Chapter 91
Sergei quietly followed behind Karl, who was circling the low, thin castle walls that barely served their purpose, looking around the surroundings.
When he spoke, Sergei relayed his words to his subordinates, and the entire domain’s residents became one, continuing the preparations for defense in perfect order.
After following Karl like that for a while and continuing the defense preparations, Sergei opened his mouth.
“Why did you do it.
Whatever we actually are, from the outside, we are devil worshippers like they say.
And heretics who believe in Gullveig.”
“I don’t care who you all believe in.”
Karl continued walking ahead and carried on speaking.
“For the past month, the girl who handed me an apple every morning was Tina.
Some mad dog ran wild and killed Tina and her family, so is there any reason why I shouldn’t kill that mad dog?”
“…”
It was a simple answer.
Yet, there was nothing more to say.
“Aren’t you afraid, Sir?
You might be branded a heretic.”
Without answering, Karl tapped the black diagonal cross embroidered on his surcoat.
“…”
“If you ask me whom I would help between murderers and pagans with good intentions, I would act the same way I did today.”
Sergei received a great shock at that moment.
The man before him was a larger, greater person than he had thought.
He was truly a man worthy of the name hero.
Nowadays, those who simply wield armor and swords and kill people well were called knights, but in the past, knights referred to those who knew honor and protected the weak with good intentions.
In a world where the meaning had faded as times changed, the man named Karl Reitz Meyer was shining loftily, all alone.
“What are you doing.
We don’t have time right now.”
“I… I’m coming!”
“Lose some weight.
No matter what, how can a Lord get exhausted just from circling his own castle once.”
At Karl’s blunt criticism, Sergei’s face, which had been looking at Karl with respect just moments before, contorted.
‘…Knight, my foot. Cancel that. Cancelled.’
As Sergei showed a grumbling expression, Karl’s head whipped back again.
“If you want to curse, do it far away.
Because I have a habit of my hands flying out when I hear curses.”
Gulp.
He couldn’t get used to Karl making such serious jokes with an indifferent expression.
“It’s not a joke.”
Seeing Karl turn his head once more to warn him, Sergei nodded his head.
It seemed it really wasn’t a joke.
***
“We’ve lost contact with Commander Joaquin.”
“…What could have happened?
Don’t tell me those bastards summoned some pagan devil?”
“Surely that wouldn’t be possible….”
“Hmm….”
The Red Knights consisted of a total of 100 members, and the main force present here was led by Vice-Commander Rogério with the remaining personnel.
They were currently leading 70 knights and 300 soldiers to attack the Baron’s castle.
In truth, the castle could be captured sufficiently with just a portion of the knights.
The reason for bringing the soldiers was for strict overall control of the domain and swift succession of domain management after capturing the castle.
But suddenly, contact with the commander was cut off.
Rogério, knowing what the commander intended to do by going ahead of the main force, had pretended not to know.
‘Even if he’s a sickening madman… he’s a Superior-grade knight close to a Master.
I cannot imagine such a commander dying in such a remote place.’
Moreover, 30 Red Knights had followed him.
The leader of the 1st squad who followed was also a Superior-grade knight.
For 30 such knights to meet misfortune is impossible unless a pagan devil descended.
“Vice-Commander, shouldn’t we be attacking instead of doing this?”
“We need to confirm what happened.
Select a few men and have them check what occurred inside the castle.”
“The promised advance is tomorrow.”
“We cannot push the troops forward without any information.”
Rogério had a personality completely opposite to Commander Joaquin.
In this case, that became poison.
If it had been Joaquin, he would have commenced the attack before Schwerin’s defense preparations were complete.
***
Karl stood atop Schwerin’s castle wall and looked ahead.
Even though it was midnight with only moonlight for illumination, his vision was bright.
As Karl slowly scanned the surroundings like that, about 10 individuals were caught by his Qi Sense.
They were stealthily approaching the castle wall.
‘Guess I have to become a ghost after a long time.’
Karl had spent the entire day on the wall giving instructions for defense preparations, and the people were still moving as Karl had directed.
More time was needed for the defense preparations.
Postponing a full-scale clash as much as possible was the best course of action.
Karl lightly jumped down from the castle wall and flung his body outside the castle.
As he improved and developed the Aura Step, his movements became faster and lighter than before.
Karl’s stealth technique from the days when he was called the Ghost of Chevalier was displayed once again as his body melted into the darkness.
“If we go around this way, climb over the wall, and then enter, it should work.”
Perhaps because there was someone skilled in infiltration among them, the chosen infiltration route didn’t look too bad.
It was a path that aimed for the blind spot in the soldiers’ line of sight.
Of course, troops were deployed above as well, but at their level, they should be able to quickly subdue mere soldiers.
“First, from here, let’s check the movement path once— Keok!”
As the one planning the movement route had a sword suddenly protrude from his mouth, the startled remaining 9 knights momentarily drew their swords.
And during that brief preparation process, 3 more knights fell to the ground again.
“Who is it! How dare you! Keok—!”
The heart of the one who foolishly tried to shout was pierced straight through, and the head of the one standing next to him flew off.
Expert-grade knights generally gain improved night vision.
However, that vision wasn't as bright as broad daylight.
And the location they were currently in was a surveillance blind spot where moonlight didn't reach well.
In a situation with limited visibility, only Karl maintained a vision as bright as day.
“Scatter and retreat!”
The squad leader-level knight, judging that things wouldn't work out like this, fled while splitting the members in multiple directions.
