Chapter 55: The Black Knight

“Yes. You’re right.”

I chuckled and replied to Beatrice’s words.

“Count Georg isn’t the only person who needs an Inspection.”

Looking up at the sky, I could see the Twin Moons behind the dark clouds.

One was red, and the other was blue.

It was a sight I always saw, but days like today, when the colors of those moons became so vivid, were quite rare.

Keeping the two moons in my sight, I spoke.

“Two of the King’s closest aides have been placed under Inspection.”

The Black Knight and the Knight of Sloth.

“The Black Knight is the commander currently leading the Order of Knights that went to support the Holy Land Reclamation Operation, and the Knight of Sloth is the Administrator we just saw.”

“……Why were those two put under Inspection?”

“It wouldn’t be fun if I told you everything.”

My lips twitched as I looked at Beatrice.

In fact, she was currently acting as the ears for the entire Special Task Force.

“Find out for yourself as best as you can. This is also training.”

Beatrice wore a bewildered expression but eventually nodded her head.

“If that is the Captain’s intent, then I have no choice. Hmm…….”

Beatrice let out a small groan and slightly furrowed her brows.

“What’s wrong? Is there something you’re curious about?”

“No.”

Beatrice shook her head and replied.

“It’s just…… I feel annoyed and stifled.”

“Is that so?”

“But…… it’s not exactly a bad feeling.”

“You’re annoyed, but it’s not a bad feeling. That’s peculiar.”

“It is. Even I don’t really know what I’m talking about.”

“Anyway, it’s a relief if it didn’t feel bad. Let’s think of it positively.”

“……Yeah. Then I guess it’s fine.”

Beatrice stood up and went inside.

“Are you going to stay out in the breeze longer?”

“I’ll go in soon. You should get some rest quickly. We have to depart soon.”

“……Right. Goodnight.”

With those words, Beatrice disappeared.

I quietly appreciated the Twin Moons until daybreak.

Warp Magic was like a tactical advantage held by Humanity in the fight against the Demon Army.

This was because the Warp Magic used on a large scale by high-ranking mages of the Magic Tower could move an entire legion to a desired location in just a few seconds.

“How many people?”

“Seven in total.”

“That will be 70 gold coins.”

The downside was that it was incredibly expensive.

“Here it is.”

Administrator Vincent handed over a pouch of money.

Perhaps because it was funded by the Royal Family, he showed no hesitation in handing it over.

The Mage from the Magic Tower took out the gold coins threaded together from the pouch and counted them one by one.

“70 coins confirmed.”

“……This is a transaction conducted in the name of the Royal Family; did you really have to count them right in front of me?”

“I apologize. I know it doesn’t look great, but it is our duty. Please understand that low-ranking members like us have no choice but to follow the projects being pushed by the Magic Tower.”

The Administrator, who had been about to say something, sighed at the unexpectedly polite response.

“Fine. If you have no choice, then so be it. If you are ready, I would like you to begin now.”

“If you wait just two minutes, the preparations will be finished immediately.”

About two minutes later, Mana erupted from the Mage who had been preparing the warp and the low-ranking mages cooperating to execute the Magic.

Soon, a warp portal appeared in the air.

The circular portal flickered as if it were sucking in even the surrounding light.

“The warp manifestation time is 30 minutes. You must pass through within that time to avoid being trapped in a dimensional rift, so please be careful.”

“What is the average time it takes to pass through?”

“You should come out on the other side in 10 seconds.”

It was more than enough time.

“Let’s go.”

I took the lead first.

The moment I stepped into the warp portal, an endless darkness appeared.

And not far away, there was an exit leading outside.

“This is my first time using a warp, and it’s a bit different from what I imagined.”

“Well, the most commonly known Magic would be space movement. However, Warp Magic is almost impossible to use unless it is done on a national scale or for customers that the Magic Tower considers important.”

“Is there a reason?”

It was none other than Vincent who answered Murfin’s question.

