Emperor Of Steel [EN]: Chapter 98

Gorgos

While Luke was battling Arsene, the war in the Baroque Empire continued to rage. Gorgos Fortress was one of the many places where the conflict was most intense.

Gorgos Fortress, the largest defensive stronghold in the Variand Mountains, which divided the central and southern parts of the empire, was naturally protected by steep mountains on both sides, leaving only the front and rear as potential attack points. The Central Army, led by Count Ferrero, and the Southern Army, led by Marquis Myers, were locked in a tense standoff centered around this fortress.

After a tedious stalemate that lasted until the end of the rainy season, Marquis Myers launched a full-scale attack. News had reached him that Duke Butler’s forces had been crushed by Emperor Rudolf’s army. Marquis Myers, realizing that further delay would leave him vulnerable to attack from the Imperial Army, which had already pacified the western region, had no choice but to act.

“That fool, Butler!” Myers muttered, unable to contain his frustration. He had expected Butler to at least hold out and buy some time, even if he couldn’t defeat the Imperial Knights and the elite troops of the Eastern Army led by Rudolf. But to think he would collapse so miserably after just one defeat!

The betrayal of his closest aide, Marquis Vanden, had been a decisive blow, putting the Southern Army, now under Marquis Myers’ command, at a significant disadvantage. Their original plan had been to lure the Central Army deep into the southern territory, disperse their forces, and then defeat them piecemeal. Given the weather and terrain, it was a sound strategy. However, the current situation forced them to take the offensive.

‘Since the west has been pacified, Rudolf will soon turn his forces this way. We must seize a strategically advantageous point like Gorgos Fortress,’ Myers thought. His ultimate goal was the revival of the Milton Duchy. He dreamed of restoring his ancestors’ fallen nation and creating a kingdom—no, a great empire that would rival Baroque or the Holy Artenia. To achieve that dream, he couldn’t afford to lose his base in the southern territories. That was why he had switched to an all-out offensive.

The problem was that events were unfolding unfavorably. Count Ferrero, having heard the news of the Western Army’s defeat, showed no intention of leaving Gorgos Fortress, forcing the Southern Army to wage a siege battle in the rain.

“All troops, charge!” he yelled. “We can’t waste time! We must capture the fortress! What are the artillery units doing? Why aren’t they supporting the Gigant units [large humanoid war machines]!”

Shouts and roars from commanders echoed throughout the attacking forces. Thud, thud, thud, thud! The Gigants that had charged ahead were already reaching the walls of Gorgos Fortress. However, the artillery units that should have been supporting them were silent. Even in the rain, cannons could still be used, but the silence was so strange that Marquis Myers sent a messenger to investigate.

Shortly after, the messenger returned, his face pale. “Y-Your Highness, a terrible thing has happened!” he stammered. From the messenger’s expression, it was clear that something serious had occurred. However, the messenger’s words far exceeded his expectations. “T-The gunpowder of the artillery units is completely soaked and unusable!”

“What!” Marquis Myers jumped up at the messenger’s words. Gunpowder was usually stored in multiple layers of oilcloth and waterproofed wooden boxes, so it shouldn’t get wet easily, no matter how much it rained. “It seems the officer in charge of the gunpowder in the artillery unit was a spy for the Imperial faction. Last night, he made all the gunpowder unusable and deserted.”

“If such a thing happened, you should have reported it sooner!” The messenger replied in a barely audible voice to the Marquis’s rebuke. “T-That is, Baron Seiren, the commander of the artillery unit, ordered it to be kept secret…”

“You fool!” It seemed they had hidden it out of fear of being reprimanded. However, they had failed to see the bigger picture. A secret cannot be hidden forever, and if a mistake is revealed at a crucial moment like this, they could face even greater punishment. As expected, Marquis Myers immediately ordered Baron Seiren to be beheaded and the artillery commander to be replaced.

