The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 136

108. An Eye for an Eye

“Aaaagh…!!”

“Aack!!”

Screams erupted from all directions.

With the monsters of Ponaan behind them and the Twin Armor soldiers closing in from the front, the morale of the Imperial soldiers, caught in disarray, had long since plummeted.

“Damn it…!!”

Luon shouted, seemingly bewildered amidst the disorganized soldiers.

“Lord Azif!!”

He could only rely on him.

“It would be wise to retreat and regroup, Your Highness. Facing both at once will result in too many casualties.”

“Retreat? Where to? The monsters are waiting behind us to devour us!”

The confident demeanor from moments ago vanished, and Luon shouted as if possessed.

“Calm yourself. I don’t know why the Water King and Sea King are together, but… they are, after all, monsters of the deep sea. Unlike other water-attribute monsters, they cannot come onto land.”

“So?”

“Fortunately, perhaps, this place, accessed via the main road, is where Ponaan’s water level is lowest.”

Azif hurriedly pointed north and said to him,

“If we move further up from here, there’s a place where the depth reaches the waist. Normally, it would be impossible to cross due to Ponaan’s strong currents, but it’s different now.”

Luon recalled the calm currents when he first crossed the river. Certainly, it was shallow enough now to walk across.

“Moreover, the depth is shallow enough that the Water King and Sea King won’t be able to come that far.”

Azif turned his head, glanced at Carryl’s Free Army advancing towards them, and slightly bit his lip.

“Even if we can’t cross the river, we can crush that many soldiers if the rear is secure.”

‘Even if they didn’t retreat, they had to avoid making this place the battlefield. It turned out like this because of the sudden monster attack, but the damage isn’t actually that great. Our forces still outnumber them three to one. We have a good chance of winning.’ As if reading Azif’s thoughts, Luon looked at him and nodded.

He raised his sword.

Then, a flag signaling the order soared into the sky.

“…Retreat!!!”

* * *

“The Imperial Army has begun to retreat.”

Kinu Mukari, with his keen eyesight, said while looking at the Prince’s flag waving amidst the Imperial soldiers several kilometers away.

“The flag is heading north.”

“As expected.”

Carryl nodded at Kinu’s report.

“Anyone with even a little strategy would do that. But they don’t seem to realize that the enemy can also anticipate such obvious measures.”

“The preparations in the forest are complete.”

As soon as he finished speaking, two people knelt before Carryl, bowing their heads.

“Hmm.”

They were the subordinates who had lured Luon with Dushala.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“It’s nothing.”

At their report, Carryl nodded, seemingly satisfied, and slowly raised his hand.

Then, the Free Army, which had been advancing, stopped in unison.

“Kinu.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Can you hit that flagpole with an arrow?”

At his question, everyone’s gaze turned to Kinu Mukari. The distance between the Imperial Army and the Free Army was still over a kilometer.

Moreover, the Prince’s flag was further inside the formation.

He was asking if he could hit a target at least 1.5 kilometers away.

“Yes.”

Beikan chuckled at Kinu Mukari’s nonchalant reply.

‘As expected….’

The range of his curved bow was up to 500 meters, but considering the accuracy required to hit a target, the effective range was only half that.

Even that was a skill comparable to the best of the Bi tribe [a nomadic people known for their archery].

Yet, Carryl was asking if he could hit a target six times that distance.

“Huh….”

“That…?”

Unlike Beikan, who was chuckling, the others were speechless at Kinu’s answer.

He wasn’t using magic, and there was no archer in the entire continent who could accomplish such a feat with their own strength and eyes.

Just like Alun Zabis, perhaps he was truly born blessed by the wind spirits.

Crackling―――

Kinu Mukari took an arrow from the quiver on his back and drew the bowstring with all his might.

The bow, which had been like a crescent moon, stretched nearly to a full moon as the bowstring was pulled taut.

Whoosh!!!

As he released the string aimed at the flagpole, the arrow split the sky at a terrifying speed.

* * *

Crack―――!!

“Ugh?!”

Luon, moving along the river, was shaken when the flagpole suddenly broke and fell in front of him.

“……”

It was then.

As he raised his head, distracted by the broken flagpole, his vision blurred in an instant.

He rubbed his eyes several times in desperation. But there was nothing wrong with Luon’s eyes.

‘This is….’

It was fog.

He frowned as he saw a thick fog suddenly forming around him.

Fog, a mere natural phenomenon, wouldn’t be strange anywhere, but this was different now.

It was familiar.

A nasty feeling.

This was the fog that had hindered them when they first traveled along the main road.

Boom―――!!

Bang――!!

Explosions suddenly erupted here and there.

“Aaaagh!!”

“Aack!!”

Luon frantically looked around at the screams coming from all directions, but the fog had already thickened to the point where he couldn’t even tell who was right next to him.

