25 – Recruitment
Clippity-clop! Clippity-clop! Clippity-clop!
I was now riding a horse, racing down a dark dirt road.
It was such a deep night that the brown horse appeared black.
Yet, I could still make out its figure.
It was all thanks to the faint light cast by the crescent moon.
The horse that had been running nonstop for a while now.
Its rising heat made it emit puffs of steam.
Of course, even so, the wind on the saddle felt quite refreshing.
On the roadside, blooming cherry blossom trees scattered their pure white petals.
It was an unmistakable spring, even in the darkness of the night.
Riding closely beside me,
Heya! Heya! Astia was tirelessly urging the horse forward.
Instead of the bright-colored leather boots she usually wore, she was dressed in dark attire more fitting for assassins.
The black scarf wrapped tightly around her long neck billowed in the wind, letting out a roar.
She had temporarily dyed her hair black using some sort of drug.
And on her pure white face…
She wore a mask with fiery patterns that covered her eyes, something one might wear to a grand ball.
The sword hanging at her waist, which looked rather expensive…
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Was borrowed from an assassin who had tried to kill Duke Felios a few days ago.
But seeing as there was no intention of returning it, and the owner had already died, it would be more appropriate to say it was stolen rather than borrowed.
I kept talking without pause, as if in competition with Astia, sometimes leading, sometimes falling behind.
And in doing so, the image of Marquis Bart naturally came to mind.
It had already been over two weeks since I had faced him.
Yet, whenever there was a chance, the marquis’s gaze that had been fixed on me vividly resurfaced.
In truth, I knew very little about him.
He was the father of Saint Elaine and the owner of Bart’s Manor, a man who met a tragic death by chance one day.
That was all I knew about him.
It was completely unexpected to find information about the marquis among the documents I obtained from Gerund’s secret library.
The reason I came to know the marquis’s story, which I had never read in any novel, was solely because of that.
Among the piles of documents that filled two or three thick books…
There were detailed descriptions of the marquis’s specific operations, the extent of his wealth and property, and his remarkable skills.
And under the name of Duke Schlein, numerous operations carried out to devour the upper echelons over the years were meticulously recorded.
The fact that such data was mixed among recent documents was proof of the duke’s abilities.
The first operation to endanger the intact upper echelons had taken place more than 20 years ago.
Therefore, Duke Bart.
He had protected the upper echelons from Schlein’s clutches for over 20 years.
Just that alone easily showed how cautious, meticulous, and exceptional the duke was.
Duke Bart.
If he could be on my side, he would be a great help in the future.
The extensive financial power of Bart’s upper echelons, with a vast distribution network throughout the continent, was also tempting.
He was a necessary person for me, who must become emperor in order to survive.
The reason I sent the information under the name of Viscount Gerund was for that purpose.
It was a kind of groundwork to make the duke my ally.
With his outstanding abilities and the enmity between him and Duke Schlein, it would not be difficult to establish a cooperative relationship.
Moreover, he was Elaine’s father, so there was no need to worry about betrayal.
Lost in thought, I suddenly realized that we had arrived at our destination.
“Over there!”
Astia’s resolute voice pierced through the night air, cutting through the loud sound of hooves.
Not far away.
A carriage surrounded by assassins was standing.
The ones swinging, throwing, and shooting were clearly visible.
Three knights of Duke Pheleos were already corpses.
Only one remained, desperately guarding the Duke who was casting spells.
But now, mana was no longer flowing into the blades.
With clumsy movements and heavy breathing, he looked like he could collapse at any moment without any surprise.
The Duke’s magic was also not hitting the charging carriage.
The well-trained assassins were fast and effectively utilizing their numerical advantage.
They were constantly circling the carriage.
Throwing daggers, shooting small crossbows fixed to their wrists, or suddenly approaching and swinging their swords.
It was a wheel battle.
Despite their overwhelming numerical advantage and superiority, they were conserving their strength and carefully attacking.
I urged my horse faster.
The distance was closing in an instant, but in the end, the knight guarding the Duke fell to the ground, driving the sword into the ground and kneeling forward.