“Damn it, to have to lay siege without artillery support…” Even though Gigants were the main force in war, it was difficult to conduct a siege battle without the support of cannons. The siege battle, which was not planned, was facing difficulties from the start. “Damn it, there’s no choice. Deploy the Iron Fist Knights!”

The coat of arms of the Marquis Myers family was a tightly clenched iron fist, hence the name, Iron Fist. As befitting a knight order named after the family’s coat of arms that had been passed down since the Milton Duchy era, the Iron Fist Knights were an elite knight order composed entirely of Expert-level knights or higher. The Gigants they operated were all Knight-class, making them no different from Marquis Myers’ personal guard. The fact that such a knight order was being deployed from the beginning meant that the Marquis was losing his composure.

“Your Excellency, is it really necessary to deploy the Iron Fist Knights so early?” Marquis Myers shook his head at the worried question from Baron Bazzo, who was accompanying him as a staff officer. “To survive, we must seize the Gorgos Fortress area before the Emperor returns, no matter what. If we fail, we could be destroyed.”

The original plan was to lure the Central Army in, defeat them individually, and then march north to occupy the imperial capital, Nemesis. However, with the Western Army collapsing so easily, they had to revise their strategy. Marquis Myers decided to seize Gorgos Fortress and the fortresses in the Variand Mountains as a fallback. If they could hold out with those fortresses as their base, they could withstand the Emperor’s large army that would come later.

“But I’m worried that deploying elite troops so hastily will increase casualties.” Marquis Myers also had plans to persuade the fortresses in the Variand Mountains after defeating the Central Army. He had planned to win over the nobles guarding each fortress with vast wealth, benefits, and beautiful women. He had been secretly working on this for some time, and if the war situation turned in their favor, persuasion would be entirely possible. However, the damned Western Army had collapsed so absurdly, the war situation had turned unfavorable, and the persuasion operation had completely fallen through.

“Even if there are some casualties, it can’t be helped. Speed is the most important thing right now!” Having made that decision, Marquis Myers sent messengers to order the units stationed at other fortresses to launch simultaneous attacks. Thud! Thud! Boom! The Southern Army was swarming and pounding on the walls of Gorgos Fortress. The soldiers on the walls poured down cannon fire, and the Gigants counterattacked, but the enemy’s momentum, pushing forward relentlessly with several times more troops, was extraordinary. As a result, the faces of the Central Army commanders were filled with tension and anxiety.

“It seems the enemy has deployed all their troops without leaving any reserves.” Count Ferrero, who was standing on the watchtower overlooking the battlefield, nodded at his adjutant’s words. “Hahaha. They must be desperate.” The reason the Southern Army was launching such a large-scale offensive was probably because they had heard the news of the Western Army’s collapse. In fact, the Central Army had received this news first. So, Count Ferrero had deliberately spread the news to the Southern Army through spies. It was to fight according to their own intentions, not the enemy’s.

“Those guys will try to seize a strategically advantageous position for defense before His Majesty the Emperor pacifies the west and comes here. I would have done the same.” “Then shouldn’t we deploy our reserves and counterattack?” In addition to the garrison of the fortress and the Central Army he had brought, Count Ferrero also had troops sent by the pro-Imperial lords in the vicinity. He had kept these reinforcements as reserves, and the adjutant was asking if they should be deployed. Count Ferrero shook his head. “No, there’s no need to counterattack. Time is on our side, so we just need to buy as much time as possible here.”

Count Ferrero was a battle maniac who felt an itch to fight when he saw a strong opponent, but he was not someone who acted recklessly without thinking. Moreover, he was skilled in strategy and tactics enough to fulfill his role as commander. “Indeed, if we hold out until His Majesty the Emperor returns, it’s as good as a victory for us.” Ferrero asked his adjutant, who nodded in agreement. “What is the situation at the other fortresses?” “According to the magical communication that just came in, they are also under simultaneous attack. However, there are no places in immediate danger yet.”

