Chapter 78: Monster Wave (3)
Using the prepared passage, they succeeded in pushing the monsters out of the North.
As Kyle watched the troops deployed along the Northern Boundary shout and assu their battle formations, he gently stroked Frost.
“Good work. Let’s head back now.”
Whether the Kingdom of Daon managed to stop the monsters or not, he had no intention of getting involved this ti.
The last ti had been a warning, and this ti was a real operation.
If the Kingdom of Daon had properly understood Kyle’s warning, they would be more than capable of holding back the monsters.
After all, even if they were at a nurical disadvantage, it would be ridiculous for a kingdom’s standing army to be unable to stop monsters.
anwhile, Frost, having understood Kyle’s words, calmly turned her body.
Then she once again dashed toward Ragnar.
‘……It’s harder to control than I expected.’
From atop Frost’s back, Kyle looked down at the wrist guard he was wearing.
Just controlling the energy of the Ice Dragon alone demanded trendous ntal strength.
He had been releasing that energy for nearly two full days to lure the monsters, so the ntal exhaustion was absurdly severe.
If it had not been for the Everlasting Fla, using the Heart of the Ice Dragon would have been virtually impossible.
Because the Everlasting Fla suppressed the Heart of the Ice Dragon, he was barely able to control the weakened energy.
Letting his arm drop and releasing a small sigh, Kyle fixed his gaze in the direction of the lord’s castle.
‘If Ragnar manages to hold them back again this ti, the lords themselves might step in. During the last invasion, the monsters persistently targeted the Ork Tribe.’
The very fact that they had persistently targeted the Ork Tribe rather than Ragnar left room for suspicion.
An even bigger problem was that there was not just one race capable of controlling monsters.
‘Either the Vampire Tribe or the Dragonkin. If it’s neither, even the Dark Elves might have stepped in.’
There was also the possibility that the monsters had been driven and maneuvered the sa way Ragnar had done initially.
However, it was certain that more than one ability had been mobilized.
Otherwise, there was no way the monsters would have waited without attacking Ragnar during the invasion.
‘For now, I should focus on what’s right in front of .’
Kyle watched the monsters leaving the North.
The first plan had succeeded, but it was still too early to let his guard down.
This scale alone was insufficient to truly put the Daon royal family in trouble.
“I’m going through all this trouble, so I need to secure at least one Mana Stone Mine no matter what.”
Right now, Kyle was planning to grasp three things at once through the monster wave.
One was the chaos of the Kingdom of Daon and a dynastic change.
The second was dealing with the monster wave.
And lastly, the Mana Stone Mine.
The key was how long the Kingdom of Daon could hold back monsters of this scale.
The longer they held out, the more ti he would gain.
Riding atop Frost as she retraced their path, Kyle cooled his head while facing the sharp wind.
Deep within the Monster Mountain Range.
There was a territory that lay far deeper than the place where the Dwarf Tribe had once resided.
The beings roaming that place did not look like monsters.
“Are you going to step in personally?”
“I never thought they’d lure the monsters outside the North. Damn it.”
A tall woman with pointed ears and black skin crossed her arms and let out a sigh.
Before her, a man in crimson ceremonial robes shook his head with an incredulous expression.
To finish off the Ork Tribe that had fled from inside the mountain range into the Ragnar Family’s territory, the Vampire Lord had even used his authority.
Yet the result had been a complete failure.
“To think that bastard Yul would join hands with Ragnar.”
“And the dwarves joined in as well.”
“In that case, the chances of the elves joining will grow too.”
The Vampire Lord, arms crossed, shook his head once more.
It seed difficult for them to act directly. There were simply too many constraints.
“If the Ork Tribe abandons their territory and leaves the mountain range, there’s nothing we can do either.”
“The Dwarf Tribe has already settled outside the range, so we can’t even attack them.”
“Continuously pushing monsters in. That’s the best we can do.”
At the Vampire Lord’s opinion, the Dark Elf leader with pointed ears shook her head.
It was a aningless effort.
To gather one hundred thousand monsters, the Dark Elves and the Vampire Tribe had spent a full half year.
