Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 106

2. Seizing the Gigant

1

Duke Nayson was trapped in a nightmare, completely unaware of what had befallen his Marine Corps.

After the first-floor gun deck exploded, Nayson frantically ordered the gunpowder to be thrown overboard.

It was crucial to prevent further explosions, as the fire was spreading rapidly from the initial blast.

If the second and third-floor gun decks were to ignite, the Hiredin, laden with a massive amount of gunpowder, could be completely destroyed.

Leaving the fire suppression to his adjutant, Nayson attempted to steer the ship away from the mine-infested waters.

All the other ships capable of movement had already fled the area.

However, navigating out of the waters was difficult due to the sunken and capsized ships blocking their path.

Furthermore, an unexploded mine lurked beneath the surface.

Bang—!

“Damn it, not again!”

Unlike the first, the second mine caused significant damage.

It had struck the Hiredin’s right paddle wheel and detonated.

With one paddle wheel destroyed, the ship could only spin in place, unable to move forward.

Meanwhile, the Rakan Territory forces, led by Zhuge Soha, were closing in on boats.

They launched fire arrows, threw grappling hooks, and swarmed onto the upper deck, attacking like demons.

“Kill the pirates!”

“Clear the deck!”

The two sides clashed in a fierce battle across the expansive deck.

Initially, the Grenada Navy tried to gain an advantage by deploying a large number of crabs [a type of combat unit or construct].

However, Zhuge Soha, leading the Rakan forces, was not about to let them prevail.

“Flat Earth Wave!”

“Ugh! What was that?”

The deck planks rippled like waves.

The sudden movement threw the riders off balance, sending the crabs tumbling into corners or overboard.

“Damn it, a southern sorcerer has appeared!”

Duke Nayson, gritting his teeth, drew his cutlass and charged towards Zhuge Soha.

‘Huh? This energy… !’

Zhuge Soha blocked the intense killing intent directed at her with her twin swords.

Clang—!

The cutlass, imbued with a powerful aura, was stopped in its tracks.

“Hmph. Don’t think of me as just a sorcerer.”

“You’re quite skilled for a woman!”

Duke Nayson’s one eye flashed coldly as he launched another attack.

As an upper-level Sword Master, he had the advantage in skill.

However, he couldn’t easily subdue Soha.

She was also a master swordsman, having reached the level of a Sword Master, and she compensated for her lack of raw skill with sorcery.

“Fire Light Soaring to the Sky!”

Whoosh!

Flames suddenly erupted at Nayson’s feet.

However, he charged through them, unleashing his impact aura.

“A sea man doesn’t fall for petty tricks!”

Unlike before, the impact aura, now over a meter long, was difficult to block.

She poured all her energy into her sword, but was still pushed back.

Clang! Clang!

Zhuge Soha was forced back a dozen steps while exchanging blows.

She was barely holding on when she tripped over a rope and fell.

‘Oh no!’

In a fight between masters, even a small opening can be fatal.

She had fallen backward, her face filled with despair.

“Die, you wench!”

Nayson, with a triumphant smile, seized the opportunity and struck down with his cutlass.

Clang—!

“… !”

A completely different sword strike than before.

Nayson, surprised by the power that surged through his right hand, stepped back and looked at the figure who had deflected his attack.

A middle-aged knight in red armor, who had appeared out of nowhere, was standing in front of Zhuge Soha.

“Kuh, who are you?”

“Me? I am the Red Lightning of Volga.”

“What? The Firebolt Belik?!”

Nayson was shocked.

He had heard rumors that Belik was alive.

But he never expected that the man who should be fighting in the eastern part of the Baroque Empire with the Holy Empire Army would appear here!

He didn’t know why Belik had sided with the Rakan Marquisate, but since he was an enemy, he had no choice but to fight him.

‘Damn it, I’ve met a troublesome one.’

Nayson was frowning deeply when a large sailing ship approached and began bombarding the Hiredin.

Bang! Bang bang!

“Get down!”

“Ugh! Don’t shoot, you madmen! Are you trying to kill our own men?”

