A half-destroyed castle wall and a cracked fortress.
Homer Castle, where the battle had ended, looked as if it could no longer function as a fortress.
Listening to the conversation between the elder, who was presumably the lord, and Alisa, the main device maintaining the Barrier had been broken.
For a Wizard’s fortress to have no Barrier meant it was no different from a castle without walls.
“My goodness. Thanks to you, we were able to protect the Kingdom from those heinous enemies. Ah, I am Count Avan.”
The Lord of the castle spoke as he reached out for a handshake. For a Wizard, he had a sturdy build and clear, sparkling eyes that made him look exactly like a Knight.
Laplace. As expected, it was a kingdom with many talented individuals.
“I am Richard.”
I grasped his outstretched hand. Come to think of it, I remembered hearing a faint voice when I first arrived here.
‘You should pray to Hor. He has heard your wish, Count.’
“Hahaha! So that was it. My wish must have reached him! To think such a brilliant Original Army would arrive!”
Avan’s laughter echoed against the castle walls. However, the situation was not one where we could simply laugh.
Cough!
Blood trickled from the corners of his wrinkled mouth. It seemed the aftermath of the Mana Backflow he had been desperately suppressing had finally caught up to him.
At the same time, Wizards began collapsing one after another all over the place.
“The enemies were just the vanguard. The main force will arrive soon.”
The Count slumped into his seat and gritted his teeth. A heavy expression once again loomed over his face as he surveyed the castle.
“As you can see, time is too short to move our formation in this physical state. You should return with the King. A single victory report alone will boost the country’s morale.”
“Then what do you intend to do, Your Excellency?”
“I must block the enemies! If I can stop those bastards for even a single step, wouldn’t that be a meaningful death?”
Count Avan burned with bravery. His appearance was reminiscent of the Knights of Riot Castle.
I turned my head away from him and looked at the King.
She was also looking at me. Her gaze was filled with the belief that I would help them, without a shred of doubt. As expected, my master knew me well.
“A Wizard can only demonstrate their true power when they are in perfect condition. It would be a waste to crumble here along with the castle.”
“Most of the forces are already in a state of backflow. There is no other way.”
I placed my hand on the shoulder of the Count, who was shaking his head. Then, I poured out a generous amount of Faith.
“Mana Backflow like this can be overcome if the Divine Grace of Hor is with you. I will heal the Wizards, so please prepare to move quickly.”
The destination was Steel Thorn Castle. I intended to turn the forces of Homer into ardent believers on the way there.
***
Tension hung over the Southern Continent. Every nation and power, whether strong or weak, was watching only one place.
David fighting Goliath—Laplace.
They expected Laplace to surrender without even lasting a single week. No, many even asserted that they would tuck their tails before the battle even began. Just how long could they hold out?
The eyes and ears directed toward Laplace were nothing more than a source of entertainment for most.
Since it had been decades since a country had rebelled against Markus, which had dominated the Southern Continent for a long time, it was impossible not to be interested.
Then, news arrived that Laplace had succeeded in defending Homer Castle. Though it eventually fell to the main force of Markus that arrived immediately after, the news of the victory in the first battle carried many meanings.
However, the public’s view did not change. The power of the main force led by the Third Prince of Markus surpassed that of a single nation.
Since only one castle had fallen to a mere vanguard, they believed there was no hope for Laplace now that the main force of Markus had begun its march.
Soon, that immense power arrived at Steel Thorn Castle.
“Do those who have lost their hearts to Eodom dare to resist Markus!”
Boom, boom!
The Magic of the Third Prince, Kaval Markus, struck the Barrier of Steel Thorn Castle. The atmosphere trembled, and explosions erupted.
Shudder —
For some reason, Kaval trembled at the thrill of the Magic he had cast himself.
‘Strong! Is this the Grace of Light?’
Greed flickered in his eyes as he looked down at his own hands. If he could crush that axis of evil, his father would share more Divine Grace with him. Perhaps he would even receive God’s favor.
At that thought, his Mana surged naturally.
“Attack! Break every single thorn!”
They wove Magic with high morale. Tens of thousands of high-grade Magic Armor Soldiers drew their swords and shields. Before that fierce army, Steel Thorn Castle looked pitifully insignificant.
But it wasn’t.
The battle, which was expected to end in one hour, lasted over a day. The battle, which was thought would finish in half a day, had already passed three days. Despite that, the castle standing tall before Kaval remained firm.
After a moment of embarrassment, a fire of rage surged in Kaval’s chest at some point. All eyes of the Southern Continent were drawn here, and if he couldn’t even capture one castle, there would be nothing more shameful. The transformation from confidence to impatience was instantaneous.
