48 – Episode 48
# 48
Iron dust sticks to magnets, and knights attach themselves to nobles.
It’s a fact known to everyone, even without experimenting in the science lab.
Knights are those who turn violence into a profession.
However, no matter how skilled a knight is in combat, they are ultimately humans who must solve the problem of survival.
Therefore, a sponsor who can ‘provide for’ them is essential for knights.
In the medieval fantasy world, that sponsor is none other than the nobility.
The nobility, in a word, are landlords.
They are like gods.
The difference between modern landlords and the nobility is…
Even the residents living in their buildings belong to them!
If they want to hit, they hit. If they want to evict, they evict. If there’s something they want to take, they take it.
The nobility can do that.
Why? Because dogs, cows, and humans are all their possessions!
However, unlike dogs and cows, humans know how to make serious complaints.
If a noble kicks over the dinner table, lifts their skirt, and throws a tantrum, you confidently go to them and say,
“Excuse me! The way you’re treating me is so disrespectful, is this morally right?”
If you keep acting up, it means I will do the same.
That’s why discerning nobles do not mistreat their people recklessly.
They know that pushing with force will only make things quiet, but they also know that they won’t last long if they keep acting like that.
However, this also depends on the situation.
If a fire falls on my foot, I will sell off the people’s suffering, my troubles, and our livelihood.
The nobility can do that.
Why? Because the people living on my land belong to me…
“I will give a purse of silver to the person who erected the monument.”
Lucy Talian solemnly declared. It was the noble, a sponsor of the knight, who said they would open their purse.
Ian might have seemed like a frivolous girl when he was playing around, but when he stood in front of people, he looked like a decent young noble.
Lucy promised the knights and mercenaries that she would generously reward them after the job was done.
But where would Lucy, who didn’t have a penny to her name, get that money from?
The answer was simple.
She could just raid the money chests (the people) spread across the estate!
Again, it was okay for the nobles.
The lords of the land, with control over the judiciary, administration, and military, were just like kings, after all.
This was the backdrop to the nobles’ heads rolling during the French Revolution… (The rest is omitted).
As for asking Ian for a sword as a gift, even if she were to plunder the family’s graves, it wouldn’t faze anyone.
Lucy wasn’t particularly cruel or a ruthless ruler.
She was just the average temperament of a feudal lord in this era.
The reason the people suffered passively when war broke out was because the nobles declared that they would provide the money. So, one by one, the knights joined Lucy’s fight.
“Even if it’s just for a moment, I served under Countess Katrina! It’s a knight’s duty to avenge their lord’s enemies when their lord falls in battle!”
The knights who would have just gone home if Lucy hadn’t paid them, now fought, citing the honor and duty of a knight.
It was a convenient excuse in many ways.
“Ian, I want to join the battle too.”
Belenka came to get Ian’s permission.
Ian was about to agree, but then he had a thought and asked a question.
“You’re not deducting it from your own price, are you?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“Hmm.”
Belanka is a freelancer.
It means she takes care of herself as much as she works.
When Belanka is deployed to the battlefield, her effective lifespan (?) decreases accordingly.
But…
“So what?”
Ian shrugged his shoulders.
He wasn’t hiding any Guan Yu. It was wrong to prevent her from fighting by giving her a chance to leave. She’s a mercenary hired to fight, so she should be sent to the battlefield.
“Three to one.”
“?”
“If we win this war, you can reduce one-third of my debt.”
“… Are you the one deciding that?”
“I’m not saying this on a whim. There’s a set price for a wandering knight.”
Since it’s the knight’s rule, Ian nodded his head for now.
As a magician, Ian didn’t know much about the knight’s work.
He wasn’t particularly curious either.
“Alright. Go and fight as you wish.”
“Thanks for allowing me.”
Dekker quickly reorganized the Viscount’s army and completed the battle preparations.
Actually, the Marquis’s death didn’t result in substantial damage for the Marquis (now Viscount).
Didn’t nearly 300 soldiers regroup here? It meant that the majority of the forces were still alive.
“Magician Ian.”
Knight Decado approached Ian.
“… It’s too late, but I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
“The knights insulted you.”
Insulted?
Right, that did happen. Before the battle, the knights had said, “Hmph, we can win without your help!” Decado seemed to have taken it to heart.
Perhaps it was because he was in the delicate age of middle age.
