Episode 130
Officially, the defense of the rear fortress, Felix, was under the charge of the notorious Philip of the Count’s family. The banner of the Count’s house flew high above the fortress, and knights clad in unmistakable mithril armor stood guard.
The Lancaster Duke’s side was well aware that they had already suffered devastating losses at the hands of the “Black Prince.”
As night deepened, movements in the shadows began.
In this world, the value of knights extends far beyond cavalry charges on horseback. These are beings who transcend physical limitations through aura. When they move under the cover of darkness with the intent of a siege, their true worth is akin to that of a versatile special forces unit. A small, elite group capable of infiltrating enemy lines and executing operations.
The Rose Cross knights stationed there were no exception.
Shedding their armor and cloaking their identities with hoods, the Rose Cross knights set siege hooks along the fortress walls. Shadows began to race up the stone walls.
With a swift motion, they defied gravity, relying on a single siege hook to leap lightly up the fortress wall.
“Well, well, burning the midnight oil, are we?”
It was then that a silhouette appeared, blocking the knights’ path as if waiting for them.
There was no time to discern the identity of the man. In a way, it was a blessing.
At least it was better than knowing that one of the continent’s top seven knights stood atop the wall.
With a swift slash, the heads of the Rose Cross knights tumbled through the air.
To seize the rear fortress of Felix, a “special unit” of a hundred Rose Cross knights had been dispatched.
An elite force composed of thirty aura knights and seventy aura beginners.
As they awaited the signal from the “infiltration team” that had gone ahead to secure the walls, something unexpected happened.
Suddenly, the fortress gates opened, and the drawbridge lowered.
A cavalry unit of about a hundred began to move across the drawbridge.
Riding atop the horses were the “Knights of St. Magdalena.” Clad in pure white mithril armor, the standard-bearer holding the banner of the Count’s house was among them.
Some of them even brandished “pure white aura blades” as if to flaunt their prowess. There was no doubt about it.
“Could they have ordered the cavalry out to annihilate the enemy?”
The absurdity of the decision left Melius, the commander of the Rose Cross knights, in shock.
To abandon the fortress and send the knights out to engage in open battle without fully understanding the enemy’s strength! Moreover, most of the high-ranking forces of the Knights of St. Magdalena had been wiped out in the “Black Prince’s” trap.
It seemed that being a “genius of defeat” was not something just anyone could achieve.
From his position in the nearby forest, the commander signaled to his subordinates.
The waiting Rose Cross knights mounted their warhorses, preparing for a cavalry charge. They aimed at the seemingly oblivious Knights of St. Magdalena under the command of the reckless Philip.
“Indeed. It takes a special kind of talent to hand over an impregnable fortress like that.”
Clicking his tongue in disbelief, Commander Melius couldn’t hide his inner delight.
“Before waiting for the infiltration team’s signal, we will wipe out the main cavalry of St. Magdalena.”
The enemy was practically walking into their own demise. Why refuse such an opportunity?
In the forest, the formation was set, and a hundred Rose Cross knights, excluding the small infiltration team, began their charge.
They were joined by the Purifiers of the Red Tower.
Abandoning the advantage of the fortress, they ventured outside. They didn’t have overwhelming superiority in numbers, making it a near-suicidal act.
Thus, the Lancaster commander Melius and the Purifiers of the Red Tower moved to execute their rear infiltration operation.
“Charge! Sweep away the dogs of York and St. Magdalena!”
“For the Grand Duke of Lancaster! Let the blood of the enemy prove your nobility!”
The knights, openly displaying the red and white roses symbolizing Lancaster, charged in unison.
The Purifiers, clad in the blood-red uniforms of the Red Tower, were no exception.
“Turn to ash.”
Before the first cavalry charge, the Purifiers unleashed a storm of flames, which rained down upon the Knights of St. Magdalena.
The infamous hellfire of the Red Tower.
Imagining the scene after the flames of the enemy sorcerers had swept through was not difficult, especially for those who remembered the atrocities during the Empire’s unification wars.
Flames roared, and from within them, knights emerged. As if even the fire couldn’t block their path.
“Did they block the flames with aura shields?”
No.
The heat was enough to melt the mithril armor that the Count’s house prided itself on. There was no need to mention the state of the knights wearing it.
Knights engulfed in flames stood there.
