Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 103

8. The Beginning of the Counterattack

1

‘His skill is laughable, but his spirit is commendable.’

Lennard was inwardly impressed by Baron Paska’s display of fighting with all his might. Therefore, he resolved to kill him with a single, painless strike.

Clang!

The moment a loud metallic sound rang out, the boomerang flying towards Baron Paska was deflected by a greatsword that came from out of nowhere.

“What? Who the hell?” Lennard, having caught the deflected boomerang, turned his gaze towards the one who had thrown the greatsword.

There, standing on one side of the road, was a sleek, silver Gigant [a large, humanoid war machine] that had appeared out of nowhere. Behind it, dozens of Gigants were thundering closer, all bearing the crest of the Rakan March on their breastplates.

‘Damn it, he’s no ordinary foe.’ The fact that he hadn’t noticed them until they were so close meant that the opponent’s skill was exceptional. Moreover, the performance of the silver Gigant seemed quite high.

“I will make you regret rampaging on my land without permission,” a deep but powerful voice flowed from the silver Gigant’s speaker.

“Lord Marquis!” Baron Paska and the surviving riders were overjoyed. The person in the silver Gigant was their lord, Luke.

This morning, they had received word that reinforcements would take some time to arrive, so they weren’t expecting much. Thus, hearing their lord’s voice was a cause for great joy.

‘It’s a relief that I wasn’t too late.’ Luke was heading north with the Rakan Knights and the main forces of the March when he encountered the refugees. From them, he learned that Baron Paska’s unit was about to fight the enemy’s vanguard, so he rushed over with only the knightly forces. He was a bit late, but it was fortunate that he arrived before his allies were annihilated.

“Save our allies! Annihilate all enemy forces!”

“Yes, my lord!” Upon Luke’s command, the Rakan Knights, riding modified Stilettos and the new Knight-class Gigant Gaius, which the Katarina Magic Tower had recently begun mass-producing, charged like the wind and began attacking the Milton Kingdom’s vanguard.

Luke, who was riding a Gaius because the Hero-class Gigant Avenger was incomplete, also joined the attack. Having retrieved the greatsword he had thrown earlier, Luke unfolded his Gold Sword and pressed the attack on Lennard’s Anubis.

Bang! Shuga-gak!

Along with the sound of air being torn, strong and sharp golden streaks relentlessly rained down on Anubis.

“Ugh, this is the Gold Sword of the warrior Rakan!” Lennard frantically blocked the continuous barrage of sword strikes.

In terms of Gigant performance alone, he, riding the Hero-class Anubis, had the advantage. However, his opponent was too formidable.

Luke was originally a Rune Knight who could fight even Sword Sages [highly skilled swordsmen], and he had grown even stronger by gaining experience fighting Arsen in the Song Empire and mastering the final techniques of the Gold Sword.

‘Damn, this is no joke! If I fought with my brother… no, even then, it might be difficult to win.’ To make matters worse, Philip, the commander of the Rakan Knights, also joined the fray.

Having become a complete Sword Master, he was riding the Hero-class Gigant Orion, which he had received from Luke.

“Lord Marquis, please leave this one to me!”

“You’re in the way. Stay back, Sir Philip.”

“You should be the one to fall back, Lord Marquis!” Despite their bickering, the attacks they launched as lord and vassal were as effective as any well-coordinated technique.

Lennard was already struggling with Luke alone, and with Philip joining in, flashing his Gold Aura, he was completely overwhelmed.

‘This won’t do. It’s humiliating, but I have to retreat here.’ Most of his allied Gigants had already been destroyed. Lennard, realizing that he would not survive if he hesitated, quickly reached into his pocket.

Thwack!

“Hahaha! How was my skill… huh?” Philip, who had stabbed his greatsword deep into Anubis’s chest and pulled it out, wore a bewildered expression. He had clearly pierced the cockpit, but not a single drop of blood had appeared.

“What happened?” Luke spoke to the bewildered Philip.

