Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 54

7. The Eisenberg Siege

1

“Is this the land of the hero Rakan?”

One month after Luke left for the Holy Empire, an unexpected guest arrived in the Marquisate of Rakan.

The guest was none other than Princess Magreta of the Navarr Principality.

The appearance of her, accompanied by hundreds of attendants, including maids and escort knights, greatly surprised the territory’s vassals.

Although it was a small border state, it was unprecedented in the territory’s history for a royal of another country to visit.

So, the vassals hurriedly sent a welcoming delegation to greet Magreta’s party, who had crossed the territory’s border.

“Welcome to the Rakan territory.”

“And you are?”

“I am Hans, the butler of the Rakan family and in charge of the Marquisate’s internal affairs.”

Hans, who bowed politely, glanced at Princess Magreta and frowned inwardly.

‘Ugh, they say she’s already had two husbands…’ [referring to the rumor that she is a black widow]

Since receiving the message that Magreta was heading to the Rakan territory, he had been suspicious of her purpose in visiting.

According to the message sent by Magreta’s side, she was coming to express her gratitude for preventing the national crisis caused by the monster wave and to pay her respects at Rakan’s tomb.

However, Hans thought that wasn’t her real purpose.

There was a story he had heard from a Unicorn Knight who had gone on an expedition to Navarr.

“When I went to Navarr, I saw the lord sneaking into Princess Magreta’s residence. Twice.”

At first, he didn’t believe the words of the knight named Anna.

He knew how much Luke loved Princess Reina and how heartbroken he was by the princess’s disappearance at that time.

However, seeing Magreta, he seemed to understand how Luke had committed such a ‘deviation’.

‘She must have seduced the heartbroken lord with that seductive appearance. There’s no way the lord would have done such a thing otherwise.’

Thinking that, he considered another possibility.

‘No, maybe I mistook ‘that friend’ for the lord. I was completely fooled at first, thinking it was the lord.’

As Hans was reasoning and understanding, he heard Magreta’s voice.

“How is Marquis Luke doing?”

“Ah, yes. He is very busy with territorial affairs, so he sent me instead. I hope you understand.”

“Is that so?”

In reality, he had gone to the Holy Empire, but Hans glossed over it. Magreta, who didn’t know the situation, didn’t blame him much.

Her decision to go to the Empire was because she didn’t want to end her life as a princess of a small border state.

So, she made up her mind and came to the Empire. It was to use the magic of the Arachne Magic Tower she had inherited to charm the nobles of the Empire.

She had succeeded in bewitching some nobles and lords on her way here.

However, she failed to subdue the Emperor or powerful high nobles. They refused to meet the princess of a small border state, using the excuse of being busy.

So, Magreta turned her eyes to the Marquisate of Rakan.

It was a place that traditionally produced excellent knights, and recently, it was said to be developing rapidly with mines, ironworks, and trade with the southern continent.

Moreover, they were said to be building a magic tower and even creating Gigants [large, powerful constructs], so it was sure to be a great asset for her ambition.

‘Since we’re not strangers, he won’t refuse to meet me.’

She had failed to seduce Luke before.

However, she judged that there would be no problem now because her magic skills had improved even more than before, and she had also learned another secret technique.

‘And, I’ll be able to see Sebastian, right?’

Her face flushed as she thought of Sebastian’s dashing figure.

In fact, from Magreta’s point of view, the latter purpose was stronger than the former.

Even after two years, her heart would flutter, and her whole body would heat up whenever she thought of that handsome cat.

“I want to see the lord as soon as possible.”

“Yes, please follow me. I will guide you.”

Hans, seeing Magreta so excited, frowned as he turned around. He thought it was very fortunate that Luke was away on a trip.

The lord’s residence in the Rakan territory.

In the lord’s office, several administrators, including Dixon, were currently attending to the ‘fake lord,’ who looked exactly like the lord, and reviewing the piles of documents.

The fake lord, who was reviewing a report related to the expansion of the Lamer Port, yawned loudly and then began to nod off.

Seeing him, Dixon yelled.

“Work, Sebastian!”

“Yes! I will work hard!”

Sebastian, who had opened his eyes wide, quickly read the report.