Thud― Thud― Thud―

Even in the chaotic situation, the sound of footsteps approaching him was clearly audible.

“Could it be….”

Luon hurriedly turned his head.

He couldn’t see an inch ahead due to the thick fog, but he sensed someone approaching him.

The unease that had come from the broken flagpole was becoming a reality.

Thump―

Luon looked at something falling in front of him.

It looked like a simple stone, but he could feel magic emanating from it.

Woo-oong…….

Woo-oong…….

Upon closer inspection, it was a Redglow Stone [a stone imbued with fire magic] and a Cradle Stone [a stone imbued with ice magic] tied together with a string.

The magic of the two different attributes reacted, and the air around the riverbank momentarily became hot and then instantly cold.

Then, white smoke began to form around the attribute stones.

“If you tie together Redglow Stones and Cradle Stones with a higher number of angles, the cold of the Cradle Stones suppresses the flames of the Redglow Stones, creating a special fog due to the instantaneous temperature difference.”

A voice was heard through the fog.

“It’s nothing special. Even the current mages of the Magic Society know this. But it will take some more time before this is made into a smoke bomb and used in war.”

Swish……!!

A gust of wind blew, and the soil beneath Luon’s feet was dug up, raising dust.

Under the ground, bundles of attribute stones that had fallen earlier were buried in various places.

The smoke emanating from under the ground covered the area like fog.

‘…A trap.’

The enemy already knew they would head this way and prepared the fog.

“Since when?”

Luon said, trembling.

“Was everything your doing from the start?”

He spoke to the black shadow vaguely visible in the fog, with an expression that he didn’t want to admit.

“Did you orchestrate everything, from luring us here?!”

Thinking about it, the plan had gone awry since meeting Dushala in the fog.

If she hadn’t led them to Twin Armor, they would have reached the south by now.

There was an unfair element to saying that it was just a situation created by the greed to arrive a little earlier than Olivon and Kromen.

‘If I hadn’t gotten lost in the fog…!!!’

Luon roughly slashed the fog with his sword.

It was a sickening and disgusting feeling that made him want to vomit.

“Who are you blaming? Who was it that held the lives of 70,000 soldiers and did such a foolish thing, blinded by lust without properly checking?”

“You….”

Luon remembered the owner of that voice.

It was the one who had suddenly appeared and blocked his path when he was retreating from Twin Armor.

“So you were in league with that bitch.”

He growled at Carryl.

Swish―

At that moment, he felt a sharp killing intent from a sword.

But Carryl simply raised the corners of his lips, looking unfazed.

“Frustrated? War is like this.”

Boom―――!!

Bang――!!

“Your Highness!!”

At that moment.

With a heavy surge of sword energy and a loud explosion, Luon’s body staggered and was thrown forward.

Azif, who had come through the fog, hurriedly embraced Luon and raised his sword.

“It’s him! Azif!! That guy created this fog and….”

“It’s an ambush.”

“What?”

“The enemy has ambushed us, taking advantage of the fog. The soldiers are scattered and cannot maintain formation. I’ve instructed the adjutants. You should retreat with the Knights for now….”

“Retreat? Don’t talk nonsense! Is it even possible for 70,000 to flee from just 20,000!”

Luon shouted vehemently, but Azif said calmly.

“Your Highness, in this situation, it’s difficult to even distinguish between friend and foe. Fighting like this is dangerous.”

“Tch…!!”

“The riverbank is right in front of us. It’s important to cross the river first.”

“Damn it……. Those two bastards…….”

The dignified First Prince of the Imperial Palace was no more.

Cornered at the edge of a cliff, a fiery temper resembling the Emperor emerged.

“Are you worrying about the safety of your people in this situation, instead of worrying about the competition between your brothers?”

Carryl chuckled at him.

“You lowly bastard……. Do you even know how important this is!!”

Luon shouted as if possessed.

‘I can see clearly why you lost to Olivon.’

“……”

Looking at him, Carryl said in a calm voice.

“I don’t care about your family squabbles.”

Twitch―

The corners of Luon’s lips twitched at his nonchalant reply.

“Your Highness.”

Azif said with a tense expression.

At that moment, the knights of the Gold Knights Order, who had broken through the fog, blocked Carryl’s path.

“Please go quickly. We’ll take care of this place.”

As if he had been waiting for this, Azif wrapped his arm around Luon’s waist and gathered magic.

“You……. I will definitely cut off your head.”

Luon said in an unsightly manner, clinging to Azif.

Carryl didn’t even glance at the pathetic sight.

Whoosh―

“Hmm.”

Watching his retreating figure, Carryl, for some reason, didn’t chase after him.

Instead, in the fog where he couldn’t see ahead, he said quietly.

“Lift the veil.”

