Chapter 118 - Haven’t We Met Somewhere?
12 min read ·
Despite a few mana cannons exploding and taking their own troops with them, roughly eighty percent were certainly doing their job.
“What kind of damn cannons have twenty-one out of a hundred blow up?”
“They lack the dwarves’ technological expertise.”
“Then why not just buy them from the dwarves?”
“They won’t sell them.”
The Kingdom of Berft classified mana cannons as strategic weapons and prohibited their export.
Leaving Berge’s incredulous laugh behind, the shells traced arcs through the air and tore the enemy formation apart. Their weight, acceleration, and gravity crushed the knights’ shields before they exploded, engulfing everything nearby.
In Berge’s honest opinion, they fell far short of Logger’s creations, but they were mana cannons nonetheless. Even these were enough to make the immediate battle entirely one-sided.
The enemy formation collapsed completely, and the Third Prince drew his sword.
“Charge! Show these traitors who dare rebel against the Empire its greatness!”
“Raaaaah!”
Roselle Charnt and her flames opened the attack amid the cheers. An enormous fireball fell into the pandemonium, turning it into hell. Spells from the Blue Hawk Mage Corps poured down one after another behind it.
Then Hillen Cargill, the Red Hawk, and the White Hawk Knights charged.
CRACKLE!
Lightning surged. The distance between the two forces shrank rapidly.
The humans’ crude mana cannons—from Berge’s perspective—were weak, so a relatively large number had survived. Most of the knights who had protected their bodies with aura were still alive, but they were far from unscathed. Even wrapped in aura, they had ultimately faced cannon shells with human bodies.
BOOOM!
Dented shields flew through the air. Knights bearing no insignia were hurled away, screaming.
Hillen gripped his horse’s reins and galloped harder, sword in one hand and lightning lashing out from the other. The White Hawk Knights supported him deftly from behind, cutting down enemies to keep the path he had opened from closing again.
Then a knight bearing tremendous aura blocked his path.
CLAAANG!
A tremendous shock wave tore through the air. Horses bucked, throwing the charging formation into disarray.
“Hillen Cargill...!”
The man spitting out those words in bitter fury was the one who had spoken with Martin. Pure white aura clashed with lightning, and the fierce sparks drove the knights a step back.
“You cowards! Firing mana cannons...!”
“I hardly think a traitor who dared attack an imperial prince is in any position to say that.”
“A shame things have come to this. Otherwise, I would have crossed swords with you in an honorable duel.”
“So, is it His Highness the First Prince? Or Her Highness the First Princess?”
“I have no idea what you mean.”
A retreat horn sounded from the enemy ranks.
“We withdraw today, but next time, we won’t back down so easily.”
“Who said I would let you withdraw?”
Hillen’s sword strikes grew fiercer, but he could not finish the fight. The Third Prince had forbidden a full pursuit for fear of an ambush.
* * *
“They failed?”
“Yes.”
“Is that all the mighty White Lions amount to?”
“They say the Third Prince had prepared mana cannons.”
“Mana cannons?”
“Yes. Dozens fired at once, and while the soldiers were panicking, the White Hawk Knights charged with Hillen Cargill at their head.”
“Mana cannons. Mana cannons...”
Rufus gave an incredulous laugh.
Mana cannons were by no means commonplace. Most human nations rarely used them, and even the Empire made little use of them outside a handful of fortresses. Apart from the Kingdom of Berft, which had invented them, their most frequent user was, at best, the Kingdom of Akan—and even Akan’s cannons were vastly inferior to Berft’s in both quantity and quality.
That was why he had never imagined Martin would bring mana cannons along, much less unleash them on the troops he had sent rather than the undead.
‘So that was what all his bustling about was for.’
There had been quite a long gap between Hillen Cargill’s visit to the Third Prince and the prince’s report to the emperor about the dark mages’ covert activities. He had probably prepared them then.
But preparation and resolve were different things. The somewhat weak-willed Third Prince had openly bared his teeth. He had never done that before. What had caused it?
‘The Eighth Prince.’
Rufus was certain his death had brought about some change of heart.
‘Interesting.’
So he meant to put up a real fight?
“The losses?”
“They say they suffered a one-sided beating while fleeing, unable to put up a proper fight.”
“I asked about the losses.”
“Approximately forty-one.”
“Dead?”
“That includes the dead and those with major and minor injuries.”
“One hundred and fifty went, and forty-one were killed or wounded...”
That was no small number, especially when the troops in question were the ducal house’s elite.
“What is the commander doing?”
“He has withdrawn and is regrouping for now. He awaits Your Highness’s orders.”