“There was a magical reaction inside just now. He must have used a scroll or something to escape.” As he had guessed, Lennard had taken out a teleport scroll from his pocket and used it. If he had been just a little slower, he would have been instantly killed by Orion’s greatsword piercing his cockpit.

Anyway, with Lennard’s escape, the battle on the road came to an end. All of the vanguard’s Gigants were destroyed, and most of the riders were killed, except for a few prisoners who were captured. Although he had achieved the promised annihilation, Luke could not shake off a feeling of regret.

“It’s a pity. To let a Sword Master-level rider get away.” A Sword Master was a force to be reckoned with, a one-man army, a superhuman. He didn’t know what kind of damage his allies might suffer when they met again.

“But we did capture a Hero-class Gigant, didn’t we? I don’t think it’s a complete loss.” As Philip said, a Hero-class Gigant was a very valuable asset. This was especially true in a situation where they did not have their own production capabilities. Therefore, this battle would be considered a painful defeat for the Milton Kingdom.

“That’s true. Let’s clean up the battlefield and then return to where the main force is. The damaged Gigants and injured riders should be evacuated quickly.”

“Understood, Lord Marquis.” Luke did not rejoice in the victory of the skirmish but instead prepared for the next battle. He was constantly racking his brain to find a way to eliminate not only the Milton Kingdom but also the Grenada Navy, which was causing trouble in the south.

2

Bang! Boom! Bang—!

Crash! Bang!

Around the time Luke had defeated the Milton Kingdom’s vanguard, a fierce battle was taking place in the city of Lamere.

“Battery 3, 15, and 28 have been hit!”

“Don’t fall back, keep firing!”

“A fire has broken out on the east street! Please send firefighters immediately!” Since the first battle, Pavel, the city’s leadership, and the residents and soldiers of Lamere had been extremely busy.

The Grenada Navy, which had been attacking villages and cities along the southern coast, had begun to concentrate its attacks on Lamere three days ago. Duke Nayson had divided his fleet in half and was taking turns bombarding Lamere, while Count Fernand was taking advantage of the chaos to lead his ground forces in an attempt to lay siege to the city.

In response, Pavel had formed a strong defensive line with the Unicorn Knights, who had been sent as reinforcements through the teleport gate, the defense forces of Lamere, and the Gigants drawn from the arenas’ clans.

“Today, I will definitely capture this city!” Thump, thump, thump! Fernand’s Gigant stepped on allied units like stairs and jumped onto the city walls. Standing in his way was Hwangbo Sung’s Wooden Ox.

Hwangbo Sung, as if he had made up his mind, deployed the Three Thunder God Fist from the start, attempting to seize the initiative. Bang! Rumble!

“Yikes! He’s still attacking so fiercely!” Fernand clicked his tongue as he dodged backward. The wooden giant in front of him was not only skilled in riding but also had power comparable to a Knight-class Gigant.

Having lost the initiative, Fernand retreated a few steps before stabbing the Wooden Ox’s knee and wrist joints with the large estoc [a type of thrusting sword] in his hand like lightning. These were the weaknesses he had identified while fighting the wooden giant.

Thud! Thud! His calculated attack was successful. However, as if the impact was less than expected, the wooden giant, which had staggered for a moment, was now launching a lightning-infused fist attack.

‘No, what the hell is that thing? How can it move even after its joints have been damaged?’ Fernand, who knew nothing about the Wooden Ox, frowned as he retreated. Due to his home country’s weak Gigant forces, he was riding a Knight-class Gigant instead of a Hero-class one, but he had not expected that there would be a rider who could match him until he met the Marquis of Rakan. However, his pride was shattered from the very beginning. It was because of the unheard-of wooden giant that had appeared with the Unicorn Knights and the Fist Master who controlled it.

‘Damn it, should I aim for the chest area where the cockpit is? No, if that doesn’t work either…’ Fernand was biting his lip, trying to figure out how to attack, when a subordinate shouted from behind.

“Count Salizar! The fleet has signaled a retreat!”

“What? Already?” It seemed that Duke Nayson had signaled a retreat because the siege was not progressing. Fernand, who had to retreat again without any success, gnashed his teeth and said, “It can’t be helped. All troops, retreat!”