Sebastian, who had excellent transformation abilities, was currently disguised as Luke and was acting as the lord’s proxy.

Just before leaving, Luke had introduced him to the vassals of the territory. If he said he was a demon, it would obviously cause an uproar, so he said he was a ‘talent secretly recruited when he went to Navarr.’

It was the moment when a demon became a human.

The vassals, except for Philip, were shocked by Sebastian’s appearance, which looked exactly like Luke.

They looked so alike that some even suspected that he might be a hidden bloodline of Rakan.

However, no one suspected that now. Unlike the serious Luke, Sebastian’s words and actions were quite frivolous.

‘Oh, if I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have bragged about my transformation ability to the master…’

As Sebastian was having a belated regret, a servant burst into the office.

“Princess Magreta’s party has arrived.”

The vassals, whose expressions changed completely at the news, turned their eyes to Sebastian.

“Don’t make a mistake, understand?”

“Hah, you don’t have to worry.”

“Change your tone first so we don’t have to worry.”

“Yes, yes, just don’t make any mistakes, elders.”

Sebastian headed to the reception room with the vassals, who were still uneasy.

Meanwhile, Magreta, who was waiting for Luke in the reception room, applied rouge to her lips from her sleeve and smiled slyly.

‘The seduction of Cavano. It’s the most potent of aphrodisiacs, making the person who kisses it a slave.’

Not only was it difficult to obtain the ingredients, but there was also the problem that it couldn’t be used openly because it was so effective.

However, she judged that she had to use an aphrodisiac of this level of power because she had witnessed that Luke was not easily swayed by ordinary aphrodisiacs or charm magic.

‘Anyway, if I can subdue Luke, I’ll have his territory and army, as well as Sebastian…’

As Magreta was getting excited thinking about the cat Sebastian, the door of the reception room opened and a group of people entered.

Magreta, who had wiped away her sly smile, stood up from her seat to greet the Marquis’s party.

“It’s been a while, Marquis.”

“It’s a pleasure to see you, Princess Magreta. I hope the long journey wasn’t too tiring?”

‘No!’

Magreta was startled when she saw Marquis Rakan.

The gentle voice and handsome appearance that made her whole body tingle made her heart flutter and her head spin just by looking at him.

‘This is the feeling I had at the Akbar Fortress two years ago, but why?’

At that time, Magreta was so excited when she saw Luke that she didn’t know what to do. She wanted to pounce on him and make him hers right away.

However, after the war ended, that feeling disappeared as if washed away, and she became obsessed with the Marquis’s cat instead.

But to feel attracted to the Marquis again after meeting him again, what on earth is going on?

While Magreta was flustered, the culprit, Marquis Rakan, or rather Sebastian, was inwardly sneering.

‘Hmph, was she trying to seduce the master again with her petty tricks?’

Sebastian, who prided himself on being the greatest phantom thief in the demon world, had extensive knowledge of various poisons and drugs.

So, he recognized at a glance that the gloss on Magreta’s lips was a charm aphrodisiac, and what she was trying to do.

However, Sebastian did not show it and bowed politely to Magreta.

“I was too busy with territorial affairs to properly welcome you. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“Ah, no. It’s my fault for sending a message suddenly and coming here.”

Magreta hurriedly lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed.

Two years had passed, but she had not escaped the pheromones of the incubus at all.

So, she completely forgot about her ambitious plan to seduce Marquis Rakan and her thoughts about the cat Sebastian.

‘Foolish woman, coming here to become food herself…’

Sebastian licked his lips with the tip of his tongue.

The twisted desires and negative emotions emanating from Magreta were stronger than before.

From the perspective of Sebastian, a demon who sucked up the mental energy of humans, it was a great feast.

‘Tsk, if it weren’t for those old geezer vassals, I would have devoured her right away.’

Sebastian, who knew well what kind of place the Rakan family was, couldn’t act recklessly.

Moreover, if he acted rashly, it could cause a misunderstanding between Magreta and his master.

‘Anyway, there will be plenty of ways and opportunities to eat her secretly, so there’s no need to be impatient. Besides, delicious food should be saved and eaten little by little.’

As Sebastian was secretly smirking, a knight suddenly rushed into the reception room.