* * *

Whoosh……!!

Whoosh……!!

As a strong wind blew, the fog that had covered the forest disappeared as if it had never been there.

“W-What is this…?”

“What happened?”

The soldiers of the Imperial Army, who thought they were dead, were bewildered when they realized there were no enemies around them after the fog cleared.

“……It’s not an ambush?”

They had clearly heard the chaotic sounds of battle, screams, and even smelled blood.

“It was all….”

“Fake?”

Of course, there were casualties.

But most of them were the result of soldiers in confusion fighting each other.

“But….”

The bloodstains scattered on the ground.

Most of them were blood that had been spilled as if something had burst, not corpses.

“What is this?”

Some of the soldiers picked up torn pouches on the ground. A thick red liquid dripped from them, as if they contained blood.

“…….”

Looking ahead, the soldiers saw the Free Army standing with the same pouches that had fallen on the ground.

The terrible smell of blood that had spread so intensely in the fog.

It was the blood of the Gray Orcs subjugated in the Demon Nest.

* * *

“Beikan.”

Carryl said, moving forward, leaving behind the bodies of the knights who had blocked him.

“What is the number of prisoners?”

“It seems that some managed to cross the river amidst the chaos. But we captured nearly half. The number of prisoners is about 40,000. The number of those who died in the river alone will easily exceed a thousand.”

The Water King and Sea King devoured the Imperial soldiers in an instant in the fog.

Red blood flowed thickly along the Ponaan River.

“Collect all the bodies of the soldiers who fell into Ponaan and died. And those too. It can’t be helped, but they are all victims.”

Unlike Beikan, who nodded, Viola slightly hardened her face.

“You’re too soft. Will you be like that in future wars too? Even when thousands, tens of thousands of victims will come out?”

“I will.”

Carryl knew about war better than anyone else, even without her reminding him.

It was natural that there would be unbearable victims.

“You might think it’s hypocritical, but I’ll do it if I can.”

Viola blushed slightly at his answer.

“I……. I said something unnecessary.”

She couldn’t look at Carryl properly, feeling somehow ashamed.

“The plan worked perfectly. They panicked and self-destructed just from the sound of battle.”

“It would be different if it were a proper Imperial Army.”

“Pardon?”

“You shouldn’t underestimate the Imperial Army. The fact that they collapsed so easily despite the difference in power is also due to the commander.”

Azif, the vice-commander of the Gold Knights Order, who was the commander of this expedition, was an excellent warrior, but there was a critical problem.

Namely.

He was a member of the Imperial Guard, not a knight order that protected the front lines, such as the Azure, Verdant, Flaxen, or Wisteria Knights.

He had experienced war, but it was not easy to make the right decision in a sudden situation.

Moreover, the most important thing was the safety of the Prince.

‘If he had been a commander solely in charge of the army without Luon, he would have led the Knights and fought in the fog.’

But Azif prioritized saving Luon. In addition, Carryl’s martial prowess, which he had shown in the Imperial Army before the battle, remained in his mind as a source of anxiety.

“It was just luck.”

“Making that luck your own is skill.”

Marze approached Carryl.

As if he had been waiting, Carryl asked him.

“Lord Marze, how many people lived in the border region?”

“Probably at least 2,000. But why are you asking that…?”

Marze was already using honorifics to Carryl, who was many times younger than him, without realizing it.

As an old knight of the kingdom who had served the previous kings, he would sometimes scold the current king when giving sincere advice, regardless of their relationship as lord and vassal.

He had never lowered himself to speak in a humble manner first, even if he spoke informally.

‘Hehe….’

Abven watched his behavior with interest.

Frankly, he could fully understand Marze’s feelings. Age was not important in a person worthy of respect.

How great a vessel they were.

That was all that mattered.

Carryl called them victims, but it was a battle where nearly 100,000 soldiers clashed.

The number of casualties was only a little over 2,000, even when combining both sides.

Moreover, they had won.

‘Where else can you find such a perfect battle?’

Marze assessed that there had never been such a battle in history.

“2,000…”

Marze, who had been lost in thought for a moment, turned his head and focused again on Carryl’s voice.

“Luon said to open the gates of Twin Armor at the cost of 2,000 lives.”

Everyone nodded at his words.

“Indeed……. I wonder what the Empire will give us for the lives of 40,000.”

Carryl said quietly, looking north, where Luon had fled.

“An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. The reason I sent Luon back to the Imperial Palace alive is not for any other reason. It’s to show the Emperor the 40,000 prisoners intact, just as he did.”

“Hehe….”

“As expected.”

Everyone felt a chilling thrill at his words.

‘Tairan Schtein [The Emperor’s name].’

Carryl’s eyes gleamed.

‘You will pay dearly for not keeping your promise to me and acting as you please.’