Beneath the melted armor, there was no trace of human flesh. Bones were exposed, and what should have been inside was missing.
Empty shells, devoid of life. They were never alive to begin with. Even the warhorses they rode.
Realizing this sent chills down the commander’s spine.
These were not the Knights of St. Magdalena. At least, not when they were alive.
“Death Knights of the Black Tower…!”
The knights of death were there.
The one defending this fortress was not the “genius of defeat” Philip. It was the “Black Prince,” who had once annihilated the holy sword and its cavalry, securing victory in the First Rose War.
But there was no time to voice this realization.
The army of dead knights was already charging forward.
From the watchtower, an unknown force of death rained down almost simultaneously. A knight’s helmet shattered, and his skull exploded.
The shadow sniper had just pulled the trigger for the first time.
At the same time, a hundred Death Knight cavalry charged toward the enemies of Dale.
The cavalry of death charged, each of their blades imbued with the black sword of Saxon.
In contrast, the Lancaster forces had only about thirty aura knights.
Even though Dale had become a formidable warrior, hunting tower elders and aura masters as if it were nothing, their rarity in this world was not to be underestimated.
In a battle within the realm of common sense, deploying thirty aura knights and seventy aura beginners to secure a single rear fortress was excessive.
“Why is the ‘Black Prince’ here…?”
The Count’s banner was raised, and the proud Knights of St. Magdalena would never align with the “Black Prince.” Moreover, he had heard that the reckless Philip had safely rescued the holy sword and returned to the Marquisate of York!
After saying this, Commander Melius felt his blood run cold.
Who had reported that Philip had led the cavalry to rescue the holy sword and returned?
It was the “Black Prince.”
Even as he belatedly turned his horse to flee, the formation was in disarray, and deserters were emerging. The proud Rose Cross knights, turning their backs just to save their own lives!
There was no escape across the plains. They couldn’t outrun the range of the “shadow sniper” overseeing the area from the watchtower. Realizing this, they raced toward the forest facing the fortress, but it made no difference.
With a swift slash, a fleeing knight’s head was severed before he even realized it, and the gushing blood revealed the truth.
It was a web.
The shadow assassins’ formation. Who would have thought that even the high-ranking assassins of the “Shadow Court” would join this battle?
Despite everything, the Lancaster forces conducting the rear infiltration were few. They intended to join forces with the Red Tower’s Purifiers to seize the fortress and isolate York’s defensive stance from both sides.
Their plan had been uncovered, and their opponent was not the genius of defeat.
The fear and brutality associated with the “Black Prince” were now unleashed upon the Lancaster knights.
Some time later, when Dale finally appeared at the frontline fortress where York’s leadership had gathered.
“Oh my, Prince Dale.”
Mistress Titania greeted Dale with a smile, as if she had been waiting for him.
“I hear you’ve completely wiped out the Red Tower and Lancaster forces infiltrating the rear.”
Following the victory at Fortress Felix, the “Lancaster Hunt” began, led by the assassins of the Shadow Court. The Red Tower’s Purifiers, who were operating alongside them, were no exception.
In the white and dark winter night of the fortress, the flames of the brazier burned even hotter.
“And welcome, Lady Sepia.”
”…”
Sepia remained silent, her expression unreadable in response to Titania’s smile.
“As you can see, victory in this battle will be mine,” Dale declared, breaking the silence.
“And as promised, the Blue Tower will convene the ‘Sorceress Council,’ and naturally, the master of the Blue Tower must make an appearance.”
Dale continued, his tone steady as he spoke of the one who stood at the pinnacle of the Tower of Deceit and Lies.
“Is there anything else you wish to achieve there?”
“Lady Sepia’s debts to you will be forgiven,” Dale announced.
“From now on, it is no longer the Blue Tower’s responsibility to protect Lady Sepia.”
“D-Dale…?” Sepia stammered, bewildered by his words.
“There’s no need to worry, Lady Sepia,” Dale reassured her, unfazed.
“Even if you come to despise me and point fingers, I will never forget your devotion.”
He pulled out a ‘crystal necklace’ from his pocket, a symbol of the bond between the heir of the Black Tower and the promise of the Blue Tower.
“Silence will remember you.”
With a sharp crack, the crystal necklace shattered, scattering blue magic across the area.
The puppet strings that had bound Sepia were severed in an instant.