together this time?'

In my previous life, I was defeated without even being able to fight Cayenne. This was because he was always by the Duke of Delphine's side.

Jiselle glared at Cayenne, who was approaching from afar, and the corners of her mouth twisted.

The Delphine army, which had been slowly approaching, soon stopped at a certain distance.

On the Duke's side, Cayenne and Gatorz stepped forward, and on the Royal Army's side, Berhem and Count Pallantz stepped forward.

Cayenne got off her horse, placed her hand on her chest, and bowed her head, leaving the table in the middle.

"Your Majesty!"

Berhem pursed his lips at the sight. He didn't like the sight of him kneeling and not paying his respects properly.

But Count Balzac was loyal to the Duke of Delphine. It was ridiculous to argue about it here.

"Count Balzac, it's been a long time since I've seen you. Is the Duke all right?"

"I am very sorry that I could not meet you in person during these negotiations due to poor health."

At those words, Berhem's expression became even more crumpled. Even if he wasn't feeling well, could he be worse off than me?

He sat down without hiding his displeasure.

"This is a negotiation where both parties want something, so is there any need for further formalities? Who is the person next to you?"

Gatros smiled and bowed his head.

"Your Majesty, I am Gatros, a priest of the Church of Salvation, albeit an insufficient one."

"Oh, is that so?"

Berhem instead smiled kindly at Gatorus. After all, it was Flaccus of the Salvation Church who saved his life, and Gatorus had brought him the item that would make him a superhuman.

Gatros took out a small box and opened it in front of Berhem.

"This is the 'Orb of Life.'"

Inside the box was a small black bead. It was constantly emitting black energy.

"Ohhh… … ."

A black aura spread out and swayed into the air. Berhem smiled in rapture as he watched it.

I could tell just by looking at it. That was the thing that would become my 'core' and store my life force.

When he reached out his trembling hand without realizing it.

widely.

As the box closed, the black aura disappeared without a trace.

"Gatros said with a smile.

"Your Majesty, I would like to see the royal family's sad news."

"Khuuuuum… … ."

Berhem, who had woken up from his trance, furrowed his brows. He was very unhappy with the fact that he, the king, was being dragged into these negotiations.

If he had absolute power, he could easily have whatever he wanted.

'Let's wait and see.'

Not yet. It was time to build up strength and consolidate power.

To do that, I had to join hands with the Duke for the time being.

Berhem asked, taking a ring off his finger.

"How can we confirm that what Jim gives is the royal secret?"

Thanks to Flaccus' help, he was able to sense the dark energy, and thus confirm that the orb was real.

But I wondered how they could confirm it if they didn't know what the royal secret was.

Then Gator took out a small, gray-white cup from his bosom. It had a lid, and at first glance it looked like an incense burner.

"Gatros said, opening the lid of the glass.

"If you put the royal secret here, it will react."

"Hmm… … ."

It was an ordinary glass that a commoner might have one or two in their home. No, it was so old and worn that even a commoner wouldn't use it.

Are you saying that you can confirm the royal secret with something like that?

Berhem, who received the glass, put the ring in with a curious expression.

Dalgrak.

The ring rolled into the glass, but nothing happened.

Then, Gatros opened his mouth with a heavy expression.

"Your Majesty, that ring does not seem to be a royal treasure."

"As the royal family has a long history, there are many secret treasures. You didn't say which one you wanted."

"Your Majesty, aren't you guessing something?"

Berhem gave a twisted smile at those words. It didn't seem like Gatorus was just floating around without knowing anything.

"I don't know about this."

Berhem took off the necklace around his neck. Flaccus tilted his head at the sight.

It was a necklace I had seen every time I treated the king. It was so surprisingly plain and ordinary that I never suspected it was a royal treasure.

however....

Paaaaak!

As the necklace entered the glass, a bright light emitted from it.

"iced coffee...."

The light was so sacred that everyone who was watching was dumbfounded.

It was an aura that was completely different from the black aura that the Salvation Church gave off.

"This is… … ."

Berhem was also surprised. He could tell because he had been treated by priests for a long time. This was divine power. And it was very powerful.

"There really was a way to check."

I inherited the necklace from my ancestors and only heard that it was a really important item. I really didn't know that it had such abilities.

Berhem's eyes were filled with greed. He had intended to hand over the secret in order to obtain a healthy body, but he had thought of it as nothing more than a necklace with a story. If he had that kind of ability, it would be a different story.

"Do I really have to accept that in return? I feel a little sorry towards my ancestors since it has been passed down since the time of the founding king. I can give you something greater."

"Your Majesty, I am sorry. We really need this."

Berhem suppressed his anger at Gator's tough attitude.

'You bastards, if the king asks you this much, shouldn't you listen to him?'

For now, I had no choice but to suppress my anger. I knew where he was, so I could just get him back later.

Berhem took a deep breath and continued.

"Yes, it's unfortunate, but there's nothing we can do. Now let's exchange the goods and proceed with the ceasefire negotiations."

