324 - The Fall of the Empire 4
TL/Editor: raei
Schedule: 5/week
Illustrations: Posted in discord
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In the dark cave, steel-clad knights marched in perfect rows and columns, a stark contrast to the chaotic, scattered rcenaries causing a commotion.
Except for the large knight commander at the front, they all had similar builds. Their synchronized steps and the sight of them walking with their helts on were enough to be intimidating.
“Look, they’re taking this seriously. They already have their helts on.”
“Yeah? What does that an?”
“When they wear helts and lower their face guards, it ans they have no intention of talking.”
Of course, they could speak with mana-enhanced voices even with their helts on, but what I ant was a habitual rule of the kingdom's knights.
If they were rely traveling, they would have their helts off or face guards up, chatting. But now, it was the opposite. Even the knight commander at the front, who carried a softly glowing flag, wore his helt suited for his large head.
A group of dozens of knights, led by a giant over two ters tall, marching silently was enough to make even the most unruly rcenaries step aside.
The flag-bearing knight commander and knights with their hands on their sword hilts ascended the stairs and disappeared into the cave.
“...Wow, those are knights, aren’t they? They’re already here?”
“No wonder that red-haired woman was pushing us so hard.”
“Why do they look so murderous? Did they hold a grudge against the harpies or sothing?”
Finally, the rcenaries started murmuring. One of them grumbled about the oppressive aura, and as if the dam broke, the once-silent rcenaries burst into chatter, returning to their usual noisy selves.
In front of us, an empty platform of the elevator-type magic tool ascended. Behind us, only the clanking footsteps of the disappearing knights remained. I looked away from Han Se-ah, who was fiddling with her cara drone, and spoke up.
“So, what should we do? Shall we go spy as Hanna suggested?”
“We’d like that... but are you okay with it, Roland?”
Katie’s eyes sparkled like a puppy ready for a walk, but Irene’s gaze was fixed on my shoulder.
I suddenly rembered that the sack I carried contained an elite harpy with a concussion from my steel flying knee drop from ten ters up. Like soone who wears glasses for so long they forget they’re wearing them, my superior physique made the weight of a harpy feel like a feather.
Though, considering a normal person would have their skull shattered from such a blow, she should be fine for half a day or so. Even if she woke up and struggled, I could still choke her out with the sack.
With this in mind, I nodded slightly to indicate I was okay.
“If Roland is okay with it...”
-Is this mom? Is this mom? Is this mom? Is this mom? Is this mom? Is this mom?
-Lol, you can see how considerate Han Se-ah is. Leaving her baggage and even trying to shirk her duties.
-If she doesn’t go watch the knights’, she’d be scolded to death.
-Seeing them gather like this makes the fantasy vibe strong. Makes want to be a knight instead of an adventurer.
-But if you join after seeing this, you’ll end up as a grunt.
“So, good viewers, please be satisfied with just watching, okay?”
[Misery Please donated 100,000 won!]
Just open the status window for the knight commander, damn woman.
“Oh, right. I really forgot because I was engrossed in the atmosphere, not because I was trying to make money. But your passion moves . Thank you for the 100,000 won.”
Han Se-ah was motivated by the stream, Katie by her longing for knights. The two of them were like kids wanting to go to an amusent park. Even Irene, with a resigned smile, nodded in agreent.
Grace, unlike Katie, seed to have little interest and remained quietly indifferent. With no real opposition, we had a clear decision.
As we turned to move in the opposite direction with the harpy in tow, the rcenaries around us started yelling in confusion. They were all heading down, and our party was going against the flow, causing them to curse before falling silent again.
---
Raei Translations
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Edward Aquitaine, the 6★ 'Indomitable Vanguard' and the second knight commander of the kingdom, led dozens of knights out of the cave, carrying a flag that looked over 5 ters long. The loud, brash deanor he showed at the guild was gone, replaced with an aura of murderous intent.
"Everyone, prepare for battle."
The rcenaries had already left the cave, so as he exited, he raised the flag high. Despite the lack of wind, the flag began to flutter on its own with his muttered words.
