Episode 319
“Stop them!”
A tall female knight, wielding a massive longbow, shouted to the imperial garrison soldiers atop the fortress.
With each pull of her bowstring, the monsters scaling the walls fell with piercing screams.
Daria Calvi, the knight of the Centaur Bow, surveyed her surroundings with cold eyes.
“How dare these filthy monsters…”
The imperial garrison camp on the outskirts of the ghetto was under attack by monsters.
Beside her, the Second Prince, Leo, was rallying the soldiers.
“Stay strong, everyone! Those vile creatures will never breach the sacred banner of the wolf!”
Daria had been dispatched with the garrison to ensure the prince’s safe return to the empire.
The problem was the sheer number of monsters surrounding the entire camp.
“The imperial mages assured us the monsters couldn’t reach this far…”
The mages had boasted that their special magic circle would prevent any monster from approaching the garrison.
This assurance had allowed the first-in-line Second Prince to visit for an inspection.
Yet, from the day her legion arrived at the fortress, dark clouds gathered, fog enveloped the area, and an endless horde of monsters began to swarm.
As Daria fired arrows at the monsters, she shouted to her deputy.
“Prepare the knights! We need to go out and sweep them away!”
No matter how many monsters there were, they were no match for well-armed knights.
The deputy nodded at Daria’s command.
“Understood, Commander.”
The deputy descended the wall and called out to the waiting knights.
“Let’s go and wipe them all out!”
The Centaur Bow knights, armed with bows and spears, charged out of the garrison on horseback.
Thud, thud, thud!
Unlike other imperial knight orders, the Centaur Bow was composed of commoners.
They specialized in archery, a skill not typically favored by knights.
Once the most persecuted and discriminated against among the 13 legions, their status improved significantly after Daria Calvi, an exceptional female knight, became their commander and led them to numerous victories.
Despite this, the Centaur Bow knights were often dismissed as a commoner knight order within the empire.
This only deepened their loyalty to Daria.
Swish, swish, swish!
The knights unleashed a volley of arrows at the monsters, and those struck fell in unison.
With the knights’ intervention, the tide of battle shifted.
The once overwhelming horde of monsters began to hesitate and retreat.
Watching from the wall, Daria Calvi’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“Something’s not right.”
Though the number of monsters seemed to exceed thousands, far fewer were actually attacking.
Daria aimed her longbow at the monsters beyond the wasteland and released an arrow.
Whoosh!
The arrow, imbued with aura, flew across the wasteland.
Boom!
The aura-infused arrow exploded upon impact.
Listening to the explosion, Daria deduced the situation around where the arrow landed.
“No sound of monsters being hit. It’s an illusion spell.”
She saw through the illusion cast by Visco’s bloodline ability, realizing the monster numbers were exaggerated.
Yet, she couldn’t fathom why the monsters were converging on the garrison instead of the ghetto.
She turned to the garrison commander nearby.
“I heard there’s a Red Lion Sword here. Even if Morgan is missing, the Red Lion Sword should know something about this situation. Find him quickly.”
The garrison commander, familiar with Daria Calvi’s stern reputation, nodded with a tense expression.
“Y-yes, Commander.”
While the garrison commander went to find Abel, Daria spoke to Leo beside her.
“Your Highness, the monsters will soon be subdued. Perhaps it would be best for you to retreat inside.”
Though she knew Leo possessed exceptional talent as a knight, the battlefield was always perilous.
Even the finest knights could fall to a stray arrow.
In response to Daria’s suggestion, Leo drew his sword.
“Commander, how can a ruler abandon their post while knights and soldiers risk their lives in battle?”
Daria usually admired Leo’s sense of justice, but in this situation, it was unhelpful.
If Leo were to die here, the empire would undoubtedly be plunged back into a succession crisis.
Recalling the recent fierce disputes between the factions of the First and Second Princes, Daria said to Leo,
“A ruler must prioritize their own life above all else. If you fall, the entire empire will be shaken…”
At that moment, something appeared in the sky.
Rumble!
A massive dragon with four pairs of wings emerged from the storm clouds.
Roar!
The dracolich, with its black horns and menacing red eyes, let out a terrifying cry, causing even the monsters to tremble in fear.
Daria frowned, gripping her longbow tightly.
Leo, equally startled, clenched his sword.
“Commander, unless my eyes deceive me… is that a dragon?”
Daria replied calmly to Leo’s question.
“The enemy is using a mix of monsters and illusions to confuse us. That might be an illusion as well…”
Roar!
Suddenly, the dracolich unleashed a torrent of black flames.
Boom, boom, boom!
The black flames rained down on the garrison walls.
Whoosh!
The flames incinerated the soldiers on the wall and even melted the solid stone.
Seeing this, Daria gritted her teeth.
”…It seems it’s real. More like a monster resembling a dragon.”
The dracolich turned and flew towards Daria and Leo.
Roar!
Once again, black flames erupted from its mouth.
Daria aimed her bow at the dracolich and fired.
Thwack!
Her arrow struck the dracolich’s eye with precision.
Roar!
The dracolich howled in pain and ascended higher into the sky.