His face was pale, as if something unusual had happened.

“What’s going on?”

“Baron Rogers has collapsed!”

“What, what did you say?”

Not only Sebastian but all the vassals were surprised.

Rogers, who was currently the commander of the territory’s army, was Luke’s swordsmanship teacher and the current successor of the Gold Sword [a specific swordsmanship style].

His skills had also improved a lot over the past two years, and he had broken through the wall of the master and become a proud Sword Master [a high-level swordsman].

That he had collapsed!

“What on earth happened?”

The knight, who had hesitated for a moment at Hans’s question, opened his mouth.

“It was, a strange-looking wandering knight came and requested a duel…”

KWA-BANG!

The knight’s words were drowned out by a sudden explosion.

Everyone’s gaze turned to the direction of the explosion. It was the knight’s training ground, and a plume of black smoke could be seen rising from outside the window.

‘W, what is going on all of a sudden?’

Sebastian trembled involuntarily.

A very strong and terrifying energy was detected from the training ground. An enormous energy that was equal to the master, or perhaps even greater.

2

A huge crater was gouged out in the middle of the training ground.

Around the blackened spot, as if a meteor had fallen, fragments of armor and wooden swords were scattered haphazardly.

The surrounding knights looked at the knight who had created this scene with shock and fear, and at Copper, who had been battered while fighting him.

With trembling legs, he barely managed to stand up, and a chilling voice flowed from his mouth.

“Kuh, that monster…!”

The knight, who had a massive physique that could be called a giant, was wearing a mask decorated with feathers and obsidian.

His arms and upper body were covered with all sorts of bizarre tattoos.

At first glance, he looked like a barbaric barbarian living on the border of the Empire, but his swordsmanship was as refined and powerful as that of the Imperial Guard Knights.

‘And he even uses strange magic!’

Copper, who had often sparred with Luke, knew the battle style of the Rune Knight well.

But the opponent’s magic was completely different from Luke’s. There was no time required to chant and manifest the magic.

“Impressive. To still be standing on two legs after taking my attack.”

At the giant knight’s praise, Copper couldn’t help but smile.

He had to admit it. That the opponent was strong.

He seemed to be a Sword Master, or rather, a Sword Sage-level expert [an even higher level of swordsmanship than Sword Master].

‘What on earth is his identity? Where did such a skilled person come from…?’

This giant knight, who had suddenly appeared, had asked for a duel, saying that he wanted to know the swordsmanship of the legendary hero Rakan.

At first, he didn’t take it seriously.

It was not uncommon for knights to come with plausible appearances and request duels. Moreover, most of them were often empty shells.

But this giant knight was different.

He easily defeated the expert-level knights of both the Rakan Knights and the Unicorn Knights, and even Commander Rogers, who had sensed his unusual skills and stepped forward, was forced to his knees in just 10 minutes.

Then, he clicked his tongue and muttered.

“Disappointing. I had high expectations for the hero’s swordsmanship, but they’re all just husks.”

Copper, who was enraged by the word ‘husks,’ couldn’t help but rush at the giant knight. After learning the Gold Sword, his pride in swordsmanship had soared sky-high.

But the result was unexpected.

He couldn’t even graze a hair on his opponent, let alone land a valid hit.

Even though he had been training hard for the past two years and was aiming for the realm of the highest level beyond the upper expert level.

The fact that he was able to avoid the attack just now was thanks to the fact that his response to magic had become faster while sparring with Luke.

If he hadn’t had that experience, he would have been in the same state as Commander Rogers, who was lying there receiving treatment.

“Give up, the match is decided.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! It’s not over until I fall!”

Ignoring the giant knight’s words, Copper stubbornly shook his head and raised his half-broken wooden sword.

The giant knight, seeing this, gave a slight sneer and rushed in like lightning, bringing his wooden sword down.

Copper hurriedly tried to raise his aura to block the attack. Or rather, he attempted to block it.

However, the giant knight’s wooden sword mercilessly shattered his half-broken wooden sword and struck Copper’s shoulder.

“Kuh-ah!”

Copper cried out and tumbled backward.

“Captain!”

Anna, startled, rushed to support him.

However, Copper, struggling to get up, shook off her hand and charged at the giant knight.