Or maybe it was because he had received help from Ian several times, without realizing he had started to care about Ian.
“It’s already in the past. Whatever.”
“Thanks for saying that.”
Decado glanced back.
Surprisingly, the knights still didn’t look kindly at Ian.
This time, they seemed to suspect that Ian had plotted some cunning trick regarding capturing Belenka.
… Or maybe they were jealous of Ian’s dazzling performance.
But Ian didn’t care.
Since becoming a magician, Ian had become much more shameless than in the old days.
The knights hate me? So what?
“Well, actually… Ian, I… would appreciate your magical assistance…”
Ian nodded.
Even if the knights told him not to interfere this time, he was going to. He simply couldn’t trust those knights. Even if Belenka had defected.
This time, Ian was determined to finish things himself.
“Thank you so much!”
Dicedo smiled brightly, but the knights’ response was not favorable.
“What wicked scheme are you planning this time…”
“Dicedo, do we really need the help of a wizard? We can handle this on our own!”
“You! What kind of nonsense is this!”
“If we win with the wizard’s help, people will point fingers at us for being incompetent! Dicedo, as a knight, aren’t you ashamed?”
Dicedo’s face contorted.
Not out of shame, but out of anger.
Well, the behavior of the knights was indeed embarrassing to watch…
“Are those who were defeated in battle now claiming glory!”
“But…”
At that moment, Ian walked over to the grumbling knights. Just then, Oberon swooped in from the forest and perched on Ian’s shoulder.
“Caw! Caw!”
Suddenly, as the wizard with a crow on his shoulder approached, gripping his staff…
The knights looked at Ian with tense expressions.
The wizards were disliked, but their magic was feared by the knights.
“If you have complaints, leave.”
“Leave? Is that what you said to us just now!”
“Yeah. We don’t need troublemakers like you, who indulge in politics before a fight. Stop babbling and get lost.”
“Arrogant wizard! War belongs to knights! Do you really think you can win without us?”
“Yeah. Think we can’t? We have Belenka, and our army is much larger. Why wouldn’t we win?”
“A wizard discussing war in front of knights with a juvenile attitude. What a sight…”
“Oh, are you experts? Then why did you lose?”
…”
As Ian sneered, the knights fell silent, their faces turning crimson.
Approaching someone who just lost and saying, ‘You’re useless,’ could silence even the most devout believers.
Let alone knights.
“Couldn’t even stop one Black Knight, let alone defend the central breakthrough and protect the viscount. Without you, wouldn’t we have won? In fact, wouldn’t we have won if it weren’t for you?”
As Ian’s blunt criticism continued, Decado cautiously approached.
“Ian, sir. I am here…”
“I haven’t finished speaking yet!”
Roar!
As Ian shouted, the wind and ground roared tumultuously.
Ian may not have Maronius ore in his mouth, but he is a magician. He is a possessor of a will that differs from ordinary people.
Sylvie noticed Ian’s irritable mood and, in turn, it was Ian who noticed Sylvie’s mood!
“…!”
As Sylvie responded to the magician’s will, the knights were taken aback.
Witnessing the earth and wind respond to the magician’s anger, they lost the will to continue arguing with Ian.
“At dusk, we will attack Grime once again. Those who will join me, come forward, or else leave. That’s all I have to say.”
Ian glanced around and then disappeared into the forest.
From Noble mtl dot com
As a result of Ian’s argument, the participation of some knights in the battle became uncertain.
Some knights would stand with Ian, while others would give up the fight and flee.
But one thing was certain…
“Indeed, it’s the magician…! He wields tremendous magic!”
“If such a magician is with us, there’s no way we can lose!”
This instilled infinite trust in the mercenaries!
#
Grime’s army spent an uneasy night.
In yesterday’s battle, Grime’s soldiers killed Countess Katina.
This was a very uncomfortable situation for Grime.
If they had captured the countess, the war would have ended neatly, but by killing her, someone else could take up the command.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the countess’s loyalists came to avenge her!
From Grime’s perspective, it was a situation where he felt unfairly jittery.
“No, the marquis brought his army and attacked, and I killed him. Why should I take the blame for that?”
The vassals would respond like this.
“You should’ve given him a chance! Who said to kill him?”
“…”
It was the complexity of noble society.
The marquis didn’t invade someone else’s land out of greed (which is actually true), but rather as a righteous man who raised an army for his beloved nephew. That’s the external view, at least.
