Chapter 35
The three of us exchanged glances.
No discussion was needed; we all knew someone had to go, and someone had to stay.
“The militia will stay and guard the supply carriage. Since the Holy Knights are all cavalry, we’ll move ahead first.”
“Understood. We’ll move slowly with the carriage.”
After finishing emergency treatment and preparing to move, the Holy Knight commander paused.
He looked at me.
“I heard you’re quite the sniper. Would you join us?”
“Sure.”
The battlefield would be better for making an impact.
When I agreed, the Holy Knight commander offered a spare horse.
A black horse, head to toe.
“It’s a horse seized from the imperial army. In good condition and black, so I thought it’d suit you. Have you ever ridden?”
‘System.’
Consumed 20 points to acquire Riding Lv 1.
I mounted the saddle with ease.
“Of course.”
I rode alongside the Holy Knights.
Skill aside, my hips and inner thighs ached fiercely, but this wasn’t the time to show it.
Before long, black smoke rising in the distance became vividly clear.
The Holy Knight commander bit his lower lip.
“Tch, it’s too far! What’s going on?!”
I focused my consciousness on my vision.
Wild Instinct (Lv 1) locks onto the enemy with eagle-like sight.
The world in my vision expanded.
It felt like piercing through the plains at breakneck speed.
Finally, the battlefield came into view.
A massive encampment appeared.
Flags bearing the dove of freedom and alliance lay broken and scattered.
Instead, red flags with a giant raven flapping its wings fluttered.
‘What’s this?’
The troops were retreating.
Know-It-All (Lv 2) analyzes the battle situation.
“The allied forces’ encampment was ambushed by the Defardly imperial army. Outmatched, they abandoned the camp and started fleeing.”
“…Like that unconscious soldier earlier, you can see that?”
The Holy Knight commander, though startled, chose to trust me.
“Which way are the troops moving?”
“….”
I couldn’t see that far.
I’d saved up points for moments like this.
‘Remaining points: 1,679.’
Points I’d hoarded for such an occasion.
Consumed 900 points to upgrade Wild Instinct from Lv 1 to Lv 2.
The world I felt through my body expanded further, and my vision widened.
“They’re fleeing north. Getting farther away.”
“Hm…”
The Holy Knight commander, after a moment’s thought.
“Good news.”
The allied forces were in retreat, pursued by the imperial army.
But with the Holy Knights at their rear, the imperial army was effectively surrounded.
“All units, Holy Charge!”
At the commander’s order, the momentum shifted.
As the Holy Knights spurred their horses, pure white Stellar Force emanated from their bodies, enveloping the entire unit.
I fell back from the formation.
“I’ll follow at a leisurely pace.”
The commander nodded.
“Let’s go!”
The Holy Knights immediately drew a flare and fired it upward.
The magic-infused projectile exploded, sending a signal.
The allied forces, spotting the flare, halted and began forming a defensive line.
The imperial army, confused by their behavior, spotted the Holy Knights and fell into disarray.
“C-Commander! What do we do?!”
“Don’t panic! Our forces are triple the allied army’s! Detach the third and fourth companies to the rear…!”
At that moment, the commander’s head flew off.
“C-Commander!”
The chain of command unraveled instantly.
Other commanders began issuing orders, but anyone giving commands was sniped, leaving them helpless.
Firearm Comprehension (Lv 8) declares that the shaky riding can’t stop me!
A new chain of command barely formed behind the barricades, but it was too late.
“Great Order of the Universe, grant us strength!”
Like a white meteor streaking across the plains, the Holy Knights’ divine charge slammed into the imperial army’s rear.
***
The allied forces’ commander rushed over, grasping the Holy Knight commander’s hand.
“To witness the famed Holy Knights’ valor like this! Truly moving, moving!”
A typical reaction from someone who’d narrowly escaped death.
“We fight only under the Order. Honor the messenger who didn’t abandon his duty even as he lost his life.”
“Of course!”
Soon after, the militia leader arrived with the imperial supply carriage.
“Look at this! State-of-the-art magic tools! If these had reached the imperial army… ugh!”
“Ha, taste this! Shall we face the imperial army with their own weapons?”
“Whoa! This carriage is full of grain sacks!”
The allied forces’ morale soared.
The command watched with satisfaction.
“The allied forces’ morale is skyrocketing! The supply carriage is one thing, but the Holy Knights’ participation is incredibly reassuring!”
“Besides me, many brothers from the Cosmos Church’s headquarters have set out on expeditions. They may have joined other allied units in battle by now.”
In the Universal Independence War between the imperial army and the allied forces, the Cosmos Church, a mere religious group, launched a desperate expedition.
It was a turning point that decided the war’s outcome.
‘It also laid the foundation for the Cosmos Church to later become a great empire.’
Studying history paid off.