“Reckless.”

The giant knight, sneering and adjusting his grip on his sword, was surprised to see a red light emanating from Copper’s wooden sword, which was now just a handle.

‘Could it be, Hyper Aura?’

That couldn’t be. Hyper Aura was a technique of Sword Sage-level knights.

However, seeing that the light was not in the form of a complete sword, but was flickering unstably, it seemed to be Impact Aura, which was the stage before Hyper Aura.

Sometimes, such things happened.

Even if one’s skills were not yet sufficient, enlightenment could come, allowing one to use a higher-level technique once.

Copper was experiencing such a moment now.

KWA-BANG!

With a fierce explosion, the giant knight was pushed back.

However, he was only pushed back about five steps and didn’t seem to have taken any significant damage.

The Unicorn Knights, who had been harboring a sliver of hope, clenched their fists in frustration.

“How can this be? Even Captain Copper’s desperate attack…”

“Damn it, what the hell is that guy?”

“Wait! Look at that!”

Everyone looked at where Anna’s fingertip was pointing.

The giant knight’s wooden sword had turned black as if it had been burned. No, it didn’t stop there; it began to crumble.

And although the knights didn’t see it, the palm of the giant knight’s hand that had been holding the sword was slightly swollen, as if it had been burned.

‘Amazing, to unleash Impact Aura even in that state!’

The giant knight was genuinely impressed with Copper.

Just a moment ago, his collarbone had been broken by his own blow, and his aura was almost depleted.

In that dire situation, he had gotten up and attacked, concentrating his remaining aura to display a technique that could only be used by a mid-level Sword Master.

Moreover, he was still burning with fighting spirit, glaring at him.

Neither the Sword Master from before nor this one were people to be dismissed as mere husks.

“Indeed! Even though they have declined, their spirit has not died. Excellent, truly excellent!”

The giant knight was genuinely impressed.

He had originally come to the Rakan territory to witness the famous Gold Sword. However, it seemed he had learned something more important than the Gold Sword.

The indomitable spirit of never backing down.

From the perspective of a giant knight who had to fight against huge enemies, Rogers’ and Copper’s valiant fights were more than enough to be a lesson.

“What is your name?”

“I am Copper, a knight of Rakan. And who are you?”

At Copper’s question, the giant knight was silent for a moment before speaking.

“Shykan.”

“Shykan?”

“Remember it. Soon, you will hear my name from all corners of the world.”

Having said that, the giant knight, no, Shykan, turned his back and left the Rakan territory.

Shykan, the Orc Hero who had led the monster army two years ago.

He, who had sought to punish Emperor Rudolf of the Baroque Empire, had reappeared in the world.

Coincidentally, while Luke, who had fought against him, had left the Empire.

3

When Luke defeated Count Schmidt, the atmosphere of the Gigantic Duel changed drastically.

From the third day, masters from the subjugation army, seeking achievements, began to participate.

However, the Conrad Kingdom camp also began to exert their full power.

“Take this! Receive my sword!”

POW!

Gigantic auras surged as two Gigants collided.

This time, it was the master on the subjugation army’s side who was pushed back.

“Hahahaha! Do you think you can defeat me with such an attack!”

A golden Gigant with three horns on its forehead raised its head and burst into laughter.

The faces of the subjugation army’s leaders twisted in anger at the sight.

“Damn that Perriad! To lend his hero-class Gigant Sartak, he’s really going all out!”

“But who exactly is that mercenary who calls himself Sancho?”

From the Conrad Kingdom side, a rider with monstrous skills appeared, who had destroyed two Gigants from the subjugation army and, not satisfied with that, was even pushing back their own masters.

He had identified himself as the mercenary captain Sancho, but there had been no word of a mercenary with such incredible skills.

“Could he be a master who came as support from a foreign royal family?”

“I think so too, Your Excellency. My guess is that he is…”

While they were sharing various speculations, the square shield held by the subjugation army’s Gigant was shattered. Staggering from the impact, both of its hands were also severed.

“T-This! Run away!”

Bishop Maxim, with a pale face, shouted.

The master-level rider currently fighting Sancho was a holy knight who had been painstakingly trained at the Marius Temple for the past 20 years.