At his command, the ground forces that had been laying siege retreated like a tide. Fernand also glared fiercely at the wooden giant before jumping off the city walls.

“They’re retreating! Pursue them!” “Waaaah!” Hwangbo Sung and the Unicorn Knights shouted and immediately began their pursuit. However, unlike before, they only managed to cut down and trample the straggling enemy infantry. A large obstacle had appeared in front of them.

“Ugh! You rat-like bastards!” Kaper, the commander of the Unicorn Knights, was furious as he watched the Grenada Gigants leisurely running across the sandy beach. He wanted to chase after the pirates and slaughter them immediately. However, if they chased after them with the slow and heavy Wooden Ox and allied Gigants, they would sink into the sand. If they were counterattacked in that situation, something irreversible would happen.

“It would have been nice if we had lightweight Gigants for pursuit.” At Alex’s words, his best friend since the Tolud Fortress days, Kaper replied with a sigh. “I know, right? But it’s not like we can just take off the armor and put on wooden panels now…”

“We should ask Lord Marquis to make us some maritime Gigants later.” Realizing that further pursuit was impossible, the two men led their troops back to Lamere. Seeing the flames and smoke rising from various parts of the city, they clenched their fists tightly, unable to shake off their grim expressions.

Bang!

Fernand, who had entered the operation command room of the Hiredin, slammed his helmet roughly onto the table. Seeing his angry appearance, Nayson chuckled and asked, “Are you that angry?”

“Isn’t it obvious? If we had attacked just a little longer, we could have captured the city this time, but you sent the retreat signal too hastily.”

“Do you really think so?” Fernand, startled by Nayson’s serious question, immediately lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Your Excellency. I was too angry and lost myself…”

Duke Nayson was well aware that Fernand was showing considerable enthusiasm for his first overseas expedition. He was planning to show off his swordsmanship, which was called the genius swordsman, and at the same time, establish a firm position as the successor to the throne. For the first few days, he had been successful as he had planned. He had plundered several villages and burned down small fortresses along the coast.