Both reading the original work and history books gave the same advantage: knowing the future.
“Where will this army move next, Commander?”
“The man who called for the allied forces to form across the continent set a meeting point at the ‘Imperium Plains.’”
“Hm, the Imperium Plains. The Defardly Empire’s military depot… it’ll be a tough fight.”
The Holy Knight commander studied the map with a grave expression.
***
Holograms at each seat in the imperial banquet hall allowed nobles to watch their chosen participants’ exploits.
The nobles tuned in to evaluate the new variable, ‘the Princess’ Black Knight,’ and couldn’t turn away.
“Goodness, the Black Knight’s skill is extraordinary.”
“Nothing short of a master of firearms…”
“Look at that precision, picking off commanders! Terrifying, truly.”
The Black Knight’s stellar performance was beyond expectations and deeply romantic.
He didn’t mingle in the chaotic melee of the battlefield.
Isolated in a vantage point overlooking everything, he elegantly and swiftly eliminated enemy leaders.
A refined noble with no wasted movements.
Yet a ferocious beast tearing at the enemy’s throat.
His upright aiming posture while galloping on horseback was impeccable.
“Oh, what a charming Black Knight.”
“Where did the Princess find such talent?”
In truth, firearms are not a favored weapon.
In an era where swords, spears, bows, shields, and magic heroes are celebrated.
An elderly marquis raised his head, partly to shift the mood, and questioned the count beside him.
“Say, Patriarch Ulvhadin. As a firearms master and Gold Knight, what do you think of this Black Knight? Impressive marksmanship, isn’t it?”
William von Dubon Ulvhadin shared his thoughts.
“His marksmanship… certainly at a master’s level, but I find the Black Knight’s wild, beast-like instincts even more remarkable.”
The patriarch paused before elaborating.
“His boundless vision and danger-sensing instincts transcend human limits, to say the least. His ability to survey the battlefield and pinpoint enemy leaders and threats is downright terrifying.”
“Oh, really? But without emitting an aura like a master, can one exert such influence on a battlefield?”
“He’d lose against a swordsman of equal skill. But firearms guarantee immense attack power and long-range sniping. Used well, one can single-handedly shift the battlefield’s tide.”
“…And that requires the terrifying instincts and master-level marksmanship you mentioned.”
The nobles, listening intently to the Ulvhadin patriarch, gasped in awe.
He was the only noble in the Imperium Empire who used firearms.
One noble expressed both admiration and doubt.
“Firearms are that formidable? Why hasn’t a single master emerged until now?”
The nobles nodded.
Indeed, while there were Sword Masters and Bow Masters, no Gun Master existed.
All eyes turned to the Ulvhadin patriarch, as if by agreement.
The patriarch felt obliged to meet their expectations.
As a born noble, William would have.
If the Princess hadn’t intervened.
“Well, I recall there was one.”
“Gah?! Your Highness!”
The nobles scrambled to their feet.
“W-We greet Princess Adela.”
Amused by the frightened nobles, Princess Adela smirked and approached the hologram.
“Long ago, there was the Cosmos Empire.”
It hasn’t been a century since the Cosmos Empire fell.
“There was a figure called the Star Child, who, if I recall, was known as the first and last Gun Master. Wielding two guns freely, they didn’t lose even against Sword Masters.”
The Princess caressed the Black Knight’s armor on the hologram.
“Who knows. Perhaps a second Gun Master will emerge.”
***
The allied forces and Holy Knights headed toward the Imperium Plains, the gathering point.
Along the way, they met, joined, and merged with other allied forces, growing exponentially.
The troop count reached 5,000, rivaling a brigade.
Scattered imperial forces attacked, but sniping their command structure reduced them to prey for the swollen allied forces.
Before long, the Black Knight’s sniping became renowned.
The nobles of the Imperium Empire are showing great interest in the Princess’ Black Knight.
1,500 points awarded.
‘…What’s going on?’
Points kept rising during the journey.
But 1,500 points at once?
‘Raising Firearm Comprehension to 10 sounds good, or maybe boosting another skill….’
While I pondered, we finally reached the Imperium Plains.
“There it is, the Imperium Plains!”
A massive Defardly Empire fortress loomed in the distance.
Across from it stretched an endless allied forces’ encampment.
Warriors from across the continent, who’d broken through imperial lines, gathered here.
The Holy Knight commander let out a low groan.
“As expected, the Defardly Empire’s defenses are thorough.”
The militia leader spread hope.
“Conversely, if we take that down, the empire’s momentum will falter, right? Look at all those allied troops! With so many together… huh? Someone’s coming.”
From the allied camp, a few people approached with smiling faces.
Upon arrival, they bowed respectfully and escorted us.
“You’re from the Petrak Lake region, yes? Welcome. I’m here on the commander-in-chief’s orders to guide you. Oh, the Holy Knights should come too.”