Count Schwarz rose from his seat, his cold gaze fixed on Ghislain.
"Did you say your na was Alfoy? Then as a celebration for the start of this war, I’ll send your severed head as the first gift."
At his signal, the surrounding knights and soldiers drew their weapons, encircling Ghislain and his group.
The rcenaries who had accompanied Ghislain instinctively reached for their own weapons.
They weren’t exactly sure how things had ended up like this—again—but by now, they had grown accustod to Ghislain’s antics.
The tension between both sides was suffocating.
The mont Count Schwarz gave the order, blood would be spilled.
Just then, Ghislain broke the silence.
"I am simply providing Count Boneto with a wonderful strategic opportunity."
"What?"
"Why do you think he entrusted a rcenary to declare war? He knew you would try to kill ."
"……"
"Count Boneto anticipated this exact reaction. But what happens if you do exactly what he expected?"
"……"
"If you act as he predicted, you’ll beco a laughingstock. No one on Boneto’s side actually died, so if you respond with violence, you’ll be the fool who let himself be baited."
"……"
"Are you really willing to play right into his hands?"
"Ugh…."
Count Schwarz scowled.
Now that he thought about it, Ghislain had a point.
Schwarz and Boneto despised each other.
To react exactly as Boneto had predicted—no matter the situation—was a massive humiliation.
If war broke out, Boneto would mock him relentlessly for it.
And Schwarz had no intention of giving him that satisfaction.
Ghislain then offered him a way out.
"If you let go, I will deliver your ssage to Count Boneto personally. When he realizes he was wrong, he will be absolutely furious."
Schwarz, swayed by Ghislain’s smooth words, eventually nodded.
"Hmph… I suppose you are just a neutral rcenary. Very well. Go and deliver my ssage to that fool Boneto."
"Understood. We will simply relay your words and leave the two of you to settle things yourselves."
"You’d better. Unless you want to die."
Schwarz finally sat back down, gritting his teeth in frustration.
Ghislain wasted no ti and imdiately rushed back to Boneto’s territory.
As soon as he arrived, he delivered his report—with a twist.
"Count Schwarz is an absolutely ruthless tyrant. No matter what, he refuses to back down from war."
"Ugh… That bastard really is causing trouble, isn’t he?"
Count Boneto’s expression hardened.
From the beginning, he had expected that war was inevitable.
If Schwarz was just as unyielding, then there was no avoiding it.
"Inform everyone. We cannot avoid this war. Begin preparations imdiately."
The two sides had always been at each other’s throats.
If war broke out, there was no telling what horrors the enemy would commit.
The people of Boneto’s domain had to take refuge in the castle and prepare for battle.
At that mont, Ghislain boldly declared:
"Our rcenary corps will stand with you, Count."
"That is welco news! Then let’s crush those bastards together!"
The atmosphere ignited with anticipation.
The lord and his retainers were filled with battle fervor.
Then, Ghislain put on a solemn face and spoke in a serious tone.
"There is sothing I must tell you all… We are not an ordinary rcenary corps."
"What do you an?"
"We are… an elite secret unit from the Empire."
The room fell silent.
Count Boneto and his vassals gasped in shock.
Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that agents of the Empire would appear here.
anwhile, the rcenaries simply stared blankly at Ghislain.
Boneto, his voice trembling slightly, asked,
"A… secret unit from the Empire?"
"That’s right."
"But why would the Empire co here?"
All eyes narrowed with suspicion.
At a glance, this seed like an elaborate scam.
But Ghislain remained unfazed.
"We ca here to test the Empire’s secret weapon."
"A… secret weapon?"
"Yes. The Empire has been developing a classified weapon to combat the Demonic Realm.
The greatest mages and dwarven craftsn collaborated to create it."
"O-Oh…"
They were utterly speechless.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
The way Ghislain spoke, with such conviction, made it sound absolutely real.
Sensing their growing curiosity, Ghislain pressed forward.
"It has finally been completed, and we were looking for the perfect battlefield to test its capabilities."
"Th-Then…"
"That’s right. Since a conflict has erupted here, we decided it would be the ideal place to deploy it."
"But wait—you originally tried to diate between us, didn’t you?"
"Of course. diation was our first priority. After all, there was a chance that this was all just a misunderstanding."
"But after seeing Count Schwarz’s unwavering warmongering, we decided to side with you, the righteous and wise Count Boneto."
"Khm! I suppose I am quite wise."
Boneto’s nostrils flared slightly at the sudden praise.
Seizing the mont, Ghislain clenched his fist and declared,
"The Empire will not stand for reckless warmongering without its approval.
Now, we will use this opportunity to unveil the Empire’s secret weapon and demonstrate its might to the world!"
"Hmm…"
Boneto wavered.
Ghislain’s words were plausible, but he couldn’t shake his skepticism.
Of course, that was natural.
If soone randomly claid to be from the Empire’s secret forces, who would believe them?
But Ghislain simply flashed a confident smile.
"Just wait a mont.
Our other units and the weapon are stationed nearby.
I will go retrieve them right now."
"Hmm. Very well. I will judge for myself once I see this so-called weapon."
"As expected, Count Boneto is a wise and prudent leader. I will return shortly!"
With that, Ghislain hurriedly left the estate with his n.
As soon as they stepped outside, his companions bombarded him with questions.
"Wait, wait, wait! The Salvation Order wants these two territories to fight! But now you went and started the war yourself! Are you sure about this?!"
Although they had heard Ghislain’s explanation, the rapid pace of events left them deeply uneasy.
"Ah, don’t worry about it. This is exactly how we’ll trap them."
Ghislain’s confidence was absolute.
His plan to lure out the Salvation Order had been hastily improvised, but even so, he was sure it would work.
