Chapter 206
“The vanguard has finally arrived at Peril, and as expected, there were no ambushes. There were no magical traps, either,” reported a man holding a communication crystal ball.
Marquis Crombell on his white horse replied to the man, “Go.”
“Understood.”
Marquis Crombell turned to look up ahead once the man disappeared. “Thank you for taking this into account. I didn’t even request anything else.
“This is your battle, so it’s only fair that the Marquis’s knights lead the way,” the Mercenary King replied. “Don’t worry about it.”
At that, Marquis Crombell revealed a gentle smile. “How could I not worry about it? We both know you have to distinguish yourself in this battle.
“...”
“Our family will never forget this generosity,” said Marquis Crombell.
The Mercenary King simply nodded, but Marquis Crombell’s smile widened at the sight of that.
At first glance, the scene looked like someone foisting gifts on an unwilling recipient, but the reality was different. If all went well, the Mercenary King would become a high-ranking nobleman.
Marquis Crombell didn’t need to grovel, but showing his respect for the Mercenary King ahead of time would only benefit Marquis Crombell. After all, he knew that the Mercenary King was a great man.
‘People are still talking about the Battle of Pluto,’?Marquis Crombell muttered to himself while staring at the Mercenary King’s wide back. The Hart Kingdom had to suffer a lengthy civil war.
The only reason it lasted for so long was that the Mercenary King had massacred all two hundred knights and a thousand troops—practically the Kingdom’s entire army. He also took the head of Duke Desito, their commander, for good measure.
That event was a big chance to get the mercenary king's name known all over the continent, and in the Hart Kingdom, Marquis Crombell still got scared when he heard his name.
The incident made the Mercenary King famous throughout the world, and the Mercenary King’s name was still feared even in the current Hart Kingdom. To be honest, Marquis Crombell was also scared of the former.
Stop.
The Mercenary King suddenly came to a halt and muttered, “This energy…”
Marquis Crombell tilted his head at the Mercenary King and asked, “What’s going on?”
“...” The Mercenary King wordlessly squinted and stared at the troops advancing on the gates of Castle Peril.
“Aura Force?”
“What?!” exclaimed Marquis Crombell.
“Was there someone in the Pontier Family who could use Aura Force?” The Mercenary King frowned. “It’s not the Dark Knight. His kind can’t use Aura Force, so it must be him. It doesn’t seem like an ordinary manifestation of aura as well.”
Marquis Crombell frowned at the Mercenary King, seemingly puzzled by the latter’s muttering.
“No way.” Someone popped into the Mercenary King’s head. “Is it him? The boy who still hasn’t weaned off his mother’s milk?”
“What is it?” asked Marquis Crombell.
“Marquis Crombell.”
“...?” Marquiss Crombell flinched at the Mercenary King’s grim expression.
“Have you really seen him before?” asked the Mercenary King.
“What are you talking about?”
“That brat Joshua Sanders.”
Marquis Crombell shook his head. He barely managed to hold in the fury welling up in his chest when he heard the name before saying, “I have never met him personally. I only heard the rumors about him. What, is he here?”
Someone’s shout interrupted them.
“Lord!”
“Lord! Someone just jumped off the walls of Peril Castle. He’s an enemy!”
“What?” Marquis Crombell’s ears perked up.
“He’s running toward our vanguard right now. He’ll meet them soon enough.”
“What bullshit are you spouting? That’s at least a few kilometers away! I told them to hold their positions in case of traps and ambushes. If that man came from the castle walls of Peril, then how come he’s already so close to the vanguard?!”
“T-They didn’t disobey orders. The enemy is moving so fast it’s hard to believe he’s even huma—”
He didn’t get a chance to finish. There was a loud explosion, and the noise that it generated was so loud that it seemed to have stolen every other noise in the world.
“I thought the rumors were mistaken…”
“What in the world is going on?!” Marquis Crombell gnashed his teeth in frustration. It seemed that he still had no idea what was going on.
“We have to catch up to the troops up ahead. NOW,” emphasized the Mercenary King while staring at the cloud of dirt rising up the skies up ahead.
“Summarize what’s going on for me…” said Marquis Crombell.
“There’s no time. We have to focus on catching up. Otherwise…” The Mercenary King trailed off. His eyes darkened as he continued. “You will lose all of your proud knights.”