The Rakan Territory forces were surprised and ducked, while the Grenada sailors screamed in fear.

However, the cannonballs that landed on the deck were not very powerful. They were smoke bombs that created thick smoke.

The captain of the large sailing ship, using mana to amplify his voice, shouted at Duke Nayson.

“Admiral! Abandon ship! The Hiredin can no longer move!”

“Kuh! Are you telling me to abandon the flagship?”

Nayson looked resentful, but he faced reality.

The Hiredin had lost one of its paddle wheels and could not move forward.

While it was possible to move with sails if the magic steam engine was stopped, it was not easy to maneuver a giant ship using only sails.

Moreover, they had lost a considerable number of sailors in the deck battle.

With the lack of sailors to handle the sails, escape by wind power was virtually impossible.

‘Damn it, do I have to give up like this?’

But he couldn’t just stay on the ship.

He had only exchanged one sword blow, but he could clearly feel it.

That the Firebolt Belik was a level above him.

“Kuh, I will definitely repay this humiliation!”

In the end, Nayson gave the order to abandon ship.

As he and his sailors and knights jumped into the sea, the approaching large sailing ship lowered its boats to rescue them.

“They’re escaping!”

“Catch them!”

The Rakan Territory forces shouted and tried to chase after them.

Some brave men jumped into the sea or prepared to throw grappling hooks at the large sailing ship.

However, the large sailing ship did not just stand by and watch.

They bombarded the Hiredin to prevent the Rakan Territory forces from chasing them.

Zhuge Soha had to deploy the defensive sorcery Golden Iron Wall to block the bombardment rather than chase the enemy, and in the end, the Rakan Territory forces could only watch the retreating enemy with resentful eyes.

“It seems this is as far as we go.”

At Zhuge Soha’s words, Belik clicked his tongue and said,

“It’s frustrating, but it seems so. I wanted to wipe them all out.”

He looked very disappointed that he wanted to kill all the pirates who had dared to attack the land where the late king was sleeping and where the people of Volga had made their new home.

“But they’ve suffered considerable damage, so they won’t be able to covet the Rakan Territory any longer.”

As Zhuge Soha said, the damage to the Grenada fleet was enormous.

More than half of the warships had sunk, and the fleeing ships had also suffered major and minor damage.

In addition, a signal fire rose on land, indicating that the enemy’s Marine Corps had been completely annihilated.

It would take at least a few years to replenish the lost forces here.

“Let’s contact Lord Eun right away. We don’t have to worry about the south anymore.”

“Do that. He’ll be waiting anxiously to see what happened anyway.”

The battle on the Tuled Peninsula was a victory for the Rakan Territory forces on both land and sea.

With the threat from the south gone, the Rakan Territory forces were able to face the Milton Kingdom army with much more ease.

2

Upon hearing the news that the Grenada Navy had been defeated, Luke immediately sent a magic communication to Belik to commend him.

“You’ve done well. Thanks to you, I can now focus on defeating the Milton Kingdom army.”

– Hmph, it’s nothing to be commended for. Those pirates were not even a warm-up exercise.

Belik shrugged his shoulders and replied.

In fact, they were not opponents to be taken lightly as a warm-up exercise.

If it hadn’t been for the strategy proposed by Zhuge Soha and the new weapon, the mine, they wouldn’t have dared to do it.

Still, Belik didn’t want to show weakness to Luke, so he boasted to the end.

– If you feel indebted, buy this old man a drink later. By the way, I like D’Beveron whiskey. Oh, and…

Luke, who had been frowning since Belik mentioned ‘old man’, perked up his ears at his next words.

– After the battle, I captured some prisoners, and there was a big shot among them.

“A big shot?”

– Yes, Count Fernan de Salizar, the vice-commander of the Grenada Royal Knights. He is the son-in-law of King Drake and the first in line to the throne.

‘They captured the next king of Grenada?’

Fernan tore a teleport scroll to escape as his Gigant [a type of powerful armor or mech] was destroyed by the combined attack of Hwangbo Sung and Kaper.

But he couldn’t escape far.