There was no better alternative.
As always, they had no choice but to follow Ghislain’s lead.
The # Nоvеlight # rcenaries he had gathered nearby numbered about twenty.
Leading them, Julien made his way to Count Boneto.
Seeing Julien approach, Count Boneto frowned.
"Hmm? Where is your friend, Ghislain?"
"Ah… That friend is busy carrying out another secret mission. He’ll co as soon as he’s done."
"Hmph, I see. What was your na again?"
"Kaor… sir."
Count Boneto still looked at Julien with suspicion.
He had already been given a string of dubious explanations, and now the loudmouth who had spoken so confidently had suddenly disappeared. It was only natural for things to seem even more suspicious.
"Let see what this secret weapon is."
"Understood."
Julien led Count Boneto and his retainers to where the rcenaries were waiting.
There, a massive wooden crate was loaded onto an equally large wagon.
Count Boneto’s expression showed a hint of expectation. He was curious about what kind of weapon had been crafted by the empire’s skilled mages and dwarves.
Julien hesitated slightly before speaking to the rcenaries.
"Show them… the weapon."
The rcenaries tore off the wooden panels.
Inside was a massive construct, patched together with tal and wooden planks.
Count Boneto’s expression turned to disbelief as he asked,
"That… is that a chicken?"
"…It’s a dragon."
"…"
A heavy silence fell over the surroundings.
Despite its enormous size, the creation was so terribly made that no one in their right mind would call it anything other than grotesque.
If soone had said it was just a pile of junk thrown together at random, that would have been more believable.
Unconsciously, Count Boneto muttered,
"Ugly… It’s too ugly… How can this be a secret weapon?"
His doubts only deepened.
He found it impossible to believe that a dwarf had created sothing this horrendous.
In the midst of the awkward silence, Kyle lowered his head and cursed inwardly.
'Damn it! I knew this would happen! Who would fall for this garbage? You’d have to be a complete idiot!'
The truth was, the rcenaries had hastily put it together while waiting.
With absolutely no sense of aesthetics, the final result had inevitably turned out hideous.
Ghislain had rushed them, giving them no ti for improvents.
However, Ghislain wasn’t particularly concerned about the crude exterior.
There were always ways to turn things around.
He placed a hand on Julien’s shoulder and said,
"There’s no ti to fix it. Your face makes things believable. You just need to convince them. Once they see its power, they’ll understand."
"…"
"Just smile once. That’s all it takes."
Julien found it impossible to understand, but there was no other choice.
He decided to follow Ghislain’s instructions.
As expected, Count Boneto and his retainers, after seeing the ridiculous contraption, wore cold, unreadable expressions.
So of them even exuded killing intent, as if they felt mocked.
Count Boneto’s eyes turned sharp as he asked,
"That thing… Are you telling the empire made this secret weapon? Are you playing a joke on ?"
The knights surrounding him grabbed their sword hilts, ready to strike at a mont’s notice.
Julien, however, remained unfazed and calmly shook his head.
"It was made to look like this on purpose. So that no one would suspect it."
"On purpose?"
"Yes. Until it’s officially unveiled, we must keep its identity hidden."
It was so hideous that it would only draw more attention.
The bizarre appearance alone made it impossible to ignore.
Julien continued in a smooth, persuasive voice,
"There is no need to worry. Once you witness its power, you will be more than satisfied."
Then, he flashed a radiant smile.
It was sothing he had practiced nurous tis under Ghislain’s instruction.
Given that Julien was already lethally handso even when standing still, when he smiled, the atmosphere seed to brighten around him.
Everyone stood dazed for a mont.
So even imagined flower petals drifting in the air.
Soon, their expressions softened, and they nodded.
"Alright, alright. Show us what it can do. I will judge with my own eyes. We shouldn’t make careless assumptions just from appearances."
"Hmm… You seem quite confident. Fine."
With that, a large crowd gathered to watch the secret weapon in action.
Julien turned to Count Boneto and asked,
"Do you have a structure that can be destroyed?"
"Hmm… There is an old tower behind the castle. I was planning to demolish it and rebuild. Are you telling … that this piece of junk—no, this weapon—can destroy it?"
"That’s correct. Then let us move there."
The weapon, still mounted on the massive wagon, was difficult to transport.
Several rcenaries had to push and pull it forward.
Seeing it move surprisingly well, Count Boneto comnted,
"Hmm… For its size, it’s quite light."
"That’s right. It was made by dwarves."
Julien continued explaining as they made their way behind the castle.
Once they arrived, he began adjusting various parts of the weapon.
He pulled and pushed wooden panels, aligning different components.
To an outsider, it almost looked like he was operating sothing genuinely complex.
Once he was done, Julien turned to Count Boneto and said,
"The terrifying thing about this weapon is that anyone can use it."
"Anyone?"
"Yes. Even soldiers who cannot use mana. If you would select one person, they can operate it themselves."
At Count Boneto’s signal, a soldier stepped forward.
Julien turned to him and said,
"I have completed the setup. Now, press the lever sticking out from the side."
The soldier nodded and pressed down.
Clank!
With a heavy chanical sound, bright light began to glow from various parts of the structure.
The onlookers widened their eyes in astonishnt.
Anticipation built as they wondered what would happen next.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a fireball shot out from the dragon-shaped construct’s gaping mouth.
The fireball rapidly expanded before slamming into the target.
Boom!
The tower was completely obliterated.
No—obliteration wasn’t the right word.
It had turned to dust.
The impossible destructive power left the spectators speechless.
A heavy silence filled the air.
No one had expected such a result.
Julien brushed his bangs aside and smiled.
"This is the empire’s new weapon—the Dragon Cannon."
His acting skills had improved dramatically since eting Ghislain.
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