Aside from the Undying Legion, he was one of only two master-level holy knights in the Holy Empire, and they couldn’t afford to lose him so meaninglessly here.

However, before the holy knight could escape, Sancho swung his greatsword with a powerful motion, slicing through his back.

The Gigant, split in two, tumbled to the ground, its upper and lower bodies separated.

“Wow! Captain Sancho won!”

“Sancho! Sancho!”

From atop the castle walls, the soldiers of the Conrad Kingdom shouted the name of the victorious mercenary, cheering.

“Hahahaha! Shout louder! Louder!”

Philip wore a dumbfounded expression as he watched the enemy Gigant, responding to the soldiers’ cheers with a raised hand.

‘No way, why is Count Ferrero here?’

At first, he had doubted it.

However, the thick voice flowing through the Gigant’s communication device and the familiar fighting style told him that it was definitely the battle maniac Count Ferrero he knew.

“Captain.”

Philip subtly tugged on Luke’s arm.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“That mercenary named Sancho, I know him well.”

“What?”

A strong curiosity arose on Luke’s face. He glanced around and asked Philip.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Count Ferrero, the vice-commander of the Baroque Imperial Knights. There’s no doubt about it.”

In Luke’s mind, the face of a man who looked like a mountain bandit came to mind. That man who had bothered him every time they met, asking him to fight just once.

Why was he here? And disguised under such a corny name like Sancho!

‘He probably came to help the rebels under Emperor Rudolf’s orders.’

He could guess the reason without even looking. From the Baroque Empire’s perspective, the more chaotic the Holy Artenia Empire was, the more advantageous it was for their own country.

‘Should I fight him once?’

He had continuously refused his requests in the Imperial Palace because he didn’t want to reveal his skills.

However, it was different here. If he kept his mouth shut, how would anyone know who he was?

While Luke was thinking this, the leaders of the subjugation army were having a serious conversation.

“Commander-in-Chief, it seems pointless to continue the Gigantic Duel any longer.”

“That’s right, let’s move on to a siege battle immediately.”

This Gigantic Duel had too many variables.

Mercenary riders whose identities were unknown had appeared on both sides, taking down the opposing side’s masters.

In other words, there was no telling what kind of monster would appear next and take down their masters.

A master was a rare being, one in thousands of knights. It was a level that could only be reached with not only a natural talent for swordsmanship but also tremendous effort and luck.

Losing such a precious being so carelessly to an unidentified opponent acting as a mercenary was a truly painful loss.

“Hmm, it seems that would be for the best. Alright, issue the order for a siege battle to the entire army.”

As if they had the same thought, Marquis Valentino issued the order for a full-scale attack.

BOOOOOOO!

BOOM! BOOM—!

With the continuous sound of large horn trumpets, the subjugation army’s camp began to move busily.

Then, the Conrad Kingdom camp, sensing the imminent enemy attack, also began to prepare for defense.

“Tch, I wanted to fight that guy Leph…”

Count Ferrero clicked his tongue and entered the castle gate.

He thought that if it was him, who had defeated Count Schmidt, he could have a really great match with him, but he was very disappointed that the opportunity was lost.

DRUM DRUM DRUM!

As the siege preparations were completed, the drums began to sound from the subjugation army’s side. Then, the Gigant units that had been on standby and the siege weapons that had been built over the past two days began to advance.

“Fire!”

“Shoot, shoot!”

POW! BANG!

White smoke rose simultaneously from the castle walls, and cannonballs began to fly.

THUD THUD THUD!

The Gigants running forward raised their shields.

THUD! THUD! THUD THUD THUD!

Some Gigants were hit by cannonballs and tumbled backward, but most of them blocked the cannonballs well.

In this process, some unlucky Gigants had their armor dented here and there by cannonballs thanks to concentrated fire. There were also Gigants with wooden arrows fired from cannons stuck all over their shields.

“Run! The rider who breaks down the castle gate or climbs the castle wall first will receive 10,000 pesos as a reward from the Commander-in-Chief!”

“WOOOOOO!”

With their morale boosted by the commander’s words, the Gigants stomped their feet even more powerfully and approached the castle walls.

It was when they were almost close.

Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet shook, and about a hundred Gigants burst out from under the ground.