However, his advance was first halted at the city of Lamer. Contrary to his expectation of an easy conquest, he had been wasting his efforts for over three days. If his opponent had been Marquis Rakan, a descendant of a hero, things would have been different. Because he was the only opponent Fernand acknowledged. But his opponent was a Fist Master he had never heard of. It was infuriating to be held back by one of his subordinates, not Marquis Rakan, whom he secretly considered his rival. “Tsk, battles have their ups and downs. There’s still plenty of time, so don’t be too impatient. You might hurt yourself with a hastily swung blade.” “Yes, I will keep that in mind.” Fernand nodded at the Duke’s advice. Although they had been engaged in a back-and-forth battle for three days, it didn’t mean the expedition had failed. “According to the information provided by a spy from the Milton Kingdom, Marquis Rakan has led the remaining territorial forces north.” “Then, there won’t be any more forces to send to the southern coastal area.” “That’s right. We can lay siege at our leisure. The tide is in our favor.” Due to the constant shelling and siege warfare, the Rakan territorial forces isolated in Lamer were bound to be exhausted. And when they were exhausted, they would inevitably show openings. Nayson and Fernand began discussing how to exploit those openings to capture Lamer. 3 “Lord, this is the battle report from Lamer City.” Luke, who had been comforting the refugees after repelling the Milton Kingdom’s vanguard, received the paper handed to him by Philip. After reading the battle report, which was a written transcription of the report made through magical communication, Luke was furious. “Those damn pirates!” In terms of the battle itself, it was a victory. The enemy’s landing forces were repelled by the Hwangbo Fortress and the Unicorn Knights, who had moved through the teleport gate, and the Grenada Navy was unable to enter due to the territorial ships that had scuttled themselves at the harbor entrance. The problem was the heavy casualties and property damage suffered by the residents due to the intense shelling. The tallied damage alone amounted to 305 deaths, 626 injuries, and a staggering 7,509 displaced persons in three days. Hundreds of homes were burned down due to fires caused by the shelling. “Since stone-built government offices and branch offices of merchant guilds cannot be easily destroyed by shelling, it seems they deliberately targeted residential areas.” Philip, who had seen the battle report before Luke, also had a hardened expression of anger. Grenada was a naval power and was skilled in naval gunnery. Despite being able to target the gun emplacements, they attacked residential areas, clearly intending to inflict damage on the Rakan territory. ‘We need to deal with the Milton Kingdom forces, but we also need to wipe out the Grenada bastards. Now that they know our naval power is weak, they’ll keep coming at us.’ There was a saying in the Southern Continent that clothes get wet in a drizzle. To avoid future hardship, it was necessary to deal with the Grenada Navy. With that in mind, Luke asked Rogers and the other commanders at the strategy meeting about ways to defeat the Grenada Navy. “How about attacking their fleet with fire from hot air balloons, like when the Emperor defeated the Western Army? They won’t be able to withstand a firestorm falling from the sky.” Erewen, who had come along as a military mage, shook his head at Philip’s suggestion. “Then we’ll need a lot of hot air balloons, won’t we? Our territory only has small hot air balloons for observation, and it would take a considerable amount of time to make them in large quantities.” “Besides, hot air balloons are greatly affected by the wind. The ever-changing sea breeze makes the risk of crashing high.” Luke had considered an aerial attack. But there were too many obstacles, so he gave up on the idea. “How about asking Castia or the Holy Empire for help? Castia might not, but the Holy Empire will definitely help.” Everyone nodded at Rogers’ suggestion. Reina, the Pope of the Holy Artenia Empire, would surely respond if Luke asked for help. Moreover, the Holy Empire’s navy, although inferior to Grenada in terms of quality, had the advantage in terms of size. “As the commander says, they will definitely help. It will be helpful in the long run. But what we need to put out right now is the fire at our feet.” “In that regard, I think we have no choice but to endure. The sea is not as easy to supply as land, and the typhoon season is approaching, so the Grenada Navy will naturally retreat.” The one who answered was Baron Pasca, who had been rescued by Luke this time. Luke thought his words were not wrong. But he did not agree with the opinion that they had no choice but to endure. “Trade with the Southern Continent accounts for a significant portion of our territory’s income. But in the current situation, if we just keep getting hit, what will the merchants think?” Commerce and trade thrive in a stable political environment. No one would come to trade or invest in a territory that was militarily unstable and unable to properly respond to pirate attacks. “I understand your intentions, Marquis. But realistically, there isn’t a way to respond, is there?” “Hmm…” Luke’s heart was set on finding their fleet and burning it all down with magic. But he couldn’t leave the Milton Kingdom forces in front of him. Moreover, it was too much for him to annihilate the fleet on the sea alone. It wouldn’t be impossible if he used black magic or the abilities of a demon, but he didn’t know what would be said later. Although it was quiet now, rumors that Marquis Rakan had learned black magic were still circulating. “Damn it, this is frustrating. If only we could set up some kind of trap, it would be much easier.” “A trap in the sea? How on earth?” Everyone shook their heads at Philip’s grumbling, saying it was impossible. Except for one person. “It is possible to make traps in the sea.” The one who answered that it was possible was Zhuge Soha. She had followed the military mages, hoping to impress Luke, and was delighted that she had a chance to shine. “Is that true?” “Yes, Lord. With a little time and materials, we can set up traps in the sea.” With that, Soha explained in detail to everyone how to make and install the traps. The reaction was mixed. Some, like Luke, were intrigued, while others, like Erewen, were skeptical. “Is that really possible? It’s never been tried before.” “It has been used in the Song Empire. It was to defeat pirates, just like now. And of course, it was effective.” At the mention of its effectiveness, Luke did not hesitate any longer. He immediately sent Zhuge Soha to Lamer City using teleportation magic and ordered her to create traps to defeat the pirates. While Luke was devising a way to defeat the