It was a critical situation.
There was no one left to protect the Duke.
I quickly materialized Rark.
I turned Rark, who had been hiding under Duke Pheleos’s feet, into a knight wearing a stone armor.
I also gave him a shield made of stone that could completely cover an adult male.
Clang! Clang!
Daggers and bolts from handheld crossbows pierced through the darkness incessantly, but…
Behind the shield, the duke remained untouched by anything.
However, perhaps due to the high-performance artificial intelligence Gole, mana was rapidly depleting just by maintaining its form.
Astia and I charged fiercely, trampling over the assassins.
Even in a situation where the horses suddenly aimed for their backs, the assassins seemed to be well-prepared and effortlessly evaded, scattering left and right.
Astia and I dismounted almost simultaneously and stood before the duke.
Astia, who had already drawn her sword, rushed towards the enemies.
Seeing me, who was late in drawing my sword, Duke Felios couldn’t hide his delight.
“Eungong! I knew you would come this time too…!”
He still called me Eungong since he didn’t know my true identity.
As expected.
Not revealing my true identity was an excellent choice.
Duke Felios was truly an obstinate old man.
This was already the fourth attack.
By now, I should have scared him enough to be confined to the duke’s residence for a while.
During the past two weeks, every morning, I went to the emperor and consistently confessed Shleine Duke’s sins.
Even the two members of the half-empress faction, who were initially only afraid of the assassination news, turned their backs on me.
What could be so busy?
Every day, without fail, traveling all over the empire, constantly exposing myself to danger.
Of course, his provocative actions were indeed a great help to me.
The empress, who was filled with anger from repeated failures, was firmly fixated on Duke Felios alone.
So I did my best to keep him alive.
To protect him in the worst of situations, I secretly attached a luck charm to him.
Whenever there was an opportunity, I sent Wint to Duke Shleyn, gathering information on assassination plans in advance.
“Master Eungong, I’m here!”
The number of assassins surrounding us reached thirty.
Astia was in the midst of shaking up their formation, sweeping through the assassins with her short sword.
It showed how well she had been trained.
Even as they fell one by one, they continued to move swiftly.
It was the result of hiring renowned mercenaries, assassins, and adventurers.
Among them, there were even two knights of Duke Shleyn.
It was the result of gathering stronger individuals to compensate for repeated failures.
Of course, there was no problem with that.
“From now on, prepare the most powerful magic you can use.”
“Yes!”
As if their pale face had no effect, they readily responded as if they had always been my subordinates.
It was possible because we had already succeeded twice.
The Duke closed his eyes and immersed himself in his enchantment.
I raised my mana with my sword and headed towards the assassins.
When the blade touched the neck of the one nearby, green mana rose up like smoke.
Chwak!
As the face with an astonished gaze left its physical body, blood spurted, and in that moment, I commanded Aqua.
Sprinkle water immediately.
Instantly, a light drizzle fell over a fairly wide area for a brief moment.
Immediately after, the wind gusts stirred, thoroughly soaking the enemies’ clothes.
While conserving mana as much as possible, it was to efficiently wet the ground and clothes.
The assassins didn’t notice at all.
Their masks, clothes, and cloaks were suddenly damp.
It seeped in silently.
They seemed to have never even considered the possibility of an unavoidable death.
Really, it seemed like they only thought it was a brief rain shower.
Despite the countless stars and crescent moon in the sky, it seemed that due to the intense onslaught from Astia and me, they didn’t even feel a slight discomfort.
Astia was suddenly fighting two knights.
Even in a state where she couldn’t properly use mana due to my orders.
She was not at all inferior to the two knights who possessed the most extensive mana here.
It was astonishing.
The knights were not just simple mana users.
They were beings with convictions.
Moreover, they were individuals obsessed with nothing but cutting down their enemies.
So inevitably.
When such convictions reach their extreme, mana acquires unique characteristics depending on the knights’ personalities, habits, desires, and traumas.
For that reason.
Just like the sorcerers.
In battles between knights, the compatibility between them could be a crucial factor in determining victory or defeat.