This was because the teleport coordinates applied to the scroll were set to the Hiredin.

After Duke Nayson and his men abandoned ship, the Hiredin was only occupied by Belik and the Red Wolf Knights led by Zhuge Soha, and the Rakan Territory forces.

Fernan, who was surrounded, tried to escape, but was eventually subdued by Belik and brought to Lamer City.

– Because of that, the Grenada guys are also restless. Duke Nayson, the navy admiral, sent a messenger separately to ask about Fernan’s whereabouts. Or did they ask to send his corpse if he was dead?

“So what did you say?”

– I just told them that he was alive. I said that I didn’t have the authority to deal with it, so they could meet with the lord later and negotiate or beg, and then I chased them away.

“You did well.”

Luke nodded at Belik’s words.

Considering what they had done to Lamer City, he wanted to hang the heir to the throne or whatever on the mast and slowly dry him to death in the scorching sun.

But if he did, the Kingdom of Grenada would not stand still.

They had lost many warships this time, but they were the strongest naval power on the continent.

They would not be able to launch a full-scale invasion like this time, but they could certainly cause chaos and plunder in the coastal areas in the name of revenge.

Therefore, from the perspective of the Rakan Marquisate, which had a weak navy, they had to make good use of the card called Fernan.

“I will take care of that matter. So, Commander Belik, please return to the occupied eastern territory of the Baroque Empire.”

– Return? Does that mean this old man’s help is not needed?

“Of course. The Milton Kingdom army can be defeated with the current forces here.”

Luke wanted Belik and the Red Wolf Knights to go to the east and harass the Baroque Empire army again.

That way, the imperial army in the east would continue to be tied up, and it would be difficult for Emperor Rudolf to remove the thorn called the Kingdom of Lybia.

– Alright. Don’t do anything rash and finish it well.

“Don’t worry. Then, see you next time.”

When Luke finished the magic communication with Belik, a communication mage came with a message.

“Lord, a special operations unit hiding in the Milton Kingdom has sent a message through Argos [a magical communication device].”

“Really?”

Luke received the message and immediately examined its contents.

The person who sent the message was Scarlet.

She and her subordinates had remained in the Milton Kingdom after completing their mission at the Bariant Mountains fortress.

It was because Luke had given them a new mission, promising future rewards.

So, they had deliberately been hired by the Milton Kingdom army and were currently patrolling the roads behind the battle zone.

However, recently, while on patrol, they had obtained some incredible information.

“Hmm, this needs to be dealt with immediately.”

A sly smile appeared on Luke’s face after reading the entire message.

Then, Philip asked curiously,

“What is it, sir?”

Instead of answering, Luke handed over the message. After reading it, Philip agreed with Luke’s assessment.

“If we don’t handle this quickly, it will become troublesome.”

“Right? I should pick about a dozen knights with excellent scouting skills. I’ll go with them to resolve this issue.”

At Luke’s words, Philip looked troubled.

“If you go yourself, Commander Rogers will object.”

“It can’t be helped. I’m the only one who can handle it.”

Luke tapped the bracelet he was wearing and replied.

“I’ll talk to Commander Rogers, so don’t worry. Besides, the Milton Kingdom army’s offensive has weakened, so the commander won’t object too much.”

‘He must have done something devilish again.’

Even though the Milton Kingdom army’s offensive had suddenly weakened, opinions among the retainers were divided.

However, no one knew the real reason, and it seemed that Luke had done something.

‘He seems to be getting more wicked by the day.’

Philip shrugged, seeing the sinister smile on Luke’s face.

3

Around the time the Grenada navy became fish food in the sea, ominous rumors were spreading like wildfire in the Milton Kingdom army camp.

“Did you hear that the King went mad and killed a royal guard?”

“They say it’s because Count Bajo’s ghost appears in his dreams every night.”

“Why would the Count’s ghost haunt His Majesty? Count Bajo was killed by Marquis Luke, wasn’t he?”

“That’s what’s known, of course. But it seems that’s not the whole truth.”

The rumors that Sebastian, disguised as a knight or soldier, had spread quickly throughout the entire royal army.