“And Martin?”
“They say he has picked up the pace.”
“With Hillen Cargill there, nothing will hold him back, will it?”
“No, Your Highness.”
“That won’t do.”
“Pardon?”
“I said that won’t do.”
This single undertaking would not decide everything. What Rufus had already built was beyond comparison with Martin’s achievements. But he disliked things failing to go as he intended, even once.
“If only he would be content to remain in his place.”
Humans were far too greedy. Why did they covet things that were not theirs?
“Tell Sir Callum to take good care of my younger brother. And to make certain he does not disappoint me twice.”
“Yes.”
“What of Floyan?”
“No news yet.”
“Incompetent, every last one.”
He clicked his tongue, and the noble delivering the report shrank back.
“We will pick up the pace. There are few monsters anyway. No reason to dawdle.”
Everyone knew they would ultimately have to face them all at once at the end. But Rufus was confident—in both his own ability and that of the hero he had brought.
“You there.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The figure who had silently guarded the First Prince’s back bowed.
“Even if we increase our pace, you will have no trouble taking the heads of mere dark mages, will you?”
“Of course not. My sword will always fulfill Your Highness’s wishes.”
“Reassuring indeed.”
He laughed in satisfaction.
“Who is stronger, you or Hillen Cargill?”
“...”
“Is it difficult enough to require thought?”
“The answer is so obvious that I was considering how to phrase it tactfully.”
“Tactfully?”
“He is, after all, a hero who killed two Demon Kings. I ought to preserve his honor.”
“Hahahaha!”
The prince roared with laughter.
“Did you all hear that?”
“Yes!”
“We advance.”
His gaze turned cold.
* * *
BOOM!
Crimson flames struck a boulder in the gorge. A soldier who had been shooting arrows from behind it melted before he could even scream.
“Ugh, this is so fucking annoying!”
Roselle Charnt bit down on her lip and lifted herself into the air. Arrows flew toward her as though waiting for the moment, only to be devoured by flames.
But the arrows were only the beginning. All manner of spells flew, constantly disrupting her casting. Whenever she tried to break through and burn them all, even at the risk of injury, they fled for their lives.
After their first defeat, the enemy had changed tactics. They brought down the upper walls of the gorge with magic, dug traps, gathered the few remaining monsters to lure them in, and launched surprise attacks from ambush, obstructing the Third Prince’s advance with a persistence that made people curse.
Hillen, Roselle, the Sixth Prince, the White Hawk Knights, and the Blue Hawk Mage Corps did their utmost to fend them off, but with monsters joining in, they could not prevent delays. And that was precisely what the enemy wanted.
“At this rate, we’ll only arrive after His Highness the First Prince has beheaded the dark mages.”
“We must ignore them and press forward.”
With time slipping away, his aides had a point.
“Hmm.”
But he could not simply do that. Their interference amounted to little when precautions were taken, yet ignoring it would result in losses that could not be dismissed.
“It’s all right.”
It was Hillen Cargill who resolved his dilemma.
“All right?”
“The gorge is complex. Without a guide, they won’t be able to reach the center in one swift push.”
Hillen himself had only reached it easily thanks to Berge. Alone, he would have spent a long time lost in the gorge’s maze-like terrain.
“I know that, but it is hardly enough to put my mind at ease. My second brother hired Dafner Philiain. I don’t imagine my eldest brother prepared any less thoroughly.”
“Of course, Your Highness. But my point lies elsewhere.”
“Elsewhere?”
“Arriving first will be no advantage at all.”
“Are the dark mages that powerful?”
“Yes.”
“I know they have banded together and that demonic energy remains here, but aren’t they still merely dark mages?”
“Do you truly believe that?”
“I suspect a Demon King is involved. But I still cannot imagine they amount to much.”
A Demon King was a Demon King, and a dark mage was a dark mage. Even with a little of a Demon King’s power, they were ultimately limited by being dark mages. And in a thousand years of history, dark mages had never amounted to much.
“This time is different.”
“Different?”
“I admit that dark mages are weak. Until now, they have always been nothing more than Demon King Minion Number One.”
“Indeed.”
“Quite right.”
One by one, the nobles nodded in agreement.
“But this time is different.”
“What exactly is different?”
“Habstrain Gorge is vast. Its terrain is treacherous, and it is always teeming with monsters. That is why the Empire designated it a forbidden zone.”
“It did.”
“Yet since we entered, has the gorge truly displayed the might befitting a forbidden zone?”
They had encountered many monsters, but by no means enough to warrant that designation.
