Chapter 102


    There was no longer any reason to hesitate.


    Mateurus looked at the soldiers lifting the boulders onto the catapult and shouted.


    “Hurry up! We have to destroy the walls before they can respond.”


    “Yes, sir!”


    With a loud response, the soldiers began to lift the enormous boulders.


    Each one was over two meters in diameter. No, more urately, they were giant masses made by mixing boulders with a dough saturated with oil.


    These were extremely effective when dealing with devils like them.


    “Light it up!”


    Whoosh!


    Whoosh!


    At the officer’smand, soldiers carrying torches lit the boulders on fire.


    Thanks to the oil-infused dough, the boulders quickly caught fire.


    “Fire!”


    At the thunderous shout, the ropes holding the catapult snapped, and the ming bouldersunched over the walls of Sragan.


    And then—


    Boom!


    The ming boulders exploded into countless fragments, scattering in all directions.


    The dough clinging to the boulders sttered onto the Empire’s soldiers, who screamed in agony as they were burned alive, unable to tear off the sticky, ming substance.


    There was no one left to protect in this capital.


    Mateurus clenched his fist tightly.


    “I’ll kill everyst one of them.”


    And at that moment—


    “Those mad bastards!”


    Roberta scowled at the giant ming boulders that had flown over the walls.


    The fact that they wereunching such an attack meant the enemy had already learned the truth.


    Roberta shouted.


    “Archers, fire!”


    Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!


    Hundreds of arrows shot into the sky.


    They would use the catapults to tear down the walls and then move in for a frontal assault.


    “There’s no need to wait any longer. We definitely can’t allow them to keep using those catapults.”


    Unfortunately, the long-range siege weapons inside the capital had been destroyed by the desperate defenders in their final moments.


    Some maniacs even set fire to the food stores just before dying.


    “But it doesn’t matter. It’s all meaningless before the might of the Cartelia Empire’s army.”


    Besides, they had the Aura Master, General Piaren Tail.


    Roberta shouted.


    “Open the gates! We will go out and fight!”


    It was a basic t of strategy that defense favored the defenders. But if the enemy intended to use siege weapons to prolong the fight from a distance, going out to engage them was another tactic.


    Especially when they had overwhelming force on their side.


    “Report to Lord Piaren.”


    “Yes, ma’am.”


    Watching as the gate began to open, Roberta spoke.


    A soldier quickly ran towards the royal pce, and Roberta looked at the fully opened gate and donned her helmet.


    “Hehehe, let the bloodbath begin.”


    The 10,000-strong force led by Roberta quickly formed ranks and began to move outside.


    Known for their harsh training from a young age, the Empire’s soldiers were quick to respond.


    “…They’ve chosen a frontal assault.”


    Riselotte, themander of the Baroque Kingdom’s reinforcements, observed the Empire’s movements with a cold expression.


    ‘Are they really going to engage in a frontal battle on this open in?’


    While she wasn’t certain of the exact size of the Imperial force, she estimated it to be around 10,000.


    Inparison, their forces numbered 30,000.


    Despite their numerical disadvantage, there was only one reason they would choose a direct confrontation.


    ‘It must be because of Piaren Tail.’


    Riselotte bit her lip and spoke to her adjutant beside her.


    “We need to track the movements of the enemy’s Aura Master, Piaren Tail, first.”


    After a brief silence, Riselotte frowned in contemtion.


    She needed to send a swift unit to monitor his movements and contain him…


    “…Summon the captain of the Caion unit.”


    Though it was a newly established unit, they had proven themselves many times over in a short period.


    Moreover, they had a hundred members.


    They had enough mobility to act as needed.


    Riselotte let out a small breath as she watched the Imperial army form their ranks.


    * * *


    “Captain!”


    Damian turned to see Dianal calling him.


    “What is it?”


    “General Riselotte has summoned you.”


    Damian’s eyes turned cold at those words.


    The fact that he was being called right as the Empire moved outside suggested that they intended to use the Caion unit for a specific operation.


    Damian quickly made his way to where General Riselotte was.


    “Glory to the Kingdom!”


    When Damian saluted, Riselotte spoke to him.


    “Sergeant Damian, take your unit and move to the rear of the Imperial forces immediately.”


    “Is our mission just to move to their rear?”


    “Caion unit has only one mission. Confirm whether the enemy Aura Master appears on the battlefield, and if he does, harass him as much as possible.”


    “…”


    Damian clenched his fists tightly without realizing it.


    ‘An Aura Master…’


    It was an Aura Master of the Empire who had decimated his unit in the past.


    He could never forget the image of that red hair and those piercing eyes.


    Damian asked.


    “What is the name of the enemymander?”


    “Piaren Tail. He’s the Knight Commander of the Rose Knights, with blonde hair. His armor bears the emblem of a sword and a rose.”


    “Piaren Tail…”


    He had heard of him before.


    Despite being an Aura Master, Piaren Tail had a limited standing within the Empire due to his entric personality. But because his skills were so exceptional, he could act as he pleased.


    ‘Of course, that’s why he must have killed all the royals.’


