Chapter 7: Kill

Although Christine's Dragon Vein Warlock level is only first order due to her age, her actual mage level is already fourth order.

Apprentice practitioners of the Law System can use level 0 spells, first order spells for first to second order practitioners, second order spells for third to fourth order practitioners, third order spells for fifth to sixth order practitioners, and so on. The highest level spell is ninth level.

Incidentally, on the mainland, 1st to 4th ranks are junior practitioners, 5th to 8th ranks are intermediate practitioners, 9th to 14th ranks are senior practitioners, 15th to 18th ranks are master practitioners, 19th rank is quasi-legendary, and 20th rank is legendary.

Therefore, as a 4th level mage, Christine can use 3rd level scrolls. She took a 'Fireball' scroll from her robe, activated it with her mind power and immediately cast it.

Although Baron Lorient saw Christine take out the scroll, he didn't care. The opponent was a first-order mage who could only use second-order scrolls, and none of the first- or second-order spells had a range that could reach him.

As for hidden levels, Baron Lorient did not become a fifth-level mage until he was in his forties, which is already rare. Christine, at that age, would be considered a genius as a first-order magician, not to mention that even if she were a second-order magician, she would still be useless.

So he was doomed, killed instantly by a fireball spell. Not only that, but more than 30 people, including his son Oliver, were killed or injured in the explosion centred on him.

The battlefield was not large, with fewer than 1,000 people on each side, and the explosion was heard by all. Baron Lorient's soldiers turned to find that their master had been killed, and they did not know what to do.

The four knights on Baron Lorient's side of the battlefield were also stunned. With both the lord and the heir dead, what was the point of fighting?

Moreover, this 'fireball' spell proved that the enemy camp either had a 5th level mage or a caster capable of using a 3rd level scroll. Even if they continued to fight, they could not win. The 5th-order knights' armour was strong, but it contained no anti-magic metal and had no magic defence, so they would die from a single 'fireball' spell.

While they were undecided, the soldiers of Baron Stewart's army did not hesitate for a moment. Their morale was boosted when they saw that their lord had died in battle, and they charged forward under the command of Knight Liam.

The two mounted knights of Baron Lorient's army were the first to turn their horses and 'retreat' with their squires, followed closely by the knight in command who 'entered' the battle. It wasn't that they were afraid, but the situation was such that the lord they were loyal to was dead, and even if they won the battle, it would be for nothing.

As soon as the knights fled, Baron Lorient's soldiers immediately collapsed, abandoning their weapons and fleeing in all directions.

He dismounted to lead the infantry charge, but as everyone else fled, he was intercepted by mounted knights Eric and Abel. Clearly no match for two opponents, he had no choice but to surrender in frustration.

Baron Lorient's fleeing soldiers could only run back along the road, as there were forests on both sides. If they ran into the forest and got lost, they would become food for the beasts. So they were intercepted by the knight's squires before they could run far. How could two legs outrun a horse?

The lord was dead, the knights had fled, and of course the soldiers could not fight to the death. Once captured and unable to escape, they surrendered immediately. After all, it was not the custom of the nobility to kill prisoners in battle.

Of course, the knights were responsible for cleaning up the battlefield. In the end, in addition to the dozen or so killed by arrows and the 30 or so killed by the 'fireball technique', the remaining 300 or so were all captured.

The wounded soldiers, regardless of which side they belonged to, were sent to the village of Vane, where there were priests and herbalists who could treat them. These prisoners were good workers and could not be allowed to die so easily.

Christine, you can use a third level scroll, so are you already a fourth order mage? Liam asked in surprise.

Uncle Liam, please keep this a secret from me. Just announce that a mage friend with a father has come to help,' Christine said.

I understand.

His niece was so outstanding that she had to be kept a secret, otherwise it would not be good if people started to take notice of her. As for the soldiers on both sides, there were a hundred of them, and it would be difficult for them to tell whether the spell had been cast by Christine or the hidden mage.

Uncle Liam, I want the Barony of Lorient. I'll leave the rest to you,' Christine said.

Please don't worry.

Now that the Barony of Lorient was leaderless, most of the soldiers had been captured, and more importantly, the other side now had three knights left, and they had three knights too, so they were not afraid of the high-end combat power, not to mention Christine, a hidden-level mage.

The rest was easy. Knight Abel led the 100 soldiers with the prisoners back to the castle, where the strong dungeon could be guarded by a small number of men, while the main army marched towards the village of Roque-Amont.

By the time they arrived, the 30 soldiers remaining under Baron Lorient's command had been taken by the retreating knights, and the village, occupied for less than a day, was back in Christine's hands.

The food and supplies that Baron Lorient had collected from the village of Loc'Amgant were not only returned intact to his subjects by Christine, but those that his own army was carrying were also confiscated.

Not only were there few casualties in this battle, but a great deal of profit was made. Of course, the soldiers had to be rewarded. On Christine's orders, the village leader led the men in slaughtering chickens and sheep, and the soldiers were fed to their hearts' content.

Thanks to Knight Liam's propaganda, the soldiers were even more motivated to fight, knowing that they had the support of a mysterious sorcerer. As to why they never saw the wizard, it was said that there was a spell called 'Invisibility' that could make someone invisible.

The village chief offered the lord his house to stay in, and as a nobleman, even when he went out to fight, he brought his cook and his maid, and the food was served on silver plates.

Laurent Fournier was a professional knight of the fifth rank and a lord. Although he was a prisoner, he was treated like a noble and could eat at the same table.

The ransom for a fifth-rank knight was 1,000 gold coins, and an additional 500 gold coins were required to redeem armour and weapons. Although this amount could be used to buy a new set of knightly equipment, most armour was passed down from generation to generation, so in practice everyone chose to redeem it.

Also, the three knights who had escaped from Baron Lorient's domain had slowed down after running some distance and finding that no one was chasing them. The abandoned soldiers belonged to them, too - there were more than 60 of them - but compared to the ransom after their capture, they were worthless.

They had to take back the news that Baron Lorient and his eldest son Oliver had been defeated and killed. As for what would happen next, according to the rules of aristocratic succession, it would of course be up to the Baron's second son to decide.