In response, the Milton Kingdom army command announced that the king’s nightmares and ghosts were baseless rumors, and that the dead royal guard had been executed for attempting to assassinate the king at the instigation of Marquis Luke.

Nevertheless, the rumors did not subside easily.

So, the command threatened that the series of rumors were the enemy’s scheme to divide the army, and that anyone spreading the rumors would be punished for treason.

In fact, dozens of soldiers and a few knights who had been talking about the rumors were executed as an example.

However, the more they tried to suppress it, the more the rumors and suspicions grew.

On top of that, something completely unexpected happened.

– Waaah… Your Majesty, I’ve been wronged…!

“What? What’s that sound?”

“Gasp! It’s a, it’s a ghost!”

The ghost of Count Bajo, who had only appeared in the king’s dreams, began to appear and disappear in front of the knights and soldiers on guard duty every night.

Not only that, but he also appeared in the dreams of high-ranking nobles, including Reynold, and complained about his unjust death.

“You don’t look well. Did you perhaps see him in your dreams…?”

“Shhh, lower your voice. You could be killed for treason.”

“I understand. But was Count Bajo really killed unjustly?”

“Perhaps he was deliberately sacrificed for the war with the Rakan March?”

They knew that politics was ruthless.

These suspicions were circulating beneath the surface, but no one officially raised them for fear of being executed.

The problem was that the Milton Kingdom army had to fight with this unease.

There was no problem when the cause of the war was clear, but when doubts arose about that cause, the morale and combat power of the knights and soldiers plummeted.

They were secretly worried that they might die in a meaningless battle.

Moreover, when news spread that the homeland was suffering from monster attacks and chaos due to a lack of public order, morale plummeted even further.

Naturally, there was no way they could achieve any results in battle.

“How many days has it been! How long do we have to be held back without conquering even this small village!”

King Myers shouted, his eyes hollow and his cheekbones protruding.

He was already on edge because Count Bajo appeared in his dreams every night, and his subordinates couldn’t do anything right.

“Your Majesty, that is…”

“Shut up! If you don’t conquer that village by tonight, I will hold the command responsible, so be prepared.”

Myers could no longer hold back and issued an ultimatum to the generals.

If they really failed to conquer it, he was even thinking of not only stripping them of their command but also executing them.

As his eyes gleamed with madness, Reynold stepped forward and said,

“Your Majesty, Baterne may be a small village, but Marquis Luke and the main force of the Rakan March are there. It is not a place that can be easily conquered.”

“What? Are you saying you won’t obey my orders?”

“It’s not that I won’t obey, but I’m saying it’s realistically impossible…”

“Shut up! It’s because of cowards like you who are afraid to fight that the attacks keep failing! If you don’t obey my orders right now, I’ll cut off your head!”

The command nobles were dumbfounded by Myers’s desperate shouts.

Reynold was the commander of the Iron Fist Knights. Except for his younger brother, Renard, he was more powerful than any other general or knight in the army. They couldn’t understand how he could be executed.

And even if it were possible, executing him would cause the already low morale to plummet even further.

So, the retainers tried to dissuade him.

“Your Majesty, please calm down!”

“That’s right. Commander Reynold was just speaking out of frustration, so please be understanding…”

“Quiet! What are the royal guards doing? Drag him out right now… Keuh-eok!”

Instead of calming down, Myers, who was raging, grabbed the back of his neck and collapsed.

Reynold and Renard, who were watching him with cold eyes, and the retainers were startled and jumped up from their seats.

“Y-Your Majesty!”

“A physician! Bring a physician immediately!”

The retainers, who had examined Myers’s condition, shouted in surprise.

As the command was turned upside down, the physician who had rushed over gave first aid to the unconscious Myers and ordered him to be moved to the king’s tent.

“How is His Majesty’s condition?”

At Reynold’s question, the physician sighed in relief and replied.

“Thanks to the quick action, he has passed the critical point. However, due to extreme fatigue and insomnia, he will likely not wake up for at least two to three days.”