    He had hoped, somewhere in his heart, that someone might have survived.


    ‘But they must have been prepared to die the moment they sent the prince out.’


    Damian thought of the prince of the Spanian Kingdom who had been in his arms.


    He then looked at Riselotte and nodded.


    “We’ll depart immediately.”


    “If he moves to the battlefield, signal with a red re.”


    “Yes, ma’am.”


    Damian quickly moved to where his unit was stationed.


    Dianal had already gathered all the members and had them standing by.


    He chuckled.


    ‘He sure is thorough when ites to things like this.’


    It felt like the Dianal he knew was finally showing himself.


    Damian lightly patted Dianal on the shoulder and spoke to his unit.


    “This mission is dangerous.”


    He grinned.


    “Heh, when has it ever not been dangerous?”


    The members burst intoughter at Damian’s first words, and Kyle made a yful remark.


    Dianal frowned slightly at their behavior, ring at them.


    “Let them be.”


    Damian shook his head.


    This kind of atmosphere could actually help release some tension.


    As Dianal took a step back, Damian slowly walked in front of his unit, a faint smile on his lips but with sharp eyes.


    Everyone watched him with the same rxed yet serious gaze.


    Damian then spoke.


    “Our mission is to move to the rear of the enemy and confirm whether the Aura Master joins the battlefield. If he does…”


    He stopped and looked at his unit.


    “We need to hinder him as much as possible and dy his participation in the battle.”


    Then he grinned.


    “Piece of cake, right?”


    “The Aura… Master, sir?”


    Terka, who had been listening to the n, asked nervously.


    Although he had never seen one himself, he had heard countless stories about Aura Masters.


    They said an Aura Master’s single strike could kill dozens of enemies, and that the power they wielded could not be blocked unless one was an Aura Master themselves.


    The soldiers who had been smiling moments ago were now tense and rigid.


    But Damian shook his head.


    “There’s no need to be too scared. We won’t be engaging in directbat with the Aura Master. And remember this: they are human, too. No matter how powerful Aura may be, if they get stabbed with a sword, they’ll die just like anyone else.”


    “…Have you ever seen an Aura Master, Captain?”


    “Yes.”


    “What?! When?!”


    Kyle, who had been listening quietly, asked in surprise.


    Even Dianal, standing beside him, looked at Damian in shock.


    They had always been together. When would Damian have had the chance to encounter an Aura Master?


    Damian, with a mysterious smile, gripped his spear.


    “Be confident. We are the Caion unit.”


    “Yes, sir!”


    Kyle responded loudly. Damian then raised an eyebrow and shouted.


    “Who are we?!”


    And to that question—


    “We are the Caion unit!”


    The voices of the soldiers echoed loudly.


    Satisfied, Damian turned around with a smile.


    “Caion unit, move out!”


    The hundred members of the Caion unit immediately began to move swiftly towards the location of the Empire’s forces.


    * * *


    Roberta’s report quickly reached Piaren.


    In the great hall of the royal pce.


    Sitting on the throne, Piaren chuckled softly at Roberta’s report.


    “Hehehe, a very Roberta-like choice.”


    He was known for his incredibly aggressive nature.


    If the enemy had brought out siege weapons, it was just like him to charge out and destroy them.


    And he was amander who maneuvered his troops like a ghost.


    But even so, they were significantly outnumbered.


    Even though the Empire’s soldiers were superior to those of other kingdoms, oveing three times their numbers would not be easy.


    “So, she wants me to cover the rear, huh.”


    Piaren stood up.


    The great hall was already spotless, with not a trace of blood left.


    As he walked out, Piaren spoke to his adjutant.


    “Summon the Rose Knights. We’ll join the battle as well.”


    “I’ll summon them immediately.”


    As the adjutant hurriedly ran off, Piaren stepped outside the pce and looked up at the sky.


    The sky was covered in thick darkness.


    Below it, the mes burned brightly, resembling the fierce spirit of the soldiers.


    All of thisbined to create an intense atmosphere on the battlefield.


    And to Piaren, that battlefield—


    “Isn’t it just beautiful?”


    Thinking about the battlefield, which would soon be painted in blood, sent a shiver down his spine.


    Until now, he had felt utterly bored fighting enemies who couldn’t even put up a resistance.


    “The Baroque Kingdom and the remnants of a fallen kingdom.”


    Considering their number, 30,000, he couldn’t afford to be careless.


    But to him, the number of enemies didn’t matter.


    He only wondered—


    “I hope there’s someone on this battlefield who can make my heart race.”


    By the time Piaren had stepped fully outside the pce—


    “Lord Piaren, the Rose Knights have all been assembled.”


    In that short time, all one hundred knights had gathered.


    Piaren looked at the assembled knights and spoke.


    “This war is our Empire’s deration to the continent. Make it as glorious and…”


    He grinned.


    “Brutal as possible.”


    This war, stained with blood, would be the beginning of their conquest of the entire continent.


    At Piaren’s words, the knights of the Rose Knights all lowered the visors of their helmets.


    Clink.


    And thus, the Empire’s Aura Master, Piaren Tail, entered the battlefield.