Chapter 144 Request to enter the palace (1)
“The second line of defense has collapsed!”
“Destroy the 7th Division! Even the 6th Division cannot maintain their formation!”
“Pardea Ignias died in battle… … !”
The command center of House Ignias was noisy.
Negative news was coming in from all over the place.
Currently, the Ignias family… He was helpless in the academy’s all-out attack.
“Is Carleon still here?!”
“It’s already been a while, what happened?!”
Their only hope was the owner, Carleon.
This situation can be overcome if Carleon, the strongest member of the Ignias family, returns.
but… No matter how long I waited, Carleon did not appear.
“Lord Rufus… … !”
Then one of the staff members raised his head.
“How has the head of the family been? Didn’t you go out to defeat the academy’s advisors one by one?”
“… … .”
Rufus, who was watching the situation, bit his lip.
A full day had already passed since my father, who had absorbed the mana of the keel bone, marched out.
By now, he should have defeated all of the academy’s top graduates and returned, but there is no news.
“Professor Valentiano and Professor Angela are out on the battlefield and are ravaging our allies. It is said that Professor Ferdinand was also seen in the rear.”
“… … .”
“The lord… How have you been?”
The voice of the staff that seems to be questioning.
While Rufus was making a sad face at that voice, another staff member hurriedly raised his voice.
“What kind of habit are you talking to Rufus-sama right now!”
“But there is no news from the head of the household! What the hell are you doing, Won… … !”
“We have no choice but to believe in the family head and wait! Please refrain from using words that seem to criticize the head of household or Rufus-sama!”
“still… … !”
In the meantime, the Ignias family had been united around the head of the family, Caleon.
However, as he was inferior in the fight against the academy, he began to shake little by little.
And finally, the main base is in a situation where it collapses… In the meantime, even the senior leaders who had been loyal to Carleon were shaken.
“If the head of the household had already fallen… … !”
“Ugh, how could you say that… … !”
“You want to die!”
Seeing the figures of the senior leaders who started fighting among themselves, Rufus bit his lip again.
I could feel that the Ignias family had reached their limits.
“Bah, this is the news that just came in!”
It was then that a soldier rushed in from outside.
“It is said that Olterra-sama of the Southern 11th Division has fallen!”
“Oltera collapsed?!”
Oltera Ignias is a high-ranking graduate and is one of the top five in the Ignias family.
“Did the detached corps of the guys from the academy hit the south?”
“That is… … .”
Not knowing what to say, when the soldier blurted out his words.
Suddenly, a tremendous shock hit the command center.
“Ah!”
“This… … !”
Rufus hurriedly jumped up using ceremonial techniques.
I ran out of the command center, where everything had collapsed, and surveyed the situation around me.
“… … !”
And Rufus realized.
That a young man with silvery white hair was holding a sword and looking this way.
“Aernas… … !”
“Long time no see, Rufus.”
Aernas had a calm expression.
Seeing that, Rufus realized that Altera had been beaten by Aernas.
Aernas appeared from the south and came all the way here after defeating Olterra.
“Eh, Ernas Landstein?!”
“How did you get here… … !”
The people who escaped from the command center hurriedly drew their swords.
However, the moment Aernas swung his sword into the air, screams erupted from all directions.
“Ahh… … !”
“Ahhh… … !”
How did you do it?
Dozens of daggers of pure white ice appeared and pierced people.
Half were mortally wounded, and the other half lost their combat capability.
Even the swordsmen who were running around hesitated at the devastation.
“Is there no one else to attack?”
“… … !”
Even when Aernas looked around and asked, everyone just backed away.
Seeing this, Rufus felt his mouth dry.
“oh… … !”
Meanwhile, Rufus realized belatedly.
Ernas… that he was wearing a red bracelet.
“Ahh… … !”
It must have been.
An heirloom of the Ignias family that my father wore when he marched… It was the artifact ‘Nipple Gadir’.
Rufus quickly understood what it meant for Aernas to have it.
“Keugh… … !”
Her father, who fought the last fight for the family, lost his life to Aernas.
Realizing this, Rufus bit his lip.
All I wanted to do was sit down and weep.
But I couldn’t.
Since my father died… Because Rufus has to act as the head of the Ignias family.
“Ernas Landstein… … !”
