The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 123

< The Story of the Second Son of a Baron Family – Episode 123 (End) – >

“I’ll clear the path so you can take them down. Be careful; we don’t know what abilities they might have besides mental interference.”

“Are you worried about me now? Against monsters like that? I may be old, but I’m not so weak that I need a youngster like you worrying about me.”

“I’ll be forty in a few years, so hardly a youngster. Besides, please understand, if my father-in-law gets hurt, I’ll never hear the end of it from certain people back home, so I can’t help but worry.”

“That’s unnecessary worry. You’d better worry about yourself.”

Despite the lighthearted banter, the situation rapidly escalated. With over a hundred knights simultaneously summoning and mounting their Titans [giant, magically-powered war machines], a massive magical reaction was inevitable.

Their size could be managed with magic, but the monsters’ instincts and magical energies couldn’t be completely concealed. They began to rush towards us, taking the initiative.

Thump, thump-

The sound of hundreds of thousands of monsters moving was more immense than anything I had ever felt. The earth trembled as if an earthquake had struck, and the force was like a massive wave about to crash down, ready to trample everything in its path. The knights, having completed their preparations for the charge, were filled with grim determination.

A scene from a movie in my distant past, a small number of elite troops against a flood of enemies, flashed through my mind.

“Good luck, soldiers. Let’s meet again with smiling faces soon.”

“Lead us to victory as always, Your Excellency!”

With those words, ninety-nine Titans departed to meet the oncoming monsters. A force capable of obliterating a mere territory as easily as crushing an ant was dwarfed in comparison to the enemies they had to face.

“Then, we shall begin as well.”

“Do so.”

After sending off the ninety, the remaining ten also completed their preparations. These were the elite of the elite, knights who could be counted among the best in the expeditionary force. The only reason they remained was that they were the daggers meant to pierce the enemy’s heart.

If I had to put it simply, they were the anvil—an anvil to bear the attention and gaze of those countless monsters. The anvil seemed too small compared to the iron mass, but no one here doubted that it would hold until the hammer could smash the iron. They also did not doubt that while they held, we, the hammer, would shatter the iron.

‘It’s like watching a war between humans.’

I recalled our first encounter with them. The way they hid as soon as they realized I was targeting them was something ordinary monsters wouldn’t do. They would have charged in a fit of rage, but this was clear evidence of intelligence beyond a certain level. It wasn’t strange to feel this way.

Float-

And the Titans, boasting immense weight, began to rise into the air. They rose far beyond just a little, soaring past 10m, 20m [approximately 33 feet, 66 feet respectively]. If I hadn’t told them in advance, they would have been amazed. However, as it was a pre-arranged plan, everyone maintained their balance, preparing for the battle that would unfold shortly.

‘It’s more manageable than I thought.’

With simple weight-reduction magic alone, it would have been impossible for even me and JoJo to make the Titans, which weighed tens of tons, float in the air, let alone ten of them. It would be possible to lift them briefly, but that wouldn’t be enough. However, the engraving [magical inscription], which far surpassed the boundaries of magic, was enough to turn the impossible into the possible.

‘There they are.’

As expected, the ‘Trees’ were under the heavy protection of the remaining monsters, looking in our direction. If we hadn’t risen high enough that they had to crane their necks to see us, if the Titans hadn’t drawn their attention, if we hadn’t cast a barrier of magic, we would have been discovered long ago. But they hadn’t noticed us yet, and they showed no signs of moving to avoid us.

‘Just stay still.’

No matter how powerful the Titans were, they couldn’t escape the laws of the world. Just as the sharpest arrow in the world can be stopped by layering cloth dozens or hundreds of times, the arrow that was the Titans would eventually be blocked and stranded. If that point was in front of the ‘Trees,’ it would be fortunate, but if not, the possibility of failure would increase. Therefore, there was only one way.

Send in bait to draw their attention, then snatch the distracted opponent in one fell swoop. Of course, they wouldn’t be completely defenseless as they were now, and it might be blocked because of the small scale. That’s why we chose to drop instead of going around.

There were many monsters in the air, but not as many as on the ground, and I could handle that much. Besides, we didn’t need to stay long. Once we got close, we had the ability to create a path with the impact of the fall.

“Now! Prepare for impact!”

No matter how much we reduced the weight, the impact of a Titan weighing tens of tons falling from tens of meters above the ground would not be light. Even if the Titan was unharmed, it wouldn’t be strange if the occupants inside were crushed. But it was an operation that trusted the durability of the knights, who had transcended the human body. They proved that the judgment was not a misjudgment with their actions.