One side bears the symbol of the Goddess Faith, and the other, a modified version of the royal family's emblem, both emitting mana that seems almost like divine energy.
The mana’s wave extended behind him, reaching the knights who had already drawn their swords.
As the mana trickled down from their helts to their shoulders, turning their swords and armor a bluish hue, I had a sudden thought.
'Why the hell is the knight commander using that buff?'
Thanks to Han Se-ah’s cara, we captured the mont they applied the pre-battle buff, but once again, this kingdom shattered my expectations.
I shouldn't be the one to talk, having true damage that ignores defense as a 6★ tank, but... Edward’s buff was ant for paladins, not knights. In Heroes Chronicle, this was a buff used by Temple Knights.
Did the Goddess supposedly bless the royal family, allowing the royal knights to use paladin buffs? Had they skewed the balance that much?
“Wow, that looks really cool. Seeing the knights charging with the flag reminds of the charge scene from the Lord of the Rings.”
Han Se-ah, engaging with her viewers through the cara, seed to have just arrived at the cave. The mana left by the fluttering flag lingered like a mist inside the cave, catching Katie’s attention as she widened her eyes and ran forward.
Whether it was because of the area buff, or because we were recognized by the royal family, Edward's mana naturally seeped into us as well.
At that mont, Han Se-ah’s footsteps abruptly stopped.
“Wow…!”
“What’s wrong, Hanna?”
“Huh? Oh, it’s just that the mana residue is so intense. It feels almost divine.”
“Indeed, this mana's wave resembles divine energy. It’s impressive that you noticed it faster than I did, even though I’m a nun.”
Of course, she was surprised since she had received a 5★ paladin’s buff.
Irene’s 5★ saint buff is immunity-based, a higher form of purification that removes all debuffs and grants immunity while the divine energy remains. It also includes a shield that negates attacks below a certain damage threshold.
In contrast, the 5★ paladin buff is a comprehensive set. It doesn’t have insane multipliers in any single aspect like my damage reduction or Irene’s protection, but it includes every possible buff, compressing the deck and causing a massive shift in Heroes Chronicle.
While new characters often bring major changes, this one is so beloved and hated that players joke it gives as many buffs as their receipts.
“Certain chance to block projectiles, reduced damage taken, continuous healing, periodic debuff cleansing, increased movent speed, equipnt condition maintenance, damage distribution, increased attack power, condition maintenance… and a bit more. What is all this?”
-Are you playing a different ga than ?
-Does it have that performance because it’s the kingdom’s knights, or did it get that way going from 5★ to 6★?
-Is that really a kingdom knight? Isn’t it actually a holy knight? Why does a knight carry so many buffs?
-If they sent these guys to the tower, wouldn’t they clear the 100th floor? This is insane, lol.
-If the second knight commander is like this, what kind of monster is the first knight commander, lol.
The chat quickly filled with comnts reacting to Han Se-ah’s muttering.
Han Se-ah, realizing she had racked up another misunderstanding due to her stream, started moving again. We had to see the knights who received those buffs, not just the absurdly long list of them.
As we barely got outside the cave, we saw a massacre unfolding in the city. Since the cave was slightly higher than the city due to the mountainous terrain, the horrific scene was visible at a glance.
“Ard humans!”
“Screech, strong, they are strong—!”
From residents and low-ranking soldiers to elite harpies, all were equally turning into mana stones.
If harpy corpses didn’t transform into mana stones, the streets would have been flooded with blood, resembling a neighborhood where the drainage system failed during the monsoon season.
Harpies had wings, and the city was built for those with wings. The collapsing buildings beca barricades that hindered movent, but it didn’t matter at all.
They were the kingdom’s knights, a group of specialist killers trained to wield swords from a young age, unlike rcenaries or adventurers.
If their opponent wasn’t a massive monster that could withstand sword strikes like an ogre, they were better than I was at quickly and efficiently killing humanoid monsters.
---
[raei: was originally knight captain in a previous chap. Changed it to knight commander.]
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