Grenada Navy, the Milton Kingdom camp was busy planning an operation to defeat the Rakan territorial forces. Unlike when they crossed the border, they looked somewhat tense. This was because Renard’s vanguard, which had been on a winning streak, had been defeated. They could understand the situation of being defeated due to numerical inferiority, but they had not expected to be driven into a corner to the point where they had to abandon even the hero-class Gigant Anubis and flee. “It seems the enemy Gigant forces are stronger than expected. We need to get a clearer picture of the enemy’s actual strength.” “Is there really a need to do that, Commander Renold? We are far superior in numbers, aren’t we?” Unlike Renold, Myers was still full of confidence. The currently identified number of Gigants [large, humanoid war machines] on both sides was 200 for the Milton Kingdom forces and 95 for the Rakan territorial forces, a difference of two to one. Originally, there were more Gigants in the Rakan territory. However, they had been pulled out to stop the Grenada Navy in the south, so they could not mobilize all their forces. “It’s painful to have lost a hero-class Gigant, but we still have eight more hero-class Gigants, including my personal ‘Rubira’ and the commander’s Anubis, so I don’t think there’s a problem.” Myers had been secretly increasing the Gigant forces without Emperor Rudolf’s knowledge for a long time. He had manipulated the ledgers to show that they had been scrapped or secretly hidden them in other aristocratic territories. In addition, there were quite a few Gigants that had been purchased from overseas magic towers but had not been brought in. Many magic towers were suffering from financial difficulties after the Magic Tower War, and the Fiore and Altica magic towers, which were members of the top 10 magic towers, were no exception. Myers secretly traded with them and purchased hero-class Gigants such as Rubira and Anubis. Since they had not been brought into the country and were immediately brought in at the same time as the outbreak of the civil war, the Milton Kingdom had more Gigant forces than were known to the outside world. “Not only that, but we also recently received 50 new knight-class Gigants. I’ve ordered them to be sent to the front lines immediately.” Those Gigants were sent by the Volga Republic as a token of their alliance. However, Myers did not mention the source at all. The nobles of the Milton Kingdom also disliked republicanism, so if rumors spread that they had made a secret pact with the Volga Republic, their loyalty would inevitably decline. Renold also did not ask about the source. The problem he felt was elsewhere. “Your Majesty, no matter how many Gigants there are, they cannot be properly utilized if the riders’ skills are lacking.” “What? Are you saying that my Iron Fist Knights are inferior to the Rakan Knights?” “I believe so. Otherwise, there is no reason why the vanguard would have been so easily annihilated when the enemy reinforcements arrived, is there?” Myers’ face flushed at Renold’s cold conclusion. He could not accept the fact that his knights, whom he had carefully nurtured, were inferior to the Rakan Knights. “Isn’t that because the vanguard was careless? According to Lord Renard, they were caught in a trap early on and fought the enemy reinforcements with quite a few Gigants damaged?” “That is true, but my brother, who is a mid-level Sword Master, was unilaterally pushed back by Marquis Luke. With the Marquis’s known skills, such a situation should never have occurred.” The Milton Kingdom’s intelligence department had identified Rune Knight Luke’s skills as being between mid-level and high-level Sword Master. However, if Renard, a mid-level Sword Master, was unilaterally defeated despite having superior machine performance, then his skills had to be considered higher than that. If Marquis Luke had hidden his skills, it was highly likely that his subordinates had also hidden their skills. If that were the case, the battles that would take place later could have different results than expected. Strong individuals like Sword Masters or Sword Sages were capable of turning the tide of battle. “So, what do you want me to do?” “As I said before, we need to grasp the enemy’s actual strength. And I’ve heard that there are people called Aegis who operate in the shadows. It would be best to use them to eliminate the enemy’s leadership.” “So, you’re saying we should assassinate them?” “Yes, there are things that must and must not be done in war. I believe that assassinating the leadership is something that can be done. It can reduce unnecessary casualties among our troops.” Myers made a displeased expression after hearing the story. He himself had engaged in numerous schemes to get to where he was. Therefore, he knew that assassination could be a good means depending on the situation. Nevertheless, the reason he made a dissatisfied expression was that the Gram brothers, whom he had recruited for a high price, were not living up to their value. The younger brother had lost a valuable hero-class Gigant, and the older brother was trying to avoid battle with one excuse or another. In a situation where they needed to quickly occupy the Rakan territory. ‘Damn it, I want to get rid of them right now, but…’ Currently, there was no one in the Milton Kingdom with better skills than the Gram brothers. They had to keep them in their ranks in order to prepare for the battle with the Baroque Empire after this war. “Alright. I will issue separate instructions regarding the assassination.” “Thank you, Your Majesty.” Renold respectfully saluted Myers, who had accepted his opinion. The nobles who had been watching the two men’s argument breathed a sigh of relief when their opinions were reconciled. But they did not realize that this incident had sown the seeds of discord between King Myers and Renold. 4 On the fifth day of the war. The Milton Kingdom forces, which had been advancing rapidly, unexpectedly slowed their advance. It seemed like they had something up their sleeve, but Luke thought it was a good thing. He honestly thought that the casualties of his troops would be high if they fought in the open field. So, he built a defensive line in the village of Bateren, located on the road leading to the Rakan Territory Castle. After evacuating the residents to a safe place, he dug moats and erected wooden fences, creating a defensive line that, while not as good as a fortress wall, was still a barrier. Thanks to the Gigants being mobilized for the work to shorten the time, they were able to complete the work before the enemy arrived. “Hmph, are they planning to cower in that small village?” Shortly after, Myers, who had arrived on the outskirts of Bateren village, scoffed as he looked at the Rakan territorial forces positioned in front of him through his telescope.