“The dark mages have gathered them. Hundreds at least, perhaps thousands. I believe everyone here understands what an extraordinary undertaking that is.”
They had simply dismissed it along with everything else because they held dark mages in such contempt. They had regarded it as no more than a last desperate struggle.
“...!”
“...!”
“Of course, with four members of the imperial family and the Empire’s elite assembled, there is no question that it remains their last desperate struggle.”
Even if they had gathered monsters, they could not have gathered every last one. They certainly would not be able to control the truly monstrous ones. Berge had said so himself, which lent the assessment credibility.
Moreover, they had to forcibly turn the monsters into undead to control them, reducing their strength. But their sheer numbers could never be ignored. What if hundreds, perhaps thousands, of undead poured out, and once those were all dealt with, the true undead the dark mage had spent years creating emerged?
Hillen could give no definite answer without knowing the other imperial contenders’ full strength. But it was obvious they would suffer heavy losses.
“In fact, I don’t think it would be a bad idea to proceed slowly and let His Highness the First Prince face them first.”
“But what if my brother does finish him off...?”
“I have witnessed a glimpse of their strength firsthand. It will not be easy. At the very least, the dark mages here are different from those we have known until now.”
Those words settled it. Martin knew how to listen to his subordinates. Hillen’s account of the reality, based on experience, was convincing and credible enough.
“Then there is no need to be impatient.”
“That is my opinion, at least. Of course, I cannot be certain, since I do not know what forces Their Highnesses have or how they will act.”
“That is only natural. Very well, we will follow Lord Hillen’s advice. That does not mean we should go slowly. Merely that we should abandon our impatience.”
“As you command!”
In the end, little changed. The Third Prince’s army continued to advance slowly but surely, taking precautions against enemy attacks as before.
Several days later, they reached a junction where the path split five ways.
“Which way?”
“This way.”
“Your Highness, someone is coming over there.”
“That is...”
A group appeared from another direction. The Third Prince’s troops, initially wary, tilted their heads in puzzlement. These newcomers were completely different from those who had been attacking them.
The golden dragon crest, symbol of the imperial family, was clearly visible. The great army of over a thousand exerted tremendous pressure by its presence alone.
But something was strange.
“They have wounded men.”
There were more than a few injured among them. Their eyes and their demeanor were anything but friendly, too.
‘They’ve been attacked.’
As the distance closed, the other force slowed. Someone rode out in front. Upon recognizing the golden dragon crest engraved on his armor, Martin rode forward to meet him.
“Quite a pleasure to see you here.”
“Brother.”
“By the look of it...”
His gaze swept over the Third Prince’s army.
“You’ve been attacked too?”
“Yes. It seems you have as well.”
“Yes, just the same. Marlene—that bitch has really been getting on my nerves.”
Floyan Jespine, the Second Prince, gave a menacing chuckle.
“I take it our eldest brother went after you?”
“I believe so.”
“Is it because they were both born to Her Majesty the First Empress? They’re forever bickering, but whenever they face you and me, they always join forces.”
The Second Prince ground his teeth, apparently having suffered a great deal at the First Princess’s hands.
“What do you say? Shall we join forces too?”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Our eldest brother and Marlene have joined forces. There’s no rule saying we have to sit here and take it, is there?”
“You don’t like me either, do you, Brother?”
“You’re still better than those two. Besides, it’s only a temporary alliance. Once we’ve knocked them out of the running, I’ll cut you off immediately.”
“I do like that honesty of yours.”
“Answer me instead of flattering me.”
“A temporary alliance, then. Very well.”
There was no particular reason to refuse. An alliance was formed in moments, and the two forces traveled together.
After a brief pause to regroup, they resumed their advance toward the center of the gorge. Then a shadow slipped over to where the heroes had gathered.
“It has been a while, Lady Roselle.”
“Dafner?”
It was Dafner Philiain, one of the Stars.
“It has been a while for you as well, Lord Hillen.”
“Lord Dafner.”
“I heard you killed two Demon Kings. A shame I couldn’t witness it myself.”
“Had you been there, we would have felt far more secure.”
“You accomplished it without me, did you not? I never imagined I would live to see a great hero who killed two Demon Kings.”
“Will you two stop sucking each other’s fucking dicks?”
Roselle snorted at the two heroes lavishing praise on each other.
Then it happened.
“... Hm?”
“Lord Dafner?”
Dafner’s gaze shifted past Hillen.
“You.”
The Red Hawk members stood there.
“You look familiar somehow...”
He singled out Berge precisely from among them.
“Haven’t we...”
An unusual gleam entered his brown eyes.
“Met somewhere before?”