They had never even imagined that Ragnar, who should have been fighting within the mountain range, would let the monsters spill outside.
They did not know what the current situation of the Kingdom of Daon was.
Naturally, they had assud that Ragnar would block all one hundred thousand monsters within the North.
“It’s pointless. The fact that Ragnar let the monsters flow outside ans he was that well prepared.”
“So you’re saying we should just give up like this?”
“Without the permission of the Heir of the Frostfire, we can’t leave the mountain range. Thinking about it that way, the Orks and Dwarves are the sa.”
“…….”
“The heir who hadn’t appeared for a long ti has finally revealed himself. Of all tis, now…….”
If the Heir of the Frostfire had appeared, and if the Orks and Dwarves had sided with Ragnar, it might beco an unwinnable battle.
The Vampire Lord, who had been letting out a small sigh, soon bared his fangs.
“Leaving Ragnar alone after giving up here would be a problem in itself.”
“For now, it’s right to deal with the Lizardn Tribe and the Elf Tribe first. We need to find the elves’ base.”
At present, the race most likely to join Ragnar next was the elves.
They had interacted with the dwarves for a long ti and were the race that had vehently opposed the lords leaving the mountain range.
“If the elves request support from Ragnar, that’s even better. We’d get a chance to eliminate the Heir of the Frostfire inside the mountain range.”
At the Dark Elf leader’s opinion, the Vampire Lord nodded.
“But how did he sever control over my thralls and drive them into fear?”
“……Why do you think we couldn’t touch the Dwarf Tribe?”
“That damned Ice Dragon…….”
The Vampire Lord flinched mid-sentence.
The Dark Elf leader then continued calmly.
“Not long ago, the presence of the Ice Dragon spread throughout the entire mountain range. Doesn’t that an the Ice Dragon’s seal was released?”
“You’re not suggesting that the dwarves actually succeeded in hunting the Ice Dragon, are you?”
It might have sounded like an absurd claim.
Even when three lords had joined forces, they had only barely managed to seal the Ice Dragon.
No matter how much its power had weakened over a long sealing, hunting the Ice Dragon was an impossible feat.
“What if the Heir of the Frostfire helped with the hunt? To begin with, doesn’t it make no sense that the dwarves, who were supposed to guard the Ice Dragon’s seal, left their dwelling?”
It was a valid point.
The dwarves could never leave the Ice Dragon’s seal behind.
The Everlasting Fla, which was responsible for maintaining the Ice Dragon’s seal, was their divine artifact.
“So the Heir of the Frostfire stepped in and hunted the Ice Dragon, and that’s why the Dwarf Tribe joined Ragnar.”
“And there’s even the Ork Lord.”
“Damn it, I shouldn’t have let Yul get away back then……!”
From their perspective as well, striking the Ork Tribe had been unavoidable.
The Ice Dragon was a concern when it ca to striking the dwarves.
But targeting the elves was also problematic, as they possessed a reclusive nature, making it impossible even to locate their dwelling.
As an alternative, they attempted to subjugate the Ork and Lizardn Tribes, who had declared neutrality, through force.
They had driven the Ork Tribe’s warriors to the brink of annihilation, yet ended up letting the truly important Yul escape.
Had they not let him slip away, they might have succeeded in completely bringing the Ork Tribe under their control.
The Vampire Lord, whose anger had yet to subside, clenched his fist tightly.
At that sight, the Dark Elf leader shook her head.
“Yul has already escaped, and the Ork Tribe has joined hands with Ragnar. What good does it do to regret what’s already past.”
Since it was already too late for regret, it was better to prepare other thods more thoroughly.
At the Dark Elf leader’s words, the Vampire Lord nodded.
Kyle, who had departed from Chaplin Castle, arrived at Casio Castle on the opposite side.
Mounted atop Frost, he revealed himself in a dignified manner.
Battles between Ragnar and the monsters had always taken the form of defensive sieges.
And now was no different.
Soldiers guarding the defensive wall and Dwarf warriors gave it their all to hold the line, while the monster horde struggled desperately to climb onto the wall.