“Your Majesty, it seems the enemy has chosen this place for a decisive battle,” Renold said.

Myers responded with a bitter smile. “Fools. To think they can stop our army with such crude obstacles…”

The Milton Kingdom army’s advance had been delayed for two reasons.

First, they wanted to gauge the strength of Luke and the core members of the Rakan Knights. Second, they needed to buy time for Aegis to infiltrate and carry out their operation.

Having completed his assessment, Myers decided to engage in a light battle to confirm his findings.

He commanded the artillery unit to open fire. “Commence firing!”

Boom! Thump, thump!

The shells, intended to gain an advantage, landed in and around the village.

The Gigant unit on the defense line hurriedly raised their shields to block the incoming fire, while the Rakan Territory army’s artillery unit began to retaliate.

“Fire! Show those lackeys of Myers a taste of our heat!”

Bang! Ka-boom!

An unusual explosion rocked the Milton Kingdom army’s camp, sending a large cloud of dust and flames into the air.

The Rakan side’s shelling was so intense that a Gigant holding a shield was knocked backward by the force of a shell.

Startled by the enemy’s unexpectedly powerful shelling, Myers jumped up from his seat. “W-what is going on here?”

“Intelligence suggested the enemy had mobilized fortress cannons. Perhaps that’s what they’re using?” the noble in charge of intelligence replied.

Fortress cannons are large-caliber cannons designed for Gigants. They fire much larger shells than ordinary cannons and can even destroy a Gigant with a direct hit.

However, their immense weight makes them difficult to move, so they are usually fixed in castles or fortresses, hence the name.

“If that was the case, you should have reported it sooner!” Myers rebuked.

“P-please forgive me, Your Majesty!” the noble pleaded, kneeling on the spot.

Myers clicked his tongue, knowing he couldn’t actually kill him. “Tsk, you’re all so incompetent. But, Commander Renold, fortress cannons aren’t something that can be moved around easily, are they?”

Using fortress cannons in the field was a strategy any monarch waging war would have considered. However, it was rarely done due to practical limitations.

“Perhaps they used trailers to move the Gigants,” Renold suggested.

Trailers could indeed carry fortress cannons, but the reality was different from Renold’s guess.

Luke, having fought against the Volga Republic at the Tolud Fortress, had adopted their doctrine of emphasizing artillery. He improved the gun carriages and wheels of his cannons to match theirs, enabling easier transport of the fortress cannons.