“Hmph, I wish he would just sleep forever…”

Unlike his brother, Renard, who was hot-tempered, muttered in a small voice that he wished Myers would sleep forever.

Reynold subtly stepped on his foot.

He was not without complaints about Myers, but it was not good to reveal his true feelings while many nobles were watching.

“Anyway, we can take a breather for a while.”

“Let’s reorganize the army in the meantime. It’s too chaotic right now, and the soldiers’ morale has dropped a lot.”

Everyone nodded at the words of Marquis Volant, the commander of the cavalry unit.

Since they had been held up in the village of Baterne, Myers’s stubbornness had become increasingly severe.

At the operational meetings held every morning, he would not only berate the commanders who had failed in the siege but also threaten to kill them or confiscate their titles and territories.

Naturally, the pressure on the front-line commanders was quite severe.

On top of that, rumors spread that the real culprit who killed Count Bajo was the king, and the commanders’ loyalty was at rock bottom.

“That’s all well and good, but what about the attack on Baterne?”

“Of course, we should stop it. Isn’t it a situation where we can’t even get our money’s worth by attacking?”

At Reynold’s words, Marquis Volant nodded inwardly.

In fact, he considered this invasion to be a failure.

The enemy’s resistance was fierce, and the homeland was becoming a mess due to the sudden appearance of monsters and the lack of public order.

In such a situation, with the morale of the knights and soldiers being crushed, there was no way they could win.

Marquis Volant, who had a large territory in the Milton Kingdom befitting his title, had heard from his son, who was acting as his lord’s representative, that neighboring territories had been trampled by monsters, and he wanted to return home as soon as possible.

However, King Myers’s momentum was so fierce that he could not easily mention a retreat.

But now, he had an excuse.

“How about we just retreat at this point? The attack is sluggish, the domestic situation is not good, and His Majesty has collapsed…”

“That won’t do! How can we, as retainers, disobey His Majesty’s orders and retreat on our own!”

The person who poured cold water on Marquis Volant’s opinion was Count Lao, one of King Myers’s close aides.

At his objection, Reynold said with a what-else-can-we-do face.

“Then are we just going to keep dawdling here?”

“What do you mean dawdling? We have to conquer the village of Baterne, don’t we?”

“All the attacks we’ve launched so far have been in vain, so what are we going to do? If something happens to His Majesty, who has collapsed, will you take responsibility?”

“Didn’t His Majesty say at the last operational meeting that 50 additional Knight-class Gigants [large, humanoid war machines] would be supplied?”

Reynold had heard that too.

In fact, 50 Knight-class Gigants were a considerable force. It was enough to tip the balance of power to one side.

However, Reynold thought that the current sluggish battle was not due to a lack of supplies, but rather due to the lack of skill of the riders and the soldiers’ morale being at rock bottom.

Therefore, there was no guarantee that the supply of 50 Knight-class Gigants would make a difference.

But whether he knew this or not, Count Lao spoke with spittle flying from his mouth.

“And the physician said that His Majesty will recover in three days. Shouldn’t we deliver a victory report when His Majesty wakes up?”

“Recover? The physician never said that.”

He had only said that he would likely not wake up for two to three days. Even if he regained consciousness, it was not known whether he would get up and shake it off or remain bedridden.

However, at Reynold’s point, Count Lao’s eldest son, who had been listening from the side, picked a fight.

“Commander Reynold, you seem to be speaking as if you don’t want His Majesty to recover.”

“That can’t be. I’m just being accurate…”

Before Reynold could finish his explanation, Renard flared up and shouted.

“You little brat! Are you trying to slander my brother!”

“Little brat? Who are you calling that!”

“Apologize immediately, Sir Renard.”

The situation escalated as Count Lao’s son intervened in the argument between Reynold and Count Lao.

Other nobles also began to say a word each.

As a result, the Milton Kingdom command was divided into two factions. One side wanted to retreat, and the other side wanted to continue fighting as it was.

The former were mainly nobles who had territories in the kingdom, and the latter were nobles who had been supporting Myers or were from the bureaucracy and had supported this war.