As soon as Berhem put the lid on the glass, the divine power stopped leaking out.

Cayenne looked at Gatros. It meant that it was the right thing. Gatros nodded, his head full of emotion.

Cayenne bowed her head slightly to Berhem and said.

"Your Majesty, then I will exchange the goods."

A knight from each side came forward and picked up an object. Then the opposing knight put his sword to their neck.

They must now walk only one step at a time on the signal, otherwise the person next to them will be beheaded.

That's how important they thought this exchange was.

Jiselle, who had been listening to the conversation, secretly released a thread of mana with her eyes shining.

'It's fortunate that I'm standing at the front.'

I was standing at the very front of the 2nd legion, but there were knights blocking my way again. So I couldn't see the table properly.

However, the location had already been confirmed through the dark that had been sent flying high in advance.

Cayenne looked around at the knights on both sides and opened his mouth again.

"Then, now, one step at a time… … ."

Chaang!

Cayenne, who had been speaking, suddenly stood up and pulled out his sword from the scabbard on his back.

"What are you doing!"

Count Palantz, who had been watching, also drew his sword. The knights around him immediately surrounded Berhem, and all the soldiers took up their weapons.

Naturally, the knights who were carrying the items were immediately surrounded by the troops from both sides.

In an instant, the atmosphere became tense. Gator and the priests of the Salvation Church raised their spirits.

If something goes wrong, they immediately take the item away.

But the person who created this situation wasn't interested in that.

"what?"

Cayenne looked to the side with a frown. He couldn't see anything, but something was definitely approaching.

Count Palantz, the commander of the Royal Knights, who had been in a state of panic, also felt the same and turned his head.

Both of them achieved enlightenment through their own efforts and reached the level of master.

There was a very strange aura in the senses of those who were competing for the top spot in the kingdom.

Cayenne's sword cut through the air in an instant.

grasp!

Something was splitting. Cayenne could feel it. At the same time, Count Palantz also split the energy slowly approaching from the air.

Kuung!

Cayenne looked towards the royal army and shouted with a fierce expression.

"Who are you!"

There was someone. I don't know if he was a wizard or a knight, but his mana management skills were surprisingly excellent.

Even he had never seen such a skill before. He must have reached the level of a superhuman.

All eyes turned in that direction. Count Palantz also looked back.

Paaaaak!

Just then, Cayenne opened her eyes wide and looked into space.

The energy split into hundreds and thousands of strands and spread out in all directions like a spider web.

"How dare you!"

Kwaaaaang!

As he swung his sword, all the mana threads covering the air disappeared in an instant.

However, the thread of mana burst out again from somewhere and covered the sky. Unable to find the opponent's location, Cayenne cut the thread of mana.

Count Palantz also tried to find his opponent's location by cutting through the wider mana thread.

And it turned out to be their mistake.

As the two men swung their swords, searching for their opponent's location, a thread of mana that snaked through the ground suddenly fell upon the knights.

Only then did Cayenne realize the situation and hurriedly turned his head and shouted.

"Hold on to the object… … ."

grasp!

Two objects floated high in the sky.

A spark flew into Gator's eyes.

"Stop!"

He leapt up, his spirits racing. But before he could, a man from the royal army jumped out and grabbed the box and the cup.

"this guy!"

I don't know who it was, but Gatros radiated energy.

Kwaaang!

But the opponent blocked it by emitting energy. Instead, he used that power to fall back even further.

chin.

A soldier in a royal army uniform landed on the ground. Everyone's eyes turned to him.

Cayenne glared at him and asked.

"Who are you?"

The soldier straightened his back and spoke proudly.

"I am the Dougley Squad Leader of the 3rd Infantry Company, 2nd Corps, Royal Army."

"… … ."

Cayenne looked at Count Palantz. Count Palantz shook his head.

"I don't know."

"Yeah, if you're not going to fight us here, there's no reason to do this."

At this point, I can guess. There was only one person in this kingdom who would do something so serious.

"Earl Fenris."

At those words, Jiselle smiled and showed her real face.

If I could hide my identity, I would have done so, but honestly, even when I thought about it, it was something that made no sense.

Because if we keep fighting, we'll get caught soon anyway.

"Are you surprised?"

Cayenne wiggled his eyebrows at the leisurely answer. It was actually the second time he had seen it, but it was a familiar face. He had seen the portrait several times.

I belatedly remembered the information I had received before. It was that Earl Fenris fought while freely moving the weapons that had fallen on the battlefield.

He must have used that technique to steal the item.

"You dare… … ."

It was so absurd that I couldn't say anything else. Hiding in the middle of the royal army and stealing things, all by myself.

Do you really think you can run away from here? I thought you were a real lunatic.

Gatros shouted with an angry expression.

"Ohhh! Great! I'll kill you here!"

Kwaaaaang!

He was about to run out, pumping up his energy, but he had no choice but to stop when he heard the following words.

"Break it?"

Jiselle was holding the box and glass tightly in both hands, smiling wickedly.