Count Ferrero nodded, seemingly satisfied with the adjutant’s words. “Hehehe. They’re doing well. Tell them to focus on defense as much as possible.” “Understood.” Count Ferrero was only thinking of buying time. However, he had no idea what kind of variable had occurred in the western region.

Emperor Rudolf’s conquest of the western region was initially smooth. With the Western Army defeated and numerous lords and elite knights who had participated in the war killed, the western nobles were gripped by fear. So, the first few territories opened the gates of their lord’s castles and enthusiastically welcomed the Emperor. However, the Emperor, who was determined to annihilate the noble faction, executed all the nobles who surrendered without exception. As a result, after a few territories were destroyed in the early stages, the western nobles only thought about escaping. They did not consider fighting to the death at all.

The remaining forces were only enough to maintain public order. Fighting the Imperial Army with such forces was like trying to catch a dragon with a kitchen knife. As a result, many territories became ownerless, and the nobles scraped together the wealth of their territories and fled to the borders. The Imperial Army, which no longer had anything to hold back, divided its forces into several groups and began to take over the empty territories. It was to reduce the time it would take to pacify the western region. However, problems began to arise from this point.

The units sent to take over the empty territories began to be attacked by unexpected enemies. “What? The unit that was heading to the Lisburn Barony was annihilated?” “Yes, Your Majesty. They were attacked by a large number of monsters.” When they first heard the news of the monster attacks, they thought it was just one or two incidents. They had been so focused on the civil war that they had not paid attention to monster subjugation. Moreover, the units that had gone to take over the empty territories prioritized securing administrative power, so they often did not have Gigants. However, as reports came in from all sides that they were being attacked by monsters, and even the Gigant units that had been dispatched to pursue them were ambushed and defeated, they realized that this was not a normal situation.

“It’s understandable for ordinary units, but how can Gigant units lose to monsters?” “It is said that the Gigant units were not attacked by monster groups, but by Gigants with dragon crests on their breastplates.” The one who answered Rudolf’s question was Count Voltaire. Immediately after crushing the Western Army, he had been recognized for his contribution in luring the enemy and had returned to his original position. “What? Dragon crests!” Emperor Rudolf looked dumbfounded. In the Baroque Empire, only the Imperial Family could use a crest with a dragon on it. It was established as an unwritten rule, though not a law, to emphasize the legend that the Imperial Family was descended from the bloodline of dragons. Therefore, families with similar legends had to change their crests to wyverns or drakes.

“What kind of fearless fools dare to usurp the Imperial crest!” Bang! The enraged Emperor slammed his fist down, shattering the marble table into pieces. The commanders of each unit who had gathered for the military conference trembled like aspen trees at the Emperor’s terrifying aura. If Rudolf had not controlled his aura, at least half a dozen of them would have collapsed from heart attacks. “P-Please calm down, Your Majesty. According to the reports submitted by the military’s intelligence officers, the Gigants that attacked our forces are presumed to be from neutral territories in the west, based on their models.”

“From the neutral faction? Why on earth would the neutral faction do that?” The neutral faction had not participated in the civil war between the Imperial and noble factions. Of course, there were a considerable number of neutral nobles who had been caught up in the ‘Blood Approval Ceremony’ [a ritual of loyalty] and had died, causing some to leave the neutral faction and return to the noble faction. However, Rudolf did not turn the entire neutral faction into enemies. It was foolish to deliberately increase the number of enemies. “Are they crazy? In a situation where the western noble faction has been crushed, are they daring to fight me?”

Voltaire quickly answered the Emperor, who looked incredulous. “However, it doesn’t seem like something to be taken lightly. They are moving with monsters, and it is said that the one leading the combined human and monster army is the Orc Hero, Shaikhan.” “What? That bastard was behind it?” Even before the civil war broke out, Shaikhan had been causing trouble by gathering monsters within the empire. Rudolf had tried to subjugate him, but he was so elusive in controlling the monsters that he could not properly deal with him. Moreover, with the sudden outbreak of the civil war with the noble faction, he had completely forgotten about him.