Thud-

Just before touching the ground, I released the weight reduction, and the result was as heavy as the weight of the Titan. The monsters that were directly crushed were instantly killed regardless of their type, and even the lighter monsters were sent flying through the air by the aftermath alone. The monsters that withstood the impact by planting their feet on the ground could no longer withstand it when the Titans drew their swords and swung them.

As the surroundings were momentarily cleared, the secured vision revealed the ‘Trees’ not far away, as if proving that the drop had not gone wrong.

The knights’ response at that moment was truly deserving of the phrase ‘lightning speed.’ The knights created a path so that the two masters could approach without any interference and as quickly as possible, and the two masters rushed forward at a speed that was unimaginable for such a massive body.

However, the enemies also began to rush towards us, as if they wouldn’t just sit still and be defeated. It was too fast and coordinated to be the actions of monsters, so it was right to assume that the ‘Trees’ were commanding them.

Keeing-

At that moment, a wave originating from the Tree’s body swept through the surroundings. It was emitted in all directions, passing through regardless of objects, so it was an unavoidable attack. At the same time, an unfamiliar headache struck, along with dark whispers that seemed to gnaw at reason.

‘As expected.’

Sometimes, there are cases where you unconsciously know how to handle something, but you can’t do it when you consciously try to control it. However, the Tree’s ability proved that it was far from such a case. It was definitely different from when it was unconsciously emitted, compared to when it was conscious. If I hadn’t prepared in advance, I would have been quite flustered. Since I’m at this level…

Wince-

It was obvious for the others without even saying it.

‘But there’s no problem.’

However, the Titans’ advance did not stop. We had prepared enough as it was within the expected range, and since the ability was ultimately based on magic, it was not easy to penetrate the Titan’s powerful magic resistance and affect the occupants.

Swish, swish-

I could feel them panicking, perhaps because it was an unexpected sight. I turned my head slightly and saw that the anvil was fighting as hard as possible to hold their feet, and my father-in-law and Marquis Pongk had already arrived right in front of the Tree.

Until then, I focused only on maintaining the path for the two masters to advance, rather than actively intervening. Unlike the knights, whose purpose was to eliminate the Trees, I had to safely transport them to the rear. I had to save some magic power. In the meantime, the distance was narrowed to the point where they could reach out and touch them.

A bolt of lightning struck the black tree.

#

Snore, snore-

In a wide, splendid, and luxurious room, two young boys and girls were sleeping in a huge bed. Signy, who was reading a book next to them, closed the book when she saw that the children had fallen asleep and smiled softly.

Rustle-

Tidying up her bangs so as not to disturb their sleep, she turned off the lights in the room completely, went outside, led the waiting maids, and headed to another room.

Click-

Renil was already waiting for her in the room she arrived in, and he smiled bitterly as he looked at the book in her hand.

“Is it that book again today?”

“The children love your story so much. The children, who are usually so active, open their eyes wide and concentrate when I tell your story, so I can’t help but read it to them.”

“No matter how much they like it, won’t they get tired of hearing the same story over and over again?”

“That’s unnecessary worry. Someone in front of me neglected his family and did too much work when he was young, so there are too many stories to tell the children.”

“…I say this every time, but that time…”

“I know. That was something you couldn’t let go of, something you had to see through to the end, like my father did, something related to your beliefs. Still, wasn’t it too much not to show your face so much that your daughter couldn’t remember her father’s face?”

“I can only say I’m sorry for that.”

“If you know, be a little nicer to the kids in the future. Do you know how much the kids want to play with their dad? Like just now, tell them stories directly, and solve their questions on the spot.”

“…I’ll try.”

While talking about their family, the couple naturally lay down on the same bed. Signy was already the mother of three children, but she retained the freshness of her twenties as if time had passed her by, and Renil, who was watching her face intently, raised his hand and stroked her face, asking back.

“But I think I need to put in a little more effort for you before I put in the effort for the children, what do you think?”

“…Anyway, all that’s increased over time is shamelessness.”

However, even while saying that, she didn’t particularly stop Renil’s actions. She wanted it as much as he did, and there was no reason to refuse. Thus, the night in Hugh’s territory deepened.

< The Story of the Second Son of a Baron Family – Episode 123 (End) – > End

Author’s words

Hello. This is Village Person.

First of all, I would like to apologize.

I serialized 123 episodes, 650,000 characters, for nearly 7 months, and only 15 episodes from March to mid-May, so I can easily guess how frustrated the readers who have been following me steadily must have been.

I’ve seen these words somewhere.

A professional is someone who does what he has to do anytime, anywhere.

In that sense, I was able to realize through this work that I was a person with insufficient ability and will to be called a professional.

I apologize once again.