novelraw Chapter 58 : Chapter 58
Chapter 58 : Chapter 58
Chapter 58. The Invasion of the Lombard Kingdom (4)
Liam could not hide his surprise.
‘Something is rapidly devastating our camp. Who in the world could it be?’
Most of the soldiers had pulled back, but a considerable number remained there.
Liam, with a grim face, asked urgently.
“Where is David now?”
“Sir David is still in there.”
“What?”
“He's fighting a desperate battle while having the injured soldiers retreat.”
Had David always been such a combative person?
Liam muttered in a low voice to himself.
“This is dangerous. We must retreat immediately.”
Frank was a man who could be described as a one-man army without exaggeration.
No matter how many skilled soldiers they had, he was the Hero who had defeated the Demon King.
‘I heard he lost his power, but has it perhaps returned?’
Unable to just watch this scene unfold, Liam, despite the protests of his subordinates, single-handedly rushed into the forest.
But what was this?
The corpses of demons that should have been in the Demon Territory were piled up like a mountain.
At the same time, he saw someone mercilessly slaughtering the demons.
Startled, he stopped moving and had been watching the scene for not long when.
He felt the cold blade of a sword at the tip of his chin.
“Who are you? You don't seem to be a demon.”
How in the world did he get so close?
His knees trembled just from the voice.
Liam slowly raised both arms high into the air and spoke.
“I, I am human.”
“Human? Judging by your attire, you're not from Benedict.”
“That is correct. I am Liam, the Knight Commander of the Lombard Kingdom. Are you, by any chance, Sir Frank?”
Only then did the other party withdraw his sword and ask sharply.
“Do you know me?”
“Of course. I don't know if you remember, but you saved my life during the last Human-Demon War.”
The other party examined his face closely and then slowly nodded.
“I've heard that name before.”
“By the way, what is all this? Why are there demon corpses here…?”
“The demons were mixed in among the human soldiers.”
Demons. Could it be that the change in the King and Chancellor was also related to this?
While Liam was flustered and unable to open his mouth.
The other party, without taking his eyes off him for a moment, threw this question.
“What are you going to do? Will you continue this meaningless war?”
Liam didn't answer immediately and looked around.
“This is not a good place to talk.”
“The moment you invaded without a declaration of war, there was no longer a good place to talk.”
“I understand. Then, let's do this.”
“Speak.”
As Frank's eyes sparkled with curiosity, Liam raised the corners of his mouth and revealed his plan.
***
Lombard Royal Palace.
Dekal, his face weary with fatigue, savored the Devil's Wine.
“This taste is to die for.”
The more he drank, the more at ease he felt.
He was just disappointed that there wasn't much wine left.
As he was about to lift his wine glass again, the magic crystal ball suddenly lit up, and the face of the demon he had placed by Liam's side appeared.
“What is it?”
“Urgent news! Liam has been captured!”
“What?”
“It seems Igralus has been taken down as well.”
He didn't care what happened to the likes of Igralus.
That guy was nothing but a hanger-on who couldn't even present a business card among the high-ranking demons.
But Liam was different.
The reason Dekal hadn't brainwashed him or replaced him with a demon was because, unlike the demons who only relied on their strength and acted rashly, he was a smart strategist.
‘It's hard to find someone of his caliber even among the demons. This is a disaster.’
Dekal downed the remaining wine in one gulp and asked.
“The enemy's demands?”
“There are none yet.”
“Then, you become the commander and strike the enemy capital, Tournai, first.”
The key to this operation was to seize control of the Benedict Kingdom.
Capturing the Hero and Anticus could be done later.
‘If I fail this mission as well, Lord Nox will not leave me be. I must prevent that, no matter what.’
There were no second chances in demon society.
Dekal urged the maids to bring another wine.
“Bring the wine Moltke gave me right now!”
“T-There's only one bottle left, will that be alright?”
“Didn't you hear me say to bring it right now!”
Startled by Dekal's irritable reaction, the maids disappeared from sight.
“Damn it. Nothing is going my way.”
He greedily drank the small amount of wine left in the glass.
It was only a few drops, but for now, it was the only thing that could console him.
***
When I returned to the mansion with Liam, Noemi greeted us.
But it was not a welcoming face.
Her cheeks were puffed out, and she glared at me with a face full of dissatisfaction.
Noemi averted her gaze from me and looked at Liam, asking.
“Who is this person?”
“He is the Knight Commander of the Lombard Kingdom.”
“Is there any need to keep him alive? He's the leader of the enemy who tried to crush us, isn't he?”
A frosty attitude, a 180-degree turn from her usual self.
‘It seems she's very angry that I didn't take her with me.’
I silently shook my head.
“He offered himself up as a prisoner. Be careful not to be rude.”
“Hmph. You were so strict with me, yet you show kindness to others.”
With those words, Noemi turned on her heel, slammed the door shut, and left my room.
Adel gave a bitter smile and took her side.
“I'll have a good talk with her. That little brat, how dare she get angry, and in front of whom.”
With Adel gone as well, the only ones left in this place were me, Liam, and Rude and Anonymous.
Where was Alvarez, you ask?
He did not return with me.
Whether he had been severely injured during the battle, I couldn't find him no matter how much I searched the surroundings.
But I wasn't worried.
He had an immortal body.
As long as his head wasn't blown off, he would eventually return here on his own as time passed.