“Space movement Magic can only move individuals or a small number of people, whereas Warp Magic can move an entire army.”

“That’s not all. You heard what the Mage said earlier, right? The duration of this Warp Magic is 30 minutes.”

That meant people could continuously enter and exit for 30 minutes.

“The client for the warp the Mage opened this time is none other than the Lumin Royal Family. In other words, the Kingdom of Lumin can use this warp for 30 minutes.”

We were the advance party.

An advance party sent to check if the warp successfully reached its destination and if the Magic was functioning normally.

And the moment the advance party arrived safely.

“The support supplies and additional troops for the Holy Land Reclamation Operation that the Lumin Royal Family was preparing will all move at once.”

“……I thought we were the last of the additional personnel?”

Vincent nodded.

“That is correct. What I just said was merely an example. It means that is how things unfold in a typical situation.”

I added a comment so that the Special Task Force wouldn’t misunderstand.

“Even so, the Lumin Royal Family didn’t trade for a warp just to send us. The Royal Family aren’t fools; they wouldn’t waste that kind of money just to send a few people.”

“……Then.”

“The Order of Knights of the Kingdom of Lumin lost about 60 percent of their soldiers and support supplies in this Holy Land Reclamation Operation. After we arrive on the other side, the supply goods will begin to arrive in order. Those 30 minutes are for that.”

They were supply goods sent with the prayer that the remaining 40 percent would return safely.

Depending on what choice the Black Knight commanding them made, it would be decided whether the remaining Knights could return or not.

‘I don’t intend to interfere if I can help it.’

I was definitely a Hero, and I would move to save everyone.

However, that didn’t mean I would move while completely ignoring the will and decisions of others.

They would move under the commander’s judgment, and unless the entire Order of Knights was in danger of being annihilated, I had no reason to personally interfere.

With those thoughts, as I stepped out of the exit, my vision brightened for a moment, and a sky stained black appeared.

Looking slightly downward, a half-destroyed temple, a land overflowing with Demonic energy, and a Statue of the Holy Mother with its upper body missing came into view.

“You must be the support troops from the Lumin Royal Family.”

From the side, a young man wearing black armor approached.

Contrary to his kind and innocent-looking smile, his physique was even larger than Deaurus’s.

“Owen. Captain of the Special Task Force.”

“I am Berlin. I am known as the Black Knight.”

The strongest knight among the Three Knights of the Kingdom who assisted the King.

‘He certainly lives up to that title.’

Contrary to his innocent appearance, his skills were the real deal.

Once you reach a certain level, there are things you can feel just by looking, and the Black Knight was certainly the Knight closest to being a Sword Master among those I had seen.

‘What he lacks is enlightenment.’

But that wasn’t something someone else could help with, so there was no reason for me to get involved.

Berlin wore a puzzled expression as he looked at Vincent.

“However, I didn’t expect the Administrator to come as well. Had you not put down the sword entirely?”

“I came semi-forcibly. It seems His Majesty didn’t send a separate report.”

“Aha. I see.”

Slither, slither.

While they were conversing for a moment, people who looked like porters began to move back and forth through the warp portal.

And the person at the very front of the porters looked this way and shouted.

“Who is the person in charge here?”

“It is I.”

When Berlin raised his hand, the man’s expression brightened.

“We will be moving the supply goods for the next 20 minutes. We’ll leave them next to the warp portal, so please have your soldiers move them…… and sign here.”

On the paper held out by the leader of the porters, a confirmation was written stating that the delivery of supply goods had been completed.

Berlin replied with a smile.

“I will sign once all the supply goods have arrived.”

“Very well. But it will be troublesome if you do it too late, so I’d like to have it three minutes before we finish the work.”

“I shall do so.”

Having answered that, Berlin turned his gaze toward me.

“I will guide you to the barracks. I will explain the details of the situation there.”

Since there was no reason to refuse, I followed.

