TL/Editor: raei
Status: 5/week mon-fri
Illustrations: none
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"No, I'm serious."
Ian was genuinely worried that Lord Fin might actually hold a public erotic manga reading session in front of the nobles.
He could make such bold declarations now because he didn't know what the 'family treasure' contained...
But once he saw what was inside, Lord Fin would find himself in quite the predicant.
Yet here he was, shouting without thinking about the consequences.
"Enough talking! It only wastes breath! Knights, charge! Go and cut off all those thieves' heads!"
"Yes sir!"
Lord Fin issued attack orders to his subordinates without hesitation.
Though there were various complications regarding the succession...
If he killed Baron Mud and Ian here and recovered the family treasure, no variables would remain.
Solve everything with force!
This was the perfect plan!
"Forward! For honor!"
The knights and soldiers charged toward the abandoned fortress as one.
With their numbers reaching 30-40 n, it made quite an impressive sight from afar.
"Oh, they're coming!"
"Everyone stay calm and hold your positions! They have to enter the fortress anyway!"
As the raid began, Belenka imdiately took charge.
Concealing her face with a black helt, she commanded the battlefield as a black knight.
Fin's army quickly reached the abandoned fortress.
Fin watched his brave subordinates with an expression full of anticipation.
'No matter how talented the wizard is, he can't handle this many people alone!'
That was true.
In this dieval fantasy world, wizards were just people with unique foreign language skills, not superhumans who could massacre dozens.
A simple crossbow barrage from afar could easily kill a wizard. Few had learned mysteries to block arrows.
Lord Fin was confident his knights would quickly eliminate Ian and Baron Mud.
"Out of my way! The vanguard is mine!"
A knight with a massive build shoved aside the rcenaries and entered the fortress first.
Upon spotting Belenka, he imdiately shouted:
"Well well, pretty one! You did well ignoring back in Heltingen!"
"? Who are you?"
Belenka genuinely couldn't rember him.
Understandable, since she had ignored all the knights who invited her to dine and left straight for shopping!
"Ha! Never mind! You'll be my prisoner soon enough! Don't worry, I won't kill you. After all, you need to bear my children!"
"..."
Belenka swung her sword wordlessly.
She had heard such stupid remarks countless tis before.
"Oh! For a woman, your blade is quite sha-"
Belenka raised her sword tip in one fluid, natural motion.
The blade drew a silver arc as it glinted with a subtle light.
The longsword's point pierced the knight's neck.
"Gu-gurk!"
The knight collapsed, clutching his neck.
A wound like that would be difficult to treat even with modern dical technology, let alone in this dieval fantasy world. It was undoubtedly fatal.
That knight would be dead within 30 minutes.
Belenka examined her sword tip as she spoke.
Not a single drop of blood stained the longsword.
"I could have taken you prisoner. But I killed you because I didn't want to keep you alive. No complaints, right?"
"Grrrk...!"
Had he shown proper courtesy, Belenka might have treated him as a prisoner.
But the enemy showed no manners, so she killed him.
"Sir Diom has fallen!"
"Damn it! Don't rush! Form ranks first!"
The knights and rcenaries who arrived next didn't charge in recklessly like the dead knight.
At the sa ti, they sensed their opponent wasn't to be taken lightly...!
'Weren't they supposed to be just thieves?!'
'What kind of monster knight is this...!'
Most of Lord Fin's forces were hired rcenaries.
And naturally, Lord Fin hadn't told the rcenaries any important information.
Not only did Lord Fin himself not know Ian's group's capabilities, but he also worried they might not take the contract if he told them!
But once they were on the battlefield, even if they'd been deceived into coming, they couldn't run away with enemies right in front of them.
Defeat on the battlefield ant death.
"The black knight! Focus on the black knight!"
They judged Belenka to be the core of the enemy's strength and imdiately moved to neutralize their ace.
If they could just take down the black knight, the rest were really just thieves!
"[Darkness!]"
But Ian wasn't about to let that happen.
If the battlefield was a stage, the knights were the lead actors.
But the wizard was the one directing the performance.
Wizards had the ability to reshape the battlefield according to their will.
Ian summoned a thick curtain of darkness to adjust the battlefield so Belenka wouldn't be surrounded.
"Haah!"
"Arghh!"
Without being surrounded, bodies naturally began piling up around Belenka!
"Throw the nets! Throw the nets!"
"Take this! Eat so rocks!"
anwhile, Baron Mud quickly led the thieves to higher ground in the fortress.
Though the thieves' combat power was garbage, they could still be annoying to the enemy.
The thieves harassed the rcenaries by throwing nets and rocks from above.
The rcenaries below were going crazy getting hit by stones.
If they could just get their hands on those damn thieves, they'd tear them apart!
But there was no way past Belenka standing like a mountain and Ian wielding dark magic.
"Retreat! Fall back!"
After Belenka killed 4-5 more rcenaries, the rcenaries finally chose to retreat.
"You're not running away now, are you?"
"Absolutely not! We won't run until we've cut down every last one of those bastards!"
The rcenaries chose strategic withdrawal rather than desertion.
The fortress interior was too advantageous for Ian and the thieves, so they planned to draw them out to fight.
In the bright sunlit outdoors!
How much could thieves and a dark wizard accomplish in wide open spaces!
