Chapter 533
There’s a Monster (2)
“Ah, yes, yes.”
The knight nodded absentmindedly and sent Jerome on his way.
‘Damn mages always have the worst tempers.’
He didn’t argue, even though what Jerome had said was nonsense. Picking a fight with a mage was never a good idea.
Mages were notoriously eccentric creatures. Too many of them enjoyed messing with people just for fun.
But discipline would be handled by other mages anyway. If there was even the slightest suspicion, heads would roll.
Jerome shrugged at the knight’s lukewarm reaction.
‘Yeah, figured he wouldn’t believe me.’
It made sense, considering his appearance. Physically, he looked like he was only in his twenties.
But Jerome had spent far longer than that training in magic, using a special secret art passed down in the Tower of Dawn.
Because of its nature requiring one to live within a world of fractured time the tower’s legacy could only be passed down to a single successor.
It was thanks to this that he had gained immense power, so he simply had to endure the occasional annoyance of being underestimated due to his youthful looks.
* * *
Having successfully joined the magic corps, Jerome spent his days idling about.
In the Kingdom of Parsali, the rebels were on the losing side. The royal army was steadily expanding its territory.
That meant there was no need for Jerome to intervene here.
“Hmm, did I come to the wrong place?”
The greatest impact could be made where the rebels were either evenly matched or at a disadvantage. There was no point in using his power in a nation that was already winning.
“Eh, I’ll stick around a little longer and then move on.”
Jerome flopped back down. The side effect of spending too much time in the mental world had made him lazy.
Not that he wasn’t naturally a bit slothful to begin with.
While he lounged around, news of victories kept rolling in. In fact, there were even rumors that the rebels and the Salvation Church were losing ground.
The morale of the Parsali Kingdom’s army soared without end.
They were also successfully holding off the Rifts. Most people believed it was only a matter of time before they crushed the civil war and joined the allied forces.
“Ugh, I should just leave.”
After lazing about for several days, Jerome finally made up his mind.
He felt too guilty just sitting around. It would be better to head somewhere that actually needed his help.
Just as he decided to leave, messengers rushed in with urgent news.
“The rebels have received reinforcements!”
“Our interception unit has been wiped out!”
“The rebel forces are marching in this direction!”
The royal army stationed at the fortress wavered slightly at the reports, but they quickly regained their composure. This fortress had withstood countless attacks before.
But that confidence crumbled when the next report arrived.
“The rebel forces now number 200,000!”
The fortress commander stammered as he listened to the messenger’s report.
“What, what did you say? Two hundred thousand? Are you sure about this?”
“Yes, sir! Even the rebels from other kingdoms have joined them!”
The fortress commander felt dizzy. Rebels uniting? It was an absurd situation.
What were the other kingdoms doing that allowed them to march all the way here? Were the rumors true that the Salvation Church was the one pulling the strings?
Gartros had gathered scattered forces from across the continent. A portion of this assembled army had launched a surprise attack on the Kingdom of Parsali.
“Hmm… There’s no way we can hold back an army of that size.”
The fortress commander fell into deep thought.
The fortress had ten thousand soldiers stationed here. Since it was on the front lines, it had a considerable garrison.
But compared to two hundred thousand, it was nothing. With such an overwhelming difference, no matter how sturdy the fortress was, it would fall in a single day.
Yet retreat was not an option. If this fortress fell, the enemy would have a direct path to the capital.
As the commander struggled to make a decision, a messenger urgently arrived from the Kingdom’s Supreme Commander.
“All the kingdom’s forces will gather near the capital to form a new defensive line.”
“What are we supposed to do?”
“You are to… hold out as long as possible.”
It was an order to die here.
“I see.”
The fortress commander nodded calmly. He had anticipated this outcome.
“If it’s for the kingdom, then we must comply.”
And so, the ten thousand troops stationed at the fortress steeled themselves to face the enemy, fully prepared for death.
Doom! Doom! Doom!
The sheer might of an army two hundred thousand strong was overwhelming. The plains were flooded with enemy troops, and the soldiers within the fortress stiffened in fear at the sight.
The commander moved tirelessly, encouraging his men.