Leaving the sight of the half-destroyed Sacred Land behind, I followed the Black Knight along with the Special Task Force.

Guided by the Black Knight, we arrived at a place where the camps of the three nations gathered for the Holy Land Reclamation Operation were assembled.

The Priesthood of the Holy Nation Luminous.

The Puppeteer Division of the technical nation, Prasion.

The Order of Knights of the knight nation, the Kingdom of Lumin.

However, among them, the place with the most people was none other than the Order of Knights of the Kingdom of Lumin.

“The atmosphere is gloomy.”

“The damage looks more serious than I thought.”

At Murfin and Beatrice’s words, I slowly looked over the entire camp.

‘It’s strange.’

It was a relief that the Kingdom of Lumin’s damage was relatively small, but even so, the damage to the other nations was unusually high.

The Priesthood of Luminous included Paladins and Inquisitors, and the Puppeteer Division of Prasion was also no less than an elite force.

Even looking at the remaining dolls, they were the size of siege engines, and the combat capabilities of the smaller dolls were models that surpassed the average Knights of the Kingdom of Lumin.

And yet, the gap in the damage they received was this large?

I searched for a basis that could be the reason while looking around for a moment.

I was able to think of one reason without much difficulty.

‘The Wolfdog Mercenaries.’

If Riki of the Blood Talon, a Sword Master, had been there, it would be understandable that the Kingdom of Lumin’s damage was less than that of other nations.

But…….

‘Even for a Sword Master, it’s impossible to stop a large-scale army capable of half-destroying the Sacred Land.’

And if it were the forces of the Demon Army that had caused the Demonic Transformation of the Sacred Land, which accounted for 20 percent of the entire Continent, the damage should have been just as large as the other nations, no matter how skilled the Knights of the Kingdom of Lumin were.

There was no match for sheer numbers.

“The situation…… doesn’t look very good.”

Berlin nodded at Vincent’s words.

“Hmm, in fact, the Holy Land Reclamation Operation itself could be considered a massive failure.”

A situation where a large-scale army had been literally ground down.

Originally, in war, if 70 percent of the total force is killed, it is treated as annihilation.

This is because more than that usually die during the process of retreating.

But right now, the Kingdom of Lumin’s forces had lost 60 percent, and the other nations had lost even more than that.

Even with a generous average, field commanders would have no choice but to judge it as annihilation.

Vincent slowly closed his eyes at Berlin’s words and asked.

“Even in this situation, is the Holy Nation not withdrawing the plan?”

“Unfortunately.”

The Black Knight spoke with a grave expression.

“The Holy Nation will never give up. And that will be the same for the other nations as well. No matter what happens, the Sacred Land must be reclaimed.”

“It’s madness.”

Vincent let out a deep sigh.

“I saw the half-destroyed Sacred Land earlier. Judging by the traces of battle, it seems a Calamity-class Monster has already appeared?”

“……As expected of Sir Vincent. To recognize that instantly just by looking at the traces.”

“Even if I’ve put down the sword, my Experience doesn’t go anywhere.”

Berlin said with a serious expression.

“But despite it being madness, it must be done. If we don’t succeed, there is no future for Humanity.”

I cut into the conversation between the two.

“Enough with the trivialities; just tell me the main point. What needs to be done to reclaim the Sacred Land?”

Berlin looked at me slowly and spoke.

“Before I answer, I would like to hear how the Special Task Force plans to move.”

It wasn’t a difficult question, so I answered lightly.

“It’s one of two things. Either I lead the Special Task Force independently and conduct an improvised guerrilla war, or I conduct an appropriate guerrilla war according to what you say.”

“……Are you saying you will move independently?”

“Didn’t you hear from the Royal Family?”

“Hear what?”

“The command of the Special Task Force is entirely mine. It is a detail authorized by your His Majesty.”

“…….”

“No matter if you are the field commander, the Special Task Force only follows the orders of the Royal Family. Therefore, I have no reason to hand over command to that side.”