***
“Master, what are you…”
“Your Majesty…”
Cain, Leo de Grans, and a hundred Wilhelm Knights showed up next to Joshua. The troops of the Pontier Family were with them. The troops of the Pontier Family couldn’t bear to watch Joshua take on the enemy alone, so they abandoned the castle walls and ran toward Joshua as fast as their legs could take them.
For some reason, rather than getting exhausted, they became filled with a strange power that sharpened their minds with every step they took. They seemed to have entered a state of flow as their mind was only occupied with the upcoming fight.
When they finally reached Joshua, he stole their breath away. A suit of shining white armor decorated with scintillating golden borders had mysteriously appeared to gird his body, and his crimson spear echoed the carnage around him.
If it weren’t for the mounds of corpses at his feet, he would have definitely looked like a hero straight out of a painting. Honestly, the scene right now resembled the wake of a God of War’s descent.
Leo de Grans was in a daze as he approached Joshua.
“War songs…” Leo de Grans started.
“...” Joshua remained silent.
“The instruments in war songs, like the drums, are often used in a way that matches the rhythm of the heart of a human being, but they were also sometimes used in a way that matches the rhythm of the troops’ movements…”
“I’ve heard that scholars spent many years studying how music affects people’s emotions,” said Leo de Grans with a smile. “In the end, it looks like their hard work paid off. A song for a broken heart, a song for finding new love—music has more power than you can imagine. But war songs… war songs are a bit special.”
Leo de Grans stared right into Joshua’s eyes and said, “War songs make us forget our fears. Our brain creates hormones that make our pain go away, but music is the perfect tool to kickstart the production of those hormones, but it has clear flaws as well…”
”However, Your Majesty’s war song instantly captured my heart.”
Leo de Grans wasn’t lying.
Of course, it would be ridiculous to assume that the foes couldn’t have gotten captivated by Joshua’s war song as well. After all, it would be ridiculous to think that music could distinguish between foes—unless Joshua had special powers.
“Your Majesty. I don’t think this is the right time to say this, but I don’t think I’ll get another chance, so I hope you’ll forgive me.” All eyes were on Leo as he addressed his liege. “Please take care of yourself. It is my sincere wish that Your Majesty takes better care of his body. It is my first time to stumble upon an individual to whom I want to dedicate my entire life, and I don’t want to lose this fortune.”
Leo de Grans was heavy with emotions, and one could see that he was truly sincere.
“We will protect you, no matter what.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Joshua smiled softly. “First of all, I won’t be pointing my sword at you. However, I will heed your advice since this is the first time that I received such a request from one of my people.”
Leo de Grans’ eyes widened. Joshua clearly said ‘my people,’ and the word made him tremble as it struck a chord in his heart.
All of a sudden, a strong vibration could be felt from the ground.
“They’re here.”
Everyone looked up and saw that the main force of the enemy—composed of ten thousand soldiers—had arrived. Moreover, there was a Superhuman among them.
Cain clenched his fists and planted himself firmly by Joshua’s side. “Master’s side belongs to me, no matter what.”
Leo de Grans’ eyebrows wriggled.
Everyone else looked at Cain as if he had gone mad.
“Wanna bet?”
“Bet?” asked Cain.
“The one with the highest heads taken will be the one who should stand next to His Majesty.”
“Oh?” Cain rubbed his chin with an intrigued look. “The Mercenary King killed many of my comrades, so I’ll return the favor to him.”
“How come you’re so confident?” asked Leo de Grans.
Cain chuckled and answered Leo de Grans’ question with his own question. “What happens to the loser?”
“I will be your older brother if you lose.”
“There’s no way I’ll be your younger brother,” retorted Cain.
“We’ll see…” said Leo de Grans.
Cain shook his head. “I guess you don’t know what my nickname is…” Cain brandished his sword and superimposed his mist-like mana into the blade as he explained, “Listen. Everyone calls me the First Knight of Sanders out there.”
Once his words fell, he immediately took off running.
Leo de Grans’ eyes widened at the sight of that. “Wait, you dirty cheater…!”
.
Leo de Grans couldn’t really be blamed for criticizing Cain’s false start. After all, the protagonist of this siege was still standing unmoving next to him.
“...” Joshua didn’t know what to say. In the end, he simply shook his head and took off running as well. He started running toward the main force of Marquis Crombell’s army despite the massive numbers advantage of the latter over him.
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