“Could it be that he incited the neutral nobles? But how?” Looking at the way things were going, it was highly likely. He didn’t know how a guy who only caused trouble by controlling monsters could have persuaded the neutral faction, but from Rudolf’s perspective, it was nothing short of throwing ashes on a finished meal. ‘That bastard dares…!’ As he was inwardly grinding his teeth, a messenger came in, handed a letter to Voltaire, and retreated. Voltaire’s eyes widened as he read the letter. “What is it?” At Rudolf’s question, Voltaire opened his mouth with a very apologetic expression. “Your Majesty, the neutral lords in the southwest of the empire have joined forces with the remnants of the western noble faction, including Duke Butler, and declared independence, calling their nation the Kingdom of Lybia.”

“Those bastards dare!” Not only had they joined hands with the escaped remnants, but they had also raised the name of a nation that had fallen 500 years ago and started a rebellion! He thought that the neutral nobles in the west were acting up because of these guys. Thump. Rudolf grabbed his sword and rose from his seat, intending to immediately suppress the rebels. However, Voltaire’s words were not over. “Moreover, they have appointed Shaikhan as the king of the Kingdom of Lybia.” “Shaikhan?” Rudolf, who had seemed about to rush out, stopped in his tracks. There must be ambitious nobles among the neutral faction. However, Rudolf could not understand why the nobles had appointed Shaikhan, who only controlled monsters, as their king.

“T-That is because Shaikhan’s true identity is Prince Leikart de Baroque…” “W-What?!” Rudolf, who had heard the name of his half-brother whom he had long forgotten, doubted his ears. “And Prince Leikart has awakened the blood of the Divine Dragon.” Thud! Rudolf’s face was filled with shock and bewilderment at the most shocking words he had heard so far.

Felipe County, Southwest Baroque Empire.

In this land, which boasted the largest territory and the strongest military force among the neutral faction’s domains, a new flag was fluttering.

It was a flag with the same dragon emblem as the Baroque Imperial Family, but the difference was that the dragon was soaring with its wings fully spread.

Surprisingly, many of the soldiers guarding the lord’s castle where the new flag was waving were monsters like orcs and goblins.

The monsters, armed with steel weapons like the human soldiers, were diligently carrying out their guard and patrol duties without showing the slightest sign of distraction.

As a result, the human knights and soldiers looked relatively lax.

Initially, they were also surprised by the fact that they were working alongside monsters and did not neglect their vigilance.

However, after realizing that the monsters did not harm them, they had relaxed their guard.

“They look more like elite soldiers than monsters.”

“They’re much better than the rookies in our squad.”

“How can they be like that? Did they subdue them with magic or something?”

An armed orc approached the knights who were whispering among themselves.

The orc, with a massive build that could easily be mistaken for a troll’s kin, spoke to the knights in a clumsy voice.

“Kruk, not magic. King has power of Divine Dragon. Orcs, obey power of Divine Dragon. Power of Divine Dragon made orcs strong and smart.”

“Hmm, is that so? So that’s why the monsters can use bows and cannons.”

“The power of the Dragonian [referring to those with dragon blood] is truly amazing.”

The knights recalled the first time they met the ‘King.’

The man whom Count Felipe had introduced as the new king, replacing the mad emperor, was a masked giant.

The masked man, who had brought tens of thousands of monsters to the border of the territory, was none other than the orc hero Shaikhan, who had previously turned the Principality of Navarr upside down.

Shaikhan, who had thrown off his mask in front of the neutral faction nobles and the remnants of the Western Army gathered at the lord’s castle, claimed that he was Leikart de Baroque, the third son of the late emperor, and the rightful successor to the Kingdom of Lybia.