“What! It’s the enemy!”

“Everyone, be careful!”

The subjugation army’s Gigant unit fell into chaos due to the sudden appearance of the enemy. Not missing the opportunity, the Conrad Kingdom Gigants unleashed a barrage of attacks.

CRASH! THUD!

SWISH! CRASH CRASH—!

A melee broke out in front of the castle walls. They were all focused on hitting, breaking, and killing each other.

At first, the subjugation army, which had been ambushed, was at a disadvantage, but they soon reversed the situation by leveraging their five-fold numerical superiority.

“Retreat!”

“Quickly, go back into the tunnels you came from!”

As if it had been prearranged, the Conrad Kingdom’s Gigant unit retreated all at once.

When the subjugation army’s Gigants followed them into the tunnels they had entered, the Conrad Kingdom’s engineers collapsed the tunnels with explosives they had set up in advance.

As a result, some Gigants were buried alive.

“Damn it, there’s no time to hesitate. Break down the castle gate first!”

“Gigants of the 3rd Army, seize the castle walls!”

Since so many Gigants had been dispatched, Luke didn’t have much to do.

Count Marquez also ordered him and the Red Wolf Mercenaries to stand by. He was planning to conserve their strength and use them when the other side sent out a superhuman rider like Sancho.

So, Luke and the five riders of the Red Wolf Mercenaries were watching the subjugation army’s battle while riding their Gigants.

“Captain, I thought the Holy Empire would be different, but the siege warfare method is almost the same?”

Philip, who was watching from the side, spoke through the communication device.

“Aside from the presence of priests, paladins, and monks, the Holy Artenia Empire’s war tactics are very similar to those of the Baroque Empire.”

“Well, this is also a place where people live. Since their lifestyles and ways of thinking are similar, their battle methods are bound to be similar.”

“That seems to be the case. But when will we get to join the battle?”

They shouldn’t be used as arrow fodder at the front lines, but it was also problematic to just linger in the rear like this.

The knights were missing out on opportunities to gain experience, and if Luke didn’t achieve any merits, it would be difficult for him to meet Veronica III, or rather, Princess Reina.

“It’s okay. This isn’t a castle that will be captured in a day or two anyway. Our chance to shine will definitely come.”

“Then I guess we should rest well until then.”

“Yeah. In the meantime, let’s train those guys from time to time.”

‘Those guys’ referred to the new recruits of the Red Wolf Mercenaries, former members of the Gallic Mercenaries.

Those who were pointed out by Luke flinched and broke out in a cold sweat.

“W-well, the 2nd Army Command told us to stand by?”

Luke nodded at Gebel’s words.

“Yes, we’ll be standing by while training.”

“But if we exhaust our stamina, won’t it be difficult when we actually fight?”

“I’m trying to build up your stamina so it won’t be difficult when you fight. Stop talking back and do as I say.”

In the end, Gebel and his group had to endure Luke’s ‘affectionate’ training until dusk when the siege ended.

4

The siege warfare raged fiercely for several days.

The Conrad Kingdom’s forces were unexpectedly strong, and the castle gates did not open easily.

Eisenberg had a considerable amount of weapons, including cannons, and the number of Gigants was a whopping 100 more than the spy had reported.

However, the subjugation army, determined to seize the gateway city and establish a stronghold for suppressing the rebellion, launched an all-out offensive, even at the cost of sacrifices.

Luke and the Red Wolf Mercenaries, who had only been on standby on the first day, also joined the battle from the fourth day.

Luke modified two of his Gigants for siege warfare, just like he had seen the Volga Republic army do before. He placed cannons on the shoulder armor of the Gigants and had infantry ride them to attack the castle walls.

Of course, the walls of Eisenberg were higher than those of the Tolud Fortress, so it wasn’t enough to simply modify the Gigants to overcome them.

So, Luke added another magical tactic to this.

“Stone Edge!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Thick stone pillars rose from below the castle walls.

Seeing that, the Conrad Kingdom commanders sneered.

“You fools. If you’re going to attack, you should do it on top of the walls…”

Their sneers vanished in an instant.

They saw the Gigants of the Red Wolf Mercenaries climbing up the walls, stepping on the rising stone pillars.