“Do not be afraid! We can hold out! Have we not overcome countless battles before?”
But fear was etched onto the faces of his soldiers.
Up until now, they had managed to hold their ground because both sides had been evenly matched. Never had they faced an army of this scale.
‘It’s over.’
‘So this is where I die.’
‘How long can we last?’
All they could do was pray, hoping to survive just one more day.
Unlike the terrified Parsali forces, the rebels were brimming with confidence.
Though they hailed from different kingdoms, at this moment, they stood as one. With their overwhelming numbers, their morale soared naturally.
The only unusual aspect was their supreme commander Helgenik, a necromancer dispatched by the Salvation Church.
An aide approached Helgenik and asked,
“How shall we proceed?”
Helgenik responded without hesitation.
“All troops, charge.”
No strategies, no tactics just a simple order to charge. The aide, flustered, protested.
“No matter how overwhelming our numbers are, such an approach will cause massive casualties. If we surround them first and force them to deplete their supplies—”
“Charge.”
“……”
The strategist looked at Helgenik. Due to the hood of his robe being pulled down deeply, his expression was not visible. Even when attempting to peer inside, the darkness wavered, obscuring his face.
However, for some reason, it felt as though the corners of his mouth were curled up in a smile.
With no other choice, the strategist relayed orders to the commanders of each unit.
“Waaaaah!”
Using the excuse of increasing their movement speed, they hadn’t even brought siege engines. All they had were ladders.
Even so, the sight of an army of 200,000 charging forward all at once was terrifying. The soldiers within the fortress gripped their weapons tightly in fear.
At that moment, Jerome stepped forward.
The mages who saw him shouted in alarm.
“What are you doing!”
“Get back to your position immediately!”
“Form up! Quickly deploy the mana barrier to block the enemy’s magic!”
Even mages had to follow the commander’s orders during wartime. That was the only way they could use their magic effectively where it was needed.
The most crucial task was to suppress the enemy’s magic.
But Jerome shook his head.
“I’ll take care of the vanguard first.”
“Stop acting recklessly and stand down!”
The head of the magic unit yelled furiously. They had barely accepted him because every extra hand was valuable, and yet here he was, pulling a stunt like this.
Aside from the testing phase, they had never sensed any magic from him. At best, he was no stronger than a 2nd-circle mage.
Now this braggart was acting out on top of everything else? It was infuriating. The looming enemy army had already frayed everyone’s nerves, making the situation even worse.
Seeing enough, the knights approached Jerome, intent on dragging him back.
“Huh?”
But something strange happened. No matter how much they walked, they couldn’t get close to Jerome. At a certain distance, they simply couldn't move any closer.
People were shocked at the sight. The mages, in particular, were even more astounded.
“Sp-Spatial distortion?”
“What… what is this…?”
“Could it really be…?”
Meanwhile, the enemy army continued to draw nearer. The fortress commander judged that it was better to leave Jerome alone rather than waste time arguing with him.
He shouted loudly.
“Everyone, prepare!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The soldiers tightened their ranks and raised their shields. Stones, oil, and other siege defense supplies were readied for use at any moment.
“Waaaaah!”
The enemy let out a massive war cry as they charged. Seeing this, Jerome muttered to himself.
“Throwing a lot of stones worked pretty well last time.”
Of course, the stones he was about to throw were nothing like the ones he had used against mere bandits before.
Kukukukukung!
The ground in front of the fortress trembled as the earth began to rise and clump together. Soon, enormous masses of dirt floated into the air.
“Huh? Huh?”
The charging enemies hesitated in confusion. Dozens of massive clumps of earth were now hovering in the sky.
Stretching out his hand, Jerome spoke.
“Go.”
Paaang!
The massive boulders of earth hurtled toward the enemy.
Kwoooom!
Dozens of clumps of earth swept through the enemies, leaving only a massive pile of corpses in their wake.
“Uwaaah!”
“It’s a mage!”
“Why isn’t the magic suppression working?!”
The rebel forces included a significant number of mages. Given the sheer scale of the uprising, they had more mages than those stationed at the fortress.