‘The lords entrenched inside the mountain range don’t know what’s happening outside.’
He had received reports that no additional monsters were being added inside the mountain range.
Thinking about it, the sa applied to Yul and to Iron.
Had they not ford an alliance with Ragnar, they would not have known the situation outside the mountain range.
The sa was undoubtedly true for the other lords as well.
There was a high chance they did not even know that relations between the Ragnar Family and the Daon Family had deteriorated.
“They probably never imagined that the monsters would be lured outside the North. They must be in quite a panic.”
Kyle grinned as he voiced his thoughts into the communication device in his hand.
Soon after, Aron’s voice ca through the device.
― Do you judge that there’s no chance of additional monsters being deployed?
“The lords must have realized it by now. That deploying monsters against Ragnar is aningless.”
― Ah……!
“Pass this on to Yul. Tell him to secure the Mana Stone Mine.”
― Understood.
“And from now on, gather all forces in the North at Rak Territory.”
At the order to assemble at Rak Territory rather than Ragnar Territory, Aron’s voice wavered.
― My lord, could it be……?
“Do you think I’m cold-hearted? I’m not such a shallow and foolish man that I’d sacrifice even ignorant civilians.”
From the beginning, Kyle had had no intention whatsoever of intervening in the battle at Casio Castle.
Pushing back the monsters and returning had rely been to eliminate any unforeseen variables.
“I will personally command the Northern forces. Pramo, you’re listening as well, aren’t you?”
― ……I’m listening.
“Do you think my choice is wrong?”
― It’s not my place to judge right or wrong. However, this ti as well, I share the sa thoughts as you, brother.
“If we safely overco the monster wave, Ragnar will rise tall as a new dynasty. Trust
and wait.”
― When have I ever not trusted you, brother?
Not once had Pramo ever gone against Kyle’s will.
Even when their opinions had clashed, Pramo had always trusted Kyle and followed him wholeheartedly.
And this ti was no different.
He simply seed frustrated that there was nothing he himself could do.
“Don’t think that way. It’s because you’re in Ragnar that I can move freely without worry.”
With those words, Kyle cut off the communication, watched the battle unfolding at Casio Castle for a long while, then turned his back.
The place he had longed to return to so desperately.
He recalled the resentnt he had endured while living in foreign lands since childhood.
Had he not t the forr emperor of the Tyless Empire, perhaps Kyle’s fate would have been very different from what it was now.
‘……I probably wouldn’t even have been able to return like this.’
Having finally achieved what he desired, he did not want to harbor regrets.
That was why he had moved proactively until now, and would continue to do so.
In the days of Ian Kylers, he had held the position of Grand Duke and enjoyed the full support of Emperor Adrian, allowing him to focus solely on crucial battles.
Now, he had to think as well as fight.
Even so, he was enjoying himself more than at any other ti.
“I may not be able to hold everything in my arms, but I must at least take back a complete Kingdom of Daon. Only then can Pramo beco a proper king.”
Awooo—!
Did she even understand what he was saying?
At Frost’s resounding howl, Kyle let out a soft chuckle.
She was becoming not just a beast, but a good friend.
“Let’s go. To bring down the Daon Family.”
It was ti to put an end to this dragging battle.
To be honest, the power struggle with the royal family no longer held any aning.
He wanted to completely settle matters with the royal family and focus solely on the mountain range.
Turning his head, Kyle looked toward the mountain range.
‘I already spoke properly to the elves who ca to recharge their firepower, so there shouldn’t be any problems even if I leave my post for a while.’
The lords who had failed the monster wave were far more likely to target the elves rather than the Ork Tribe or Ragnar.
However, thanks to Iron’s help, the eting with the elves had gone smoothly, and above all, the conditions made it impossible for the monster wave to succeed.
Even if the lords were to deploy additional monsters, Kyle could simply lure them outside the North again.
‘Lucky . If more monsters had been deployed, I wouldn’t have been able to make this decision. Heh.’
Before long, Kyle leisurely departed the scene together with Frost.
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