“B-break the stone pillars! Stop them from climbing up!”

Boom! Boom!

Unfortunately for the Conrad Kingdom army, the cannon fire came first from the cannons mounted on the shoulders of the Gigants, not from the walls.

The concentrated barrage from close range decimated the troops stationed on one side of the wall, and the Red Wolf Mercenaries, who had climbed up with the Gigants and stone pillars, established a beachhead.

“Damn it! Drive out the enemy!”

“Hold the line! Don’t fall back!”

The Conrad Kingdom army swarmed in, but the Red Wolf Mercenaries held their beachhead.

This was because riders like Luke and Philip had taken down enemy Gigants and blocked cannon fire, and the Rakan Knights had proven their worth as experts.

Moreover, Gebel and his group also fought well, befitting their past as members of a large mercenary group. There were times when they were in danger, but each time, Luke’s command would come down.

“If we lose the beachhead, it’s three days of all-night training!”

“Eek!”

Even mercenaries who were staggering from exhaustion would become energetic again as if nothing had happened when they heard that command and fought back.

The thought of the hellish training made them unafraid of the swarming enemies.

Thanks to the Red Wolf Mercenaries securing a beachhead on the wall, Eisenberg became like a bottomless pit.

Unable to withstand the all-out attacks of the subjugation army that poured in day and night, the castle gates were finally broken on the fifth day.

“Waaah! The gates are open! All troops, charge!”

At the orders of the commanders of each army, the Gigants entered the castle, followed by knights on horseback and soldiers.

And Luke and the Red Wolf Mercenaries, who had played the biggest role in the siege, also advanced into the city to achieve new merits.

“Your Excellency, we must retreat.”

At his aide’s words, Marquis Parker nodded with a distorted face.

Street battles were taking place all over the city.

The enemy and ally were mixed up; it was a complete mess.

The allied forces were somehow holding on, but this would be cleaned up by the subjugation army, which had superior forces, as time passed.

‘In other words, if we don’t leave now, there won’t be any time to escape.’

Having judged that, Parker looked at his aide and asked.

“Have our main forces retreated safely?”

“Yes, we’ve pulled out all but the troops of the surrounding lords. So you can retreat with peace of mind.”

A significant portion of the troops defending Eisenberg were from the surrounding territories that had joined the rebellion late.

Parker left them behind as bait and secretly pulled out the main forces of the Conrad Kingdom.

If they couldn’t defend the city anyway, he intended to at least preserve their forces. That way, they could plan for the future.

“Good. But what about Razuli and the Flying Dragon guys?”

“They haven’t been seen for a while; it seems they’ve already retreated.”

“Tsk, those mercenaries… !”

As the Marquis clicked his tongue, the door burst open and a knight rushed in. His armor was covered in blood, as if he had come straight from fighting the enemy.

“Commander! We are not enough to hold them off. Please issue a retreat order.”

At his cry, Marquis Parker asked.

“I don’t think I’ve seen your face before, who are you?”

“I’m from the newly assigned Luzana territory… Keok!”

A sword pierced through the knight’s chest as he was answering. One of the Marquis’s guards had secretly approached and stabbed him from behind.

The knight’s eyes were filled with disbelief, as he never expected to be killed by his own side.

“W-why are you doing this to me…”

“Hehehe, you guys have to stay here for our safe retreat.”

The knight squeezed out his last words towards Marquis Parker, who was laughing evilly.

“Y-you will be punished by the heavens.”

With those words, the knight slumped down.

“Punished by the heavens? Hahahaha, you fool. If there was such a thing as divine punishment, it would have already struck me when I decided to use the city’s residents as human shields.”

After mocking the dying knight, Marquis Parker left the headquarters with only a small number of guards.

Of course, before leaving, he didn’t forget to set fire to destroy important documents such as operation orders.

“There’s still a way to escape, right?”

“Yes, there’s a secret passage on the west gate that only messengers use…”

As Marquis Parker got on his horse, listening to his aide, he suddenly fell off his horse due to a sudden gust of wind.

“Y-Your Excellency!”

“Kuh! What is this all of a sudden?”

“What do you mean all of a sudden? We came to capture the commander.”