When they heard that story, everyone’s reaction was more suspicion than surprise.

They thought he was a con artist trying to take advantage of the chaos in the empire caused by the civil war.

Although Duke Butler vouched for him, his words, having already been defeated by the emperor, carried no authority.

Then, when Shaikhan unleashed the power of the Dragonian and transformed from a human into a dragon and roared, the doubts that had clouded the nobles’ minds vanished.

They could only bow their heads and submit, trembling like aspen leaves or wetting their pants.

“But who would win if our Emperor fought the mad emperor?”

“Of course, His Majesty would win. Emperor Rudolf is just a human, no matter how strong he is, but our Emperor is a half-human, half-dragon with the power of the Divine Dragon.”

“That’s right. They say he can split a Gigant [a large, powerful monster] in half with a single blow.”

A large orc spoke to the knights who were still whispering.

“Knights, stop gossiping. Focus on your duties.”

“Geez, an orc is nagging… Ugh! W-What are you doing?”

The orc grabbed the grumbling knight by the collar and lifted him into the air. Then, in a colder voice than before, he snapped.

“I am stronger than knights. Higher rank. If you mess with me, you will get hit.”

“O-Okay! So, please let me go…”

“Kwiik! Use honorifics!”

“Yes, I understand! I won’t do it again!”

Upon hearing that, the orc released the knight, and the knights hurriedly began their patrol duties.

Count Felipe, who was watching this scene through the window, wore a disgruntled expression.

“Even so, putting monsters above people…”

A cold voice came from behind him as he clicked his tongue inwardly.

“It is the King’s decision. If you have any objections, you can argue with him directly.”

The count slowly turned around.

Then, he saw the person who had coldly snapped at his mutterings.

It was an old knight who was silently sitting in a chair and handling paperwork, and surprisingly, he was Duke Butler, who was once the leader of the Western Aristocratic Faction.

Duke Butler, who had appeared with Shaikhan, was currently serving as the Minister of Military Affairs and Commander-in-Chief of the entire army of the Kingdom of Lybia.

“And not all monsters are above people.”

“That’s true, but…”

In fact, only a small number of monsters with strength above the Expert level or with superior intelligence had a higher rank than ordinary knights.

However, for those like Count Felipe who believed that humans were unconditionally superior, even this level of privilege was unsatisfactory.

“A diligent monster, even if a bit clumsy, is better than a smart but lazy one. And it’s a hundred or a thousand times better to trust a loyal monster than one without faith or loyalty!”

Crack!

The quill pen in Butler’s hand shattered the moment he finished speaking.

The image of the traitor, Marquis Vanden, had flashed through his mind.

Fwoosh!

Count Felipe, who was breathless due to the murderous aura emanating from Butler’s body, pleaded.

“P-Please calm down, Duke!”

At his plea, Butler snapped back to his senses.

Perhaps because he had unknowingly released his angry aura, all the furniture in the office was broken.

Moreover, Count Felipe was panting, drenched in cold sweat as if he had entered a sauna.

“Hoo, I’m sorry. I just had a bad memory while talking.”

“No, I understand completely.”

It seemed better not to talk about monsters. He felt like he would be torn to pieces if he provoked him. Even though he had lost to the emperor, Duke Butler was one of only two Sword Sages [a title for extremely skilled swordsmen] in the Baroque Empire.

Having made that decision inwardly, Felipe subtly changed the subject of the conversation.

“By the way, there are already people talking about a royal marriage.”

“A royal marriage?”

“Yes, His Majesty the King is still unmarried. Some nobles are saying that if the country’s mistress is decided, His Majesty will be able to focus more on external affairs.”

At Felipe’s words, Butler scoffed.

“Hmph, those guys are good at talking. Their true intention is to become in-laws and wield power.”

“Hahaha…”

Felipe was sweating at Butler’s sharp criticism. It was not wrong at all, and he was also secretly aiming for that position.