Rufus swallowed his tears and drew his sword.
And with Ignias Infernal Jade Swordsmanship, he developed a sword technique of flame.
“Come on! On behalf of the Ignias family, I will deal with you!”
“… … .”
Aernas stared at Rufus in silence.
However, those eyes were never cold.
“Okay, Rufus.”
Aernas took a stance while holding a silver sword.
“I accept the duel.”
“duel… … ?”
“Yes, it is a duel.”
Duels were often fought at the academy.
When a conflict arises between students, it is decided through a swordsmanship showdown.
But Rufus is no longer an academy student. This is not an academy, but the middle of the battlefield.
Nevertheless, Aernas was talking about a duel.
“If you win, I will step down.”
“what… … ?”
will you back down?
Now, Aernas, the main force of the academy, is stepping down?
Aernas spoke in a calm voice to the perplexed Rufus.
“If I win… The Ignias family must surrender immediately.”
“… … !”
Rufus held his breath.
but… Under the current circumstances, this condition could not be rejected.
“Okay, Aernas.”
Nodding, Rufus raised his sword.
“I will accept the terms.”
“… … .”
Aernas also nodded without saying a word.
As the swordsmen watched with bated breath, the two men confronted each other with their swords.
“Hap… … !”
It was Rufus who moved first.
While deploying the sword technique of Ignias Infernal Swordsmanship, he charged at Aernas while using a ceremonial swordsmanship.
It was a do-or-die charge, pouring out the entire body.
“… … !”
However, Rufus’ charge was blocked.
It was because Aernas defended with perfect posture.
It was a perfect defense, comparable to the famous graduates of the East.
“This is really great… … .”
Rufus smiled bitterly.
Even when we first faced each other at the academy, the difference wasn’t that big.
But Aernas had gone too far before he knew it.
That fact made Rufus feel resentful.
“… … .”
Aernas swung his sword without a word.
Rufus’ sword ricocheted off the blow, and blood gushed from his chest.
“Your victory, Aernas… … .”
While staggering, Rufus squeezed the last of his strength and opened his mouth.
“Listen, everyone.”
The surrounding prosecutors were looking at Rufus with tears in their eyes.
“From now on, the Ignias family will lay down all weapons and surrender to the academy. This is the order of Rufus Ignias, the successor of the great Graduate Caleon Ignias… … .”
“Lord Rufus… … !”
Hearing the voices of the swordsmen calling his name, Rufus lost consciousness.
* * *
‘With this, the fight with the Ignias family is over.’
Looking sideways at Rufus receiving first aid, I was lost in thought.
From noble mtl dot com.
‘Now that I saw Rufus fighting for his life at the end… Even the swordsmen of the Ignias family will recognize Rufus as the next patriarch.’
In fact, I intended to take Rufus’ life if he resisted.
But when I saw Rufus grit his teeth and draw his sword in front of me, I thought it wouldn’t be necessary.
So, after proposing a duel, he inflicted only non-life-threatening injuries.
‘Rufus, you were not ashamed of yourself as the next head of the Ignias family.’
Rufus accepted the duel and accepted defeat.
Since he showed the image of the next family head, the swordsmen of the Ignias family will follow Rufus.
It seemed that the postwar process would be easier than when the Schreyer family was subdued in the south.
“Aernas.”
At that time, a woman with black hair approached us with her subordinates.
It was Professor Angela, who was attacking the Ignias family headquarters with Professor Valentiano.
“I wondered why the soldiers of the Ignias family suddenly raised the white flag… I guess you arrived.”
“I thought it would be better to finish quickly, so I hurriedly ran.”
“The fact that you, who went to help Professor Yoles’ detached corps, came back like this and subdued the Ignias family leadership… … .”
Angela said with a smile.
“Looks like you defeated Carleon Ignias.”
“Yes, I knocked him down.”
“Huh, you really are a great guy.”
Saying that, Angela put her hand on my shoulder.
“To defeat Michael Waltfeld and Claubice Schreier, and even Carleon Ignias… Aren’t you going to defeat all the other head masters of the famous swordsmanship family?”
“That won’t happen.”
I shook my head.
“Henry Lancaster has already been defeated by Carleon Ignias. One of the other two… He is my father.”
“Well, I don’t know what will happen.”
