Chapter 121
Hainel Fremunt
Hainel Fremunt is the first Aura Master of the Baroque Kingdom and is revered as the guardian deity of the kingdom.
Despite being an Aura Master, he has never neglected his swordsmanship training.
Even at over fifty years old, he was still active, demonstrating his imnse and formidable strength.
Leonhark couldn’t hide his surprise at Damian’s sudden request to et Hainel.
“What is your reason for wanting to et him?”
“I want to learn—how to properly handle magic and aura.”
In fact, if Damian considered his options, he could have learned from soone else.
But the reason Damian wanted to et Hainel was that Hainel, too, had climbed up from the very bottom, overcoming each challenge with hard work.
‘Effort over talent. He’s soone in a similar position to .’
That’s why Damian thought Hainel might be able to help him with the struggles he was facing now.
“Hmm… It’s not difficult to make the request, but…”
“…Is there a problem?”
“Hainel only ets those he deems worthy. I can ask him, but whether he agrees is another matter.”
“I see…”
Damian replied with a slightly troubled expression.
In a way, Hainel was the person Damian needed most right now.
But if he refused to et…
‘Then I’ll just have to find another way.’
There were certainly others proficient in handling magic.
Damian concealed his disappointnt and said to Leonhark, “That’s alright. I’d be grateful if you could just ask.”
“I’ll send the letter right away. Do you have any other requests?”
“No, none.”
“Alright. Then, since you’re here, how about we chat for a mont?”
“Go ahead.”
As Damian sat down, Leonhark asked with a slightly serious expression, “Are you aware of the strange atmosphere in the kingdom recently?”
“Yes, the Empire, which had been quiet for a while, is moving aggressively again.”
In fact, it looked as if a storm of bloodshed would sweep across the entire continent soon, especially with the Empire’s navy mobilizing so decisively.
Leonhark continued, “The higher-ups are particularly watching the Caion unit closely. It seems they’ll be deployed again soon.”
“Yes, I expected that.”
Before that happened, though, it was crucial to get in sync with the newly selected mbers as much as possible.
Even the slightest mistake on the battlefield could lead to the death of comrades.
Leonhark nodded and said, “So, here’s the thing. We recently ford a special archer unit.”
“Yes.”
“I want to create another special unit, with Kyle at the forefront. What do you think?”
“Another special unit?”
Damian’s expression turned serious.
When Leonhark brought up such ideas, there was always a good reason behind them.
To Damian’s question, Leonhark explained, “Kyle, and that guy you brought with you—Creon—both of them are quite strong.
In fact, there are quite a few who are just as capable. I want to form an assault unit of about fifty n, centered around them, and have them undergo special training.”
“An assault unit…”
Damian’s eyes glead.
He knew very well what an assault unit created by Leonhark entailed.
He had been hesitating, wondering if there were any in the Caion unit who t the requirents, but…
‘The instructor has already noticed.’
Indeed, there was a stark difference between what Damian excelled at and what Leonhark excelled at.
Damian readily agreed. “If you’re the one leading it, I’d be more than happy. But will it be possible? You’re already dedicating a lot of ti to the existing training.”
“Haha, isn’t teaching my job?”
Leonhark displayed a motivated look.
And this side of Leonhark…
‘…It’s been a while.’
It was rare to see him this enthusiastic, even in his past life. But Damian knew all too well.
When Leonhark had this gleam in his eye, it ant danger.
Thinking of the soldiers who would form the new assault unit, Damian quietly prayed for them.
‘Rest in peace.’
—
Drum roll of hooves
As over 3,000 troops charged past the border, General Bihar of the Kingdom of Tirkan, who had been guarding the border, was utterly shaken.
“How… how can this be?”
Their army was less than half the size of his.
His 10,000 soldiers stood ready to et them.
With over 2,000 archers, 3,000 cavalry waiting in reserve, and the frontline shield-bearers wielding tower shields as big as a man, they had prepared for everything.
And yet…
“Kill everyone who stands in our way!”
Galveron, leading the charge, saw the enemy soldiers blocking their path.
All of them had a resolute expression, their eyes filled with the determination to die.
Smirk.
Galveron’s lips curled into a grin.
No matter how determined they were to die, when faced with true fear, they would all crumble.
Whooooooooom!
Galveron began drawing upon his magic, revealing a higher state of power.
Aura.
Magic, when aligned with the caster’s unique traits, took on form.
A massive black serpent coiled around Galveron’s sword, its jaws wide open.
The fierce killing intent was palpable.
The faces of the shield-bearers of the Kingdom of Tirkan turned pale in an instant.
“Wh-what is that?”
“That… that’s Aura?”
It felt like they were dreaming.
The enormous black serpent, growing ever larger, moved toward the Tirkan Kingdom’s shield-bearers.