I glanced at Liam and recalled what he had said to me.
It was a little while ago.
“I want to tell you everything, but this is not a good place.”
“You act as if there is a traitor within.”
“Exactly. It's difficult to know who is a demon. So, how about you capture me and take me to the barony? We can talk safely there.”
I looked closely into his eyes.
They were not the eyes of a liar.
And so, I had captured him and returned here.
I untied the ropes that bound his hands and asked.
“This place is safe. I've even cast a soundproof spell, so no one can hear our conversation.”
“That's a relief. Then, I will begin my story.”
Liam recounted the internal affairs of Lombard in detail.
The King and Chancellor suddenly changed.
And the other major nobles.
The days spent on recruitment and training, ignoring the public sentiment.
It matched exactly what I had heard from Number 3.
He said that all of this had changed in an instant.
I asked in detail about Chancellor Clapo.
From Liam's story, he seemed the most suspicious.
“Originally, he was a kind and benevolent person, more so than anyone. Whenever His Majesty the King brought up war, he was the one who always dissuaded him, giving this and that reason.”
“But didn't you say he was the one who led this war?”
“Yes. On the contrary, I, the Knight Commander, stepped forward and cast a dissenting vote, saying now was not the time.”
“Was there anything else different from his usual self? For example, did he start enjoying meat, or did his gait become faster at night?”
Liam nodded quickly with a surprised look on his face.
“Now that you mention it, that seems to be correct. The Chancellor originally enjoyed a vegetarian diet. But at some point, he started seeking out meat more, and at night, he became more agile.”
Hmm, then his true identity was probably Dekal.
Dekal.
One of the Four Heavenly Kings of the New Demon Tribe, with the ability to use brainwashing magic.
In the game, he would pull our side into his camp during battle and make them his allies.
‘It seems in reality, he can perform large-scale brainwashing like this. Things have gotten difficult.’
His combat ability wasn't particularly outstanding, but to clear the mission, there couldn't be any casualties among our allies, so breaking this was incredibly difficult.
I, too, had to go through the save-load trick several times to clear it, and to think that guy would appear already.
When I heard this from Number 3, it was only in the realm of speculation, but now I was almost certain.
While I was pondering how to defeat him.
Anonymous moved to the window and said.
“The enemies are leaving this place.”
“Huh? Their commander, Liam, is here, so where are they going?”
“It seems they are heading toward the royal palace. I don't think they are retreating.”
Liam, with a look of disbelief, rushed to the window.
“I've been taken prisoner, and they're not even attempting an exchange? No. I can't see anything from here, so how do you know our soldiers are leaving?”
Liam glared at Anonymous, who was next to him.
Anonymous just shrugged with a look that said it wasn't even funny.
She gave no answer.
Although she had become my slave, Anonymous was the queen of dragons.
She was not a being a mere human could talk to casually.
I placated Liam with some appropriate words.
“She is a distant relative of mine. Her abilities are outstanding, so she is receiving training as a maid here. Her intuition is more accurate than mine, so she wouldn't be wrong.”
“So that was the situation. In any case, this is a big problem. I believed a truce would be established if I was captured here, but this is something I never imagined.”
“You've been abandoned. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you have no value as a prisoner.”
“H-How could this be.”
Liam leaned against the wall, his face dazed as if the strength had left his legs.
Still, he had given me internal information about the Lombard Kingdom, so he had played his part sufficiently.
‘The number of enemies is considerable. Can the Benedict Kingdom defeat them?’
I had cut down a significant number of demons, but I didn't know how many more were hiding among them.
‘If the Benedict Kingdom falls, my foundation of existence disappears.’
I was a Baron of the Benedict Kingdom, not a noble of another country.
There was a gold mine and the Dragons' Paradise here, so I could manage to make a living somehow, but in the game, if the kingdom fell, a ‘Game Over’ message popped up immediately.
But was it right to leave the territory and chase after the enemies?
The sun would rise soon, and then my power would also rapidly fade.
If I ordered Anonymous to take the dragons and chase the enemies, I couldn't rule out the possibility of them falling victim to a magic device that puts dragons to sleep or a magic potion.
‘These are guys who possess 8th-tier magic scrolls. It's better to judge cautiously here.’
I told everyone I wanted to be alone and dismissed them from the room.
Noemi was sulking, and Liam had finished his role.
What choice should I make to end this episode well?
While I was deep in thought, sunlight streamed in through the window.
Sunrise.
‘Has it gotten so late already?’
I felt the strength draining from my body as if a faucet had been opened wide.
Until now, I had never thought of this as a constraint, but the sense of loss was so profound it felt like a regret.
‘It's getting harder and harder.’
To think that being powerless was such a struggle.
Just then.
The door burst open, and Anonymous came in.
“What is it?”
“Someone is approaching.”
“Someone?”
“Yes. At least five, no. Six of them. They will arrive here soon.”
Anonymous frowned, looking toward the door.
With my strength drained, I couldn't feel any presence at all.
‘Who in the world is she talking about? There shouldn't be anyone coming to visit here now?’
My curiosity was quickly resolved.
Six men in suits.
No, demons had come to visit this place.
“Haha! Hello there!”
“The water is clear and the air is fresh. This must be a paradise on earth.”
Their mouths were smiling, but the extraordinary aura emanating from behind them made the air feel heavy and sink.