‘Still, it was a pain to move them,’ Luke thought, watching the artillery unit reloading after the shelling.

The fortress cannons were a key reason why he had been suspicious of the Milton Kingdom army’s slow advance, yet welcomed it. To compensate for the Gigant forces that had left with the Grenada Navy, he had to bring fortress cannons from nearby castles and fortresses.

Moving them was difficult, but the fortress cannons were proving their worth.

“It seems the enemy Gigant unit is about to charge,” Philip observed.

Almost immediately, shells fired by the Milton Kingdom army landed on the plain in front of the village, releasing milky white smoke.

They were using smoke bombs to conceal the Gigant’s charge, hoping to avoid concentrated shelling from the Rakan forces.

“Hmph, they’re being foolish. Fire smoke bombs as well and send out our Gigant unit!” Luke ordered.

“Yes, sir!”

Supported by artillery fire, the Rakan Territory army’s Gigant unit advanced. Soon, the Gigants of both sides clashed in the middle ground.

Clang! Clang, clang!

“Don’t back down!”

“Smash all the enemy’s scrap metal dolls!”

The rough shouts and loud clanging of metal echoed across the battlefield. In the thick smoke, the Rakan Territory army had the upper hand.

The movements of the units equipped with synchronization helms [devices that enhance coordination between Gigant pilots] from the Katarina Magic Tower overwhelmed the Milton Kingdom Gigants.

“Ugh, such fast reaction speed…! Could they be Sword Masters?” one of the Milton Kingdom soldiers exclaimed.

“Hahaha! We’re grateful if you mistake us for them!” a Rakan soldier retorted.

The Rakan Territory army’s superiority, despite being outnumbered, wasn’t solely due to the synchronization helms. The Milton Kingdom army’s initial mistakes also played a significant role.

The smoke bombs they fired to avoid shelling obscured their own vision, leading to a chaotic melee that prevented them from leveraging their numerical advantage.

Ultimately, the Milton Kingdom Gigant unit suffered considerable losses and retreated. Naturally, Myers was furious.

“What? 11 completely destroyed and 26 half-destroyed?” he demanded.

“That is correct, Your Majesty. It seems that engaging in a melee in the smoke was a mistake,” a subordinate replied.

“Damn it…! Replace the artillery commander immediately! How dare they support the Gigant unit like that!” Myers raged.

Renold and the unit commanders were dumbfounded. It was Myers himself who had ordered the firing of smoke bombs.

After learning that the enemy had fortress cannons, Myers had ordered the smoke bombs, fearing heavy damage to his Gigant unit. But he had forgotten this and was now blaming the artillery commander.

“Your Majesty, please calm down. This was just the first battle. If we enter a full-scale battle, the tide will turn in our favor,” Renold said, trying to soothe him.

In the previous battle, Sword Master-level riders like Renold and Renard, and Hero-class Gigants, had not participated. The Milton Kingdom headquarters, considering Luke and his retainers formidable opponents, intended to use the Sword Masters as hidden cards to infiltrate during the battle rather than as the vanguard.

“What about the enemy? There were rumors among the riders that there were many Sword Masters in the enemy ranks?” Myers asked.

“It must have been a misunderstanding. If Sword Masters had fought, their unique aura would have been detected,” Renold, an expert in such matters, replied.

‘Well, Sword Masters aren’t like pebbles rolling around by the river…’ Myers thought.

“By the way, Your Majesty, what about the assassination of the enemy command that I proposed earlier?” Renold asked, his tone bordering on nagging.

Myers frowned. “I just received a report that Aegis has begun their operation. Wait for their contact soon.”

He hoped Aegis would succeed in the assassination, ending Renold’s nagging.

5

Luke, pleased with the victory, praised the riders and soldiers who had contributed, boosting their morale. Afterward, he held a strategy meeting with his command to prepare for the next battle. As soon as the meeting ended, he met with his demon subordinates in a warehouse on the outskirts of the village.

“These guys are spies from the Milton Kingdom?” Luke asked.

“Yes, Master. I caught them approaching through the southern forest, you see,” Sebastian boasted.