Naturally, they had also cast magic suppression. And yet, despite that, spells were still being unleashed.
“What are you all doing?! Stop him! Stop him now!”
The rebel mages, flustered, drew upon even more mana. They had to deploy a mana field at all costs to disrupt their opponent’s spells.
Jerome furrowed his brows slightly.
“There really are a lot of mages.”
The attacks were weaker than he had expected. The mana fields scattered throughout the battlefield were interfering with the concentration of mana.
But he was an 8th-Circle Archmage. No mere interference would prevent him from casting his spells.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The magic fields weakened the full force of his spells, but they were still more than enough to wipe out the enemy.
Mighty spells erupted one after another without pause. It was no wonder Jerome had been called a One-Man Army in Ghislain’s past life.
The defenders of the fortress gaped in astonishment at his overwhelming display.
He was casting spells while piercing through the mana fields of countless mages!
“Is… is he really an 8th-Circle Mage?”
Only someone of that caliber could perform such miracles. The fortress mages trembled with shock and awe, their eyes wide with disbelief.
A wide grin spread across the fortress commander’s face. He didn’t know who that powerful ally was, but they were on his side.
“Allied mages, focus only on suppressing enemy magic! Knights, protect that mage! Move!”
In an instant, knights surged forward, surrounding Jerome in a protective formation. Jerome let out an awkward chuckle at the sight.
“There’s really no need to go this far.”
If he were ever in danger, ordinary knights wouldn’t be able to withstand the same threats anyway. He had no intention of disregarding their goodwill, but he couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.
Thanks to Jerome, the morale of the fortress troops skyrocketed. Meanwhile, the rebel commanders and strategists were in turmoil.
“There seems to be a terrifying powerhouse on the enemy’s side.”
“If we keep pushing forward like this, the casualties will be enormous.”
“We need to come up with another plan fast.”
Corpses were piling up endlessly, victims of the magic that had been unleashed. The arrows fired from within the fortress were also steadily accumulating damage.
Helgenik, who had been seated, shrugged his shoulders and laughed.
“There’s a monster on their side. Why is it only showing up now? The Salvation Church’s intelligence is truly pathetic.”
It was true that the mages gathered here were not particularly strong, but their numbers were significant.
For the enemy to cast such magic while piercing through the mana fields they had deployed meant that whoever it was, they were as powerful as Helgenik himself.
A strategist cautiously spoke up.
“Perhaps we should retreat for now and find another way—”
“Why should we?”
“T-The damage is too great…”
“Keep pushing forward. Why would we stop something this entertaining?”
“……”
“Our numbers are vast. In the end, we’ll succeed in climbing over the fortress walls. Tell them to keep charging.”
He wasn’t entirely wrong. No matter how strong the enemy was, Helgenik commanded an army of 200,000. The fortress would be overwhelmed before his forces were completely annihilated.
In fact, many soldiers had already begun swarming over the fortress walls like ants.
However, at this rate, even if they captured the fortress, more than half of their troops would be dead. That meant losing 100,000 men just to fight against a mere 10,000 defenders.
Could that truly be called a victory? At this pace, if they fought twice, they would be wiped out entirely.
“……”
The strategists swallowed dryly. They couldn’t tell if this was a war or just a mindless slaughter.
Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Helgenik glanced around and asked,
“Are you not entertained?”
“N-No, of course not.”
Knowing that their commander was a necromancer, they quickly bowed their heads.
None of them wanted to have their souls seized and turned into corpses.
Clicking his tongue, Helgenik continued,
“Well, then, I suppose we should make things a little more interesting. The two of you should step in now, don’t you think?”
Helgenik pointed to two high-ranking priests. They failed to hide their displeasure.
They understood the plan, but wasting troops like this was frustrating. On top of that, Helgenik’s arrogance was infuriating.
However, they had received a direct order from Gartros. This, too, was for the church, so they had no choice but to comply.
“Very well.”
“We will handle the enemy mage.”
The two priests confidently made their way toward the fortress.
Helgenik watched their retreating figures and grinned.
It was obvious at a glance their opponent was a monster among monsters. Those two priests were going to die.
And that, too, was part of Helgenik’s plan.