Since their positions were different, their opinions were sharply opposed, and the Milton Kingdom army wasted precious time in an ambiguous state, neither attacking nor retreating.

4

Kuururung—!

Bureung—! Bureung—!

The southern road connecting the Milton Kingdom to the Rakan March.

A unit was traveling along the road that had been heavily used by merchants before the civil war.

They were a special transport unit of the Milton Kingdom, moving with hundreds of cavalry surrounding dozens of trailers.

Their mission was to deliver 50 Knight-class Gigants, which were given as a gift of alliance from the Volga Republic, to the front line.

‘If only these arrive, we can turn the sluggish battle around in an instant, right?’

Baron Lovett, the transport commander, was lost in thought as he looked at the Gigants wrapped in oil-soaked cloth on the trailers.

According to the news, the Milton Kingdom army, which had stopped its advance in a small village called Baterne, was struggling against the strong resistance of the Rakan March army.

The baron’s brother-in-law had gone to war as a royal guard’s squire, which was why his wife and mother-in-law were so worried.

‘I don’t know where they bought them, but if these Gigants arrive, the situation will change 180 degrees. 50 Knight-class Gigants are a huge force.’

That was why he was also cursed by the nobles of the territories he visited during the escort.

They misunderstood that the Gigants were being scraped together and taken to the battlefield, even though the country was in chaos due to monsters and bandits.

In fact, some lords had even tried to secretly steal the Gigants at night.

Because of that, Baron Lovett could not sleep soundly even at night.

“Everyone, speed up! We’ll be at the Rakan March soon! Our allies will be waiting for us with bated breath!”

At his command, the soldiers increased the speed of their horses.

How long had they been riding?

A large carriage was blocking the road in the middle of the road.

‘What is it? Did an accident happen?’

The carriage was tilted, so it seemed that a wheel had fallen off, and because of that, a noblewoman was severely scolding her attendants.

The red-haired noblewoman, who looked to be in her mid-20s, was quite beautiful and had a slender figure.

Because of that, Baron Lovett and his men couldn’t easily take their eyes off it.

Normally, he would have pretended to kindly fix the carriage while subtly flirting with the noblewoman.

However, they were currently on a critical mission.

So, he immediately gave an order to his adjutant.

“Quickly move the carriage out of the way.”

“Yes, sir!”

The adjutant, having selected the strongest soldiers, approached the carriage.

But then, the noblewoman and her attendants suddenly drew bows and started shooting at the adjutant’s group!

‘Are they crazy?!’

Baron Lovett’s eyes widened in shock as a series of figures appeared from the bushes on both sides of the road, also firing arrows.

‘What is this? Could it be, an enemy special forces unit?’

Their attire didn’t look like bandits.

But there was no time to leisurely figure out their identities. First, they had to dodge the incoming arrows.

Swish! Swish—!

“Kuaaak!”

“A, an ambush!”

In the surprise attack, dozens of cavalrymen fell in an instant.

Baron Lovett deflected the incoming arrows while commanding his soldiers.

“Don’t panic! There aren’t many of them!”

The cavalry quickly reorganized their ranks.

However, there was no good way to defeat the enemies who were moving through the trees and sniping.

Moreover, the archery skills of the beautiful noblewoman, or rather, the red-haired woman who seemed to be the leader of the attackers, were incredible.

She loaded three or four arrows at once and fired, and none of them missed.

‘Is she a Bow Expert?’

Baron Lovett, feeling he had to step in himself, raised his aura on his sword and spurred his horse towards the red-haired woman.

Dudududu!

Seeing Baron Lovett charging towards her, the red-haired woman quickly fired two arrows.

The Baron deflected one with his sword, but the other accurately hit the horse’s leg.

Ihihing—!

The horse, struck by the arrow, tumbled onto the road.

“Hyah!”

Just before the horse fell, Baron Lovett jumped from the saddle and swung his sword like lightning towards the red-haired woman’s neck.

He thought that even though her archery skills were excellent, his fast attack, as an Upper Expert [a high-ranking knight], would be enough to catch her.

