Episode 561
“Sending a reply?”
Helen, momentarily lost in thought, quickly grasped the meaning behind Alicia’s words and nodded in agreement.
“Very well. Please convey the resolve of our allied forces to the Count.”
With Helen’s approval, Alicia flashed a mischievous grin and began twirling the iron spike in her hand.
She then gripped it tightly, preparing to throw.
Rumble―
A powerful aura emanated from her, the force of a grandmaster.
Crack!
The immense power caused the surface of the iron spike to warp, leaving an imprint of her hand.
Without taking a single step forward, Alicia stood firm and hurled the spike towards Count Vlad’s location.
Whoosh!
The spike sliced through the air, producing a sound far more intense than the one Vlad had thrown earlier.
Alicia’s spike flew with the intent to pierce through Count Vlad.
Yet, Vlad remained motionless atop his horse, watching the spike approach without flinching.
While the members of the Dracul Knights beside him hurriedly raised their shields in defense, the spike Alicia threw zoomed past, narrowly missing Vlad.
What happened next was astonishing.
The spike embedded itself into the fortress wall behind Vlad, and the force was so great that the surrounding walls crumbled.
Crash!
Even the Dracul Knights, known for their cold-blooded demeanor, couldn’t hide their shock at the sight of the fortress wall collapsing.
Alicia, however, clicked her tongue in disappointment and dusted off her hands.
“Damn, the Sword King will scold me again for not controlling my strength.”
She had aimed to take off the enemy king’s head in one go, but unfortunately, she missed, only managing to bring down an innocent wall.
Helen, standing beside her, shook her head at Alicia’s words.
“No, Your Grace has sent a splendid reply.”
Alicia’s counter to Vlad’s provocation had turned the tables, boosting their morale.
Moreover, some families in the central continent still looked down on the northern knights, but Alicia’s display had swiftly changed their perspective.
“Today’s events might just strengthen the unity of our allied forces.”
Count Vlad, who had been standing still on his horse, cast a long look at Helen and Alicia before turning back into the fortress.
The Dracul Knights followed him inside, leaving only the grotesquely embedded spikes in front of the fortress.
Fortunately, the collapsed section of Jupiter’s wall remained as a reminder.
Without Alicia’s intervention, the sight of the densely embedded spikes would have surely dampened the allied forces’ spirits.
Helen turned to Duke, who stood beside her, with a determined expression.
“Duke.”
As Duke looked at her, Helen shifted her gaze towards Alicia and the Himonas Knights.
“I have a plan to capture Jupiter Fortress.”
Bang!
Castro Pollock slammed his fist on the table, sending the glass of wine crashing to the floor.
“Damn it! What on earth did Count Vlad accomplish out there?”
He had watched as Count Vlad embedded spikes to provoke the allied forces.
He had been satisfied when Vlad threw a spike at Helen Draker, the Iron Knight and supreme commander of the allied forces.
He believed that the provocation would leave the allied forces in a bind, lowering their morale and leading to their collapse, thinking it was a brilliant move by Vlad.
But the sudden counterattack by the Northern Grand Duke had completely overturned the situation.
Castro Pollock ground his teeth in frustration.
“Send out the riders immediately and attack them! I can’t stand those stinking northerners strutting around in the sacred empire any longer!”
Usually a gentleman, Castro Pollock became a different person when other races were involved.
He already despised the northern continent, where various races lived together, and seeing the Northern Grand Duke’s prominent actions only fueled his rage.
His lieutenant, observing Castro’s fury, spoke up.
“My lord, Jupiter Fortress is structured favorably for defense. There’s no need to abandon our advantageous position to attack them.”
Castro Pollock was well aware of his lieutenant’s point.
He had chosen Jupiter as their base to devise a long-term strategy.
But the thought of northerners roaming freely in his backyard made his skin crawl.
Just as he was about to issue a forceful command, a servant approached and bowed.
“The deputy commander of the Dracul Knights wishes to see you, General.”
Castro Pollock took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and regained his composure.
“Let him in.”
With permission granted, the deputy commander of the Dracul Knights entered the office.
Snap!
With a crisp salute, the deputy commander addressed Castro Pollock.
“I am here to deliver a message from our lord.”
Castro Pollock’s brow furrowed slightly at the deputy commander’s words.
He was the one occupying Jupiter Fortress and leading the legion.
But compared to the fame of the enemy king, Castro Pollock’s title as the Twin Fangs Knight was relatively minor.
Thus, he was cautious when dealing with the enemy king, and having a subordinate deliver orders directly to him was not well-received.
‘But without the enemy king, we’d be at a disadvantage.’
Skilled in diplomacy, Castro forced a smile and addressed the deputy commander.
“Haha, what message does the Count have for us?”
The deputy commander, maintaining a disciplined yet emotionless demeanor, relayed the enemy king’s words.
“He predicts that the allied forces will soon launch an attack. We must prepare our defenses.”
Castro Pollock’s brow furrowed further at the deputy commander’s words.
“Are you saying the allied forces will attack the fortress first?”
Knowing Jupiter Fortress was a natural stronghold and with the enemy king joining them, Castro found it hard to believe the allied forces would attack first.
The deputy commander spoke again.