He believed that this way, at least one person could reach the main camp and report the situation.
Karl first flew quickly to the right, accurately plunged his sword into the head of the one who fled, and immediately flung his body to the left.
The speed of the improved movement technique, Soar, made Karl so fast that even Master-grade knights would find it hard to keep up, and thanks to that, hunting down the remaining 4 knights wasn’t a very difficult task.
The knight who survived and succeeded in escaping was guiding Karl to the main camp, unaware that Karl had let him live.
After running for quite a while, the brazier fire of the main camp began to appear in the knight’s eyes.
‘I survived. I survived!’
It was the moment his body reached the main camp, along with a sense of relief that he had survived.
Thwack!
A dagger that flew from somewhere lodged itself in the back of his head.
And the focus disappeared from his eyes.
“Stucky!”
A member watching from within the main camp shouted as he saw his falling comrade, but the life had already vanished from his eyes.
“Find him! It’s a night raid!”
The knights and soldiers in the main camp shouted and dashed out into the surroundings, but all around was filled only with the silence of darkness, and no sign of human presence could be felt.
After searching the nearby forest for a long time, they could do nothing but close the eyes of their comrade who had died with the back of his head pierced right before their eyes.
***
“…All of them wiped out?”
“No one returned.
Only Stucky died right in front of the main camp, pierced by a dagger.”
“The enemy knows the location of our main camp.
How can ten knights die so quietly like this?”
The Red Knights, who numbered 100, were now left with only 60 members.
They could no longer afford to move separately and be defeated piecemeal.
Through this incident, Rogério had to admit that the enemy possessed the force to neutralize at least 30 knights.
“…But we cannot advance recklessly.
Although we have 300 soldiers, if the enemy’s strength is capable of neutralizing our knights….”
Sieges required at least three times the number of troops.
Since the enemy would have grasped their location and scale, there was a high probability they were thoroughly prepared.
“However, we cannot wait like this either.
We didn’t bring much food.”
Schwerin had five knights.
Even though they had some soldiers, their level was pathetic, so 100 knights and 300 soldiers were excessive forces.
Thinking it would be a battle that ended quickly, they had brought only the minimum amount of heavy food supplies.
The reason they sent so many knights in the first place was that this was Marquis Baltimo’s first external display of his power.
The first step to imprint the existence of overwhelming military might and the Red Knights onto the world had gone completely awry.
“If we return like this, the Marquis will cut off our heads first.”
“…”
He doubted the Marquis would diminish his own forces so emotionally, but severe reprimand seemed unavoidable.
Rather than being picked off one by one while scouting like this, it was right to gather the troops and wipe them out in one go.
“Prepare for departure.
We will set out as soon as dawn breaks.”
At Rogério’s decision, the knights struck their armor with their gauntlets and dashed outside.
They began to hurry preparations for deployment.
***
Karl climbed a tree outside the enemy camp and observed them.
Seeing them, it looked like they intended to attack without further delay.
‘Well then, shall I shake things up properly.’
Along with memories from the East Continent, Karl hid his body in the darkness and slowly began to move.
Even a military camp made of tents inevitably had weak points in its security.
He silently slit the throat of a sentry, covered his mouth, and blocked any sound from escaping.
After cutting down a few more soldiers and naturally blending into the camp, Karl put on the armor of a Baltimo Marquis soldier over his surcoat.
Then, gripping their spear, he began to move naturally among the soldiers.
“Who are you? Haven’t seen your face before?”
Senior soldiers everywhere tend to have sharp eyes, so it wasn’t long before a soldier with good observation skills recognized Karl.
And at that moment, the dagger in Karl’s hand plunged into his neck and was pulled out.
“Keuleuk…!”
Since the situation occurred behind a barracks tent, Karl naturally slit the soldier’s throat, went around the side, and stepped into the barracks.
‘A knights’ lodging.’
It was clearly a barracks used by knights at first glance, distinctly different from ordinary barracks.
It was plausibly furnished, from simple cots to a campfire.
Karl remained hidden there, even quieting his breathing, waiting for the owner of the lodging to return.
It seemed like a space used by about 3-4 people together, so Karl controlled his breathing as calmly as possible until they all entered the barracks.
“Phew, I have a bad feeling, they say Gullveig is a witch.
They say her fanatical followers leave curses when they die.
I heard the curses they cast by offering themselves as sacrifices the moment they die are terrifying.”
“Ha, look at this, turns out you’re a total coward.
That’s all superstition.
If you strengthen your mind, how could such a curse possibly take hold?”
“…”
They entered the barracks while talking about various trivial matters.
“Ha… Anyway, let’s rest for now.
We have to move right at dawn tomorrow.”
“Yeah, rest up.”
They removed their armor inside the barracks and lay down on their respective cots.
And one by one, they fell asleep, and when all four knights were asleep, Karl’s dagger pierced the neck of one knight from under the cot.
His right hand, having pierced through the cot, covered the mouth of the opponent whose neck was stabbed, and he stopped breathing shortly after.
“Tilber!”
Then, as Karl slowly rose and aimed for the next target, a knight who woke up at the slight presence drew his sword.
In that brief moment of shouting, Karl had already driven his sword into the shouting knight’s neck.
The next two knights woke up and shot up, but before they could even get out of the barracks, their abdomens were slashed and their backs were cut, causing them to collapse right there.
Karl thus dispatched the four knights and vanished leisurely from the barracks.