But the woman slightly turned her body to the side, dodging his attack!

Moreover, she nocked another arrow and aimed it at the Baron.

The arrow was aimed right in front of him.

The distance was too close; it didn’t seem like he could dodge it.

“Hehehe. Checkmate! Your courage is commendable, but you were too reckless, Baron Lovett.”

“Kuh, you know my name, who the hell are you people?”

“Is there a need for you to know? You’re about to die anyway.”

With those words, she was about to release the bowstring.

‘Damn it, is this the end?’

Just as Baron Lovett was about to close his eyes in frustration, a sudden sound rang out.

Peeng!

A suddenly flying ice arrow severed the string of the bow the red-haired woman was holding.

Startled, she retreated, and at that moment, a mage appeared from the other side of the road and fired a series of fireballs.

Bang! Kwakwakwang!

“Damn it, a war mage. Run away!”

As flames erupted everywhere in the bushes, the startled enemy special forces (?) hurriedly fled.

The red-haired woman, looking disappointed, also quickly escaped into the forest.

“Don’t chase them! Everyone, stay where you are!”

Baron Lovett quickly stopped the cavalrymen who were about to pursue them.

It was dangerous to enter the dense bushes on horseback.

Moreover, when they departed, he had been warned by Marquis Mazer not to stray from the Gigant [a large, powerful war machine].

“Are you alright?”

The young war mage who had just cast the magic ran towards Baron Lovett with about a dozen mercenaries.

“Thank you for your help. I am Baron Shaylon de Lovett, commander of the special transport unit. Who are you?”

“I am Louis, the leader of the Minerva Mercenary Company. We are currently employed by the Milton Kingdom army to guard the roads.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

To overcome the current lack of security, the kingdom, as well as the lords, were spending all the money they had to hire mercenaries.

Usually, they were tasked with monster or bandit subjugation, but the kingdom army was having the mercenaries patrol the roads located on supply routes to save even a little of their own forces.

Baron Lovett had seen such mercenaries quite often on his way here.

“Who were those guys from earlier? They seemed quite well-trained to be ordinary bandits.”

“They’re probably special forces from the Rakan Marquisate who have infiltrated the country.”

“Special forces…”

Louis glanced at the ‘item’ loaded on the trailer and nodded as if he understood.

He could guess what it was just from its size and silhouette.

“Anyway, we will accompany you to the next checkpoint. They might attack again.”

“Alright, I appreciate it.”

The special transport unit tended to the wounded, temporarily buried the dead by the side of the road, and then set off again.

Baron Lovett rode his horse alongside Louis, chatting.

“You look young, but you have great magical skills.”

“I used to be at the Lockeed Magic Tower. But it was destroyed during the Magic Tower War.”

At Louis’s dark expression, Baron Lovett nodded as if he understood.

The Magic Tower War, which ended with the collapse of the Magic Alliance and the destruction of the Veritas Magic Tower, had a significant negative impact on the magic world.

Most of the ten major magic towers were destroyed, and the surviving towers were also suffering from severe financial difficulties, leading to many mages being laid off.

As a result, many mages lost their homes and wandered around.

Some were recruited into noble families, but many others were barely making a living by working as mercenaries.

“Anyway, I will be sure to report your contribution to my superiors. You will surely receive a large reward. You might even be able to enter the Royal Magic Tower.”

“That sounds promising. Please do your best.”

As they talked and traveled, the sun had already set.

They were supposed to arrive at the next checkpoint before sunset, but the attack by the special forces had delayed them.

“Everyone, stop. We’ll take a short break.”

Baron Lovett had planned to reach the checkpoint tonight, but he didn’t want to push his men too hard.

Both people and horses needed to rest to continue marching, and they needed to be able to fight if the enemy attacked.

As the order was given, the cavalrymen gathered their horses, collected branches from nearby, started a fire, and prepared dinner.

Louis and the Minerva Mercenary Company also helped.

Baron Lovett saw Louis and the mercenaries sprinkling something like dried leaves on the campfire and asked.

“What is that?”