“Our lord believes the allied forces will provoke the general, causing us to open the gates first. That, too, is an attack, and we must be prepared.”
Castro’s expression hardened at the deputy commander’s words.
Despite being the current commander of the legion, the enemy king’s reputation overshadowed his own.
It was insulting to have such a message delivered by a subordinate rather than the enemy king himself.
Sensing the tension, Castro’s lieutenant stepped forward before Castro could explode.
“The enemy king must be quite upset by the Northern Grand Duke’s provocation. But excessive concern could affect the legion’s morale, so it’s best to exercise restraint.”
The deputy commander offered no response to the lieutenant’s words.
Castro Pollock, suppressing his simmering anger, forced himself to speak.
”……Tell the Count I understand his concerns and that there’s no need to worry.”
The deputy commander, maintaining his stoic demeanor, saluted sharply and exited the office.
Once the deputy commander had left, Castro’s face turned rigid as he clenched his fists.
”……Damn it.”
Though it was humiliating, relying on the enemy king’s reputation to keep the allied forces in check was the best course of action for now.
Since the defection of Duke Craven, he had been uneasy without the support of the Black Knights, and the enemy king was the only one who had joined them at Jupiter.
Thus, Castro had no choice but to suppress his anger for the sake of ultimate victory, letting out a deep sigh.
But this resolve was shattered the very next day.
From the day after the enemy king’s provocation, Alicia began hurling spiked iron balls at Jupiter Fortress.
Boom!
The spikes had already caused a section of the wall to collapse, and the heavy iron balls were akin to siege weapons.
The iron balls Alicia launched not only obliterated the threatening spikes embedded in front of the fortress but also lodged themselves unsightly into the walls.
Seeing this, the allied forces’ fear of the spiked balls dissipated, and their morale soared.
Moreover, the northern knights and other races deliberately mingled, holding drinking parties and using magic to amplify their voices, taunting them.
“Hahaha! Castro Pollock, you fool! Come and have a drink with me!”
Already displeased with the northerners camped in front of him, Castro Pollock’s anger flared at their blatant mockery.
Yet, he somehow managed to hold his temper.
He thought that if he didn’t react, they’d tire of it in a few days, but that was a grave miscalculation of the northerners’ nature.
The northerners’ taunts only grew more intense with each passing day.
“Hahaha! There’s a rumor that Castro became a racist because he was rejected by a dwarf maiden!”
“Hahaha! A dwarf maiden? I heard he got rejected by an orc maiden!”
The mocking laughter, amplified by magic, echoed all the way to the heart of Jupiter Castle.
For a week, Castro Pollock had endured this standoff, but now he was at his breaking point.
He shouted at his lieutenant, “I’m going to wipe them out right now!”
The lieutenant, trying to calm Castro’s agitated voice, replied, “Engaging in a full-scale battle with the allied forces isn’t wise at this moment. Given time, they’ll lose their justification and fall apart.”
Castro roared back at him, “You think you can say that after seeing what they’re doing? They’ve even brought in bards to compose mocking songs about me, and they’re singing them all day long! I can hear those tunes even inside the castle!”
As a member of a noble family, Castro valued honor and had a strong sense of pride. Being ridiculed by the northern barbarians and other races was something he couldn’t tolerate, and his anger erupted.
In the Rom Empire, where noble families had upheld traditions since the days of the Seven Kingdoms, pride was a frequent point of contention.
Feeling his honor was gravely tarnished, Castro wanted nothing more than to open the gates and crush them all.
Yet, he wasn’t foolish enough to lead his troops out himself, knowing how reckless that would be.
Trying to calm his earlier outburst, Castro furrowed his brow and sighed before speaking slowly, “What about the count’s response?”
The lieutenant replied in a steady voice, “There’s been no reaction. It’s quiet.”
The enemy king had advised Castro not to respond to provocations, suggesting he intended to remain holed up in the castle.
Hearing this, Castro clenched his teeth, while another suspicion crept into his mind.
‘Could the count be waiting for my reputation to fall, planning to strike at the decisive moment and seize Jupiter?’
Sleep-deprived from the constant taunts, his mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts.
Pressing his temples, Castro tried to organize his thoughts. After a long pause, he spoke to his lieutenant.
“Tell the dark mages to open a gate towards the allied forces.”
The lieutenant was taken aback. “Opening a gate here could isolate our troops at the Thermo Pass.”
Castro sprang to his feet. “We’ll sweep them away with monsters, then send our forces from here to march on Rom!”
He gritted his teeth and continued, “If we hit them from behind with monsters, they won’t be so complacent. While they’re in disarray, we’ll send in the mercenaries and the Dracula Knights to crush them. The allied forces will crumble quickly.”
The lieutenant’s face hardened at Castro’s words. But it seemed there was no turning back from his decision.
‘Staying put is the best course, but if the allied forces hold out and Rom’s reconstruction finishes, with Prince Leo rallying other families, we could be the ones counterattacked.’
After a moment of cold deliberation, the lieutenant nodded. “Understood. I’ll relay your orders to the dark mages.”
Once the lieutenant left, Castro Pollock moved to the window, gazing out at the boisterous allied camp outside the castle.
His eyes turned icy cold.
‘Just wait a little longer, you filthy mongrels. I’ll hang your heads on the castle walls.’