Chapter 89: The Wall Defense Battle

I spread my senses and surveyed the number of enemies.

It seemed those I just dealt with were the last ones—no further presence could be felt.

All that remained was the enemy commander standing before me.

“…Who are you?”

Not just the commander; those around him also stared at me in shock.

They didn’t open their mouths, but it was as if they all shared the same question as the commander.

Well, there was no need to explain everything, so I simply ignored them and focused on the enemy.

There was no need to use the Golden Dragon Eye (SS).

That guy was no match for me.

I used the mana from my Dragon Heart to freeze his legs.

Crack!

Thanks to the spell the Magic Knight Order Captain had cast, things were even easier.

“From now on, I’ll be the one asking questions.”

Leaving Bil behind, I Teleported right in front of the guy and formed a sword of ice.

“Who put you up to this?”

“…Do you really think I’ll tell you?”

Thunk!

I drove the ice sword into his abdomen.

Crack!

The ice that had frozen his legs crept up to his stomach, encasing his entire lower body.

I made another ice sword and aimed it at his chest.

“Talk.”

“Heh heh heh heh. Kill me. I won’t say a word with my own mouth.”

“Is that so? Then it can’t be helped.”

I tossed the ice sword to the ground and unleashed Dragon Fear (A). The aura shaped itself into a dragon and bore down on the commander.

I etched into him the terror of my very existence.

“Kk… uh…”

The commander’s eyes rolled back as he gasped for breath, unable to breathe properly.

Watching him, I lightly slapped his cheek.

“Come on, talk. Who was behind this?”

“It… it was by order of Prince Vulcan.”

I turned slightly and looked at the Magic Knight Order Captain.

“Someone you know?”

“…He’s the Princess’s fiancé.”

“Ah.”

So, the one with ties to the Princess and Bil, her intended husband, was the mastermind behind this plot.

“What was Vulcan’s order?”

“To lure the Royal Magic Knight Order here and kill them along with Bil.”

“Then what was that business about the Wellon Kingdom earlier?”

“…They plan to invade the Wellon Kingdom while the Royal Magic Knight Order—the greatest force standing against the royal family—is away.”

“So there are insiders cooperating, huh.”

“Yes.”

I’d figured out how things were moving.

“Spill everything you know about the traitors.”

Since I wouldn’t know them anyway, I left the rest to the Magic Knight Order Captain, and the moment the commander revealed everything, I ended his life.

Crack!

The commander’s head froze solid.

I turned away from the sight.

With a flick of my fingers, I snapped the cuffs off Bil’s wrists and gathered the remaining people together in one spot.

“I won’t be taking questions. What we have to do now is return to the kingdom and stop whatever scheme Vulcan is plotting. Understood?”

“…Understood.”

“For Serona’s sake…”

“Understood!”

I had them wait a moment, then drew a massive Magic Circle.

It was a large-scale Teleportation Magic Circle that could transport many people at once.

The precise coordinates were handed over by the Royal Magic Knight Order Captain.

I entered the coordinates and channeled mana from my Dragon Heart to complete the spell.

“Let’s go.”

Vwooooom!

The huge Magic Circle was enveloped in a blue glow and flashed. In an instant, the scenery changed. No longer the frozen forest, but right in the warm center of the banquet hall.

Looking around, I saw nobles holding glasses and conversing, while in one corner people clasped hands and danced.

Amidst them, a particularly radiant woman approached.

“Captain of the Knight Order?”

“We greet the Princess.”

The Magic Knight Order Captain immediately knelt in respect. All the mages behind him followed suit.

“Serona…”

“Who are you?”

“It’s me. Bil.”

“Bil?”

“What is the meaning of this!”

Just then, a man in a uniform adorned with a lion on his chest approached.

“Some lowly commoner! Show your respect at once!”

“Prince Vulcan.”

“Stand down.”

Bil clenched his fists and trembled.

“What…? That guy is Vulcan? The one who ordered my death?”

“What nonsense are you talking about, I don’t even know who you are.”

“Don’t lie.”

The Princess’s gaze turned to the Magic Knight Order Captain.

“Explain what’s going on.”

“I will explain in private.”

“No, speak here, I must hear it as well.”

Things were starting to take a frustrating turn, and I had no choice.

“Air Bomb.”

I cast a spell at Prince Vulcan.

Boom!

A surge of compressed air slammed into Prince Vulcan. With the shock, his body flew backward and crashed into the wall.

“What do you think you’re doing!”

The Princess shouted, and the surrounding knights drew their swords and pointed them at me.

Seeing that, I pulled Bil’s shoulder closer to me.

“This is Bil. The friend you once watched a comet with, long ago.”

Then I pointed at Prince Vulcan, still stuck in the wall.

“And that Vulcan over there tried to kill Bil and the Magic Knight Order Captain to seize this kingdom for himself.”

“What did you say?”

“It’s all true, Princess.”

At the Captain’s words, the Princess raised her hand.

“…Hold on a moment.”

Bil moved, seeing the Princess overwhelmed by the flood of information.

“I never wanted to meet you again like this… I’m sorry.”

“But… they said Bil was dead…”

“Who said that?”

But before the Princess could answer, a great drumbeat resounded.

Doom!

Doom!

Doom!

At the same time, some of the knights inside drove their swords into the chests of the fellow knights beside them.

Thunk!

Thunk!

The betrayed knights collapsed, their eyes wide in shock.

“What is…?”

“Princess, you must escape!”