“It’s a medicinal herb from our hometown. If you burn it and inhale the smoke, it helps relieve fatigue.”

“Really? I do feel like my mind is clearing up.”

The hazy smoke rising from the campfire spread out faintly like a mist.

The soldiers who smelled the smoke while eating dinner also smiled, saying they felt refreshed.

But that was only for a moment.

“Wha, what is it? Why is my body like this?!”

“My whole body is tingling, I can’t move!”

Everyone sat down, trembling, or lay down, struggling.

Some of the soldiers in severe condition foamed at the mouth and lost consciousness.

Only Louis and the Minerva Mercenary Company were fine.

They had taken an antidote beforehand, so the smoke from the herb had no effect on them.

“Tsk, tsk. You trusted people too much, Baron.”

“Kuh! You cowardly bastard…!”

Seeing Louis’s sinister smile, Baron Lovett realized he had been tricked.

He gritted his teeth and stood up, drawing his sword.

He was also paralyzed, but as an Upper Expert knight, he was able to overcome it to some extent.

But standing up was the end of it.

Baron Lovett was struck by a spell cast by Louis and fell without being able to defend himself.

“You, were you in league with the enemy special forces?”

“Not in league, I’m the one giving the orders.”

“What? Then could it be, you’re Duke Luke…?”

“Now that you know, go to sleep.”

As Louis, or rather, Luke, punched him in the jaw with an aura-infused fist, Baron Lovett passed out without making a sound.

“My lord, we’ve taken care of everyone.”

“Good work.”

The knights who had accompanied Luke knocked down all the enemies who hadn’t fallen as easily as Baron Lovett.

As the situation was resolved, Scarlett and her group, who had carried out the earlier attack, revealed themselves.

“You all did well too.”

“But why did you handle it so complicatedly?”

Scarlett, who had been disguised as a noblewoman, looked puzzled.

Their goal was the Knight-class Gigant that the special escort unit was transporting.

Therefore, Scarlett thought it would be simple to kill all the escorts and take it.

“Well, we needed to be careful.”

With that said, Luke tore the cloth covering the Gigant, revealing its interior.

Then, they could see scrolls plastered all over the Gigant.

“This is… it looks similar to an Explosion magic scroll?”

Scarlett, after examining the scrolls, asked.

“That’s right. But this is twice as sophisticated. It reacts by sensing the surrounding situation.”

Scarlett and her subordinates still looked puzzled, as if they didn’t understand.

So, Luke dragged the fallen Baron Lovett over and rolled up his sleeve.

Then, a tattoo identical to the pattern drawn in the center of the scroll was engraved on his forearm.

“This magic tattoo is also engraved on other enemy soldiers. These and the scrolls attached to the Gigant are linked. So, if more than half of the soldiers die during an attack…”

“Ah! The scroll senses this and explodes. Of course, the Gigant becomes unusable.”

“That’s right. I don’t know who did it, but they’ve handled it quite meticulously.”

In fact, Luke had initially planned to attack the special escort unit and seize the Gigant after joining Scarlett’s group.

However, he sensed an unusual mana energy linking the Gigant and the soldiers and changed his plan.

“Moreover, this doesn’t activate even if the distance between them increases. That’s why we had to intercept it this way.”

“Can it be removed?”

“Of course, it will take a little time.”

The person who built this security magic algorithm was estimated to be at least a 7th-circle mage [a high-level mage].

Perhaps a court mage of the Milton Kingdom, or a Meister [master] of the Royal Magic Tower.

Luke had reached the 8th circle.

He immediately drew on his magic power and interpreted the magic algorithm to remove the self-destruct function.

“Now, all that’s left is to pick it up.”

Luke immediately opened the subspace of his bracelet and swept the Gigant, trailer and all, into it.

Scarlett and her subordinates’ eyes widened at the sight.

“Did you, did you have such an amazing magic item?”

“Of course. Did you think a hero’s family wouldn’t have a treasure like this?”

It was actually the Demon King’s legacy.

Anyway, having finished his business, Luke left the place with his subordinates.

Without leaving any traces behind.