Watching the dracolich circle above, Daria placed a hand on Leo’s shoulder.
“Your Highness, it’s dangerous to remain in high places with flying monsters around. We should descend.”
Leo nodded at Daria’s suggestion.
“Understood.”
As Leo and Daria descended the wall, the soldiers had already set up anti-air weapons. They immediately began firing ballistae and magic cannons at the dracolich.
Boom!
The projectiles soared into the sky.
But the dracolich deftly evaded the attacks, circling in the air.
On the dracolich’s back, Zeke and Richmond observed the imperial garrison’s situation.
“Tyrant, head over there.”
Zeke had named the dracolich, summoned from the horn of the demon lord Balrog, “Tyrant.”
Summoned by Richmond using bloodstone and dragon bones, the dracolich was reborn as a powerful summon, rivaling the original Tyrant.
With Tyrant at his side, Zeke used Visco’s bloodline ability and the illusion magic of the high-level dream demon Pan to create the illusion of a massive monster horde, pressuring the imperial garrison.
“Daria Calvi of the Centaur Bow.”
Zeke had encountered Daria Calvi in his past life.
On the battlefield, she was one of the rare imperial knights who earned her position through sheer skill.
“I recall she didn’t get along well with Abel when he was the imperial army’s supreme commander.”
When Abel committed ruthless massacres and atrocities, Daria Calvi criticized his actions and once even deserted the battlefield, refusing to follow his orders.
The northern alliance, where Zeke belonged, had tried to persuade Daria Calvi to defect from the empire, offering various incentives, but she had flatly refused.
She had rejected Abel’s orders, not the empire itself.
Zeke pondered whether Daria Calvi would have made the same decision if she had known the full extent of the empire’s atrocities.
“Perhaps I can draw a significant force away from the empire.”
Zeke guided Tyrant around the imperial camp.
Just then,
“Master! Something’s coming!”
A swarm of winged beasts appeared in the sky.
Zeke, observing the beasts, patted Tyrant’s neck.
“Tyrant, show them your power.”
Growl—
At Zeke’s command, Tyrant flapped its wings vigorously.
The harpy-like beasts flew towards Tyrant.
Tyrant opened its mouth and unleashed a torrent of black flames at them.
Whoosh!
The beasts caught in the flames were reduced to ashes.
The remaining beasts, intimidated by Tyrant’s might, began to retreat.
But Tyrant wouldn’t let them escape.
Screech!
Tyrant swooped down, tearing the beasts apart with its sharp claws and fangs.
The beasts were nothing more than prey for Tyrant.
Zeke watched the tyrant’s display of power with a satisfied expression.
“The skies are in good hands with the tyrant,” he thought.
Turning to Richmond, Zeke gave his orders. “Richmond, keep the pressure on the Empire’s forces here.”
“Understood.”
With Hershion equipped, Zeke leaped off the tyrant’s back. Using his stealth skills, he vanished from sight, slipping unnoticed into the heart of the Empire’s encampment.
“Where is the Black Lion Sword?”
When the officer sent to find Abel didn’t return, Daria stormed into the barracks where he was staying. The knights guarding the entrance moved to block her path.
“You can’t enter here.”
Daria stepped forward defiantly. “Ridiculous. This is the Empire’s camp. There’s no place here a legion commander can’t go.”
The ordinary knights were no match for Daria’s commanding presence, and they hesitated, beads of sweat forming on their brows as they stepped back.
As Daria and the Black Lion Knights faced off, the barracks door swung open.
“The knight of the Inma Palace has arrived.”
Abel appeared, his red hair flowing behind him. The knights finally retreated as he stepped forward.
Daria addressed Abel directly. “Black Lion Sword, I demand an explanation for this situation.”
Abel chuckled softly. “As you said, this is the Empire’s camp. Why ask me about the situation here?”
Daria frowned. “Abel Draker, you and Morgan Buffon of the Saguin Palace were in charge of the Ghetto region. With Morgan missing, you’re the only one who knows what’s going on.”
Abel could sense the hostility in Daria’s gaze.
‘She doesn’t know we released the monsters, but she’s figured out something’s happening here.’
Morgan Buffon had been involved in all sorts of unsavory tasks for the Empire, working with the Intelligence Bureau’s 13th Division. Given Daria’s disdain for such underhanded dealings, her animosity was understandable.
Abel met Daria’s eyes. “What exactly do you want to hear? Are you curious why monsters, who would never attack the Empire, suddenly did?”
Daria’s eyes widened, but she maintained her composure. “Our mages assured us the monsters wouldn’t approach our side. Yet now, someone is using illusion magic to deceive us and deploying dragon-like beasts to attack the Empire. This is a clear provocation against the Empire…”
“The Empire’s legion commander sure talks a lot,” Abel interrupted.
Daria Calvi scowled, reaching for her bow. “Abel Draker, even if you are a guardian knight of the Draker family, insulting the Empire is…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence.
A powerful aura emanated from Abel, paralyzing her. Her fingertips trembled slightly.
Abel looked down at Daria and spoke with a chilling calm. “Move even a little… and you will die, Daria Calvi.”