Along with a clear voice, a group of five Gigants appeared before Marquis Parker.

They were none other than the Red Wolf Mercenaries led by Luke.

The gust of wind from earlier was Luke’s Wind magic.

“You’re the commander of Eisenberg, right? I don’t have any personal feelings, but I think I need your head to have an audience with His Holiness.”

From the first day of the siege, Luke hadn’t just been waiting around.

During the day, he had been training Gebel and his group under the guise of training, but at night, he had been secretly scouting the city of Eisenberg using magic.

So, he knew where the headquarters building was, and what the shortcuts were from the walls to this place, etc.

That’s why he was able to appear at the headquarters earlier than anyone else.

“Attack!”

“Your Excellency, please escape!”

Although they were outnumbered and outgunned, Parker’s loyal guards rushed at the Red Wolf Mercenaries without hesitation.

But unfortunately, they were quickly subdued, and Marquis Parker, who was trying to escape in the midst of the guards’ sacrifice, was also captured by Luke’s Hold magic.

5

“Damn it, let me go!”

The bound Marquis Parker struggled violently.

But even that resistance became as quiet as a dead man when Luke lightly hit him on the back of the head.

Luke, who had put Kratos into subspace to organize the battlefield, handed the unconscious Parker to Victor and instructed him.

“Hand this guy over to Count Marquez. Don’t forget to make it sound like it was very difficult to catch him.”

“Hehehe, I understand.”

Having succeeded in catching a big fish, Luke frowned as he looked around.

He hadn’t been able to check because he had rushed over, but Gebel and many of the mercenaries were nowhere to be seen.

They hadn’t been killed in action. They had barely encountered any enemies on the shortcut.

Then they must have fallen behind.

It would be fine if they had just fallen behind from exhaustion. But…

“Hehehe, is this what it means to be a mercenary?”

“That’s right. The rookie captain is so busy.”

As Luke was going back the way he came, he saw Gebel and the mercenaries looting the shops near the main street.

In fact, it wasn’t just them who were looting. Other mercenary groups hired by the subjugation army were also busy looting everywhere.

Of course, the idea that they could do the same just because others were doing it never entered Luke’s mind.

Merit was important, but he shouldn’t do anything that could be criticized. That way, he could meet the Pope, or rather, Reina.

“Arrest all of those guys and return the looted goods to their original owners.”

“Understood.”

“And…”

Luke, who was about to give another order, suddenly flinched.

He felt an enormous energy.

“What’s wrong, Captain?”

“There’s something I need to check. Philip, you take care of the rest.”

Luke left the rest to Philip and flew away somewhere using Flying magic.

‘A large amount of mana is reacting. Is someone trying to activate some powerful magic?’

It would be understandable if the siege was still going on, but it didn’t make sense for a large-scale magic to be deployed when the city was on the verge of falling.

After a while, Luke arrived at the place where the large mana wave was detected.

It was a large warehouse, and the roof was blown open.

The problem was that red light was soaring into the sky through the hole.

‘That can’t be…!’

As Luke ran into the warehouse, he recalled a memory from 500 years ago.

Even back then, when he reigned as the infamous Demon King, he had seen a red light soaring into the sky.

It was the preliminary phenomenon of a magic that some mages had used to try to defeat him.

“It can’t be. Damn it, it shouldn’t be!”

He hoped that he was mistaken, that it was something different from what he thought.

But his hopes were shattered miserably.

Luke, who had reached the center of the warehouse, discovered a familiar-looking magic circle. Large magic stones were arranged in a specific pattern, activating a particular magic.

“Damn it, what kind of crazy bastards!”

Luke hurriedly raised his magic power and destroyed the magic circle.

But the magic activation was already about 80% complete. Even if he destroyed the magic circle late, the activated magic would not be canceled.

Because this magic circle was just a ‘bow’.

Even if the bow was broken, the arrow that had already left the string would not disappear. And that arrow was now falling from above.

Kukukukuku!

Luke looked up at the sky and gritted his teeth, muttering.

“Damn it, there’s no time to evacuate.”

Beyond the gaping roof, he could see a red-hot rock blazing in the distance of the clear blue sky.

Meteor Strike.

A star that would bring disaster was falling at a terrifying speed.