Felipe, who only had sons, was already so proactive that he had adopted a distant relative’s daughter as his own.

However, there was a formidable rival.

A woman who had integrated 15 small and medium-sized territories across the western and southern parts of the empire and had given Shaikhan great power.

Felipe frowned at the thought of ‘her.’

‘I can’t lose to that lewd witch from a foreign land! Absolutely, that’s right!’

Count Felipe vowed to make his adopted daughter the queen.

The next morning,

Shaikhan, who had gone on an expedition, returned to Count Felipe’s territory.

At the rear of his procession, which was leading the human and monster allied forces with dignity, ogres were carrying over 30 Gigants.

Thump, thump, thump!

The people who had come out to the streets leading to the lord’s castle to see the king’s triumphant return could not help but be amazed.

“Did they capture the emperor’s army’s Gigants?”

“Look at that! The Imperial Guard’s emblem is stamped on their chests!”

“His Majesty has struck a blow against the mad emperor.”

“Long live His Majesty the King! Long live the Kingdom of Lybia!”

As the cheerleaders, who were scattered among the crowd, shouted cheers, the people, who were excited by the victory atmosphere, began to shout cheers.

In fact, it did not matter much to the common people who won the civil war. Their lives would not change much even if the ruling class changed.

However, Shaikhan had lowered taxes to gain public support in the early days of the founding of the nation, which the people liked.

Shaikhan, who had formally responded to the cheers of the people by raising his hand, headed to the lord’s castle.

Duke Butler and Count Felipe, along with other major nobles, were waiting in front of the lord’s castle.

“Your Majesty, congratulations on your victory.”

“Congratulations, Your Majesty!”

As soon as the nobles’ loud congratulatory greetings burst out, beautifully adorned young ladies came out and presented bouquets and wreaths.

‘They’re not maids.’

As Shaikhan had judged, they were the daughters of noble families, including Count Felipe’s adopted daughter.

They had brought them out like this with the intention of catching the king’s eye in advance.

Since the issue of royal marriage was already being discussed, Shaikhan was not unaware of the nobles’ shallow intentions.

However, he had no intention of being displeased or refusing. Except for the people from his mother’s family, the Evra family, he did not have many human subordinates he could use.

Moreover, these nobles owned the land and people that would become the foundation of the country, so their political and social influence was strong.

No matter how much power of the Divine Dragon Shaikhan had, how many achievements he made, and how much attention he received from the people as king, he could not rule the country without the nobles.

Even the power of the great Divine Dragon had its limits.

The power that Shaikhan had awakened was only enough to maintain the monster army or to control subordinates like Duke Butler.

‘And I need to become stronger to defeat Rudolf. I don’t have the energy to worry about such trivial matters.’

Having made that decision, Shaikhan readily accepted the bouquets and wreaths that the women offered and handed them over to his cousins or subordinates who were behind him.

He did not show any other particular reaction.

He did not give a glance or speak to anyone in particular.

The nobles, who had been secretly building up expectations, wore expressions of disappointment.

‘Tsk, our third daughter is a beauty known even in the capital!’

‘Is his standard higher than I thought?’

‘Perhaps, does he already have a woman in mind…’

Shaikhan left the nobles, who were thinking all sorts of things, behind and entered the lord’s castle.

He was planning to rest for a while and then train, but an intruder appeared in the middle.

“You have arrived, Your Majesty.”

“Princess Magreta.”

A red-haired woman with a voluptuous figure that did not match her cute appearance.

It was Princess Magreta of the Principality of Navarr.

Last year, she had come to the Baroque Empire with the ambition to seize absolute power with her beauty and the secrets of the Arachne Magic Tower [a place known for its dark magic].

Unfortunately, she had failed to achieve her goals in the Marquisate of Rakan, which she had marked in advance, but she did not return to her homeland and waited for an opportunity, bewitching various lords and nobles with magic.