So, it was not common to face both of them alone while hiding mana within the sword.
Furthermore, the assassins who were still agilely prowling around were also eagerly waiting for an opportunity.
If things continued like this, it would become increasingly difficult to guarantee her safety as time passed.
I took care of the assassins who were blocking the way one by one and approached her.
That was when I heard the Duke’s voice.
“It’s done!”
Finally, the awaited moment had come.
I released the embodiment of Luck.
The knight wearing a stone armor began to crumble down with a crash of earth and stone.
Then, I gave another command to Luck.
Quickly, wrap us in earth to protect us.
Boom!
The stone-armored knights had not finished crumbling yet.
Including me and Astia, the Duke, and the knight on top of the fainted Duke Pellios, the earth burst forth and instantly formed a dome-shaped defense barrier.
All of these processes happened faster than the blink of an eye.
Late, with a thump! I heard the sound of the carriage behind the Duke collapsing.
It was because of the powerful force that pushed aside the defense wall that swallowed the mansion.
The magic began at that moment.
Flash! Kurrk! Kwak!
Before the bewildered enemies could even react.
A devastating lightning bolt, like a spear thrown by an angry god, fell down with tremendous force.
Although I couldn’t see it directly, as I was trapped inside a dome made of earth.
I could vividly see it through the eyes of the spirits outside.
It was the magic unleashed by Duke Felios, who had once ruled the battlefield with his thunderous command.
The transcendental high-voltage current that struck the earth emitted a terrifying rumble.
Kuung kuung-
The deeply sunken ground seemed to scream in pain.
The trees planted nearby and even the assassins were engulfed in flames all at once.
Those with little mana turned to ashes in an instant.
Even the air seemed to turn to ashes.
The disaster lasted only for a moment.
The massive electrical charges that writhed like crazed veins across a wide area suddenly disappeared.
The earth that defied gravity for a moment crumbled and returned to the ground.
Duke Felios’ magic was truly remarkable.
Except for the two knights, everyone who was already drenched died instantly.
Even the surviving knights who were kneeling were practically lifeless.
It was as black as roasted sweet potatoes, with a faint white steam rising from it.
Although I desperately summoned mana to protect myself, the fact that I was already soaked was fatal.
“P-please… save me…”
Seeing that the trembling tip of the knife couldn’t strike, Astia hesitated.
But our positions were slightly different.
The Empress, Duke Shurane, and the Crown Prince were absolute powerhouses in this world.
And I…
I was the weakest of the weak, fighting against such overwhelming power.
Any feeble sympathy would only turn into a more venomous poison.
I brushed past Astia.
And swung. Without any hesitation.
Swoosh-
My blade didn’t tremble at all.
“….”
Astia glanced at me with slightly widened eyes, said nothing, and finally wiped the blood off the blade and put it back in its sheath.
“Ungooong!!!”
Duke Felios rushed out, gasping for breath.
Perhaps he had come running in a panic, afraid that I would leave without a word again.
It wasn’t strange for me to feel annoyed after doing it three times.
“Please, Eungong, just tell me! H-huff. I don’t have much time left to live, you know? But if I die without even knowing Eungong’s true identity, I won’t be able to close my eyes even in the afterlife. Please, enough now, just tell me your true identity.”
The Duke appeared exhausted, with his entire body drenched in sweat.
“If you just tell me your identity, I will do anything you want, anything,” he said, his plea as gentle as calming a crying granddaughter.
The stubbornness that was characteristic of him was nowhere to be found.
The ripened persimmon was finally ready to be plucked and eaten.
I slowly removed my hood.
I smiled softly, looking into the Duke’s eyes that trembled as if experiencing an earthquake.
“You, you…! No, you… how is this possible… how could…?”
The Duke, trembling with quivering fingers, couldn’t even complete a single sentence.
He looked as if he had suddenly realized that the beloved grandson he had been cherishing was actually someone else’s grandson. He was taken aback and even took a step back.
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And I…
I confidently approached him and spoke firmly, as if confirming his fate.
“You said you would do anything I want, right? Then swear your loyalty to me, Duke.”