Angela smiled meaningfully.
this person… Did you feel something intuitively?
“Anyway, thanks to you, I’m glad I got a quick surrender. We already had a chance to win, but if the Ignias family thoroughly fought back, we would have suffered considerable damage.”
“Yes.”
With this, the war in the East came to an end, but the fighting is not yet over.
If the fight with the Ignias family continues for a long time, nothing good will happen to us.
“At Byeoldong University, Professor Yols was seriously injured.”
“okay?”
“It will be difficult for you to return to the front for a while. Professor Ferdinand… You need to recuperate for a while.”
Ferdinand also did not recover from the injuries sustained in the fight against the ‘Sword King’ Gardius.
In the meantime, I was participating in the fight against the Ignias family, showing off my fighting spirit… Now that the Ignias family had also surrendered, it was time to recuperate properly.
“So, the advisory level is about Professor Angela and Professor Valentiano. Dean Aldbaut has to stay at the academy… There will be a lack of power for a while.”
“I don’t know if it’s safe to say that Ernas Landstein is underpowered.”
Angela laughed.
“Even if the Agrippa family moves in the south, it’s enough if we deal with it. Brantly Agrippa is a threat, but we have several peak-class graduates on our side.”
Originally, there were three pinnacles in the South.
Claubice Schreier and Salvatore Atillion were defeated with my own hands, leaving only one man, Brantly Agrippa.
“The Agrippa family is not the problem.”
“Hmm… Do you care more about other places?”
Saying that, Angela turned her gaze to the east.
If you go further east from here, the sea spreads out.
The mausoleum where Perfectio Landstein is staying is also in the middle of the sea.
“Aernas, by any chance, with your family… … .”
“On the other side, Professor.”
“what?”
I looked west, the opposite of Angela.
“Now slowly… The other side will also show movement.”
* * *
“Whoa… … .”
Heinrich sighed as he sat down at the base of the tree.
Around now, professors from Byeoldong University were welcoming Just Bastian.
It seemed that he had finally crawled out after hiding from the pursuit of the Ignias family.
‘Serine Bastian also has a bright expression.’
Looking sideways at Serene, who was delighted at the reunion with her father, Heinrich brushed his hair.
Originally, Heinrich had a personality that didn’t care about other people’s expressions, but… The fort has changed a bit.
‘I thought I was nothing more than a woman who flirted with Aernas… Surprisingly, there was a pulpit.’
Heinrich made a bitter expression as he recalled the fight with Carleon.
She, Celine, and Chloe attacked Carleon with a pincer, but in the end, it was Aernas who defeated Carleon.
‘Aernas guy… To defeat Caleon while I’m fainting.’
I was honestly sorry.
If he had personally watched how Aernas defeated Caleon, he would have learned a great deal.
It was very disappointing for Heinrich, who wanted to catch up with Aernas.
‘anyway… Aernas must have reached Ignias headquarters by now.’
After Aernas confirmed that Professor Yols had been treated and saved his life, he immediately headed for the Ignias family headquarters.
If there is nothing special, you will be able to get surrender in no time.
‘Is this the collapse of the Ignias family following the Shreyer family?’
Now, only the Agrippa family remained to face the academy.
Will the Agrippa family fight against the academy?
‘My father… What thoughts do you have?’
Heinrich had been fighting at the academy all this time.
Gort, Berislisse, and Rufus, who gave up the competition, left the academy early, but only Heinrich remained and fought silently.
But when the academy fights against the Agrippa family… What should Heinrich do?
“… … ?”
At that time, Heinrich felt a presence coming this way.
Chloe, who had gone out to scout, was returning in a hurry.
“Chloe Yusburg, what is it?”
Heinrich asked as he stood up from his seat, and Chloe answered with a nervous expression.
“A messenger is coming this way.”
“lion?”
Where did you send the person?
Could it be from the Agrippa family?
“Don’t be surprised, Heinrich-sama.”
Chloe’s voice was unusually hard.
“I am a messenger from the imperial palace. I think he is trying to ask the academy to enter the palace.”
“… … !”
Imperial Palace.
Located in the Central Region, the heart of the Empire.
A place where the sickly ill emperor and the princess who will become the next emperor are located.
In the place where I just watched the war in the meantime… I broke the silence and started moving.