Then, when a civil war broke out in the empire, she finally seized the opportunity.

The Western Aristocratic Faction, which she had tried to contact first, had collapsed faster than expected, but a new orc hero, Shaikhan, had emerged.

Although he was a monster lord who had once brought her country to the brink of destruction, Magreta did not care at all.

‘What does that matter? If he can be a tool to achieve my ambition, I can use him even if he killed my parents and siblings.’

With this positive(?) mindset, she had come to Shaikhan and presented a joint letter from the lords she had made her slaves using bewitching magic.

Although they were small and medium-sized territories, the combined territory and people of the 15 territories were of a scale that could not be ignored.

Moreover, it was quite cumbersome to gain full support from the lords, so Magreta’s contribution was as good as the top contributor.

In fact, it was thanks to her that Shaikhan’s group was able to declare the founding of the nation so quickly.

As a result, Magreta became the most likely candidate for queen.

Thanks to that, she did not have to go out to greet him and offer flowers like the noble daughters had done earlier.

“I heard you won the battle. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No. They were just small fry.”

He was the only one who could call the mighty Imperial Guard small fry.

“But you look very tired.”

“I did meet some annoying enemies a while ago. You are as annoying as them.”

Despite Shaikhan’s blunt rebuke, Magreta did not erase the smile from her lips.

Magreta, swaying her hips, approached Shaikhan and snuggled her voluptuous chest against his steel-like arm, acting coquettishly.

“Hoh ho ho. You don’t have to show only your strong side. I may be lacking in many ways, but I can make you comfortable and happy…”

Magreta whispered sweetly and subtly tried to touch Shaikhan’s chest with her fingertips.

But then, Shaikhan grabbed her hand tightly.

“Y-Your Majesty…”

“Filthy wench. Don’t try to seduce me.”

A murderous aura emanated from Shaikhan’s body as he growled.

Magreta, who was exposed to the aura right in front of her, trembled as if she had caught malaria.

‘Hiiiik!’

She did not even realize that she had involuntarily made a mistake.

The huge, ferocious beast in front of her seemed like it would tear her to pieces.

“Do you think I don’t know that you seduced the lords and bewitched them? If you thought you could make me your puppet with your petty and despicable tricks, you are mistaken.”

“P-Please forgive me…”

In fact, Magreta had sprayed herself with a perfume mixed with a powerful aphrodisiac to seduce Shaikhan.

On top of that, she had secretly cast a charm spell.

However, the secrets of the Arachne Magic Tower, which used aphrodisiacs and mental disturbance magic to bewitch opponents, did not work on Shaikhan at all.

Dragons had far superior magical factors than humans. Therefore, their understanding and analytical abilities of magic, as well as their resistance, were strong.

That was why the bewitching magic did not work on Shaikhan, who inherited that blood.

“I want to kill you right now, but I will spare you for now because you are useful in your own way. But if you ever try to use petty and insidious tricks against me again, you will be in a worse state than death.”

“I-I will keep that in mind… I will keep that in mind, Your Majesty.”

“If you understand, then get lost.”

At Shaikhan’s scolding, Magreta hurriedly retreated from his presence.

Even after reaching a place where no one was around, she could not calm her startled heart for a long time.

‘I almost got into big trouble. He’s a much more dangerous man than I thought.’

She had never felt such fear as she had just now.

In the case of Marquis Luke de Rakan, he had not been affected by the bewitching magic, but he had not reacted as violently as Shaikhan.

‘He’s dangerous. But he’s that strong. His value for use is also limitless.’

If she used Shaikhan’s power, she would be able to gain the power she desired.

‘Then I can put that arrogant man, Marquis Luke, who was indifferent to me, under my feet.’

Magreta recalled Marquis Luke when they had reunited in the Rakan territory.

Just like when they had met at the Akbar Fortress, she had been strongly attracted to him, who exuded a mysterious charm.