So… he didn’t commit a crime worthy of death, right?
That’s why Grém, who killed the marquis, was the bad guy. The possibility of him dying in battle? We nobles don’t know about such things!
“Have you found Talian?”
“Not yet. The soldiers are reluctant to enter the forest…”
Grém, of course, and even his subordinates clearly witnessed yesterday’s thunderbolt.
At first, they thought it was just the weather acting up…
But later, they heard that a sorcerer had slyly turned Grém into a bad guy using some strange trick.
It was a typical situation of ‘That guy is using sorcery!’
It was just a scare tactic, so there was no physical harm, but it significantly dampened the soldiers’ morale.
If it hadn’t been for yesterday’s victory, the unit might have fallen apart.
“Darn it. We have to somehow bring that woman in…!”
Grém was in a fix.
He already needed Lucy, but now, it had become a situation where he had to stake his life for the real Lucy.
If he could get hold of Lucy, he might be able to make up for this situation.
When Graeme becomes a Talian, the Count’s death could be regarded as a family matter.
Of course, it won’t be easy to make it so, but it’s certain that it’s a better situation than now.
We should have finished it when we won yesterday…
The Snowball, unable to properly pursue due to the magician’s intimidation(?), was rolling.
“Captain! We have a big problem!”
“What is it?”
“The enemies are regrouping! Do you still intend to fight?”
“Is it the knight who’s determined to seek revenge? Or…”
“It might be Talian.”
“Yeah, it might be Talian.”
Upon hearing the news of the enemy’s regrouping, Graeme immediately prepared for the second battle.
If we win here, it’s a real victory.
This was practically the last chance to get Lucy!
The enemies appeared stealthily in the twilight.
Graeme, equipped with chainmail and a helmet, observed the enemies with a stern expression.
“Isn’t that the Black Knight?”
“Yes, it’s the Black Knight.”
“Betrayal at a time like this…”
The Black Knight who was in Graeme’s army yesterday was now at the forefront of the Viscount’s army today.
The sound of the trumpet echoed, and the Viscount’s army began to charge up the hill.
Graeme swung his sword and shouted.
“Attack!”
The battle was still in Graeme’s disadvantage.
But Graeme desperately commanded the army.
As Graeme led the army forward, despite being outnumbered, they fiercely clashed with the Viscount’s forces.
Soldiers tangled with one another, and intense combat ensued with enemies and allies falling together.
It was a chaotic battle where the overall situation was hard to discern.
Up to this point, it was almost the same as yesterday.
However, there were two major differences in the Viscount’s forces.
The first was the presence of the Black Knight.
Belanka, the Black Knight, unleashed formidable martial skills, wreaking havoc on the front lines. It was a devastating blow to the already outnumbered army.
But compared to the second threat, Belanka was nothing.
“W-what…?”
“The sky! The sky is darkening!”
The magician Ian used magic from the rear.
It was dusk.
There was no one there to prepare torches, as it was not yet nighttime.
It was the perfect environment for a shadow mage.
“[O darkness!]”
Ian called forth the darkness, which he had chanted many times before, with practiced skill.
[Humans! We’re here!]
[Where should we hang out today?]
“[Cast it in front of us!]”
[Shadow Magic – Casting the curtain of darkness]
Ian spread a massive fog of darkness across the battlefield.
It wasn’t about igniting, striking, or killing something.
It was just about making it dark.
But Ian’s curtain of darkness completely changed the atmosphere of the battlefield.
“It’s magic! A wizard used magic!”
“Darn it! Do something!”
“I can’t see anything, what are we supposed to do!”
Over 50 soldiers were caught in the curtain of darkness, struggling and panicking.
It was utter chaos.
‘… I will win.’
Ian, who was observing the battlefield from afar, thought so.
It was a battle where they might win or lose even if they cooperated and pushed organically.
It was when the rear forces fell into disarray that they gained a chance to win the fight.
As evidence.
The front line, unable to withstand the ruthless frontal assault of the dark knight, gradually began to retreat.
However, the guys at the rear did not retreat.
That’s… because we can’t see!
Who’s fighting from where?
How can we tell if we’re winning or losing?
At the moment when the retreating front and the chaotic rear collided…
Grame’s army fell into a state of complete inability to command.
The Chantalza army was collapsing.