Count Forser soothed the rage.If he hadn't had such a setback, he would not have been a powerful figure in recent years.But he couldn't deny that this was the first time he'd been pushed this far.A 15000-man army.It was a figure that was near to that of a Ducal army, but half of it had already perished.Since he first met the First Prince in the capital several years ago, the Count has always served him well by masquerading his forces as bandits to plunder aristocrats.In order to be granted the title of Duke by the first Prince, the count had sacrificed nearly eight A-ranked sons and a dozen B-ranked illegitimate sons. But only if he could persuade the surrounding nobility to submit to the first prince could he do this.The simplest solution would be for Duchess Isla to join the First Prince's side. But no one, not even the first prince, thought it would happen, so they abandoned that plan.The northern region of the Brightwing Empire was where aristocrats with military accomplis
Ikan City was close to the mountainous ridge, and cavalry could go from one spot to another in a single day and night.Infantry forces, on the other hand, required at least four days of travel. The presence of the count's disorderly militia of many other subordinate noble families slowed the entire procedure even more. The count was now regretting his choice to bring them along and instructed the cavalry units to leave towards the ridge as quickly as possible.Count Forser received notice that two of his illegitimate sons had died yet again, one of them was an A-rank, just as the army was setting up camp after one day of travel. When confronted with the count, the soldier who made the report stuttered in fright, having been unfortunate enough to have been assigned to making the report.That afternoon, two cavalry squadrons spotted an enemy stronghold on a nearby hill, which also happened to be on the way to Mountainous Ridge. The squadron was led by an A-rank son of the count.When
"Congratulations, Miss Eliza, on attaining the A-rank.""Young Miss, congratulations!"Everyone on the estate was in tears of joy, thus a great shout erupted in the mansion."It's nothing special. Thank you very much.""Miss Eliza is such a selfless person, even though she earned the A-rank at the age of 18, she never brags!""Correct! We can count the number of persons who reached A-rank at the age of 18 on one hand! I heard the Princess had sent the young lady a present in recognition of her achievement!""An imperial present? Young Miss is quite fortunate!As everyone sought to bootlick her, the conversation and sweet talking continued.Eliza thought it was revolting."Please excuse me, everyone. I need some time to reestablish my rank."She entered her room, jumped on her bed, and closed her eyes as a figure flashed in her mind."Even after he's gone, that jerk is still causing me problems. Before he went, he didn't even say goodbye. The next time I see him, I'm going to slice h
"You are a shame to humanity."Dray's comments were lost on the count's drunken son.He lifted his wine cup and smiled drunkenly before mumbling, "Enough gazing around... hand over... hand over my father's letter. Would you like to join us? You can have as many... ladies as you want."Dray cast a peek at the women before drawing his axe.He anticipated a challenge the first time he came into contact with the outer world.Because most of his abilities could not be used outside of the dungeon because they would reveal his identify.So all that remained for him were his mobility talents, physical powers, axe mastery, and soul cleave.Fighting a powerful opponent with only these skills was something Dray expected to be difficult. But now that he'd seen how frail most humans were, he felt embarrassed of even being concerned about it.A heavy, sickening, iron-like stench pervaded the hall as fresh blood poured all over the ground. Tens of people who had only been sodomizing had already tur
"Does this poor servant know who the baron is?" Ragen inquired, a little startled by Dray's aura.He was a cold-blooded mercenary who had killed hundreds of people on the battlefield, perfecting his murderous intent to the point that he could physically release it.But, in comparison to the knight staring down at him, his murdering intent was childlike."I am Baron Riel Alheim."Ragen scoffed. Asking for the baron's name allowed him to learn about the current situation. However, the baron simply gave his name and did not continue!As a result, he had no alternative but to appeal to Stein."What brings you here?" Ragen inquired."Open the door," I instructed."Ragen, this is the gentleman I'm now serving. Baron Riel Alheim of the Alheim family of the Westlands is my lord. We have conquered Ikan City under his lordship's command. "Stein once again introduced me.'The Westlands have just two cities: one managed by Viscount Jaegar and the other by an interim baron. I figured the baron was
Stein was beaming furiously, fantasizing about just how Baron Riel would kill everybody here when he recalled that Baron Riel had identified himself as a C-rank.For an inexperienced noble like him, who hadn't seen the broader world outside of his father's kingdom and had only had mercenaries as his only interaction with the outside realm, the act of concealing one's true rank was just something he couldn't fathom. So Stein truly felt that Baron Riel was a low-level figure.Two B-rank men raced over without even trying to draw their rifles. One of them felt it was a simple C-rank... Why do I even need a sword to fight him?"It's over," Stein thought as he slumped on the ground. He hadn't even seen Baron Riel in action, but he didn't think he was powerful enough even to contend with so many men in the hall.'If only that knight could be here...'Why did the baron raise his sword in the presence of an A-rank and numerous B-rank enemies?This was not in the plan!It was the equivalent of
Outside of Ikan City, Count Forser was roaring ceaselessly.This city was one of his just before he marched off to hunt down the rebels, and it was now in someone else's authority after only fifteen days.One needed the approval of the local ruler, who would be Duchess Isla, to attack a city.The rebels had conquered the Count's city ruthlessly without giving him any advance notice that his city would be officially attacked.His worst fears had come true.Since dispatching his cavalry unit to relay his request for extra supplies, he had been feeling an unexplainable sense of foreboding from the recesses of his heart, as if it were a foreshadow of what was to come.Additionally, the battle's circumstances weren't ideal for him. Almost a fifth of all allied warriors mustered by his subordinate noble families had died. His cavalry battalions and garrison forces, on the other hand, had only suffered a few fatalities in the previous two days and had retained their battle power.He had con
"Our second choice is to withdraw to Redhound Castle, where we may regroup the army temporarily." One of the sons proposed."However, this necessitates the abandonment of the garrison unit we left at the mountainous Ridge."Another of the Count's sons added."I feel that as long as we can maintain contact with the main force, we will be able to reclaim what we have lost."When the count was debating which alternative to choose, he could hear horses galloping from afar.At first, he assumed Ragen had become impulsive and began attacking them. The Count soon realized, however, that the sound had come from the other direction of Ikan City."A squad of soldiers appears to be approaching Redhound Castle from the north. It has to be one of my men!" The Count smiled.But as he exited the tent, his face fell.My arrival at Ikan City with Stein and his troops only served to confine the Count.[Level 170 Count Alen Forser]The count was revealed to be an A-rank warrior with seven circles!But w