As the rcenaries withdrew, Belenka frowned.
"Ian. Looks like they're trying to surround us."
"Surround us?"
Ian almost couldn't believe it.
What kind of siege could they do with just 30 people...
But thinking about it, his side didn't have many people either.
More importantly, they had Lord Fin as their patron, so they could camp there for days.
Siege waiting it out was a common dieval siege tactic.
Wait until the enemy exhausts themselves, then attack when they're weakened!
It was a suitable tactic against Ian's group who were critically short on food and water.
"Right. They think ti is on their side."
"?"
But Ian tilted his head.
The rcenaries' judgnt was very experienced but... also very amateurish.
"Are they stupid? I'm a wizard, you know?"
Generally, magic produced better results the more ti you invested in it.
Asking a favor from a friend you t an hour ago VS asking a friend you've hung out with for 3 days.
Which has a higher chance of success?
Obviously the latter has an overwhelmingly higher success rate.
If they dragged things out, Ian could prepare powerful magic.
Ti was on Ian's side.
"These rcenaries might know how to handle combat units, but they don't seem to understand wizards."
Objectively speaking, it wasn't really a stupid judgnt worth criticizing.
You rarely encounter wizards in normal battles. Wizards are only deployed in truly large-scale wars.
Even if there are wizards, you don't directly face them. The opposing formation naturally has wizards too. It generally develops into wizard vs wizard battles.
"Works out well for us."
Whatever the reason...
Lord Fin's army had made the decision to give Ian ti.
When such opportunities arise, you grab them with both hands!
"Master Wizard, the enemy is setting up camp over there... what should we do?"
"What else? Go cheer them on."
"...What?!"
The thief was startled by Ian's nonchalant response.
This was an abandoned fortress with no water or food...
What was the wizard thinking?!
But Baron Mud rushed over and kicked the thief.
"You idiot! The wizard must have a plan!"
"Right! Idiot!"
"How pathetic!"
Baron Mud already strongly trusted Ian.
If it's Wizard Ian! He must have so thod!
...However, that powerful trust began to rapidly fade when Ian opened the [Holy Painting].
Baron Mud whispered to Ian:
"Hey. Ian. You're not having post-nut clarity, are you?"
"? What are you talking about, you lunatic."
"You opened that to pull out..."
Ian kicked Baron Mud.
"Think logically. Is this the ti for that?"
"But you're a wizard, so you might be able to..."
Ian glared at Baron Mud in disbelief.
Seriously, what do you think wizards are?!
Ian ignored Baron Mud and focused on the [Holy Painting].
Though it looked like an erotic manga that could carry a webtoon company's revenue, it contained power left by the goddess.
'...Huh?'
Ian was slightly surprised to find several human souls inside the book.
Among Hrundal's many titles was [Warden of Hell].
Creating prisons to confine souls seed to be nothing special for her.
"[Bjorn?]"
[Oh! Ian!]
One of the souls trapped in the book was Bjorn.
While other undead had found peace and vanished, Bjorn who was close to the book couldn't easily escape.
[Well, I'd like to get out, but I'm not sure how.]
"[I can help with that.]"
[Oh! Really?!]
"[Just one favor I'd like to ask.]"
[What is it? Hope it's nothing too difficult.]
Ian snapped his fingers and said:
"[There are so folks outside trying to kill and Baron Mud.]"
[What?! Soone's trying to harm my descendant!]
Actually, that person is your descendant too.
Ian swallowed those words.
"[I'd like help driving them away.]"
[That kind of thing, anyti!]
But Ian needed to borrow the power of mystery.
Since Bjorn didn't want Baron Mud's death, he decided to help Ian.
"[When you're ready, let's head out.]"
#
As darkness began to fall, Lord Fin's army grew tense.
Their opponent was a wizard who wielded the power of darkness.
Who knew what terrifying magic he might cast once night fell.
"Are the crossbows well maintained?"
"No problems, captain."
The rcenaries stayed vigilant while being thoroughly prepared.
The enemy had no water or food, so this would be decided within 3 days at most.
The key was how to hold out for those 3 days.
"Captain! Over there!"
"Fire!"
A human shadow appeared as the bushes rustled.
The rcenaries fired their crossbows without hesitation.
"...Huh?"
Then sothing amazing happened.
The arrows passed right through the human shadow.
The rcenaries belatedly realized what it was.
"G-g-ghost!"
Two northern warriors in fierce barbarian-like attire. Beings that arrows couldn't even hit!
The rcenaries were certain they were ghosts.
Logically, northern warriors wouldn't be wandering around in the heart of the Holy Empire!
And the rcenaries' judgnt was correct.
"Wooooooo!"
The warrior ghosts let out blood-chilling howls.
Even rcenaries fighting for money had their morale instantly shattered upon encountering ghosts.
"It's necromancy! That wizard used necromancy!"
"Run! Everyone run!"
The rcenaries abandoned all their supplies and fled with just their bodies.
When morning ca, all that remained were pathetically abandoned food and supplies.
Lord Fin's army had evaporated overnight.
"H-how could this happen...!"
Ian and Baron Mud walked steadily forward with the black knight in front.
Fin couldn't believe his eyes even as he watched.
"We et again, my lord?"
Ian grinned at Lord Fin.
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