The Magic Knight Order Captain stood up and used magic to deal with the traitorous knights.

“Guh… Run now!”

“There’s nowhere to run.”

Prince Vulcan walked out from where he’d crashed into the wall, tilting his neck.

“This kingdom, and the Princess, are mine.”

“…Is everything they said true?”

“Does it matter? Nothing changes—it’s all over anyway.”

“What do you mean, it’s over?”

“Look there.”

Prince Vulcan pointed to a window.

Beyond it, past the curtain, I saw what lay outside the castle walls.

A massive army that had been hidden by the curtains was now closing in on the castle.

“This kingdom is finished. So just resign yourself to living as my concubine.”

“……”

“Kill everyone except the Princess.”

“Yes, sir.”

Enemy knights who had been in hiding revealed themselves and charged at us.

I used my magic to deal with both the enemies and Prince Vulcan, summoning the Dragon Fang Spiral Spear.

Boom!

Enemies fell to the ground as corpses.

“Bil, I think you should handle that guy.”

At my words, Bil swallowed nervously and looked at the ruby necklace in his hand.

“This isn’t how I wanted to show you this…”

He clenched his fist and began chanting.

The immense power contained in the red ruby soared into the sky along with his incantation.

Flash!

The clear sky instantly darkened as a gigantic Magic Circle appeared overhead, inscribed with a complex formation beyond immediate comprehension.

Vwooooom!

The shining Magic Circle became a single point of light, which grew larger and more dazzling.

It became a comet of many colors that plummeted toward the enemy.

KABOOOOOM!

The instant the massive explosion struck the ground.

All vision was swallowed in blackness, and a message appeared.

[You have completed the Trial.]

[You have passed the Comet Trial.]

[Sacred Relic: You have acquired the Comet Necklace.]

[Comet Necklace (Sacred Relic)]

– An Artifact crafted by a mad mage for the woman he loved.

– Allows the summoning of the ultra-wide-area spell ‘Comet.’

– Greatly increases the power of all fire attribute spells.

– Dramatically enhances knowledge related to magic.

But the messages didn’t stop there.

[Sacred Relic: Comet Necklace has been registered.]

[All those affiliated with the Dragon Lair gain greatly increased affinity, resistance, and power for fire attributes. Additionally, comprehension for Artifact creation increases significantly.]

Not bad.

Ropenheim stood atop the castle wall, gazing at the approaching enemy.

Naga, Elf, Vampire Race.

The three races stood arrayed, each gripping their weapons. It was a situation where war could break out at any moment.

For better or worse, the enemy leaders were nowhere to be seen.

‘Is it too soon to relax?’

The aura emanating from the enemies was extraordinary.

As the Eternal Race who had lived in this forest for ages, the difference in skill brought by time would be considerable.

If they attacked with full force, stopping them would be no easy feat.

‘The flow has shifted.’

A subtle current among the enemies had changed. Sensing they were about to move, Ropenheim raised his hand.

“Prepare yourselves.”

【Yes!】

【Yes!】

At Ropenheim’s command, the forces moved swiftly.

Goblins, Wyverns, and Elves, all who had feasted on Balak’s cooking.

With the tremendous buffs from the food, and potions from the Witches in hand, they climbed atop the wall and took their positions.

The Elves readied their bows.

Wyverns and Goblins prepared to dominate the skies.

And soon enough, the enemies began to move.

Swish!

Vampires dashed forward, kicking off the ground, while enemy Elves rained down enchanted arrows.

The Nagas in the rear used water magic to batter the walls.

BOOM!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Magic and arrows rained down upon the wall.

Vwooom!

While the defense magic set up by Yongjae blocked the magic and arrows, our allied Elves let loose their own arrows.

Whoosh!

Arrows imbued with wind spirits flew swift as lightning.

They struck against the blood barriers created by the Vampires.

It was turning into a battle of attrition.

Vampires at the front fashioned massive hammers out of blood and hammered at the wall.

CRASH!

At them, a blazing Sun Sunflower (Low Grade) opened its maw.

Fireballs spewed from its mouth, raining down on the Vampires.

BOOM!

BOOOOM!

The massive explosions scorched the ground.

The Vampires withstood the attacks of the Sun Sunflower (Low Grade) and the Attribute Grass with their blood barriers, all while pounding on the wall with their hammers.

“Orc.”

When Ropenheim called his name, the Orc leapt down from the wall.

Muscles rippled on his shoulders and forearms as he wielded his twin axes, his eyes flashing with intent, weapon charged with fierce energy.

The Orc charged straight ahead, axes swinging wildly.

【UOOOOOOOO!】

With a roar, he took on the Vampires. But even among the Vampires, there were some with exceptional skill.

Five Vampires focused on marking the Orc, buying time.

‘Hmm…’

Ropenheim stroked his chin.

Sending Wyvern Riders to face those Vampires would be pointless.

Since the Nagas and Elves in the distance were still unscathed.

Just as he was considering using the Destruction Blood Heaven Demon Array—

KABOOOOOOM!

A huge explosion rang in his ears.

“Aaaargh!”

At the enemies’ screams, Ropenheim’s gaze shifted. A gigantic sunflower burned pure white, spitting white flames.

The blood barrier put up by the Vampires evaporated instantly, incinerating the Vampires alive.

It was an entirely different level of power from before.

The Vampires who had been hammering the wall quickly fell back.

Now, the ranged firepower that had been focused on the Vampires could turn to the Nagas and Elves.

“Now’s our chance. Press the attack!”