Belfar snorted. It wasn’t Sebastian who had discovered and captured the spies, but Angri and Hydra’s assassins, who were in charge of reconnaissance and surveillance nearby.

‘They’re all fairies. They must be the ones who stopped Hydra’s attack in Nemesis, right?’ Luke thought. Hydra agents had attacked Marquis Myers’s mansion to kill Aslan. That operation had failed, and it seemed these were the ones who had stopped them.

Most of them were elves and dark elves who looked similar to humans, with some lycanthropes mixed in. It wasn’t uncommon for noble families to use fairies as slaves or subordinates, so it wasn’t particularly strange. However, the sheer number suggested that Myers had been raising fairies as his henchmen for a long time.

“They were thoroughly brainwashed. They immediately took their own lives when they thought they were about to be captured,” Belfar said.

Luke tilted his head. “Weren’t the Hydra guys the same?”

“But those guys died by taking poison, not by self-destructing with the enemy,” Belfar shuddered.

Some of the captured spies had torn explosion magic scrolls and detonated the gunpowder they were carrying, sacrificing some of Belfar’s subordinate demons.

“Anyway, the items we collected from the captured ones indicate they were given detailed assassination missions,” Belfar added.

“Assassination… Well, it’s a means they could certainly choose,” Luke mused.

Before the war, Luke had also considered assassinating the Milton Kingdom’s leadership. However, assassinating the king of a country, who was heavily guarded, was not easy. Even if successful, if Myers’s son inherited the throne, it wouldn’t be very effective. Furthermore, failure could lead to criticism for using cowardly tactics as a descendant of the hero Rakan.

That’s why he had abandoned the idea.

“You guys will have to work a little harder in the shadows. Tell the subordinate demons to deal with anyone who looks like a spy,” Luke instructed.

“Understood. But, Master, are you just going to keep fighting like this?” Belfar asked.

“Just keep fighting like this?” Luke tilted his head.

Sebastian gave a sly smile. “Wouldn’t it be simple if we did it like when we fought Count Monarch before? If I secretly put laxatives in the soup they eat, they’ll just…”

The Milton Kingdom army would be incapacitated, unable to fight.

“Stop it. You must never do anything suspicious or questionable,” Luke said sternly.

“Huh? Why not?” Sebastian asked, puzzled.

Belfar lightly smacked him on the back of the head. “You idiot cat! Don’t you know what situation Master is in right now?”

“What situation? Ah, because of that rumor…”

It was rumored that Lord Luke had learned black magic! This rumor, spread by Nanas and his gang, was still circulating. While considered baseless for now, any strange occurrences would deepen suspicion.

“Belfar is right. Because of that, I can’t fully use my abilities either,” Luke admitted.

“Tsk, that’s a shame. I thought it was another chance for me to shine,” Sebastian grumbled.

It wasn’t that Sebastian was greedy for achievements. The dark emotional waves from humans suffering from his tricks were a savory pleasure for him. He had been looking for an opportunity to taste that pleasure through this war, but it had been thwarted.

“Don’t be too disappointed. There will be an opportunity for you to play a separate role,” Luke said.

“Really?” Sebastian’s eyes lit up.

“Yes, this is an operation that I think only you can do…” Luke told Sebastian about the operation he had named ‘Nightmare’.

At first, Sebastian was hesitant, but soon he clapped his hands and rejoiced. “As expected, Master’s insight is excellent. Indeed, only I can carry out that operation.”

“Just in case, Belfar will provide support. Depending on how you guys do, this war could end very easily,” Luke added.

“Yes! Please leave it to us, Master,” the two demons said.

The two demons dealt with the captured spies and left to carry out their operation. After they left, Luke took out a map from his pocket. It was a military map secretly sent by Scarlett and her group, who were currently infiltrated as mercenaries in the Milton Kingdom.

The map showed the main roads and military bases within the Milton Kingdom in detail.

“I should start moving soon too. Like a demon king. Hehehe!” Luke smiled slyly, then used teleportation magic and left the garrison.