It was like sothing out of legend—a colossal monster.
Kiiiiiiiieeeeek!
An ear-splitting roar.
In that mont, Galveron’s aura, as if alive, engulfed the soldiers.
“Kaaaaaaah!”
“Aaaah!”
The soldiers were swallowed up and t their deaths without putting up any resistance.
Thud! Thud!
Their bodies fell to the ground like lifeless husks, as if their souls had been drained.
In just one attack, over a hundred soldiers had lost their lives.
“Advance.”
Galveron and his soldiers began a ferocious advance through the now-broken Tirkan army.
Even though the Tirkan Kingdom’s army outnumbered Galveron’s forces by three to one, the 10,000 soldiers could not stop Galveron, who led the charge.
And then…
“Follow the general!”
“Slaughter all the enemies!”
“No prisoners! We’ll bury them all here and move on!”
The 3,000 elite soldiers following Galveron joined in the ruthless massacre, ravaging the Tirkan soldiers.
It was overwhelming power.
Galveron’s 3,000 soldiers fought with the ferocity of n who seed to have awoken to a higher strength, unleashing relentless attacks.
And just as Galveron had predicted, by dawn…
Bwoooo!
The remaining forces of the Tirkan Kingdom, having lost half their army, were forced to retreat.
Yet even during the retreat, an enormous number of soldiers lost their lives.
Thud.
Galveron, surveying the blood-soaked battlefield, turned his gaze.
“General, give us your orders.”
At his subordinate’s inquiry, Galveron looked at the rising sun and quietly asked, “Are there any soldiers too tired to keep moving?”
“There are no weaklings like that in this unit.”
Galveron nodded at the subordinate’s confident reply.
“Then we keep advancing.”
Until they completely seized the enemy by the throat.
With Galveron’s command, his army surged forward once again, heading straight for the Tirkan Kingdom’s capital.
—
“This is a disaster!”
Mateurus frowned as he looked at the secretary entering his office.
‘So they moved this quickly…?’
It had already been confird that the Empire’s army was stationed in the northern part of the Spanian Kingdom.
But with no imdiate action, Mateurus had thought there would be a little more ti to prepare…
“I can’t believe they broke through so fast.”
Reports continued to co in that the border had already fallen, and the enemy was advancing toward the capital of the Tirkan Kingdom.
However…
“Still, we’ve made preparations, so they won’t crumble so easily.”
Though Aura Masters possessed overwhelming power on the battlefield, there were ways to counter them.
‘As long as we can hold the capital and buy ti, we can find a way.’
But how much preparation had the Empire done to be able to move their army so swiftly and simultaneously?
The sheer amount of supplies, food, and resources being used by the Empire’s forces was astronomical.
This wasn’t sothing that could be achieved by rely preparing for 12 years.
‘The preparations we’ve made so far are nothing compared to what still needs to be done.’
Mateurus let out a small sigh.
“What’s the current situation with weapon and food prices?”
“They’re already starting to fluctuate slightly. The general public hasn’t felt it yet, but within three or four months—at the most, by the end of the year—there will be significant changes.”
Though this wasn’t necessarily a matter for the Chancellor’s office, Mateurus, being responsible for overseeing everything, couldn’t afford to ignore it.
Hearing the secretary’s report, Mateurus furrowed his brow.
The common citizens hadn’t yet felt the effects of the war, but…
‘That, too, won’t last much longer.’
Soon, they might even have to enforce a military draft to sustain the war effort.
‘Is this the end of the era of peace…?’
Mateurus sighed deeply.
How could the Empire be so ambitious?
Despite already holding nearly half of the continent’s territory, they were intent on…
“Do they plan to take everything?”
The situation seed to offer no clear solutions.
Mateurus rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. But just then, the secretary spoke again.
“By the way, Lord Mateurus, there is sothing odd happening with one of the rchant guilds.”
“…A guild?”
“Yes.”
Mateurus asked the secretary, who nodded and explained.
“It’s the guild supplying the 6th Legion. They’ve grown enormously in just the past year.”
“The one providing supplies exclusively to the 6th Legion?”
Mateurus had heard of them.
The guild had appeared suddenly and revolutionized the military’s supply chain by taking over all of the 6th Legion’s provisions.
Because of them, so of the long-standing issues within the army had finally seen improvent.
Mateurus nodded and asked, “And what unusual behavior is this guild showing?”
“They’ve begun buying up plains in the southern outskirts.”
“…They’re buying land?”
“Yes.”
The southern region was known for its fertile land.
But why would the guild be purchasing such land?
And then it hit him.
“…Could it be?”
Mateurus’ eyes widened slightly.
The secretary nodded.
“Yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking.”
“Haha…”
At that, Mateurus let out a startled laugh, almost in disbelief.
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