“Grrr! Those who sold their souls to Eodom are struggling! Fine! Sweep them all away with the Magic Armor Soldiers!”
Unfortunately, Kaval’s order was not faithfully executed.
Clang!
Lumps of iron engraved with the crest of Markus rolled across the ground.
“I-It’s the cavalry!”
One Wizard with sharp eyes shouted. Kaval, who turned his head following that gaze, flinched. Massive cavalry units were rushing forward, smashing all of the family’s weapons.
“It’s the Magic Armored Cavalry of Laplace!”
The origin of the name Steel Thorn Castle came from the special nature of these Magic Armor Soldiers. Those things, which had the body of a horse and the upper body of a Knight, possessed a momentum that was no less than the charge of high-ranking Knights.
One of them pointed a lance at Kaval.
“Hmph! Don’t be afraid! Just aim for the legs!”
Crash!
The Magic Kaval fired broke the legs of the cavalry. The Wizards’ agitation gradually subsided at the sight of them tumbling down while still running.
“It is somewhat surprising, but that is all. Today, this castle will fall!”
Kaval sensed victory. It felt as if the favor of Light was already with him.
Chink —
Just then, the sound of chains was heard from somewhere.
Slice.
The sound of the chains was followed by the noise of a cold weapon cutting through something. Before long, a path was cleared. In the middle of the alleyway, revealed as the Magic Armor Soldiers of Markus fell one after another, stood a single Knight.
***
Numerous kingdoms and Magic Houses opened their ears wide. It was to hear without filter how Goliath had caught and killed David.
Then, new information finally reached their ears.
[The main force led by the Third Prince of Markus has been defeated.]
Aside from Homer Castle, which Laplace had practically given up, Kaval’s army had achieved nothing. Fewer than 5,000 survivors out of 10,000 Wizards remained. They retreated without even recovering 10,000 out of the 40,000 Magic Armor units. What that meant was an overwhelming defeat.
“Unbelievable.”
The Southern Continent itself seemed to be shaken by the shocking news. Meanwhile, rumors about Laplace followed.
[An unprecedented Magic Swordsman is performing brilliantly.]
[The King of Laplace has regained her former power.]
From that point on, several countries took out their calculators. They changed their attitudes and held their breath.
“Has Markus become weak? Or has Laplace become strong?”
The eyes of a certain Empire’s Emperor gleamed. They, who were only interested in how Markus would cook the weak nation, were now interested in Laplace itself. It was proof that the firm prestige of Markus was shaking just that much.
Then, a strange rumor leaked out this time.
[Something is strange about Markus.]
[Their entire army is dyed pitch black.]
It was a story that a few quick-witted countries already knew but had kept quiet about. It had finally become a matter of public debate.
“Good, good.”
Richard, who surveyed the continental situation with Divine Sight, wore a satisfied smile. With just two battles, he had put Markus in a difficult position; there was no greater victory.
Markus could not hide their darkness. Since they didn’t even consider Eodom to be darkness in the first place, they wouldn’t even think of hiding it.
‘Soon, everyone will know. That Markus has gone mad. That the axis of evil is right over there.’
The real fight was just beginning. Just because they realized the madness of Markus didn’t mean other countries would unconditionally help Laplace. Might makes right, and might is justice. In this case, Markus was still the law. To survive in front of the strong, weak nations had to follow the law.
‘Unless they are certain we can defeat Markus, the others will only watch.’
Even as Richard thought that, he did not harbor any complaints. The justification for Laplace’s head-on resistance against the evil law—by securing just that, the tide of the war could be overturned at any time. Because at this very moment, in unseen places, signs of allies siding with Laplace were beginning to stir.
He soon rose from his seat and informed Alisa of the continent’s situation.
“Phew. Markus is finally getting what’s coming to them.”
“Indeed. If they had pushed Laplace from the beginning, it wouldn’t have turned out like this.”
“Since they serve the darkness as if it were the light, their very perspective on the situation is flawed.”
Alisa looked at Richard. Even though she had heard good news, a small flicker of concern lingered around her eyes.
“Right, are you feeling better inside?”
“What are you talking about? I don’t have any major injuries.”
“I mean back then. You looked like you were having a bit of a hard time.”
She spoke, poking Richard’s chest with her finger. She was talking about what had happened at Homer Castle.
“Having keen eyes isn’t always a good thing. Sometimes you see things you shouldn’t see.”
The Giant shedding tears of blood and pouring out its rage. The massive eyes bursting into tears like a child. The brilliantly shining cross was taking on that terrible resentment while standing tall. At least in her eyes, that was how it appeared.
“It’s fine. I just have to set it right again.”
Richard spoke as if it were no big deal. However, the shadows under his eyes told her that there had been quite a few nights he had spent awake.